Principal's Message

P.S. 32 Fall 2022 Newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome back!

Cozy sweaters, colorful leaves and crisp autumn air are some of the many things we love about fall. We are happy to share a few of the many exciting programs and events here at P.S. 32.

Upcoming Kindergarten Field Trips:

 Week of 10/17 Each class will be taking a trip to the library (each class on a different day)

 On Friday, 10/28 the Kindergarteners will be traveling to Decker Farms for Pumpkin Picking, and will learn about colonial life.

 Week of 12/9 Each Class will take a trip to Cutest Cookie coincides with their Gingerbread unit.

1st Grade Field Trip Pumpkin Picking First grade will be taking a field trip to Green Side Up to pumpkin pick on Tuesday 10/18 and Wednesday 10/19.

5th Grade Timeline:
There are many exciting things for our 5th graders to look forward to…here are just a few: November is our PS32 Thanksgiving parade. Our fifth grade theme will be: Native Americans In December, we will be having “cookies and cocoa” after our Winter Festival March will include our Middle school trip/show – Date & Time TBA During April & May we will have our Senior Trip & Field Day June will bring the following activities: Breakfast & Yearbook Signing which will include a DJ & slideshow presentation; 5th Grade Student vs. Staff Kickball game, and Graduation (to take place early June, Date/Time TBA!)

Graduation Reminders:

-Black and white attire for the ceremony in the School yard

-We will collecting baby pictures and Kindergarten pictures for yearbook and slideshow. More information will be sent home.

Fun Run
The Boosterthon Fun Run was a huge success! We surpassed our goal by raising over $18,000 for the school. The children were excited to view the daily videos, the word of the day, and were eager to hear about the nightly challenges. The daily incentives kept them motivated and enthusiastic. All in all the Fun Run event was an exciting day for all. Many thanks to Mrs. Mancuso and the PTA for coordinating this wonderful events for our students!

Halloween Mini Walk
The March of Dimes Halloween Parade will take place on Monday, October 31, 2022. The parade will begin promptly at 8:20am for grades 3K-2 and 9:20am for grades 3-5. Students will be walking around the perimeter of the schoolyard. Parents /guardians will be able to view the parade from the perimeter of the schoolyard, behind the fence. In the event of rain, the students will walk around the school gymnasium. Please make sure your children come to school dressed in their costume. No swords, shields, wands etc are permitted as part of the costume. Please send in a change of clothes so that they can change out of the costume after the parade. Permission slips were sent home already. Please make sure you return the permission slip prior to the walk. Many thanks to the PTA for providing crafts for our students school wide and decorating the schoolyard!

Pumpkin Decorating Contest
It’s time for some Halloween creativity! The fifth grade students will have the opportunity to participate in a pumpkin decorating contest. Using a real pumpkin students are encouraged to come up with a funny, spooky, or scary design. Check your child’s backpacks for the rules and directions. Students in Pre-K through 2nd grade will be the judges and join in on the fun. Winners will be announced on Friday, November 1. Be creative! Be original! Be Spooktacular!!

Thanksgiving Parade
Our students will be able to express their creativity through making floats for our Thanksgiving Parade on Wednesday, November 9. Look for details in your child’s backpack soon!
Breakfast with Ms. Spataro
“Breakfast with Ms. Spataro” has already begun. It has been a pleasure meeting with your children. Please be assured that all health and safety guidelines will be implemented. Please see the schedule below:

3-309 & 3-317 October 17
2/3/4-340 & 4-344 October 19
4-311 & 3-319 October 20
4/5-341 & 5-342 October 21
5-343 & 5-345 October 24
5-346 October 26
1-245 & 1-246 October 27
K-140 & K-142 November 1
K-141 & K-241 November 2

Cookies and Conversation
Cookies, Conversation & Fun with Ms. Spataro, Mr. Hahn and Ms. Stentella has begun and will continue through the fall. The schedule is below:
4/5-341 & 4-344 October 18
3-210 & 2/3/4-340 November 1
3-309 & 3-317 November 15
2-203 & 2-204 November 22
2-207, 2-211, 2-209 November 29
4-311 & 4-319 December 13

Crafting Workshops
You are cordially invited to join Ms. Spataro and Mrs. Mancuso for Parent Activity Sessions. These sessions are for Parents/Guardians. We will meet once a month at 9:15 am and the dates are listed below. Not only will we create fun art projects, but you will also have the opportunity to socialize with other members of our school community. We look forward to seeing you there.
Dates:
October 21 February 10
November 9 March 24
December 9 April 28
January 20 May 12

Monthly Parent Support Group Meetings
Please join us for our monthly Parent Support Group meetings. These meetings will be presented by our school Psychologist Dr. Tracy Poon, Parent Coordinator Michele Mancuso, and the occasional guest speaker. These sessions will provide you with resources and helpful tips on how to help your child deal with anxiety, homework, peer pressure, etc. We will meet once a month according to the schedule below. Flyers will go out before each session with more information.

Dates:
October 19 February 15
November 16 March 15
December 14 April 19
January 11 May 17

2 options for joining:
In person (Proof of Vaccination required) at 7:30 am in the PS32 School Library or Virtually at 9:30 am - Join us via “google meet” using your child’s user name. Meeting code: ps32parentsupportgroup.

P.S. 32 will be participating in the following unifying school wide events this year!
Please note the dates below:

October - “Linking together against bullying” - Thursday, October 20, 2022.
Please dress your child in orange. Each student will write their name on a piece of orange paper and we will link them together to create a paper chain which will symbolize our school linking together against bullying.
February - “A Healthy Heart” - Tuesday, February 14, 2023.
Please dress your child in red. With your permission, students will receive a temporary heart tattoo on their hand or arm. They will also participate in a related exercise/learning activity.
April - Autism Awareness - Monday April 3, 2023.
Please dress your child in blue. Each class will be putting blue handprint on a banner to help “light up our school blue for Autism Awareness.”
May- Memorial Day Event - Friday May 26, 2023.
Please dress your child in red, white, and blue. We will be tying a ribbon to our school yard fence in honor of Memorial Day.
We appreciate everyone’s participation in these unifying school events.

School Website
Please remember to check our website, www.ps32statenisland.com for up to date information about our school.

Student Support If your child is in need of any additional support, socially/emotionally, please contact your child’s teacher so that we can provide additional support early on to address his/her needs. If you have any questions or concerns you can also call Mrs. Rosenberg, Assistant Principal, at 718-984-1688 or e-mail her directly at [email protected].

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS
(As per Safekids.org)
Walk Safely
 Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
 Put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
 Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
 Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
 Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
 Join kids under age 12 for trick-or-treating. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, tell them to stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in groups.

Costumes for a Safe Halloween
 Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
 Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
 Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
 When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.

Drive Extra Safely on Halloween
 Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
 Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
 Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
 Get rid of any distractions - like your phone - in your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
 Turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
 Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Be especially alert for kids during those hours.

Acadience

We will be assessing the students in Kindergarten - Grade 2 using the Acadience Reading universal screening and progress monitoring assessment that measures the acquisition of early literacy skills from kindergarten through sixth grade. The assessment is composed of six brief measures that function as indicators of the essential skills that every child must master to become a proficient reader. Which are:

1. First Sound Fluency (FSF): The assessor says words, and the student says the first sound for each word.

2. Letter Naming Fluency (LNF): The student is presented with a sheet of letters and asked to name the letters.

3. Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF): The assessor says words, and the student says the individual sounds in each word.

4. Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF): The student is presented with a list of VC and CVC nonsense words (e.g., sig, rav, ov) and asked to read the words.

5. Oral Reading Fluency (ORF): The student is presented with a reading passage and asked to read aloud. The student is then asked to retell what he/she just read.

6. Maze: The student is presented with a reading passage in which some words are replaced by a multiple choice box that includes the original word and two distractors. The student reads the passage silently and selects the word in each box that best fits the meaning of the sentence

These measures are used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy skills in order to provide timely instructional support and prevent the occurrence of later reading difficulties.

By design, the Acadience Reading measures are brief, powerful indicators of foundational early literacy skills that:

• are quick and efficient to administer and score;

• serve as universal screening (or benchmark assessment) and progress monitoring measures;

• identify students in need of intervention support;

• evaluate the effectiveness of interventions; and

• support the RtI/Multi-tiered model

MAP Testing During the month of October the students of K- 5 (K-2 Math & 3-5 ELA/Math) will take a MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA® on a computer or tablet. MAP Growth is a computer-adaptive test. MAP Growth uses a RIT scale to accurately measure what students know, regardless of their grade level. It also measures growth over time, allowing you to track your child’s progress throughout the school year and across multiple years. Once your child completes a MAP Growth test, they receive a RIT score.

RIT scores have the same meaning across grade levels. If a fourth-grade student and an eighth-grade student have the same RIT score in reading, then they are testing at the same level in that subject. This stable scale allows teachers to accurately measure each student’s academic growth throughout the school year and over time. Teachers use the scores to identify learning areas that their class should focus on, as well as monitor the growth of individual students.

Please note that MAP Growth scores are just one data point that teachers use to determine how a student is performing.

MAP Growth is administered periodically during the school year. Instead of asking all students the same questions, it adjusts to each child’s performance—giving a more accurate measure of what they know. Teachers also receive results right away, which enables them to react more quickly. For sample tests, visit Warmup.NWEA.org.

We are looking forward to a wonderful year of growth and success for all of our students! Please discuss any questions that you have about your child’s performance with their teacher.

Benchmark Assessments:
All students in grades K-5 have been taking Benchmark assessments in various subject areas. These assessments are aligned to our instructional program as well as, the rigorous Common Core Learning Standards. The material that encompasses these assessments are what your child is expected to learn/know by June 2023. Therefore, they will be given the ongoing assessments throughout the year. Your child’s classroom teacher is monitoring progress on an ongoing basis and uses the data from the Benchmark Assessments as a tool to meet your child’s needs.

Recognizing Reading Problems
(Excerpt from Reading Rockets)

Learning to read is a challenge for many kids, but most can become good readers if they get the right help. Parents have an important job in recognizing when a child is struggling and knowing how to find help.
What to look for:
 Difficulty rhyming
 Difficulty hearing individual sounds
 Difficulty following directions
 Difficulty re-telling a story
 Struggles to sound out most words
 Avoids reading aloud

What to do:
One in five kids has a learning or attention issue. Chances are, you know a child with learning and attention issues. Learn more from The State of Learning Disabilities: Understanding the 1 in 5.

Step 1: Meet with your child's teacher
Gather examples of your child's work that reflects your concerns. Ask the teacher for his/her observations and discuss what can be done at school and at home. Stay in touch with the teacher to monitor your child's progress.

Step 2: Meet with the principal and/or reading specialist
If your child's performance does not improve, meet with other professionals in the building to see if there are classes, services, or other interventions available.
Step 3:Get a referral for special education
If you have tried all interventions, request an evaluation. Talk to the principal to schedule this.

Step 4: Get an evaluation
A professional team — which may include a school psychologist, a speech-language pathologist, or a reading specialist — gives your child a series of tests and determines whether s/he is eligible to receive special education

services.

Step 5: Determine eligibility
If your child is found eligible for services, you and the school develop your child's Individualized Education Program

(IEP), a plan that sets goals based on your child's specific learning needs and offers special services like small group instruction, tutoring, and assistive technology. If your child is not eligible, stay involved and keep talking to the teacher about your child's progress. You can also turn to private tutoring for extra support.

I look forward to a productive and successful school year!
Nancy Spataro Principal