September 21, 2020

Newsletter Table Of Contents

  • School Announcements

  • PTA Updates

  • SLT & SWC Updates

  • Community Information

  • Thought of the Week

School Announcements

Revised Re-Opening Timeline 

Students in All Pods ( A, B, C, D) Kindergarten - Grade 5 will participate in Remote Learning Monday, September 21 - Friday, September 25. In-person instruction for Pods A & C begins Tuesday, September 29. You will be receiving a message from the administration in your child’s class dojo regarding the Framework for both In-Person and Remote Learning Guidelines and Expectations. Please read the entire document carefully and thoroughly.

**PRE-KINDERGARTEN PHASE-IN SCHEDULE 

Dear New Pre-K Family Members, 

Welcome to Public School 11!  As we all work together (administration, staff, parents and children) to continue making P.S.11 the school of choice, only great things can continue to happen for all our children. We have a big yet awesome job before us! 

Overview of the Pre-K Phase-In: 

Pre-Kindergarten students will return to school on the first day in a phase-in approach. This will allow our PS 11 youngest students the opportunity to acclimate to a new environment and reacquaint themselves with school.    

Phase-in Dates:  Monday, September 21, 2020 and Tuesday, September 22, 2020. You will receive more detailed information from your child’s teacher. Wednesday, September 23 - Friday, September 25 are full day in-person.

Telehealth Tips Website 

 The NYC Administration for Children’s Services, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity, and the Public Policy Lab have collaborated to create a Telehealth Website  to support families, providers, and advocates in using telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. All information on the website is available in New York City’s 11 official languages. 

Contact Tracing and Confidentiality 

Recently, the state legislature passed the Contact Tracing Confidentiality Bill to ensure that contact tracing information is only used for public health purposes, and that police and ICE are not allowed to access any information given to contact tracers.  Contact tracing will be an important tool in the DOE’s fight against Covid-19 because tracing cases and identifying who may have been exposed to the virus, will help keep our students and their families healthy. The bill is waiting on the governor to act.

PTA Updates

PTA General Meeting

The next PTA General Meeting will take place virtually this Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 6pm. The agenda and materials are posted on the PS11 website. We will review and approve the PTA budget, discuss PTA elections process, and the Administration will discuss what you can anticipate for your child’s school year.

PTA Elections

The annual PTA Executive Board elections will take place on October 21, 2020 and will be conducted virtually. Please visit the Parents Engagement tab for elections details and email the Nominations Committee to nominate and complete the requested information. The PTA bylaws are available for review and provides a description of all of the Executive Board positions. Join us!

Building Walk Through

On September 14, 2020, the PTA along with the SLT and Administration participated in a walk through of the PS11 school classrooms and all common areas. We reviewed the new set up that is required to meet health and safety standards. The details of the walk through are available by follow this link.

PS11 Swag

We expect to reopen the PS11 online shop soon so you can purchase PS11 gear for the entire family! In the meantime, get used to your school routine and watch from an announcement from the PTA regarding the reopening of the shop.

SLT & SWC Updates

SWC Community Building Event

Join us for the first Garden Green Up and Fall Planting event on Saturday September 26th, 2020 10:00 am - 2:00 PM. We need at least a dozen volunteers to help us till soil, and plant seeds, bulbs and flowers. There is also some heavy lifting so strong hands of all ages are needed. We are excited that artist Craig Anthony Miller has agreed to liven up our garden space with murals on the stock tanks and walkway. You can check out his artwork at Art by Craig Anthony Miller If you plan on attending or would solely like to donate materials (ie seeds, bulbs, plants, soil, fertilizer etc.) please send an email to schoolwellness@ps11bk.org.

SLT Elections

The annual School Leadership Team elections will take place in conjunction with the virtual PTA election on October 21, 2020. If you would like to nominate a parent/ caregiver member for the SLT (self-nominations are accepted) then please click the following email link and complete the mandatory information listed in the body of the email. SLT Nominations

Community Information

Tutoring Help. Families have been asking for tutoring help to support their children’s academic achievements during the pandemic and as the new school year starts. Please visit the Family Resources page and review the tutors recommended by other PS11 families. These services are not endorsed by the PTA.

Amazon Smile. When you shop online at Amazon consider using the following link http://smile.amazon.com or shop via the app, Amazon Smile. After logging into Amazon Smile with your regular account and password) elect “PS11 Brooklyn PTA” as your charity of choice, Amazon will donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases! It can’t be any easier!

Thoughts of the Week…

"So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune."

”I’d like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. And to help repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg