In January, P.S. 222Q will honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his lasting legacy of justice, fairness, and service to others. While school will be closed on Monday, January 19 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, learning about his life and message will take place throughout the week in classrooms.

Teachers will engage students in age-appropriate lessons that help children understand who Dr. King was and why his work continues to matter today. Through read-alouds, discussions and creative activities, students will explore big ideas such as kindness, helping others, fairness and standing up for what is right.

In classrooms, students will:

• listen to stories and picture books about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement,
  
  

• talk about what it means to treat others with respect and empathy,
  
  

• reflect on how they can be “helpers” in their classrooms, families and communities, and
  
  

• express their learning through drawing, writing, shared discussions and art.
  
  

Teachers will connect these lessons to our schoolwide focus on character development and the value of responsibility, helping students see how their choices and actions can make a positive difference—even at a young age.

At P.S. 222Q, we believe that honoring Dr. King’s legacy begins with helping children understand that their voices matter and that they have the power to show kindness, include others and work together to make their community a better place.

Martin Luther King delivered his "I Have A Dream" Speech in 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

On Tuesday, December 2, P.S. 222Q hosted an Attendance Matters Parent Workshop to engage families in an important conversation about why daily school attendance is essential to student learning and long-term success. The workshop was led by Salvatore Birardi, District 30 Attendance Coordinator, and provided families with practical information, data, and strategies to support consistent attendance.

During the session, families learned about chronic absenteeism, which is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year—the equivalent of two days per month or 18 days in a 180-day school year. The presentation emphasized that chronic absenteeism can begin as early as kindergarten and has a lasting impact on reading, math and overall academic performance.

The workshop also explored the many factors that can affect attendance, including illness, transportation challenges, housing instability, family circumstances and school-related experiences. Families discussed common misconceptions, such as the belief that missing a few days each month does not affect learning and learned how even small patterns of absence can add up quickly.

A portion of the session focused on lateness, highlighting the importance of arriving at school on time each day. Families were offered practical tips such as preparing the night before, using school breakfast when needed and identifying backup plans for getting children to school when challenges arise.

The presentation also addressed health-related absences, sharing guidance on when children should stay home and when it is safe to return to school. Families were encouraged to communicate with teachers and the school office whenever absences are unavoidable so that the school can provide support and plan accordingly.

Throughout the workshop, families were reminded that improving attendance is a shared responsibility. Schools, families, students and community partners all play a role in helping children develop strong attendance habits from the very beginning of their educational journey.

We are grateful to our families for attending this workshop and for their ongoing partnership. By working together, we can ensure that every child is present, engaged and supported—every day counts.

On December 10, 2025, P.S. 222Q proudly hosted “Welcoming Winter,” a joyful Glee Club performance featuring our talented second grade students. Families and staff gathered in the afternoon to celebrate music, creativity and the hard work of our young performers.

The concert showcased a beautiful selection of winter-themed songs that highlighted students’ vocal growth, confidence and love for the performing arts. Musical selections included Over the River and Through the Woods, For the Winter, Blanco Es El Invierno, Snowman, Where’d You Go? and First Day of Winter. Together, these pieces created a warm and festive atmosphere that truly captured the spirit of the season.

The performance was the result of many weeks of rehearsal, collaboration and dedication. Students demonstrated not only musical skill, but also perseverance, teamwork and pride in their accomplishments as they sang for a full audience.

We are incredibly proud of our Glee Club and look forward to many more opportunities to celebrate student talent at P.S. 222Q. We extend a special thank you to Mr. Jason, our music teacher, for his dedication, creativity and leadership in preparing our students for this performance. Through his guidance, students built confidence, musical skill and a true love for the arts. His commitment to providing meaningful performance opportunities continues to enrich our school community, and we are grateful for the joy and growth he brings to our students through music. 

On December 18, 2025, families from P.S. 222Q gathered for our annual Winter Solstice Lantern Walk to Travers Park, a meaningful community tradition that celebrates light, togetherness and reflection.

The event marked the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, and symbolized bringing light into the darkness through community, creativity and connection. As the evening began, students proudly carried lanterns they had created in class or at home, while families joined in with lanterns of their own. The soft glow of the lanterns illuminated the walk, creating a calm and heartwarming atmosphere.

Following our established safety protocols, families walked together peacefully, enjoying the shared experience and the sense of unity that comes from gathering as a school community beyond the classroom walls. The evening offered a moment to slow down, reflect and simply be together during a busy season.

Families dressed warmly, embraced the winter evening and helped make the walk a joyful and memorable celebration. The Winter Solstice Lantern Walk continues to be a special reminder of the power of community and the light we bring to one another.

Thank you to all of our families, students and staff who joined us and helped make this beautiful tradition shine once again.

On December 19, 2025, P.S. 222Q hosted a Building Strong Readers Parent Workshop, led by our Kindergarten teachers—Ms. Rodriguez, Ms. Rugova, Ms. Soto, and Ms. Husna. The workshop welcomed families into our classrooms to learn how foundational reading skills are taught and how families can support early readers at home.

During the session, teachers explained how foundational reading skills—often referred to as “cracking the code”—serve as the building blocks for all future reading success. Families learned how phonemic awareness (hearing and working with sounds), phonics (connecting sounds to letters), fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing all work together to help children become confident readers.

Teachers demonstrated how we use the Fundations program alongside decodable texts to support early reading development. Families observed classroom routines such as sound drills, tapping out sounds, blending letters to read CVC words, and using sound walls to understand how sounds are formed. These routines help students build accuracy, confidence, and independence as readers.

The workshop also highlighted how we use Acadience Reading to assess and monitor early literacy skills, including phonemic awareness and decoding. Families learned why students practice reading “nonsense words” and how this helps children apply phonics skills rather than relying on memorization.

Families were provided with practical take-home strategies, including:

• reading decodable books daily,
  
  

• practicing letter sounds and blending,
  
  

• tapping out words together,
  
  

• reinforcing sight words in sentences, and
  
  

• encouraging conversation and storytelling at home.
  
  

Bilingual materials and resources were shared so families could continue supporting literacy development in meaningful and accessible ways.

We are grateful to our Kindergarten teachers for leading such an informative and engaging workshop and to our families for their partnership. Together, we are building strong readers by starting with a solid foundation—one sound, one word, and one confident reader at a time.

On December 22, P.S. 222Q came together as a school community to celebrate the spirit of giving through our Toy Drive, an event centered on joy, generosity, and care for one another.

Thanks to the collective efforts of staff, families, and community partners, the multipurpose room was transformed into a welcoming toy store where students and their families were invited to select gifts in a festive and dignified setting. The experience was designed to ensure that every child felt valued, celebrated, and included.

Throughout the day, families visited the toy store together, creating meaningful moments of connection and excitement. Smiles, gratitude, and holiday cheer filled the room as children chose gifts and shared in the joy of the season. The event reflected our school’s commitment to building a strong, compassionate community where students’ social-emotional well-being is just as important as their academic growth.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to the Toy Drive—whether through donations, organizing, volunteering, or supporting behind the scenes. Your generosity made it possible to bring warmth and happiness to many of our families during the holiday season.

At P.S. 222Q, moments like these remind us that when we come together with care and purpose, we truly inspire greatness—one child at a time.

On December 23, 2025, P.S. 222Q came together to celebrate the season with our Winter Joy Jam, a schoolwide Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) celebration that filled the day with movement, connection and winter cheer.

Throughout the day, students dedicated time to strengthening their SEL skills, which include learning how to understand and manage emotions, build positive relationships, make responsible decisions and show empathy toward others. Social-Emotional Learning plays a critical role in helping children feel safe, supported and ready to learn—both in school and beyond.

As part of the celebration, students participated in Zumba, where they moved, danced and released energy together in a joyful and inclusive way. In addition to the movement activities, students also enjoyed a cozy and meaningful moment by sharing hot cocoa with their friends, giving them time to relax, connect and enjoy each other’s company. These simple moments of togetherness helped reinforce friendship, belonging and positive peer relationships.

Students were encouraged to come to school in pajamas or comfy attire, adding to the warm and festive atmosphere and making the day feel extra special.

We extend a heartfelt thank you to Guidance Counselor Julisa Liz for her leadership and care in helping plan and support this SEL celebration. Her dedication to students’ emotional well-being and sense of belonging continues to make a meaningful impact on our school community.

The Winter Joy Jam was a beautiful reminder that learning is not only academic—it is also about joy, connection and caring for one another. We are proud to create opportunities that nurture the whole child and strengthen our community at P.S. 222Q.

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.