Greetings!
It may be summer, but Lexington is as busy as ever as our students embrace summer learning and enrichment activities with energy and excitement.
Twenty-eight high school students are participating in NYC's Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) with placements at the New York Police Department, the Queens Botanical Garden, and Lexington School. Our students are learning important work skills, such as punctuality and following directions, as well as being exposed to a variety of career choices, all while getting paid.
I would like to thank Cindy Roberts Figueroa, Supervisor, Professional Development & Assessment and ESY-Summer School, for coordinating our six-week Extended School Year (ESY) program. The faculty has done an amazing job of combining academics with special activities and field trips to keep students engaged and learning this summer. The physical education teachers, with help from the Facilities Management team, even repurposed the soccer field's sprinklers into a cool space for outdoor water play and socialization.
Catrina Zowak, our Lower School Principal, and Frank Dattolo, our Upper School Principal, have been busy preparing for the first day of school on Wednesday, September 7th. I wish everyone a safe and relaxing summer and look forward to seeing all of our students back in September.
Sincerely,
Russell O. West
CEO/Superintendent
|
|
Students Attend Sapolin Accessibility Awards |
On July 26th, Lexington students in the NYPD's Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students attended the Sapolin Accessibility Awards ceremony at Gracie Mansion. NYC Mayor Eric Adams met the students and posed for a photo with our Bluejays and their NYPD mentors.
The New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities hosts the Sapolin Accessibility Awards every year on or around the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Award is named in honor of the late MOPD Commissioner Matthew Sapolin. The awards are presented to organizations that are actively working toward inclusion and wellness for people with disabilities. Christina Curry, who used to work at the Lexington Vocational Services Center and the Lexington Center for Mental Health Services, was recently appointed as Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities.
|
|
 |
NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Lexington students, and NYPD mentors posed on the steps of Gracie Mansion before the awards ceremony. Lexington's SYEP Coordinator Mary Beth Clark (first row, far right) and SYEP Job Coach Shaunina Young (second row, far right) also attended the event. |
|
|
|
|
|
2022-2023 School Calendar |
The 2022-2023 School Calendar has been posted on the school's website. The calendar includes dates for school holidays, school vacations, superintendent's conference days, and parent-teacher conferences on one, easy-to-view page. Parents are encouraged to bookmark the calendar for reference throughout the upcoming school year. Click here to view the calendar!
|
|
Twenty Lexington students, in addition to students from NYC District 75, are participating in the NYPD's special summer jobs program for youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH). The program is sponsored by the NYPD's Community Affairs Bureau.
Students attended an NYPD induction ceremony on July 5th. During the week of July 18th, they visited some of the NYPD's specialty units - the Drivers' Training unit, the Aviation unit, the Mounted Unit, the K9 Unit, and the Harbor Unit. The program pairs DHH students with NYPD officers and staff who know American Sign Language. Students are paid during the six-week jobs program through the NYC Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). Click here to read an article about the program!
|
|
Alden Foster, Director of Youth Services and Community Engagement at the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau (left) and NYPD PO Angel Familia (right) pose with Lexington student Heriberto Almonte.
|
|
Students enjoyed visiting NYPD's Canine Unit and learning about the care and handling of the police dogs. |
|
What could be better on a hot summer day than a cruise around Manhattan, courtesy of the NYPD Harbor Unit! |
|
Lexington students learned about tack during their visit to the NYPD's Mounted Unit. All photos courtesy of the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau. |
|
Summer Employment at Queens Botanical Gardens |
Six Lexington students are working at the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing this summer as part of New York City's Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). The first week at the Garden includes team-building activities, where teens come up with names for their various work crews. Lexington students will be working on team EZ Care (maintenance) and Green Beans (horticulture) this summer. The Queens Botanical Garden has a long tradition of enrolling Lexington students in the SYEP program. (Photos courtesy of Queens Botanical Garden.)
|
|
Recognition for Vocational Services Client |
Lexington Vocational Services Center is proud to announce that one of its clients, Karla Montano, recently received an Employee of the Month award. Karla currently works at a Bayside pool club managed by Elite Amenity Management and will be moving to another position within the company in the fall. Karla completed Lexington's Communication Skills and pre-employment programs and participates in the supported employment program with job coach Randi Itzkowitz, a former Lexington teacher. Elite currently employs seventeen of Lexington's Vocational Services clients. The Lexington family extends its congratulations to Karla for her achievement! |
|
Rocking the Hard Rock Hotel! |
Delane McKenzie, an employee at the Hard Rock Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, was recently recognized as the Employee of the Quarter. Delane has been working in the hospitality industry in Atlantic City for over 18 years, including three years with the Hard Rock Hotel. The award included a $250.00 check in the shape of a guitar. Delane is a client of Lexington Vocational Services in New Jersey and is supported by job coach Matt Mahasky. |
|
Teacher Lisa Meyer and instructional assistant Melissa Vigilante recently had their instructional work showcased in the Thinking Maps Gallery. Melissa's students used a Circle Map to describe the cover of a graphic novel in anticipation of what might be within the text. This strategy helps to build enthusiasm for reading. Lisa's students used a Circle Map to describe the attributes of a penny. Thinking Maps is a set of 8 visual patterns that correlate to specific cognitive processes. Lexington uses Thinking Maps®
across all grades and content areas to build the critical thinking, problem-solving, comprehension, and communication skills necessary for academic success.
|
|
Summer school is a time for learning, socialization, and enrichment. Students in teacher Lisa Santiago and instructional assistants Ozzy Hydara and Karen Romano's preschool class worked on ASL-English literacy and fine motor skills while learning about zoo animals. |
|
Learning the ASL and
English alphabet.
|
|
Circle Maps were used to learn ASL signs for zoo animals. |
|
Fine motor control
requires practice.
|
|
Summer School Field Trips |
Summer school is a great time for enrichment activities within New York City and the suburbs. This year, Lexington students will be participating in field trips that include visits to the Alley Pond Environmental Center, the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Aquarium, and Bowl 360 Astoria. High School Special Needs Class #1, pictured below, enjoyed a day at the Long Island Children's Museum under the direction of teacher Connie Aronson and instructional assistants Nicholas Pucciarelli and Evan Dach.
|
|
Waterplay to Beat the Heat |
Lexington's soccer field was turned into a water park this summer as students and staff came up with creative, and fun, ways to beat the heat wave. What could be more enjoyable on a sweltering day than running through a sprinkler or pouring cool water on your head? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
