P.S. 216 Arturo Toscanini

March 22, 2021

Dear Families,

We just reopened high school buildings for in-person learning for the first time since November 2020, and I have to say that the joy on our students’ faces as they entered their school buildings was amazing. We are thrilled to see students of all ages safely learning in physical classrooms. That is why I am very pleased to let you know that all our remote families will now have one more opportunity to transition to blended learning this school year. This means that if your child is currently learning remotely every day, they will be able to opt in to learning in person in the school building at least part of the week for the remainder of the school year. We will make every effort to provide as many days of in-person learning as possible.

When and How to Opt In to Blended Learning:

 Beginning this Wednesday, March 24, you can visit the Learning Preference Survey at https://www.nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference to select blended learning for your child.  Families can also call 311. You can change to blended learning until Wednesday, April 7.

When Your Student Can Return to the School Building:

 Students in district 3-K, Pre-K, and grades K-5, including students in District 75, who opt into blended learning during this opt-in window will return to buildings in April.

 Students in grades 6-12 who opt into blended learning during this opt-in window will return at a later date, and we will communicate more details as soon as possible.

 Updates will be posted at https://www.schools.nyc.gov/coronavirus.

Requirements for Returning to the School Building: Please note that if you select blended learning for your child, you must submit the consent form for random COVID-19 testing by the first day your child begins in-person learning. You can submit your consent for testing one of two ways:  Through your New York City Schools Account (NYCSA) under ‘Manage Account’, or  Complete and sign the consent form available here and bring it to your child’s school on the first day they are back in the school building. Families that select blended learning are expected to have their child attend in person on days they are scheduled to do so. Please note that if your child is currently learning fully remotely and you do not complete the survey indicating a preference for blended learning, your student(s) will remain fully remote. We are able to offer this additional chance for fully remote students to opt in to learning in buildings because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance, allowing us to safely accommodate more students in a classroom. As always, our focus is on the health and safety of your children, the dedicated staff who serve them, and you—their family. That has been our priority since day one, and will continue to guide everything we do. Thanks to our strong health and safety practices—including wearing masks, hand hygiene, weekly random testing for COVID-19, physical distancing, and more—our school buildings are among the safest places in the whole city. Thank you, as always, for your faith and partnership. We continue to show the nation what is possible in terms of safely educating our one million students—and we couldn’t do it without you. I thank you for your commitment and, in turn, I promise you that our commitment to your child is unwavering.

Sincerely,

Meisha Porter

New York City Schools Chancellor

Dear parent/guardian,

The pre-K application for the 2021-2022 school year is now open, and the deadline to apply is April 7, 2021! All New York City families with children born in 2017 can apply by submitting a pre-K application. 

We encourage you to apply even if you are unsure of your plans for the fall! Children who attend pre-K get a strong start in school and life—they learn to problem-solve, ask questions, and explore the world around them. Now more than ever, Pre-K for All programs are here to provide children across the city with a safe, nurturing learning community. 

Here’s how to get started:

• Create a MySchools account—learn how in this video. With MySchools you can explore your child’s pre-K options, add programs to your application, and apply—all in one place. 
  • If MySchools loads slowly on your first visit, don’t worry. Try refreshing the page or visiting the site at a later time. MySchools may experience high site traffic when the pre-K application opens.
  • Pre-K admissions is not first come, first served. All applications submitted by the April 7 deadline will be treated the same.

• Learn more about pre-K admissions on our website. While you’re here, watch our video playlist: we’ll walk you through the pre-K admissions process.

You can apply to pre-K one of two ways:

• Online with MySchools. This option is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in English, Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu.
• By phone at 718-935-2009. Call us Monday through Friday, 8am – 6pm. Language supports are available by phone in more than 200 languages.

Questions? We’re here to help. Email us at ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov.

Best,

The Pre-K Admissions Team 

PS: If you no longer wish to receive emails from any or all of our mailing lists, please click here to unsubscribe. 

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March 8, 2021
Dear Families,
I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. I am writing to you today with an exciting update: we will
be reopening our high schools for in-person learning on March 22.
Since the beginning of the school year, I have heard from many of you who are eager to have your child return
to a physical classroom. I know you and your child have seen their peers in other grades return to in-person
learning, while your student has continued to do the hard work of remote learning. I am so pleased that we can
now invite students in grades 9-12 who selected blended learning in the fall back to the classroom.
As students and staff in other grades have returned to school buildings, we have developed strong practices to
help keep school communities healthy and safe, and to maximize in-person learning time for students learning
in our buildings. More information about activities, such as sports and extracurriculars, will be shared soon. For
now, here is what you need to know about how your school will return to in-person learning:
Weekly COVID-19 Testing and Mandatory Consent 
 All schools will have 20% of students and staff randomly tested on a weekly basis.  
 All students who have not already done so are required to provide consent for testing by their first
scheduled in-person learning day in order to learn in person.  
 Families are encouraged to submit consent through your NYC Schools Account at mystudent.nyc prior
to their child’s first day of in-person learning.  
If you already have a NYCSA account linked to your student(s):  
 Log in, click your student’s name, click “Manage Account,” and then when a dropdown menu appears,
click “Consent Forms.”  
 Read the page, and then choose the consent option at the end for your student. 
If you do not already have a NYCSA account:
 You can create one right away! If you have an account creation code from your school, you can create a
full account in approximately five minutes, and then provide consent as described above.  
 If you do not have an account creation code from your school, you can still provide your consent right
away by clicking “Manage Consent” under “COVID-19 Testing” and filling out your and your child’s
information to provide consent. 
 You can also print and submit the form attached to this letter. 
 Students who do not submit consent will be immediately transitioned to fully remote learning.
Learning Preference & In-Person Schedule 
Those of you who chose blended learning as your child’s learning preference, either prior to the beginning of
the school year or during the November opt-in period, will soon be contacted by your child’s school with their
new schedule. 
If you previously selected blended learning but wish to stay fully remote, you may do so by changing your
preference as soon as possible at nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference
Attendance
Please note that students in blended learning are required to attend in-person on a consistent basis. Your school
will reach out if your child is not attending in-person regularly, and will transition your child to fully remote
learning if irregular in-person attendance continues. This will allow schools to maximize in-person instructional
days for students who are attending in-person.  
If You Travel 
Spring break begins on Monday, March 29. Please remember that students and staff who have recently traveled
outside of New York to a place on the State’s travel advisory list must quarantine for 10 days, or test out of the
10-day quarantine based on the State’s guidance, which can be found at coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-
travel-advisory. 
 DOE students continue to have access to priority testing at H+H sites across the city; a list of sites can
be found here: schools.nyc.gov/covidtesting. 
No matter where your child is learning, we are committed to ensuring they receive a strong, supportive
education. We know how important school is for your student, whether blended or remote—and our dedication
to them remains unwavering during this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Carranza
Chancellor
New York City Department of Education