September 11, 2023
Dear Families,
Welcome back to what I know will be to another amazing school year!
We are super excited to welcome your children back to school as the staff at PS 38 has worked collaboratively to ensure a smooth transition and to instill a safe and welcoming school environment.
Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attack on our nation and we come together to remember the many friends, family members, loved ones and first responders who lost their lives during this senseless act of terror. PS 38 always remembers…we “Never Forget.”
The first few days of school are about warm welcomes, instilling a joy for learning, and building trusting relationships. These days set the tone for the year and we want your children to go home at the end of each day excited to return and learn. Our goal is to build community, motivate, and inspire your children as they work toward their fullest potential.
Attendance/Lateness: Our school time sessions are 7:45 am to 2:05 pm. Entry point doors open at 7:45 a.m. and all doors will close promptly at 7:55 a.m.as our instructional day begins. If the entry points have closed, your child should come through the main entrance where they will be marked late and brought to their class. When children arrive to school late, they miss valuable instructional time. Therefore, we ask parents/guardians to ensure your child arrives to school on time.
As students transition back to school these first two weeks, all teachers and paraprofessionals will meet your children at their designated outside line up space near their entry point. Students are beginning to learn the new faces, routines, and their new class location, and to ensure students find their way we have various staff positioned throughout our hallways.
Our goal is that by Friday September 15, 2023, teachers will no longer greet students outside; however, paraprofessionals will still meet their children at the entry points. Instead, students will walk directly into the building through their designated grade entry points on their own. Prekindergarten students will continue to be greeted by their teachers/paraprofessionals at their entrance. All other students will be greeted by their classroom teachers outside their classroom doors. Support staff will remain posted throughout the hallways.
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our children, we ask families to please refrain from picking up children early as this disrupts instruction. We understand however, that emergencies sometimes arise. Should you need to pick up your child early we ask that you call the main office in advance so we can have your child packed up and ready. Please make sure to call before 1:30pm as pickup after this time conflicts with bussing and dismissal, and leads to confusion.
Safety Drills: To ensure the safety and welfare of all students and staff we will conduct various safety lessons and drills. These lessons/drills show students what to do in the event of an emergency and include, fire drills, evacuation drills, shelter in drills, and bus drills. Bus drills are done three times a year to ensure students are familiar with how to evacuate and bus safety nuances. Our first bus drills will take place on Friday September 15, 2023.
Social Emotional Learning: PS 38 is taking a proactive stance to support ALL children’s social emotional development through Harmony, a research based curriculum. All classes will implement Social Emotional Learning through a “Harmony/Literacy period” which takes place first period upon arrival every morning. Therefore, it is imperative your children arrive on time as this sets the tone for the day. In addition, strategies and methods learned will be infused throughout the day across content areas and applied to real life scenarios to deepen learning. To learn more about Harmony visit: https://www.harmonysel.org/
NYC Schools Account: All students should have a NYC Schools Account. Your NYC Schools Account is your gateway to family-facing technology to support and track your children’s progress through public school education at the NYC Department of Education.
Every New York City public school student has a DOE account. It is created automatically when you enroll in school. Your DOE account stays the same the entire time you are in school, and with it you can access all DOE technology platforms.
Platforms include:
· TeachHub,
· Google for Education,
· iLearnNYC,
· Microsoft Office,
· Adobe Creative Cloud,
· Adobe Express,
· Pear Deck,
· Zoom, and more.
You can find more about NYC School Account information here: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/digital-learning/doe-student-accounts
If you do not have a NYC Schools Account for your child/children, you can create an account here: https://www.schoolsaccount.nyc/
Parent/Teacher Association: Our PTA is comprised of parents, teachers and administration working collaboratively to strengthen family/community ties. PTA meetings are once a month and are a forum for parents to better understand our policies, protocols & procedures, instruction, and school events. This year we will host some PTA meetings in person and some virtually. Meeting notices will be sent home in advance of each meeting.
Virtual meetings can be accessed through your child’s NYCDOE Google Account. The code for any virtual PTA meetings this year will be: ps38rpta.
Parent engagement plays a critical role in student achievement and our goal is to continue to build trusting relationships with our families through consistent open lines of communication. We have a school website: www.ps38.org, which houses a wealth of important information, announcements, and resources. We also communicate via phone blast, and notices, which will go home with your child. Should you have any questions or concerns Mrs. Kimberly Bottalico is our Parent Coordinator who can be reached at: 718-351-1225 or via email: kbottalico@schools.nyc.gov.
Family Workshops: As part of our Partners with Families…Partners in Learning Initiative, we organize a variety of informational workshops to help you understand our curriculum, assessments, instructional shifts, and to provide families a path for supporting your children at home.
Please join us for our: Virtual Meet and Greet the Principal and PS 38 Staff at Curriculum Orientations Thursday September 14, 2023 (see attached flier for time and codes).
Throughout the year, teachers will engage with you in student progress meetings/and or conversations around how your child is learning. Your child’s data and work samples drive these conversations, students’ strengths and areas in need of support are discussed, and strategies to support your child at home are shared.
We are a “professional learning community” and our goal is to work in collaboration with all stakeholders (students, staff, families, and organizations) to ensure a successful and memorable elementary school experience for your children.
Once again, we look forward to a year filled with inspiring rich learning experiences with your children.
~Thank you for entrusting your children to us.
“Partners with Families…Partners In Learning”
Believing In Children...
Inspiring Young Minds,
Nancy Murillo
Principal
Septembe-Welcome Back Principal Letter.docx
