PARENT COORDINATOR UPDATES

Hello PS 107 Families!

See below for Ms. Joanna’s weekly message and updates from myself and the PTA. 

MESSAGE FROM MS JOANNA 

Dear PS 107 Families, 

It was wonderful seeing so many of you at our 5th grade Family Morning on Thursday and our K-4 Family Morning on Friday! I heard from multiple parents how much they enjoyed being back in classrooms, and I’m so pleased that we can finally provide regular opportunities for that. Our second cycle of Family Mornings begins on Friday, March 31st, with the first third of families returning to visit classrooms for the second time. 

On Thursday, March 9th, we will host Parent-Teacher Conferences! As a reminder, children have a half-day and dismissal is at 11:40 am. There is also no after-school on Thursday. Afternoon conferences will be held from 1 to 3 pm and evening conferences will take place between 4:30 and 7:30 pm. All conferences will be held virtually, and classroom teachers will schedule conferences with you directly. If you would like to set up a conference with our specialty teachers, please reach out to them via email: 

• Ms. Abby, 2-5 Science, aroberts@ps107.org (scheduling afternoon conferences only, 1-3 pm)
• Ms. Diane, PreK-5 Physical Education, dditonno@ps107.org 
• Mr. DiFranco, PreK-5 Music, gdifranco@ps107.org
• Ms. Galella, PreK-1 Library/English as a New Language, Academic Intervention for 1st and 2nd grade: pgalella@ps107.org
• Ms. Julie, PreK-5 Art, julie@ps107.org

We have two parent workshops coming up this month, both related to our focus on the important topic of digital citizenship: 

• Internet Safety: Parents, Guardians, Communities, Tuesday, March 14th, 6:30-7:30 pm, 4th Floor Art Studio (in-person only), presented by PS 107 parent and US Secret Service staff member Kevin McCleary. Childcare will be provided in the cafeteria by Ms Brigid and Ms Malani. If you plan to attend and will need childcare, please complete this short form. 
• Nurturing Healthy Digital Habits, Friday, March 24th, 12:30-1:30 pm, Zoom only, presented by PS 107 parent and Common Sense Education Director Tali Horowitz, along with PS 107 School Counselor Sarah Green. Please register here to receive the Zoom link. 

Since March is Digital Citizenship Month at PS 107, this is also an opportune time to remind all of you of our cell phone and other device policy. We realize that parents give children cell phones and smart watches for safety purposes; however, we would like to remind you to please not call or text children during school hours. This happens more than you might think and is extremely disruptive to classroom learning. If you have an urgent message to share with your child during the school day, please call the main office. Further, please remind children that they should not be taking photos or videos during the school day with smart watches or phones. This is also extremely distracting and can lead to a host of associated problems. We appreciate your support with helping your children follow PS 107’s cell phone and other device policy. 

Have a great week!

Warmly, 

Ms Joanna

SCHOOL NEWS

5 DAY WEEK NEWSLETTER

In case you missed it, I've attached the latest February edition of the 5 Day Week

5th GRADE BAKE SALE AND LOST & FOUND - 3/9/23

-The 5th grade will be hosting the PTC Bake Sale outside each entrance at dismissal this Thursday March 9th from 11:40-12:10

-Lost items will be displayed by the Main Entrance at pick up on March 9th, parent/teacher conference day. Please stop by to claim your child's lost items. Unclaimed items will be bagged and donated after our parent teacher conference day on 3/9/23. 

-Internet Safety: Parents, Guardians, Communities  by Kevin McCleary - March 14 @ 6:30 pm  (Childcare will be provided)

-Nurturing Healthy Digital Habits by Tali Horowitz - March 24 @ 12:30 pm - Zoom Platform 

View workshop information here: Practical Parenting for the 21st Century - March Workshops

REMINDERS

SCHOOL SURVEYS 

All classes with 95% completion of the NYC School Survey can win a PIZZA PARTY!!                        How can you help to make this happen for your students:

• Parents/guardians should complete a separate survey for each child enrolled at PS 107
• Parents/guardians can take the survey online at NYCSchoolSurvey.org
• To access the survey, parents/guardian should enter the letter “f” (lowercase) followed by their student’s identification (OSIS) number which can be found on their report card, student ID card, NYCSA account, or Operoo (e.g. f123456789)
• The deadline to take the survey is March 31st, 2023
• The online survey is available in 10 NYCDOE supported languages: English, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Urdu

Once you complete the survey, please complete this google form so we may track your child's classrooms progress.                                                                                                                                                      Questions? Contact: parentcoordinator@ps107.org 

EARLY BIRD PROGRAM 

We have noticed an uptick in students attending the Early Bird program who were not originally registered to participate. There was a lottery held for this program in the summer with a cap on the number of students we were able to accommodate. We need to be sure that we have enough staff to cover the number of students attending. If you think you might need to have your child attend our Early Bird Program, please check in with Nadia first to be sure we are not at capacity for the day. 

COVID-19 UPDATES

If your child tests positive, please alert our Parent Coordinator, Nadia Benlarbi, at parentcoordinator@ps107.org and copy Principal Joanna Cohen on your email at jcohen@ps107.org . We are still reporting positive cases to the situation room and notifying classrooms and staff.

LOST AND FOUND 

Click here to view the virtual lost and found.

Please continue to label your children’s items with their Full Name (First,Last) and classroom.  The full name is important as we do have students with the same first name and including the classroom saves the extra step of looking up children in Operoo to find their classrooms to return the items to them.  

PTA UPDATES

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Read-A-Thon - March 3rd-24th

• Math Magic Start Day - March 8th

• Next PTA Meeting - 9AM March 16th  Zoom Link Here

• Heritage Day - March 18th 

• STEM Day - April 1st

• Auction/Gala - April 28th 

READ-A-THON HAS BEGUN
The Read-A-Thon began last Friday and will continue to run through Friday, March 24! This year we’re using a new online platform built by a PS107 parent. We hope you and your children participate in this annual favorite and the event helps to encourage a love of reading! If you haven’t already, head over to ForOurSchool.org and follow these steps:

1) Parents/guardians register for a free account at ForOurSchool.org
2) Parents/guardians sign in to account and create a student profile using the "Class Code" sent from your class parent.  If you have not received a code, email Rachel Appleby at appleby.rachel.k@gmail.com and include your child’s teacher's name.
3) Log reading time each day in the student profiles (parents/guardians must verify reading time in their account). All reading counts! Even assigned and in-school reading. Parent/guardian-assisted reading is allowed for grades PK, K, and 1st. Students will be given note sheets to keep track of their reading at school. These notes can be kept in blue folders and brought home so the minutes can be logged online.
4) Share personalized ForOurSchool.org donation page to get support from friends and family

For more information, including details on prizes check out https://www.ps107.org/readathon

MATH MAGIC STARTS THIS WEDNESDAY - MARCH 8th
This Wednesday, March 8 will be the first Math Magic Morning!

STEM DAY IS BACK - APRIL 1st!
Mark your calendars and get ready for PS107's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) day on April 1st from 12 pm to 3 pm.  We plan to transform the school into a science and technology wonderland with exciting hands-on activities, interactive experiments, and fascinating demonstrations. From building and launching rockets to coding, from discovering the intricacies of life under the microscope to experiencing the physical properties of matter, there's something for everyone!

As we are preparing for this event, we need YOU to make STEM Day a success! Do you have an idea for a workshop you’d like to lead? Or do you prefer to help a workshop leader?  Please sign up here.

If you have any questions, please email us at ramroom@gmail.com (Reem) and xinalowe@gmail.com (Christina).

HOST OR CO-HOST A ROOM FOR HERITAGE DAY
Heritage Day is on March 18th! We'll visit Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Greece, Persia, England, Korea, India, China, Taiwan, Michigan, Brooklyn, Georgia, the Dakotas, and more! If you'd like to join a room that's already being hosted, please reach out to Biba Milioto, bibamilioto@gmail.com, to connect with the host. If you're inspired to host your own, please fill out this form!

We'll have an info session this Monday, March 6, at 8:00pm to discuss planning and answer any questions. All are welcome to join on Zoom!

SPRING AUCTION GALA
The Spring Auction is coming April 28th, 7-11pm at the Picnic House. Save the Date!  As the committee plans for the great event we are looking for your support! Have an amazing donation to contribute to the auction?  Fill out our Google Donation form at this link! Aren't sure or have questions? Read more about what makes a great donation from our earlier Konstella post here or email Alyse (alyselaw@gmail.com) and Christine (christine.canedo@gmail.com).

WEEKLY GREEN TIP FROM PS107 GREEN COMMITTEE
Hoping to be healthier? Trying replacing meat for just one meal a week with a vegan choice instead.

SUPPORT THE PS 107 PTA
- Donate to our Annual Fund by clicking here or share this link with friends and family (a special link for non-Konstella users)
- Scan your groceries receipt with the Box Tops for Education app on your phone. It only takes a minute and any purchases with the Box Tops label on them will automatically make money for our school!

IMPORTANT DATES

• March 3 - 24 - Read-A-Thon
• March 9 - Free Webinar - “Play With Me & I’ll be Smarter" 10 - 11:30am click here to register
• March 9 - Parent Teacher Conferences -virtual platform Early Dismissal 11:40 am
• March 14 - Parent Workshop- Internet Safety: Parents, Guardians, Communities  by Kevin McCleary - 6:30 pm  In person
• March 15 - D15 Town Hall with Superintendent Alvarez 6:30-8pm virtual platform
• March 16 - PTA Meeting  9-10am
• March 18 - Heritage Day
• March 24 - Parent Workshop - Nurturing Healthy Digital Habits by Tali Horowitz- 12:30 virtual platform
• March 31 - Family Morning Cycle 2, session 1
• March 31 - School Survey completion deadline
• April 1 - Stem Day

UPCOMING HOLIDAYS

• April 6 - 16 - Spring Recess - School Closed

Thank you,

Nadia