PS4 Parents Play With Play Dough

Parents, Pre-K Teachers; Ms. Vdokakes, Ms. Beltran and Ms. Almanzar (Para), pose for a photo after the workshop.

Do you know how to make play dough from scratch? Pre-K teachers Ms. Vdokakes and Ms. Beltran do and now so do a group of PS4 parents!  During a recent Parent Engagement session, Ms. Vdokakes, Ms. Beltran and Ms. Almanzar (Paraprofessional) facilitated making play dough from scratch! The parents then used the play dough to make letters and counters for Math Games.  This activity supports letter recognition and spelling and is an activity used by teachers in Pre-K.

Parents learn how to make home-made play dough.

Making and using play dough is not a good learning tool, but it also supports a child's physical development. While poking, rolling, and squishing play dough, children develop the small muscles in their fingers and hands. They also gain strength and improve dexterity in their hands and fingers, critical areas of physical development for writing, drawing, and other purposes. This workshop allowed for parents to have an understanding of one of many activities used by Pre-K teachers that support their child's development. Parents also walked away with a recipe for home-made play dough.  Click here for a play dough recipe from PBS Parents!

A parent molds hand made play dough into numbers.

Ms. Beltran, Pre -K teacher, facitates a workshop on using play dough to help young scholars.

While the parents were learning, Mr. Lagares (Physical Education Instructor) and Ms. Hinton (Paraprofessional) watched the scholars and and provided them with educational activities to do.  Special thanks to parents that participated in the workshop and Ms. Levin for taking these amazing photos! To read about some fun ways to use play dough as a way to support learning, click here!

Join Our Family

Ms. Martin (Assistant Principal) speaks to prospective parents about PS4.

Are you a parent of a preschooler and looking for a school for your child? Please consider joining the Duke Ellington Family!  Recently, PS4 hosted an open house, specifically designed for parents of preschool and kindergarten children! Hosted by Ms. Martin, Assistant Principal of lower grades, neighborhood parents were invited to attend an informational session where they received a tour of Pre-k and Kindergarten classrooms.  They were also given a token of appreciation and valuable resources to support their decision making with regards to which neighborhood school would be a best fit for their child.  In attendance, was a recent graduate whose 3 year old sister may be attending PS4 next year. “I miss this school”, she told Ms. Martin. “I want my little sister to go here”.

We currently have two Pre-K classes and plans are underway to add a 3-K class! 3-K for All, is an expansion of the city’s popular Pre-K for All program, which now serves 70,000 4-year-olds across the city. 3-K gives children stronger math and reading skills in elementary school. Studies show that early childhood education improves performance throughout a child's school experience. If you are new to NYC and need to find a pre-K program, click here or speak directly to our Parent Coordinator, Denise Nuñez.

For more information about our school, click here.  If you would like a guided tour of our school, click here.

A Call For Parent Volunteers

Parents support the many events and activities that take place during the school year.

PS4 invites you to be a Parent Volunteer!  There are lots of ways for you to be involved in your child's education:

• Lunchroom Assistant - assist school staff with lunch room duties
• Classroom Assistant - assist teachers with classroom duties to support student learning
• Classroom Captain - assist teachers with increased communication with parents 
• Office/Library Assistant - assist office staff with office duties (i.e. copies, notes, filing, etc.)
• Field Trip Chaperone - assist school staff on school field trips
• PRIDE Pantry Assistant - assist pantry staff with receiving food deliveries of dry and frozen foods
• PTA Members - assist with planning or organizing events and speaking with other parents

Please visit the main office for a complete list of opportunities and their responsibilities.  Speak to Denise Nunez, Parent Coordinator.  Feel free to let us know if there are specific ways you would like to help, special skills or talents that you would be willing to share, or just anything else that you would like to help out with as a Parent Volunteer this year!  Your help is needed and appreciated!  

From classroom parent to Citywide Education Council member, there are many ways to participate in school, district, or citywide leadership. Click here to see the full list from the NYC Department of Education.

Eat Well Be Well - Parent Workshop

Mr. Fuentes, PS4's Bilingual Social Worker gives parents suggestions on how to eat well and be well.

At a recent Nutrition Workshop for parents, our Bilingual Social Worker Frank Fuentes gave parents tips on how to buy healthy food that will keep your wallet happy and foods that children should be eating in the  morning.  Parents were also invited to visit the Inwood Farmer's Market directly after the workshop.

Mr. Fuentes reminded parents that there’s no great secret to healthy eating.  Here are some suggestions to help your children and family develop healthy eating habits:

• Provide plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products.
• Include low-fat or non-fat milk or dairy products.
• Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, lentils, and beans for protein.
• Serve reasonably-sized portions.
• Encourage your family to drink lots of water.
• Limit sugar-sweetened beverages.
• Limit consumption of sugar and saturated fat.

Remember that small changes every day can lead to a recipe for success! For more information about nutrition, click here for the Center for Disease Control's website or visit ChooseMyPlate.gov.

A colorful visual of the 5 food groups.

Perfect Attendance Ceremony - September

Bulletin board near the main office listing students with perfect attendance.

Congratulations to the more than 250 students with perfect attendance for the month of September!  At our Perfect Attendance Ceremony that took place on Tuesday, October 17, hosted by Mr. Ovalle (4th grade Teacher), teachers presented certificates to each of those students who have attended school each day and have never been late.

Take a look at the slide show below to see some of the students that were awarded.

Slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Middle School Application Process

Ms. Estrella, PS4's Guidance Counselor, meets with parents of 5th graders to discuss the Middle School application process.

The deadline for Middle School applications is December 1st!  Parents of 5th grade students will soon receive applications from our school's Guidance Counselor, Ms. Estrella.  She has been meeting with parents weekly to answer questions they may have about the application process and encourage them to make the best choice for their child.  The transition from elementary to middle school is an important moment in every adolescent’s life. This is an opportunity for parent and children to come together to determine what middle school experience is right for their family and how they can plan together for the big changes ahead.

For more information about he Middle School process, contact Ms. Estrella by calling the main office or sending an email to aestrel@schools.nyc.gov.  Click here for the 2018 NYC District 6 Middle School Directory and go to schools.nyc.gov/middle for more information on the application process.

Ms. Estrella answers question from parents of 5th graders.

Parent-Teacher Conferences: March 2017

Families gather in the cafeteria during Parent-Teacher Conferences (afternoon session) to fill out parent surveys.

Parent-Teacher Conferences take place in November and March of each year.   An ideal parent-teacher conference is a conversation between you and your child’s teacher about your child’s progress at school. This may include a child’s transition to a school, how the child gets along with friends and teachers, how the child is learning and what your child is learning, information about things they do well and how parents can help your child grow further, ways to support the child in the areas where he/she needs some help and where parents can find more information to help support their child. 
During PTC's, parents may receive ideas for concrete activities they can do at home or may receive helpful websites, books or pamphlets found at the library or parent workshops being offered in the Washington Heights community.

Prior to meeting with their child's teacher, our staff and partners-in-education were in the cafeteria and gymnasium where they...

• provided visitors with refreshments in our 'welcome center'
• gave information about school trips
• registered families for Smile NY Dental
• provided information about immigration counseling
• provided technical assistance with the Parent Surveys and PupilPath
• provided families with a 3-day supply of food from our pantry
• registered additional scholars for our after school program(s); and 
• reminded families of upcoming state exams

Thank you to all families who joined us for either our afternoon or evening conference session.  If you missed any of the information provided to visitors at the conference, click here, contact your child's teacher or call the main office.  Take a look at the video below to see some highlights of this past parent-teacher conference.

SchoolCNXT

Parent Coordinator Denise Nunez, helps parents register for SchoolCNXT.

SchoolCNXT is a flexible, mobile/web-based parent engagement platform that connects parents, teachers, students, and administrators, providing an efficient and effective way to share news and important information; send reminders; and create an engaged, empowered, connected community.

Since the beginning of our school year, PS4 has been utilizing School CNXT to connect with parents.  In September, Parent Coordinator Denise Nunez conducted a informational session for parents in the school's computer lab.  During the session, parents were given assistance with the registration process.  "This is really a great resource for our parents", says Ms. Nunez.  "Because many of them work full-time and have busy schedules, they would prefer to send emails to communicate with the school".

For more information about this platform, please contact the main office or click here!

Class Parents: Meeting #1

PTA President Ms. Lopez and Assistant Principal Ms. Martin meet with parents during the first meeting of the Class Parents.

Recently, a dedicated group of adults attended the first meeting of parents that have volunteered to become Class Parents!  Class Parents will meet with their child's teacher twice monthly and communicate with him or her via e-mail to support programs and activities.  They will support class projects and homework as well as assist with trips, class activities and celebrations.  Their responsibilities include promoting parental involvement, school wide events and these activities:

• Fundraising
• Bake Sales
• Mother's Day and Father's Day store
• Talent Show/Fashion Show
• Picture Day 

As an incentive, Class Parents will receive participation awards and participate in monthly raffle drawings.  They will also have their photo featured on our blog!  To find out more about monthly workshops and the Class Parent Program, see Denise Nunez (Parent Coordinator) in the main office or call 212-928-0739.  To read the latest issue of the Public School Press: The Latest News for Parents from the NYC Department of Education, click here!