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Cornelia F. Bradford School PS16 Newsletter

September 27th, 2022


Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter for the new school year! Not only do we use our newsletter to share important information with our school community, but we also love to share our students interests and achievements. We hope to amplify our students' voices through the newsletter so send us an email if you or your child would like to contribute.

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Our students are enjoying being back in the classroom with their teachers and friends. Many of PS 16's-time honored traditions will be able to happen this year with a return to more parent involvement. Finally, we were able to host Open House Night in person! We hope you all enjoyed the opportunity to visit your child's classroom and meet with their teachers.

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'My First Day of Kindergarten' by students from Ms. Strzelczyk class

This week our students in grades 3-5 will fulfill their civic duty by electing their class presidents and vice presidents to represent them in the Student Council. We just registered our school for the 2023 Scripp's National Spelling Bee. We have also began planning Halloween, Diwali and Holiday fun for our students. In true PS 16 spirit we will continue to work together for our boys and girls.


PS 16 is home to students representing over 50 different nationalities. We pride ourselves on the diversity of both our staff and students. By exposing children to other cultures while they are young, we can help them understand that the world is a big place full of diverse people and customs. They will learn tolerance, acceptance and appreciation. We encourage all our families to share their holidays and traditions with our school community.

This week many of our families are celebrating two important holidays - Rosh Hashanah and Navratri.

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"Good, Better, Best. Never Let it rest.

Until your good is your better and your better is your best"

- Mrs. Watkins Williams famous motto

This coming Friday, September 30th, we will see the return of our Annual Movie Night!! Bring your blanket or beach chair and enjoy SING 2 on the big screen in Paulus Hook Park (aka The Courtyard). Movie will begin at sundown (around 6:45pm). Adults must be accompanied by children!

We invite you to join us in the gym at the Main Building for a "Welcome Back" event beginning at 6pm. Movie snacks and drinks will be available for cash purchase including pizza and popcorn!

Movie admission is free, but we will be accepting and would appreciate any donations to be used towards installing soft play flooring for the Annex courtyard.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is one of the two High Holidays that arrive each fall. The other is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This year, Jewish people will be welcoming the year 5783 according to the Jewish calendar.

Rosh Hashanah is often referred to as the birthday of the world. It’s a time to reflect, sing, pray, gather with loved ones, and of course, eat delicious apple treats and round challah.


The catch-all greeting you can use for the entire season is “Shanah tovah” (שנה טובה), which means “Good year.” The word“u’metuka” (ומתוקה), “and sweet”, is sometimes appended to the end.

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Much appreciation to Michael Epstein (Kindergarten) and family for sharing the significance of Rosh Hashanah with us. We wish all our PS16 families a very healthy, healthy and sweet New Year.

Our students are constantly surprising us with their skills and talents. This past weekend, 4th grade student Viraj Upadhya, set up shop at Nimbus Arts Center for the Latin American Music Series. Viraj's baked goods went down a treat. The jam filled strawberry cupcake was my personal favorite! Viraj has a passion for cooking and baking. Watch out Cake Boss!! Check out Viraj's work here

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Viraj with his classmates Devin and Aisling

'My School Bucks' will be used for students to keep money on their accounts. We encourage all parents to complete the Lunch Application as it helps our district receive much needed federal funding.


The breakfast and lunch menu for September can be found here.

This week many of our PS 16 families will begin celebrating the Hindu festival Navratri. Navratri spans nine nights and is celebrated every year in the Autumn. For many people this is a time of religious reflection and fasting; for others it is a time for dancing and feasting. Dances performed include Garba. Typically, the festival's nine nights are dedicated to different aspects of the divine feminine principle. In addition to family celebrations, Navratri is also celebrated with public concerts, recitations, plays, and fairs.

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This school year will see our CPA monthly meetings return to in person! This month's meeting will be held on Monday October 3rd at 6pm. Our guest speaker will be representatives from NJ Child Assault Prevention (CAP) who will conduct a parent workshop to complement the "Safe, Strong and Free" program that is provided each year to our students.

Please sign up via this Google Form

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The CPA team began accepting orders for uniforms in August. Before school began, we distributed orders with the help of our student volunteers. We also held a uniform sale. According to our uniform vendors the supply chain is struggling to keep up with demand. We are using several vendors to fulfill our orders. Our CPA team will continue processing and delivering orders placed online to students' backpacks. Long sleeve polo shirts in size small and medium are expected to arrive next week. Hoodies will be available online in the next two weeks.


Currently we have availability in gym shirts in all sizes. Reminder that the school logo is MANDATORY on gym shirts.

On Tuesday, September 27th, parents will have the opportunity to exchange GYM SHIRTS ONLY to a different size. We will be available in the main building courtyard between 9 and 10am.

Our afterschool enrichment programmed is scheduled to begin on Tuesday October 11th. We are still finalizing the details and information will be forthcoming. Age-appropriate classes/activities will run in both buildings.

School will be closed on Wednesday, October 5th for Staff Professional Development. School will also be closed on Monday October 10th in recognition of Columbus Day. The district calendar for the school year can be found here.

This school year we were able to reach a compromise with Jersey City to keep our students safe while playing in the courtyard. The gates will be locked between 11am and 1pm for our students to safely enjoy recess. We also have been permitted exclusive use during drop off and dismissal. Our staff are being extremely vigilant while overseeing outdoor recess. However, we also need parent cooperation during drop off and dismissal times. Please close the Grand Street gate when you enter and exit. We ask that you allow our teachers to safely assemble our children at dismissal and refrain from permitting younger siblings to use the equipment until our security guard opens the Washington Street gate at 2:45pm. Our student's safety is always our number one priority. We must work together to ensure this.


It is also worth noting that Paulus Hook Park is not dog friendly. There is a City Ordinance in effect which prohibits dogs from entering. Please do not bring your dog inside the park.

  • Friday September 30th - Welcome Back Event and Movie Night

  • Monday October 3rd - CPA Monthly Meeting

  • Friday October 28th - Halloween Dance Grades 3-5

  • Monday October 31st - Trunk or Treat

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Birthday Wishes to our staff members who are celebrating

  • Dr. Sean Manes - September 3rd

  • Ms. Chasidy Castellanos - September 9th

  • Mr. Ed Stroh - September 10th

  • Mr. John Rivera - September 30th

  • Ms. Rosalind Douglas - October 2nd

  • Ms. Aileen Shue - October 3rd

  • Mrs. Sylvia Hennessey - October 7th

  • Nurse Kristen Brennan - October 8th

  • Ms. Magda Diaz - October 8th

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Please support Concerned Parents Association of PS16, a 501(c)(3) organization, through your Amazon account. Login to Amazon Smile, link your account and select “CPA of Ps16 - Cornelia F Bradford” as your charitable organization. Through Amazon Smile, 0.5% of every purchase will be donated to CPA of PS16.


**UPDATE** You can now participate in Amazon Smile through the Amazon App on your phone! Update to the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app on your phone. Under 'Settings' tap on 'AmazonSmile" and follow the onscreen instructions.

Boxtops for Education is online now! Download the Box Tops app, find your school as “Cornelia Bradford Elementary 16”. After you shop, simply scan your store receipts to find participating products.The app will automatically credit your school's Box Tops earnings online.

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