PTA Screening of I'm Not Racist...Am I? 

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Please join us at the April 25th PTA meeting for a screening of the documentary I’m Not Racist… Am I? 
 
Having conversations about race tends to be difficult for most of us. Even more challenging is directly confronting others when they say something hurtful. The teens in this film were able to have critical and constructive conversations face-to-face and realize that their connection became stronger as a result. 

A trained facilitator will guide a conversation after the 90 minute film.

ICE Website

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The ICE Website is home to lots of important information for the ICE Community – About ICE (home to Announcements & Anuncios), Giving to ICE, Events, Trips, Alumni (student information), College Corner, and much more including the new Student Life tab which is a home for After School information, Sports and now Summer Opportunities for students. Take a look! and keep looking to keep informed.
 

Note from ICE PTA President

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The strongest person I know, my Mom, has taught me that moments like these are the ones we use to learn and teach from. They are not to be taken lightly, thrown away or use to make one bitter – that is the easy way. The hard way is to find strength to overcome (something she knows all too well). Our kids need us to teach them how to move forward from this and they need the village.  The rickety imperfectly built village that stumbles and falls but gets up in spite of it all and holds on and moves forward – this is the lesson I learned (still learning) from my Mom and this is the lesson I teach my kids. This is, without a doubt, our teaching moment...

One Love,
Imebet Blair-Carter
Mom, Friend....PTA President

Subway Moon at Symphony Space April 30th

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Monday, April 30
7 pm
FREE ADMISSION
suggested donation
of $15 is welcome

Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, NYC

Featuring Roy Nathanson and members of the Jazz Passengers and Sotto Voce and students from New York City Schools: The Institute for Collaborative Education, City-As-School, High School for Violin and Dance, and Holcombe L Rucker School of Community Research.

Click HERE for more information

 

ICE PAC (ICE Parent Action/Education Advocacy Committee)

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Middle school families: This is the last newsletter before spring break, which means it is the last newsletter before the state English Language Arts test, which takes place the day after the students return. Although the school must administer the test, your child does not have to take it. If you plan to refuse the ELA on behalf of your child, please do so as soon as possible so that administration can plan how many teachers are needed for proctoring, how many testing rooms are needed, etc. If you weren't able to hand in a letter at conferences, you can use these online links in English and Spanish to indicate that you want to opt out.  

If you are still on the fence, please read this letter from the principal of the Brooklyn New School. While BNS is an elementary school, there are several similarities with ICE that she mentions, among them that neither school does test prep and that both schools instead use performance-based assessments. The pressure on schools from the NYC Department of Education and the State Education department to have students sit for the state tests is tremendous; a voice like the one in this letter is exceedingly rare. You might also read this op ed from an upstate parent and educator, summarizing what opt out has achieved to date and why there is still more to be done. 

If you have further questions, check out this or email ICE PAC chair Kemala.

 

 

STEM Matters--NYC 

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Apply Now for Exciting Science and STEM Programs for Summer!

Programs for students entering kindergarten through grade 12 at the NYC Department of Education's Genovesi Environmental Study Center and NYC Center for Aerospace and Applied Mathematics, the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Museum of the City of New York, New York Aquarium, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Botanical Garden, Queens County Farm Museum, Queens Zoo, Staten Island Museum, Staten Island Zoo, and SUNY Old Westbury.

Programs run during July and August 2018 and feature 1-week camps, high school internships, and a 4-week college credit-bearing course. Application deadline is Friday, April 6, 2018
 
To learn more go to the website.
To apply, access the application form here.

 

ICE Website 

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The ICE Website is home to lots of important information for the ICE Community – About ICE (home to Announcements & Anuncios), Giving to ICE, Events, Trips, Alumni (student information), College Corner, and much more including the new Student Life tab which is a home for After School information, Sports and now Summer Opportunities. Take a look! and keep looking to keep informed.

 

Two More Free Summer Camp Options

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Two More Free Summer Camp Options

Kode with Klossy FREE Summer Camp for Girls

  • Summer Day Camp in NYC for GIRLS ages 13-18
  • August 6-17  Monday to Friday 9-5

Application includes a short essay, a brief video response and a reference. Deadline to apply is April 15 11:59 pm. Learn more here.

Science of Smart Cities  FREE Summer Camp through NYU

  • For rising 6, 7, and 8th graders.
  • July 2-27

Application includes two short essay questions.
Deadline to apply is April 20. For more information or to apply.

Needed: VR Gaming System

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Are you a gamer?  Have someone in your family or know a neighbor who is?  Work for a design company with a powerful computer that is becoming outdated?  The ICE Science Department is seeking use of a VR (virtual reality) compatible Windows based gaming system!  An 11th grade ICE student, in collaboration with the Brownsville Community Center, has designed a neuroscience experiment that utilizes VR based interventions (Wow, right?!).  We purchased a VR unit for her but the available computers are unfortunately not powerful enough for it to run smoothly.

Need a forced break from gaming? Loan us your system for a month!  The student is exceptionally responsible and will be under the supervision of JD.  Have an old system you rarely use anymore? Donate it!  We'll give it a happy new life in the science department.  Work for Best Buy and can get us a wicked discount?  That could work too!  Email  or contact JD in the ICE Science Department at 212-475-7972. 

 

ICE PAC

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Middle School Parents, state tests are coming up:

  • ELA exam is 4/8-4/9
  • Math exam is 5/1-5/2

Federal law mandates that states give annual tests, but it also gives parents the right to refuse them on behalf of their children. Parents from ICE PAC have traditionally distributed and collected opt out letters and answered questions about opt out at parent teacher conferences--and we will be at next week's rescheduled Wednesday evening conference.

However, with the cancellation and re-scheduling of conferences this year, we want to point out that you can use our online opt out/test refusal form instead. Please do so as soon as possible so the school can plan accordingly for testing days. Here are the links in English and Spanish. 

Some ICE-specific testing/opt out questions we've been asked (and answers):

How does ICE use state test scores? At ICE, scores are not used to inform instruction, nor do they count in student evaluation. 

Does ICE do test prep? No. There is no explicit test prep in the ICE curriculum.

With 80% or more students refusing the tests, what do testing days look like? Students who are taking the tests are called from their classrooms to testing rooms. Non-testing students remain in their classrooms engaged in school activities like reading or writing. Teachers do not introduce new concepts so that testing students don't miss out.

For more about test refusal in general (why, statistics, impacts on admissions, etc), visit here.  

ICE Drama Club's Dramapalooza: 3 songs, 2 scenes, 1 show!

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Come out and support ICE Drama Club as they perform a workshop performance of musical numbers from Shrek the Musical, Fun Home, and Finding Neverland and scenes from Eye of The Stormand The Search for Odysseus. Featuring the work of 11th grade directors: Amina Morgan, Julia Majesky, and Siena Froment. 

DRAMAPALOOZA will take place on Monday, March 26th from 4:30 - 5:30pm in the Auditorium where we have  Town Meeting (1st floor)

Cost: FREE for ICE students & $5 suggested donation for family and friends

We promise you music, singing, dancing, drama.. umbrellas! tempests! goddesses! office supplies! banjos! overalls! Show your support for ICE Drama and come to the AUD Monday after-school. Tell your friends, your family, your cycle project group - all are welcome. 



 

ICE PAC (Parent Action/Education Advocacy Committee)

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Middle school families:

As our children showed us on Wednesday, sometimes the most powerful tactic is walking out. When you (and your actions) say, "Stop! I refuse to accept the norm--things can and should be different," it can force the powers that be to stop ignoring you and sit up and take notice. 

For years concerned parents wrote letters, signed petitions, called elected officials, even boarded buses to Albany in an effort to push the state to change its high-stakes testing policies. Nothing changed. But when families initiated a mass boycott of the NY state math and ELA tests, the state finally started to tweak its testing program and has made some important changes, including forbidding holding children back solely or primarily for poor test performance. But there is still a long way to go. These tests are still used to close schools against community wishes (mostly in under-resourced communities of color). Pressure to do well on them warps instruction in too many schools (again, mostly in under-resourced communities of color). Think about this when you decide whether or not your child should participate in this system. If you decide you're out, complete this simple form on our website. (En Español) After you fill out the form and hit SUBMIT, you'll see a screen confirming that your wish to opt out has been recorded and that notification of your refusal has been emailed to administration.

This 2-minute video features a mom from Washington Heights talking about how the tests perpetuate and exacerbate the class divide. ("What separated my kids from others? Wealth and access.") Also in Spanish.