Week of Sep 15

 

                                                          

Volume: XIII

Issue: 4

September 15, 2025

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

What a great first full week back at school! It is incredibly exciting to walk through our halls and see classrooms alive with energy, focus, and learning. There’s a real buzz in the air - students are engaged, hands are raised, and meaningful learning is happening everywhere you look. In Mike's room, kids are in book clubs, excitedly discussing chapters from their Track Series books. Meg's students are drawing with sharpies and using watercolor as an intro to their art class, and 6th grade math students are figuring out the area of parallelograms with Denyda and Freida...all without the distraction of cell phones - it's a beautiful thing.

It’s also a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. Your dedication, creativity, and passion are creating environments where students feel safe, challenged, and inspired. I am excited for the weeks ahead. Thank you for making our school such a vibrant place to learn and grow... And remember, this week is Spirit Week (see flyer below for details)!

UPCOMING DATES

• MON 15SEP25 - Hispanic Heritage Month Begins  
• MON 15SEP25 - Start of Spirit Week! See below for info!
• TUE 16SEP25 - IT Professional Appreciation Day - Let's ALL Celebrate Jason!
• TUE & WED, 23-24SEP25 - Rosh Hashanah - NO SCHOOL 
• THU 25SEP25 - Curriculum Night 5PM-8PM

• WED 01OCT25 - National Building Custodians' Day
• THU 02OCT25 - Yom Kippur - No School
• MON 13OCT25 - Indigenous People's Day/Italian Heritage Day
• WED 15OCT25 - School Based Support Team Appreciation Day (Psych, Soc Worker, Fam Worker, OT/PT)
• MON 20OCT25 - Diwali - No School
• FRI 31OCT25 - Halloween

*All Student Engagement activities for the year will now be listed in this spreadsheet and on the UAI School Calendar! Thanks to Shan, Jen, Sue and the RPET team for bring our community to life through their planning of these events.

UPCOMING TRIPS

Planning a Trip? - If you are planning a trip for September, please make sure to complete this

Hamilton - Thursday, Oct 30th

Fall College Trips: Seniors will have first priority, however the trips are also open to juniors.

September:

• Thursday 9/18 - Fordham University, 12pm
• Thursday 9/25 - Brooklyn College, 12pm
• Tuesday 9/3 0- SUNY College Fair, 9am

October:

• Thursday 10/9 - UFT College & Career Fair, 10 am
• Thursday 10/23 - Queens College, 10am
• Tuesday 10/28 - Lehman College, 11am

TO DO THIS WEEK

FutureReadyNYC. As a reminder, we are a proud FutureReady school starting this year! This allows us to  integrate the best of college and career preparation to successfully launch students into strong careers in high-wage, high-demand sectors. Participating in this program allows us to help students develop financial literacy, participate in career-connected coursework, work experiences, early college credit and/or an industry valued credential, and receive personalized career advising to prepare for rewarding careers. Currently, all 9th grade and many 10th grade students are enrolled in the foundation course for the pathway. Stay tuned for more info in the coming weeks.

PROJECT CAFE PLUG. Project Cafe is an AI-powered, video-based teacher development tool that is designed to be used by teachers and FOR teachers to improve their own instructional practice. You can learn more about Project Cafe Here. Folks who piloted Project Cafe last year (Marsha, Yasmeen, Patricia, Kelly, Phillan, Fatima, Denyda, Freida, Liza, Thomas, Tom W, Camryn (and the residents!), and Judy!) are great people to talk to hear about their experiences and learn more from those in the know!

EQUITY TEAM PLUG. Our RPET (Restorative Practices and Equity Team) will start meeting this week on Wednesday, 9/17, at 3pm in room 403. We'll start with an ice breaker, talk about last year's work and end of year survey, and discuss goals for this coming year. If you'd like to attend regular meetings but can't make this week please check in with Sue. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, October 1. Everyone is invited and persession will be paid!  

CLUBS START THIS WEEK. If you are interested in running a before/after school club (per session) or a lunch club/activity (per diem), please complete the form below.   Clubs and Activities MUST have a minimum of 10 students regularly participating in order to be sustained.  You will need to submit attendance sheets with your per session sheets to show evidence of participation.  The following clubs have been approved.  Teachers need to recruit for their own clubs.  Kiri will be asking for club rosters by 30SEP.  There needs to be a reliable list of at least 10 kids for you to continue the club for the fall.  Per session is approved for 15-30 SEP, but to continue, you must submit your roster with the 30SEP per session period submission. 

For these approved clubs/student activities, please create a flier which lists:  The name of the club, your name, the day and time of club sessions and an overview of what kids can expect to be doing during the club and send to Jen ASAP!

• National Honor Society - Amanda
• Dance - Denyda
• JV Cheer - Denyda
• Double Dutch - Denyda
• MSA - Muslim Student Association - Elena
• Youth Leadership Council - Kelly
• Varsity Cheer - Mary
• Engineering Design Club - Matt
• Art Club - Meg
• Theater Production - Noelle
• HS GSA - Gay Straight Alliance - Noelle
• STEAM Club - Sarah R
• Farm 2 Table - Sarah R
• Events and Adventures in NYC - Sarah R
• Book Club - Pauline
• RPET - Restorative Practices and Equity Team - Sue
• Student Government/Activities - Shan & Jen
• Running Club - Camryn
• Yoga/Mindfulness Club - Sarah M

REPOST  - Curriculum Night. We have Curriculum Night for all grades on September 25th, in-person from 5-8pm. We will be providing dinner for families and staff in the cafeteria with tables for fun activities. This time will be used for families to speak to individual teachers about what to expect for this year. Teachers should prepare a course syllabus with dates of major assessments for the year and be prepared to talk through the syllabus with families. Please reach out to your ILT lead with questions about what the syllabus should look like!

REPOST  - Student Program Changes. If you notice any errors in student schedules, please submit the requested changes through the "Student Schedule Change Request" google form here. This helps Liza keep track of what has already been changed as the schedule shifts around! 

PER SESSION POSTINGS

FOR ALL PER SESSION JOBS:  You must apply by completing THIS FORM

NEW POSTING. Restorative Justice Coordinator. The School Based-Restorative Justice Coordinator position is designed to allow each selected school to have ONE staff member take on a leadership role in Restorative Practices Implementation at your school.   Please complete THIS FORM no later than 3PM on 15SEP25.  See here for the posting.

NEW POSTING. Project Cafe. We're offering folks per session to join in on the training and relaunch of Project Cafe for the 2025-26 school year (17SEP25).  If you are interested in joining in Year 2 of Project Cafe (all are welcome), please complete this form

Operations Team Support.  Are you interested in supporting the school in school programming, procurement and organization, facilities management, and other administrative tasks that make our school go round.  Please complete THIS FORM no later than 3PM on 15SEP25.  Three positions available - programmer, purchasing support (must be willing to move boxes), and payroll support.  Hours are flexible as to need.