Back to School Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The first day of school is an exciting but no doubt emotional time. As you plan for another school year, here are some resources I thought might be of help to you. Please take a look at this resource guide

If you’d like to share your family’s back-to-school excitement, feel free to tag me in your first day of school social media posts at @agounardes and I’ll share them so our neighbors can send their good wishes!

I hope you and your students have a happy and healthy school year.

- Andrew

Back-to-School Resource Guide

NYC Public Schools begin Thursday, September 5. Partial school day for some Pre-K and Kindergarten students, each school has their own schedule. Please check with your school for arrival and dismissal time.  

September Parent Conferences/PA/PTA Meetings: I encourage you to attend the September Parent Conferences (Meet the Staff Night) and your school’s Parent Association/Parent Teacher Association Meetings. For further information, please contact your school’s Parent Coordinator. 

Join your PTA or Parent Association  - Get involved! PTAs and Parent Associations are a great way for parents to be involved in their kids’ school. It doesn’t take a lot of time to make a big impact.

Thursday, September 12 Elementary School          

Thursday, September 19 Middle School

Schools Closed: September 30 – October 1 (Rosh Hashanah)  

Back-to-School Basics: is a one-stop shop with important information to help NYC families get ready for the first day of school and the school year ahead https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/learning/back-to-school      

Community Education Council meetings: All CEC meetings are public and located in our district schools. Below is a list of September meeting times and locations:

CEC District 20 - 9/10 at PS 160

CEC District 21 - 9/18 at PS 188

CEC District 22 - 9/10 at TBD

School breakfast and lunch menus can be accessed here http://www.schoolfoodnyc.org/schoolfood/MenusDailyDisplay.aspx?month=9

Visit myschoolapps and submit a Family Income Inquiry Form today! Breakfast and lunch is served at no charge to all families. However, all parents, regardless of income, must still complete a School Meals Form so that our schools get access to federal funding for this program and others. Please complete the form online at http://www.myschoolapps.com/

NYS Test Scores are now available in NYC Schools Account:  Families of students in Grades 3-8  can view their child’s ELA & Math results on their NYC Schools Account at https://mystudent.nyc/. Contact your school’s Parent Coordinator with any login questions.

School Calendar 2019-2020: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/docs/default-source/default-document-library/school-calendar-2019-2020 

Office of Pupil Transportation: The Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) is the largest school transportation department in the country. To find school bus stop information, bus routes, eligibility for school bus or metro cards, etc., please visit https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/transportation/transportation-overview  

This year, you will be able to track your child’s yellow school bus via GPS. Follow this link for more info https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/transportation/transportation-overview

Speed Cameras: Getting to school is safer than ever, thanks to the increase in the number of speed cameras around our schools. I authored and passed the school zone speed camera expansion legislation in Albany with the goal of protecting families across the City. You can read more in the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/19/nyregion/speed-cameras-schools-nyc.html

Back to School Sleep Tips: https://www.sleep.org/articles/kids-bedtime-back-to-school

How to Calm Back to School Anxiety: https://youtu.be/-T6i22PZHzI 

Build The Habit of Good Attendance: Parents want their children to do well in school but many don’t fully understand the connection between chronic absence and a student’s academic achievement Learn more here: https://www.attendanceworks.org/resources/handouts-for-families/ 

Special Education:  We urge families to take advantage of all the opportunities the DOE offers for you to engage and  partner with your child’s school, including information on the IEP Process, Supports, Services School Settings, etc: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/home

Multilingual Learners: We offer families of English Language Learners three programs that help their children learn English. The three programs are Dual language, Transitional Bilingual Education and English as a New Language. Learn more online: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/multilingual-learners/process/programs-for-english-language-learners

Update on our Teacher Supply Drive: We are thrilled to report that we received noteooks, pencils, glue sticks, scissors and so much more! Supplies have been evenly distributed to our three school districts - Districts 20, 21 and 22. We hope the teachers find these goodies helpful as they start another fantastic school year!