Category: Blog

Applying to Schools? Then Come to Our School Information and Networking Night

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'Tis the Season...the school application season...and everyone is talking about schools -- at the playground, on anonymous online message boards, at the supermarket-- but are you talking to the right people and are you getting the right information?

  • How do you know what the right school is?  What do you really need to know about tours, play dates, thank you notes, lottery schools, testing, etc.?
  • Financial aid for private schools – is it real?

We have done the research for you and have put together a group of parent experts from the schools that you want to attend, who are ready to share their experiences.  Let’s Talk Schools is having a social mixer, to provide parents applying to schools an opportunity to connect with other parents in an informal setting to 'talk schools’ with each other.

Come mix and mingle at our School Information Speed Date Night with parents that will give you the real, unedited scoop on schools and answer your questions live, one-on- one.  Our Parent Experts have knowledge of ongoing schools*, experience of successfully completing the application process and they don’t mind talking about schools all night long!

Come join our conversation.

*Schools represented include the following:-

  • Fieldston Lower / Dalton / Trevor Day / Riverdale Country /
  • Bank Street / Columbia Grammar & Prep / St Hilda’s and St Hughe’s / Spence
  • NEST+m / PS 166 G&T / Hunter /PS 180 /Manhattan School for Children / Ascension
  • New York French-American Charter School / Upper Westside Success Academy
  • Weekday Preschool / Claremont (now MontClare) / Twin Parks Schools – Riverside, Central Park and Park West Montessori
* Final list of schools subject to change

Hunter College Elementary Date Change For Round 2 Kindergarten Admissions

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Hunter College Elementary School (HCES) has announced that it has added a second weekend to its kindergarten Round 2 admission dates and has eliminated the two weekdays.

HCES had originally set January 28, 29, 30, 31 as the days that parents should save for Round 2 onsite assessment.  Round 2 sessions will now be held on the weekends of January 21/22 and 28/29.

If you have a child that scores high enough on the modified Stanford-Binet V test that HCES uses to screen applicants during Round 1 of the application process, (in recent years the cut off has ranged from 143 to 149) such that the child MAY be invited to Round 2, please take note of this change.

Families with an unchangeable conflict on January 21/22, including scheduled DOE Gifted and Talented (G&T) OLSAT testing, should send an email to HCESAdmit@hccs.hunter.cuny.edu noting the conflict.  HCES will not take special requests for appointment times, but will ensure that all qualified children are able to attend a Round 2 assessment session.

Also note, the deadline to apply to HCES is this Friday, November 4, 2011.  Hunter is accepting applications from children who are born in 2007 and reside in Manhattan only.

Pre-kindergarten registration for this school year ends on October 28, 2011!

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There is still time to enroll in a Pre-K program for the 2011-2012 academic year!

You can still enroll your four-year-old in a Universal Pre-kindergarten (UPK) program at a public school or an early childhood community-based organization (CBO) program. Universal Pre-kindergarten programs are free for children who turn four by December 31, 2011 and live in New York City.

To find a UPK program in your area you can:

The deadline to register is October 28, 2011. Be sure to contact the Pre-kindergarten programs in your area to find out about availability. Openings will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

When you go to register, bring the following:

  • Your child
  • Proof of residence (two documents)
  • Child’s birth certificate or passport
  • Child’s immunization records

For more information about Pre-kindergarten programs, visit the Department of Education's website, review Early Childhood resources, or call 311.

See previous post for additional details on the NYC 2011-2012 Public Pre-K Admissions process.

Source: DOE Website

Jack and Jill of America, Inc.’s 9th Annual Education Seminar is this Saturday

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If you are interested in learning more about school options for your kids, plan to attend a wonderful free education seminar hosted by The Metropolitan Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.  Learn about the many opportunities available for children in some of New York's top independent public schools.  Meet Admissions Directors and Faculty Members.  Hear about their approach to education.  Have your diversity questions answered.

The Education Seminar will be held on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at The Dalton School, 108 E 89th Street, (Madison & Lexington).

NYC Gifted and Talented programs Applications for the 2012/2013 School Year

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Parents of 4 year olds, applications for the New York City public schools gifted and talented programs for kindergarten admission in the 2012-2013 school year have begun.  Deadlines for city’s program is are much earlier this year than last so now is the time to take action.

There are 2 different gifted and talented (G&T) programs available – the NYC Department of Education's (DOE) public school G&T program and Hunter College Elementary School.  Each program has it’s own distinct screening test.

Hunter College Elementary School (HCES) is a NYC elementary school for intellectually gifted students administered by Hunter College, not the DOE.  If you’re thinking of applying to HCES you will need to complete the application and have your child tested now.  See our timeline here.  HCES uses the Stanford Binet screening test.

If you’re applying to a NYC DOE G&T program, you have a bit more time, but you will need to complete and submit a Request for Testing (RTF) form by October 28, 2011.

All details are available in the DOE G&T handbooks online.

Important dates:

September 26, 2011 - Families begin submitting RTF Forms

October 28, 2011 - Deadline to submit RTF Forms

October 2011 - Gifted and Talented Parent Information Sessions – see flyer for dates and locations

January 3–February 10, 2012 – Current K-2 Public School Students, OLSAT/BSRA testing at school sites

January 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29, 2012; February 4 & 5, 2012 - Current DOE Pre-K Students and Non-Public School Students OLSAT/BSRA testing at selected sites

Mid-April 2012 - Score reports and applications with available G&T sites communicated to eligible students

April 20, 2012 - Applications due

Week of May 21, 2012 - Placement offers communicated to families

Week of June 4, 2012 - Deadline for families to accept/decline placement offer

 

The DOE will be conducting G&T information sessions in all 5 boroughs starting next week.  DOE staff will give a comprehensive presentation and answer parent questions.  G&T Handbooks will be provided.

Manhattan, October 5, 2011, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Brandeis High School, 145 West 84th Street

Staten Island, October 6, 2011, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., New Dorp High School, 465 New Dorp Lane

Queens, October 11, 2011, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Long Island City High School, 14-30 Broadway

Bronx, October 12, 2011, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus, 500 East Fordham Road

Brooklyn, October 18, 2011, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., MS 113 Ronald Edmonds Learning Center, 300 Adelphi Street

Bronx, October 19, 2011, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., P.S. 121 Throop, 2750 Throop Avenue

 

Things to note:

Test used is the OLSAT/Bracken, same as last year.

Kids who attend Pre K at DOE public schools are tested at their current schools.

Non-Public and Charter School Students must submit the RTF form online or to one of the Enrollment Offices listed on the back of the form by the deadline. 

NYC Test Scores for 2010-2011 School Year

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Overall test scores for the 2010-2011 school have been released and are available here.  You can find out your child's individual score by signing in to ARIS and entering their OSIS number.

Students scores need to be at Level 3 or higher in order to be grade level proficient.

Performance Level Label
Level 1 Below Standard
Level 2 Meets Basic Standard
Level 3 Meets Proficiency Standard
Level 4 Exceeds Proficiency Standard

Overall, 43.9 percent of city students in grades 3-8 reading and 57.3 percent in math met the standards.

Full House at our First Ever Admissions Panel

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We had a full house at our first ever private schools admission panel in Harlem last night.  Thank you to everyone who attended.

The discussion got started with tips on how to research and organize your schools and moved into testing, applications, interviews and financial aid.  By all accounts the evening was filled with helpful, informative conversation with admission directors, faculty and parents from NYC independent schools and Hunter College Elementary.

Here's what some members of our audience had to say:

"People were very helpful in sharing personal experiences"

"The entire event was very informative.  Every aspect of the process was detailed"

"Every question and answer was useful and the speakers helped alleviate some of the intensity surrounding this process."

"I really felt all of the panelists were interested in helping/informing"

A lot was discussed but there is a lot more that can and needs to be discussed.  Keep checking back here for additional events around this and other topics.

Best of luck to those who will be applying this admission season.  I'll leave you with a few things to consider along the way:

1. Most people apply for 8-10 schools

2. Between parent tours, parent interviews and child playdates, there will be 24-30 visits to these schools during a three month period

3. Including a modest 30 minute travel time, working parents will miss 56-65 hours of work during this time (not including time to complete applications and other required paperwork)

I can't stress enough the need to be organized and to plan.  See our AdmissionTimeline handout for an overview of the process.

Were you there?  Please provide your feedback on the event.

 

Private Schools Admissions Panel

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The New York private school admission season is upon us and we want to help make sure that all our parents are well informed.  We are hosting an event on Tuesday, August 23 that will enable you to start the search off organized and well informed.  Here are the details:

Let's Talk Schools & Kidberry present a panel discussion on the NYC private school admission process.

This workshop will provide families with an explanation of the private schools and Hunter Elementary School's admissions process.

Hear from a panel of experienced parents and professionals who will offer "words of wisdom" on navigating the process, including:

- when to start

- how to develop a list of schools to look at

- the application process

- screening Tests (ERB & Stanford Binet)

- what to look for on tours and what to expect

- essay writing tips

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Date: Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Time: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Location: 106 W 117th Street, Ground Floor (Corner of Lenox Avenue)

Open to the public. Registration is required. We have a limited capacity so be sure to purchase your tickets early to reserve your space.

Tickets $20/person

Sponsored by KidBerry and Harlem Vintage

 

New York City Schools institute sensible bed bug policy

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Bed bug infestations are a huge problem in New York City. Major hotels, retail shops and corporations have been affected in the past few years.   I think it's only a matter of when, and not if, your individual school will be infested.  That's why the city's previous bed bug policy didn't go very far in resolving instances of bed bugs in schools.  In fact, the city says that bed bugs are not a major problem for schools, but many parents and teachers say otherwise.

Prior policy was that a school official had to collect physical evidence of bed bugs and mail them to an office in Queens, in order to initiate a treatment in their affected school.  With the new procedure, The Department of Education has set up a new email address, bedbugconcersn@schools.nyc.gov, for complaints about bed bugs in NYC schools.  School officials now have the option of emailing photographic evidence of bedbugs to the DOE for a much quicker response, instead of mailing them and waiting days for an answer.

Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, pushed for these changes and hails the win as, "An important victory in the fight to rid NYC schools of bed bugs."

Have you had instances of bed bugs in your school?  Let us know how it was handled.

NYC 2011-2012 Public Pre-K Admissions

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Starting today, March 7, you can submit a pre-k application by mail or online.  Applications are not considered on a first come first served basis, so take your time – you have until Friday, April 8 to submit an application.  The Pre-Kindergarten Directory and application are available at your local elementary school, borough enrollment office, and at the DOE  pre-k webpage.
Before you begin the application, review the directory and become familiar with the Universal Pre-Kindergarten programs in your community.  Take time to gather as much information as possible.  Visit schools and attend open house events or tours.

Here are a few things to note about New York's Universal Pre-K programs:

- All universal pre-k programs are free of charge for children born in 2007 who reside in New York City

- Even though all 4 year olds are eligible, a seat in a public universal pre-k program is not guaranteed

- The application deadline is Friday, April 8, 2011

- Programs can be half day (two and a half hours, AM/morning or PM/afternoon) or full day (six hours and twenty minutes)

- Programs are housed in public schools or in  community based organizations, and each has their own separate application process.  You can find the CBO application online here.

- Public school spots are given by lottery.  First preference for all universal pre-k programs in public schools is given to siblings of students already registered in a NYC public school.  Additional admission priorities are detailed in the directory.

- Applications available by mail or online.  To apply by mail, you need to get a printed application from this year's pre-k directory, available at all borough enrollment offices. The directory is also available online.  You may apply for a number of schools in one submission and rank those schools by order of preference.

There are information sessions in each borough this week.  Representatives from the Office of Student Enrollment and the Office of Early Childhood Education will be available at the sessions to answer your questions.  Feedback from parents who attended the sessions last year was that all the information you need can be found in the directory or online at the DOE website.  The sessions are often crowded and not well organized, but perhaps there will be improvements this year.


Pre-Kindergarten Information Sessions
All sessions will be held from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Monday, March 7 - Queens
Long Island City High School
14-30 Broadway
Tuesday, March 8 - Bronx
Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus
500 East Fordham Road
Tuesday, March 8 - Brooklyn
Sunset Park High School
153 35th Street
Wednesday, March 9 - Staten Island
New Dorp High School
465 New Dorp Lane
Wednesday, March 9 - Manhattan
Louis D. Brandeis High School
145 West 84th Street

Once your application is complete the waiting begins.  Notifications are not sent out until early June.

Questions?
If you have any questions, please e-mail the Office of Student Enrollment at ES_Enrollment@schools.nyc.gov or call 718-935-2009.