A Message From Mrs. O'Shaughnessy
I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful Fall weekend. Don't forget, tomorrow school is closed in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day/Italian American Heritage Day.
This first month of school is busy! Busy for our scholars, busy for our families, and busy for our staff. Somedays there doesn't seem like there is enough time in the day to get it all done. Always communicate with your child's teacher, our parent coordinator Ms. Ivett Perez-Lopez, or Ms. Lowe, Ms. Herman and myself if things are overwhelming. We are here to help.
Something I was thinking about this week, which was confirmed by one of our new kindergarten moms, is the transition from Pre-K to kindergarten. Whether you were with us in PreK, or elsewhere, your presence in the school was daily, while dropping off and then picking up. Kindergarten is the wave at the gate, and your little one enters. With the change from parent engagement to virtual, and Back to School Night being virtual, many families are feeling left out. That is what we do not want. Our teachers will host throughout the course of the year opportunities to come into the classroom to participate in various activities, but I wanted to create a time just for our new families, whether your child is in kindergarten, or another grade, at PS 88Q for the first time. What goes on daily is truly amazing. Whether in the classroom, the gym, the music room, the art lab, the coding lab, recess, lunch, the library, or the PBIS store (which our students will be naming), they are learning about every space in the building. I am hoping to see all of our new families at this weeks PTA meeting, and I can show you where your child goes every day! Always remember, reach out to me anytime if you have any questions.
Have a great week!
We Are So Proud of Our Nest Program
This year we were chosen to be part of an amazing program. PS 88Q in one of the 83 schools in all of NYC (elementary, middle and high school) that host this amazing program. This is quite humbling, as there are 1800 schools in the city.
The program serves four students with autism in a classroom with eight general education students. The class is a small Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) class, with one special education teacher and one general education teacher. As students get older, the class size increases. There is no classroom paraprofessional. The act
Our inaugural class, kindergarten, is taught by Ms. Becker, Ms. Agostino and Ms. Prinzevalli. Ms. Baccarella supports the students as does Mr. Canales. Each year, this program will grow, allowing for more opportunities for our students. Our NEST staff take part in professional learning throughout the year, and just this past week, they visited another school in Queens where there are 17 NEST classes. For more information about NEST, click here: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/metrocenter/asdnest/new-york-city
Our Nest Class has been busy! Check them out!!
Check out the amazing
