Urban Assembly Institute of Math & Science for Young Women
19 October 2026
School Leadership Message.
Between classroom visits this week, hallway chats during transitions, and seeing the ways our team consistently steps up to support each other, we're constantly reminded of how strong our community is.
Whether it’s the smiling faces and cross-grade cheering during the pep rally or the growing energy of students engaging with each other during lessons, the care we show one another is palpable. That sense of belonging is the bedrock of everything we do.
As we prepare for our upcoming Instructional Rounds, we have a powerful opportunity to build on this strong foundation. Our primary focus during rounds will be examining how we design and implement rigorous tasks so that students are doing the heavy lifting and thinking throughout the entire lesson.
A critical part of holding students to that cognitive heavy lifting is how they talk and process ideas together. Right now, classroom interactions can sometimes default to simple "turn-taking," where students share ideas sequentially rather than truly collaborating. To ensure the task's rigor translates into deep student thinking, we want to shift toward authentic dialogue where kids actively build on, reflect on, and challenge each other's ideas.
As we head into Instructional Rounds, we’ll be keeping this connection front and center by focusing on:
Rigorous Tasks: Crafting learning experiences that require authentic problem-solving and keep the cognitive burden on students.
Engaging & Higher-Order Questioning: Asking questions that force students to evaluate, defend, and refine their own thinking.
Structures for Engagement: Providing the routines and sentence stems kids need to build on a peer's point or respectfully push an idea further.
When we combine a supportive culture with rigorous task design and explicit structures for student thinking, our students develop the confidence and skills to tackle hard intellectual work together & independently.
We're looking forward to visiting classrooms together and learning alongside all of you during our upcoming rounds!
Upcoming Events.
See Master Calendar Here. Trips, assessment days, evening family events, student engagement activities and more.
- October 19: Instructional Rounds Group 1
- October 20: Uber Speed Networking Trip
- October 21: Trips to Javitz Center, Hamilton, and Kramer/Fauci Show & Instructional Rounds Group 2
- October 22: Instructional Rounds Group 3
- October 23: MS NMAI Trip
- October 26: Instructional Rounds Group 4
- October 27: Instructional Rounds Group 5 & District Math Visit
- October 28: Instructional Rounds Group 6
- October 29: Haunted House 3:30-5:30 & Family Evening Event 5-7pm (PTA meeting, RPET Community Building, Future Ready Induction & Literacy Workshop)
- October 30: Fright Fest Trip
- Transitions. We are working to fix the bells and will keep you posted. Please continue to be in your doorways during transitions! If kids have a pattern of lateness, the classroom teacher must call home to inform the parents.
- Monday PD. Our Monday PD (10/19) will start our ENL-Led Meeting cycles! Please bring your computer and be in the farm ASAP, we'll start at 2:55.
- Contracted OPW Time. Reminder - teachers must report to work by 7:50am on Monday's for OPW time. Paraprofessionals must report by 7:55am. If you are late, you will need to clock in. We have four more Monday's where OPW time can be remote: 30NOV26, 04JAN27, 22FEB27, 03MAY27.
- Course Grades. We are now over a month into the school year - every teacher should have at least two graded assignments or assessments entered into the DOE Grades (OASIS) system. Please reach out to your content team lead if you need support in entering grades. As a reminder, this year the expectation is that grades are entered at least every two weeks into DOE Grades, not Google Classroom. The reason for this is we need students and families to be able to track their own progress. Please help students learn how to check their grades - they can do so by logging into TeachHub or their NYCSA account.
- October 19 (Mon): Laura, Talia, Freida, Denyda, Tom
- October 21 (Wed): Judy, Yasmeen, Jake, Mike, Sarah R
- October 22 (Thurs): Marsha, Matt, Sue, Tom M, Sarah M
- October 26 (Mon): Phillan, Ascher, Thomas, Celeste, Fatima
- October 27 (Tues): Liza, Christina, Kat, Mayisha, Mary
- October 28 (Wed): Alison, Patricia Gy, Shan, Amanda, Rina
IEP Teacher Reports: Writing Present Levels of Performance (PLOPs) are a professional responsibility and must be completed by the assigned dates. They are essential for IEPs and support case managers in facilitating an engaging and meaningful meeting for students & their families. Please accept Mary's calendar invites to help you remember to do them. Monday OPW time could be a great time to get them done.
Operational Updates.
- Please see here for our 2026-27 Staff Directory.
- All purchase requests must be made through this form for this year! We have begun making purchases for items already requested!
School Culture Update.
Strengthening Family Partnerships: Literacy Night
As we continue strengthening our partnerships with families, I encourage all teachers to prioritize positive family phone calls this week and use these conversations as an opportunity to personally invite families to our upcoming Literacy Night, Thursday October 29th, 5:00pm-7:00pm.
Literacy Night is an opportunity for families to learn more about how we support students' reading and writing growth at UAI, including reading levels, intervention programs, and strategies to support literacy development at home. Families will also have an opportunity to participate in a book giveaway!
A personal invitation goes a long way! When families hear directly from their child's teacher, it reinforces that their presence and partnership matter. Let's be intentional about using our outreach this week to celebrate students, strengthen relationships with families, and encourage participation in this important event.
Professional Learning Opportunity: Tier 1 Restorative Justice Training
Building a positive school culture requires us to be intentional about strengthening relationships, building community, and supporting student accountability. Restorative practices are not about removing consequences or lowering expectations. They provide us with proactive strategies to build trust, foster belonging, and help students reflect, take responsibility, and repair harm.
As we continue strengthening our school culture, this training is an opportunity to develop practical strategies that support safe, connected, and accountable learning environments.
Training Details
In partnership with Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, this 25-hour training focuses on SEL, restorative practices, racial equity, and practical classroom applications.
Dates: November 9, 10, 16, 17 & 23
Time: 8:30 AM–2:30 PM
Benefits: CTLE credit and full curriculum kits
Interested in Participating?
Participation is limited, and we cannot accommodate all interested teachers at this time. Please email me directly to express your interest BEFORE registering. Once your participation is confirmed, you may complete the registration.
Register for Cohort 4 (Only after receiving confirmation.)
Family and Community Updates.
- SBRJC - see email for more info
- October 29 Event Support from 5-7.
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