Dear Families,
At this morning’s PTA meeting, Alex asked Dyanthe to discuss how TNS stays true to its progressive roots in the face of DoE curriculum mandates like Creative Curriculum in Pre-K and Expeditionary Learning (EL) in K – 5. It was a lively conversation, and in short, following a mandated curriculum is not aligned with our progressive values or practices. Teachers at TNS create a rich social studies curriculum that they integrate with reading and writing units. Social Studies is responsive to the children’s interests and identities and develops over the course of the year. This is not the way EL is designed. We will discuss this at greater length in our morning hour on Wednesday, March 20, at 8:30 in Room 207.
Thank you for participating in family conferences last week. We were able to join some conferences. It’s always a pleasure to watch the children light up as they talk about their work and the progress they have made so far. It’s equally important to us to see how the teachers have thoughtfully prepared them to be reflective and to take the lead in these conversations around their growth and experiences as learners.
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.
The deadline to complete School Surveys is April 5th. Only 44.2% of our families have completed the survey so far. The survey gives school leaders and other stakeholders vital feedback and a better understanding of what members of our school community think about our 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. Click here to complete your survey: 2024 NYC School Survey.
Warmly,
Dyanthe and Shaquawn