UCCS NEWS

In This Issue

CEO/Principal Updates

Important Dates

Author Visit

Boys Basketball

Student Highlights

Sending Love

Winter Olympics

Health Office News

Counselor Corner

Character Awards

PTA Updates

Urban Choice Charter School Newsletter JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018

Ms. Berg’s Principal Updates

It’s been a wonderful few months! We are very

excited about what has been going on here during

this snowy season. We celebrated our Success for

All (SFA) students’ success in increasing our reading

proficiency scores with

a Hot Chocolate party.

Our seventh and eighth

grade students participated in a week of

fun, including Olympic Competitions and a

Mardi Gras dance. We are excited to

continue to celebrate our students as well

as prepare for the upcoming NYS Math

and ELA exams.

Words from Ms. McCarthy, UCCS CEO

I hope this newsletter finds everyone in good health. Hopefully spring is

just around the corner.

I want to remind parents that regular attendance in school is the most

important criterion in school success. We believe that every student is

able to learn, grow, and find success. Students will be pushed to achieve

to their highest potential, but they have to be present every day to see

that potential realized.

Our school is a place that exists to serve young people, to educate and

develop their MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT as they become responsible

adult citizens. In all circumstances, our staff will strive to build meaningful

relationships with students. Urban Choice Charter School is a place of

acceptance and inclusion for everyone, not simply tolerance.

Harassment, discrimination or bullying, in all its forms, will be addressed

and corrected. Please remind your child to report any incidents to their

teacher or administration.

I would like to congratulate both of our basketball teams for the

enthusiasm and sportsmanship that they exhibited during their seasons.

The games were exciting to watch, and I was very proud of all our team

members.

If you have any concerns or ideas that you would like to share, please

contact me. I am always open to new thoughts or ways of operating.

Important dates

March 5 –29:

K-6 Reading Challenge

March 19-23: Spirit Week

March 21: PTA meeting

March 30 - April 6: No School

Spring Break

April 10: Monthly Award Day

April 11 -13: NYS ELA tests,

Grades 3-8

April 12: Board of Trustees

Meeting

April 20: No School

April 21: 7th/8th Grade Dance

April 25: PTA Meeting

Urban Choice

Charter School

545 Humboldt St.

Rochester, NY

14610

585-288-5702

Boys Basketball

What an exciting season our Wolves had this year. The modified

boys’ basketball team hit the ground running with true signs of

greatness. An early PUC victory showcased a variety of talent on

the team. Although the team consisted of 15 players, Coach Parris

and Coach Wilson believe players grow and improve through real

game experience and were committed to getting all players in the

games. It’s hard giving everyone equal playing time, but they

managed to play everyone. This philosophy contributed to one of

the team’s greatest victories.

The most memorable game was our triple overtime victory over

East High. All of our players contributed to the win. After fighting

to come back and win on the road, the feeling in the locker room

at the end of the game was exhilarating. This game truly showed

our guys the importance of teamwork and heart.

Our team played all of their games on the road; they faced their

opponents head on and always fought until the end. Our record

this year doesn’t reflect the heart and passion this team truly

possesses. We played some very talented teams and learned a

lot about not giving up this season. We are proud of our boys.

Go Wolves!

Author Visit

At the beginning of the school year, Dr. Jane

Scura generously donated the book What Am

I Missing? by Deanna Simonetti Cavalieri and

two matching chairs to our school library. On

January 24, Urban Choice was thrilled to have

Ms. Cavalieri, a local author, come visit our

school. Our kindergarten, first and second

grade classes enjoyed a special afternoon

listening to Ms. Cavalieri read What Am I

Missing? and debut the new animated version of her second book, What

am I Thinking? (Find Your Own Shoes). After reading, she graciously

answered students’ questions and listened

as they shared with her what they want to

be when they grow up. At the end of the

visit, Ms. Simonetti Cavalieri handed out

bookmarks to every student and raffled off

copies of her books, which she then signed

with a special message to the winning

students. Thank you Ms. Cavalieri. We hope

you will visit UCCS again!

STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Mr. Battle wanted to do something special with his class for

Black History Month. His goal was to expose students to

people, events and topics from history that they might not be

familiar with. Each student was instructed to choose a

subject that was new to them. Mr. Battle created a list and

let students pick who or what they wanted to research. The

students created project boards and set up a Black History

museum to share their new knowledge and present their

projects to our elementary school students and staff. It was

a huge success. The sixth grade students did an excellent

job teaching other students what they learned, and the

students who visited the museum did an excellent job

listening and asking questions. Mr. Battle is looking forward

to doing this again next year. He is proud of how hard his

students worked and how engaged they were in learning

about their people and their history.

“The Black History project was a way we got to know about African Americans who put their lives in danger for the future generation and for what was right” -Kailani Prince

“The challenges you fight through count in the

end. I felt that my Black History project helped

me learn about back then and how they fought

for us.” -Taliah Santia-

“If this work can contribute in any way toward proving this, and at the same time arouse the conscience of the American people to a

demand for justice to every citizen, and punishment by law for the lawless, I shall feel I have done my race a service.” - Ida B Wells.

Martin

He was brave, smart, determined, free.

He was the son of Pati Delany and the grandson of a prince.

He loved to write books and be a physician.

He hated slavery but he was born free.

He feared that slavery would not stop going on.

Martin was a successful physician and was one of the first

African Americans to attend Harvard Medical School.

Martin wanted to see slavery end during his life.

He was born in Charles Town, Virginia.

Delany

By Harmuni McInnis

Arna

Strong, Brave, Determined, Intelligent

Son of Paul and Mariah Bontemps

He loved writing and working

Proud, Scared, Happy

Scared of segregation, white people, and not being free

Was a Librarian, Historian, Editor, Poet, Critic and Novelist

He wanted to see people read his writing and see no more

segregation

Nashville

Bontemps

By Joelle Boland

Doris

Brave, Smart, Leadership

Brother of Arthur and Selvia Miller.

Son of Henrietta and Connery Miller.

Loved to cook and loved his family.

He was attacked during wars and battles.

He feared dying and losing his family.

He accomplished being a third class cook.

He wanted to cook and save the world.

Born in Waco, TX and died in Gilbert Island, Kiribati.

Miller

By Ka'Nieyah Walker

In honor of Black History Month, 7th graders

researched prominent African American individuals

and constructed bio poems using information from

their research. They not only utilized researching

skills but they were also able to express their

creativity through writing. The kids were amazed

with the lives and accomplishments of these

individuals!

Spreading Love

Ms. Bergin’s second grade class wanted to do something for

the children at Golisano’s Children’s Hospital for Valentine’s

Day. They invited other classes to join them in making

Valentine’s cards, and thanks to the help of Ms. Gooch, Ms.

May, Mrs. Howell, Mrs. James, Ms. Miller and all of their

students, Ms. Bergin was able to deliver hundreds of

Valentine’s to the hospital. We are so proud of how our

students are spreading love and thinking of others. Students

share their experience in their own words:

"We made cards for the kids at the hospital because they are going through a really hard time

right now and we wanted to make them happy". ~Skyler

"When they are having a really bad day they can look at their card and remember that someone

made that for them because we care about them". ~Mya

"If someone made me a card when I was sick I would feel happy. So it made me feel good to do

that for someone else". ~Nassier

"I felt proud because I knew that instead of them sitting in their room maybe feeling alone or

scared they could look at my card and know that I'm thinking of them" ~Jamell

"I felt happy inside because I knew I did a good thing." ~Nia

"It made me feel good because I know I made their day brighter." ~Chantz

"I felt proud that we could make them happy by doing something nice." ~Jahmeir

UCCS Winter Olympics

Students in 7th and 8th grades participated in a variety of events to

celebrate the Winter Olympics the week before February school

vacation. The UCCS Winter Olympics

gave students opportunities to

compete both as individuals and in

teams, just as in PyeongChang.

Students worked together Monday

morning to decorate their homeroom

doors and create team flags. On

Wednesday, students competed in

Olympic events: speed ‘skating’,

hockey, and ‘bobsled’ races, and

on Friday students played Winter

Olympics Bingo to win free dress

down days. The winners of the door decorating competition were

Mr. Burgess’s homeroom and Ms. O’Leary’s homeroom. Ms.

Fierro’s homeroom and Ms. Oweleen’s homeroom took home the

medals for the winter Olympic events. Friendly competition, lots

of school spirit and a little break from the regular schedule made

for a fun week for all.

Health News

Here are some reminders about what we can do for each other regarding your child’s health.

We can: give you information on free eye exams and glasses at

Flaum Eye Institute have glasses fixed at East High School’s vision program facilitate in-school sick visits if needed through the Health

E Access program provide copies of medical information needed for summer

programs keep and administer medications as needed

You can: provide copies of physicals and dental certificates keep current phone numbers updated with Main Office keep children home until free from vomiting, diarrhea, or

fever for 24 hours

Feel free to call anytime regarding any aspect of your child’s health! Thank you for all you do to keep your children healthy!!

Counselor Corner

Spring Cleaning Your Soul

Spring is approaching, a time to not only spring clean our homes, but also to spring clean our soul. Leave

the stress of the holidays and the New Year behind by trying to incor-porate these helpful tips for a better you. Self-care and being mindful of your space and the company you keep are very important. Surround yourself with positive people and get yourself outside to enjoy the upcoming beautiful weather. Take time to smell the roses and be kind to yourself and others always. Below are some tips on how to spring clean your soul.

1. Get outside and enjoy the beau-tiful weather.

2. Keep a gratitude journal.

3. Be kind to yourself by making sure you practice self-care.

4. Break bad habits.

5. Eliminate negative thoughts and speech.

6. Develop positive friendships.

7. Clean your physical space.

8. Practice mindfulness.

We hope you find these tips helpful and try to implement them daily.

Take care of yourself always!!

PTA Updates

Spring Fundraiser: Please make sure to get all orders in by March 29, 2018.

Upcoming Meetings: March 21, April 25 and May 16. Hope to see you there!

Join the PTA: The PTA is always looking for new members, new ideas and people willing to work to support our students, teachers and families. We are currently looking for new officers to help lead the PTA next school year. Please contact us at uccspta545@gmail.com for more information.

Monthly Awards

Congratulations to all of our students who won awards in December and January. Our students of the month for December, for demonstrating Fairness were: Anais Wilson, Sophia Gonzalez, Izabella Wigdzinski, Jay’Viion Fluitt, Maliyaha Roker, Kavion Johnson, Sarah McCoy, Jayanalice Antonetti, Rebecca Seifu, Robert Bosco, Michael Calloway, Kamar Baker, Giamonni Maddox, Marvin Geary, Eleshka Vega, Ka’Nieyah Walker, Morgan O’Reilly Morshead, Nathaniel Arroyo, and Krysstal Acevedo-Torres.

Our students of the month for Janu-ary, for being Caring, were: K’meela Hall, Sofia Rizvanovic, Azaria Dillard, Hudson Weaver, A’Mayah Coles, Tiana Santiago, Na’sean Pinkney, Da’sahni Crockton, Ahnasti Tate, Dwayne Greer, Earl Andrews, Tamiah Smith, Malique Pe-terson, Jordan Dubois, Cassius Jones, Ja’yiana Nelson-Johnson, Alexis Padilla, Jah’ney Mays, and Troy Smith-Boyd.