Panther Press

For their unwavering commitment to the welfare of a student in extreme crisis. Mr. Claudio and Ms. Crousset remained at Gotham past 8PM with admin, this student and his family, waiting through four cancelled EMS calls until responders finally arrived to support. Thank you for your dedication!

See Pierce for your gift cards.

As we move into Women’s History Month, we take this opportunity to honor the resilience, brilliance, and contributions of women throughout history—women whose courage, advocacy, and innovation have shaped our world. In our school community, where we empower students with profound disabilities to reach their fullest potential, we recognize the essential role that diverse women and their allies have played in breaking barriers and opening doors for all.

From Black women like Fannie Lou Hamer and Angela Davis, who fought for civil rights and equity, to Latina leaders like Dolores Huerta, who championed workers' rights, to Asian American trailblazers like Patsy Mink, who helped pave the way for gender equity in education—women of all backgrounds have worked tirelessly to build a more just and inclusive society. Their stories remind us that progress is driven by those who refuse to be silenced, who uplift others, and who stand strong even in the face of adversity.

Yet, as we celebrate these achievements, we also acknowledge the challenges of the present. Across the country and the world, we see efforts to limit women’s rights, roll back hard-won freedoms, and diminish the voices of marginalized communities. This reminds us why education matters—why the lessons we teach, the stories we share, and the values we uphold are critical in shaping a future where all people are valued, respected, and free to thrive.

In our school, let's create a space where every student, educator, and staff member is seen, supported, and empowered. Together, we can foster a culture of equity, inclusion, and unwavering support for one another. This Women’s History Month, let us continue to uplift one another, celebrate the strength of the women in our lives, and inspire our students to believe in their limitless potential.

Family surveys are out and due at the end of the month. The process can be confusing, and many families need quite a bit of help. This year, we're announcing a contest- for the first 6:1:1, 8:1:1 and 12:1:1 class to get to 100%, administration will trade places with you for the day.

That's right! We'll take over your class on a day of your choice, and your classroom team will RUN THE SCHOOL!

We'll distribute surveys on Monday the 3rd- and the contest begins during extended day.

Thursday, March 13

Afternoon

12:30-2:20 PM

Evening

5:00-7:30 PM

This will be a half day. All conferences will be remote, including afternoon, as long as employees can commute home in time to be online by 12:30PM. If a parent requests an in-person conference, that request mut be honored, but it may be honored on a different day of conference week.

Promethean Board Training- All staff

Link and info from the organizer:

Promethean Training

P373K Brooklyn Transition Center

Monday, March 3rd, 2:30 – 3:45

https://prometheanworld.zoom.us/j/95932651124

The best way to engage in our workshop is to have the Zoom Meeting open on your laptop and positioned in close proximity to your ActivPanel (but NOT connected to your ActivPanel), in order to afford you the ability to play and practice on your ActivPanel throughout our workshop.

Monday, March 10

Parent Teacher Conference Prep- all teachers

Report Cards

Partner Progress tracking (assignment ist will arrive later this week)

Family outreach- paras

Surveys and schedule conference times

Monday, March 17

Complete mandated child abuse training- all staff

https://www.nysmandatedreporter.org/TrainingCourses.aspx

Our First Annual Book Club Meeting will be this Monday (3/3/25), via Zoom at 3:45 pm, just for a quick introduction and to set the reading schedule. It should only be about ten minutes long. I will send the meeting link on Monday. In the meantime................the books are in! If you work at Ellery, please stop by my office to get your copy. All other sites, I will do my best to get your copy to you.

Have a great weekend!

Jeannine........

There were so many great events this week, I can't even begin to choose.

Here's a link to our drive, with pics by category.

Good Evening Principal Rattenbury, Mr. Pierce and Ms. Douglas,

I hope all is well and you are having a great weekend.

Attached are some photos of the wonderful United By Fashion show at Gotham, with more to follow.

I would like to extend an extra special thank you to Ms. Douglas for putting together a beautiful event that allowed the students to proudly represent their heritage. You can see how happy each of the students were in my photos as well as the individual shots I took using Ms. Douglas’ phone. Thank you for including Zachary and showing him and the students, how to confidently strut their stuff and explore their culture. The staff looked great and your MCs were cool. Everyone worked together and had fun.

Thank you for inviting me to such a wonderful event.

Best Regards,
Marie NevesRamos

This shout is in recognition of how hard Brayan works with his one-to-one on a daily basis as well as his dedication to the academic and social emotional growth of all the students at Gotham. His coworkers all benefit from his positivity and enthusiasm.

Dana Bertisch

This shout out is for Tyrief in recognition of his exceptional skill set in managing challenging student behavior. Nothing gets passed Tyrief. His one-to-one benefits on a daily basis from having a mentor he can look up to and learn from.

Dana Bertisch

Ms. Ebony always put all of our students needs first. Especially her one to one, Mohammed. Over the years we have observed growth and maturity in Mohammed and that’s due to Ms. Ebony’s constant guidance and support.

Ms. Torres

Congratulations to Mr. Moline for his hard work on OPWDD. All of his students are on their way to receiving OPWDD services!

Jasmine Fourquet

Ms. Jenny for her energetic & inquisitive demeanor. Ms. Jenny adds extra required technology support in the classroom. Garrett ‘s work in his classes are entered in his device by Ms. Jenny.

Ms. Torres

Ms. Rose is always present, helpful, diligent and has a depth of knowledge concerning our students and school which she has graciously been sharing with me.

Mr. Wizoreck

Mr. Morrison and his class created this BHM Spotify playlist website for our Ellery Street celebration- enjoy!