May 19, 2024
Dear Fellow Bronx Science Parents and Guardians,
It was wonderful to see so many of you at our virtual PA meeting/Election this past week and at the Yankees game on Friday night. These events serve as great reminders of the strong community we have at Bronx Science, and we appreciate your participation and support!
We would like to congratulate all our newly elected Parents’ Association Executive Board and SLT members and extend our gratitude to each of them for their willingness to serve our community. To each of our newly elected officers, returnees and new members, we welcome you and look forward to working with you next year. The 2024-2025 PA Executive Board’s membership can be found below. We hope that all Bronx Science parents and guardians get to know our Board members next year and encourage each of you to consider participating in our many activities throughout the year.
Running elections requires a tremendous amount of preparation and diligence from a dedicated team. It is our responsibility to ensure free and fair elections, and last week showcased that we were able to do just that. We want to express our sincere gratitude to our Nominating Committee Co-Chairs, Jodi Solomon and Allison Rogovin, and Nominating Committee members Ellie Rabinovich, Elaine Cipriano and Lucy Yang for steering us through election day, and for running such a smooth and successful election. We also extend our appreciation to Bryan Liff and Arthur Wong for technology support, and to our post-election ballot verifiers (and many more – in our Election Spotlight). A special thank you once again to Parent Coordinator, Rebecca Barreras and Bronx Science’s Chief Information Officer, Willie Lugo, whose assistance is a critical part of running our PA elections.
Last, but certainly not least, we thank all who attended the PA meeting and participated in the election. We are always energized by our community’s interest and engagement. Your involvement improves and strengthens our community, and we cannot do it without you.
It’s been a remarkable school year, and we have been inspired by the many successes experienced this year. Principal Rachel Hoyle and AP Andrew Nasser highlighted these accomplishments in their State of the School report delivered during last week’s PA meeting. The report included not only news of our students’ achievements, celebrations, and solid college admissions results, but also highlighted some of our students’ challenges and how the school is listening and providing them with additional support. Principal Hoyle and AP Nasser expressed their deep appreciation for our PA community’s support, and the PA is proud of our strong partnership with the school and the Bronx Science Foundation.
On Friday night, over 80 Bronx Science students, parents, guardians and staff attended a New York Yankees game and watched the Yankees defeat the White Sox! It was a terrific game and everyone had a great time at what has become a wonderful annual community building experience. Thank you to board member and Social Events Chair, Nicole Allen, for organizing this event. We also thank everyone who came to the game! Photos from the event can be found by clicking here.
We look forward to seeing those of you who registered for tomorrow’s Coffee with the Principal, which will start at 8:30 AM. This will be the last Coffee with the Principal held this year and will be a recap of the State of the School report that was presented at the PA meeting on Wednesday night. This has been a fantastic program, and we are grateful to Principal Hoyle, AP Nasser and all the other staff members and guests who have made these sessions so informative and helpful.
Our rescheduled special presentation on Teens and Substance Abuse will be held virtually on Thursday, May 23 at 7 PM featuring Dr. Linda Richter of the Partnership to End Addiction and moderated by AP Andrew Nasser. We invite you to join us for an informative and engaging webinar for parents and other caregivers that will provide information on how to protect teens from substance use. The presentation will discuss which substances appeal to teens and why; what puts some teens at higher risk and others at lower risk of using and experiencing the negative consequences; why the process of teen brain development makes delaying use so important; and how and why taking a health approach rather than a punitive approach to prevention is more effective. It will answer common questions and provide practical tips for talking with teens who may see substance use as an effective way to cope with academic, social, and other stressors and pressures.
In preparation for this special presentation, we invite you to submit questions in advance that Dr. Richter can address. Please click here for a Google form that can be used to submit questions.
The PA has several urgent volunteer needs for MANY events over the next few weeks. The school relies on the support of our strong BxSci parent community, and thankfully you always deliver! Please see the Volunteer Opportunities post for the list of events and signup links, as well as an opportunity to join our Welcome Committee. If you are a senior parent, join us in person and take an opportunity to walk the school halls for one of the last few times.
Our last PA meeting of the year will be held on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Details to follow soon! We look forward to seeing you then and at our remaining events this year.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Allen-Cheng, Christine Kattan, and Elizabeth Polkovitz
PA Presidents
president@bxsciencepa.org
