PS/IS 30
The Mary White Ovington School
Where Leaders ROAR
Respect for all at 30
Each student and staff member brings to our public school community the richness of our city’s cultural diversity and the desire for respect.
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It is the policy of the Department to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment that is free from harassment, intimidation and/or bullying and from discrimination on account of actual or perceived race, color, citizenship/immigration status, religion, creed, national origin, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or weight. The policy prohibits such behavior by students against other students and by staff against students.
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Respect: esteem for or sense of worth or excellence of a person; proper acceptance or courtesy; regard for the dignity of another’s character; acknowledgment; the condition of being esteemed or honored; to show regard or consideration for another.
Such discrimination, harassment, intimidation and/or bullying is prohibited in school, during school hours, before or after school, while on school property, at school sponsored events, or while traveling on vehicles funded by the Department of Education.
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It is also prohibited on other than school property when such behavior disrupts or would foreseeably disrupt the educational process or endangers or would foreseeably endanger the health, safety, morality or welfare of the school community.
Read more here: https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/school-environment/respect-for-all/respect-for-all-handouts
A copy of Chancellor’s Regulations and the Discipline Code are available in the principal’s office and online
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"The Social Justice Group (SJG) is a growing team of PS/IS 30 staff members who strive to embody antiracist practices by committing to unlearning our own prejudices, privileges, and internalized racism.
We envision a PS/IS 30 where educators, students, and family members continuously create an anti-racist environment that is embedded in everything that we do.
As public school teachers, we have a responsibility to dismantle racism and support the next generation of antiracists. We will challenge racial inequities within the structure and culture of our school, and replace white centering practices with those that decenter whiteness and challenge white supremacy.
We believe that building our collective capacity around anti-racist actions, ideas and practices can move us beyond superficial ‘fixes’ and towards a deeper understanding of our shared humanity."
SJG Person
of the Month
April
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Dr. MAya Angelou
April's Person of the Month is Dr. Maya Angelou. She was a civil rights activist, author, actor, teacher, director, dancer, ….and a poet!
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As a child, Maya experienced abuse and racism in the south, and stopped speaking for a few years. When she was 13, one of her grandmother’s friends, Mrs. Flowers showed her the power of books, poetry, and the spoken word. Though she experienced many hardships growing up, she chose not to be ‘reduced by what happened to her.’ Maya Angelou used her past experiences to explore oppression and abuse in many of her poems and novels. Today, Dr. Maya Angelou is most well known as a poet, but she was also a very committed activist who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement. She used her poems, novels, and essays to inspire others to own their power, and to help create positive change.
SJG Person
of the Month
march
Claudette Colvin
Our school's March Person of the Month is Claudette Colvin, a young pioneer of the civil rights movement. She was the first person to protest segregation on buses by refusing to give up her seat in Montgomery, Alabama on March 2, 1955. At that time, Claudette was on the bus with a few of her classmates when they were told by the bus driver to get up from all of their seats so that 1 white woman could sit.
Claudette took the opportunity to stand up for her rights by refusing to give up her seat, nine months before Rosa Parks famously performed the same act of resistance. Though Claudette Colvin did not get the recognition she deserved, she wants people to know that fighting injustice 'is not just a one-day thing... it’s every day, every minute, every second.' Claudette Colvin also shared that it didn’t bother her that Rosa Parks was the face of the story, ‘as long as someone got out there and told the story about our injustice.’ Students can find out more about Claudette Colvin from their teachers this month!
SJG Person
of the Month
january
Dr. MAE
Jemison
This month's Person of the Month is Dr. Mae Jemison. She is a medical doctor, a member of the Peace Corps, and the first African American woman to become an astronaut! Dr. Mae Jemison was a part of the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour, which orbited Earth for more than a week in 1992. She was interested in science at a very young age, and she demonstrated Habit #5 (Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood) throughout her life. Listen to our morning announcements this week or read these posts each morning to find out more about Dr. Mae Jemison!
SJG Person
of the Month
December
Click the picture to watch a video about Thurgood Marshall
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Record your own Flipgrid Video in response to December person of the month!
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court. His most famous case was in 1954. In a court case called Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ended legal segregation in public schools.
Thurgood Marshall argued and won more cases on the Supreme Court than anyone else. He was known for his work fighting for equality for all minorities. Though his most well-known case was in 1954, Thurgood Marshall continued to fight for racial equality until his retirement in 1991.
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One of Thurgood’s more important victories came in 1954. The court case was Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. At that time in history, a law said that white people and Black people were “separate but equal.” This is called segregation. White children and Black children could not go to the same schools. Thurgood proved it was wrong. If people were truly equal, they should not have to be separate. Thurgood won the case. Separating children in schools based on the color of their skin was now against the law. Thurgood believed in the rule of law and the United States Constitution. The Constitution says everyone should be treated equally. Thurgood worked hard to make sure the law agreed with the Constitution.
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Thurgood was someone who believed in change! Change begins with having the power to voice your opinions!
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Click the padlet discussion board link and write one change you think we can make as a school to better exhibit "think-win-win"
SJG Person
of the Month
november
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Shirley Chisholm
Our November Person of the Month is Shirley Chisholm!
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Ms. Chisholm was an early childhood educator who studied at Brooklyn College. After teaching, she continued to advocate for early childhood education when she began to work in politics as an educational consultant. In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress. Ms. Chisholm demonstrated
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Habit #3: Put First Things First, by minimizing distractions and staying focused on the change that she was trying to make. While in Congress, she challenged the balance of power within the Democratic Party and continued to fight for the rights of women and minorities. She also demonstrated Habit #3 by spending time on what was important to her by taking a stand on issues like the Vietnam War, access to education, and minimum wages. In 1972, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman in the US to campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination!
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#marywhiteovington #ShirleyChisholm
SJG
Person of the Month
October
W.E.B. Dubois
October’s person of the month is William Edward Burghardt, also known as W.E.B. Du Bois
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Just like Mary White Ovington, Du Bois was proactive, which makes sense because they were both cofounders of the NAACP! In addition to habit number one, WEB Dubois also demonstrated habit number two, begin with the end in mind
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Beginning with the end in mind means that you plan ahead and set goals. Someone who demonstrates this habit thinks about how they would like something to turn out before they get started. They make sure that what they do has meaning, and that they are making a difference.
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This is just what Du Bois did! He believed that education was one of the most important tools in fighting for change. Though he had this belief, he had to back it up with some action. He made plans and set goals, which led to him becoming the first African-American to graduate with a PhD from one of the most prestigious colleges in the world, Harvard University.
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This month, students will learn about how habit number two, begin with the end in mind, contributed to WEB Dubois becoming a crucial part of American history.
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Each month at PS/IS 30, students will learn about one person who embodied (or embodies) the 7 Habits or ROAR Principals. October’s Person of the Month is W.E.B. Du Bois!
SJG
Person of the Month
September
Mary White Ovington
“Being proactive means that you are in charge of yourself. You do the right things without being asked, even when no one is looking. This is what Mary did! One day she read an article titled “Race War in the North” which was about riots and violence happening to Black people.
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While reading this article, Mary, a white woman, knew what was happening was unjust. She decided she had to be proactive and do the right thing. Thus, she reached out to the author of that article to begin their fight against combating racial discrimination. They co-founded a group now known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which fights for the civil and political rights of African Americans.
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Our school is named after this brave and courageous woman, who took a stand to work for dignity, respect, and equality. Just like Mary White Ovington, we all have a responsibility to help make that happen.”