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Contact us
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P.S. 196 Grand Central Parkway School
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Mrs. Hughes, Principal |
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Maria Romero &
Lisa
Feinstein
P.A. Co-President |
| Ellen Maurer,
Parent Coordinator |
| 71-25
113th Street |
| FOREST HILLS, NY 11375 |
| Phone: (718) 263-9770 |
| Fax: (718) 575-3934 |
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Translations
June '08 Principal's Newsletter
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LOST AND FOUND |
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Please be sure to check our Lost and Found bins on the main floor.
There are many unclaimed items of jackets, sweaters, hats, and
gloves.
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ATTENDANCE |
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Your
child can earn a 100% Attendance
Certificate and ribbon every month. Excellent
attendance is important for your child’s success in school.
Remember: A missed day of school is a missed day of
instruction. Your support in this matter is greatly appreciated.
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Summer Reading
Please make sure your
children continue to grow as readers to ensure their
continued success. The following is a recommended list of
authors:
For our youngest readers:
John Birmingham, Shirley
Hughes, Arnold Lobel, Bryan Barto, Mem Fox, Anthone Browne,
Rosemary Wells, Eric Carle, Charlotte Zolotow, Vera B.
Williams, Bill Martin Jr., Jeanne Titherainton, Kevin
Henkese, Donald Crews, Frank Asch, Peter Sis, Brian
Wildsmith, Lois Ehlert, Tana Hoban, Leo Lionni, Robert
Munsch.

For our more independent readers:
Patricia Polacco, James
Howe, Eve Bunting, Bynthia Rylant, Nikki Giovanni, Eloise
Greenfield, William Steig, Patricia Reilly Giff, Gail
Gibbons, Joanna Hurwitz, Byrd Baylor, Barbara Cooney, Jane
Yolen, Robert Kimmel Smith, Louis Sachar, Beverly Cleary,
Patricia McLachlan, Jon Sciezka, Paula Danziger.

For our more mature readers:
Lois Lowry, Gary Paulsen,
Gary Soto, Avi, Jerry Spinelli, Paula Fox, Lawrence Yet,
Katherine Patterson, Natalie Babbit |
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P.S. 196
THE
GRAND CENTRAL PARKWAY SCHOOL
71-25 113TH Street
Forest Hills, New York 11375
(718) 263-9770 FAX (718) 575-3934

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Mary Hughes |
Susan
Migliano |
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Principal |
Assistant Principal, I.A. |
June, 2008
Newsletter
Dear
Parents and Community Members:
Amid the everyday hustle and bustle of our busy school year,
sometimes it is easy to overlook the sure and steady
enhancements we constantly make to our school community. Yet
over the last two years especially, we have made ongoing
investments in talents, time and resources to help build a
stronger community of life-long learners who will one day
take their places as leaders within our society and as
exceptional citizens of the world at large.
Our students, parents, and staff have diligently worked
together to provide the initiative and support needed to
sustain and build upon our past successes. As we near the
end of the academic year, it seems fitting that we should
look back at some of the projects and programs we might all
rightfully deem as our collective accomplishments:
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We are
proud to note that our school received a
“Well-Developed” score on our Quality
Review Report and an “A”
on our 2006-2007 Progress Report.
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To help
maintain this high proficiency, we now provide ongoing,
in-house professional development to make teaching more
individualized. |
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Our
commitment to Arts education is greater than
ever, with the introduction of a new music teacher and
the expansion of our Horizon Concerts, which help
develop a rich appreciation of classical music in all
our students. |
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Not to
overlook any aspect of our children’s health and
well-being, we have increased the number of gym periods
each week so that our children now meet or exceed all
state physical education requirements.
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To be
sure each of our students, at every level, has the best
opportunity to progress, we hired part-time teachers for
push-in and pull-out small group instruction for
children with special needs.
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With
improved literacy as a clear focus across our entire
school system, our school community continues to
emphasize monthly Focus Books to build community
and enrich our children’s knowledge in this field.
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To
enhance our students’ entire school experience and
further guard their health and safety, we hired an
experienced teacher, part-time, to help out and to
supervise the children’s lunch hours.
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Recognizing the increased role technology will have in
our children’s lives going forward, we purchased new
computers for the classrooms, as well as Smart Boards to
enhance the learning experience.
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For the
upper grades, we purchased a new program, Science
Foss Manipulative Kits that engage our students
in inquiry-based science at a much deeper level.
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In
response to the wonderful diversity of our
multi-cultural community, all important parent
communication is now translated into several languages
to serve all families equally.
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Bi-Annual Class literacy festivals with parents and
students now celebrate our students’ writing.
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In
acknowledgement of the greater emphasis our school
system now places on standardized test results, we
implemented a very well received Saturday Test
Prep School for parents and children in grades
3, 4 and 5 to help them be more successful on the
state tests. More than 400 parents and students have
participated. |
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This
May, Seymour Simon, an author of numerous
non-fiction children’s books, visited our school to
reinforce this literacy message across multiple grades.
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To the
same end, this year’s edition of our prize winning
school magazine, the Grand Central, will
include translated student writing and feature our
students’ poetry. |
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We
continue to enrich our literacy program through in-house
collaborations with Teachers College staff developers
and through conference days at Columbia University.
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Beyond
literacy alone, we have both our annual Literacy Day and
Family Math Games Fair to celebrate our
children’s skills in these key curriculum areas.
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For
those preparing to join the upper grades, we now host a
third grade tour for children transitioning from early
childhood, to help them better anticipate and embody the
changes they will encounter as they move up.
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Our
children have entered several citywide contests and some
of our students have received citywide recognition for
their abilities. |
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Our
winter and spring concerts now showcase the talents of
our instrument-playing students from all grade levels.
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Our
chorus continues to provide outstanding entertainment,
not only for our immediate school community but for our
seniors at the local assisted living facility,
Sterling Glen. |
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Our
effort to fully integrate parents into their children’s
school lives now extends to Teachers College in-house
workshops for early-grade parents, all the better to
educate everyone about our reading and writing programs.
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To help
assure the continuity of our high standards and
expectations among all our educators, this year we
initiated celebratory New Teachers’ Breakfast to
share successes and goals for each upcoming year.
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And
last, but not least, we continue to upgrade and beautify
our school facilities, both inside and out, enhancing
our students’ comfort and safety while creating the
environment most conducive to their advancement and
progress. |
As you can
see, our school continues to work hard so that our children
are provided with an exceptional academic education, an
appreciation of the arts and the support necessary to
develop into world class leaders of tomorrow. We go forward
from here. Thank you for your continued support.
June Calendar:
Please note the following important dates:
June 2 Clerical Half Day – All students dismissed at 12:00
Noon
June 4 Fifth Grade trip to Hairspray
June 5 Brooklyn Queens Day – No school for children
June 9 Field Day
June 10 International Night
June 11 Rain Date for Field Day
June 12 Clerical Half Day – All students dismissed at 12:00
Noon
June 17 PA Meeting
June 18 SLT Meeting
June 19 Fifth Grade Moving Up Ceremony
June 20 Staff Luncheon (Sponsored by PA)
June 20 Grade 5 Dance
June 26 Half Day for Students – last day of school
Places to Visit
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Museums
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Libraries and Bookstores
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Parks
and Zoos
A very special thank you for you continued support
throughout this school year!
Very truly yours,
Mary Hughes
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September, 2008 |
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2 |
First Day of School |
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30 |
School Closed Rosh
Hashanah |
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A note about kindergarten registration |
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We will register all kindergarten children.
However, please note, we have been informed
that our school community is being rezoned.
Some of the kindergarten children will be
placed in the refurbished PS 3 in September.
We have NOT been told any other information.
When we learn something new, we will
immediately tell you.
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Citywide Standards of Discipline and Intervention
Measures
You have received the Citywide Standards of Discipline and
Intervention Measures (The Discipline Code from our
Chancellor). Please be sure that you have shared this
important document with your child. |
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Summer Writing
We ask that all students utilize
their Writer’s Notebooks during the summer as a reflection of
how they spent their time. Encourage your children to fill their
writer’s notebooks with:
• Observations
• Reflections
• Feelings
• Questions
• Thoughts
• Memories
• Lists
• Pictures
• Images
• Dreams and Wishes
• Poetry |
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Summer Math
The best ways to keep your
child’s math skills sharp during the summer months are
through games and daily practice. There are many web
sites available with fun games and skills practice.
Playing board games that involve money (like Monopoly)
or math strategies (like Battleship) ensure your
child will be engaged while learning. Also, look for
day-to-day opportunities – like adding up the grocery or
restaurant bill.
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