Good evening everyone. I'm going to ask um if anyone on Zoom Lewis if you could just raise your hand if you can hear me >> so I know. >> I hear you. >> You can. Okay.
>> What? What did you say? What? I can't hear you. >> I'm just kidding. You sound fine. >> Thank you. >> Okay. We are going to call the meeting to order. It is 7:02 p.m. I'm going to have Egypt go through our roll call.
>> Eden >> present. >> Charlie >> not yet. >> Christine present. Angela >> here. >> Amy >> running late. >> Dixon. >> Nope. >> Stephanie >> here.
>> Grace >> not here yet. >> Here. >> Here. He's on Zoom. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> He just stepped out. I think
>> I'm going to ask that anybody speaking tonight tries to speak a little louder. We're working on getting the microphone piece to go along with our new system. Um so just speak up so you can be heard. Uh I'm going to have to pause on one item just because she's not here yet.
Um, so we're going to move on to voting on a resolution, which is next. And Sha, it's yours that we're voting on tonight, right? >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Okay. So, Sha is going to read out her
resolution and then we are going to take a vote. Wait. One, two, three. I can't vote yet. So, actually, we're going to hold off. Do we have our New York City rising pool? Do >> you have the New York City Ring online
or you don't have coming in person? >> Jenny, >> New York City Rides. Are they on Zoom or are they coming in person? >> They are. >> Okay. So, we're gonna pivot to them
first. So, we have a representative from New York City Rise online this evening that's going to speak to us. You can come off mute. >> No. Let's break it out. Okay.
So, you know what? >> Okay. So, we're going to move on for now. We'll re backtrack after to our state testing presentation. There's so many different cameras looking at me. I'm getting used to this. Sorry. >> Hi. Good evening. Are you Do you mean
me, >> Barbara? Okay. I uh I'm so happy to be here for district 25 uh and to update you all and give you some information on state testing. I'm going to share my screen. Um
I guess I have to send a request. I didn't realize. Sorry, I'm not so familiar with Zoom. We tend to use Teams dayto day. I can do it now. Thank you, Dr. Mike. Uh all right. So hopefully you can see
my screen here. So today I'm going to talk about the New York State exams 3 through 8 ELA which is English language arts, the math and the science. Uh I'm going to go over an overview of the exam, the transition that we're going
through to computer-based testing in all grades 3 through 8. I'll talk about the test dates, the design, who might be exempt from taking these exams, accommodations that are available for our ESL, English as a second language
students and uh IEP or 504 students, the benefits of testing, and why we encourage participation in the testing. So, we have to test your children. It's the law. uh that's based on the Every
Student Succeeds Act by the federal government. And we need the information to make sure that students are prepared to graduate and be able to be successful adults either in college or technical careers. And we want to make sure that
they have choices in their life. So these tests are a one two-day snapshot of what students can do. So it's it's just one of several measures that we use to assess student progress. So you of
course look at your grade the students grades, their report cards, their projects and other performance-based students. The testing is just another snapshot uh of how the students are doing. So we've been moving through all the grades
transitioning to computer-based testing from paperbased tests. And I have to say that even my granddaughter misses bubbling those answer documents. She much prefers that to taking a test on a computer. But we are now in this last
stage, spring 2026. And CBT is required for all grades 3 through 8. There are very few exceptions to to students taking the test on paper. All the grades are being administered online.
So the preparation we had a statewide simulation. There was a window and our schools were excellent at at participating so that they knew that their school was prepared with for
the students for the staff for their um devices that the students used. And this year it was held on from January 26 to February 6th. Stu schools were only mandated to test their students on one subject and one grade, but they were
free to do as many simulations as they wanted. Besides a simulation, the schools can administer fulllength practice tests using the state's secure testing browser. And in addition to that, families and students can access
the question sampler from any web page and you can preview any of the testing tools, including accommodations, without installing the secure browser. So parents, please have your have your children practice. The more they
practice, the better they'll be prepared for the test. And we do also have to remember that the state standards include keyboarding starting in kindergarten. And I wish I typed better than I do now.
So the preparation is doing these practice tests. So these are just screenshots from the grade five ELA. This is uh multiplechoice answers for this excerpt that they have to read and then answer. There are multiplechoice questions. there are
short answers and then from grades four on there's a longer essay. Um, and the school should be preparing the students to know what the rubrics are so the students know what they're being graded on. And these tests are graded by New
York City certified teachers on computers. At the bottom of the page is a screenshot of a sample grade five. But again on the family infohub you can access uh practice tests without having
a sec secure browser so that you can see exactly the type of questions your child will have when they take these computer-based tests. So these are the this is the testing window. New York State has a slightly different window, but every district in the state is
allowed to pick the window that they want to administer the test. So, New York City has picked April 14th through the 24th for the ALA exam. We do encourage schools to use the beginning of the window so they have more days to administer makeups if children have to
be out for any reason. The math is will be held from April 28th through May 8th. and the science which is administered only in grade 5 and grade 8 that window is May 12th through the 15th. So it's a that test is actually only a one-day
test. So the ELA and math administered on two consecutive school days within those windows. It could also be a Friday and Monday. That's also considered consecutive. And for science, it's one day. the design of the test. You can see
exactly what's on the test on the New York State website, but each of the ELA and math consist of two untimed sessions, and one session per is administered per day. So for ELA, session one and session two include
multiplechoice and open-ended questions. Session one for math is only multiplechoice and session two has multiplechoice and open-ended questions. Meaning the children for those open-ended, they have to either write essays, write short answers, or show
their work for math problems. The science test, again, only administered in grades five and 8, is only one day, and it's multiplechoice and open-ended. They're all untimed. Each test should not really take more than an hour and a
half to two hours of actual test taking. It's really not designed to be an entire day, but they are untimed. And if students need more time, they'll be able to work at their own pace, but they only they're only allowed to respond within
the school day. Once the school day ends, the student must stop testing. Exemptions. So, there are exemptions to the mandated test takers. One of them is if you have seventh or eighth grade
students who happen to be taking the New York State Regent exams in mathematics algebra 1, those students are not to take the grade 8 math. The regent exam is a different curriculum. It's uh the the course of study is different than
grade 8. So those students who are taking the region should not be taking the grade 8 math. We we do not want double testing. People complain there's too much testing. We don't want too much testing, one exam. Same thing with
science. If science students are taking the regions exams, they may take the grade 8 science exam, but if they're taking the regions exam, that is sufficient. If you have L students, English language learners, who are here
in the United States for less than a year for ELA, they are exempt. They do not have to take that test, but they may. Some parents do want their child to take it even though they're here um fewer than 12 months. Some students are
severely cognitively um impaired students take an alternate assessment. Again, it's ESSA. Every student has to be tested, but they take a separate assessment. It's also computer-based. It's called the New York State alternate
assessment. If a student happens to have a medical issue and they're absent for the entire testing window from the first day to the last day, those students may also be exempt from testing. Accommodations. In general, students who
have accommodations on an individualized educational plan or a 504 plan in all cases should get any and all accommodations as long as they're allowed by New York State. So, flexibility in scheduling, flexibility
on where they sit, method of presentation, whether they need a braille or a large print, maybe they need directions read or simplified, maybe they need masks or markers to maintain their pace or place, and method of response if they need a scribe.
So again, any accommod any and all accommodations on IEP or 504s should be given to every student because they're getting them in the classroom every day to make them make the exams accessible to them and they should get them on the
state exams as long as it's something that's allowed by New York State. So L's and former L's can also be um provided accommodations. So L's are students who have not yet tested commanding on the New York State um
English language achievement test. Um so they may get separate location. They can get their an alternate language a written translation in math or in science. They can use bilingual dictionaries or glosseries word for word translations. If it's a lower incidence
language that doesn't the state does not provide a written translation, schools can hire a translator for those students. And in math and science, the students can write their responses in their home language. Um, a former L is
just someone who a student who has tested out commanding, but the state recognizes they still may not be completely provisioned, uh, proficient, excuse me, so they can get accommodations for 2 years after achieving commanding.
So, what are the benefits of testing? Why do we test your students besides it being the law that says we have to? We want to make sure that your child's learning what's expected of them. We want to make sure that they're they're meeting the standards for their grade level so that they're ready to go into
the next grade. We want to make sure they're progressing from one year to the next and how they're performing compared to their peers who are in their school or in other schools. Uh maybe the student needs more support, maybe the teacher needs more support. So we use
these scores for many different reasons. And you can also compare and learn how your child's school is doing compared to other schools. I I guess I'll always put a plug for district 25 because I I was a district 25 parent and I live in
district 25 and district 25 schools are great in my opinion. Um so I know they're all doing pretty well. You can check your child's score in your New York City schools account and part of the results are uh as part of them
you can see the level at at which your child is performing on that day that snapshot of the test that they took in April and May of each year. So level four they're exceeding the standards. Level three they're proficient in the
standards for that grade. level two they're partially proficient and level one or below proficient and you can see that there. So participation we really want ch children to participate in testing. Um
parents and students both benefit because we learn something about the child and the school through the test results. Teachers are allowed to look at the student responses. They can adjust their teaching. they can figure out what their
weak points are, what the child's weak points were the year before. So, it's very important that these test results and the tests themselves are reviewed. If a parent decides they're going to refuse and they want their did not want their child to
take them, they must really speak with the child, the school principal. We want to make sure that the principal talks one-on-one or one of the administrators and understands why the parents do not want their child to test. If the
if the parents still insist that will be honored, but we do want a record of that conversation. And let me just add on this piece. We're tested all through life. I mean, if your child is in elementary school, they're going to go to middle school. They're
going to go to high school. They're going to take regions exams. They're going to take PSATs. They're going to take CS SATs. If they go to graduate school, they're going to take, you know, the graduate exams. Do they have to take their driving test? Yes, it can be anxiety producing, but motor vehicle is
not going to let you refuse to take that driving test even if your child is anxious. Okay. So at home supports, how can you support your child? Encourage reading all different genres, news, fiction, comics, anything they read is good
practice. The street signs, practicing mental math and math talk during grocery shopping or cooking. Cooking is a great way to learn fractions. As a former math teacher and a baker, I know that it's very important to know those
measurements. And CBT skills. Students use devices all the time, but they should be practicing to improve their typing and their mouse navigation at home. Practice, practice, practice. Also, a positive attitude. Do the best
you can. I love you no matter what. You're going to do fine. Whatever the test result is, we'll just learn from it. It's just teaching you what you don't know. So, it's important that we know what you don't know and what you do know. We know you're going to make a good
effort. We're going to you're going to get a good night's sleep. You're going to eat a healthy breakfast and you're going to be feeling good and happy to go to school so that you reduce any anxiety that you have that you might share with
your child inadvertently. So these are some links here. Um I've shared this presentation um with Egypt. So this top link is for the question sampler. So you can see exactly by grade
and by subject different questions that mimic what will be on this year's test. And I'm sure you have access already to your New York City schools count. The New York State has parent resources including FAQs and student participation
guide is coming out next Monday. So, sorry I wasn't able to update this um but it will be readily available on the info hub starting on Monday. And then I
added my information. My name is Barbara Martha. I'm the burough assessment director for Queens. So, I work with all the schools in Queens, um, preK through high school, making sure that they're up
to speed in state rules and testing and whatever they need. So, thank you very much. Please don't hesitate. If you have any questions at all, you're h I'm happy to have you reach out to me at this email address. Um, I'm also at the
Lynden office um at the same floor as district 25 on Mondays and Tuesdays and I'm happy to answer any questions you have at all. So, I'll stop sharing now and say are there Well, I'll leave this up. Any
questions before I go? >> Does anybody have any questions for Barbara? >> No, I don't. Okay, then I hope you all have a nice evening. >> Wait, we do have one question in the chat.
>> Somebody's asking, "What about a child with autism?" >> What about a child with autism? Well, if they have an IEP or 504 or any accommodations, they will um >> they will receive those on the state testing
>> days just as they do in the classroom for any exams they may have. Then is that the question? Did I answer the question? >> I'm not hearing anybody. >> Same. I have a question.
>> I have to take the state test. >> You have to take the test. State test. Yes. Cuz we want to make sure >> I'm a second grader. I'm too small to do that. >> Oh, you're too young to take the test
this year. Next year you get to take the test. >> What can I do? I want practice. What can I do? >> You can still do the practice test. Go ahead. see how well you do on grade three or grade four or grade six. Check
it out. Your your mom can help you find the practice questions online and then you can then you can do it. Good luck. >> Sorry, I have a question. >> You're welcome. Yes. >> My son has autism and he's still
learning adaptive learning skills and unable to pick up academics. How how can he be tested at the same level as a neurotypical? >> Um I well I don't know where he goes to school or what his grade is, but if he's
unable to take the general exams, he might be scheduled to take the New York State alternate assessment. You would have to check with your school what grade what grade is the child in. Well, he's got some years. He's in kindergarten, but I am trying to think
ahead because autism takes a longer time to >> Certainly it does. Certainly it does, but that's a ways down. And the special ed teams at your school will ensure that he has the accommodations he needs so that the test is accessible to him no
matter what test he does take. That's the whole purpose of accommodations. We can't modify the test. We accommodate the student so that they can reach the level of the test. >> Thank you.
>> You're welcome. >> Well, I'm going to guess that there's no more questions, but again, >> Barbara, can you hear me? >> Yeah, I can hear you. >> Okay. I have one other question that's in the chat. I know that you shared the presentation with us. Are you able to drop a copy of it into the chat for
parents that joined late? >> I will certainly try if I I don't see something. >> Does Egypt have the slides? >> Yeah, she does. >> We're muted. >> I hear you. >> I heard Louis
and I hear I hear Eden. >> You're hearing me through Dr. >> Yeah. No, I I open my computer. >> Oh, I see the chat. Okay. >> Can someone can someone unmute the owl? >> So the answer is yes. I will um I will drop the link.
>> I will drop um the PowerPoint. >> So if Egypt has the slides then then >> but she does and she has >> then she could put them in the folder. >> Okay. >> I can put I could put them in the chat from the folder if if Egypt has them. >> Okay. Thank you Louis.
>> Yep. Okay. >> So, Barbara, there was also a question about whether or not there's access to simulation scores. >> No, not even for the school. The simulation answers were not captured by
Questar. Um because it was really just a 45 minute trial to make sure the proctors knew what to do to make sure the children knew how to log on and log off and and submit their tests. It wasn't it wasn't
designed to have any of the responses captured because the students couldn't even finish the test in the 45 minutes. >> Thank you, Barbara. >> You're welcome. Are we good?
>> Okay. So, we're gonna talk through your mic for now. >> Yeah, it's fine. >> Okay. So, we're gonna say thank you to Barbara. I don't see any other questions. >> Thank you. >> If somebody else is not muted in the room, >> might be you. >> No, I'm off audio. Can you just check to
make sure you're on mute? >> Yeah. Sorry, we're having some We're using new software today. I apologize. What's What's the pro What's the problem? How can I help you solve this problem? >> It's not hearing anybody. We're using Dr. Mike's computer.
>> Right. So, why don't you unmute the owl? >> It is unmuted. >> Um, it is unmuted. Let me see. >> Yeah, Louis, it's okay. We'll we'll we'll have to tough it through at this point the way that it is. We'll figure out the owl at another time.
>> Okay. And the light on the owl is not red. No. >> Is Egypt, are you muted on that screen? >> Maybe that's what the echo is. >> No. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> Okay. So, I'm going to move on real
quick. We last month we did some interviews um to fill a vacancy on the council. So, we do have our new council member with us this month. We have Grace. So, I'm going to let her briefly introduce herself. Good evening everyone.
My name is Torres. I'm glad to be here with you as my second and >> thank you. Okay, we're going to kind of jump around a little bit because I know we have some children here that are looking to
present. So, Dr. Mike, do you want to >> Yeah, sure. >> take it from >> uh So, good evening everyone. And I'm not sure someone is definitely on has their their volume on. So, if someone is on the Zoom at the same time, if that's in the room, if you can just go on to
mute so that we don't hear the the um the echo, that would be great. Uh but thank you guys for being here. We um we have a few students as we always do that come to the to the uh CEC meetings to present their soapbox
speech. So I am incredibly excited to have two students with us tonight. We have um TJ from PS 242 is joining us tonight. Um and he's going to give us a little bit of a speech on kindness which I am extremely excited about. So welcome
to TJ. And we also have Isabelle here who's going to give us her soapbox speech uh around the importance of financial literacy. Uh so I'm really excited because I have a ninth grader and an 11th grader and I might call them to get on here so they can listen to you as
well because they really do like to take all of dad's money and they think I actually have a lot of it. So I would love for them to be on here too. Um but we're going to call TJ on up. TJ, you ready to come and share your speech? >> All right. Welcome TJ. Come on up here, TJ. And I am going to
put my mic on, my camera on so that you can show everyone. >> Oh, no. I just turned it on here. >> You can project it. Okay, good. As long as you can project it. Okay, perfect. So, you're gonna face that way for now, TJ. >> And then as soon as you're ready,
>> and we'll see him up on the screen. Okay. Just be very careful though, TJ. PS 242 located in Flushing Queens. Today I want to speak to you about being kind. Kindness or lack of it. It is a big
issue today. People are not being kind to each other and not being helpful to each other. According to research, kindness improve both physical and mental health. One, reduce stress and
anxiety. Two, improve heart health. Three, boost immune system. Four, increase longevity. Five, relieve pain. Ways to practice kindness are being empathetic, generous, showing
compassion, using manners, turn and include others, show gratitude, listen to, understand and not problem solve. Imagine a world where people show kindness to one another. People would
get along better and friendship would be more stronger. We all benefit from kindness which help alleviate stress and foster positive relationships with others.
We need to be friendly and helpful to others. When you smile at the people around you, you are showing kindness. When we share with each other. We make the world a better place. Kindness also
makes people feel happy and loved. Always remember the importance of kindness in life. May an act of kindness brighten your day. Thank you. >> Good job, >> TJ. Thank you so much. council. If
there's anything you'd like to say, TJ, >> I I'm going to speak up. So, TJ, the fact that you memorized your whole speech is incredible cuz that's a lot to remember and get up there in front of people and say. So, amazing job.
>> Way to go, TJ. You're also getting lots of thanks for your speech in the chat. So, everybody is acknowledging you as well. Any >> Yeah. So, TJ, you're getting lots in in the the chat saying incredible speech. Great job. And you know what what I what
I appreciate so much about just soapbox speeches and what TJ shared with us tonight is how powerful our voices are. And this is coming from a student that is in the second grade. And I'm not sure
if if you guys felt this way, but I certainly did. I was sitting on the edge of my seat to listen to the message that TJ was able to provide. And moreover, it gives me all the reason to figure out how we wind up creating a kindness initiative based on TJ's speech tonight.
So, I am super grateful for TJ. I happen to see TJ at almost every family event that we have in District 25. Right, TJ? >> Yeah. So, thank you so much. >> Let me see if I can change my mic.
that I can try to use. >> I just unplugged the old hour and plugged it back in. So, we're going to see. >> Yeah, Dr. Mike, you can't use your laptop. >> Can you hear me now? >> I hear you on Dr. Mike's computer.
>> Oh, no. Dr. Mike is muted. >> So, you are hearing me then? >> Yeah, but I don't know from where. >> Okay. >> Egypt, what microphone is selected? >> It says, >> "So, we are now
Isabelle from JHS 185. I can't wait to hear you speak as well. Please join us and we can learn a little bit about uh financial literacy from you and you know why this is an important uh topic for you tonight. So, thank you so much for being here.
>> I got you, girl. Go ahead. You can go. >> You don't have to stand in this chair. No, no, no. >> Hey, you. Oh. Um, do I Which side do I turn to? >> Um, >> this thing right there. >> Yeah, I was going to say I stay right there. Yeah, that was >> um Hey, you. Yes, you want to guess how
many adults know how to use money. If you didn't know, according to a study in 2018, 17% of young adults demonstrated basic financial literacy. 17%. Do you know how little that is? And it's all because these young adults didn't get to
learn about money at an early age. In an economy built all around money and credit, students getting thrown out of school without the knowledge of money is like people getting thrown into war without armor. It is that serious if you don't understand the severity of this
situation. Hello, my name is Isabelle Zen and I'm here to discuss why it's important for schools to teach financial literacy. Why is this such a big issue you may ask? Well, this is such a vast problem because if you don't learn about financial literacy at an early age, you
won't be able to develop or recognize an understanding for that skill. As joint SDG fund states, a 2025 financial literacy survey conveyed by the standard and pores found that 33%
adults worldwide were considered financially illiterate. To break this down, this just means that onethird of the adults in the world don't know how to use money. Yes, it has grown since 2018, but it's not enough. This just
shows how little people know how to use money properly. In addition, as National Financial Educators Council states, financial literacy in America continues to afflict a large portion of the population, enabling poverty and
hampering prosperity. A lack of understanding of financial services and the basics of personal finance lead to a perpetual cycle of poor financial decisions that finan that that restrict the social mobility of
Americans. All that is said is really true and just means that being financially illiterate can cause you to become poor and indeped. Sounds harsh but yes it will be what will happen when you get older. This becomes more severe
because you'll be the one paying everything you owe. Wouldn't the world be such a good place where no one was poor, indebted, and or financially illiterate? Most people or everyone would have a stable and good life. People would know how to manage, budget,
use, invest, and essentially understand money. You can be happy and not have to worry too much about the debt that you owe and can't pay. No more living paycheck to paycheck. Just think about that. Tools we already have to work on
this issue are companies like FDIC which already have a big program for this for these small lessons really help step by step small steps at a time. FDIC moneys smart for young people features four free age appropriate curricula that
promote financial understanding and are specifically designed for pre kindergarten to through 12th grade educators. This program is really helpful considering how all of these lessons aren't too easy or too hard for each grade level and they teach it up to
12th grade which is the time when you actually have to start with all these money issues. I need you all to first write to higherups. For example, you can write to superintendent, principles, and even teachers. If you get enough people convinced, maybe the school can write to
the district, and it will or can get bigger and bigger. In addition, you can vote for these lessons to be included in your everyday schedule. Maybe instead of double lessons, we can have a lesson for financial literacy. Even if these small
things take time, even if even if it's just us, we can make a difference. Just know it's never too early to start now. Eden just went to the bathroom really quickly, so I'm going to leave from here. Anybody from the council wants to comment?
>> Yes. I I love uh how deep and relevant information you bring to the council even for a topic which is not easy for others. So thank you so much for bringing this uh crucial topic to the
country. Thank you. Thank you so much. And what I what I appreciated about uh your your speech uh tonight and how you presented is how confident you spoke uh and how knowledgeable you were on the topic. And um perhaps myself and
principal Young will have a little bit of an opportunity to sit down and discuss your your um your speeches in a little bit more depth to figure out where we can include some more of that financial literacy inside of your curriculum. So, thank you guys so much and thank you.
>> So, next we have a perfect perfect uh topic for next. So, we have a a speaker from New York City Rise presentation. Are you um >> Her name is Leah. >> Leah. >> Leah. >> Hi. >> Can you all hear me? Okay.
>> Yes. >> Okay. Wonderful. I'm going to share my screen. And yes, as you said, um what an incredible segue and I feel really um honored to have heard those incredible speeches by students in district 25. Um
it's really inspiring both for kindness and financial literacy and awareness. So huge congratulations to them. Um so my name is Leah Elliot. I am with New York City Kids Rise. We are the nonprofit partner to the city of New York and New
York City public schools managing the Save for College program. This is a program that started citywide about 5 years ago in school year 2122 and is all about supporting our youngest learners and their families to begin
planning for the future for their college and career dreams and also letting families know that they are not alone in this process. So, I am super grateful to Superintendent Dantona and the District 25 team for the ways in which you all have shown your commitment
to um really educating families about this wonderful program and supporting it in the classroom and beyond. So, um I am going to flip through a few slides and of course want to be able to take questions throughout. Um I'm going to
start off just by um mentioning I just shared a little bit about who the program who we are as a nonprofit. This program um big picture though is both a scholarship and a savings program. So there are two different components where
we support families um to begin saving and thinking ahead for the future. And this program because it did start in school year 2122 as I mentioned. It started with the kindergarten class that year. Those kindergarteners are now
fourth graders. And so every year that they have moved up, eligibility for participating in this program has also expanded. So that means in this current school year, all of our kindergarten through fourth grade families are eligible for this program unless they
decided not to participate. And this is true regardless of immigration status or income. So if you are a family who has a fifth grader or an older child, I will be sharing some resources that are also available to you. Um but for the
purposes of a lot of this part of the presentation, we are focused on our kindergarten through fourth grade families. I am going to briefly play an intro video about the program and then dig into some more specific information as
it relates to this district and steps that you can take with your family. If you can't hear the audio, please do pause. Um, stop me, but I believe I did share it. Kids rise. Every student should have opportunities, resources,
and support to achieve their dreams. Research shows that children with even a small savings account of $1 to $500 are three times more likely to enroll in college and more than four times more likely to graduate. Together, we can take small steps for big college and
career dreams with the Save for College program. The Save for College program has two parts, a scholarship account and a savings account. To help every family get started, NYC Kids Rise will provide an NYC scholarship account with an
initial deposit of $100 to every public school kindergartener and opportunities to earn more over time. Small steps now can make a big impact in the future. Here's how it works. Your kindergartner will be automatically enrolled in the Safer College program unless you choose
not to participate. Log on to nycids.org to see your child's NYC scholarship account. Once activated, you earn an additional reward into the account, and you'll be able to track your child's balance over time. And that's not all.
There will be other chances for NYC Kids Rise and the community to add more money to your account in the future. We know that saving for college can be tough. It can feel too early or not in our budget. We're talking about small steps that can begin today. So once you
activate the scholarship account, you can open and connect a savings account so that you and your family can save in ways that make sense for you. A little amount set aside every week or month. >> All right. Um and I also heard that my
audio was a little bit low for you all when I was speaking earlier. So please um let me know if you're still having trouble hearing me. Okay. Um, so I'm going to go into a little more detail about some of the specifics you just heard in that video.
And so first and foremost, the reason behind this program is, as I've said, to ensure that families feel that they are not alone in beginning to save for their college and career journey. And any small amount when a child knows that
they have something already set aside for their future that can have an incredible impact on the way they think about the expectations >> for themselves and for others. Um and really begin to dream big about what's
possible for them. So, um, another thing to note is that while we're talking about, um, scholarships that are starting with small dollars, not only are those small dollars really meaningful to kids because it can grow over time, we also know that paying for
higher education, whether it is college, apprenticeship programs, or trade schools, there's always going to be a gap, or there often is. And so even when you account for family savings, fa financial aid and other scholarship
programs, sometimes students and families are facing unexpected fees, books or other expenses. And so this program is not only trying to provide every student with a base foundation to begin to save for college and career
training, but also to help cover those unexpected expenses that come up later when they are 12 years older and in school. So, the way that the program works is that every child in those grades K through 4 automatically receives what's
called a New York City scholarship account. And this is what is seated with an initial $100 from the city. This is also where rewards parents can earn are added to the account and community scholarships can be added. So what those
mean is it can be local businesses, PTAs can fund raise, or even individuals can donate to groups of students accounts in their community. This account is owned and managed by New York City Kids Rise. So what that means is it is never under
a parents name and that's very intentional. It means that our families who may be undocumented can still their children can still benefit from this because documentation status is not necessary to receive the scholarship. It also means that our families who are on
public benefits do not have to name this as a source of income or an asset. And if you apply for financial aid in the future, you do not have to report this because again, it is a scholarship that is owned and managed by our nonprofit
and is not tied to a family. For that reason though, the scholarship should be thought of as a gift from the city and community to help pay for some expenses that come later. This is not where parents put their own money. However, if
you have an existing New York 529 or want to set up a 529 or a college and career savings account with our program, you can connect them to see them grow together. Um, and I will of course pause for questions. So, one of the things
that's really important to note is that the money that is in this account is available not just for college in the traditional sense of 4-year universities. It's available to cover books, fees, software. It can support um
vocational schools, trade schools, and community colleges as well. So, these are any eligible education expenses in both the US and abroad. And we will communicate with families directly as your child gets closer to graduating
high school on how you can draw down these funds. So, there will either be a way to do a direct deposit to an educational institution or to get reimbursed for expenses. And that's true if you stay in New York City or if you move outside of the state or even
outside of the country. This account exists for your child, no matter where you move once it is opened in their name. I covered um those three items um or those items about how it does not impact public benefits or future financial aid.
Um but the other thing to note is again because we want to make sure all of our families can benefit from this. It does not impact immigration status and a family will never be required to enter a social security number or an IT 10 to see their child's scholarship account.
And that's really important because we know that families um both whether it's related to documentation or benefits that um that's a concern. You know, how is my data going to be used or will this impact me? And we really want families
to know and understand that this is a benefit of being a New York City public school student and there's no sensitive information that is going to be um that they are required to enter in order to see that their child has this account. So, if you are a family of a
kindergarten through fourth grader in district 25, most likely, unless you chose to opt out, you already have this account. And so, um, we want to support you to go ahead and log in. And all you need to be able to provide is your
child's zip code, date of birth, and their student ID number. So, I'm going to drop the link in the chat for those who are interested in taking that step this evening. I see a few folks who are putting questions in the chat, so I will definitely include um the information so
that you can go ahead and log in to see if your child most likely already has this. If you were a family who opted out of the program because you didn't really understand it or you thought that maybe it did impact future financial aid or that it couldn't complement your
existing 529, you can reenroll in the program. So, you have until the end of your child's fifth grade year to reenroll or cancel, but we know some families because when it rolled out, it wasn't as um they didn't have as much information. You might have decided not
to participate just because of um not understanding it fully. Um so, the last thing I'll mention um is that again, if you um do log into your child's scholarship account and you're thinking to yourself, how can I deposit money?
how can I contribute? That's wonderful. It's optional as part of the program. And if you're interested in that, then you can complete additional steps with the program and earn an additional number of rewards. And so what that looks like is that you would choose one
of two different account options. Our team can help you set that up. Or if again if you have an existing New York 529, you can actually connect them in the same platform and be able to track your child's scholarship and your own savings in one place. We do not receive
any information about your bank account. It is anonymized on the back end. It is meant to be a platform for you to see both in support of your children. And so, um, just to shout out the district, right now over 12,000 students have
these scholarship accounts and 1.4 million is already in them, including 64,000 from community partners. So, this program is is such an incredible foundation and we're here to support families and want you to be aware of all
the resources available to you. Um again I will stay on to drop the links in the chat or if you'd like to scan the QR code. Also Egypt does have this slide deck so we'll make that available. And um the last thing I'll mention is we do
offer workshops um every Wednesday morning and evening in different languages and we cover both general information about the program as well as how you can set up additional an account on your own to begin saving. Um so with
that um shout out to to district 25 for doing financial curriculum and really being the foundational partners for integrating this into the classroom. Um the safer college program does have curriculum extensions. So those are available for schools to implement and I
know many district 25 schools have been doing this for a while. I will take a moment to answer some questions in the chat. So one question is will this affect future scholarships for college? Um and why the response was
nothing is free. Okay. So it does not the scholarship account does not impact any um future financial aid. So this is the account that is owned and managed by us for the benefit of every public school student. It is not in a parent's
name and so um it is not something you have to report as your own asset. If you open and connect your own savings account where or you have an existing 529, there are specific thresholds at which it could impact future financial
aid. We do have a financial aid um two-pager that I'll put in the chat so you can see how that relates to you and your family. And if you have any questions, you can contact us. Um, in terms of nothing being free, we understand most people are skeptical or
can be at first about the concept of three uh free money. However, this program was created because there was a huge disparity in terms of which kids in New York City had access to a college savings account and which did not. And so providing the initial $100 and ways
for community to support every child, that is what we're trying to do. So it is to address past issues and challenges. Um and so in this case it really is free and supportive. Um the in terms of money added so
there's the building block rewards that you can earn through the program. Those are one time on the back end. It is invested in the 529 program through New York. So it does acrue returns through a mixture of stocks and bonds. So in that
sense it is acrewing over time the 12 years your child is in school and then more money can go into the scholarship account if community donors also contribute and PTAs can organize to fund raise for for community scholarships as well.
Um, so last question. I will again put the financial aid to two pager in the chat so you can see more specifics, but this will not be um it is not in your name. Um, the scholarship account is not in
your name. And so um it is under our nonprofit. It is not something that will impact future financial aid applications. That is separate from if you do open and are saving on your own as a family and if you have a savings account in your name that could
potentially impact your financial aid. So every family is different. So that's why I'll put the that information in the chat. Um and then will the donation be taxdeductible? So, when you are um I
guess Kent, do you mind clarifying is this if you're putting your own money into your own savings account or if you want to contribute to a community scholarship? >> Uh yes, thanks for your presentation. This is uh K Joe uh the council CB
council member and uh so we like companies uh individuals they like to contribute to the communities. Will the donation be tax tax deductible to their income? >> Abs. Absolutely. So, if you have um a way that you'd like to donate to an
individual school or a grade or a district, we work with you. Um our organization takes 0% of that money. It is taxdeductible donations. So, it comes through NYC Kids Rise. It can be earmarked for a specific school um or
grade within a school. It has to be a group of students. So, it's not just one child receiving it, but those are all taxdeductible and we work with community members um to make those contributions possible and it shows up as a community
scholarship in individual kids accounts. >> Great. Thanks. >> Yeah, absolutely. Um I want to be mindful of my time on the agenda. I can answer these remaining two questions either live or in the chat, but would like to defer to the CEC
on if I have a few more minutes or if you prefer for me to answer them in the chat. >> Yeah. And uh Leah, thank you so much. And you know, Kent, what was what you were just sharing, we've actually had some of our schools uh be fortunate enough to receive said additional
scholarships to their buildings, resulting in their accounts acrewing by an additional x number of dollars. So that does happen and um you know, all the better for our kids across our schools when it does. Um you know, so yeah, Leah, thank you. And Leah, if you
are available, we'd love to have you. On May 2nd, we're doing a wellness day. Um, so you are welcome to join us and be there to share more of this with with our families in the community. >> Wonderful. Thank you. And I will answer the remaining questions in the chat if
um like I'll I'll continue to stay on and type responses and if anyone wants to reach out to me individually, I'll also be including contact information. So um thank you all so much and we're here to support you and your families. So thank you again for the time.
>> Leah, thank you so much. I appreciate that you're going to respond in the chat. I do have some council members that do have questions, so I just want to open the floor to them real quick as well. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah. First of all, uh thank you for sharing this remarkable information. So, I I know that you call us that we will
focus on the kindergarten to four graders, but I would appreciate if you can also share with us uh additional resources for fifth graders and older. So yes, >> please. Yes, help me. >> Thank you.
>> I appreciate that. And I think this gets to Maya's question in the chat because as of right now, it is just kindergarten through fourth grade for the scholarship account. However, um one thing that our team can provide to every family is if
you are interested in how to set up a college and career savings account, either through a traditional bank or through the New York 529, which is invested in stocks and bonds. We provide one-on-one counseling and support to
families on both of those options. And we can also connect families to our partners at the financial empowerment centers. So if you need support with um if families need support with tax prep, general budgeting, um planning for
applying for financial aid for um for schools, some of those basically anything related to the financial health and well-being of families, we can be both a resource and a connector for you. And that's true of every family in the
district regardless of um you know the age being eligible for the first part of the program. >> Charlie, so I have a question. So let's say for example um my daughter I'm not sure yet but guess a full scholarship in college. So what happened to the funding
inside that account? Cuz I know it's only for education for my child. If I don't need to utilize it, then what what's the next step for that money in? So, if your um child does not need any of the money in the scholarship account,
so again, this would be the money from the city or community earmarked for education, they have up until they're basically 20 years after kindergarten to use it, use that those funds, which allows we know some students take time off or need to
work. Um, but if they don't use it at all because everything is covered, books, fees, expenses, which I will say many scholarships do not cover all of those expenses, it will come back to NYC Kids Rise to be distributed to the
current students in the program. Now, if you are saving your own money for your child in your name, that's your money. That is always yours at your discretion. And so we can advise you on what that would look like if you didn't even need
your own funds. But the scholarship because it's for education expenses, if a student doesn't end up needing those scholarship funds, it goes back to students who would need the scholarship funds >> because I had a parents uh who had a lot
about $50,000 in 529 plan. So the student receive full scholarship. So they can't utilize $50,000. But in order for them to utilize $50,000, they have to take it out from the account. However, that comes as an income tax. So
they have to pay for the tax. >> Yeah. So that's an individual. Yes. So individual 529s. If a family has been saving on their own, they have not been getting taxed on that those funds because it can be um a pre-tax
contribution. So depending on how that family did decide to start saving on their own, they may be getting taxed. If they decide to take it out of a 529, they may have some tax implications because they weren't getting taxed on that money before. Or there is now
federal a federal um law that actually makes it such that money in a 529 account can transfer to a retirement account. So, there are some new federal ways that they're trying to make sure people can use those funds to help pay
for future expenses, but because that's so individual to each family, that's where we can provide one-on-one support to talk through those options. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Anybody else have any questions for the council?
>> Okay, Leah. So, I will thank you for your time. I'll let you respond to the other people in the chat. Um, and we are going to move to our resolution that needs to be voted on next. So, Shauna, I'm going to give the floor to you so
you can read this out and then we can take a vote on the resolution. >> Okay. Um, resolution to fund and hire a certified librarian in every NYC public school. Whereas, for the reasons set forth below, CEC25 hereby resolves to support
mandating and funding a certified librarian at every New York City public school. Whereas, librarians are no longer a given in our public schools. Whereas, librarians do not do not just check out books. They are highly trained professionals who support the work of classroom teachers, create a schoolwide
information hub, teach valuable research skills, and promote critical thinking and child inquiry. Today's children must learn how to assess and evaluate information safely. Whereas the ability to read and learn to read is a right and all children deserve equal access to
literacy and information. Whereas many children do not come from homes filled with books and are not able to visit public libraries. A school library is their best and sometimes only chance to interact with a robust collection of complimentary books in an inviting space
helmed by a trained expert. Whereas the past decade has seen a sustained drop in standardized reading scores nationwide. And whereas early literacy is critical and students who are not proficient in reading by their third grade experience compounded
learning losses in all areas and are up to four times more likely to drop out of high school. Whereas schools with vulnerable student populations, including students in poverty and English language learners, are affected by librarian laws first and hardest at a rate up to two times more. Whereas the
benefits associated with strong library programs are the greatest for our most vulnerable student populations, including students in poverty, students with disabilities, students of color, and English language learners. Whereas librarians promote diverse learning by creating collections in which all
students may see themselves in others. Whereas in New York City, state mandates regarding libraries and librarians in our public middle and high schools are unfunded and often ignored with many schools repurposing libraries into classrooms, computer rooms, and meeting spaces. And there is currently no
mandate for librarians in public elementary schools. Whereas of the 32 elementary and middle schools in district 25, only four have a certified librarian on staff. Whereas this reflects a city-wide trend given that there are only 273 librarians
across NYC's 1614 schools. Whereas more than 60 studies show that certified librarians in our schools boost equity, literacy outcomes, research skills, graduation rates, and test scores. Whereas the classroom reading experience is different from the
library experience. Classroom reading can be a mixed experience with negative feelings relating to performance, reading levels, and restricted books. Students need both a classroom library and a separate school library to pro promote autonomy and self-paced pleasure reading which are contributors to a
child's reading and academic success. Therefore, be it resolved that the New York State Legislature enact a bill ensuring that a certified librarian has a funded mandate in every New York City public school to be enacted and enforced at a specified line item in each
school's budget. We had further resolved the plea NYC Department of Education, support the hiring of school librarians, and ensure that these faculty members have the space and resources needed to promote reading and information literacy in every school. Perfect. Does anybody have any
questions, comments, concerns before going to a vote on this resolution? Anybody on Zoom? No. >> Okay, with that roll call vote, >> yes.
>> Yes. >> Christine, >> yes. >> Angela, >> yes. Amy, >> yes. >> Yes. >> Stephanie, >> yes. >> Yes.
>> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Perfect. So, thank you. That resolution has passed. We will submit that in. I'll share a little bit more later this evening about the feedback we get.
>> No, we're discussing it tonight. I see. >> Okay. So, I'm going to turn the floor over to Dr. Mike for his report. >> Sure. Good evening everyone. So, good to be with you as always.
Go through our reports tonight. We do have um a small little followup around NTSS. Uh Stephanie uh Conan from my team uh will be here to talk a little bit more, just give you a little bit more context around MTSS, give everyone a little bit of a clearer picture um
tonight as well. So um I will try to make sure that I keep my portion um uh as tight as possible so that um I don't extend more than 20 minutes. I know that I'm sure Eden has got me on the clock. So, my connection tonight, my
connection before content tonight was was about our two speeches. Um, and I hope you guys are are able to see why I value them and why I push them across the district and why we're asking our schools to really invest the time for
our kids to become um researchers to become public speakers uh but more importantly to find something that they feel is important to them and then make a take a stand um you know and offer an opportunity to make some really strategic adjustments. So, we were able
to see that with TJ, who by the way, um I'm not sure about you, but >> cutest little guy in the world as a as a seven-year-old. Um I think he his message just around kindness is just so important when it comes from a second grader. Um I I I just feel like it sends
such a powerful message to even us as adults as why we need to pay attention to that more frequently. Um, so more to follow on that as well as well as Isabelle's presentation on financial literacy. Both equally important concepts. Uh, and I'm really proud of
them for sharing with us tonight. So we are also in the process just so that you know they I am like the last touch. which I have to go over to IS-25 and one of our students that started off the year around digital safety uh has created a story board uh that will
result in a public service announcement that he and I are a part of which will be shared widely to all of our schools in district 25. The goal of all of this is that it goes beyond the space of kids just saying a speech. what's the action that comes from it is really where I
want us to go as a collective community so that it's more meaningful, more authentic, um, and has a greater purpose than just writing it down on paper or typing in on a computer. So, really proud of our kids for the things that they're coming up with. The topics are great and I'm really excited about the
direction we're going. Um, respect for all week uh, was a few weeks ago. Um, our schools engage in a variety of different activities and such for our kids to really promote that space of respect and rapport uh across our buildings. Um, we know that this is
something that we have to consistently revisit uh to remind our kids of the importance of being kind and respectful to one another. Uh, which is why we do have our social emotional learning program, which is why we do work on building community agreements across our schools. Uh, but we know that there's
still a ton of work to do. um every day we have to work on ourselves and make sure that we're making good decisions uh so that others around us see that we're making um making them realize that each of each of us it matters to one another. So uh respect for all is just a week but
it's an important reminder throughout uh for us that this is an important uh component of our work. Um happy uh Ramadan for for our families that are celebrating and our children that are se celebrating uh Luna New Year has has come and gone. So, uh, bringing
in the year of a horse, um, you know, super super happy for all of our families that are having the opportunity to celebrate and our schools were able to do so as well, whether it's through performances or engaging our kids in a parade or having our kids engage in um,
you know, in the the the typical traditional um, um, outfits and such. uh really just amazing opportunities for our kids to really um get an understanding of the cultures around us. Uh and this just being uh one of them.
Most recently, uh we celebrated the 100th day of school. Um this happened actually on the day that we had a little bit of snow in case you guys didn't notice. Uh there was just a little bit that was sprinkled on the floor. Um but we did have uh the the 100th day of
school nonetheless. Um, I actually had a a a photo sent to me with a young lady that was um with her her eyeglasses on and a big gray wig and a cane and all of that because she was bringing it in in her own special way. U so it was uh you
know still able to celebrate even though we had uh some rough weather out there. District 25 um debate winter classic. Uh this was held uh last week. kids from across our uh elementary and middle schools were able to compete against one
another and I have to tell you this is really really great work. Um we will have the the final debate championship is in May. Even if your child's not participating it, I would love to see every single one of you there just to see what the kids are doing. Parents are allowed in. You're able to see what it
is that the kids are doing. You're able to see what the context of their conversations are. Both of them happen to be around technology. one around gender and AI and the other around uh STEM and whether or not it should be prioritized. And what is really amazing
is watching our kids really think on their feet about the research that they have done and how to respond in order, you know. So, really big shout out to all of our kids. Our first place um winners for the day were PS 32, uh
second place PS79, and third place PS1 164 for our elementary division. And for our middle school, first place was Bell Academy, second place 185, and third place IS-25. And this is in collaboration with um um
with uh Richard Connelly from uh the American Debate League um and our council member Paladino who sponsors this every year for uh for us. So couple of years ago, we were actually able to send kids to Harvard who participated. We had a child finish in
second place. So, it's really incredible work that we're able to do and the experiences we're able to give our kids. Um, and this just being one of them and it's expanding. So, we had 12 schools. We had a few schools come to scout so they can see what it's all about. They
will be joining us in May. Um, and it's really great work. I'm not sure if Melinda is still here, but Melinda is a big part of of this work along with Marissa from our team. Um, so really amazing stuff. Uh March Women's History Month, really
important opportunity for us to celebrate um women in history and and our current uh women that inspire us every day. Um I know these typically are those that are our uh quote unquote leaders in the field that we get to read about. Um but there are so many of them
uh so many women are around us every day. And when I think about this, I think about my mom, I think about my wife, think about my daughter inside of these spaces because they also bring a tremendous amount to the table that might not get published in a newspaper. So, thank you to all of uh the women in
um certainly here in District 25 and more widely obviously. Uh National Reading Month, making sure that we're getting our kids reading. You know, how are we get ensuring that our kids are at home and um you know, picking up those books that they love? um and important for us as parents to realize they might
have a particular genre that they like and it's okay if they like that genre. When we ask our kids to start reading other things that they don't like, sometimes it's like they're staring at a blank page. Yes, we want them to continue to read and yes, we can encourage them to do so, but we shouldn't discourage the things that
they also like to read, right? So, a little bit of a balance of the both. Let's keep our kids reading all through the month and ongoing. uh National School Social Worker um week. Um much like I shared a couple of weeks ago about our counselors, our social workers do a tremendous amount for our schools.
Um they're supporting our families every day. They're supporting our kids every day. So big shout out to them for everything that they do. Um happy PUM um which is what's today? Fourth was yesterday. Uh so for all those that celebrated, I hope you enjoyed your day
and happy Holly as well for those that are celebrating. Um just for everyone to know uh ch our chancellor Samuels is going on a citywide engagement. Um the next um engagement will be this Saturday, March 7th. Uh he will be it will be taking
place um in Queens at Beach Channel Educational Campus. The flyer is here for any of you that are interested in going along with RSVPing. I encourage you guys uh to >> Oops. >> I encourage you guys to to join
tomorrow. >> There will be another uh opportunity later on in the month which is also in the flyer. It'll bring you right to the city page where you'll see the other opportunity that it will be held in Queens. They also have them in other locations across the city if for
whatever reason maybe you're working and it makes it more accessible to you to go to one in Manhattan. Feel feel free to do that as well. But uh these are available and encourage you to participate. Summer rising, folks. Application window is open. Uh so if you have interest in
making sure that your child has an opportunity to participate in summer rising, please make sure you complete that application by March 27th. Again, do not wait till March 28th and say that you forgot. March 27th is when
that application window closes. So um if you would like your child to participate, please make sure that you do complete it. If you do that and you are re you receive an opportunity to uh to attend, you will be asked to accept.
If you do not accept, it means that you are not interested. So please make sure because we have a lot of kids that want to participate in summer rising every year. And I don't want to have someone say that they're going to accept a seat and then not show up because that is something that in fairness is not right
for the other children in our community that would like to be there. So if you intend to be there, please make sure that you sign up. If you get a seat, accept it and please make sure that you're going. Um because as I said, we want everyone to be able to enjoy the experience over the summer. Okay.
Virtual uh sessions that are coming up. we have um on 39. So, next week we have our third and final session around our special education series. This is around the kindergarten IEP process. So, we have any of our prekers that are um
going through the process of uh getting an IEP. Great information from Nathan as always. So, I encourage you to be there. We also have our MA uh math virtual parent workshop series uh for K to8. This one will be on fractions, proportions, and ratios. This will be led by Beth and Liz from my team. And
then we have two in-person sessions uh one on building family language and literacy uh for our prek and prek families. So we encourage you to join that. And we have on the 26th uh math family night at JHS 189. Um these events
are really always very good. So I encourage our families to be there as well as for you guys. I know that you are participating in lots of events and I see you at most of them. So, but if you can make it, we'd love to see you there. Even if it's just to pop in and say hello. Um, that would be awesome.
We don't have any any workshops coming up. So, maybe I should skip up the the next three that we also have that are coming up. So, future seal parent workshops. We have one on thriving together, improving family communication. Uh, this will be held next Tuesday. Um, we have recently added
promoting positive behavior at home. uh another workshop that will be held virtually with our with our partners. And uh lastly, helping your child develop friendships. So important from our youngest children all the way up through um middle school and high
school. You know, having those positive relationships. So important for our kids to have a great experience in school. So there are really great tips for our parents on these sessions. So I encourage you if you're available and you would find this information uh valuable to you to please join. Save the date. this change a little bit,
guys. I'm sorry about that. We did talk about the 25th last time. We did have to change it. Apparently, there is a parade that is going to be taking place on the 25th of April. So, we did switch it to May 2nd. Uh this has been confirmed. We're good with Common Point. We're good
with school. Uh so, if you are available for that date, again, would love to see you there. As well as any ideas that you have for the event. We're going to increase the amount of people that we allowed to register. Uh, so we're hoping we have a much bigger turnout this year than we did last. Um, but at any rate,
this is um, you know, part of our CC and district event. So I'm hoping as many of you can be there as possible. >> April 25th, we had a tenative. I think it was, if that's a Saturday, I might be missing it. I think it's the 25th. Yeah. Um, and we switched to the May 2nd
because of the little bit of a conflict there. Okay. Uh, MTSS followup. Uh Stephanie is going to give you just about a 10 minute just followup MPSS um presentation and I will click through as Stephanie goes
through it. So Stephanie, thank you for being here and giving us this next iteration of conversation on MTSS. Stephanie is someone that um throughout her career has supported children with IEPs um from elementary school and then assistant principal at the middle school
level. So, she has run the gamut of uh special education support uh and give us a little bit more of a a more in-depth snapshot than what we got last time. >> Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me, but I would ask that you indulge me in a 10-second brag because along the lines of being an assistant
principal here in the district, I am proud to say that both student members of the CDC were part of my cohort at 194. They are my students. They will always be my students. And so I had to brag about that before I started rattling off about MTSS. So MTSS is
multi-tered systems of support. I will refer to it for the rest of the meeting as MTSS just so that we don't have that mouthful. We'll be talking a little bit about defining it, reviewing the importance or the why behind the MTSS um
system. We'll talk a little bit about how to understand it through an analogy in our everyday life. Then we'll walk through examples in our um academics and our own classrooms here at D25. And then we'll talk a little bit about how families can get a better understanding from their school on how their child can
be impacted with MTSS. So multi-tered systems of support is a framework that schools use to ensure that every single student gets the exact level of academic, behavioral, and social emotional support that they need in order to succeed. It's a framework
that supports academic growth, behavior and social emotional needs and uses data to guide instruction. So why the city has identified that data consistently shows us that most students who have been uh shown to be at risk in
K to2 when they're addressed early on via a system like MTSS, we can actually close that gap early enough before they get into those testing grades. However, um screening and intervention also provide
help for students third and beyond through 12th grade in order to be able to serve them and close some of those gaps via this MTSS framework that I'm going to go into a little bit more detail. We experience MTSS every day in our
lives outside of school. So, one example would be the healthc care framework. How do we stay healthy as a population via MTSS? Tier one universal protection. So all of us have access to nutrition, nutritious
food, clean water, hygiene, basic checkups with our doctors. So all of us as a population, that tier one, that base of that image there, have access to these things on a day-to-day basis. That's all of us equally.
But then once in a while if I haven't been eating the right things or maybe genetically I have some sort of cholesterol issue as an example, I might need need to see a doctor for that specific piece or start taking a vitamin to help myself uh process that
cholesterol. I'm not a doctor, so we're not going to go with that advice, but it's just an example of how I might move to a tiered a next level of intervention to help me with that problem. Intensive treatment is if I really am
struggling, I may need to go to the hospital. I may need to have a cast on my leg if I break my leg. That is tier three intervention. It's very individualized to me. It's very specific. It's very specialized. So again, we have all of us at tier one. We
all have healthy water, healthy food, nutritious uh access to nutrition, and we go get checked up every year. Then we move up into tier. If I need a little bit more help, I might need to take a vitamin to help me along in my health journey. And then finally, um, very
specific support if I need something hospitalized. In the school context, it works the same way. So, we make sure that all of our students have access to highquality instructional materials that is in the classroom for all of us.
It's universal supports and most students are successful within that classroom setting. So when you have your all day second grade teacher and you are reading your second grade materials, typically most students benefit from this. They're okay. Same as the
healthcare model. I have healthy food. I have access to a doctor. I'm cooking along. I'm doing pretty well. Tier two is more targeted support. So, if students are found to need a little bit of additional help, they may have small groupoup interventions, short-term skill
building, um, access to different materials, and their progress is monitored regularly. The same way if I'm taking a medication with a doctor, they're going to check in on me to make sure that I'm okay periodically. We do the same with our students within the
tier 2 of support. Tier three intensive support would be individualized interventions, um more frequent progress monitoring, and then you're going to intervene with a specialist to make sure that that very targeted skill that that student needs at that high tier, the
intensive instruction is getting what they need. When we look at the analogy and cross between the two, both healthc care and MTSS at the academic setting focus in on being proactive versus reactive. So that tier one instruction that everyone is
receiving, we are making sure that everyone's getting high quality instruction, we're trying to be proactive as opposed to just reacting to when a student needs us. It's data driven. The same way that doctors use blood tests to make sure that any intervention that we're using, any
vitamin, whatever it is, is working, we use data to assess whether or not the interventions that we're using with our students are in fact working. and equity. The aim of all of it, whether it's health care or education, is to make sure that everyone has access to
good health, but also all of our students have access to a fair and equitable education. Here are some examples from our own district in terms of materials that we would use across the different tiers. So in tier one as we said everyone has
access to these highquality instructional materials and so we have utilized HMH both into reading in the elementary level and into literature not listed there but in our 6 to8 classrooms and again all students have access to
that with their teacher. Students who need a little bit more support might be receiving something along the lines of a program called Spire. That's a program where we pull a group of about six students together to work on phonics instruction. This would
be based off of assessments, which we'll get into a little bit further, um, based off of what those specific students need. A highly specialized tier three example would be onetoone programming for a student with a speech language uh,
deficiency or difficulty. They may may work with a speech language pathologist who's an expert in that field at risk onetoone to make sure that they're receiving that very individualized support to help them with things like aroxia things of that nature that are
that are having them that are showing up in the classroom. In terms of the assistance, I think it's important to highlight that there is a difference between MTSS and special education. So MTSS is for all students. It doesn't matter whether a student is receiving special education
services or they're a general education child, but there are differences. So, MTSS is for everyone, but it's not a place or a classification. Whereas special education is governed by federal law, it has certain mandates. We have the IEP, which are legally um binding
documents. MTSS though can help us with a gened student who's been struggling as a good way to show whether or not they may need special education services. So, how are students identified for support?
Every student across district 25 K to8 receives universal screenings three per three per year beginning of year middle of year which we just finished our window for middle of year and end of year to see their progress. That universal screener that we use here in
district 25 is I ready. We can also see if a student needs additional supports via teacher observations, whether it's checklists, teacher creative materials or uh materials that are based from the curriculum, we are able to see given a
teacher's expertise whether or not they believe a student might need additional supports in addition to that universal screener as well as al uh other academic and behavioral data. So, as family members, what does this mean for your child? Well, as we said in
the previous slides, as per the why for MTSS, we want to make sure that we're getting our students the interventions that they need as early as possible. So, early interventions prevent bigger struggles down the road. We notice that as students get older and texts get more
challenging in reading, that gap tends to widen. And so the MTSS framework helps us address those students before that gap continues to grow. Uh students receive help quickly, progress is closely monitored, and supports can
change as needs change. As I said earlier, MTSS is not a place, it's not a placement, it is a framework or a system. Maybe after I've taken enough vitamin D and gone on a tropical vacation, my levels might get better and I might have better results and so I can
tone down the vitamin D. An example of how uh conditions change. All right. Some worries or frequently asked questions that come up from families. Does this mean my child is behind? So MTSS is all about a snapshot in time. when I take an exam, when I
take a blood test at that moment, that is when I might need that additional support in terms of that healthcare analogy. Same way for our students, that snapshot in time when they take that uh universal screener, we may be struggling
for that moment. We may be able to provide those supports and they may have those skills that help them get back to that tier one instruction where they might not have to. Um, can my child move back to tier one? Absolutely. How long do interventions last? Well, that depends on the student and their
progress. Progress is usually monitored between 6 to 8 weeks. So, if I'm doing that spire phonics piece that I mentioned earlier, I went to a cycle for 6 weeks, reassess to see if the child needs additional supports or oh my goodness,
Ben, you caught up. I'm so proud of you. You can go back to tier one, right? Um, will this go on their permanent record? This is just part of their day-to-day practice. It doesn't go on any sort of record. >> That's it. >> Oh,
>> no. I got more. Sorry. But wait, there's more. >> There you go. Go ahead. >> I'm trying to stay on your time. >> Yeah. No, you're good. You're doing really well. I clicked. It didn't go anywhere. >> I'm cooking. I'm cooking here. So, um, bringing it back to your child's school, here are some suggested questions if you have additional questions for your
child's teachers or school leaders that might be helpful in conversation. Whether you have upcoming parent teacher conferences or just out of curiosity, you can ask, "So, how does the school support my child learning, including in their home language or any services that they receive? How will we know if
they're making progress? And in what ways can I support at home?" So, your teacher who knows your child in a close and much better way than I do standing here speaking before you would be able to give you better advice on how to specifically help your child at home,
but they're great questions for the school. I just want to point out that at District 25, I'm really proud that we are committed to supporting every single learner, whether it's through the MTSS framework, whether it's through social emotional learning, whether it's through
allowing them to do an amazing speech and become incredible student leaders as they're seniors in high school. Um, it's part of our commitment here and I'm proud to have been a part of this presentation today. If you have any questions, my email is listed there. Or if you have any questions now, I'm happy
to So um question question about um how does this get communicated? So any any child that is uh in the space of receiving intervention school should be communicating that with you as a parent letting you know what it is that they be
receiving. Just because a child may perform a little bit below grade level, it doesn't always mean that they're going to be required to receive intervention. There are multiple data sets that are used to determine that. So, uh you may see that your child is a
little bit below standard on in an I Ready assessment and say, "Well, why aren't they receiving intervention?" It's because the school will then follow up with additional assessments to see whether or not that child needs it. We don't want children receiving intervention if the best place for them
is receiving that inside of the core and receiving instruction in that way. Uh for us, tier one is the most important place. uh where our kids receive instruction. So, it doesn't always mean that your child is going to receive it just because they didn't do well on a test. There are other follow-ups that do
occur, but schools uh are expected to follow up with parents when they do have intervention needs. And yes, Jennifer, I will provide the link in the chat for you. I don't know if there were any other questions for Stephanie.
Thank you so much. >> Thank you Dr. >> Okay. >> So, I just had one one or two other quick things. Shockingly that I have another one or two quick things um just to finish out my um my presentation for
tonight. So, thank you for that, guys. I wanted to make sure I shared this this little followup because the last time I asked you guys, I don't know if you remember, I said, "So, tell me what we know about MTSS." And it was kind of like that uncomfortable pause of, "I'm not sure
what to say or share." So, this is a deck of information that will help you kind of support any parent that might ask you. Just those analogies are helpful. Um, so it's there for you to use as you see fit. So, quick goal followup. I talked to you about um the
the MOI the middle of year student survey. So we got feedback from our school counselors. We got feedback from our students. So we made a change. Um some of our kids looked at the survey as kind of like a little bit boring because
it was a straight old Google form. Um so we made an adjustment to this. I'm very fortunate that Mr. Sarin is a um a very tech guruish kind of guy and he just made this design so much nicer than it was before. And what we did here and you might not be able to see from where
where you're sitting, but there are features on here so it can read aloud to kids. You can hover over key words and it'll give the kids the definition and when they click on strongly agree, you'll see a little confetti come down.
So just making it a little bit more uh intentional in terms of connecting with kids when they're doing it. And we removed the neutral. So the feedback we got from kids was remove the neutral. Feedback we got from DT was remove the neutral and from our school counselors. So this is going to be going out um
sometime this week uh for us to get that additional data. And in April I will follow up with you. Uh math. One of the other things I told you I'd follow up with you on as well uh was our children that were taking the algebra uh preparing to take the algebra 1 regions. So what you see on the screen
is our MOI. We have six uh 89% of um excuse me 79% of our children are currently in that high high average range on the map which is really really good sign for us as a district community. um 10% in that average and
over the next four months we really have to work on those children in that low low average range to help build them up so that they're ready to do well on that region's exam. We do typically do pretty well on the regions but we want to continue to elevate. Current data says that we're in a pretty good space but we
have a lot more work to do here as well for our children with the math regions. Didn't share this last time because it was still in the works but I wanted to share it tonight. Um, our parent survey. Parents, just so you know, I will be sending you out a new survey from me. Again, we jazzed
this one up a little bit, giving the links at the top. So, if you want in English, Chinese, or Spanish, uh, Korean, there's an opportunity for you to click the link at the top. Uh, you it could be read aloud if you if you want it read aloud. All of those things are accessible. And we made it a little bit more user friendly than previous
surveys. Um, I'm hoping to get these back from all of our folks. Last time we got a little over a thousand people. Would love far more than that. So encourage it at your school. I'm going to send it through Gamma. Um and hopefully we get a lot more feedback because from this form at the beginning of the year, we were able to do all
those workshops for families. So we encourage it and I'm hoping that everyone participates. And that's all I got. >> Okay. So I'm going to backtrack for a second. So Veronica did put a question in the chat. I mentioned it to Stephanie. >> Um which one? >> I answered that already.
>> Okay. So >> yeah, >> she said specifically, what can we do to ask parents to support the kids when there is no clear communication about it for MTSS support for those children? >> I mean that I'd have to speak with her separately about about that because I'm
not sure what she's referring to. >> Okay. >> Um if it's a specific occurrence with the parent versus what happens in the school. You you could be nest and horizon doesn't mean necessarily that you're receiving intervention if you don't need it. We're not giving children spire if they can decode. We're not
giving children phonics for reading if they can decode. Uh if they're able to decode, then they should be in the classroom learning through the text that is available for them in that classroom. So I need to learn a little bit more about what she's referring to in order to answer that. >> So Veronica, I'm going to have Dr. Mike connect with you on the questions you
had. >> Sounds good. Thank you so much, Eden. >> Sure. >> No problem. >> Can I just one quick question, Dr. Mike? Yeah, of course. Just um for clarification for parents um >> summarizing the you know starting at K is that students who just finished kindergarten or students who are
enrolled in kindergarten and going into the fall cuz the language was a little >> it is children. Yeah, it's children currently in kindergarten. >> Current prek uh students are not eligible for summer. >> I figured I just wanted to double check is like
>> Yeah. No, I I always like to double check too just because it could be a little bit. >> So yeah. No, great question. Great. And then just get a little heads up at the end for the next meeting. >> Any other questions for Dr. Mike from
Zoom or from the council here? >> Okay. >> But appreciate you guys. If there's any anything, you let me know. >> Thank you, Dr. Mike. So, um, I just wanted to share real quick from my president's report. Um, when we pass these resolutions, we do get a response.
And I know the council members have seen the emails with the responses, but I just wanted to share out a little bit to the public. Um, so the first one regarding the division of inclusive and accessible learning where
we talked about IEP mandates. Um, there has to be a lot of further conversation. So they are recommending to meet with us and have some conversations with us and kind of go from there. The next one in regards to the marijuana
regulation and taxation act. Um they are very much focusing with the SAPS SAP team workers and they are reaching out to the partners there and they are going to continue working with us on that. And the last one that I'm going to go over
right now is in regards to the CDC quorum. They actually did share with us that they would be happy to speak with us specifically to see how we can help make CEC meetings run smoother with those issues.
So that's it from me right now. Um I'm going to open the floor for public speaking. >> I'm guessing you have something. >> Yeah. >> Okay, go for it. I don't know where to stand these days because
>> it'll pick you up as soon as >> All right, I'll come over here. >> Thank you. Hi everyone. Um those two students, it's amazing and Dr. Mike said it best. That's what we're in this game
for, you know, and it's uh really amazing to see them uh with public speaking at such an early age. um because I didn't have that capability when I was young and I grew up in this district and we didn't have those things
and um many of you know I speak off the cuff and it took a lot you know to do that and it's great to see um every CEC students uh presenting so JT and Isabelle
>> TJ and TJ TJ and they they really were it's it's great to Um, I want to talk a little bit about the AI, uh, the UF AI institute. It's up and running down at 52 Broadway. And I know
Principal Le Young was here. I I wish he would have heard um, I know he's aware of it, but um, Junior High 185 was selected as a pilot um, to work with AI, what's called teacher facing. Again,
it's just for teachers and um how 185 was selected is the collaboration between the administration, the staff. Um it's a teacher, it's a uft teacher centered school and that's all part of
the um uh piece with support in school. So those teachers are going to be trained and hopefully um the results are will be really good and it will move on uh to
other schools throughout the city. Uh we're in that world. Um and uh again we're going to try to do something. I know the parents have asked about it and um you know work with Eden and trying to set it up um because again they're
they're ready and you know they're rocking and rolling with this. Um I've been to one of the trainings and um I do my own little stuff with Gemini. I was talking with the there are so many different um AI groups um but the UF is
working uh with a couple of them and uh it's it's the future. The other thing is um Mary Vicaro had asked me to emphasize that the UF will be supporting um NYC
solves and NYC reads uh AI uh AI illustrative map is still going to be a focus and and and um what's the other map? >> We we have amplified >> amplified will also be you know and
again HMH so that's moving forward as as well. Um and you know HMH I think the teachers are getting more comfortable with it. um nothing's easy the first time around and now they're in in the
swing of it and there's some more positive things about it and um hopefully you know the math can do the same. Um >> the last thing I want to say is um and I know he doesn't like to talk
about himself and I only found out from Facebook and I want to congratulate um welldeserved Dr. Mike was at the middle school um principles association and he received the superintendent achievement award. Right? That was the
title and we've always been in a good place. I was in it as a kid in this district um as a student. we've had great leadership um and I've got to work with several superintendent
um as a teacher and then with the uft team uh and Dr. the mic is just, you know, when people say, "Well, District 25 is is like the top in the city. There's nothing more you can do." Oh, that's not true. We're all learners.
We're all educators. And I love to see different things coming. Like you said, how do you do? You know, it's nice that he came, the kids came to speak. Now, what are you going to do? Well, years ago, we never thought about that. how to
expand and really let people know about it and um you do such excellent stuff here. Um you know um the teachers are amazing. the parents. That's the key. And you know what? If we can get this message out to the rest of the city
because now part-time, I go around and I see there's not parent involvement like it is in district 25. And I know there are circumstances now. Parents have to work, but um we do so many things, the wellness day and the sports and we all
get it in. And and that's one of the reasons, and I'm not just shouting out, yeah, I went to IS-25 as a kid, but 185 does so many different things. And when people say it's only reading and math, it's not. And that's why a school like
Bell Academy, the same thing. They do so many amazing things. They're working on a program. And I'm so proud and that's why I come back to the CDC meetings, you know, just to see and hear, you know, different things that go on and and kids
are just learning and um thinking and it's just amazing. So you well welld deserved, Mike, thank you. >> Okay, thank you guys. >> Yeah, sorry. I just had a quick question. I I know you said um 185 during piloting uft teacher facing AI.
Um, is it possible for either somebody from the UF to reach out or us to get the information on like what's being disclosed to parents about this potentially what models are being used because there's massive difference in AI models and also just you know data
collection all the lot of concerns that a lot of our parents have myself included about like what's going into all. >> Yeah. So we were actually just speaking about that before the meeting um that I'm going to be connecting with Mary as well. Um, she's away right now, but once she gets back, Joe and I are going to get me connected with Mary. I have her
number, and we're going to try to kind of maybe have her come speak to it as well. >> Awesome. Yeah, because myself and I think a lot of other parents want to know a lot more specifics about what's going >> Yes. >> So, just just so you know, quickly, any
of the the platforms that are available to to our teachers all have to go through a process of approval where data protection is of paramount importance. So they have to go through the Irma process. So any component that we use whether it's Gemini or the like whatever
the other there's probably 9 million of them at this point all have to go through a process of approval before they can be available. Uh so just to keep that part of it just so you're aware of that part. >> I just have one I just want to Is Lamar on? I just I want to see >> him tonight.
>> Is he on? >> Okay. Because I I do want to mention one last thing. I didn't want to um duplicate what he was going to say. Um March 8th, this this Sunday is a big rally in um Albany for uh tier 6 um for
the entire state and it's a full sellout for the uft part of it. There's like over 3,000 people going up there um teachers and stuff like that. Um it's been 12 years. Um so that's a big piece. When Eden said Mary's away, I've been in
communicating with her. she's dealing with a whole other issue up there because um on Monday is lobby day where you go up there as various schools throughout the state and we ask Iowa legislators and the assembly and senate
for funding, you know, and uh we always have to fight for funding in our schools um because you know they cut different budgets and whatever you hear you always hear, well New York City has the largest budget, you know, you know We're we're a
huge system. It it involves everything. So, um that's what's happening and um it's it's it's good to go up to Albany to see that. So, we have a large contingency not just with the tier six but for funding of our schools. So, I just wanted in case more wanted to say
that um and trying to bring back from a age 63 to 55 um because that's what the retirement age the tier six is. So they're trying to somehow figure it out and of course you see papers like the
New York Post which is negative saying it's going to cost the taxpayers billions of dollars and so on. So uh we're always out there you know as a union fighting you know for what's best for um teachers and staff and things
like that. But again, the parents in this district are amazing and it's just uh it's it's great and and no matter what CDC, I've sat on so many of them over the years and it it's really nice that you take an interest in not just
your school but in other schools within the district. So, thank you. >> Anybody else? Awesome. I'll stand over here. Wherever you want to pick you up and kind of follow you. >> So, um, so hi, I'm Esther. I'm a teacher
at PS 244. I'm also, um, a fellow alumni of D25 school. Um, I just wanted to share an event that I shared with my school at PS244. It's actually related to, uh, NYC rides. So, there's actually going to be a race on uh, Saturday,
April 4th. It's going to be a kids race. It's one mile. It's free for kids, but it's donation based for adults. And all money raised is going to be spread across all third grade scholarship accounts in Queens. Also,
all Queens third grader accounts for NYC Rise. Um, I'm going to be running it and a few other teachers at our school along with my kids. So, we invited all of our students. So, I was hoping maybe some other students or family members could go. It's for a good cause. This is going
to go to NYC Kids Rise. What what date did you say? >> Uh Saturday, April 4th. >> I don't know if I can share the website with someone who can share it. Someone can put it in. Um for adults, you can
choose between a 30K, 20K, or a 10K. >> Awesome. I don't have Thank you. >> Anybody do I have anyone else for public speaking? >> Anybody else? Right. >> Okay. Was there anyone else on Zoom that
was looking to speak? >> Okay, perfect. If anyone wants to make a motion. >> Motion. >> Second. Who seconding? >> Second. >> Okay. Before you guys step out for five minutes, if everyone could just hang out for a second, we have a reporter here
that wants to get a picture of council. >> The PE card. We still have $500 remaining. supplies $4,58 remaining and equipment $0. Perfect. >> Anybody have any questions? >> Okay, so we're going to move into the
award ceremony conversation. Um to continue along, my first question is Dr. Mike recommendation for a school. >> Um >> anybody in your mind? Anybody the same school two years in a row? >> Yeah, we did one before the list. >> So I think we should try to switch it
up. Yeah, we can try we can try to find >> um I feel like we I'll get you a school. >> Okay. >> Elementary school. >> We just find a school that can fit the amount of people. >> We try to keep it relatively >> somewhere central. >> Relatively central so that it's it's not
too difficult on either side of the district to get to. >> Oh, I mean that's really not what you would say. We're going to cut that central central. >> Okay. I I'll >> So, Dr. Mike's going to come up with a school >> for us and then get us the okay from
them. Um I mentioned to Louis today about getting the email out in the near future to start getting all the names of the students and teachers. >> No problem. >> So, we'll get that. Are the Big Apple awards happening this year? >> Um I don't I think that we're making an
adjustment with that. So I don't I don't think we're going to have a similar. >> So then I will take that off our list for now. >> Let me just double check. >> And then the second question is have you heard anything on our possible for? >> Yes, Diana did give me a list. I'll make sure if I share share it with you.
>> Yeah, if you want to just send it to me and then I'll share it out to the council so we can make that final decision. >> Y >> um and then I know we did talk about the community recognition award. The person that we're choosing, everybody was okay with that. She's offline, so we're safe. Um,
she was, but she's logged off now. So, with that being said, if you look in your pile of papers, we do have three quotes for different options for the award
ceremony. So, if you look first at Crown Awards, they happen to be the lowest cost, but I will tell you this, they did not have the umbrellas like the other ones had. They actually have a a mug which looks like what is being held up.
So, that would be the option of the mug instead of the umbrella. >> You guys can put the logo and then have whatever engraved that's whatever is embraced on the metals would be on the mug as well. So that was from Crown and they have to be the lowest. Usually we get three bids. They like us to go with
the lowest unless there's a reason we need to go with something else. So we do have a fourth one we did request, but we haven't heard back. The other one is poor imprint that has the medals, the plaques that we need and then the umbrellas in here. And that one would come to
just under $4,3744.17. And then the last one that we have right now is from Preswide and that one the total would be over 4,000. So I >> that's what I was saying with Egypt the other day. We were talking as much as like the cup is nice but I feel like
it's not something that they can use as frequently to take with them on the go. Like you can keep that at home, you can keep it on your desk. That's it. I think the umbrella is something that like if they have that umbrella, it's more practical. They can use it. they can show off that they got something and I it feels like something that would be
seen more. >> So, I just have a question about the umbrella. I'm not sure what umbrella means, but you have a picture of the umbrella there. >> Sounds really big. >> It is. It's a big umbrella. >> It is big. So, that like it helps with
the wind. It like it's you could have more than one person go under it. But this is what it looks like. >> Does anybody else want to copy? >> It's actually we did it for my uh for 193 for the teachers here. They loved it. And that we sold the extras that like fundraising things we've sold them.
People will grab them. So they're very large but they're really useful. >> Yeah. And it would have our logo on it. >> They come in handy too. You always >> mayor 69 two years ago the mayors you know
remember the CC mayor's lunchon >> everyone mayor invite all the CC members and then you know they do like mayor speak and stuff like that during that during that time for that one >> yeah they gave up the umbrella we all
love it >> that's like I think it would be and I'll be honest like we're getting enough that I would hope that we have extra for the council to receive something as like a thank you at the end of the year as well. Um, but I I I want to hear if
anyone has a preference on which of these quotes stand out to you. I know Charlie mentioned for imprint. I happen to agree on that. >> First of all, you know, you got to look at all those shoes. They're charging 300 or 500 only on shipping.
>> Okay. At least for imprints give a little bit of shar only like 100. >> Have you um have y'all used for print recently for >> we did we used >> we used press last year but they have to be the much highest one.
>> The reason I bring that up is I mean it's been a couple years but when I used to use for print at my old job some of the stuff was kind of junk like it fell apart pretty quickly. I mind you this is 5 years ago so they could have upped their game but I know like when we when I was at working at
NYU and we used to get like awards stuff from them like it wasn't great quality >> so if anybody's used it recently I just it could have up their game it's just something throw out there >> I mean I know schools do it but >> yeah I know like a lot of people do use
them >> I mean yeah like >> the other person that we are waiting for a quote to come back from is crown trophy >> which is different than Crown. We just don't know. We haven't gotten anything back from them. They told us to email it to them. We emailed it to them. They didn't have the umbrellas either.
So, we picked something different that What have we picked? It was like a thing for pens or something. >> It's like a holder that they put pens in >> pens, >> which is another like practical gift. >> I wonder if I could get maybe some samples of these. Um I mean, if there's
time for We don't have time. Unfortunately, we don't have time and they won't send us samples. >> Can we split it? >> We order on >> No, they have one. >> They want us to have one PO basically >> to get it through. That's why we have to get the three quotes and just get it on
one PO and call items are over um $150, I'm sorry. You have to get >> Yeah, you have to get the bids >> for the lowest bid. So I mean technically if we go with the lowest that would be crown
>> and that would be with the mug but there is an option in there that we looked at that if we choose to go to like the next level up there is somewhere we can document why we're not choosing that lowest bit >> to make sure that you have enough money in the budget to be able to do that.
Like if we could note that they like some sort of word that they're like decent quality because like you give somebody an umbrella that explodes in one gust of wind that's pretty crummy umbrella like >> and I've had those like like one gust of wind and like done for. So that's just
my my one. >> I mean I am also okay with the mug if you guys like the mug. I I don't I'm not leaning one way or the other. I mean I happen to like the look of the umbrella but I'm okay with anything. >> She's got photos of everything so you guys can see them.
gives me every Mother's Day, >> right? >> I'm fine. I'm I'm not going to like argue against the umbrella. I was just >> voicing my experience. >> That's why I'm like I want everybody to give me feedback. >> I don't want to be the one making the decision. It's a group decision.
If folks are umbrella passionate, I will get on board, too. >> Let me live out my Mary Poppins dreams. >> Nobody brought them to me. >> That one. >> Well, I I just I want to make a decision so we can get the order in just because it's a crunch time at this time of year.
We only have a little bit of time before we have to get the order in because last year we literally ordered on the last day we were able to order. >> So you're saying that you don't have 4,000? >> Yeah. The 4,0001 I think is out completely to be honest budget wise. So
I would say that press light is kind of out the window personally. >> So we're down to either for imprint and crown awards. The only thing is what was the expenses you said we have upcoming
>> Sha? >> Um, one was $189 and the other one was $50. >> Okay. >> The one the $50 is coming out of meeting space, not supplies. >> Okay. So, supplies is the only one where there's 100 coming out. So, we'll still
have over four in there. >> Okay. So, we can choose between either one of them and it's in our budget, >> but we just need to make a decision. I mean, as much as I would like to see what Crown Trophy's going to send back,
I don't want to keep waiting if we need to make a decision to get the order in. This way, we can get it here, have it ready, the only thing that we will have to wait before placing the order on is for us to get the name for the Joe Kesler Award cuz those get engraved with those names. Yeah, I need those names in order.
>> You got the first name. I'll give you the spelling though. Um, and Dr. Mike is going to send me >> I'll send you the list >> the list from Diana. If everyone I'll forward it out to everybody. If everyone can take a list of those names and just send me back an email with who you think of those candidates is the best fit for
you. And then I'm just going to look at it and if everyone's in agreement that we just go with whoever we get the most names from, we take that person as the winner for the year because most likely they're all great candidates. Knowing Diana. >> Oh, yeah. No, I'm looking. >> So, I think whichever one we pick will be great.
>> Would we know who they are when we see the name? >> It's gonna say the name and school probably, right? >> Oh. >> Um, yeah. >> Yep. I have the name and school and what they've done, what they do. >> Let's Yeah, sure. Sunday. >> So, so this budget is for the rest of this year.
>> They have through July. >> Yeah. So, >> if we go with June June, sorry, July starts no, >> right? So, we'll still have $664 left in supplies if we go forward, >> right?
>> Right. We're not ordering anything crazy, I don't think, between now and the end of the year. >> And that's going to have to be >> I don't know. >> We're going to Yeah, that's the only thing is that we need to get a report to make it closer because of the sound.
Um, but I don't see that being like $600. So, if we want if somebody wants to just we can go around everyone to say which one they would pick, I guess, and let's kind of go from there. >> Yes, let's do it. >> Let's do it. >> That's it.
>> You have a preference >> or imprint or crown? >> Crown. I can kind of talk now if you want. >> Okay, we can talk through that now really and probably just decide on it. >> Uh Grace,
>> which one? >> So for imprint, >> I go crown. >> Okay, Charlie, which one? foreign. >> Okay. I like for impeccable vote, so please speak up. >> I think >> cuz you guys are going to be on that
stage with us giving out all this stuff all time. >> Umbrella or monk. >> Umbrella verse mug. >> Umbrella. >> Okay, >> there we go. For imprint for the win. That's it. >> So, we're gonna go with four imprint. Um, Dr. Mike just sent us the email, so
I'm just going to pull it up really quick. >> Oh, >> awesome. So, the people we got first is Danny Balvin from 120. He live streams all the games, supports as co-commissioner of ES Soccer League.
He's a PA teacher and NYC partner, and he's a connection before content league. The next person happened to have been here tonight, um, which I I didn't expect his name to be on here, but I kind of liking that it's here, is from
185, Principal Le Young. He's hosted many D25 events for us. He supports monetarily with trophies, decorations, snacks for the students attending events. He does advocate for athletic program and PE. He also sets his APS to PE meetings to learn
alongside them. And he says yes to any opportunity available. obviously he's taking on that pilot with the AI. Um he did our chancellor town hall last year uh just as an extra little tidbit and they went above and beyond with what they >> shared out to us.
>> And Louis has 28185 never says no to D25 event. A great choice. The third person that we have is from PS32. He's a coach of basketball and soccer and NYCFC partner. Move to improve champion seal connection before content lead. He
presents our district 25 PE conference brings exciting instructions to PE program world sports day family fitness night etc. And then the last one is from 244 Brian Rena connection before content lead strong NYCFC partner who has tied the work to chronic absenteeism and he's
been a presenter at the D25 PE conference. Anybody have any thoughts on those people? And it is in your email. Dr. Mike did forward it to everybody. >> I would comment on two people because I only know two people.
>> First of all, principal 185, I know he is very, very, very supportive. >> Whenever we ask, he never said no. He's always yes to a lot of things. He does also value uh physical activity for kids wellbeing. Um and also PS32,
my daughter graduated from PS32 and I know very well what kind of program he did. My daughter loved it and she he put a rock climbing for different rock for kids to do try lot of different activity because he just uh he created all the
programs so that kids could actually get a sense of different activities there which that was like a biggest success of every year that whatever whatever program that we created and during co he's the one who did the yoga and everything my daughter was very active
during co because of his program. So, I value that a lot. So, I know these two people. I just wanted to share. >> One thing I'll say just quickly for for Danny who was the first one there. The reason the reason why families can see
the games at home is because he goes there and he sets up the entire room with live streaming equipment. He brings his microphones and does um sideline reporting with the kids as they and he's doing interviews with the kids. So, he does go above and beyond. I think
he's a really >> basketball. >> He's also he's also the reason the CEC event is able to be live streamed because he taught me how to do it. >> I believe his name was actually thrown out last year. >> He might have been. So, just you know, I I think they're all all great choices.
So I I mean one way or the other, but he he does he does go above and beyond too that >> anybody else have any thoughts on anybody. >> Iartedly I don't know the other people but I know him and I know he's like you all said
very supportive. He's very accommodating. He's great. >> I will share from the town hall actually last year because like once I saw that name on here I didn't even expect to see that when Dr. to make sure this way. I was like, "What?" He even had a Mind Up area set up at our town hall giving out
stuff for Mind Up. He had shirts that they were giving out. They have a book machine >> that they actually vending machine for books and like journal. >> Really cool. >> But like I I just was amazed at what that school did for us for our town hall
to like level it up to another level. Were you there for that one? >> The temple >> last year >> or did you come out after? >> I I think I came out there. >> Okay. >> Our combo was very different cuz I was at
>> it was like another level. >> I was at the district 26 combo in person. Ours were successful, let me tell you. But he it was honestly he was crucial in making sure that that happened and the
fact that he also promotes I mean things >> and I mean he brought a team tonight to be supportive for the student as well which >> does any like anybody have a >> so are we you have to choose one of them >> we have to choose one of these candidates
>> I'm going to go around and >> Oh thank you I don't remember do this with you. God damn it. >> And I'm never going to remember each other. >> Everything that's done last month. >> Okay, so we have Danny Balvin from 120, Principal Young from 185, Rick Peron
from 32, and Brian Renza from 244. I'm going to go around the room, ask that you pick a name, and we'll vote on it that way. >> Can I just ask one question before we do a big old thing about Diane? >> No, you're fine. All right. So, I like everything we're saying about Holio. My
one question is, are there other avenues where somebody like Danny Balvin and the the kind of unique work he does would be honored in another award versus a principal which has other opportunities to be honored, >> right? That's why we created another award and
we decided to give it to somebody because so schools schools as part of the award ceremony they they identify three students >> and they are able to identify one staff >> staff member as well. >> Yeah, that was just >> so every every school has the opportunity to identify someone as well.
>> Any one of these could be nominated as princely wouldn't nominate himself. any of them get nominated and I would love to see them nominated to come up at that as well. I would love to see their schools choose them >> for that recognition. They would be the
ones getting the umbrellas versus the plaque. >> We're going to go through the names for the >> We have Danny Balvin from 120, the one that live streams. That's the best way to do it. We have Principal Le Young
from 185 Rick from 32 Young >> Le Young. The one that was Oh, Dr. Mike bringing it to you. It's in our email, too. >> It's in your email. Receive member one. >> I am not receiving.
>> You're not getting it yet. >> I didn't get it. I just >> not sure. >> What do you want? We got to get Grace back on the email list >> and Amy. >> Oh, for some reason. >> All right. >> Thank you.
>> All right. Just text someone message me their email addresses. I'll do it right now. Okay. >> But message it to me. >> Andre, put your emails in here and then I'll send it to Louis. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> Okay. >> You got them? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> We're going to go around. Everybody else
sees it on their email. >> Okay. I'm going to ask you to just pick a name and she's going to tally up. If we have a tie, then we'll go back to that and we'll get it done. >> We're going to start with you. >> Just one name. >> Pick one name. >> Runa. >> Which one? >> Brian.
>> Brian Renza. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Got it. >> Prince. >> Prince Leon. Okay. >> Got it. >> Principal Leon. >> That's Young twice. >> Yeah. >> That's three. >> Principal. >> Well, now that's four. >> Four.
>> Four. Five. >> Six. >> I'm gonna stay >> eight is what we're saying. Pick one name of any of them. >> Whatever. It's not an actual vote. We're just kind of >> okay. >> Picking names. So like kind of narrow
down. >> I know. >> Same. Have Ben and Tasha any feedback thoughts? >> Did any of that stand out to you from what you heard? >> This is something where like we're not
taking an official vote. So I want to include you guys in that decision. like what I've heard I heard that like the physical vote. >> Okay. >> So it sounds like majority are going with principally. Is everyone okay with
us going with that then? >> Yeah. >> Rather than doing like a whole vote of craziness all that. Okay. So I will make sure you have spelling for both names. Yeah, we're going with poor imprint. Shirley had to step out and leave due to her daughter not feeling well. Did
anybody do any school visits in the month of February? >> Great. >> I'm having trouble getting in touch with school. >> Which school? >> There you go. >> Um I know Ken's been having a hard time.
>> Okay. >> Which school do you know? Yeah. >> Okay. >> Who else was having >> resolutions? green. >> I'll tell you now 29.
>> Yes, 29 >> and then PS9. >> Okay. >> 379 responded back to us. >> Okay. Thank you. Um any other school visits that anybody did >> in February?
>> No. Okay. Anybody do any in February? >> Okay, perfect. So, moving on from that agenda for next month. So, certain things we already have planned. Fair
student funding presentation, library, um we'll have continuation of award ceremony discussions. Uh also soap box pages, I'm assuming. And
I'm going to see if we can get Mary to maybe come talk about the AI pilot a little bit. >> Yeah, I think I think that's >> since it's new. >> Does anybody have anything else that they want me to put on there? We have one more thing after that.
>> I got that. Yep. >> Um I have two last things that we have to do really quick. Um so last month Amy was unable to make it. She did give fair notice that she wouldn't be able to be here. Um, and then Angela at the last minute had a family emergency. So, we do have to vote on the absences as excused
or unexcused technically. So, let's do one at a time. >> Okay. So, we're going to go through um and vote on that. >> Vote for it. I'm sorry. >> I don't remember Pat, but she had
emailed us, but You had something >> glue. Yes. Thank you. I was like I couldn't remember exactly what. >> Did she give like prior notice? >> Okay. Okay. >> Um are you guys ready? >> Yep.
>> Okay. Eden. >> Yes. >> Down here. >> She had to leave. >> Uh Christine. >> Yes. >> Uh Angela. >> Yes. >> Jamie. Hi. You get to vote on yours.
>> Um, Vincent, >> yes. >> Stephanie, >> yes. >> Shauna, >> yes. >> Stephen, >> yes. >> Not here. >> No, he has to log off.
>> Um, that's it. >> Okay, good. >> Okay, now we're going to move on to Angela. She ended up having a family emergency. >> Um, okay. Angela. >> Yep. >> Wait, don't Angela get fired?
>> That was last minute at right before the meeting. She texted me. Unfortunately, something came up. It was an emergency. No problem. >> Fair question. I understand it. >> Um, okay. Eden. >> Yes. >> Christine,
>> yes. Angela, >> yes. >> Amy, >> yes. >> Vincent, >> yes. >> Stephanie, >> yes. >> Grace, >> yes. >> Shauna,
>> yes. >> Stephen, >> yes. >> Yes, I'm here. Okay. >> Okay. Awesome. So, the last thing is we have one resolution. Um, Angela is going to propose to see if we can put it on
for a vote next month. >> Go ahead, Angela. >> That's a weird outline. >> You could just talk about it if you want. >> So, oh, he's still here. Hi, Father. I'm sorry.
So, um, the resolution is about expanding the student omni card. >> You guys should have copies of it. >> Yeah, it's also in your packet. >> So that >> and this is in relation to the presentation that August had done with his
>> counterpart last month. Um and I think we all got a pretty good understanding of that last month. >> Um so Angela did put together a resolution on this. Are we okay with putting this for a vote for next month?
Anybody against it? Okay. Resolution is edit. >> Okay. Anybody want to make a motion? >> So much. >> It is 9:35. >> Does anyone want to close? >> Who was the first one to say?
>> No, Steve and Stephen. >> You also said you All right, guys. It was fun. >> Oh, you're welcome. Eden, don't leave,