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. 

REPOSTED ITEMS

Plan for Ramadan. Thanks to Sarah R and the MSA for coming up with this plan! Students in grades 6–12 will be able to join the Ramadan Club (prayer space) daily during 4th period in Room B49. To participate, the student leaders are asking that interested students:

• Attend a community norms–setting meeting this Tuesday, February 3rd, during high school lunch
• Complete the Google interest form

Since Ramadan begins during break, the Ramadan Club will officially run from Monday, February 23rd through March 19th. Students understand that the prayer space will only be available during 4th period (HS lunch) in line with Chancellor’s regulations. Interested students will sign in using the official UAI club attendance sheet, and the room will open at 11:30 a.m. for wudu and set-up. Room B49 works especially well for this purpose, as it has plenty of space and includes six sinks, so students won’t need to use the restrooms to make wudu.

Sarah R will serve as club advisor, and will be present in the prayer space daily. Ms. Sue, Ms. Mayisha, Ms. Fatima, and Ms. Phillan have also generously offered to help support when they are available, given the high level of student interest.

Prepping for Summer School.  It's that time again!  We are starting to launch our plans for Summer School.  If you are interested in working summer school, please email Annie and be specific about what you're interested in doing and how long you are interested in working (and yes, you can work in multiple roles and in both Summer Splash and Summer Regents prep)!  

Each summer, we have two separate programs:  Summer Splash and Summer Regents Prep.  In Summer Splash, we recruit teachers to teach their passion!  We look for folks who are excited about something - anything really - that will engage students and get them to learn in non-traditional ways.  Alongside completing required work for credit recovery, we offer explorations in art, music, history, and activism have peppered the program over the last few years. 

At the end of the summer, we pivot back to traditional studying for the August Regents exams.  

We are looking for

• Summer School Coordinator (2 Positions):  These two people would work collaboratively to recruit teachers and create, plan, and monitor summer programming for Summer Splash and Regents Prep (and Regents).  These two roles would be responsible for the day-to-day operations of summer school and would liaise with other summer programs to make sure all programs being hosted at UAI receive what they need and all programs run smoothly. Summer School Coordinators report to Annie (or building Admin if she is on vacation).

Students and Snacks. Across all grades the snacking is beginning to interfere with instructional time. This week on several occasions students were late to class (or using needing a snack as an excuse for lateness) and it's becoming problematic. We are asking that no snacks be given out or sold to students until 2:50pm. If a student is in dire need of food at any point, please reach out to the deans and they will support the student. Thank you for understanding. 

Food Pantry. We are still going strong! In order to keep the momentum going, we are still looking to stock our shelves with the following items.

• All non-perishable food items: Shelf-stable milk, flour, sugar and spices, coffee and tea, baby food, bouillon cubes, instant oats, instant mashed potatoes, etc. 

Student Profiles are visible in OASIS. Click here to view students' academic, attendance, schedule... you name it, it's here - this is your one stop shop for all student info!

Purchasing Requests. In an effort to better track and streamline purchasing, we ask that you fill in this form for all purchasing requests. You can find the form on our staff Google Classroom as well.

PER SESSION POSTINGS

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

Summer School.  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 PS46 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