February 4, 2023
Dear PS68 Community:
Greetings!
I cannot believe it is February!!
In February we celebrate Black History Month. Please joins in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who have shaped our nation’s history and culture. The PS68 Social Justice Committee is excited to share the upcoming School-wide Black History Project.
Teachers will be allotted 2 teaching periods weekly during SEL to explore, discuss, and prepare for culminating projects.
Grade PreK-5 would explore different African Americans who have contributed to history across the various disciplines.
A periodic table of Black history is displayed in the hallway near Room 105. Students may use this chart as a resource of various people to research.
Categories include:
Actors/Artists/Writers/Athletes/Activists /
Musicians/Politicians/Filmmakers
Historical figures/Heroes and iconic leaders/Scientists and mathematicians
Culminating Projects may include:
Flip Grids about the person of choice
Poster boards and or collages
Crossword puzzles on Civil Rights
Word Search and Definition
Cut and Paste Timeline
Poems and or songs
Skits/short scripts
Please ask your child about these fun projects!
Our wellness committee is up and running led by Mr. Palacios. Be on the look-out for Yoga and Zumba classes after-school hours. February is also Heart Health Month, so please take care of yourself, eat healthily and exercise.
The week of February 13-17 is Respect for ALL Week! PS 68 and the NYCDOE is committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment that is free from harassment, intimidation and/or bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimination on account of actual or perceived race, color, age, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or weight. We are excited for this year’s Respect for All Week.
Here is our schedule of events and activities to celebrate. This year’s theme will focus on Digital Citizenship. Students will be provided with daily lessons and activities that reinforce aspects of digital citizenship, such as protecting private-information, cyberbullying, and being aware of our digital footprint. Each day will be a new theme that connects to the daily objective. Please see the schedule below.
I am so proud of our student’s council led by Ms. O’Grady. This year to make our student council more inclusive and responsive this year we ventured to create more of a Student Panel composed of 5th Grade presidential candidates, 4th Grade vice presidential candidates, as well as a lower grade representative from each of our classes. Our 4th and 5th grade candidates buddy up with the younger grade students and they meet with them prior to our monthly Student Council meetings. This has allowed for ALL students and groups in our school community to have a VOICE and a CHOICE in the daily routines, systems, structures, initiatives, and ultimately, the culture in our school. So far, we have had success with utilizing the feedback from our Student Panel to make our school a more equitable environment where students feel more seen and reflected each day.
To highlight a few successes, our 3K and Pre-K are now receiving ice cream every Friday, the cleanliness of our facilities has improved, initiatives for improving student attendance are being implemented, and we are beginning to plan activities for our Newcomer English Language Learner families to help them adjust to their new communities! We look forward to doing even more incredible things, as long as we do them TOGETHER! I just love it!!!
As always, PS68 is a wonderful environment, one that I am proud of, and you should be too.
Be well, stay safe and enjoy your weekend.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Scalfaro