April 23, 2021

Dear Families,

There are some important updates in this message, so please read through it carefully.

1) In-Person Learning: 

• You should have received your updated schedule from your teacher via Bloomz. Please contact your child’s teacher with questions. 
• Updated schedules will begin on Monday, April 26 (except for kindergarten which will begin Monday, May 3). 
• Families must complete the health screening form every morning and show it to the teacher, who will also do a temperature check, before the adult leaves https://healthscreening.schools.nyc
• In-person school hours are 8:40am-2:00/2:10pm. Dropoff is at 8:40 in front of school for  K, and 1st/2nd grades, on the north side of 12th Street across from the school for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, and in the lobby for PreK. Pickup is in the same location as dropoff and at 2:00pm for the younger grades and 2:10pm for the older kids.
• We are happy to accommodate all requests that were submitted by the DOE deadline, and the majority of our students will be able to learn in-person 4 or 5 days per week. We appreciate your patience and understanding in the need for each class to customize its schedule based on the number of students and family choices for learning type.
• Students should be in person for every day of their updated schedule unless ill. Students who are sick will be able to have an excused absence just as in past years. Please contact your child’s teacher with any questions. .
• We are not able to allow additional opt-ins for those who missed the DOE deadline.
• Families of in-person students must consent to weekly random COVID testing from the DOE. You can complete the consent form online here or find a PDF to print. If you need a hard copy form printed for you please ask for one at dropoff. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-year-20-21/return-to-school-2020/health-and-safety/covid-19-testing

2) Fully-Remote Learning: 

• For students who have chosen to finish out this school year fully-remote, teachers will communicate the plans for the remaining 9 weeks. 
• The plans vary by classroom so please check with your child’s teacher for details and let them know if you have any questions.

3) Communicating with me:

• I am always happy to discuss any questions or concerns you may have after you have talked with your child’s teacher. As a reminder, I do not check Bloomz messages. Please email me at mvelez4@schools.nyc.gov if you would like to talk.

4) Thank you to our teachers:

• I am grateful for our teachers who have pivoted and changed more times in the past 13 months than any of us ever imagined would be necessary. Without them we wouldn’t be able to have redesigned their classrooms, welcomed back more children for additional days, and continue providing quality remote instruction for fully-remote students.

I look forward to seeing more children at school beginning next week. I encourage families to continue their masking, physical distancing, and other COVID-related safety precautions to keep our children safe. Even if you have been vaccinated, they have not been, and we will have to close classrooms if we have a positive case, regardless of where the infection occurred. Please do your part to keep us open by having your family tested each week through the city’s free testing program and minimizing high-risk activities such as indoor dining and crowded, unmasked classes and gatherings. 

As we celebrated Earth Day this week, I’m sharing a link here with some of the beautiful Earth celebration flags created by our students. The Children’s Workshop School – D1 Arts Festival 2021 – Google Photos

Be well,
Maria