Dear Media Families,
Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year at the High School for Media and Communications! I want to extend a warm welcome (and welcome back!) to all of you. We are looking forward to a great school year ahead for us al. We are grateful to the teachers and staff who have been preparing to welcome our students back into the classroom.
Here are a few highlights as we prepare for the new school year.
School Focus
The primary goal of Media High School is to graduate students who have developed a strong sense of community within our school and understand their influence on shaping their communities. In all of their classes, students will be empowered to share their thinking, back up their claims with strong evidence/ analysis, critique the reasoning of others, and create their own questions through participation in consistent classroom practices, student-to-student discussion protocols, and extended writing.
School Year Start
All students' first day of school will be Thursday, September 5th. School starts at 8:10 AM and ends at 2:25 PM. A list of school holiday closures and important dates will be included with this letter. As a reminder, schools will be closed on Thursday, October 3'°, and Friday, October 4th, for Rosh Hashanah.
September will start with the students spending a lot of time thinking and writing. This is a great way for your children to get used to being back in school and for the teachers to get to know your children. Students will be assigned to an advisory group that meets monthly to build relationships and community. Advisors and Guidance Counselors will be in frequent contact with parents.
Back-to-School Night
On Thursday, September 26th, there will be the first parent meeting of the year. You will meet the media teachers and hear about the year's curriculum. This meeting will take place virtually via Zoom.
Communications
Information for parents will be communicated throughout the school year via email by our Parent Coordinator, Dersa Gonzalez, and PA President, Ericka Carreno. Please send your email address to Gonzalez2@schools.nyc.gov with your name and your child's name so we can add you to our email newsletter.
Academic communications will primarily be between teachers and students in the classroom and the Google Classroom. Your children have a school email address and they will need to get in the habit of checking their email. Giving information directly to the students encourages accountability. That said, sometimes, they need a reminder to share information with parents. It's great to get into the habit of asking your child about school communications. fI you have any questions regarding academics, your child's advisor and guidance counselor are your first contact points. Feel free to reach out to them directly.
Every Friday, beginning September 20th, Principal Russo will host a Zoom meeting to review important updates. Here is the link: https://zoom.us/i/98504726288?pwd=MUJuWkZTb3FvY3J|SzZYOGdUZGtsUT09
School Events
Media High School has four big school events that require parent volunteers. These include the school performance (in Spring), the Parent Learning Walks (one in Winter, one in Spring), and the Family Day in June. All parents are invited to help or attend at least one event.
Parent Day in the Classroom
Throughout the school year, we will invite parents to the classroom so that students can present and teach a lesson to their parents. It's an opportunity for students to showcase what they are learning. Parents will have the chance to view student work and hear from the students what they have learned in the course. Parents may also be invited to attend a trip on this day.
PA Meetings
PA meetings will be held every month in the evenings. We will announce the meeting dates soon. Once published, the schedule will be posted on the school website, emailed, and sent home. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend these monthly meetings.
After School and Saturday Enrichment Program
• Tutoring: Wednesday and Thursday- from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm - Snacks will be provided
• Clubs: Monday, Tuesday, and Friday- 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm- Snacks will be provided
• Sports: Monday to Friday from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm
• Fall Season(Aug-Nov): Football, Soccer, Swimming and Volleyball
• Winter Season(Nov-Feb): Basketball, Swimming, Wrestling, Indoor and Track
• Spring Season(March-June): Baseball, Flag, Football, Outdoor Track and Softball.
• Saturday Enrichment Program: Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
English, Math and Sciences
You will be notified if your child joins a program that ends at 6 pm. The fall schedule is set to begin August 215t. Please be on the lookout for further information.
We wish everyone the best of luck as we begin this new school year, and we look forward to seeing you on Thursday, September 26th, for the Virtual Curriculum Night.
Please feel free to email me at srusso11@schools.nyc.gov with any questions.
Sincerely, Sofia Russo
Principal