Dear Families, 

Please take the time to read this email fully and carefully. Thank you!! 

I am sorry to share that the DOE has denied our request for an exception to their models for returning to school this fall.  Our proposal would have allowed us to teach all students remotely for four days a week, with one day available for in-person learning by appointment. 

That is not to be, and we are required to use one of the models which the DOE has provided.  Thus, we will be creating a schedule following Model 3A, which requires 1/3 of students who opt for blended learning to be in school every fourth day while learning remotely on the other days. Students enrolled in this model include all those who opted for “blended learning” on the survey and those who did not respond to it. We will follow shortly with specifics, and I will be hosting a Town Hall early next week to discuss this with you. 

That being said, I am aware that many families who accepted our original plan opted for “blended learning” or did not respond to the DOE’s survey.  If you would prefer for your child to be in full remote learning (although with live instruction on-line) rather than being mandated to attend school every fourth day in accordance with Model 3A, I urge you to go to the DOE’s website as soon as possible and fill out (or resubmit, if you filled it out already) the form, opting for remote learning.  Here is the link: 

https://www.nycenet.edu/surveys/learningpreference 

I look forward to the time when the virus is under control fully and we can all be together in-person as a school family. But, whether we are remote or in-person, the entire staff of Academy is always ready to support you and your children.  Please stay healthy and well. 

Please feel free to email me directly at wbassel@schools.nyc.gov with any questions or to let me know what you have done! 

Best always, 

Bill Bassell 

On Tuesday, July 28th 2020, Principal Bassell hosted a Virtual Town Hall of students, parents, and staff members.  This Town Hall included the presentation of the Academy's plan for re-opening in September that will be submitted to the Superintendent in August.  The Town Hall also provided the Academy community an opportunity to ask questions and raise their concerns about returning to school and other issues.

Summary of the Proposed Plan and Visuals from the Powerpoint Presentation

Note: We had planned to post the link to the recording of the Zoom Town Hall, yet the audio quality of the presentation is so poor that it would not be beneficial in helping explain the proposed plan. Please review the link above with the summary and the powerpoint. 

For questions and comments - email Principal Bassell at wbassel@schools.nyc.gov

Click Here for Information from the DOE about returning to school including applying for fully remote learning

Dear Members of the Academy Family,

Good morning. As you know, we are submitting an exception request to the DOE to allow us to conduct remote learning for four days a week and rotating in-person learning (as needed) for one day a week. Many of you have responded to this as the best alternative given the current safety, health, space, and medical situations.