March 19, 2023
Dear Fellow Bronx Science Parents and Guardians,
The official start of spring is just days away, but Bronx Science is already hitting our spring stride. We have a lot of events and volunteer opportunities coming this spring, as well as some exciting opportunities to socialize and celebrate our year together on the horizon.
It was lovely to see the 90 or so of you who joined us for our March meeting and panel, How To Have Difficult Conversations With Teens. Our AP of Guidance, Andrew Nasser, led our fantastic student panel, Hallel Abrams Gerber, Sheikh Islam, Stefano Sarkodie, Jadyn Sinclair, and Tripp Ward, through a thought-provoking series of questions. The answers and insights these students gave about trust, giving teens space, and how teens communicate in 2023 were wise beyond their years, and it was a privilege to be able to hear from them. We urge more of you to join us for these events, as they are always informative, emotional, and fun evenings.
We also were pleased to announce the winner of the Winter Raffle for the MacBook Pro 13” laptop, Roxana Cheng. Congratulations! Didn’t win? Don’t worry, there will be one more raffle this year, with the drawing to be held at the annual Spring Gala. More on the Gala below.
We also had a quick presentation on our upcoming election, to be held on Wednesday, May 17. There is still time to submit nominations before the April 21 deadline. In particular, the Nominating Committee seeks nominations for Members-At-Large and for the School Leadership Team (SLT). For more information and a link to office descriptions, please see the Elections post below.
As part of our president’s report, we put out a call for volunteers for our Audit Committee, and for chair(s) for our Welcome Committee to welcome new students. The Audit Committee is a three-hour commitment on an afternoon in early June to be determined by the committee. No finance or audit experience is necessary. The Welcome Committee is a flexible role that can be done from home, and involves helping new families connect to each other and find ways to meet up.
This Monday, March 20, we are delighted to help the school welcome our accepted students to the Accepted Students Open House! The excitement and energy at these events is always a thrill, as students visit the school before making their final decisions about high school offers. Thank you to our Open House Co-Chairs Jennifer Allen-Cheng and Xia (Lisa) Li for all the preparations they have been making, and to those who have already heeded our call for volunteers for this event. There are still a few slots available if you’d like to come feel the excitement and energy. The link for the sign-up is here.
Also upcoming in March, the forums for the Bronx candidates for the Citywide Council on High Schools (CCHS) will be held virtually on March 22, at 6 PM. All parents of Bronx Science students vote for council representation in the Bronx, regardless of where you live. The candidates represent a wide range of views, so be sure to watch. Also in March, be sure to tune in to the Virtual State of the District meeting on March 30, also at 6 PM. Our presence at these meetings demonstrates the depth of our families’ engagement in the district, so we encourage as many families to attend as possible. Please see the posts below for details.
We are thrilled to announce that tickets for the Spring Gala on May 11, 2023, are now on sale! Last year, tickets sold out quickly, so be sure to take advantage of the early bird pricing and don’t miss the fun! We are still looking for donations for both the Wine Pull and the Live Auction, especially donations of experiences. See the Gala and Donations posts below for more details.
Our next meeting will be in person at Bronx Science on April 19, 2023, at 7 PM. While there will be a remote option, we encourage all of you to come join us as we welcome a guest speaker from Compass Education for a program on What You Should Know About College Admissions. There will be time for questions, which are always easier to answer in person. Besides, it’s always nicer to see your faces in person.
Don’t forget to fill out your NYC School Survey, which is due March 31 (see NYC School Survey post below). The school uses the data from this survey to work on continual development and improvement, so make sure your voice is heard.
More events and opportunities to volunteer are coming up in April and May, so stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!
Until then…
Sincerely,
Christine Kattan, Jayesh Patel and Elizabeth Polkovitz
PA Presidents
president@bxsciencepa.org