October 2022 Newsletter

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Superintendent's Message

Greetings!

The home-school connection plays an important role in student success. I would like to thank the families who attended the three "Back to School" nights in October, as well as the special Family Town Hall on bus issues. I am pleased to report that over 70 families have signed up for our on-line ASL lessons. Learning a new language takes time and effort and I commend them for their commitment. 

I encourage you to read this newsletter to learn about other events this month including the ESDAA soccer tournament, our retiree celebration, and the 50th reunion for the Class of 1972. Of course, any October newsletter would not be complete without some Halloween photos, both in this newsletter and posted on our Facebook page. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Russell O. West

CEO/Superintendent

Jane Kim's Scholastic Book Talk

Kindergarten teacher Jane Kim was featured in a recent Scholastic Book Talks book review. Ms. Kim reviewed Oh My Gosh, Mrs. McNosh! by Sarah Weeks and provided tips for classroom use. The book follows Mrs. McNosh and her dog, George, on an adventurous walk in the park. Ms. Kim used the book to teach her students about rhyming words and making predictions. Click here to see her view! 

ESDAA Soccer Tournament

Lexington's varsity soccer team traveled to Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) in Pittsburgh on October 14th for the Division 1 ESDAA Soccer tournament. On Saturday, Lexington played Mari Philip Walden School (Framingham, MA) and lost by a score of 2-3. On Sunday, Lexington went into a double overtime game against Ohio School for the Deaf with Ohio scoring the lone goal with two minutes left of play. Congratulations to MPWS for winning the tournament and to WPSD for hosting an amazing event. Lexington's Zohaib Anser (pictured with trophy) was named to the All Tournament Team for his play during the two day event. Lexington's team came out on top in the Corner Kick Skills competition. 

Halloween Haunting


Lexington's halls were alive with witches, super heroes, and other creatures as classrooms trick-or-treated throughout the school on October 31st. Spencer Stelmach, Patricia McKenzie, and the Middle School Student Government kept the thrill factor high with their spooky classroom of animated and live scares. The Parent Staff Association donated Wendy's Frosty coupons to students. Group costumes included Old MacDonald's Farm (Speech and Language Department) and the Veterinary Clinic (Preschool Class 4). There was even a sighting of Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, looking for a missing bluejay.  Check out our Facebook page @lexingtonNYC to see more Halloween photos!

Yellow Bus Update


Lexington held a Family Town Hall via Zoom on October 20th to provide a forum for family questions and an update on the Office of Pupil Transportation's (OPT) yellow bus service. There have been many issues this year due to a shortage of bus drivers and matrons. Bus transportation is the responsibility of the NYC Department of Education. Lexington's PPS department has been working closely with OPT and families to provide support. Meggi Smith, Family Liaison, has posted resources on our website to help families who are experiencing issues with OPT. Click here to visit the page.

Is There a Martian in the House?


The Drama Club is busy with rehearsals of "Is There a Martian in the House?". The students, along with Director Jared Lopatin, created a short video to share some of the strange things that have been happening prior to the December 8th and 9th production. Want to be a sponsor or place an ad in this year's Drama Club program book? Click here for more information.

Class of 1972 Reunion

The Class of 1972 celebrated their 50th reunion in Stroudsburg, PA on October 25th. Seven out of 22 graduating class members attended the reunion - Sherry (Bravin) Duhon, Randy Clark, Ira Krauss, Larry Mann, Jo Leffler, Susan (Stern) Searls, Bobby Sidansky, Andrey Schell (ex), and Andrew Vazquez (ex). Board President Dr. Russell Rosen, Lexington Museum Curator James Ginnis and CEO/Superintendent Russell O. West attended the event.

(l-r) James Ginnis, Russell O. West, and Russell Rosen. 

Members of the Class of 1972 celebrating their 50th reunion.

Health Reminder from Our School Nurse


Carolyn Izsak, MS RN, Nurse Coordinator, would like to remind families that children with symptoms of the flu or temperatures over 100 should be kept home. These are signs of a contagious illness. Children need to be fever free and have no signs of stomach distress for at least 24 hours before returning to school. Families may contact Carolyn at 718-350-3280 (voice), 917-832-1962 (VP), or via email cizsak@lexnyc.org with questions or concerns. To view Carolyn's health reminder, click here and scroll down to Fall/Winter Student Illnesses!

School Picture Day

There were lots of smiles during School Picture Day on September 30th. Members of our Parent Staff Association volunteered their time to help things run smoothly and make sure everyone looked their picture-perfect best. Thanks to Aysha Imran, Suzanne Chen (PSA President), David Moy, Coralia Anazagasti, Angelique Hippolyte, Danny Johnson, Martha Belloso (Library Assistant), and Meggi Smith (Family Liaison) for their help.

Preschool Signing and Finger Spelling

Students in teacher Lisa Santiago's and IA Nahed Ellakis' preschool class have been using vocabulary sheets to learn fingerspelling and word signs. The students are having fun expanding their vocabulary and incorporating new words during classroom activities. 

Ready to Learn 

The Ready to Learn program has reconvened its infant, toddler, and family play groups. The play groups are a great way for toddlers to practice socialization skills and for families to share parenting tips and tricks. If you know of a family with a Deaf or hard-of-hearing infant or toddler (0-3 years) who might benefit from the free program, contact Catrina Zowak, Lower School Principal, at czowak@lexnyc.org.

Lexington Represented at QCDD Resource Fair

Lori Glick (Social Worker), Meggi Smith (Family Liaison), and Suzanne Chen (PSA President and Lexington Board of Trustees) attended the 38th Annual Queens Council on Development Disabilities' (QCDD) Family Support Conference and Resource Fair at the Sheraton Hotel, Flushing, on October 28th. The annual event helps families, case managers, and others learn about the many services that are available to support Queens families.

Translation Widget on Website

Lexington has added a translate "widget" to its website to support the many languages spoken by our families. The translate button , Select Language, is located in the upper righthand corner of the website.

Audiology Awareness Month

During National Audiology Awareness month, we’d like to thank our audiologists for the support they provide to our students.  Joanne Tzortzatos, Senior Audiologist, and Luciana Parisi-Sankovich, Educational Audiologist, made individualized Flow Maps for each child in Lower School to show them how to check their equipment every morning. Thank you to the staff of Lexington's Hearing and Speech Center -  John, Joanne, Luciana, Fernando, Anna and Erica!

Retirement Celebration

Lexington's 2022 Retirement Celebration was held on October 18th on the preschool courtyard. Four of our recent retirees were able to attend the event. After opening remarks from Russell O. West, Jane Moran, and Adele Agin, co-workers shared memories of the retirees. Lexington is grateful for the contributions of all of its recent retirees and sends goodwill wishes to: Beatrice Brennion-Jones, Fernando Chavez, Maria Diaz, MaryJo LoPiccolo-Maguire, Linda Lowell, William "Bill" Moran, Gustavo Orduz, Nimia Esther Pinedo, Claudia Rodriguez, and Maureen Salloum.

Fernando Chavez retired from his position as Hearing Aid Technical Engineer after 36 years of service.

Maria Diaz retired from her position as Instructional Assistant after 30 years of service. 

William "Bill" Moran retired from his position as a Digital Arts Teacher after 30 years of services.

Nimia Esther Pinedo, Instructional Assistant, pictured with her son and daughter, retired after 20 years of service. 

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