This Week @ PS 88Q
May 26, 2024
No School Monday, May 27th: Memorial Day
A Message From Mrs. O'Shaughnessy
I hope everyone is enjoying their three day weekend in honor of Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a day to honor the men and women who lost their lives, protecting ours. Many of us have family members that have served in the armed forces, and some of us who have lost family as well. This Monday, we remember all the sacrifices they gave.
This weeks newsletter is filled with so many amazing things happening at PS 88Q. Yes, I am biased, but there is no better place to be, surrounded by a staff that is like no other. Each one of them, not only does "their job" but goes above and beyond each day, creating opportunities for our students to build a solid foundation and positive experience, long after they have left PS 88Q.
I learned this week that PS 88Q suffered a loss this past winter, a student of ours who graduated in 2020. This class didn't get the opportunity that all of our graduates get, the senior trip, the dance, the final walk through, and the commencement ceremony. It has always weighed heavy on me that they left us in March, books and personal belongings still in desks, to never return to their classroom. This makes it particularly hard to share that one of our graduates, a Ridgewood, Queens family, lost their child in January to an incident of subway surfing. I learned of this Thursday, and shared with the staff that evening. Mr. Canales and I did reach out to the child's mother, and are awaiting to speak with her to see what we can do to help the family. I will share any information moving forward.
This news, this tragedy is something that is becoming far too common. I feel the need to communicate the urgency of this problem with our families, as perhaps many of us do not know how common this is. Many of our students are viewing these videos of dangerous behavior on social media. Many of our children are viewing things that are unsafe, a danger to their mental health, and are causes for many incidents. I will be hosting a zoom meeting for all families to discuss, to share, and to support each other about these concerns. I will post the date, time and link this week.
Have a safe weekend, and see you Tuesday!
May The Change Be With You
On Friday, our Social Justice Committee created a school wide event that culminated in our Community Walk. This was an amazing initiative, as it was so much more than a simple walk. Each grade, each class, each student learned, research and advocated for a cause. A cause to bring awareness, bring knowledge and bring attention to change. The students learned how to research, properly, and decipher what is factual information, and what isn't. Most importantly, the communicated their throughts, their ideas, and showed support. We want our students to be the change makers, to know they have a voice, to stand up for what they believe in. Decisions are made on every level that effect them, and they want their voices heard. Each grade tackled a cause:
Grade K
Community clean-up: Organizing litter clean-ups in parks and neighborhoods to promote a clean and healthy environment
Grade 1
Animal welfare: Promoting kindness towards animals through responsible pet ownership, supporting local animal shelters, and raising awareness about animal rights.
Grade 2
Environmental conservation: Encouraging kids to participate in activities like recycling, conserving water, and planting trees.
Grade 3
Bullying prevention: Educating peers about the effects of bullying and promoting kindness, empathy, and inclusion in schools.
Grade 4.
Supporting children with disabilities: Educating others about inclusion, organizing fundraisers or events to benefit local disability organizations, and advocating for equal opportunities for children with disabilities
Grade 5
Mental health support: Promoting activities that reduce stress and anxiety, organizing events to raise awareness about mental health, and advocating for improved access to mental health resources in schools.
Class 309/Mr. Seeger's Class
PBL with ELL's in Mind
This year, our school took part in a very special cohort of learning. We had the opportunity to take part in an initiative on the city level, focusing on our English Language Learners. Our amazing ENL teachers, Ms. Melecio and Ms. Cybura, learned alongside other schools in NYC. The work is amazing! We know that Project Based Learning (PBL) is one of the most effective ways to teach ALL students, and PBL live in our school in many places. Our Saturday Academy implemented a student driven PBL unit, where our students created their "Dream Playground" as it aligned with our very own playground. Our students went through all of the steps in the production, from the planning, to the design phase. They constructed their playgrounds using materials and through technology. Students designed their 3D parks on Tinkercad, and through our 3D printers too. This week, we hosted a very special visit from many people. Our visitors were;
Superintendent Teresa Caccavale, Elisa Alvarez, Associate Commissioner of NY State,; Mirza Sanchez-Medina, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the Dept. of Multi-language Learners, Austin Nojaim, Associate for Office of Bilingual Education for NY State and Giuvela Browning, ML/ELL Service Administrator for District 24.
The day was centered around our students, and the amazing work they have done. On Tuesday, four student representatives from our school, along with their families, will present their work at Tweed Courthouse. We are so proud of our students, and the learning they have done! Please see below for some pictures of the day and the work they have done!
Our Amazing Ms. Fogarty and 700 artists!
What an amazing exhibition of work! The PS 88Q Art Show, was truly a sight to see! Night one, and day 2 were in the gym, and this past week, the artwork adorned the main floor hallway. Our visitors stopped to admire the work as well! check out the video below, just a small peek into the show. We are proud to have such a school full of artists, and the phenomenal Ms. Fogarty
Our Wellness Fair
This past week, our SMILE and Social Justice Committee hosted our Wellness Fair. What an amazing night filled with resources, fun and peace! From massage, to Reiki, yoga to crafts, healthy eating, mental health and physical health activities, and even bunnies! Check out some of the fun we had!
We Are Fair...A District 24 Celebration
Last year, District 24 hosted a wonderful day at the bandshell in Forest Park. All school participated, performed and created a fun day for all. This year, it is being held on June 8th and it will be even better! Our band and our GRYC dancers will be performing again. Stay tuned for more details!
Queens Borough Arts Festival
With hundreds of submitted performances around the borough, PS 88q was selected to perform at the 10th Annual Queens Borough Arts Festival! Mr. Handell's class, under the direction of Mr. Alboum will perform "The Ridgewood Bound M Train Rag". The performance is May 31st from 6pm to 8pm. We are so proud of the work the students are doing, in all aspects of the arts.
From Our Chancellor
Dear New Yorkers,
Our Hidden Voices series is expanding! This past winter, we announced our newest edition, Stories of the Global African Diaspora. Since then, I’m proud to say, the reach of Hidden Voices has only continued to grow.
Not only do we have two more Hidden Voices—on the Latino and the Americans with Disabilities communities—that will be in our classrooms this fall, but we are also creating two additional series focused on the Jewish and Muslim American communities.
This builds upon our existing Hidden Voices curricular resources about the LGBTQ+ and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) communities. In fact, we recently released two new Hidden Voices-themed comics, both focused on the AAPI experience, and celebrated a unique milestone: the printing of our 2 millionth Civics for All comic book, making New York City Public Schools one of the top 10 comic book distributors in the nation!
Hidden Voices curricular resources take a unique approach to teaching history and culture. Unlike your typical textbook, they are structured around profiles of important individuals in each specific community. This approach both uplifts unheard voices (hence the name of the series) and teaches history in an engaging way, centered on compelling changemakers—politicians, athletes, scholars, musicians, and more—who have left a mark on our city, country, and world.
These resources from our Social Studies and Civics team are critical tools in building acceptance and understanding in our multicultural society. I truly believe that if we expose our students to the rich diversity of New York City, none of our children will grow up to view anyone as “the other.”
This exposure matters for our adults, too. That’s why we host frequent heritage month celebrations at our central offices featuring guest speakers, student performances, music, food, and more. This month, we celebrated both AAPI and Jewish American Heritage Months, and we have a celebration for Haitian Heritage Month coming up next week.
I invite you to visit our website to learn more about Hidden Voices and our heritage month resources for schools and families. I’m always amazed by the beautiful diversity of our city. I hope you are as well.
Soaring high,
David C. Banks
Chancellor