What a night it was! Graduation brought the Class of 2021 together for the first time in 15 months. It was a glorious celebration of the students’ achievement. I was unprepared for how emotional I would be seeing everyone together again. I know that many others shared that sentiment. I am proud to share with you Sebastian Merkatz and Ushoshi Das’ graduation speeches.
We are very close — but still have a busy week ahead.
RETURNING MATERIALS AND IPADS
Students should bring back all of their textbooks, borrowed books, library books, and other materials on their in-person day during the week of June 21st.
Students with MS54 iPads should bring those in no later than Friday, June 25th. Please remember to bring your charger as well. If students have a DOE iPad, they may keep those.
Students must return all their materials before receiving their diploma.
SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS: Summer assignments and the reading list are posted here.
SAVING WORK: Seventh graders are encouraged to keep some examples of GRADED work, so that they will have it for their high school portfolios.
EIGHTH GRADE INFORMATION
June 21st and June 22nd: Last day of regular schedule.
June 23rd: Algebra Regents
Arrival: 8:45AM: BRING YOUR GRAPHING CALCULATOR!
Exam Begins: 9:00AM
After a minimum of 1 ½ hours of testing, students may self-dismiss if they have a permission slip. These were sent via Jupiter on June 14th.
They are expected to go directly home to prepare for the Earth Science Exam.
Students who are present in school, but not taking the exam will be covered by other teachers and will have online work to do. Dismissal for them is at 1PM.
June 24th: Earth Science Regents
Arrival: 8:45AM
Exam Begins: 9:00AM
After a minimum of 1 ½ hours of testing, students may self-dismiss if they have a permission slip. These were sent via Jupiter on June 14th.
GRADES
Final report cards will be available for viewing on your NYC Student Account on June 23rd.
We release them a few days before the final day of school so that if there are errors, you can inform the teachers and get those corrected before the teachers leave for the summer.
Regents Exam grades will not be visible until the following week. It is imperative that you email the teachers immediately if you have questions about the grades. This should not wait until September. If you would like the exam score removed from your child’s transcript, please complete this form by July 6, 2021.
The DOE has given parents the flexibility of changing a final average from a passing numeric average to a PASS. If, for example, your child has received a 73 as a final grade (year-end grade) in science, and you want to change that to a final grade of a P, you may request that change be made. In order to request the change, the final average must be 65 or higher. Parents who want a grade changed to a PASS, should complete this form by July 2nd.
Eighth Grade Yearbook Signing Event!
On Thursday, June 24, eighth graders are invited to hang out after their Regents exam for ice cream and yearbook signing in the courtyard. For once no one will shoo you home!
Date: Thursday, June 24 Time: 10:30 am - 1:00 pm Location: Flagpole Courtyard Activities: Ice cream eating + yearbook signing
Thank you to all the teachers, staff, administrators, and parents who made this year's graduation possible. We had the most spectacular event on the most beautiful day in the most stunning setting. And a TREMENDOUS thank you to Dr. Elster for shepherding us through this challenging year with the utmost pragmatism, determination and humor.
The school store is now closed for the summer. All orders already placed must be picked up by Wednesday, June 23 from the 108th Street lobby. Any items that don't get retrieved will be stored in the PTA closet at the school for the summer and can be picked up in September.
ALL NYC public school families, regardless of their income, will receive up to $1,320 per child on their P-EBT cards this summer to help cover the cost of missed school meals while students learned remotely. The amount of the benefit will depend on how many days of school a student attended in-person versus online. Learn more HERE.
The Sixth Grade Community Service Club raised over $300 at their bake sale last weekend! And they even got a write-up in the West Side Rag. :) Proceeds will be donated to the West Side Campaign Against Hunger. Congratulations to our community-minded students — we are so proud of your efforts!
Join the 7th grade end-of-this-crazy-year outing! Date: Saturday, June 19th Time: Start at 1pm Location: Great Hill in Central Park Activities: Every family going should bring: food & drink to share, picnic blankets & stuff to play with (balls, frisbees, kites, etc.)
Please SIGN UP so that we can have a sense of who's coming.
This is your last chance to contribute to the End-of-Year Thank You gifts for MS54 faculty, staff, and administration! Participating in the collection is digital, anonymous, and completely optional. All donations will be pooled and distributed to the entire school team by the PTA Executive Board. Any amount you wish to give is very much appreciated! You must make your donation by Sunday, June 20th.
Here’s how:
Choose your PTA executive board collection liaison by payment platform and/or grade. If you have more than one student, feel free to make a single contribution.
Include a memo or note with your contribution indicating that this is for the "MS54 Year-End Thank You”.
It’s that easy! Please email co-presidents@ms54pta.org with any questions. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Thank you to all the parent leaders, advocates, class parents, volunteers, donors, and participants who made the best possible lemonade from the lemons we were given. Our community came together in so many new and brilliant ways, giving us hope, connection, and laughter when we needed it most. We are so grateful each of you! Here's a look back at some of our many accomplishments.
To celebrate Pride Month, the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) prepared a slide show for teachers to share with their classes this week. In addition, GSA will be hosting a Pride mask decorating activity after school next week.
June has also been designated as Immigrant Heritage month. With so many New Yorkers being the descendants of immigrants or a recent immigrant, Immigrant Heritage month is the perfect time to explore our family’s legacies and the heritage of other people that make up our diverse city. The Immigrant Learning Center lists 47 books about immigrants and immigration for all ages.
If listening to storytelling is more appealing to you, NPR’s new audio-visual series, “Where We Come From”, which debuted on June 1st, features family histories of immigrants of color. The series, developed by Anjuli Sastry who is of south Indian descent, centers the voices of immigrants through intergenerational conversations on the complexities of being an immigrant of color.
The Equity Team hosted its final meeting of the school year on Tuesday, June 15th to review activities and insights from the past year, and to brainstorm goals for next year. Please check out the collaborative slide deck, including group-sourced ideas for next year.
School's almost out, but Wellness is always in! Many thanks to our amazing community for your commitment to the physical, social, and emotional wellness of everyone in our school during one of the most challenging years in our lives.
Are you thinking about Wellness activities for the summer and upcoming school year? Contact Alison Gardy at wellness@ms54pta.org with your ideas and questions. Visit Wellness Committee - MS54 BOOKER T. WASHINGTON to check out the archive of Wellness Meeting summaries over the past year. Wishing you all a healthy, healing, happy summer!
7th Grade End-of-Year Outing Saturday, June 19, 2021 @ 1:00 pm
Location: Great Hill in Central Park
Activities: Every family going should bring: food & drink to share, picnic blankets & stuff to play with (balls, frisbees, kites, etc.) Please SIGN UP so that we can have a sense of who's coming.
8th Grade Yearbook Signing Event Thursday, June 24, 2021 from 10:30 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Flagpole Courtyard
Schedule for Final Week of School Monday, June 21st: 7A Cohort – Field Day and Final In-Person Day Tuesday, June 22nd: 6B Final In-Person Day Wednesday, June 23rd: 7C Cohort – Field Day and Final In-Person Day (Algebra Regents and diploma pick-up) Thursday, June 24th: 6E Final In-Person Day (Earth Science Regents and diploma pick-up) Friday, June 25: Last day of school!
D3 Cafe with Superintendent Christine Loughlin Monday, June 21, 2021 @ 4pm Zoom link (need to enter Passcode)
Meeting ID: 377 751 6647
Passcode: 063260
Students Speak with Secretary Cardona Thursday, June 24, 2021 @ 7 - 8pm
The first part of this Chalkbeat event will feature student panelists from Michigan, New York, and Tennessee, who will talk candidly about how the pandemic changed their learning experiences over the last year. Following the student panel, Sarah Darville, Chalkbeat’s national managing editor, will interview Secretary Cardona about the reopening of schools and other big topics that have emerged this school year, such as racism and how history is taught. RSVP to this free event.
