The Safety Patrol by Bisa Butler. All 107 students will be studying the work of Bisa Butler in the coming weeks.
Dear PS 107 Families,
February is a busy month at PS 107! First and foremost it is Black History Month, and we are honoring Black Americans who have contributed to making our nation the diverse, multifaceted place that it is today. We are commemorating the ongoing struggle for civil rights, along with the many examples of Black excellence that historically have not been accorded adequate representation in our culture. Soon, all 107 students will begin an artist study of Bisa Butler, who uses rich, colorful textiles to create portraits of important figures in Black history. Thanks to our DEI Team and, in particular, Julie Brunner Cross, for putting together this special artist study. Finally, we are examining our curriculum to ensure that Black history does not just come alive in February, but that it is fully integrated across the year in all that we do, because Black history is American history.
On February 14th, which is also Valentine’s Day, we will host the second workshop in our series called Practical Parenting for the 21st Century. This workshop, entitled Strengthening Executive Functions at Home: Creating a Practical Toolbox for our Children features Dr. Anna Levy-Warren, who has been working with PS 107 staff this year on understanding neurodiversity and the ways in which we can support neurodiverse learners in our classrooms. The workshop will be held on the 4th floor, in our Art Studio, at 8:30 am, and will also be livestreamed. To sign up to attend via livestream, register here. It was great to see many of you at last Thursday’s workshop on supporting your children through friendship challenges with school counselor Sarah Green.
On February 14th, we will also send love and support, along with funds, for the earthquake victims in Northern Syria and Turkey. We will be hosting a schoolwide Bake Sale from 2:30-5:30 pm, with all proceeds being donated to Bridge to Turkiye Fund and White Helmets. Thank you to our Community Outreach Team, and parents Elif Karakurt Franco, Olga Morkova, and Vanessa Sparling for organizing this critical effort. Please sign up to help on Konstella!
February 15th is the 100th Day of School, which is a landmark day of the year that we love to celebrate! It means that we are more than halfway through the school year, plus the number 100 is an important one in our base 10 number system. Students learn about the hundreds place and how it is made up of 10 groups of 10. This is foundational knowledge important to making sense of our number system.
This Friday, February 17th also marks the last day of school before the annual Mid-Winter Recess. It will be a day of instruction and of fun and celebration, and we strongly encourage you to make sure your children attend school that day. Our attendance has historically dipped significantly on the days before vacations, and we’d like to break that trend in 2023.
We encourage you to continue to advocate for traffic safety on 8th Avenue and the neighboring side streets near PS 107. You can write to our State Assemblymember Robert Carroll and City Councilmember Shahana Hanif to advocate for traffic safety measures, including a speed camera and/or red light camera on 8th Avenue near our school, speed bumps on side streets close to where children and families cross 8th Avenue, and more city funding for crossing guards. We also remind all parents who drop off their children by car to please be mindful of where you stop your car to let your children out. In particular, please do not block the crosswalks.
Finally, last Thursday, February 9th, our structured literacy work was announced at a press conference at nearby PS 295, as well as in this press release. You can also take a look at this video produced by the DOE’s Press Office, in which I share what I believe the benefits of structured literacy will be for all students in the NYC public schools. Literacy is a civil rights issue, and I’m proud that PS 107 will be at the forefront of this necessary change in how we teach reading and writing in New York City.
Have a wonderful week and a restful mid-winter break!
Warmly,
Ms Joanna