Week of JAN05

                                                           

Volume: XIII

Issue: 19

January 05, 2026

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

Welcome back, and Happy New Year! I hope everyone had the opportunity to rest, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends over the holiday break!

January is always a fast-paced month, but this year feels extra FAST. With benchmarks beginning THIS week, the marking period quickly coming to a close, and Regents week right around the corner, the weeks ahead will move quickly. While the calendar is full, this time is also incredibly important for setting the tone for student success during the remainder of the year.

These first few weeks back are critical for helping students reestablish routines, refocus on academic expectations, and get back into the groove of learning. Your intentional efforts to reinforce structure, consistency, and high expectations will help students remain engaged and motivated as they work toward finishing the marking period strong. This is also an ideal time to provide targeted feedback, review key concepts, and offer support to students who may need additional guidance before benchmarks and Regents exams. 

January will move quickly, but it also offers an opportunity to reset, refocus, and push toward strong outcomes. Let’s use this time intentionally to drive learning forward and ensure students are positioned to finish the marking period with purpose and success. And, heads up - MP2 ends JAN16 and grades will be due JAN21.

Looking forward to seeing you all and starting the new year off strong!

UPCOMING DATES

• JAN16: Pep Rally
• JAN16: Last Day of MP2
• JAN19: MLK Jr. Day 
• JAN20: 8th & 12th Grade Senior Portraits
• JAN26: Staff PD Day (no students)
• JAN27: First Day of Spring Term
• JAN30: Senior Slumber Party

*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:

JAN07: WBL Trip

JAN21: MS Snow tubing

FEB 12: HS Snow tubing

  

FUTURE READY HIGHLIGHTS

Upcoming FRNYC Events

WBL Career Exposure Trips. Through NYC Service's speed mentoring program, all students in the Career Explorations course will select one trip to attend. After learning about each field and connecting with current employees, students will receive 1:1 mentoring to discuss their post-secondary goals and backwards plan the steps needed to get there. We'll share trip lists once they are finalized!

• WBL trips this semester: January 7th

TO DO THIS WEEK

Monday PD - 3pm in Farm. Lynn Jeudy is back this week for our next PD in our SEL series. Please be in the farm ready to go by 3pm!

HS Benchmarks. Testing will happen during periods 1-2 on the following dates (EXT Time students continue testing during third period). See here for the schedule.

• Thursday JAN08: Math
• Friday JAN09: Science
• Monday JAN12: ELA
• Tuesday JAN13: Social Studies

MS Benchmarks & MAP Schedule.

• ELA MAP: JAN 7th-9th - Done during class time along with any make-ups
• MATH MAP: JAN 12th-13th - Done during class time along with any make-ups
• Math Benchmark: JAN14th - Benchmark schedule 
• ELA Benchmark: JAN 15th - Benchmark schedule
• Make Ups for both tests will be done on JAN 17th with Phillan proctoring 

Visit This Week. We're hosting the Minister of Education from the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday! They are interested in the work we're doing with UA around educational innovation, particularly our work with Project Cafe, Future Ready, and Counselor GPT (which is still in the early stages).  Mary Vaccaro, VP of Education at the UFT, is also joining to learn more about the work we do in these areas too!  

Purchasing Update. Over the break Kiri and I were able to complete the vast majority of purchasing requests. Some staff need to take further action in order for their request to be processed - if this is you, you would have (or will soon) receive an email outlining what we need from you in order to make your purchase. For all requests, we will also be sending you the completed PO for your purchases (some are still pending due to needing approval from Central). If you have questions about your request, please reach out.

Next SDC Meeting. Reminder! We will meet as a whole group on Jan 8th at 7:45am!