Partnering with parents is very important to us.

• Questions and concerns should always be directed first to your child’s classroom teacher.
• The Parent Coordinator, Ms. Lauraine Rademaker (lrademaker@schools.nyc.gov) is also a resource for families.

Phone Calls: Unless it is an extreme emergency, we cannot interrupt instructional time to get phone messages to your children or their teachers during the school day. The best way to contact your teachers is via email or backpack a note with your child. If you would like to meet with a teacher or other staff member at anytime throughout the year or if you have any questions/concerns you would like to discuss, please request (in writing) a meeting by providing some times you may be available, your contact information, and the nature of your concern so the staff member may be prepared.

Please understand teachers receive many parent inquiries and must balance responding with their many other roles and responsibilities. For this reason, teachers will make every effort to respond to your emails and notes within 24-48 hours. Please do not expect an immediate response.

Arrival and dismissal are not the time for one-on-one conferences or questions. Safety is a priority and teachers are unable to report about an individual student’s day at those times.

Newsletters:

• Our teachers email weekly newsletters with class specific updates.
• LINKS is a school newsletter that that will be emailed by teachers to inform parents of important happenings at 217.
• We encourage you to sign up for Hawks Happenings - an email blast issued by the PTA that notifies you of emergency school closings and provides you with important updates about 217 news and events. Email psis217info@gmail.com to sign up.
• 217pta.com website is a valuable resource of information about school-related activities.
• You can sync the school’s calendar to your personal calendar at http://www.217pta.com/calendar.html.

Many flyers go home throughout the year detailing upcoming events, such as family engagement activities, parent workshops, after school programs, open lessons, fundraisers, Parent Teacher Conferences, etc. Be sure to check your child’s backpack and the PTA website or Facebook page frequently.