Family Pathfinder Week of 09/29/24

"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change." — Albert Einstein

"Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don't belong." — Mandy Hale

September 29, 2024,

Good evening, I.S. 254 families,

I hope you all managed to stay dry through this rainy weekend!

As September comes to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about change. Earlier this week, during a professional learning session with Ms. Tobin, Ms. Maldonado, and Ms. Kanhai, we watched a video by Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski titled "What Can We Learn From Lobsters About Stress?" Now, I’ll admit, at first, I wasn’t really in the mood to think deeply about lobsters—unless, of course, they were served with a little melted butter on the side! But the message of the video stuck with me, not just from a stress perspective but as a reminder of how we all experience change.

We’re stepping into a season of change—the leaves are turning, the air is cooling, and here at I.S. 254, we’re embracing changes of our own. Just this past Thursday, our 8th graders ventured out to Honor’s Haven with Brainpower to mark the start of their senior year. It was a day full of building connections, and I got to witness so much—students forming tighter bonds with old friends, meeting new ones, and experiencing a mix of emotions: joy, uncertainty, curiosity, and even a little nervousness. Some jumped right into the new experience, while others took a little time to find their rhythm. But one thing was clear—change is here, and it’s through these moments that we all grow.

Inside the building, change is happening too. We had to make some adjustments to better meet the needs of our students, and this meant shifting some spaces around. Our office staff, our speech provider (who had already decorated her room!), and our Parent Association were all relocated to new spots. These moves stirred up a mix of feelings—excitement for some, anxiety for others—but through it all, we are adapting, because that’s what we do when we’re faced with change.

On the teaching side, we’re asking our staff to make changes too. Through our partnership with the Literacy Design Collaborative, we’re shifting how we approach teaching and learning. For years, we’ve talked about it, but now we’re really diving in, shedding old habits and stepping into something new. It’s not always easy, and it can feel uncomfortable at times. But just like that lobster, we’re outgrowing the old shell, and it’s in that vulnerable space where true growth happens. And the best part? We’re all doing this together, as a community, supporting each other along the way.

As John C. Maxwell said, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” Here at I.S. 254, we choose growth. By embracing new strategies and staying open to what’s ahead, we’re not only guiding our students but also showing them how to thrive in a world that’s constantly changing.

As we head into October, let’s continue to embrace these changes, lift each other up, and grow stronger together as a school community.

Looking forward to another grrrrrrrreaaat week of teaching, learning, and loving at I.S. 254!

Warm regards,

Javier Ocampo, Principal

I want to shout out:

• A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the 8th Grade Brainpower Senior Trip a success! From chaperones and organizers to bus drivers, office staff, and parents—each of you played a vital role in making this an unforgettable day for our students.
• Special thanks to all who contributed to making the High School Fair a wonderful experience. Parents wanted it, counselors advocated for it, and high schools were eager to visit us—all of this came together to create a fantastic event for our students and their families.
  
• A huge thank you to the School Leadership Team for a truly wonderful meeting. Your commitment to collaboration demonstrated the power of collective decision-making, with all stakeholders engaging in meaningful discussions. It’s this spirit of teamwork that drives our school forward.
  

Ms. Rivera wants to shout out:

• Mr. Sang & Ms. Yira for organizing the high school fair on Wednesday! Our families and students had an amazing time, and your hard work truly showed.

• Ms. Beltre you are always looking out for me and our school community, and your willingness to jump in and help wherever needed is invaluable. Thank you for being such a dependable team player!
  

• 8th Grade Team Thursday was a success thanks to all of you coming together for the activities set up by BrainPower at Honor’s Haven. It was wonderful seeing our students so engaged and connecting with one another.

• Ms. Rodriguez, your support on Thursday morning was crucial as I prepared for the trip. Thank you for stepping in to assist with the students and families who arrived early.

• Mr. Facey, Mr. Shapiro, & Mr. Western your hard work and dedication to coaching the volleyball team have not gone unnoticed. Thank you for your commitment to our students and their growth on and off the court.

• Soccer Coaches: Mr. Peña, Ms. Saragaglia, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Pedro Silva, & Mr. Kenneth Penaloza It’s been inspiring to see the passion and dedication from both our coaches and players. Thank you for coming together to support such a large group of enthusiastic soccer players. I’m excited to see how the season unfolds.

• Main Office Team for their flexibility and ability to adapt to constant change, despite the challenges, are commendable. Thank you for continuing to serve with grace, love, and passion—I value the work each of you does everyday.

Ms. Brezina wants to shout out:

• Ms. Colon for initiating a rich conversation about standards-based grading, assessment, and student engagement. It’s uplifting to see how deeply you’re thinking about supporting your students’ academic growth.
  

• Mr. Sang for leading the work in planning and organizing our successful high school fair. Our students had a meaningful experience learning about the visiting high schools, and several high schools expressed how impressed they were with our students and community.

• Ms. Bueti for the invitation to collaborate around 7th grade ELA instruction and student engagement. It was wonderful being in your classroom and seeing how you are able to challenge your students’ thinking.

• Ms. Rampersad for working tirelessly to screen and assess our 6th-grade readers in order to provide essential reading support. Your commitment to our students and your ability to get to know and support them is truly inspiring.

• Ms. Liriano for supporting our 7th-grade students and always being willing to step into situations where a student needs help.

• Ms. Castro for developing strong relationships and getting to know our 6th-grade students and their families well. Our 6th graders are fortunate to have you as their anchor of support.

• Ms. Laing for your expertise and counsel in supporting my learning about reading intervention and support services for our students. We are fortunate to have an educator with your depth of knowledge supporting our students at I.S. 254.

• Mr. Peña, Mr. Martinez, Ms. Saragalia, Mr. Batista, and Mr. Penaloza for building and nurturing our new soccer program, creating a valuable and impactful experience in sports participation for many students in our community.

• Mr. Garcia. Your knowledge and understanding of our school community and your ability to support your colleagues and our students all while managing the official business of I.S. 254 with positivity and grace makes everyone who crosses your path on a daily basis better.
  

Ms. Tobin wants to shout out:

• Ms. Colon and Ms. Ortiz for attending the District 10 MLL Professional Learning event to learn more about evidence-based techniques to support our English language learners with literacy.
  

• Ms. Kanhai, Mr. Guzman, Ms. Bridgemohan, and Ms. Ortiz for attending the I.S. 254 D10 Core Common Interim Assessment (CIA) professional learning session—your expertise and dedication are critical to our work as we collaborate to strengthen instructional practices and support student success across our district.

• Thank you, Mr. Martinez, Ms. Ramos, Ms. Vargas, Mr. Pena, and Ms. Feliciano, for graciously welcoming the Teacher Leader team into your classrooms this week. Your openness gave us the chance to witness the vibrant learning environments you've fostered, and we recognize your commitment to creating spaces where students are excited to grow and succeed.

• Mr. Pena, Mr. Miguel Batista, Mr. Kenny, and all staff who supported organizing and hosting our soccer team tryouts. Your time and effort in giving our students the opportunity to showcase their skills and passion for another sport at our school is truly valued!

• Mr. Western, Mr. Facey, and Mr. Shapiro for coaching our girls' volleyball team, and a huge congratulations to the team for their effort in Friday’s game. Though they didn’t take the win, the girls played an excellent game, showed incredible resilience, never gave up, and maintained their sportsmanship throughout. We’re proud of their hard work and determination.

• Mr. Pedro, for his unwavering compassion and constant willingness to support our students, staff, and the entire school community. Your dedication to being there for everyone, no matter the situation, does not go unnoticed. Thank you for everything you do to make our school a better place.

• Shout out to everyone who contributed to the success of this week’s high school fair. Your dedication and effort made it a valuable experience for our students as they begin to think about their future.

• Ms. Rivera for ensuring the ENL department has the resources they need and for being an invaluable thought partner as we work together to support our team with the new curriculum, adapting it to fit our unique 254 style.

• Ms. Straws, for having a productive conversation with some of our 7th graders, providing them with a space to discuss how they can grow and make positive choices moving forward. Your approach to supporting students in a reflective and empowering way is appreciated.

Ms. Liriano wants to shout out:

• A huge thank you to the 7th-grade Team for your support. Together we could accomplish more than what we expected. Your collaboration and insights are key to enhancing our awesome students.
  

• To our magazine 7th graders. They were well-behaved and well-prepared with their folders and questionnaires. They interviewed the High School representatives like they had been practicing for months lol.

• A special thanks to Ms. Bueti for her great heart, and for being a thoughtful Collaborative partner during our High School Fair.

• Mr. Brezina for allowing our scholars to attend the High School Fair and for making it happen.

Ms. Bueti wants to shout out:

• Thank you to the office staff for working hard to make copies, talk to families, always have attendance prepared in the morning and just seeming to get it all done and done well! I appreciate your efforts and how you make the day run so smoothly.

• Thank you, Ms. Liriano, for advocating for 7th grade to attend the high school fair this week. The students loved visiting the high schools and got them excited about their futures.

Ms. Bridgemohan wants to shout out:

• Ms. Bunch for your artistic abilities and helping us make learning for our students more visual.

• Ms. Bueti for your awesome and thoughtful planning.

• Mr. Brezina for your check-ins and words of encouragement.

• Ms. Martinez, for your honest conversations and reflective approach to teaching.

• Ms. Colon and Ms. Saragaglia, for welcoming me into your classroom and keeping it real. :)

• Ms. Straws, Ms. White, Ms. Bueti, and Ms. Vargas, thank you for seeking out of classroom opportunities for our students.

Mr. Valentino wants to shout out:

• Thank you to Mr. Santana for always making himself available with any tech issues during the 8th Grade Delta Math classes. Very much appreciated!
  

Mr. Wilkinson wants to shout out:

• The students of 601 and 606 are so enjoyable to work along side!!

I'm proud to welcome new Superintendent Robert Hernandez to our District. I so happy that Supt. Hernandez is leading the district not just because he is an old HS classmate of mine. He has a proven track record of success with all that he does. His standards are high, and we aim to meet and exceed them.

Events:

• October 1: 6th grade Brainpower Team Building Activity
• October 2: 7th grade Brainpower Team Building Activity
• October 3: NO SCHOOL Rosh Hashanah
  
• October 4: NO SCHOOL Rosh Hashanah
  
• October 7-11: MAP-Growth Diagnostic Administration
• October 11: Brainpower Classroom visits
• October 16: ELA NYC Performance Task Assessments
• October 17: Biology NYC Performance Task Assessments
• October 22-24: All In Learning Common Interim Assessments
• November 14: Afternoon & Evening, Remote Conferences; Morning, In-Person Professional Development
• March 13, 2025: Afternoon & Evening, Remote Conferences; Morning, In-Person Professional Development
• May 8, 2025: Evening, In-Person

Parent Conferences 2024-2025

• November 14, 2024: Afternoon & Evening, Remote Conferences; Morning, In-Person Professional Development
  

• March 13, 2025: Afternoon & Evening, Remote Conferences; Morning, In-Person Professional Development

• May 8, 2025: Evening, In-Person

Marking Period Dates 2024-2025

• November 18, 2024: Marking Period 1 ends

• January 30, 2025: Marking Period 2 ends

• April 14, 2025: Marking Period 3 ends

• June 26, 2025: Marking Period 4 ends

New Parent Coordinator:

• Congratulations Ms. Yira Dominguez - our new Parent Coordinator.

No School on Thursday and Friday:

• October 3: NO SCHOOL Rosh Hashanah
• October 4: NO SCHOOL Rosh Hashanah

Marking Period Dates:

• November 18, 2024: Marking Period 1 ends

• January 30, 2025: Marking Period 2 ends

• April 14, 2025: Marking Period 3 ends

• June 26, 2025: Marking Period 4 ends

Open House Dates:

• invitation to visiting 5th graders from feeder schools on
• October 10th and 24th - 3:30 - 4:45 PM

6th Grade Update:
This week, our 6th-grade team took a deep dive into our students' NYSESLAT data, especially focusing on how we can better support our English language learners. Together, the teachers worked in small groups, discussing strategies to help our students grow in all core subjects. We’re excited to keep this momentum going and can’t wait to connect with our 6th-grade families during the Parent-Teacher Conferences this week to share how we can work together to support your children’s progress!

7th Grade Update:

• ELA: Our 7th graders are diving into poems and articles that explore the theme of belonging. They are working on identifying central ideas and themes, with classes 706 and 707 focusing on close reading. Next week, they’ll start analyzing poems!
• Math: Students are tackling word problems using equations as part of their unit on Ratios and Proportional Relationships.
• Social Studies: Classes 706 and 707 are wrapping up their Unit 0 on map skills and will begin Unit 1 next week. Classes 701-705 are starting Unit 1, which focuses on the migration of the first peoples to the Americas.
• Science: We’re kicking off Chapter 2 of our Unit on Microbiomes next week!
• Spanish: Our students are honing their grammar skills, focusing on nouns and adjectives.

8th Grade Update:
It’s been an eventful and exciting week for our 8th graders! On Wednesday, September 25, we hosted several high school representatives who shared valuable information about their schools. Our students impressed everyone with their thoughtful questions and great participation—IS 254 was well-represented!

The next day, our 8th graders enjoyed an amazing trip to Honor’s Haven in Ellenville, NY. They took part in team-building activities, a refreshing nature walk to a waterfall, and even had some quiet time for reflection. The feedback from our students was overwhelmingly positive!

As always, we encourage you to stay engaged with your child’s progress. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to any member of the 8th-grade team. We’re here to help and will continue monitoring students closely. We’ll also reach out if any concerns arise so we can keep communication open and proactive!

ELA News

• 6th Grade: Our 6th graders have just started reading The Outsiders! They are diving into the story by analyzing the main character's perspective and how they see the world around them.
• 7th Grade: This week, 7th graders are exploring the theme of "belonging" through various forms of writing, including essays, informational texts, short stories, and poems.
• 8th Grade: In 8th grade, we’re continuing our discussion on how racial bias and racism impact the characters in All American Boys. It’s been an eye-opening experience for our students as they connect these themes to real-world issues.

ENL Department News

• 6th Grade TBE (Transitional Bilingual Education): In class, our 6th graders have been working hard on learning fundamental English language skills, focusing on consonant digraphs like "sh," "ch," "ck," "th," "tw," and "ng." Next week, we’ll practice building words and sentences using these sounds.
• 7th Grade TBE: This week, 7th graders are exploring bilingual poetry. They’re learning how to identify descriptive language and use it to express ideas and emotions in their writing.
• 8th Grade TBE: Our 8th graders are excited to begin a new curriculum called English 3D. This week, they’ll focus on building their vocabulary as they dive into Unit 1.

ENL Strategies for the Week: Here are some of the strategies our ENL teachers are using to help your child improve their English skills in core subjects:

• 6th Grade: Students are practicing listening and repeating, using sentence starters, learning letter sounds, and improving word pronunciation. Teachers are also using hands-on activities and physical responses to make science concepts easier to understand.
• 7th Grade: Sentence starters, checklists for making claims, word pronunciation, and fill-in-the-blank exercises are being used to help students in their lessons. Fun body movement activities are also being used to help students memorize the cardinal directions in social studies.
• 8th Grade: Students are working on identifying vocabulary in both English and Spanish, using sentence frames, and filling in the blanks to reinforce their learning.

We encourage you to ask your child about what they’re learning in ELA and ENL and how these strategies are helping them grow in their language skills!

We had the pleasure of visiting PS 205, where many of our students previously attended, to recruit our next class of future scholars. We're also fortunate to have Ms. Leena, who serves on the PTA for both schools, supporting our community with dedication and heart! 🙂💖💪

Dear 8th Grade Parents/Guardians,

Thank you for your cooperation throughout the high school selection process and for attending our high school fair on Wednesday September 25, 2024. Your involvement is greatly appreciated!

As we move forward, it’s important for both you and your child to understand the high school application process. By now, you and your child should have an idea of which schools you are interested in. The high school application opens on October 1, 2024. Since selections are done randomly, submitting the application early improves the chance of getting into one of their top three choices. I will call to remind you of the submission deadline.

The High School selection process marks the beginning of your childs high school journey. As we continue this process please remember that high schools will select students based on attendance and academic performance. Make sure your child is attending school every day, that they are on time, and doing well in their core subjects.

At I.S. 254, we are committed to helping your child succeed. Together, we teach, we learn, and we love.

Staff Birthdays

• None this week

This week we are combining 2 simple but powerful exercises. 4-Part Breathing is a very accessible mindfulness exercise that calms your mind and body, shifts you into an alpha brain wave state, and brings you into the present moment. After at least 1 minute of 4-Part Breathing - or however long it takes for you to feel your energy shift - follow up with Self-Declarations, while your brain is in a relaxed receptive state!

Positive affirmations and declarations are a simple but effective practice for everyone, even the most self-assured among us. And here’s the brain science reason why: positive self-talk can actually create healthy new physical neural pathways by increasing activity in brain regions associated with optimism, resilience, and self-regulation.

So take a minute or two throughout your day - perhaps when you wake up, during your lunch break, before bedtime - to declare what you know or want to be true about yourself!