Week of March 09

                                                          

Volume: XIII

Issue: 27

March 9, 2026

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

As of last week, our student daily attendance has dropped to 85.6% (we ended last year just short of 90% ADA attendance). While it's certainly true that the harsh winter has played a role, this dip is significant and it requires our collective urgency.

More than half of our students are currently performing below grade level in math and literacy. That reality alone demands consistent, high-quality instruction every single day. We cannot accelerate learning, close gaps, or prepare students for Regents and postsecondary success if they are not physically present to engage in the work. When attendance drops, the students who are already furthest from grade-level expectations fall even further behind.

When students are not in the building, they miss far more than content. They miss discussion, relationships, routines, feedback, and the daily momentum that drives growth. Attendance is directly tied to academic outcomes, confidence, and belonging. Every missed day compounds unfinished learning. Every absence widens gaps in foundational skills. Especially at this point in the year, daily presence matters. We are in a stretch where routines should be tight, instruction should be building cumulatively, and students should be strengthening stamina. Kids cannot do that from home. 

So now we all must play a role in getting students back through our doors!

Here are a few immediate actions we must all take:

• Tight outreach: If a student is absent more than once this week, reach out. A quick call, message, or note home reinforces that they were missed and that their presence matters.

• Make the return seamless: When students come back after multiple absences, greet them intentionally and provide a clear, manageable plan to get back on track. Overwhelm can quickly turn into avoidance.

• Leverage relationships: Check in with students who have had patterns of absence. Sometimes a small barrier - transportation, morning routines, sibling care - can be addressed when surfaced early.

• Elevate the importance of showing up: Continue reinforcing with students that attendance is not optional to their success. Our tone can be warm and firm at the same time.

As we think about rigor, power, equity, and joy, attendance sits at the center. Equity means ensuring students have consistent access to strong instruction. Rigor requires practice and presence. Joy and community cannot happen if seats are empty.

Let’s recommit to the simple but powerful message: We notice when you’re not here. You matter. We need you in the building!!!

Thank you for the urgency and care you bring to this work every day.

IMPORTANT DATES

• MAR03-31: Women's History Month Speaker Series begins (every Tuesday in March)
• MAR13: HS Sneaker Ball
• MAR18: PTCs evening (in-person)
• MAR19: PTCs half-day
• MAR20: Schools Closed Eid al-Fitr
• MAR25: SAT/PSAT Day
• MAR27: MS Sneaker Ball

*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:

MAR11: Girls Inc FRNYC Trip

MAR25: Senior to Trampoline Park

Check out our lunch time RJ Circlekeeping Club (Wednesdays 4th period)!

 

TO DO THIS WEEK

Complete your Preference Sheet. It's that time again. Please take a few minutes to submit your preference sheet for the 2026-27 school year.  The form is due at 3PM on Friday 13MAR.  As a reminder, you are submitting your preferences for your placement for next school year.  Preferences do not guarantee placement. One of the things that makes the best match is teacher preference, so we prioritize matching folks to their choices as much as possible! That said, there are times when we cannot match everyone to their first choice. So, many thanks and appreciation in advance for your understanding!

Pi Day. This week we celebrate the most irrational number we know and love - π (3.14… and it just keeps going!).  To celebrate, on Friday, March 13 we will be hosting the following activities for all students during their lunch periods:

• Pi Digit Challenge - How many numbers of π can a student remember? They’ll earn one raffle ticket for every five digits recited correctly. The more they know, the better their odds. Raffle prize is a gift card!
• Pi Pancakes - Annie and Jen will be flipping pancakes in honor of the day. Because what’s Pi Day without something round and delicious?

In honor of the day, here’s a classic to share with kids - they won't think it's cheesy at all:

Why should you never argue with π?

Because it just keeps going in circles.

Outreach & Conferences. Please make sure to begin announce that we will be having in-person conferences and dinner together on the 18th from 5-8PM.  Dinner will be available from 5:30-7:00 and families will be able to meet with teachers at any time between 5-7:30PM.  We'll use the last 30min of the evening to come together to do clean up of the evening. Teachers and families will have the option to break off to conference spaces in the cafe like last year or, if needed, private breakout rooms in the first floor offices and classrooms will be available for staff and families to conference in quiet spaces.

Prioritize students who are not yet hitting to 80% mark in your classes! Please record your outreach in the outreach log!

P/SATs. 10th and 11th graders will be taking the P/SATs on Wednesday, March 25th. Teacher schedules and student lists are HERE (you'll need to request access). Please reach out to Liza if you see any errors or have questions!

• 8/9th graders will head to the farm for a pre-college activity - they will then head out on a college trip. 
• All 12th graders will be out on a trip to a trampoline park.

Women's History Month Celebrations. Lots of activities are planned during lunch periods for this month! See below for those dates:

• 10MAR - Women's History Month Speaker Series #1 - Room 305        
• 13MAR - Women's History Month Movie Series - Room 509                         
• 13MAR - HIGH SCHOOL SNEAKER BALL - Cafeteria, 7-10PM
• 17MAR - Women's History Month Speaker Series #4 - Room 305              
• 18MAR - Women's History Month Movie Series - Room 509
• 24MAR - Women's History Month Speaker Series #5 - Room 305                                 
• 27MAR - MIDDLE SCHOOL SNEAKER BALL - Cafeteria, 4-6PM
• 31MAR - Women's History Month Speaker Series #6 - Room 305

Ramadan Plan. If you are interested in volunteering to support our Ramadan plan, please reach out to Kiri.  We're looking for 1-2 folks to support our RPET and MSA students organizations in running this space as needed for the next two weeks from 1-1:30PM everyday for the next two weeks.  RPET and MSA students who have Learning Lab during this time are welcome to help, too - but only during Learning Lab (not intervention or pull out times). Kids have to submit their permission slips by the end of today, so we'll have a list to you all by Monday announcements of the families who have asked for a Religious Intervention for their students.

Next IR Groups.  Below is the updated schedule for this cycle.

12MAR26 - Denyda, Yasmeen, Celeste, Laura, Shan, Matt, Thomas, Tom W, Adele, Tashaun

18MAR26 - Sue, Jasmine, Mary, Mike, Sarah R, Mahjabeen, Tom M, Meg, Bryanna

24MAR26 - Roger, Elena, Sarah M, Jake, Alison, Fatima, Mayisha, Juelle, Marie

TBD Rescheduled Teachers:  Camryn, Noelle

Week of March 02

                                                            

Volume: XIII

Issue: 26

March 2, 2026

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

Happy Women’s History Month!

Last week, we closed out Black History Month with a bang. Our annual Black History Month Extravaganza was nothing short of powerful - a beautiful reflection of the brilliance, creativity, scholarship, and JOY that live in our community every day. Thank you to everyone who planned, organized, performed, supported behind the scenes, and showed up fully to make the event such a success. It was a reminder that celebration is not separate from learning - it is learning. It is identity-affirming, community-building, and deeply aligned to who we are as a school.

As we step into Women’s History Month, especially in a space dedicated to educating and empowering young women, we have another opportunity to be intentional. This month is not just about highlighting notable figures, but about helping our students see themselves in the legacy of women who have shaped movements, industries, sciences, arts, and communities. It’s about reinforcing that their voices, intellect, and leadership matter right now, not someday.

Let’s continue to create classrooms where rigor and joy coexist, where identity are honored, and where students are challenged to think critically about history, power, and progress. These months of celebration are powerful, but the daily work we do to center equity and cultivate student thinking is what sustains that power.

  

 

IMPORTANT DATES

• MAR03-31: Women's History Month Speaker Series begins (every Tuesday in March)
• MAR05-06: Peer Mediation training
• MAR13: HS Sneaker Ball
• MAR18: PTCs evening (in-person)
• MAR19: PTCs half-day
• MAR20: Schools Closed Eid al-Fitr
• MAR25: SAT/PSAT Day
• MAR27: MS Sneaker Ball

*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:

MAR04: 7th grade to Hamilton!

MAR05: Women's Empowerment Summit trip

MAR05: Museum of Art & Design Trip

MAR11: Girls Inc FRNYC Trip

Check out some photos from our 7th Grade trip to the Teconic Outdoor Education Center!.

 

 

TO DO THIS WEEK

Women's History Month Celebrations. Lots of activities are planned for the month! See the flyer below for more info.

Next IR Groups. Our next round of IR starts this week! In this cycle, we will continue our focus on strengthening support for our special populations. We will center our work on deepening our instructional routines- shifting them from being viewed as isolated tasks to being used as purposeful tools that drive student thinking and learning. Below is the schedule.

• FRI 06MAR Rd 1:  Facilitators - Marsha & Annie
  IR Group: Camryn, Martine & JRob, Laura, Sophia, Amanda & Brett
  - Class Visits - These are the classrooms we'll be visiting!
        2nd Pd:  (1) Jasmine & Sue, (2) Yasmeen, Celeste, & Laura, (3) Shan
        3rd Pd: (4) Matt & Thomas, (5) Tom W
• THU 12MAR Rd 2:  Facilitators - Liza & Phillan
  IR Group: Jasmine, Sue, Yasmeen, Celeste, Shan, Matt, Thomas, & Tom W
  - Class Visits - These are the classrooms we'll be visiting!
        2nd Pd:  Camryn, Martine & JRob, Marsha, Laura, Sophia, Amanda & Brett
• WED 18MAR - Rd 3:  Groups and Classes Still TBD
• THU 26MAR - Rd 4: Groups and Classes Still TBD

Student Program Clarification. The two large topics that are coming up are: 8th period classes (typically PE) and regents prep. Here are the FAQs that I've heard a few times, and their accompanying answers (so you can help the deans/counselors and me help students understand!) 

• Q: Why do I have two PE classes? 
• A: The second PE is listed as an 8th period, and it is a functional code. Their teachers need that for something they have to do... it is not something the student needs to worry about. 
• Q: Why am I in _____ regents prep now? 
• A: Regents prep is aligned with the regents that they are taking in June this year. For most students, it is now based on the regents based course that they are in. 

P/SATs. 10th and 11th graders will be taking the P/SATs on Wednesday, March 25th. Teacher schedules and student lists will be ready by March 6th. 

• All 8/9th graders will be arriving at 10:30a and will head to the farm for a pre-college activity - they will then head out on a college trip. 
• All 12th graders will be out on a trip to a trampoline park.

RJ Circlekeeping: RPET students are leading weekly circles with icebreakers and getting to know you games the next three Wednesdays: March 4, 11, and 18, 4th period in room 409. Snacks will be provided! If students would like to join, meet in the cafeteria at 11:20 and Sue will bring them upstairs. Please share with students!

Peer Mediation is Starting! Thanks to Sue and the RPET team for getting this up and running! The flyer below will be posted around the building so that students can access this resource when they're in conflict - please do promote this tool! We will experience bumps and learn a lot in the process but are excited to have our youth leaders mediate and offer more peer-to-peer support. Students can request peer mediations and staff can suggest them as a means to resolving conflict.  

Week of Feb 23

                                                            

Volume: XIII

Issue: 25

February 23, 2026

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you all had an amazing, restful, and well-deserved winter break. Whether you traveled, spent time with family, caught up on sleep, or simply enjoyed a slower pace, I hope you were able to recharge. Returning from break can sometimes feel like a whirlwind as we shift back into routines, but this is a fresh start and a great opportunity to reset our focus and energy for the weeks ahead.

Now for some exciting news - we officially have a FULL (old school) SNOW DAY tomorrow, meaning no remote responsibilities tomorrow!!! Enjoy the rare gift of a true snow day. Though the State requires us to have 180 school days, the Mayor has been granted a waiver to allow for this off day, so you and our kids can fully unplug and enjoy the day without worry. 

This week, as we step back into our work together, we also close out Black History Month. I hope you had meaningful moments throughout the month to reflect, learn, and celebrate the rich history, achievements, resilience, and contributions of Black leaders, innovators, artists, scholars, and change-makers - both past and present. While the month may be coming to an end, the importance of honoring and uplifting Black history and voices continues all year long. Let’s carry that spirit of awareness, appreciation, and learning forward in our classrooms and community.

Please take the time to rest, have some fun, and stay safe and warm. Good luck to those who will need to shovel! See you all soon, refreshed and ready to go.

UPCOMING DATES

• FEB26: Black History Month Extravaganza
• FEB27: Black History Month Pep Rally
• MAR03: Women's History Month Speaker Series begins during 3rd period
• MAR05-06: Peer Mediation training

*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:

FEB25-27: 7th grade overnight trip to Taconic Outdoor Education Center 

MAR04: 7th grade to Hamilton!

MAR05: Women's Empowerment Summit trip

TO DO THIS WEEK

Prepare for Possible Remote day Tuesday. They're saying anything is possible with this storm... To prepare please be ready to do the following:

• Link your Google Classroom Invite Link.  Copy each google class invite link in case kids have not yet joined!

• For those who may not be familiar with how to get the link...

• Open your Google Classroom, click on the 3 dots in the box with your Google Classroom Code
• Select Copy Class Invite Link 

• Paste that Invite Link Into the Letter to Families. 
  Copy those links and link them to your courses on the Pivot to Remote Plan (Tab: Google Classroom Links)
• For those who may not be familiar with how to make links in a doc...
• Highlight the name of your class
• Click the Link Button (see upper right corner of this screen shot)
• Paste link to Classroom In the pop-up box and click Apply

If we do go remote on Tuesday, by 8:30AM Tues AM...you need to

• Post assignments and learning resources in all of your Google Classrooms
• Post attendance form to your Google Classrooms.  Everyone should post it, but students only need to complete it once
• Assignments should take no longer that 20 minutes to complete (at least for General Educ kids), and should be due at 2:50PM.  Please do allow extended time deadlines for our students with IEPs and our ENL students.
• These assignments are progress grades.  

Then, Join Office Hours on Tuesday at the Assigned Time

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81765931467
Password:  UAIZOOM

• 9:00-10AM- Breadth Teachers  - PE, Health, FRNYC, Spanish, Theater, Art
• Elena, Tom M, Noelle, Meg, Patti, Roger
• 10:00-11AM - English Teachers 
• Marsha, Laura, Sarah M, Celeste, Yasmeen, Sophia K.,
• 11:00-12PM - Math Teacher
• Judy, Amanda, Sue, Jasmine, Brett
• 12:00-1PM - Science Teachers 
• Liza, Tom W, Camryn, Thomas & Matt
• 1:00-2:00PM - Social Studies Teachers
• Kelly, JRob, Jake, Shan, Mayisha, Phillan, Mary
• 1:50-2:50PM - Middle School Teachers
• Phillan, Fatima, Alison, Denyda, Mahjabeen,  Sarah R, Mike
• Paraprofessionals should reach out to their students individually and help them join the zooms if needed
• Marie, Bryanna, Juelle, Jordan, Adelle

SST and Admin will be calling students starting at 10am to check in if they haven't completed the attendance form.

Stay tuned for more announcements in the morning announcements.

Black History Month Celebrations. This week the UAI BHM celebration continues - honoring the brilliance, resilience, and contributions of Black leaders, artists, thinkers, and change-makers past and present. 

Black History Month Extravaganza

• February 26^th in the cafeteria
• Performances by Girl's Inc & Cheer & ELA poetry contest kids with galleries of student work from African History, AP African American Studies, & Art classes (maybe more - working with other staff still)
• Unveiling of UAI student quilt

Pep Rally

• Friday, February 27^th at 2pm

RJ Circlekeeping. This new initiative is a pilot led by a small group of RPET students who are participating in additional restorative justice programs beyond UAI. These students will apply what they’ve been learning—particularly around community building and circle practices—by launching the initiative with our 8th and 9th grade students. A maximum of 10 students from each of these grades can participate. We will begin during 4th period lunch on Wednesday, February 11 (location TBD), with additional dates to follow. Any staff members who would like to join (no preparation required; maximum fun!) are welcome, and any students who you think would benefit from this initiative please speak with individually and let Sue know. Kids will be collected from the cafeteria and join in room 409.