From the Office of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE):
Dear Parent Leaders,
Click here to view a letter from the Chancellor
Thank you for your partnership over the last few weeks. We have a number of school communities in mourning, and our thoughts, prayers and support are with the families and communities that have experienced loss. We have all been asked to step-up during this crisis, and I am so proud of the resiliency that everyone has shown.
Below is our end-of-the-week wrap up, and you can expect this type of information to be shared via the PC Website:
Spring Break
In accordance with the Governor’s Executive Order, we will continue remote learning throughout the time originally scheduled for Spring Recess, Thursday, April 9 through Friday, April 17. We know that many New Yorkers plan to observe religious holidays on April 9 and 10. Any students and school staff who individually wish to celebrate those holidays may do so. However, these days will not be considered “days off” for the school system, and remote learning activities will continue for students who are not observing the holidays.
We will offer schools remote learning resources that focus on daily themes and enrichment activities for all students for April 9-17. Resources will include “theme” days (e.g., focus on wellness, world languages, computer science, arts, college readiness, etc.) as well as taking advantage of the unparalleled virtual educational and cultural resources right here in the city (museums, libraries, etc.). We are soliciting Spring Remote Learning ideas from parents, so if you have any recommendations around fun activities, please email educationcouncils@gmail.com by Monday, April 6th, 2020.
Meal Hubs
We are ensuring that every child in NYC has access to three meals a day through our grab-and-go meal hubs, and starting next week, we will be expanding meal access to adults. Meal hubs will be open Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 1:30pm across all of NYC. No registration, ID or documentation is required. All 3 meals can be picked up at the same time, and caregivers can pick up meals on behalf of their children. To find the meal hub location nearest to them, families can visit our website, or by texting FOOD or COMIDA to 877-877.
Social-Emotional Wellness
Last year, DOE announced our partnership with National University System’s Sanford Harmony program to provide all elementary schools with access to a social-emotional curriculum. During remote learning, Sanford Harmony is offering families access to Harmony at Home, an online toolkit that provides a variety of lessons, activities, and resources to help caregivers navigate the social and emotional needs of children during this difficult time.
Free Online Tutoring for Students
Through the New York Public Library, students can receive one-on-one free online homework help from one-on-one tutors, daily from 2–11 PM. Tutors are available in English and Spanish, from early elementary through high school grades, in core subject areas. Video content and other resources are also available 24 hours a day. Families will need a New York Library card to access this service, and can apply for a card here.
Electronic Devices and Information Packets
We are distributing 300,000 internet-ready Apple iPads to students in need of electronic devices to access remote learning. We distributed the first shipment of 25,000 iPads to students living in temporary housing, emergency shelters, youth shelters and foster care, and we are now delivering to high school students, focusing on delivery to high school students, focusing on multilingual learner students, students with disabilities, and students who live in public housing. Families can sign up to request an iPad here, and basic set-up information for those iPads can be found here.
We are mailing activity packets to families with children in grades Pre-K-5 who submitted the online request for an iPad. These packets include 10-days’ worth of lessons in different subjects. Families can also access material on the Activities for Students sections of this website.
PAs/PTAs Working Group
We are working with the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council (CPAC) to support PAs/PTAs across the city.
ZOOM
The DOE has received requests to credential Zoom for use by faculty, students, and service providers. The NYS Attorney General1 as well as the FBI have discovered security and privacy issues with the Zoom platform. Based on the FBI advisory and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Advisory, the lack of encryption at rest, reports of outside parties disrupting conferences, the DOE does not support the use of Zoom at this time. We understand that councils have been relying on Zoom to host their meetings, and we will be following-up with further guidance next week.
District Staff Highlight of the Week
District 7’s FLC Timothy Coleman has been organizing creative events for parents throughout the school year and he is continuing to innovate during remote learning. He’s started a weekly podcast series for parents, and he is planning to host a virtual multi-cultural festival for the district. If you want to learn more about the family support work in D7, or want to share words of encouragement, please reach out to him at tcoleman13@schools.nyc.gov.
In closing, thank you for your partnership during this challenging time. We wish you and your families a safe and enjoyable weekend.
Adrienne Austin, Esq.
Acting Deputy Chancellor
Division of Community Empowerment, Partnerships, and Communications
New York City Department of Education
52 Chambers Street | Room 320| NY, NY 10007
aaustin4@schools.nyc.gov | (212) 374-2486
Connect with us on schools.nyc.gov
