PS 38 George Cromwell School

January 20, 2023 

Dear families, 

Happy New Year!!!! 

We hope you had a restful and enjoyable break and welcome you all back to an exciting second half of the school year. 

Mid-year is the time when we reflect and take stock of where we are in relation to our instructional goals for the 2022-2023 school year, and reflect on the direct impact they have had on your student's achievement. Teachers have been engaged in monitoring student progress more closely in comparison to where students were at the beginning of the year, where they were a few weeks ago, and will continue to make adjustments to instruction as they work diligently to move all students along the learning continuum. Mid-year assessments closely target and monitor all of our struggling students. 

Our goal is to meet every child where they are at, motivate, inspire, and grow them by providing them with the best learning experiences and actionable feedback to grow them as learners. We institute a "Growth Mindset" in which all children learn strategies to continuously challenge and grow themselves as life-long learners. In order to do this well, teachers provide your children with actionable feedback in relation to their goals. This feedback compliments what the child is doing well and provides students with next steps for learning. Teachers give and show the student how to use a strategy or two to improve their learning in the particular subject area. Goals are time bound with an end date in mind. They monitor how well students are applying the new strategies and intervene with guidance when needed. Teachers check back in for mastery and provide students with new strategies when they have mastered the skill. Students also learn to monitor their own learning through self and peer assessing using content specific rubrics as we foster and guide student independence. 

Open lines of communication regarding student progress continue between teachers and families. Please note that Mid-year is also the time of the year when Promotion In Doubt (PID) letters will be mailed home to families of students still struggling and in danger of not meeting grade standard. This is a New York City DOE policy that all schools follow. The purpose of PID letters are to inform parents that at this point in time, their child is not meeting standard but there is still time to move them along the learning continuum before June. These letters should not come as a surprise to any family as teachers continuously engage families in student progress meetings. They keep on-going open lines of communication, and share areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. They also share how they are intervening to support your children and how you can support their learning at home. 

How are we supporting students? 

We have a number of support programs in place to provide students with academic intervention and enrichment. All AIS programs monitor student progress from beginning to end. +

Special Ed Academic Recovery Intensive after school program- (10 weeks) 1X a week on Wednesdays for 2 hours after school. Ends January 8. A small select group of students performing well below grade level will be invited based on data. 

3D Literacy program- 2nd Grade during the day-15 Weeks) 2X week Title III afterschool ENL program Afterschool (10 weeks) targeting students in various language acquisition levels for 2 hours after school 1X week on Wed or Thurs. 

Title III Arts Enrichment: 8 weeks-Sun Dog Literacy and Language development through readers theater for students at the earliest language acquisition levels. 

An additional part time ENL teacher: provides extra ENL services/supports to students acquiring the English language K-5 during the day. 

AIS Teacher: Pushes in during the day to support specific targeted students in skill areas performing below standard in reading and/or Math and monitors for impact. Trained in research-based programs to support students: Just Words for upper grades, Wilson/Fundations and Math Fluency. 

IEP teacher push in support using SPIRE and Fundations (research-based programs) to students in need of phonemic awareness. 

Multi-tiered supports provided to all children in need in collaboration with our support team (K- 5). 

Move to Improve-Integrated in all classes-We are an All Star School and all staff is trained in methods-Gym Teachers also push into two classes to support students in need 1X a week. 

SEL Supports: 

SEL period-Period 1 building wide daily(Harmony research based curriculum) 

Social Emotional in-class lessons provided by our support team (as needed). 

My Sisters Keeper: 5th grade Girls group for Empowerment, Voice and self-esteem led by Mrs. Frisz. 

Beautiful Me (research Based): 4th grade Girls Group-Self Esteem, Voice, Acceptance, Compassion and Empathy-Led by IEP Teacher and Counselor. 

Comfort Dog: Select targeted students (attendance and social emotional support) 2X week 4 groups monitoring DESSA and Attendance Data for impact. 

What's Coming this spring? 

* 

1st Grade Choral Program during the day provided in partnership with Sun Dog Theater. 

5th Grade Drumming during the day in partnership with Sun Dog Theater. 

CASA Sun Dog Enrichment Through the Arts afterschool programs 

Year Book-5th grade group 

Newspaper Club: 5th grade Targeted students 

Test Prep Academy for targeted students in need: Grades 3, 4, 5 Feb/March '23 

Other programs may evolve throughout the year pending budget. Some take place during the school day and others after school. We will keep you informed of all offerings as they evolve. This is just a glimpse into all we are doing to provide your children with rich learning experiences and supports. 

Sunday January 22 marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year....the Year of the Pig. Gung Hay Fat Choy to all of our families and children who will celebrate this festive time! We hope that you're able to spend this joyful time with family and friends as you carry on the festive traditions of your heritage and reflect on the blessings of the past year. We wish you and your loved ones peace, health, and prosperity in the year to come! 

In honor of the Lunar New Year on January 30 all children will attend a very special assembly performed by the New York Chinese Cultural CenterPlease visit the New York Chinese Cultural Center (NYCCC) on-line at www.nychineseculturalcenter.org to find out more about this amazing organization and all it has to offer. 

Did you know? 

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it's been called since the 20th century, remains the most important social and economic holiday in China. Originally tied to the lunar-solar Chinese calendar, the holiday was a time to honor household and heavenly deities as well as ancestors. It was also a time to bring family together for feasting. With the popular adoption in China of the Western calendar in 1912, the Chinese joined in celebrating January 1 as New Year's Day. China, however, continues to celebrate the traditional Chinese New Year, although in a shorter version with a new name-the Spring Festival. To learn more about this cultural celebration with your children, visit: https://chinesenewyear.net/ 

This site is chock full of interesting facts, pictures, and more. 

At PS 38 we teach your children that they should always do their best and that it is their educational responsibility to themselves to do so. Success comes with hard work and as a staff we will continue to instill good learning habits as we want all students to be high achievers. Parent engagement plays a critical role in student achievement and we must be on the same page or it sends a mixed message to the children about what is important. Therefore, we ask that all parents please continue to support us in our endeavors. 

~Thank you for entrusting your children to us.

  “Partners with Families…Partners In Learning”

Believing In Children...

Inspiring Young Minds,

 Nancy Murillo

Principal

 Mrs. Murillo's Family Letter January 2023.pdf 

 Mrs. Murillo's Family Letter December 2022.doc 

 Mrs. Murillo's Family Letter November 2022.doc 

Mrs. Murillo's Family Letter October