PTA Meeting!!!

Hello Parents/Guardians,

     We will be hosting our next PTA Meeting on Monday December 17^th 2012 at 6 pm.  We will be having our “Holiday Show Case” where our students and parents will be performing.  We will also be raffling Toys to our 161 children and other items to parents as well.  The PTA is requesting  all parents and teachers to donate a un-wrap toy/games for boys & girls ages 5 – 13.  We would like to provide toys and gifts to our hardship families, and your contribution will be Appreciated.  Refreshments will be served!

 

      The PTA will be meeting with the Steering Committee on Thursday December 13^th 2012 at 6pm. If you would like to be a part of  any of the steering committees or simple listen what it’s about, you’re welcome to attend.  For those who already filled out a form you’re encouraged to attend.  Light refreshments will be served at this meeting.  It is our wish for all the steering committees to be functioning by the end of this year.

 

See You There!!!

 

                                              

Hello Parents/Guardians,

This is just a friendly reminder.

Our school has been chosen to be a part of NYC DOE Schools Chancellor
Dennis Walcott Parent Academy. We need to have as many parents & staff

members to become actively involved for it to be successful. This event
will take place on:

*Date:Saturday November 10th 2012

*Time:8:30 am Breakfast is served
*Conference will begin at 9:00am - 1:30pm
*Location: Long Island University, Health Science Building

                   1 University Plaza
                   Brooklyn, NY 11201

*Transportation*: Take the #2,3,4,5 to Nevins Street - Take the B,N,Q,R to Dekalb Avenue -            A, C, G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street
It's across the street from Juniors Restaurant.

Hope to see you there!

PTA Meeting!!!

Hello Parents,

We will be conducting our next PTA Meeting on Monday November 19th at 6pm in the auditorium.  This day we will be having our general information, student of the month awards, raffling turkeys & gift cards.  we will also be having our Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration.  We are asking for everyone to contribute so we have enough for everyone. Letters will be given out along with a slip to be filled out on you choice of food or drinks you will be providing. Please come out & Support!!!

If you have any questions please contact us at: ps161pta@gmail.com

Have a Great Day!!!

Picture Day Re-Scheduled!!!

Hello Parents,

I hope everyone is well & safe considering the hurricane & nor'easter storms we had.  Due to the weather school was cancelled on picture day and we were able to received a new date. 
Scheduled dates of Picture day will be:

Thursday November 29th : Grades K,1,2,3 & 4

Friday November 30th :  Grades 5,7, & 8

Please have your money ready on the day of your child's picture day.  The company accepts checks, money orders & cash. Receipts will be issued upon money received.  Pictures will be due back 4 weeks after picture day, meaning they will not be here before Christmas Holiday. 
All students are required to wear uniforms!!! Please make sure they are fully prepared with attire.  We will inform you when Picture re-take will be as soon as we receive the date.
If you have not received an envelope more is available in the main office.

Thank you for your patience.

Picture Day!!!

Hello Parents,

I hope everyone has received their picture envelopes by now.  If you have not received one please go to the main office, there are forms located there.
 Grades K-4 will be taking pictures on Monday October 29th
 Grades 5,7,8 will be on Tuesday the 30th.
All monies are due on picture day.  Please have your children dressed in their uniform attire.  
Thank you so much for your cooperation.

If you have any questions, please email us at: ps161pta@gmail.com

Upcoming PTA Meeting!!!

Welcome Parents/Guardians to our 2012-2013 PTA year!!!

I hope everyone had a great summer and will continue to have or build on a great year ahead. 
Our first PTA of the year is scheduled for Monday October 15th at 6:00 pm. We will be conducting our election for the SLT;1 parent position available.  Also to fulfill our Parent Advisory Committee Team , the Secretary position is available.  It is important that we fill these positions so we have a well balanced and a effective teams.  More information will be given out at the meeting.  Nominations will be taken from the floor at the meeting.  Please join us on this day.

See you there!!!

Spring Concert!!!

Friday, June 22nd: Spring Concert at P.S. 161 Auditorium
Time: 7:00pm Doors open at 6:30pm
Cost: $5 in advance  $7 at the door

Featuring Performances by...

• African Dance Group
• Dance Fusion
• Dynasty Steppers
• Literacy Theater Group
• P.S. 161 Band
• P.S. 161 Chorus
• Steel Orchestra

Come out and enjoy a fun night with the family!!!

Studentreasures® Celebrates Publishing its 10 Millionth Student Authors

Hello Parents/Guardians,
We are so proud to highlight this moment at P.S. 161 The Crown, please read.

CROWN HEIGHTS — First-graders at the Crown School were feted Tuesday as the pint-sized student-authors published the 10 millionth book of Studentreasures, a Kansas-based scholastic publishing company.
The five-line verses in "Our Cinquain Poems" might have come from any number of creative classes across the country, but most of the 25 books published by Crown School authors this year had a distinctly Brooklyn flavor. Titles on display at Tuesday's assembly included Coming to America and My Trip to Panama.
"I was elated when I learned we were the 10 millionth author," said Principal Michael Johnson. "The class is an integrated class — it just goes to show even students with disabilities can achieve great things."
First-grader Angie Rodriguez beamed as she read a poem about her mother from the hardbound book, which featured the student's writing and illustrations.
The Crown School is hardly the first among local schools to explore publishing as a means of engaging young writers, and Studentreasures is far from the only publisher catering to their needs. Immigrant students in an ESL class at the Kurt Hahn High Expeditionary Learning School also recently published a book of personal essays through CreateSpace.
In fact, on-demand publishing has exploded in recent years, both with viral successes like Fifty Shades of Grey, which was first published online as fan-fiction and later distributed by a virtual publisher before becoming a major market success.
Studentreasures, which offers free services to schools like P.S. 161, published more than a million titles in the past year alone.
Students from first grade class I-308 read from their book during a morning assembly attended by classmates and Studentreasures representatives Tuesday. The company also donated $1,000 to the school for library books.
"This school in particular is really engaged," said Studentreasures CEO Chad Zimmerman. "It's a lot of work."
Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120619/crown-heights/crown-school-brooklyn-celebrates-student-authors#ixzz1yHHEIp6U

Hello Parents,

We are at the end of school year, and we want to finish it with a fun filled event.  So on that note, we will be hosting our End of The Year Celebration “Family Day BBQ”.  This event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 9th, 2012 at 11:00 am– 3pm in the backyard of P.S.161.  We are asking those who will like to volunteer in donating goods for this day. 
 Items include:

Cups, Paper Plates, Buns for Hot Dogs/Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Chicken for grilling,  Corn on the cob for grilling, Fruit Salad, Salad, Water, Juices, Soda, Games

Please contact us if you plan on contributing: ps161pta@gmail.com .  

All financial Donations are Appreciated!!!

Hello Parents,

We would like to congratulate the 2012-2013 PTA board: Mr. Demetrius Lawrence, President, Mr. Fred Baptiste, Vice President, Mrs. Alisha Lawrence, Secretary, and our new treasurer Ms. Dionne Willis. Our new parents for SLT; Ms. Dionne Willis, Ms. Dorcas Miller, Mr. Rosario Paul, and Mr. Fred Baptiste.  We are excited about our new board members and the great things they will be contributing to building up our school. 

PTA Meeting!!!

Hello Parents,
I hope everyone had a great spring break!!!  We will be conducting our next PTA meeting on April 19th at 6pm in our school's auditorium.  We will be discussing our next fundraiser that is due to be a great success; also we will be having a couple of Officers from the 71st Precinct out to discuss community affairs.  We dont want to forget our Principal Mr. Johnson will be honoring students who achieved in attendance, most improved, daily uniform, and any achievement  that would merit for an award. 

We will be having a steering committee meeting after the PTA for a few minutes to discuss details on the steering committees we have implemented for our team.  If you would like to volunteer for this committee, please be there.

See you there!

PTA Meeting!!!

Hello Parents,

     We will be hosting our monthly PTA meeting on Monday, March 19th, 2012.  We will begin at 6pm in the auditorium.  This month we are celebrating Women's Month and will be giving all our 161 Women a special gift in honor of them. Also, students will be recieving awards for the month from our principal.  Elections are fast approaching and we need a nomination committee in place. We will be selecting nominating committee people at our next meeting.

Come out and support your PTA!!!

Light Refreshments will be served.

Parent Leadership Conference

Hello Parents,
There will be a Parent Leadership Conference at Boys & Girls H.S.

• Saturday March 10th 2012: The Parent Leadership Conference "What is sung in the cradle goes all the way to the coffin" Parents are the first teachers. There will be a list of Workshop topics (The New Common Core Standards, Helping your child succeed in ELA, Math, Science, The College Admission Process, Overcoming the challenges of single parenting, and much more.) Please see the attachment for more info. This conference will take place at:

Boys & Girls High School located at 1700 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY Time: 8:30 am- 1:00 pm Admission is Free!!! Please Register at ryoung4@nyc.rr.com or 718-479-8327

Picture retake!!!

Hello parents,

Picture retake is scheduled for tomorrow friday February 17th from 9am-12noon. If you have not had the opportunity to take pictures and would like to, tomorrow is your day. If you were not please with the outcome of your pictures, you can bring them in (must be intact). Other issues concerning your package, please come in tomorrow so they can be resolved.

*Please note that in order to have an add-on, you must purchase a package. Please look at the tabs located on this website.
**students are to have on their uniform attire.

If you have any questions please email us at: ps161pta@gmail.com

Press Release from Council Member Leticia James!!!!

Hello Parents,
Update report on our elected official's support!

Press Release

**For Immediate Release** February 1, 2012

Contact: Aja Worthy-Davis at (212) 788-7081

Council Member Letitia James Supports PS 161 PTA ‘Children Day of Boycott’

Recognizing Civil Disobedience In Response to DOE School Closings and Truncations

(New York, NY)— On January 19, 2012, Council Member James joined many of her colleagues in the New York City Council— as well as many Crown Heights parents— in opposing the New York City Department of Education’s truncation of P.S. 161- The Crown from K-8 to K-5, a move which would gradually phase-out the middle school option.

She maintains her position that the DOE’s proposal to truncate P.S. 161 impedes their ongoing success. Indeed, the school’s principal, Mr. Michael Johnson, has adopted a more productive environment since his appointment in Fall 2011— achieving 95% student attendance— and implementing a competitive curriculum to better align the students with City and State education requirements.

P.S. 161 is comprised of dedicated administrators, teachers, and parents who seek to transform this school into a highly sought-after middle-school option. The DOE states that their decision to truncate this school is to “better serve the students in this community.” However, it is truly time that the DOE worked alongside parents and elected officials representing the community in a joint effort to increase resources, support services, and maintain middle-school options in areas of need.

In light of these actions, the PTA of P.S. 161 is asking all parents & guardians to join together and participate in aChildren Day of Boycott in protest of the DOE’s school closure policy and process. The boycott will take placeMonday, February 6th, 2012.

“I do not generally support students missing school,” saidCouncil Member Letitia James. “But I support this tremendous show of civil disobedience on behalf of PS 161’s parents. If the Department of Education will not listen to the objections of elected officials and community leaders, perhaps they will recognize these actions as a firm position against the closing and truncating of our schools.”

Questions regarding the boycott may be directed towards PS 161’s PTA President at (646) 470-4622 orps161pta@gmail.com.

###

Aja Worthy-Davis

Office of Council Member Letitia James

Legislative Analyst

Website/Blog Administrator

(212) 788-7081 (p)

(212) 788-7712 (f)

aworthydavis@council.nyc.gov

www.teamtish.blogspot.com

S.E.S Fair

Hello Parents,

On Monday February 6th, there will be a S.E.S Meeting held at P.S. 161 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. Information about the services were sent out to your child. Please check their bags. This meeting will discuss and address any questions you may have about school improvement interventions and programs decribed in the letter.  The S.E.S(Supplemental Educational Services) consist of tutoring or other remedial services offered to students who are eligible. 
On the letter the date of February 12th at 6pm is incorrect. Please refer to the time & date above.

BOYCOTT ON DOE!!!

Hello Parents,

On February 9th the Policy of Education Panel (PEP) will vote on the Truncation of our school.

We as concerned parents will take a stand and send a message to Mayor Bloomberg and the PEP panel that we will not sit back anymore and allow them to make decisions regarding our children without engaging us as parents first and allow us to make the decision for our children's education.

So I propose that on February 6th 2012 we boycott Mayor Bloomberg and the DOE by not allowing our children to attend school for the day.  We the PTA Executive board have been working on getting local Church's in the area to get to garner support in this effort.  We understand that most parent's have to work and are not able to sit home with their children on that day.  So I've reached out to Pastor Baccus of Full Gospel Assembly who has agreed to open the doors of the church to allow us to have our children sit in the church during regular school hours.  This will not be a free day for our children.  We have partnered with the SLT Chairman @ P.S. 161 Mr. Rivette and other teacher's who have agreed to provide the children with extended school work which they will complete during that day.

We will have several parent volunteer's who will assist us with monitoring the children, including myself and the rest of the PTA executive board. Any other parent volunteer's are welcome.  All we ask is for parents to provide lunch for your children on that day, and have them arrive in full P.S. 161 uniform.

There will be local media coverage regarding this boycott!!

Full Gospel Assembly is located on Sullivan Place between Bedford avenue and Stoddard Place.(right around the corner by the closed down KFC on Bedford )

Our original date for this boycott was February 1st.  We believe there was more planning involved and we wanted this event to be very effective, that's why we decided to push it out to February 6th.

If you are willing to participate in this organized boycott, please let us know asap so we can plan the proper amount of parent volunteer coverage for that day.

PTA Contact #: 1-646-470-4622

Picture Retake Day!!!

Hello Parents,

I wanted to inform you on the picture retake day that was scheduled for February 6th has been pushed back to Friday, February 17th.  The rescheduling  was due to our upcoming "BOYCOTT" ON DOE. 
We are sorry for the inconvenience; all those who have not taken pictures and would like to, please send in the money for a package. In order to choose an add-on you must pick a package first,then add-on.
Students who are taken a retake please bring in all packages intact. Please have your child in uniform attire.
Retake Day: Friday February 17th

PTA Meeting!!!

Hello Parents,

Our Next PTA Meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 23rd at 6 pm.  We will be having our elections for PAC for the position of Vice- Chair.  It important to have a functioning PAC; this is where 1% of the Parents money is allocated for workshops, and parent involvement activities & incentives.

We would also like to thank all who attended last night public hearing on the truncation of the Crown School.  Thank you for your support & sacrifice for the care you put out for your child and all children here at 161 & Crown School.  We see you and hear you.

Emergency PTA/SLT General Meeting

Parents/Guardians,

          As you may know our Middle School grades are in jeopardy of Truncation (Phased Out) by the Department of Education!

          We the parent bodies have met with the new District 17 Superintendent back in December where she discussed the future plans the Dept of Education proposes for our Middle School children.

          This coming January 19^th, 2012 @ 6 pm, we’ll have the opportunity to let the Dept of Education hear our voices on why we are opposed to the Truncation of our Middle School. 

          On February 9, 2012 the PEP (Panel of Education Policy) will make a decision whether or not to Phase out the Middle School grades.

          I ask that we the parent bodies as well as P.S. 161 alumni’s make every effort to come out in large numbers on January 19^th to show unity & support for our children’s future.  

In preparation we have an Emergency PTA/SLT meeting scheduled on Tuesday January 17^th @ 6 pm. This meeting should be well attended by all parents/guardians and community residents to discuss and strategize our message for the Department of Education.  

COMMUNITY EDUCATION COUNCIL DISTRICT 17 Meeting

Hello Parents,

Happy New Years!!!!  We have just recieve confirmation of the CEC meeting coming up.  As you know, there is alot of work that needs to be invested in our children's education, and with that comes some road blocks that will get in the way to prevent our children from receiving all that they need.   We the parent body, needs to become stronger not only in numbers but with the right information so we have the tools we need to have a victory!!! We are asking every parent to attend these upcoming meetings as they are giving to us.  P.S. 161 has been look at as a powerful parent body and the talk of the town, please encourage others to come out and take a stand for all children!!!

COMMUNITY EDUCATION COUNCIL – DISTRICT 17

New York City Department of Education

760 Prospect Place - Room 103, Brooklyn NY 11216

Phone: (718) 467-3712 Ext. 1004/1030…Fax: (718) 221-1362...E-mail: cec17@schools.nyc.gov

Is your School in Jeopardy?

Urgent Special Meeting Notice

Monday, January 9, 2012

6:00pm – 9:30pm

Public School 138

(Between Nostand & Rogers Aves)

760 Prospect Place, Brooklyn, NY 11216

…Mass Transit: B44, B49, #3 train to Nostrand Ave.…

PHASE-OUT

TRUNCATION

CO-LOCATION

Are any of these proposals the right decision for your school??

……………………………………………………….

Is your school receiving the support it needs from the DOE?

Plan to attend - we need to hear your voice!!

The Department of Education (DOE) is required by law to hold joint public hearings with Community Education Councils for all proposals of significant change in school utilization. The final decision to approve proposals will be made by the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) on February 9, 2011 at Brooklyn Technical High School

Upcoming Dates for Joint Public Hearings for the following District 17 schools identified by the DOE:

MS 587 – January 12, 2012 (Phase-out)…PS 161 – January 19, 2012 (Truncation)

PS 22 – January 24, 2012 (Phase-out)/PS 249 – January 23, 2012 (Expansion/Co-location @ K320 - PS 375/MS 352)

K544 (High School in Wingate Campus) – February 3, 2012 (Phase-out)

ALL MEETINGS BEGIN @ 6pm - SPEAKER SIGN UP BEGINS AT 5:30pm AND ENDS 15mins AFTER

All district 17 parents/guardians, pa/pta executive board members, school leadership team parent members, title 1 representatives, community board education chairs, elected officials,

and the community of District 17 are invited to attend