UAI High School Newsletter for November 2014

UAI High School Parent Newsletter

Volume 2

Issue 3

November 2014

Announcements

Kiana, me, and Brittney
dress up for Halloween

Principal's Address.

In Halloweens of years past, our attendance has been traditionally very low.  This year, UAIHS celebrated the highest attendance rate on a Halloween in the history of the school!  This is strong indication that we are making large strides in reaching our attendance goals this year.  Together, we can make this goal a reality!  By getting closer to meeting our our attendance goal, we are also well on our way to achieving the rest of our academic and family engagement goals.  To learn more, visit HERE.

Olivia Hyman, Class of 2014

Celebrating our Alumni.  It's always a wonderful surprise when our UAI alumni come to visit.   Recently, Olivia who is currently enrolled at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology stopped by to visit teachers and staff.  During her visit, she shared the opportunities and experiences she's been having since graduating.  As one of only 2 females in her aeronautics program, she says she's having no problems "showing the boys what's what"!  In addition, Olivia has been selected for a highly competitive paid internship at NASA this upcoming summer.   Olivia is thrilled to be a strong, young woman of color thriving aeronautics and technology!  Congratulations Olivia, and we are so proud to highlight you as an exemplar alumni of UAI!

05Nov & 07 Nov were SLCs

SLCs were another wonderful success!  Over 120 family members joined our students as they discussed their learning thus far for the year.  Students walked family members through their work to date and helped them understand their strengths and weaknesses.  During these meetings, students set learning goals that they plan to achieve throughout the course of the term and year.  Parents expressed overwhelming satisfaction.  Not everyone got a chance to share their opinion, so please do let us know by clicking HERE if you haven't had an opportunity to do so already.

November Benchmarks are Tuesday, 24NOV14 and Wednesday, 25NOV14

November Benchmarks.  Next week will be our second round of benchmark testing to check up on our students' progress towards meeting Regents exam requirements.  Please make sure your daughters are well rested and ready for the exams.  Because these are benchmark exams for the end of the year, at this stage, she will not know everything that appears.  That's ok!  We're looking for growth and how much she has grown academically in each subject from September until now.   If we work together to help our young women try their best, we can only get the best outcomes!

SLT Parent Meetings.  The School Leadership Team met on Wednesday, November 12th.  The next meeting will be at 7:30AM on December 10th in the main office conference room.

Here are the Notes from November Meeting.

Members present were:
Kelly Demoncaco (Chair), Kiri Soares (Secretary), Elena Brollo (Time Keeper), Susan Johnson (parent), Nequan McLean (parent), Felicia Woods (parent)

Absent members were:
Donna Belgrave (PTA President), Keara Small (student, senior class president), Lucindia Lewis (student, junior class president)

Agenda and Minutes

• Report on Open School Night.  Ms. Kelly and Ms. Kiri reported back initial numbers on Open School night.  Ms. Kelly stated that middle school attendance was surprisingly lower than normal with about 40 parents coming to open school night and open school afternoon.  Mr. Mclean suggested that the switch from SLCs to a more traditional open forum parent conference evening may have been new to parents and thus, they weren't sure to come or wait for advisor outreach.  Ms. Kiri reported that the high school had well over 100 families participate in Student Led Conferences.  She also shared the preliminary results of a parent survey (CLICK HERE).

• Prose Schools.  Ms. Kiri shared that the Urban Assembly as a network is considering submitting an application to become a PROSE school.  As a group of like-minded schools, the UA is looking to continue working together as a network beyond the changes that are bound to come in the future with the Chancellor's reorganization of schools.  The SLT will consider the proposal once the UA has put forth an initial blanket idea for all the UA schools.

• School Quality Review.  Ms. Kiri also discussed the upcoming Quality Review for the school.  The school will have a quality review this year and we are currently preparing as a staff.  The SLT will continue to prepare for the review by reviewing the last review, the school's performance last year for both middle school (snapshot and quality guide) and high school (snapshot and quality guide).  In addition, the SLT should review the school's budget and school goals (2013-2014 CEP).

• Formalizing SLT Practices.  Ms. Johnson and Mr. Mclean raised the question of formalizing the UAI SLT practices.  There seemed to be some confusion about positions and historically, the SLT had been very informal.  The group agreed, and formally elected the following individuals to their positions:
  
  Kelly DeMonaco - SLT Chair will work with PTA president to set agendas and facilitate meetings
  Kiri Soares - SLT Secretary will take notes and publish to UAI community
  Elena Brollo - SLT Time keeper will keep the meeting on pace

• Items for next meeting.  The following items are already on the agenda for the next meeting:  Family Engagement, Quality Review, and CEP.  If you would like to see something added to the agenda, please reach out to Donna Belgrave at donlyance@optonline.net or Kelly DeMonaco at kellyd@uainstitute.org.

Upcoming PTA events

• High Benchmark Exams on 24NOV and 25NOV - Special Schedule and Early Dismissal
• PTA Dinner on Tuesday, December 9th.

UAI High School Newsletter October 2014

UAI High School Parent Newsletter

Volume 2

Issue 2

October 2014

Announcements

The Class of 2015 Kicks off the
School Year & Brooklyn Bridge Park

Principal's Address.

The start of this school year has been incredibly strong across the board.  Students, staff, and families have all expressed increased satisfaction with the environment and communications home.  This year we've introduced some new programs to compliment our existing systems.  Skedula has replaced JumpRope as our primary online communication system.  Now, families have direct access to student grades, comments, and daily attendance to all of their classes.  In addition, advisors call home each day to stay on top of students who arrive late or are absent. Finally, another successful curriculum night brought our students, staff, and families together to celebrate learning at UAI. 

Now that the introductory units are completed, all classes are in full swing with their curricular study. Learning Cultures formats are up and running, and students are increasing their skills and knowledge during lesson, work time choices, unison reading, shares, and conferences.   Teachers are using Skedula to post assignments and share grades.  Many students are already using PupilPath to stay on top of their grades and attendance.  In so doing, they are learning to take charge of their learning and are excelling at it!  If you haven't had a chance to sign up for PupilPath, please reach out to your child's advisor or our parent coordinator Ms. Carol.  Both can help you register and begin to receive your own daily updates on attendance and grades.

Next PTA Meeting and Student Led Conferences.  The next PTA meeting is on Tuesday, 14OCT14 at 6PM.  Please join us to learn about updates from our Executive Board on an incredibly successful first fundraising drive.  In addition, we'll be reviewing upcoming school events and goings on.  Our first round of Student Led Conferences will be on Wednesday, November 5th (from 5-8PM) and on Friday, November 7th (from 12-3PM).   Advisors will be calling to make appointments in about 2 weeks.  Reach out early if you need special appointment times.

1st Marking Period Progress Reports.  The first marking period ends on Friday, 17OCT14.  1st Marking Period Report Cards will be backpacked home with students on Friday, 22OCT14.  These progress reports give a snapshot of student progress.  They reflect both student achievements and highlight the areas that are in need of attention and thus have the greatest capacity for growth.  At UAI, we strive to make students in charge of their achievements and failures.  Their learning is a result of their own choices and efforts.  We aim to instill within our young students a growth mindset.  With these first progress reports, it's important to focus on the actions and choices that students can make to both keep the successful marks they achieved, and understand how they can look at the areas that need more work and develop the courage and resolve to attack their weaknesses and transform them into strengths and achievements.  So, the best way to support our students when they receive their 1st progress reports is to ask them what did they do to get the strong marks, and help them develop a plan to apply those lessons to their areas of weakness.

Attendance and Lateness. Through collective efforts of our students, advisors, and families, we've increased our average daily attendance from 88% to 92% for the month of September.  It's a strong improvement, but we can certainly do better.  Please help us reach our goal of 95% by making sure your child is in school everyday.  Ms. Haelin, our Carrera Treasure Academy Medical Advocate, can provide support for medical issues with your child.  Our parent coordinator, Ms. Carol, and all of our advisors can connect you with more of our school supports (school social workers, assistance with transportation, etc.) if you need additional support.  By making everyday attendance a priority, we can all reach the goal.  In addition, please remind your child to plan to arrive in time for breakfast at 7:50AM.  If she plans to arrive for breakfast, she'll have a buffer of time in case trains or buses have delays.  School starts at 8:20, and students should plan to arrive at 7:50.

October Dates

• Monday, 13OCT14. Columbus Day. NO SCHOOL.
• Tuesday, 14OCT14.  PTA Meeting.  The PTA will meet at 6PM.  The SLT will meet at 5PM.
• Wednesday, 15OCT14. PSAT Exam.  10th and 11th graders are taking the PSAT.  Please make sure that your child has had a good night's sleep on the 13th, and a solid breakfast.  Please make sure she arrive to school no later than 7:50AM.  Students who arrive after 9:30AM will not be allowed to take the exam.  There are no make-up days for the PSAT.  This is an important exam that is our first nationally normed indicator of college readiness.  Being on time and ready for this exam is extremely important!
• Friday, 17OCT14. End of 1st Marking Period. The first marking period ends.  Grades are due on Wednesday, 22OCT14, and progress reports will be backpacked home on Friday, 24OCT14.
• Friday, 24OCT14.  First High School Dance.  The Class of 2015 will be hosting our first dance of the year.   Tickets are on sale in the cafeteria during lunch time.  All students must have a high school ID to attend.  No bags are allowed.  Seniors must have 95% attendance to participate.
• Friday, 31OCT14. Halloween Spooktacular Assembly.  This month's assembly is celebrating the collective work of our students and Carrera Job Club with Mr. Ruben's amazing leadership and guidance in production of their very own movie, A Teenage Horror Story.  We will be having a full school assembly to premier the movie with our entire school after lunch on Friday.  After the movie, students will be dismissed directly from the assembly at 2PM.

UAI High School Newsletter September 2014

UAI High School Parent Newsletter

Volume 2

Issue 1

September 2014

Ms. Kiri and Class of 2015, Javeen Walker

High School Principals' Address.
Welcome back to the 2014-2015 school year!  It's hard to believe that we just wrapped up a wonderfully successful year just a few short months ago.

Last year ended with our 2nd graduation.  In June 83.6% of our seniors graduated and participated in our ceremonies at LIU's Kumbel theater.  By the end of this past summer, several more graduates completed their requirements, and in the end, UAI finished with a 90.9% graduation rate!  We are so proud of our young women.

All of our newest alumni are now on their way to (or have already enrolled in) college and those who are still working towards their diplomas are working along side us as we find the best resources to make sure they get to the finish line!

Looking forward to this year, UAI has a lot to be excited about.  The Class of 2015, our founding cohort the Carrera Treasure Academy, is already starting the year off strong.  This summer, our newest seniors had the opportunity to gear up for their senior year by visiting colleges, studying for the SAT, and working with our academic support team to refine their college essays.  We invite all our Class of 2015 parents to our first college night meeting on Wednesday, September 17th at 5:30PM for our Curriculum Night and Senior College Meeting.

The Class of 2016 is also starting off the year strong.  Having ended the year with student elections, the junior class president, Lucy Lewis, is addressing her class during the junior orientation on Thursday 04SEP14 at 8:30AM.  The juniors have a lot planned and are setting the bar for student involvement and student organization at UAI.  This summer, as our 4th cohort at NYU-Poly, our Class of 2016 got an early view on the college application process.  They interviewed with NYU-Poly staff to earn their spot in the UAI-NYU Poly Engineering courses for the fall.  Later this fall, they will have the opportunity to interview for acceptance into the spring courses for UAI-NYU Poly Engineering and UAI-NYU Poly Pre-Calculus.  For both our juniors and seniors, the road to college has already started, and we're cheering them on the entire way!

We welcome in our newest freshmen and  and welcome back our returning sophomores, the Classes of 2018 and 2017.   This year's sophomores were one of the most successful incoming classes ever to enroll at UAI.  Over 80% of the class earning their credits and passing their regents to promote to the next grade.  Transitioning from middle to high school is a difficult journey.  Our sophomores did it with style!  We look forward to them being positive peer role models for our newest students.

Attendance and Lateness

There's no argument when you look at the data.  Student who have strong attendance (they miss fewer than one day per month) are more likely to pass classes with higher grades, pass Regents exams, promote to the next grade, graduate, and get into the college of their choice.  From the perspective of a day here or there, it doesn't seem like much.  However, this year, every student who was mandated to summer school or is repeating the grade had attendance problems.  This year, UAI needs your help.  It's our mission to make sure that our students are "In it to WIN it!"  We are aiming to support every student in meeting the goal of having an average daily attendance of 95% or more.  That means we want our girls to miss no more than 8 days for the whole year!

It's important to start the year off right! Help us by getting the girls up and ready for school each morning and getting them out of the house to be at school by 8AM.  Start doing this on the first day of school.  Every day counts at UAI.  At UAI, we have a lot of different resources to support both students and their families in meeting our 95% goal. Do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need support in getting your teenager up, ready, and out of the door on time each day.  

September Dates

• Thursday, 04SEP14.  The First Day of School starts at 8:20AM.  Students should plan to report to the cafeteria at 8:00AM to receive their advisory assignments.  School programs and group assignments will be distributed during Advisory.  

• Friday, 12SEP14.  The Degrees of Reading Power Baseline Assessment.  This is our annual literacy assessment to measure student reading levels and need.  This is the first of three times that we give this test throughout the year.

• Tuesday, 23SEP14 and Wednesday, 24SEP14. High School Benchmark Assessments.  We measure student progress towards meeting Regents Exams requirements several times throughout the year.  This first test is only used to give us a starting point for each student so that we can measure growth at each subsequent testing.  Students are released early at 1:30 on both days to allow time for teachers to grade exams.

• Thursday, 25SEP14 and Friday, 26SEP14.  Rosh Hashanah, NO SCHOOL. These two days are school holidays.  There are no classes.  School resumes promptly at 8:20AM (remember breakfast starts at 8AM and students should aim to arrive no later than 8) on Monday, 29SEP14.

General School Supplies

These are classroom supplies for the grade team and are due to your daughter's advisor by Friday 12SEP14.  These links are to the supplies available at Staples.

• 1 ream of white copy paper 
• 1 ream of colored copy paper (student choice)
• 1 box of pens
• 1 box of #2 pencils
• 1 ream of College Ruled Filler Paper
• 3 marble composition notebooks

The following supplies are for individual student use

• 1 red pocket folder (to hold work to be handed in)
• Scientific Calculator or TI-83 Graphing Calculator [this calculator is optional]
• 3 binders with dividers
• 1 ream of College Ruled Filler Paper

UAI Newsletter Issue 2

UAI Parent Newsletter

Volume 1

Issue 2

May 1st, 2014

Principals' Address

From the Desks of Ms. Kelly & Ms. Kiri

APRIL is the cruelest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

                     - T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland

April may have lived up to its reputation, and, if it wasn't cruel, it sure was busy!  Assemblies, exams, more assemblies, and more exams - at least there was a vacation tucked in there...

After a restful Spring Break, students and staff returned relaxed and rejuvenated... which, due to the continued crazy testing scheduled ahead, is important!

We will have our annual Honor Roll Breakfast at the end of May to celebrate our Middle and High School students who maintained the highest Grade Point Averages at UAI.  We are excited to honor these students with their families as their work ethic inspires us!

As the weather gets warmer (hopefully!) we wanted to remind you of the school's dress code.  Shorts and skirts must come down to the knee.  No sleeveless shirts, spaghetti-strapped tanks, see-through shirts, or mid-riffs are allowed at school.  Please make sure that your daughter is properly attired before she leaves the house and we'll be sure to notify you if she changes once she leaves... :)

We wish all of our mother's and family-members that are caregivers a Happy Mother's Day - without your love and support your daughter's wouldn't be half as successful as they are.  Thank you and we hope you enjoy your special day.

We are coming to the end!  Please help to remind your daughters that these final months are important - this is when final projects will be due and final exams will happen.

UAI TEACHERS RAISING THE BAR:

11th grade Carrera teachers

Ms Shannon, Ms Marni, and Mr Ruben organized a two day college trip for 34 Juniors to visit SUNY Oswego, Syracuse University, and Hamilton College. Thank you Carrera teachers for your dedication to our students.

12th grade Mr Noam

In May, a number of our seniors will be taking the AP Calculus exam.  In addition to the AP Calculus class,  Mr Noam has dedicated most Saturdays from October to April providing additional support to students as they prepare to take the exam. Thank you!

Ms Del, Ms Nancy , and Ms Carol

April we celebrated professional administrator week. We are extremely fortunate to have three amazing women servicing the needs of our students, parents, and staff. Thank you ladies!

Ms Wendy

On Thursday, April 24th , Ms Wendy took a class of 8th grade students to visit NYU's campus.  The girls had an opportunity to speak with students and professors at the school.

      

REMINDERS:

Excellent attendance is statistically proven to be one of the most important components to a student's academic success.  Did you know that your child has to be absent only 10 times (or one day a month) in an academic school year to be considered Chronically Absent by the Department of Education?  Through research, students who are chronically absent are 20% less likely to graduate high school within 4 years.

As a parent,  there are a number of ways that you can help your child come to school everyday:

1. Talk to them about why they are not coming.  If there are issues with peers or other problems getting in their way, reach out to the school's counselor,  Ms Jen, or our Parent Coordinator,  Ms Carol

2.  Make all doctor's appointments and other obligations for after school. If an appointment must take place during the day, try to make it for the morning and have your daughter come to school late.

3.  Encourage great attendance with daily reminders and support in getting up and out of the house.

4.  Remember you are not alone.  Helping students get to school is everyone's responsibility.  If you need support or have some wonderful ideas on how to help other students struggling with attendance, we would love to hear from you.

All electronics need to be off and away during the course of the school day. Parent/Guardian will be expected to pick-up confiscated electronics after a students second offense. If for any reason you need to reach your daughter during the day, please call the schools main office for assistance.

IMPORTANT DATES:

April 30          PTA meeting 6:00pm (cafeteria)

April 30 thru May 2^nd   Grades 6^th thru 8  NYS Math Exam

May 3             Fostering Parent Leadership 2014 Spring Conferences for Public School Parents (see below for more information)

May 5-9          Middle School MOSL and DRP testing

May 6             Citywide Council for ELL and Special Education Calendar Meeting(see below)

May 9              Middle school early release  11:00 a.m. (6th thru 8th grade)
                        End of the fifth marking period

May 11            Happy Mothers Day

May 12            Final marking period begins

May 14            11th grade College Parent Meeting with Ms Nicia 5:00 p.m. cafeteria (all are       welcomed)
                        Spring Fest/ Dance Show PTA Spring Elections 6:00 p.m. UAI Gym

May 22             Middle/ High School Honor Roll Breakfast

May 26             Memorial Day No School


The NYCDOE & CEJ present Fostering parent Leadership for Student Success

High School Parents
 Saturday, May 3, 2014 8:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M.
 @
 High School of Fashion Industries
 225 West 24th Street
 Manhattan, NY 10011

Middle School Parents
Saturday, June 7, 2014 8:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M.
@
Van Siclen Community Middle School
800 Van Siclen Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11207

Free Breakfast, Free childcare (children5+)
On site interpretation is available upon request

Citywide Council for ELL and Citywide Council for Special Education

Welcome you to a joint Calendar Meeting
Tuesday, May 6 at  6:00 P.M.
Tweed Courthouse
52 Chambers Street, 2nd Floor

Guest Speaker: Nelson mar of Bronx Legal Services

APRIL STUDENT OF THE MONTH:

Congratulations to...

6^th  Shania Arias

7^th  Gabriella Hernandez

8^th Amaya Blake

9^th Shaunella Halley

10^th Joanna Bascillo

11^th Katelyn Jefferson

12^th Jackie Lazaro

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                

UAI Parent Newsletter

UAI Parent Newsletter

Volume 1

Issue 1

April 1st, 2014

Principals' Address

From the Desks of Ms. Kelly & Ms. Kiri

Happy Spring!  It’s been busy at UAI!  February ended with a fantastic celebration in honor of Black History Month. Our writing contest winners read their pieces and we had student performances. Additionally, we had a door-decorating contest that got all of the Advisories involved in celebrating African-American mathematicians, scientists, actors, singers, and civil rights leaders. Both events were successful and we are super- excited for March’s Women’s History month celebration and April’s poetry slam.

Thanks to all of the families that participated in this month’s PTA potluck- it was a lot of fun. We had a great turn-out and were able to honor our girls for their grades, attendance, and growth over the school year. Congratulations to all of the girls and their families that received awards! We look forward to doing this again!

Finally, testing season is approaching! The Middle School students will take their State exams in April and May. High School students will be taking the Regents in June. To help your daughter best prepare for these exams, please make sure that she gets a night’s sleep before the exam and send her off in the morning with a good breakfast!

Thanks so much for your support and enjoy the weather as it warms up!

UAI TEACHERS RAISING THE BAR:

Math Team

Our math teachers organized a day of fun activities, on 14 March, for the girls to celebrate Pi.

6^th/8^th Grade Team

On 19 March, 75 students along with a team of teachers watched a Brooklyn Nets game. 12 of our students went on the floor to welcome the Nets players to the court at halftime.

Ms Cindy/Ms Joanna

Their advisory won the middle school Black History Month door contest.

Ms Sarah

Her advisory won the high school Black History Month door contest.

Ms Colleen

Received a grant for our students to receive a free donation of books.  Students were able to select books for their home libraries.

Mr Ruben

He is currently preparing our girls for the world of work. Many high school students are in the process of interviewing for Carrera summer paid internships.

Mr Demetris

Our middle and high school students are participating in biweekly career and college exposure trips organized through his job club class. 

Ms Marianna

Is partnering with the NYU theater department to explore the various genres within theater. NYU students come in to the classroom each week and work with our students.

SPRING REMINDERS:

As we head into the warm weather, please help your daughter be mindful of UAI’s dress code policy. As a reminder, the school’s dress code is as followed: All shorts/skirts must reach the knee, no spaghetti straps, no bare midriffs or shear items, and no hats /scarfs (unless for religious purposes). Students out of dress code will be told to change prior to entering classes.

All electronics need to be off and away during the course of the school day. Parent/Guardian will be expected to pick-up confiscated electronics after a students second offense. If for any reason you need to reach your daughter during the day, please call the schools main office for assistance.

IMPORTANT DATES:

April 1                        Grades 6^th thru 8 NYS ELA Exam

April 2                        Grades 6^th thru 8 NYS ELA Exam

April 3                        Grades 6^th thru 8 NYS ELA Exam

April 3                        10^th Grade Builds Community and Conflict Resolution Skills Trip to Wagon Road

April 7                        Full staff PD students will be released at 2:40pm

April 14 -22   Spring recess school closed (students return Wednesday 4/23/14)

April 11          Deadline to submit PARENT SURVEYS

April 11          Teenage Horror Story (see below for more details)

April 11          Operation Prom Giveaway 12^th grade (students must register in advance) Please see Ms Doris or Ms Carol

April 28          Full staff PD students will be released at 2:40pm

April 30          PTA meeting 6:00pm (cafeteria)

April 30 thru May 2^nd   Grades 6^th thru 8  NYS Math Exam

Teenage Horror Story:

On Friday, April 11, Mr Ruben and the job club girls will be premiering their movie, A Teenage Horror Story.

                           At the High School for Young woman a dark and troubled past has given birth to a mysterious character that seeks revenge on all bullies. Sydney and Drew Roberts are sisters and the most popular girls in the school but all goes wrong when their friends mysteriously begin to disappear. Will they meet the same fate? Or can they unravel the mystery behind this Teenage Horror Story?

Tickets are on sale from Mr Ruben or Mr Chris.  Staff and Adults are $5 and student tickets are $3. The movie is premiering at the NYU Poly auditorium.

MARCH STUDENT OF THE MONTH:

Congratulations to...

6^th  Jaylyn Needham

7^th  Mia Green

8^th Mona Naser

9^th Dymon Guthrie

10^th Anisa Saigo

11^th Rashida Goodridge

12^th Tara Alexander