BILA'S Mission

At the Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts we educate and nurture each child to develop his or her fullest potential. Our inquiry-based approach to a rigorous, standards-based liberal arts curriculum and our collaborative approach to our learning environment ensure that our students have the academic knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in college and in their future careers. At the Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts, we “Believe, Inquire, Learn and Achieve” together so that our students can fully immerse themselves in 21st century life challenges and successes.

BILA'S Vision

We envision students who actively participate in their learning by questioning their scholarship and the world in which they live, are reflective about their roles in the world, and who, through their endeavors, demonstrate their eagerness to move to the next level of learning; parents who support their children’s learning by asking questions about their rights and roles in their children’s education and are active members of the Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts community; teachers who make learning rigorous, creative, and relevant by taking risks with their teaching, are always learning new ways to facilitate learning, and are validating the accomplishments of their students; and a leader whose practice demonstrates her commitment to building a safe, nurturing environment for all.

News & Announcements

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL

Happy first month of school. It is a complete pleasure having students back into the building including our new freshmen (woohoo) - “Welcome to the BILA Family!!!”

We are excited to see what the school year has in store for all of us!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Home-Work Help - Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2:45PM - 4:30PM

PTA / SLT Meeting and Elections on Thursday, September 21st, 2023 from 6:00PM - 8:00 PM.

9th and 10th Graders are going on a trip to Dave & Buster's on Friday, September 22nd, 2023.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th, 2023 - NO SCHOOL CLOSED

New Bell Schedule for 2023/24 : Monday thru Friday - School starts at 8:00AM and students are dismissed at 2:20PM

PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATION MEETINGS

Parents or Guardians involvement is the backbone of any school because parents/guardians have the power to implement, address concerns, build their child’s school community stronger and advocate for other families. We welcome all to join our monthly PTA meetings.

PTA meetings benefits everyone and most importantly the children.

Our first meeting will be held on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21^ST 2023 @ 6:00PM (Refreshments will be provided.)

In addition to that the current positions are available: - President / Vice President, Secretary / Co-Secretary and Treasurer / Co-Treasurer.

IMPORTANT DATES

• September 07 – First Day of School
• September 21 – PTA Meeting @ 6:00PM (in person)
• September 25 – Yom Kippur (No School)

DAILY REMINDERS

Uniform Policy: Students are required to wear their Grade color t-shirts and black school pants. YOU MUST BE IN SCHOOL UNIFORM DAILY.

No leggings/spandex, no mini/short skirts, shorts, distressed jeans, sweat suits, basketball shorts, hats, hoodies, slippers, bonnets, crocs, etc. are NOT allowed.

Daily Attendance Expectation: Attending school punctually and regularly is very important in Hight School. At BILA we have a zero tolerance for lateness and unexcused absences. If you miss one class or one day, it can be difficult to keep up (think about it like your favorite TV Show 😊). It doesn’t only help with your academic life but it goes with you during your career.

With that being said, all students must be in school by 8:00AM and attend daily.

Please be on time, doors open between 7:30AM to 8:00AM and breakfast is served during this time. At 8:01AM you will be marked tardy.

All absents must be reported to the main office, (please call 718-221-1097) and accompanied by a doctor/parent note.

TRANSPORTATION

As you may have heard, the New York City – Department of Education are facing potential disruptions to their yellow bus service at or around the start of the school year. We are hopeful that there will be a speedy resolution for all students who qualifies for this service.

In the meantime, we want to keep all BILA families up-to-date and that you plan accordingly, if it does happen.

Please note DOE has also provided additional Metro Cards if there should be a strike.

PARENT COMMUNICATIONS

At BILA we do have an open door policy. However, during the first two weeks of school its very crucial for both students and teachers so we ask that parents be mindful as they transition into their new grades. Life can be hectic at times, now parents can communicate with their child’s teachers via Jupiter. Your child’s grades can be viewed on Jupiter or your myschools account.

We understand that there maybe times you will have to schedule doctor’s visits or other important appointments for your child. If you are unable to schedule appointments after-school please reach out to the main office at least 24 hours in advance so we can inform leadership / staff and teachers to have a smooth transition.

DOE TECHNOLOGY

BILA students are provided with iPads / Tablets / Chromebooks or Macbooks in order to successfully complete their class and home-work assignments. We want to give you an overview of our school’s expectation while they are in possession of the school’s technology. Students are responsible to bring their devices each day to school fully charged. If there is an issue with the device, they must report it to an Assist Principal immediately. Students must take care of their devices and ensure no drink or food spills on it. They must use this device to complete all their class and homework assignments ONLY. Any inappropriate contents will be reported.

CELLPHONE / SMARTWATCH POLICY

We agree that communication is very vital but a classroom with zero distractions and 100% class participation is more paramount. BILA staff collects cellphone and smartwatches when students enters the building and it is returned at dismissal. If a child needs to speak with their parent / guardian, it will be approved by the Assistant Principals or Principal and they will be able to call you from the main office. We ask parents to please resolve all after school family plans with your child before they attend school. This mitigates any and all classroom disruption.

We have provided individually labeled bags for ALL students for their cell phones. Going forward, we are no longer able to supply Ziploc bags for students, and we will not accept phones that are not in Ziploc bags which are clearly LEGIBLY labeled with the students' FULL name and block. If students arrive to school without a bag, they have a number of options: they may go to the store to purchase their own bag and marker and label their bag. Or they may return home to drop their phone off. Or they may go to the corner store and leave their phone for the day, which some corner stores allow students to do. We are unable to provide Ziploc bags to students and we will not accept any phone that is not in a bag that is LEGIBLY labeled with the students' FULL name and block."

Kindly note that all students will be scanned daily by security upon arrival. All weapons, vapes, any type of cigarettes, lighters, etc will be confiscated and we will be reaching out to parents. Parents please have a discussion with your child with regards to school safety.

If you should have any further questions or concerns please make no hesitation to reach out to main office.