Dear Families,
Due to some restrictions tomorrow, we’re sending out our weekly flyer a day early!
Continuing with our momentum of One Poco Night, on Tuesday morning, the entire school (through two separate assemblies) were treated to incredible multicultural dance performances by the Phyllis Rose Dance Company. The program, “Folk Dances from Around the World,” featured dances from Ghana, Puerto Rico, Spain, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, India, and more.
TOMORROW (FEB 3) IS “WEAR RED DAY”
In recognition of American Heart Month and to raise awareness of heart health, tomorrow is “Wear Red Day.” We just wanted to remind you!
TOMORROW’S (FEB 3) PTA-SPONSORED MOVIE NIGHT IS ON!
This Friday night is our first PTA-sponsored movie night of the year – Minions! A little frigid weather isn’t going to stop us! A flyer is attached with details. This is NOT a drop-off event – parents must accompany their children. There will be snacks for sale, but nothing that can create an expensive mess in our auditorium – please do NOT bring your own drinks or candy.
PARKING IS IN GATE 1 UPPPER LOT. ENTER THE SCHOOL THROUGH THE LOWER LOBBY BY THE KINDERGARTEN ROOMS. Handicap access is Gate 3 Lower Lot.
SHOWTIME: 6:00PM. Doors open at 5:30.
REPORT CARDS TO BE POSTED FRIDAY EVENING
Our 2nd quarter report cards for grades PK-8 should be posted to the parent portal by Friday evening, 6:00PM. It’s a busy week and we’re a small crew who get them ready, so we appreciate your patience.
JPK REGISTRATION FOR 2023-2024 – IT'S ALREADY TIME!
Registration for our full- day Junior Pre-Kindergarten (JPK) Program for the 2023-24 school year is open! In order to help us plan, we ask that if you have an eligible child, you register before FEBRUARY 28.
Eligibility for JPK (3s Program): Child must be 3 years of age on or before December 1, 2023.
Please use the link below to go to our District’s website to register.
· Tinyurl.com/PocanticoRegistration
Early Childhood programming provides opportunities to get to know the needs of children from an early age and allows us to improve student outcomes by teaching preschool students the school readiness skills that will help to ensure their success. These skills include social, self-regulation, numeracy, language, and early literacy skills. Early childhood programs also provide opportunities to support family engagement by strengthening parent-child relationships and supporting families in learning about their child's development. Most importantly, this will be a fun, engaging, and wonderful experience for your children, providing a strong educational foundation and a love of learning.
Our program's first year has already been extremely successful, with positive feedback from the community. Most importantly, our students are thriving and happy to come to school! We are excited to see what our second year has in store for us!
DID YOU SEE THE DISTRICT’S JANUARY DIGITAL NEWSLETTER?
The link to the district’s fabulous digital newsletter was emailed out recently. If you missed it, you can click here to read about all the exciting things going on at Pocantico.
ONE POCO NIGHT FEEDBACK
We’d still love to hear YOUR thoughts on One Poco Night, plus any new ideas, suggestions or enhancements you might have – here is a quick survey to share your thoughts with us!
https://forms.office.com/r/Zsu5zBfTsZ
BOOK DRIVE BEGINS
Do you have children’s books you no longer read and would like to donate to other children and classrooms? You can send them to school with your child - we have bins near the entrances. Thank you!
9TH ANNUAL OPERATION VALENTINE – FEBRUARY 9
Create Valentine cards for the senior citizens who are residents of the Atria in Briarcliff. This initiative is supported by our Student Government and the PTA. Please see the attached flyer for more details and ways to support and contribute!
NYSSMA SOLO FESTIVALS – POCO STUDENTS WANTED!
In class, Mr. Murray and Mrs. DePaola introduced the students to the spring adjudication festivals sponsored by NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association). If your child is studying privately and/or has and interest, please reach out to Mrs. DePaola (sdepaola@pocanticohills.org) by FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17. There are registration deadlines.
DID YOU MISS THE MOVIE SCREENING OF “LIKE”?
Last week we posted a link to a January 31st viewing of a movie about the challenges of navigating and balancing the effects of social media on our lives. If you missed it, it’s not too late - Those wishing to share the film with family and friends, view again, or simply check out the resources included on the dashboard... Please copy and paste the following link into your browser:
https://watch.eventive.org/like/play/63d99e9f32dc0500630a56f9
You have these resources available to you through the end of the day on Friday, February 3.
UPCOMING EVENTS AT ROCKEFELLER
If you’re interested, we’ve attached the February calendar of events being hosted at Rockefeller Park, including several fun kid-friendly activities!
COVID HOME TEST KITS STILL AVAILABLE
There is still plenty of general winter sickness around us, especially coming off of the holiday break. Please pay extra close attention to symptoms of flu or COVID, and If you’re in need of COVID home test kits, even if just to have in your closet, please reach out to Nurse Juliet and we can send home some boxes in your child’s backpack. We have plenty to share with you.
DIGITAL EQUITY SURVEY
If you haven’t participated yet, the New York State Education Department is still asking parents/guardians to complete a Digital Equity Survey (*for each student in the family*) in grades Kindergarten - Grade 12. This survey will provide information on student access to devices and internet access at home. To access this survey, log onto the eSchoolData Parent Portal and follow these instructions. Please complete one survey for each child in the family and make sure to answer every question in the survey. Click here for information from the New York State Department of Education regarding this survey. Thank you.
Sunday, February 5, marks the date of the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival. To all our families who celebrate, please share photos with me!
Enjoy the weekend and stay warm!
Adam
