April 3rd, 2020

Dear PS101 Families,

Summer is finally here! We made it everyone!

To our 5th grade families, we wish you all the best next year and congratulations on graduating from PS101. You will be missed.

To our Kindergarten families, congratulations on having your little ones step up this year. We wish them all the best as the enter 1st grade.

We know that many of our families continue to face challenges due to COVID-19.  Our school closed on March due to the pandemic and our teachers, administrators and you, responded quickly and as best as possible to adjust to the rapidly ever changing situation. COVID-19 continues to be an ongoing and very serious issue affecting the way we live and the way we educate our children. The PA, teachers and administrators of PS 101 have maintained our commitment to work in partnership and will continue discussing and planning for our return in the Fall.

More recently, we have also faced demonstrations, events, and discussions, spurred on by the killing of George Floyd and they are framing and forcing some of the most crucial discussions and calls for urgent action our country has ever seen. Starting conversations with kids about race relations can be hard, but it’s absolutely necessary.  What do we say to them? How do we explain the violence? The pain? The anger?  No one has all of the answers, but we can point parents and others who love and care for the youngest members of society to some important resources from respected thought leaders who offer advice and help.

Principal Paniagua shared a final video on Friday which touched on many important topics. She also shared several resources that families may find helpful in speaking about racism. The PA wanted to echo her sentiments and has also provided a list of resources at the bottom of this email.

Wishing you all a safe and healthy summer,

The Executive Board of the Parents' Association

COVID Resources

• Supporting Children’s Emotional Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Child Trends
• How to Talk to Your Child about the Coronavirus, Kids Health
• Multilingual Coronavirus Resources, Colorín Colorado
• Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus): A Parent Resource, National Association of School Psychologists
• Promoting Positive Mental Health for Teens Feeling Isolated, Erika’s Lighthouse
• Parent/Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Racism and Activism

 

• CNN/Sesame Street town hall to learn about racism. (best for lower grades)
• embracerace.org lists 31 children’s books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance.
• Bounceback parenting blog has a curated list of resources including books, activities, and media for talking to kids of all ages about race and racism.
• The Brown Bookshelf promotes awareness of children’s books (picture, middle grade, and young adult) written and illustrated by people of color.
• New York Family recently compiled a list called Resources and Books to Help Parents Educate Themselves on Racism.
• A free e-book from Teaching Tolerance, Beyond the Golden Rule: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Responding to Prejudice has stories and conversation starters for ages 2-5, 6-12, and 13 and up.
• A New Jersey teacher started this viral list of children's books about race on the popular website ScaryMommy.com.
• Articles or blog posts
• Commonsense Media’s “Explaining the News to Our Kids” breaks down how to have difficult conversations with kids of different ages.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics shares advice for families on how to talk to their children about racism.
• embracerace.org has articles, topic pages, and webinars to help parents talk about race with young children (best for elementary).
• The Anti-Defamation League has tips for a table talk about racism for kids 11 and older (best for middle or high school).
• Healthychildren.org offers advice for parents talking to children about racial bias.
• “Talking to Kids About George Floyd” from Child Mind Institute takes a commonsense approach to a difficult topic.
• The American Psychological Association initiative on Defining Race and Ethnic Socialization has parent resources on having discussions about race with children of all ages.