The week opened with PTA business: an in-person election meeting on Tuesday morning for an open co-Parent Outreach Coordinator seat on the Executive Board. On Thursday Ms. Blyden, our principal, shared the October Principal's Newsletter, and that evening families joined the October School and Families Meeting online for news from the principal, committee updates, a budget review and questions. Minutes and slides go up on Konstella after each meeting.
Friday belonged to Breast Cancer Awareness. The whole school walked for the cause during the day, grade by grade, with signs and chants made in class, and the coin containers that classes have been filling all month were sorted and counted. In the evening the Movie Night Committee turned the auditorium into a Halloween screening room with two shorts, Sing! Thriller and Minions and Monsters, plus pizza, popcorn and cotton candy. And on Sunday morning the Safe Streets Committee opened the Clermont Avenue courtyard for a Bike Hang, with everything from training wheels to scooters welcome.
The school also posted the schedule for Friday's Literacy Parade and gave notice of an evacuation drill during the coming week, so the next few days ask a little preparation at home.
Here is what is coming up over the next three weeks, starting with the drill and the parade.
Half days and no school
Tue 11/3: Remote learning day, Election Day
Wed 11/11: School closed, Veterans Day
Important dates
Mon 10/26 to Fri 10/30: Evacuation drill (exact day not announced)
Tue 10/27: Chat and Chew with Principal Blyden, 9:00 to 10:00am, Room 126
Fri 10/30: Literacy Parade (3K and Pre-K 8:40am, K to grade 2 9:00am, grades 3 to 5 9:30am)
Sun 11/1: Marathon Day Bake Sale, 9:00am to 1:00pm, corner of Lafayette and Vanderbilt
Thu 11/5: Winter and holiday individual portraits (pre-paid orders only, due Mon 11/2)
Thu 11/12: PTA General Meeting, 6:00 to 7:00pm
To do this week
Help your child choose the book they will carry in Friday's Literacy Parade, and remember: no Halloween costumes. The route map is on the flyer on Konstella.
Bake something or take a shift for the Marathon Day Bake Sale (sign-up on Konstella); drop-off can be the day before or the morning of.
Make sure your child can sign in to their class's Google Classroom before the remote learning day on Election Day.
Looking Ahead
Evacuation drill this week. During the week of 10/26 the school runs an emergency drill focused on the evacuation protocol in the city's General Response Protocols. The main office asks families to go over the protocols with children ahead of time so the drill feels routine. The one-page summary guide is on the NYC Public Schools website under emergency readiness. The exact day is not announced in advance.
Coffee with the principal. Ms. Blyden hosts a Chat and Chew on Tuesday 10/27 from 9:00 to 10:00am in Room 126, an informal chance to ask questions and hear what is on her mind this fall.
Literacy Parade, Friday 10/30. Students parade with a book they have read and love, and families are invited to line the route and cheer. 3K and Pre-K go first at 8:40am inside the schoolyard, kindergarten through grade 2 at 9:00am, and grades 3 to 5 at 9:30am. The route map is on the flyer the school posted on Konstella. One reminder from the school: this is a book parade, and Halloween costumes are not permitted.
Marathon Day Bake Sale, Sunday 11/1. The New York City Marathon comes through Fort Greene again this year, and the PTA will be selling baked goods on the northwest corner of Vanderbilt and Lafayette from 9:00am to 1:00pm. The bake sale team is looking for cookies, cakes, quiche, bread, sandwiches and other finger foods, with drop-off the day before or the morning of, as well as helpers for set-up, sales and clean-up shifts. The sign-up is on Konstella.
Early November. Tuesday 11/3 is Election Day and a remote learning day, so make sure your child can get into their class's Google Classroom from home. Winter and holiday individual portraits are on Thursday 11/5, with pre-paid orders only, due Monday 11/2. Friday 11/6 is the next Fun First Friday: silly hat or headband day. School is closed on Wednesday 11/11 for Veterans Day, and the November School and Families Meeting on Thursday 11/12 at 6:00pm is planned as an in-person meeting at school, the first of the year.
From the principal. The October Principal's Newsletter covers the month's highlights and what is ahead; it is posted on Konstella for PS 20 families.
Full details, flyers and sign-ups are on Konstella.
