22 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 19, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com Building a bright future New state-of-the-art school facility in LIC BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com The students of Long Island City’s P.S./I.S. 78 will have a new place to learn and grow. Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott met with local elected offi - cials, parents, students and school leaders on September 12 to cut the ribbon on the new, state-of-the-art building, located at 46-08 5th Street, which will house P.S./I.S. 78 and P.S. 277-The Riverview School. The facility opened for the fi rst day of school on September 9 and will serve a total of 578 students. “This building offers P.S./I.S. 78 a state-of-the-art facility for the school to grow and prepare students for the older grades and for college and a career,” said Walcott. P.S./I.S. 78 is expanding from its original site at 48-09 Center Boulevard, only a few blocks away. Grades pre-kindergarten through second will remain at the original spot and students in third to sixth grades will move to the new facility, which later will include seventh and eighth grades. P.S. 277 is a District 75 school serving special education students. “We are delighted with the new building and know our “A” school will continue to offer the best education for our students,” said P.S./I.S. 78 Principal Louis Pavone. “We take pride in providing state-of-the-art online learning, and now we have a new building to complement the students’ skills.” The new fi ve-story building is fully air-conditioned and accessible for students Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott and local elected offi cials cut the ribbon on the new, state-of-the-art Long Island City building which will house P.S./I.S. 78 and P.S. 277-The Riverview School. with disabilities. It features 21 standard classrooms, eight special education classrooms, an art room, speech room, music suite, two science labs, a library, gym, auditorium, cafeteria, kitchen and outdoor playground. “As Long Island City continues the growth that comes with being New York City’s hottest neighborhood, we must ensure that our schools and other infrastructure keep up,” said Senator Michael Gianaris. “The opening of the new and improved P.S./I.S. 78 is a landmark event that represents a big step in that direction.” The new facility was part of an effort by Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer to help the School THE COURIER/Photo By Angy Altamirano Construction Authority and the Department of Education secure fi ve new school sites within western Queens. All the sites are expected to be fully operational over the next four years. “Our children deserve the best we can possibly provide for them and this new facility promises to have a positive impact on the education our children will receive for generations to come,” said Van Bramer. “The expansion of P.S./I.S. 78 and creation of P.S. 277 in Long Island City will provide hundreds of students with a state-of-the-art facility right in the heart of a vibrant neighborhood that has become home to thousands of new families.” SPECIAL GUEST Photo Courtesy of P.S. 203 On Monday, September 16, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott visited 22 city schools -- including P.S. 203 in Oakland Gardens -- that are now ranked in the top 25 statewide on the new more rigorous common core exams. I CAN HEAR THE LEAVES UNDERFOOT PLLC Call today to schedule an appointment 107 Northern Blvd, Ste 309 • Great Neck, NY 516.708.4844 gbaudiology.com $500 TRADE-IN CREDIT toward the purchase of an AGX5, 7, or 9 hearing system. Expires 9/30/13. CO-LOCATION MEETING TO BE HELD BY MELISSA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com A public hearing to discuss the city’s plans to co-locate Martin Van Buren High School will be held next month, education offi cials said. The city’s Department of Education (DOE) has proposed adding a new early college within the struggling Queens Village school. The two schools would share the 230-17 Hillside Avenue building, including its gym, cafeteria and auditorium. A time and date was not yet specifi ed, but offi cials said the hearing will take place in October. The proposed Early College and Career Technical Education High School would serve grades nine to 14, which education offi cials say gives students the chance to get an associate degree while in high school. It would focus on computer science and business technology. The DOE said last month it would open the Queens school and two of its kind in Manhattan by next September. DOE spokesperson Devon Puglia said the handful of new schools citywide “will be a special new option that will deliver great outcomes for children.” He said the department is “confi dent it will be in very high demand.” Early college programs give students “realworld work experience” through internships and focus on career readiness, offi cials said. But Queens legislators, who rallied in July against the co-location plans, said the city would undo the progress Van Buren has made since Principal Sam Sochet took over last June. Van Buren received a C in the DOE’s most recent progress report, which is based on student progress toward graduation, performance on standardized tests, coursework and student attendance. The school improved a full letter grade from the year before. It was also acknowledged as “developing” during last year’s DOE evaluation, a step above the failing grade “underdeveloped.” “One of the worst things that could happen to a school like Martin Van Buren is a co-location,” said State Senator Tony Avella. “Principal Sochet should be given every opportunity to restore the school to its former eminence.” The number of applicants to the ninth to twelfth grade school has dropped by roughly 40 percent since the 2010-2011 school year, education offi cials said. Van Buren was one of 22 schools in the city awarded $74.2 million in School Improvement Grants to be used over three years, State Education Commissioner John King Jr. announced in July.
QC09192013
To see the actual publication please follow the link above