PS 503

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.

PS 503 January PTA Meeting, Wednesday, January 26

The PTA meeting is rescheduled for Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 6pm.

We will share a Zoom link at a later date.

Middle School Applications are Now Open!

If you child is in grade 5, you can now apply to Middle School starting January 11.

The application deadline is Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Go to MySchools.nyc to apply! On this site, you can also explore the online directory tool for program choices program choices, save programs of interest and submit your application.

PS 503 will be offering Middle School Application Office Hours for families soon. Check your email to keep updated about how we will be supporting grade 5 families.

PS 503 December PTA Meeting, Wednesday, December 15

Thank you to everyone who joined the PTA meeting on December 15. Lots of information was shared with families. We are appreciative of all of your questions and your suggestions as we work together to ensure the safety of students and staff.

Please see the PTA Principal’s Report for the information that was shared with families regarding many important topics including student health screenings, our cell phone & iPad policy and Saturday Academy.

Please be sure to review the importance of following the cell phone policy with your child. We have seen an increase of upper grade students using their cell phones during the school day to call or text their families. Please refrain from encouraging students to communicate with you during their school day. If your child has a situation that needs addressing they should be informing school personnel. We are here to support students throughout the day with whatever they may need.

School Leadership Team Meeting Update

Thank you to all staff and families who attended our SLT meeting on December 14. Here is the agenda and minutes from the meeting. All PS 503 community members are welcome to join us at the next meeting on January 18th, 2022 at 6pm.

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78590511623?pwd=eW92V09IM3BCTm5FZXgwdE82RTBydz09

Kindergarten Registration for 2022-2023 is Now Open!

Beginning Wednesday, December 8th, children born in 2017 can apply to kindergarten for the 2022-23 school year.

The application deadline is Tuesday, January 18, 2022. All families who apply by the deadline will receive a kindergarten offer in April.

Go to MySchools.nyc to apply! On this site, you can also explore the online directory tool for program choices program choices, save programs of interest and submit your application.

Families can apply also apply to Kindergarten over the phone by calling 718-935-2009.

Sunset Park Affordable Housing Project: Lottery Application

The long-awaited affordable housing complex atop the new Sunset Park Library is accepting applications on the city’s lottery system.
You can complete the lottery application here: https://housingconnect.nyc.gov/PublicWeb/
If you would like support from PS 503 staff, we are offering drop-in hours beginning Monday, November 29, 8-9 am daily.

Wellness Resources

Please see these Wellness Resources that were shared at our November PTA Meeting for how you can support you and your family.

School Calendar 2021-2022

Please see the important dates calendar for the 2021-2022 school year. These important dates include days that school is closed, days that students are remote, days that are half days and parent meetings.

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.

English Classes for Adults at PS 503

At this time we would like to offer our families the opportunity to learn English at PS 503 (in person) Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 8:30. Classes are taught by certified and experienced teachers. The classes are not exclusively for PS 503 families. Anyone 21 years of age or older can register.

We can support interested families with submitting an application during drop-in hours, October 6th – October 8th 8:30-9:30a Tuesday-Friday. Our parent coordinators can help you submit an application and provide you with additional information. Otherwise you may make a registration appointment by completing the Registration Appointment Form.

Please see the Adult Education Flyer for more information.

Family & Community Resources

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

Parent Journey group through CFL – Are you interested in exploring things about your youth that affect parenting behavior? Are you curious about what you need to continue your development as a parent? Join our group! It will be facilitated fully in Spanish for 12 weeks every Friday from 6 pm to 8 pm starting October 8, 2021, at PS1 309 47th Street, between 3rd and 4th avenues. To register, contact Cathy Vargas at C.Vargas@Centerforfamilylife.org.
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

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

Emergency Contact Card – Grade 1 through grade 5 only
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.

PTA Elections: October UPDATE

PTA Executive Board

PTA President: Crystal Rosario, crosario@ps503online.org
PTA Vice President: Michelle Rodriguez, mrodriguez@ps503online.org
PTA Secretary: Ana Alzugaray, aalzugaray@ps503online.org
PTA Treasurer: Lizeth Ortiz, lortiz@ps503online.org

You can contact all of the executive board at ptaexecutiveboard@ps503online.org.

School Leadership Team (SLT) Members

Ana Benito, Karina Del Vasto, Abel Garcia, Marwa Hassan, Yun Yan Lin, Yesenia Placencia, Jessica Sierra

Title I PAC Representatives

Yesenia Placencia, Michelle Flemen-Tung

Congratulations and best of luck to all of the winners. We are so very grateful for your participation in supporting your child’s school. We look forward to working with all of the newly elected members!

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