PS 503

Welcome Back to PS 503!

It is our greatest hope that you and your family are having a restful, safe and fun summer. As we prepare for the launch of the 2022-2023 school year we would like to share information that may help you in planning for your child’s school readiness.

School Schedule

The first day of school for all students will be Thursday, September 8th. It will be a full day of school. School begins at 8:00a and ends at 2:10p daily. Please note the following important dates in September:

September 26 & 27 – Rosh Hashanah, School Closed

School Uniforms

At our last PTA meeting, families voted for students to wear uniforms for the coming school year. The uniform consists of a light blue shirt/ blouse and navy blue pants or skirt. Uniforms are available at Happy days, Children’s Place, Target, Old Navy and other stores.

School Supplies

You can find school supply lists by grade on our Supply Lists for Families page.

iPads/Technology

During the pandemic we learned that technology is of utmost importance! We were able to work collaboratively with families to provide ipads for every single student in our school. Please inform us if your child is experiencing tech difficulties and needs support to relaunch the school year. We also ask that you email us (info@ps503online.org) and let us know if your child is in need of an iPad at this time in order to complete assignments. Our school is prepared to move to remote instruction at any time if the need arises.

If your child does not currently have an iPad from the DOE/PS 503, you may complete the iPad Request Form and our school tech team will be in contact with you soon about receiving a device.

Family Forms

Please complete the following school forms for each of your children.

Emergency Contact Card – All students
Emergency Pick up Form – All students
Photo Consent Form – All students
Walk Home Alone Permission Form – OPTIONAL – only if you want your child to have permission to walk home alone from school
Covid Testing Consent – We will have in-school covid-19 surveillance testing 2 times per month for students in grades 1-5. Please complete your consent in your New York City Schools Account (NYCSA). This is highly recommended (but not required). You can also print and complete this COVID-19 Testing Consent Form.

Contact Information

During the week of August 30th the main office staff will be returning to the building along with administration. Please contact us via email at info@ps503online.org if you have any questions or concerns. Feel free to contact us to share how your children and family are doing and how we can be of support.

We look forward to launching an exciting and fun homecoming for all students and staff. We hope you continue to enjoy the summer and early September before we are all reunited on September 8th!

PS 503 June PTA Meeting Updates

On Wednesday, June 15th we had our last PTA meeting of the school year. The PTA nominating Committee held PTA Executive Board Elections. The results are as follows:

PTA President- Michelle Martinez Bueno
PTA Vice President- Yanely Morillo
Secretary- This position is vacant. We will hold elections for this position in the fall.
Treasurer- Ana Alzugaray

Congratulations to the newly elected Executive Board!

Please see the Principal’s Report for the information that was shared at the meeting.

Should My Child Come to School Today? COVID FAQs

In these unprecedented times there are many questions that have come up about students attending school. Please see the Should My Child Come to School Today? document that can serve as a guide for your family when a situation with covid arises and you have questions.

It is wonderful to see how our school community has partnered with families to navigate these challenging times. It is reassuring and I am grateful for the collaboration and mutual respect.

Want to know what is for lunch at school? Check out the PreK-8 Express Hot Lunch Menu for the most up-to-date information.

Family & Community Resources

Here are some resources that we shared with families at the PTA Meeting on September 29, 2022.

PS 503 Food Pantry and Coat Requests Form – Please complete this form and we will put your family on the list to receive food support or coats. Thank you to Grandma’s Love for their donations to our school community.
Counseling Services for Students: Please complete this Counseling Request Form and we will put your child’s name on a counseling request list.
FEMA – https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4615
- Financial help with damages from flooding.
Excluded Workers’ Fund – https://dol.ny.gov/EWF

Family Forms

PS 503: Welcome back & Visitor Policy

We are so very excited to welcome you and your beautiful children back to school!

The Department of Education has shared their visitor policy with schools and families. In order to be granted access to the school building, visitors will be expected to:

provide ID
show their proof of vaccination that matched ID
complete a DOE health screening and
wear a face mask at all times on school grounds.

The school day is from 8:00a to 2:10p daily. Students are considered late beginning at 8:20a. All students must show their Daily Health Screening to their teachers prior to entering the building. We urge all families to please access the Health Screening digitally, but if unable to, we will provide paper copies of the health screening.

PS 503 After School Program: Center for Family Life (CFL)

PS 503/506 share a free after-school program in our building–Center for Family Life (CFL). CFL prioritizes students who have been enrolled in previous years and during the summer. CFL is currently at capacity and notified all families who received a seat on 8/19 & 8/20.

If you are still interested in the afterschool program for your child, you can still apply for CFL to be added to the waiting list. You can still apply for CFL to be added to the waiting list. You can do this by going to https://discoverdycd.dycdconnect.nyc/program-public and searching in the Program Search “PS 503.” You can then create an application for your child and add this program to your application. Please make sure that you complete the entire application and click “Submit.”

DOE Health Screening Form

As we discussed at the family meeting, each family whose children are in Blended Learning must complete the DOE Health Screening for their children prior to coming into the school building EVERY TIME. Children will not be permitted to enter the building without a completed Health Screening.

NYS Emergency Rental Assistance Program

The New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) will provide significant economic relief to help low and moderate-income households at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability by providing rental arrears, temporary rental assistance and utility arrears assistance.

For more information and to apply, go to this link:
https://otda.ny.gov/programs/emergency-rental-assistance/

PS 503 Community Painting Project

We have exciting news! Under the direction of Ms. Izzo, our school has created an outdoor museum!

Some students have begun sharing places they love, places they miss, causes they care about, public service announcements, Pikachu, and lots of Spring flowers and gardens. They are sharing images of Sunset Park and things and people they love! Come to the PS 503/506 yard to check it out!

Create your New York City Student Account (NYCSA)!

Need support creating your NYCSA? We can help you in-person at arrival or you can email info@ps503online.org. Here is a video that can support you!

Anti-Asian Anti-bias Resources

I know that we are all troubled by recent events and the rise of bias and discrimination against all marginalized groups, and most recently against Asian Americans. Special recognition to PS 503 teachers for acknowledging this disturbing trend and responding with community and action. Teachers have put together resources for learning about teaching about Anti-Asian bias.

We encourage and support teachers in discussing these topics in their classrooms with students. Families can email info@ps503online.org with any questions or suggestions.

We are here as a community to support all of our students and families. Please know that as always we are thinking of you.

COVID Testing In Schools

In school COVID-19 testing will be happening again this year 2021-2022. The DOE will test 10% of grades 1-5 students with testing consent every other week.

You can log in to your New York City Schools Account (NYCSA) to provide COVID testing consent. Please watch this in-school COVID-19 testing video below if you would like to see exactly how the testing procedure will go. You will be notified on the day of testing if your child has been selected for random testing. Your child will not be tested without parental consent. Testing is recommended but not required.

Please email info@ps503online.org if you have any questions or concerns and we will respond within 2 business days.

Requesting a Learning Device

PS 503 has devices available for students who are in need. If you need a device or your device is not working, please email info@ps503online.org for support.

For more information visit: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/coronavirus

PS 503: The School of Discovery and Exploration is safe place where all members of our diverse community learn side by side with one another. Habits of mind are taught, practiced, valued, and infused into our culture. It is our mission to welcome and celebrate all peoples and to nurture them to be more reflective, cooperative, and kindhearted.
It is our expectation that all P.S. 503 members: staff, families, and students, will grow academically and gain the skills to help solve social, environmental, economic, and political world problems.

Statement on Accessibility: We are working to make this website easier to access for people with disabilities, and will follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. If you need assistance with a particular page or document on our current site, please contact amartelli@ps503online.org to request assistance.

Respect for All (RFA) Liaison: Yesen Jimenez