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family and student update

3/7 – Family/Student Update

Published March 8, 2021 by Scill Chan

Dear BCS Families,

We had a great return to MS blended learning the last few days!  We are hopeful the city will announce the reopening of HS blended learning on Monday (fingers crossed – a return day we’re hearing is possibly Mon 3/22)!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Student Led Conferences – we expect 100% student and family participation!

  • Student-led conferences are scheduled for Thursday evening, March 18th from 4:15 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. and on Friday afternoon, March 19th from 12:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  
  • Parents attend the conference with the crew leader along with your child.
  • Your crew leader will reach out to you to schedule a conference.  This is an important progress check-in between the school and families about how your child is doing in school.

Friday 3/19 is half day – dismissal is at 11:45am

  • For SLCs, we have a half day on Fri 3/19.  Students in blended learning that day will be dismissed at 11:45am.  Students in remote that day will only have Pds 1-3 in Zoom.

Amazon Smile – Fundraise for BCS while you shop at no cost to you

  • Please choose Friends of Brooklyn Collaborative Studies as your charity on Amazon Smile and donate to BCS while you shop at Amazon at no cost to you!
  1. Sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile phone browser.
  2. From your desktop, go to Your Account and select the option to Change your Charity. Or, from your mobile browser, select Change your Charity from the options at the bottom of the page.
  3. Select a new charitable organization to support.  Choose Friends of Brooklyn Collaborative Studies

PTA Meeting Tues 3/9

  • Please join us on Tuesday 3/9/21 7pm-8pm for our monthly PTA meeting. 
  • Zoom Meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88937356870
  • Meeting ID: 889 3735 6870
  • One tap mobile +19292056099,,88937356870# US (New York)

Building Cabinet Safety Meeting – open to all families

  • Every year, we invite families to our building cabinet meeting to discuss any safety concerns you have. You are all welcome to attend with BNS and BCS staff.
  • Thurs Mar 11 @ 2:30pm – Building Cabinet Safety meeting

Family Anti-Racist Equity Book Club Events

  • Our next book is Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls by Monique Morris – please check out the book and RSVP to Imani

Our lower grades BCS YWCA Afterschool

  • The YW-NYC Afterschool Program provides free afterschool programming on Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri until 5:30pm, both for in-person learners on their blended days and in virtual
  • Please sign up your child by emailing Janet@bcs448.org

Office Hours for UPPER GRADES (Grades 9-12) is ONE LINK

  • All students can access office hours for ALL teachers using just one link (daily at 2:30pm)
  • The link has been posted in all Google Classrooms and is the same link for all classes
  • We hope this will encourage more students to access office hours daily to speak with teachers and to complete work

Semester 1 Final Grades are available in PupilPath

  • Review your Fall 2020 numeric report card grades. You can find these in PupilPath (click on “Grades” → “Report Card” → “2020-2021 Term 1″)
  • If you have an NX, you must continue to submit work to your teachers in order to achieve Beginning Mastery.  You have not yet passed that class.
  • Transcripts have been mailed home as of Fri 2/5.  Please look out for it in your mailbox.
  • The DOE grading policy permits families in Grades 6-12 to convert any numeric grade above 65 to CR (credit) so that the numeric grade does not impact a student’s cumulative average
  • Crew leaders will start informing families of your options and how to submit your request beginning this week – please reach out to your crew leader with questions.

No more Friday Crew at 2:30pm – Crew is now only Wed at 1:35pm

  • Due to the return of blended learning, we will no longer have Friday Crew at 2:30pm
  • All staff will be available for office hours Fri 2:30pm
  • Crew will only be Wed at 1:35pm

Updates on state testing

  • The NYS Board of Regents is meeting next week to discuss June Regents.  If there are Regents exams, we will notify families as soon as possible.
  • We are still awaiting information from the DOE about MS state testing.  If there are MS state tests this spring, we will notify families as soon as possible.  As always, families have the parental right to opt out of middle school state testing.  

FOR BLENDED IN-PERSON FAMILIES

Possible Date for HS Blended Re-Opening

  • We are hopeful the city will announce the reopening of HS blended learning on Monday (fingers crossed – a return day we’re hearing is possibly Mon 3/22)!

Blended Learning Guidelines

Travel restrictions if returning to blended

  • Please note carefully the NYS rules for testing and quarantine
  • Please do not return to blended learning until you have communicated with Scill about your travel/quarantine/testing plans if you traveled recently

Welcome to Wells (Assistant Principal from Brooklyn ALC)

  • We welcome Wells Huang, an assistant principal temporarily reassigned to BCS for the next few weeks to help Scill and Imani.  Please welcome him!  He can be reached at wells@bcs448.org

5th floor boys bathroom construction

  • We have begun long-awaited construction upgrades in the 5th floor boys bathroom that will take it offline for several weeks, beginning Fri 3/5.  There was already construction on the 2nd floor bathroom.
  • This will impact blended learning.
  • Although it will be inconvenient, it is the best time with reduced attendance in the building.
  • Boys can use the all-gender restroom on the 4th floor or the 1st floor during lunch pod (not the 2nd or 3rd floor bathrooms).

Air purifiers

  • Each classroom has an Intellipure air purifier, provided by the DOE (all 4th and 5th floor offices and classrooms).  

RESOURCES

DOE Update: Meisha Porter will be New York City’s New Chancellor

UPDATE: Miguel Cardona Confirmed as Secretary of Education

Published in BCS News