• This past week, we were fortunate to have the NYC Kids Project perform for our kindergarten and third grade classes on empathy.   In addition, eighth graders in the community service elective will be working with the NYC Kids Project to develop “empathy projects” with which they will teach their younger buddies how to be more empathic.
• In first grade, students have been learning about Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King.  They are learning from these American heroes how to stand up for what is right.
• Our middle school students all visited the Museum of Jewish Heritage in December. There they heard from two holocaust survivors — one who had survived concentration camps during World War II and the other who had survived the Rwandan Genocide.
• Our fifth graders read novels and memoirs about the struggle to fit in due to different aspects of their beings.  Discussions focus on character actions — those who are upstanders and bystanders — with consideration of how our own actions impact the lives of others.

I feel fortunate that I work in a school in which teachers and families are committed to raising children who are concerned about justice.  There are no standardized tests that measure our children’s empathy, but we know it is critical to teach this quality anyway.  Here’s to a more kind and just world.  Together, we can work to achieve this goal.

There is no doubt in my mind that being a parent is the hardest job on the planet.  As parents, we worry constantly about our children’s health and safety.  Add to that, our concern that they grow up to be the best selves they can be: Adults who are confident, interested in the world, able to fend for themselves socially and economically, loved by others and loving in return. Every decision we make as parents is made with an eye to this end result.  And we want our kids to continue to talk with us (parents of middle schoolers are aware of a silent phase) and to seek our advice and companionship.

It is indeed a daunting task and one that I am honored to participate in alongside of you.

Teachers and administrators at 276 work to implement an approach to helping children called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions drawing on the work of Dr. Ross Greene, a child psychologist who was on the faculty at the Harvard Medical School for more than twenty years.  He left that position to create a nonprofit organization called Lives in the Balance. He has found through his experience that working with children on solving problems has more durable results than other approaches.  His most recent book Raising Human Beings is about how parents can create a collaborative partnership with their children.

I am thrilled that Dr. Greene has agreed to speak to our community on the evening of January 19 at 6:30.  After presenting about his work and the ideas in Raising Human Beings, he will be on hand to sign books. You can register for the event.

In preparation for Dr. Greene’s talk, we will have a parent book club at school on Raising Human Beings on Tuesday, January 10 at 8 am in the library.

Raising Human Beings is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Raising Human Beings at Amazon.  If you purchase this book through our school webpage, we receive a donation to our PTA.

Raising Human Beings at Barnes and Noble.

This past year and half of electioneering have exposed an unflattering picture of political discourse in our country.  Yesterday morning, the children came in to school concerned struggling to understand the results of the election, wondering about what would happen and what it means for them, their families and the country.  Parents have been reaching out for help processing this election with their children.  Staff at 276 rallied to help our students begin to process this surprising turn of events.

One of the less well known aspects of our program at 276 is our performing arts.  This year, we have an exceptionally rich music program.  Stephanie Mazarakis continues to teach band to students in grades 4-8.  She also has developed an outstanding general music history class for our 8th graders.  They track the development of popular music from the blues through to hip-hop. Stephanie leads the 8th graders through an exploration of Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the musicians that influenced them and who they in turn influence.  Each year, this program is enhanced through a partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center.  Four times a year, we have jazz musicians perform for the 8th graders and talk about the development and importance of jazz in the American story. Here is a clip from our first performance last Thursday.  (Students are clapping in the background.)

Krista Bruschini, our new music teacher, is teaching general music to students in kindergarten through third grade. She is also teaching chorus to our students in grades 5-8.  By offering chorus, we are giving students in grades 5-8 the option of learning an instrument or performing vocal music.

I am so proud of our rich music program this year. Learning about music and the skills of working collaboratively on a performance  allow students to tap into different aspects of themselves.

First, I want to assure all parents that we will continue to offer Algebra 1 for students who are ready for the fast pace and academic rigor of this program. For the past 5 years, we have offered Integrated Algebra or Algebra 1 and the corresponding Regents Test for our 8th graders.

Last year, Ariel and Dawn held an info session for parents on tracking and mathematics. This power point is available on our school website under the for parents tab/math workshops and information/grouping in mathematics. Key findings in mathematics research is that there is surprisingly little benefit of tracking (ability grouping) in math.

Our goals are for our middle school students to have a strong foundation in math concepts, to be able to communicate about mathematics effectively (in problem solving, representing, modeling, writing, justifying and discussion), to work with a diverse (in many ways) population of peers, and to have confidence in their ability to solve complex math problems effectively.

Some of our students are ready to tackle Algebra 1 by the time they get to 8th grade. Some are not.  We want to make sure we are setting students up for successful math experiences in middle school, high school and beyond. We will be sharing some programming considerations, information about middle school math in general, and criteria that we use to consider if students are ready to take on the accelerated pace and academic demands of Algebra 1 at an information session for parents from 8:30 to 9:10 on Friday, November 4 in the auditorium. We look forward to sharing with you how we are working to ensure that each student has a rigorous and enriching math experience.

Last spring I had the privilege of being in a focus group with teachers and principals from across the country. We gathered in Washington DC with the US Secretary of Education, John King. Our task was to talk about models of collaborative teacher leadership. A strong professional learning program for faculty is one of the most powerful tools in enhancing student learning. A Stanford University research team determined that strong professional learning is on-going, experiential and collaborative. The professional learning model at 276 has these qualities.

Our school years are bookended by formal reflective processes on what we have accomplished, what new challenges we have encountered, and how we can deepen our knowledge of our work. We use these reflections to craft a professional learning agenda that is connected to our students, the curriculum, achievement data, and the context of our school.

The PTA provides funding so that we can implement this plan. This year, our professional learning is geared towards refining our assessment practices. That includes what information we are collecting about how students are learning and how we use that information to meet the instructional needs of the students in our classrooms. This work targets four specific areas – mathematics instruction, literacy instruction and inclusive practices.

Dawn Schafer is a full time math coach this year working with grades 4-8. Ariel Dlugasch is working with teachers in grades K-3 on a consultant basis. Their work focuses on assessing mathematics and then using those assessments to differentiate mathematics instruction through rich problems, mathematics routines, conversation, and differentiated learning stations in the classroom. In addition, teachers will be attending off-site PD offered through two different, nationally recognized, math education organizations – Metamorphosis and Math in the City. This math work will allow us to refine our mathematics instruction and insure that it is coherent across the grades.

Jaime Margolies and Andrea Lowenkopf are continuing to support our literacy teachers. Jaime works with teachers in grades K-4 and Andrea works with teachers in grades 5-8. They collaboratively plan with the teachers to enrich our reading and writing curriculum so that it provides increasing challenges and engagement for our students. Teachers will also be attending workshops off site to learn new approaches to teaching literacy.

We also work with the Teachers College Inclusive Classrooms Project. Our two consultants from this organization support teachers in developing units of study that embody elements of Universal Design for Learning. This model leads to increasingly accessible curriculum for all learners by providing opportunities to gain information through a variety of media and to communicate understandings in diverse ways. This year, we will be developing four classroom labsites where we will study strategies for inclusive education as it is practiced at 276. Faculty will be able to observe the work being undertaken in these classrooms and to learn alongside their colleagues. The TCICP is also supporting our paraprofessionals in deepening their skills as assistants in the classroom and in helping co-teachers work more efficiently together.

We are also excited to be part of some additional professional learning opportunities. This year, we are part of a pilot program that brings the Urban Advantage professional learning for middle school science teachers to our upper elementary grades. Shirley, Rebecca, Kim and Alexis will all be participating in these workshops. I am excited to deepen a focus on science for our upper elementary grade students..

Teaching is an incredibly complex task. It requires teachers to have in-depth knowledge of content, child development, and pedagogy and to match that knowledge to the students in their rooms. It requires a willingness to reflect on one’s skills and to have a voracious appetite for continuous learning. I am proud of the learning that our faculty engages in each day. Their eagerness for new professional knowledge and their thoughtfulness in talking about how these skills can best be implemented in our school are key attributes that make our school the great place it is.  Funding from our PTA is greatly appreciated as we work to make our school one of the best in the city.

The staff at 276 is excited for a new school year. Our custodians have been polishing and cleaning.  Teachers are beginning to set up classrooms in anticipation for the start of the year and meeting to plan.

Over the past year, the PTA has worked with a committee of parents to create a new website for our school. It is beautiful and so much easier to navigate. It also works equally well on computers and mobile devices.  You should bookmark our school website. There you will find lots of important resources and information.

This summer, I have embarked on a study of the impacts of media use on young people (and their parents!)  We began this conversation last year when our school hosted, Screenagers, a movie about the impacts of screen time and teenagers.  I have been deepening my understanding of some of the ideas in this movie by reading a range of books on the social media and culture and learning about the benefits of online access and the aspects of social media in which we want to help our children engage thoughtfully.   I have been learning that while the impacts of screen time on teenagers are widely explored, we can help set the stage for successfully navigating the online world by planning for our youngest students.  While we have a fair amount of hardware at school, we emphasize the development of person to person interactions, the ability to listen to each other, to engage imaginations through reading great literature, to build deep knowledge across a variety of topics, and to learn to construct and critique arguments.  These goals help all our students to develop empathy, the ability to sustain attention, to reflect on the ideas of others and to weigh them in light of one’s own values and knowledge of the world.  We then can use technology – social media, the internet as a source of information, software for creating and communicating – to enhance learning.

I have lots of notes on my kindle books about these ideas and will be sharing some of the important takeaways with you over the course of the year. Our School Leadership Team is working on developing our school’s digital citizenship curriculum.  We hope many of you will participate in this conversation.

As a school, we appreciate parent involvement.  We have the most powerful impact on our young people when we work together.  If you want to contact me about any topic or have any questions, please reach out via email.

I am looking forward to another fantastic year!

As a school community that values each member, child and adult, and the gifts and differences of each, we consistently strive to be inclusive. We have had multiple conversations across the year, in professional development, in “grown-up” meetings, and in classrooms with our children about the care and respect due to each person in our school and world communities. These conversations, aligned with the NYCDOE’s Respect for All initiative have touched on race, culture, ethnic identity and even gender identity. I want to talk briefly about our conversations regarding gender identity.

These discussions have included thoughts on how gender roles are communicated in society. For example, our younger students have discussed how toys are marketed to boys and girls.  They have also talked about books that show children behaving in gender creative ways and how labels are used to describe outside appearances rather than how people feel on the inside. Older classes have engaged in conversations around current events involving transgender civil rights. In all situations, conversations in class rooms have been handled in developmentally appropriate ways.

It is a testament to the strong values of diversity and respect that you are providing your children that they are making thoughtful comments in these conversations and then happily return to their work of being children and students.

Transgender1 is a word we cannot turn on the TV without hearing about, but our conversations around gender transcend just this word. We can all think back to a time when we may have been told that girls do XYZ or boys can’t do ABC. When we put our students, their families, our staff, and community members in a box – it makes it hard to break out of that box. For transgender individuals who have the courage to affirm their identity, this can be a challenging road and we as a community need to support our students, families, and staff who identify as transgender.

There are many resources that are available to support communities.  We recommend the following as a starting point:

• Policy: NYCDOE policy
• Community resources
  • The Ackerman Center
  • Gender Spectrum
  • LGBT Center

As a school, we invite you to direct any questions regarding our initiatives to your child’s teacher.  I appreciate your understanding and support.

It is Spring!

In New York, that means we are gearing up for state testing. Our third through eighth graders have tests in ELA and Math.  The ELA tests will take place April 1, 2, and 3. The math tests will take place on April 13, 14, and 15.

This year, we will have significant changes in the state tests. New York State has switched to a new test creation company.  These shifts include:

• No time limit. Students may work at their own pace as long as they are working “productively.”
• Fewer passages  to read
• Fewer multiple choice questions to answer
• Fewer short answer written responses
• A new company wrote the test with help from educators.

Our students should be well prepared.  Our curriculum is closely aligned to the Common Core State Standards that are the basis for the tests.  In the weeks, leading up to the tests, the teachers are also teaching units designed to help students build test taking savviness — how to respond to short and extended responses, how to navigate multiple choice questions, how to understand what the questions are actually asking.

These tests are most helpful to us as a tool to track student progress over time and as a general assessment of our curriculum.  Still, many students become very anxious about the results of these tests.  We want our students to be relaxed during the testing sessions so that they can do their best work. Please help us reinforce this message. Some points to reiterate to students include:

• Tests are not the sole determining factor in decisions about promoting children to the next grade. We look at student work, academic grades, and tests and have conversations with families about the benefits/disadvantages for children to have a second go at a particular grade.
• For many fourth graders, state test results can be gate keepers for middle school admission. Our fourth graders are guaranteed admission to our middle school regardless of test score.
• For seventh graders, tests carry a bit more weight. High schools also look closely at academic grades as admission criteria. So those should be a focus for our seventh graders.
• Tests give us a snapshot of how a student is doing in a short amount of time in an unnatural setting.  Yes, they tell us something about a student’s learning. But none of our students should ever be reduced to a number. Our students are vibrant, creative, passionate learners.  They are learning to collaborate, to problem solve, to communicate effectively. The true measure of a student’s learning is best done through looking at a variety of learning outcomes — math problems, stories  written, reading responses, art work, musical performances, and, yes, tests.  But they are only part of the portrait of who our students are.

For more information on the tests, you can visit the State Ed website. 

Edutopia, has several on line resources to help parents help their children with standardized testing.