Can you believe we have 40 days of school left (not including the weekends and days when school is closed)?  At AEA, we usually have a countdown (ABC countdown) to celebrate the last 26 days of school.  For those not familiar with this school tradition, each day will have a theme or an activity for everyone to participate in (be on the lookout for the official countdown calendar from the school).

Teacher Appreciation Week – May 8th – May 12th

Racial Equity Committee

The Racial Equity Committee (“REC”) is a place to learn, connect, and get involved with our school community around the topic of racial equity. It was started by parents dedicated to enriching the educational experiences of our students and families through a diversity of voices. Monthly meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month and are open to any parent that wishes to join.

The Racial Equity Committee has been hard at work this school year. They have welcomed a core group of teachers into their monthly meetings and they are working together with them to provide resources and opportunities to deepen AEA’s commitment to equity and inclusion. Additionally, much of their work this year has been in collaboration with the teachers to plan and coordinate REC-sponsored field trips for each grade. As they reported at the March PTA meeting, the 4th and 5th graders went to El Museo del Barrio in December; the 1st graders attended a virtual field trip to The Jewish Museum in March; 2nd graders will be participating in virtual trips with the New York Historical Society; the 3rd graders have an upcoming trip to the Lewis Latimer House; and the Pre-K and Kindergarten students will enjoy a performance by Shadow Box Theatre called How the Turtle Got Its Shell in June. They have also connected with other District 28 equity groups and collaborated on key advocacy measures including the effort to stop Success Academy from co-locating a charter school at the Catherine and Count Basie Campus (Q072) in the southern part of our district. They would like to remind all parents how important it is to VOTE in the City Education Council elections. Voting is open to all NYC parents/caregivers through your NYC Schools Account. Voting closes May 8th.

The Staff Racial Equity Team, inspired by the work of the original Racial Equity Team spearheaded by parents, is working to deepen our current work at AEA on embracing and fostering Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education (CRSE) initiatives. The CRSE Framework creates student-centered learning environments that affirm racial, linguistic, and cultural identities, prepares students for rigor and independent learning, develops students’ abilities to connect across lines of difference, elevates historically marginalized voices, and empowers students as agents of positive social change. This year, teachers at AEA are participating in a Citywide CRSE Professional Learning Community, facilitated by the NYCDOE Office of Equity and Access and the Metro Center at New York University. Ms. Katz, Ms. Garger, Mr. Koines, Mrs. Ugbomah, and Ms. Lazarow have joined this professional development learning opportunity to be provided with tailored support on the current implementation of CRSE standards, practices, and mindsets within schools. Teachers have been participating in online learning sessions with other educators and coaches to evaluate practices within the school, including representation, in the curriculum. AEA’s participation in the program also awarded the school a $5,000 grant to purchase grade specific books promoting inclusivity and a wide range of perspectives and voices. The Racial Equity Team is looking forward to continuing our path towards CRSE best practices.

Join them at their next meeting on May 2nd @ 8pm. Please RSVP using this form. The Zoom info  will be sent to all who RSVP in the afternoon on the day of the meeting.  You can reach them via email 303racialequity@gmail.com

Racial Equity Committee Parent Co-Leaders:

Shantelle Guyton, Rachael Janowitz, Simone Dornbach, Adia Tucker,  & Heather Cohn

AEA Lead Teacher Representative:

Laura Ugbomah

PTA Special Meeting

We are holding a special meeting to discuss the potential of having an afterschool program ran by the PTA. The afterschool committee will be presenting the plan and would like your feedback.

If you have any questions for this team, please send them to 303aftercare@gmail.com

We hope to see you there!

Wednesday, May 3rd @ 7pm via zoom

Zoom Information

PTA General Meeting

Floor nominations will be accepted for both PTA and SLT positions. Please click here to read about the roles and responsibilities. Consider running for an office! If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else, please send the nomination(s) to nominationsptaofaea@gmail.com and include the office of interest.

School Supplies

We’ve partnered with 1st Day School Supplies for the 2023-2024 school year. Ordering from 1st Day School Supply is convenient and it is also a fundraiser for the PTA.  All kits will be delivered to school and placed in your child’s classroom. If you would like to participate, order your kit here! The deadline to order is July 1st.

Teachers and Staff appreciation

Kindly send in your leaves by 5/4/2023 if you would like it to be part of the tree. If you would like to support the “goody cart”, kindly sign up to donate items by using this link.

AEA @ Citified

Sunday May 7th @ 1pm. Send in your payment if you have not done so already. We look forward to seeing you there. LGM!   If you have AEA gear, feel free to wear to this event!

Read- A-Thon Fundraiser

We will be launching our Read-A-Thon for this school year from May  20th – 30th.  Read-a-thon is fun program that brings students together with family and friends to encourage reading and to build literacy skills. It promises to be a fun, exciting journey for all participants as they begin a personal Reading Adventure that challenges each reader to complete 10 reading sessions over our 10 day event. Please be on the lookout for more information. Dive into reading!

Save the Date

End of Year Picnic – June 17th

• May 1st – Summer Rising application closes
• May 2nd – Racial Equity Committee Meeting. RSVP Here
• May 2nd & May 3rd –  Math State Test
• May 3rd – PTA Special Meeting, Afterschool Program – Zoom Link
• May 7th – Mets Fundraiser, LGM!
• May 9th – CEC Elections closes (vote here)
• May 10th  – SLT @ 7:30am
• May 11th – PTA Meeting, Elections
• May 17th – ABC Countdown Begins
• May 20th -May 30th – Read-A-Thon
• May 29th -School Closed, Memorial Day

We are thankful for all your support thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, kindly send to 303pta@gmail.com.

Yours in service,

The PTA of AEA Executive Board

Susanna Lee, Onome Atie-Egone, Latrice Pelissier, Louise Verga, & Vincent Roulot