Dear Parents,

Has your son or daughter turned down a family vacation in favor of a “Back to School” sales event at Staples? Has he or she chosen a trip to the library over a trip to the beach? You guessed it right! It’s the beginning of the new school year! I amdelighted to welcome your children back to school for the 2015-2016 year at Big Apple Academy! The faculty and staffhave accomplished an arduous amount of worktoprepare the school for another exciting year of learning and growth. Our educators and staff members will enthusiastically undertake every endeavor throughout the new school year in order to ensure your child’s academic success and personal growth!

I would like to welcome aboard our youngest cohort ofstudentsandextend my special greetings to the parents of 2015-2016 Kindergarten class. Your children will begin an exciting, but challenging journey navigating thorough the world of academics here at Big Apple Academy. Please allow your children some time to adjust to our rigorous learning routine and stay in ongoing contact with our homeroom and subject teachers.

In addition, I send my special greetings to our future graduates who enter Grade 8 this year. Please be prepared for a challenging year marked by an intense schedule, extracurricular activities, and preparations for the Regents Exams in Math, Science, and Social Studies. I am confident that you will meet these challenges with perseverance and hard work.

Our English Department will continue to implement the SHSAT Preparation Program that will substantially enrich the existing school curriculum and prepare learners to face the challenges of the SHSAT Exam. Our eighth graders will be able to start the program from September 1st. Sessions for sixth and seventh graders will begin in April after
the State Test administration.

As we begin this year, please remember that we sincerely welcome your involvement. Since we recognize that parents are their children’s first and most important teachers, we need your cooperation and input to provide your child with the best education possible.

Sincerely,
Vlad Gorny

Literacy Boost Program

Dear Parents!

It’s time! It’s time to see your children’s faces without the eerie glow from the smart phone and tablet screens. It’s time to rekindle or perhaps begin a new love of reading. The English Department at the Big Apple Academy is committed to engage your children’s minds in reading, to encourage them to explore their own creativity in a way that only a well written book can inspire. To fulfill our mission, we are introducing a new literacy boost program that will accomplish what many parents struggle to do on their own, encourage a thoughtful reading process! For every month of the school year, your children’s English teacher will pass along a letter of explanation and an assignment packet connected with the chosen book for that month. Please be vigilant and ask your child to show you the new literacy boost packets. These will be distributed at the beginning of every month from September through May. We ask for your help in facilitating the love of reading by making sure that your children have the necessary books. Please make sure to ask your children to tell you about the book they are reading. And, of course, ask them to show you the completed literacy boost packet that will be due at the end of every month. Together, we can instill the love of learning through reading! Together we can encourage our children to seek beyond the walls of the classrooms, into other worlds, times and spaces!

To be expected in September:

• SHSAT Preparatory Program Begins / Grade 8 (September 1st)
• Literacy Boost 1 Begins / Grades 3-8 (September 1– September 30th)
• Start Year ELA Comprehensive Assessments/Grades 3-8 (September 8-9th)
• ELA Beginning of the Year Assessments/Grades 1-2 (September 17th)
• First Day of Lab Operation /Grades 3-8 (September 21st)
  
  

To be expected in October:

• Country Carnival/ Grades K-3 (October 1 –2)
• Literacy Boost 2 begins / Grades 3-8 (October 1st – October 30th)
• Trip to the Farm / Kindergarten (Date TBA)
• SHSAT Final Diagnostic Test/Grade 8 (October 22nd)
• “All About Me” Health Education Program /Presentation for Grade 2 (October 8th)
• Money Management and Investment / Workshop for Grades 4 and 6 (TBA)
• Fire Safety Workshop / Grades K-3 ( Date TBA)
• Grades 8—PSAT/ (October 14/ 28)
• Last Day of the Term (October 30th)