The Fashionable Times Blog Principal's Message 2.24.19

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.

The first marking period ends next Wednesday, March 6.  Make sure you and your child are checking Jupiter Grades to know where they stand in their classes.  Report cards will be distributed soon after.

Next week on Thursday, March 7 and Friday, March 8, we are very excited to welcome you to Fashion for Parent Teacher Conferences.  Thursday’s conferences will be from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm.  Friday’s conferences will be from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

The morning of afternoon Parent-Teacher conferences on Friday, 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

In three weeks, HSFI is thrilled to continue again this year our Family Visitation Days on Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15.  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.

I wanted to remind all Fashion Families that our computer lab opens at 7:30 am and closes at 5:00 pm.  Students can their work on these computers and print out documents that they need to.  The only class periods that it is not open right now are Periods 8 and 9. Our hope is that the lab will be open Period 9 by next week.  Please tell your children that they should take advantage of the lab to complete their work.

I want to share with Fashion Families that we have been working on the beautification of our student lounge.  We have purchased new furniture, vacuumed and scrubbed clean all the furniture we already had and put on a protective spray on all of the furniture.   Now that the lounge is going to reopen, there are some expectations for all students who use the lounge to maintain a clean and pleasant environment.  You have received these expectations via Jupiter Grades.  Students have received these expectations via Jupiter Grades and their HSFI email.  If students cannot follow these expectations, they will be asked to leave.   The lounge is a privilege. Only a few schools in the city provide a space like this for students.  Students need to respect the space and make it their own.    

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 2.11.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank. 

As you are planning your schedule for the week, I hope you can attend our February Parents Association meeting this Wednesday, February 13 at 6:00 pm.  This month the Parents Association is hosting our Peer Group Connection program.  Peer Group Connection is a program where HSFI students in the upper grades are trained as mentors to our incoming ninth graders as they transition into high school.  

On Monday, February 11, 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 continue our special First Monday activities.  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.  Students should take advantage of this opportunity.  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.  Those activities are on your child’s class program.

This week is Respect For All week – during Respect For All week, we will have the opportunity to highlight and build upon ongoing diversity programs and to embark upon new initiatives that promote respect for diversity and focus on preventing bullying, intimidation, and bias-based harassment. HSFI is encouraged to promote acceptance and understanding through theme-based lessons and activities. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to: celebrating kindness/how to be an ally, anti-bullying/cyberbullying, respect for diversity, religious acceptance, racial diversity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and LGBTQ acceptance.  Attached to this email is a joint letter about Respect For All week from the NYC Schools Chancellor, the United Federation of Teachers, the Council of Supervisors and Administrators and the NYC Council Speaker & Education Committee Chairperson.

Here is a schedule of our celebratory events planned for next week:

Monday, February 11, 2019:

□ Upon entry, HSFI Diversity Mural students holding hands, posted to both columns and/or either side of the lobby.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019:

□ Tolerance Work Shop Period 7 in 325

□ Healthy Relationships and Teen Dating Violence—Period 2, 3, 5 & 6 @ Library.  9^th graders only ELA classes.

Wednesday, February 13, 2019:

□ Upon entry, Affirmation Table, students pick up or prepare own affirmation regrading respect and self-esteem.

□ Tolerance Work Shop Period 5 in 829

Thursday, February 14, 2019:

□ Upon entry, LOVE IS RESPECT table, students pick up Bracelets/Pins.  Thought bubble NO PLACE FOR HATE

□ Tolerance Work Shop Period 6 in 325

□ Valentine’s Message on Lockers-you are worth it! 

Friday, February 15, 2019:  

□ Healthy Relationships and Teen Dating Violence—Period 3, 5, 8 & 9 @ Library.  9^th graders only ELA classes.

I wanted to remind all Fashion Families that our computer lab opens at 7:30 am and closes at 5:00 pm.  Students can their work on these computers and print out documents that they need to.  The only class periods that it is not open right now are Periods 8 and 9. Our hope is that the lab will be open Period 9 by next week.  Please tell your children that they should take advantage of the lab to complete their work.

I want to share with Fashion Families that we have been working on the beautification of our student lounge.  We have purchased new furniture, vacuumed and scrubbed clean all the furniture we already had and put on a protective spray on all of the furniture.   Now that the lounge is going to reopen, there are some expectations for all students who use the lounge to maintain a clean and pleasant environment.  You have received these expectations via Jupiter Grades.  Students have received these expectations via Jupiter Grades and their HSFI email.  If students cannot follow these expectations, they will be asked to leave.   The lounge is a privilege. Only a few schools in the city provide a space like this for students.  Students need to respect the space and make it their own.    

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 2.3.19

Greetings Fashion Families from your Principal, Daryl Blank. 

This coming Monday, February 4 is a regular bell schedule and a normal school day.  Our special schedule that is normally the First Monday of the month will take place next Monday, February 11.  The NYC Department of Education does not allow any special schedules during weeks where there are less than 5 days of instruction.  There is no school on Tuesday, February 5 in celebration of the Lunar New Year.  Let me repeat to avoid any confusion - This coming Monday, February 4 is a regular bell schedule and a normal school day and there is no school on Tuesday.

I wanted to remind all Fashion Families that our computer lab opens at 7:30 am and closes at 5:00 pm.  Students can their work on these computers and print out documents that they need to.  The only class periods that it is not open right now are Periods 8 and 9. Our hope is that the lab will be open Period 9 by next week.  Please tell your children that they should take advantage of the lab to complete their work.

I want to share with Fashion Families that we have been working on the beautification of our student lounge.  We have purchased new furniture, vacuumed and scrubbed clean all the furniture we already had and put on a protective spray on all of the furniture.   Now that the lounge is going to reopen, there are some expectations for all students who use the lounge to maintain a clean and pleasant environment.  You have received these expectations via Jupiter Grades.  Students have received these expectations via Jupiter Grades and their HSFI email.  If students cannot follow these expectations, they will be asked to leave.   The lounge is a privilege. Only a few schools in the city provide a space like this for students.  Students need to respect the space and make it their own.    

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!