A Message From Mrs. O'Shaughnessy
Happy Fall! This past week brought the first day of Fall. The day finally came! Construction has begun. Each day, a little more planning, staging and preparation is visible. The plans are falling into place. It is wonderful to hear the excitement from the students, one even exclaiming, "It is almost done!" I wish that was the case, and we are all along for this journey. I will keep you updated on all progress and details, every step of the way.
Students began taking their beginning of the year assessments this week. What are these assessments? They are simply a way for us to truly understand where each child is, and what each child needs. This data, will be communicated to you, and what our next steps are. Each day, our students have something called a S.O.A.R. block. SOAR stands for Seek Success, Overcome Challenges, Achieve Goals, Reach High. When we began this block back in 2019 (we actually piloted it my first year year 2018-2019 for grade 5). What is the purpose? It is the block where we meet each student where they are. For some, it is extra support in foundational skills, and for others, it is building on their knowledge, and increasing capacity. Basically, this has been, and continues to be our
Theory of Action:
If we create the time, the resources, the interventions and the space for teachers to analyze student data to provide explicit instruction through research based approaches, then students will close gaps in grade level expectations, and increase growth beyond expectations.
During this time, students will be working on math and ela needs.
This practice has proven successful, with our students experiencing enormous growth last year.
I wish all of you a wonderful week!
NEWS FROM THE PTA!
Thank you so much to everyone that attended the first PTA General Membership Meeting of the year and the Swing Back to School event starring Mariella Price! It was a great time!!
Remember YOU are the PTA, and we're looking forward to meeting new volunteers and to making PS88 as vibrant and thriving as possible!
Join our parent email list and take our short survey here: https://forms.gle/giwhAU7FVfjM6FW19
Don't forget to check the PTA page on the website for updates and important information:
https://www.ps88q.com/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2276250&type=d&pREC_ID=2206723
Announcing 2 new parent lead committees:
Parents of Students with Special Needs Peer to Peer Support Group:
This committee will be facilitated by Monica Rodriguez and our Parent Coordinator, Ms. Ivett Perez-Lopez and will meet monthly. It's shaping up to be a truly beautiful initiative for sharing resources, getting support from peers who understand, and helping each other learn and grow. Please email Monica at PTA88.Monica@gmail.com and Ms. Perez-Lopez at iperezlopez@schools.nyc.gov for more information.
5th Grade Committee:
This committee will be facilitated by Monica Rodriguez and our Parent Coordinator Ms. Ivett Perez-Lopez. The schedule, events, and needs will vary but will include a senior dance, senior trips, senior gifts, and fundraising initiatives for those events. Please email Monica at PTA88.Monica@gmail.com and Ms. Perez-Lopez iperezlopez@schools.nyc.gov for more information.
October PTA Events:
Fall Picture Day: Tuesday October 3 and Wednesday October 4 during school.
Parents, here is your first opportunity to volunteer!
Sign up for a volunteer shift here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848ACAB2FA2FDC70-44558512-fall
Caring Closet: Thursday October 12 from 5pm-7:30pm
(We will pause at 6pm so parents can attend the PTA Meeting)
Our goal is to have a monthly Caring Closet where families can pick up and/or drop off gently used clothing and shoes for kids and adults. We're coming up to the cold months, so let's get some warm jackets and clothes for our friends! Please assume the same guidelines you would anywhere you would donate clothes. (Things you could still wear but have just outgrown. No undergarments.)
Sign up for a volunteer shift here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848ACAB2FA2FDC70-44570702-caring
General Membership Meeting: Thursday October 12 at 6pm-6:45pm in person AND on Zoom
You will vote on approving the Budget and ByLaws and we'll be talking about events. It'll be a more standard meeting ... so no band, but feel free to dance anyway!
Parents of Students with Special Needs Peer to Peer Support Group: Wednesday October 18 5:30pm-6:30pm
The first meeting of the year! Email Monica Rodriguez at PTA88.Monica@gmail.com and Ms. Ivett Perez Lopez iperezlopez@schools.nyc.gov for more information.
Email Samantha (PTA88President@gmail.com), Sabita (PTA88Treasurer@gmail.com), and Camila (PTA88Secretary@gmail.com) with any questions or concerns or just to say hi!
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ALL information can always be found on the PTA page on the PS 88Q website:
Google Drive Folder (Minutes, Budgets, ByLaws, other important info for parents):
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-2XbNqg4F1ganwvidWd23byavc5sqiNt?usp=drive_link
PTA Main Calendar:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=cHRhODhwcmVzaWRlbnRAZ21haWwuY29t
Zoom Link for PTA General Membership Meetings:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=cHRhODhwcmVzaWRlbnRAZ21haWwuY29t
PTA General Membership Meeting Dates:
All meetings will take place at 6pm on the 2nd Thursday of the month (unless otherwise noted with a *).
All meetings will be held in person, and will also be on Zoom just in case you need to tune-in virtually.
Any changes to these dates will be made public no less than 10 calendar days before the meeting.
10/12, 11/9, 12/14, 1/11, 2/8, 3/14, 4/11, 5/16*, 6/13
