Kindergarten Graduation - 2015

Kindergarten graduates pose for photographs after receiving their diplomas from Principal White-Jones.

Kindergarten students celebrated their graduation, recently, with parents and other family members in attendance.  "We saw tears of happiness from Moms and Dads as they saw their children perform", said Kindergarten lead teacher Ms. Nieves.  "Even students who struggled with learning the words were phenomenal".  Audience members enjoyed musical performances from the PS4 Guitar Club, two fourth grade vocalists who performed at our annual Talent Show, as well as the Kindergarteners themselves.  Congratulations to the class of 2015!

Principal White-Jones hands diploma to graduate.

Line Leaders Club

Principal White with line leaders from each class.

"All line leaders must be respectful, they must be brave and they must have good listening skills", said Principal White at a recent meeting and with fifty students who have been given a very important role by their teacher.  Each student received a Principal's Award certificate and a pen for their focus and dedication to leading their class through the hallways each day.  Ms. White encouraged them to keep up thier great work and asked them to think about ways to better lead.  "Think of ways that you can do your job better", she told them.  "At our next meeting, I want to hear from you".

Congratulations to our line leaders!  Keep up the good work!

From the Principal's Desk

In her final letter of the school year, our Principal, Ms. Delois White-Jones, addresses the PS4 community...

Dear Students,

The school year has finally ended, and I am sure you have some wonderful plans for your summer vacation!

Please remember that it is very important that you read some pages of a book each day.  In addition, I am encouraging you to review your math notes and to make sure that you have memorized the multiplication tables before returning to school on September 6, 2012.

I am counting on you to remind your parents to buy the new uniform for September.  Our new colors are  burgundy and grey.  We are asking our boys to wear burgundy ties with light grey shirts and blazers each day.  On some days, our boys may opt to wear a burgundy sweater instead of the blazer.  Our girls are asked to wear light grey blouses with burgundy skirts or jumpers each day.  On gym day, you may wear a burgundy warm-up suit with sneakers for your comfort.

Finally, I look forward to working with you in September, and I wish you and your family a happy and restful summer vacation.

Sincerely,
Delois White-Jones
Principal, PS4M

New Members of the Honor Society

New members are announced.

On Friday, October 21, twenty-two students were inducted into PS4's Delta Chapter of the National Elementary Honor Society.  Newly elected president of the Honor Society, Jared R. from class 501, had a message for the audience and Honor Society members.  "My goal is to make the community a better place to live in and I look forward to working with you to do that".

Ms. White speaks to the audience.

Members discuss donating to UNICEF.

Since then, the new members have been very busy.  Recently, they have collected $160 in donations by Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF.  After learning about UNICEF, members have decided that their donations should go toward medicine and food for poor children in other countries.  Honor Society members have also learned about the sacrifices that Veterans make during wartime.  Thanks to a visit from Vietnam Veteran, Tommy Parker who received a Purple Heart Medal from being injured during his years of military service,  members are now prepared to write letters to soldiers stationed in Iraq as part of Operation Letters to Santa.

On behalf of the Honor Society's co-advisers Ms. Lennon and Mr. Cantu, congratulations to the boys and girls of PS4's National Elementary Honor Society!  We look forward to seeing how your actions make our community a better place to live in.

From the Principal's Desk

In every printed issue of the Duke Ellington Express, our Principal, Ms. Delois White, addresses the P.S 4 community...

Happy New Year to our PS4 family! When I think of the new year, I think of chances. As you know, life is filled with joys, sorrows and opportunities to make changes and a chance to embrace new beginnings and search for new horizons.

In the year 2010, we observed our students grow physically, emotionally and academically by leaps and bounds! Let us continue to bind together as parents, teachers, administrators, and staff to help our children to receive the support they need to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Let’s keep hope alive.

Students & Staff Donate $2,100 to Haiti!

The members of the student government consist of presidents and vice presidents of 4th and 5th grade classes. Each Wednesday they meet with teacher-advisor Ms. Lennon to discuss fundraising initiatives, clubs & organizations, future assemblies, and issues within the school. After the tragic earthquake in Haiti, the student government wanted to do something to support the citizens of that country. They wanted to raise enough money for a local Haitian organization to purchase clothes, medicine and shipping supplies. Our One for Haiti campaign urged students to give up their ice-cream money and donate $1. Students from Pre-K to 5th grade brought in their coins and bills for this cause. Three weeks later, $1,000 was raised and given to a representative of the First Baptiste Haitian Church. Willy Theodore, both PS 4 school budget manager and member of the church, graciously accepted our donation. Teachers and staff raised money right along with the students! Their total was $1,100! PS4/The Duke Ellington School raised a total of $2,100 dollars to support the Haitian relief efforts. In addition to the money that was raised, Harvey Jaswal, from Build It Green NYC heard about our campaign and offered to give us 20 barrels to donate! "We've been wanting to do something special for Haiti", says Harvey. Special thanks to all the students, teachers, staff and organizations that helped make our One for Haiti campaign special!