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Good Evening AmPark Families, It has been a wonderfully full week here at AmPark! Despite having been postponed and facing yet more wintery weather, last Friday, the Winter Festival of Lights proved that when the AmPark community comes together to sing and share in the beauty of our natural world, that we can warm our hearts and joyfully light up even the stormiest January night. Thank you so much to all who joined us to sing with Josh and walk side by side in the magic of Van Cortlandt Park on a wellness walk led by AmPark super-mom, Mariana. Thanks also to our incomparable Parent Association for providing the gear, the glow from candle crafts and holiday lights, and the delicious hot cocoa and cider that kept us feeling toasty through a gorgeous winter evening. It was so special to come together and to see you all! This week, our budding AmPark Owl chef's made delicious hummus snacks in the K Cafe with WITS Chef Devonte! Our foodies took their creations from the cutting board to the cafeteria and it was amazing to see how many students incorporated their hummus into their lunch throughout the week. If your interest is peaked and you'd like to try it at home, please scroll down for the hummus recipe cards shared in our last Owl post. We look forward to our next round of WITS labs to come in the spring. We also welcomed back Brainpower Wellness this week! Our Brainpower Wellness coaches were visiting most classrooms just today, leading students and teachers in brain breaks and mindfulness practices. If your child didn't see them today, not to worry because they'll be back once a month, visiting our classrooms throughout the rest of the year. AmPark also ran a computer based state testing simulation this week and are happy to report that it went extremely smoothly, for the most part. Thanks to Scott, Casey, Joe, Melissa, and to AmPark's own tech guru Craig, for ensuring that the students were as ready and set for success as possible. Most importantly, our brave and brilliant 3rd graders reported that they felt that they were able to navigate through the tests and that with more practice in the months ahead, they will be confidently ready to tackle to math and ELA state exams on the new digital platform. Finally, a huge shout out to our fantastic AmPark Student Council for their artistic work in the creation of another mural project to beautify our school-home. The students created the vision and painted it with Melissa Valerio last week. Please check out the work in progress below!
 AmPark February Events Calendar What's for Lunch in February?  Dear 3-K and Pre-K Providers, We are excited to share that the 3-K and Pre-K applications are now available! 3-K: All NYC children born in 2020 can apply by the March 10, 2023 deadline. 3-K results will be available in May. Due to limited seats only some applicants who apply by the deadline will be made offers. Pre-K: All NYC children born in 2019 can apply by the March 10, 2023 deadline. All families who apply by the deadline will receive an offer in May. Families can apply three ways
Thank you for your continued partnership, and please let us know if you have any questions! Best, 3-K & Pre-K Admissions Team Office of Student Enrollment  Good Evening AmPark Parents and Families,
Are you ready for some football 🏈?? We are selling Super Bowl squares for our 3rd Annual Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser to support Fun Fridays. Last year, the school raised $1000 by selling 100 squares on a sheet; each square for $20.00. How to Play: You buy one or more squares. Our Cheddar Up account does not allow for you to change the amount of boxes you would like to purchase on your own. We have created "items" to avoid some of the frustration of multiple checkouts. Our pre-created options are 1 square, 2 squares, 5 squares and 10 squares. Spread the word to other family and friends to take part in this fun fundraiser. Use the Cheddar Up link https://superbowl-squares-copy-27533.cheddarup.com to purchase your squares. Click and purchase how many squares you want. The amount you pay will determine how many squares you need. Upon checkout, please add a note "Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser", include your name and email address. EASY!! We will put your name in a random box 1 - 100. Once all the boxes are filled we will randomly pick numbers 0 - 9 and add them across the top side and do the same along the left side down. All purchasers will receive an emailed copy of the sheet completely filled out. How it works: In the Super Bowl Squares, the winner is decided by looking at the last number in each teams' score and then matching those digits on the grid to see where the squares intersect . (Example score: 14-17, the intersecting box would be 4&7). The prizes are REAL money!! 💰 Prize Payout: All prizes are calculated at the end of each quarter throughout the game. 1st quarter - $150.00 Half time - $200.00 3rd quarter - $150.00 Final score - $500.00. The remaining amount of $1000 would go to the school as a donation. We would love to see if we could raise double the amount we did last year! If you have any questions, please email amparkpaparents@gmail.com. Good Luck!! Thank you, Ampark PA Buenas tardes padres y familias de AmPark, ¿Estás listo para un poco de fútbol 🏈?? Estamos vendiendo cuadrados de Super Bowl para nuestra tercera recaudación de fondos anual de cuadrados de Super Bowl para apoyar los viernes divertidos. El año pasado, la escuela recaudó $1000 vendiendo 100 cuadrados en una hoja; cada cuadro por $20.00. Cómo se juega: Compras uno o más cuadrados. Nuestra cuenta de Cheddar Up no le permite cambiar la cantidad de cajas que desea comprar por su cuenta. Hemos creado "artículos" para evitar parte de la frustración de múltiples pagos. Nuestras opciones creadas previamente son 1 cuadrado, 2 cuadrados, 5 cuadrados y 10 cuadrados. Corra la voz a otros familiares y amigos para que participen en esta divertida recaudación de fondos. Use el enlace Cheddar Up https://superbowl-squares-copy-27533.cheddarup.com para comprar sus cuadrados. Haz clic y compra cuantos cuadrados quieras. La cantidad que pague determinará cuántos cuadrados necesita. Al finalizar la compra, agregue una nota "Recaudación de fondos de Super Bowl Squares", incluya su nombre y dirección de correo electrónico. ¡¡FÁCIL!! Pondremos su nombre en una casilla al azar del 1 al 100. Una vez que todas las casillas estén llenas, elegiremos al azar los números del 0 al 9 y los agregaremos en el lado superior y haremos lo mismo en el lado izquierdo hacia abajo. Todos los compradores recibirán una copia por correo electrónico de la hoja completamente llena. Cómo funciona: en los cuadrados del Super Bowl, el ganador se decide mirando el último número en la puntuación de cada equipo y luego haciendo coincidir esos dígitos en la cuadrícula para ver dónde se cruzan los cuadrados. (Ejemplo de puntaje: 14-17, el cuadro de intersección sería 4 y 7). Los premios son dinero REAL!! 💰💰 Pago de premios: todos los premios se calculan al final de cada trimestre a lo largo del juego. 1er trimestre - $150.00 Medio tiempo - $200.00 3er trimestre - $150.00 Puntaje final - $500.00. La cantidad restante de $1000 iría a la escuela como donación. ¡Nos encantaría ver si podemos recaudar el doble de lo que recaudamos el año pasado! Si tiene alguna pregunta, envíe un correo electrónico a amparkpaparents@gmail.com. ¡¡Buena suerte!! Gracias, Ampark PA  Good Morning AmPark Parents and Families,
AmPark and the Parents Association would like you to join us for our Winter Festival this Friday 1/20 from 4pm - 6pm. This is a free event for our AmPark families and we hope to see you there. Please RSVP to your preferred time slot so we know how many people to prepare for. (There is a description of the event in the attached flyer as well as on the evite.) Sign up for volunteers (Setup/Event/Cleanup): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080445AEAD2FA7FC1-winter1 Evite (Session 1) 4pm - 5pm: http://evite.me/54AEqhcuFr Evite (Session 2) 5pm - 6pm: http://evite.me/6ZXb2TMDbn Thank you -AmPark PA Buenas noches padres y familias de AmPark, AmPark y la Asociación de Padres quisieran que nos acompañe en nuestro Festival de Invierno este viernes 20/1 de 4:00 p. m. a 6:00 p. m. Este es un evento gratuito para nuestras familias de AmPark y esperamos verlos allí. Confirme su asistencia a su horario preferido para que sepamos para cuántas personas debemos prepararnos. (Hay una descripción del evento en el folleto adjunto, así como en la invitación). Regístrese para voluntarios (Configuración/Evento/Limpieza): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080445AEAD2FA7FC1-winter1 Evite (Sesión 1) 4pm - 5pm: http://evite.me/54AEqhcuFr Evite (Sesión 2) 5pm - 6pm: http://evite.me/6ZXb2TMDbn Gracias -AmPark PA  The Winter Festival of Lights is On! (And the weather is looking to cooperate this time!!) We hope that you will join us next Friday, January 20th for a sing along with Josh, and a guided walk through Van Cortlandt Park, from 4pm-6pm. All AmPark families are welcome and we hope to see you there!  January Community Letter Dear AmPark: Hello and Happy New Year! This is Chef Devante and WITS wishing everyone in the AmPark community a Happy Year and hoping for a brighter 2023. Some exciting things are in the air, along with colds and flu. Be sure to stay warm, and cover and drink lots of water throughout the day. WITS Labs are happening this month for AmPark. Students will get to explore beans and make Hummus. The recipe is below, if anyone wants to try it at home! WITS, or Wellness in the Schools, is a national nonprofit that teaches kids healthy habits to learn and live better. We partner with school districts to provide nutrition and fitness education, healthy scratch-cooked meals, and active recess periods. I look forward to a productive, collaborative year. All the best, Chef Devante Wellness in the Schools teaches kids healthy habits to learn and live better.
   Happy Friday AmPark Family, It's been a wonderful first week back with our Owls in 2023. Some exciting things on the horizon this coming week...
 Virtual School Tour for Prospective AmPark Families We have added one more AmPark Family Tour in the New Year, ahead of the Kindergarten Admissions deadline (K admissions closes on January 20th!). Please sign up for our upcoming School Tour which is open to all prospective AmPark parents and families. The link below will allow you to register for our upcoming virtual tour, which will be held on... Tuesday, January 10th @ 8:30am! We look forward to meeting you!  AmPark Owls (Past and Present) Star in Aladdin, Jr! January 13th-16th Performing at Mount Saint Vincent’s Cardinal Hayes Auditorium, several current and former AmPark students star in the latest production of Riverdale Children’s Theater - Aladdin, Jr. Bring the family out for an engaging and age-appropriate theater experience complete with dancing, singing and magic carpets. Show Schedule Friday, January 13, 7pm Saturday, January 14, 2pm and 7pm Sunday, January 15, 2pm and 7pm Monday, January 16, 2pm Tickets can be purchased online for $15, or at the door for $20.(Kids must be at least 4 years old to be permitted in the theater). Good luck to all our AmPark Owls in the show!   Learn about the Community and Citywide Education Council Elections! Dear Parent, 2023 is an Education Council Election year. For the first time, each Community Education Council will have a dedicated seat for a D75 parent. The 32 Community Education Councils and 4 Citywide Education Councils make important decisions regarding your child’s education. Learn about the councils, the election and how to run for a seat on an Education Council by attending a virtual (Zoom) Information Session. Sessions begin January 9th Date Time Language(S) ZOOM LINK Mon. 1/9/2023 6:00 PM English/Arabic/Russian Click to Attend Tues. 1/10/2023 12:00 PM English/Spanish Click to Attend Wed. 1/11/2023 6:00 PM English/Korean/Bangla/French Click to Attend Thurs. 1/12/2023 9:30 AM English/Spanish Click to Attend Fri. 1/13/2023 12:00 PM English/Haitian Creole/Urdu/Mandarin Click to Attend Sat. 1/14/2023 1:00 PM English Click to Attend District 75 Information Sessions Date Time Language(S) ZOOM LINK Mon. 1/9/2023 7:00 PM English/Arabic/Russian Click to Attend Tues. 1/10/2023 1:00 PM English/Spanish Click to Attend Wed. 1/11/2023 7:00 PM English/Korean/Bangla/French Click to Attend Thurs. 1/12/2023 10:30 AM English/Spanish Click to Attend Fri. 1/13/2023 1:00 PM English/Haitian Creole/Urdu/Mandarin Click to Attend Sat. 1/14/2023 2:00 PM English Click to Attend
Questions? Email campaign staff: Elections2023@schools.nyc.gov  Calling All AmPark Birders! As we plan into For the Birds and Feathered Friends this spring, our friends at the Audubon Society are sharing some truly AMAZING programming that they have upcoming, open to members of our AmPark community. Check out their message and links below: Audubon's Lecture Series is still underway, with our next lecture taking place in just a few days. On Monday, January 9th, we will be hosting our third lecture in the series, "The Welikia Project - Exploring the Historical Landscape Ecology of NYC's Five Boroughs" with Eric Sanderson. You may already be familiar with Eric Sanderson and/or his work. He is the author of Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City, and works as a landscape ecologist for the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo (whoo Bronx represent!). His talk on Monday will be a fascinating look at his new project, Welikia, which gives us a peak at what the landscape of the rest of NYC's boroughs looked like pre-European colonization. You can find the rest of our upcoming lectures on the Lectures & Talks page of our website.  
Dear AmPark Families, It certainly has been a week filled with holiday joy here at AmPark! Our main atrium space has been transformed into a holiday wonderland, complete with a tree covered in student created snowflake ornaments, a table filled with a Kinara and many beautiful books on Kwanzaa, a giant Hanukkah bear (featured above as Josh's backdrop), and most importantly, most magically, the gorgeous voices of our AmPark students singing all of the holiday hits with Josh during special assemblies throughout the week. I know I speak for every staff member when I say that we are with you parents in having Feliz Navidad, Ocho Candelikas, Must Be Santa, and Skating on the Volga stuck in our heads... well into the new year : ). Although we are closing out this year, when we return the winter months will continue on. The Chancellor has reiterated the mandate that any building closures due to weather events, or for any reason, will be remote learning, instructional days. To meet that requirement, we must be prepared to go fully remote and ensure that all students are connected to our remote learning platform; Google Classroom. By now, all teachers have sent families links and codes for their individual Google Classrooms. We want to give a well deserved shout out because in some cases, we have 100% of students connected... thank you for your awesome proactivity to the students and families of Ms. Jennifer's 2nd grade class and Ms. Wandiza's, Ms. Donya's, & Ms. Hanade's 5th grade classes for being logged in and ready, already! If you have not yet gotten your child logged in, please do not wait until we have a weather event to do so. Be in touch with your child's teacher if you have questions about their classroom link and code. We have been making outreach to families regarding the need for remote learning technology devices, but if you are in need of a school device and have not already made that need known, please reach out to the main office and one will be made available to you. In the message below, please find important information on the events ahead for January, Department of Health Guidance regarding COVID and safe returns to school, and an end of year letter from our Chancellor. In this season of giving and gratitude, please know that we are grateful for each and every one of you, and the amazing children that you entrust to our care everyday. While we were saddened to have Mother Nature push our Winter Festival of Lights into the New Year, it's wonderful to look forward to gathering with you all, in the spirit of community, love, warmth, and light on a winter's night, someday soon (date TBD upon our return). With wishes to all for a healthy, family-filled, and happy holiday ahead, Meena, Bonnie, Francisco & the AmPark Family  Virtual School Tour for Prospective AmPark Families We have added one more AmPark Family Tour in the New Year, ahead of the Kindergarten Admissions deadline (K admissions closes on January 20th!). Please sign up for our upcoming School Tour which is open to all prospective AmPark parents and families. The link below will allow you to register for our upcoming virtual tour, which will be held on... Tuesday, January 10th @ 8:30am! We look forward to meeting you! AmPark Events Calendar for January 2023 What's For Lunch? End of Year Letter from Chancellor Banks December 19, 2022 Dear Families, Thank you for choosing New York City Public Schools and for trusting us to do right by your children. As I complete my first full year as Chancellor, I am filled with so much gratitude, admiration, and respect for you. Thank you for your unwavering partnership and the sacrifices you make to support your child’s education. Before we close out the year, I want to acknowledge some of the great things we have accomplished together, from enhancing our literacy programs and simplifying our admissions processes to reimagining special education and creating new pathways to launch all our students into the bright futures they deserve. Every day I’ve been in our schools this year has reinforced the brilliant promise of our children. I see it in the light in their eyes, the warmth of their smiles, and the strength of their spirit; it always energizes and inspires me. I will take their promise and their energy with me into the new year, as we keep a sharp focus on our mission: to ensure each student graduates on a pathway to a rewarding career and long-term economic security—and is equipped to be a positive force for change. I know that the holidays mean different things to different people, but I believe that no matter what or how we observe, the holidays bring out the best in us. Now is the time that we pause to reconnect with the people we love. To appreciate all that is good in our lives and, of course, to reflect, relax, and celebrate. For me, the holidays are also about looking forward to the second half of the school year. Part of my job is to ensure that my team and I return in January full of energy and enthusiasm, ready to create even more pathways for our children to achieve their dreams. I wish you a joyful holiday season and a healthy, prosperous new year, and I very much look forward to seeing you and your children in the new year. In gratitude, David C. Banks New York City Schools Chancellor NYC DOH Winter Break COVID Guidance December 20, 2022 Dear Families, To keep our school communities safe following the winter break, we strongly encourage all students to get tested for COVID-19 regardless of vaccination status, especially after travelling and/or attending large gatherings. Your child can get tested by a health care provider or use the two COVID-19 at-home tests that your child will bring home from school this week. When should my child take the tests?
What should I do if my child tests positive on one of the tests?
Where can I find instructions about the test kit?
As a reminder, staying up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations is still the best tool we have to fight COVID-19 and to keep our schools safe for all our students. Children aged 6 months and older are eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. If your child is eligible but not yet vaccinated against COVID-19, please take the opportunity to make an appointment at vaccinefinder.nyc.gov or call 311 to find a vaccine site near you. COVID-19 vaccination is free to all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration or insurance status. We also encourage everyone aged 5 and older to get the updated COVID-19 booster shot if they received their last vaccine dose at least 2 months ago. Please visit cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html for more information on COVID-19 vaccination schedules. Finally, the fall and winter seasons coincide with an increase in other respiratory viruses such as the flu, otherwise known as influenza (nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/flu-seasonal.page) and RSV (nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/respiratory-syncytial-virus.page). As the flu and COVID-19 are both circulating at this time, getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever. Vaccination is the best way to protect against the flu, which can be particularly dangerous for young children, the elderly, and those who are immunocompromised. The flu vaccine will not prevent COVID-19, but it will help decrease the risk of you and your family suffering from severe flu symptoms that may necessitate medical care. You can safely receive the flu vaccine at the same time as all other vaccines, including the vaccine and booster for COVID-19 (nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines.page). To protect against these and other viruses, and in alignment with the recent health department advisory, we strongly recommend that everyone wear a mask when in a crowded, public indoor space, including at school, practice frequent handwashing, and cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. We wish you and your child a healthy and restful break. Sincerely, Tracy Agerton Assistant Commissioner Office of School Health |
