O Happy Day.

 Happy New Year friends....just want to share something good
           The holiday break was spent quietly at home. It was lovely and restful. The week also included a few high points; Christmas Day, a drive to Grandma's house for dinner, a Canadian circus troupe called Cirque Eloize* from Montreal at the NYU Skirball Center**, and  today, New Year's Day, venturing out for brunch at B.B. King's Club*** to see and hear The Harlem Gospel Choir****.
            Now, you may know my husband, Richard Jean, who played guitar at PS 10 Rocks; I am certain you all know of Emily,our daughter ,who at 15 yrs old is 4 inches taller than me, and for the sake of my story, however redundant, autistic.
          Through TDF, I purchased our general seating tickets to B.B. King for Gospel Brunch, knowing that we might have to stand on line outside on 42nd St. for some time. That is not always easy with Emily. When we got there, Rich and Em got on the line outside, a half hour before the show, while I ran to will-call. While at the the box office, I mentioned that my daughter was autistic, well behaved,and that she loved music. 
        Within a  minute, I was told that it wouldn't be a problem and the gentleman asked if I would like to bring my family in now. I thanked him profusely, ran to the line and eagerly signaled them to come now. Holding Emily's hand tightly, Richard whisked them through the velvet ropes. A moment later we were standing in the club and immediately led to a beautiful circular booth close to the stage. There would be no obstructions and no one behind us so that if the spirit hit her, Emily could stand and dance. So my family sat ringside, nestled in our perfect place, waiting for the club to open and the house to fill up.
           Everybody has something, but families with kids who are disabled, live in a separate world. We are often shut out of activities.We fear social retribution if our kids do something odd, so we pick our outings cautiously and with great consideration. I am so proud of my daughter for how mature she has become. It gives Richard and I great pleasure to share the rich culture of our beloved city with her. Sights, sounds, art, music, dance, foods from around the world, are all language that we have in common. These are the ways we can teach and enrich her. These are the joys we can share.
          Thank you to the management and staff at B.B. King for how you made us feel welcome. Thank you for understanding and going out of your way to accommodate us. We had a great time.
          In July, Emily will turn 16. We are planning a trip to Europe for her Sweet Sixteen. We plan on sharing the world with her. Today, we got one step closer.


 *  www.cirque-eloize
** www.nyuskirball.org
*** www.bbkingblues.com
**** www.harlemgospelchoir.com

Don't Tread on Windsor Terrace

Finally something to break  me out of my writer's funk. Just make me mad enough and my fingers get to tappin those keys.

I always read the Real Estate section of The Sunday NY Times first. It's kind of like a game to me. Where are the biggest sales, where can I find that big fantasy Victorian with the wrap-around porch for a few hundred thousand....I did say fantasy. Well this Sunday, Dec.8th 'Living In' article featured Windsor Terrace. I was so excited! Then I read the title: 'Less Way Station, More Destination'; a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one. The article may as well  have been titled ' Windsor Terrace, Live There if You Have To'.

Read 'The Schools' paragraph> the only elementary school mentioned was PS 130. Now, if I am correct, PS 154 is named 'The Windsor School'; how could this reporter miss that.....not to mention, PS 10 was no where to be found. We have always served Windsor Terrace families. We are proud to be an 'A' school for 3 straight years, which is attractive in a newspaper article. More importantly, people want to move to a neighborhood with good schools.....what are we, chopped liver?

I immediately wrote a letter to the Times Real Estate Section. If  you feel the same way, you should also write. Here's mine:

Please forward to the Real Estate Editor:

I have been a home owner in Windsor Terrace, Bklyn for the last 17 years. Not unlike other transplanted residents, I had lived in Park Slope for 18 yrs prior. I am slightly offended by the misconceptions offered by the reporter who wrote The Sunday Dec. 8th 'Living In' page about our beautiful neighborhood entitled 'Less Way Station, More Destination'. The aforementioned (and might I say lackluster) title proves to me that this reporter has little knowledge of the people or lifestyle in our quiet little enclave.

Windsor Terrace is filled with writers, artists, educators and big business New Yorkers who decided to raise children in a peaceful, residential corner of NYC. Last time I clocked the drive, it was 7 minutes to Wall Street through the nearby Battery ( Hugh L. Carey) Tunnel. Most of us own cars and can actually park on our own streets. When we city dwellers wake up in the morning, we hear the beautiful sound of Canadian Geese flocking in formation to Prospect Park. We smell Wisteria in the breeze. During summer months,neighbors offer each other raspberries, figs and peaches from their own gardens. The Vanderbilt playground was completely rebuilt and reopened last year. It's beautiful and filled with kids every day.

I am particularly offended by the schools section. PS 130 is only one of the local elementary schools. PS 154, aptly named The Windsor School, is a beautiful, clean, safe, neighborhood school...smack in the middle of  W T. Why no mention? As well as the highly considered PS 10 Magnet School, located at 17th street and 7th Ave., an 'A' school three years running, serving many Windsor Terrace families. There is also PS 230 which has the longest running 'Gifted and Talented' program in district 15.

Finally, I purchased my home in 1997 for $194,000. Just a few weeks ago, a house a few doors down, sold for 1.3 million.

Please consider printing my letter, not for me; but for those house hunters who  want  'A Great Place to Live Large in a Small Section of  NYC'.

That would be the title of my article.

Sincerely,

Madeline Seide

Proud resident of 11218

"We answer to an even higher authority......."

So as  time passes, I hope you're becoming more comfortable with the routine.  Just when we get started, here comes a three day weekend-Columbus Day Monday, Oct. 14th, followed  soon thereafter by a half day for professional development-Wednesday, Oct. 23rd (noon pickup).

Sooo, just as said routine gets going, now you're suddenly scrambling for pickup or childcare.

Fact: PTA afterschool will do a double session Oct. 23rd, so you can pickup at 3pm or 6pm.Get in touch with them! They will waive the registration fee for that day if needed. Thank you Charles, Marvin, Velma, Deb and anyone else who made the choice to solve the problem that so many families must contend with. Brilliant.

Some of you were wondering about lost instructional hours.You need not worry about any lost time. If you go to public school, you are always provided with 180 days of instruction.

 From the Chancellor Regulations:
 Provide a school year program calendar that is the equivalent of one hundred eighty

(180) days for each school year. A minimum of

four (4) days shall be for professional

development day for staff. The four (4)

professional development days may be non-

attendance days for students. Providers will

not be reimbursed for services provided

on Saturday, Sunday and on the following legal school district holidays:

Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving Day,

Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day

and Memorial Day.

Now, parents sometimes wonder why we can't have longer recess or add newly suggested programs to the kids daily schedule.

Each grade has a** 'Curriculum Map' to follow, structured by state and city guidelines that comply with NCLB standards for education in America.For ELA, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Phys Ed there are set requirements completed by 12th grade, that make up a Regents Diploma. Take a breath....... simply,we gotta do what we gotta do. But wait, it's not all bad news.....we add arts and enrichments.
Then again, there's always NYC. Our kids are enriched just by walking down the street. You're raising New Yorkers, culture is everywhere. Best backdrop ever.


** Check it out:
http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/CommonCoreLibrary/ForFamilies/UnderstandingCC/default.htm

Week 2

Two weeks in, we have gotten off to a pretty smooth start. With that said, we did hit some bumps in the road.

I am awed by the new kindergarten families; from day 1 they have proceeded to class each morning, dropped off the kids and headed out without turning back. As a result, the kids are adjusting beautifully. We haven't won over everyone (yet)...but they'll come around soon. A good test of how well its going for your child, is to look at their face at the end of the day. When you pick them up if they seem happy, all is going fine. We just have to give them time to adjust...and you too.

       Here's some big news!:

•  PS 10 has retained Universal Status for the 2013/14 school year: Lunch is free for all students!

• NO Lunch eligibility applications required

 

 PS 10 PTA After school  is holding 'September Smash' which is ongoing enrollment through the month. Enrichment classes have been added to the program; if you missed signing up for a class you really wanted, try again when winter enrollment starts....usually before December break.

For those working families who may use The Ft. Hamilton Pkwy stop of the F train, The Kingsbay Y at Windsor Terrace picks up kids at PS10 and buses them to the site at Prospect Ave & Vanderbilt Place. 
ywindsorterrace.org/

Dear Banjo;

We will wait for you. Whenever you feel ready to join us, we are here. Your friends are here and will welcome you with hugs and love. Your teachers will circle you with understanding. When you feel sad you can tell us. When you need to be quiet, we will understand. If things get too hard, there will be friends to hug you whenever you need it.  School is like your other family. We are here. We will wait for you.

Love

Your Friend, Ms. Maddy

September

       OMG...it's here already! Time to start another school year. What you need to know:

       School begins for the 2013-14 school year on Sept. 9th for all students. 
       ALL STUDENTS begin at 8:40 AM on Sept.9th
       Morning School for grades 3 - 5 begins on Sept. 18th at 8:00 AM

• Breakfast opens at 7:30 AM
• Breakfast and lunch are FREE of charge
• ALL kindergarten students will be released at 12:00 PM on the first day of school. (Kindergarten students will be served lunch early on all half days)
• Dismissal will be 3:00PM for grades 1 - 5.

      Remember to prepare your kids for the new school year. The night before school starts should be relaxing. Ease your kids into the routine of bathing the eve before as well as preparing clothes, bag lunch, backpack and supplies. It is a good idea to start an earlier bedtime routine this week.

    ARIS Parent Link is your connection to all ELA and Math Exam scores. You need your child's ID number and a temporary password to get started. Please contact either Carolyn Ramirez or me, and we'll get you up and running.

Are you excited?! We can't wait to see you next Monday morning!      xxxooo Madeline

Trying to Crack the Code.

This has always been a touchy subject, but every year around this time families seem so anxious about the school year ahead. Parents who have been with us, still wonder who their child's teacher will be next year.

 Ms.Scott begins organizing the number of classes needed to create each grade in the late spring, along with who will teach each class. She must take into account which teachers are leaving or retiring, how many academic intervention teachers are needed, and how to serve every special needs student. Add to that, teacher preferences* and how many new teachers to hire, to round out the daunting task of organization.  The final report card offers you only an ATS** code to indicate what class your child will enter in September.

So, how are students placed?

From kindergarten on, as the year comes to a close, teachers fill out 'Pinks and Blues'. As you can assess, pink represents girls, blue for boys. These forms offer reading and math levels, as well as teacher comments and overall impressions of the student's strengths and weaknesses. Ms. Scott then tries to place the student with the teacher that will provide him/her with the proper support and guidance. The colors (pink,blue) come into play when building the class; the idea would be to balance the boy/girl ratio as best possible.

The teachers are in a heated race to finish paperwork and complete final report cards. At this time, a teacher does their best to describe each student's best placement scenario, without knowing who of their colleagues are slotted to teach the following grade. They may also have to consider which students will not move to the next grade. This struggle includes looking for progress during the year by gathering the student portfolio of work, and of course, talking to those families to come to the appropriate conclusion for the sake of their child's education.

Carolyn Ramirez, our Pupil Accounting Secretary, makes sure student numbers do not exceed the cap number per class (25 in K, 32: 1st - 5th) and still make sure there is a balanced boy/girl ratio. As the numbers grow in each new class, some room must be left for new incoming zoned students on each grade. Every year this number grows. During summer months, 'walk-ins' come from other schools, every state and many countries as well. Families may come to register for the first time with 3 children.

In the summer months, a hiring committee of teachers comes together to interview, with the intent to hire new teachers. Every resume is carefully considered, not just for experience and educational credits, but to see who will be a great addition to our community. The process is taken very seriously. For instance, A new teacher with no prior classroom experience would not be hired to teach a testing grade. Personally, I think Ms. Scott has great intuition in this area. There have been terrific hires during her tenure. However, it doesn't end there. For 10 yrs. I have been witness to this process. I am the last person to leave in the summer, usually mid August (customer service, walk-ins, last letters to go out, answering phones). When I return in the beginning of  September, there are always new teachers hired in the last 2 weeks before school. Teachers get married and move away, or few may decide not to return from maternity leave. Surprise!

So in the end, it is best to write in a class code on the final report card for the following school year. When you return in September, you may see an old teacher or a new teacher or even a teacher who you know, but never expected to teach that grade. Throughout a child's school career they will encounter teachers that they like and don't like, some who are no nonsense, some who may be more effective than others. This is the case in any school. You may not be able to make the choices for them. They must learn to navigate different circumstances and still succeed. In Middle School and beyond this will be the expectation.
For that reason, classroom and teacher assignments remain one of life's great mysteries...until September 9th, that is.

*  Every year, teachers choose 3 different teaching assignments for the following year, in order of their preference. Every other year, one of those choices must be granted.

** An  internal accounting system used throughout the DOE .