Thursday, November 29, 2012

Support our Barnes and Noble Book Fair

Dear Parents/Guardians, We are proud to announce that the P.S./I.S. 178 Barnes & Noble Bookfair will be taking place at the Fresh Meadows location on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 from 5-7 P.M. You will also have an opportunity to support us by shopping online from Tuesday, December 4, 2012 through Sunday, December 9, 2012. A percentage of your purchase made through www.bn.com/bookfairs will be contributed to our Bookfair. Here’s how: • Be sure to use the web address above (www.bn.com/bookfairs) to do your online shopping. • When you’ve finished selecting your purchases, click on your cart and begin the check-out process. On the payment page, there will be a section at the bottom that states Check Here If This Is a Bookfair Order. When you check the box, type in our bookfair ID number 10927846 in the required entry field. • If you already have a BN.com account with a default payment method, you will only see a Checkout Summary screen. To add the Bookfair ID to the payment page, you will need to click on the Change button on the right-hand side of the Payment Section. This will take you back to the payment page, where you can enter our bookfair ID number 10927846. • After placing your order, you can log back into your Order Summary Confirmation to check to see if the Bookfair ID number is listed on your order (10927846). If it is, everything was done correctly! • If you do not see a Bookfair ID number (10927846), or if you realize that you placed your order without using our Bookfair ID number, please call Customer Service at 800-962-6177 as soon as possible. Provide your order number and our Bookfair ID number, and the representative will manually add your order to our Bookfair sales total. • Please note that the purchase of some items such as gift cards, textbooks, magazines, etc. is excluded from Bookfair sales totals. For more information, check the FAQs on the www.bn.com/bookfairs home page. Please feel free to forward this email to any family and friends who would like to support our Bookfair as well. Thanks again for supporting our Bookfair! Sincerely, Anthony Rizzo Assistant Principal, IA

Monday, November 19, 2012

New Instructional Days Added due to Hurricane Sandy

As per the Chancellor: Following the loss of instructional days due to Hurricane Sandy, all schools will hold full-day sessions from Wednesday, February 20, through Friday, February 22, which were previously scheduled as part of mid-winter recess. Elementary schools, intermediate/junior high schools, and D75 schools will hold a full-day session on Tuesday, June 4, which was previously scheduled as a shortened clerical day for these schools. A parent/guardian letter explaining the changes from the Chancellor will be sent home tomorrow.

Friday, November 9, 2012

HURRICANE RELIEF FUNDRAISER AT PS/IS 178Q

Dear Parents/Guardians/Staff: As we are aware, Hurricane Sandy had a massive impact on the state of New York and the rest of the North East. We are deeply saddened to learn about the tragic losses, and the losses of people’s homes and belongings, and we would like to participate in a fundraising effort. As a school community, we would like to make a monetary contribution to the American Red Cross, which provides immediate relief to those in need. We would be grateful for your assistance in donating items for a snack sale (i.e. fruit snacks, individually wrapped cupcakes, juice boxes, sun chips, water bottles etc.). If you are interested in participating, please begin bringing the snack items on Tuesday, November 13, 2012. Students can bring the items to the office and mark the item, “Hurricane Sandy Snack Sale.” Our Student Council will hold the sale on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 during Parent-Teacher Conferences from 1:00-3:00 PM behind the gym and will continue during all three recess periods on November 15th. We will sell any remaining snacks during subsequent days. All proceeds from the snack sale will benefit Hurricane Sandy Relief. The funds will be deposited into the School’s General Funds account and we will issue a check to the American Red Cross and specify ‘Hurricane Sandy Relief.’ Alternatively, you can visit www.redcross.org, www.nyc.gov/fund or call 311 to donate independently. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City is also managing a collection of donations, which will be distributed to relief organizations related to Hurricane Sandy. Thank you for all of your efforts.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Welcome Back

Dear Parents/Guardians: Welcome back to school! We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and in the process of transitioning back into normal routines in your lives. This was an unprecedented weather event for New York, and it impacted our community greatly. All New York City Public Schools were closed the week of October 29th – November 2nd, and as you are aware, we were one of only 65 schools that were closed on Monday, November 5th due to a power outage at our school. We thank you for your ability to stay abreast on the communication from the school and the NYC Department of Education website. In addition to the Mayor’s “Robo Call” to every student’s home, our school communicated via School Messenger, the School Blog (http://holliswoodschool.blogspot.com) and through Class Parents. I thank all of you who were able to assist in our efforts to reach every home. We understand that many families were without power or a land line. It is important to provide the school with your most current telephone numbers and email addresses so that we can make sure that you receive all the communication regarding school closures or delayed openings. You can also call 311 to find out specific information about our school. During the time of the school closure, many students were probably seeking instructional supports and guidance. The following link includes grade packets that your children can complete at home in the event that school is closed: http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/learnathome. You may wish to print out the resources on this website and create a grade-specific binder for your children at home. Mr. Rizzo and I will be meeting with our Student Council this week to discuss a fundraiser to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. We will keep you updated on our progress. As your children transition back into class today, our guidance counselors and teachers will be sharing thoughts and facilitating conversations regarding the impact of the hurricane, and we will work with any student who needs one-on-one support. Thank you for your ongoing support and best wishes to all of you. Sincerely, Jennifer C. Ambert, Principal

Monday, November 5, 2012

PS/IS 178 re-opens on Wednesday, November 7th.

SCHOOL RE-OPENS ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH. We are thrilled to report that power and heat have been restored at PS/IS 178, so we will be open to students on Wednesday, November 7th. As a reminder, the building is closed for students for Election Day tomorrow. Thank you for all your patience and cooperation during this trying time. We look forward to greeting your children on Wednesday.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

SCHOOL IS CLOSED MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012 AND TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012

SCHOOL IS CLOSED MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012 AND TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012. Due to a power outage, PS/IS 178Q will remain closed to students on Monday, November 5, 2012. The school will remain closed to students on Election Day on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. If the school has power on Wednesday, we expect to re-open on Wednesday, November 7, 2012. However, please stay tuned to the School Blog: http://holliswoodschool.blogspot.com and the NYCDOE website: www.nyc.gov/schools for the latest updates. Please also listen to School Messenger updates, your local news, or call 311. Thank you for your cooperation.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Update on PS/IS 178's Condition - Post "Sandy"

Dear Holliswood School Community: First and foremost, I hope that all of you and your families are safe and well. I have heard from some of you about the down trees and down wires in your neighborhoods, the lack of heat and power for days, and I truly sympathize with everything you have had to deal with. It was a tragic event where lives were lost. I have been at 178 since Tuesday every day checking in on the status of the school and yesterday, we had a key meeting with school staff to identify contingency plans to greet students on Monday. As of now, the school only has partial power. The city is aware of our long list of concerns, and ConEd is currently working on our school to have us ready before Monday. I received an email last night from the Chancellor stating, "All principals should expect their schools will have power on Monday. Principals and parents will be notified Sunday afternoon if their schools do not have power. Schools that do not have power will remain closed to students until Wednesday, November 7. Staff may be asked to return to their schools for Election Day PD on Tuesday, November 6 if power is restored." I will give you an update as soon as I find out whether we have full power at the school - prior to Sunday evening. If we do have to close due to lack of power, we will communicate via School Messenger, School Blog, class parents, local news, postings on the door and through 311. However, we are optimistic since internet was restored at our building yesterday. I will be in touch. Thank you and best regards.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Post "Hurricane Sandy"

Due to the Hurricane, I was unable to access the internet to update the School Blog on Wednesday, and as you are already aware, NYC public schools will remain closed to students Friday, 11/2/2012. While the Mayor has announced that schools will reopen on Monday, please stay tuned to the School's Blog in the event that there is a different announcement that is made. Please also stay tuned to your local news channels and call 311 to find out additional information. Thank you.

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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