From www.schools.nyc.gov:
As of November 19, 2020, all school buildings are closed until further notice, and all students are learning remotely 5 days a week. Find important information about remote learning devices, tech support, and tips for learning on our Blended Learning page.
There are five boroughs in New York City: Manhattan (New York County), Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens (Queens County), Staten Island (Richmond County), and The Bronx (Bronx County). Have you ever wondered why The Bronx has “The” in the name while the other boroughs don’t?
It all started in 1639 when a Scandinavian, Jonas Bronck, settled in a Dutch colonial province in New Netherland.
“When he dies in 1643 at the age of 43, the only thing that remained that was named after him through the ages was Bronck’s River,” says Bronx borough historian Lloyd Ultan.
Like with many names that can be difficult to say or write, the ‘ck’ was changed to an ‘x’—and the stream of water that ran next to Jonas Bronck’s farm became the Bronx River.
But the present day borough went without a name for more than 200 years until New York City got the land from Westchester County.
“They looked right smack in the middle of a map and there is the Bronx River, so they named it after the river, the borough of the Bronx, and that’s why it’s always called The Bronx and not just plain Bronx,” Ultan says.
The borough is named after the river. That’s named after the man that came from a foreign land in the 17th century.
from Spectrum News NY1
How Can I Protect Myself and Others from Coronavirus?
•Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available
.•Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when sneezing or coughing. Do not use your hands.
•Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
•Do not shake hands. Instead wave or elbow bump.
•Monitor your heath more closely than usual for cold or flu symptoms.
•Get the flu shot. Although the flu shot will not protect you from COVID-19, it will help prevent the flu which has similar symptoms to this coronavirus.
From New City Council Member Margaret Chin:
On October 13th, Sunday, our W2 students volunteered at 6 & B Garden. After the volunteer work, they enjoyed coffee and mint water prepared by the garden. Thank you so much for hosting us, Barbara!
The students learned about the garden while walking around and listening to Barbara and Michael.
The students raked leaves, swept and picked up garbage on the streets around the garden, and cleaned the kids’ play area by digging the soil with shovels and moving the soil in a wheelbarrow to the pond. They also gathered leaves and sawed and cut tree branches and twigs to compost.
A bee was working hard, too.
Have you ever seen purple peppers? They were so exotic!
A few days ago a few 3A and 3P students volunteered at M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden just around the block. They raked leaves, they shoveled dirt, they planted and watered plants, they fed fish and turtles, and they played bocce ball. Thanks to Park Warden Bob Humber (pictured in the back row left) for hosting us! To learn more about the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden click here, and enjoy more pictures below:
This summer, the University Settlement Adult Literacy Program began a month-long Culture Club which met twice a week and not only studied English but also explored New York. One day was spent in the classroom learning relevant vocabulary and reading articles, and the second day was a field trip. Here’s a quick rundown up what we did:
√ Got an IDNYC
√ Studied NYC geography and learned how to use the subway system
√ Learned about Native Americans and the Lenape
√ Visited the National Museum of the American Indian
√ Learned art-related vocabulary and practiced describing paintings and sculptures in English
√ Visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art
√ Read about Chinese-American history
√ Visited the Museum of the Chinese in America
√ Studied vocabulary and read about gardening (This was in preparation for volunteering at the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden but unfortunately we got rained out.)
√ Talked about and wrote about all of the places we visited and then typed up our writing on Microsoft Word
Here’s one student’s writing about one of our trips:
A Happy Day
Suman Li
Our teacher took us to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art yesterday. The teacher said he would meet us on the front door steps at 10 A.M. so I got up early yesterday. I took the Manhattan-bound E train to 51st Street. Then I transferred to the uptown 6 train. I got off at 86th Street. When I arrived at the front steps, it was exactly 10 o’clock. We bought tickets and then went through security. First, we visited the Egyptian art. I visited the temple of Dendur. It is over two thousand years old. I was interested in the ancient Egyptian murals on the walls. I learned a lot of new things there. About half an hour later, the teacher led us to the roof garden. What a beautiful view! From that roof, I could overlook Central Park and the gorgeous New York City skyline. I also saw two sculptures on the roof. They were made from steel and stone and looked like 9 planes in the sky. Last, we returned to the second floor to visit exhibits from Europe and Asia. We left there at about 2 p.m. I was still very excited on the way home. It was really a happy day!