Category Archives: Announcements

March 2024 Family Workshops!

Please join us for our March 2024 Family Workshops listed below – for more information, see the 278 google calendar.

March 8 – Financial Literacy Family Workshop Pt.1
@8:15am In Person

March 12 – NYP/Columbia Parent Workshop: Anxiety in Kids: Signs, Symptoms & What you Can do?
@12:30pm via Zoom

March 15Financial Literacy Family Workshop Pt.2
@8:15am In Person

March 22 Financial Literacy Family Workshop Pt.3
@8:15am In Person

March 26 – NYP/Columbia Parent Workshop: Autism in Kids: Signs, Symptoms & What you Can do?
@12:30pm via Zoom

March 27 – Family Workshop: Testing support
@6:00 pm via zoom


Dues Drive: Please help our school!

Our School needs your help!
Help our PTA raise funds  to support the enrichment programs for our students.

Please give any amount comfortable for your family.
No amount is too small.
 Please return your donation via cash or check in the Dues Drive envelope to your child’s teacher by Friday, Sept 23rd.
 Donations can also be made via credit card via through Paylite or Zelle
(If you are donating via Zelle – please use psms278treasurer@gmail.com)

Thank you for all you do to help our students!

  

Class Parents Needed!

Do you want to be a Class Parent for your student’s class? Class parents facilitates communication between parents and the teacher, school administration, and/or parent-teacher association (PTA), and supports the teacher in needs that may arise.

Please reach out to Camryn Ramgoolie at camrynnyc4@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming a class parent.

Thanks!

Join our Parent Google Group!

Google Groups with colorsful pictures of participants

Please join our new 278 Google Group for Parents to share and discuss all things 278! If you were previously signed up for the 278 Yahoo group, we moved your email  addresses already – but if you are new to the group or the school, please follow the instructions below to sign up!

  1. Sign in to Google Groups. Learn how to join if you do not have a Google Account.
  2. Search for the PSMS278 Community Group.
  3. Ask to join and please state your students name and grade.
  4. You will receive an email when you are approved.
  5. If you have any questions, please reach out to seanawyman@gmail.com

Food Benefits for All NYC Public School Students

Food Pantry benefit

Through the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) program, every NYC public school student ages 3-21, regardless of income or immigration status, will receive $420 via a P-EBT card to cover the days that schools were closed during spring 2020 (March 16 to June 25). This program is a benefit for families to buy food while students are not in school, and families are not obligated to pay these funds back. Visit the Community Food Advocates website  for the latest information and watch the recording of the P-EBT Info Session  for more details.  

Update on Isaiah and Manny

May 1, 2020

Dear PS/MS 278 Family,

It is with a heavy heart I write to inform you of the death of our dear student, Manny Flores. Manny, along with his friend and classmate Isaiah Moronta, had been missing since March 13th. The loss of Manny has been a tragedy for his family, our students, and whole school community. As we as a community grieve over the loss of our student, we send our condolences to his family and share in their sorrow.

This has been a devastating situation and this latest development will have a significant impact on our students, staff, and families. We will continue to be prepared for the coming days and weeks.

Our School Crisis Team and school counselors will provide support for students and staff as needed. While our school building remains closed during the pandemic, team members will be available to meet virtually with students individually and in groups to provide support. Our staff is committed to working as closely as possible with the students to provide information and help them to express what they might be experiencing. It is equally important that you as their parent/guardian also provide your child with special understanding and support during this challenging time.

Please feel free to reach out to me or our school counselor (Ms. Mateo: amateo4@schools.nyc.gov) if you have any questions or concerns. Also, we encourage you to utilize the DOE Crisis Page for additional resources (www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/special-situations/crisis-or-traumatic-event).

It is with deep sadness that we confront this loss and we will do everything we can to support you and your child.

Thank you for your understanding and support during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Bryanna Velazquez
Principal

April, 22, 2020

Dear PS/MS 278 Family,

As you are aware, two of our beloved middle school students have been missing since they were last seen along the Hudson River on March 13. With a heavy heart and deep sadness, I am writing to inform you of the death of one of those students, our dear Isaiah Moronta from class 702. The loss of Isaiah is a tragedy for his family and our school. Our deepest sympathy and condolences go out to his family and our entire school community.

We know how devastating this situation has been for our school community and I anticipate that the coming days and weeks will be particularly difficult for everyone. We have professionals trained to help with the needs of students, parents, and school personnel during difficult times. Our School Crisis Team and counselors will be available to provide remote counseling for any student or staff member who may need or want help surrounding this loss. Team members will continue to check-in with students and staff to provide support and resources.

Our staff is working closely with our students to provide information and help to express the pain and sadness they might be experiencing. It is equally important that you as their parent also provide your child with understanding and support during this difficult time.

Please feel free to reach out to me, our school counselor (Ms. Mateo: amateo4@schools.nyc.gov), or to another staff member if you have any questions or concerns. As always, our parent coordinator (Ms. Gonzalez: agonzalez32@schools.nyc.gov & 972.910.1711), can also assist you in accessing support. Also, we encourage you to utilize the DOE Crisis Page for additional resources (www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/special-situations/crisis-or-traumatic-event). Attached is an example of one such resource, a guide to help your child navigate grief based on their age level.

We are saddened by the loss of this beloved student from our school community and we will do everything we can to help and support you and your child.

Thank you for your understanding and support during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Bryanna Velazquez
Principal

Note from Mrs. Velazquez MAY 1, 2020

Mrs Velazquez message

Dear Families,

It was wonderful getting to *see* so many of you at Wednesday’s PTA meeting. The large presence of teachers and families is a testament to the new ways we can learn to come together even closer than before. As a few of you shared, the ability to attend remotely allowed you to participate for the first time this year. Thank you for attending and engaging with us!

As I shared at the meeting, we have developed the attached sample student program for each grade as a resource to support families. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

— First and foremost, this resource is meant to be a tool only, NOT a hard and fast schedule that students must follow. If you already have a schedule that is working for your child, then continue to use that! The classroom cannot be replicated, and you are not expected to be home-school instructors. Trying to recreate the school day at home will lead to unnecessary stress for most of our families. However, for families who feel their students need additional structure, this tool provides an example. As always, remain in contact with your child’s classroom teachers who will communicate expectations for required coursework.

–Since most of our remote learning is aligned with an asynchronous teaching model where teachers post recorded lessons and assignments that students complete at different times, we found that there was sometimes uncertainty about how the various Google classrooms, teachers, and subjects fit together. This tool provides a map of what that can look like for your child.

–This sample student program outlines the approximate time allocations for core subjects. So even if you child’s “school hours” differ, you can use this as a reference to build your own schedule to fit your family’s needs. We hope this will also service families with multiple siblings who are trying to coordinate subjects across several grades.

— Critical to our work to build community and support engagement, we have also been working to create more “live” opportunities with teachers and students. These sample student programs provide an overview of when teachers are hosting various live instruction or office hours. Please keep in mind that your child’s individual schedule will vary (for example, not all students attend all small group sessions). Your child’s teacher will provide information on where and when your child is assigned any live sessions.

–Finally, please keep in mind that “live” opportunities are meant for students unless otherwise indicated by your child’s teacher or the student requires support (e.g. lower grade students). Please support us in creating these meaningful learning and social opportunities for our students by limiting interruptions.

–Please contact your child’s teacher or Ms. Sanchez if you have questions about using this tool.

I encourage you to join us in recognizing our teachers for their HARD WORK and DEDICATION during Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4-8)! Here are two ways you can send some 278 love remotely:

–Post photos of remote learning on social media using the hashtag #ThankATeacherNYC and #DOEConnected and #WeLove278 (in accordance with the DOE’s Digital Citizenship and Social Media Guidelines: www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/school-environment/digital-citizenship); and

–Send notes of gratitude to recognize teachers via an online Teacher Thank You Tool:www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5537629/01f8c89961bb.

Finally, many thanks to Mr. Proto for supporting our efforts to send you a little song, love, and light from our homes to yours. As you go into the weekend, be sure you check out (or revisit!)
our special message to you.

Stay safe,

Bryanna Velazquez

Grading Policy Release APRIL 28, 2020

Grading Policy Release

Dear Families,

I am pleased to announce that today, the City has released the grading policy that will be in place for the remainder of this school year. Please see attached letter from the Chancellor that outlines this policy.

This citywide grading policy attempts to address our school’s effort to balance flexibility and student’s academic engagement without penalizing any child for the challenges or trauma they may be experiencing. In summary, teachers will determine students’ final grades based on a holistic review of student progress (both before and after we started remote learning). Attendance is not a factor in students’ grades, though students should continue to report their daily attendance so that our student engagement team can do appropriate outreach and align supports for students in need. No student will receive a failing final grade.

•K-5th Grade: Students receive final grades of either “Meets Standards” or “Needs Improvement”

•6th-8th Grade: Students receive final grades of “Meets Standards”, Needs Improvement, or “Course in Progress”, if additional time is needed to complete the course

Please review the Chancellor’s attached letter for the full information available at this time, including a link to a FAQ. Translated versions of this letter will also be available on the DOE’s website: www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/health-and-wellness/coronavirus-update.

We will discuss this policy at tomorrow’s PTA meeting so please bring any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Bryanna Velazquez

Note from Ms Velazquez APRIL 17, 2020

Dear PS/MS 278 Families,

While at a distance, you and our students’ health and well-being continue to be at the forefront of our minds this week:

— To our graduating students, our staff are continuing to think about you and plans are in the works to honor and celebrate you during this important milestone. Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Irizarry, and I look forward to joining the 8th grad classes next week. We understand the loss you are feeling and planning for you is one of our highest priorities!

— To our parents, parenting is never easy but we’re all facing new challenges ourselves. If your children are acting out, it’s entirely normal! Their feelings of stress, anxiety, and loss are just as real as ours, though may manifest itself in very different ways (e.g. refusing to eat anything but macaroni and cheese or fighting with siblings). Child Mind Institute is offering parenting workshops tailored to COVID 19 through Facebook live. The topics range from self-care, to supporting with remote learning, to behavior management. They have recorded webinars as well as workshops every day at 10am and then 4:30pm: www.facebook.com/ChildMindInstitute/live/.

–To any families needing support connecting to any social services, please continue to reach out to us! Attached is an excellent resource for accessing support for a wide range of topics including affordable housing, domestic violence, food banks, health care, immigration services, and utilities.

— Starting Monday, we’ll kick off our 278 Spirit Week with “Morale Monday.” Show us how you are supporting and shouting out our first responders, healthcare, and other service workers! To participate and get directions, join our “#We Love 278 Self-Care” Google Classrooms.” Here is a reminder of the Google classroom links:

•Students in Grades K-2: hh3lano
•Students in Grades 3-5: kpqcdw6
•Students in Grades 6-8: cff375a

Additionally, I wanted to provide you with an overview of how our remote learning has evolved and next steps we are taking to be responsive to feedback from students, staff, and families. Our vision for teaching and learning via remote learning aligns with an asynchronous teaching model, meaning teachers post recorded lessons and assignments that students complete at different times. This structure flexibly allows all of our students to access teaching & learning at a time that meets their family’s needs. Thus far, our work has been focused creating a Google Classroom for each class/teacher, improving the organization of the classrooms for easier access to learning materials, and expanding our staff’s electronic “toolkit” to provide recorded instruction to support student’s ability to complete aligned tasks. The next critical phase to this work is to ensure all classes also have “live” teaching and learning experiences as a supplement to the asynchronous model. These live experiences include teacher office hours and opportunities for targeted small group or individual instruction, as needed.

In closing, you must know that we really miss you. We miss seeing the “spark”, when the lightbulb clicks on and one of our kids understands something they’ve been struggling with. We miss the laughter in our hallways and the messy fun that is recess. And we miss being able to share a quick hug, high-five, or smile of encouragement. We continue to look for ways to replicate these experiences during the school closure and are grateful for your continued partnership!

Be well,

Bryanna Velazquez

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