We are a diverse learning community of dreamers and achievers. We are committed to working together in order to succeed in life. We will grow beyond our limitations because we are the architects of our own future. We can and we will.

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Academy is a gem on the Westside of Yonkers. We offer extensive educational programs which prepare our students for a successful transition to high school.  Social Justice and Restorative Practice are the pillars of our foundation; giving each child a voice and the ability to speak out and change the world around them.  This community school offers support to our families through constant collaboration between all stakeholders. It is our goal to serve our students and families in order to make each dream a reality.

      https://www.yonkerspublicschools.org/domain/2971

      Principal: Mr. Steve Naber

      email: snaber@YonkersPublicSchools.org

      Main Office phone: (914) 376-8470

      Assistant Principal: Mrs. Tiombe Walls-Majors (Mrs. Majors)

      email: twallsmajors@yonkerspublicschools.org

      Main Office phone: (914) 376-8470

  • Kindergarten - Jamieson

    Posted by:

    I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88j5rucAiP4  Write a sentence & draw a picture

    Not A Stick by Antoinette Portis

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwqxd4SfNcw

    Watch Kitten's First Full Moon, then write a sentence & draw a picture. Share your work with your parents.

    https://www.google.com/search?q=kitten%27s+first+full+moon&oq=Kitten%27s+First+Full+Moon&aqs=chrome.0.0i355i512j46i512j0i512l8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4f9b9d55,vid:9JTlfCdkGz4,st:0

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi5_h87ZDMk

    (Animated Story) You are not Small by Anna Kang

    Watch video > Write a sentence > Draw a picture

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13jNHAxK5IE

    The Pigeon Has to Go to School | Back to School Read Aloud for Kids

    Watch Video > Write a sentence > Draw a picture > Share your work with an adult.

    Kindergarten Rocks!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjXZOkhXSwc

    Snuggle Buggle Storytime

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTPnb8JMS2Y

    TRIANGLE by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen- Children's Books Read Aloud

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgq4hlZEpYw

    https://greatminds.org/geodes-books

    https://expressreaders.org/resources/free-downloads/

    3.6.B Provides feedback during and after instruction

    I am highly effective at providing timely and frequent feedback to all my students throughout the day.

    An example from this week includes journal writing. As a group, we discussed proper letter heights, spacing, staying on the line, capitalization and individual word choices. Each child received an individual tutorial in the area of greatest challenge for them. One student online usually uses all capital letters. I was able, through feedback, to share my observation with him and then have him display an edited version of starting the sentence with a capital letter and have the rest of the letters in the sentence be lower case with proper spacing. Another student requires less physical prompting than he initially needed, but responded well to verbal encouragement to stay focused and complete the writing task. I have allowed another student room to express themselves creatively and this has resulted in her engaging in the required activity of journal writing with less opposition (Self-regulation). I could argue that allowing some children space validates that they are trustworthy and can complete assignments in their own time, so it is therefore an effective feedback method. Others still need hand-over-hand assistance, which is a tactile/motor type of feedback for fine motor development as it applies to writing.

    Standard 4: Content Knowledge

    4.1 The teacher stimulates student reflection on prior content knowledge, links new concepts to familiar concepts, and makes connections to students’ experiences.

    4.2 Mr. Jamieson uses supplementary resources and technologies effectively to ensure accessibility and relevance for all students.

    4.3 The teacher creates opportunities for students to learn, practice, and master academic language in their content area.

    Evidence:

    Mr. Jamieson has partnered with aides in the use of theme-based learning to teach students to integrate all learning platforms to serve the individual needs of each child. The teacher has helped align the curriculum with the District and State standards. The material is varied and is developmentally appropriate to individualize instruction. Mr. Jamieson has used technology to enhance student learning. His instructional strategies engage students in learning and provide for frequent interaction with students. Mr. Jamieson has the gift of patience and understanding required to maximize the potential of the students in his care. He played a pivotal role in the integration of art and seasonal projects during weekly academic lessons. He has the intuition to make Science and Mathematics relevant by stimulating students' prior knowledge and creating connections to students' experiences.

    Standard 5: Application of Content

    5.1 The teacher engages students in applying content knowledge to real-world problems through the lens of interdisciplinary themes (e.g., financial literacy, environmental literacy).

    5.2 The teacher facilitates students’ ability to develop diverse social and cultural perspectives that expand their understanding of local and global issues and create novel approaches to solving problems.

    Evidence:

    Mr. Jamieson has partnered with classroom educators to provide a stimulating and print-rich environment for each student. Our purpose is to provide life support skills for the students. We integrated Science and Social Studies themes to meet the needs of the class while keeping them in the context of the NYS Standards. The children developed an awareness of the world, the United States, New York State and the City of Yonkers.

    They were very enthusiastic about exploring where they live. Mr. Jamieson takes student learning seriously and speaks to parents on a regular basis to forge a common purpose in their child's education. He has helped facilitate translation efforts when parents come to school and continues to go the extra mile for our students, believing that all students can achieve.

    Standard 6: Assessment

    6.1 The teacher designs assessments that match learning objectives with assessment methods and minimizes sources of bias that can distort assessment results.
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  • Meet the Helpers (Early Learning)

    Posted by:

    Wearing a mask helps stop the spread of germs!
    Help explain this concept to your little one with this short video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLO1GNXKmNE&feature=youtu.be
    from Meet the Helpers https://www.meetthehelpers.org
    And, say thanks to an essential worker with this coloring page!

    https://cms-tc.pbskids.org/parents/social/PBSK__ThankYou_bw.pdf?mtime=20200504115714

    4.1.C. Reinforces Positive Interactions Among Students

    I am highly effective at reinforcing positive interactions among my students. Though some students may still be impulsive and working on self-regulation, the teacher and aide continuously reinforce respect for each student and their respect for each other. Some have taken personal responsibility for their inappropriate behavior and have minimized off-task diversions. The behavior management program/token economy has helped externally to curb off-task challenges. Continued positive reinforcement has supported their self-esteem as they have grown in social awareness and treated each other progressively better.
    Comments (-1)

  • SEPTEMBER 2024 OPENING OF SCHOOL

    Posted by:

    Dear Parents,

    My name is Mr. Jamieson. I extend my warm welcome to you and your child to Martin Luther King Jr. Academy. I am hopeful that we can partner together with the goal of advancing each student this year based on their individual needs. You can reach me with any questions at fjamieson@yonkerspublicschools.org. It will be important for you to provide me with your email address. Thank you. Hope to hear from you soon.

    This school year our class will be using the following platforms/websites to complete assignments and communication.

    • Clever

    • i-Ready Math

    • Benchmark Advance (being used district-wide for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten)

     

    Microsoft Teams

    To log on, you will use your child's 6-digit ID number and birthdate.

    • The username is your child's ID number followed by @yonkerspublicschools.org.

    For ID number 123456, the username would be 123456@yonkerspublicschools.org. 

    • The password is your child's date of birth in the format MMDDYYYY. 

    For a July 4, 2015, birthdate, the password would be 07042015.   

     

    Microsoft Teams will be used:

    ✓ to take attendance

    ✓ to send private messages (instead of Class Dojo)

    ✓ to participate in video conferences/live lessons

     

    To access Microsoft Teams:

    1)  Go to office.com.

    2)  Click on Sign In.  

    3)  Enter your child's username and password.  

    4)  After reaching the Landing Page, click on the Teams icon.

    If additional description would be helpful, visit:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wOrS9hJKto&feature =youtu.be
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SemjM2fHV2Q
    https://youtu.be/1wOrS9hJKto
    https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/authorize?response_type=id_token&client_id=5e3ce6c0-2b1f-4285-8d4b-75ee78787346&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fteams.microsoft.com%2Fgo&state=a8fafafa-d4e7-4cc5-b99e-3effdf544a45&&client-request-id=4a4f638f-d9ff-4be1-ab7a-aaec826ea263&x-client-SKU=Js&x-client-Ver=1.0.9&nonce=223fab3a-a6e8-4bf0-9eca-98b75267b266&domain_hint=

     

    Clever

    Clever will be utilized for remote learning in the fall. There are many applications on my class page for you to access.

    To access Clever:
    1. Log in to Clever at www.clever.com
    2. Go to the upper right-hand side and click 'Log in As Student.
    3. Click 'Log in with LDAP.
    4. Your username is your 6-digit Student ID @yonkerspublicschools.org. Example: 123456@yonkerspublicschools.org
    5. Your password is your birth date. It should be entered as MMDDYYYY. Example: 02172015

     

    Benchmark Advance

    Our reading program for Kindergarten is called Benchmark Advance. The Benchmark app can be found through the Clever portal. 

    5.4.C. Provides Accommodations

    Students receive accommodation, formally and informally, for all district tests and classroom assessments throughout the school year.

    I am in constant contact with the specialists who provide services for my students.

    I am religious about providing any accommodation that my students need to demonstrate their mastery of content and knowledge. I give them whatever they require so they can show me what they know.

    Some needed to be positioned closer to the front of the room for vision. Others needed to be separated from each other for attention and support. Each is given accommodations aligned to their specific needs, including individualized attention with physical or verbal prompting when necessary, partnering or managed groups. This is what a diagnostic kindergarten environment is all about. Every year, I create the following years IEP with specific recommendations for social/emotional and academic development based on the very close attention I pay to everyone. For over a quater century, I have set goals for the following year based on the students’ performance in the present year.
    Comments (-1)

  • Unit study: Myself and My Place in the Community

    Posted by:

     Social Studies -Families

    Directions:  Social Studies in Kindergarten involves a study of self and others. These activities are aligned to the NYS Social Studies Framework and help students to learn more about themselves and how they fit into the community. Work within this unit should be recorded in the Student Activity Logs. 

    • Glossary of Terms about Myself and Others
    • Activity - My Birthday Book
    • Activity - Who is my family 
    • Activity - Weather Chart
    • Weather Symbols
    • Writing Activity - What is your favorite way to show Respect? 
    • https://www.yonkerspublicschools.org/Page/34608

    • 1.5.B. Attends to students' personal and family experiences.

      I often consider and respond to the students’ sharing of themselves and their family experiences as characters, topics and situations in the books we read remind them of their own lives.

      The first unit in Benchmark is about rules. This led us to a discussion of the different rules that children have in their homes. This in turn led us to discuss what would work in our classroom, so everyone would feel safe and respected, such as “hands and feet to yourself, indoor voice, no running, always try your best, etc.” We also talked about rules while playing sports when we read ebooks, unit one, I Am Safe! and Playing Sports. Different children shared their different experiences of playing these games and their understanding of the rules.

      In another example, one child shared that his father worked with the railroad in the community helpers’ unit. So then we discussed what he understood about his father’s job. Another student shared information about his parents being nurses. This led us to a discussion about what they might want to be and the work they might want to do when they grow up. One student said he wanted to be an astronaut. A number of students said they wanted to be police officers or firefighters. Two students expressed the desire to be nurses. So we moved on to read books from Uniteforliteracy, Bookflix and Brainpopjr that discussed different jobs and what the people that have these jobs do at work.

      In another example, when we read The Boy Who Cried Wolf, an ebook on Benchmark, several shared information about how the character didn’t tell the truth, which caused a problem for the main character. They shared their own views about honesty and their commitment to it because lies can create bigger problems. This led to them expressing their desire to be the best they can be. We explored other fables that illustrate character challenges and the right choice for behavior, like The Crow and the Pitcher (cooperation) and The Ant and the Grasshopper (doing the work you need to do to support yourself and those around you of i.e. being a contributing member of the community). We enjoyed reading The Little Red Hen, which has a similar theme.
    Comments (-1)