TL;DR: A short week is behind us and a busier one is ahead. Curriculum Night is Wednesday 9/30 on Zoom (5:00–7:00pm, one link per grade, all sessions recorded), the school is running an evacuation drill next week, and Kalakkal Afterschool starts Monday. This week we held our first PTA General Meeting of the year, and the new International & Multicultural Families Committee said hello. The main office also asks families with outside after-school programs to let their child's teacher know.
Dates to remember:
Mon 9/28 — Kalakkal Afterschool begins, 2:50pm; SLT Meeting, 4:30–5:30pm
Week of 9/28 — Evacuation drill (talk it through with your child beforehand)
Wed 9/30 — Curriculum Night (virtual), 5:00–7:00pm
Fri 10/9 — Early dismissal for PROSE, 11:40am for all students
Mon 10/12 — School closed, Italian Heritage/Indigenous Peoples' Day
Wed 10/14 — Middle school applications open (grade 5 families)
To do this week. If your child is picked up by an outside after-school program, please let their teacher know which program it is; the main office needs this on file for dismissal. And if you have not yet set up your NYC Schools Account, the guide is at schools.nyc.gov/setup-guide.
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Curriculum Night, Wed 9/30. Join your child's teachers on Zoom from 5:00–7:00pm to hear how the year is organized and what students will be learning. Each grade receives its own Zoom link, and every session is recorded for families who cannot attend live. The school's flyer with the per-grade details is attached to the Curriculum Night announcement on Konstella.
Emergency drill next week. During the week of 9/28 the school will run an evacuation drill following the NYC DOE General Response Protocols. The school asks families to read the GRP Summary Guide and talk through the responses with your child before the drill. Questions can go to the school's assistant principal, Ms. Dembert, at ndembert@schools.nyc.gov.
What happened this week. School was closed Monday for Yom Kippur, and on Thursday families joined the first School and Families (PTA General) Meeting of the year on Zoom, with news from Ms. Blyden, committee updates, a budget review and Q&A. Thank you to everyone who came. Questions for the principal or the board can always go to board@ps20.org.
International & Multicultural Families Committee. The IMF Committee is up and running and looking for families to help with multicultural celebrations, a book club, translation support for the office (Arabic speakers are especially needed) and English classes and conversation groups starting in October. Tell them how you'd like to get involved in the short volunteer questionnaire, and look for their table at Oktoberfest.
After school and enrichment. Kalakkal Afterschool, the math-focused program for grades 2–5, begins Monday 9/28 and runs Mondays through 12/14 from 2:50–3:50pm in room 301 (no session 10/12). Space is limited; the registration link and flyer are on Konstella, and families interested in scholarship seats can email the STEAM Committee at steam@ps20.org.
Full details, flyers and sign-ups are on Konstella; the calendar is always at ps20.org/calendar.