September 19, 2008

Dear Families,

HELLO BCS Community! Here is our first monthly letter. You can look forward to receiving one of these every month. Alyce, our Principal, also writes a weekly letter with Anna Allanbrook and these go home on Thursdays. Please use the calendar below and make sure you plan to be with us for all of your child's school related parent events.

Message from Alyce Barr, Principal: Welcome to all of our new families and welcome back to those of you who have been with us before. We are very much looking forward to seeing you on Monday Evening, at Curriculum Night. We'll start at 6PM in the auditorium on the first floor and then move on to grade level and class specific presentations.

By now you should know who your child's Crew Leader is. The Crew Leader is an advisor, who will serve as your school contact, will help your child set and meet academic and social goals and will help him/her and others develop positive study and work habits. When it comes time for student/parent/

teacher conferences, you and your child will meet with the Crew Leader. You might be wondering about the use of the word crew. As an Expeditionary Learning School, we use the expression, "We are crew, not passengers," meaning that we all have to help take care of each other and share in the responsibility for learning. We know students need a active role - not the passive one of a passenger being led about by others.

This is a big year for us: Our very first 12 grade class will graduate in June - and we are so excited. You will hear more about this as the year progresses. If you'd like to help with graduation festivities or the 8th grade promotion celebration, please let me know.

How to help your child and help make BCS a better school:

* MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD COMES TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY AND ARRIVES ON TIME, PREPARED TO WORK!
* Make sure s/he is using the BCS planner for recording all homework assignments. Check this regularly until you are sure the habit is established and then spot check. If you haven't seen a planner yet, this probably means your child hasn't paid school dues. Please do so ASAP. Fees are reduced for families who are entitled to free school meals
* EVERY BCS STUDENT MUST READ FOR NO LESS THAN 30 MINUTES PER DAY AT HOME! MORE IS MUCH BETTER,
* Join the PTA, volunteer in school - doesn't have to be in your child's class. Come on trips, share a skill like cooking or knitting or sewing. Contact our Parent Coordinator, Tracey Pinkard, to volunteer. 718 923 4750 x515
* Let your child know how much you value education.
* Make sure your child has quiet place to do homework. No TV!
* Let your child/teen/young adult (they are all your children) see you reading. Talk about your reading and make family time for going to libraries and bookstores.
* Watch educational TV with your child: Channel 13, History Channel, science shows
* Go to museums and zoos and public gardens; take advantage of NYC's many resources. Right now there's a great show of Buckminster Fuller's work at the Whitney Museum in Manhattan. Very interesting for building thinking about design and math. It will end in this month, so get there soon.

Extracurricular programming will build as the year progresses. We are looking forward to offering a variety of sports, arts and academic programs that will include Wednesday afternoon athletics and service learning, a film series, track, ping pong and much more. Can you coach or lead and activity? Please let us know.

Reminders about School Rules

All DOE regulations apply at our school. Cell phones, and electronic devices are not permitted in schools so we should NEVER SEE THEM! Tell your child to TURN OFF and put away all devices before entering the building and to leave them invisible and put away throughout the entire day.

School is a work environment. Everyone should dress appropriately for the environment we work in. Please make sure your children follow these basic guidelines.

* PE requires students to move, so they need clothes for that class that one expects to see in a gym: shorts, t-shirts, and sneakers.
* No one may wear clothing with words about sex, drugs, violence, ethnic, gender, or racial epithets, or foul language (curses).
* No pajamas, sleepwear or lingerie should be worn as outer clothing.
* Hats may not be worn in doors.
* Cell phones and wires must be invisible and turned off - not worn and used as time pieces or accessories.
* No one may wear beads or bandanas. While this is fashion for some, this DOE rule keeps gang insignia and affiliation symbols out of school
* All abdominal skin must be covered. (No midriff shirts, no halters or backless shirts, no tube tops, no spaghetti straps, no plunging necklines.)
* Sleeveless shirts must have wide enough shoulders to fully cover undergarments.
* Hats and scarves not worn for religious observation are not permitted
* Imagining the lower half of the human body as a globe, the pants and skirts must stay at or above the equator! Belts should keep pants up, not down!
* Shorts may be worn if they are knee-length (Bermuda-type).
* Skirts and dresses should be of a similar length or longer.
* Clothing should be opaque enough to hide undergarments.
* Sunglasses may not be worn indoors.
* Going to BCS requires walking up and down five flights of stairs many times a day. We highly recommend sturdy comfortable safe, supportive, footwear and sneakers are required for PE.

This month, all students and staff at BCS are focusing on the Expeditionary Learning design principle, Responsibility for Learning. This includes active listening, participating in class, asking questions when we need to clarify or know more, doing homework and class-work, using planners, getting assignments if we miss a class, staying on task, and contributing to group work. There are ten design principles. Each one helps build character, scholarship and the skills needed for a positive adult life. School-wide we focus on one per month.

Important Dates

September 18 CEC Meeting at PS 295 330 18th St 7:00 October 25 Specialized HS Test

September 20 HS Fair @ Brooklyn Tech October 28 Harvest Festival planning meeting 8:40

September 21 HS Fair @ Brooklyn Tech October 29 Picture Day - tentative

September 22 Curriculum Night

September 23 Harvest Festival Planning meeting 8:40

September 24 6th grade breakfast 9:00 am

September 30 No school - Rosh Hashanah

October 1 No school - Rosh Hashanah

October 6 SLT & PTA meetings

October 7 Harvest Festival Planning meeting 8:40

October 8 7th grade parent breakfast 9:00 am

October 9 No School - Yom Kippur

October 13 No school - Columbus Day observed

October 14 Harvest Festival Planning meeting 8:40

October 18 Brooklyn High School Fair

October 18 Tentative Work Day

October 21 Harvest Festival Planning meeting 8:40

October 23 Evening Parent Teacher Conference

October 24 ½ day for BCS students - Afternoon Parent

Teacher Conferences

Message from Lisa Bleyer, BCS/BNS Unity Coordinator: Welcome back families! As unity coordinator for BCS and BNS, my role is to foster curricular connections between the two schools and strengthen the relationships among staff, students and families in our building-wide community. Throughout the year I will be assisting teachers in creating joint BCS/BNS projects, placing high school students as helpers in BNS classrooms, appealing to parents to volunteer in their areas of expertise, broadening staff connections, and encouraging participation and support in building-wide events. Several times a year the 610 Henry Street News will come home, to keep you abreast of all the unity events. Family members interested in being more involved in unity issues and development, please contact me. I welcome your ideas and input. The best way to contact me is by email: lisableyer@earthlink.net. You can also leave a note in my mailbox in the office.

Want to know what's going on in both schools? Join the bns-bcs egroup!

Send an email describing your connection to the school to: bns_bcs-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Message from Wanda Barbot, MS Director: Welcome to our new 6th graders, entering 7th and 8th graders and welcome back to all of you who have been with us for the past year or two. What a smooth start of the year! We are so proud of your children and their teachers for coming back with the energy to work hard and learn a lot. There is much to read in this letter and each grade gives specific information. Read the whole thing and you'll know so much about our school. This week our 7th and 8th graders started their selectives - academic choice activities, some just for middle grades students and some mixed with high school students. Ask your child about his/her selective. We are very excited about our Wednesday afternoon enrichment offerings that include an Outward Bound Leadership Development and Service Learning program and an athletics and dance classes. Lots of students have joined, but it's not too late to add more, so please let me know if you child would like to take part in Wednesday afternoon enrichment.

Message from Scill Chan, HS Director: Welcome back! We are back in the full swing of things and excited about our first full year with all four grades in the high school! We encourage parents/families to be more involved in school by attending PTA meetings and school-wide events, contacting Crew leaders and teachers regularly, touching base with Tracey or me to say hi, and asking your child about school often. If you do not know how many credits your child has or what subjects he is taking this semester, ask him to see his updated transcript and his schedule. Open communication ensures that students stay on track for graduation. We recently gave students a list of credit accumulation and recovery options for the fall semester - encourage your child to apply! My contact information is 718-923-4750 x516 or pchan@schools.nyc.gov if you have any questions. Take care.

Message from Tracey Pinkard, Parent Coordinator: I'd like to welcome our new families to the BCS community and extend a heartfelt thank you to our returning families for making last year parent involvement successful. As we progress into the new school year there are many exciting opportunities for you here at BCS. Joining our School Leadership team, PTA or becoming a classroom parent are just a few ways that you can get involved. Please check you calendars for parent workshops and teacher conference. If you would like to assist with our Wednesday Student enrichment program please give me a call at 718 923-4750 ext. 515.

Message from Amy Sumner, BNS Parent Coordinator: This year, I'm a BCS parent (again). Hooray! I'll see my fellow 6th grade parents at Curriculum Night on Sept. 22. If you have questions about Brooklyn New School, our elementary school, please contact me at asumner@schools.nyc.gov or 718.923.4750, x. 207.

Message from Guidance Team: Loren Fisher (Grades 7 and 12), Latisha Torres (Grades 8 and 11), Deb Rothenberg (Grades 6, 8 and 9), and Beth Mowry (High School Admissions): The high school admission process for current 8th grade students has begun. This week, Beth met with each crew to discuss the process. Prep classes for the SHSAT also began on Wednesday, September 17th. The SHAT will be administered on October 25/26. If your child is interested, be sure s/he tells his/her crew leader. Also, a parent info session will be held during the BCS curriculum night on September 22 at 7:00 and then again at 10:30 on Tuesday, September 23rd. Both sessions will be held in the auditorium. Applications should be available closer to the end of the month.

For grades 7-12, your child's guidance counselor from last year moved to the next grade, along with your child. The 7th graders have made a very smooth transition to their new classes, including the more departmental set up of their classes. The 12th grade is already in the swing of planning for what they'll be doing after HS. Individual family meetings have begun to discuss college choices and other post-high school opportunities. We will have a College Night, at BCS, on Monday, 9/22/08, starting at 6PM, which your student should be talking to you about as this is being written! Valuable information about what's in store for you when your child goes to college will be discussed in a workshop led by Scott Henstrand, and Loren Fisher will be presenting a workshop and discussion on financial aid and how it makes college affordable for you. Note: Both Scott and Loren have their own children in college, and will share of their experiences as well. On October 15th, all 10th and 11th graders are taking the PSAT in school. The 12th grade will be going on college trips on the 15th. Expect permission slips and details of the trips to be sent home soon.

Message from Patsy Taylor, EVS Supervisor: EVS welcomes 4 new students to our program this year, 2 Sixth Graders and 2 Seventh Graders. All EVS students are being included in grade level math and science classes this year which is an exciting and challenging change for EVS. Homework must be completed each night in all subject areas and we hope that the parents help their children with this goal. We are off to a strong start of the 2008-09 school year.

Message from 6th Grade Teachers: In Humanities, sixth graders are learning the school-wide reading structures, including keeping a daily log of their reading, responding to their reading through writing and making reading time a priority at home and at school. We are refreshing their memories about what good readers do as we get back into the swing of Reading Workshop. Come October, students will begin a character study. Through read-alouds and their own independent reading, students will work toward a deeper understanding of Character. In Writing Workshop, students are publishing their Hopes and Goals for their 6th grade year. To compliment our reading unit on Character, students will also study and publish their own Personal Narrative, focusing on how people's choices show who they are. Our introductory Social Studies units prepare students for our study of Ancient Rome, which will begin in November.

In mathematics, students are reviewing the basic concepts and skills of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Students are learning new problem-solving techniques and are proving their mastery of 'Skills University' through daily homework, quizzes, and projects. This introductory unit prepares sixth graders for the challenges that lie ahead. Coming in October....Algebra!

Sixth grade scientists began their expedition on forces and motion. Students will be planning, drawing and building cars powered by mousetraps. They will identify the forces involved in making the cars move and stop moving. Their challenge is to build a mousetrap car that can travel 20 meters or more. The mousetrap cars will be built in groups and 6th graders will reflect on their collaboration with others.

Message from 7th Grade Teachers: In mathematics, students will begin working on the unit Data Around Us. They will study large numbers and relate them to populations of cities and comparing the severity of natural disasters using data. The students will learn how to put large numbers in order by using place value as well as rounding numbers to various place values. Students will also look at large numbers in the formats of expanded notation, scientific notation and standard notation. The final assessment will have the students create their own natural disaster article using the number skills they have developed over the course of the unit. The learning targets for this unit are: I can read and analyze large numbers correctly, I can identify correct place value of digits, I can put numbers in order from least to greatest and vice versa, I can convert numbers from scientific notation to standard notation and vice versa, I estimate numbers to all different places and I can estimate measures in both customary and metric measurement.

In Humanities, we will begin an interdisciplinary study of identity. Through articles, narratives, video clips, images, and discussions, we will investigate not only personal identity, but also collective identity. Key questions include: Who am I? Who are we? What does it mean to be "American"? How does our identity define the way we see ourselves and others? In addition to considering these questions, students will write personal narratives to further reflect on their own experiences and to build upon their show-not-tell skills. Also, they will work on developing good reading habits and organizational skills to build a strong foundation for the school year.

Message from 8th Grade Teachers: In humanities, students are beginning the year with the unit "Choosing Sides", a study of voting, government and the 2008 elections. We are excited for the products the students will create: a letter to the future president and an issue guide to the election. In reading, students are working on getting back up to speed in reading and in working towards deeper literary analysis of the texts they read.

In Math the students begin the year working on scale, similarity, and the algebraic rules which affect geometric transformations. We expect that all students keep organized notes to keep up with the material and understand our expectations. Homework will be assigned every class session, and we estimate the homework should take around 30 minutes to complete. We have notified the students that if they work for an hour on their math homework they should stop and draw a line across the page. That way we will know that we have assigned inappropriate homework or that your child needs individual help.

Message from 9th Grade Teachers: In ELA we have started the year by learning about the routines and norms of a high school ELA class. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will dive into our first unit, "Does Empathy Matter?" In this unit, we will: a) think about the themes of empathy, hope, despair and conflict in both text and the world we live in, b) begin to develop an understanding of the vocabulary that will help us as the year progresses, c) write about what we are reading, and about our own lives, d) read A LOT (both in class and on our own), e) set up our Reading Notes and Writing Notes notebooks as tools that we will refer to throughout the course of this year. If you have any questions, or would like to come and spend time in ELA with us, please feel free to contact me (Blaine) at: 617-549-2359, or b.yesselman@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Global I Students will begin the year studying Ancient River Valley Civilizations. Each unit during the first semester will explore the question: What has a greater influence on the development of civilization location or technology? It is important that all Global I students have the following supplies: 1 inch binder with dividers, folder, loose leaf paper and a composition book.

Applied Algebra began the year surveying the whole grade and making graphs of the results. We will move onto a study of graphing equations. All students must have a 3-ring binder, graph paper, and a folder. I would appreciate any donations of tissues, copy paper, paper towels, and any other school supplies you can think of. If you have any questions, contact me at adam.chasen@gmail.com.

Integrated Algebra (Algebra 1) students are working through their first unit "Operations with Algebraic Expressions" which finishes up next Friday, Sept. 26th with the Unit 1 Assessment. We have been focusing on note taking skills as well, so ask your child to show you his / her notes and explain what he / she has been learning in Algebra. Please contact me (Sarah) if you have any questions (sbeaty@dlbassociates.com).

Living Environment started this year by reviewing what biology is, and the process of science. We explored some of the skills necessary for "doing science," like creating scientific diagrams and making objective observations. We also started Unit 1: What makes something living? In this unit, students will explore the characteristics of living things, and debate whether or not certain things are alive or not. All students should have a composition notebook, index cards and an index card box, and folder and pen and pencil. If you have any questions, contact me at raka_nuernberger@yahoo.com.

Science Methods started off the year exploring the properties of water. Students complete an investigation each week focused on certain properties. Currently, we are focused on cohesion! We will be building upon their skills of observation and reflection as well as critical thinking. All students should have a composition notebook, index cards and an index card box, and folder and pen and pencil. There are several teachers of this course, so if you have any questions please ask your child for the syllabus that is in their notebook, where his or her instructors email address will be.

Message from 10th Grade Teachers: In Geometry, we are working on our first unit which is called "Tools of Geometry". The unit focuses on building background vocabulary and reviewing concepts that students may have seen in the past. For this unit, students need to complete a project where they create a toolkit of basic terms and postulates of Geometry. Students will be graded based on five categories for each unit: Homework, Class work, Tests, Quizzes and Project, and this information will be charted in the room. As for supplies, students need the following: a protractor, compass, and a notebook. It is recommended that students also have a scientific calculator.

In Earth Science, students have begun learning how to think as a scientist, about measurement in science and mapping. This year, we have a class website www.bcsearthscience@wikispaces.com. Students and families are encouraged to keep track of assignments, learning targets, class lecture topics and resources through this website.

In Global History and Geography, we are learning to be geographers and historians. We began the year talking about the Six Essential Elements of Geography. Here are the five major units of study for this year:

* Unit 4: The First Global Age (1450-1770)
* Unit 5: An Age of Revolution (1750-1914)
* Unit 6: A Half Century of Crisis and Achievement (1900-1945)
* Unit 7: The 20th Century Since 1945
* Unit 8: Global Connections and Interactions

The best way to think about this course and the units of study is in terms of Essential Questions. Essential questions are the "Big Questions" that reflect the key understandings that we want to have at the completion of this course. For example, right now we are studying the Ming Dynasty of ancient China and here are the essential questions that, as geographers and historians, we are striving to answer.

Unit 4: The First Global Age (1450-1770)

A. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) - Essential Questions:

* How do physical and human geography affect people, places and regions?
* What impact do regional and global trade networks have on world cultures?
* How does the individual influence world events?

I have asked all the students to bring to class the below items. These items are required and should be brought to class every day with the exception of the 3-ring Professional Portfolio binder that I will keep for you.

· Two number two pencils - preferably mechanical pencils so you don't have to bother with pencil sharpeners

· Two medium point blue or black ball point pens

· One college ruled 3 subject 11 inch X 8.5 inch 150 sheet spiral notebook (for class notes, Regents Exam preparation, and homework)

· One composition notebook (for your Genius Journal)

· $5.00 for heavy duty 3-ring binder that will be provided for you. This will be for your Professional Portfolio, and we want everyone to have the same type binder.

Message from 11th Grade Teachers: In U.S. History we are working to build a respectful community of learners who feel safe to interact, disagree and feel comfortable being uncomfortable at times. Students are deepening their own understandings of their personal, political and collective identities through discussion, story telling, writing, and reading and mask making. We are working hard to create an atmosphere that honors the personal histories of each diverse individual in the room. We are considering such questions as: How does society affect our identities and the choices we make? This week we will be sharing our initial identity masks and then widening our discussion of personal identity to begin a larger discussion of political identity as we move into our first major unit of study: "Letters to A New President: The 2008 Election and How We Got Here."

In Internship, we inaugurated our second year of the BCS Internship program by sending 32 students out on interviews at places like the Prospect Park Zoo, Health Education Alternatives for Teens, NY 1, the Mac Support Store, several architectural firms and other organizations. This fall we are very pleased to introduce two new internship positions: working with a judge at the Red Hook Criminal Justice Center and assisting architects at Nelligan White Architects in Manhattan. Also, we have arranged for the program's first paid fellowship: the Cutsogeorge, Tooman and Allan Architecture Fellowship. Congratulations to Sintia Zaytounalian the first winner of the award and thanks to Senior, Lizbeth Angel for originally initiating and developing the relationship with this firm. Please help remind your child to keep up with the two writing assignments that are due each week at the internship seminar.

In Statistics, we are investigating different collections of data. As aspiring statisticians we hope to be able to organize, sort and make sense of the numbers and values that are associated with surveys and questionnaires. Students will be working towards creating their own survey to be answered by the BCS student population. Our class will then make some statements about our schools preferences and tendencies.

Message from 12th Grade Teachers: On behalf all three of our 12th grade crews, we invite all parents and families to our Family College Planning Night, September 22nd at 6 pm in The Music Room. Families will hear from our team of teachers on our plans to launch the senior class members into colleges of all sorts. Financial aid planning sessions and picking "just right" college session will be hosted by teachers and members of our guidance team. Refreshments served. This is an essential piece of the college process. Join us!!!

In Economics, we started with a "sampling" of types of class work we'll have, including college-level case studies like "Nike: The case for moral choices in buying" and "Bottled Water: friend or foe". September and October hold challenging unit on the Economics of Latin American Development and the launch of our school advent into personal financial literacy wherein each student will learn the very savvy ways and means of earning, spending and (hopefully) saving.

In Physics, we have first discussed approaching science (physics) with taking into account our personal biases. All scientists monitor personal feelings at all moments in their work. Our specific work in physics began on September 15th with first understanding how and what we measure in this course. The rest of the fall term will be observing and describing the motion of objects using math. Class will have a routine: the evening before a class students are to read the specific section in their Barron's book for the next day; class will address that concept area with an observation, a lecture and then practice; then each night the students need to reread the Barron's section from that day, do the practice problems and then read the section in Barron's for the next day.

In English, we're working on students' college admission essays. We are in the process of revising students' early drafts, and we will continue to polish them until we have application-quality essays. Students are learning how to engage the reader, clarify their arguments, and tighten their phrasing. Also, to help students prepare for college level English courses, we will break into seminar discussion groups. In these groups, students will be introduced to Socratic questioning, which will guide them in comprehending, analyzing, and discussing college-level texts.

College Advisement: From Zan Jacobus, College Advisor. I am at BCS Mondays and Wednesdays, (718) 923-4701. Twelfth grade crews have been working on a variety of college related topics. Every twelfth grade parent should meet with me and her/his child to discuss decisions about college applications. I have distributed letters to all seniors, and part of this letter is to you, the parents. I have given each senior and his/her family an appointment time. If you cannot make that appointment time, please come to curriculum night on 9-22 to meet with me, or call me to reschedule.

SATs: Seniors will be taking the SAT again on November 1. They will be registering to take it in Crew the week of Sept. 22.

Messages from Spanish, Art, Music, Drama, Photography and Sign Language

Spanish News: ¡Hola! We are pleased to be teaching your sons and daughters Spanish this year. Our curriculum this year will include thematic projects such as Día de los Muertos exhibit, Mayan food and culture, Latin music and dance, Spanish film and literature, and magazines that students will make. Several of these projects will culminate in final events that we hope you will be able to attend. Please continue to check the monthly family letters for information on specific units of study and events. We do not have Spanish books this year. Students who still have their 6th grade workbooks should keep them in their Spanish binders. All students this year need a binder with loose leaf paper or a notebook that can have pages torn out easily to hand in. The binder can be shared with another subject, as long as the other teacher agrees. We ask that every family contribute one ream of 8.5 x 11 inch copy paper WITH THREEHOLES PRE-PUNCHED, which costs approximately$3 at Staples or Office Max. This way we can make copies for students that they can easily keep in their binders. !Gracias!

In Spanish 3, we have begun a unit to expand students' Spanish vocabulary by identifying English cognates--words related in spelling and meaning. Students have begun introducing themselves as someone or something else after having been inspired by a Spanish narrative from the point of view of a vampire. We will continue to examine the relationship between the two languages and their Latin connections and explore patterns that exist in regular and irregular verbs.

Art Studio News: Greetings from the art studio. We have started the new school year focusing on studio procedures and paint exploration. Through the production of a number of small paint explorations students will learn the qualities of paint as well as it's possibilities and limitations. At the end of our series of paint explorations students will be extending their knowledge of paint into representational work.

This Fall 2008 we are also fortunate to have a wonderful new student teacher Fionnula. Fionnula is earning her masters in art and art education at Brooklyn College and has extensive experience working with special needs students. We are very fortunate to have her.

A last note: All art students are required to bring three items to the art studio.

1. A Composition notebook

2. A 78 inch by 36 inch paper or plastic portfolio ($10.00 at Pearl Paint on Canal Street in Manhattan, Staples or Office Max)

3. A roll of paper towel

Please remember to check out our new gallery space "ONSPACE" on the first floor of our building. The current "Stone Soup" show features the work of BNS/BCS teachers, administrators and friends. Sincerely, Ingrid - MS/HS Art Teacher

Music News: Sixth graders are beginning the year with a study of the elements of music. We are focusing on the difference between beat and rhythm, various tempi, and ranging dynamics. Our first project is a rhythm grid using non-conventional instruments.

Eleventh graders are learning about the origin of music. Our first reading deals with a philosophical approach to musical sound and foundations.

An independent study is being offered for students who need a half credit of music to graduate. This independent study consists of five assignments. Students must see Christine (Room 213) if interested.

The high school selective, The History of Rock and Roll, is a year long music course for one credit. We will study various genres of music from The Blues to modern day pop. Our final project will be an eclectic analysis of a specific song dealing with a social justice issue.

Drama News: Drama - My name is Kori Schneider and I have been working for BNS/BCS for the past 10 years. I am also a working Actor and Producer for an off-Broadway Company in the West Village. I am excited to continue to create a program of Dramatic Arts here at our school. The purpose of teaching Theater Arts in the Public Schools is that, "Teaching and learning in theater develops confident learners who are better prepared to participate actively in their education, community and social lives." As part of our program I will attempt to meet the following strands:

* Developing Theater Literacy - To provide skills and knowledge to deepen a students understanding and genres of theater

* Making Connections - They respond to theater by identifying personal issues and universal themes in performance and dramatic text.

* Working With Community and Cultural Resources - Active partnerships that combine school, professional and community resources create rich avenues for student and teacher innovation in the classroom

* Exploring Careers and Lifelong Learning - Students develop audience skills that allow them to value theater throughout their lives.

In addition I plan to create a community within each classroom where I can guide my students to work together while improving their self-esteem, voice, diction and physical well-being. I would like to extend this community to include parents as well. I am available to meet with any parent who has a skill to share that would enhance this process. We are especially interested in any parent who is currently involved in: the arts community, carpentry, electrical, fashion design or textile, and/or fundraising. I look forward to working with and getting to know both you and your children.

Photography News: We are beginning the new year in darkroom photography beginning with the fundamentals of 35mm black and white photography. All aspects of camera operations will be covered and students will then begin making images according to given assignments. Darkroom instruction will follow.

In Digital photography, students are investigating Photographers and the business of Photography.They will manipulate digital tools to produce visually and technically balanced images. In addition to the class project, each student will create a portfolio on a topic of interest.

Sign Language News: This is the second year BCS is offering ASL(American Sign Language) as an elective for grades 9-12 . Being heavily involved in the Deaf community for the past 11 years, I am excited to continue to head up this class.

ASL 1 Course Description - An introduction to the fundamentals of ASL with particular attention to the grammar of the language and the culture of American Deaf persons. It is a course for students with little or no previous knowledge of ASL. This course will create a solid foundation of basic conversational skills and a command of the essentials and grammatical principles of the language. Students will participate in exercises to develop skills which are significant to the visually-based language.

ASL 2 Course Description- A continuation of ASL 1, emphasizing increased fluency in the language's structure, vocabulary development and guidance with misused signs. This course concentrates on advancement of number recognition, fingerspelling, and vocabulary. Advance work in Deaf culture, regional and stylistic variations in ASL.

Message from Technology Teachers: Be sure to keep an eye on our school website, www.bcs448.org. There you will find the text of this monthly letter, the weekly letter from Alyce and Anna (including calendar dates at the bottom) and the school calendar. The Helpful Links page takes you to the BCS Research Links, where students can access Brainpop, Edvideo, and Worldbook Online, three reliable and educational resources that our school pays for. Log in information for these three sites is in the student planner. If your child is struggling with a homework topic or needs more background knowledge, encourage them to check out these sites. The computer lab is open every day after school until at least 5:00; students are encouraged to use it for school work.

Message from Susan Westover, Librarian: Welcome and Welcome Back to our new and returning BCS students. This year our shared BNS/BCS Library will be serving grades pre-K through 12 and we are looking forward to our busiest year ever! Ninth graders will be visiting the library the week of 9/8 to see what's in the collection and how to access it. Parents and caregivers are always welcome to stop by the library to take a look, too.