Greetings,
This month’s newsletter highlights the many community partnerships that provide an enriched learning environment for our students. From the arts (Queens Theatre, Circus Omnium, The Drawing Center) to the sciences (NASA/GLOBE program, Deaf Kids Code), Lexington provides unique opportunities for children to expand their horizons. These partnerships would not be possible without our remarkable faculty and staff, who seek new experiences to engage students and prepare them for the future. As we approach the end of the 2020-2021 school year, I look forward to bringing back many of Lexington’s traditional end-of-year celebrations and ceremonies, albeit in a socially-distanced format. While it will not be possible to have many attendees at these celebrations, I invite you to check out our website and follow us on social media to view our students’ achievements.
With wishes for health and safety,
Russell O. West
CEO/Superintendent
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Lexington Makes Contact with ISS |
Lexington student Andrew Constantinescu appeared on NASA TV on May 19th for the International Space Station’s (ISS) Expedition 65 Inflight astronaut question and answer session. Andrew was one of 25 students selected to present a question to NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough and ESA Flight Engineer Thomas Pesqueta. Andrew asked a question about human height in an antigravity environment. A special thanks to science teacher Jillian Anderson and Rosalba Giarrantano, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, for supporting this opportunity. Click here to see Andrew’s question, which appears around 18:22 on the ISS downlink recording.
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Lexington School for the Deaf is partnering with Deaf Kids Code to provide a rich summer work-based learning experience. This program will be a 6-week unpaid hybrid (virtual and in-person) experience that will allow students to earn required work-based learning hours towards New York State’s Career Development Occupational Studies (CDOS) credential requirements for graduation.
Students will learn and develop programming and technology skills including app development, website design, and computing while increasing their understanding of the importance of technology and 21st century skills in the workforce. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to meet and learn from Deaf technology professionals who work for NASA, Google, and Microsoft.
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The Parent Staff Association's (PSA) Senior Awards ceremony was held virtually on May 24th. Isatou Ceesay received the Valedictorian Award and Liliana Aviles-Ramirez received the Salutatorian Award. Lexington would like to congratulate all the seniors on their achievements. To see a complete list of awardees, click here.
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Career Ed Conducts Mock Interviews |
Eighteen high school seniors had the opportunity to practice job interview skills thanks to the efforts of Lexington’s Career Education Department - teachers Alyssa Banner and Mary Beth Clark and guidance counselor Maureen Salloum. The Career Education team created postings for four positions –American Eagle Stock Associate, PetCo Sales Associate, Starbucks Barista, and Whole Foods Cashier. During class, students conducted research, made a job selection, drafted resumes, practiced questions, and learned how to interview in an online format. The teachers created questions for each position and recruited staff and interpreters to help. A special thanks to Dorothy Corporan-Nieves, Cindy Casson, Meggi Smith, and Kim Taylor for supporting the mock interview program. |
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Teacher David Wilcox and IA Miriam Andrade used the Handwriting Without Tears program to help their fifth graders learn how to write cursive letters and connections. To give them a real-life situation to use their cursive skills, Mr. Wilcox gave them the task of writing thank you letters to Staples (Store #0171-Woodside) and decorating their letters with drawings of the donated school supplies. In addition to the benefits related to handwriting and fine motor skills, Mr. Wilcox devoted a period a day to cursive handwriting on paper skills since so much work has been done online during the pandemic. Each student received a certificate acknowledging their completion of the handwriting course for this year. Congratulations to Alex, Brian, Hai Wen, Kyle, and Zahra for their beautiful penmanship!
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Lexington celebrated Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week during the first week of May. Staff posted “Confetti of Appreciation” on virtual and physical bulletin boards and received Mason jars of thanks. Families sent in over 60 notes of gratitude, videos, and PSA certificates of appreciation for staff from all departments - classroom and special teachers, coordinators, PBIS, speech, OT and more! Check out our webpage to see some of the special notes from families. A big round of thanks and appreciation to everyone who helps to make Lexington such a special space for our students, patients, and clients!
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Children 12 and Older Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine |
Nurse Coordinator Carolyn Izsak, BSN, MS, would like to remind families that the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer, approved by the CDC, is now available for New Yorkers ages 12 years and older. The vaccine is provided free of charge. You can schedule vaccine appointments at https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov
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Workshop with The Drawing Center & Nic Annette Miller |
Students in Patty Ordonez’s Middle School Room MS6 class and HS3 class partnered with The Drawing Center and artist Nic Annette Miller to create their own body prints. Their work is based on the Body Prints of David Hammons (1968-1979), currently on display in The Drawing Center Museum. Their work will be displayed on The Drawing Center’s website: https://drawingcenter.org
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Celebrating Our ASL Class Families |
We would like to recognize the 55 Lexington family members who signed up for May's Virtual Family ASL Classes. Family members included 30 mothers, 7 fathers, 5 grandmothers, 3 cousins, 3 siblings, and 7 aunts. Thank you for supporting your student by participating in this ASL journey. Please reach out to Meggi Smith, Family Liaison (msmith@lexnyc.org), or Leigh Crane (lcrane@lexnyc.org) if you have any questions or would like to join in, and don’t forget to explore our weekly ASL workshops and resources by clicking here https://sites.google.com/lexnyc.org/familyasl/
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Twelfth grade theatre students recently completed an eleven-week workshop with the Queens Theatre through their Theatre for all Children Program. From February to May, students in Shira Harris' 12th grade class honed their storytelling and acting skills with teaching artist Alexandria Wailes. Throughout the residency, students developed, rehearsed, and critiqued their own ASL stories, along with the help of their classmates and Ms. Wailes. The students shared their final edits in a Zoom showcase and discussed the skills and techniques for ASL storytelling, acting, and character development that they studied. Special thanks to Richard Hinojosa, Queens Theatre Education Director, and Alexandria Wailes for this wonderful opportunity! |
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Attending the Circus (Virtually) |
Going to the circus is an annual tradition for Lexington students. Since the show must go on, this year the "Big Top" came to Lexington. Students in teacher Jessica Sackman and IA Destiny Borrero’s Elementary 1 class had their chance to attend Circus Omnium virtually on May 5th. Circus Omnium is an inclusive, diverse, multi-sensory circus that switched to online performances during the pandemic. Lexington’s Parent Staff Association (PSA) generously sponsored the circus experience for elementary classes this spring.
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Every May, Lexington's Speech Department celebrates Better Hearing and Speech Month! This year, the Department's speech teachers posted activities and information on "building connections" through the use of effective communication. Lexington students enjoyed special activities to support language comprehension, pragmatics, figurative language and social problem-solving. |
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