What an amazing week it has been!

Our students had so many opportunities to shine, showcasing their talents, knowledge, and teamwork in a variety of ways.

From Civics for All Week, where our students explored the power of their voices and their role in the community, to our thrilling sports competitions in soccer, basketball, and track, our Eagles continue to soar!

We also saw incredible learning in action, as students shared their projects, from classroom discoveries to hands-on experiences in our Gardening Club. Our Saturday Academy students are tackling real-world challenges through Project-Based Learning on food security, working toward the implementation of our very own hydroponic garden—an inspiring step toward sustainability and innovation!

Every day at PS 88Q brings new opportunities for growth, learning, and engagement. With an array of morning programs, extracurricular activities, and special projects, our students are constantly encouraged to explore, create, and thrive.

We believe in offering students opportunities beyond the classroom, and we are proud to have so many enriching programs available each day. I have been in the lobby each morning, welcoming our Academic Sprinters, and am in awe of how busy it is down there at 7:15am with all of the early drop-offs for our programs. I love it!!

🌟 Morning Programs:

• Academic Sprinters: I-Ready Lab (Grades 3-5) – Tuesday through Friday, 7:15-8:00 AM
• Pokémon Club
• Basketball (Grade 5)
• Basketball (Grade 4)
• Soccer
• Run Club
• Coding
• Early Pre-K Drop-Off
• Beautiful Me
• Grades K-2 Building Background Knowledge Program
• SEL for K-2

🎭🎶🎨 Afternoon Programs:

• Academic Sprinters (Grades 3-5)
• Building Background Knowledge (K-2)
• Concert Band & Chorus
• Disney Theater Production 🎭
• Talent Show
• Art (K-2 & 3-5)
• Joffrey Ballet Dance Program
• Gardening Club 🌱
• STEM Club 🔬

These programs are made possible by our incredible PS 88Q staff, who bring their passion and dedication into every activity, ensuring that our students have meaningful, engaging, and exciting experiences every day.

Thank you, as always, and heres to a wonderful week! See you all Tuesday evening at the PTA meeting!

🎉 Upcoming Events at PS 88Q 🎉

• 🍀 St. Patrick’s Day – Wear Green! – March 17
• 🎂 Ms. Lowe’s Birthday – March 17
• 🏀 March Madness Kickoff – March 17
• 🤸 ZuZu Acrobats Performance – March 19
• ✍️ World Poetry Day – March 21
• 🎶 PS 88Q Band Concert – March 21 at 6 PM
• 🎓 College & Career Week – March 24-28
• 🔬 STEAM Day – March 26
• 💼 Career Night Event – March 26
• ☀️ Summer Rising Application Closes – March 28
• 🕌 No School – Eid Al-Fitr – March 31

📆 Mark your calendars and get ready for an exciting month ahead! 🎉

In a nail-biting friendly scrimmage, the PS 88Q Eagles pulled off a dramatic comeback win against PS 13Q. With both teams on a bye this week, they took the court for some competitive action, and it did not disappoint. Down by nine in the second half, the Eagles fought their way back, showing resilience and teamwork. In the final seconds, with the game on the line, they sank a clutch last-second shot to secure the victory. A thrilling finish to an intense matchup—what a game!

Check out the whole game below, and a fun video!

Under the direction of Ms. Prinzevalli and Ms. Hartman, our Kindergarten Fun Run athletes proved that early mornings and hard work pay off! These dedicated runners show up at 7:15 AM during the week to train, and when race day arrived—they were more than ready!

With their families cheering them on, they ran for 20 minutes, completing 40+ laps with incredible energy and enthusiasm. After crossing the finish line, the celebration continued with a well-earned, beautiful breakfast together. Way to go, little champions! 🏃‍♂️🎉🥇

Mr. Rodeschin and Class 5-403 wrapped up their exciting Project-Based Learning unit with a showcase of creativity and problem-solving! Each student group researched a natural disaster and designed an invention to prevent or warn against its impact. Taking their knowledge to the next level, they pitched their ideas to an audience of parents, who acted as investors with "money" to fund the most promising invention.

With insightful questions from classmates and families, students had to explain and defend their designs like true entrepreneurs. And the big winner? W.A.V.E. – The Tsunami Detector! 🌊🏆 Congratulations to all the young innovators for their hard work and brilliant ideas!

Check out the video below for a short montage, but the entire presentation can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_mdoRt9XQsOFxAkjk5gANzLmqUvf5eip?usp=drive_link

Our Title III Saturday Academy is thriving with this year’s Project-Based Learning focus: Gardening! Students are exploring the importance of sustainable food sources by working through three key stages: design, implementation, and assessment.

This week was an exciting milestone as students placed their seedlings into the hydroponic tower, bringing their planning to life! Through hands-on learning, they are discovering how food can be grown efficiently and sustainably while tackling real-world issues of food security. Stay tuned as they continue to nurture and assess their growing garden! 🌱💡💧

Career Week at P.S. 88Q

Dear P.S. 88Q Families,

Career Week is almost here! From March 24 to March 28, we have an exciting week planned to inspire our students and spark their curiosity about future careers.

Our Goal: To expose students to a variety of careers and interests, helping them envision their future paths.

What to Expect

• Monday – Hats Off to College Day - Wear your favorite college or school gear to celebrate higher education!

• Tuesday – Thinking Cap Tuesday - We’re planning for the future! Design and wear your favorite (or craziest) hat to show off your creativity.

• Wednesday – Our Future is Bright - Wear neon or bright colors because the future is so bright—we need shades!

• Thursday – Big Dreamers Day- Dream big! Come to school in your pajamas and enjoy a special bedtime story read by a guest parent.

• Friday – Dress for Success Day- Dress up as the profession you’d love to have when you grow up!

Additional Activities:

• Read-Alouds: Parents are invited to read career-related books to their child’s class. Teachers will also be reading throughout the week.

• Career Night – Wednesday, March 26, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Meet professionals from a variety of careers and learn about different fields firsthand! Help us connect students with inspiring professionals! A volunteer sign-up survey is coming home!

• STEAM Day – Wednesday, March 26: A full-day event filled with hands-on STREAM activities for all students!

• College & University Showcase: Check out our bulletin board highlighting the colleges and universities our staff attended!

We are excited to give our students a glimpse into their future careers and encourage as much family participation as possible. Thank you for your support in making Career Week an engaging and inspiring experience!

Best,
Linda O’Shaughnessy SEL/MTSS Team
Principal
P.S. 88Q

We invite our incredible PS 88Q community to inspire the next generation by volunteering for Career Night! This is your chance to share your career story—how you got to where you are today, the challenges you overcame, and the path you took.

We especially encourage those who have journeys from other countries to highlight how careers and opportunities may differ around the world and how your experiences shaped your success. Whether you're in healthcare, business, the arts, trades, technology, or any field—your story matters!

Join us in inspiring and empowering our students as they explore their future possibilities. Interested? Sign up today and make a lasting impact! ✨

Wednesday, March 26th: 5:30pm-7:00pm

We are so proud of our PS 88Q Community! Interested in wearing some PS 88Q Sway? Click below!

https://ps-88q.spiritsale.com/

Civics Week Theme: Democracy Begins Here!

This year’s Civics Week theme was: Democracy Begins Here! In all of our classrooms students learned that their voices is where change takes shape—democracy starts with YOU!

Throughout the building this weeks, students took part in lessons around Civics. PS 88Q is a proud Civics For All School, and democracy and civics live in our classrooms all year long! Check out some pictures from this week.

Dear Parent or Guardian,

Our school is participating in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Light The Night campaign,

a program that helps raise critical funds to cure blood cancer and improve quality of life for patients and their families.

Classrooms in our school are forming teams to raise money for LLS through group activities and individual efforts. Students are encouraged to register for our school team at the link below. Students who register online will receive a personal fundraising page to easily ask their family and friends to support their efforts to raise money for LLS.

We invite you to join our school as we fundraise to help end blood cancers.

SIGN UP WITH OUR SCHOOL HERE: https://pages.lls.org/ltn/nyc/Manhattn24/ps88thesenecaschool

OR SCAN HERE:

On the above page, find your classroom and click “Join Team” to create a fundraising page for you and/or your child!

Until a cure,

Christos Tripotseris

2025 NYC School Survey:

Family Survey Instructions

Be sure to complete your survey by Friday, April 4!

Keep in mind…

● Your responses, combined with those of other parents/guardians at your child’s school, will be captured in the following reports:

○ School Quality Snapshot at tools.nycenet.edu/snapshot

○ Public Survey Reports accessible through NYCSchoolSurvey.org

● Parents are encouraged to fill out one survey for each child, even if you have multiple children at the same school, in order to capture the different experiences of each child.

● For more information about the NYC School Survey, visit NYCSchoolSurvey.org.

● If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your school.

Be sure to complete your survey by Friday, April 4!

We are thrilled to officially welcome back our Class of 2020 to PS 88Q! Join us on June 4th as we finally give you the farewell celebration you truly deserve. It’s time to reconnect, reminisce, and celebrate how far you’ve come. Please share this link with any 2020 graduates—we can’t wait to see you all back where it all began! 🎉🏫💙

The next 🌟PTA GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING🌟 is Tuesday March 18th from 6pm-7pm.

Remember YOU are the PTA! ALL parents of PS88 students are automatic members of the PTA.

These monthly meetings are a fun, casual way to get involved, to speak up, or to just listen in on current things affecting our families and our students.

All of our meetings are always in person and on Zoom (Meeting ID: 935 5283 2400, Pswd: 097712).

At the in-person meeting, there are activities/crafts and snacks for the kids while the parents meet.

There will be Spanish interpretation available in person and on Zoom.

The 🌱🌻SPRING/SUMMER CARING CLOSET🌻🌱 is on Saturday, March 22 from 10am-1pm! This is our bi-annual FREE shopping event open to the entire PS88 and Ridgewood Community!

Donations are accepted Monday March 17 through Friday March 21. Donation bins will be located at the front main entrance to the school.

✨✨ VOLUNTEER FOR THE CARING CLOSET HERE: ✨✨

✨✨ bit.ly/CaringClosetSS25 ✨✨

✨✨ All parent volunteers are welcome and very much needed! ✨✨

We have an 🤫ANONYMOUS FEEDBACK FORM📢 that will be open the entire school year.

bit.ly/ParentNeeds202425

This is a place for you to express any concerns you might not feel comfortable bringing up in person.

Responses are checked regularly and topics/questions are addressed during PTA meetings and with the school administration.

There is always a place for your voice to be heard!

As always, reach out anytime with any questions or concerns,

Your PTA Executive Board

Sam PTA88President@gmail.com

Camila PTA88Secretary@gmail.com

Sabita PTA88Treasurer@gmail.com

We are excited to share with you a free camp called Corona Design Squad camp for 3rd-5th grade students at the New York Hall of Science during spring break! In each session, the students will investigate problems encountered in space exploration, then create solutions through hands-on engineering design challenges.

Dates: April 15-17, 2025; (Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday) 9am – 3pm

Who: Free to 3rd-5th grade students

Where: New York Hall of Science. 47-01 111th Street, Corona, NY 11368.

Click Below to register

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOeTN3NQcRX6lfTnQdaN10wIagNU-l70hVjGBSlwOVqc6wvQ/closedform

Summer Rising

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 2025. Summer Rising connects elementary and middle school students to fun, 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 to August 15, 2025, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Grades 6–8: The program will run from July 2 to August 8, 2025, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Students will be provided with free breakfast and lunch. Programming will include academics led by NYCPS staff and enrichment activities held by DYCD Community Based Organizations (CBOs).

Summer Rising MySchools Application

The application will open on March 4, and close March 28, 2025. As in 2024, families can apply for Summer Rising online using MySchools, our online directory and application system.

To apply, log in to MySchools.nyc (if you already have a MySchools account you do not need to create a new one). Your MySchools account, used for admissions, is different from the NYC Schools Account (NYCSA) that you may use to access your child’s health forms and update emergency contact information.

If you have applied to Summer Rising, 3-K/Pre-K programs, or NYCPS schools using MySchools before, your child may already be added to your account. If you do not have a MySchools account, you can create one at MySchools.nyc using your email address, your child’s 9-digit student ID number and a MySchools account creation code, which you can get by contacting your child's school.

Families can list as many programs as they would like on their application; we recommend that you list as many programs as possible to increase the likelihood of being placed in a program of your choice.

This process is not first-come, first-served; all applications received by the deadline will be treated the same. Families may make changes to their application at any point within the application period.

If you have any questions or need support with the application, please visit our website at schools.nyc.gov/SummerRising, contact Ms. Ivett Perez , or email summer@schools.nyc.gov.

📅 Dates:

• Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Session 1: Why Early Math at Home Matters

• Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Session 2: Counting and Skip Counting

• Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Session 3: Place Value

• Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Session 4: Addition & Subtraction

• Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Session 5: Geometry

• Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Session 6: Measurement & Data

• Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Session 7: Bringing It All Together

🕒 Time:

• 6:00 - 7:00PM

📍Location:

• Zoom - RSVP HERE

Dear Families and Colleagues,

Our mission at New York City Public Schools is to prepare our children for bold futures. One critical way we do that is through our Civics for All program, which ensures our students are equipped to become the next generation of leaders and changemakers.

While students learn about civics year-round, today is the final day of Civics Week, an annual celebration that emphasizes the importance of civic education in our classrooms. From our kindergarteners learning about community rules and routines to our high school seniors studying digital citizenship, students of all ages practiced for their role in our democracy this week. Across the five boroughs, students met with local elected officials to discuss topics impacting their communities; voted on spending proposals for their schools via our Participatory Budgeting program; spoke up on issues they care about through SoapboxNYC, our public speaking initiative; and last but not least, pre-registered and registered to vote. I’m proud that since Civics for All launched seven years ago, we've signed up over 90,000 students to be voters!

Robust civic education empowers our students, enhances our school communities, and strengthens our city. I firmly believe that when we foster the principles of democracy in our classrooms and when we uplift the voices, ideas, and perspectives of our young people, everyone wins.

In partnership,

Melissa Aviles-Ramos

Chancellor