Roosevelt Island PS 217 Kindergarten Gifted & Talented Program Getting 25 More Seats - Mayor Adams Announces Applications For Expanded NYC Schools Gifted & Talented Program Will Open May 31 - NYC Kids Rise College Savings Program For Kindergartners Info Too

NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced last Tuesday that applications for expanded NYC Department Of Education (DOE) Gifted & Talented program seats will open Tuesday, May 31. According to this May 24 NYC Mayor's Office Press Release: 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks today announced that applications for the expanded kindergarten and third grade Gifted & Talented programs will open next Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

“By expanding our Gifted & Talented program to all New York City districts, we are giving every young person an opportunity to grow, to learn, to explore their talents and imagination, and we are making sure no child is left behind,” said Mayor Adams. “Working with families, teachers, and community leaders, we were able to make this expansion happen, and now students from every school district will be able to access a Gifted & Talented program.”

“Family and community engagement is critical to the success of our students and of this program,” said Chancellor Banks. “Thank you to our superintendents, community leaders, and families for working together with us to ensure there is access to the Gifted & Talented program in every community. We are also grateful to our pre-K teachers for undertaking this enormous effort to ensure that each and every student is screened for this opportunity....”

Roosevelt Island's PS 217

will be among the schools with an expanded kindergarten Gifted & Talented program. I asked the NYC Department of Education (DOE):

How many additional seats will be available for the Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 Kindergarten Gifted and Talented Program

A DOE spokesperson replied:

25 seats.

CBS New York has more on the Gifted and Talented program 

 and application process.

I asked PS 217 Principal Mandana Beckman and the school's PTA for comment on the expanded Roosevelt Island Kindergarten Gifted & Talented program but have not received a reply yet. Will update with any new info.

More info on NYC Gifted & Talented program here.

Also:

Does your kindergartener go to @nycschools? Regardless of your family's income or immigration status, the @nyckidsrise #SaveForCollege Program is for you! Activate your child’s new NYC Scholarship Account so we start saving for their future, together: https://t.co/OZ6X5cOsl0 pic.twitter.com/PUk5IJVKIo

— NYC Youth & Comm. (@NYCYouth) May 26, 2022

We’re partnering with @NYCKidsRISE to put $100 into a college savings account for every @NYCSchools kindergartner this year — and every year going forward.

We’re investing in our future, especially for Black and Brown families who have long been denied opportunities to save. pic.twitter.com/4hGVDblsHm

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) May 13, 2022

Roosevelt Island and Upper East Side NYC Council Member Julie Menin adds:

As the creator & founding board chair of @NYCKidsRISE, I’m so excited to join @NYCMayor to celebrate that 97 percent of @NYCDOE students now have a college savings account! We started this program in 2016 and it is now citywide - truly a dream come true! pic.twitter.com/fzPNWsKf6s

— Julie Menin (@JulieMenin) May 13, 2022

Here's more. 

What Is The Future Of NYC Schools Gifted & Talented Program? Roosevelt Island Invited To District 2 NYC Brilliant Community Meeting November 17 - 200 Students Currently In PS/IS 217 G&T Program

According to the NYC Department of Education:

As announced by the Mayor, the Department of Education will eliminate the Gifted & Talented (G&T) test and phase out the current G&T model. In its place, we will launch “Brilliant NYC,” a blueprint for accelerated learning for all elementary students in New York City.

• Starting with Kindergarten in September 2022, accelerated learning will be offered to 65,000 kindergarteners compared to 2,500 kindergarteners that the current G&T model serves. 
• Students currently in G&T will remain in their programming so there is no disruption to their learning. Brilliant NYC will be phased in for grades one through three. 

For questions about Brilliant NYC, email brilliantnyc@schools.nyc.gov.

Every single one of our @NYCSchools students is gifted. Every single one is talented. #BrilliantNYC will end the outdated days of one-size-fits-all testing and open the doors for all of our children. pic.twitter.com/XHECR6pYus

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) October 16, 2021

Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217 is located NYC School District 2. A PS/IS 217 staffer reports:

District 2 Superintendent Mr. McGuire invites the families to give their feedback regarding the future of the G&T program during the November 17th 6pm virtual "Brilliant NYC Community" Meeting. Register for this zoom meeting https://tinyurl.com/BrilliantNYCD2

 I asked the PS/IS 217 staffer:

Thanks for the info about the District 2 G&T update.

Do you have any more info on how this impacts Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217?

How many students are currently in the 217 G&T program in the various grades?

Is there any other info about the school that you think of interest to the Roosevelt Island community?

 who replied:

It's one class per grade level, we have around 200 G&T students. No decisions have been made, this is a community meeting held by the Superintendent to get the ideas from the stakeholders.

There were 620 students enrolled last year, 2020-21, in PS/IS 217. Info not available on current total enrollment this year.

NYC Department of Education has more on Brilliant NYC program.

CBS New York reports on NYC's plan to replace Gifted & Talented program with Brilliant NYC.

According to the NY Times, Mayor-Elect Eric Adams:

... Asked directly whether he would eliminate the gifted program, Mr. Adams replied, “no I would not, I would expand the opportunities for accelerated learning.”...

Register here for the District 2 Brilliant NYC community meeting to learn more. UPDATE 9 PM:

G&T was an effective way of raising test scores at 217 such that it regained popularity among island families. No longer necessary for that purpose.

— Minnehanonck (@minnehanonck) November 15, 2021

Application Deadline For NYC Free Universal Pre Kindergarten Seats Is February 24 - Still Time To Apply To Roosevelt Island's PS 217 & Roosevelt Island Day Nursery

There's still time to find the right #preKforAll choices before your child's application is due on Friday, Feb 24: https://t.co/uca7K4CQyZ pic.twitter.com/tZCgDGv8kd

— NYC Public Schools (@NYCSchools) February 19, 2017

3 DAYS LEFT to apply to #preKforAll → https://t.co/uca7K4CQyZ pic.twitter.com/a1Pi8fQdY4

— NYC Public Schools (@NYCSchools) February 22, 2017

Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA representative Erin Olavesen reminds

... parents of children born in 2013 have until February 24th to apply for free Universal Pre Kindergarten (UPK). Click here for more information.

I had a pretty large group of parents tour our Roosevelt Island PS 217 Pre-kindergarten last week, but because of winter break this week we won't have any other tours before the application deadline. We anticipate having 2 UPK classes this fall with 18 seats each. If parents have any questions about the UPK program at 217 they are more than welcome to email me at eolavesen@gmail.com.

PS 217 will host a few more tours in the spring once Gifted & Talented Class (G&T) scores have been released. These tours are geared towards families of prospective Kindergarten G&T students but all are welcome to attend.

We'll host an orientation for new pre-k and kindergarten families in June. Families will get more information when registering. Dates will also be posted to our PTA's website:

I don't want anyone to miss out on FREE prekindergarten right here in our neighborhood. I feel very lucky to have had my son in the UPK program at 217 last year. It was a great introduction to school for him.

Roosevelt Island UPK seats are also available at the Roosevelt Island Day Nursery. More info on Roosevelt Island UPK at this previous post and tips for selecting a kindergarten here.

UPDATE 2/24 The NYC Pre K application deadline has been extended to March 3.

‼️Great news! We are extending the #PreKforAll Application deadline – families have until March 3 to apply to pre-K: https://t.co/uca7K4CQyZ pic.twitter.com/skAMRB6TN9

— NYC Public Schools (@NYCSchools) February 24, 2017

Also, the Roosevelt Island Day Nursery adds:

RIDN has three UPK classes and the only on site extended day option (3-6pm coverage).

Roosevelt Island Parents Ask For More PS/IS 217 Gifted & Talented Seats - School Principal Says Unable To Accommodate Extra Classes At This Time

During the June 1 Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council Meeting Public Session, a Roosevelt Island mom (did not get her name) asked for help in supporting a joint effort by the Roosevelt Island Parents' Network and PS/IS 217 PTA to increase the number of PS/IS 217 Gifted & Talented kindergarten and 1st grade seats from the current 1 class to 2 classes.



Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 Principal Mandana Beckman provided the following statement on subject yesterday:

Recently there's been significant interest and numerous requests about G&T classes specifically regarding whether 217 will open additional G&T classes in Kindergarten, grades 1,2 and 3. We'd like to acknowledge and thank families for their passion and support.

At this time, G&T classes in all grades are full with waiting lists and we are unable to accommodate extra classes. As seats become available in our G&T program, our staff is making offers based on the prioritized wait lists provided by the NYC Department of Education. The DOE is continually updating these lists, and our staff uses the most recent, updated list when making offers

More information on Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 Gifted & Talented program available at this previous post which includes video from December 2015 Manhattan Community Board 8 forum on subject.

Roosevelt Island Parents' Network Gifted & Talented Workshop Sunday April 17 - G&T Scores Are Out, Now What?

 Image From NYC Gifted & Talented Handbook

Roosevelt Island Parents' Network Coordinator Eva Bosbach reports:

Dear RI Parents,

We would like to invite you to the 5th workshop in the "Parents for Parents" series by the RI Parents' Network:

"G&T scores are out. Now what?"

The ad hoc workshop will take place this Sunday, April 17, 4:30 to 6pm.

Many RI parents just learned their children's Gifted & Talented (G&T) scores and have to decide soon which G&T schools or programs to apply to for their children. Other RI parents recently went through the same process and successfully placed their children in both district-wide and citywide G&T programs. They are willing to offer their experience both with the application process and with their current school to answer your questions and help you navigate the process. What are the differences between the citywide and district-wide programs? What are important specifics of the respective schools and programs? Which schools have a bus to RI? What is the commute like if there is no bus?

Parents with children in the following schools will be joining the panel: NEST+m, PS/IS217, Lower Lab school, PS85Q, PS11 and PS33.

We are looking for parents who can answer questions about the following schools and programs: Anderson, TAG, Q300, and any other G&T programs that RI parents send their children to and would like to tell about to other parents. Please let us know if you know of any.

Here are some resources:

The NYC Department of Education G&T website:

2016 G&T program tours and open houses (please check the websites of the school to confirm and register (Click Image to Enlarge),

The city's summary of 2016 G&T results by district, grade and eligibility (Click Image to Enlarge),

 and a chart showing a comparison of testers scoring 99 in 2015 and 2016 (Click Image to Enlarge).

The Parents Alliance for Citywide Education is hosting a panel discussion next Wednesday, April 20, at 6.30pm, where you can learn about the five citywide schools from other parents.

An overview about the district wide programs for our district two is included in the DoE's G&T Program Handbook for students born 2008 to 2011.

We would also like to let you know that PS/IS217 here on Roosevelt Island is offering tours on Monday and Tuesday at 8.45am, with a formal presentation from current parents, a teacher, and an administrator. 10-15 G&T parents from grades K-5 will be at each tour to answer questions and show families around the building.

Please reply to RSVP for our Sunday "G&T scores are out. Now what?" workshop by tomorrow, Saturday April 16. The location of workshop will be sent to those who RSVP,

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Aiesha, Chaya, Firuza, Irena, Kristin, Michal and Eva

More info on the NYC DOE Gifted & Talented Program from this 2015 post.

Roosevelt Island Parents Learn About PS/IS 217 Gifted & Talented Program At December 14 Education Forum - Eligibility, Testing, Class Size & More Discussed

A Roosevelt Island Gifted & Talented (G&T) Education Forum

Image From NYC Gifted & Talented Handbook

took place December 14 at PS/IS 217 presented jointly by Manhattan Community Board 8's Youth & Education and Roosevelt Island Committees.

As previously reported:

Learn about the G&T test, the G&T curriculum, school choice and options for students.

Bring your questions about the G&T test and how the curriculum differs from the regular curriculum of PS 217, and other topics.

Speakers:

• Daniel Hildreth, Enrollment Director, New York City Department of Education
• Mandana Beckman, Principal, PS/IS 217
• G&T curriculum educators at PS/IS 217
• Parents of students enrolled in the G&T program

Program sponsored by Roosevelt Island Residents Association, Roosevelt Island Committee and Youth and Education Committee of Manhattan Community Board 8, PS/IS 217 and the PTA of PS/IS 217.

Below is video of the Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 G&T Forum.

Part 1 - NYC Department of Education Gifted & Talented Program Enrollment Director Dan Hildreth discusses and takes questions about application procedures, enrollment eligibility, testing and more.



Part 2 - More questions from parents including class size, future of program for higher grades, priority seating for district 2 families, eligibility scores, waiting lists.



Part 3 -PS/IS 217 Principal Mandana Beckman and staff describe the school's G&T program.



Part 4 - PS/IS 217 G&T teacher describes learning philosophy and Principal Beckman describes testing, transportation and waiting list process. RIRA President/CB8 Committee member Jeff Escobar praised PS/IS 217 General Education Program



More information on PS/IS 217 available at the NYC Department Of Education (DOE) web portal including 2014 -2015 School Quality Snapshot Statistics.

Also, information available at the PS/IS 217 PTA web site and previous blog posts.

NYC DOE Gifted & Talented Resources Page is here.

Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA Reports On Upcoming School Tour For Prospective Parents, Gifted & Talented Forum, Parents Workshops, Cornell Tech Partnership Presentation, Amalgamated Bank Donation, Amazon Shopping, After School Programs, Christmas Tree Sale, Pizza Making & More

Image From Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA

Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA representative Erin Olavesen reports on this week's programs and services at Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217.

School Tour for Prospective Families - 8:45am, Tuesday, December 8
Have friends or neighbors with pre-schoolers considering 217? Invite them to the tour!

The kindergarten application period is from December 7 to January 15. Find more information about the process and apply online on the NYC Department of Education website.

Prospective families are invited to learn more about PS/IS 217 at our upcoming tours. Join us on December 8th at 8.45am or December 14th at 6.00pm. Please RSVP to eolavesen@gmail.com.

We're looking forward to meeting you and sharing all that's happening at our school.

Tuesday Parents Workshops

Please join us on Tuesday, October 20 for one of three parent workshops:

• "Science Connections: Connecting Parents to Fun Science Resources",
• "Math Games",
• "Models in Science."

All workshops will be held from 7:50–8:25am. Students may be sent to breakfast while you attend. Flyers have been sent home with more information prior to each workshop. Workshops are open to all 217 families.

We look forward to parenting with you during this Parent Engagement Activity!

Community Board 8 G&T Education Forum at PS/IS 217 - December 14, 6pm

Education Forum on the Gifted and Talented Program at PS 217, Monday, Dec. 14: school tour at 6:00 pm and program at 6:30 pm.

Learn about the G&T test, the G&T curriculum, school choice and options for students.

Bring your questions about the G&T test and how the curriculum differs from the regular curriculum of PS 217, and other topics.

Speakers:

• Daniel Hildreth, Enrollment Director, New York City Department of Education
• Mandana Beckman, Principal, PS/IS 217
• G&T curriculum educators at PS/IS 217
• Parents of students enrolled in the G&T program

Program sponsored by Roosevelt Island Residents Association, Roosevelt Island Committee and Youth and Education Committee of Manhattan Community Board 8, PS/IS 217 and the PTA of PS/IS 217.

For more information, please contact Jeffrey R. Escobar, Chair of the Roosevelt Island Committee of Community Board 8 and President of RIRA at jeffrey.escobar@gmail.com. Visit http://bit.ly/1Pa12oQ.

217PTA Roosevelt Island Annual Christmas Tree Sale

Shop with Amazon and Make Money for 217!

Getting ready to do some holiday shopping? Whenever you shop at the online retailer Amazon go to their website by using our link (HERE) - click on our link BEFORE you add items to you cart! It's hard to tell if you're in the right spot because Amazon does not give any signs that you've used the affiliate link. If you enter Amazon through the link before adding items to your cart and check out within 24 hours, the PTA will receive at least 4% of your total purchase. Bookmark it! Share the link with friends and family! Help 217's PTA expand our reach with more funding.

FREE Family Event: Computer Coding With Cornell Tech - December 10

Amalgamated Bank Supports 217

Amalgamated Bank made a $1000 contribution to our general fund. This isn't the first time Amalgamated has stepped up to support our school. In October, Amalgamated sponsored a booth at the Halloween Carnival and had their Roosevelt Island team along to help our kids build with Construction Kids. Thank you Amalgamated Bank, as well as, Albert Salas, Roosevelt Island Branch Manager, and his team for supporting our students!

PTA General Meeting & 217 Safety Meeting - Wednesday, December 16

Save the date for our next PTA General Membership Meeting - it will be held on Wednesday, December 16, 8:35am in the auditorium.

We need your participation! Topics of discussion will include:

• Updates from 217 Administration
• Updates from PTA board members on Fundraisers including the Annual Fund Donation Drive, Christmas Tree Sale, Pajama Drive
• Upcoming events including Spirit Day, January Dance, and Annual Auction
• Treasurer's Report - do we have enough money to keep our programs?

PTA meeting will begin with 217 SAFETY MEETING presented by our School Safety Team and Assistant Principal Jenn Allen. Join us to learn about:

• An overview of the General Response Protocols (GRPs)
• Tips for Internet Safety/Cyber Bullying Awareness for Parents
• Update on 217 safety campaigns (i.e. completing the evac bags)

After School Survey Follow Up

Thank you for taking the PTA After School Programming Survey. We appreciate the feedback, and understand just how important having more choices for after school activities at 217 is to your family. Due to limited after school PTA volunteers, the only offering next semester will be Bricks4Kidz. The PTA is continuing to evaluate and pursue programming options for Fall 2016.

Please continue to be a part of this discussion by attending our upcoming PTA meeting at 8:45am on Wednesday, December 16th.

Bricks4Kidz After School Program Season 2 Registration

We open registration for Bricks4Kidz Spring Semester 2016!

• register for 12 classes - January-March - your fee would be $360, and you will have an opportunity to sign up for 11 more classes (April-June) later.
• register for 23 classes - January-June - get a 10% discount for signing up till the end of the school year, pay $620 instead of $690.

Please fill out registration form available HERE and submit it along with your payment into PTA mailbox by Friday, December 18 if you would like to register for Bricks4Kidz classes in January.

217 Middle Schoolers Partake in a Pizza Making Cultural Event

Many thanks to Ciro Casella, owner of the San Matteo Pizzeria, and his special chef, Daniele Sellami, who taught 217 Middle Schoolers and their parents how to cook Italian pizza following the traditional recipe. We thank RIRA's Adib Mansour and Lynne Strong-Shinozaki for sponsoring this wonderful cultural event at our school!

Have a great week!

Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA Reports On Upcoming Christmas Tree Sale, Parent Workshops, Pizza Making, School Tour, G&T Forum, Cornell Tech Start Up Meeting, Composting, Teacher Recognition & More - Third Graders African Dance Performance Too

Image Of Past  Roosevelt Island Christmas Tree Sale At Motorgate Plaza

A reader asked yesterday:

...will there be Christmas trees for sale on the island this year?

Image Of Past  Roosevelt Island Christmas Tree Sale At Motorgate Plaza

The answer is yes. Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA representative Erin Olavesen reports:

We are grateful to the island Boy Scouts leader Geoff Kerr, who has been running Roosevelt Island Christmas tree sales for the past 39 years (!), and are working on continuing this tradition after he announced his retirement 2 weeks ago.

Please bear with us as 217PTA is finalizing the sales details; this will be the very first year when we are organizing this sale on our own and with a very short notice.

Thanks to the PTA Board members Corinna Kell, Taryn Merkl and Nathalie Chetrit's quick response (and tireless work over Thanksgiving break!), we are planning to have the trees available for you to purchase on the island (Motorgate Plaza) during three Saturdays leading to Christmas - December 5, 12 and 19. The sale will be held during Saturday Green Market hours (9am-3pm).

Check out this week's programs and services at Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217.

Tuesday Parent Workshops - December 1, 7:50-8:25am

Please join us on Tuesday, December 1st for one of three parent workshops:

• How to Practice Your Instrument Efficiently in 10-15 Minutes a Day
• Teaching Efficient Addition Strategies
• How to Obtain an NYC ID Card and Access the Historical and Cultural Institutions with your Student

All workshops will be held from 7:50–8:25am. Students may be sent to breakfast while you attend. Flyers have been sent home with more information prior to each workshop. Workshops are open to all 217 families.

We look forward to parenting with you during this Parent Engagement Activity!


Middle School Pizza Making Workshop - December 1, 6pm

Middle School students of PS/IS 217 and parents make pizza with Chef Ciro Casella. FREE and all ingredients included. Learn about Italian culture and food. Tuesday, December 1 at 6:00 pm at PS/IS 217 cafeteria. Sponsored by RIRA.

Friday Popcorn Sale - December 4, Dismissal

Our last popcorn sale was a great success, save the date for next one - Friday, December 4 at dismissal!


School Tour/Education Forum on the G&T Program at 217 - December 14, 6pm

Education Forum on the Gifted and Talented Program at PS 217, Monday, Dec. 14: school tour at 6:00 pm and program at 6:30 pm.

Learn about the G&T test, the G&T curriculum, school choice and options for students.

Bring your questions about the G&T test and how the curriculum differs from the regular curriculum of PS 217, and other topics.

Speakers:

• Daniel Hildreth, Enrollment Director, New York City Department of Education
• Mandana Beckman, Principal, PS/IS 217
• G&T curriculum educators at PS/IS 217
• Parents of students enrolled in the G&T program

Program sponsored by Roosevelt Island Residents Association, Roosevelt Island Committee and Youth and Education Committee of Manhattan Community Board 8, PS/IS 217 and the PTA of PS/IS 217.

For more information, please contact Jeffrey R. Escobar, Chair of the Roosevelt Island Committee of Community Board 8 and President of RIRA at jeffrey.escobar@gmail.com. Visit http://bit.ly/1Pa12oQ.


217PTA Christmas Tree Sale - December 5, 12, 19

We are grateful to the island Boy Scouts leader Geoff Kerr, who has been running Roosevelt Island Christmas tree sales for the past 39 years (!), and are working on continuing this tradition after he announced his retirement 2 weeks ago.

Please bear with us as 217PTA is finalizing the sales details; this will be the very first year when we are organizing this sale on our own and with a very short notice.

Thanks to the PTA Board members Corinna Kell, Taryn Merkl and Nathalie Chetrit's quick response (and tireless work over Thanksgiving break!), we are planning to have the trees available for you to purchase on the island (Motorgate Plaza) during three Saturdays leading to Christmas - December 5, 12 and 19. The sale will be held during Saturday Green Market hours (9am-3pm).


Nominate Your Teacher for The Big Apple Award!

The Big Apple Awards celebrates and recognizes teachers who inspire students, model great teaching, and enrich their school community.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: Monday, January 18, 2016

Who can I nominate?

Nominees should be current, full-time teachers at New York City district schools, charter schools, or teaching full-day Universal Pre-Kindergarten at a NYC Early Education Center (NYCEEC).

Who can submit a nomination?

Anyone can submit a nomination for a current teacher — students, families, teachers, administrators, community members.

I'm ready to nominate! What information will I need to submit?

• Your name and a valid email address;
• Basic information about your nominee (including their name and school);
• A statement on why your nominee should be considered for the Awards.

Why nominate a teacher?

Recipients will receive a classroom grant for their students and schools. While continuing to teach at their school, recipients will spend the 2016-17 school year representing teachers citywide as members of the Chancellor's Advisory Group.

Please note that you may nominate more than one teacher for this award.

Click HERE to nominate your teacher!


Cornell Tech/217 StartUp Event - Thursday, December 10, 6:30-8pm

217PTA Helps Roosevelt Island Garden Club Start Organics Recycling Program

This past Saturday, November 28th NYC Compost Project hosted by Big Reuse started an Organics Recycling program at the Saturday Farmer's Market under the helix, with the mission of "Rebuilding Our Soil, Neighborhood By Neighborhood".

Instead of sending organics to landfills via AVAC, Island residents will be able to drop off kitchen scraps at an organics collection station at the Saturday Farmer's Market. The scraps will go to a local composting site under the Queensborough Bridge on Vernon Blvd. The compost created will also be used locally for street trees, parks, and urban gardens.

Island leadership, avid RI composters, the PTA of PS 217, the RI Girl Scout troops and the RI Garden Club are all excited to help welcome this program to Roosevelt Island. If you would like to help out as a volunteer, please contact Big Reuse or email rigardenclub@gmail.com.

An Update from Mr. Solow!

Many 217 students miss our veteran Music Teacher Mr. Solow,

who has retired this year. We have contacted him, and are excited to share his update with you!

Retirement is great. Staying busy by learning Chinese and teaching private students and keeping the house clean. And walking to stay in shape. Principal Beckman is inviting me to work one day a week with the music teacher and hopefully get everyone in shape to make wonderful concerts that I know they all can do.

I really miss everyone and will see all of you soon.

Be well and peace to everyone.

Sincerely,
Harold Solow

Have a great week!

The PS/IS 217 PTA also reports:

Thanks to contributions to the PTA General Fund, PS/IS 217 3rd Graders were able to spend 10 weeks with Main Street Theatre and Dance Alliance learning West African Dance. The culmination of those weeks was a performance in our auditorium



for students and families.

Roosevelt Island PS 217 School Upcoming Tours For Incoming Kindergarten And Prospective Gifted & Talented Families, Come Learn About PS 217 And Relationship With Cornell Tech - Also, Sign Up For Full Day Pre Kindergarten Program

Roosevelt Island PS 217 invites prospective incoming families to come take a tour and learn about the school. According to the 217 PTA:

217 invites families to a school tour for incoming Kindergarten families and prospective Gifted & Talented families

Next School Tours:

FRIDAY, APRIL 17TH 8:30AM
MONDAY, APRIL 20TH 8:30AM
TUESDAY, APRIL 21ST 8:30AM

RSVP to Lauraine Rademaker, Parent Coordinator at LRademaker@schools.nyc.gov

We look forward to meeting you!

Image From PS 217 PTA

Click here for more information on the PS 217 School Tours.

The 217 PTA adds:

Dear Parents & Guardians,

We are excited to offer a full-day UPK program starting in September. We understand that many families are interested in enrolling in the full-day program. Although the Department of Education currently lists one section with 18 slots for full-day UPK - I strongly encourage parents who are interested in the program to apply. We are working with the Dept of Education to explore opening additional full-day slots if there is enough demand.

Thank you,
Mandana Beckman
Principal

During March 2 Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech Community & Construction Task Force meeting, Cornell Tech Director of K-12 Education Diane Levitt provided this update on relationship with PS/IS 217.

Cornell Tech PS/IS 217 Update March 2

Here's the presentation by Ms. Levitt followed by questions from the Task Force



and more information on Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217 Gifted & Talented Program and Kindergarten class.

NYC Department Of Education Gifted & Talented Program Presentation At Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 - Here's What Happened At January 12 CB 8 Meeting

Image From NYC G&T Community Forum Presentation

Manhattan Community Board 8's (CB 8) Youth & Education Committee together with the Roosevelt Island Committee hosted a presentation on the NYC Department of Education (DOE) Gifted and Talented (G&T) program last Monday evening, January 12, at PS/IS 217. According to CB 8:

Presentation by Principal Beckman, PS/IS 217 Roosevelt Island and Daniel Hildreth, Office of Student Enrollment, NYC DOE:

Discussion of the Gifted and Talented Program such as what the standards for admission are and the timing of applications, programming, etc.

Here's what happened.

Part 1. Introduction by CB 8's Youth & Education Committee Co-Chairs Hattie Quarnstrom and Judith Schneider of NYC BOE's Daniel Hildreth, PS/IS 217 Principal Mandana Beckman and PS/IS 217 G&T Testing Coordinator Ursala Fokine.



Part 2. An overview of the G&T application process from beginning to end and questions from parents on subjects including:

• city wide and district admissions eligibility,
• sibling and district priority,
• testing and note taking and
• bilingual test taking (not available at PS/IS 217 unless child is already in English Second Language program at PS/IS 217)

Part 3.

• transferring from one G&T program location to another,
• kindergarten placement and
• over subscribed placement lottery.

There is no guarantee of G&T placement even if child is eligible based upon test scores.



Part 4.

• PS/IS 217 Principal Mandana Beckman discussed PS/IS 217 Gifted & Talented Program,
• size of classes,
• interaction between G&T and general education classes,
•  placement of twins and
• a discussion of District 30 Queens students placement in the Roosevelt Island G&T program.

Part 5.

• child testing preparation and procedures,
• PS/IS 217 tries to make the test as unstressful as possible,
• Pre Kindergarten program (will there be a full time program at PS/IS 217 - not decided yet), 
• improvements at PS/IS 217 and 
• involvement of PTA

Part 6. Involvement of Cornell Tech at PS/IS 217.



Here's more information on NYC G&T Program,

Presentation From NYC Board Of Education

PS/IS 217 and the PS/IS 217 PTA.

Also,  as previously reported, for more info check out the Roosevelt Island Parents' Network Choosing A Kindergarten workshop as well as the January 16 and January 27 family PS/IS 217

Kindergarten Tour.

Gifted & Talented Program Presentation By NYC DOE And Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 Principal Beckman At CB 8 Youth & Education Committee Meeting Monday January 12

Image From Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 PTA

 Manhattan Community Board 8 reports:

Youth and Education Committee

Meeting Date:
Monday, January 12, 2015 - 7:00pm
Meeting Location:
PS/IS 217 Roosevelt Island
645 Main Street, Auditorium,
Roosevelt Island,, NY

Introductions
Presentation by Principal Beckman, PS/IS 217 Roosevelt Island and Daniel Hildreth, Office of Student Enrollment, NYC DOE:
Discussion of the Gifted and Talented Program such as what the standards for admission are and the timing of applications, programming, etc.
Old/New Business

Future Meeting Dates:
February 9, 2015: PS 158; Update on school construction in CD8 by the School Construction Authority
March 9, 2015:

Hattie Quarnstrom and Judith Schneider, Co-Chairs Youth & Education Committee
Jeffrey Escobar and Larry Parnes, Co-Chairs of the Roosevelt Island Committee

The Roosevelt Island Parents' Network held a Choosing A Kindergarten Workshop for your child last November 2. Among the topics discussed were NYC Gifted & Talented programs. Here's a portion of that discussion.



The video of full workshop is here.

Here's more information on the NYC Gifted & Talented Program and PS/IS 217.

Mayor de Blasio Announced New Cell Phone Policy For NYC Public Schools - Roosevelt Island's Principal Explains PS/IS 217 Cell Phone Policy

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced yesterday the lifting of ban on cell phones

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 in NYC public schools.

Thrilled to announce that we'll be lifting the ban on cell phones in public schools. http://t.co/czquzNKm85 pic.twitter.com/sOqzooFRMX
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) January 7, 2015

I asked Principal Mandana Beckman how the new cell phone policy will be implemented at Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217.

 Image Of Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217

Principal Beckman answered:

Our policy is students are not permitted to have a cell phone on their body. All cell phones must be turned off and kept in their lockers for middle school students and in their back packs for elementary school students. Should a student need to contact their parent or a parent needs to contact their child they must do this via the school phones.

According to Mayor di Blasio's office:

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña today announced the City will lift the ban on cell phones at schools, a policy affecting all 1.1 million students. The change will better enable parents to stay in touch with their children, especially before and after school. It will also end the inequity under the current ban, which was enforced mostly at schools with metal detectors in low-income communities.

The existing Chancellor’s Regulation bans cell phones and other electronic devices like iPads from school property. Students are required to leave their cell phones at home or leave them outside the building, often incurring a daily charge for private storage that can cost a family on average $180 each year.

The reform announced today lifts the ban, and, if approved by the Panel for Educational Policy in February, will take effect in all schools on March 2. It allows for each school’s principal to consult with School Leadership Teams in developing a cell phone policy tailored for the unique needs of their students. As part of the change, schools will increase education and training to identify and prevent cyber-bullying, including a “Misuse It, You Lose It” policy.

“Parents should be able to call or text their kids. That’s something Chirlane and I felt ourselves when Chiara took the subway to high school in another borough each day, and we know it’s a sentiment parents across this city share. Lifting the ban respects families, and it will end the unequal enforcement that has penalized students at so many high-needs schools. We are giving educators the tools and the flexibility to make this change responsibly,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“Lifting the cell phone ban is about common sense, while ensuring student safety as well as high-level learning in our classrooms,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “As a parent and a grandmother, I know that families and children feel safer when our students have access to cell phones. I also know that it’s simply not fair that members of school communities without metal detectors are more likely to have that sense of comfort than other families and students. With today’s changes, we are demonstrating our commitment to student safety and community concerns, as well as our respect for principals, as we allow them to develop a cell phone policy that best addresses their individual school’s unique challenges and circumstances.”

The new changes would remove cell phones and electronic communication devices from the list of banned items in schools, and create a new regulation, A-413, that specifically governs their use in school. Under the new regulation, principals will consult with School Leadership Teams in deciding among a range of options for their schools, depending on what they feel best meets the needs of their students, families and educators. In the coming weeks, schools will receive guidance on how to create an appropriate use policy. Among the options are:

• Store mobile devices in backpacks or a designated location during the school day
• Allow mobile devices to be used during lunch or in designated areas only
• Allow mobile devices for instructional purposes in some or all classrooms

For schools that do not develop a written cell phone policy promptly, the default will be a policy that allows students to bring cell phones into the building, but requires that the school or students store the phones out of sight for the duration of the school day. All cell phone policies must prohibit the use of cell phones during examinations, as well as during internal emergency preparedness drills and exercises, and be consistent with the DOE’s Discipline Code. Schools will have a range of options for discipline in cases where cell phones are misused, including confiscation.

... The proposed changes to the Chancellor’s Regulations must be approved by the Panel for Educational Policy. These changes will be voted on at the Panel’s February 25 meeting.

Click here for full statement.

Also, PS/IS 217 will be the location for January 12 Manhattan Community Board 8's Youth & Education Committee meeting  featuring a discussion of the Gifted & Talented Program.

Roosevelt Island Teaching Jobs Available At PS/IS 217 For 2014-15 School Year - 2 Gifted & Talented And 1 Early Childhood Special Education Teacher Needed

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Teaching jobs at Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217 are available for the 2014 school year. According to this May 12 posting on Craigslist:

PS/IS 217, a PreK -- Grade 8, NYCDOE public school located on Roosevelt Island is seeking 3 teachers for the 2014-2015 school year: Two Gifted and Talent certified teachers (one candidate that holds Common Branch Certification and one candidate that holds Early Childhood Certification) AND one teacher that hold Early Childhood Special Education Certification....

Click here for more information from the Craigslist posting.

Image Of PS/IS 217

More information about PS/IS 217 available at the school's web portal, the school's PTA and from previous posts.

Choosing a Kindergarten For Your Child: Two Workshops Hosted By The Roosevelt Island Parents’ Network About Options for Roosevelt Island Families

Reported last October:

Are you a Roosevelt Island parent about to choose a kindergarten for your child? If so, two upcoming question and answer sessions hosted by the Roosevelt Island Parents' Network and Main Street Sweets are for you....

Roosevelt Island Parents' Network Coordinator Eva Bosbach provides the following recap of the Choosing A Kindergarten panel discussion. Ms Bosbach reports:

Together with Main Street Sweets, the Roosevelt Island Parents’ Network hosted two free panel discussions about choosing a Kindergarten as part of the “Parents for Parents” workshop series.  About 50 RI parents attended the workshops on Nov. 5 at Main Street Sweets and Nov. 10 in the Rivercross lounge. The seven panelists were RI parents who investigated different options, successfully placed their children in a variety of schools and programs including G&T and IEP, serve on PTA boards, are active in parent advocacy and were happy to share their knowledge with other RI parents. I moderated both events which were co-hosted by Coach Scot from the Main Street Sweets. The handout with online resources and deadlines was kindly provided by Emily Gohn-Barnill, Director of the Bright Horizons/MSKCC Children’s Center/475 Main Street, RI. Jen Reyes designed the event flyer.

Image of Roosevelt Island Parents' Network Choosing A Kindergarten Panel Discussion

Workshop topics included: Public vs. Private schools, Multilingual children, Application process and deadlines, Prepping and testing, Gifted and Talented program, Individualized Education Program, Things to consider (commute, finances) and Further resources (tours, fairs, websites).

The following information consists of selected personal notes from the Nov. 10 workshop taken by one of the participants. The notes have been edited by the panel speakers.

The workshop started at 4pm.

Eva Bosbach asked about the audience’s interest: A few were interested in private schools, most were interested in G/T, perhaps half were interested in PS 217 information.

Introduction of the speakers by EB and their up-front statements:

Michal Melamed: Michal has one child at G/T who used to be at Midtown West before. One child is in 3rd grade in STEM at PS 85 in Queens (one of five citywide g/t schools), another child at Harlem Hebrew, a charter school in Harlem dual language in Hebrew. Lots of choices for kindergarten citywide! Midtown West, Ella Baker, and Tribeca Learning Center are the three non-zoned district-wide schools in district 2. For G/T, take test and if have a great score, there are two crazy weeks to tour schools and rank them. Charter schools: not many in district 2 – a daughter goes to one in district 3 in Harlem. Success Charter schools have two in our district, Union Square and Hell's Kitchen. Parochial schools are usually less expensive than private schools. Hunter and Special Music School, a music-focused school are selective public schools. Son was in Midtown West. At Midtown West, Ella Baker, and Tribeca, students fill out an application and then get in via a lottery. Her older child was not fully challenged at Midtown West and the commute was hard, then got an offer from a G/T school in November, moved to the G/T school, and all went smoothly. Younger child got a district G/T eligible score but not a citywide G/T eligible score and she enrolled in a charter school.

Olga Shchuchinov: VP of PS217 PTA. You should look beyond the data to find good schools. Do not focus only on rankings. Many schools are similar in the sense that they follow statewide curriculum and offer a safe space. Think of your financial resources and your specific commute. Make three groupings of tiers for schools you like rather than focusing just on your top tier. Keep in perspective that kindergarten placement is not the hugest impact on someone's life.

Shirley Payne: One child in ps217, one at charter, one in public school. Youngest child has IEP for physical therapy and probably has a similar experience to parents with kids who have an autism diagnosis. For the child, Shirley focused on the level of support for physical therapy and IEP along with which school had the best nurse for therapeutic purposes. Online reviews are all negative for schools generally but the true views of parents are usually not as bad as the online reviews. Took tours, checked what resources were available, checked how much reading done per day. Chose PS217 for that child. See if the setting is right for your child, if your child would be happy, if the commute is ok, and see if the school looks like it has a family atmosphere that is tight-knit. Elementary school choice has a bigger impact on one's life than kindergarten.

Matthew Matasar: Two kids in G/T at Lower Lab. For G/T there are five "citywide" schools and many "district" programs in district two. For citywide G/T schools, you can apply if score at 97th percentile but most schools end up only accepting kids with a 99th percentile score. Different citywide schools go up to different grade levels (many have middle or both middle and high schools). District-wide schools require a qualifying score of 90, but most fill with kids with a 99th percentile score. Take tours because many schools give different impressions such as how NEST-M seems great to some parents but seems too strict/cold to other parents. Trust your instincts on the tours. G/T scoring takes into account how old the child was on the day of the test (down to how many years plus quarter-years the child is old). Some buy a $30 KTSS packet on G/T sample questions. More intensive test prep programs can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Lauren Blankstein: Son in kindergarten, daughter in 4th grade at the Ella Baker School, a pre-k to 8th grade progressive public school on the Upper East Side. Lauren spoke about the progressive approach to education. Information about this and Ella Baker's admissions process can be found at  http://www.ellabakerschool.net"  Lauren also recommended watching the video 180 Days Well Spent.

Kristi Towey: Kids at The Garden School and Poly Prep Country Day School. Two kids in private school – one of which initially went to PS217 for pre-K through 1st grade. Private schools love Roosevelt Island children because they bring uniqueness to the school geographically. Look at how your child interacts with other children and adults. Think about whether a small or large environment would be better. Consider what is important to you as the parent. We chose private school for our children because one needed more attention in his schoolwork from the teacher and the other needs more nurturing and emotional support.  Both are provided better in a small than in a larger classroom.  Private schools also commonly offer extra curriculum enriching courses and a wide variety of after school activities.

Nancy Ibrahim: Works in UNIS admissions. Some private schools have a great parent-student ratio. Many have application deadlines around mid-November. For busing, for $2,000 per year students can pay to ride on a private UNIS school bus but there also is the no-cost public school busing option (but it requires leaving earlier in the morning and has less flexbility).

Q/A, started at 4:55pm:

1. Q: Is it true that ERB is no longer being required in future years for Independent School Admissions Association of Greater New York schools and most schools are dropping it?
A: Yes, the ISAAGNY is looking for an alternative to the ERB. Please check with each school on their requirements.

2. Q: What happens at private school play date tryouts?
A: You should call and ask a specific school what to expect and then you can tell the child what will happen. At UNIS, they assess in groups of 5 playing together and also through a one-on-one meeting with a teacher. They are assessing numerous factors, probably including how well the kid separates from the parent, the kid’s social skills, and if the kid already took schooling then how much the kid has learned/how well behaved the kid is.

3. Q: How/when did one parent on the panel find out ADD diagnosis?
A: Different parents answered that one family found out at 11 years old and another family found out at 4 years old.

4. Q: How is the typical teacher to student ratio?
A: K at ps217 is 24 per teacher for general K and 17 or 18 per teacher for G/T. At one point there was around 31 for one teacher but then the school hired a second teacher and now there are around 16 per teacher. NYC maximum for Kindergarten is 25 per class. Allowance in Sept. and Oct. tends to go over the limit in order to see how many kids join or transfer out of the school. Only exception to the class limit is Midtown west, where it seems nobody complaints about having 28 children per class. In older years, some G/Ts have more students per teacher but it works fine because they might do work in groups of four with the teacher stopping by each group.

5. Q: For those parents with one child in G/T and one not in G/T, do you see any difference?
A: In G/T you notice a difference in the other students because they had to be able to sit and focus on that G/T test to qualify (although it is still possible for a kid in G/T to be misbehaved despite, if the kid frequently chooses not to exercise the ability to focus quietly). Another impact is that many G/T schools have committed parents willing to donate more money so that there are more resources.
A: Another parent says she sees a difference trending more as the children get older and thinks it might be due to the commitment level of the parents, not necessarily that there is better instruction.

6. Q: If not G/T qualified at first, what are the odds of getting back on the advanced track after doing non-G/T studies?
A: At UNIS, they look at many factors so they are not completely shutting out a child who had a specific pathway for K and first grade when applying for sixth grade, for example.
A: One parent says that for some schools, there are almost no slots open for the higher grades because so many students in the lower grades continue studying at the school and take up the slots.

7. Q: It seems funny to have lots of transfers around Sept. and October with students getting into G/T or switching public schools.
A: It does not happen much at private schools but it does happen in public schools. Probably not such a big deal if a school has only 3 or 4 new kids. But with 8 new kids (as once pretty much happened at ps217), it can be disruptive -- but various parents point out that having that many new kids is very rare so people should not worry about that too much.

8. Q: Other zoned schools seem to have better fundraising from PTA than ps217.
A: But at ps217, recently parents really came together to rescue an arts program, the school already has a music teacher and enough support that musical instruments are provided at no cost to students and the music program has been there for 20 years. The offer of no-cost musical instruments has some common sense limits, though – the PTA is not giving out pianos of course. PS217 has yoga and movement in class. It has gardening. It has some after school programs, too, that require families to pay to participate. Odds are that art and music classes will stay for a while.

9. Q: How is applying for public school pre-K?
A: Fill out a questionnaire and then it is pure lottery.

10. Q: Do you have any tips on figuring out whether a school is good at supporting specific special needs of kids?
A: The process actually begins in pre-school if your child has attended. If your child requires speech physical , and or occupational therapy they may need evaluations to determine the correct placement for them. Also children who have been diagnosed with Autism or ADHD or ADD may need certain classroom accommodations that your local school may not be able to offer. Your child may be eligible for services granted through a individual education plan. This plan helps address the needs of the student and gives then supports while in the classroom . If your child carries any of these diagnosis but you are unsure the school based team once in a school can evaluate your child if you address concerns. To answer your question more specifically: Look at the number of students serviced with special needs. For example, if they offer group therapy for ADHD, check how many are in their group. A school might say it can only take 8 minimum per group but at the kindergarten level a kid might really need a group of six or less people. Look for more details about what kind of equipment they have such as whether physical therapy is done by having a kid walk up a staircase. Schools with great therapeutic staff usually have staff that stays (so you can ask about the years of service of the staff).

11. Q: If born in fall and start public school but not old enough to meet the cutoff to apply for private school and the following year the child applies and gets accepted to private school, will every private school force every child in that situation to redo the kindergarten level?
A: One child repeated fifth grade when the child switched over. When older, school will check testing results to assess whether to move forward or repeat the level. For UNIS, at the kindergarten level the child in that situation will also be forced to take a year in kindergarten at UNIS but it is not really repetitive for the child because UNIS has a very different teaching method and will give more attention than the child probably had before.
A: At the kindergarten level, private schools are usually not flexible with admission age.  There are some private schools that follow the same age guidelines as public school.  At the higher grades, if you are coming from public to private, they will be more flexible.  They will assess your child's test scores, etc. and make a decision with the parents. My niece missed the cutoff for kindergarten by one day at Sacred Heart and they were not flexible at all with the date.  My son at Poly Prep was not even considered for the higher grade level even though he already completed fifth grade. As far as repeating kindergarten or any other grade level in private school, every school has a unique curriculum and your child will not be bored.  The adjustment to the new school curriculum and environment will keep them engaged.  Also, the smaller classroom will allow a teacher to give more one on one attention and challenge one student where needed while teaching others at another level.

12. Q: What happens if a child starts at private school and then shifts to public school and the child is born in the fall?
A: The public school often exercises flexibility by checking the kid’s skill level rather than purely applying a formula that would force the kid into a grade level based purely on the kid’s age.
A: If you are in private school first and then go to public school, the public schools will put your child in the next grade level after what they just completed in private school even if they are aged for the next grade.  Your child will not be forced ahead a grade level.

The workshop ended at 5:40pm.

You can find a handout with different kindergarten deadlines and resources here.

5th Graders From Roosevelt Island's PS/IS 217 Show Off Their Fancy Ballroom Dancing Moves - They're Very Good

According to the Roosevelt Island School G & T Program Blog (RIGANDT):

5th grade students at P.S./I.S. 217 for the third year had a Ballroom Dancing residency with Main Street Theater & Dance Alliance. Students performed Merenge, Bachata, Foxtrot, Twist, and Che Chere Reche.

More of the kids dance videos at the RIGANDT.

Choosing A New York City Kindergarten For Your Roosevelt Island Child Panel Discussion On November 5 and 10 - Get Answers From Parents With Recent Experience

Are you a Roosevelt Island parent about to choose a kindergarten for your child? If so, two upcoming question and answer sessions hosted by the Roosevelt Island Parents' Network and Main Street Sweets are for you.

Just RSVP by October 28 to the email adress listed at the bottom of the flyer.

Here's an excerpt from Getting In ... Kindergarten, a documentary aired in 2007 on The Learning Channel describing the NYC Kindergarten admission process.



Also, info from prior posts on the Roosevelt Island PS/IS 217 Gifted and Talented program including a plea from a Roosevelt Island parent to establish the program and a tweet from Inside Schools:

I added a video to a @YouTube playlist http://t.co/AFuLCEQEWp P.S./I.S. 217 Roosevelt Island
— Insideschools (@Insideschools) October 17, 2013

More information available from PS/Is 217 portal and the school's PTA web site.

Roosevelt Island Jobs Available - PS/IS 217 Gifted & Talented Teachers, RIDN Nursery Teachers And NY Foundling Disability Specialists/Residence Managers

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Are you looking for a job on Roosevelt Island? Maybe one of these positions listed on Craigslist are suitable for you.

According to Craigslist:

PS/IS 217, a PreK-Grade 8 District 2 NYCDOE public school located on Roosevelt Island, is seeking two elementary gifted and talented teachers for the 13-14 school year. Candidates must have common branch certification AND the gifted and talented extension/certification to be considered. Please email with a cover letter and resume.

More information available here.

And:

Roosevelt Island Day Nursery at Riverwalk Crossing is currently seeking part time and substitute teachers.

Part time and substitute teachers needed to work with children from age three months to three and a half years old. Seeking teachers who can work 4-6pm Monday through Friday or 8-10am Monday-Friday....

More information available here.

And:

The New York Foundling (the "Foundling") is one of the oldest, largest and most well-respected human services agencies in New York. Established as a home for abandoned children, the Foundling has been saving children, preserving families, and building communities since 1869. The Foundling's focus is on child welfare and the developmentally disabled and is dedicated to creating a community where each child, youth and adult enjoys the safe, stable and support relationships needed to reach his or her full physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual potential. We have over 1300 employees located in every borough of New York City, Westchester and Rockland Counties and in Puerto Rico.

We are currently looking to hire Disability Specialists and Residence Managers in our residential programs for developmentally-disabled adults in the Bronx, Roosevelt Island and Staten Island. Responsibilities will include:...

More information available here.

Good Luck.