Letter to Middle School Families - Engrade

Dear Middle School Families:

A letter was distributed on Tuesday to assess the school community's overall opinion of the Engrade website. Please call Mrs. Corley if you did not receive that letter.

If you have received the letter, please ask your child to give the tear-off portion to their official class teacher or Mrs. Corley.

Thank you.

Kindergarten Admissions for 2009-2010 School Year

From the NYC DOE website:

Kindergarten Admissions for September 2009

Families should apply in person by March 2 at every school they are interested in having their child attend, including their zoned school. Schools will send assignment offers to families in mid-March. Families who receive an assignment must visit the school by April 13 to accept the offer and pre-register their child. To be eligible for Kindergarten, children must turn five years old by December 31, 2009 and be residents of New York City by the time they pre-register. Families must show the following documentation when they apply to a school:

Proof of residence. Any two of the following documents:
A residential utility bill (gas or electric) in the resident's name and dated within the last 60 days;
Documentation or letter on letterhead from a federal, state, or local government agency indicating the resident's name and address and dated within the last 60 days;
An original lease agreement, deed, or mortgage statement for the residence;
A current property tax bill for the residence;
A water bill for the residence dated within the last 60 days;
Official payroll documentation from an employer dated within the last 60 days, such as a form submitted for tax withholding purposes or payroll receipt (a letter on the employer's letterhead will not be accepted);
Child’s birth certificate or passport;
Name of any siblings who will attend the school to which the child is applying in 2009-10 (grades 1-5)

Please call Ms. Garelick at 718-464-5763 for additional information about K admissions at the Holliswood School. You can also call Mrs. Corley. Thank you.

For Pre-K Enrollment Questions, click here http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/PreK/default.htm
Thank you.

Upcoming Events, Revised Dates & Other Announcements

Greetings Families!

We would like you to be advised of the following upcoming events and revised dates:

ANNOUNCEMENT - Math Saturday Program will begin on January 24, 2009 (Select students). It will not begin on 1/17/09 as indicated on the calendar.

• Student Council Swearing In Ceremony, with special guest, Assemblyman Mark Weprin - 1/20/09 at 9:00 AM
• President-elect Barack Obama's Inauguration - 1/20/09 at 12:00 PM (School-wide event) Students have been asked to wear red, white and blue
• Middle School ELA (1/21/09-1/23/09)
• February 6, 2009 - Parent Workshop on NYS Math Assessments (Grades 3-8)

If you have any questions, please contact us at the school. Thank you.

Students Can Apply for Free Summer Arts Institute

Students Can Apply for Free Summer Arts Institute
Deadline: February 27

Students entering grades 8-12 in September can apply to attend the Summer Arts Institute, a free, four-week intensive arts program held at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan in July. Seven tracks of study are offered: dance, drama, vocal music, instrumental music, photography, film, and visual arts. Students may apply to and audition for only one discipline. The program is designed for students at an intermediate or advanced level of study in their chosen art form. An experienced staff of teachers and artists will guide students in developing their skills and creativity as they prepare for their next level of study.

Admission to the program is by application and competitive audition. For more information and an application, visit http://schools.nyc.gov/offices/teachlearn/arts/summerarts.html. The application deadline is February 27.

Family Basketball Night

FAMILY BASKETBALL NIGHT

Dear Families:

Please join us on Thursday, January 15th, from 6-8 PM, for Family Basketball Night.

The first hour will consist of basketball drills and activities designed for students and parents (all ages are welcome)!

The last hour will consist of a Faculty versus Parents Basketball Game.

Please enter through Avon Road.

See you then.

Happy Holidays and Important Dates Ahead

Dear Families:

The Winter Concert was a huge success. The chorus performed so well despite only four rehearsals prior to the concert. Similarly, it was the first full concert for our new band conductor/instructor, Michael Castillo, who joined us on Election Day. The new Middle School Band was in excellent form! The event drew numerous family members, staff, and visitors. The auditorium was packed. The 8th grade students also raised funds for their end-of-year events by selling refreshments during the intermission. Thank you for supporting us and thank you Dr. Rispoli for coordinating. We will display pictures from the event shortly.

We will circulate January's events calendar shortly.

Important dates in January are as follows:

-January 5, 2009 - students return from holiday break
-The administration schedule for the New York State ELA Exam for grades 3-5 remains January 13-14 for grades 3 and 5 and January 13-15 for grade 4.
-January 19, 2009 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day (no school)
-January 20, 2009 - Presidential Inauguration Day (school-wide event)
-The ELA exam is now scheduled for January 21-22 for grades 7 and 8, and January 21-23 for grade 6.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a warm and safe holiday break. Please remember to read with your children daily, always asking questions about the text. We appreciate all of your efforts during the first four months of school and look forward to seeing you in the new year. Thank you for everything you do.

Community-Building Events & Fundraisers

To the Holliswood School Community:

As you are aware, last Monday, December 1st, several staff members, parents and students gathered at the Fresh Meadows Barnes and Noble Bookstore for a special Holliswood School event. Guest readers included myself, Assistant Principal Klocek, Mrs. Paulson Bromberg, Ms. Ehrentreu and parents, Mr. Cavounis and Mrs. Miller.

Assistant Principal Klocek coordinated the entire event and is awaiting the confirmation on the funds raised. Thank you Mr. Klocek for organizing this wonderful community-building event and thank you to all of you who read and came out to support the Holliswood School. As you know, improving our learning environment and strengthening the home-school connection is one of our school-wide goals this school year. This event generated a terrific turnout, especially since it was the day after a long holiday weekend. The funds raised from this event will be utilized to purchase read aloud books for classrooms, professional books for teachers, and materials to improve teaching and learning.

Similarly, the funds from the Big Apple Fundraiser are being tabulated. Preliminary results demonstrate that we raised over $5,000. Thank you to all of the students, parents, family and staff members who supported this fundraiser. As mentioned previously, we will allocate funds towards purchasing guided reading books and towards materials to enhance differentiation and enrichment.

This week, Parent Coordinator Corley and I facilitated a workshop to familiarize parents with Acuity Assessments. As you know, Acuity assessments replaced Princeton Review interim assessments to inform instruction. Teachers utilize Acuity student data to create small groups and to target teaching specific skills. Mrs. Corley also organized a community-building event, a cupcake decorating workshop, that gathered numerous parents and staff members.

Finally, please do not forget that, on this Wednesday, December 10th, our 2008 Winter Concert will take place. The concert begins at 6:00 PM. We will begin seating at 5:45. Performers should arrive between 5-5:30. There is also a PTA meeting this Tuesday at 7 PM.

Thank you for being our partners in education.