May 7, 2025

Dear Families,                               

On May 16, our community will take up an old tradition: no screens for a week.  No-screens week builds toward May 22’s Family Game Night, which celebrates children and adults enjoying old-fashioned games.

Years ago, this week meant no TV.  Now, it means families spending the week without live television and video games and social media and streaming services.

Last week, Marilyn asked her pre-K class how they felt about a week without phones and iPads.  “Don’t worry,” said one four-year-old to her classmates.  The child explained how she tiptoes past her sleeping parents to get an iPhone.  “Just turn down the volume,” she suggested, tapping an imaginary button on the side of an imaginary device, “so they don’t hear.”

Yes, that really happened.  A pre-K student told her classmates how to sneak screentime in the middle of the night.

That story illustrates some themes from our recent meetings for families about children and screens.  Children’s developing brains can get addicted to devices, so they crave more time with games and apps.  Kids are learning to hide their online lives.  And even kids who don’t have devices are hearing about them from those who do.

At school, kids say they are tired from staying up late with phones, worried about a cruel text they received, or troubled after streaming something scary.  One of Anika’s pre-K students drew this:

I bet half the kids at CPE1 know Skibidi Toilet.  If you’ve never seen Skibidi, click here.  Really do it.  Come back to this letter once you have watched six Sibidis in a row….

How did you feel watching just a few minutes of Skibidi Toilet?  How would an hour of Skibidi affect a young child’s developing brain? 

Most apps and websites, including such ‘safe’ sites as YouTube Kids and Roblox, ignore children’s health.  The more that children click, the more money those sites make. 

To protect health and safety, families need such as www.internetmatters.org.  That website shows you how to set up parent controls on everything from Minecraft to texting to Disney Plus.  Also, www.internetmatters.org offers advice about such special topics as talking to older kids about what they show younger siblings, or what to do if your child finds pornography on the internet. 

Teachers are concerned about how distracted, tired kids learn in school.  I’m also worried that devices will change relationships at home.    How often has your child turned off tablet after only thirty minutes and said, “I feel done”?   When was the last time your child handed back a phone and asked, “Can we go outside together”?

Apps and games train kids to stay longer, even if they’re exhausted, bored, or scared.  If a stranger sent your child a creepy message in the middle of an online game, you probably would turn it off.  That’s one reason so many children take their device to a separate room and keep quiet about what they see.   You teach your child about safety; screens teach secrecy.  

Most of us struggle to keep up with kids’ online lives.  So, please check out the resources at www.internetmatters.org.  And, for the no-screens week that begins May 16, please join other CPE1 families in turning off social media, games, and streaming services.  Then, come to Family Game Night at 6:00 on May 22. 

Kids and grownups playing in the school yard makes Family Game Night lots of fun.  See you there, IRL.

Parent Coordinator Update

We are re-starting the process of hiring a parent coordinator. 

Back in November, we offered a candidate.  By the end of April, Human Resources still had not cleared him to start.  Last week, he withdrew from hiring.

We promptly re-posted the job description and candidates already have started to apply.  We hope to select a new candidate before the end of this school year.

I am disappointed that we have gone back to the beginning, and disappointed to have lost this school year.  Families should be able to rely on a good parent coordinator.   I hope we have one in place for the start of next year.

Vote for Community Education Council

Voting for Community Education Councils has opened.  Vote through your child’s New York City Schools Account (NYCSA).

In our school system, all families in a school district can elect parents to represent them on the Community Education Council.  The CEC advises the superintendent, raises issues, and creates a forum for families to make their voices heard. 

You can find out more about the year’s candidates by reading their profiles and by watching a recording of an online candidate forum.

If you do need help with your New York City Schools Account, please let me know.  Also, you can vote in person on Friday, May 9, between 10:00 and 3:00. This East Harlem Votes party will take place at our district office, located at 160 East 120 Street.

The deadline to vote for CEC is May 13.