Week of APRIL 27

                                                            

Volume: XIII

Issue: 34

April 27, 2026

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

As we head into this stretch of the school year, there are a few dynamics all hitting at once. The weather is getting warmer, we’ve just come off a full week of Mock Regents, and students are feeling it. Energy is up, focus is down, and that familiar spring restlessness is starting to show up in classrooms.

This is exactly the moment where structure matters most.

Our students don’t need less from us right now - they need more consistency, more clarity, and tighter routines. When things feel loose, behavior follows. When classrooms are predictable, purposeful, and well-paced, students settle in and rise to the expectations in front of them.

A few key reminders as we move through the coming week:

• Anchor every lesson in clear routines from the moment students enter the room
• Be explicit about expectations for behavior and work completion
• Keep students actively engaged - downtime is where we lose them fastest right now!!
• Follow through consistently - what we allow becomes the norm

Equally important right now is outreach to families. We cannot do this work in isolation. If a student is struggling, whether it be academically, behaviorally, or with attendance - reach out. A quick call or message home can reset expectations, build alignment, and remind students that the adults in their lives are on the same team. These touchpoints matter, especially at this point in the year when habits can start to slip.

We also have middle school state testing fast approaching! The habits we reinforce right now - focus, stamina, independence, and accountability, are the exact skills students will need to be successful. This is an opportunity to tighten our instructional moves and ensure students are truly doing the heavy lifting in our classrooms.

Mock Regents week took a lot out of everyone, and it’s natural for students to test boundaries on the other side of it. Our job is to hold the line - not with frustration, but with calm, steady consistency.

We are in the final stretch. Onward.

IMPORTANT DATES

• APR 29: Lockdown Drill - 10am
• APR 29: MS Showcase
• MAY 01: Commitment Day Celebration
• MAY 04-08: Teacher Appreciation Week!
• MAY 05-06: MS ELA State Exams
• MAY 12-13: MS MATH State Exam
• MAY 16: Hiring Fair and New Student Ice Cream Social

*All Student Engagement activities for the year will now be listed in this spreadsheet and on the UAI School Calendar! 

UPCOMING TRIPS

Trip Requests.  Here's the trip request protocol...

• Step 1:   Read the DOE FAQ on Field Trips
  https://infohub.nyced.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/faqs-regarding-school-trips.pdf
• Step 2:   Get Pre-Approval from Kiri 
  
• Step 3:  Complete the Trip Form (ALL TABS)
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U3i3fgENVCpX6MA51r_1jsmxVavRm12-oaB9ieiNA8Q/edit?usp=sharing
• Step 4:  Share form (anyone with link can view) with Kiri

Upcoming Trips:

APR 30: Senior Roller Skating Trip

MAY 08: Trout Release trip for 6th grade

TO DO THIS WEEK

Outreach & Tracking for MP4.  As a reminder, all of our marking periods have a fresh start for kids, and then their final grade for the year is an average of all 4 marking periods.  We are closely tracking kids who are in danger of failing for the year and either repeating the grade or attending summer school.  

• TO DO:  For each student who is danger of failing for the YEAR, you must engage in WEEKLY outreach to their families to give them regular updates on the students' attendance, participation, growth, and performance in your class.  That particular outreach must be tracked in the MP3 and Lowest Final Grades 25-26 Document.  All other outreach can be tracked in the usual UAI Outreach Log.
• Please request access to this doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KeYb12LFC71PGX_xn7hJuBIr9iE50O4wpLYDGgLwfQg/edit?usp=sharing

June Final Exams. We’ve updated the UAI Pacing Calendar to reflect changes caused by Regents Days on June 9 and 10. Below is the revised final exam schedule by content area. Teachers may choose whether or not to give a final exam. If you do, please administer it on the assigned date so students aren’t overloaded. All finals should fit within one class period, and there will be no modified schedule.

• June 5: ELA
• June 8: Science
• June 11: Social Studies
• June 12: Math & Breadth

UPCOMING TEST DATES.

NYESLAT - Speaking portion is on going starting April 27th, other sections will start week of May 4th or 11th

MS ELA - May 5-6 (for all students grades 6-8)

MS Math - May 12-13 (for grades 6-7)

AP Exams:

• Wednesday, May 6 - English Literature and Comp (AM Exam)        
• Thursday, May 7 - African American Studies (PM Exam)
• Thursday, May 7 - Statistics (PM Exam)
• Wednesday, May 13 - English Language and Composition (AM Exam)
• Friday, May 15 - Environmental Science (AM Exam)

Monday PD in Farm.  Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful engagement during Monday’s ELL professional development. Your collaboration and the insights captured in each group’s poster helped us surface a clear set of shared values and shape a cohesive framework for ELL-led meetings.

On Monday, teams will build on that work by digging into student data and adapting the framework to meet the specific strengths and needs of their student. The goal is to keep a shared structure while allowing each group to make intentional adjustments so meetings are both consistent and truly responsive to the individual learner.

Please bring your computer and low-inference notes on your student's strengths to the farm on Monday

Summer School Course Posting. Last call for summer school! If you are interested in teaching a Summer Splash course (July 13-30) or Regents Prep & Exams (August 3 - 20) email Shan & Patti ASAP.  If you want to be involved, but aren't sure what to teach, we are looking for someone to teach one section of of Foundations of Health 3+4. See Kelly's email from Friday for more info.

Week of APR 20

                                                           

Volume: XIII

Issue: 33

April 20, 2026

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

This week's message will be a short one - please keep a close eye on the necessary To Dos for this week listed below.

IMPORTANT DATES

• APR21: Future Ready Welcome ZOOM
• MAY 5-6: MS ELA State Exams
• MAY 12-13: MS MATH State Exam

*All Student Engagement activities for the year will now be listed in this spreadsheet and on the UAI School Calendar! 

UPCOMING TRIPS

Trip Requests.  Here's the trip request protocol...

• Step 1:   Read the DOE FAQ on Field Trips
  https://infohub.nyced.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/faqs-regarding-school-trips.pdf
• Step 2:   Get Pre-Approval from Kiri 
  
• Step 3:  Complete the Trip Form (ALL TABS)
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U3i3fgENVCpX6MA51r_1jsmxVavRm12-oaB9ieiNA8Q/edit?usp=sharing
• Step 4:  Share form (anyone with link can view) with Kiri

Upcoming Trips:

ON HOLD

TO DO THIS WEEK

Outreach & Tracking for MP4.  As a reminder, all of our marking periods have a fresh start for kids, and then their final grade for the year is an average of all 4 marking periods.  We are closely tracking kids who are in danger of failing for the year and either repeating the grade or attending summer school.  

• TO DO:  For each student who is danger of failing for the YEAR, you must engage in WEEKLY outreach to their families to give them regular updates on the students' attendance, participation, growth, and performance in your class.  That particular outreach must be tracked in the MP3 and Lowest Final Grades 25-26 Document.  All other outreach can be tracked in the usual UAI Outreach Log.
• Please request access to this doc: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KeYb12LFC71PGX_xn7hJuBIr9iE50O4wpLYDGgLwfQg/edit?usp=sharing

High School Mock Regents. This testing session is extremely important and gives us valuable information on student progress towards end of year course assessments. Please continue messaging your testing dates and exam formats to kids. You can see the teacher schedule in the master program under the tab “APR 2026 HS Benchmark”. Email Liza ASAP with any issues or questions.

There are no Middle School Benchmarks this round! 

All Benchmarks will be New Visions Regents Benchmarks!

Monday PD in Farm. This week is our first step in our SL-ENL conferencing cycle. Please be on time for 3pm!

Summer School Application. On March 25, NYCPS began accepting applications for summer staff roles for K–12. If you've expressed interest in working this summer, staff should apply through the Summer Online Application Tool by April 30. Note that applications submitted after the deadline will be marked late, waiving the applicant’s retention rights, where applicable. 

Week of APR 13

                                                           

Volume: XIII

Issue: 32

April 01, 2026

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

Welcome back from the Spring Break everyone!  I hope you were able to rest, recharge, and spend some solid quality you-time to celebrate our completion of the hardest lap of the year - that February-April break stretch through March! 

This last stretch of the year is all about circling the wagons to give our students the boost they need to finish strong. We know our classrooms are full of different stories right now: some kids have been cruising all year, others have fought hard to overcome hurdles, some are still stuck on that struggle bus, and a few haven’t quite found their rhythm yet. Regardless of where they’re at, this is our time to step up with the extra love, guidance, and support they need to stick their landings. Whether it’s challenging our high-flyers to push a little further, helping the resilient ones stay on track, or finding a way to help the struggling ones finally grab on, our goal is to make sure every single kiddo walks out the door proud of what they’ve accomplished. Let’s make these final weeks count by meeting them where they are and helping them end this chapter on a high note.

It's going to be a busy week and myself, Kiri, Yasmeen, Phillan and Amanda are in San Diego for the ASU-GSV conference. Please reach out to Kelly and Jen if there is anything you need, they are in charge and will be there to support. We will see you on Friday. 

IMPORTANT DATES

• APR14: Senior Luau Lunch Party
• APR18: Virtual Hiring Fair, 10am
• APR21: Future Ready Welcome ZOOM
• MAY 5-6: MS ELA State Exams
• MAY 12-13: MS MATH State Exam

*All Student Engagement activities for the year will now be listed in this spreadsheet and on the UAI School Calendar! 

UPCOMING TRIPS

Trip Requests.  Here's the trip request protocol...

• Step 1:   Read the DOE FAQ on Field Trips
  https://infohub.nyced.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/faqs-regarding-school-trips.pdf
• Step 2:   Get Pre-Approval from Kiri 
  
• Step 3:  Complete the Trip Form (ALL TABS)
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1U3i3fgENVCpX6MA51r_1jsmxVavRm12-oaB9ieiNA8Q/edit?usp=sharing
• Step 4:  Share form (anyone with link can view) with Kiri

Upcoming Trips:

ON HOLD

TO DO THIS WEEK

MP4 Outreach. It's time to turn up the outreach to families. If there is a student who may not pass your course it is mandatory that you speak with families and log your outreach. We cannot fail a student if we did not make successful contact with the family before the end of MP4. If there is a student who's family you cannot reach please email Annie, Kiri and Debbie so that we can support you. 

Budget Update. Heads up! We have officially spent our budget down to $0. We no longer have funds for supplies, food, clothing, trips, etc. and this includes SIPP reimbursements. Please keep this in mind as you plan ahead for the remaining few months of the school year.

IR Next Steps. Thanks to all who engaged in our last round of IR - I hope you were able to walk away with concrete next steps and a deeper understanding of teaching into our thinking routines. After the break, PAG (formally known as ILT) will begin giving quick competency based feedback to all teachers to support our push to teach students to internalize the routines. 

Summer School Application. On March 25, NYCPS began accepting applications for summer staff roles for K–12. If you've expressed interest in working this summer, staff should apply through the Summer Online Application Tool by April 30. Note that applications submitted after the deadline will be marked late, waiving the applicant’s retention rights, where applicable.