The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 3.8.20

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank. 

It was great to see so many families participate in our Family Visitation Days this past Thursday and Friday.  Parent-Teacher Conferences are taking place next week on Thursday, March 19 from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm and Friday, March 20 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.  As always, HSFI is committed to our partnership with our families!

Please keep in mind that this Wednesday, March 11, we will have our monthly Parents Association meeting at 6:00 pm in Room 821.

Please complete your NYC Department of Education family survey.  Completing the survey means 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 would be amazing if every family completed the survey.

This Friday, March 13 represents the end of the first marking period of the Spring semester school year.  Next Monday, March 16, will mark the beginning of the second marking period of the Spring semester.  You and your child need to understand that student grades are cumulative, meaning that all grades count during a given term.  Grades do not start over with the second 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. 

The morning of afternoon Parent-Teacher conferences on Friday, March 20, we will be holding our annual Career Day for the students of the High School of Fashion Industries.  During this morning session, we have over 50 guest speakers who will visit our school to share their experiences with our students.  The speakers will cover career opportunities among all 4 of our majors – Fashion Design, Graphics & Illustration, Fashion Marketing and Visual Merchandising.  Please make sure that your child attends Career Day – it is very important in their preparation for college and career.  Career Day is brought to school by the Advisory Board of the High School of Fashion Industries

I wanted to provide an update on what is being done about the cleanliness of the school in light of the Coronavirus.   I have spoken with the custodial manager of our building and as per NYC Department of Education guidelines, they are enhancing certain protocols and providing additional resources, including providing Centers for Disease Control approved cleaning agents to every school and ensuring all bathrooms are continuously stocked with soap and paper towels, and encouraging students and staff to wash hands frequently.  One of our teachers shared a BrainPop video on the Coronavirus that you should watch - https://www.brainpop.com/health/diseasesinjuriesandconditions/coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR1uqTdZvpvRuZ-vxOYPh2bKWKz86JdmvtGFS50YwyI2TchNRNowBeG6Llk

We should all continue to practice general flu prevention measures including: Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or sleeve; Wash your hands regularly; Avoid touching your face; Avoid close contact with people who are sick; Get your flu shot – it’s never too late; and Stay home if you’re feeling sick.  Call your doctor and let them know your symptoms, travel history, and if you’ve had contact with people who are sick.

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  We will be sending important information out through both 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 2.23.20

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank. 

I hope you and your children had a nice break from school.  With school starting up again, we finally have a long stretch of school without a break.  We can develop some real instructional continuity, so make sure your children are here every day ready to work.

This week is a regular school week, but next week we have a couple of special dates.  Next Wednesday, March 4 is PSAT / SAT Day.  Our 10^th graders will be taking the PSAT.  Our 11^th graders will be taking the SAT.  Our ninth and twelfth graders will not be attending school on this day – just the 10^th and 11^th graders will be in attendance and once they finish their exams they will be dismissed and sent home.

HSFI is thrilled again to continue this year our Family Visitation Days on Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6.  During HSFI Family Visitation Days, you will be able to observe your children in action in their classes.  You may come and leave when you wish during those days.  During your child’s lunch period, you and your child are invited to lunch in the Principal’s conference room.  Assistant Principal Danielle Silva will be welcoming you in the school lobby and giving you an orientation for the visit.  Here is the website link to sign up for Family Visitation Day – we are asking all HSFI families to signup if you are attending Family Visitation Day because we have to let teachers know if you are coming - if you are only receiving this message by phone, the link is on the family homepage of the HSFI website at www.hsfi.nyc – this link can be found under “Family Announcements”.  The direct link to the form is below:

https://forms.gle/ueEjomxvuzJYEgg78

We are continuing to celebrate Black History Month.  We have celebrating in a number of different ways including featuring a prominent African-American contributor to our country every day and playing music from African-American artists in between classes.  Below is a poster we created in celebration of Black History Month.  We will celebrate additional cultures and ethnic groups in the coming months including women, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Thank you.

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 2.9.20

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank. 

As you are planning your week, please keep in mind that this Wednesday, February 12, we will have our monthly Parents Association meeting.  We hope to approve our updated Grading Policy at this meeting and put it in place for this term.

This Tuesday, we will be honoring the legacy of Ms. Lakisha Youngblood, a fashion design teacher who passed away this past summer, with a memorial after school. During this memorial, we will celebrate Ms. Youngblood through a special design scholarship opportunity. This scholarship was designed to honor her passions - print & textile design. Ms. Youngblood's family will be attendance and the winners will be announced. Students and staff will have the chance to share memories and thoughts about this dear member of our community.

This week is Respect for All Week.  This week we will have the opportunity to highlight and build upon ongoing programs to help students, staff and communities gain a better understanding of diversity. Our menu of activities will promote respect for diversity, acceptance and understanding.  We will focus on preventing bullying, intimidation, and bias-based harassment.  

This week we are continuing to celebrate Black History Month.  We have celebrating in a number of different ways including featuring a prominent African-American contributor to our country every day and playing music from African-American artists in between classes.  Below is a poster we created in celebration of Black History Month.  We will celebrate additional cultures and ethnic groups in the coming months including women, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and the LGBTQIA+ community.

The NYC Department of Health and Education has issued an updated letter on the Coronavirus.  The letter includes the official policy regarding student and staff who recently traveled to China.  The federal government has issued a requirement for up to 14 days of either mandatory quarantine or home isolation (depending on travel areas in China) for individuals who left China after February 2, 2020. This means that those individuals should NOT report to work or school for up to 14 days from the date that they departed China. 

Thank you.

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 2.2.20

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank. 

This Monday, February 3, we are on a First Monday schedule where students get out of school a little earlier so that our teachers can engage in 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.  All classes during the day will be shortened. 

As I messaged all HSFI families this past Friday, I wanted to share with you a draft of the school’s updated Grading Policy.  As know you are aware from previous messages and Parents Association meetings, we have been working on updating this policy.  The policy is on the school’s website.

https://www.hsfi.nyc/thefashionabletimes/categories/parents

If you have any comments on the policy, you can share your thoughts in many different ways – you can send me a message by email (dblank@schools.nyc.gov) or Jupiter Grades, you can make a comment on a Google form - https://forms.gle/71ujDGVLfiRuU9eH7 - or feel free to call me at (212) 255-1235 ext. 8191.  The policy has now been shared with all the school’s stakeholders – students, families and staff.  Our hope is that we can get all the feedback over the next week and have this updated policy in place for this term.

I wanted to again provide you with the guidance we have been given about the Coronavirus from the NYC Department of Health and Education.  Recently, a novel (new) coronavirus was detected in hundreds of people worldwide. A "novel coronavirus" is a strain that has not been previously found in humans. This novel coronavirus can lead to fever, cough and shortness of breath.  There are currently zero diagnoses in New York City, and the risk to New Yorkers is low. The City is monitoring the outbreak closely and working with our agency partners and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Right now, everyone should go about their daily lives, but practice the same precautions you do during cold and flu season: cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when sneezing or coughing; wash your hands with soap and water often; and stay home if you are feeling sick. If you were recently in China, and have a fever and either a cough or shortness-of-breath, call your healthcare provider.

Thank you.

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 1.20.20

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal Daryl Blank.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

The Fall term has ended and January Regents will take place this week from Tuesday, January 21 through Friday, January 24.  Check with your child about whether or not they are scheduled to take any exams.  Regents exam invitations have been distributed to students.  If students do not have Regents exams, they do not report to school.  A large majority of our students do not have Regents exams – all 11^th graders are taking the English Regents and students who previously were not successful on exams or want to get a higher grade, have the opportunity to take exams again. 

When students come to school for these Regents exams they should bring: (1) Exam ticket (2) Student identification card and (3) 2 pencils and 2 pens.  It is important that students DO NOT BRING ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT INTO THEIR TESTING ROOM. We tell students to put their electronic equipment in their lockers before their exam.  The presence of this electronic equipment with your child will result in their score being invalidated and given a 0 on the exam.  This electronic equipment policy is New York State law. 

All students are scheduled to report back to school on Tuesday, January 28 for the first day of the Spring term.

Thank you!

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 1.12.20

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal Daryl Blank.

As you are planning your schedule for the week, please keep in mind that this Wednesday, January 15, we will have our monthly Parents Association meeting at 6:00 pm in Room 821.

This is the last week of the Fall term.  The grades that teachers submit at the end of January are the grades that colleges and universities will see.  Make sure your child finishes the semester strong!

January Regents will take place from Tuesday, January 21 through Friday, January 24.  Check with your child about whether or not they are scheduled to take any exams – Regents exam invitations have been distributed to students.  The largest test administration is with our 11^th graders who are taking the English Regents exam.

I wanted to announce that HSFI students and families will now be able to order HSFI FAB t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, shorts and leggings online.  Students can wear this gear for their physical education classes as well as just getting them to wear every day to show off their High School of Fashion Industries’ pride.  Our school’s webstore address is www.SmoothUSA.com/HSFI.  The way this online ordering will work is that there will be “ordering windows.”  The first ordering window is until January 23 – all orders placed by this date will be delivered to your home by February 12.  If this online ordering system is successful, we plan to have additional ordering windows - this might be the last ordering window until the summer.  Sample sizes are in the FLY school store in Room 123 if your child wants to try on to see what size they want to order.  Students received a physical copy of a flyer about this servicethis past week.  We hope that this online ordering is something that is helpful to the needs of the HSFI community!

The school is considering some changes to our Grading Policy. We discussed these policies at our December Parents Association meeting.  The topics included:

Minimum Grades on Assignments

Attendance at Regents, Career & Technical Education and Advanced Placement Exams

Percentage Breakdown of HSFI Grading Policy

Factoring Regents / Career & Technical Education culminating examinations into a Course’s Final Grade

Minimum Number of Grades within Each Grading Category

Please look over the proposed changes from the email sent to HSFI families and share your feedback on as many of the proposed policy changes as you wish using the link to this Google survey:

https://forms.gle/CmPejh5pVVBNsmXm8

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 12.15.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal Daryl Blank.

As you are planning your schedule for the week, please keep in mind that this Wednesday, December 18, we will have our monthly Parents Association meeting at 6:00 pm.  This meeting was rescheduled from last week’s meeting that was cancelled.

This is the last week of school until our Winter Break – every day of instruction is important so make sure students are making them count!  All students come back to school on Thursday, January 2.  Once we get back from vacation, we will have two weeks of school until the Fall term ends where teachers submit their final grades that colleges and universities will see.  January Regents will take place the week of January 21. 

The third marking period of the Fall term continues.  There are three weeks left in the third marking period and the whole Fall term.  You and your child need to understand 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.  Third marking period grades go on a student’s transcript and are seen by colleges.  These third marking period grades are a combination of the first, second and third marking periods.  We have been going over these facts during our grade level assemblies with students.  We will meet with the 11^th and 12^th grades this week.

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  We will be sending important information out through both 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!