Friday, March 26, 2010

High School Admissions Update

Message from Chancellor Klein, received at 2:40 PM on March 26th

March 26, 2010

Dear Parent/Guardian,
A decision has just been reached in the lawsuit brought by the UFT and others that has had an impact on the high school admissions process. As soon as possible, the Office of Student Enrollment will mail your child’s high school admissions letter to the home address listed on his or her high school application.
We know how difficult this delay has been for you and for your family, and we thank you for your patience. In the meantime, please continue to check the Department of Education’s Web site at www.nyc.gov/schools, or call 311, for updated information.

Sincerely,
Joel I. Klein
Chancellor

Middle School Articulation

Middle School Articulation

March 23, 2010

Dear Grade Five Families:

As you are aware, for the past two years, we have been established as a Pre-K to 8 school. We are a United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon School. Last year, our first graduating class articulated to specialized high schools, including Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College and prestigious local schools, such as Townsend Harris, Bayside, St. Francis Preparatory, Archbishop Molloy, Cardozo and Francis Lewis.

Many of you have been part of our Holliswood School Family for several years, while some of you are new members of our community. As your children are transitioning into middle school, we are sure that you have many questions about what to expect in middle school. Therefore, we would like to invite you to view our middle school at your convenience during the week of April 12th. This tour will be available for parents/guardians only, as we do not want to interrupt instructional time for our fifth graders, while they are preparing intensely for their New York State Assessments.

Please find attached our middle school informational pamphlet and please call our Parent Coordinator, Phyllis Corley, to schedule a visit.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

High School Admission Update from the Chancellor

Distributed on March 24, 2010

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I know you were expecting to receive your child’s high school match today. However, due to an ongoing lawsuit that affects the high school admissions process, we can’t yet send home matches as previously planned. I understand you are anxious to receive this information, and rest assured, the Department of Education is doing everything possible to make the matches available soon. We will update you as soon
as we know more. Thank you for your patience—we truly regret the delay.

Sincerely,
Joel I. Klein
Chancellor

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Pre-Kindergarten Admissions Updates

Pre-Kindergarten Admissions Updates
Elementary schools

The Pre-Kindergarten application period began on March 1. Pre-K directories and applications are available online and at borough enrollment offices. Elementary schools should have received pre-K directories for distribution to families by March 8, and translated versions of the directory will be available online. The deadline for families to apply to pre-K is April 9.

Please inform families that they are invited to attend an information session to learn more about the pre-Kindergarten admissions process. Representatives from the Offices of Student Enrollment and Early Childhood Education will be available at each of the sessions to answer questions. Translation and interpretation services will be provided. You can download more details, including a flyer about the sessions to share with families at your school, at this Web site.

Mid-Year Reflection and Thanks

Mid-Year Reflection and Thanks

March 15, 2010

Dear Holliswood School Community:

As we move forward into Spring, we would like to take this opportunity to pause, reflect and thank you for an outstanding school year so far. The 2009-2010 school year has been momentous. We achieved a dramatic improvement on our school’s Progress Report for the 2008-2009 school year, which is attributed to the dedication of our tireless and supportive parents, our exceptional and committed staff, and all of the students’ hard work.

We would like to congratulate our entire Holliswood School Family on the following accomplishments this year:
• Tremendous Work by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), including outstanding service during the Fall Pumpkin Festival, our Fall and Winter Middle School Dances, Fall Vision Screening, Fall and Spring Book Fairs, Picture Day and ongoing meetings.
• Numerous Fundraisers: Haiti Relief Snack Sale, which raised almost $1,600 to the American Red Cross International Response Fund for Haiti. We received honorable notice from the Daily News, as well as directly from the American Red Cross, thanking us for our accomplishment. Other fundraisers included the Canned Food Drive, Toy Drive, and Daffodil Days for the American Cancer Society.
• Remarkable attendance at Family Events, such as Family Basketball Night, in which we were featured on the New York City Department of Education News Page; PTA Pumpkin Festival; Talent Show; Volleyball Night; Barnes and Noble Night; Winter Concert; Student of the Month Assemblies, writing celebrations, and other assemblies and concerts.
• Our School Leadership Teams and School Safety Committee works extremely hard to bring forward suggestions and next steps for resolutions.
• Our Art Department won an art contest sponsored by Artsonia and received a grant of $5,000 from Microsoft.
• One of our students won the District 25 and District 26 Spelling Bee and competed in the City Championships, representing Queens.
• An amazing middle school Career Day with guest speakers, including some of our Holliswood parents.
• The full launch of our Respect For All Campaign by continually practicing our Holliswood virtues and acknowledging each other when exhibiting those virtues.
• The formation of our first Elementary Rugby Team, who came in second place in the city in the Fall Rugby Tournament.
• Achievements by our middle school CHAMPS sports teams, such as Volleyball, Football and Rugby
• Achievements by our middle school debate team.
• Outstanding extracurricular math programs, such as Middle School Math Team, Elementary Math Team, Math Games Club, First in Math, and Math Success Programs.
• Ongoing enrichment programs, such as ThinkQuest and differentiation in the classroom.
• The continuation of our fabulous Arts Residencies, partially funded by the PTA, such as Young People’s Chorus and 144 Music and Arts.
• Other Arts Residencies including Early Stages (funded by Mr. Mark Weprin) and the Dancing Classrooms Ballroom Dance Program for Grade 5; Our music, technology and visual arts department.
• Ongoing Monthly Parent Workshops
• Ladies Night and Parent Coordinator Book Club Events
• Middle School Chorus performance at Lincoln Center
• Day programs including Student Council, Safety Patrol, Recycling Club, Junior Honor Society, Penny Harvest Club, Art Club, Intramurals, Kids for Coltrane, Fashion Design, Yearbook Club, Data Thieves
• Ongoing partnership with the Samuel Field Y Program for our Elementary After School Program
• May-June Events, including the Senior Trip to Club Getaway, 7th Grade Philadelphia Trip, 6th Grade Medieval Times Trip.
• Ongoing Partnership with the New York Knicks

Since our school year is far from over, we would like to remind you to please join us for the following upcoming events (more information will follow):
• Our second annual Arts Benefit Concert on March 24, 2010 at 6 PM in which we will showcase the broad range of talent in our school.
• Multicultural Night on April 8, 2010 at 5:45 PM, where we will celebrate the wonderful diversity in our school.
• Title I Sponsored Family Math Night on May 25, 2010, from 5-7 PM, in which students, teachers and families will play math games and students will develop strategies for improving mathematical skills.

We want to thank you all for contributing your best efforts to a successful school year thus far. There are successes to report about every day in our school and we thank everyone for participating in maximizing the school’s potential. Please remember to continually visit our School Blog: http://holliswoodschool.blogspot.com for the latest information and school news.

Sincerely,
Jennifer C. Ambert, Patrick Klocek, Phyllis Corley

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

***NYS ELA and Math Exams***

As you know, the New York State ELA Assessment will be administered to students in grades 3 – 8 on April 26, 2010 – April 28, 2010. The State Math Assessment will be given May 5, 2010 – May 7, 2010. With the support of our parents and guardians, our teachers and students have been working tirelessly to prepare for these exams and we know that all of our children will perform brilliantly. We ask that you review the tips below to help your children prepare for the exam:

1. Make sure your children go to bed early and that they have enough rest. Be sure to get them to school on time the next day, as latecomers may not be permitted to take the exam.

2. Please be sure that your children eat a light, healthy breakfast.

3. Dress them for success. Children should wear comfortable clothes.

4. Please make sure the children are prepared. Our students need to show up to school with #2 pencils, erasers, and other materials specified by their teachers.

5. Tell them to be positive: Expect to do well. Reassure them and tell them to relax. Let them know it is okay to take a short break. They can pause briefly when they need to break the
tension.

6. Remind them to avoid distractions and to concentrate only on their own exam.

As always, thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Upcoming Acuity Assessments

Dear Parents/Guardians of Students in Grades 3 – 8,

The New York City Department of Education has been administering Instructionally Targeted Assessments to students in grades 3-8 during the school year. Please note the upcoming assessment dates:

ELA ITA (Instructionally Targeted Assessment) – Week of March 8, 2010
Math ITA (Instructionally Targeted Assessment) – Week of March 8, 2010
Integrated Algebra Regents Predictive Assessment – Class 801 – March 15, 2010

Please note that these assessments are used to inform instruction. The results of these exams will be used by our teachers to identify each student’s individual needs. As such, it is very important for you to encourage your children to do the very best they can. Following any periodic assessments, results are displayed on ARIS. Students are provided with differentiated assignments on the Acuity website to reinforce their skills.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Upcoming Important Dates

Please be advised of the following dates for workshops, meetings, programs and events:

EVENTS:

Talent Show – March 4th - 6-8 PM
Career Day: March 4th – 8:15 -11:15 AM
No Pre-K on 3/5
Saturday Program resumes on 3/6
3/8: MS Basketball Practice 3-5 PM
3/8: Pre-K Directories available (PreK registration: www.nyc.gov/schools/ChoicesEnrollment/PreK) or call 311
3/8-3/12: Respect for All Week – Ms. Peters will be going into MS classrooms beginning next week to conduct lessons.
3/10: Math Success Program Begins for Middle School 3-5 PM
3/11: Math Success Program Begins for Grades 3-5 (3-5 PM)
3/12: Grade 5 Ballroom Dance Culminating Event 1:00-1:45 PM
3/15: PTA-Sponsored Scholastic Book Fair (All Week) Library will be used
3/15: MS Young People's Chorus Concert at Lincoln Center 7 PM
3/16: Parent Teacher Conferences 1-3 PM; 5:30-8:00 PM – DISMISSAL IS AT 11:30 AM

All Teachers follow the following half day lunch schedule:
• 10:10 - 10:30: Grades 6-8
• 10:35 - 11:00: Grades Pre-K, K, 1, 4
• 11:05 - 11:30: Grades 2, 3, 5 (dismisses from lunch to regular dismissal sites)
3/24: Arts Benefit Concert 6-8 PM, invitations will be distributed to parents on 3/5
3/29-4/6: Spring Recess (We return on Wednesday, April 7th)
Multicultural Day will be celebrated on April 8. If you have any ideas, please consult with Mrs. Corley.


TESTING

Grades 3-8: March 9: ELA ITA Testing and March 10: Math ITA Testing (Library used)
801: March 15: Algebra Predictive
March 8-26: ELL Periodic Assessment
Grades 1-3: ECLAS 2: begins April 19th

WORKSHOPS

Parent Conversations - Mrs. Corley's Office: 3/5 (Please make an appointment)
ELA Parent Workshop (Parents of Grades 3-8) on March 24 at 8:15 AM

About Parent Coordinator Phyllis Corley

My name is Phyllis Louise Lattimer-Corley. I am married and have one son.

I was the educational director of a day care center in Nassau County for sixteen years prior to the birth of my son. I planned to be a stay-at- home mom for five years until my son went to kindergarten. Well, that didn’t happen! I got involved in his elementary school, PS 178, first as a class parent, then in the library, and later became PTA president for three years.

When my son moved on to middle school at MS 74, I again took on the role of PTA president for two years. Gee, I guess I wasn’t really staying at home. My son, James is now a freshman at Binghamton University. I am fortunate to be writing this blog, as I enter my sixth year as parent coordinator of my son’s wonderful alma mater.

Welcome to our school family. I am looking forward to an exciting school year. There are so many fantastic activities that have been planned for both you and your child. I encourage all parents to be partners in your child’s school.
Ø Attend Parent Teacher Conferences
Ø Go to PTA Meetings
Ø Participate in Parent Workshops
Ø Volunteer to help at school events.

I am here to assist you in any way that I can. Please feel free to contact me with any concerns or just stop by for a cup of coffee.

Phyllis Corley,
Parent Coordinator

Corley's Corner

Corley's Corner
Parents and Staff turn out for Corley's Ladies' Night at Strike Long Island (November 2008)

Mrs. Corley gets ready to read at the Barnes and Noble Fundraiser Event

Parents and Staff participate in Corley's Cupcake Creations Parent Workshop


Our Student Council Gives Back!

Our Student Council Gives Back!
2009 Student Council President Chrysalis Terrado and her cabinet pose in front of dozens of toys donated by Holliswood families for our annual toy drive (December 2008)

Upcoming School Closings and Half Days


To view the official NYC Dept. of Education 2013-2014 School Calendar, visit


http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/D45BBFC5-BB4E-4C6B-ACE7-F7E15D8AA1BE/0/20132014SchoolYearCalendar.pdf

It is also anticipated that we will add half days for professional development for our faculty during the 2013-2014 school year (subject to UFT and PTA approval). An announcement will be made.



In the event of an emergency closing or delayed opening due to weather, please call 311 or watch your local news channels. When NYC public schools are closed, our school will be closed.















Monthly Events

Every month, you will receive a calendar of our monthly events.