This Week @ PS 88Q

I hope everyone had a wonderful first week of school. As I walked from classroom to classroom, it was great to see the students in their new classrooms. And you got to be in their classrooms too this week!

How wonderful it was to FINALLY welcome our families back into the building, into the classrooms, and in a space with all of our staff and community. It is hard to believe, but for some families, it was the first time they had this opportunity. I want to truly thank our teachers, who agreed that our September and May parent teacher conference (which we will hold in June) needs to be in person and not remote. It was amazing! Just the first of many opportunities to visit the classrooms.

It was a successful first full week of school. Often, people ask me what needs to get done prior to school opening, and that first week. OH SO MUCH! This team effort includes things you see, and a lot of behind the scenes planning. I often compare a school year to a plane ride. The take offs and the landings are the most critical. Opening a building, and closing it for the school year is something that sets the tone for the year. The team at PS 88Q is absolutely top notch, and this year is off to an amazing start. Nothing but gratitude for the staff and community!

Have a great week!

Many families have inquired about technology for home. I wanted to share with you some information that has changed.

During the pandemic, Central DOE was lending devices to families. Families had the opportunity to request a device through a central application, and IPads or chromebooks were either sent to their home or school, specifically for the family. As of last May, the NYCPS (New York City Public Schools) will not be lending devices anymore. All devices that were previously sent to families were to be collected by schools, assessed as working or not and then redistributed. Currently every device ever given to any student is on our tech inventory, therefore it is vital for us to know what we currently have and what is to be reported as missing. Service will be cut to those that are not on site.

Additionally, our own personal inventory of devices that PS 88Q purchased pre-pandemic were all lent out during that remote time. We were only able to collect a small fraction of what is on our school wide inventory.

PLEASE NOTE THAT DEVICES SHOULD HAVE BEEN RETURNED IN JUNE AND THAT ALL DEVICES MUST BE RETURNED IF YOU LEAVE THE NYCPS SYSTEM AND WHEN YOU LEAVE PS 88Q.

I am currently assessing what was returned. It should also be noted that all of the city lent devices are out of warranty, and can not be repaired (broken screens, etc)

Our first priority is to have a 1:1 ratio for students in the school for technology. We are almost there, as we ordered additional chromebooks so that our students have a school based device. Our students need devices in school for their assessments and in class work. Also, in the Spring, our grade 3, 4 and 5 students will be taking the NYS ELA and Math test on a device, rather than paper and pencil.

Technology is something that we definitely require, but we also want to limit. We do not require any homework on devices. We will be increasing our inventory of technology to lend families, but it is pending budget. These are some of the decisions that our School Leadership Team and through our PTA meetings are discussed. We have increased our number of afterschool programs this year, using our budget to provide multiple in person opportunities for our K-5 students, which include:

Band, Chorus, Theater Club, Coding Club, Art, Dance, Gardening, Track Club, Basketball, Soccer, just to name a few.

I will finish assessing our inventory this week, so stay tuned for updates.

Band, Dance, Coding, Theater, Art, and so many more!

It is hard to believe that we are already talking about this, but our Grade 5 students will begin applying for their next chapter, next month. Key dates:

2024-2025 Middle School Admissions Dates:

• October 9: Middle School application opens!
• November 8:Deadline to register to test for Mark Twain I.S. 239 and District 21 Talent Tests.
• December 13: Middle School application closes.

We will be hosting both an in person and virtual meeting regarding applications and the process the first week in October.

This week, our grade 5 students will begin a 12 week in school residency with Ballroom Basix! For the next twelve weeks, every Tuesday for one period, our students will learn the many partner dances! Merengue, tango, barn, salsa and many more. The residency will end with a culminating performance in December! For more information, click here.https://www.ballroombasix.com/

NYC Public Schools is Boldly Reimagining Multilingualism in NYC Public Schools by developing a community-informed strategy for:

• Welcoming and Inclusive Schools
• Pathways to Multilingualism
• Preparing Global Leaders

Apply to be on the Council!

Please complete this form(Open external link) by September 20 to apply to be on the council. You can also complete it to recommend an organization or person for the council. We will review applications and recommendations over the next several weeks.

All families received in their personal email forms for the 2024-2025 School Year from Operoo. The media release form and the walk home alone form. Please complete them this week. No students are permitted to walk home alone without a completed permission slip from the parent. Any questions, reach out to Ms. Jackie (Jpepe4@schools.nyc.gov) and Ms. Ivett (iperezlopez@schools.nyc.gov)

We are so excited to have our space back, and it is amazing! It is still in the final stages, with painting (the track, and basketball courts) and other finishing touches being done daily. Our students will have access to the large yard during the school day. When we are all done, we will have an official opening and ribbon cutting.

Our small playground with the playground equipment is not yet open for our students. There are a few more final touches that must be completed before students are permitted to play on it.

The playground and the large yard is not open outside of school hours at this time. As our yard is part of the PlanNYC (https://www.nycgovparks.org/greening/planyc/schoolyards), it will be officially opened to public only after all construction is complete. Some of the details that are still planned is the landscaping, additional fencing, labeling of the playground equipment (age appropriate), benches for the chess table, canapy for the play equipment, additional planters, and a few more items.

Prior to the play equipment being cleared for use, a permission slip will be sent home regarding the equipment. There are two units, one for ages 2-5 years old and the other for ages 6 and up. I will also host and open house for parents prior to opening the equipment.

We are excited to launch a new resource for our families, PS 88Q PARENT UNIVERSITY. This site is a live, and ever updating site with so many resources as well as information for our families. One of our Chancellors Priorities, Priority 5 is "All districts and schools are more inclusive and responsive for parents and families, including having more families choose NYC Public Schools". As a parent myself, I know how important it is to not only know and understand what is going on, but would like to know how I could get involved. This begins with open communication, and information. Check out the new site, PS 88Q Parent University. It aligns to all our communication (newsletters, emails) so it is a great place to find anything that is shared.

Each school year, all of our families complete the Family Income Survey. You may wonder why it is so important. When all of our families complete the form, this helps us qualify for Title I funding. Title I funding is a huge asset to our school. For example, this school year, Title I funding is approximately $450,000. This funding helps all students, through staffing, extra-curricular programs, and supplies. Please complete the form online to ensure that our funding remains.

As a reminder, there is no parking in front of the school (Catalpa Avenue) and in the back (68th Road) especially at dismissal. Our multiple school buses pick up our students on Catalpa Avenue, and no cars are permitted to park in front of the building. This is a safety concern. When buses pull up, they do extend their stop sign, which does hold up traffic. Double parking prevents buses from coming down the block as well. I am at dismissal (Mrs. O'Shaughnessy) in the front, and will ask cars to move if you are parked there.

In the rear, all families are exiting through the large school yard. Please do not double park, or block the entrance to the school yard.

When GRYC begins, this reduces the number of students at dismissal, as well as students who do walk home alone, but safety is always our greatest concern. The 104 Precinct will be present giving tickets to any cars parked in the No Standing School Days area

Each week the newsletter is shared many ways:

• Direct email
• Through the NYCPS Messenger App
• On the website
• On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ps88_q/)
• On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/P.S.88QPTA)
• From teacher Dojo

If you would like to receive it via email, and are not currently receiving at your email, please click below

It was wonderful to meet so many of you at the Meet the Teacher Open House event! We're looking forward to a wonderful year!

Thursday September 26th at 6pm will be the first monthly General Membership Meeting of the year. (Yes, this date changed from previous announcements. It is definitely 9/26!)

"General Membership" means YOU! These monthly meetings are where you can get to know other families, learn more about the school and what's going on, and bring ANY questions or concerns - no matter how big or small.

- The meetings will always be in person with an option to join via Zoom. The Zoom link is always on the PTA page at ps88q.com.

- There is always an activity for kids during the meeting, which is organized and run by teachers, paras, and aides. Please RSVP for your child here: bit.ly/PTAMtgKidsActivity

(RSVPs for kids are appreciated but not required. We get it, plans change!))

Please fill out the Annual PTA Parent Survey: https://bit.ly/202425_PTASurvey

We need to hear your voice! When can you come to meetings? How do you want to be involved (or not!)? What ideas do you have?

We also create our contact list from this survey. So if you want to get updates and hear what's going on, this is the way to do it!

Returning families: Please fill out this year's survey. We will be updating our mailing list annually from the survey.

Hope to see you on Thursday 9/26!

Launching the 2024-2025 School Year

Dear Families and Staff,

The 2024-2025 school year has officially begun! The first day of school is always one of the most exciting days of the year, and September 5th did not disappoint.

I started the day at PS 257 in Brooklyn, where the school's championship-winning ballet troupe greeted Mayor Adams and me. The schoolyard was full of excited families, students, and staff taking pictures amid the balloons and decorations—it was one of the most high-energy school openings I’ve ever seen.

Later in the day, I visited an early childhood program at PS 28 in Upper Manhattan and Motion Picture Technical High School in Queens, a brand-new high school focused on film and television careers. Spending time with some of our youngest and oldest learners felt perfectly aligned to our mission: to build bright starts and bold futures for every child.

Bright starts begin with literacy and numeracy. I’m beyond thrilled that NYC Reads is now active in every early childhood and K-5 classroom citywide, and that we’ve launched NYC Solves in over 400 high schools and approximately 100 middle schools. We are transforming the ways we teach both reading and math, ensuring our kids master the fundamental skills for success in school and life.

We are also building bold futures through our college and career pathways expansion in high-demand fields like the green economy, technology, and healthcare. This year, our signature FutureReadyNYC initiative will grow to 135 schools. And with the creation of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning, we are ensuring all students, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners, are supported to reach their full potential and embark on a bold future.

This time of year is filled with so much hope and optimism; as I said last week at PS 257, the first day of school represents a “rebirth of our school system.” Let's keep that sense of promise alive throughout the coming months!

Soaring high,

David C. Banks

Chancellor