A Note from Ms. Rached
This week, classroom teachers will begin administering our academic screeners to all of our students. Academic screeners are brief assessments that are administered at regular intervals (beginning, middle, end) of the school year and are used by school staff to help identify student who are or are not at risk for specific learning difficulties and to measure and track growth throughout the year. We are administering Acadience screeners in grades K-2, and MAP Growth in grades 3-5, for both reading and math. The MAP Growth screener in grades 3-5 will be administered on Chromebooks, and the Acadience screener in grades K-2 will be administered as a combination of student-interviews and paper/pencil assessments, depending on the grade and subject. We will share the results with families once we have completed the administration. If you have any questions about the screeners, please reach out to your child’s teacher. Please note: families cannot opt-out of the academic screeners.
Please see below for family information about the screeners.
Arrival and Dismissal Notes
We will be placing cones around the schoolyard gate to help with foot traffic congestion in that space at arrival time.
Please note that our dismissal time is 2:20 on Mondays, and 2:40 for the rest of the week.
We kindly ask that you leave your dogs at home for school pick-up. Sometimes dogs behave in unpredictable ways around other dogs, strollers, bikes, scooters, groups of children, etc, and this can be startling for some students. We want everyone to feel safe!
Please try to keep leave an aisle clear on the sidewalk between where teachers are dismissing and where you are standing and waiting.
Thank you for helping us keep our students safe at transition times!
Period Products in Girls’ Restroom
This year, the city has installed sanitary pad dispensers in elementary school restrooms so that children who need them can access them. We installed ours in the second floor girls’ restroom, which is used by students in grades 1-5.
PTA General Meeting on September 29th
Our first general PTA meeting of the year will be this Friday, September 29th, 8:30-9:30am in the schoolyard! We will have a vote on the budget and are filling some PTA board positions!
We need you! Yes, you! Please take a moment to consider running for a role in the PTA. Without all the organization and planning by our board members and committees, these events and other valuable school programs would not be possible. Please add your voice and talents to our amazing team!
We'd love to answer your questions and help you figure out which role is best for you.
The following executive board positions are available:
Chair of Community Events
Chair of Events-Food Coordination
Members at Large (4 positions held for new/incoming parents).
More information on each role and what it requires can be found in our PTA of PS154 bylaws. These roles do not need to be a huge time commitment; many of us in parent leadership are full-time working parents, parents of multiple kids, or both! No experience is necessary—and we encourage diverse candidates. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out at pta_info@ps154.org
Back-To-School Fall Carnival is this Saturday, September 30th (Rain date)!
Our Back to School Carnival is our first PTA sponsored event of the year on Saturday, September 30th from 12-4pm. Our carnival will take place in the schoolyard.
Carnival Highlights: Bounce houses & obstacle course, Carnival games, Dunk tank, Face painting, Food, music, and fun for all!
Get your tickets in advance to save time and help us plan for our event. Tickets are required for all children 2 years old and older. Adults party for free. If you'd like to buy additional food, face painting or throws at the dunk tank, they can be purchased at the ticket booth on site.
Want to be a part of the carnival? Parent volunteers power PTA events like the Carnival. Please sign up for a shift to help make sure this event is a wonderful day for all (and edit your sign up if you aren’t available for the new date)!
Kindergarten Parent Social Event on October 11th!
Come meet your fellow kindergarten parents for a kid-free evening! We are meeting in the backyard of Krupa Grocery on Wednesday, October 11th from 6:30 to 9pm. Food and drinks will be available for purchase. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Save the Date - Picture Day IS on October 11th!
Get ready to dress your little ones up, untangle their hair, and get ready for Picture Day. This year photos will be taken inside the school building so there’s no need to be concerned if there’s foul or cold weather. In the event that your child misses picture day or forgets to smile, a make-up day will be held on November 14th. We also need a few volunteers to help with managing the students during the photo sessions so please consider volunteering. You can find all the details about picture day here. Click here to volunteer.
Annual Boo Bash - It’s Scary Close!
Save the date - Book Bash is October 21, 2-6PM!
Save the date for one of our favorite events - the Boo Bash! It’s on Saturday, October 21st, from 2-6pm. More information on t-shirt pre-orders, ticket sales, and volunteer sign-ups will be sent soon!
Last Call for Book Market Class Librarians!
We are still looking for Book Market Class Librarians for K-102 (Ms. Giamboi), 1-202 (Ms. Capua), 2-206 (Ms. Varriale), and 5-301 (Ms. Ussery).
We would like each class to have a Book Market Class Librarian responsible for the following things:
Attend the Book Market Committee orientation, to be hold in person on Oct 3rd, at 8:30am, in the MMR
Attend 45 min monthly-ish Book Market Committee meetings (virtual, evenings likely) to discuss, update, troubleshoot, plan
Attend and support the class's monthly designated Book Market Friday visit, or ensure another class parents attends/supports. This will include helping kids select books and ensuring shelves are clean and organized before and after the class visit
Be the class rep should the teacher have questions/concerns or want to do a special activity related to their visit
Work with the Committee as needed to support book donations and market clean-up/organization throughout the year
If you are interested in being your class's Book Market Librarian (commitment up approx. 3 hours/month), please add your name to our sign up list here. Please sign up by Friday, Sept 29.
Join Team 154 for the 5K Fun Run for School in Prospect Park on October 28!
The Fun Run (and walk/scoot/stroll/ride) is an annual tradition - the proceeds benefit Title 1 schools in Brooklyn. If you’d like to join our team, please click here. For more info about the race, click here.
