 Dear Families, Thank you so much to the many families that joined us for our Town Hall on Thursday evening. Your support is what is keeping us going! I often go into these meetings with some public speaking butterflies and worries of how our families will react to the ever changing plans, but am fortunate enough to leave them buoyed by the care and compassion that is communicated. We deeply value the time we spend together thinking into what the best next steps are for our community. As discussed, at this time we are continuing to take a measured and planful approach to the Mayor’s intention to increase in-person days for hybrid learners. Beginning December 14th, previously blended 12:1:1 students will be learning in-person for 5 days. We intend on moving to Model 1 with 2 -3 days of in-person learning for hybrid students in the new year. This will be finalized in the coming weeks and schedules shared with staff and families as soon as our numbers from testing consent are finalized. In making this change, our primary goals have been to 1) respect our internal space planning decisions to ensure appropriate space for social distancing, 2) maintain existing relationships by continuing with current grade level/position assignments to the greatest extent possible. Reminders for in-person students:
The students that have opted back into in-person learning should have received their cohort assignment in an email from me. Please reach out to me if you have opted into in-person learning during the window and not received your assignment. Decisions as to which group your child will be in on their remote days are made on a case by case basis by the teaching team. Please reach out to your grade level team with any questions.  Programs and Events: WITS: Wellness in the Schools A message from our WITS Chef Ricardo: I am Chef Ricardo from Wellness in the Schools. I have worked with AmPark over the past four years to support health and wellness programming, in partnership with the Office of Food and Nutrition Services. While things look different for our programming this year, Wellness in the Schools’ mission remains the same -- to teach kids healthy habits so they can learn and live better. Our in-class programming falls into the following three buckets: WITS BITS:
 Alvin Ailey Dance Residency We are so excited that thanks to a truly amazing and generous grant extension, we are able to provide a fully remote Alvin Ailey Dance residency to ALL 2nd-5th grade students at AmPark this year! That means that our amazing teaching artists, Ms. Latoya and Ms. T will be back this year to teach West African and Hip Hop Dance to all interested students in 2nd-5th grades. Ms. Latoya will be instructing our 2nd & 3rd graders on West African Dance on Wednesdays and Ms. T will instruct our 4th & 5th graders on Hip Hop dance on Thursdays. To kick things off, next Thursday, December 10th from 6pm-7pm our Alvin Ailey teaching artists will lead us in an Alvin Ailey Dance Kick Off Event! We welcome one and all to please come by and dance along with these incredible performers! Join Zoom Meeting:
For our 2nd-5th graders who would like to participate in the program beginning on December 16th and 17th, please be on the look out for official sign up and class schedules next week! The Latinx Kidlit Book Festival, a virtual celebration of children's books by latinx authors and illustrators, is taking place today and tomorrow (Friday, December 4th and Saturday, December 5th). It is streaming on YouTube. See the second link below for sessions and schedules. I've added a few of the featured books in video read alouds to my virtual library bookshelves in third link. Enjoy! https://www.latinxkidlitbookfestival.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/LatinxKidLitBookFestival/videos https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1o3vwB95VtfLjPo7FfrZVn3omrtx14Q59uUnP4_MWWcI/edit?usp=sharing  Social and Emotional Workshops Interested staff, caregivers and parents can learn more about the workshops and register here. Anxiety and COVID-19 Wednesday, 12/9 4:00pm – 5:00pm EST Fostering Resilience Within Your Family Thursday, 12/10 4:00pm – 5:00pm EST Managing Grief and Loss Monday, 12/14 4:00pm – 5:00pm EST Mindful Parenting Monday, 12/14 5:00pm – 6:00pm EST Is My Child Going to Be Okay? Wednesday, 12/16 4:00pm – 5:00pm EST Managing Intense Emotions Wednesday, 12/16 5:00pm – 6:00pm EST For additional supportive resources, please visit the child mind institute by tapping the link: https://childmind.org/coping-during-covid-19-resources-for-parents/. From our Parent Coordinator, Niomi:
Hello AmPark Families! I hope you all are safe and happy! I have some new workshop info and two parent resources! Please check out this new info on emergency home food delivery. They deliver right to your home weekly. Link:https://cv19engagementportal.cityofnewyork.us/#/display/5e7555117ad6750216160409 This workshop is a great way to bond with the family in a fun way with some Mindful movements. This is a month-long workshop happening every Wednesday and Friday, we do hope you join us! Schedule and link info below. Brain Power and Wellness Friday Information Friday Schedule Fri, Dec 4th, 5:30PM-6:30PM Friday, Dec18th, 5:30PM-6:30PM Link for All Friday Sessions: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82895290484?pwd=dDd5YTdBMjRUbE95bzlmM2FHbWRJQT09 MeetingID:82895290484 Passcode:334681 Brain Power and Wellness Wednesday information Wednesday Schedule: Wednesday, Dec 9, 5:30pm-6:30pm Wednesday, Dec 23rd, 5:30PM-6:30PM Link for All Wednesday Sessions: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87343927429?pwd=ZjljejlTWXBEM0lydVYzM0ZucDhiQT09 MeetingID:87343927429 Passcode:742928 Parent University Launched November 23rd, 2020 F.A.C.E. is delighted to announce the launch of Parent University, a collaboration between the Office of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE) and the Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT)! Parent University seeks to educate and empower all families from early childhood through adulthood, with free courses, resources, events, and activities. Parents can register for free trainings on a wide range of topics, including adult education, student social-emotional learning, and special education. Visit Parent University today at parent.schools.nyc!
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