Welcome to our PS 174 families. Our wonderful families, our concerned families. Safety and security of students and staff is our top priority. Know that we have every precaution in place. Our School Safety Agent Iqbad is here every day, checking IDs and signing in all visitors. Our perimeter is monitored many times each day with Supervisors and borough level agents here daily.
Our staff is trained in emergency responses; we have a NYPD certified School Safety Plan every year. We hold monthly Safety meetings with a committee of dedicated school and community staff and includes our Parent Association president. Every year we hold a Town Hall Safety Meeting that is open to all parents.
The event of last week seems to be an isolated incident.
This news report does not reflect the daily actions around our building. Our school is safe. Our neighborhood is safe. Our children are safe. We have invited
Rachelle Lewis, D0E Director of student services from our Queens South Support Center, NYPD Youth Officer John Maser from the 112th Precinct, Commanding Officer from Queens North, Community Affairs Bureau, Suzanne Catoggio, Supervisor Thomas from Office of School Safety, From our school, Assistant Principal Kerstin Kobetitsch, teacher and UFT Chapter Leader, Richard Niccolich, and our Parent Coordinator, Laura Hui. We are here to listen, to assure, and to communicate.
Making thinking visible by using feedback, questions and prompts Support thinking critically by explaining and citing evidence
Based on feedback from PPO visits from District Administration from School Walkthroughs and Observation Reports from School Quality Guide from staff feedback parent surveys, parent feedback forms
We have five goals, based on the Frameworks for Great Schools
Goal 1 - Rigorous Instruction (ELA)
Goal 2 - Element: Supportive Environment
Goal 3 – Element Collaborative Teachers (Math)
Goal 4 –Element Leadership/Instructional Focus
Goal 5 – Strong Family and Community Ties
Our students are achieving.
Our students are learning.
Our students, our school are excellent!
Let’s be proud!
Look at the three framed certificates in the main entry to our school. This is the public recognition of the hard work and dedication of our entire school……
our teachers,
our staff,
our families, and most importantly,
our students are all being recognized.
We remain the only school in District 28 that has received the as Reward School for academic excellence designated by New York State. This is for schools who “are leading New York State toward the accomplishment of educational excellence through an increase in student achievement and closing the gap in student performance.”
Just look at this school. The halls, the displays, the care that is taken for all of the children and all of the families in our school. Look at the calendars, the websites, and newsletters that are sent home from the teachers, from Mrs. Hui, and from the administration. Each September the results of the School Quality Review and the New York School Survey are published to give us information and feedback on how we can continue to do a better job.
In each of the areas - communicating information,
academic expectations, and sharing ideals of respect and structures for safety – we are working on these goals.
Our School Leadership Team works analyzing specifically the results of the survey and other feedback from our Superintendent as well as other visitors from the Department of Education. We are also looking to all of you for suggestions – written, concrete suggestions, of how we can get better. When we have events, we will be collecting feedback forms. Last week, we signed in over 150 family members for the Dads Bring You Child to School day and another 200 for our Curriculum afternoon – Meet the Teachers. Yesterday started our Lunch and Recess Helpers with 42 volunteers using Signup.com to plan to come over the next few weeks. Today started our Library Tuesdays with families thrilled to be able to check out books and share reading alouds with their children. All of these are as a result of parent feedback and input.
It is important for you to share your ideas, your recommendations, your insights with us – with your PA board members, your School Leadership Team parent members, with your child’s teacher, with Mrs. Hui our Parent coordinator, with our AP Mrs. Kobetitsch and me, your principal.
New Staff
Mr. Pizza our STEM Science teacher in the new STEM Lab.
Mrs. Borga, our certified Physical Education teacher who is joining Mr. Niccolich in our gym where each class now receives PE twice each week.
Mrs. Berg our new Speech therapist, Mrs. Zito is our Special Education Liasion, and Ms. Safran joins our K classes as a special education teacher.
New structures
Free breakfast and free lunch for all students every day.
Our computer lab is open for teacher use with all students in Grades 1-5 programmed for computer time every week – our kindergarten students will also have scheduled time coming soon.
Construction Update
You must visit our new classrooms, Room 126 where music is heard every period in our performing arts studio. I already received a request from fourth grades to dance before class. We will make it happen.
The STEM Lab is magnificent with lab tables and space for activities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Air Conditioning for our Auditorium is already in the design phase. We anticipate that we will have a large, cool space this Spring. Thank you to our New York City Council and Karen Koslowitz.
Special School Programs –
This year, we look to continue with many of our programs such as: our Math Olympiads program, for math problem solving in grades 4 and 5. Each year, we are visited by the Math Club from Russell Sage JHS, including many of our alumni, and the students reflect on their early math instruction. Last year, we started a Math Club where our 174 students came back to do math with our current fourth and fifth grades. We plan to continue this partnership, and to expand it to a Science Club.
Our Scripps Spelling Bee is a highlight of the year, with a Spelling Club meeting and studying to prepare for classroom and then grade level and District 28 competitions. Thank you to the Parent Association for your support of enrolling our school in this every year.
We are planning for continuation of our Young Debaters program, with instruction for all fifth graders in the art and craft of public speaking. We know that our students are eloquent in both speaking and writing, as evidenced by the many, many students who are winning (and continue to win) essay and book contests. For the past six years, our students have won honors in the Citywide Contest – Ezra Jack Keats book making.
New books – we unpacked scores of cartons of materials!
Phonics, handwriting and word study books as well. For six years we have used Simple Solutions grammar books for grades 1-5. This year we have again purchased the books for these grades. This grammar workbook for homework practice assures the basics in sentence structure, verb tenses, word use and writing mechanics. We are hopeful that the students will become automatic in their writing including proper punctuation, word use and verb tense. All of these materials are used to prepare our students for not just elementary, middle and high school, but for college and the 21st century!
These are all connected to the Common Core Learning Standards are being applied to all subject areas, with teachers communicating both individual and grade level goals each month. Our teacher teams and data inquiry groups are working to align both ELA and Math tasks, content and materials as well as math concepts and expectations to the Common Core Learning Standards. You will see these goals, aligned to the standards, updated every month to six weeks for all subjects.
Other Changes…. We know that in the past, our parents were pleased with the afterschool program based on the number of students enrolled in all of these enrichment programs. This week we sent home the After School Offering. Classes are filling up quickly.
Please sign up for the REMIND app…..many of our classroom teachers are using it to share information through one way text messages. Know too that we will also use this app for texts to families who may be waiting at bus stops and need to learn of delays such as weather, maintenance or traffic delays.
Also, please check the school’s Twitter feed for the latest in all of our schools projects, programs, activities and events. Here we have updates on techie tools and toys. We have received a few grants for new and engaging STEM products – OSMOs for Numbers and Coding and Lego Mindstorm Robotics kits are just some examples. Our Donors Choose projects are continually funded – with art supplies, tech toys, books and events. Currently we have 7 posted projects. Many corporate sponsors support public education, as do the very generous families of our school. We know that our families support the efforts of the teachers because they contribute generously – with 4 projects funded this month. Fundraising efforts from you, have supported Arts Education over the past decade. There is a school “wish list” for support for each grade – including dancing and visuals arts for each grade. These experiences have included field trips for students to visit farms, museums and shows. They have also brought the arts experiences to our school with puppets, magic, science and history assembly programs. Support for and from the Parent Association also has brought us visual arts supplies and instruction for our students. I am most hopeful that these efforts will not only continue but expand. Presently we are looking for additional computers, student tablets, and support for our school. Our Grade 5 debaters for the past four at CUNY Law school and aspire to do it again this spring.
Thank you for your support; your generosity; and most of all, for sharing your most precious children with our staff every day. Know that we are here for you………myself, Mrs. Kobetitsch, Mrs. Hui, our Parent Coordinator, and every single one of the teachers and staff of PS 174. You are lucky to have such a group of caring educators and caregivers here on Dieterle Crescent.
Know too, PA members, how great it is to have such a dedicated Executive Board. I present to you, your PA Executive Board.
President Bobby Valente Co-Vice Presidents Malini and Evan Daniel Recording Secretary Jillian Coulton Co -Treasurers David Heath and John You Assembly Coordinator Vanessa Bryant and Janet Yan Editor Yanhai Wan
