Dear Petrides Parents,

I hope all is well and that you’re enjoying the summer! It has certainly been a busy around here! Our campus is hopping, with students from grades K through 12 participating in Summer Rising activities.

(Please disregard this email if your child graduated or moved on. We appreciate your patience as we update our email distribution lists.)

As we move into the second week of August, I’m sure you’re starting to think about the new school year. And, I know, we’re all hoping for things to be back to “normal”.

Please be reminded that Covid-19 safety protocols including social distancing requirements, face covering mandates, random testing policy and building closure procedures are not established at the school level. We continue to await specific guidance on these issues for the upcoming school year. I expect the mayor will share information with families once health experts and government officials determine what is necessary to keep us safe as school.

Currently, we are planning for a full re-opening in September – with all students attending in-person learning, every day. We’re preparing for teachers to be in their classrooms and expecting that students will be able to move throughout the building and change classes as needed.

But as we’ve learned these past few years, anything is possible!

As of now, it’s looking fairly certain that we will need to wear face masks and that random Covid-19 testing will continue. We expect to maintain our outdoor morning arrival line-up - as to avoid creating crowded areas indoors, and we are working on a plan to keep kids distanced while eating lunch.

Regarding school building closures: It’s important to note that since the change in metrics used to determine school building closures last March – our school building has remained open, including throughout this busy summer session.

SCHOOL HOURS
Our school day hours will return to 8:00 am start time/2:20 pm end time for all elementary and middle school students. High School student start and/or end time may differ some depending on the courses the child is taking.

SCHOOL UNIFORMS REQUIRED for Students in Grades PreK-8
Identified School Uniform (see details below) clothing is REQUIRED for students in grades Pre K through 8 (Elementary and Middle School students) and OPTIONAL for students in grades 9 through 12 (High School students).

School Uniform will be comprised of the following:

Light blue shirt (short or long sleeves/polo or button down), Petrides logo not required.
Navy blue pants or navy blue skirt/jumper.
Suggested socks: anklets or navy knee socks or tights; shoes not specified.

You must purchase uniforms directly and may buy clothing that satisfies the uniform requirement at any vendor/store of your choice. There are many purchasing options at various price points; for example, pants, skirts, cardigans, and any other uniform accessories can be purchased at any store- J.C. Penny’s, Kohl’s Old Navy, Gap, Cookies Uniform Store or Children’s Place.
New and Noteworthy . . .

START OF SCHOOL
We recognize the importance of meeting your child’s teacher before the start of school. We are planning a "Back to School" event that will allow parents to come to school, talk to teachers, and drop off supplies. (Tentative date is September 9th – details will follow.) We will also conduct virtual meetings for parents of students entering starter grades, specifically PreK, K, 5 and 9.

INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM
As you may have heard, NYC schools will now be funded at 100%. Our healthy budget has allowed us to hire additional teachers and purchase the resources and materials needed to implement a strong multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and make up for the pandemic learning loss. All students (grades K through high school) will participate in a skill assessment during the first weeks of school, so that small group targeted skills instruction can be planned specifically for them.

WE’RE GROWING:
As per our growth plan, we are adding an additional 6th grade class this September, making 4 classes on that grade. We are a sought-after middle school so it’s exciting to have 6th grade seats available for desiring families. The additional class on a grade at the middle school level will allow us to return to full grade level interdisciplinary teaching teams for grades 5, 6, 7 and 8.

HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIES
We’re excited to introduce our new High School Academies:
Creative Arts Academy
Humanities, Hospitality, Entrepreneurship and Global Engagement
Marketing, Media and Sports Management
STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
And we are looking forward to offering lots of new classes and planning some co and extra-curricular activities in each of these areas. Our new high school elective course offerings include: Battling Bots, Coding for Gaming, Song Writing, Production and Music Business, and Sports Media. And, we are creating both unpaid internships and paid co-op student aide positions for students, providing job experience right here on our campus.

PARKING ON CAMPUS
We expect our campus to be bustling with the return of all students and staff members. Please be reminded that with the construction of the Hungerford School building on our campus, on-site parking is limited. Our Visitor’s Parking lot was renovated and repaved this summer and will include an area designated specifically for parents picking up at dismissal time. I do encourage you to consider using school bus transportation for your (elementary and middle school) children.

Sincerely,
Joanne Buckheit

Principal