The 2012 New York International Children’s Film Festival has partnered with our school! For every film ticket you purchase through www.gkids.com, you will receive $4 off each general admission ticket with our school code! Advance tickets to NYICFF 2012, March 2-25, are on sale NOW. Screenings are likely to sell out, so be sure to purchase your tickets soon; they go on sale to the general public on February 1. Use our school code SCHB2012 to access the discount when ordering tickets.
WALK AND TALK
Parents are invited to join Parent Coordinator Margaret Sheri on a walk every day (rain or shine) after morning drop-off. Improve your health and gain energy through regular exercise. Support each other and make friends. Incentive prizes for regular attendance. Sign-in each morning at 8:30 by the playground, or in the auditorium in case of rain. Join us at any time during the year.
What's happening in the garden -- Nature's Classroom @ PS 102
Come visit our table at the PS102 Valentine Fair on 2/10/12. We will have seeds, houseplants and natural beeswax lip balm for sale to benefit Nature's Classroom @ PS 102!
With a busy fall behind us (STAR project, Fall Harvest Festival, Spoons Across America Take a Taste Program, PTA Halloween Hooplah, planting bulbs and seed harvesting) we spend meeting days cleaning up and planning for next year. This spring we plan to build two new covered beds that will extend our vegetable growing season.
Our garden is featured in this article on Brooklyn school gardens by Katharine Harmon who visited us last fall!
http://www.foundationforlandscapestudies.org/pdf/sitelines_spring11.pdf, and also on the Woolly Pocket Blog -
www.woollypockets.com .
Check out our PS 102 Garden Pages (under Events and Special Programs.) If you have any questions or want to help out in our efforts contact Margaret Sheri at msheri@ps102.org,
show up at any meeting (meetings are usually Friday at 9:00 in the garden or auditorium) or stop by if you see the gate open!
Thisyear your child's report card will have a new look as report cards on each grade have been redesigned and alligned to the new Common Core State Standards. Parents were sent a letter announcing the new Common Core State Standards Initiative last fall and many attended the workshop presented last January. If you have questions, please discuss with your child's teacher. To read more about this, visit
www.corestandards.org.
GET IN THE SPIRIT!
Attractive PS 102 School Spirit Wear shirts can be worn each friday and for assembly dress. Please print and send in the order form below.
school_order_form.doc
Welcome Mural Project
The Welcome Mural Project is complete! Check out the story of the mural, photos of the work and the June 4th celebration party and respond to the mural at
http://ps102mural.wordpress.com. OUR STORY IS FEATURED ON THE DOE WEB SITE! CHECK IT OUT NOW:
http://schools.nyc.gov
APL - ARIS PARENT LINK
APL allows you to access the same information on your child that educators use. Contact Margaret Sheri if you need help logging on, do not have an email account, or need to access a computer for viewing your child's APL account at:
www.ARISparentlink.org If you note any errors on your child's biographical information, please complete the APL update request form found here and return to our main office.
APL UPDATE.doc
HeartShare After School Program at PS102. If you have questions - call Nada or Maya at (718) 567-2365. The program has been filled on all grades.
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Visit for recommendations on healthier eating for the whole family. Look for recipes from PS 102's Chef Didem - our partner in the Chefs Move to Schools! program - both on-line and in the Bay View News this fall.

TURN IT OFF... Clear the Air
STOP IDLING - your vehicle idles when the engine is on but it isn't moving. Reducing idling makes the air cleaner for your kids and will help reduce asthma symptons. The law now limits vehicle idling to no more than ONE minute adjacent to a public or private school. Fines of $300 or more may be issued.

Please email PS 102's Parent Coordinator, Margaret Sheri at
msheri@ps102.org with your questions and concerns.

You are your child's first teacher. To help your child be prepared for Kindergarten: READ to your child EVERY DAY. Take a walk and talk with your child as often as possible. Play educational board games and computer games. Monitor your child's screen time and take part in the many free activities available at the Brooklyn Public Library, local museums and parks.
CHECK OUT THE WEATHER FROM PS102's ROOF-TOP WEATHERBUG STATION!

"A Parent's Guide to Special Education Services for School-Age Children," is now online in English and nine other languages. The guide provides helpful information regarding special education processes, producedures and policies to assist parents in making informed educational decisions for their children.

Cyber Safety Awareness Workshop for Parents
If you missed this excellent workshop conducted by Wiam Younes of Carnegie Mellon's Safe-Net program, you can visit their web site to learn the latest on keeping your information, assets and your children safe on the internet.
Parents Can Sign up for School Alerts Sign up for a free service by visiting
schools.nyc.gov or call 311. If school opens late or dismisses early, or other unexpected events occur, you can receive an update via phone, text message, or e-mail, through
Notify NYC, NYC's public notification system.