Special Education Conference

Dear WJPS Parents and Guardians,

The New York City Department of Education and the Learning Leaders organization are sponsoring a Special Education conference for parents titled, "Parents: The Essential Piece for Student Success in School."  This event will be held on Friday, April 4, 2008 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge in downtown Brooklyn.  Registration/RSVP is requested and the form is available here. 

If you are interested in going, I can fill out the form for you and fax it in - just send an email to me at hreed2@schools.nyc.gov or call me at school at 718-461-2219.  If you have any questions about special education in general, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Helen

MARCH 24 PTA MEETING

Dear WJPS Parents and Guardians,

The PTA meeting is Monday, March 24 at 7:30 pm and there are several important items that will be covered.

PTA ELECTIONS

Nominations are being accepted for next year's PTA Executive Board.  All positions are open and elections will be held in June. You can view a flyer that lists the positions and a tear-off to send in or bring with you if you are interested in running for a position.  Here it is in pdf format.  Here it is as a Word document.  The nominating committee will be at the meeting and you can ask questions and get more information.

SIBLING PREFERENCE

There will be an update on sibling preference for next year's admissions.  If you support a sibling preference policy for WJPS, please come to the meeting to find out how to bring this issue to the attention of the Department of Education and the Community Education Council (CEC).

GUEST SPEAKER

Mr. Rich DaCosta, Youth Outreach Counselor for the Samuel Field YM&YWHA, will be speaking and answering questions about "How to Talk to Your Kid About Adolescent and Teen Issues."  Rich is very familiar with our community and has worked with tweens and teens for many years.

COMEDY MURDER MYSTERY NIGHT

There are still some seats left for this fun evening scheduled for Friday, April 4.  Raffles will include designer sunglasses, dinner and tickets to a Broadway show, a big "mystery" prize, a basket of Petrocelli beauty products and a 50/50 raffle.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SURVEYS

You can pick up your survey at school and fill it out there in paper form or online.  When you turn in your sealed envelope or the Thank You page from the online survey, you will receive a "Jeans Day" coupon for your student and be entered into a drawing for an ipod.

8th GRADE STEPPING UP CEREMONY PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are looking for about 10 parents to volunteer for the 8th grade Stepping Up Ceremony committee.  The committee will consist of students, parents and staff.  If you are interested in being on the committee, please let us know at the meeting or send an email to wjpspta@gmail.com with your name and phone number and your child's name, or call the school and leave a message.

Monday will be a busy night and we look forward to seeing you!

Karen & Shirley

PTA Co-Presidents

Parent Learning Environment Surveys are here!

Dear WJPS Parents and Guardians,

This spring, the New York City Department of Education will conduct the second annual Learning Environment Survey of parents, guardians, teachers and students.  Your support in filling out the parent/guardian survey is very important to WJPS because your input helps Ms. Schneider and school administrators formulate policies that are important to you.  The survey results also count for 10% of our yearly Progress Report.

We have your survey at school.  There will be many opportunities to fill it out at school during Parent/Teacher Student Portfolio Conferences, PTA Meetings, Parent Workshops, and whenever you are at school.

When you turn in your completed survey for us to mail for you, your child(ren) will receive a "Jeans Day" coupon that he/she can use at any time.  All names will be entered into a drawing for an ipod.

WJPS is a new small school, and your voice really counts.  We have come together as a community so many times this year, and I know we can do it again by sending in as many surveys as possible.

Here are the dates of upcoming parent meetings when you can fill out the survey:

-March 19:  Afternoon and evening Portfolio Workshop with Ms. Schneider (click here for more information)

-March 24:  Evening PTA meeting (click here for more information)

-April 3 & 4:  Afternoon and evening Parent-Teacher-Student Portfolio Conferences

-April 9: Writing Workshop with Ms. Schneider

-April 14: Evening PTA meeting

For a copy of the flyer that is being sent home about the surveys, please click here.

If you have any questions or need more information, please call me at school 718-461-2219 or send an email to hreed2@schools.nyc.gov or click on the "comment" button at the end of this post.  Please sign your email.

Regards,

Helen

PTA Comedy Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre Show

Dear WJPS Parents & Guardians,

Your PTA has planned an entertaining evening for Friday, April 4, 2008!

This is a hilarious audience participation game of 

fine dining, mystery, comedy and crime!

If you dare, come and enjoy a delicious dinner catered by 

Cascarino's of Whitestone.

Don't be shy  - you could be the victim, a witness or a crime solver!

There will be a DJ, dancing and raffles.

Download a flyer here,  fill-out and return to school with your payment.

Standardized Middle School Math Test

On Friday, March 7, Ms. Schneider sent home the following letter:

Dear WJPS Families,

It is again time for the Math New York State Examinations. These exams will be administered to your student on Monday, March 10 and Tuesday, March 11. These exams are very important in assessing the growth and progress of your middle school student in Mathematics.

Please take time this evening to assure your child of the success they will have it they just do their best. Also, help him/her to get to sleep at a reasonable hour so he/she is well rested and alert for the exam. On the morning of the exams, please maker sure your student has a good breakfast and arrives on time and ready to begin the testing.

In addition, second term report cards are going home with students today. Please note that if your student has n "NC" code instead of a regular grade, it means that this student's work is incomplete or has not yet reached the standard(s) mastery for that term. Your student will have time and opportunity to achieve mastery during this term when a final grade will be submitted.

Should you have any questions regarding this, please don't hesitate to call school at 718-461-2219. You can also contact your child's teacher by phone or TeacherEase.

Warm Regards,
Cynthia Schneider
Principal

You can download a copy of the letter as a .pdf

Sports Night Questionnaire

Sports Night 2008 raised almost $1,000.00 for physical education and sports equipment for WJPS!  Parents, students, teachers and staff all worked very hard to create a fun and profitable event.  We would like your input and advice as we plan the next Sports Night.

Below are links to a questionnaire about Sports Night.  Please print one, fill it out and return it to school. If you would like one emailed to you or sent home, please send an email (signed with your name) to me at hreed.pc@gmail.com or call me at school at 718-461-2219.  If you prefer, instead of sending in the questionnaire, you can email the PTA at wjpspta@gmail.com or call to share your experience/input.

Sports Night Questionnaire

Word format

PDF format

We look forward to hearing from you!

Regards,

Helen