Upcoming Events:

PS 246 Google Calendar  (click on this link) 

Hispanic Heritage Month

Bullying Prevention Month

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Monday - October 6th

September Parent Engagement Logs Due

All Day- Colleen Congel visits K-5

Trip: M.O.MA. Classes 3-1, 3-5, & 2/3-5

2:30 pm- 3:30 pm - Professional Development   (see details in the PD section)

• K&1 :

• Grade 2: i-Ready Classroom Mathematics Virtual Meeting

• Grades 3-5: Meeting with Colleen Congel

2:30 pm - 5:30 pm - Good Shepherd Afterschool Program

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm - ESL/ENL Classes for Parents/Guardians

Tuesday - October 7th

All Day- Rebecca Nilsson i-Ready Classroom Mathematics visit 

All Day- District Meeting - Ms. Prince & Ms. Granville

Trip: M.O.MA. Classes 3-2 & 3-3

8:10 am- 9:00 am - ILT Meeting with R. Nilsson

9:00 am- 11:30 am - Meeting with R. Nilsson- Grades 2 & 5 Teachers (Library)

1:00 pm- 2:00 pm - ILT Meeting with R. Nilsson

2:30 pm- 3:10 pm - Other Professional Work

2:30 pm- 3:10 pm - Meetings

• Grade Liaison Meeting

• MOSL Committee Meeting

2:30 pm - 5:30 pm - Good Shepherd Afterschool Program

Wednesday - October 8th

All Day - Central Meeting- Ms. Johnson

2:30 pm - 5:30 pm - Good Shepherd Afterschool Program

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm - ESL/ENL Classes for Parents/Guardians

Thursday - October 9th

8:30 am - 10:00 am- ENL Parent/Guardian Meeting (by invitations only)

11:00 am- 12:00 pm - ILT Meeting with HMH Coach- Samantha Lanier

1:40 pm- 2:20 pm - MOSL Committee Meeting

2:30 pm - 5:30 pm - Good Shepherd Afterschool Program

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm - Town Hall Meeting (Virtual)

Friday - October 10th

All Day - HMH Coach visit- Samantha Lanier

2:30 pm - 5:30 pm - Good Shepherd Afterschool Program

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Monday - October 13th:  School Closed-  Indigenous Peoples' Day/Italian Heritage

Administrative Items:

Teacher's Choice Program

As in previous years, teachers, paraprofessionals, and other eligible staff members, have the opportunity to purchase instructional materials and supplies for use in their classrooms and professional assignments for the 2025–26 school year, through the Teacher's Choice program. You should inform your eligible staff members of this opportunity. 

 This year, educators eligible for the Teacher’s Choice program will receive the non-taxable Teacher’s Choice funds in their last paycheck of November. If an eligible staff member does not receive their funds on the scheduled date, you or your designee should email the staff member's name and file number to teacherschoice@schools.nyc.gov by December 3; funds will then be distributed in a subsequent paycheck.

 Staff members who receive the funds are required to spend them on qualifying education materials by January 9; staff must submit original receipts for program purchases to you or your designee by January 16.

 For information about the program and distribution of teacher choice funds, refer to Key Dates: 2025–2026 School Year, Participant Responsibilities, Guidelines, and the Teacher's Choice InfoHub page. For questions, email teacherschoice@schools.nyc.gov or call 718-935-4000.

Parent Teacher Conference

Next month we will host our first Parent Teacher Conference on Thursday, November 6th from 1:00 - 3:00 pm and from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. Thursday is a half day of school and children will dismiss at 11:30 am.  Teachers may leave the school directly after dismissal to conduct the conference from their home if they will arrive before the 1:00 pm conference time. Otherwise, you will conduct the conference from the school and leave at 3:00 pm if you will reach home in time for the 4:30 pm conference.  Please alert Ms. Johnson if you will be conducting the PTC from the school building by Tuesday, November 4th.

REPORT CARDS  WILL BE OPEN THIS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH FOR THE UPCOMING MARKING PERIOD.  Report Cards are to be sent to Administration by Friday, October  31st as follows:

Ms. Johnson General Education

Ms. Prince -  ENL/Bilingual

Ms. Jaoui -  Special Education

1. Parent Conference Log

Teachers are to log their meetings with parents in the Parent Conference Log via the link below (you will need to make a copy to edit).  It is important to note that the "status section" must be reserved to indicate that status of your PTC outreach (did parents attend the scheduled meeting, did they reschedule…) Please enter the time of the meeting, whom you met with and the meeting status (met/not met). PTC logs are to be completed by Friday, March 8th by COB. For those parents whom you cannot contact on the day of the PTC, you will have to reschedule for a mutually agreeable non-instructional time. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/184t2KfOfg48VuBnHx0xHMGEXhaK3Im-HmaqDL0yUUQM/edit?usp=sharing

Parent Teacher Conferences are meant to be visual interactions with parents where we are sharing the students report card and any supporting work /documents.   Cameras are expected to be on during this time.   Please ensure you are using Google classroom to showcase student learning and their progress.  If you are using another platform, you must share the platform link with administration.   

2. Parent PTC Schedule:

Please have parents sign up to meet with you during PTC for 15 minute intervals using a scheduling app such as Calendly.   Please send your schedule to Ms. Johnson and the AP's by Tuesday ,November 5th.

Teachers, please find below a Google sheet to sign up for translation services, if needed, for your  various PTC time slots.   Just click on the Google sheet, sign up for an available translator for the time you will require their services and provide them access to your Google classroom.   I have also attached a translation services flyer if you need help for other languages.   

Attached is also the parent teacher conference log which must be filled out and returned to me no later than Monday, November 10th as I am forwarding these documents to the district office on the 12th.    Please make every effort to reschedule and reach parents who were unable to attend the PTC on Thursday, November 6th  by the latest Tuesday,   November 18th.

3. PTC TRANSLATION SUPPORT

If you need help with translation for parent meetings,, you can schedule translation support below. Sign your name under an available translator next to the time you would like to have that translator join your conference  by logging into the google docs below.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ee056SYK_4iuJZKmv4In0w2PLVC0F_I3/edit? usp=sharing&ouid=107776637196447744119&rtpof=true&sd=true

4. Administrative Support:

In case you need administrative assistance while meeting with a parent you can email us or call us directly at the following numbers.

A. Johnson:     917-971-1150

V. Prince :        917-859-2585

I. Jaoui:           347-265-1841

Administration will also be available under staff teams Administrative channel at the following times below if you need to stop by for assistance:

1:00 - 1:40    A. Johnson

1:40 - 2:15    I. Jaoui

2:15 - 3:00    V. Prince

4:30 - 5:30    I. Jaoui

5:30 - 6:30    V. Prince

5:30 -  7:30    A. Johnson

5. Providers:Please ensure that you have set-up meeting times with parents to review their student progress by scheduling times with parents.  Please  forward your progress reports and schedule to Ms Johnson and Ms Jaoui by Tuesday, November 5th.

6.  Specialists: Please ensure that you coordinate with teachers so you can schedule time to meet with parents of students of concern.

7.  Please follow the half day lunch schedule for Thursday, November 6th which will be shared by Ms. Inniss under separate cover. 

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH:

Let's take the time each day to celebrate the culture and contributions of our Hispanic students. From September 15th to October 15th, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month(Open external link) The 2025 theme for National Hispanic Heritage Month is

"Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future". This theme was selected by the National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers (NCHEPM) and serves as a focus for federal agencies, organizations, and schools as they observe the month. It emphasizes the importance of celebrating the deep cultural traditions of Hispanic identity while also looking forward to the promise and creativity of future generations. 

The dates for Hispanic Heritage Month were chosen to coincide(Open external link) with the Independence Day celebrations of many Latin American nations — Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua — that declared their independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. Chile, Mexico, and Belize also each have their own Independence Day celebrations on days throughout the month as well.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the countless contributions that Hispanic Americans have made to our nation, and especially to New York City, over the years. We also take this time to recognize the trailblazing individuals who fought for progress and equity for their communities. 

We encourage teachers to explore the resources shared below to further expand their understanding of this rich and vibrant history and to immerse their students in this cultural event.

https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/subjects/social-studies/hispanic-heritage-month#:~:text=From%20September%2015%20to%20October,the%20United%20States%20each%20year

https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.com/

https://latino.si.edu/learn/teaching-and-learning-resources/hispanic-heritage-month-resources

https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/hispanic-heritage-month

Please indicate on the below "Hispanic Heritage Month Even Sign-up Sheet (by class or by grade) what you will be doing to celebrate the culture of your students.  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bTwDJjx_80sibSIF5YLw_s0HyPW6HzNgr97LwDfvP-s/edit?usp=sharing

Instructional Items:

Initial Planning Conference (IPC)

This week we will begin our IPC meeting with all instructional staff.  Below you will find.an overview  detailing the IPC components, a link to the Danielson Rubric, a video that outlines Danielson Rubric Domain 1A (a crucial component for effective instruction) and the IPC schedule -- please note your respective dates and time for our meeting.  I have also attached the IPC Teacher Reflection form to be completed for review and discussion during our meeting.

The Initial Planning Conference (IPC) is a mandatory one-on-one meeting between the teacher and evaluator that occurs prior to any formal or informal classroom observations required by Advance. During the IPC, the evaluator and teacher meet face-to-face to discuss expectations for the year ahead. 

What: The Initial Planning Conference (IPC) is a mandatory one-on-one meeting between the Advance  eligible teacher and evaluator that occurs prior to any formal or informal classroom observations required by Advance. During the IPC, the evaluator and teacher meet face-to-face to discuss expectations for the year ahead.

When: IPCs must be scheduled between the first day teachers report (September 3, 2024) and the last Friday in October (October 31, 2024).

An IPC has several key outcomes:

Video Consent and Observation Option: The teacher must complete and sign the IPC Form during the IPC. On the form, the teacher reviews their observation option assignment and indicates whether observations can be video recorded. This form will be kept in the teacher’s personnel file as a record of the teacher’s required minimum number and types of observations.

MOSL Discussion: The teacher and evaluator discuss the teacher’s MOSL results from last year, this year’s MOSL selections (if available), and upcoming MOSL-related activities.

Teacher Improvement Plan (TIP): The evaluator must discuss the TIP with any teacher who received an Advance Overall Rating of Developing or Ineffective for school year 2024-25.

 Professional Goal-setting (Optional): Before or during the IPC, the teacher may consider last year’s learning environment, self-assess using the Danielson Framework, and prioritize two to four formative professional goals or areas of focus for the school year.

Feedback Preferences: teachers may choose to share a preference for how they wish to receive feedback from observations during this time.

Pre-observation Conference (Optional): For teachers who know they will receive a formal observation as part of their assigned observation option, the teacher may request that the IPC serve as his or her Pre-Observation Conference; if the evaluator grants this request, the IPC must occur between 1 and 20 days prior to the formal observation. An evaluator may also choose to hold the Pre-Observation Conference closer to when he or she plans to hold the observation.

IPC SCHEDULE

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iqVaLHQxKuBvlUN05Z1y6u_y5uS7X6V2/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101783942242251768607&rtpof=true&sd=true

IPC Teacher Reflection Form

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hgC8o9ycWqy4NzxU5zpYGKFsyf76P3fQ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101783942242251768607&rtpof=true&sd=true

DANIELSON RUBRIC

Danielson 2014-2015

 ENVIRONMENTAL WALKTHROUGH 

Starting the week of September 15th, administration and coaches will begin classroom walkthroughs focused on their respective content areas and the overall readiness of classroom to support our young scholars.   Their walkthroughs are supportive in nature to assist you in ensuring your room is an instructionally viable learning space.   Administration will be doing walkthroughs during October and will be using the attached checklist (see link below) when we visit your classrooms.  Please keep in mind the following considerations that should be in place in your classroom environment by that time:

• Teachers should have a content and language objective written in "I can" statements. The teaching observed should match the posted objectives.

• All classroom bulletin boards must have a title, task, standard, rubric with feedback. Some classrooms have students writing their own feedback which is powerful and great to see in the upper grades where students are more independent. The language of the feedback should come from the standards based rubric. 

• All classrooms should be a clutter free environment. K-2 should have clearly labeled areas with defined spaces. 

• Process charts should be displayed to showcase student learning in the classroom. Also, there should be charts devoted to SEL and building classroom community. K-2 can include job charts, birthday months chart, that help students to connect to one another. Pictures of students can be evident to show centers management in the classrooms. 

Students learn best with visual aids and anchors.   Anchor charts are a pivotal part of any instructional environment: 

• Anchor charts build a culture of literacy in the classroom, as teachers and students make thinking visible by recording content, strategies, processes, cues, and guidelines during the learning process.

• Posting anchor charts keeps relevant and current learning accessible to students to remind them of prior learning and to enable them to make connections as new learning happens.

• Students refer to the charts and use them as tools as they answer questions, expand ideas, or contribute to discussions and problem-solving in class.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oNjouHDhedMn_gLGS-qNSa2W9tT7exwZ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101783942242251768607&rtpof=true&sd=true 

SEL LESSONS:

Beginning last week Monday, September 8th, all grades should have begun their SEL Lessons with community and diversity lessons followed by the empathy lessons in the HMH curriculum.  SEL Journaling should be occurring for all grades following the directions in the SEL component of the curriculum (Journal it/chat about it - Kindergarten will be asked to draw pictures for their journaling).  Anchor charts must be evident in the classroom.  Ms. Granville has offered her assistance in showing how to create anchor charts to support the lessons.

We will be conducting SEL walkthroughs the end of this month and journaling and charts are expected to be evident in all classrooms.

Please use the link below to access the lessons for your respective grades:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13GA5sBfnACQ8WSW8fpudYV7o60iz2q8R?usp=sharin 

Google Drive: Sign-in

                                             QUOTE OF THE WEEK