P.S./I.S. 229K, Brooklyn, NY

WE NEED ALL FAMILIES TO FILL OUT SCHOOL LUNCH FORMS--now called FAMILY INCOME INQUIRY FORMS--EVERY YEAR. 

Why?  Because from these forms, the school is able to receive additional State funding for our school programs, books, technology, and other resources.  We are able to use these statistics when we apply for grants.

If you have not already done so, please complete the form online TODAY—information given directly to the Department of Education, with none of the particulars shared with the school.  Let’s get all the funding we can for our students@229K!

Click here to complete the "My School Apps" online application form.    

If you have questions regarding the application contact SchoolFood's Help Desk at 877.363.6325.  (If preferred, you may request a paper application from our parent coordinator and then submit it to the school.  If you have questions regarding this type of application, you may also contact SchoolFood's Help Desk at 877.363.6325.)

Breakfast and lunch for Pre-K classes are brought to the classroom during the school day.

Free breakfast for Kdg. to Grade 8:  Using the Bay 7^th Street doors (exit 3), students enter the cafeteria by 7:50 AM.  

If you have not already done so, please be sure to complete your application  to help our school obtain all possible funding.

Click on the image below for a reminder or two.  Mornings will be brighter (for a while).

Children who are involved in extracurricular activities, from chess club to cheerleading to chorus, tend to have higher self-esteem and stronger connections to school. But an overloaded schedule with too many activities can have the opposite effect, leaving kids and parents stressed out.

Click here to read some strategies for families to support their child's extracurricular activities while ensuring they're manageable.

August 27, 2018

Dear Staff, Students, Families, and the entire P.S. 229 Community, 

As many of you are aware, Mr. Robert Zappulla decided to retire after seven years as principal. 

It is with great excitement and anticipation that I take this opportunity to introduce myself as the Interim Acting Principal of P.S. 229K. 

I will share a little bit about myself. I am a parent of four children. One is a graduate of the NYC public schools and the other three still attend. This year, my wife and I will have one in college, one in high school, one in middle school, and one still in elementary school. Two have IEPs and have received special education services. 

I began my career as a special education teacher, with 13 years of classroom experience in a variety of settings, Pre-K though high school. I was an education administrator for two years, as part of the “regional support structure.” Returning to a school-based position, I was a middle-school assistant principal for five years. For five years, I have served as a Teacher Development & Evaluation Coach, the last four spent working with the thirty-eight schools in District 20.  

My educational beliefs include the following:

• I love the following quote by educator, Robert John Meehan: “Each child is unique, not only capable of learning but also capable of succeeding.” If the school community can tap into each child’s unique abilities and needs, to then provide meaningful learning experiences, we will produce not only successful learners but also successful leaders.
  
• A simple statement can say a whole lot. For example, “Teaching is done with students, not to them.” Indeed, teaching is a complicated and challenging endeavor. Successful teaching certainly relies on content knowledge and a repertoire of instructional skills/strategies/approaches. We cannot sell short however, the necessity of building positive relationships. I believe as the late great Rita Pierson stated in her famous TedTalk, “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” Leading education pioneer, James Comer put it in a slightly different way, “No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.” Let’s build those relationships, and they will learn.  
  
  
• The P.S. 229 logo clearly depicts the importance of the home-school-community connection. Our students do not only learn inside of a classroom. A child’s first learning happens in the home, and it does not stop when the child enters school. We must not only continue home-school connections, but strengthen and build new ones.
  
  
• Both home and school exist as part of a larger community. We must support our students and our community because they are interdependent. When our students are successful, our community thrives. When students contribute to the community, they are accepted and respected. When the community supports students’ in their struggles and celebrates their accomplishments, students feel valued and want to achieve more.
  

My initial hopes for us are to take what has been working well and make it even better. Find out what families, staff, and students want and need to make the school the best it can be. Then, identify the resources to make those wants/needs become a reality.
 

I look forward to meeting each of you, and to working together for all of our students’ successes.

Sincerely,
William S. Kirk
P.S. 229K, Principal I. A.

We are fortunate to have two wonderful branches of the Brooklyn Public Library within walking distance from our school:

• Dyker Library
  8202 13th Ave. (at 82nd St.), Brooklyn, NY 11228
  748.6261
  Fully accessible
  Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays 10 am – 6 pm
  Tuesdays & Thursdays 10 am – 8 pm
  Saturdays 10 am – 5 pm
  
  
• New Utrecht Library
  1743 86th St. (at Bay 17th St.), Brooklyn, NY 11214
  236.4086
  Fully accessible
  Mondays & Fridays 10 am – 6 pm
  Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays 10 am – 8 pm
  Saturdays 10 am – 5 pm
  
  

Get a library for everyone in your family!   
Find out how: click here to visit the Brooklyn Public Library website.

Beginning at age 10, children can get great discounts, free entry and/or access to participate in many events that make living in New York City a great place in which to grow up and work:

• Sporting Events
• Entertainment Benefits
• Healthy Living Discounts
• Arts and Cultural Access
• Library Access throughout NYC

Parents and guardians assist their children in completing the application process--and may want to get one for themselves as well.

Find out more on the idNYC website by clicking here.

Creativity has been called a key 21st century skill. That means it—along with skills like communication and critical thinking—will help students navigate the increasingly collaborative and information-rich world that awaits them once they leave school.

Click below to discover strategies to promote creativity at home: 

During the next couple of weeks, families of children entering grade 8 have an opportunity and are encouraged to prepare for the High School Admissions process which begins in September.  General and specialized high school program workshops are offered throughout the boroughs in order to prepare for completing forms, auditioning, etc.  

Click here to review the calendar of events on the new NYCDOE website.  

It is not too early to start talking, planning, taking public transportation to high schools that interest you (for travel purposes), etc., before you submit the high school application.

For High School Directories in a variety of languages, click HERE.  

For Specialized High School Student Handbooks, in a variety of languages, click HERE. 

Plan!  Plan!  Plan! 
Make wise choices. 

If students laze away the days of summer without using their minds, they can lose up to a month of learning—especially in reading and math.

Don't forget that board games, played as a family, also help build bonds.  By spending time together in this way, families share hopes, dreams, and values.

Click below to view, Exercise Kids' Minds During Summer, offering  families fun, brain-friendly activities to keep your children engaged over the summer:

A solid foundation in mathematics is essential for students to succeed in school and beyond. 

Incorporate math into your family's daily life--without a lot of time, effort, or expense--with activities which are fun to do together:  in the kitchen, at the grocery store, while taking care of the car, on the computer, on the road, in the aisle of toys, and at home.

You'll probably come up with even more ideas after clicking on and reading the attachment below: