MS 50 Weekly News: 10/27/25

Our first dance of the school year is coming up on Wednesday, October 29 going immediately after school until 4:30PM. This is a great opportunity for students to dress up and have fun with their friends! Students must stay in the school building if they wish to participate in the dance. Students may leave the dance at any time, but once students leave the building they will not be allowed to re-enter.

Students are welcome to wear costumes to school and the dance but they must:

Be appropriate for middle school
Not cover the face (no masks)
Have no fake weapons
Not be inflatable

The PTA is also seeking donations of snacks and drinks for the dance. Thank you to everyone who has already purchased items! You can still bring donations directly to the school and drop them off with Ms. Edda in the main office.

In this Issue:

ELT Cancellations October 29 and 31
Beacon’s Haunted House & Spooky Crafts!
Latinx Heritage Celebration Lunch
Classroom Spotlight: Social Studies
Housing Questionnaire
Charter School Mailing Opt-Out
High School Application Information
PTA Updates
Prospective Student School Tours
From District 14 & NYCPS
Upcoming Events
Free Internet Hotspot

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ELT Clubs will be cancelled this week after school on Wednesday, October 29th for the Halloween Dance. ELT will also be cancelled on Friday, October 31st except for theatre ELT which will still have their rehearsal as scheduled and any potential athletic games. Beacon after school programming will still be open for their regular hours on both days.

Get ready for a frightfully fun Friday! Join us on Friday, October 31st from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM for our Beacon After School Haunted House and Spooky Crafts in the Cafeteria at MS 50!

Bring the whole family for an afternoon filled with spooky games, music, candy, face painting, cookie decorating, and more! Come dressed in your favorite costume and celebrate Halloween with your Beacon family!

We are seeking donations of finger foods for our Latinx Heritage Celebration during students' lunch periods on November 5th. Click on the flyer below for information on how to donate or you can donate directly to the PTA online! Contact Ms. Edda for more details.

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Latinx Celebration Donation Flyer

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6th Grade Social Studies: How Does Geography Shape Culture?

In this unit, students will explore the essential question: To what degree does geography determine culture? By studying the evolution of early humans, students will investigate how people adapted to and modified their environments to survive and thrive. Through the analysis of artifacts and archaeological evidence, they will uncover how prehistoric humans transitioned from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled agricultural societies during the Neolithic Revolution—a major turning point in world history. Students will also examine how geography influenced the rise of early river valley civilizations, including those along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. By comparing these ancient societies, students will identify shared characteristics such as agriculture, technology, and social organization. Throughout the unit, they will use academic vocabulary to think like historians and archaeologists, building a deeper understanding of how geography and human innovation together shaped early civilizations and continue to influence cultures around the world today.

7th Grade Social Studies: Power, Wealth, and Morality in Exploration and Colonization

In this unit, students will explore the essential question: How did issues of power, wealth, and morality influence exploration and colonization? They will begin by examining the rich and complex cultures of Indigenous peoples before European contact, then investigate the motivations that drove European exploration and expansion. Through primary and secondary sources, students will analyze how political, economic, and social factors shaped colonial development and how interactions among Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans transformed societies on both sides of the Atlantic. By studying these encounters through the lenses of power, wealth, and morality, students will evaluate both the achievements and the human costs of exploration and colonization. Throughout the unit, they will practice historical thinking skills, draw connections to New York’s colonial roots, and reflect on how the actions and choices of the past continue to influence cultures and societies in our world today.

8th Grade: Slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction

In 8th Grade, our students have finished Unit 1 which covered US slavery, the Civil War and events which led to it, and the Reconstruction era and the various attempts to reunite the nation and ensure rights for formerly enslaved people. This week, students will are completing their work on the Unit 1 Assessment which asks them to take the knowledge they have learned to answer the question, "are Black Americans owed reparations due to the history of slavery and racism?" Students use Ta-Nehisi Coates' "The Case for Reparations" as a guiding text and make connections between the unit and his writing to make their arguments.

Hello MS 50 Families! Are you and your family living in temporary housing or will be in the next month? (For example, shelter, hotel/motel, car, abandoned building, with another family?) Please fill out the questionnaire in your preferred language. If you have already filled out the questionnaire on Operoo, no further action is required. You can either print this completed form or email it to our social worker Ms. Alex.

NYCPS is offering all parents the ability to opt out of receiving charter school informational mailings produced by Vanguard. The DOE shares students’ names, parents’ names, mailing address, zip code, and grade level with a vendor named Vanguard. Vanguard then mails school information to families. Charter schools also use this vendor to mail informational materials on their behalf. If you do not wish to receive these notifications, please complete the form by clicking the button below.

Charter School Mailing Opt-Out Form

High School Applications are Open!

The high school application is open from now through December 3rd. MySchools account creation codes were sent home to all 8th grade families. If you have not received this information, please check with your child for the paper or contact our guidance counselor, Ms. Sostre, for assistance.

SHSAT Registrations due this Friday

If your 8th grader is interested in attending a Specialized High School, they need to take the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT). This test will be taken at MS 50 during the school day and students need to register on MySchools by this Friday, October 31st. Contact Ms. Sostre if you need assistance.

School Tours

There are lots of upcoming school tours for current 8th graders! Click the button below to access all of the high school flyers and tour dates that are shared with us. We will update this folder whenever we receive additional flyers. We also have a Google Sheet available with updating lists of school tours broken down by borough.

High School Tour Flyers

Application Workshop

Thank you to Principal Honoroff for leading a high school application workshop for our 8th Grade Families during virtual curriculum night! You can find all of the links that were shared on our Google Slides presentation. You can also rewatch the application workshop online! Feel free to reach out to your child's homeroom teacher with any questions.

October Meeting Recap

At our October meeting we heard a report from Principal Honoroff about recent and upcoming events at school, the fundraising committee discussed a potential holiday photo shoot, and we began the conversation on having a mixer for parents to meet and get to know one another. We hope to see you at our next meeting!

Next Meeting

Our next PTA meeting will be held virtually on Thursday, November 20th at 6PM. Join on Zoom at ms50.org/meeting.

Fundraising Opportunities

As mentioned above, we are collecting donations of food and drinks for the Halloween Dance on Wednesday, October 29th! You can donate directly, dropping off items with Ms. Edda in the main office. You can also donate to the Latinx Heritage Lunchtime Celebration by following the instructions earlier in the newsletter. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to the PTA at any time by clicking the button below!

MS 50 PTA Donations

PTA WhatsApp Group

We've started a PTA WhatsApp group for announcements and updates throughout the year. Scan the QR or click this link to join!

School tours for prospective MS 50 students began this week! Do you know any families of current 5th graders who are interested in joining the MS 50 community? Send them to ms50.org/admissions for dates, registration, and more!

Event Information

Halloween Dance

When?

Wednesday, Oct 29, 2025, 02:45 PM

Where?

MS 50 Community School, South 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY, USA

Event Information

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held virtually in both the afternoon and evening. Check future newsletters for additional information and instructions.

When?

Thursday, Nov 13, 2025, 01:00 PM

Event Information

NYC Reads Debate Tournament #1

Meet at MS 50, additional information forthcoming

When?

Friday, Oct 17, 2025, 07:00 AM

Where?

MS 210 Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School, 101st Avenue, Ozone Park, NY, USA

Upcoming Days Off

Tuesday, November 4: Election Day
Tuesday, November 11: Veterans Day

Upcoming Emergency Drills

Lockdown Drills:

Monday, November 10 at 1:55 pm

Upcoming Athletic Events

Flag Football

Tuesday, October 28 vs. TPD - Playoffs; 4:30PM; St. John's Park

Soccer

Monday, October 27 vs. 929 - Playoffs; 4PM; Dean Playground

NYCPS 2025-26 Calendar

View our Full Calendar

Add the MS 50 Calendar directly to your device! Simply click here to add to your Google Calendar or click here to add it to your Apple device.

October 2025 NYCPS Family Update

D14 Events

Family Institute for Sustainable Change

🗓 Monthly Workshops: Oct 15, Nov 19, Dec 17, Jan 21, Feb 25, Mar 18, Apr 15, May 20
🕘 9:00–11:00 AM
📍 P.S. 147, 325 Bushwick Ave, Brooklyn, NY
A series of 8 interactive workshops for families of students in Grades K–2 (Grades 3–5 welcome!) focused on literacy, multilingual learners, special education, STEM, math support, and more.
RSVP Link: https://forms.gle/3kPrDFtxQppRDCAh8

East Williamsburg Downtown Revitalization Survey

The Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, the Graham Avenue BID, and the Grand Street BID are applying for the Department of State’s (NYS) Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant for East Williamsburg and we want to hear from you!

All MS 50 students are eligible for a FREE internet hotspot through T-Mobile's Project 10Million. This provides 100GB of yearly data for 5 years in addition to low-cost laptops and tablets for your student. When you apply online, use "NYC Chancellor's Office" for the school district and "Jhs 50 John D Wells" for school name.

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Instructions in English

Instrucciones en español

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