P.S. 056 Norwood Heights School

Principal’s Message   

“The expert in anything was once a beginner.”

Dearest P.S. 56 School Family, 

Happiest March wishes to everyone!  The longer daylight hours are a wonderful sign that the season of spring will soon be here.  Our days, weeks and months together continue to fly in and fly out, and I remind myself not to blink because I don’t want to miss a single moment with our sensational students!  March is an important month as we begin the last trimester of our school year.  The next four months will be filled to the brim with opportunities for all our students to grow as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, historians, geographers, artists, musicians, athletes, critical thinkers, digital citizens of our world and friends.  They will continue to strengthen their understanding and appreciation of themselves and others, while also celebrating the rich and beautiful diversity of our school community.  Together we will seize every moment to ask ourselves, “What can I learn from this?” and apply our acquired knowledge and understanding to our daily lives and our relationships with each other.  The staff of P.S. 56 remain unwavering in their dedication to the children we love and serve.  We are committed to helping all our students achieve their fullest potential in a nurturing and supportive learning environment.  And all of this is possible because of the amazing and positive home-school connection that exists between our school and our families.  Thank you, parents and guardians for your ongoing support and trust!  #BestFamiliesEver!

     Our month includes Parent-Teacher Conferences, which is scheduled for Thursday, March 6, 2025.  This is an excellent opportunity to celebrate our children’s growth and discuss next steps to ensure all our children achieve their 2024-2025 learning goals.  As old as I am, I can still remember my excitement (and nervousness!) as a child on report card day.  As your children’s first and forever teachers, celebrate their areas of growth.  A favorite treat, a family game or movie night, or a note of congratulations can be big contributors to our children’s continued dedication to excellence.  In areas that might need improvement, discuss new learning goals and create an action plan.  Most importantly, reassure your child that we all have the opportunity to be better than our last best in every moment of every day!  Let’s all be our children’s Number 1 fans and loudest cheerleaders, reassuring them that they are without limits and we are here supporting them every step of the way to achieving their goals as learners!  As a mom and a grandma, I know these are the report card memories our children cherish and remember.  We are so very proud of all our students’ progress toward meeting their 2024-2025 learning goals.  Together we continue to go far!

     All our programs continue to support our mission to educate the whole child.  Our students are immersed in a rich and rigorous curriculum, with daily activities that support their emotional, social and physical development, as well.  This month we will celebrate Women In History and I am looking forward to our daily celebration of extraordinary and inspirational women in history. 

     Our P.S. 56 Saturday Academy continues to provide extra-support in applying the knowledge, skills and strategies that ensure success.  All our students in grades 3, 4 and 5 are welcome to join us every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon.  The feedback from all our participants is most positive!  Their enthusiasm and excitement for learning make this program extra-wonderful!     

     There is truly so much to celebrate here at P.S. 56, most especially our awesome students!  Joyful learning continues to fill every moment of every day!  So bring on March 2025 ~ our best is always yet to be!

Fondly,

Maureen O’Neill

Principal