Dear families and friends,

Welcome to another exciting school year at P.S. 896, School of Creativity and Innovation! I am Ms. Zhao, and I am so excited to be your child’s third- and fourth-grade teacher in our Chinese Dual Language program!
This year, our classroom will be a place where students learn, explore, create, and have fun while growing as readers, writers, mathematicians, and thinkers. Students will strengthen their skills in Chinese and English, develop their reading comprehension and fluency, and build their mathematical thinking.

I look forward to working together with our students and families to make this a wonderful and successful school year!

A typical day will contain the following subjects:
-Morning Meeting
-Grammars/ Literacy Centers
-Reading Workshop
-Writing Workshop
-Lunch
-Project-based Learning (Science and Social Studies)
-Math
-Special (Music/Physical Education/Art)

Important Information: Please update the following items on Operoo for your child:
-2026-2027 Blue Emergency Contact Form
-Housing Questionnaire
-Media Consent Form
-Walking Trip Form
-Walk Home Alone Permission if applicable
-Medication Administration Form if applicable

Here are some important reminders:

-Change of Clothes: Please send in an extra set of clothes (Winter and Summer), including socks and underwear, to keep at school in case of an emergency. Please send clothing in a large Ziploc bag, with their name on the outside of the bag. If your child does need to be changed, please make sure their extra clothing gets replaced by their next school day.
Sneakers: Sneakers should be worn every day. We are extremely active each day, and dress shoes or flip-flops are not appropriate for many of our activities.

-Cell Phone Policy: To support a focused learning environment, all student devices must be turned off (or in airplane mode) and secured in a locked classroom phone box upon arrival. Devices will remain stored until dismissal. If you need to reach your child during the school day or in an emergency, please contact the main office. We appreciate your support in maintaining a distraction-free school day.

-Blue Card & Emergency Contact: Each student should have a completed emergency contact card (blue card) on file. Blue cards are currently completed and housed in our OPEROO APP as soon as possible by Monday, Sept, 8, 2025. If there are any changes to parents’ contact information, please notify us so it can be updated accordingly. Please update all emergency contacts on your child’s blue card in the event that you are unable to pick up your child. If the person picking up your child is not listed on the blue card, we cannot release your child due to safety protocols. Bring your ID for verification purposes.

-Homework Folder: Your child will bring a homework folder home every day. Please make sure to keep this folder in your child’s backpack every day for communication purposes. Inside the folder, you will find your child’s weekly homework, letters that need to be returned to school, newsletters, and updates on what is happening in our school and classroom. Please check your child’s homework folder every night in order to maintain constant, efficient communication between school and home.

-Toys: Please do not allow your child to bring toys from home to school. This will help prevent personal items from being lost, misplaced, or broken. We have plenty of toys and materials available at school for all students to enjoy during appropriate times.

-Snacks: Please avoid sending **junk food, sugary drinks, candy, chips, and other unhealthy snacks** to school. If brought to school, these items will be held and returned at dismissal. Families are encouraged to choose **healthy, nutritious snacks and school lunch options** to support students’ health, focus, and learning.

-Birthday: We celebrate the birthdays of our students in different ways in our school. In order to ensure that instruction is not disrupted several times during the week for parties, all birthday celebrations will be held on one day during the week, which will be held on Friday afternoons during period 8. As for the distribution of small gifts, we do not recommend parents prepare food; you can choose to have something like a notepad, pencil, erasers, etc. Please inform me at least a week ahead.

-Classdojo Communication: ClassDojo will be our primary hub for updates and communication, and to ensure I can give my full focus to teaching while staying responsive, I will be checking and replying to messages daily during my prep time; please note that messages sent after 3:00 PM or over the weekend will be addressed on the following school day, though for any urgent same-day matters or dismissal changes, you can always reach our main office directly. We look forward to working with your child and are excited to be a part of their growth and development. We are firm believers in having open communication between home and school.

Let’s work together to make this year full of fun, learning, and personal growth for your child!

Thank you,
Ms. Zhao