“News at 9”: PS9’s School & Community News - 10

"News at 9": PS9's School & Community News - 2.22.2016

At School

Black History Month School/Student Programs 25 Black History Month Program Grade 2 9:00am

26 Black History Month Program Grade 3 9:30am 26 Ms. Wilson's Black History Month Program 12:30pm (assembly program for grades 3, 4 &5)

29 Black History Month Program Grade 4 8:45am 29 Black History Month Program Grade 5 9:45am

In this issue:

At School

-Black History Month School/Student Programs -Book Fair -Games 4 Gear LIU Basketball Game Tickets Final Game! -Half Day Dismissal & Parent Teacher Conferences -Microsoft Software for Students & Parents ? Free! -New Middle Schools Application -New York City School Survey ? Very Important to Our School! -Pennies for Patients 2016: PS9's Service Drive -Pre-Kindergarten Admission for September 2016

In Our Community

Contacts & Links

Book Fair Shop online at: Our Scholastic Book Fair is a reading event that provides the books kids want to read. It's a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level.

Reading for pleasure inside and outside of school has real and long-lasting benefits. It unlocks the power of information and imagination and helps children discover who they are. Please make plans to come to our Book Fair and be involved in shaping your child's reading habits.

Remember, all purchases benefit our school. See you at the Book Fair!

Games 4 Gear LIU Basketball Game Tickets - Final Game! Help PS9 win Game4Gear this year and have fun doing it!

Starting on Saturday, January 9th, you and your family can be at the Steinberg Wellness Center ("The WRAC") when LIU men's and women's basketball squads take on the best the Northeast Conference has to offer.

PS9 has tickets for these upcoming games: Saturday, 2/27 @2pm / 4:30pm - M/WBB Doubleheader vs. Bryant

Contact Charmaine Derrell-Jacob at 347.563.5324 and tickets can be picked up or backpacked.

Half Day Dismissal & Parent Teacher Conferences ALL Students will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 3, 2016. Please contact your teacher or class parent to find out how you can schedule your appointment time. Parents may also schedule conferences with teachers on Tuesdays from 2:40-3:20p.m.

Microsoft Software for Students & Parents ? Free! I am pleased to share that starting today, parents and guardians will be able to download Microsoft software from , at no cost, on up to five of their family's computers and five of their family's tablets, smart phones, or other mobile devices. Much of this software has education-specific content that supports our students' academic improvement. In addition, familiarity with these tools will help students be prepared for college and careers.

This opportunity is made possible through the NYC Department of Education's partnership with NYC Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Microsoft.

The free Microsoft products and features that will be available include:

Office 365 ProPlus on Windows: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Skype for Business, Access, InfoPath and Publisher installed on Windows

Office for Mac Professional 2016: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote Office for iPad, iPhone, Android: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote Cloud service Office Online

Families will be able to claim a download by going to and entering either of the following:

1. Student's date of birth AND a parent phone number, or

2. Parent email

Please note, the information that families enter to claim the download must match the information on their Blue Card on file with the school. Therefore, it is necessary that ATS have the most upto-date parent contact information in order for the verification and download process to be successful. If families have trouble claiming the download, parents and legal guardians will be instructed to visit a school's main office to make any necessary changes to their contact information.

There is no deadline to claim the free software. Families may download the software as long as they have a child enrolled in a NYC public school.

As Office 365 is a Microsoft Cloud product, parents must create a Microsoft Cloud account in order to download the software. The website contains not only information on how to create an account, download the software, but also answers to "Frequently Asked

Questions." For technical assistance families may contact Microsoft Customer Service at: 1 (800) 642-7676.

New Middle Schools Application Six new middle school programs are opening for the 2016-2017 school year. Ms. Shaw-Taylor, our guidance counselor, gave all PS9 grade 5 students the new application today. The deadline to return your application is March 1, 2016.

Middle school admissions results letters, including any new school match, will be distributed in late April 2016. Screened schools that use an audition or test to evaluate students will reach out to applicants who meet their criteria over the winter to invite them to come in for an assessment.

New York City School Survey ? Very Important to Our School! You're going to hear a lot about this survey before the survey deadline on April 1, 2016!

Surveys will be distributed at Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, March 3rd.

Every year, all parents, teachers, and students in grades 6-12 take the NYC School Survey. The survey ranks among the largest surveys of any kind ever conducted nationally. The survey helps school leaders understand what key members of the school community say about the learning environment at each school. The information captured by the survey is designed to support a dialogue among all members of the school community about how to make the school a better place to learn.

The 2015-2016 version of the NYC School Survey is aligned to the DOE's Framework for Great Schools. The survey will collect vital information about a school's capacity to improve student achievement by measuring the extent to which each school incorporates the six essential elements-- rigorous instruction, supportive environment, collaborative teachers, effective school leadership, strong family and community ties, and trust--that drive school improvement and develop students to compete in the 21st century. The survey will be one of multiple measures used to help the DOE assess the six essential elements.

Take the survey beginning Thursday, March 3rd at:

Pennies for Patients 2016: PS9's Service Drive We encourage students and families to fill the coin collection boxes that will be sent home this week. We are supporting a great cause, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, as they support children and adults with blood cancers. In the past 5 years we raised over $11,000 to help beat blood cancers. The deadline to submit your donation is Thursday, March 31. Donate your change to help beat cancer!

Pre-Kindergarten Admission for September 2016 In an effort to make the Pre-K for All enrollment process easier for families and schools, the PreK for All application period will begin more than a month earlier than last year. Families with children born in 2012 will be able to apply starting January 25th. Applications are open from January 25 to March 4 and families will receive their offer letters at the beginning of May, also more than a month earlier than last year. The earlier application process will give families more time to prepare for the transition to their child's pre-K program and will also allow your school to register students and make waitlist offers before the end of the school year.

Like last year, families will be able to apply online, over the phone, or in person at a Family Welcome Center using a single application. To inform families of this exciting change, and to help guide them through the application process, the DOE will host information sessions for families in every borough between January 27 and February 3. We will provide additional information and details about pre-K admissions to schools in January. Please email ESEnrollment@schools. with any questions.

Pre-K programs are available at NYC Early Education Centers (NYCEECs), NYC Department of Education (NYCDOE) district schools, NYCDOE Pre-K Centers, and charter schools. Use the following resources to learn about all of your pre-K options.

Pre-K Directory: Learn about the admissions process and what programs are available.

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| | English | Fran?ais | Krey?l Ayisyen | | | Espa?ol |

You can also pick up a print copy from pre-K providers, elementary schools, Family Welcome

Centers, local libraries, or community centers. Look up the address of a pre-K provider by using

the PDF directory or Pre-K Finder.

Pre-K Finder: Use Pre-K Finder to research pre-K programs and find new choices before completing your application. Type in your address to see programs in your area.

Information Sessions: Attend a session in one of the five boroughs between January 27 and February 3, 2016 to ask questions about the admissions process and get help with your application. Also, don't forget to sign up for email updates about pre-K admissions.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In Our Community

Bee Tutored Bee Tutored is a boutique enrichment service working with families since 2007. We have recently opened up a small after-school center near PS 9 (7th ave and President) and we are holding a NYS ELA/MATH test prep minicamp that we are offering during Mid-Winter Break.

The camp runs from 9-12pm and is open for 4th and 5th grade students. If you think the families at PS9 may be interested in finding an educational activity during the break, please feel free to spread the word.

You can read more about our camp here:

(US) 917.482.4880 (Spain) +34.609.541.171

BCAP Summer Camp Two-week summer day camp for ages 7-12. Sign up today for our national award-winning program; some of our sessions are already full! Financial aid is available.

Brooklyn Public Library: Find the Help you need for your Child with a Disability!

Do you have questions about Medicare waive?

Individualized Education Program (IEP) process?

Early childhood services and programs?

Mental Health Services and more...

Many situations require the assistance of and expert. We can provide one-to-one help for you and your child @ The Brooklyn Public Library...

View our calendar of events here:

Girls in Science and Engineering Day Saturday Girls in Science and Engineering Day Saturday, March 12th, 2016 from 11 AM to 3 PM Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum Pier 86 - W. 46th St. between 11th and 12th Ave. Hangar Deck Celebrate science, technology, engineering and math at the Intrepid Museum's fourth annual Girls in Science and Engineering Day! Enjoy hands-on experiences, exciting demonstrations and creative discussions offered by various science-based organizations, clubs and college. Learn more about the GOALS (Greater Opportunities Advancing Leadership and Science) for Girls program.

RSVP before March 9th deadline for free admission.

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