2020-2021 Parent Handbook

All visitors must show proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination to enter a DOE school building. Visitors do not include students attending school or school related activities in a DOE school building.

Acceptable proof of vaccination is one of the following:

• A CDC Vaccination Card(Open external link); a photo or photocopy is also acceptable.
• A NYC Vaccination Record(Open external link) or other official immunization record from within or outside the US, including from a health care provider. A photo or photocopy of this card is also acceptable.
• NYC COVID Safe App on Android(Open external link) or iOS(Open external link).
• Excelsior Pass or Excelsior Pass Plus(Open external link).
• DOE COVID-19 Vaccine Portal(Open external link).

• Daily Health Screener:
  • No longer required to enter school buildings 

Attendance every day is required for students’ academic success. Perfect attendance is the goal. Having 90% attendance means a student is missing 18+ days over a school year—a month of instruction. With regular attendance, students learn the skills and habits to succeed in their academic and social lives.

NY State regulations require schools to maintain records that verify student attendance. Attendance must be recorded daily. 

School Attendance Philosophy  

We at 196WBMS feel that every learning period of every day is significant in our student’s education.  Whether a student is learning remotely or in person we feel that student participation is vital to student success.  Therefore, attendance is considered an important part of student education and absences are detrimental to effective learning.

Attendance Policy

• Students must report to school on their scheduled learning day unless they are sick.
• A letter or written excuse from a doctor is needed upon return to school.
• An excused absence is still considered an absence and will be noted as such in the student’s record.
• A student whose attendance rate is less than 90% is considered chronically absent.

Excused Absences Include:

• Temporary illness, injury or death in the family
• Quarantine under the direction of a health official.
• Medical appointments
• Participation in religious observances.
• Approved absence from school by an administrator.

Student academic achievement is based on mastery of the common core learning standards and New York State (NYS) Learning Standards for each subject.  These standards address the skills and concepts that are needed for successful performance in all grades.

Assignments, tests, projects, classroom activities, and other instructional activities will be designed so that the student’s performance indicates the level of mastery of the Common Core or NYS standards.  The student’s mastery level of these standards will then be reflected in their classroom scores and report card grades.

Subjects that will be graded are Language Arts (reading, literature, oral language, writing, handwriting, spelling), Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, Technology and Art. 

Achievement grades should be fairly determined from a wide variety of information, which could include student performance on daily assignments/homework, tests, special projects, class participation, attendance and effort. Prior to instruction, students should be informed of the class expectations, and the teacher must be prepared to document and explain how grades are determined.

Grading on the Report Card – Kindergarten to 1st Grade

For the 2022-2023 school year, P.S 196 will be scoring grades K-1 based on a scale of E through U on student report cards. The scale is as follows:

E= Excellent 
G= Good 
S = Satisfactory 
N = Needs Improvement 
U = Unsatisfactory 

Grading Scale in Class – 2nd to 5th Grade

At P.S 196, we will be scoring assignments, tests, quizzes and homework based on a scale of A through F. Where A, B, C and D are passing scores and an F represents a failing score.

A= On or above grade level
B= Meeting grade level
C= Partially meeting grade level
D= Below Grade Level
F= Far below grade level/Failing

Number scores will be used to calculate the letter grade that a child receives.

A+=97 to 100
A= 93 to 96
A- = 90 to 93
B+=87 to 89
B= 83 to 86
B- = 80 to 83
C+=77 to 79
C= 73 to 76
C- = 70 to 73
D+=67 to 69
D= 63 to 66
D- = 60 to 63
F= Below 60

Grading Guidelines

Teachers are encouraged to have many grades in order to allow students the chance to show mastery of the core standards.

Student mastery of subjects may be assessed in many ways.  It is not necessary to receive a grade for every paper produced. Teachers will provide feedback for their assignments and activities; however, this does not always need to be in the form of a grade.

Examinations will be a key way in which teachers evaluate student understanding of the core standards. Types of examinations that may be counted toward the final grade include:

•     Announced Quizzes
•     Unannounced Quizzes
•     District/State Tests
•     End of Chapter Assessments
•     End of Unit Assessments
•     Projects
•     Teacher Created Tests /Quizzes
•     Performance Tasks

Performance assessments and daily activities will be used to assess mastery of the Common Core Standards. These include, but are not limited to:

•     Classroom Participation
•     Classroom Discussions
•     Oral responses
•     Written Responses
•     Experiments
•     Teacher Observation
•     Research Projects
•     Checklist of Skills
•     Portfolios
•     Enrichment
•     Projects
•     Class Activities
•     Exit slips
•     Quick checks

Rubrics 

Rubrics will be given out along with assigned writing pieces and special projects.  These rubrics will explain what the task is, how to complete the task and how it will be scored.  Rubrics are given to students as a tool to guide them in completing their writing pieces.  The rubric for any given writing assignment will be reviewed in class with the students.  This will give them a better understanding of what is expected of them.

Breakdown of Student Scores

Report card grades will be calculated using the following breakdown:

Classwork and Class Projects – 20%
Class Participation – 10%
Homework & Home Projects – 10%
Formal Assessments (tests & quizzes) – 50%
Attendance – 10%

Homework Grades

Homework is an effective tool in teaching responsibility, study habits and skills. It is an extension of the child’s school day and allows the home to be involved in the student’s academic success. Homework should be purposeful, age appropriate, and related to what your child learned during the school day.  Homework should be a review of the work previously taught. No new skills will be assigned.

The following shows how much time your child should be spending on homework each night.

Kindergarten and 1st grade:                15-20 minutes
Grade 2:                                                        20-30 minutes
Grade 3 and 4:                                            30-40 minutes
Grade 5:                                                        50-60 minutes

Homework will constitute 10% of the overall grade for each subject area. Late homework is subject to a deduction in grade. Any homework that is over one week late will be given a zero and calculated into that child’s overall homework grade for that subject.

Attendance Grades 

Students will be allowed as many days as they were absent to make up missed schoolwork and homework after being absent.

Report Cards

Report Cards will be given out 3 times a year.  These times correspond with parent teacher conferences and the last day of school.  Parent teacher conferences will be held remotely for the 2021-2022 school year. Report cards will be available to parents via the My Student Portal.  You can click on this link to access your child’s report card and grades: https://mystudent.nyc. Please let teachers know if you are unable to attend the parent-teacher conference times and a meeting can be scheduled for another date. A conversation regarding the student’s progress is encouraged between the parent and teacher. 

Marking Period Grades
Each marking period, students will be given an isolated score for each subject area.  The scores for that marking period will be averaged. A semester grade for that marking period will be assigned on the report card.  Each new marking period the child will start over with the ability to improve their grade or lower their grade according to their scores in any given subject area.

Final Grades
The final grade on the student report card will represent their overall achievement for the entire school year.  The final grade will be a cumulative grade of the entire year’s performance in that subject area. 

Report Card Timeline
Thursday, November 4th – Report Card #1/Parent-Teacher Conference #1
Thursday, March 3rd – Report Card #2/Parent-Teacher Conference #2
Monday, June 27th – Report Card #3 / Last Day of School

Students with an IEP

The teacher will grade students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in accordance to their IEP.  All accommodations on the IEP will be considered prior to assigning a grade on the report card.

196WBMS has a Dress Code Policy, uniforms ARE required.  Students entering the building  must be wearing their 196WBMS uniform (light blue collared shirt-short or long sleeve- with navy blue pants, long walking shorts, skirts or jumpers).  Students are also permitted and encouraged to wear 196WBMS Spirit Wear: t-shirts, sweatpants, and sweatshirts as well (available for sale everyday through the main office).  

The Discipline Code applies to all students—and includes both supports and interventions, as well as disciplinary responses. 

The full Discipline Code is available in all NYCDOE-supported languages at https://www.schools.nyc.gov/DCode and can be provided in paper copy, upon request. 

The Discipline Code outlines how school staff will address behavioral issues with a focus on restorative approaches. For more information about behavioral expectations during blended and remote learning, please visit the DOE Return to School Website.

Cyberbullying

Chancellor's Regulation (CR) A-832 prohibits any student from creating a hostile environment for any other student by engaging in conduct or verbal or written acts (which includes cyber-bullying) that could potentially hinder that student's educational process, mental, emotional, or physical well-being, or otherwise cause any type of harm.

Schools are required to report any suspected incidents of cyber-bullying via the Online Occurrence Reporting System located on the OSYD Portal within 24 hours of their being notified of the alleged incident. Schools are also directed to investigate these incidents and to follow-up on them in a timely fashion as outlined in CR A-83

iPads should remain with the student they are assigned to. If there is a change in the student's residence during remote learning the iPad should remain with the student, and should be used primarily inside the residence to prevent unnecessary damage.

Some damaged iPads are protected by AppleCare. Families will not be held accountable for accidental damage through normal use, but please exercise caution and common sense to protect your iPad. iPads must be installed in the case provided. You should be using your iPad primarily indoors for schoolwork and it must be secured in the case when you travel with the device.

We are using Google as our technology platform for the 2022-23 school year. All students will have a NYCDOE Google account, which your teacher will make sure your child is a part of.

The classroom teacher will meet students at these areas and escort them to their individual classrooms. 

Arrival Procedures

196 WBMS students should arrive at school by 8:00am to begin the day.  The 3K and Pre K will enter through the main doors on Bushwick Avenue. Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 will enter on Meserole Street (doors by the park). Grades 3-5 will enter on Meserole Street (doors closer to Bushwick Avenue). MS 582 will enter on Scholes Street

Dismissal Procedures

Dismissal for all students is at 2:20. Students will be dismissed at the arrival location. After school programs will run from 2:30-5:30 Monday-Friday.

Students can arrive to the cafeteria for a hot breakfast beginning at 7:30am. Lunch in the cafeteria will be served every day. Please click here to see the school lunch menu.

All families in blended and remote learning were asked to fill out a blue card before the first day of school. Once completed, these will be housed in the main office. Should information change throughout the year, be sure to update your child’s Blue Card by contacting our main office at (718) 497-0139. 

• All students with a diagnosis such as asthma, allergies or diabetes should submit a Medication Administration Form to their school.
• Submitting a Medication Administration Form enables the school nurse to treat your child in the case of a medical emergency.
• Even if your child can take his/her own medicine, it is important for the school clinical team to be aware of the student’s medical needs in case of an emergency.
• Medication Administration Forms are accepted on a rolling basis. You must submit a new Medication Administration Form each school year.
• Visit here to read more information about Health Services in school.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Into Reading

Children are born with a love of learning. When we give them high-quality books that intrigue and challenge, we empower them to pursue their natural curiosity and discover their interests. As students build a strong foundation in reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills, they develop a confidence in themselves that ensures lifelong learners emerge.

HMH Into Reading™ is differentiated by design to offer a balanced approach to literacy instruction, support teachers in developing a culture of learning and growth, and help all learners believe in the power of "I can."

For further information, explore the website at: https://www.hmhco.com/programs/into-reading

enVision Math 2.0

enVisionmath2.0 is a comprehensive mathematics curriculum for Grades K-5. It offers the flexibility of print, digital, or blended instruction. enVisionmath2.0 provides the focus, coherence, and rigor needed to meet your standards. Project-based learning, visual learning strategies, and extensive customization options empower every teacher and student. 

For more information, you can visit their website at:  https://www.savvas.com/index.cfm?locator=PS2xBv

At 196WBMS, we feel that a children’s social-emotional development is just as important as their academic progress.  This year, we are utilizing the Sanford Harmony Program, which provides everyday practices and lessons covering the following important topics:

Diversity and Inclusion:  Boys and girls learn to recognize and appreciate one another’s similarities and differences while promoting a community environment in and outside of the classroom.

Empathy and Critical Thinking:  Children develop empathy (the ability to identify with and understand another person’s emotions), reduce stereotyped thinking, and learn critical thinking skills.

Communication:  Healthy and unhealthy intergender communication patterns are explored, and boys and girls practice effective ways of engaging with others.

Problem solving:  Students learn constructive approaches to resolving conflict, focusing on conflict-resolution steps that facilitate healthy relationship patterns.

Peer Relationships:  Boys and girls practice positive social skills and learn the qualities that are important to friendship, the consequences of bullying, and how to provide peers with support.

For further information, you may view Sanford Harmony’s website at:  https://www.sanfordharmony.org/

Grand Street Settlement- This program is offered at no cost to the students in grades K- 5. Students will be provided with an afterschool meal. Please contact Andre Washington for more information please contact: awashington@grandsettlement.org Fitkidz- 3K and PreK students are eligible. Cost is $5.00 per hour ( approximately $15 per day/$75 per week). Please contact Madeline Vera for more information please contact: Fitkidzafterschool@gmail.com