Dear Families of the MS 104 Community:

I hope that everyone had a nice weekend! I would like to thank all families that attended our fundraiser on Friday evening. It was so great to see so many members of our community coming together in support of our school. I am grateful for your amazing generosity and feel so fortunate to be part of such a wonderful community. A special thanks to our PTA Executive Board and parent volunteers who worked tirelessly over the last few months and all day on Friday to ensure that the event was a success!

Today marks the official start of Teacher Appreciation Week. I am of the firm belief that there is no profession more noble than that of an educator. Educators dedicate themselves to helping students grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Their responsibilities go far beyond teaching students content. A teacher's impact cannot be simply measured by student test scores and performance levels . Teachers acknowledge students for the unique individuals that they are, lift them up in moments of struggle, celebrate them in areas of success, listen to them when they need to be heard, and see them when they need to be seen. None of these things can be measured in the metrics that are so often spoken of regarding educators. From my perspective, this is as important as any test score students will achieve because teachers are helping students in ways that will carry with them well into the future. You cannot put a score or a rating on that.

There is no better teaching staff anywhere than the faculty of Simon Baruch MS 104. The teachers of MS 104 are passionate, committed, caring, and nurturing. Every day I witness our staff going beyond their teaching responsibilities. which are many. I see them welcoming students in to their classrooms during their lunch breaks, sitting with students after school to provide extra support, talking to students in the hallways, and attending student competitions and performances. These are the things go unseen and unspoken of by so many when discussing educators, and they are part of the fabric and culture that has been fostered by the MS 104 teaching staff. Nothing in this building can happen without the amazing and tireless efforts of our teachers.

I hope you will join me in expressing your gratitude and appreciation for our wonderful teachers. Here are some ways that you can do so:

• Leave a message or image expressing your appreciation for any and all teachers on our Teacher Appreciation Week 2023 padlet!
• Send an email of appreciation! Our staff directory can be found here.
• Leave a note or a card of appreciation in your teachers' mailboxes in the main office!

I wish our entire staff a Happy Teacher Appreciation Week and I thank you all in joining me in celebrating them. They are most deserving.

Please see a few announcements below.

Sincerely,

Rocco Macri, Principal

International Potluck, Art Fair and School Musical on Thursday, May 18th!

Next Thursday, May 18th, we will be hosting our annual International Potluck event. This will coincide with our Student Art Fair and the opening night of the drama club's production of Matilda!

There are a number of ways that you can get involved in the Potluck Event.  

• Contribute a dish. Depending on the contents of the recipe, your child can drop it off in room 119 in the morning, or you can bring it to the cafeteria at 3:45. All dishes should be labeled with the culture, and the list of ingredients. Please no glass containers. Here’s a link to a recipe card. We’d appreciate it if you could bring it in with your dish or upload it to the RSVP form.
•  If you would like your container returned, label it with your child’s name and class. NO NUTS.
• Volunteer. Volunteer to assist in setting up or cleaning up.
• Donate cases of bottled water or seltzer. Send in some of the essentials that will be needed to make the night a success. These can be dropped off in room 119.
• Come and join in the celebration!

If you plan on attending the potluck, please RSVP here.

The Student Art Exhibition will be held on Thursday, May 18th and Friday, May 19th in the gymnasium. Doors to the exhibition will open at 4:30 PM. The exhibition will also be open during intermission of the play.

The school musical will also be held on Thursday, May 18th and Friday, May 19th. Curtains go up at 5:45 PM!

I look forward to these fun events next week. Hope to see you there!

Outdoor Spring Student Celebration on Thursday, May 25th

Our students have been hard at work all semester. Its time for them to have a chance to have some fun with their peers and teachers. Our outdoor Spring Celebration will be held on Thursday, May 25th. Each grade will be treated to two class periods of music, dancing, games, arts and crafts, and two photo booths.

As you know, these celebrations require set up, supervision, and break down of the event. We are hoping you will consider volunteering to support the event. You can do so by signing up for a time slot/s using this link.

I thank you in advance for considering volunteering this event.