PS3 Newsletter #6

Dear PS 3 Families and Staff,

As we settle into October, our school community continues to grow stronger each day. Classrooms are buzzing with learning, students are building friendships, and we are enjoying the many opportunities to come together as a school community.

Thank you for your partnership and support as we continue to make PS 3 a place where every child feels known, valued, and connected.

We are excited to share that Recess Clubs will begin next week for students in grades 2-5!

Thank you to all of the students and families who completed the interest form. We loved seeing the excitement and enthusiasm for the many club offerings.

Families will receive information about their child's club placement in the coming days. Please keep an eye on your email for details specific to your child.

We can't wait to see students explore new interests, connect with peers across classrooms, and enjoy these fun opportunities during the school day!

One of our favorite PS 3 traditions is Community Sing, a special opportunity for students and staff to come together through music and shared experiences.

Throughout the year, we gather as a school community to sing, celebrate, and strengthen the sense of belonging that makes PS 3 so special. This year, we are excited to invite families to join us by grade level based on feedback we have received from the PS3 community.

For our first Community Sing of the year, we are pleased to welcome 3K and Pre-K families to join us on Friday, October 9th in the Auditorium at 8:30 am. We look forward to sharing this joyful experience with our youngest learners and their families.

Earlier this week, our Kindergarten through 3rd Grade students had the wonderful opportunity to meet author and illustrator Shawn Harris.

Students were engaged, inspired, and delighted as Shawn shared his work and creative process. The visit sparked curiosity, excitement about reading, and conversations about storytelling that continued long after the event ended.

A special thank you to everyone who helped make this memorable experience possible for our students, especially Mallory.

Thank you to the many families who have already returned their blue emergency contact cards and media consent forms.

If you have not yet submitted these forms, please do so as soon as possible. Having up-to-date information helps us ensure the safety of our students and allows us to celebrate and share the wonderful learning happening throughout our school community.

Thank you for your prompt attention to these important documents.

October is filled with opportunities for learning, connection, and community. We are grateful for the partnership of our families and look forward to all of the experiences that lie ahead.

Thank you for being such an important part of PS 3.

• No School: Monday, October 12

• 4th Grade Family Morning: October 14

• PTA's Fall Fest Celebration: October 17

• 3rd Grade Family Morning: October 20

• Kindergarten Family Morning: October 21

• 5th Grade Family Morning: October 22

• 1st Grade Family Morning: October 23

• PS3 Halloween Parade: October 30

With gratitude,

Hillary Casado, Principal
Susannah Plunkett, Assistant Principal
Rebecca Boyd, Assistant Principal

hillary.susannah.rebecca@ps3charrettenyc.org

Please stop by the cafeteria and check for your children's belongings!

Dear PS3 Families,

As you may know, District 2 is exploring whether to expand Lower Manhattan Community Middle School (LMC) into a 6-12 school, keeping students in one building through high school. A working group of parents, LMC's principal, and district staff is gathering data to bring to the DOE — and your input is a critical part of that case.

We'd be grateful if you could take 5 minutes to complete this short survey by October 19th: https://forms.gle/bt3RZEiu9ZPH43A97 (also below)

Please have one household member complete the survey so we get an accurate count.

Your responses will directly shape whether and how this expansion moves forward, so we want to hear from as many families as possible.

Thank you for taking the time,
LMC Expansion Working Group

Many parents have requested that both parents receive notifications from our school. Please fill out this form if you would like additional members in your family to receive school wide communications!

Isabel is a joyful, creative, and vibrant student who brings so much warmth and energy to PS3! She loves fashion, art, going on fun adventures, and spending time with her loved ones. Isabel also has Down syndrome, which means she was born with 47 chromosomes instead of 46. While it makes her unique and means she might learn in a different way or need a little extra time, it doesn't change who she is or stop her from doing hard things.

Outside of her creative passions, Isabel loves animals, going on fun adventures, and spending quality time with her family and friends. Known for her kind, caring nature and her great sense of humor, she has a wonderful talent for making the people around her laugh. Isabel is also incredibly determined and positive. She works hard, keeps getting better at everything she tries, and shows us all that with a bright attitude and a big heart, you can tackle hard things.

Isabel reminds us how wonderful it is to celebrate what makes everyone unique. We are so proud to have her in our school community and excited to celebrate her this week!

If you know PS 3, you know JB! For the past four years, SSA Jean-Baptiste, affectionately known as JB, has been much more than a School Safety Agent. She is a protector, a familiar smiling face, a singer, and an important part of our PS 3 family.

JB says the best part of her role is keeping our children safe, having them look up to her, and knowing she has found her purpose. What brings her the most joy is seeing the smiles on our students’ faces and watching them grow from shy faces on the first day of school into children who feel like family.

PS 3 has become a home for JB, too. She shared that she truly understood how special this community was when PS 3 families surrounded her with love and support during one of the most difficult moments of her life. Inspired by her mother’s strength, perseverance, and deep belief in education, JB brings that same sense of love and care to our children each day.

And, of course, keeping us safe isn’t JB’s only talent! A singer at heart, she first shared that side of herself at Community Sing, one of her favorite PS 3 traditions. She loves sushi, Dirty Dancing, the color purple, and says her favorite place in NYC is simply home. Funny, serious, approachable, and loving, JB is all of those things and so much more.

We are so grateful that JB found a home at PS 3, because PS 3 simply wouldn’t be the same without her. 💜

Maria V

Leilyn V

Zoe G

Arta N

Leopold Z

Spider ES

Jaxon R

Mika C

Eric B

October Birthdays

Lauren H.

Maeve

Annie

Lisa

Jaime

J.B.

Catherine B.

Something wickedly wonderful is brewing at PS3! Join us for Fall Fest on October 17 from 1-4 PM in the cafeteria and gym for autumn-inspired crafts and games, spooky snacks, the legendary Haunted Glen, and so much more—it’s sure to be a spook-tacular time!

From 1-1:30 PM, we’ll have a Sensory-Friendly Session for kids who need a quieter, calmer, less crowded experience; if you don’t need this accommodation and have flexibility, please join us at 1:30 PM to help us keep this time intentionally low-crowd.

Volunteers wanted! Click here to sign up for a shift and help make Fall Fest a real treat!

Arrival / Dismissal map

Attendance Form

PS3 2026-27 School Calendar

Staff Directory

DOE School Calendar

DOE Lunch Menu

PS3 Family Handbook

School Nurse Email

Love Us Back!

...By Helping Us Shine Online! 🌟
We’re proud of the vibrant, caring community we’ve built at PS3, and we’d love your help sharing that with others! If you’ve had a positive experience at our school, please consider writing a review online. Your voice helps reflect the heart of our school and supports future families in getting to know us.

Thank you for being part of what makes PS3 so special!