August Update

Welcome to the 2023-24 School Year! We are so excited to welcome your child to their new class. Our custodial crew had been working hard all summer long to make sure our classrooms are squeaky-clean, and next week, teachers will start coming in to get everything ready for the first day! The beginning of the school year has always been my favorite time of the year - so much hope and anticipation for all the learning that will happen, new friendships that will form, and memories that will be made! 

We are delighted to introduce two new staff members. Afiya Guy will be our new art teacher. Ms. Guy brings many years of experience working with students, as well as a love of art and music - we can't wait for our students to spend time in the art studio with her! We are also welcoming a new ENL teacher, Gina Verga to our team. Ms. Verga has many years of experience working as an ENL teacher in our district, and is passionate about supporting new English language-learners! 

This year, we are excited to welcome fifth grade teacher Kandace Greller back from sabbatical, and we wish 3rd grade teacher Marnie David a wonderful year as she starts her sabbatical! 

This year, we are super excited to offer expanded music programming to all of our students, through our partnership with Encore Music. Our partnership with Encore Music is funded entirely through family contributions to the PTA, for which we are so grateful!  Our students will also be having 12-13 weeks of Media Arts programming with Ms. Eaton this year, also funded by the PTA (thank you, again!). We can’t wait for all of the student showcases and performances that we have already begun planning!

As I begin my 3rd year as principal of this very special school, I am so grateful to be surrounded by such wonderful, nurturing teachers and staff, and by such supportive families. We are all looking forward to continuing to work together with our families in order to ensure the best possible experiences for our students. Most of all, I am grateful to get to spend each day with your caring, curious, courageous, and delightful children!

As you begin to get back into “school mode” please take some time to review our school procedures.

As I communicated earlier in the summer, this year our school hours will be:

• Mondays: 8:00-2:20

• Tuesday-Friday: 8:20-2:40

If you are interested in learning more about the school-time change, please read this note I wrote about it. 

The first day of school will be Thursday, September 7th, and there will be no afterschool on Thursday September 7 or Friday, September 8th. Afterschool extended-day begins on Monday, September 11, and Afterschool Clubs begin on Monday, September 18. 

Please find your child’s class assignment below, as well as some other important information, including a school supply list*, a letter from the PTA, online forms to fill out for media consent, dismissal information, and the New York State Family Income form. We are encouraging all custodial parents to set up their NYCSA account. NYCSA is a very important DOE online portal that provides all your child’s official school records, including report cards, attendance, and IEPs. Please log on to the link below and set up your account. Reach out to Tanica Gordon if you need a creation code or have any questions.

*If you ordered an Edukit before the August 1st deadline, it will be delivered to your child’s classroom tomorrow (please reach out to Felicia Schementi if you’d like to help deliver kits to classrooms tomorrow!), and if you ordered your EduKit after the deadline, it will be home-delivered, and you can bring it to the school building on September 5 or 6th, between 9AM and 4PM.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone over the next couple of weeks. Please mark your calendars for our first PTA community-building event of the year - our  Back-to-School Carnival on Saturday, September 23!

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns!

Leila

Thankful

Dear Families,

How lucky are we to get an opportunity to celebrate all that we are thankful for? There is so much that I am grateful for - including getting to spend every day with your delightful, inquisitive, and kind children, and getting to work with such dedicated staff and supportive families. This month, our school-wide book of the month is “Harvest Days,” a newly-published picture book by ​​Kate DePalma which describes harvest festivals celebrated by different cultures around the globe, from Chuseok in Korea to Dozynki in Poland. Through this book, students learned that harvest festivals from all cultures include special food, traditions, and celebrating with family and loved ones.  Across PS 154 this week, students have been making turkeys (out of their hands, tissue paper, and pineapples) as well as reflecting on what they are grateful for. From reading their work, I am so inspired by how caring and thoughtful they are.

From all of us at PS 154, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving!

In gratitude,

Leila

Mid-Summer Updates

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! Lots of exciting work has been happening in the building over the summer. While I have been taking some time to relax and spend time with my family, I have also been working on plans for next year. In the coming weeks, we will have some exciting programming updates to share with families. I hope our students are as excited about the new school year as I am!

Please see below for a few logistical updates, and check out the sneak peek of our building renovations!

School hours: Next year, our school hours will be the same as this year 8:30AM-2:50PM, with school-yard/cafeteria drop-off from 8:00-8:30. Early breakfast service will begin at 7:45. Details about arrival/dismissal procedures will be shared closer to the start of school. The first day of school for all students will be Thursday, September 8. 

Class assignments: Class assignment letters will be sent out via email the week of August 21. Each year, our teachers work hard to create the new class lists, taking many factors into consideration. We will only be making switches if there is a safety concern or to even out class numbers. 

School supplies: If you missed the deadline to order Edukits, or you’d rather not order through Edukit, you can find the supply lists here. If purchasing school supplies presents an obstacle for your family, please let me know - we’ll make sure your child has everything they need!

PTA Newsletter: If you are new to the school this year, please make sure to sign up for the PTA Newsletter here. During the school year, this weekly newsletter includes information about upcoming events, as well as school news and reminders.