BUGS Family Newsletter, May 23rd

Message from the Family Coordinator


Dear BUGS Families, 

Hope you are well and enjoying the Spring weather. 

Thank you to all of our families who attended our Lisa Damour event and made it a successful night. Click here for more about the event, including photos.  Reminder! Order any of Lisa Damour’s books with Community Bookstore/Terrace Books before May 31 and receive a 10% discount and the bookstore will also donate 10% of each sale to BUGS. Click HERE to order and use code BUGS23 at checkout. 

I would like to thank our PTA Board, Ms.Sunny Jo, Ms.Yael Utt, and Ms. Liliana Marquez for their support with staff appreciation week and for giving our teachers a ray of sunshine. 


Important Reminders:

  •  As we quickly approach the end of the school year please remind your students to stay on task with turning in any outstanding or late assignments by June 16th for grading. 

  • As a reminder, BUGS students are expected to return to school the week before labor day and attendance is required. Please plan your vacations accordingly as these are considered unexcused absences if students are not present. More information to come about the first day of school. 

Here's some news you can use  about upcoming events: 

  • May 24th - May 25th: Endline Exams 

  • May 26th: Field Study Day

  • May 29th: Memorial Day- School is Closed

  • June 2nd: BUGS Spring Talent Showcase

  • June 8th - June 9th: No School- Staff Professional Development 


Please also review the BUGS School Calendar on our website here:



Please read the newsletter in its entirety, and as always if you have any questions please feel free to email me at kevin.penaloza@bugsbrooklyn.org.


Best, 

Kevin Peñaloza 

Family & Operations Coordinator



PTA Corner: Upcoming Events

The BUGS PTA needs you!

Please join the PTA KONSTELLA community here:

https://www.konstella.com/cd/4PDQ1S.

We also have a Facebook group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/435224245339197

Join our PTA Executive Committee! 

The BUGS PTA EC helps parents stay sane and navigate family-life in NYC with friendships, guest speakers, and resources. We provide community picnics, dances, potlucks, basketball team uniforms, school uniforms to incoming 6th graders, guest speakers, and more. This is an all-volunteer thing and truly, the more the merrier.  

Donate to the PTA !

The PTA is still in pandemic recovery mode and currently operating in the red. If you have not donated your yearly dues, please donate here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3AH2WCGK9YCE8

 We’re also accepting donations of appropriate items and services to include as raffle prizes. 

========== 

 Sunday, June 4th, 4pm, BUGS Bowling at Melody Lanes! RSVP via Konstella and see announcement on Konstella. 

BUGS Interim Assessments (Endline Exams)

BUGS uses Interim Assessment (Baseline, Midline, and Endline) data from core content areas  (Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Sustainability) to inform instruction and curriculum implementation, For the 2022-23 school year interim assessment grades are entered as a formative grade in the gradebook. There are no office hours during Endline Exams.

The Endline assessment (Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, & Sustainability) administration dates are as follows: 

  • Wednesday, May 24

  • Thursday, May 25

Please ensure that your students are in attendance for all of these assessments. These BUGS internal assessments are not optional or “opt-in/out.” The Endline Exams are added to the gradebook as formative assessment grades. 


Please avoid scheduling any appointments or early departures on testing days.

Reminder for all Families in regards to Academics:

As we quickly approach the end of the school year, please remind your students to stay on task with turning in any outstanding or late assignments by June 16th for grading. 

As a reminder, students may be retained in their current grade level or mandated to complete a summer plan/school for the following reasons: 

  • Earned a D+(1.75-1.99) average or below in core classes (math, science, social studies, reading, writing) in the 8th Grade

  • Earned a D+ (1.75-1.99) average or below in reading, writing and math in the 6th & 7th Grade. 


You may also find this in our Family Handbook located here: 

Field Study on May 26th

Important Info for Families

  • 6th grade will swap field study activities and sites from April. Sections 601/604 will visit the Sunset Park Rooftop Farm and will take an educational tour of Industry City and 602/603 will participate in native plant restoration at Greenwood Cemetery and take care of local street trees

  • 7th grade will visit the Harbor School with the Billion Oyster Project on Govenor’s Island.

  • 8th grade will take a mock Living Environment Regents test in the morning and have a Field Day at Prospect Park in the afternoon.

  • Students should arrive on time to avoid missing their grade’s departure time. 

  • Please avoid scheduling early departures as students will be at off-site locations.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the IS Coordinators or Sustainability Program Manager:

June 2nd, BUGS Spring Talent Showcase

BUGS will be having our Spring Talent show on June 2nd from 6pm to 8pm in our Auditorium. Families are encouraged to attend and enjoy the wonderful performances by our students and staff. You are also invited to volunteer, support, or perform! Please contact Ms. Jasmine at jasmine.holloway@bugsbrooklyn.org for more information!

BUGS COVID Update

We have had very few COVID cases at BUGS this spring. Thank you all for being a part of that! To continue that trend, please continue to:

  • Test if anyone in your household is not feeling well

  • Keep your student home if they are not feeling well 

  • Have your student wear a mask at school if they have been exposed to someone with COVID

  • Let us know at covid@BUGSbrooklyn.org if your student tests positive

Note: We have plenty of rapid COVID tests at BUGS, so encourage your student to pick up a few if you need them at home. 

Support our Lisa Damour Event Sponsors

We are very grateful for the generous sponsors of our event “The Emotional Lives of Teenagers with Lisa Damour.” We invite you to learn more about them by clicking the links below.

IDB BANK: https://www.idbny.com/

Park Slope Parents: https://www.parkslopeparents.com/

ASNY (Accounting Solutions of NY): https://www.asnyinc.com/

Louis Green, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager, UBS: https://advisors.ubs.com/louis.green/

The Brooklyn Studio: https://brooklyn.studio/

Bay Ridge Orthodontics: http://bayridgeorthodontics.com/

Extensis HR: https://extensishr.com/

The Short List: https://theshortlist.org/

Charter Technology Solutions (CTS): https://charterts.com/

Smith Street Workshop:http://www.smithstreetworkshop.com/

The Talk NYC: thetalknyc.com

External Resources 

Parent Tip 

Please see below family resource on social media and how to support your child:

  • https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/17/1176452284/teens-social-media-phone-habit