The City Council needs your help in reaching out to Middle School students to encourage them to speak out on April 11th at a forum on how to improve Middle Schools. (See details below.)
City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn has convened a Middle School Task Force to develop a blueprint for improving our City's middle schools. The Task Force will conduct a series of 5 public forums, one in each borough, focusing on different aspects of middle school needs and reforms. The Task Force is chaired by Dr. Pedro Noguera, professor in the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University (and Joaquin Noguera's father!), and includes parent leaders (Tim Johnson of CPAC and Zakiyah Ansari, Carol Boyd of Coalition for Educational Justice), as well as other stakeholders and Council Member Robert Jackson, Chair of the Council's Education Committee.
The Task Force wants to hear from students themselves first; therefore, the initial forum, scheduled for the evening of April 11th in Manhattan, will be organized as a student speak out. Any student, middle or high school, who wishes to address current conditions and recommendations for improvement in the middle grades (grades 5-8) is encouraged to participate. Parents and others who attend will also have an opportunity to take part and speak.
Details for this event are as follows:
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
6 – 8 PM
Middle School Students Speak Out
Surrogate Court House on Chambers
31 Chambers Street (corner of Centre Street)
New York, NY 10007
For more information or to RSVP please call (212) 788-6687 or visit
the website www.NYCMiddleSchools.org
Why do we need a Task Force on Middle Schools?
Middle Schools provide the foundation for excellence in high school and beyond. Unfortunately, middle schools often fail to provide the academic and social supports that New York's 200,000 middle school students (aged 11-14) need to succeed.
In 2006:
* Less than 50% of middle school students (48.6% of 6th graders,
44.2% of 7th graders and 36.6% of 8th graders) met or exceeded the
English Language Grade standard.
* Only 38.9% of 8th graders met the math standards.
* Only 45.6% of 8th grade students met the New York State science
standards.
* 20.6% of middle school teachers citywide were teaching out of
license in 2005.
* Low-performing middle schools in New York City fail to provide
the critical courses - Accelerated Math or Earth Science/Living
Environment – that can contribute to students passing the Math or
Science Regents.
Starting on Monday, March 19, RGA will offer after-school beginning-intermediate guitar lessons. The classes will focus on basic theory, repertoire and performance (solo and ensemble). There will be two weekly 45-minute lessons available (eight classes per month), 4:30-5:15 PM on Mondays and Tuesdays. Cost is $40 per lesson for one lesson per week; or $30 per lesson for two classes per week. Each class will consist of six students. Lessons are to be paid by check in advance at the beginning of each month. Space is limited, so please sign up ASAP!!
Good luck to our 6th graders on today's New York State math exam!
From Jon Leizman: The RGA Global All-Stars defeated Hyde Leadership 26-9 for the Fifth and Sixth Grade Manhattan Charter School Athletic Association Basketball Championship. RGA's final league record was a perfect 7-0. Once again, defense, rebounding, teamwork, and unselfish play made the difference. Cy Howard continued his brilliant passing and rebounding, triggering numerous fast-breaks off rebounds to teammate Shaquel Jones. Shaquel also played tremendous on and off ball defense, always in the right spot at the right time. Jared Thompson had his best rebounding game of the year and continues to improve in all areas. Camera Riley improved greatly from her solid first outing by grabbing numerous rebounds and joining the rest of the team in playing tenacious defense. Elloys De La Rosa played his best game of the year by continuing with his great defensive effort and converting almost all of his shots. 
