The NYC Department of Education has announced additional updates to the grading system today.  See information for grades 6 – 12 below

• 6th-8th Graders – Schools select their grading scales for marking period and final grades. Students will receive grades of “course in progress” (NX) in place of failing grades. Parents/guardians may choose to have any passing grade updated to “pass” (P). Grades of “P” will not be factored into students’ GPAs.
• 9^th – 12th Graders – Schools select their grading scales for marking period and final grades. Students will receive grades of “course in progress” (NX) in place of failing grades. Parents/guardians may choose to have any passing grade updated to a passing grade of “credit” (CR). Grades of “CR” will not be factored into students’ GPAs.

URL: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-year-20-21/return-to-school-2020/welcome-to-the-2020-2021-school-year

If you chose blended learning, the NYC DOE has provided an update on when in-person learning will being. See below:

• Monday 9/21
  • District 75 (all grades)
• Tuesday 9/29
  • Elementary Schools (K-5 and K-8) (includes students in grades 6-8 in K-8 Schools)
• Thursday 10/1
  • Middle Schools (Grades 6-8) | High Schools (Grades 9-12) | Secondary Schools (Grades 6-12) | Transfer Schools, Adult Education, Evening Schools, Alternate Learning Centers

Url: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-year-20-21/return-to-school-2020/welcome-to-the-2020-2021-school-year

The DOE has provided a major update on schools reopening. In their most recent update/letter, you can find details on how your Leader will learn at home including detailed information on blended learning and full-time remote learning. This new update also includes information on what will happen if/when there is a confirmed COVID-19 case on your Leader’s campus. Learn more below.

URL: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-year-20-21/return-to-school-2020/welcome-to-the-2020-2021-school-year

Schools are preparing for blended learning, during which students learn in-person in school buildings for part of the week, and continue learning remotely from home on the other days. However, any family can choose 100% remote learning for any reason. If your preference is 100% remote learning, the NYC DOE ask that you let them know by this Friday, August 7, so that schools have enough time to plan. Please visit schools.nyc.gov/returntoschool2020 to fill out a short web form, or call 311.

Let your voice be heard and take the NYC DOE Return to School 2020 survey today!

URL: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-year-20-21/return-to-school-2020

The NYC Department of Education has announced updates to the grading system yesterday.  See information for grades 6 – 12 below:

• 6th-8th Graders – Students receive final grades of “Meets Standards” (MT), “Needs Improvement” (N), or “Course in Progress” (NX).
• 9^th – 12th Graders – Your school’s existing grading scale applies, but no failing grade will be issued. A “Course in Progress” (NX) will be issued instead. After final grades have been issued, students and families have the option to convert any or all passing Spring Semester 2020 final grades to pass (CR will be the symbol used in this case). Any CR grade will not be factored into a students’ GPA.

The NYC Department of Education has announced the NYC Public Schools will not reopen during the 2019-20 school year. Teachers and students will finish the school year through the newly instituted  remote learning program.

CLICK HERE to learn more.

The NYC Department of Education has taken Equity and Excellence for all agenda to the next level and is providing three free meals daily for any New Yorker. There are 400+ Meals hubs across NYC. No new yorker will be turned away. Vegetarian and halal options are also available. See times below:

• Meal Hubs for Children and Families – 7:30am to 1:30pm
• Meal Hubs for adults – 11:30am to 1:30pm

CLICK HERE to learn more and find a Meal Hub close to you.

Today marks the 5th day of NYCs DOE Remote Learning: Learn at Home program for all New York City students. Visit schools.nyc.gov/learnathome to learn more. Know a student who does not have a internet enabled device to continue their learning during Covid-19? CLICK HERE to submit their information on the NYC DOE Remote Learning Device Request site.

NYC DOE has announced plans to move instruction to a remote format starting Monday, March 23, 2020. Schools are providing laptops to Student Leaders in need and are providing list of companies who will provide internet to families who do not have. Reach out to your Student Leader’s school today to receive this important information.

All TLNYC in-school programming has been cancelled as NYC schools are now closed until April 20, 2020. We will post various resources on this page that will 1) keep you abreast on the details of covid-19 while 2) helping you continue the enrichment process with your leader.

We have postponed all evening and Saturday events including basketball games and the self-care event until further notice. In these challenging times, please continue to be a Leader by regularly calling and/or video chatting with those who are normally around you. Leaders check on leaders.

While schools are closed, Audible has come to the rescue with reading. Until further notice, students everywhere can instantly stream – desktop, laptop, phone or tablet – a large collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue their learning process. CLICK HERE to be directed to Audible.

Note: Audible normally charges a monthly subscription of $14.95.

URL: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

We teach our Student Leaders that good writers are good readers who use their written thoughts to create positive change. Join TLNYC Friend Mr. Drew as he teaches a free youtube class on Hip Hop Haikus. As a refresher, Dictionary.com reminds us that haikus are Japanese poems “…written in 17 syllables divided into 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, and employing highly evocative allusions and comparisons…” CLICK HERE to learn how to write Hip Hop Haikus.

URL: bit.ly/hiphaikus

Scholastic wants to continue the learning process while schools are closed. CLICK HERE to help your young Leader be the best that they can be during school closures.

URL: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html

Coolmath Games is a brain-training site where logic & thinking meet fun & games. Each game has no violence and is for children and adults of all ages. CLICK HERE to help your child get a mental workout.

URL: https://www.coolmathgames.com 

Created for Leader in grades Pre-K through 8, FreeBrain offers hundreds of games, books, comics, and videos that develop skills in math, reading, problem-solving and literacy. CLICK HERE to access their site.

URL: https://www.funbrain.com

Moderately watching television is a form of self-care as it is ok to disengage from stress and engage in laughter through your favorite comedy or sitcom. Ready to laugh? Want free digital TV? Well Sling is offering free TV from 5pm to midnight daily during this trying time. CLICK HERE to learn more via the company’s press release.

URL: https://news.sling.com/2020-04-14-SLING-TV-reinvents-happy-hour-with-free-primetime-TV-through-daily-Happy-Hour-Across-Americahttps://www.cardsagainsthumanityfamilyedition.com/

Practice self-care at home with your family with this FREE family-friendly version of Cards for Humanity. According to the game creator, the card game was “…designed the game for people ages 8 and up [and they] …encourage parents to look through [each printable] card before you play with your family and remove anything you don’t like. CLICK HERE to visit the website and download the game today.

URL: https://www.cardsagainsthumanityfamilyedition.com/

Self-care and exercise go hand-in-hand… Ready to meet your fitness goals? Well we are! Join us as we download the Nike Training Club (NTC) app which is now free for all. NTC gives users access to various free workouts that cater to all fitness levels. CLICK HERE to learn more and get your fitness on today.

URL: https://www.nike.com/ntc-app

According to MayoClinic (2020) “Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance [as it] …delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently.” Click the photos below to download/view full size home exercise recommendations.

Breathing is important to our daily lives for many reasons including our bodies need oxygen to survive. Effective breathing helps you sleep better, digest food for efficiently, while providing mental clarity. When thinking about ways to push through stress and anxiety, deep breathing is known to lower stress as it sends messages to the brain to relax and calm down.  Below are three (3) videos that provide mindfulness through breathing:

• Breathing with Affirmations
• Mindfulness Breathing Acknowledging Feelings and Emotions
• 10 Breathing Techniques

Mindfulness is the quality of being present and fully engaged with whatever we’re doing at the moment — free from distraction or judgment, and aware of our thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them. According to general mindfulness research, mindfulness can have numerous benefits including decreased stress and sadness to increased levels focus and happiness. Here are six mindfulness exercises for the whole family. Click the photo to download/view full size.

Stress is not the same for everybody, nor does everyone experience stress in the same way. Stress is different for each and every one of us. What is stressful for one person may or may not be stressful for another; each of us responds to stress in an entirely different way. See recommendations from the World Health Organization below.

According to Beaumout.org (8/2016), “Coloring has the ability to relax the fear center of your brain, the amygdala [as] it induces the same state as meditating by reducing the thoughts of a restless mind.” Beaumont continued by noting that “[coloring] generates mindfulness and quietness, which allows your mind to get some rest after a long day at work.”

To help you and your loved ones reduce stress through coloring, here are a few TLNYC favorites: