Dear Families,
This week, we have our child-led family conferences. This is a practice that TNS holds dear because it gives our children the opportunity to share their growth and reflect on their goals, challenges, and ways in which they are engaging with the curriculum. When our children move on to middle school, one thing that we always hear is how articulate and reflective they are in their classrooms. Starting in Pre-K, each classroom builds in practices that encourage students to reflect on their learning and ways of identifying their progress and areas of growth. These conferences are your child’s time to take the lead, so they must be present, and you will have to save questions that require a longer conversation with the teachers for another time. Some teachers may have time set aside during conferences for questions; others may ask you to set up a different meeting where you can talk more openly without your child present. If you show up to your conference without your child and this has not been pre-arranged with the teachers, they will ask you to get your child if they’re close by, or you will need to reschedule so that your child is present. Please be respectful of your child and the time they and their teachers have put into preparing for this moment to share with some of the most important adults in their lives. Conferences show them the connection between their home and school lives and give them a chance to share firsthand experiences in an authentic way.
We have rescheduled our first Morning Hour on Wednesday, March 20, at 8:30 in Room 207. We apologize for the back-and-forth. We will discuss how TNS teachers are unpacking and making sense of the literacy curriculum, Expeditionary Learning, that the district is adopting next year. Teachers will begin to look at the curriculum at Monday, March 11’s PD session, and we wanted to meet with families afterward to share about the experience.
TNS and STAR are holding a Town Meeting on Thursday, March 14, at 8:30 in the large cafeteria. We will discuss building safety practices and the new door-locking system and then take families’ questions.
Lastly, Denise sent you the NYC School Survey access codes via email to you. Please make sure to complete the school survey as soon as you can. The survey gives school leaders and other stakeholders a better understanding of what members of their school community think about their school. The information collected by the survey is anonymous. It is designed to support a dialogue among all school community members about how to make the school a better place to learn. The 2024 NYC Public Schools Survey is open until April 5, 2024. Click here to know more: 2024 NYC School Survey.
Warmly,
Dyanthe and Shaquawn