Monday, June 28, 2010

Letter from the Chancellor

Dear Parent or Guardian,

As you are no doubt aware, the current schedule for school to start in the fall has students returning to class on Wednesday, September 8, 2010.

But over the past few weeks, we heard directly from many parents and school communities concerned about the impact of Labor Day and the Jewish holidays on the first week of school. They asked us to consider moving the first day of school to Monday, September 13, 2010.

Recognizing the importance of not losing an instructional school day, the parents who wrote us further proposed that our teachers and staff use that Wednesday, September 8, 2010, as a professional development day, and instead use what is known as Brooklyn-Queens day—a professional development day that falls on Thursday, June 9, 2011 as an instructional school day.

Both the Mayor and I thought this proposal made sense for all involved and, in fact, would save parents the hassle of finding child-care for a one-day, mid-week holiday in June.

But in order to move forward with this plan, we needed the agreement of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT).

Unfortunately, the UFT refused our proposal and therefore we are left with no choice but to keep the calendar unchanged.

I also want to briefly address UFT’s statements in the press that we should allow different schools to start classes on different days. That idea is simply not feasible.

We cannot have a chaotic system where different schools start classes on different days, which would require different bus schedules as well as different food schedules. It would be confusing to parents, a further strain on our budget, and disruptive to the overall school calendar.

We understand and are sympathetic to the stress some families may feel because of the schedule during the first week of school, and regret that we were unable to make a change we saw as straightforward and fair to all.

But given our inability to reach an agreement with the UFT, we will proceed with starting school on Wednesday, September 8, 2010.

I wish you and your families an enjoyable, relaxing summer, and look forward to seeing everyone in the fall.

Sincerely,

Joel I. Klein

End of Year Reflection and Goodbyes

June 21, 2010

To the Holliswood School Community:

This year, we have had many wonderful memories. From our multicultural celebration to the numerous concerts and shows, we have had a successful year. We are thrilled to have such a supportive community of families and dedicated staff, committed to promoting the growth of every student in our school.

This month, our school became the winners of the Trashmasters Contest for Super Recycling, sponsored by the Department of Sanitation. We won the Queens Borough Award for best recycling. In sports, our Elementary Rugby Team became runners-up during the Citywide Mayor’s Cup Tournament on June 5, 2010. Fifty-six teams from private and public schools competed in that tournament.

Academically, our students have demonstrated growth. While all of our standardized test results are not yet available, we have exceeded our previous year’s performance on the fifth grade NYS Social Studies Assessment. This is not only attributed to our faculty, but to the tremendous work that you do with your children. We are pleased that our graduating eighth grade class will attend such prestigious high schools as Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, Townsend Harris, High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, and local schools, such as Bayside, Cardozo, and Francis Lewis.

We would also like to share news regarding personnel changes. After four years, our Assistant Principal, Patrick Klocek, will be leaving our school and moving on to a principal position outside of New York City. Furthermore, after 23 years of service at the Holliswood School, our Supervising School Aide, Carmel Leong, will be retiring. Please join me in congratulating our beloved staff members who will be leaving us this year.

Thank you for everything you do to make our school community truly unique and special.

We look forward to beginning another terrific school year this September.

Sincerely,


Jennifer C. Ambert
Principal

Monday, June 7, 2010

Half Day Reminder

Please be advised of the following citywide half days:

June 8, June 17 and June 28th

On all dates, dismissal will be 11:30 AM.

In addition, there is no school on June 10th due to the citywide staff development day.

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.















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