Principal's Letter

September 2021

Dear students, families, staff, and community members,

It is with great honor that I introduce myself as the Interim Acting Principal of Newcomers High School beginning this September 2021.

As we welcome the 2021 – 2022 school year, a time that signifies a return to stability, I write to ensure you that the physical and emotional safety, health, and security of your children is of utmost priority for me as we embark on our collaboration together.

It is such a great privilege to work with young adults from around the world who bring different knowledge and perspectives to our school and our city. I want to emphasize how important face to face instruction will be this year and the need for every student to be in school, on time every day. I am working with the staff at Newcomers High School to provide as many programs as we can to both support and enrich the experience every student has during their time in high school.

In addition to working to reopen the school, I will be working to ensure you have access to essential information regarding health and safety protocols, vaccination availability and other services and supports that can be found in our city. I will be hosting frequent virtual town hall sessions and I encourage you to attend so that I can hear your questions, your thoughts, and your ideas and integrate your voice into Newcomers High School. It is my goal to work in partnership with every family and with each student to help all community members grow as multilingual learners prepared to actualize their dreams of going to college, growing in a career, and maximizing the life that they live here in the United States.

The power of your multilingualism and the knowledge you have of the world are so important to be 21st century global scholars. I speak for all the staff at Newcomers and District 30 of the New York City Department of Education when I say how proud I am of the strength and resilience you have all demonstrated both during your immigration to a new country and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I assure you I want the school to be a community resource where families and students can come to get the information you need and the education you deserve.

Please accept my warm welcome back to a more traditional school year and I thank you for the opportunity to serve this community as your building leader. I look forward to working with you and am open to hearing from you at any time.

Sincerely,

Principal Elizabeth Messmann, Interim Acting