The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 6.9.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank.

This Monday is a ‘First Monday of the Month’ schedule where students will start school later and be dismissed from school early so that our staff can meet in teacher teams for professional development.  Students who begin school 1^st period will start at 8:30 am.  Students who begin school 2^nd period will start at 9:09 am.  Students who finish school after 8^th period will be dismissed at 1:43 pm.  Students who finish school after 9^th period will be dismissed at 2:22 pm.

We have 6 days of classes left before Regents examinations.  Make sure your children know this and appreciate the importance of finishing the school year strong.  Students must understand the grades that they receive in June will be the ones that colleges will see.  Make sure you and your children know that that student grades are cumulative, meaning that all grades count during a given term.  Grades do not start over with the third marking period and there are not separate grades for each marking period.  It is important that you and your children know where they stand in their classes and what needs to be done to pass if they are in danger of failing.  If a student fails a class, it should not be a surprise to you or them.  Summer school for students who fail classes begin on Monday, July 1.  This summer, HSFI will be located at Park West High School in Manhattan as our building will be closed for construction.

This week is a regular week of classes and the last full week of classes before the Regents exams.  On Monday, June 10, is the culminating event of our industry partnership with the Kleinfeld Bridal store which is famous for the ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ television show.  This Tuesday, June 11, is the Senior Awards ceremony.  The last day of classes is Monday, June 17.   

Regents exams begin next Tuesday, June 18.  Exam invitations have been distributed to all students.  Please check with your children to make sure you know which exams they are scheduled to take.  Make sure your children are studying for these exams as they need them to graduate high school and build up their college resume.  Students only report to school on days they have Regents examinations.  The June 2019 Regents examination schedule will be placed on the school website.   Please contact anyone of our Assistant Principals—Ms. Moore (English); Mr. Kohm (Math); Mr. Rodrigues (Social Studies); Ms. Frank (Science); Ms. Boulamaali (Majors) - if you have any specific questions about these exams. 

The last Parents Association meeting is on Wednesday, June 19.

All Fashion families should check out the ‘Student Opportunities’ page on our school website.  This page has a long list of opportunities that HSFI students can apply to including summer programs.  You should check it out on a regular basis as new opportunities are constantly being added to the page.  The link on the website is:

https://fashionhighschool.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=393273&type=d

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  We will be sending important information out through these tools – if students do not check them, they will miss out on some valuable opportunities and not know what is going on in the school.

Thank you!

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 6.2.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank.

We have 2 weeks of classes left before Regents examinations.  Make sure your children know this and appreciate the importance of finishing the school year strong.  Students must understand the grades that they receive in June will be the ones that colleges will see.  Make sure you and your children know that that student grades are cumulative, meaning that all grades count during a given term.  Grades do not start over with the third marking period and there are not separate grades for each marking period.  It is important that you and your children know where they stand in their classes and what needs to be done to pass if they are in danger of failing.  If a student fails a class, it should not be a surprise to you or them

I wanted to make all Fashion families aware of this week’s schedule.  This Monday is the administration of the new Global History and Geography Regents that will be given to all our 10^th graders as well as the Comprehensive Arts exam and Fashion Marketing exam.  These students taking these exams are the only students in attendance this Monday.  This Tuesday is no school in observance of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr.  This Thursday is a staff development day where school staff will be attendance, but no students will be in attendance.

Next week is a regular week of classes and the last full week of classes before the Regents exams.  Next Monday, June 10, is the culminating event of our industry partnership with the Kleinfeld Bridal store which is famous for the ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ television show.  Next Tuesday, June 11, is the Senior Awards ceremony.  The last day of classes is Monday, June 17 and Regents begin the next day on Tuesday, June 18.  Students only report to school on days they have Regents examinations.

The last Parents Association meeting is on Wednesday, June 19.

All Fashion families should check out the ‘Student Opportunities’ page on our school website.  This page has a long list of opportunities that HSFI students can apply to including summer programs.  You should check it out on a regular basis as new opportunities are constantly being added to the page.  The link on the website is:

https://fashionhighschool.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=393273&type=d

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  We will be sending important information out through these tools – if students do not check them, they will miss out on some valuable opportunities and not know what is going on in the school.

Thank you!

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 5.27.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank.

I hope you all have enjoyed a nice Memorial Day weekend.

As you are planning your schedule for the week, I hope you can attend our May Parents Association meeting this Wednesday, March 29 at 6:00 pm in Room 821.  This month’s Parents Association meeting is ‘Sketch Night.’  All HSFI families are encouraged to attend this amazing event, a full night of live model sketching and free art supplies. Dinner will be served and attendees will receive a metro card. 

We have 3 weeks of classes left before Regents examinations.  Make sure your children know this and appreciate the importance of finishing the school year strong.  Students must understand the grades that they receive in June will be the ones that colleges will see.  Make sure you and your children know that that student grades are cumulative, meaning that all grades count during a given term.  Grades do not start over with the third marking period and there are not separate grades for each marking period.  It is important that you and your children know where they stand in their classes and what needs to be done to pass if they are in danger of failing.  If a student fails a class, it should not be a surprise to you or them

I wanted to make all Fashion families aware of next week’s schedule.  Next Monday is the administration of the new Global History and Geography Regents that will be given to all our 10^th graders.  These 10^th graders are the only students in attendance next Monday.  Next Tuesday is no school in observance of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr.  Next Thursday is a staff development day where school staff will be attendance, but no students will be in attendance.

All Fashion families should check out the ‘Student Opportunities’ page on our school website.  Applications for Summer Youth Employment 2019 are now available. This page has a long list of opportunities that HSFI students can apply to including summer programs.  You should check it out on a regular basis as new opportunities are constantly being added to the page.  The link on the website is:

https://fashionhighschool.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=393273&type=d

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  We will be sending important information out through these tools – if students do not check them, they will miss out on some valuable opportunities and not know what is going on in the school.

Thank you!

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 5.12.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank.

First of all, Happy Mother’s Day to all of our HSFI Moms!

We have 5 weeks of classes left before Regents examinations.  Make sure your children know this and appreciate the importance of finishing the school year strong.  Students must understand the grades that they receive in June will be the ones that colleges will see.

This is an exciting week as our Fashion Shows are taking place.  We have two shows this week.  The first one is this Tuesday, May 14 at 7:00 pm and all Fashion families are invited.  There is no admission to this show.  This version of the show is different from the show will take place this Friday, May 17.  This Tuesday’s show will run a half hour and contain about half the fashions that will be shown on Friday.  This show is sponsored by our Advisory Board which is the group of fashion industry professionals that look out for the school.

Our public Fashion Show is this Friday, May 17 and will show all of the fashions designed by our senior class.  There will be two shows on Friday – one at 5:00 pm and one at 7:00 pm.  Tickets to the 5:00 pm show will be $5 and tickets for the 7:00 pm show will be $7.  All money raised from ticket sales will be reinvested in our fashion design program for next year’s show.  Tickets are available online at our HSFI Webstore - https://webstores.activenetwork.com/school-software/high_school_of_fashi/

HSFI looks great now as our entire lobby is decorated with amazing pieces of art from our senior art show and the fashion show window displays are up.

As I messaged to you on Friday, a NYC Department of Education official will be at the school to do a review of the school on Thursday and Friday.  They will be meeting with a group of Fashion parents.  The meeting will be from 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm in Room 821 at the school.  We need some parent volunteers to attend this meeting this Friday to share their positive experiences with the school.  I know so many families that would want to come to the meeting to show their support, but I know the timing might not be convenient with work and/or family responsibilities.  The reviewer will be asking parents about the following topics:

(1) How the school supports your children’s learning

(2) Your impressions of school culture

(3) The manner in which expectations are communicated and how you are able to partner with the school to help your children meet the expectations

(4) How the school sets goals and communicates with you

We can only have 10 families represent the school.  The reviewers will want a variety of parents representing different grades, so even though you volunteer, you might not get selected.  I appreciate you making yourself available.  I will let you know who is selected at the beginning of this week.  If you are available and would like to participate, please send me a message through Jupiter Grades OR send me an email at dblank@schools.nyc.gov OR fill out this Google document – here is the link: https://forms.gle/i1sj2AQknxTecZxx9 -  Please identify your child’s name and best contact number and/or email.

All Fashion families should check out the ‘Student Opportunities’ page on our school website.  Applications for Summer Youth Employment 2019 are now available. This page has a long list of opportunities that HSFI students can apply to including summer programs.  You should check it out on a regular basis as new opportunities are constantly being added to the page.  The link on the website is:

https://fashionhighschool.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=393273&type=d

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  We will be sending important information out through these tools – if students do not check them, they will miss out on some valuable opportunities and not know what is going on in the school.

Thank you!

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 5.5.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank. 

We have 6 weeks of classes left before Regents examinations.  Make sure your children know this and appreciate the importance of finishing the school year strong.  Second marking period report cards were distributed this past Friday.  Counselors will be programming students for summer school based on these marking period two grades.  Students must understand the grades that they receive in June will be the ones that colleges will see.

It was great to see Fashion families at our student work showcases this past week that included the opening of our International Center of Photography exhibit and our Senior Art Show that featured our Graphics & Illustration students.  When you get a chance, please take some time to visit Room 821 (Principal’s Conference Room) to see the amazing photos in the International Center of Photography exhibit and the school lobby to see the spectacular art work from our seniors. The work is a testament to the community we have built here at HSFI to see these work products.

Our Fashion Show is next Friday, May 17.  There will be two shows – one at 5:00 pm and one at 7:00 pm.  Tickets to the 5:00 pm show will be $5 and tickets for the 7:00 pm show will be $7.  All money raised from ticket sales will be reinvested in our fashion design program for next year’s show.  Tickets are available online at our HSFI Webstore - https://webstores.activenetwork.com/school-software/high_school_of_fashi/

As always, our window displays will reflect the amazing work that our Visual Merchandising students do on a daily basis.

Our presentation at Harvard University’s  ‘Beyond Desegregation’ conference was very well received by attendees from all over the country.  Our biggest stars were three of our students who are taking leadership roles with this work – Analia Firpo (11^th grader), Ocean Hardwick (11^th grader) and Rukaiyaa Arssath  (11^th graders).  We shared our attempts to create a vision of race and equity at HSFI.  We have certainly not solved these issues, but we are headed in the right direction by trying to address them.  Thank you to all of you for the support of these efforts and feedback to improve the quality of our work.  We should all be very proud that we are leading these efforts in the largest school district in the country!

This week, May 6-10, is Teacher Appreciation Week.  Please feel free to email or send a Jupiter message to thank our teachers for their efforts and dedication to your children and the HSFI community.

All Fashion families should check out the ‘Student Opportunities’ page on our school website.  Applications for Summer Youth Employment 2019 are now available. This page has a long list of opportunities that HSFI students can apply to including summer programs.  You should check it out on a regular basis as new opportunities are constantly being added to the page.  The link on the website is:

https://fashionhighschool.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=393273&type=d

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  We will be sending important information out through these tools – if students do not check them, they will miss out on some valuable opportunities and not know what is going on in the school.

Thank you!

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 4.14.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank. 

This is a short week with Spring Break starting on Friday.  There is no school from this Friday, April 19 to Friday, April 26.  School resumes on Monday, April 29.

As you are planning your schedule for the week, I hope you can attend our April Parents Association meeting this Wednesday, April 17 at 6:00 pm in Room 821. 

In exciting news, our Senior Virtual Enterprise Business students will be participating in the International Youth Business Summit this week.  On Monday, these students will be participating in the Business Plan National Championships.  This is the first year that we have ever made it to Nationals and we are the only school representing NYC.

This Thursday, April 18 represents the end of the second marking period of the Spring term of the school year.  Monday, April 29 will mark the beginning of the third marking period of the Spring term.  Explain to your children that student grades are cumulative, meaning that all grades count during a given term.  Grades do not start over with the third marking period and there are not separate grades for each marking period.  Second marking period grades are a combination of the first and second marking periods.  Third marking period grades and the grades that go on a student’s transcript and seen by colleges are a combination of the first, second and third marking periods. 

When we get back from Spring Break, it is the start of an exciting time at HSFI with all the student showcases with our majors beginning.  On Wednesday, May 1 we have the International Center of Photography Exhibit Opening in Room 821 at 4:00 pm and then on Friday, May 3 we have the Senior Art Show Opening in the Auditorium at 4:00 pm.  It would mean a lot to our students if you come to these showcases to show your support.

All Fashion families should check out the ‘Student Opportunities’ page on our school website.  Applications for Summer Youth Employment 2019 are now available. This page has a long list of opportunities that HSFI students can apply to including summer programs.  You should check it out on a regular basis as new opportunities are constantly being added to the page.  The link on the website is:

https://fashionhighschool.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=393273&type=d

If your child needs working papers, please visit Ms. Trotta in Room 101. Working papers take one school day to process if the application is submitted with all the proper documentation. Please note that all applicants need a letter from their pediatrician on official letterhead stating they are fit to be employed. School physicals cannot be used in place of a pediatrician's letter.  

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  We will be sending important information out through these tools – if students do not check them, they will miss out on some valuable opportunities and not know what is going on in the school.

Thank you!

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 4.7.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank. 

As you are planning your schedule for the week, I hope you can attend our April Parents Association meeting this Wednesday, April 10 at 6:00 pm in Room 821. 

This Monday, April 8, HSFI families are invited to join our Assistant Principal of Family Engagement Danielle Silva for coffee, bagels and muffins from 9:00 am -10:00 am in room 127.  This is another opportunity for HSFI families to share their ideas and express what is on their minds.

As I mentioned in last week’s bulletin, we were being showcased this week by the NYC Department of Education for our efforts with Social Emotional Learning and our partnership with Yale University as well as our collaboration with Harvard University in trying to have discussions around race and equity.  Thursday was the day of these conferences and I wanted to share that the showcases went extremely well.  It is important that we all recognize how the Social Emotional Learning and Race & Equity efforts complement one another.  Access to Social Emotional Learning is an equity issue – our students’ access to these SEL tools is critical for them and their ability to function now and in the future.  At the same time, discussions about race create discomfort and bring out a lot of emotions in people, in both adults and children, and if we are going to have these conversations with one another, we need to have the emotional intelligence to handle these emotions.  We need to understand how Social Emotional Learning and Race & Equity are not separate entities, but are done in tandem with one another.  We should all be very proud that we are leading these efforts in the largest school district in the country!

All Fashion families should check out the ‘Student Opportunities’ page on our school website.  Applications from Summer Youth Employment 2019 are now available. This page has a long list of opportunities that HSFI students can apply to including summer programs.  You should check it out on a regular basis as new opportunities are constantly being added to the page.  The link on the website is:

https://fashionhighschool.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=393273&type=d

If your child needs working papers, please visit Ms. Trotta in Room 101. Working papers take one school day to process if the application is submitted with all the proper documentation. Please note that all applicants need a letter from their pediatrician on official letterhead stating they are fit to be employed. School physicals cannot be used in place of a pediatrician's letter.  

I receive a weekly message from the NYC Department of Education about how many Fashion Families have done their Parent Survey – right now we are at 14% which means that only 214 HSFI families out of over 1600 families have completed the survey.  This is way below our percentage from last year when over one third – 36% - of HSFI families did their survey.  The deadline to complete the survey has been extended to Thursday, April 11.  Please fill out the survey – we need a high percentage of Fashion families to fill out the survey and show all of NYC what HSFI is all about.

You can fill out the survey in 2 different ways – by filling out the paper survey that you receive in the mail in a green envelope or you can fill it out online.

To complete the survey online:

(1) Go to nycschoolsurvey.org.

(2) Click on the link to the parent and guardian survey.

(3) Enter your access code found at the bottom of your paper survey.

(4) Complete the survey.

(5) Click ‘Submit’.

If you don’t receive a survey in the mail? Don’t worry! You can also call the school at (212) 255-1235 where we you can get your Access Code for the survey or call the NYC Department of Education at 1-877-819-2363 to get an Access Code to complete the survey online.

I would be so grateful if you filled out the survey to reflect all the hard work that I, along with my staff, put into making HSFI a unique learning community.  Please consider how we work to build partnerships and relationships with you as Fashion Parents to help your children learn, perform to their highest levels and meet their needs inside and outside the classroom.  Students’ needs are met academically through challenging instruction and industry partnerships connected to our fashion, art and business major classes; social-emotionally through all our clubs and activities, Fashion Dollars and our partnerships with Yale University and Harvard University; and health-wise with our School Based Health Center that provides free health and dental care to all Fashion students.

Please consider all our communication efforts – my weekly Sunday at 5:00 pm phone calls and emails through School Messenger; our use of Jupiter Grades for messages and updating you on your child’s grades; our maintenance of a private website along with social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and an Assistant Principal specifically devoted to Family Engagement and who makes sure all parent communication with the school is followed up on.

Please consider our weekly invitations for you to volunteer at the school.  Please consider our Family Visitation Days in the Fall and Spring where families are invited into the school to observe classes and see your children and our teachers in action.  Please consider our invitations to you to attend student performances like our SING musical production and the Holiday Windows Unveiling with Barneys NY – these invitations will heat up in the Spring with our annual Fashion Show, the International Center of Photography exhibit and our Senior Art Show.

HSFI parents’ participation in these NYC Department of Education surveys mean a tremendous amount to me, so please when you get the survey, fill it out to reflect our efforts to make the High School of Fashion Industries the best school possible!

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  We will be sending important information out through these tools – if students do not check them, they will miss out on some valuable opportunities and not know what is going on in the school.

Thank you!  Again, please fill out the family survey if you have not done so.