Dolphin Cove- PS 38's School Store
Welcome to Dolphin Cove!
Our PS38 School Store will be closed for the summer.
We can't wait to reopen in September!
Spring has Sprung!!!
The Principal's Corner
Monday, March 14, 2019
Dear Families,
Wow! March is already here and with it comes unpredictable weather. We all know the old saying “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Because the temperature is so unpredictable, we have to be careful not to let it catch us off guard. Therefore, I want to stress the importance of making sure your children come to school with a warm coat so they can play outside. Students must always be dressed appropriately as we do engage them in fire drills and evacuation drills as a safety measure. If your child is not dressed appropriately, this could put them in a very uncomfortable situation should we have to leave the school grounds for an extended period of time. This is inclusive of those who come to Saturday Academy. Please note the doors do not open before 9:00 a.m. and during cold winter months children should not be dropped off early. It is way too cold outside to stand and staff is not officially in until 9:00 am.
Parent Teacher Association: Our PTA works hard to bring in outside resources to inform our families, organize fund raisers which benefit your children . PTA meetings are a forum to share information regarding our school policies, programs, events, changes, and provide families with resources and information to support and inform you. Our next meeting will be on April 17 at 6:00 pm. At this this meeting the slate is being presented for our 2019-2020 PTA. Voting will take place in May. Additionally we will be honoring our Students of the Month for STEM and our Citizens of the Month. Please make an effort to attend these meetings as our goal is to strengthen family/community ties.
On March 22, 2019 our PTA is hosting a Family Zumba Night and letters have been sent home. If you have any questions regarding this evening please speak with Mrs. Chow our Parent Coordinator or Mrs. Ryan our PTA President.
Our next Parents as Learning Partners (PALP) day will be on April 5, 2019 and we look forward to you joining us in the classrooms for yet another curricular focus. A letter will be forthcoming. PALP days provide parents with the opportunity to see our curriculum in action, understand our methodologies, how children are learning, and why we do what we do. It also provides you with a new lens for our learning expectations and gives insight as to how you can support the work your children bring home. Our goal is to actively engage parents in the learning process with their child while the teacher explains step by step the “what, why, and how” of the learning process. For your children, this serves as a proud moment of learning along-side their parent. We hope to see many parents on April 5, and look forward to a brief discussion with you about your experience afterward.
Parent Surveys have been distributed to all families and it is very important that you please make time to take this survey so that we may once again have 100% participation. Information gathered from the Parent Surveys contributes to our school’s overall effectiveness and Quality Snapshot results and provides us with information to continue to ensure your children are provided with the best learning experiences. Every class who has 100% surveys returned will receive a free pretzel and this year will also have No Home Work on a specific Thursday which I will select. We do not give written HW on Fridays and having a Thursday off will make for a nice long restful family weekend. Please support our initiative and submit your parent survey before April 3, 2019.
Attendance/Lateness Policy:
We continue to drive this important initiative. By 8:20 all children are late and missing instruction. Children must be in school in order to learn/grow and consistent patterns of absenteeism and lateness directly impact student achievement. Instruction begins at 8:15 am.
Parents please refrain from picking up children early right before dismissal as this disrupts instruction. Emergencies may arise, but they should be minimal. Should you wish for someone else to pick up your child or your child not to go on a bus you must write a note and sign it. The person picking up your child MUST have ID in order for us to release your child to them. This is inclusive of children you wish to walk home. We cannot just take a child’s word and must have this in writing signed by the parent before we allow any student to walk.
Please note that class trips and special activities are privileges and any student who demonstrates little effort, consistently does no homework, or is excessively absent/late, will not be permitted to go. This is a school policy delineated in our school handbook given to all families at the start of the year which can also be found on our school website: https://www.ps38si.org
Letters have gone home to families where children have fallen below the 90% for absence/lateness. Please support your children in their learning lives by making sure they are well rested, do their homework, and are on time in school daily.
Testing: Our State Exams are quickly approaching. In preparation for the upcoming tests on March 6, 2019, we invited all parents of students in grades 3-5 to our “Getting Ready for Testing” workshops led by our teachers. These informative workshops provided families with an inside lens of how these tests are structured and what the children are expected to do. All families left with a stronger sense of how we are preparing the children as well as a packet of suggestions for how they can continue to support them at home.
The New York State ELA Exams will take place on April 2, and 3 and The New York State Math Exams will take place on May 1, and 2. Our curriculum is rigorous and your children have worked hard to prepare all year long. There are 3 Saturday Test Prep Academy days left before the ELA Exam and it is highly recommended that all students are in attendance. After the ELA there will be 2 sessions of Saturday Academy in April before the Math Exam in May. Again, we have worked hard to prepare and support your children throughout the year and I am confident that they will do their very best.
Our support programs and enrichment programs continue. Additionally, classes with one teacher are supported with another push in teacher to work with small groups of students. We have also purchased I-Ready ELA and Math computer programs. All students are scheduled time in the computer lab 1 period a week for ELA and 1 period a week for math. Our Saturday Academy groups are also scheduled 1 period as well on Saturdays. Every child has been administered a diagnostic assessment at the beginning and the programs meet students where they are at as learners based on the assessment to provide them practice in skills they need to further develop. These programs can be used at home and over the summer, and I encourage families to ensure that their children find some time to do so. 1 hour 2-3 times a week will make a difference.
Current Support/Enrichment Programs:
Morning Math Program:
Grades 3-5 Saturday Test Prep Academy:
Grades 3-5 Spring Cycle-BOKS Basketball:
Grades 4-5 Spring Cycle CASA Visual Arts: Grades K Spring Cycle- CASA Dance:
Grades 2 Title III Afterschool: K-5 ENL
Students Year Book Committee:
5 Grade Dolphin Cove Store Managers-
5th Dolphin Times Newspaper Club
5th Boys Smart Money Kids
1-5 Lego Robotics: Grades 1, 2, and 4
Every one of these support/enrichment programs and our rigorous curriculum has been designed to help your children achieve academic excellence providing them with a strong path to becoming college/career bound. We will continue to inspire all children, cultivate their strengths, and strive for academic excellence for all.
~Thank you for entrusting your children to us.
“Partners with Families…Partners In Learning”
Believing In Children...
Inspiring Young Minds,
Nancy Murillo
Principal
DOE Notices
Discipline Code Letter Partners in conflict 18.docx.doc
DisciplineCodeK5FINALforPostingaddtledits4517.pdf
Testing Information for Parents- 2017-handout-for-parents-3-8-tests What Parents need to Know.pdf
Upcoming Events This Week
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Father's Day
PS38 George Cromwell School -
Pretzel Day $1.25
PS38 George Cromwell School -
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
PS38 George Cromwell School
Parent Help Needed
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!
WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE ALL THE ACTIVITIES AT PS 38 WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT!
Parents As Learning Partners-The PTA is also hosting a Spirit Day on June 14th.
Donuts with Dad-Friday June 14, 2019
Please join us for some fun! On Friday May 10th at 8:35am the PTA will be hosting Donuts with Dad. This event is open to all our Dad's or father figures in your children's lives. It will be held in the classroom, juice and cookies will be served. If you have more than one child in the school, you can switch classrooms half way through. If Dad is unavailable Grandpa’s, Uncles or a Special male is more than welcome to attend in her place. They must be 18 years and older. Only 1 male guest per child.
No School Reminders
There is no school for students on June 4, 6 or 11, 2019
PS 38’s Carnival
What a BLAST! Thanks for the memories.
SLT-School Leadership Team
Our School Leadership Meetings are open to the school community and the public.
Helpful and Informative Websites: Check out these websites for tips, strategies, and ways you can help your child at home.
Read.. Read... Read...
Leveled Book List
The following books are listed from easy to difficult by reading levels and can be found at www.amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.
Books that are “just right” for your child will be the ones on their level. To build fluency, have your child read books on an easier level. Books above your child’s level will be too difficult. However, a child’s listening level is usually 2-3 grade levels above their reading level. If your child is reading at a first grade level, they can listen and comprehend books at a third or fourth grade level.
Reading aloud to your child will help challenge students by introducing them to more sophisticated vocabulary and increasing their cognitive skills. In addition, reading together is a great time for parents to bond with their children and will provide opportunities for meaningful discussion. It will become a time you and your child look forward to each night!
Remember; don’t restrict your child’s reading material to only books. Provide the chance to read other types of materials (magazines, comics, newspapers, atlases, recipes, game instructions, etc.). This will allow them to discover several reading materials of interest.
For more leveled books, check out this website: http://orgs.bloomu.edu/americareads/leveledbooks/leveledbooks.html
Also, www.reallygoodstuffreading.com has a great set of Learn to Read Books for levels A-J.
For a list of leveled books, click here Leveled Book List _summer_.pdf
Notes from Mrs. Chow
Marsh Avenue Expeditionary Learning School
Carol DeAngelo, Principal
Tina Marie Marra, Assistant Principal
Courage, Tolerance, Compassion, Collaboration
100 Essex Drive
Staten Island, NY 10314
Telephone: 718.370.6850 Fax: 718.370.6860
INFORMATIONAL SESSION Prospective incoming 6th graders - 2019-2020 school year 6:00pm (MAELS Auditorium)
Doors will close promptly at 6:30pm. We will not accept entry after that time.
Please find below the date for your current school’s assigned Informational Session:
Please come with your child to your school’s assigned Informational Session date only.
If you cannot attend on the date to which you were assigned, please contact our
Parent Coordinator, Su Rolnick: srolnick@schools.nyc.gov or (718) 370-6850 extension #2.
All Informational Sessions will be the same.
If you come on a date other than assigned, there will not be a sign-in sheet for your school.
Wednesday: Tuesday: Tuesday:
October 3, 2018 October 16, 2018 October 30, 2018
PS 4 PS 18 PS 1
PS 5 PS 38 PS 3
PS 6 PS 42 PS 11
PS 8 PS 44 PS 19
PS 13 PS 46 PS 21
PS 16 PS 48 PS 22
PS 20 PS 52 PS 26
PS 23 PS 54 PS 29
PS 31 PS 55 PS 30
PS 32 PS 56 PS 45
PS 35 PS 60 PS 50
PS 36 PS 65 PS 53
PS 39 PS 69 PS 57
PS 41 PS 74 PS 78
PS 58 PS 861 PS 80
Our student-facilitated Informational Session will include a tour of our magnificent learning community and tons of information about our academically rigorous and engaging curriculum.
We look forward to seeing you then.
Sincerely,
Cara DeAngelo
Principal
Due to space restrictions, please limit participants to 2 per family
HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD AND YOURSELF
5 Fun Ways to Reinforce Learning During the Summer Months
Summer time means lazy days and fun in the sun. While your kids may be looking forward to time away from school, it’s important to keep their young minds engaged and stimulated during the summer months to prevent learning loss and set them up for success at the beginning of the school year. This doesn’t mean you need to plan hours of educational programming; just a little bit each day can go a long way. Try these ideas to help your child have a fun, educational summer.
Read
Some teachers give their students a summer reading list, but other students won’t pick up a book until they return to school in the fall. Literacy Loss can occur if children don’t practice reading during the summer. Luckily, all it takes is about 30 minutes of reading a day.
Take your child to the library and let him or her pick out a few books they’d like to read. One of the best things about summer is your child has the freedom to choose the types of books he or she wants to read. Also, take some time each week to read to your kids. According to a research, 83 percent of children across all age groups love when their parents read to them. Reading out loud is a great way to share a love of reading and literature.
Keep a Journal
Journaling is a great way for your kids to practice their writing and storytelling skills. Encourage your children to journal for a few minutes each day. They can write about what they did that day, something they're looking forward to that summer or make up a story or a poem.
If you want to help your kids with their typing speed, let them create a digital journal or go the old-fashioned route if you want them to practice penmanship. If you need some ideas to get your kids started, you can search online for fun and creative writing prompts for kids.
Do Everyday Math
While you can print worksheets and math problems for your child during the summer (and you may want to if your son or daughter needs practice), don’t forget about the ways to incorporate math into everyday activities. Take your kids to the grocery store and have them keep a running total of the items in your cart. Ask them to estimate the total price. Teach your kids about fractions in the kitchen and give them an introduction to percentages when you go out to eat.
Practice counting and sorting with toys like Legos and building blocks. If you head out for a summer road trip, give them a basic introduction to distance calculations. No matter how old your kids are, you can tailor everyday activities to teach them basic or advanced math concepts.
Use Technology
There are countless apps and computer programs that can help your child practice basic skills like reading spelling and math. Try these apps to prevent summer learning loss. Because these programs gamify these concepts, your child will enjoy using them. Set aside some time each day for your child to use these programs or apps.
Plan a Play Date
Social skills are just as important as academic skills, so give your child a chance to interact with other children. The best thing about playdates is you can coordinate with the parents to include some educational programming. Since your child is spending time with his or her friend, he won’t mind as much if he’s doing an educational activity like reading or doing a science experiment.
You can also coordinate with other parents and take turns taking the kids to fun places like the zoo, aquarium or a museum. This gives your child the opportunity to have fun outside of the house while still learning about animals, sea life or history.
With a little effort and creativity, you can help your kids have a fun summer and set them up for success during the school year. Try these ideas and let us know what you think. What are your favorite kid-friendly summer activities?
Resource source: teacherswithapps.com
Understanding Conflict vs Bullying.doc
MH Campaign Dec 2018 Mindfulness.doc
depression in children-Dec 2017.docx.doc
Helping Children Deal With Grief.docx
How Trauma Affects Kids in School.docx
Why Do Kids Have Tantrums and Meltdowns.pdf
Fighting Caregiver Burnout.pdf
Three Common Parenting Traps.pdf
Accommodations for Anxious Kids.docx
Parents Information Links
- Click here for theParent Handbook Parent Handbook.pptx
- Click here for New York City Public Schools Information
- Click here for information on our SAFE school water. LetterForSchoolsThatTestNegative 1.docx
- Click here for the 2015-2016 New York City Public School calendar
- Click here for the school menu
Parent Notices-5th Grade Parents
Information for current 5th Grade students-
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Attached please find the 2019 Directory of NYC Middle School District 31. The Middle School Choice Application is forthcoming. Please read carefully.
On page 3 you will find Middle School Action Checklist. This timeline will be helpful to you throughout the school year.
District 31 Middle School Fair will be held on Thursday, October 11, 2018 at New Dorp High School located at 465 New Dorp Lane from 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm. Learn about the schools in District 31 and how to apply to middle school. There will be presentations on middle school admissions at 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm. It is very important for you to attend this fair.
If you have any questions, please contact me at 718-351-1225.
Thank you,
Mercedes Chow, Parent Coordinator
Save the Date...
Important Dates:
June 4 No School-Eid-al-Fitr,
June 6- No school, Teacher PD Day
June 10 PTA Meeting 9:00am
June 11- No School, Teachers Clerical Day
June 11- 5th Grade Dance
June 13- 3rd Grade Assembly 9:00am
June 14 Donuts with Dad 8:35am
June 17- 5th Grade Awards Assembly- 9:00am at PS 38
June 18 4th Grade Awards Assembly- 9:00am
June 19- Kindergarten Stepping Up-
June 20- 5th Grade Graduation at SI Tech. HS
June 21- Pre-K Stepping Up
June 26- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL-11:50 DISMISSAL
What are Google Apps and how are they useful?
Google Drive - cloud storage for all file types including images, videos and audio files. Students have unlimited storage and can access their files from any device, anywhere they have an internet connection.
Google Docs - Word processing tool to allow students to create and edit text and paragraphs. Students can collaborate on the same document and teachers can easily provide feedback while students are working. Like all Google Apps, Google Docs auto-saves within Google Drive.
Google Classroom - A blended learning platform that integrates Google Apps to allow teachers to assign and collect work from students. Classroom creates a paperless environment and saves time providing a way for teachers and students to easily communicate and stay organized.
GOOGLE CLASSROOM
Have you checked your GOOGLE today?
To access student accounts from anywhere:
Go to http://classroom.google.com and enter the full username/email, including the @ps38r.com
parent welcome to google classroom.doc Guardian E-Mail Summary letter.doc
How can Google Classroom help me, help my child in school?
September 5, 2018
Dear Families,
We are excited to let you know that Google Classroom has an additional feature for you, the parents. As a guardian, you can receive email summaries showing your student’s progress in Google Classroom.
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You can choose the frequency of the emails, such as daily or weekly.
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You can unsubscribe or remove yourself from Classroom at any time.
Guardian email summaries include:
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Missing work—Work that’s late at the time the email was sent
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Upcoming work—Work that’s due today and tomorrow (for daily emails) or work that’s due in the upcoming week (for weekly emails)
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Class activity—Announcements, assignments, and questions recently posted by teachers
Your student’s teacher will send you an email invitation. After you accept the invitation, you’ll receive regular email summaries of your student’s work. You can use your current email address to receive an invitation. When you click Accept in the email invitation, you receive weekly summaries to that email address. However, with a free Google account, you can make changes to your email summaries—for example, how often you receive them.
This is a wonderful way for you to stay up to date with what’s happening in your child’s classroom. If you are interested please return the slip with your email clearly printed to your child’s teacher.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Frisz & Ms. Regan
Social Media
Where can I find....?
General- All subject, All grades
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/
Reading Sites:
http://www.storylineonline.net/
Math Sites:
https://www-k6.thinkcentral.com
http://www.mathplayground.com/
Science Sites:
https://kids.usa.gov/science/index.shtml
http://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/index.html
Parent Tips
7 Bullying Intervention Tips for Families-October 2018.doc
7 Bullying Intervention Tips for Families
- Increase Communication
Begin discussion that has to do with the social and online lives of your children as often as possible. Ask specific questions that can create important discussions (e.g., instead of “How was school?,” try “What was lunchtime like at your school—who do you sit with, what do you do and what do you talk about?”). You have to ensure your conduct shows how genuinely interested and open minded you are, and must not in any way see you as trying to control or invade privacy.
- Monitor Behavior
You can get to see your children under different situations by being watchful during social gatherings, volunteering at school and participating in extracurricular activities. If in any case you realize that your children are overly aggressive, vulnerable to peer pressure or show other behavior that gives you cause for concern, talk to them about your concerns and correct the behavior. Keep watch on the warning signs associated with bullying behavior (e.g., fear of attending school, social withdrawal, avoidance of or preoccupation with technology) and you can always believe that your instinct will intervene when you feel like your children are deviating.
- Facilitate Positive Social Experiences
Assist your children in selecting hobbies and friends that will make them have a good feeling about themselves. Whenever you realize that certain activities or relationships are capable of causing bad feelings or unhealthy conflicts, talk about how things can be improved and keep away from negative scenarios. Be a guide to your children in helping them make friends in different settings, by doing so they would not have to depend on only one place as their social outlet. Help your children to stay close to at least one friend— the feeling of being socially attached can help to reduce the effects of bullying.
- Promote Responsible Online Behavior
Speak with your children about behaving decently online, as well as showing respect for other people’s privacy including the negative effect of belittling others. They should also make sure that they understand how to protect their own privacy online (e.g., keep personal information, passwords and PINs confidential) and what their reaction should be when confronted with negative online behavior. Ensure to actively monitor your children activities online and assist them to set healthy limits as regards the time they spend online. When monitoring and filtering software, do not hide it and then feel you can depend on these kinds of tools as a means to directly involve yourself in your child’s online lives.
- Talk about Bullying
Feel free to discuss bullying with your children. Explain what bullying means to them in detail; let them know what it looks like and what to do when such a thing happens. Let them understand your expectations and values as far as offline and online societal behaviors is concerned, help them to understand what their own values should be as well as how they are to show it in the face of aggression and peer pressure. Talk and practice different ways in which they are to react to social cruelty, and make your children know that they are to come to you for help when they witness or happen to be involved in bullying situations.
- Be a Role Model
Have you ever thought about what kind of message you pass to your children whenever you gossip, make judgmental comments or act in an aggressive manner toward family members, friends, and the way you interact with staff in stores or drivers on the road. Make good use of technology and keep away from sending mean or biased posts and jokes. Show an example of what is takes to be an ally and to kick against both online and offline cruelty and prejudice.
- Be Involved at School
Always be in support of practices, policies and programs that encourage positive social behavior and always speak up when adults/institutions no longer sustains their duty of protecting children and maintaining a safe environment. Don’t wait until your child is the target to get involved and speak up.
