Several families received a letter from NYC regarding Title I Counseling Services. Allow me to apologize for the confusion this letter has caused. It was not approved to go home as it should have included my cover letter with more explanation

Second, the NYC Title I letter is written in the way it is because they must.

With that stated, at this time, no referral was made by any teacher or myself. Instead, the criteria for recieving the letter is based solely on residence in a specific geographic region. All students living within this region are entitled to ALL Title I services (Math, Literacy, Tutoring, Counseling, etc.) 

Now, just because a student is eligible does not mean they will be receiving them. It only means that if the need exists the student can get some assistance.

When it comes to Counseling Services, it has been our practice to ask the Counselor to meet with every eligible student as an introduction. It lets the students know that they may come to the Counselor at any time, for any reason. And just to be clear, any reason could be anything from a bad grade, trouble with a friend, sibling issues, and more serious issues like loss of a family member and so on. All of which would have been explained in my letter.

If you have received the letter, I would ask that you agree to the service. This is not because we feel there is a concern. It is because if anything were to occur in the future, students would be able to meet with the Counselor without delay. 

It is always your choice to say yes or no, but it is an important service for our school and students to have available.

Thank you for your understanding and I hope this allays any concerns the letter may have caused.

Moving on to lighter topics, our World's Finest Chocolate Sale was a huge success - thanks to everyone's help.

Out top earner this year is Kaylie Alvarez, '22. Kaylie and her family sold 31 boxes of chocolate and she was presented her Acer Chromebook by none other than our own Regional Superintendent, Mr. John Riley!








Now that the sale is over, we ask everyone that has not sold their box or returned their money, to please do so right away. If we do not receive the funds we will be required to add the $60 charge to your SMART Tuition Account. Thank you.

On Halloween, we are inviting the students to participate in a pumpkin decorating contest. Students will complete this project in groups.  They are encouraged to have fun and be creative! They can decorate it, paint it, and glue things to it.

This project will be completed entirely in school on Halloween. The Student Council will then judge the pumpkins. One winner per class will be chosen and given a prize for the best decorated pumpkin! The pumpkins will be put on display throughout the school.

The Student Council is also collecting new socks. This latest event, Socktober!, is organized by the Council to provide socks to homeless and those in need. The socks can be dropped off in the Lobby of the school.

A quick note about the Gifted & Talented Testing, for those that might be interested. The G&T Request for Testing period will open this week for families; the deadline for submission is November 12th, 2019. Families can submit the G&T request for testing online at myschools.nyc or in-person at a Family Welcome Center. The Kindergarten application period opens in early December with a deadline of January 21, 2020.

God's Blessings to you all.

Mr. Hugh M. Keenan, Principal