Principal's Weekly letter 10/25/24
Principal's Weekly letter 10/25/24
October 25, 2024
Dear Families,
Congratulations to those students who have selected to move onto the next round of our Student Government Association elections. Campaigning will take place the next two weeks of October and our Elections will be held on November 6th.
8th grade families the High School Application process opened up on October 1st. The high school application process is an exciting and daunting time. The High School application process is completed online via your NYC My school's Account by our 8th grade student’s parents/guardians. It is very important that you take the time to navigate the website and application process. We will be here to support you during this process via Parent workshops and setting up individual appointments with your 8th grade Guidance Counselor Mr. Gellard, but ultimately it is the responsibility of the families to complete the application process.
On Wednesday, October 30 we will be administering the Specialized High School Admission Test for our 8th grade students who registered for the test and selected IS230 to be their testing site.
The month of October is Drug Prevention Awareness Month. Throughout the month, students have been volunteering their time to prepare for this year’s National Red Ribbon Week Campaign, taking place on October 23-31. The Red Ribbon symbolizes a commitment to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. During this time, a pledge to a drug-free life will be recited during the announcements to promote a safe, healthy, and supportive school environment. Students will also be learning about the importance of Red Ribbon Week/Drug Abuse Prevention in their homerooms. This year, October 24th is designated as a nationwide “Wear Red Day.” Red Ribbon Events will be held on October 24th in the Annex and October 29th in the Main building. During these events, students will have the opportunity to make the Red Ribbon Pledge to show their commitment against drug use by making a written statement. Students are encouraged to decorate their statements and ribbons and add them to a banner which will be displayed in the school throughout the year. I.S. 230 hopes to give students a strong foundation to build a fulfilled life and discourage them from ever second-guessing their decision on drugs, alcohol, gangs, and other roadblocks when confronted with them at any point in their life.
Please see the link below to watch a short video and learn more about Red Ribbon Week and why it is so important.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_39-3VcYcE
On Thursday, October 24th we held our final Girls Basketball tryouts for 7th and 8th grade. It was great to see so many students trying out for the team and cheering on their peers. Congrats to those who made the team and to those who did not, thank you for coming out and please continue to work on your basketball skills for next year.
October 31st IS230 will continue our Halloween tradition of dressing up and celebrating. We ask that the costumes be school appropriate, no toy weapons/weapons, no masks and no candy. If your child does not want to participate, they must wear their school uniform. Also, on October 31st members of our IS230 Band will be participating in the Jackson Heights Halloween Parade, so please come out and show your support.
Emergency Preparedness
We held one fire drill this week. We are planning on holding more fire drills next week.
Restorative Practices / CRSE Corner
I am excited to announce a new project that we hope that all of our families will participate in. In preparation for our November CRSE celebration we are creating an I.S. 230 Recipe Book with students and families. The purpose of the recipe book is to celebrate our diversity here at IS230 and what a better way than through food. We hope to sell the recipe book to our school community and hopefully donate any profits to a cause within our Jackson Heights community (TBD). To submit a recipe please see the links below:
English Recipe Submission Form: https://forms.gle/ZT6Yond89e6Q2FLe7
Spanish Recipe Submission Form: https://forms.gle/hLJ9XYRYvboRWJUX9
One of our newest and biggest initiatives this year is rolling out Homeroom. Homeroom will take place from 8:00 to 8:20 a.m. every morning. Homeroom is mandatory and part of your child’s school day. The purpose of Homeroom is to provide a space for our staff and students to take attendance, conduct announcements and most importantly an opportunity to connect with their peers in a meaningful way before starting the day. We are utilizing the Morning Side Cultural Affirming Wheel as our framework. To learn more about Restorative Practices and Morningside, please visit the link below.
https://www.morningsidecenter.org/
Important Upcoming Dates
October 29, 2024: Red Ribbon Week Celebration (Main)
October 30, 2024: SHSAT @ IS230
October 31, 2024: October 31st: Halloween IS230; Jackson Heights Halloween Parade
November 1, 2024- School Closed in Celebration of Diwali
We look forward to improving communication and relationships here at IS230.
Please visit our website www.is230.org to get more information and sign up for E-Chalk Notification.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mr. Ajith Satyanarayana
