Monthly Update from Mrs. Knights
Happy June, BLES family!
We ended the month of May by remembering the sacrifice of all of the men and women who died for our nation. Many people visit the graves of US soldiers and honor them by decorating their graves. I've been considering what our school community can do next year to honor these brave men and women and ensure that our scholars truly understand the significance of Memorial Day and Veterans Day. One idea I have is to sign our school up to participate in "Take a Veteran to School Day" which will connect our scholars with veterans to hear their stories of service. Another idea is to have our scholars create care packages for "Adopt a Platoon." If you have any ideas around what this might look like at BLES next year, I'd love to hear it!
Through it all, we have made it to the month of June! This is the time for us to celebrate the great strides and achievements our scholars have made. We have much to celebrate so please remember these important dates; June 9th is our Honor Society Induction Ceremony for scholars in grades K-5. June 24th will be our You Tube/Facebook Live Stepping Up/Graduation ceremonies beginning at 9 am. Reach out to your child's teacher for end of the year celebrations and class award dates.
Please don't forget to attend our virtual STEAM FAIR on Wednesday June 2nd. Why STEAM? Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math activities help scholars learn through trial and error by experimenting and problem solving. STEAM encourages inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking which are highly valued skills in today's fields. I'm so excited about the STEAM programming that District 23/Brooklyn North will be engaging in next year! Our STEAM Champion, Mr. Chin will be bringing lots of great programs and ideas to our school community beginning in the fall. More information on this to come.
When I checked last, we had over 50 applicants to our Summer Rising Program. Please don't let this fantastic opportunity pass you by. For questions and assistance in completing the DYCD application, please reach out to Mrs. Gibson at simoneg@brooklynlandmark.org. Summer Rising will provide your child with academic support, enrichment & recreation M-F from 8:00-6:00 -July 6-August 20. We've also submitted grants to partner with outside organizations like CEI and Story Pirates so that our scholars can engage in creating a social justice mural and participate in an end of summer theatrical performance. Scholars will also receive daily SEL (Social Emotional Learning) lessons. Please apply here. https://discoverdycd.dycdconnect.nyc/home
Finally, I want to remind all families to complete the 2020-2021 NYC School Survey now. https://surveys.panoramaed.com/nycdoe. Families should enter "f" followed by your child's nine-digit Student Identification (OSIS) Number to access the survey. The deadline to complete this survey is June 11th.
Thank you for your trust, patience and support throughout this school year. Together, we were able to overcome obstacles and implement new systems and structures so that, despite the circumstances, our scholars could continue to grow and learn. Here's to an amazing ending of the 20-21 school year and a terrific start to our Summer Rising Program! I look forward to seeing ALL of our scholars, families and staff back in the building next year.
Stay safe and be well!
Joyce Beckles-Knights
K599