Week of March 9th

UAI Staff News

Volume XII

Issue 23

March 10th, 2025

It's Daylight Savings and We're Springing Forward!  TBH, I was really hoping that abolishing daylight savings would have made it's way into the blizzard of insane executive orders in January.  I mean, if we're throwing around ideas like Gulf of America and Red, White, and Blue land...I really thought this one had a chance!  Alas - the idea is probably TOO sane, and thus, would never make it onto that agenda.

Regardless - here we are - an hour shier BUT big gains in PM sunshine. So, as the serial optimist in me demands, I turn to the positive in every situation - even the not-so wonderful ones.

So let's look ahead to the rest of this month...

• Women's History Month continues and the RPET and Student Activities folks are working hard behind the scenes to make incredibly enjoyable and memorable experiences for our young people!  Last week's Speaker Series with our very own School Safety Agent Level 3 McCrae was riveting!  She shared about herself and her pathway to joining School Safety after exploring careers in forensics and finance.  She was working in finance during 9/11 and spoke about being laid off shortly thereafter to find another opportunity in School Safety.  From one of the most horrific days in her life's journey to her amazing accomplishments and work in her role today, she shared an inspiring story showing our kids that even when things seem to be at their worst, opportunity can still knock and bring you into a future you never thought possible!  
  
  This week from Jade (Dawson), RPET student intern, we will hear from Jessica Robles, Vice President of Content Acquisitions at Paramount (her aunt!).  Please help us show our kids the amazing possible pathways that exist for them! Encourage them to join our Career Speakers Series on Thursdays!
  
  
• We are officially 11 days out from the first day of SPRING.  The year is rolling by quickly, and before we know it, we'll be celebrating the Class of 2025 and giving everyone high fives as we head out to enjoy the summer.  Time is moving quickly, and everyday matters!  There are only:
• 11 instructional days until the next Benchmark Week (April 2nd - 7th)
• 14 instructional days until the end of MP3 (MP3 Ends on April 4th, Grades due 4/9)
• 21 instructional days until P/SAT Day on April 23rd (10th & 11th graders only)
• 26 instructional days until the NYS Middle School ELA Exam (April 29th-30th)
• 31 instructional days until the NYS Middle School Math Exam (May 7th & 8th)
• 31 instructional days until the start of AP Exam Week (Starts May 7th)
• 53 instructional days until the first Regents Exam (June 10th)
  
  (hmm..that was meant to be a positive thing...but I think I may have just stressed myself (and maybe you) out.)
  
  
• School Visits Highlight Great Work!  We have upcoming school visits with The Rhode Island Department of Education and with Principals from around CUNY/UA who are visiting this week and next to learn more about the wonderful work we do.  Of course there are always going to be places where we need to grow and adapt, but we also are doing amazing things in instruction, teacher leadership, and new technologies.  
  
  

These days, there are so many pathways that lead to studying what's wrong and what's terrible in our world.  It means that we have to be disciplined and strong enough to make ourselves see the light. Every time something is hard (from something as small as losing an hour of sleep or something bigger), there is always a silver lining (like getting more sunshine into our afterwork day!).  Even in the classroom, when the most challenging students push your very last button, there will also be times that they dig deep and pull out the charm and make your day.  

In nature, things propagate themselves - plants make more plants, people make more people. I think this is also true with ideas.  Darkness propagates darkness and the light spreads light.  

So, for the next few weeks - I challenge you to take the bumps in the road and find ways to turn them into lessons for propelling you and your students towards your next, better future paths!

UPCOMING DATES

• Friday, 14MAR.  RIDE. (Rhode Island Dept. of Education) Visits UAI.
• Tuesday, 18MAR.  CUNY/Affinity Principal Visit to UAI
• Thursday, 20MAR.  Remote Parent Conferences 5-8PM
• Friday, 21MAR.  Remote day - all AM (8:30-11:50), PM Conferences 12:50-2:50 (remote)
• Tuesday, 25MAR.  2025-26 Student Course Selections Begin
• Saturday, 29MAR.  Project Prom Giveaway
• Monday, 31MAR. Observation of Eid al-Fitr - NO SCHOOL
  
  
  
• Wednesday 02APR.  Celebrating Arab Heritage Month & In-Person Conferences (per session)
• Wed 02APR - Mon 07APR.  HS Benchmark Week (No MS Benchmarks this round)
• Wed 02APR - Social Studies 
• Thu  03APR - Science
• Fri    04APR - Math
• Mon 07APR - ELA
  
• Friday, 04APR.  Senior "Slumber" Party.
• Monday, 07APR - MP4 (final marking period) begins
• Mon 14APR - Fri 18APR - Spring Break - No School

• Upcoming Staff Appreciation Dates
• 01APR-04APR - Paraprofessional Appreciation Week
• 21APR-25APR - Administrative Professionals Appreciation Week
• 28APR-02MAY - Assistant Principal Appreciation Week
• 05MAY-09MAY - Teacher Appreciation Week

TO DO THIS WEEK

Volunteer In-Person Conferences. All staff are invited to hold in-person conferences on April 2nd from 5-8PM in lieu of the remote conferences on March 20th.  These conferences will be per sessionable (teachers/staff will receive 3 hours of per session for the evening).  Those who are not joining on April 2nd will be expected to hold remote conferences from 5-8PM on March 20th.

So that I can track who is doing what - please take a minute to complete this form NOW ;-)

Monday PD and OPW Remote Time.  Please don't forget that on Monday, we're extending PD by 30minutes (because we shortened it last week) and we're moving OPW to after PD (and it will be remote).  So, please be on time to the farm at 3PM for our PD with Lynn Jeudy (from UA) and looking at strengthening our community and building our SEL practices.  PD will be from 3PM-4:30PM in the farm.

GAMA Synch.  Please make sure you have grades synching to GAMA.  Set a reminder on your calendar or phone to update your grades at least once every two weeks.  For this week in particular, please make sure families know if kids are missing assignments or assessments.  Don't forget to document your outreach in the outreach log.  There are only 4 weeks left in the marking period.  However, communication home is key to helping our kids stay on top of their work and studying.  We cannot do it alone, we need our families to help!  So use TeachHub and the Messenger App to send home messages or any other method that works best for you, but families need to be notified, and that has to be documented - particularly as we gear up for Spring Conferences.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Women's History Month Activities.  The RPET and Student Activities folks met last Tuesday to finalize Women's History Month Celebration Plans.  For me personally, I had a real proud mama moment as I watched a team of students and teachers work collaboratively to bring the celebration of the power and awesomeness of women alive for our community!  Here's what's on the docket
  
  
• Tuesday Craft Activities
• Tue 11MAR:  Friendship bracelet making
• 3rd Period with MS in Cafe with Freida and Fatima
• 4th Period with HS in 507/509 with Elena & Crystal
• Tue 18MAR:  Thank You Cards
• 3rd Period with MS in Cafe with Phillan and Sarah R
• 4th period with HS in 507/509 with Elena & Crystal
• Tue 25MAR:  Book Giveaway (Celebrating Female Authors)
• 3rd Period with MS in Cafe with Mike
• 4th Period with HS in Cafe with Elena & Crystal
  
  
• Thursday Career Speaker Series: MS will have speakers in classes (Mike & Phillan)
• Thu 13MAR:  Joanna Robles, VP of Content Acquisition at Paramount 
• 4th Pd Only in Room 507 with Kelly
• Thu 20MAR:  Still TBD (please reach out if you have ideas!)
• 4th Pd Only in Room 507 with Kelly
• Thu 27MAR:  Still TBD (please reach out if you have ideas!)
• 4th Pd Only in Room 507 with Kelly
  
  
• Friday Movie, Snacks & Pizza:  Six Triple Eight
• Fri 14MAR:  Continuing the Movie - Next Part
• 4th Pd Only in Room 507 (MS), 509 (HS), 511 (HS), 515 (Ramadan Rm) with Shan, Kiri, and we need two more folks to help out
• Fri 28MAR:  Continuing the Movie - Last Part
• 4th Pd Only in Room 507 (MS), 509 (HS), 511 (HS), 515 (Ramadan Rm) with Shan, Kiri, and we need two more folks to help out
  
  

• Ramadan Observances at UAI - 03MAR-28MAR
• Ramadan Continues.  Starting this week, students need to have parent permission to use the elevator and to miss class to observe Ramadan.  Students without permission will need to get that from their families before they can use the elevator or the Quiet Room.
  
  

• March Madness Observation Noticings.  You all are bringing it!  Over this past week I got to see
   
• Yasmeen and Laura facilitate their class in reading MLK Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, pushing their kids to first understand and hear Dr. King's message, but then look deeper at the literary tools he used to convey such a compelling and convincing message. 
  
  
• Shan's lesson on FDR, the New Deal, and his court-packing was incredibly powerful and the kids were challenged through a series of texts and political cartoons to use their understanding of a historical event to review and analyze what's happening before them today with the Trump administration.  Each of those kiddos had such interested points of view and Shan's lesson was constructed beautifully so that their thinking was the star!
  
  
• Amanda's expert implementation of Building Thinking Classroom Room strategies like Thin-Slicing let to an artfully constructed set of activities that gave kids choice, fostered collaboration & agency, and most importantly, fueled the desire for each individual student to want to understand how to solve the multi-step, complex and challenging Geometry problems.
  
  
• In Phillan & Fatima's 6th grade social studies class, kids passed judgment on a renegade from ancient Roman times during their mock trial.  Acting as roman magistrates, each student group worked collaboratively to weigh and analyze the evidence presented and each group ended up finding the person guilty of breaking Roman laws.  As is often the wont of kids, their punishments were stiff (yet in line with Romans at the time) - except for Irisel who wanted community service (my heart warmed).   Then when the secret identity was revealed  - the room shook with shock and awe!  OMG that was sooooo much fun.  And NO - I'm not going to reveal any spoilers.  You'll have to go talk to them!
  
  
• Finally, Marsha & Crystal conferenced their students on their AP Seminar Projects.   One student (Demi) shared with me her project idea around the negative impact of the invisibility of the neurodivergent.  She was so passionate and beautifully articulate in her sharing.  It was incredible to here, and it was super clear that the tools, support, and lessons that led up to my talk with her were artfully done to set this student up for success.
  
  
• So many amazing things are happening!  The other thing that I got to see is our attendance struggles. I did notice that kids respond incredibly well to each of their moves to welcome them in the room and get the situated into the work as they arrived.  That said to me that the relationships and care are central to the class and the kids feel seen!
  
  I think the next step is to share that care and concern with home.  When kids are late to your class, sure they may get a notice from the school, but they can't feel the care.  It is not the same.  During outreach this week, please make it a point to show how much you are concerned about the attendance of your kids to your 1st period classes.  Let's try to see if we all reach out with love and support if that would be the secret sauce to getting kids and getting our families to help our kids to get to school on time!
  
  
  
• March School Visits
• Friday 14MAR Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).   Members of the Rhode Island Department of Education will be visiting UAI to learn more about our work with Project Cafe.
  
  
• Tuesday 18MAR.  CUNY/AFFINITY Principals Visit. CUNY/Affinity Principals will be visiting our Math, Into Lit, AP African American Studies classes on 18MAR to learn more about our work in these spaces and to learn more about our work with Teacher Leadership, and Teacher Development.

PER SESSION POSTINGS

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

REPOST:  Summer School Planning is Starting.  Summer school planning is beginning.  We will not be hosting Girls Inc and DYCD summer camp this summer, and our students who need an all-day placement can register for DYCD programs at the Montauk School this summer.   

We are currently looking for folks who are interested in doing some enrichment work (6-12) this summer.  AND we will also have regents prep this summer.  If you are interested in working this summer, please complete THIS FORM no later than 14FEB.