PARENT COORDINATOR UPDATES
Hello PS 107 Families!
It was nice to be out front and see some of you on Friday. Please check out the virtual lost and found. I will bag items again right before Memorial Day weekend. We don't have room on the rack anymore, so I will need to move the items out. This time of year when the temperature fluctuates, adds to the lost and found exponentially!
Please see below for Ms. Joanna’s weekly message and updates from myself and the PTA.
MESSAGE FROM MS JOANNA
Dear PS 107 Families,
I encourage everyone to vote in the Community/Citywide Education Council (CCEC) elections, which are going on right now. Every parent of students in the New York City Public Schools is eligible to vote, and you access the specific elections you can vote for by logging in to your New York City Schools Account (NYCSA). Parents can vote for candidates in the districts in which their children attend school. For example, my daughter is in high school in Queens, and she has an IEP, so I am eligible to vote in the Citywide Council on High Schools - Queens (CCHS - Queens), along with the Citywide Council on Special Education (CCSE) elections. When you log in to your NYCSA, you will click on “Vote for CCEC,” and you will see the elections in which you are eligible to vote.
In New York City, there are 32 Community Education Councils, one for each community school district (PS 107 is in District 15) and 4 Citywide Education Councils (Citywide Council on High Schools, Citywide Council on English Language Learners, Citywide Council on Special Education, Citywide Council for District 75). They are made up of volunteer parent and community leaders, and they are responsible under state law for supporting their local district schools with the goal of raising student achievement. For more information, click here.
For those of you who follow the news about school board elections nationally, you have seen how candidates with minority support can win these elections because of low voter turnout, thereby having outsize influence and enacting policies that may run counter to what you believe is important for your child’s education. While NYC does not have school boards because our schools are under mayoral control, the CECs are the most similar to school boards, although they do not have final decision-making authority.
I voted myself last week, and it took a bit of legwork. The number of candidates for each election for which I was eligible was daunting. In order to make my decision, I read the candidates’ statements, along with endorsements from organizations that most aligned with my personal views on schools.
Voting runs through Tuesday, May 9th. Please take some time to learn about the candidates and vote by Tuesday!
Last but certainly not least, this week, May 8-12, is Teacher Appreciation Week. PS 107 teachers work incredibly hard to create joyful learning spaces in their classrooms, where children have voice and agency. I know that you will join me in thanking them for the countless hours that they devote to ensuring your children have the best possible educational experience. Our teachers truly are superheroes!
Warmly,
Ms Joanna
NEWS
PARENT WORKSHOPS/FAMILY EVENTS
- Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30 PM : Parent workshop at BUGS featuring the extraordinary Dr. Lisa Damour discussing her new book The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents . Tickets are only $25 and the event is open to the entire community! See the attached flyer for more details.
- The D15 Townhall for May is cancelled. The June D15 Townhall will be a State of the District and Celebration of Schools presentation. More information to follow.
- Tuesday May 23rd - 6:30 to 7:30 pm - Parent workshop The Talk by Rachel Lotus, details to follow
- Saturday, June 3 -9am to 3pm : District 15 Family Event – Learning Together
- Please see attached flyer (click International balloon for translation)
SPRING PICTURE DAY
We will have our spring picture day on May 15th. Please see the PTA updates for additional information.
*Please note one change to Spring Picture Day: siblings will be able to have their pictures taken together from 7:45 to 8:15 am on Monday 5/15 on the 4th floor. No need to email teachers, you can just show up!
REMINDERS
AGENT SHARON
If you haven't done so already, please copy and paste this letter into an email, sign it, and send it to the NYPD, DOE, and City Council staff members listed at the top. Feel free to add any personal stories you may have related to how Agent Sharon is such an important part of the PS 107 community.
CCEC ELECTIONS -Deadline is May 9th.
Please vote in our Community Education Council Elections!
To vote, you will need to sign into your NYC Schools Account (NYCSA). If you do not have an account, it’s not too late! Sign up for your NYC Schools Account (NYCSA) today. If you need help signing up to NYCSA, I will guide you through the process.
Be sure to review the candidates’ profiles here before voting.
Questions? Attend an Information Session! https://www.schools.nyc.
Mondays through Thursdays at 9AM, 12PM, and 6PM
Fridays at 9AM and 12PM
D15 DIVERSITY PLAN EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT - open until May 31
2. Interviews with DOE and district leadership
3. Meetings with middle school’s School Leadership Teams
4. Small-group listening sessions with students, caregivers, community-based organizations, guidance counselors, and more
5. Data analysis
6. And, a final report to be shared in 2023.
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 notifying classrooms and staff.
COVID-19 TEST KITS UPDATE
As recommended by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 test kits should now be distributed upon request for students and staff who are experiencing symptoms and/or have a known exposure to someone with COVID-19. This practice, beginning May 1, replaces the previous guidance of automatic distribution of four tests per month to each student and staff. Please see the attached letter for more information.
LOST AND FOUND
The Lost & Found has grown exponentially! Please click here to view the virtual lost and found.
Please label your child's items with FIRST and LAST NAME :)
PTA UPDATES
UPCOMING EVENTS
-
CHiPS Food Drive - May 10th (and every Wednesday)
-
Movie Night - May 12th
-
Art Day - May 13th
- Spring Picture Day - May 15th
-
AAPI Month Snack Sale Fundraiser- May 19th, After School
-
Recycling for $$$ Collection - May 24-25
-
Spring Fling - June 7th
MOVIE NIGHT THIS FRIDAY
We are super excited to be showing Lyle, Lyle Crocodile for our Spring Movie Night coming up this Friday! For those planning to attend, here are a few reminders.
-
TIME - Doors open @ 7:00pm, 8:00pm movie start time
-
SEATING: BYO blanket or low chairs
-
CONCESSIONS: Pizza, snacks, and refreshments will be sold. All proceeds will benefit the PTA.
-
AFTER SCHOOL - If your child is in after school, you will need to pick them up by 6pm and re-enter for movie night with a ticket. If your child does not attend after school, they cannot be in the yard between 2:40pm-6:00pm as it is a liability issue for the afterschool program.
-
VOLUNTEERS - We are looking for volunteers to help at the event, sign-up here. This is a great way to gain entry if you missed the chance to get tickets.
ART DAY THIS SATURDAY
Art Day will be this Saturday and we hope to see many of you there! For anyone who isn't familiar with Art Day, it is an exciting day in the PS 107 Big Yard (plus clay in the cafeteria!), where families participate in arts and crafts activities and explore creativity together. Like Fall Festival and STEM Day, Art Day has been a PS 107 tradition for more than 10 years. If you are still interested in volunteering it’s not too late! Please email Sarah Harlow (harlow.sarah@gmail.com) and Spring Hofeldt (spring@springhofeldt.com) to volunteer!
COMMUNITY OUTREACH CO-CHAIR ROLE
We are still looking for a Co-Community Outreach Chair! This is a great opportunity to advocate for global and community-wide efforts and provide real-time support through school fundraising, activities, and volunteer events. Along with a co-chair, you can lead the PS 107 support for our Brooklyn and school communities in their times of need; this role is deeply tied to our school's values and an extremely rewarding position to fill! If you are interested or simply have further questions about the role and/or commitment, please email Davina davina@ps107.org or Cynthia cynthia@ps107.org
SPRING PICTURE DAY
Picture day is coming up on May 15th! Similar to last picture day, we will be asking for some parent volunteers to help during the day so that everything can run smoothly. Be on the lookout for a sign-up sheet coming soon in order to volunteer for a time slot.
WEEKLY GREEN TIP FROM PS107 GREEN COMMITTEE
This week we are offering you a green service for take out! DeliverZero and Uber Eats: The Perfect Pairing for Takeout!
When you opt-in to receive your order in reusable containers on an Uber Eats order, you'll receive text and email updates with the number of containers you received and the date you need to return them by. If you log into your DeliverZero account, you can see how many containers you have out, get your containers picked up at your door, and track your impact over time
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)
- Order a batch of cookies from Lucky Batch using this link. Lucky Batch is a Brooklyn-based cookie company and with our “always on” bake sale they donate $5 to PS107 for every batch ordered by our family and friends.
- 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
- May 12 - Family Morning Cycle 2, # 2 - 8:20 am/ Coffee w/the Principal 9am
- May 12 - Family Movie Night
- May 13 - Art Day
- May 15 - Spring Picture Day
- May 23 - The Talk parent workshop by Rachel Lotus 6:30 pm
- June 3 - District 15 Family Event – Learning Together 9am-3pm
UPCOMING HOLIDAYS
- May 29 - Memorial Day - school closed
- June 8 - Clerical Day - no school for students
- June 9 - Chancellor's Day - no school for students
Thank you,
Nadia