ICE PAC

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Disclaimer: Submitted by high school parent Kemala Karmen, as myself, not in any official PTA capacity

Finally!  NYS Senator Robert Jackson and Assembly Member Harvey Epstein have authored legislation in the State Senate (S5394) and Assembly (bill # forthcoming) that codifies and affirms parents’ right to refuse New York State grades 3-8 ELA and math assessments and requires notification to parents on behalf of their children.   

What can YOU do NOW in support of this historic opportunity? You can ask your state reps to sign onto the legislation by FILLING OUT THIS BRIEF FORM! It takes less than 2 minutes. This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for years and there is no time to lose.

Subway Moon 

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Dear Parents:

Since I "retired" from ICE (I'm still around a bit...) I've been really concentrating on the goal of developing truly inclusive music/theatre/poetry experiences with our "Subway Moon" non-profit organization.  To this end, this years program at Abrons Art Center at Henry Street is a truly magical mix of our wonderful ICE kids with equally wonderful poets and a few musicians from two schools in the south Bronx - Bronx Early College Academy and School for Violins and Dance.  In the piece, all the  various students and my Jazz Passengers band are" Stuck" together on an imagined subway bridge with the moon above and water below.  The poetic transformations that follow are a tribute to the students visionary imagination.

 Please come out May 23rd  or May 24th for the show at this beautiful theatre.  We've never before had a real theatre experience with professional lighting, direction and set.


Natalie has helped as well.  It really will be quite something...

 

ICE Drama Club:  Save the Date 

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ICE Drama Club presents... The Magic Hour, by Jonathan Dorf, on Monday, May 20th. 

Three friends at a sleepover, one goes missing. Modern day Romeo & Juliet texting in the middle of the night. A girl writes 370 letters to someone she's never met. A beat-poet style radio announcer broadcasts her rhymes out to who knows who at 4am...come check out what happens to these characters on Monday, May 20th  at 4:30PM at WOW Cafe Theater Collective (59-61 E 4th St.). Doors at 4:15.Tickets free for ICE students, all others suggested donation $10. Run-time approx. 50 minutes. 

We hope you'll join us for The Magic Hour! 

Letter from ICE Student 

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Below is a request made by ICE student Leila Riker who is representing the entire group of ICE students who went to Nepal this year. Leila is asking for those who would like to sponsor an orphan at Tri-Ratna Cooperative School (TRCS), the school we worked with while in Nepal. She has written an "open letter" of sorts. See below and please reach out to Jeffrey Romanow if you want to know more.


Dear ICE Parents,
 
This past February, myself and 13 other ICE students spent almost 17 days working with the Youth, Arts, Writing, and Photography Program in Nepal where we did a variety of community service projects. Our work included teaching photography to 12-14 year-old Nepali students in Bungamati, helping them find artistic ways to voice the way they see their lives, their community, and the world around them. We also helped refurbish and build parts of their school.

During our visit at the school, we met a handful of orphans who lived in the school. These children are also students at the school. In order to attend the school, they work there as well. Tuition for children to attend the school, receive school supplies, room and board, clothing, and medical coverage is $1,000 dollars a year. In order for these orphaned students to attend school, they wake up early before school starts to work in the kitchen, they do laundry, run errands, clean the facilities, etc. In return they attend classes, are given school supplies, room and board at the school. These are amazing young people.

While there, we learned that, with the help of a local non profit organization, others can help these kids by sponsoring their time at the school. We would like to find sponsors for these children so they could receive all the aforementioned support without having to spend all their time just working to go to school. If any families are interested in contributing, email Jeffrey Romanow, ICE teacher and the Nepal trip advisor/coordinator, to learn more .

 Thanks so much for listening,
 Leila Riker
11G student at I.C.E.


Important Message From Pete and Mark

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Dear ICE Families,

We have made schedule changes to the ICE Calendar for the month of June.  The changes will allow teachers to better support students in completing their work, provide the time and space for students to present on panels to teachers and parents, allow 8th grade and 12th grade graduations to occur on the last days of school, and give teachers enough time to give meaningful feedback to students on their work.  Please take a look at the schedule for each grade by clicking on this link. The schedule was also handed to students today in advisory.  Again, it is different than the NYCDOE School Calendar in some cases.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's advisor or the main office.

Another email will go out inviting you all to sit on 6G, 8G, 9G, 10G, and/or 11G presentations.  But if you want a head start, the link to sign up is also on the document above.  Last year we had over 115 ICE families sit on at least one panel! 

Thanks all.  Hope to see you all at some of the many celebrations and presentations in the next month and a half.

Pete and Mark

Please Help the ICE Summer Camp Fund!

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Money raised goes towards sending ICE students to sleep away camp for a life changing experience. But don't take my word for it:


"The biggest plus of camp is that camps help young people discover and explore their talents, interests, and values. Most schools don't satisfy all these needs. Kids who have had these kinds of (camp) experiences end up being healthier and have less problems which concern us all."
Peter Scales, Ph.D., noted author/educator, and Senior Fellow, The Search Institute 
 

"The building blocks of self-esteem are belonging, learning, and contributing. Camps offer unique opportunities for children to succeed in these three vital areas and even beyond home and school."
Michael Popkin, Ph.D., family therapist and founder of Active Parenting 


Share our Go Fund Me campaign with extended family, co-workers and colleagues! Share it widely on social media, help us get the word out.


Thank you!

ICE Community Lunches

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Dear Families, 

To bring to a close the 2018-2019 Community Lunches, we plan to have one final meal together on Tuesday May 14th. 

For those of you who have generously contributed your time, cooking, and schlepping food across the city, we sincerely THANK YOU! Thank you for helping us begin this beautiful tradition, and filling the hearts and bellies of many! We think something very special happens when we gather together for meals. 

For those of you who haven't contributed, but would still like to, please consider filing out the form and helping us make this final lunch of the year a special one! 

Please feel free to email Marlyn or Danya if you have any questions. Please know that all contributions are greatly appreciated -- homemade or store bought, big or small. (Please just label ingredients and deliver by 10:00am.)

Keep seeing these reminders but not quite sure what we're talking about? Here's a quick overview:
We have started planning regular Community Lunches this year in an effort to bring middle school and high school students together -- to enjoy home cooked meals, have new groups of kids in new spaces, and to sit and talk and enjoy music. (Below are a few photos by Sam Ullman in case you want to see what's been happening in 518). 

Lastly, if you'd like to join us for the final Community Lunch of the year, we'll be in room 518 between 11:45-12:30. Come on over! Families welcome!


Spring Fling Message From Pete  

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Hey ICE Community,

Once a year we all get to kick back together, celebrate the school, raise a little money for the students, and that day is coming up soon.  Yes, I mean Spring Fling!  May 3 at the Dumbo Loft.  I have a great time there every year and I have every reason to believe that the party this year will be better than ever.

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in just a few weeks from now.

Pete


P.S. – Don’t forget to purchase your tickets at http://www.iceschoolnyc.org/spring-fling-2019

Free NYC ID Cards 

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Do you want to go to the Bronx Zoo for free this summer? How about the Museum of Natural History? MoMA? The aquarium? 

The City of New York is currently offering photo ID cards free of charge. City residents can gain entrance into a wide variety of cultural institutions for free as well as get discounts at businesses around the city.  Cardholders have access to one-year free membership all of these incredible places! For more information on how to apply, please visit the website here. Anyone over ten years old can get a card - including adults! 


To make an appointment at an enrollment center and learn more - click here. 


Paid Summer Employment Opportunities with DYCD 

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NYC (Department of Youth and Community Development) offers paid summer employment opportunities for 14-24 year olds. More info can be found here for 14-15 year olds, and here for 16-24 year olds.

Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Applications are out now and can be found here. 
All applications are due 4/26/19. 

Anyone who would like help filling out an application can email Danya.


Request for Guest Speakers on Accessibility Needs 

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Dear ICE Community,

9th Grade Physics classes will spend Cycle 4 designing an electronic device to assist users who struggle with accessibility in their daily lives.  We are seeking speakers who have experience with accessibility concerns to provide insight to our community about common challenges that exist in their lives or in the lives of those they work with. If you or someone you know is interested and available to meet with the grade April 29-May 10, please contact Sammi.


Not Too Late to Apply:  Girls Rise Up! Three Week Summer Program that Combines Dance & Coding 

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Great Scholarships Available - cost can be reduced from $425 to $50 (based on need). Exciting field trips and guest speakers. Last year they visited the Spotify offices, Palantir, and NYU Tandon School of engineering. They also had professional women in tech come in and speak about their experience.

Also here are some highlights from last summer. 

Girls Rise Up by STEM From Dance: 2019 Summer Program 
Spend three weeks falling in love with code and dance - and the magic that happens when you bring the two together. Over the course of the program, girls will be introduced to software and electrical engineering principles, as well as choreography fundamentals. They will learn to write code, construct circuits, and create movement. By the end of the three weeks they will have a tech project they imagined and brought to life, and a dance routine that incorporates it. This is an opportunity to collaborate with inspiring instructors, build community, and let creativity flow. This program runs July 8 - July 26 (M - F) from 9AM - 3PM. Learn more here, and apply by May 5!

Details:

  • July 8 - 26 | Monday - Friday | 9AM - 3PM

  • Location: Bishop Loughlin High School |  Brooklyn (Fort Greene)

    • Accessible by 2/3/4/5/B/D/C/G/N/Q/R trains and several buses

  • New York City girls ages 12 - 18

  • Only 100 spots available

  • No code/dance experience necessary

  • Apply by May 5th

  • Read our brochure for more info 

ICE PAC

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Help spread the word on test refusals beyond ICE!

In case you missed it, ICE PAC announced in the last edition of this newsletter that 89% of ICE middle school students had refused the New York State ELA tests. (It actually turns out to be 90%, but that's not the subject of this item.) Families in other schools around the city may not have realized they had the right to refuse or were incentivized or intimidated not to opt out. In fact, the scare tactics reached such heights that NY's highest education officials were compelled to issue a statement reaffirming parent rights of refusal (and chastising school and district actors who have blocked information, or worse, misled parents). 
 
While that statement is appreciated, it is long overdue and we're not sure it will make it to parents on the ground. So, in advance of the math tests in early May, we at ICE PAC ask YOU to help get the word out. Do you have children at another school? Does your neighbor have a 5th grader? Your sister an 8th grader? Let them know that they can refuse the math tests even if they took the ELA. (And for the record, word on the street and online is that the ELA tests were BAD: children as young as 8 testing from 8:30 to 2:30 with just a brief lunch break, students staying beyond dismissal, passages rated at reading levels multiple grades above that of the children being tested, and computer system malfunctions so egregious the state had to suspend computer-based test administration.)

Need resources to help you out on this mission? Check out NYC Opt Out on Facebook or Twitter or optoutnyc.com on the web.

Free Feminine Products in ICE Girls' Bathroom

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Around a year ago a group of young women who were soon-to-be graduating 12th graders gathered at ICE to talk about ways to improve the experience for other girls at ICE. One of the important recommendations that arose from that meeting, was suggestion that the ICE Girls' Bathroom should always have a supply of feminine products available to students for free. The group felt this would be helpful for many reasons, and for students of all ages. 

Since that time, our school has been committed to keeping a steady supply available. If you would like to help us in this effort, please see our amazon wish list here. Contributions of any size are welcomed and appreciated! 
 

ICE Community Lunches

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Our community lunches have been a huge success this year! Thank you so much to all of you who have so generously contributed food! Kids from all grades and advisories have come together to eat beautifully cooked food and spend time in community. Thank you so much for all your support in making these happen! 

If you would like to contribute to the upcoming meal on Tuesday April 16th, please fill out (the very short) form. 

Thank you as always for your time, commitment and love! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Marlyn Gomez.