April 13, 2026

Dear Families,                                           

There is still time to complete your annual New York City school survey.  The deadline has been extended to this Friday, April 17.

New York City’s school survey is one of the largest evaluations in the country.  The city uses it to get feedback from families about individual schools.

The easiest way to take your survey is through your New York City Schools Account (NYCSA).  You also can use this link. 

Each student has an individual access code: the letter f, followed by your child’s student identification number.  If you need your child’s number, please reach out to yamilka@cpe1.nyc.

New School Moving In (Eventually)

Starting this summer, our building will have twenty-five empty classrooms.  East Harlem Scholars Academy II, the charter school currently located on the third and fourth floor, will be moving to the main East Harlem Scholars building on First Avenue.

We do not know yet how these classrooms will be used.  The citywide Panel for Education Policy (PEP) must approve creating a new school or moving an existing school.  First, New York City Public School will use 2026-2027 for a community engagement process.   July 2027 is the earliest a new school might enter the building.

A few times a year, I’m asked about extending CPE1 through eighth grade.  This proposal is unlikely to win approval.

Currently, our district has more middle school seats available than students to fill them.  Between the 2010 and 2020 United States census, East Harlem lost 570 children between the ages of five and nine.  Compared to 2013-2014, our school district has one-third fewer first graders.  Falling enrollment and fewer students is why East Harlem Scholars Academy is moving out in the first place. 

While our district may not need new elementary or middle school seats, the empty classrooms offer a great opportunity, particularly in a well-maintained building with good facilities.  The district planning process will include public meetings throughout 2026-2027.  Once those meetings are scheduled, you will be invited.

Springtime Learning Outdoors

About every other year, The Farm for City Kids Foundation selects CPE1 for a special trip.  Next week, our fifth graders will take their graduation trip to a working dairy farm in Vermont. 

For a week, fifth graders will tend stables, smell wildflowers, and see more stars than they ever could in the city.  Most memorably, a calf will be assigned to each fifth grader. 

Students care for their calf and monitor the animal’s intake of milk.  The farm relies on fifth graders to identify which calves are getting ready to wean.  Pride in doing real work and connection to a still-dependent animal are feelings students hold onto for a long time. 

Of course, younger students also learn outside in the splendor of spring.  For example, when it’s time for our second and third grade insect study to begin, students will observe up close in Central Park as well as in class. 

For outdoor and indoor learning, children still need real shoes.  Please send your child in sneakers instead of flipflops and open-toed sandals.  Kids need to be able to run and climb during recess.  They also need to protect their toes as they work on projects.