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PS 161 eNewsletter for October 19th to November 2nd 2022

The Pride of the Bronx!

Soaring and Roaring!

Hello heroic team,

This week I was able and excited to witness multiple occasions of our students being inspired and in a state of pure joy. It is no wonder why our attendance and enrollment keep going up, students want to be here. We need to keep this momentum and energy going. That being said, in order to reach the goals set for our students, please be sure to rest, recharge, and practice self-care. We are striving to make our school a place where all of us want to be, for this reason, please always let me know of your ideas, concerns, questions, and reasons to celebrate. I have a calendar linked here if you ever need a few minutes to chat.

As we complete all baseline assessments I want to share with you all the link to our Data Dashboard. It's our "Lion's Den" of information. This dashboard is completely customizable so please let me know if there is something you think we could add. If we are collecting data and have the information in a Google Sheet and it has the student's name and OSIS number, it can be added into the system. We are still setting it up with data so it will continue to evolve.

We have a lot going on, thank you for what you're doing and your commitment to our students, families, and each other. I must say I have missed our Monday meetings and the time to huddle up. We have had many holidays and Mondays off but we'll have a full staff meeting Monday and other events coming soon. See the Dates on the radar below for more information.

All the best,

Mr. B

(Drone Cadets Program Launch Pictured Above)

Our Weekly ROAR!

Weekly Roar! News Show

We are 7 episodes into Season 2! Where does the time go. Please keep sharing images and videos of the amazing things happening. Also, if you have ideas to share, please let me know. It's confirmed, we will be participating in some PBS programming! More to come on that very very soon.

District Principal's Conference November 1st

We will be hosting our District 7 Team and Principals from 8 am to 12 pm on Tuesday, November 1st. This day will include an hour of peer principal groups visiting classrooms. This is not evaluative in any way. I was at another school for the October conference and it was very collegial and productive. I will share more details very soon.

October is Anti-bullying Month

We want to continue to build a strong school culture with our students throughout the year. October is Anti-bullying month so its a great time to deeply enforce the importance of caring about each other's feelings. September we really focused on who were are and our identity, October is the perfect time to leverage that into a really strong sense of unity and community. Here is a collection of some bullying videos tagged by recommended age.

https://www.weareteachers.com/...

Per Session

If you are filling out per session hours you must calculate your own hours in military time on the form. There is a military time clock converter here. Please see Ms. Vargas if you have questions. This is a citywide requirement. We are unable to sign off and calculate for you. The hours must be written and calculated by you first, and then approved and signed. Thank you.

Identity Projects continued...

Our Identity Projects are so powerful to see around the building. This work has the potential to inspire and impact the course of our work this year and beyond. Moving into the next phase I would like each class to discuss and create an Equity Statement. These should be age appropriate and accompany the amazing identity projects in the hall. The statement can be just a few words, such as "We are family" or "when WE play, Everyone Plays" or they can be much more elaborate. We'll want to talk to the students about what equity means. Here are a few videos you may want to check out for ideas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjrFnmeGtL8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCS7Rus4_-Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkmMGVckNjo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlXZyNtaoDM

Forms and Keep Us InFormed..

Below you'll find some of the surveys that have been sent out. Please take the time to fill them out if you haven't. Please also check postings for opportunities regularly. We have an opportunity for a UFT teacher center as discussed and need to identify a teacher willing to take on this role. The time commitment can he discussed. Please email me your interest, the posting is here. Make sure your voice is heard. We are also trying to be more conscious about our paper waste and be more efficient. We now have digital versions of things like Vacation Day requests, more to come.

Vacation Day Request Form

Tech Survey

After School Proposal Survey

Shirt Size and Culture

Data!

Our attendance goal for the year is 92% (or higher) Our year-to-date is currently 89%. Please continue to stress the importance of being at school and on time every day with our students and families. We have 38% of our students that are currently considered Chronically Absent. We need to be in constant communication with these families. Please reach out to me or a member of the attendance team for support. We will be discussing some of our behind-the-scenes efforts at our next staff meeting.

Blended Learning and Technology

We know the students are tech-savvy. We need to remind ourselves to stay asset-based and leverage what we know. We are building capacity in the building with student technology. We will be doing a walkthrough this week, please be able to identify the technology needs for your room if you haven't done so. We have also set up our Nearpod school-wide account so you should be receiving emails regarding your account access shortly. finally! We'll be offering training for those that are interested.

Upcoming Dates

October 24th

In Science Lab, 406, 2:40pm

October 25th

Fall Harvest Family Event

October 31st Attendance incentive, Spookfest

November 1st

Principal's Conference

Feedback is always appreciated!

I am always trying to improve so if you have feedback and or ideas, please share. I will plan to utilize enewsletters next year, so if you have input it would be helpful. As always, you can also set up a time to meet HERE.

I appreciate you. Take care!

PS 161X

628 Tinton Ave., Bronx
NY 10455 United States

bblough6@schools.nyc.gov

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