Last month, P.S. 222Q welcomed families to a hands-on Parent Workshop on Math Vocabulary & Math Talk, led by our first-grade teachers. The session focused on helping families feel confident supporting math learning at home through everyday conversation and meaningful discussion.

During this interactive workshop, caregivers explored ways to naturally incorporate math vocabulary into daily routines, practiced using sentence stems that encourage children to explain their thinking and learned strategies to build confidence in problem-solving.

Together, we emphasized an important message: math is not just about getting the right answer — it’s about thinking, talking and making sense of ideas. Families left with practical tools and simple strategies they could immediately use at home, strengthening the connection between school and family learning.

We are grateful to all the families who joined us and partnered with us to make math meaningful beyond the classroom.

Our school community came together for a wonderful Family Literacy Night, filled with reading, creativity and shared learning. Families enjoyed an evening of engaging literacy stations that turned reading and writing into a joyful, collaborative experience.

Students and caregivers created book-themed crafts and mini-books, participated in family writing activities and storytelling challenges, played vocabulary and word games and explored digital literacy tools together. Laughter and excitement filled the rooms as families worked side by side.

The evening reminded us that literacy thrives when it’s nurtured both at school and at home. It was truly heartwarming to see families learning, creating and celebrating reading together.

A heartfelt thank you to Ms. Dorvil, Assistant Principal, and Ms. Lathourakis, Second Grade Teacher and ELA Content Lead, for thoughtfully coordinating this event, and to all of our staff volunteers whose time and teamwork helped make the evening such a success. They are Ms. Marrero, Principal; Ms. Santora, Mr. Bustos, 3-K Staff; Ms. Monique, Ms. Soto, Ms. Shehnaz, Kindergarten Staff; Ms. Monge, Ms. Morelli, Second Grade Staff; Mr. Albertson, Ms. Kammermeyer, Cluster Teacher Staff; Ms. Cajigas-Dias, Speech Pathologist; Ms. Debbie, School Aide; and Ms. Tatyana, Parent Coordinator.  

Over three exciting evenings, our first graders proudly showcased their hard work during our First Grade Folktale Film Festival, where families gathered for red-carpet-style premieres of student-created films inspired by folktales from around the world.

This year’s featured performances included:

• Jabuti, the Tortoise – Class 1-302
  
  

• The Good Game – Class 1-407
  
  

• Master Man – Class 1-408
  
  

Students worked collaboratively to analyze stories, write scripts, practice fluency, and bring characters to life on screen. Through this creative process, they strengthened their reading, writing, speaking, and teamwork skills while also learning about cultures and traditions from around the world.

The festival beautifully blended literacy and the arts, highlighting student voice, creativity, and confidence. Families beamed with pride as they watched their children perform.

We couldn’t be prouder of our talented first graders!

On September 3, 2025, the staff of P.S. 222Q came together to reflect deeply on our shared purpose as educators and to reignite our school’s mission and vision. This collaborative process reaffirmed what we believe about teaching and learning, and how we bring those beliefs to life every day in our classrooms.

Our Vision
At P.S. 222Q, we teach so that every child feels safe, engaged and excited.

Our Mission
      Our mission is to provide daily opportunities for language-rich talk, cultivate joy and belonging through classroom routines and strengthen learning through strong family partnerships.

To make our mission visible in every classroom, we identified three daily practices that guide our work:

1. Daily Opportunities for Language-Rich Talk
   Students engage in meaningful conversation across all subjects through turn-and-talks, partner routines, songs, chants and structured sentence frames that build vocabulary and confidence.
   
   

2. Joy and Belonging
   Classrooms are joyful spaces where students feel seen, heard and valued. Each day includes positive greetings, affirmations, movement breaks and opportunities for self-expression and reflection.
   
   

3. Strong Family Partnerships
   We believe learning is strongest when families are involved. From Meet the Teacher Nights and publishing parties to family workshops and ongoing communication through ClassDojo, we actively partner with parents to celebrate and support every child’s growth.
   
   

Together, these practices reflect our commitment to creating a safe, language-rich and joyful learning community—one where children, families and educators learn and thrive together.