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THE BUZZ..... November 5, 2018Dear Earth School Families,
Next week is devoted to Family Conferences. Please make an appointment by signing up at the classroom or emailing your teachers. Did you know that ALL teachers and service providers are available and eager to meet with you to discuss your child’s progress? Don’t forget to meet with Patrice (Art), Emmy (Science), and Vince (Movement/PE). You can also meet with any of your child’s special service providers: Julie, Shav, and Melissa (Speech), Rachel (English as a New Language), Carmen (Occupational Therapy), Shirley (Guidance), and Chris (Physical Therapy). I try to get around to conferences as well and can be available at specific times with advance notice. We hope to see all families!
Next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, Patrice (Art), Emmy (Science), and Vince (Movement/PE) will be having a Family Open House. You are invited to come in and observe classes in session. To see your own child’s class, please check their schedule.
With love, Abbe
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Posted Nov 5, 2018, 1:28 PM by Designer Stevie Remsberg
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THE BUZZ.....
October 29, 2018
Dear Earth School Families, Halloween is coming. For those who partake in this tradition, it's an exciting time as children look forward to festivities, treats, and costumes. All the excitement can make it hard for children to focus and to behave calmly at school. We kindly request that you wait until after school to celebrate Halloween. Please do not send costumes, candy, or sweets to school. Please remind children not to bring their candy to school on the following days.
Last week, The Earth School was reviewed by an evaluator from the School Quality Office of the Department of Education. The reviewer spent two full days observing classrooms, meeting with parents, students, and faculty, and reviewing school documents. At the end, we received ratings in 10 areas. The Earth School received the highest rating (Well Developed) in 9 areas and was found Proficient (next best) in one. I was very proud to represent the school during the Quality Review. Throughout the review, it was evident to me how years of intentional and thoughtful collaboration has kept the Earth School both strong and responsive. In approximately 8 weeks, we will receive the full report which will also be posted on the DOE website. This Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. is the next 3Rs (Reflect, Represent, Respect) parent event. The first 3Rs meeting was very powerful and those that attended had a great experience. It is a wonderful opportunity for community members to share their real world experiences and to learn about each other. Hosted by the Representation Team. Dinner and childcare provided. The New York State Board of Regents is scheduled to vote on a set of proposals that will punish schools--and disproportionately high poverty schools--if parents choose to exercise their legal right to opt out of state exams. The public comment period for those proposals ends soon (November 2). We know that the last time that the Regents voted on regulations of this nature, public comment played an important role in the Board's decision to reject those proposals. Like the earlier proposals, those now coming up for a vote do nothing to advance our children’s educations or improve the quality of our schools. If you commented on the initial set of regulations, please comment again--your voice made a difference! If you didn’t comment that time, now is your chance! You can send a pre-written letter with just a few clicks from here or you can send in your own comments directly to ESSAregcomment@nysed.gov (Both will be counted but your own letter may have slightly more impact.) Here is the link: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/regents-reject-proposals-to-punish-schools-when-parents-opt-out?clear_id=true&source=email-urgent-regents-need-to-hear-from-you-before-nov-2 With love, Abbe |
Posted Oct 28, 2018, 11:10 AM by Designer Stevie Remsberg
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THE BUZZ.....
October 21, 2018
Dear Earth School Families, Looking for some parenting support and camaraderie? Parent Corps is for you! Join Guidance Counselor Shirley Suares and fellow parents to share parenting strategies and challenges over coffee and a light breakfast. This is self-care for caring parents. The program runs 14 weeks so attend whenever you can! It’s also a great way to find new parent friends in the community. Find out why many parents come back for a second or third year! Mondays, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. in Room 106 As I have reported previously, beloved Pre-K and K teacher Carole Scott is retiring this month. Her last day is October 31. Our dear Art teacher Patrice Lorenz is retiring at the end of November. Tim will be taking over her classes to do some cooking, gardening, and art as we design the next phase of visual arts programming at The Earth School. Rumor has it that Patrice may even make some “guest appearances” to help with graduation projects in the spring! While this year will be a little piecemeal, the School Leadership Team (Abbe, teachers, parent reps) is now exploring a more permanent solution for providing essential visual arts programming. Since funding is very tight on both the school side and the PA side, we have to keep our vision in line with what is financially sustainable. Rest assured, we will be reaching out for community input and keeping you updated with our progress. A little history: In 2017, when we added a certified physical education teacher, we lost our fulltime Cooking program. Many families were sad about losing Cooking so we decided to add the CookShop program into classrooms last year. I hope that our young chefs will enjoy exploring Culinary Arts again with Tim in the coming months.
At Cooking, students learn about wholesome foods and healthy eating. They explore where foods come from and get a chance to grow and harvest food on our amazing 2400 square foot rooftop farm! We also have a beautiful Cooking Room (B69) that is fully stocked with equipment and pantry ingredients. Last, but not least, our school is hosting a Quality Review this week. I am so proud to share the work of our teachers and students with a reviewer on Wednesday and Thursday. She will be reviewing documents and data and meeting with staff, students, parent reps, and me over the two days. We are all busy preparing for a great review!
With love, Abbe
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Posted Oct 21, 2018, 6:46 PM by Designer Stevie Remsberg
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Mon, 11/5, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. Parents Corps with Shirley Suares. Coffee and Breakfast, Room 106
Mon, 11/5, 8:15 – 8:45 a.m. Camp Chaperone Meeting, PA Room 126
Mon, 11/5, 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Representation Team Meeting, Room 140
Tues, 11/6. Election Day. Please VOTE!!!!
No school for children
Wed, 11/7 – Fri, 11/9. Frost Valley Camping Trip.
Grades 4 and 5
UPCOMING EVENTS (visit our website for full calendar)
11/12. Veterans Day. School closed
11/13 – 11/16. Family Conference Week
11/13, 11/14, 11/16. Science, Art, Movement (PE) Family Open House. Drop in to see what your children are doing with our specialty teachers, Emmy, Patrice, and Vince.
11/14, 5:00 – 7:45 p.m. Family Conference Evening
11/15. Half day for Family Conferences. Dismissal at 11:55 a.m.
11/22 – 11/23. School closed for Thanksgiving FYI Department of Education Policy on Outdoor Play
“Children benefit from vigorous exercise and should be given the opportunity to play outside whenever possible. Unless it is snowing, there is ice on the playground, or the wind chill factor creates an effective temperature below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius), temperature alone should not be a barrier to outdoor play. You are encouraged to work with your staff to maintain outdoor play periods, and you should take precautions to keep students warm and to ensure that they are appropriately dressed on very cold days. When outdoors, please ensure that your students and staff cover exposed skin, wear warm clothing, and use multiple layers to maintain warmth. |
 Dates for tours coming in November!Make Your Family Contribution!
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