This Week @ PS 88Q
March 3rd, 2024
11:20am dismissal Thursday, March 7th. Parent Teacher Conferences
A Message From Mrs. O'Shaughnessy
Happy March! What a busy month, and a packed newsletter! Please check out all the information below, and all the amazing opportunities!
March brings so many things, including a season change and time change! It is always hopeful, as the weather becomes warmer, and daylight lingers. And what better way to celebrate the upcoming seasons with a new playground! Weather has postponed the opening of the large school yard but we are optimistic that March is the month that we can begin enjoying it!
With only four more months left of school, and the upcoming NYS Tests, we are also implementing many programs to support all students, such as morning and afternoon support. We will be sending home communication this week regarding some support in school as well as what you can do at home.
Summer rising applications open Monday. This year applications will be submitted through MySchools, If you have a myschools account, you are ready to go. This is what you used to apply for 3k, PreK, Kindergarten and middle schools. For any support regarding Summer Rising, please reach out to Ms. Perez anytime. Her email is iperezlopez@schools.nyc.gov
Thursday is a half day, with an 11:20am dismissal in order for our teachers to meet with all families. Please make your appointment to meet with your classroom teacher. Report cards will be released on March 6 digitally.
And please complete your NYC School Survey!
Have a great week!
Town Hall Meeting: March 12
Summer Rising Application Opens Monday March 4
New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) is looking forward to partnering with the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) once again for Summer Rising 2024. Summer Rising connects elementary and middle school students to fun, culturally relevant, and hands-on experiences that strengthen their academic, social, and emotional skills. Summer Rising is free, and open to any NYC student currently in kindergarten through grade 8.
Grades K–5:
- The program will run from July 2, 2024 to August 16, 2024, and will run Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
We will be sharing your creation code as soon as they are sent to us.
Ya Gotta Read
Ms. Corniel is heading up an amazing initiative and wonderful opportunity! Our students have already began and are doing AMAZING!
The Mets launched “Ya Gotta Read!” in 2017 to foster a love of reading in students. The more children read, the more they succeed in school. It’s also linked to expanded knowledge and vocabulary, improved attention span and memory and increased curiosity and imagination.
Thanks to a partnership with the Amazin’ Mets Foundation and Delta Air Lines, the program has expanded to impact a total of approx. 50,000 students at 34 elementary schools in Queens and Brooklyn.
For the 2024 edition of Ya Gotta Read!, the Mets and Delta are challenging students to read for 20 minutes every school night for six weeks, coinciding with Mets Spring Training. The more minutes students read, the more Mets prizes they earn.
Students who read for 60 minutes hit a single, and win a Mets eraser set. Reading for 180 minutes is a double and gets students a color-in notebook. Reading for 300 minutes counts as a triple and earns students a jersey drawstring backpack. Finally, reading for 600 minutes means students hit a home run and win a pair of Mets tickets.
In addition, the student at each school who reads the most will win four Field Level tickets to a Mets game, be honored on the Jumbotron at Citi Field and receive a $100 Citi Field Gift Card!
The class at each school that reads the most will win special Mets bucket hats!
Afterschool Opportunities
We are proud to offer additional afterschool opportunities for our students, including our Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students! Please see below for opportunities. Spaces are limited, so apply quickly. We will reach out to you to confirm placement.
Check Out Our New T-Shirt
The PTA has partnered with Mama's Got Heart to create a limited edition T-Shirt showing our Seneca School Pride!
PS 88Q Basketball Team
Live stream below
Read Across America and Dr. Seuss' Birthday
On Friday, we celebrated Dr. Seuss' Birthday as well as Read Across America! Mr. Canales aka Dr. Seuss and I celebrated with three kindergarten classes who had 100% attendance! Click below to hear are dual language read aloud!
The Cat in the Hat and El Gato Ensombrerado
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3-iSACOWFC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Catch Up on Our New Podcasts
Mr. Canales has added many new podcasts, and there are more coming!
Check out the following:
What do we know about our Saturday Program?
Lunar New Year Episode:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227217/14493917-lunar-new-year-episode
Meet our Social Worker, Ms. Pagan:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2227217/14412995-social-worker-mrs-pagan-interview
As a reminder, all podcasts can be found on our website!
PTA News
PTA UPDATES
We have a lot of exciting things happening this month and coming up!
You can always reach out to your PTA Executive Board with any questions, ideas, or concerns:
Sam (pta88president@gmail.com), Camila (pta88secretary@gmail.com), and Sabita (pta88treasurer@gmail.com)
PS88 LIMITED EDITION MERCH! Available until 4/14!
We are so excited to offer some wonderful merch in partnership with Mama’s Got Heart to raise funds for afterschool programs!
Go to mamasgotheart.com and use passcode 088 to log in and also to get free shipping. Everything will be shipped directly to PS88 for distribution in April.
LATIN MOVEMENT for K/1 with NIEVES DANCE STUDIO
Wednesdays March 13-June 12 after school
30 spots are available: 15 for the first to sign up, 15 by lottery
Fill out the Google interest form here: bit.ly/PS88LatinDance
PTA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING + Activity in the Library
Thursday March 14
5pm = Family Activity in the Library
6pm-7pm = PTA Meeting in Auditorium, Kids Activity in Library
Join us for our monthly meeting! There are lots of updates and exciting developments to talk about!
We will start with a Family Activity followed by the Meeting in the Auditorium and a Kids Activity with snacks in the Library.
SPRING SCHOOL PICTURES + GRADUATION PICTURE RE-TAKES
Tuesday March 19 and Wednesday March 20
We need volunteers! A SignUp will be available soon.
As always, order forms and date info for portraits will come directly from your teachers. All graduation picture re-takes will be on 3/19.
CARING CLOSET: SPRING/SUMMER EDITION
Saturday March 23
Keep an eye out for Volunteer Sign Ups and more info!
LIBRARY COMMITTEE
Do you love all things libraries and books? Are you interested in volunteering in the PS88 library? We’re working on a lot of exciting projects from staffing to developing programming to updating materials.
If you’d like to be involved or just want more info, please email Caitlin (caitlin.annette.johnson@gmail.com) and/or Sam (pta88president@gmail.com).
PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL (PAC) CHAIRPERSON - Open position
The PAC develops parent outreach and engagement initiatives with the ultimate goal of increasing student achievement. The PAC is charged with 1% of our Title 1 funding to create these initiatives. If you are interested or would like more information, please reach out to Ivett (IPerezlopez@schools.nyc.gov) or Principal O’Shaughnessy (LOshaughnessy@schools.nyc.gov) or Sam (pta88president@gmail.com).
A Message From Our Chancellor
Dear New Yorkers,
Looking back at the past few weeks, I couldn’t be prouder of how we commemorated Black History Month here at NYC Public Schools.
First, we held a deeply moving Black History Month celebration at our central office at Tweed Courthouse, featuring performances by student musicians and writers from the Channel View School for Research, Frederick Douglass Academy II, and Transit Tech CTE High School.
Then, this week, we launched the newest edition in our Hidden Voices series: Stories of the Global African Diaspora, Volume 1. Developed over the last three years with extensive input from leading scholars and community partners, the series profiles changemakers of African descent, many overlooked in traditional historical narratives, to highlight their immense impact on the United States and the world.
And finally, I was thrilled to support our partners at the Education Equity Action Plan Coalition (EEAPC), who recently announced they are moving into the second phase of their Black Studies Curriculum pilot. We’re honored to work with the EEAPC as this curriculum takes shape.
I believe all our students deserve to see their histories and backgrounds reflected in their classrooms, a belief grounded in my own childhood. When I was in elementary school, an amazing educator named Ms. Mildred Scott taught me about the rich history of Africa and of African Americans. She instilled in me a strong sense of pride in my heritage—and at the Hidden Voices event, I even read a poem about Africa that I wrote in her class!
Through Hidden Voices and the Black Studies Curriculum, students across our city will also have access to classroom materials that inspire and empower them. And it goes beyond New York. Hidden Voices is available to teachers, families, and districts across the nation. Anyone can download these resources for free at weteachnyc.org.
Black History Month is wrapping up, but the learning is just beginning. To our staff and families, thank you for all you do, both to commemorate the past and to shape our collective future.
Soaring high,
David C. Banks
Chancellor