Family Handbook
Families and School
Family Involvement
Relationships among staff, children, and their families have been the bedrock of CPE. Family involvement is vital.
Communication includes regular letters from the principal, newsletters from teachers, twice-yearly family conferences, and written progress reports for each child. The CPE1 Parents Association meets monthly to discuss fundraising, budgeting, upcoming events, and volunteer opportunities.
You should know not just about your own child, but what’s going on across the school.
Family Conferences
At CPE1, students come to their own parent-teacher conference. At these meetings in November and March, children show their work, and talk with their families and teachers about their learning.
Family conferences focus on the work children have done. To discuss a concern involving your child, please set up a separate, private meeting with your child’s teachers.
Progress Reports
CPE1 sends home formal, written progress reports in February and in June. The reports detail how children are progressing academically and socially.
Please read your child’s progress report carefully, more than once. Children’s own words appear in these reports. You are encouraged to share what you read with your child.
NYCSA
The New York City Schools Account allows families to access information about their child’s education. NYCDOE will maintain your child's account, even when your child changes schools.
Through NYCSA, you can see your child's attendance records, get letter from the chancellor, and receive citywide notifications.
If you have children in separate schools, your one NYCSA account will give you access to information about all of them.
Schools are required to help families access these accounts. Gabriel (gabriel@cpe1.nyc) an help you get started or reset your password.
Communicating with Teachers
The best way to communicate with teachers is to email a short message or make an appointment to speak by phone or in person. Leave a phone message with the main office (212.860.5821) or reach out directly to the staff member via email.
The courtyard is crowded and busy during dismissal; teachers are focused on children.
Speaking About Concerns
Concerns and questions should be addressed first to your child’s teacher. You also may reach out to Gabriel if you feel like you need support in approaching your child’s teacher, or need another ear.
If you raise a concern with staff, please allow some time for thought and care before you receive a response. Your confidentiality will be respected.
Email works well for smaller questions and concerns, but often, face-to-face communication works best. The easiest way for adults to hear and be sure they are heard is to sit together.
Community Coffees y Cafés Communitarios
Community coffees are social and casual. These gatherings happen one Friday morning per month. Click here for dates.
At a community coffee, everyone sits in a circle as part of one big conversation. Families invite each other’s perspectives about learning at CPE1 and raising children in our community.
Community develops where you feel comfort and connection. For the many adults who grew up speaking or primarily speak Spanish, it’s powerful to talk about school and raising children in their first language.
You do not need to have grown up speaking Spanish or speak fluently. Everyone puede participar in every café comunitario; todos can participate en cada community coffee.
CPE1 Parent Association
You are the parent association. All parents and guardians are members. You don’t need to join; you just show up.
Monthly parent association meetings alternate between morning and evening times. PA meetings feature reports from PA committees and the principal.
Friends of CPE1
Friends of CPE1 is a nonprofit organization that raises funds and develops relationships with alumni and supporters. Friends of CPE1 has its own board of directors, which includes parents, alumni, parents of alumni, and current and former staff.
Donations to Friends help teachers provide their classrooms with supplies and experiences that the official Department of Education budget will not. When classroom refrigerators break or teachers want to attend a special conference, Friends of CPE1 can make it happen.
Monetary Contributions
The parent association raises money to support such activities as ice skating, daily cooking in classrooms, and graduation. To cover these costs, the parent association suggests a donation to help with learning opportunities for all children, in every class.
The parent association believes it’s not how much families can contribute, but that every family contributes what it can. The goal is participation from all families.
CPE Directory
The CPE1 school directory allows families to get in touch with each other. When you fill out your emergency card, you indicate the information (e.g., email address, phone number) you are willing to have published in the directory. You can choose not to have contact information published.
We depend on families finishing their emergency cards so that we know the information to share. We hope to have a directory available by October.