Free Museum Passes for the Winter Recess

The New York City Department of Education's Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy (OFEA) has arranged for free museum passes for Queens students and their families to use during the Winter Recess.  The passes were sent home Friday with students, but if you are unable to locate them, they are available here in pdf and jpeg format for you to print, fill-out and take with you for free admission.  Check the dates on the passes as they vary, and call the museum to make sure it is open on the day you want to go.  The Morgan and Museum of the City of New York passes are also good for the February and April school vacations. You can reprint them and use them again.

The museums are: 

The Morgan Library & Museum

Morgan Museum Pass in pdf

Morgan Museum Pass in jpeg

The Museum of the City of New York

Museum of the City of New York in pdf

Museum of the City of New York in jpeg

The South Street Seaport Museum

South Street Seaport Museum in pdf

South Street Seaport Museum in jpeg

An overview of the program is only in pdf form Museum Project Description

Have fun!

Helen

Save the Date: Sports Night, January 18, 2008

December 21 Memo Home

On Friday, December 21, 2007, Ms. Schneider sent a memo home with students.  You can click on the image to view the memo.

PTA Meeting on Internet Safety 01/07/08

You can click on the image to make it larger, or download the pdf version from the menu on the right.

Student Achievement Meeting December 19, 2007

All parents and guardians are invited to attend a meeting at school on Wednesday, December 19, 2007  at 7:00 p.m. to discuss student achievement with WJPS principal, Ms. Cynthia Schneider.  The meeting will include topics such as

• Grades and what they mean
  
• Portfolios
  
• What is standards based learning?
  
• Questions to ask your child's teachers about his/her progress
  
• What can your child do?
  

The meeting notice was sent home with students today. You can download a copy of it here.  If you have trouble downloading the flyer,  you can view it as a jpeg here.

If you have questions or need more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Helen Reed

Parent Coordinator

Gift Ideas for Students

Dear WJPS Family,

Teens & Tweens know what they want, but it isn't necessarily what we feel they "need."  It is almost a blessing to justify a gift as (gasp) educational.  A recent poll of WJPS teachers and staff resulted in some helpful suggestions of gifts for students.  If you purchase one of these items for your child, please consider buying a second one to donate to the school.

Technology

The new Flip-Video camcorder is easy to use and would be very helpful in completing and initiating school projects across all subject areas.  If you are planning college campus trips this summer, it is helpful to record the campus tour.  Other technology gifts:  digital camera, thumb drives, blank cd's, and software and books about digital photography and making and editing videos.

Board Games

Whether for family game night, ice-breakers for groups of kids or even as hostess gifts, here are some highly rated relatively new board games:  Apples-to-Apples, Blokus, any version of Cranium, Hey! That's my Fish!, Ingenious, No Thanks!, Qwirkle, and Ticket to Ride.

Magazines

Magazines are great gifts for readers of all ages.  You can buy the current issue and wrap it as a gift, then go to the web site to order a subscription (or two).  Here are some links:

Digital Photograher

Popular Photographing & Imaging

Bicycling

SLAM (basketball)

Fitness Magazine

PC Magazine

Mac Life (Apple computers)

ESPN

Game Pro

Nintendo Power

PC Gamer

Seventeen

Twist (tween girls)

Scientific American

Discover

Yes! Magazine (local and world events)

Time

National Geographic

Newsweek

TeenInk

Columbia Journalism Review

Miscellaneous

Regents Review Books, SAT/PSAT Review Books, any books from the New York Times Bestseller List, luggage, gift cards to Barnes & Noble or Staples.  A thoughtful gift for any 11-12 year old is the ability to choose their own grooming products, either with a gift card to a drug store or a bucketful of sample sizes of different shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant and mouthwash.

I hope you have a relaxing and fun winter recess!  Please accept my best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Regards,

Helen

Portfolio Questionnaire

Snow is on the ground, reminding me that it is (past) time to dig out boots, scarves, hats, gloves.  Time to send cards and letters to family and friends.  Time to finish holiday shopping.  With our children's schooling, it is also time to review where they've been, where they are now and where they are going.  Much of that review took place during Parent-Teacher Conferences. 

The Portfolio Team needs your feedback on the conferences and has prepared a questionnaire for you to fill-out and send back to school.  You can download the questionnaire by clicking on this link Portfolio Questionnaire.  Your child can give the completed questionnaire to his/her advisor or take it to the office.  You can mail it or send an email through TeacherEase to any member of the team:  Ms. Sackstein, Ms. Douvres or Mr. Sosa.

At WJPS, you are truly a partner in your child's education, and I hope you will make every effort to share your impressions of the Parent-Teacher conferences with the Portfolio Team.

Regards,

Helen