 Dear Families, We are in the home stretch before the winter recess and it’s hard to believe how far we have come in the past few months. Despite the challenges, there has been much to celebrate including our above average attendance rate, community events, new and continuing enrichment partnerships, and, most of all, the incredible resilience of our students. Families will receive cohort updates via email for the change from Model 2 with 3 in-person cohorts to Model 1 with 2 in-person cohorts on Thursday, December 17th. It will include your child’s A or B cohort assignment and January’s calendar. Students in hybrid cohorts will be in attendance 2 - 3 days per week beginning January 4th. Hybrid students in K-5 12:1:1 classrooms will begin 5 day per week in-person instruction on December 14th. Wishing a very Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate!  Kindergarten Admissions Update Beginning Thursday, December 10th, children born in 2016 can apply to kindergarten for the 2021-22 school year. The application deadline is Tuesday, January 19, 2021. All families who apply by the deadline will receive a kindergarten offer in April. All families should participate in kindergarten admissions, including children currently attending pre-K, students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and students with accessibility needs. MySchools.nyc includes an online directory tool that allows families to explore program choices, save programs of interest and submit their application, all on the same site. Families can apply to Kindergarten in two ways, online at MySchools and over the phone by calling 718-935-2009. Additionally, you can share the attached flyer with your families about the Kindergarten application. AmPark will hold a virtual open house for prospective families on Thursday, January 7th at 7 p.m. We encourage all PK families interested in Kindergarten at AmPark to please join us. The session will be recorded for families that are unable to attend.  Brain Power Wellness To support mental well-being in the new year, we will be partnering with Brain Power Wellness. Brain Power Wellness incorporates mindfulness, deep breathing exercises, movement, brain breaks, and other strategies for supporting mental health. Several of our families have already taken part in the Wednesday evening sessions, and now our staff and students will also have a series dedicated to them during the school day. Be on the lookout for dates and times posted in the google classroom in the new year.  Alvin Ailey Dance Residency Even a global pandemic can't stop AmPark's partnership with Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre! We're thrilled to be able to offer an all remote residency for our 2nd - 5th graders this year. We are even more excited to be reconnected to our beloved Ailey Artists: Ms. Latoya & Mr. Roderick, teaching African Dance to our 2nd and 3rd graders and Ms. T, teaching Hip Hop to our 4th and 5th graders. Our dancers will be joined by our own AmPark staff superstar, Craig, to support throughout the residency. Remote Program Schedule: Wednesdays - 3:00-3:45 2nd Grade African Dance 4:00-4:45 3rd Grade African Dance Thursdays - 3:00-3:45 4th Grade Hip Hop 4:00-4:45 5th Grade Hip Hop The residency will begin next week, on December 16th, and run weekly through May 6th. Please sign up using this form to let us know that your child would like to participate in the Alvin Ailey Dance residency this year: https://forms.gle/68TVW7nThHTJtmoD7  A Bedtime Story with an AP in PJs It's that time again! On December 15th, grab your stuffies, your favorite onesies or PJs and get ready to cozy up for a read aloud with Bonnie. This month's book will be on our December theme of compassion. Hope to see you there owls! Time: 6:30 Zoom:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87322338598?pwd=dE9yYWJnR3U3anZ5VUtvT2ZpK2twUT09 Meeting ID: 873 2233 8598 Passcode: 629121  Festival of Lights We hope that you'll join us for our annual Festival of Lights SING on December 21st at 6:00pm! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84231181639?pwd=b05jMGZJL2p0Y0d3ckFUSlR3MlpWQT09 Meeting ID: 842 3118 1639 Passcode: 096722  Travel Considerations as Winter Break Approaches for In-Person Learning As Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years approach along with the winter recess, we hope all families will please be aware of the current travel guidance regarding COVID-19 safety from the NYC DOE. According to the guidance on the daily Health Screening, if you have traveled to a state other than PA, NJ, CT, MA, or VT or internationally in the last 14 days and were there for more than 24 hours, you must take a COVID test within 72 hours prior to your arrival in NY, then quarantine for at least 3 days upon arrival to NY, and take a second COVID test on the 4th day after your return to NY. Please factor this time and testing in as you plan any holiday travels. If quarantine or testing time will impact your child’s ability to return to school for their scheduled in-person learning days, please be in contact with your child’s teacher that they will be remote until cleared to return. We hope that all will be healthy and safe throughout. Thank you. The workshops will be held on Monday, December 14th and Thursday, December 17th from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Since this is a two-part workshop, parents must attend both sessions. Two-Part Implicit Bias Awareness Workshop for Parents & Guardians Monday, Dec. 14th AND Thursday, Dec. 17th (6:00 - 7:30 PM) Please refer the virtual Implicit Bias Awareness Modules to colleagues and after the IB workshops are completed you can sign up here for other specialty workshops from The Office of Equity and Access. MUST ATTEND BOTH SESSIONS During this two-part series, parents and guardians will learn about the IB Awareness Workshop that the Office of Equity and Access is offering to NYC Department of Education staff. Parents and guardians, especially those who are on School Equity Teams, PTA members and CEC members, are encouraged to register, join the community and learn about Implicit Bias, the brain science behind Implicit Bias and how to mitigate the effects of Implicit Bias. Sign Up HERE  Comments are closed.
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