Opt-Out Letters at Parent Teacher Conferences

It's that time of the year--state ELA and Math exams are coming up.  Parents from the ICE Parent Action Committee (ICE PAC) will be in the cafeteria during parent teacher conferences with test refusal letters.  Please consider signing an opt out letter to exercise your right to refuse the tests and to support the unique approach of this school and its teachers. Last year, 85% of all ICE 6-8th graders opted out. In New York State there were

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NYC School Surveys

On Thursday, March 3rd, NYC School Survey for Parents were given out to students in advisory to bring home to their parents to fill out.

Parents/Guardians are encouraged to complete the survey either in hard copy or online at www.nycschoolsurvey.org by April 1, 2016.  ICE would like to achieve a goal of 100% completion of Parent Surveys.

The NYC Department of Education

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Spring Fling Facebook Challenge

ICE Spring Fling is the event page on Facebook for the Spring Fling; please spread the enthusiasm, fun and joy of our biggest fund raiser of the year by clicking that you’ll be going!

Please share and invite all your friends, family and people you barely know. 

If you aren’t on the ICE Facebook page, click ICE Facebook so you don’t miss out on all the cool news!

Mexico Go Fund Me Campaign

The Mexico trip is rapidly approaching!

At ICE, we strongly believe that immersion in other cultures through international travel can have life-changing effects upon our students.  We also believe that all of our students, regardless of economic ability, should have this opportunity.  

This year we will be sending 14 students to conduct bio-diversity research in the Yucatan Peninsula, at a cost of $1,975 per student.  Half of these students' families need help paying for the cost of the trip.  Students have been working hard raising funds on their own, but this just puts a dent in the needed funds.  We need your help!  

Please go to our ICE Mexico Go Fund Me campaign to read more about the trip and to make a contribution.  Then, please share the link on social media!  We are so grateful for any and all contribution amounts!

New! Middle School Bicycle Club

The ICE Bicycle Club started this year and has been working with high school students who are learning basic bicycle mechanics and how to ride safely in New York City.

Now middle schoolers have the same opportunity to learn how to fix, maintain and ride bicycles safely as part of the ICE Bicycle Club.

Taught by David Dash and ICE graduate David Carey, middle school bicycle club will start

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No Barriers Youth Travel

Here is an incredible opportunity for ICE 9th and 10th grade students to participate in the No Barriers Summit in beautiful Copper Mountain, Colorado taking place at the end of the school year from June 23-26, 2016.  The Summit is No Barrier's signature event bringing together thousands of people of all abilities from across the world to embark on 50+ adaptive activities in sports, adventure, arts, and education.
 
The No Barriers Summit is completely FREE

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High School Drama Update

ICE High School Drama has partnered with Learning Spring School to create short plays based on classic Fairytales. 

Students have already begun to participate in workshops where they improvise, share, and provide feedback to collectively create their scripts.

Their collaboration titled Two Schools, One Journey, Many Tales: An Integrated Drama Exploration has recently been accepted into the NYU Forum on Educational Theater NYU EdTheatre Schedule.

Students will be performing snippets of their work and discussing their process with artists and educators from all over the globe.  Look out for more details to come!

Parent Action/Education Advocacy Committee

If you haven't already joined the letter campaign advocating for a new Chancellor NOT in the mold of former Chancellor Merryl Tisch, please consider spending a minute on this incredible opportunity to ask for change by clicking here for the letter supporting Betty Rosa.

And if you are concerned about class size and overcrowding at schools and have another minute, consider this letter campaign, too!

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Kemala Karmen

Letter from Pete re: Ta-Nehisi Coates' Important New Book

I hope all is well with everybody.  I am writing today as I think about how to develop and improve our ability to engage in powerful and transformative discussion in and outside of school.  This year parents and teachers separately have shared their thinking about adolescent sexuality, students are discussing sexual harassment and gender identity, and now a small group of teachers have started to identify our best practices for discussing race and racism, both of which appear in our curriculum at nearly every age level.

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