P.S. 242- The Young Diplomats Magnet Academy

Dear YDMA families,

Our diverse community embodies a wide range of beliefs and experiences, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure our school remains a space that encourages empathy, unity, and respect. Above all, we emphasize the importance of kindness, respect, and thoughtful engagement with others. With this year’s elections, I want to highlight the critical role we play together in helping our students understand the democratic process. At our school, our primary aim as educators is to help students develop the skills necessary to become informed and responsible citizens. In these times, it is understandable that many of us feel concerned and even anxious about the plethora of political noise. Unfortunately, our children are also exposed to this environment, whether through direct conversations at home or indirectly through media and peers. In our role, we address concerns brought up because of the hostile culture being experienced during this election. We remained focused on students' attention on understanding the democratic process itself, rather than the specific politics or platforms of candidates. We are committed to fostering a caring and neutral setting where civic understanding and respectful dialogue are cultivated. Here are some tips:

• Reassure your child that elections are a normal part of how adults make big decisions.
• Use simple language to help your child express themselves about the results.
• Encourage fun activities to help reduce stress from this highly controversial election.

As we head into November, we are eagerly looking forward to connecting with you and sharing all of the exciting learning that has been happening in our classrooms! This Thursday, November 7th we invite you to join us on Zoom for our Hispanic Heritage celebration! In addition to bringing all of us together to celebrate the importance and beauty of Hispanic Heritage, this will also give us a chance to showcase some of the work our students in grades 3-5 have been doing with our new music teacher, Ms. C.Of course, November 7th is also Parent Teacher Conference day. If you have not already done so, please sign up for a conference slot with your child's classroom teacher.  These conferences are so important as they allow families and teachers to connect and collaborate on ways to support all of our learners by discussing student strengths and areas of growth as well as establishing next steps.

Lastly, we invite all of our families to join us in person for our November Celebrations of Learning! Your children have been immersed in units of study where they grappled with big ideas through our IB themes such as: 

• "All About Us" 
• "Who We Are"
• "How the World Works"
• "How We Express Ourselves"
• "Cultures and Conflict"

Their work reflects the process of inquiry and acquisition of knowledge as they explored these themes across subject areas.

Please join us from 8:45-9:30 on the dates below in your child's classroom: Grades 3-5 on November 15th. Grades K-2 November 20th.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon and often throughout November! Thank you for your continued partnership in maintaining a welcoming and inclusive environment for our students.