Teacher Appreciation Week - 2018

Meet Our New Teachers: Ms. Nuez

Ms. Nuez teaching her 4th graders.

Meet our newest teacher, Ms. Nuez!  She grew up in New York City! "I grew up in this neighborhood just like my students." Besides growing up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, Ms. Nuez has also lived and studied in many places before settling in Washington Heights to teach at PS4.  "I attended Tufts and Georgia State where I studied Urban and Educational Policy." Currently, Ms. Nuez is a New York Teaching Fellow earning her Master's Degree in Education.

While teaching class 421, Ms. Nuez is hoping that she can be a role model for her students. "I want them to see me and realize that they can make a good life for themselves." When she was a younger student, she did a little bit of everything!  She was a writer for her school newspaper.  She was part of the Debate Club and she has even performed on stage as a member of her school's Drama Club!  With all of these experiences, Ms. Nuez is hoping her past can serve as a guide to her students.  She hopes her students feel comfortable trying and learning new things, like speaking and writing in English.   She wants them to gain confidence in their own abilities. She hopes that one day her scholars will all go to college and become part of the graduating class of 2024.

Meet Our New Teachers: Ms. Presinal

Ms. Presinal is one of seven new staff members to join the Duke Ellington Family! She is co-teaching with Ms. Shlansky in class 402.  Born in the Domincian Republic, Ms. Presinal was raised in Washington Heights and has been teaching for three years. She is a graduate of City College of NY with a background in Special Education. She loves dancing and reading. She was a choreographer the Latino Student Alliance (organization at City College). Her talents led the team to win two championships! Ms. Presinal loves to travel. Her last trip was to Montego Bay, Jamaica for one week There she enjoyed the tropical weather, the music and especially the food, “I would like to go to Hawaii”, she says. “I really like seeing palm trees.” Besides Jamaican cuisine, her favorite foods are lobster tails, steak and garlic mashed potatoes.

Ms. Presinal is working with Ms. Shlansky to make sure her students show progress by the end of the year. “I am looking forward to helping them grow in all areas of learning. Math, Science, Literacy and Social Studies.”

An extended warm welcome goes to Ms. Presinal from her new PS4 family!

PS4 Teachers Take A Trip

The winning teacher-team of a scavenger hunt at Grand Central Station.

Team Building was the focus of the day, as PS4 teachers and staff spent Election Day on a scavenger hunt at Grand Central Station! 

With Watson Adventures, you’re not hunting for objects, but for answers to tricky and humorous questions about the intriguing places and objects you discover. Our scavenger hunt lasted two hours!
The best teams quickly learned that they must use the strengths of everyone in the group. This scavenger hunt was a great way for teachers to learn about their colleagues and build relationships that will only make for an even better learning environment at PS4.

Click here to find out more about Watson adventures and take a look at some of the photos below from the fun experience! PS4 teachers and staff, if you are looking for specific photo, send an email request to Ms. Lennon!

Meet the Teacher - Ms. Delpesh

Ms. Delpesh, in her new classroom.

Ms. Delpesh is PS4's newest teacher!  After seven years working as paraprofessional, Ms. Delpesh is now teaching with Ms. Reyes in a first grade class.

She grew up in Brooklyn and her family is from Trinidad.  She attended Medgar Evers University and Touro College.  "The biggest difference I find between being a paraprofessional and a classroom teacher is the more planning that I have to do now", she says.  Ms. Delpesh is excited to work on her goals for her class this year.  "I want to build their awareness and literacy capability."

While Ms. Delpesh has no children at home, she does love each of her students.  "I have 25 children in the classroom", she says.  Welcome to PS4, Ms. Delpesh!  We look forward to seeing your and your students reach your goals!

Meet the New Teacher - Ms. Davis

She was gone but now she's back!  After a seven year absence from New York City's Department of Education, Ms. Davis is back where she started! "I am very excited to be back at PS4", said Ms. Davis as she prepared for lessons in literacy and math.

While she enjoyed working in Virginia for the last seven years, Ms. Davis felt that it was time to come back north and be closer to the friends and family that she had left behind. She also wanted to be closer to the place where she was born and raised; Brooklyn, New York. Any observer of her class can already see the dedication that she has for her students and the love that they have for her. "I love my babies", Ms. Davis says referring to her class (Class 420). "I really enjoy watching them learn, building their self - esteem and helping them grow." After seven years away it's like she never left. Welcome back, Ms. Davis!

Meet Our New Teacher: Ms. Marino

Ms. Marino is new to PS4, this year.

Meet our newest teacher, Ms. Marino!  She is a fourth grade teacher from Seattle, Washington!  This is her first year as a teacher in New York City, but not her first year as a teacher. Actually, Ms. Marino taught for five years in South Korea! "I taught English there", she says about her time overseas.  She received two Master's degrees. One from New York University in Elementary Education and the other from Sookmyung Women's University in South Korea. 

Ms. Marino with her 4th graders.

She currently lives in the NYC neighborhood of Washington Heights and says that she would like her students to understand the importance of learning.  "I want them to understand that learning takes place not only in the confines of the classroom, but throughout their everyday lives", she says.  She also wants her fourth graders to love learning and the pursuit of knowledge. 

For more information about Ms. Marino's home state of Washington, click here!  Welcome to PS4, Ms. Marino!  We wish you all the best!

Meet Our New Teacher: Ms. Barnosky

Ms. Barnosky, in her classroom.

Ms. Barnosky is a new teacher at PS4!  She is co - teaching with Ms. McLeod in class 502. Ms. Barnosky still lives in the town where she was born and raised; Cornwell, New York. She believes that her job is to help students learn to love to read. "I want every child that I teach to love reading."

This is Ms. Barnosky's first year teaching for New York City's Department of Education, but this is not her first year working with children. "I used to work with Pre-K children at West Point." West Point is a famous Army College that has produced many leaders and Generals in the United States of America, including two presidents! It is located 50 miles north of New York City.  Each year, more than 1,000 cadets graduate!  Click here to find out more information about West Point Military Academy.

Even though she did not get to ride on a tank or on a fighter airplane, she did have other experiences that only young soldiers might have.  Ms. Barnosky knows what it's like to eat in the Army mess hall!  She also used to get free meals at restaurants in the area! Ms. B, as her students call her, earned her Master's Degree at Rutger's University in New Jersey. She hopes that she, along with her co - teacher Ms. McLeod, can bring all of her students to read at or above grade level. "Hopefully we can work to narrow the achievement gap." Welcome to PS4, Ms. B!

We Love Our Teachers!

May 7-11, is celebrated nationally as Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. While educators can, and should, receive recognition year-round, this week can serve as a special opportunity to honor all school staff, herald unrecognized actions, and strengthen a school community.  If you haven't already done so, tell your teachers how much you appreciate them!

Meet Our New Teacher

Ms. Polanco is the new teacher of the month! This is her first year as a para-professional teacher and she is really enjoying it."I like working with the children that I am with everyday", she says.   Ms. Polanco has had experiences that have prepared her for a career in teaching. "Before coming to PS4, I used to work with children." She also worked in Real Estate and is a married mother of two children.

When working with students one-on-one, she says that she likes to praise them by giving them treats such as stickers and small prizes that reward them for good behavior.   During a recent staff meeting, Ms. White (principal) praised Ms. Polanco for the work she has done with one student in particular.  "Ms. Polanco is a miracle worker", said Ms. White. "That student has made a lot of progress."

In the future, this first generation American (her family is from the Dominican Republic) plans on having her own classroom.  Welcome to PS4, Ms. Polanco!  You're a perfect addition to our staff.  Click here to see our most recent teacher of the month!

Meet Mrs. Wilson

The newest teacher here at PS4 is Mrs. Wilson! Mrs. Wilson teaches Class 501 and is very excited to begin teaching here at The Duke Ellington School. "Everything is going well so far", says Mrs. Wilson, a Harlem native who still lives in the historic neighborhood. When asked about her teaching philosophy, Mrs. Wilson states, "I support a quality education for all children. I believe in getting to know all of my students well". The one thing that she would like for all of her students to come away with this year is for them to be independent thinkers and learners. With all the resources available to them in this age of technology, Mrs. Wilson wants her students to use the research skills they will learn this year to continue. "One of my hopes as an educator", she says, "is to instill a love of learning in my students". Mrs. Wilson is very committed to providing a learning environment that is exciting! She promises to treat her students with the utmost respect. Welcome to PS4, Mrs. Wilson!

We Love Our Teachers!

Meet Ms. Torres!

Meet Ms. Torres, the new teacher of Class 482! Ms. Torres is a New York City Teaching Fellow and has been teaching for two years. She comes from the Urban Institute of Mathematics, a Junior High School in The Bronx. Ms. Torres says she is happy to teach here at P.S. 4 because,

"I like the change and the challenge of teaching younger students."

Born and raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Ms. Torres is a former social worker who has worked with anti - gang task forces that try to get and keep children out of gangs. So working with children isn't that much of a drastic change for her. "I like this school, and I love my students." She says that when it comes to her goals for her students that there is one goal in particular that she wants them all to reach. "I want my students to be independent. I want them to be able to survive in the real world with street smarts and the academic world with book smarts." She hopes that the parents of her students can help her reach this goal. " I need parents to help them at home because it is very important for them to reinforce the lessons that I teach in school."

The only criticism that can be said of this bilingual teacher now living in Long Island is that she is getting married to a Red Sox fan. Working just a mile away from Yankee Stadium, she knows that can be dangerous, "I hope no one holds it against me." Welcome to PS4, Ms. Torres!

Meet Mr. Nycz!

Mr. Brent Nycz is one of the new teachers here at P.S. 4 and The Duke Ellington Express caught up with him to ask about his past experience, his current view of teaching and any advice he may give to people following in his footsteps.

Why he believes he can help students: "I believe that having a teacher who has been through the special education ropes as a child themselves can only help that teacher relate to his or her students better. Since I was in special education, I feel I can not only relate better to my students on that route, but also help give them the opportunities of having a great education like I was able to get. I can only do my best to give them what they need."

What he has learned this year as a teacher in Class 320: "...to always try to do your best... and rest. I have not taken a day off because of being sick, which I absolutely attribute to getting enough rest."

Advice?: "I would say to establish good relationships with the co-workers you are with. To be honest, coming straight from walking the graduation stage in May to standing in front of a class in September, my head has been spinning and it still spins! It has been a crazy, exhausting year. However, I attribute my ability to (somehow) adjust to the craziness of teaching to the support and help I've gotten from my co-workers. From my co-teacher, Ms. Snoke, to the teachers on my floor to the clusters and out-of-classroom teachers, I have felt very supported and helped throughout this first year. Make those relationships with your co-workers, regardless of how small, and I believe things will go somewhat easier."

Welcome to The Duke Ellington School, Mr. Nycz!

Meet Our New Teachers

Boys and girls, meet Ms. McCoy, one of our new teachers this year at P.S. 4. She is working with Mr. Allman in Class 420.
Ms. McCoy was born in The Bronx and now resides in the Harlem/Washington Heights area. Before becoming a teacher, Ms. McCoy practiced law. That's right boys and girls, Ms. McCoy is also a lawyer! She earned her law degree from Seton Hall University. She is very excited about her new job educating fourth grade students and working alongside Mr. Allman in Class 420. Ms McCoy hopes that her past can serve as a guide for her students' future. "I want students to see that the world is a much bigger place than the block that they live on. I want them to go places outside their environment and travel the world.                                                                                     That way they can truly expand their horizons."

                                                                                  We wish Ms. McCoy a wonderful new school                                                                                           year.