Dear PS 107 Families,
It was great to see so many Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade families at 107 this morning for a parent workshop on how we teach math and ways to support your child at home! Next week, on Wednesday, January 24th, 8:45-10 am, in the Cafeteria (in-person only), we’ll have the same workshop, but for parents of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. Please join us if you can. Register here!
We are also looking forward to hosting all of you at our January Family Mornings this week! Fifty percent of families will come on Thursday morning, 1/18, 8:20-9:10 am, and 50% of families will come on Friday morning, 1/19, 8:20-9:10 am. Please plan to enter the building at your child’s usual point of entry with your child. If you are entering without your child, please be prepared to show PS 107 staff your identification.
Since we returned from the holiday break, PS 107 staff and students have been learning about who they are – what makes up their identity. These can be visible identity markers such as approximate age, gender identity, race; or invisible identity markers such as values, interests, religious identity, national identity, family structure, and more. Our work on identity is based on the Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards, of which there are specific standards about identity. Our staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Team put together a series of lessons for all classrooms on this topic.
We believe strongly in the importance of fostering a positive sense of self, based on students’ multifaceted identities; developing respect and understanding for those who may identify differently; and creating learning environments that are “identity-safe.” According to a recent report entitled Creating Identity Safe Schools and Classrooms by Laura E. Hernandez and Linda Darling Hammond, “In using identity-safe teaching and learning practices, educators promote student achievement and attachments to school by creating a genuine sense of belonging and membership for each student.”
Whether you visit your child’s classroom on Thursday or Friday morning this week, you will be taking part in a schoolwide activity that will help us to celebrate our students' many different ways of identifying. On both mornings, please also be sure to visit our No Place for Hate Button, Bracelet, and Bake Sale, which is being run by the 3rd and 4th grade members of our Kindness Club along with our parent Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Team. The sale(s) will be located at all entry points to the school and will run from 8:10 to 8:30 am and again from 9:05 to 9:20 am. All proceeds will go to our sister school, PS 124, located on 14th Street and 4th Avenue. A very special thank you to parents Rebecca Cetta and Christine Canedo-Pullan for helping us to put all of the pieces together to make this sale a success!
We look forward to seeing you in the building tomorrow and Friday!
Warmly,
Ms Joanna