FALL 2021 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear Parent/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.

October

10/11/21 Indigenous People’s Day – School Closed

10/12 & 13/21 Picture Day

10/13/21 Monthly Parent Support Group Meeting

10/21/21 Crafting Workshop

November

11/02/21 Election day - Fully remote, asynchronous instructional day for all students

11/04/21 Parent Teacher Conferences – Students dismissed at 11:20am

Afternoon 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Evening 4:00pm -7:00pm

11/11/21 Veterans Day – School Closed

11/25/21 & 11/26/21 School Closed – Thanksgiving Recess

11/10/21 Monthly Parent Support Group Meeting

11/18/21 Crafting Workshop

December

12/15/21 Monthly Parent Support Group Meeting

12/16/21 Crafting Workshop

12/24-12/31/21 Winter Recess – School Closed

Fun Run

The Boosterthon Fun Run was a huge success! 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 Friday, October 29, 2021. The parade will begin promptly at 8:20am for grades 3-5 and 9:20am for grades 3K-2. Students will be walking around the perimeter of the schoolyard. In the event of rain, the students will not walk around the schoolyard, however classroom activities will still continue. Parents /guardians will be able to view the parade from the perimeter of the schoolyard, behind the fence. Please make sure your children come to school dressed in their costume. Face coverings are required to be worn by each student. 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 grades Pre-K-4 will

be the judges and join in on the fun. Be creative! Be original! Be Spooktacular!!

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. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!

October 13 9:30am

November 10 9:30am

December 15 9:30am

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:

Oct 4^th 3-K- 143 8:10 am, 125 8:20 am	Oct 15^th 2-203 8:10, 3-210 8:20
Oct 5^th Pre-K- 144 8:00, 145 8:10, 146 8:20	Oct 18^th 3-2/3/4-307 8:10, 3-309 8:20
Oct 6^th K-140 8:10, K-142 8:20	Oct 19^th 4-311 8:10, 3-317 8:20
Oct 7^th K-141 8:10, K-241 8:20	Oct 20^th 4-319 8:10, 4-340 8:20
Oct 8^th 1-240 8:10, 1-243 8:20	Oct 21th 4-344 8:10, 4/5-341 8:20
Oct 12^th 1-245 8:10, 1-246 8:20	Oct 22th 5-342 8:10, 5-343 8:20
Oct 13^th 2-211 8:10, K/1/2-209 8:20	Oct 25^th 5-345 8:10, 5-346 8:20
Oct 14^th 2-207 8:10, 2-204 8:20

Crafting Workshops

You are cordially invited to join Ms. Spataro and Mrs. Mancuso for Virtual Parent Activity Sessions. These sessions are for Parents/Guardians. We will meet once a month on Fridays at 9:30 am. Flyers will go out before each session with more information. We look forward to seeing you there. Please see the tentative schedule below:

October 21 9:30am

November 18 9:30am

December 16 9:30am

School Website

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

Translated Services

Michele Mancuso, Parent Coordinator, sends out a weekly Robo call highlighting scheduled events. Parents will receive the calls in their preferred language. If you require a translator or have any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Mancuso at (718) 984-1688 x2191.

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 jrosenberg1@schools.nyc.gov.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held virtually or by phone on Thursday, November 12, 2021. Teachers will be reaching out to make appointments shortly. Students will have an early dismissal. The schedule is:

Afternoon conferences 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Evening conferences 4:30pm – 7:30pm

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:

First Sound Fluency (FSF): The assessor says words, and the student says the first sound for each word.
Letter Naming Fluency (LNF): The student is presented with a sheet of letters and asked to name the letters.
Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF): The assessor says words, and the student says the individual sounds in each word.
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.
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.
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

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 scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth. Teachers use results to tailor classroom lessons and set goals for students.

MAP Growth tests are unique, and it adapts to your child’s responses to measure your child’s skill level. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of what your child knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below their grade level.

Since MAP Growth tests provide immediate and accurate information about your child’s learning, it’s easy for teachers to identify students with similar scores that are generally ready for instruction in similar skills and topics, and then plan instruction accordingly.

We are truly excited to focus on your child’s individual growth and achievement. For more information about MAP Growth, visit NWEA.org/familytoolkit.

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 2022. 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.

9 STEPS TO COMPREHENSION

(Excerpt from Reading Rockets)

When you read with your child, ask them questions as they move through the book: Why did Mr. Smith do that? How do you think Suzy feels?
Help your child make text-to-self connections. Ask them how they feel about a situation in the book or what they would do if they were the character in the book.
Help them make text-to-text connections. Ask them: What other stories have you read that talk about going on a trip?
Make sure they are reading at their level. A book that is too hard frustrates a child. A book that's too easy doesn't challenge him.
Set aside at least 20 minutes to read every day.
Help your child find books that they enjoy. This keeps them motivated.
Make reading more important than TV.
Model reading yourself. Children need to see parents read for fun.
Encourage writing. Have children write about what they have read or keep a daily journal.

Favorite Kids' Books for Struggling Readers (Excerpt from Reading Rockets)

Children who struggle with reading due to learning and attention issues often need extra encouragement to read for fun. Sometimes finding the "right book" can be just the motivation a child needs:

A graphic novel with a good balance of text and pictures — and page-turning drama
An informational book filled with fascinating photographs, diagrams, and timelines
A picture book biography about a favorite sports hero
A story character that a child relates to
A book series that has familiar characters, story structure, and illustrations
An "easy reader" with a riveting storyline (full of adventure)
An audio book narrated by someone with great flair

Getting the Most Out of Nonfiction Reading Time (Excerpts from Reading Rockets 2012)

Nonfiction books give kids a chance to learn new concepts and vocabulary, as well as broaden their view of the world. Learn how to take a "book walk" with a new nonfiction book and how to model active reading.

Reading together remains one of the most important things adults can do with their young learner. Today, recommendations include reading information or nonfiction books with much more regularity. Nonfiction books present many opportunities to learn new concepts and vocabulary, as well as broaden a child view of the world. Nonfiction books are written differently than picture books in that there are often more pictures, graphics, charts and photographs included within the pages. Parents can ease the transition into more nonfiction reading by encouraging your child to preview a book before reading and to be an active reader who asks lots of questions

Take a "book walk"

One great way to make predictions about an unfamiliar nonfiction text is to take a "walk" through the book before reading. By looking closely together at the front and back cover, the index, table of contents, the glossary, and the photographs or other images, readers can start to get a sense about the topic. This scanning and skimming helps set the expectation for the reading. Take the time to walk through the book before starting to read.

Encourage questions

A second way to develop more understanding with nonfiction books is to encourage your child to be an active reader who asks lots of questions. Parents can model these behaviors by talking or thinking out loud as you turn the pages of the book. This is a helpful way for your child to see and hear what a successful reader does when faced with difficult or unfamiliar topics. For example, "When I looked at this photograph, I asked myself, "Where is Antarctica? Is that the same place as the South Pole?" Then talk together about how and what you would need to do to find the answer to the questions. This will reinforce that many questions can be answered by reading a text closely and by paying attention to captions and picture titles. Some children enjoy writing their questions on sticky notes and working to answer them during the reading.

Previewing a text and asking questions are two terrific ways to navigate nonfiction texts. Enjoy spending more time with some fascinating informational books!

Building Your Child's Vocabulary (Excerpt from Reading Rockets 2009)

Talking to and reading with your child are two terrific ways to help them hear and read new words. Conversations and questions about interesting words are easy, non-threatening ways to get new words into everyday talk. Here are some ideas to get you started.

All parents want their child to do well in school. One way to help your child is to help them build their vocabulary. Beginning readers use knowledge about words to help them make sense of what they're reading. The more words a reader knows, the more they are able to comprehend what they're reading or listening to.

Talking to and reading with your child are two terrific ways to help them hear and read new words. Conversations and questions about interesting words ("The book says, 'The boy tumbled down the hill,' and look at the picture! How do you think he went down the hill?") are easy, non-threatening ways to get new words into everyday talk.

Sharing a new word with your child doesn't have to take a long time: just a few minutes to talk about the word and then focus back on the book or conversation. Choose which words to talk about carefully — choosing every new word might make reading seem like a chore. The best words to explore with your child are ones that are common among adult speakers but are less common to see in the books your child might read.

When introducing new words to your young learner, keep the following four helpful hints in mind:

First, provide a simple, kid-friendly definition for the new word:

Enormous means that something is really, really big.

Second, provide a simple, kid-friendly example that makes sense within their daily life:

Remember that really big watermelon we got at the grocery store? That was an enormous watermelon!

Third, encourage your child to develop their own example:

What enormous thing can you think of? Can you think of something really big that you saw today? That's right! The bulldozer near the park was enormous! Those tires were huge.

Lastly, keep your new words active within your house.

Over the next few days and weeks, take advantage of opportunities to use each new vocabulary word in conversation.

Take the time to share new words and build your child's vocabulary. You'll be enormously glad you did!

I look forward to a productive and successful school year!

Nancy Spataro

Principal

Principal's Message