December & January Calendars

December 2009

January 2010

Senior Dance

College Financial Planning Night

Juniors and Seniors and their families are invited to attend a college financial planning night on Wednesday, December 16, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. We are excited to welcome Ms. Lucila A. Villaquiran, Associate Director of Financial Aid from Columbia University.

Ms. Villaquiran will cover such topics as how and when to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), what to look for in the SAR (Student Aid Report), the types of Federal Work-Study Programs that are available, and how loans, grants and scholarships can be utilized.

If time permits, there will also be a Question & Answer segment.

It is very important that we have a count of everyone who is coming so we can have enough handouts available.

You can click on a link below to print the flyer and RSVP tear-off to send in to school, or you can send an email to helen.reed@wjps.org or even call the school office at 718-461-2219 and leave a message with Ms. Vitale that you are coming.

This is a very informative workshop and we encourage all Juniors and Seniors to attend with a parent/guardian. If you have any questions or need more information, don't hesitate to call Mrs. Reed at school.

College Financial Night Planning Night Flyer download:

DOC

PDF

Senior Shirts on Sale

Senior Shirts are now on sale! They need to be pre-ordered and paid for before they can be ordered. Time is running out, so bring your money and order form to Ms. Cimini as soon as possible!

November 2009 Calendar

Click here to download the November 2009 calendar in pdf format.

Permission Slips for Trips

Permission Slips will now be available on this blog in the column to the right. Permission slips will always be sent home with students, but if a permission slip becomes lost or misplaced, it can be printed at home and brought to school. Parents/guardians may find it convenient to print out a permission slip and fax it to school at fax # 718-461-2633.

Protocols require that all permission slips be photocopied so that a copy goes on the trip, and one remains behind in the main office. Please do not wait until the last minute to return permission slips as that can interfere with the efficient processing of them.

Class trips are integral to the curriculum and they are not optional.

Parent/Guardian chaperones are essential for every single class trip. Parent/Guardian participation is greatly appreciated. In the past, we have had to cancel trips due to lack of chaperones.

If you have questions about class trips, please feel free to contact your child's teacher.

Regards,
Helen Reed

PTA MEETING

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

7:00 pm

The WJPS PTA is happy to welcome new and returning WJPS families to the first PTA meeting of the school year! A meeting notice was sent home with students on Friday, but if you need another copy, you can download one here:

PTA flyer DOC

PTA flyer PDF

The meeting will include information about the School Leadership Team (SLT), and an election to fill the three open parent seats. You can download a flyer about the SLT vacancies here (after the flyer was produced, we found out there are three vacancies, not two):

SLT Information and Nomination form DOC

SLT Information and Nomination form PDF

Every parent/guardian of a WJPS student is an automatic member of the PTA. Membership dues are strictly voluntary, and are an important fundraiser for the PTA. You can download the membership letter here:

Membership Letter 2009 DOC

Membership Letter 2009 PDF

Please feel free to contact the WJPS PTA by calling the school or emailing them at wjpspta@gmail.com

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Following is a suggested list of school supplies. Individual teachers may have additional requirements.

Students are encouraged to develop an organization system with which they are comfortable. 3-ring binders are not required, but they are effective if used properly. If a 3-ring binder is not used, a folder or smaller binder for loose-leaf paper should be used.

Backpacks and/or book bags are not permitted in the classrooms. Since it is not guaranteed that students will be permitted to visit their lockers in-between each class, a pencil case would be helpful in which to carry small items such as pens, pencils and post-it notes.

Only school combination locks are used. They are available on the first day of school for a one-time $5.00 fee. If you paid your fee last year, you do not have to pay it again.

WJPS SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST

• 3-ring loose-leaf binder is optional, but if used, it should be stocked with dividers and loose-leaf paper
• 2 blue or black ink pens
• 2 #2 pencils
• Post-It Notes (assorted sizes and colors)
• 1 pack of graph paper
• 12-inch ruler
• compass (for drawing circles)
• protractor (plastic semi-circular tool)
• Calculator, see below for type
• High School: graphing calculator
• Middle School: Scientific calculator (Texas Instruments)
• 5 marble composition books
• 1 glue stick
• 5 folders with pockets
• 1 pack of index cards
• 1 6 or 12-pack washable markers
• Thumb Drive (available at the school store)

Optional

• Mini DV Cassette
• Memory Card for Camera
• Rewritable CD

The following donated items would be greatly appreciated. They can be brought to advisory class during the first few days of school. Please mark them clearly with the student's full name.

• Tissues
• Loose-leaf paper
• 8 1/2 X 11 copy paper
• Hand sanitizer
• ball point pens
• washable markers

You can download the list here:

School Supply List in DOC

School Supply List in PDF

Regards,

Helen Reed

Parent Coordinator

DEBATE CAMP FORMS

The debate camp forms were due August 1, but it should be possible to send them this week. Download the brochure for dates and the fax number to send the applications to.

Brochure DOC

Brochure PDF

Experienced Debaters DOC

Experienced Debaters PDF

Beginning Debater DOC

Beginning Debater PDF

Middle School Debater DOC

Middle School Debater PDF

Open Microphone Night at Barnes & Noble - 6/15

Take the microphone at the Bay Terrace Barnes & Noble on 

Monday, June 15 at 7:00 pm and 

read aloud one of your works. 

All readers will be entered into a drawing 

for a chance to win B&N gift cards and/or an Ipod Nano!

Sign up on the poster in your ELA classroom.

The event is also a fundraiser for our school!  When you purchase a book or even a snack in the cafe, a donation is made to WJPS if you use the special WJPS voucher any time on June 15.

Also, the voucher can be used at ANY Barnes & Noble in the country on our special date, June 15.  You can download a voucher and flyer at the bottom of this post.  Please tell your friends and family about it - they can use the voucher at any B&N.

Flyer & Voucher in .doc format

Flyer & Voucher in .pdf format

Here are the actual url's for the vouchers.  You can cut and paste these into an email:

doc format:

http://www.freewebs.com/wjpspc/flyervoucher.doc

pdf format:

http://www.freewebs.com/wjpspc/flyervoucher.pdf

UPDATED information for incoming students

The events for June 9 were cancelled due to a conflagration of circumstances.  We sincerely regret any inconvenience.  Please feel free to contact us with your questions/concerns.

Please drop in on Monday, June 15, at anytime between 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, to pick up a folder of forms and get measured by the uniform company.

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact our Parent Coordinator, Mrs. Reed, at 718-461-2219 or helen.reed@wjps.org

Middle School to Bowne Park, June 16

The permission slip was sent home, but you can print another here:

DOC format

PDF format

H1N1 Update from the Dept. of Education

The following letter was sent by Chancellor Joel I. Klein on May 29, 2009:

Dear School Community,

As the City continues to respond to the H1N1 flu, and do all we can to keep everyone in our school community healthy, I wanted to address a topic that many parents have questions about: absences due to H1N1.

The State of New York requires student to be in school a certain number of days each school year. But in our effort to contain the spread of H1N1 flu, we have closed some schools temporarily and encouraged some students who are sick and might be infected to stay home until their symptoms go away.  In other words, our response to H1N1 has led to increased absenteeism in some of our schools.

When a school is closed, the days a student misses are neutral.  Students are not marked absent or present. This means these days will not appear on students' records.

For schools that have not been closed, we have created a new policy to address absences related to H1N1.  Here's how it will work:

• We are putting a new Absence Reason Code in place that will allow schools to document that a student was marked absent from school because of H1N1.

• We will not require a doctor's note from students returning to school after an absence caused by H2N1, but we are asking every student to present a note from a parent or guardian explaining the reason for the absence. If the note states the absence was related to H1N1, we will enter the new code "H1N1 Related" into the computer system that tracks attendance to correspond to the day or days of absence.

• The existence and use of this new code will allow schools to make decisions pertaining to attendance awards ceremonies, promotions, and grades awarded.
  

Using the above coding process to designate H1N1 as the reason for student absence will allow students to put their health first.  Please be assured that absences related to H1N1 will be counted as excused in your child's attendance record.

Please contact your parent coordinator if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Joel I. Klein

Intrepid LIFTT Program

As part of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum's mission to honor our heroes, inspire our youth, and educate the public, the Intrepid is offering its newest leadership program, LIFTT, Leadership Institute for Today and Tomorrow and is accepting applications for the 2009-2010 school year. In LIFTT, a group of 50 New York City high school students in their junior year participate in a year long series of programs and experiences to develop their leadership skills and to help them garner the tools necessary to mature into engaged and active community participants.

Applications for the program are due by Friday, May 29, 2009 to Mrs. Reed

For more information, please download the following documents.

Information Packet

Application

School Contact Info.

June 2009 Calendar

School Reopens on Tuesday, May 26!

School Reopens

Tuesday, May 26, 2009!

School is closed until Tuesday, May 26

Dear WJPS School Community, 

     The schools that share our building, WJPS, IS 25 and P233 have been closed as recommended by the New York City Health Department.  The schools will reopen on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. None of the schools had a confirmed case of Swine Flu, but IS 25 had many students reporting flu-like symptoms.  The school will be cleaned over the next week.

     

Letters were emailed about the situation.  Copies of them can be found here:

Letter from the Health Department (only in PDF)

Letter from Principal Schneider DOC

Letter from Principal Schneider PDF

If you have any questions or need more information, please use the email function on TeacherEase, call the school at 718-461-2219 and leave a message on the voice mail, or call Mrs. Reed, parent coordinator at 646-784-5002, between 8 am and 4 pm.

Spirit Week, May 18-22

SPIRIT WEEK SCHEDULE

Adult volunteers needed for several activities.  

Please see the back of the permission slip to sign up!

Monday, May 18 - Kick Off Day!

Students wear Spirit Week t-shirt or school uniform

(T-shirt is $10 at the school store, limited quantities)

Advisory Pep Rally

Teacher vs. Student Volley Ball Game that night!  This is a family night activity. Tickets are cheap! 

Tuesday, May 19 - Wild, Wild West Day

Students dress up in costumes that depict the Wild West! Blue jeans may be worn if they represent the historical accuracy of the costume.

Stereotypes discouraged!  School logo must be incorporated into the costume.

No weapons or images of weapons or toy weapons or pretend weapons or imaginary weapons

No masks or too short skirts/shorts, no exposed midriffs, no spurs or steel toe boots. Hats may be worn on the back of the head. 

Wednesday, May 20 - WacKy WedNesDaY

Mismatched clothes, inside out, stripes with dots, fuchsia with puce, spiky hair, one braid with one pig-tail, use your imagination and the school logo!

Thursday, May 21 - Field Day

The whole school goes to Crocheron Park in Bayside for fun and games. 

Students wear their grade color, creatively (raid your closet!), including the school logo.  Jeans are allowed.

Grade Colors:

6th - Orange

7th - Blue

8th - Yellow

9th - Green

10th - Red

11th - Purple

Bring picnic lunch from home or order a school sack lunch.  Bring bottled water, blanket/towel to sit on and sunscreen. 

PERMISSION SLIPS:   Already sent home, but if you need another one, here it is (these are 8 1/2 by 14 inches front and back, they will print out on 4 pages of 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper)

DOC Format

PDF Format

Friday, May 22 - Superhero/Princess Day

Students dress up like favorite superhero or princess or create a new one!  Appropriate clothing only!

clip art from www.school.discoveryeducation.com  This is a website from Discovery Channel.  Great science resources!

Saturday Regents Prep Classes

May 9, May 16, May 23, May 30, June 6 and June 13

Two sessions each Saturday:
Session I: 9:00 am to 11:00 am
Session II: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

Students can participate in both sessions.
Lunch/snacks are not provided, but students can bring their own food and drinks.
Uniforms are not required.

Doors open from 8:55 am to 9:02 am for the first session
and 10:55 am to 11:02 am for the second session. Please be on time.

Save your spot by sending in the reservation form to Ms. Neier by Thursday, May 7, or dropping it off in the main office by then.

Extra forms are available here:

DOC
PDF

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact me, Mrs. Helen Reed, Parent Coordinator, at school by phone or email.

Regards,
Helen Reed

PS: The animated picture is clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com

UPDATE: Emergency PTA Meeting regarding Title I

April 29, 2009

Parents at the PTA meeting of Tuesday, April 28, voted unanimously for SWP.


April 23, 2009

Dear Parents/Guardians,
We are excited to announce that WJPS has been designated as a Title I school. Title I funds are calculated based on the information from school lunch forms. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Las and new state and local regulations, the criterial for being designated as Title I was expanded so that we now qualify to apply.

WJPS will be receiving a substantial increase in resources to enhance and improve professional development, parent involvement, instructional tools, technology, student performance and expand educational initiatives. All programs developed from Title I must be education driven, and follow the school's Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP). A sub-comittee of the School Leadership Team (SLT) will work on Title I programs.

Funding may be used in one of two ways. SWP (School Wide Program) allows for all students to participate and use programs and instructional materials that Title I pays for. The other option is TAS (Targe Assistant School). Under TAS, fund are restricted to only those students who qualify for Title I funding. TAS severly restricts the ammount of students who can participate in programs paid for with Title I funds.

We need your help! On Tuesday, April 28, we are having a special PTA meeting to discuss our Title I designation and vote on whether the money will be used as SWP. Please come to the meeting to learn more about this vital program.

EMERGENCY PTA MEETING
TUESDAY, APRIL 28 7:00 PM
VOTE ON OUR TITLE I PROGRAMMING

If you have questions, or need more information, please contact Ms. Reed, Parent Coordinator.

Thank you,
WJPS PTA

Swine Influenza

Dear WJPS Community,

The Department of Education website has the most up to date information about the Swine Flu and NYC schools. Go to www.schools.nyc.gov and under SPOTLIGHT you will find the most current information.

As of today, none of our students or staff have been diagnosed with the Swine Flu.

Please call us if you have any questions or need more information.

Regards,
Helen Reed

Learning Environment Surveys

Cast your CEC Straw Vote by April 22

James B., a student in our 8th grade, designed this poster to promote the CEC elections.  His poster was chosen above all other 8th grade entries for the entire city!

Congratulations James!

Parents/Guardians, please take James's poster to heart and go to www.powertotheparents.org

and place your vote for Community Education Council representatives. All you need is your child's school identification (OSIS) number, which is on a progress report or report card.

You can call me at school for the number (or email me) and I will give it to your child to bring home to you.

l

Middle school parents vote for District 25 representatives, and high school parents vote for a Queens representative to the citywide High School Council.

Iliad Permission Slips Here

The entire school is going to Queensborough Community College on Thursday, April 23, to see a production of "The Iliad." Permission slips are needed for every student.  Signed permission slips should be handed in to advisors as soon as possible.  We sent home blank permission slips, but if you need another one, you can download it here:

ILIAD Permission Slip PDF

ILIAD Permission Slip WORD

This field trip (and all field trips at WJPS) is not optional.  No alternate programming has been planned for the day.  

"The Iliad" is considered  one of the most important and influential masterpieces in world literature. It established literary standards and conventions that writers have imitated over the centuries, down to the present day.  It could be said that no writer's or reader's education is complete unless he/she is familiar with it!

Family Comedy Night is Friday, April 3

Tickets are on sale during lunch at school and will be on sale  Friday night at the door.

Community Education Council Elections

Community Education Councils (CECs) replaced New York City's local School Boards in 2004. There is a CEC for each school district in NYC, plus one for High Schools (CCHS) and one for Special Education (CCSE).  CECs are parental advisory boards that meet every month with each District's School Superintendent as well as parents, and community members.  Parents of New York City school children can apply to run for election to a position on a CEC.  

Elected members of each CEC serve their own children and the children of their communities. They voice the concerns, cares and insights of all families. School board membership has a long and distinguished history in our country, and is often a first step in a person's political career. CEC membership is an important, necessary and admirable form of public service.

At WJPS, parents with students currently in grades 6 & 7 can run for the CEC for School District 25.  

WJPS parents with students currently in grades 8-11 can run for the Citywide CEC for High Schools. 

The Council for Special Education is for parents with students in a District 75 school.

The deadline for candidates to apply for CEC positions is March 19.  Visit www.powertotheparents.org to learn more and apply online.

Monday, April 6 will be a "Meet the Candidates" night for District 25 at the Department of Education offices at 30-48 Linden Place, Flushing.  People running for the CEC will be there and you are invited to come meet the candidates.

From April 6 to April 12, parents will have the opportunity to go online and show their preference for candidates running for CEC positions in their District.  PTA officers from each school do the actual voting in May.

Visit www.powertotheparents.org for more information and instructions on how to apply online.  If you have any questions, you can contact Mrs. Reed at school.

COLLEGE DAY TRIPS: March 10 & 11

We are pleased to announce that we have arranged day visits to local colleges. Students in tenth and eleventh grades will travel by charter coach bus to either Long Island or upstate New York to visit colleges. There is no cost to students for these trips.

Students need to decide which trip they want to go on and return the appropriate permission slip by Friday, March 6 to his/her advisor. There are enough seats for everyone to go on a trip, but one bus may fill up before another, so permission slips need to be returned as soon as possible. On most trips, a sack lunch from home is required because lunch will be eaten on the bus in-between visits.

When choosing a trip, please be mindful of the departure and return times.

A COUPLE OF PARENT VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR EACH BUS. PLEASE CONTACT MS. NEIER IF YOU ARE AVAILABLE.

Please see below for links to the various permission slips for viewing and downloading/printing.

11th grade Tuesday, March 10

8:15 am - 4:30 pm
11th grade visit to Hofstra and Dowling on Long Island (doc)
11th grade visit to Hofstra and Dowling on Long Island (pdf)

7:45 am to 6:00 pm
11th grade visit to Marist and Bard upstate (doc)
11th grade visit to Marist and Bard upstate (pdf)

10th grade Wednesday, March 11

6:15 am to 5:30 pm
10th grade visit to Bard and Marist upstate (doc)
10th grade visit to Bard and Marist upstate (pdf)


8:15 am to 4:40 pm
10th grade visit to Hofstra and Molloy (doc)
10th grade visit to Hofstra and Molloy (pdf)

FIELD TRIPS & PERMISSION SLIPS & TEAR-OFFS

Permission slips for upcoming Field Trips will be posted on the blog in the column to the right called, "Forms for School." Tear-offs for workshops and portfolio conferences will also be posted. If possible, the forms will be available in .doc and .pdf formats.

SPORTS NIGHT TICKET ORDER FORM

The 2nd Annual WJPS PTA Sports Night is Friday, January 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the school gym. This is an exciting basketball game between students and teachers.  Most of our teachers and staff will be there - to play or cheer for EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

A commemorative, one-of-a-kind, limited edition t-shirt will be on sale during the game for $10.00.  The t-shirt can be worn as part of the gym uniform during the school year.  Last year's shirt sold out and is now a collector's item!

Tickets are on sale for $5.00 each during the school day at the school store.  You can download a flyer with a tear-off to send to school with your child.  Your child can bring the envelope to the school store, give them the envelope, and bring home the tickets to you.

Download the flyer and tear-off here:

.doc format

.pdf format

Last year's game was a sell-out, 

so get your tickets now to avoid missing all the fun and memories!

If you have any questions, please call the school at 718-461-2219.