Principal's Weekly Letters 3/14/25
Principal's weekly letter 3/14/25
March 14, 2025
Dear Families,
Happy Pi Day. Today our students participated in PI day related activities in their Math class to celebrate.
Congratulation to Tayiba N. (Left Image) and Ishrat M. (Right Image) for having their Art Work qualify for the Queens Borough Art Competition:
Thank you to all the families who attended our Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences. I hope the experience was informative and meaningful. If you had any issues or technical difficulty, remember you may contact our teacher’s directly via email or by calling and leaving a message at the main office. Remember you may access your child’s report card via your NYCSA Account (schoolsaccount.nyc).
We would like to hear from parents about our most recent parent teacher conference on March 13th. Please complete the survey, so we can better improve the virtual conference experience. Thank you for your feedback.
https://forms.gle/8Aa97rhu45kh65Js5
I am excited to announce that this year that we had 41 8th grade students that were offered seats to a Specialized High School. We had over 120 students sit for the exam this year and we hope that number starts to increase over time. We are proud of all of our 8th grade students and can't wait to see what you do in High School and beyond.
8th grade families the NYC Department of Education will be holding High School Offers information session virtual workshops. The workshops will focus on how high school offers were made, how the waitlist works, and next steps. A question and answer session will follow the presentations. Please click on the link linked here or visit the following website for more information.
The 2025 NYC School Survey is officially open. Every year Students, Parents and Teachers fill out the survey. The survey provides valuable information on what we are doing well at IS230 and what we can do to improve. You can fill out a paper version of the survey or you can do it online. Last year we had 44% of parents complete the 2023-24 survey. Our hope is to improve that number this year. We are holding an in person workshop to help families fill out the survey on March 17th, March 19th and March 20th For more information please see the letter that was sent home and emailed to all families on March 3rd.
On March 18, 2025 we are hosting a virtual Parent workshop focusing on creating your family goals through the Miracle Morning Program hosted by our Social Worker Mrs. Melo and Social Work intern Ms. Dos Santos
Our next PTA meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 19th followed by a presentation on the ELA and Math state test provided by IS230 teachers. To increase Parent and Student turnout at our PTA meetings, parents who bring their IS230 child to the meeting and stay until the end of their child will receive 2 hours of community service. Community service is a graduation requirement here at IS230. To learn more about our community service requirement click on the link below:
We kicked off our March Madness Attendance Initiative. Research shows that students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. Every day that a student arrives at school on time will receive a raffle ticket to be eligible to win a prize each week. The weekly prizes range from Dunkin Donut Gift Cards to Family Four Pack of Movie Tickets. The grand prize on each grade level is a $100 Amazon gift card. To be eligible for the grand prize students must be on time 100% and have zero absences for the Month of March.
The application for NYC Public Schools Spring Break STEM Camp/Program K- 8 is now open. Please share with as many students/families as possible. It's free and there are some really unique places that the kids have an opportunity to learn from.
https://spep.libguides.com/STEMprograms/homesprng
Grades 6–8: • The program will run from July 2 to August 8, 2025, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Students will be provided with free breakfast and lunch. Programming will include academics led by NYCPS staL and enrichment activities held by DYCD Community Based Organizations (CBOs).
Summer Rising MySchools Application The application will open on March 4, and close March 28, 2025. As in 2024, families can apply for Summer Rising online using MySchools, our online directory and application system. To apply, log in to MySchools.nyc (if you already have a MySchools account you do not need to create a new one). Your MySchools account, used for admissions, is diLerent from the NYC Schools Account (NYCSA) that you may use to access your child’s health forms and update emergency contact information.
IS230 Basketball Update
Our girls team played IS5 in the second round of the playoffs. Our girls played hard on both sides of the ball and fell short of a victory with a final score of 36-32 . Our girls team ended the season with a record of 9-3. We are very proud of our IS230 Girls Basketball team. We look forward to future winning seasons.
A PTA donation letter was sent home with the students. We are currently asking for your help in donating time and/or money. There is no monetary amount and parents are free to donate whatever they are able to do so. You can bring your donations to the main office located in the main/annex building and place them in the PTA donation box or you can make a deposit.
You can donate in 2 ways:
- Hand deliver a donation to the main office of both buildings, with the envelope addressed to the PTA.
- Or you can mail in a donation to the school @ IS 230Q, Attn: PTA, 73-10 34th Ave, Jackson Heights, NY 11372
If submitting a check donation, please make it payable to: Magnet School for Civics in the Community. Thank you for your time, dedication and investment to I.S. 230Q.
Emergency Preparedness
No drills were completed this week.
Teen Mental Health
NYC Teenspace, an innovative online therapy platform tailored to provide accessible and confidential mental health support for NYC teenagers aged 13-17. This program is funded by the NYC Health Department, powered by Talkspace. NYC Teenspace offers a safe space for teens to connect with licensed therapists through convenient digital channels such as messaging, video sessions, and live chats. The platform aims to empower adolescents, providing them with a platform to discuss their concerns, navigate challenges, and strengthen their mental wellness. To learn more about the program please read the parent we sent home on November 6, 2024, our website and or www.talkspace.com/nyc
March CRSE Corner
This month our CR-SE focus is Women’s History Month. This month-long celebration is to commemorate and encourage the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in history. Please visit the website below for more information and for resources to use in the classroom. Look out for the celebration during the student lunch periods on March 27th in the Main and March 28th in the Annex.
https://www.womenshistorymonth.gov/
Restorative Practices
One of our newest and biggest initiatives this year is rolling out Homeroom. Homeroom will take place from 8:00 to 8:20 a.m. every morning. Homeroom is mandatory and part of your child’s school day. The purpose of Homeroom is to provide a space for our staff and students to take attendance, conduct announcements and most importantly an opportunity to connect with their peers in a meaningful way before starting the day. We are utilizing the MorningSide Cultural Affirming Wheel as our framework. To learn more about Restorative Practices and Morningside, please visit the link below.
https://www.morningsidecenter.org/
Important Upcoming Dates
March 14, 2025- P.I Day
March 17 , 2025- In person NYC Parent Survey Support @ 5:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m
March 18, 2025- Virtual Parent Workshop Creating Family Goals 5:00 p.m English/ 7:00 p.m Spanish
March 19, 2025- In person NYC Parent Survey Support @ 3:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m
March 19, 2025- PTA Meeting @ 5:30 p.m
March 20 2025- In person NYC Parent Survey Support @ 5:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m
We look forward to improving communication and relationships here at IS230.
Please visit our website www.is230.org and our Social Media Handles to get more information and sign up for E-Chalk Notification.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mr. Ajith Satyanarayana