October 6, 2025

Dear Families,

This short letter starts with an update on picture day.

Grades 2-5 and sibling photos have been re-scheduled.  Instead of Wednesday, October 8, we will have grades 2-5 and sibling photos on Thursday, October 9.

Pre-K and K-1 photos will take place as scheduled on Tuesday morning, October 7. 

Wednesday morning’s forecast calls for rain.  Streetfly Studio has agreed to take photos on Thursday instead. 

The natural light and vibrant background of the Graffiti Hall of Fame make photos in our schoolyard look great.  Waiting patiently for the rain to pass will pay off later.

Lockdown Drills Coming Up

Four times each year, New York City schools practice short lockdowns.  Our first lockdown is scheduled for this week, on Thursday morning.  The second of four will take place on November 10.

During a lockdown practice, doors are quickly locked, children move out of view, and everyone remains silent for a few minutes.  Every door in our school has a lockdown magnet – a thin magnetic strip that sits between the latch and doorframe.  As soon as you lift the magnet, the door is locked.  That takes about two seconds, which is much faster than finding and using a key. 

Lockdown practice does not involve scaring children.  We do not pretend there are intruders or make frightening noises in the hallway.  We remind children ahead of time so that they know what to do and why we practice: we want to stay safer if someone who does not belong comes into the building.

After lockdown practices, teachers talk with children about what they experienced.  Hearing what children say allows teachers to address their questions, confusions, and concerns. 

Those conversations are the best part of these drills.  Being able to respond to children – their questions and their feelings – makes us all more secure.