P.S. / I.S 210 Elementary & Middle School Information

From our Prek and Kindergarten teachers…

How is dual language supported in the classroom?

One of the most important goals is to provide our students with a high quality, standard based education in two languages. Through an environment that is supportive of the needs of each student, we help students grow to become confident individuals, creative thinkers and problem solvers, prepared to succeed. We incorporate read aloud, songs, hands on activities and opportunities for interactions to support students in both languages. In our classrooms, our library has an ample repertoire of books in English and Spanish with topics that appeal to children’s interest.

How do we work on teaching independence?

Stablishing a daily routine and expectation helps students become more independence. In our classroom, the class schedule with visuals is accessible to students throughout the day. The schedule supports children to know what will happen each portion of the day and what is expected from them. Expectations are clear and visible in the classroom; therefore, students are aware of their roles and responsibilities.

Children are assigned jobs on a weekly basis, teaching them to be responsible individuals in our classroom. Giving them opportunities to help in the classroom is also another way to foster independence and increase their self-esteem. Students are given  the opportunity to choose the center they want to visit during choice time.  This opportunity to choose between different options lets them know that their ideas and opinions are valued in the classroom

How do we involve parents in the classroom?

 Parental involvement is a key component to help students become successful learners. We stablish a partnership with parents from the beginning of the school year. In order to know valuable information from parents, we send home a questionnaire when the school year starts. The questionnaire helps us better understand families’ beliefs about education. It also helps us become aware of specific needs or concerns each family may have. Moreover, we use multiple ways to communicate with parents effectively through newsletters, ClassDojo, emails, robocall,Teams and phone calls

Parents are also encouraged to join us to celebrate a variety of holidays and activities in the classroom. Some of the celebrations we have are: Thanksgiving Family Breakfast, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduation Ceremony, Holiday Concert, etc. Families are also welcomed to celebrate their child’s birthday in our classroom!

From our librarian..

My goals for Prek and Kindergarten are to offer my students plenty of opportunities to become familiar with the library. That familiarity will help them gain confidence and independence in order for them to develop good reading habits and the love for reading. To accomplish my goals, I plan reading related activities in which they have opportunities to interact with books and among each other. Some of the activities are: storytelling using the books' characters' puppets, read aloud and shared reading. I also play songs and stories at the Listening Center and movies based on the books among others.

The school library is organized to support language development in both English and Spanish. The English section is labeled in blue and the Spanish section is labeled in red.. However, students are free to choose the language they read when is time for their independent reading.

From our art teacher..

 “Introduction to the art room and exploration of art materials by student choice”.

In the Arts, we follow the Blueprint For Teaching and Learning in the Visual Arts, PK-12 of the New York City Department of Education.

What is choice based art education?

"Choice-based art education regards students as artists and offers students real choices for responding to their own ideas and interests through art making." - Teaching for Artistic Behavior. "Listen" to what these dedicated teachers have to say about TAB Choice.

From our music teacher…

For Kindergarten and Pre-K, we work with children's folk and Disney songs. We also include some movement/dance as well.