Local School News

Suddenly, there's a bunch of local school news to report.

First, a petition by some parents against what they are calling the kindergarten waiting list crisis. You can read more about it, and sign it, over at this link: Kindergarten petition

And then there is news on DNAinfo.com that the neighborhood is slated to get two new schools by 2019: 2 New Schools Planned for Forest Hills, DOE Says

Middle School Students Trying to Save Math Team

The Math Team at the Russell Sage Middle School on Austin St. in Forest Hills is in need of donations.

It is a unique group of talented middle school kids with the drive, ambition and dream to compete in math competitions and improve their chances for a future in careers that involve math!

The coaches for this team donate all of their time and work with the team multiple times each week. The team has been an ongoing successful project changing the lives of many middle school kids who credit the team and the coaches for their confidence and success in a world that usually only supports athletic teams.

The math team will donate an hour for every hundred dollars donated to the NYC Food Bank. They believe in paying it forward. They need some financial support to continue competing and getting the word out that there is a place for every talent and gift.

Please click here to make a donation:  Help Russell Sage Math Team

Controversy Erupts at Local School

Some parents at P.S. 101 are up in arms about a teacher's recent reinstatement.

The Daily News covers the controversy here: Queens parents shocked as city reinstates disciplined teacher at Forest Hills elementary school

I'm told that some of the parents will be holding a demonstration in front of the school Thursday morning at 8:30.

P.S. 101Q Goes Back in Time To Celebrate Centennial

The School in the Gardens, P.S. 101Q is celebrating its momentous 100th birthday tomorrow with events that gather school children, alumni, top educators and politicians together for a once-in-a lifetime trip back to May 20,1914 – the day the school first opened its doors as a NYC Public School.

The milestone centennial celebration will begin at 8:30 am Tuesday with an outdoor assembly featuring presentations by NYC Schools Chancellor Farina, Queens Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, and Congresswoman Meng’s office. In a nod to the times, a barbershop quartet will ring in the festivities and the day will feature an immersive, entertaining trip to May 20, 1914 for students, community members and alumni. Maypole dancing, soapbox car construction, silent films, mini-museums, and storytelling will offer a glimpse of this special school’s long history.

Ceremony host Monique Paniagua, Principal of P.S. 101Q proudly states, “Confucius once said, ‘Ifyou think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.’ As we celebrate P.S. 101Q’s centennial, we celebrate 100 years of teaching people and look forward to teaching for the next hundred years. We’ve grown generations of beautiful minds that have changed the world!”

“I want to wish a very Happy 100th Birthday to the School in the Gardens,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. “The school has been consistently high-performing and has a warm, welcoming atmosphere conducive to shaping young minds and preparing our children to lead successful lives and be outstanding contributors to our society. I commend the teachers, administrators and staff members of the School in the Gardens and wish their fine institution many more years of success.”

Illustrious alumni of P.S 101Q include:
Burt Bacharach, 6-time Grammy winner and 3-time Oscar winner
Carroll O’Connor, 5-time Emmy winner
Chieli Minucci, 3-time Emmy winner and Grammy nominated jazz musician
John Cassavetes, Emmy nominated and 3-time Oscar nominated actor and director
William Ryden, Pulitzer-prize nominee for his ragtime compositions

For more information on P.S. 101Q centennial plans, including pictures of the school and students throughout history, click http://alumni.ps101q.org/

Budding Young Filmmakers, Listen Up!

Youth Made Media participants Danny Raba (standing), Yara Babosa (center) and Sameer Khan
Photo By City Parks Foundation 

On Friday, October 18, 2013, City Parks Foundation hosted an open media call at Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center in Rego Park, the Queens location of its Youth Made Media (YM2) program, which offers young people, ages 13 to l9 from low-income communities, a structured learning experience in video and audio production, media literacy, new media, academic support and life skills training. Members of the press were invited to watch teenage participants showcase the many skills they have learned thus far through Youth Made Media, including how to use specialized industry software to create movies, documentaries and narratives. The fall semester of the program will continue through the end of December, and a separate spring semester will begin in January. The program gives inner-city youth the opportunity to express themselves artistically, develop leadership skills, discover their talents and learn how to produce original shows for the Public Access Youth Network.

This fall season of the program, Youth Made Media hired 30 past participants from its summer institute as peer educators. These paid positions, with funding support from The Pinkerton Foundation, highlight the skills of these driven young teens who have excelled in and been certified through the program. They share their knowledge and talent with the newest crop of students, offering peer-focused instruction and support. One of the many skills these paid interns are helping to teach their peers is how to create stop motion animation (such as claymation) using an iPad. The paid internship also provides the peer educators with the opportunity to pursue externships as television production assistants at their local public access channels, giving these teens a hands-on opportunity to utilize and improve upon their skills as well as providing them with valuable career training.

One of these peer educators is Joel Pacheco, 15, a Youth Made Media intern since November 2012 and a Sophomore at the Academy of Finance and Enterprise. Pacheco is a prime example of a past student of Youth Made Media who is broadening his horizons and thinking about media as a possible career path.

Yara Babosa and Joel Pacheco
Photo By City Parks Foundation

For more details, please visit http://www.CityParksFoundation.org/education.

New Learning Center for the Math Challenged Among Us

Count me as one of them. Anyway, Mathnasium opened in Forest Hills this week. If your kids are having trouble with the numbers, this might be worth checking out:

108-14 72nd Ave
Forest Hills, NY 11375
view map of this location
 (718) 544-MATH (6284)

At Mathnasium of Forest Hills, we specialize in teaching kids math the way that makes sense to them.

• Expert Math Tutors
  We only tutor math and specialize in grades K-12. Using the time-tested, proprietary Mathnasium Method™, we're committed to helping your child catch up, keep up, and get ahead in math. 

• Custom Learning Plans & Personalized Instruction
  Your child will receive personalized instruction and a customized learning plan based on their unique needs and goals. The results are measurable progress and confidence in math.

• Enrichment
  For those children who already excel in math, our learning program is designed to challenge and propel them to higher levels of achievement. This assists them in achieving goals such as entrance to specialized programs and schools.

• Homework Help
  Our math tutors provide homework help that addresses gaps in knowledge and teaches proper study skills. Homework will be seen as a welcome challenge and an opportunity for further learning.

Forest Hills High School in NY Times

The NY Times website has an interesting Q&A with the principal of Forest Hills High School, Saul Gootnick:

Saul Gootnick: 'You Have to Do Baby Steps'

"At a time when small schools are in vogue and big schools are a dying breed, Forest Hills has more than 3,800 students learning on shifts, yet has earned an A on its progress report three years in a row and has an 87 percent graduation rate."

CNN Visits Forest Hills High School

CNN was recently at Forest Hills High for a piece on school overcrowding: Does class size matter?

Local School in the News

From The NY Times:

Parent Complains of Bias in Sixth-Grade Lesson

It was supposed to be a special learning opportunity for the sixth graders at Public School 101 School in the Gardens in Forest Hills, Queens. A popular second-grade teacher was invited to their social studies class to give a lecture about Israel, as part of a unit on the Middle East. ...