2023 Back to School Welcome Site

The latest Parent Handbook is uploaded here for review.
Please complete the google form here to confirm you have read and acknowledged this prior to the start of school.

Dear parents

I hope that your summer is off to a great start and that you are managing to enjoy some quality time as a family.  Preparations for the new school year are moving forward steadily and we will share further updates and news closer to the start of term in August.  I do, however, want to take this opportunity to let you know about a slight adjustment we are making to the daily schedule from September.  There is no impact to the start of day timings.  There will be a minimal impact on the end of the school day, which we are confident will improve the daily experience of school for students and staff in many ways. 

Over the past two terms, the senior leadership team engaged in pupil tracking exercises. This is something we do periodically to see what the school day looks and feels like from a student’s point of view. We follow students to each of their lessons and activities for the day and also speak with student representatives about their views on the timetable, scheduling of activities, etc. This is a great way for us to ensure that the lessons as well as break and lunch times and the clubs program have the maximum impact on student learning, well-being and fulfillment. Through this process, we were very impressed by the calibre of lessons as well as the breadth and depth of learning students experienced across the school day.  There were a few areas, however, we want to adjust to make them work even better:

• The flow and rhythm of the day
• Easing time pressure on lesson changeovers
• Ensuring sufficient time for student/mentor engagement and discussion
• Continuing to address the social and emotional impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on student well-being 
• Carving out slots for more cross year clubs/ activities

In order to have adequate time and more flexibility to focus on these enhancements, we are making the following changes to the school day:

• Introduce a 5 minute transition slot between lessons for Year 7 and up
• Overlapping extended lunch/ break slot to enable cross year student clubs and meetings
• Students in Bees to Year 6 will be dismissed between 3:20 and 3:30
• Students in Year 7 and up will be dismissed at 3:45
• After School Clubs will begin between 3:45 and 4 each day depending on the age range involved.

The changes will not affect the afternoon public bus timings for younger students. We are confident that the slightly later end to the day will be more than worth it in terms of the benefits to the flow of the whole day and reduced pressure on transition points.  We believe that this model will allow for more effective learning and better outcomes and well being for the students. Thank you for your understanding and support as we make these changes. 

We will be back in touch in August with more details about the new school year and start of term.  In the meantime, stay safe and enjoy the summer.

Jason Morrow

Please use this URL to access all your school related logins: https://parents.bis-ny.org/

(Note: credentials will be shared to Managebac and SchoolsBuddy over the summer)

We highly encourage all families to bookmark this link, as it contains several important websites families may need to access throughout the year, including but not limited to:

• Managebac - For classroom newsletters, school reports, and absence requests - login credentials will follow over the summer
• TADS - For enrollment and billing - 
• SchoolsBuddy - For after school club registration - login credentials will follow over the summer
• LandsEnd - For uniforms
• Nutrislice - For Lower School lunch orders -  login credentials will follow over the summer

All of these individual websites have been included in their respective sections below, but the Parent Portal is a quick and convenient way to access not only these sites, but the Welcome Site as well for future reference!

Following enrollment, you should have received a Welcome email from Managebac, our online parent communication portal. Please follow the instructions in the email to set up your account with your own password. This will offer you access to weekly class newsletters, school reports, and student absence requests.

For any questions with setting up your account, please email our IT Manager, Rodrigo Rodriguez, at r.rodriguez@bis-ny.org.

A letter from Nurse Maureen

Dear Parents,

Welcome to BISNY. We are so excited that your child/children will be joining us for the 2023/2024 school year.

To complete your enrollment The New York City Department of Health requires that all children complete the relevant medical forms below for general information and year group specific requirements:

• All students are required to submit an updated NYS Medical Form completed by a New York State Licensed Physician prior to starting school. (Red link has a list of some suggested physicians.)
• Please bring your child's vaccine card to the pediatrician appointment as New York has a couple of vaccines that are not given in other countries ( Hepatitis B and Varicella/Chickenpox).
• Your child will need at least 1 dose of each prior or proof of immunity by blood test.
  Please review the NY State Immunization Forms.
• If your child requires emergency medication, please have a doctor complete these forms: Anaphylaxis Emergency Action Plan and Asthma Medical Form
• Please complete all relevant forms and send them to nurse@bis-ny.org to complete your enrollment.
  
  Year Group Specific Requirements:
• All students should have a vision and dental screening completed on the exam form.
• Early Years students need a hearing exam. 
• For children entering Nursery, Reception and Year 1 under 59 months (6 years old) a Flu vaccine is also required as per NY State. This can be given by a local pharmacy. Please bring a print out of confirmation of the vaccine with you. Please note this is required to be administered prior to December 15, 2023.
• Children in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 will need a lead assessment. If blood tests were previously done, the doctor can check - 'NO RISK' and date '2023'. 

   The following year groups require specific additional vaccines:

• Year 7 -  Tdap
• Year 8 - Meningitis ACWY
• Year 13 - Meningitis ACWY

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to meeting you and your child/children.

Best, 

Nurse Maureen 
nurse@bis-ny.org

The latest Parent Handbook is uploaded here for review.
Please complete the google form here to confirm you have read and acknowledged this prior to the start of school.

The following uniform items are provided by or purchased through BIS-NY:

• School ties - House Color 
  • Optional for Year 2 - 4
  • Required for Year 5 - 9
• Swim caps - House Color

These items are not supplied by BIS-NY nor offered by LandsEnd so should be purchased independently:

• School shoes (black; no trainers)
• Sports shoes (white or primarily white)
• School appropriate swimwear - Speedo or similar (black or navy)
• School bags may be purchased from LandsEnd or an appropriate school bag of your choice may be used.

To reflect the greater independence we are giving Upper students, there is not a school uniform. In place of this there is a dress code agreed with students around the expectation that student dress should be smart and appropriate for a place of study. This is based around the following suggestions:

• Navy or khaki trousers or mid-length skirt with a collared shirt (and tie). Jacket is optional.
• For PE students should wear their house color polo shirt with navy shorts or sweatpants.
• For PE Upper Students may purchase their house color polo shirt or wear their own shirt in their house color (no logo required).

Please take note of your House Color below as shared by the Admissions Team following your enrollment. This color indicates the color of your PE Polo Shirt when ordering uniform for students from Year 1 upwards.

*BIS-NY Bees (Nursery & Reception/Pre-K students) all wear RED polos. For returning Year 1 students, please note your child may require a new polo for PE days depending on their House.

Shakespeare - Blue

Glennie - White

King - Red

Unsure about your House? Please contact admissions@bis-ny.org.

When should my child wear their Summer and Winter uniforms respectively?

Children can wear either Summer or Winter uniform in September. We officially change to Winter uniform after the long weekend in October, and Summer uniform after the spring break in April.

Should my child wear their PE kit on PE days or bring it to change into?

Children should wear their PE kits for the full school day when they have PE, as well as on days when they have swimming. Swimsuits should be packed separately to be changed into.

I'm having trouble finding an appropriate size for my older child.

For taller students we would recommend buying the uniform in adult sizes so to purchased you would click on that tab within a product vs the kids tab (as indicated in the screenshot below). If you need further assistance with sizing, LandsEnd has asked you to please call them at 1-800-469-2222.

Updated peri music lesson information is now available here.

For any questions please contact Ms. Viola on 

Clubs are now open for signup!

Enrolling On Schoolsbuddy

Please see attached instructions here on how to enroll for clubs. If you have any questions related to your password or log in issues please email our IT Manager Rodrigo at r.rodriguez@bis-ny.org

This is offered daily until 5.30pm at a charge of $22/hour. You can email Ms. Rodriguez at frontdesk@bis-ny.org to join After School Care on an ad-hoc basis, or can sign up with her for regular use.

At BIS-NY we are delighted to offer a variety of sports teams and clubs. Please see below for some further information on these, but note they may be subject to change later on in the summer as venue's confirm their requirements:

• Soccer – Year 7 to Year 9
• Cross Country – Year 6 to Year 9
• Basketball  – Year 6 to Year 9
• Tennis – Year 7 to Year 9 - Possibly returning - depending on number of eligible players
• Track & Field – Year 6 to Year 9
• Girls Volleyball & Co-ed Volleyball - Years 7 to Year 9
• PYP Running Club – Year 3 to Year 6

Practice and game schedules for each team are subject to change throughout the year for a variety of factors such as field permits, available gym space and weather, however, a little more information on each of the teams is listed below.

• Fall season
• Season runs from early September to the beginning of November.
• A 6-8 game schedule with most games usually in Central Park’s North Meadow/Randall's Island. 
• Expected 1 practice per week.
• Game scheduled to be confirmed in late August once league obtains final permits.

• Fall season
• Season runs from early September to the end of October.
• Approximately 4 or 5 meets.
• Meets will take place in Van Cortlandt Park.
• Race dates to be confirmed by league in August, but generally Tuesday/Thursday for meets. 
• Expected 1 practice per week.

• Boys teams: Y8/9
• Girls teams: Y8/9
• Co-Ed team: Y6/7
• Winter season
• Season runs from December to mid-February.
• Approximately 8-10 games per team.
• Game schedules to be confirmed in October. 
• Expected 1 practice per week.

• Spring season
• Season runs from late April to end of May.
• Approximately 4 meets leading up to Championship meet.
• Meets will take place in Van Cortlandt Park.
• Race dates to be confirmed by league in March, but usually Tuesday/Thursday. 
• Expected 1 practice per week.

• Girls volleyball in fall season of AIPSL league, September to end of October.
• Approximately 4-6 matches played. Game schedule to be confirmed at the end of August.
• Co-ed volleyball in fall season of CONSAT league
• Approximately 4-6 matches played. Game schedule to be confirmed at the end of August.

• Fall and Spring seasons (can do only 1 season if preferred)
• Seasons run from September to end of November and April to June.

• Spring season
• Matches are generally arranged in late April and May.
• Approximately 4-6 matches per season.
• No practice sessions, so previous tennis experience in a match play environment is required.