June 3, 2019

Dear Parents/Guardians:

In preparation for the coming of warm weather, P.S. 108Q students should continue to wear their school uniforms.  It is expected that students wear appropriate clothing to school, and we feel confident that we can rely on your assistance in this matter.  If your child comes to school inappropriately dressed you will be notified. 

Safety always remains a high priority at PS 108Q.  Please be aware that:

·         No tank tops, short skirts or short shorts.

·         No flip-flops, loose, backless sandals, or open toe shoes.  These types of shoes can be a tripping hazard. Closed shoes are recommended. 

·         No ripped jeans or jeans with cut outs.

·         Reminder: Students should never wear t-shirts containing offensive or sensitive wording or pictures

 Thank you for your cooperation.

 

Sincerely,                                                                                               

J. Iovine                                                                     

Principal

Dear Parents of Grade 3, 4 & 5:

 The NYS Math test will be taking place on: May 1^st & May 2^nd  - Wednesday and Thursday           

Please note the following:

• Students must come to school on time (8:00 am).  Latecomers will not be allowed into the classrooms.
• Your child must take all parts of the tests. Please make sure he/she comes to school all days.
• Please make sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a nourishing breakfast.
• Have your child bring two #2 pencils.
• If your child wears eyeglasses, please make sure they have them for the test.

 

We are confident that our children will do well on these assessments.  Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

 

PARENT LETTER #14 

March 29, 2019

 Dear Families: 

HIV/AIDS is one of the most serious health problems the world has ever faced. Advances in medicine have made tremendous strides in keeping people infected with HIV healthy for many years. Still, there is no cure, and education is the only way we can help our students protect themselves from becoming infected. The New York State Education Department and the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) each require that HIV/AIDS education be provided for all students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. To meet this challenge, the NYCDOE developed the developmentally and age-appropriate HIV/AIDS Curriculum for New York City students, which covers the topics listed below.

 

K	What Does It Mean to Be Healthy?	What Does It Mean to Be Sick?	How Do We Stay Healthy?	How Do People Get Sick? What is HIV? What is AIDS? *	Who Helps Us When We Are Sick?
1	How Can We Stay Healthy?	How Are Diseases Passed from One Person to Another?	What Are Viruses? How Do They Enter the Body to Cause Disease? *	How Do Our Bodies Fight Viruses? Why Can’t Our Bodies Fight HIV?	How Do Our Bodies Fight Viruses? Why Can’t Our Bodies Fight HIV?
2	What Are Some Healthy Choices Children Make?	What Happens When We Get Sick?	What Causes and Prevents the Spread of Illness? *	What is the Immune System’s Role in Fighting Illnesses? How Does HIV Affect the Immune System?	How Do People Feel When They Are Sick? How Do Other People Feel About Them?
3	How Do We Catch Germs That Make Us Sick?	How Does the Body Fight Disease?	How Does HIV Affect the Immune System?	What Are Healthy Choices That People Can Make? *	How Can We Get Help When We Have a Problem?
4	What Causes Disease? How Does the Immune System Protect the Body from Disease?	How Does the Body Fight Disease? How Does HIV Affect the Immune System?	What Are Common Myths and Facts About HIV Transmission?	How Can We Help Each Other Make Healthy Choices? *	How Can We Find Information and Help in the Community?
5	How Does the Body Protect Itself from Disease?	How Is HIV Transmitted?	How Can We Reduce Our Risk Behaviors? *	How Has HIV/AIDS Affected Society?	What Resources Provide HIV/AIDS Information and Help?

*Families may “opt out" of having their children receive these lessons on the topic of prevention.

 

As a parent or legal guardian, you have the right to excuse your child from certain HIV/AIDS lessons that teach about methods of HIV prevention. These “opt-out” prevention lessons are identified in the HIV/AIDS Curriculum, which is available online at:

 

https://www.weteachnyc.org/resources/resource/hivaids-curriculum-2012-edition/.

If you would like your child to be excused from attending these lessons, you must write a letter to your child’s school principal, stating the following:

 

·         Your child should not be in the classroom during the “opt out” prevention lesson

·         You will teach your child about prevention at home

·         The letter should be sent in to the main office no later than Thursday, April 18, 2019 as the lessons will begin immediately following Spring Recess.

 

Encourage your child to speak with you about HIV/AIDS. Doing so can help you reinforce your child’s awareness of how HIV is transmitted and present opportunities for you and your child to discuss important and effective ways to protect your child’s health and future.

 

If you have any questions regarding this program, call the main office of the school at

718-558-2700 to leave a message for your child’s gym teacher (Ms. Klein, Ms. Acquaviva, and Mr. Veltre).  They will return your call as soon as possible.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

J. Iovine

Principal

                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                 

 

 

Dear Parents of Grade 3, 4 & 5: 

The NYS ELA test will be taking place on: April 2^nd & 3^rd  -  Tuesday and Wednesday           

Please note the following:

• Students must come to school on time (8:00 am).  Latecomers will not be allowed into the classrooms.
• Your child must take all parts of the tests. Please make sure he/she comes to school all days.
• Please make sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a nourishing breakfast.
• Have your child bring two #2 pencils.
• If your child wears eyeglasses, please make sure they have them for the test. 

We are confident that our children will do well on these assessments.  Thank you for your continued support and cooperation

March 15, 2019 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This letter is to inform you of a situation that occurred today at approximately 12:35 pm.  While students were at recess, there was police activity off school grounds outside of the schoolyard.  School Safety and the lunchroom supervisors immediately escorted the students that were in the schoolyard into the building. 

As a matter of precaution administration called for a “shelter-in”, where students and staff had to remain in the building for a short duration of time.  There was no threat to students or staff at any time. 

Once the administration was notified by School Safety and the NYPD that the situation was resolved, the “shelter-in” was lifted and school resumed its normal operations.  Students and staff responded appropriately as this protocol has been rehearsed throughout the school year.  Safety is the number one priority and all procedures were followed.  We will continue to be vigilant when it comes to the safety of the students. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Esther Rosa, parent coordinator. 

Sincerely,  

J. Iovine

Principal

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

March 8, 2019 

Dear Parent/Guardian: 

On Thursday, March 14, 2019 at Parent / Teacher Conferences you will be asked to fill out a very important survey while you wait to see your child’s teacher.  This survey is administered by the Department of Education and each school’s survey results are used in determining the school’s “grade.”  

We sincerely urge you to participate in this survey because your feedback is extremely valuable to us.  By participating in this survey you will receive a raffle for a chance to win a visa gift card. 

We want to thank you for your participation and all of the support you have given to us.  We truly value you as part of the PS 108 family and we will remain devoted to providing your child with the best education possible. 

We look forward to seeing you! 

Thank You, 

J. Iovine

Principal 

February 7, 2019

Dear Parents/Guardians: 

February 11th through February 15^th has been designated as “Respect for All Week” in all of New York City public schools.  During this week, school communities will raise awareness of Respect for All, the Department of Education’s program to combat bullying and harassment on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or disability. “Respect for All Week” is a week of celebration of respect, kindness, diversity, difference, and tolerance. 

During the week we thought it would be interesting and fun to celebrate each day differently so…please see below a schedule of the week’s activities. 

DATE	WHAT TO WEAR / DO
Monday Feb 11th	WACKY SOCK DAY Let’s wear wacky socks to “SOCK IT” to bullying
Tuesday Feb 12th	GIVE-A-COMPLIMENT DAY Fill someone’s bucket (and your own) by giving compliments today!
Wednesday Feb 13th	SMILE DAY Wear your SMILE! Did you know smiles are contagious? Smile at someone and see if they smile back!
Thursday Feb 14th	RED DAY Wear red to make a stand against bullying!
Friday Feb 15th	NO ONE EATS ALONE DAY Sit with someone new at lunch/ make a new friend

 Here at P.S. 108, social emotional learning is an important initiative. We are committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment where all students feel valued and respected each and every day.  We look forward to highlighting student participation during “Respect for All” week.

 Sincerely, 

J. Iovine

Principal

December 4, 2019

Dear Parents/Guardians: 

After the recent completion of the annual School Construction Authority Building survey, it was determined that the exterior bricks are in need of repairs.  As a result, there has been some scaffolding placed on the sides and in the front of the building as a safety precaution while the work is being completed.  The expected completion of the work will be approximately one year.  At this time, it will not disrupt the regular school day activities or the arrival and dismissal procedures.  However, if there are any changes I will notify you immediately. 

Sincerely,  

J. Iovine

Principal

September 2018

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We know that it is very important for your child to be able to contact you especially if he/she walks to school or in the event of an emergency.  As a result, P.S. 108Q has instituted the following guidelines for students who have permission from their parents to bring their cell phones to school or other electronic devices to school.

• Cell phones/electronic devices may not be turned on or used while on school property which includes:

 

• During Instructional time (including tests, quizzes, etc)
• In the lunchroom
• In the bathroom
• During Afterschool programs
• During fire drills and other emergency preparedness exercises

• Cell phones/electronic devices should be turned off and stored in students’ backpacks while they are in the school building.

 

• Students must understand it is their responsibility to take care of their cell phones or other electronic devices.  P.S. 108Q is not responsible for lost or damaged cell phones/electronic devices.

 

• If students do not adhere to the above policies, cell phones/devices may be confiscated by staff members, held in the main office and parents will be contacted to pick up the phone.

 

Please take the time to discuss this information with your child and if you have any questions, please contact us.  We appreciate your cooperation with this matter. 

Thank you, 

J. Iovine

Principal

September 2018

 Dear Parents/Guardians:

 Safety is the number one priority for P.S. 108Q.  As you may know, we practice several “drills” throughout the school year in order to prepare for various emergencies should they occur. Staff instructs students to adhere to specific procedures for each type of drill.

 We want to assure parents that procedures are set in place for the safety of your children. We understand the concern of families regarding where there children will be in case of an emergency.  In the event of an evacuation where we need to vacate the premises, students will relocate to another location.

 

Students will relocate to the following sites:

Ø  Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Grade 1 classes will go to:

 

 PS 100

     111-11 118^th Street

         718-558-1510

 

Ø  Grade 2, Grade 3 and all Special Needs classes will go to:

 

 PS 62

                                                     97-25 108^th Street

                                                        718-286-4460

 

Ø  Grade 4 and Grade 5 classes will go to:

 

MS 137

                                                    109-15 98^th Street

                                                        718-659-0471

 

Classroom teachers will go with their classes to the relocation site. Each classroom teacher will have an “emergency red bag” which contains a copy of each student’s blue card.  I hope that there will never be a need to evacuate the building, but we want parents and guardians to feel secure in knowing we are prepared should an emergency arise.  As an aside, we noticed that some parents choose to take their children’s coats after dropping them off at school, which is perfectly fine.  However, please keep in mind this means that those children will not have coats during an evacuation.

 

In addition to our evacuation procedures, we practice other safety drills throughout the school year.

 

They are as follows:

·         Soft Lockdown Drills: this drill occurs when a hazard is found within the building, but there is no identified imminent danger. Students are instructed to move out of sight and remain silent during this drill.

·         Hard Lockdown Drills: this drill occurs when a hazard is found within the building and imminent danger is known. Students will follow same procedures listed in a soft lockdown.

·         Shelter-in Drills: this drill occurs when there is a hazard outside of the building. All activities within the building carry on as usual.

·         Shelter Drill: this drill is used to practice procedures in the event of a severe storm, tornado etc. Students move quietly into the hallway, move next to the wall, crouch down and cover their heads.

 

Please refer to this parent letter to familiarize yourselves with our emergency procedures and safety drills. This informative document will serve as an important resource for you throughout the entirety of the school year.

 

In the event of an emergency, families will also be notified through School Messenger.

 

As always, I thank you for your support and partnership in helping to keep our children safe.

 

Sincerely,

 

J. Iovine

Principal