TL;DR: Next week brings emergency evacuation drills, the Fall/Winter Clothing and Costume Drive, and our first PROSE half day on Friday 10/9 (dismissal at 11:40am), followed by no school on Monday 10/12. Octoberfest is Saturday 10/17, and RSVPs and pre-sales are open. If you missed the September PTA meeting, the minutes, slides and recording are up, with news on the accessibility work and this year's budget.
Half days and no school
| Fri 10/9 | Early dismissal for PROSE, 11:40am for all students |
| Mon 10/12 | School closed, Italian Heritage Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day |
Important dates coming up
| Mon 10/5 to Fri 10/9 |
Emergency evacuation drills (exact day not announced) |
| Tue 10/13 | 9-10am: Safety Protocol Info Meeting for Parents |
| Tue 10/13 | 5:30-7pm: District 13 Middle School Fair, 5:30 to 7:00pm, MS 113 |
| Wed 10/14 | Middle school applications open (close Fri 12/11) |
| Sat 10/17 | 11am-3pm: Octoberfest, PS 20 play yard |
| Thu 10/22 | 6-7pm: PTA General Meeting (virtual), Zoom link on Konstella |
To do this week
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Bring gently used fall/winter clothing and costumes for the Community Closet drive, Mon 10/5 to Fri 10/9. Volunteers can grab a sorting shift on the Konstella sign-up.
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Talk through the evacuation drill with your child using the NYCPS General Response Protocols guide (Konstella post).
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Remind your child to stay off the scaffolding around the building before and after school (Konstella post).
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Read the school's Remote Learning Plan letter (PDF attached to the Konstella post).
Half day Friday, then a long weekend. Friday 10/9 is our first PROSE planning day. All students are dismissed at 11:40am so teachers can spend the afternoon on IB inquiry work and aligning instruction to students' needs. School is then closed on Monday 10/12 for Italian Heritage Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day, so classes resume Tuesday 10/13.
Drills and safety. The school will run emergency evacuation drills during the week of 10/5. The Main Office asks families to go over the General Response Protocols guide with children ahead of time so nobody is surprised. A separate reminder from the administration: the scaffolding around the building is part of an active construction site, so kids should not climb, sit or play on it. There is also a Safety Protocol Info Meeting for parents on Tue 10/13 from 9:00 to 10:00am.
Octoberfest is two weeks out. The PTA's annual fall festival is Saturday 10/17, 11:00am to 3:00pm in the play yard (enter on Clermont Ave between Willoughby and DeKalb; it moves indoors if the weather turns). Expect a pumpkin patch and painting, a bounce house and obstacle course, games with Mosaic, PS 20 honey from the Green Arts bees, a costume giveaway from Community Support and Service, and activities with the International and Multicultural Families committee. All proceeds benefit PS 20. RSVP and pre-sales here, and see ps20.org/octoberfest.
This week at school. Curriculum Night ran on Zoom Wednesday evening, with teachers walking families through the year's curriculum, trips and expectations. Sessions were recorded, so check with your child's teacher if you missed yours. Friday brought Crazy Sock Day for Fun First Friday, along with Custodian Appreciation Day, a good moment to thank the team that keeps our building running.
From the principal, via the PTA meeting. Ms. Blyden shared that the three-year accessibility project is underway: accessible elevators, facade work, chairlifts, accessible bathrooms, security cameras and a rooftop garden. The 3rd floor bathrooms are open and the 2nd floor should be finished by mid October. She was candid about the budget: PS 20 took deep DOE cuts and did not receive small class size funding, so 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th grades have fewer classes and larger class sizes this year. The new Strategic Instructional Period uses screeners to group students so everyone gets instruction at the right level. Members voted to move $30k from PTA reserves to fund substitute teachers for the full year. Full minutes, slides and recording are linked. The school also posted its Remote Learning Plan for 2026-27, a letter explaining how learning would continue if the school ever had to pivot to remote; it is attached to the Main Office post. Questions for Ms. Blyden ahead of the next meeting on Thu 10/22 can go to board@ps20.org.
Community and later in October. The Community Closet's Fall/Winter Clothing and Costume Drive runs all week, so it is a good time to clear out outgrown coats and last year's costumes. Further out: Families as Learning Partners on Fri 10/16 at 8:30am, Halloween Movie Night on Fri 10/23 from 6:30 to 9:00pm, the Safe Streets Committee's "A Wheel Good Time" learn-to-bike event on Sun 10/25, and the Literacy Day Parade on Fri 10/30.
Full details, flyers and sign-ups are on Konstella; the calendar is always at ps20.org/calendar.