This Week @ PS 88Q

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! For those who celebrated, Happy Diwali! ✨
May this festival of lights bring you and your loved ones joy, peace, and brightness in the days ahead.

We are currently looking for a PAC Chairperson and PAC Team to represent our families this school year.
In simple terms, the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) helps ensure that the voices of our families are heard — especially when it comes to how our Title I funding is used to support students. The PAC Chairperson works closely with the principal to plan parent workshops, share ideas, and encourage family engagement throughout the year.

If you enjoy connecting families, sharing ideas, and helping shape our school community, this could be a great opportunity for you!

Please join me for Coffee and Breakfast with Mrs. O’Shaughnessy on
Monday, October 27th at 8:30 a.m. in the cafeteria.
We’ll enjoy some coffee, conversation, and I’ll also share information about our Title I program and PAC elections. PAC elections will take place at October's PTA Meeting.

I look forward to seeing many of you there — it’s always wonderful to connect in person!

On behalf of the I.S. 93 school community, I am pleased to extend an invitation to your 5th graders to visit us for an in-person school tour and information session as families prepare for the middle school selection process.

We will be hosting PS 88Q 5th grade students and families during school hours and two dates in the evening for all interested students and families. Evening open house dates are advertised through the My Schools calendar.

During school hours

• Monday, October 27th at 9:45 AM: PS 88

• Wednesday, October 29th at 9:45 AM: PS 81, PS 290, and PS 305

Evening hours

Wednesday, October 29th at 5 PM: All interested families

Wednesday, November 5th at 5 PM: All interested families

During the visit, students will have the opportunity to:

• Learn about our academic programs, including Specialized High School (SHSAT) Prep, WIN (What I Need), Civics for All, ELA & Math Intervention Support, and our Dual Language Spanish Program

• Explore our Talent Programs such as Robotics, STEM/STEAM, Art, Music, Drama, Dance, and Stock Market

• Gain insight into student life through Student Government, National Junior Honor Society, Ram’s Rainbow Alliance, and Beacon After-School Program

• Tour key areas of our school building

• Meet our Student Ambassadors, who proudly represent our motto:
  “Pursuing Excellence for a Better World!”

We are excited to welcome visiting students and families and provide a closer look at the rich academic and extracurricular experiences we offer at I.S. 93.

We look forward to partnering with you in supporting students as they take this important next step in their educational journey.

Edward Santos, Principal

Dear Families,

Join us for a virtual middle school event! NYC families with fifth graders are encouraged to attend.

During these sessions we will cover how to explore middle school options, understanding admissions priorities, and how to build a balanced application.

All events are in English, each with interpretation services into different languages. Check the events below to find out what interpretation services will be available at each event.

• October 21, 5pm to 6pm | Event held in English. Interpretation provided in: Bangla, Korean, Spanish, Albanian, ASL
• October 22, 5pm to 6pm | Event held in English. Interpretation provided in: Chinese (Mandarin), Haitian Creole, Urdu, Ukrainian, ASL
• October 23, 1pm to 2pm | Event held in English. Interpretation provided in: Arabic, French, Russian, Uzbek, ASL

How to join:

• Each event will be hosted live on Zoom. Click https://bit.ly/2026MSFallEvents at the event start time and enter passcode 123456# to join.
• Interpretation Services: Find phone numbers for the languages provided at schools.nyc.gov/MS.

Can’t attend, or want to learn more?

• Visit schools.nyc.gov/MS. A captioned recording of the presentation will be available on our website one week after the first event.

All best,

The Middle School Admissions Team

Office of Student Enrollment

• Wednesday, October 15, 2025: Middle School Application Opens
• Monday, November 3, 2025: Deadline to register to test for Mark Twain I.S. 239 (21K239) and District 21 Talent Tests
• Friday, December 12, 2025: Middle School Application Closes
• Wednesday, April 15, 2026: Middle School Offer Release

https://forms.office.com/r/8hczvT3xPa

Dear Families,

We are excited to announce our Fall Costume Parade on Friday, October 31st at 9:00 AM! This is always a highlight of the season, and we can’t wait to see our students’ creativity shine.

Students will exit by grade through the main entrance and parade around the school perimeter counterclockwise, following this route:

• Along Fresh Pond Road

• Down 68th Road

• Across 60th Place

• Back along Catalpa Avenue, entering through Exit 3 (the yellow doors)

Our older students may even get the chance to parade twice around the block!

Families are warmly encouraged to cheer them on along the route or walk with your child’s class. It’s a fun, festive day to celebrate together — costumes, smiles, and community spirit!

If you prefer that your child not participate in the parade, please complete the permission slip that will be sent home on Tuesday, October 21st or the link below

We look forward to a wonderful morning full of joy and creativity!

What a fun way to kick off the fall season and Halloween! Join us for our Special Fall Concert featuring talented student musicians from our Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday band groups.

🕔 Doors open at 5:45 PM
🎵 Show begins at 6:00 PM

Come enjoy an evening of music and celebration with our amazing students — we can’t wait to see you there!

P.S. 88Q is proud to be a Title I school, which means we receive additional federal funding to help ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education. Title I funds allow us to provide extra resources, academic support, and enrichment programs—including many of our afterschool opportunities—that directly benefit our students and families.

Our school’s Title I status is reviewed each year based on lunch form submissions. Even if your family does not qualify for free or reduced lunch, completing the lunch form helps us maintain our Title I designation and the important funding it brings.

Please take a moment to complete the form today:
👉 https://www.myschoolapps.com/

Your participation makes a big difference for our entire school community!

P.S. 88Q is seeking a Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Chairperson for the 2025–2026 school year!

As a Title I school, we receive additional federal funding to support student learning. The PAC Chairperson plays an important role in representing the voices of our Title I families. This parent leader works closely with the principal and school leadership team to:

• Share input on how Title I funds are used to support students and families

• Help plan family engagement activities and workshops

• Communicate important information about Title I programs and rights to parents

If you are passionate about family involvement and want to make a difference in our school community, please consider joining us as our next PAC Chairperson!

Interested? Contact Mrs. O’Shaughnessy @ loshaughnessy@schools.nyc.gov or our Parent Coordinator, iperezlopez@schools.nyc.gov for more information.

Elections will be held at our Title I Meeting, on October 16th. Please see attached information.

PS88Q PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATION | IMPORTANT PTA UPDATES

PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED—THIS WEEK!
We could use a hand, parents—please consider volunteering for one of our shifts during Fall School Pictures on Wednesday and Thursday October 22-23, and/or for Fall Caring Closet on Saturday October 25. (See full details in the next section.)

[BUTTON 1: Volunteer – Fall School Pictures (Wed/Thu); BUTTON 1 URL: http://bit.ly/SchoolPictures2025]

[BUTTON 2: Volunteer here for Caring Closet (Sat); BUTTON 2 URL: http://bit.ly/FWCaringCloset2025]

EVENT: Fall School Pictures – Wednesday, Oct. 22 & Thursday, Oct. 23
It’s time for Fall School Pictures! This takes place during the school day on Wednesday, October 22, and Thursday, October 23. (Your child’s teacher will let you know the day and time.) We need help! We have volunteer time slots available: 8:30a-11:30a, or 11a-2p. If you are available for a full day, you can volunteer for both slots. Come join us!

Volunteer here: http://bit.ly/SchoolPictures2025


EVENT: Caring Closet (Free Fall Clothing & Costumes) – Saturday, Oct 25
Our Fall Caring Closet is on Saturday form 10a – 1p. Caring Closet a free ‘shopping day’ open to the PS88 and Ridgewood communities, offering gently used fall/winter clothing and accessories for all ages—including Halloween costumes!

We have volunteer time slots available: Set up (8a-10:30a), Morning Shift (11a-1:30p), or Afternoon Shift (1p-3:30p). Come spend a couple hours and help us sort, organize, and help others find the clothes they need.

Volunteer here: http://bit.ly/FWCaringCloset2025

MEETING: PTA General Meeting –Thursday, Oct 30 | 6–7 PM
Please join us at our October meeting! You will be able to vote on important SLT and PAC Elections and we'll talk about building the year’s events based on what you said matters most. Learn more about the SLT and PAC elections below. Note: This will be an in-person only meeting

• RSVP & Add to Calendar: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ps88q-pta-general-meeting-oct-30-tickets-1844297596759?aff=oddtdtcreator
• School Leadership Team (SLT) Elections: Learn more
• PAC Elections: Learn more

Join the PTA WhatsApp group! https://chat.whatsapp.com/ILNl02KhJQb3mcy8C9Gb63

Dear Families and Colleagues,

October is National Bullying Prevention Month—and at New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), we are continuing to take important steps to promote respect in every classroom across every borough.

We recently launched a student-led anti-bullying campaign as part of NYCPS Cares. It’s called Kindness over Bullies, and it builds on our Respect for All (RFA) initiative to ensure all members of our school communities treat each other with care and compassion.

Through the campaign, we are encouraging schools to distribute a Respect and Accountability Pledge, which students can sign to commit to:

• Treating others with respect, whether in person or online.
• Helping create an inclusive school environment.
• Reporting bullying to caring adults, such as their school’s Respect for All Liaison (contact information for RFA Liaisons can be accessed via our “Find a School” tool).

This campaign is one of many ways we are building safe and welcoming school communities. Our Anti-Hate Hotline can be used by anyone in the NYCPS community to report incidents of bias. Our social studies curricular materials, including Hidden Voices, help students appreciate the diverse communities and cultures that make up our city. Combined with Kindness over Bullies and Respect for All, these resources send a clear message both this month and year-round: At NYCPS, respect is a top priority.

In partnership,

Melissa Aviles-Ramos

Chancellor