2024-2025 SITHS School Year Info

Posted September 4, 2024

SEPTEMBER UPDATES

Seagull Nation,

Hope you all had a restful summer and are looking forward to the upcoming school year! I'd like to welcome the Class of 2028 to the Tech family, and I hope that you look forward to lots of great memories during your time in high school. As always, some of the Student Organization Officers have put together an event calendar with some important dates. The calendar is attached to this email and important information for each event can be found below:

Starting off with something a little different this time with a special, new event at Staten Island Tech...

September 27th- Homecoming Dance: Here is the information you have all been waiting for!!! Staten Island Tech will be hosting our first HOCO Dance. The dance will take place from 6:30pm-10:30pm in our 1st Floor Gymnasium. Tickets will go on sale Monday, September 9th in the cafeteria and the S.O. Store. Don't miss out on a fun-filled night with your friends, walking down the red carpets, taking pictures at the photo booth, or just dancing the night away. This event is for Tech students only due to the large demand for this event! Tickets will cost $20!    BUT WAIT, there's more! Be within the 100 students to purchase tickets and you'll get to sign your name on a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that will be on display at the dance!

September 6th- Freshmen Social: Calling all freshmen!! Join the Student Organization & Tech Connect members for our annual Freshmen Social after 9th period in the cafeteria. Participate in some fun ICE breaker activities to get to know other members of the Class of 2028. Lastly, once you complete the main activity, enjoy a refreshing treat! 

September 10th & 11th- Underclassmen Picture Days: Dress to impress! Our school’s picture days will take place Tuesday & Wednesday of next week. Underclassmen will have their pictures taken during their Phys. Ed or Health classes. Your teacher will let you know exactly which day you are going to have your picture taken. I will also send out the specific schedule when it is finalized so you know exactly when to be prepared for your photo. If you miss the opportunity to have your picture taken these 2 days, the make-up day will be in November.

September 10th & 11th- Senior Pictures Days 3 & 4: Seniors, please refer to my earlier emails regarding the procedures for your senior pictures. Anyone that did not have their photos taken on the 5th or 6th will be receiving an email from Irvin-Simon to schedule an appointment for one of these two days. I'll send out reminders as we move closer to these dates.

September 12th- SING Auditions: SING is one of our school's largest events, and nothing captures the Tech spirit more than this student production. Auditions will take place Wednesday, after 9th period in the auditorium. Please see Mrs. Brown's upcoming email explaining the correct procedures on how to be prepared for the auditions.

September 13th- MANDATORY Disney Meeting: ALL seniors that have put down their deposit for the January 2025 trip to Disney MUST attend this meeting. We will be reviewing and collecting important information for the trip. REMEMBER, ANY SENIOR STILL INTERESTED IN PLACING THEIR DEPOSIT FOR THE TRIP HAS UNTIL THURSDAY, 9/12/24. (See my previous emails for more specific information)

September 13th- Welcome Back Movie Night: Start the year off right by enjoying a movie with your friends on our Softball Field. Tickets will be $5 and will go on sale starting Tuesday, September 10th. Snacks and refreshments will be sold at the event. No outside food or drinks will be allowed onto the field. You must have your Tech ID and ticket to enter the event as well. If it rains, the event will be moved to the auditorium. A Google Form to vote on the movie will be sent out by the end of the week.

September 16th- S.O. Town Hall Meeting: Our S.O. Town Hall meetings are great for finding out important information about things going on in the school. Once a month we meet during 0 period in the auditorium to field and answer questions. You will also hear directly from Mr. Erlenwein on updates taking place at Tech. THE FIRST TOWN HALL MEETING WILL BE SERVING AS OUR ANNUAL CLUB PRESIDENT'S MEETING. We will discuss protocols on how to renew/pitch new club ideas. All 2024-2025 Club Charters will be due by September 20th.

September 20th- Fall Friday #1: Celebrate the return of our Fall Friday events! The first one taking place this year is attached to an important cause. All proceeds from the treats sold throughout the day will go towards Pediatric Cancer awareness and research. Please be on the lookout for other fundraisers taking place throughout the week in order to make donations. Come out and support the cause by also wearing gold during the day. A separate email will be sent out with even more information.

As always, pay attention to your emails for updates, specific information, and/or more events taking place at Tech! There's a lot happening in September, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again...real soon! Hopefully these monthly emails will serve as a great way to save a list of important dates taking place throughout the month. 

Don't forget to stop by C-52 if you need anything, or to just say hello! See you all soon!

Thomas Terrusa

Coordinator of Student Activities

Staten Island Technical High School

Click Here for the Official S.O. Instagram

Rollout of the (FREE) PrepScholar (https://www.prepscholar.com/) PSAT / SAT / ACT Preparation Tool to replace the MAP Growth Math & ELA Screener Assessments

Dear SITHS Students, Parents & Caregivers,

I’m thrilled to be sharing with you today an exciting pivot we are making as a school community. Thanks to the SITHS PTA, we will be able to provide ALL STUDENTS and FAMILIES with one of the most innovative ways to prepare for the PSAT, SAT and ACT. In addition, our pivot will enable us to also to provide Math, ELA and Writing diagnostics data to teachers, administration and guidance counselors to ensure that your child remains on track academically and ahead of the curve in being College and Career ready.

In preparation for the March 1st SAT (11th Graders) and PSAT (10th Graders) day at SI Tech, starting, Thursday, February 2nd, SITHS 10th and 11th graders will have access to Prepscholar's complete automated online program that builds a unique PSAT / SAT study plan for every student.

All 10th and 11th grade students will receive a PrepScholar “Enrollment / Passphrase Creation” email on Thursday, February 2nd, sent to your @nycstudents.net email account to start the enrollment process.

Parents, please be sure that your child enters the PARENT EMAIL address that you regularly check, so you can receive the weekly emails to keep you informed of your child’s progress and growth. See sample email here.

All 10th and 11th grade students, MUST ENROLL WITH PREPSCHOLAR, being we will be using this platform to REPLACE the Map Growth Math and ELA assessments you have been taking each October, January and May the past two years.

To support out current 10th and 11th grade students, you can start using (at your own discretion, pace and time) the PrepScholar platform immediately (starting 2/2/2023) to prepare for the PSAT and SAT, on March 1st, and/or any other time you will be taking each exam, including the ACT. 

Here are the next steps: 

After a student registers and enters their preliminary contact information, they will complete a 60-minute diagnostic test, in which the PrepScholar program analyzes each student’s strengths and weaknesses, and creates a custom study plan of lessons and quizzes. SMS study reminders and weekly progress report emails keep students on track.

Features of the Program Include:

• 49 fine-grained skills to master that cover everything on the SAT. 
• 10 full-length official SAT practice tests. 
• Detailed answer explanations for every question, including custom explanations for wrong answer choices. 
• Motivational features proven to increase study time: weekly progress reports, study session scheduling, study session reminders, progress tracking, and more.

Every week, students learn and practice with Interactive Modules assigned by the program. To maximize learning, modules are broken down into 3 parts:

1. Learn: Review the topic and strategies with a mix of videos, diagrams, and interactive examples
2. Targeted Practice Quiz: Test your skill and knowledge with 10 to 20 targeted practice questions
3. Review your Mistakes: Learn from your mistakes with thorough, step-by-step explanations

While at least 1,835 four-year colleges across the U.S. aren’t requiring first-year applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores for admissions for fall 2023, a signal of the staying power of test-optional policies, many of the competitive schools, programs and scholarships you will apply and compete for continue to utilize the PSAT, SAT and ACT for admissions and calculating financial aid / scholarship packages.

In addition, starting in the 11th grade only:

11th grade families will have access starting in March 2023, to the PrepScholar College Admissions Boot Camp

• Here is the sample outline for the March 15 - June 15 Boot Camp for the College Admissions process. PrepScholar will be making the Online College Admissions Boot Camp platform ready and accessible for March, which will include live sessions for Q&A with the PrepScholar admission counselor. This will supplement (not replace) the support you will also receive from SITHS, via Ms. Ellen Devine and the SITHS College Admissions office.

Here is a sample webinar with the PrepScholar Head of Admissions who will be spearheading all the work with our school.

Please use this link to review more information about the Prep Scholar platform. 

Questions can be directed to Parent Coordinator, Barbara Malenfant, at [email protected].

BEGINNING OF THE 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR INFO:

WHAT SUPPLIES DO I NEED FOR SCHOOL: 

• Individual teachers will share specific classroom supply needs for the school year during the first day of school.

• Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): SITHS is a BYOD - Bring Your Own Device school, where students can use their own personal computer device for use in the classroom (when physically in school) and at home for academic use. Please review our BYOD document for further information. If you need to be provided with a device, we can provide you with one by completing the form. If you requested a device, please stop by Room 108 to pick up your device on Thursday, September 5th, or Friday, September 6th at 2:30 PM. YOU MUST complete the form within 24 hours of showing up to receive your device.

• WiFi In School: Students can connect one personal computer device to the school’s WiFi network via the following WiFi information: 
  • PHONES: SSID: DOEGuest PWD: NYC$itevent
  • LAPTOPS/TABLETS: SSID: NCPSP     PWD: 605D785001@rackID78R605

SUMMER READING: Click here to visit the summer reading page.

Staten Island Technical High School believes very strongly in the social-emotional well being of our students. We have instituted assignment free breaks so that a break can be a reset! However, reading can be a GREAT way to relax, so this pamphlet gives you some of our English Department's favorite summer reads without any assignment attached. Click this link to view our pamphlet: English Department Recommendations

This is the link to NYPL's remote resources (including eBooks and library card information): https://www.nypl.org/about/remote-resources

 WHO IS MY GUIDANCE COUNSELOR?

• Click Home Room to look up your guidance counselor by your last name.

 IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING SCIENCE LABS, INTRO TO TECHNOLOGY & WBL CLASS: 

Science Lab, Introduction to Technology & Career Development and the WBL: Work Based Learning class WILL NOT begin until Monday, September 9, 2024. Prior to this date …

If you are:

• scheduled for a Period 1 course, your school day will begin period 2.
• scheduled for a Period 9 course, your school day will end after period 8.
• scheduled for a Lunch Period course, attend lunch in the cafeteria.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION UNIFORM & LOCK

If you haven't ordered a Phys Ed Uniform as of yet, the "initial" window to order closes on September 9th. Phys Ed teachers will instruct you as to what you should wear until you receive your order.

All 9th grade students scheduled for Physical Education (Not scheduled for Health) will need to purchase a school issued lock for their Phys Ed locker, which they will use during Phys Ed class only. Locks must be purchased via the School SO Store (C-51, near the cafeteria) during the first week of school. (Price = $7.00 for NEW and $5.00 for a USED lock).

Students scheduled for Health in the Fall Term, will buy their lock in the Spring.

Grade 10-12 students who already have their school lock from last year can use that same lock, otherwise, purchase one in the SO Store.

Students will not need to access their locker for Phys Ed until the second week of school where students will begin to change into their Phys Ed uniform for class.

SOCIAL MEET & GREET FOR 9th GRADERS

• Freshmen Social, Friday 9/6/24 (3-4 PM in the Cafeteria)

WHERE CAN I FIND INFORMATION ON PSAL SPORTS?

• Visit the MSIT Athletics Page for more information
• A completed Medical and Parent Consent form are required for participation in any PSAL activities and tryouts.

WHERE CAN I FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACADEMIC GRADING POLICY?

• Visit the Academics section on the www.siths.org website and click Universal Academic Grading Policy.

WHAT ARE THE NYC DOE CITYWIDE BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS TO SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING?

All students/parents/guardian are expected to review the following hyperlinked documents to help provide students with a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment, the Chancellor's Citywide Behavioral Expectations to Support Student Learning (including the Discipline Code) outline the guidelines and expectations for student behavior in school. The Discipline Code for grades K–5 and 6–12, for the 2019–20 school year, remains in effect for the 2022–23 school year and applies to all students.  Please also review the following letter issued by Dr. Jawana Johnson Chief of School Climate, Culture, and Well-Being New York City Department of Education.

WHAT IS THE SCHOOL'S RESPONSE TO EMERGENCIES?

Schools train and drill all staff and students in the General Response Protocol, which describes what to do in an Evacuation, Shelter-In, or Lockdown. The training is tailored for different grade levels so that students aren’t upset by the information. Schools also sends home a copy of the General Response Protocol, to help you talk to your children about emergency readiness in school. The General Response Protocol gives schools instructions to follow when an emergency happens. It uses common language to identify the steps to take until first responders arrive.

Meet the Principal: 

Hi students! It's typically me (Mr. Erlenwein - [email protected]) who is updating these web pages, and I thought that I'd slip in a quick hello and encourage you to stop by my office (Room 119) if you ever want to chat, say hello or need help. My secretary, Ms. Laforgia and our staff are there to greet and help you. Look forward to getting to know all of you!

Building Entry: 

The Cafeteria entrance will be opened at 7:15 am to begin scanning students into the building. 

ID Cards and Working Papers: 

• Student ID cards must be displayed at all times (with the exception of during Physical Education class) via a student-worn lanyard (to be provided during homeroom on the first day of school). ID cards that do not have pictures on them will be updated once we complete the School ID Photo process during the first week of school. If you need a new ID card, you can request in the SO Store (C-51).
• Working Papers can be acquired in room 119.

Metro Cards: 

Omni - MetroCards will be distributed on the first day of school. Replacements can be acquired by visiting the SO Store (Room C-51).