The week began at home. Tuesday was Election Day and PS 20's first remote learning day of the year: students logged in to their class Zoom at their morning start time, attendance was taken, and teachers ran the day from Google Classroom. The main office had sent a reminder the night before with the staggered schedule and the troubleshooting tip to sign out of personal Google accounts and in with the NYC Public Schools account.
Back in the building, the November calendar went home in backpacks (and as a PDF on Konstella) on Wednesday, Thursday was holiday portrait day for families who had pre-ordered, and Friday was Fun First Friday, with silly hats and headbands in every hallway. The Kindergarten Application Process meeting for Pre-K families that had been planned for Friday morning was postponed, and the school will announce a new date. Over the weekend Ms. Blyden, our principal, posted community guidelines for Konstella: keep posts about school life, be kind, take individual concerns to the teacher or the school rather than the feed, and ask before posting photos of other people's children.
Here is what is coming up over the next three weeks, starting with a busy Monday.
Half days and no school
Wed 11/11: School closed, Veterans Day
Thu 11/19: Early dismissal, 11:40am (student-led conferences on Zoom in the afternoon and evening)
Thu 11/26 to Fri 11/27: School closed, Thanksgiving recess
Important dates
Mon 11/9 to Mon 11/16: Math-A-Thon (worksheets due Tue 11/17)
Mon 11/9: Box Out Bullying presentations, in school, grades K-2 and 3-5
Thu 11/12: PTA General Meeting, 6:00 to 7:00pm, on Zoom
To do this week
Register your child for the Math-A-Thon at ForOurSchool.org (school code 411826) so they can start solving on Monday; rules and prizes are at ps20.org/mathathon.
Sign up for a 10-minute student-led conference slot through your child's teacher; your child needs to be at the meeting.
Have a question for Ms. Blyden or the PTA board? Email board@ps20.org before Thursday's meeting.
Missing a jacket or a water bottle? Check the Lost and Found photos the school posted on Konstella on Friday and ask at the Main Office.
Looking Ahead
Math-A-Thon, Monday 11/9 to Monday 11/16. The PTA's STEAM Committee runs its annual Math-A-Thon for every student from 3K through grade 5. Register each child at ForOurSchool.org with school code 411826, and then, during the week, your child solves multiple-choice problems online (unlimited, untimed, with instant feedback) or on printed worksheets that teachers can provide. For 3K through grade 2 the problems follow the classroom curriculum; for grades 3 to 5 they match the question types on the state math exam, which makes it good spring-test practice. Children may work alone or with an adult, scrap paper is fine, calculators are not. The top solver in each grade wins an ice cream gift card, any class that solves 5,000 problems together earns a pizza party, and there are milestone prizes along the way. Families can also invite friends and relatives to sponsor the effort; every donation goes to the school's STEAM programs during and after school. Printed worksheets are due back to teachers by Tuesday 11/17. Rules and prizes are at ps20.org/mathathon.
Box Out Bullying, Monday 11/9. Also on Monday, the school counselors host two Box Out Bullying presentations, one for grades K to 2 and one for grades 3 to 5, on bystander empowerment, what bullying is and is not, empathy, and positive peer relationships. A good evening to ask your child what they heard.
Veterans Day, Wednesday 11/11. School is closed.
PTA General Meeting, Thursday 11/12, 6:00 to 7:00pm on Zoom. The November School and Families Meeting brings news from the principal, PTA committee updates, a budget review and time for questions. Everyone is welcome; the Zoom link is on Konstella, and questions for Ms. Blyden or the board can be sent ahead to board@ps20.org. The Konstella calendar also lists a Strategic Instructional Period information session for families on Tuesday 11/10 at 8:30am; watch for details from the school.
Student-led conferences, Thursday 11/19. Students are dismissed at 11:40am and conferences run on Zoom in the afternoon and evening, ten minutes each, with your child presenting their own work and goals, so they need to be at the meeting. Teachers posted sign-up sheets this week on each class's Konstella page. Families as Learning Partners follows on Friday 11/20 at 8:30am, per the Konstella calendar.
Thanksgiving recess, Thursday 11/26 and Friday 11/27. School is closed both days. The Konstella calendar lists an SLT meeting on Monday 11/23 at 4:30pm and a Chat and Chew with Ms. Blyden on Tuesday 11/24 at 9:00am. The next PROSE half day is Wednesday 12/9.
Lost and Found. The school photographed everything in the Lost and Found on Friday and posted the pictures on Konstella. If a jacket or water bottle went missing this fall, it is worth a look.
Full details, flyers and sign-ups are on Konstella; the calendar is always at ps20.org/calendar.
