The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 1.1.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank.  I want to wish you and your families a Happy New Year for 2019!  I wish you and your family health and happiness!

School begins again on Wednesday.  We have two and a half weeks of school until the Fall term ends.  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 – students should take advantage of staff tutoring and tutoring from our National Honor Society students that are available every day to help out their classmates.

January Regents will take place from Tuesday, January 22 through Friday, January 25.  Check with your child about whether or not they are scheduled to take any exams – Regents exam invitations will be distributed to students very soon.

Over the holiday break, the custodial staff cleaned out and disinfected all hallway lockers.  Students will move into their new lockers on Wednesday.

Speaking of Fashion Dollars, please continue to encourage your children to deposit their Fashion Dollar tokens.  We want them back, so we can give them back to students so they spend them on rewards and privileges! And remember that students should spend their Fashion Dollars, that is what they are there for.

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, Happy New Year!

The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 12.16.18

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal Daryl Blank.

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 Wednesday, January 2.  Once we get back from vacation, we will have two and a half 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 22. 

One of our showcase events of the school year is taking place this week - our Holiday Windows Unveiling is this Tuesday, December 18.  This windows unveiling is part of our partnership with Barney’s New York and their Creative Ambassador Simon Doonan.  The theme for our holiday windows this year is "Fashion Icons." Our seniors will be showcasing the following ‘Fashion Icons’: Dapper Dan; Christian Louboutin; Rihanna; Diana Ross; Andy Warhol; and Andre Leon Talley.  This list represents the wide spectrum in which fashion impacts our world--through design, influencers (pop-culture), art, and media (magazines).  The unveiling in at 5:30 pm in the school lobby.  All Fashion Families are welcome to attend!  Our Fashion Design students have the Fashion Show, our Graphics and Illustration students have the Senior Art Show, our Business students have Virtual Enterprises and Shark Tank, and this showcase event is a big deal for our Visual Merchandising students.

Over the holiday break, the custodial staff will be cleaning and disinfecting all hallway lockers.  All students MUST clear out their lockers by this Friday, December 21.  Students must take out all their property and take off the lock on their locker.  This week, students will be receiving information for their new locker.  There are a number of positives about this change including:

(1) We will be trying to get students’ new lockers close to the location of their first class of the day

(2) The new lockers will stop students who are currently using the wrong locker

(3) All unassigned lockers will be bottom lockers – there will be more top lockers in use which is the type of lockers most students want

Students will move into their new locker on Wednesday, January 2.  Thank you for understanding the need for this change.  All students MUST clear out their lockers by this Friday, December 21.  Students must take out all their property and the lock on the locker.

Speaking of Fashion Dollars, please encourage your children to deposit their Fashion Dollar tokens.  We need Fashion Dollar tokens as we are running out of them.  We have decided to allow Fashion Dollar balances to carry over until next school year IF students deposit their tokens.  Students do not need to worry about their balances going to ZERO.  We want them back, so we can give them back to students so they spend them on rewards and privileges!!

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  Every day we send out a daily announcements message that lists all the activities for the day and key reminders.  If students do not read these daily announcements and do not check their HSFI email and Jupiter Grades, 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 12.9.18

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal Daryl Blank.

On Monday, December 10, students will receive their report cards.  Second marking period grades are a combination of the first and second marking periods. 

This Monday, December 10, marks the beginning of the third marking period of the Fall 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.  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. 

One of our showcase events of the school year is taking place next week - our Holiday Windows Unveiling is next Tuesday, December 18.  This windows unveiling is part of our partnership with Barney’s New York and their Creative Ambassador Simon Doonan.  The theme for our holiday windows this year is "Fashion Icons." Our seniors will be showcasing the following ‘Fashion Icons’: Dapper Dan; Christian Louboutin; Rihanna; Diana Ross; Andy Warhol; and Andre Leon Talley.  This list represents the wide spectrum in which fashion impacts our world--through design, influencers (pop-culture), art, and media (magazines).  The unveiling in at 5:30 pm in the school lobby.  All Fashion Families are welcome to attend!  Our Fashion Design students have the Fashion Show, our Graphics and Illustration students have the Senior Art Show, our Business students have Virtual Enterprises and Shark Tank, and this showcase event is a big deal for our Visual Merchandising students.

We are continuing a Fashion Dollars Bonus Program for students who are on time to school.  All students are eligible for the Fashion Dollar Bonus Program. For each day students are on time to school (as determined by them swiping in with their ID card each morning), they will receive $5 Fashion Dollars.  But wait, there's more!  For each day in a row they are on time, they will receive bonus Fashion Dollars. The more students are on time, the more Fashion Dollars they will receive.

Speaking of Fashion Dollars, please encourage your children to deposit their Fashion Dollar tokens.  We need Fashion Dollar tokens as we are running out of them.  We have decided to allow Fashion Dollar balances to carry over until next school year IF students deposit their tokens.  Students do not need to worry about their balances going to ZERO.  We want them back, so we can give them back to students so they spend them on rewards and privileges!!

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  Every day we send out a daily announcements message that lists all the activities for the day and key reminders.  If students do not read these daily announcements and do not check their HSFI email and Jupiter Grades, 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 12.2.18

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal Daryl Blank.

It was great to see so many families during Parent- Teacher Conferences this past Thursday and Friday.

As you are planning your schedule for the week, I hope you can attend our December Parents Association meeting this Wednesday, December 5 at 6:00 pm in Room 829. 

On Monday, December 3, all Fashion Families are invited to the school for coffee and snacks in Room 127 from 9:00 am to 10:00 am with Assistant Principal of Family Engagement Danielle Silva.   

This week we are excited to launch our First Monday activities for the year on Monday, December 3rd!  Students will be in school from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm.  From 8:30 am to 9:25 am, students will have an opportunity to get tutoring and extra help from teachers who will be in their classrooms.  Students should use this time to see teachers for classes where they need extra assistance, have work to make-up or are concerned about improving their grade.  From 9:30 am to 1:30 pm, students will then have the opportunity to participate in a number of special activities where students expressed interest.  Below and on the school website are a list of these activities.

Activities

African American Puerto Rican & Latinos studies club

Art Museum Tours

Asian Exploration

Explore NYC

FLY Photoshoot and Store

The Midtown Manhattan Club

Writing To Heal

Basic Skirt Pattern Drafting

Basketball Club

Board Games

Coding Club

Crochet Club

Drag Club!

FalconFit

Fantasy/Sci-Fi Club

Fashion and Art Portfolio development

Gaming Club

I Magazine

Jam Band

KPOP Club

Latin Dance

LEGO Challenge

Math/Science tutoring

Meditation/ Relaxation Coloring Book Club

Reading Club

SAT Prep with Khan Academy

Science Fiction Movie Club

Self-Care DIY: Inside and Outside

Serenity Now!

Star Wars Film Club

Surface design

Trace & Make - Cutting & Sewing for ALL

Visual Merchandising

Animal Lovers Club

Animal Lovers Club (section 2)

Cultural T-Shirt Crafts

Feminist Club

Gay Straight Alliance

Girls Soccer

Iconoclan Dance Team

Italian Club

Latin-American Film Festival

Modeling

SING

Study Abroad - Cultural Introduction

Stunts and Jumps/Tumbling Club

The Green Team Environmental Club

Track- Cross Country team practice

Underfashion Club & BSU College Access Program

This Monday, December 3, marks the beginning of the third marking period of the Fall 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. 

Not only do we have a partnership with Harvard University connected to our race and equity work, as many returning families know, we have a partnership with Yale University around Social Emotional Learning.  Yale has developed a series of lessons that teach students about Social Emotional Learning – this week our teachers will begin to teach these lessons across all four grades.  At HSFI, a core belief of the school is that Emotions Matter and our goal is that every school community member feels cared for.

I am pleased to share with the results of our School Quality Report that was published this past week by the NYC Department of Education.  This report is the equivalent of the School Report Cards that used to be given to schools.  The report is attached to this email as well as the school website – www.fashionhighschool.net.  Obviously, there is always work to be done, but this is a moment to celebrate for the entire HSFI community – students, parents and staff members.  Hard work and effort do pay off!

Please encourage your children to deposit their Fashion Dollar tokens.  We need Fashion Dollar tokens as we are running out of them.  We have decided to allow Fashion Dollar balances to carry over until next school year IF students deposit their tokens.  Students do not need to worry about their balances going to ZERO.  We want them back, so we can give them back to students so they spend them on rewards and privileges!!

It is critically important that all HSFI students check their HSFI email & Jupiter Grades everyday.  Every day we send out a daily announcements message that lists all the activities for the day and key reminders.  If students do not read these daily announcements and do not check their HSFI email and Jupiter Grades, they will miss out on some valuable opportunities and not know what is going on in the school.

Thank you!