Principal Colby Muscarelle's December Letter
December, 2024
Dear P.S./I.S. 192 School Community,
As the holiday season approaches we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of P.S./I.S. 192 The Magnet School for Math and Science Inquiry. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our students and families each and every day.
November was an exciting month at P.S./I.S. 192. We hosted so many wonderful events for our school community. On the 7th, we had our Parent Teacher Conferences. Thank you to all of the families that attended the conferences and for making your child’s education a priority.
We would like to congratulate our Spelling Bee Winners: Salman Rafi - Class 5-504, Alveena Sharker- Class 6-411, Sarvara Bakhodirova - Class 7-507. A big thank you to all participants and to Mrs. Santiago for organizing this event.
Students were asked to wear blue every Friday to support and bring awareness to National Diabetes Month; thank you Ms. Draghi for organizing.
The Cornell University Nutritious Workshop was a successful event,with many parents in attendance. If you would like to attend or volunteer at future events, please contact our school Parent Coordinator, Ms. Solange Cisneros-Steinert at scisnerossteine@schools.nyc.gov or 718-633-3061 EXT 2056 or 1041.
Vision testing was conducted on the 26th by Optical Academy. More than 500 students were screened. All students in need will receive a pair of glasses. Please reach out to Ms. Solange if you have any questions.
The PTA first snack sale was a successful event. Thank you to our PTA board members and our volunteers for supporting this wonderful event.
The Pre-K Thanksgiving celebration was a successful event with families sharing their delicious meals and spending time getting to know each other and building a strong community. Thanks to our wonderful Pre-K teachers, paraprofessionals and staff for making this event a success.
Coffee with the Principal was another great event. We appreciated the support of our Counseling/Social Worker team that put on an informative presentation. The minutes are attached to this letter. Please be on the lookout for the January Coffee with the Principal event.
All these events couldn’t be possible without the support of our amazing and dedicated staff.
P.S./I.S. 192 is a wonderful community because of your dedication, support and collaboration. We asked you kindly to please continue to support our school by attending our events.
Important Parent Updates:
- Attendance Policy: Please do your best not to have your child absent from school! P.S./I.S. 192 does not take missed school days lightly. If your child is sick please send a doctor’s note upon their return (All absences will be reflected on your child’s attendance record).
- Arrivals/Lateness: It's very important that students arrive on time each day. We open the doors at 7:40AM for all students that would like to eat breakfast or to come in and chat with friends. School begins promptly at 8:00AM. Any student that arrives after 8:00 AM will be marked late.
- Create a NYCSA account: this account helps you view your child’s academic progress, report card, transportation, health information, IEP information and attendance. If you need assistance creating your child’s account, please contact our school Parent Coordinator, Ms. Solange Cisneros-Steinert at scisnerossteine@schools.nyc.gov.
- Emergency Card Information (Blue Card): You completed emergency blue cards the first week of school. Please notify us of any changes to your contact information (phone number, home address, health information, emergency numbers, etc.).
- Communication is a key to success. Please maintain open communication with your classroom teacher, cluster teacher and out of classroom service providers.
- Visit our school website for updates, calendar, monthly letters, etc. ps-is192.org
- View the monthly curriculum newsletter for your child’s grade (linked below).
- Please ensure your child reports back to school on Wednesday, January 2, 2025.
We wish you a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to a healthy New Year, 2025!
DOE Food Menu
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/food/menus/school-lunch-meals
December Teacher’s Monthly Curriculum Letter
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_07tTv0LAgLHNCT4wA9SUO6Yjsr898NYTzjS-1jrMt0/edit?tab=t.0
Colby Muscarelle,
Principal
Please scan the QR code for the translated version of choice.
Please scan the QR code for the translated version of choice.
Coffee with the Principal November Minutes
November, 2024
Dear P.S./I.S. 192 Families,
Thank you for attending our November Coffee with the Principal meeting; this meeting will take place every other month. Every month we will choose a topic. We welcome any suggestions you may have for topics of future Coffee with the Principal meetings. We will provide a summary of the meeting to the entire school community, along with any resources that were shared (see below for resources).
This month's topic is Social Emotional Learning. In this topic we will discuss the importance of student’s well-being, emotional support, confidence, safety and conflict resolution. Our support isn't only to students but families as well.
We understand that this topic is broad. Please know that doing your BEST in supporting your children is all you can do – that is good enough. Our school has a wonderful counseling team supports our students, providing social emotional safety tools that will teach them how to handle various situations.
Ms. Edmonds “Ms. Sunshine”. The school Social Worker, along with Ms. Mooney created a sensory room. This room is filled with sensory activities, touch and feel items, tactile items & mood lighting. This room has an open-door policy. Students can feel free to stop by and have conversations if they need support throughout the day.
She attends to students in crisis or emotionally stressed through the school day by providing an open space to allow students to discuss emotional or stressful situations. She supports and guides them to achieve conflict resolution and gives tools to support students' needs. She also manages the Grief Group for all students that have lost family members as well as the Friendship Group.
The Social worker & School Guidance Team have hosted a successful clothing drive and a Baby Shower for all expecting mothers and families with small children. Ms. Edmonds has created Pet’s Day to allow students to share pictures and stories about their pets, and Trivia Day. Please reach out to Ms. Edmonds if you have any questions or concerns at medmonds6@schools.nyc.gov.
Ms. Mooney - School Guidance Counselor. She attends to students in crisis or emotional stress throughout the school day. Students are free to seek her support for emotional needs, guidance with conflict resolution or a need to discuss any stressful situation. She creates a welcoming environment where students are encouraged to discuss their feelings and emotions.
She currently supports families with the Middle School admission process, she supports families on how to create their MySchools account and how to view and apply to middle schools. Please reach out to Ms. Mooney if you have any questions or concerns at vmooney2@schools.nyc.gov.
Ms. Alagna - School Guidance Counselor. She attends to students with mandated counseling on their IEPs in the lower grades. She provides counseling services 1 or 2 times per week. She provides students with a safe space that allows them to open up to discuss any issues that are burdening them emotionally. She supports and guides students with additional tools to solve situations that are challenging. Please reach out to Ms. Alagna if you have questions or concerns at dalgana@schools.nycc.gov.
Ms. D’Aniello - School Guidance - She attends to students with mandated counseling on their IEPs in the upper grades. She creates an open and safe environment for students through conversations that allow students to feel comfortable sharing their emotions and situations that students may not feel comfortable sharing with friends and family. Middle school students often don't feel comfortable talking or reporting bullying because they are scared of repercussions in school. Students are encouraged to speak up for themselves and for their classmates learn valuable lessons through their sessions with Ms. D’Aniello.
She created the College and Career Readiness event, where students are invited to attend events in which members of the community talk about their experiences and careers. She also supports families with their high school applications, and offers information regarding upcoming events, open houses and resources to allow families to better understand the process of moving up to high school.
Please reach out to Ms. D’Aniello if you have any questions or concerns at mdaniello@schools.nyc.gov.
We are appreciative of our amazing team and their valuable insight on how to handle and manage our students’ well-being at school. They do their very best to keep our students safe, both physically and mentally. And they are here to support parents as well. We know parenting is an extremely challenging job and want to encourage you to keep doing your best.
Throughout the school year we provide students with activities that allow them to grow emotionally and seek support if needed. In the past we hosted a workshop where students learned about bullying, sharing emotions and taking actions by speaking up for themselves and others.
We are aware of the threats that students face with technology that brings new levels of stress through social media as well cyberbullying. I personally ask to please keep your children away from any social media platforms. Our students are too young to spend time with their devices glued to their fingertips. This is the time for them to explore and enjoy meaningful activities and learn life skills that will help them socially.
I want to thank you for attending our Coffee with the Principal Day. We are here to support. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.
- Resources for Parents/Families
- Brief Suicide Prevention Awareness Video from the Mayo Clinic
- From the Suicide Prevention Center of NY:
What Every Parent Needs to Know - This brochure coaches parents on recognizing suicide risk in their child and how to navigate the conversations that will inform the next steps.
- NASP: Supporting Children's Mental Health – Tips for parents and educators.
- Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers – 10 tips for building resilience in children and teens.
- The Road to Resilience: 10 Ways to Build Resilience - From the Discovery Health Channel and American Psychological Association intended to help readers in taking their own road to resilience.
- Parents’ Guide to Getting Good Care - Walks through the steps to finding the best professional or team for your child and the most appropriate treatment for a disorder or disability – offers guidance on what to look for, questions to ask to make sure you’re getting quality care for your child.
- Talk Away the Dark – A campaign from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to educate people across the country on how to spot the warning signs for suicide and begin a conversation that lets someone who needs support know that help is available.
Warmest Regards,
Colby Muscarelle
Principal
P.S./I.S. 192 December Monthly Calendar