“This year, we are going to be focusing on community,” Mr. Trust says when asked about the much-anticipated Holiday Concert.
That means song offerings relating to Christmas as well as Hanukah and Kwanza. There will even be a song from Thailand, regarding a holiday that happens there in November.
The popular show takes place at MS 51 (5th Avenue and 3rd Street) on December 20th.
In addition to singing, there will be dancing – sort of.
“I’m hoping to have a group singalong,” Mr Trust says. “And group movement too, with all the kids throughout the grades. These will be movements that we can teach to the adults.”
We’re all looking forward to the moving and shaking that will surely bring down the house when PS 39 takes over MS 51. We hope to see you there.
We’re still looking for parent volunteers for the night of the show. If you’re interested, please contact Susan Moesker at susan@caeny.org.
For current updates on the concert, and to hear mp3s and videos of the featured songs, go to www.ps39.org
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Smencilmania!
The fragrant pencils captivate the noses of PS 39ers
PS 39ers learn a variety of subjects, but perhaps nothing gets into their heads more than the smell of a fresh Smencil. There is probably no need to explain Smencils, but for new parents, here goes: Smencils are fragrant smelling pencils that are sold by the fifth-grade class in order to defray the costs of their senior activities. These include the senior trip, the senior barbeque, the yearbook, and senior dues.
The sales (and reaction) to Smencils have historically been, to say the least, nothing short of sweet. According to administrative assistant Donna Baker, who heads up the wildly successful campaign, 200 Smencils were sold as of October 11th (at a dollar a piece. Cheap!). Take that, Girl Scouts!
Donna orders them in bulk from a very happy distributor in Pennsylvania called Gifts N’ Things (contrary to the theory that they come from Willy Wonka’s factory). Donna says that this season, the scents are geared toward Halloween: Pumpkin Panic, Goblin Grape, Sublime Lime, Monster Mash (smells like a marshmallow!) and Trick or Treat (you have to smell it to believe it).
They may smell swell, but they are also green. They’re made from paper and corn-based, biodegradable plastic. Very recyclable!
Donna’s sales team consists of six salespeople from each fifth-grade class (these kids are no sales slouches – they can sell you the pants you are wearing). They visit all classes and all grades at the last period of the day, and they continue selling until they’re all gone. And they usually are.
Donna makes sure the team is trained in dealing with cash and making change, and that the final sales tally sheet balances out evenly.
Donna recalls a new fifth grader telling her that “this is the best day of my life! I remember last year’s fifth graders going around and selling. And I said, ‘Oh, I hope I can go around and do that one day. And now here I am, selling the Smencils!”
Of course, we already know that dreams really do come true at PS 39.
-- Ron Sklar, P.S. 39 Reporter-at-large
PS 39ers learn a variety of subjects, but perhaps nothing gets into their heads more than the smell of a fresh Smencil. There is probably no need to explain Smencils, but for new parents, here goes: Smencils are fragrant smelling pencils that are sold by the fifth-grade class in order to defray the costs of their senior activities. These include the senior trip, the senior barbeque, the yearbook, and senior dues.
The sales (and reaction) to Smencils have historically been, to say the least, nothing short of sweet. According to administrative assistant Donna Baker, who heads up the wildly successful campaign, 200 Smencils were sold as of October 11th (at a dollar a piece. Cheap!). Take that, Girl Scouts!
Donna orders them in bulk from a very happy distributor in Pennsylvania called Gifts N’ Things (contrary to the theory that they come from Willy Wonka’s factory). Donna says that this season, the scents are geared toward Halloween: Pumpkin Panic, Goblin Grape, Sublime Lime, Monster Mash (smells like a marshmallow!) and Trick or Treat (you have to smell it to believe it).
They may smell swell, but they are also green. They’re made from paper and corn-based, biodegradable plastic. Very recyclable!
Donna’s sales team consists of six salespeople from each fifth-grade class (these kids are no sales slouches – they can sell you the pants you are wearing). They visit all classes and all grades at the last period of the day, and they continue selling until they’re all gone. And they usually are.
Donna makes sure the team is trained in dealing with cash and making change, and that the final sales tally sheet balances out evenly.
Donna recalls a new fifth grader telling her that “this is the best day of my life! I remember last year’s fifth graders going around and selling. And I said, ‘Oh, I hope I can go around and do that one day. And now here I am, selling the Smencils!”
Of course, we already know that dreams really do come true at PS 39.
-- Ron Sklar, P.S. 39 Reporter-at-large
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Our Urban Garden to extend beyond PS 39!
Trish and Frieda extend their green thumbs toward the Park Slope community.
Winter is about to set in, yet spring is still in the air! It’s all thanks to the exciting expansion plans for our urban garden. After a successful first harvest (and the addition of an incredible cafeteria salad bar), Trish Mulligan and Frieda Lim are taking the garden to a higher ground.
“We want to reach out,” Trish says. “That was always our plan.”
The plan is to build alliances with other local schools and community organizations. The goal is to grow the garden beyond its current borders and involve neighbors outside the PS 39 universe.
Talks are in the works, and Frieda and Trish hope to have some more news soon.
“Hopefully, Trish and I will nail this down in the next couple of weeks,” Frieda says, “to officially say there is an alliance.”
Expansion plans have stemmed as a result of the great reception to the garden from both students and parents. The initiative is to allow the kids to enjoy an interactive role in the foods they eat, and also to introduce them to healthier food choices.
“Here are these kids cramming over to taste basil,” Frieda says. “And they loved the kale.”
The students’ enthusiastic response has even led them to visit Frieda’s roof, where she grows her own vegetables.
“The magic of growth has been planted,” Trish says. “The seed has been planted. I love [the kids’] reaction. It’s very rewarding, I have to say.”
Of course, we’ll keep you up to date on any future news blooming from our garden.
-- Ron Sklar, PS 39 Reporter at Large
 |
| Trish does some Fall planting with Ms. Cassens Pre-K class |
Winter is about to set in, yet spring is still in the air! It’s all thanks to the exciting expansion plans for our urban garden. After a successful first harvest (and the addition of an incredible cafeteria salad bar), Trish Mulligan and Frieda Lim are taking the garden to a higher ground.
“We want to reach out,” Trish says. “That was always our plan.”
The plan is to build alliances with other local schools and community organizations. The goal is to grow the garden beyond its current borders and involve neighbors outside the PS 39 universe.
Talks are in the works, and Frieda and Trish hope to have some more news soon.
“Hopefully, Trish and I will nail this down in the next couple of weeks,” Frieda says, “to officially say there is an alliance.”
 |
| Fifth grader Oona with late Summer cucumber harvest |
“Here are these kids cramming over to taste basil,” Frieda says. “And they loved the kale.”
The students’ enthusiastic response has even led them to visit Frieda’s roof, where she grows her own vegetables.
“The magic of growth has been planted,” Trish says. “The seed has been planted. I love [the kids’] reaction. It’s very rewarding, I have to say.”
Of course, we’ll keep you up to date on any future news blooming from our garden.
 |
| First year, end of Summer bounty |
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Dynamic Changes to the PS 39 Annual Book Fair!
Date: November 17, 2011
Time: 8:30 am -- 7 p.m.
Room: 103
Our annual Book Fair encourages our kids to read and raises much-needed funds for the school. This event is especially vital, since we lack a main library. Because of this, each classroom maintains its own collection of books.
Event co-chairs Maria Lord and Kristen Robb announce some exciting additions to the annual event:
- Extended hours: to accommodate working moms and dads who may not be able to join us until early evening, the fair will be extended until 7 pm.
- On-line: if you can’t make it in person, you can go on-line to purchase books or make a donation. The website link will be revealed and available during the week of the sale.
- Guest Author Doreen Cronin! At 6 p.m., beloved author Doreen Cronin will visit the cafeteria for a reading and a signing. She wrote such favorites as Duck For President, Click Clack Moo: Cow's That Type, Diary of a Worm and Rescue Bunnies. You can read more about her at her site.
- Parents can pre-order Doreen’s books in advance by filling out an order form on our P.S. 39 site.
Call for volunteers: it’s still not too late to volunteer, for as little or as much time as you can spare. Volunteer jobs range from set up and displays on Weds, Nov 16th to book sales on Thurs, Nov 17th. We also need a greeter at the front desk, as well as book and merchandise sales people, and clean up/packing crew.
If you're interested, please contact Maria Lord or co-chair Kristen Robb.
--- Ron Sklar, PS 39 Reporter at Large
Monday, October 31, 2011
Let’s Fight For Our Right To After-School Activities
Committee Forming Now to Ponder After-School Program
How much would you love your kids to participate in a karate or ballet class after school? How about cooking or a foreign language? Even math? These dreams could be realized as early as this spring as we form a committee to start the brainstorming of a PS 39 After-school Program.
Alex Marshall (dad of first-grader Max) is heading up the exploration. However, easy does it with a dream this big. Instead of overwhelming everyone with dozens of choices, we will investigate a workable pilot program and then build from there. We’re also going to seek advice from area schools that have had success with similar after-school program start-ups.
A call is going out for volunteers to help make this a reality (we need brain-stormers and movers/shakers. You know who you are.).
In the meantime, a survey is in the works to sample the wish lists of PS 39 parents (“survey says…!”). Once a consensus starts to form, the structure will be built from there. Get your pencils sharpened, and look for that survey soon.
“There is kind of a chicken and egg challenge,” Alex says of getting this party started. “People tend to participate once these programs are up and going, but they are hard to offer unless we have some idea that people will participate.”
That’s why it’s up to us to step up right away and give that little extra effort for extracurricular!
To get involved, contact: Alex Marshall.
-- Ron Sklar, PS 39 Reporter at Large
How much would you love your kids to participate in a karate or ballet class after school? How about cooking or a foreign language? Even math? These dreams could be realized as early as this spring as we form a committee to start the brainstorming of a PS 39 After-school Program.
 |
| Alex Marshall (aka The Tall Guy), is heading up the After-School Program Exploratory Committee |
A call is going out for volunteers to help make this a reality (we need brain-stormers and movers/shakers. You know who you are.).
In the meantime, a survey is in the works to sample the wish lists of PS 39 parents (“survey says…!”). Once a consensus starts to form, the structure will be built from there. Get your pencils sharpened, and look for that survey soon.
“There is kind of a chicken and egg challenge,” Alex says of getting this party started. “People tend to participate once these programs are up and going, but they are hard to offer unless we have some idea that people will participate.”
That’s why it’s up to us to step up right away and give that little extra effort for extracurricular!
To get involved, contact: Alex Marshall.
-- Ron Sklar, PS 39 Reporter at Large
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
We need to scare up some volunteers for the P.S. 39 Halloween party
 |
| Spooktacular!! poster by Jeff Yas |
If you’ve attended one of these spookfests before, you know that it will be off the hook. There is music, dancing, fabulous raffles, pizza, hot dogs and other tasty treats. And don’t forget to give serious thought to the costume contest. The competition, as always, will be intense.
The scarabration is being helmed by Dara Federman and Jim Seger, but we need volunteers to haunt the party room as early as 3 p.m. for set up. Jim has some amazing decorations ready to go, but we need folks who are comfortable climbing ladders and hanging things.
Also in urgent demand: baked goods and snacks to be contributed, as well as help for setting up food and beverage tables, selling tickets, and judges for the costumes contest. And there is also a need for the good-old clean-up once the party’s over (if that’s possible!).
Can’t hardly wait! As Caspar the Friendly Ghost would say, “be seein’ ya!”
To volunteer, please email Dara at: darasf@yahoo.com
--- Ron Sklar, PS 39 Reporter at Large
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Carnival Is Coming!!
The PS 39 Spring Carnival is happening on June 4th. With our school engulfed in scaffolding, it will be held in the schoolyard at PS 133, on the corner of 7th Street and 4th Avenue.
It is going to be a fabulous day- full of fun, food, crafts, music and games and so much more!
in the meantime...
Carnival Raffle tickets go on sale tomorrow, Friday May 20th from 8ish until 8:45ish in front of the school. We will be selling them Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays until June 3rd.
Raffle winners will be drawn at the Carnival on June 4th, but you DON'T NEED TO BE THERE TO WIN. Tickets cost $1 each, or 6 tickets for $5, 12 for $10.
The Raffle Prizes are fantastic:
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| THE LEGO DEATH STAR!!!!! |
 | ||||
| American Girl Doll of the Year, Kanani |
 | ||
| iPod Touch |
 | |||
| Specialized HotRock 20" Bike |
This is a big event, and lots of participation is needed. If you'd like to help,
please contact Diana English: dianaenglish@mac.com
Thursday, March 24, 2011
PS 39’s Incredible, Edible Garden!
Spring came early to PS 39. On Saturday, March 19th, our sub-irrigated micro-garden was set up by school staff, parents and community volunteers.
It would not be proper to say that “ground was broken;” instead, our garden is an urban wonder of micro-farming, using a closed-loop system of utilizing shipping pallets and water bottles. It’s cost-effective and conservation-minded, chock full of nutrients for the plants, and inspirational and fun for all.
Seeking to be an example of urban farming for other schools as well as our neighbors, this edible garden will show what is possible with very little space and supplies. Even in Brooklyn, we can sing, “Keep Manhattan – just give me that countryside!”
Here, PS 39 parent Trish Mulligan and soon-to-be PS 39 parent Frieda Lim discuss the project and its limitless potential, as well what we hope to see in the coming months.
TRISH:
Frieda started this thing the year before last. And I’ve been a gardener forever, so we both just hooked up about the gardening. But she started this sub-irrigation type of gardening.
FRIEDA:
It’s perfect for an urban setting. It’s basically a water reservoir at the bottom of the container. It’s a self-contained system. My farm is on my rooftop. It’s a 75-container micro-farm. It started out just for my family, and just for eating. I love food and I wanted fresh food for my family.
These containers conserve water dramatically, which is key for every reason. The plants are happier because there is such a huge factor in the planting as well.
TRISH:
It is a soil-less mix, which means it is mostly inert and very light. We add the organic nutrients and in the future will be adding a bit of compost. Most garden soils are pretty dense and the roots have to work their way through unless it's well aerated. The water seeps up to the soil from below and the roots reach down to the water. So instead of getting top water, we have a better and more steady water supply. It’s more even. And it also gives it air.
FRIEDA:
The reservoir at the bottom never contains 100% water, so it’s water and air at the bottom. It’s getting air from the top and from the bottom, so your plants are way happier. This is a system with healthy solutions immediately.You can plant anything that your heart desires. Any fruit and vegetable that you want to grow, you can grow.
We will be able to start eating come May. I actually harvest all the way to December. The funny thing is, I just went up to my roof, and through this bitter winter, a container of spinach has survived! This is after the wind tore off the plastic protection, and it’s been covered with snow.
TRISH:
The thing is, we also wanted to start a garden here, but since funding is really tight, we wanted to do it in a way that it wasn’t going to cost the school anything. Frieda, being very resourceful as she is, found these pallets where we can reuse the wood. Since we’re planting in plastic tubs, the wood is not touching the earth. It’s just to have a nice decorative outside for presentation. So…
FRIEDA:
We found shipping pallets in the neighborhood for people to donate. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, please, take our shipping pallets!’ They’re heavy and businesses get rid of them. So we painstakingly took them apart and removed all the nails. It’s a time-consuming situation, but definitely worthwhile. The project would have been way over a thousand dollars for lumber. That was well worth our community pulling together to achieve that.
It’s about our PS 39 community adapting these ways of gardening and taking them home. Anybody with a slice of appropriate sunlight can grow anything. Even in a window box, you can grow wonderful lettuces and radishes and different herbs, in the smallest space.
TRISH:
We’re definitely incorporating it into the science curriculum. Frieda and I will both be doing the next enrichment cycle of science. We’re probably in for the long haul here because we just started with our kids in the school. So we have a good seven years going on here. The kids here are also going to be learning science and biology because they’re learning how plants take up water. They’re learning about evaporation, and efficiency at different levels.
FRIEDA:
And what a fresh vegetable really taste like. Even adults may never have experienced that.
TRISH:
You put a seed in the ground and you watch this thing grow and evolve. It never stops being magic, ever.
FRIEDA:
All of these other countries are doing this out of necessity, but we need to make it a necessity for our children, as basic knowledge, basic education. It’s essential for them to know.
There is a shared sensibility. There is a high aesthetic to compliment our landmark status. We didn’t want to put just – clunk – a big garden that didn’t enhance the beauty of the school, enhance the experience of the kids.
TRISH:
We’re incorporating all of these ideas with an aesthetic of beauty. Beauty is also part of what we need in our lives.
We’ll be growing useful things. We love lots of flowers and we will definitely have a lot of flowers, but we want to also grow useful plants, like herbs, to start making salves and teas. It’s an infinite seed, like any garden. You plant a seed and it grows and grows.
FRIEDA:
It will show everyone that it can be both, both ornamental and edible. And we will be using the edibles as ornamentals. There are flowers that you can eat.
TRISH:
We want to do things that make sense. We eventually want to change the school lunch program in the school. This could be the first little step. Eventually, sometime this year, we want to have some food coming out of that garden. We won’t be able to feed all the kids right away, but at least the consciousness will change.
FRIEDA:
You’ll have the young greens in like 20 days and spinach in about 30 days.
TRISH:
And for people at home who want to do this, if your sunlight changes, you can take the whole thing and move it to a more advantageous spot, and it’s still growing. In a little 2” x 4” space, it’s amazing how much food you can grow. The kids can learn how they can use this in their daily life.
FRIEDA:
If our elementary school kids can build this garden and maintain it, then so can we. It has to be easy enough to do. If they can do it, we can do it.
by Ronald Sklar, reporter at large
It would not be proper to say that “ground was broken;” instead, our garden is an urban wonder of micro-farming, using a closed-loop system of utilizing shipping pallets and water bottles. It’s cost-effective and conservation-minded, chock full of nutrients for the plants, and inspirational and fun for all.
Seeking to be an example of urban farming for other schools as well as our neighbors, this edible garden will show what is possible with very little space and supplies. Even in Brooklyn, we can sing, “Keep Manhattan – just give me that countryside!”
Here, PS 39 parent Trish Mulligan and soon-to-be PS 39 parent Frieda Lim discuss the project and its limitless potential, as well what we hope to see in the coming months.
 |
| Coming together for construction instructions |
 |
| Frieda and Trish |
 |
| digging in |
TRISH:
Frieda started this thing the year before last. And I’ve been a gardener forever, so we both just hooked up about the gardening. But she started this sub-irrigation type of gardening.
FRIEDA:
It’s perfect for an urban setting. It’s basically a water reservoir at the bottom of the container. It’s a self-contained system. My farm is on my rooftop. It’s a 75-container micro-farm. It started out just for my family, and just for eating. I love food and I wanted fresh food for my family.
These containers conserve water dramatically, which is key for every reason. The plants are happier because there is such a huge factor in the planting as well.
TRISH:
It is a soil-less mix, which means it is mostly inert and very light. We add the organic nutrients and in the future will be adding a bit of compost. Most garden soils are pretty dense and the roots have to work their way through unless it's well aerated. The water seeps up to the soil from below and the roots reach down to the water. So instead of getting top water, we have a better and more steady water supply. It’s more even. And it also gives it air.
FRIEDA:
The reservoir at the bottom never contains 100% water, so it’s water and air at the bottom. It’s getting air from the top and from the bottom, so your plants are way happier. This is a system with healthy solutions immediately.You can plant anything that your heart desires. Any fruit and vegetable that you want to grow, you can grow.
We will be able to start eating come May. I actually harvest all the way to December. The funny thing is, I just went up to my roof, and through this bitter winter, a container of spinach has survived! This is after the wind tore off the plastic protection, and it’s been covered with snow.
TRISH:
The thing is, we also wanted to start a garden here, but since funding is really tight, we wanted to do it in a way that it wasn’t going to cost the school anything. Frieda, being very resourceful as she is, found these pallets where we can reuse the wood. Since we’re planting in plastic tubs, the wood is not touching the earth. It’s just to have a nice decorative outside for presentation. So…
FRIEDA:
We found shipping pallets in the neighborhood for people to donate. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, please, take our shipping pallets!’ They’re heavy and businesses get rid of them. So we painstakingly took them apart and removed all the nails. It’s a time-consuming situation, but definitely worthwhile. The project would have been way over a thousand dollars for lumber. That was well worth our community pulling together to achieve that.
It’s about our PS 39 community adapting these ways of gardening and taking them home. Anybody with a slice of appropriate sunlight can grow anything. Even in a window box, you can grow wonderful lettuces and radishes and different herbs, in the smallest space.
TRISH:
We’re definitely incorporating it into the science curriculum. Frieda and I will both be doing the next enrichment cycle of science. We’re probably in for the long haul here because we just started with our kids in the school. So we have a good seven years going on here. The kids here are also going to be learning science and biology because they’re learning how plants take up water. They’re learning about evaporation, and efficiency at different levels.
FRIEDA:
And what a fresh vegetable really taste like. Even adults may never have experienced that.
TRISH:
You put a seed in the ground and you watch this thing grow and evolve. It never stops being magic, ever.
FRIEDA:
All of these other countries are doing this out of necessity, but we need to make it a necessity for our children, as basic knowledge, basic education. It’s essential for them to know.
There is a shared sensibility. There is a high aesthetic to compliment our landmark status. We didn’t want to put just – clunk – a big garden that didn’t enhance the beauty of the school, enhance the experience of the kids.
TRISH:
We’re incorporating all of these ideas with an aesthetic of beauty. Beauty is also part of what we need in our lives.
We’ll be growing useful things. We love lots of flowers and we will definitely have a lot of flowers, but we want to also grow useful plants, like herbs, to start making salves and teas. It’s an infinite seed, like any garden. You plant a seed and it grows and grows.
FRIEDA:
It will show everyone that it can be both, both ornamental and edible. And we will be using the edibles as ornamentals. There are flowers that you can eat.
TRISH:
We want to do things that make sense. We eventually want to change the school lunch program in the school. This could be the first little step. Eventually, sometime this year, we want to have some food coming out of that garden. We won’t be able to feed all the kids right away, but at least the consciousness will change.
FRIEDA:
You’ll have the young greens in like 20 days and spinach in about 30 days.
TRISH:
And for people at home who want to do this, if your sunlight changes, you can take the whole thing and move it to a more advantageous spot, and it’s still growing. In a little 2” x 4” space, it’s amazing how much food you can grow. The kids can learn how they can use this in their daily life.
FRIEDA:
If our elementary school kids can build this garden and maintain it, then so can we. It has to be easy enough to do. If they can do it, we can do it.
by Ronald Sklar, reporter at large
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
A Look at the Rooks!
 |
| Medal winning Brooklyn Rooks! |
PS 39 salutes our own Brooklyn Rooks, the amazing chess team that has been making all the right moves both at home and city-wide. The team (as well as its connected after school club) has what it takes to master the most complicated of games. Within the last few weeks, the Rooks placed first in the Under 600 division of New York City’s Right Move chess tournament!
Victors include Jordan Fisher, Asher Kalfus, Finn Kleckner, Henry Monroe, Sullivan O'Connor, Milo Poniewozik, Jeremy Rodriguez, Sergio Rodriguez, Hugo Scully, and Evan Sherman.
Here, we talk to beloved Rooks coach Oscar Santana, as well as parent coordinators Bree O’ Connor, Peter Sherman and Beth Kleber. They tell us how chess has enhanced the lives of their kids, as well as the challenge of the game and the rewards it brings.
Oscar
I was in the seventh grade when I first learned how to play. I used to like sports, but I had a hip condition, so I couldn’t play sports anymore. So I found chess. I just started playing it in the seventh grade, and I wasn’t too good. In eighth grade, it started picking up for me. When high school hit, that’s when I became much better.
Chess just keeps challenging me. I love playing the game, but teaching it is so much more rewarding. I love to see the kids’ eyes light up when they figure it out, when they’re learning a complicated game like this. It’s nice to see how happy they get.
Obviously, young children have different attention spans. Each child moves at a different pace, so you have all these different levels all around you. But I want to keep all of them involved and engaged. It’s not so much about how much I’m going to teach them. It’s about how I have to keep them engaged.
You can always spot a good chess player. You see the spark. And then as you teach them, they are like a sponge. They absorb it all.
You should definitely study, but the most important thing is to play. Play as much as you can. It’s nice to have group lessons, but if you can get a private teacher, you learn so much. But play a lot. You need to play.
The Brooklyn Rooks’ parents are just so encouraging, so involved. There are also a great bunch of kids. Fortunately, we have no crying on the team. They get beat up and they keep going. Even when I’m teaching, I still try to play in a few tournaments throughout the year. I love playing.
There will be a lot of players from the club who will be joining the team. We definitely want to try to keep expanding. There is a high volume of kids who want to come in and play. We’re short on space. They’re going to be playing in the nationals this year. Hopefully we can have a good performance out there. They played in the city this year and scored fourth place. They definitely did an awesome job, these guys.
Bree
My son, Sullivan, is in the fourth grade. He loves it. The tournaments are long and grueling, but he just is having a blast. It’s really fun to watch the kids. They’re really engaged and excited about chess and they get into really strategic arguments with one another. It’s just really fun to see how much they’re really into it.
The team has been doing just a bang-up job at all of these tournaments. I mean, we go normally once a month. However, they’ve had two or three tournaments in the last four weeks.We did the city-wide championship a couple of weeks ago. Our team placed fourth in the Under 600. Last week, at The Right Move tournament, they placed first.
I help coordinate with Beth and Peter. We help get information out to the parents, to make sure everybody’s in the loop about the tournaments. We’re working on a fund-raising campaign because we want to be able to help the families out who are committed to going to the nationals in Dallas in May. We’ll be kicking off some efforts in the next month or so. I don’t have the exact date, but I believe in March we are going to have a chess night in conjunction with the PTA meeting.
We’re going to be looking for community sponsors, business sponsors for the team. We’ll be selling T-shirts. Little bits of chess swag in the coming months to help support the team.
Generally, the tournaments in Manhattan start playing at ten in the morning and the last game usually ends around 3: 30 or 4. Then we stay for the award ceremonies, because somebody is always thinking up a medal or something and the whole team is usually placing. So it’s a long day. At the city-wide tournament, we didn’t leave until almost eight o’ clock at night. We started to play at ten that morning. So this is a dedicated group of kids.
Every class, from first grade on up, gets chess instruction for most of the year, and for several months out of the year.What’s great about it is that we just have a culture of chess in the school. Studies have shown that there is such a correlation in improvement in all academic areas, from reading to math to geometric understanding, and understanding special relationships and planning. It’s really quite extraordinary. It’s amazing what chess can do, and it’s exciting that it is such a part of the culture at 39.
Oscar is a great teacher. He’s great with the kids. He’s a totally affable person. His love of the game rubs off on the kids like you wouldn’t believe.
Peter
I’m connected through my son, Evan, who is in the fourth grade. He started in the chess club in second grade. Last year, he moved over to the team. The team competes at these tournaments which are usually monthly and sometimes a little bit more. It’s been really nice for him.
I think the main thing he likes is that it’s competitive. He likes the aspect of competing and doing well. He definitely has a mathematical mind, which must figure into it somehow, because I don’t. He has a good mind for memorization, the strategy of it. And that’s an important part of chess, unlike the way I would play it as a kid where I never got any real instruction. I just sort of knew how the pieces moved and I was always trying to keep track of where things were. But they learn the strategies and what are called the “opens.” You learn to see the board in a certain way and you learn how to get checkmate in two or three moves or whatever it might be. So it’s almost like learning plays in basketball. You really have to study them and memorize them. I think it appeals to that aspect of his mind. You study these things and you commit them to memory.
There is this visual/’in the moment’ kind of thing where you can see several moves ahead. That comes with more time and practice. That’s the area where a lot of them are still developing their game. They’ve been doing pretty well. There is this team camaraderie that really appeals to him too.
Oscar has been fantastic. He is a product of the ‘chess in the schools’ program, which we used to have officially through the city. Once the Title One funding was lost, that was no longer something that the city would pay for. The PTA came together and agreed to finance it and to bring Oscar in to do this. Hehad gone to both a junior high and high school that had a chess curriculum. That’s how he developed in the game. And he had great instruction.
He’s really adept at getting through to the kids. That appeals to me when I see it. There are a lot of different coaching styles, and his style is very easygoing. Some of those other coaches are very intense. With this particular group, I think it really works with them. He’s soft spoken but he’s in control of the situation. He has a way with them. It’s something that I think probably just comes naturally to him.
There is a time commitment to going to the tournament, and you have to sit all day in the high school cafeteria on a Sunday. In the winter it’s not so bad, but when the weather gets nice, it’s a little bit [difficult], yet you see how much enjoyment the kids get out of it.
There is this contingent of boys who are now in the fourth grade. The team is heavily male. There is only one girl who is officially on the team. In general, when you go to these tournaments, you can see that there are not many girls. It’s definitely an issue that they had worked at some level to address, but it’s still a male-dominated situation. But for any parent who does have a daughter who is interested in it or shows some ability at it, I would still recommend that they give it a shot.
Even though there are a lot of boys, the environment is kept calmer by Oscar’s demeanor, if that makes a difference to some girls. I would recommend it to any kid who has an interest in it. It’s the only team that the school has. Most elementary schools don’t have teams of any kind, really. It’s been good for all the parents who have been involved too because it’s another way to build the community within the school.
Solo it would have been a lot to do, but because [the three of us parents] are all able to do it together, and all of our sons are the same age and all play together these three years, it’s really helped. We have camaraderie as we sit through these long days of tournaments.
Beth
I have two kids at 39. I have a fourth grader and a first grader, Milo [fourth grade] and Andre [first grade]. The school always had a really great reputation for having this really great chess program, which I think was a hangover from when the school was a Title One school. So there was always this chess instruction that was available to the kids during the day.
Because Milo was getting chess in his classroom, he started getting interested in it. He joined the club as soon as he could, when he was in second grade. Last year he started on the team. Then they needed some [parents] to take over the chess program and I have a hard time saying no.
I’m a lousy chess player. My kids have tried to teach me many times. My husband plays chess. I think it’s really great for analytical thinking, patience and a lot of things that don’t necessarily come easily to a young child. I think it’s a fascinating exercise, particularly in tournaments where the kids get revved up and excited.
The way you can do really well in a tournament is to outlast your opponent, to be smart and take your time. I think that’s one thing that Oscar really stresses with them, particularly as the day goes on. Make the game go as long as you possibly can, which is not easy for an eight-year-old or a nine –year-old.
It teaches them thinking ahead, planning out your moves, this kind of three dimensional thinking, the relationship between things.
Oscar is great. He played on a really competitive chess team when he was in school. He’s a young guy, easygoing and kind. The kids love him. He’s really supportive.
Honestly, it’s a great activity in the winter. They like it. They love to win. They can see that they’ve gotten better and they see their individual rankings increase as they win more games. I think there is a lot of satisfaction that they get out of it. They get to hang out with their friends. They are really tight. It’s a nice little group. They’re all buddies.
Particularly in second or third grade, I think that’s when kids are really ready to understand the game, and get something out of it. It’s a great benefit.
-By Ronald Sklar, Reporter at Large
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Meet Mr. Trust
Hard to believe that everybody’s favorite music teacher, Paul Trust, did not start his career journey anywhere near music education. His original goal was marketing and advertising, which, of course, we could all easily picture him doing.Ultimately, though, and luckily for us, he chose his stronger passion. He joyfully shares that love every day with PS 39 students.
“My sister, who is four years older than me, was a drummer,” he says of his musical beginnings in Rockland County, New York. “She was always involved with the band. I always watched her. She would always be with her practice pad, very diligent in trying to get better. She had her upper classmen that she really loved to learn from. And I learned from her. You learn by watching others to see how they do.”
He had a teaching influence as well, to complete the Paul Trust remix.
“My mother’s a teacher, so it kind of runs in the family,” he says.
Not long after watching his sister bond and grow with the drums, he chose his own musical path. However, his choice was quite a different sound.
“When in third grade I had to choose an instrument,” he says. “I chose the tuba, only because my best friend chose the tuba. Little did I know that it would dictate the rest of my life. It’s funny how things work out like that.
“I loved the tuba. It was this humongous instrument and at first I was making these horrendous sounds out of it. Over time, though, I really worked at trying to get better. I finally could say I was a musician and really play the instrument.”
Even at an early age, people were noticing that Mr. Trust had a special relationship with music.
He says, “I just remember some of my teachers from first, second and third grade who would come to see our concerts. They would notice how into it I was. I’d be tapping, I’d be moving, so they realized that I really enjoyed music. It really starts from elementary school and what you do with it.
“From there, I continued with tuba all throughout junior high and high school. Some of my friends were playing guitar, and so I started to get involved in bands. Tuba really wasn’t such a rock-and-roll instrument, so I switched over to bass guitar. And I continued with bands all the way through college.”
While at the State University of New York Oswego, he majored in business with plans to get buttoned-down in the business of marketing.
“When I first moved to the city, I tried to get into the advertising world,” he says, “but I hit my head against a concrete block. I could not get into creative. I could get jobs in ad sales, but not creative. So I thought, I could really try to work hard at that, or I could work really hard at what I love even more, which is music.”
So off he went, for his second bachelors, at City College. His major was Jazz Performance. Eventually, he earned a masters in music education from Queens College.
His first stop: teaching at a high school in Queens for four years. But fate held even more in store for him – and for us.
“I wanted to try something different,” he says, “so I decided to look around. Just through some of the avenues I pursued, my resume wound up with Ms. De Paz. She interviewed me and PS 39 sounded like a great school.
“As I said, I really fell in love with music from my elementary time. I’ve already done the high school for several years, so I decided to check out elementary school. And I love it.”
His experience at PS 39 keeps him playing many different tunes.
He says, “With high school students, there is a difference between the freshman and the seniors, even though they are all still young adults at that point. But I come to this school and I teach everything from Pre-K to fifth, and the difference is so huge.
“With Pre-K, it’s really a lot about exposure and movements and expressiveness. But in fifth grade, we’re trying to read through music charts and gain experience with music notation and performance and instruments and what have you. So I really get a nice, broad spectrum.”
Through his teaching at PS 39, Mr. Trust has uncovered some truths about students and music.
“I think there are some students who gravitate toward music,” he says. “It seems to come naturally to them. But I also want to say that just because somebody shows a gift doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going to be a better musician than someone who doesn’t.
“I feel a lot about what makes a good musician is your ability to focus and to work on your craft. It doesn’t matter how great your gift is if you don’t put it to use. So someone who is maybe not [musically gifted] may not find it as easy as someone else, but if they really work at it, they can become a fantastic musician.
“Charlie Parker, the great jazz saxophonist, was apparently horrible when he started. Papa Joe Jones threw a cymbal at him at an Open Mike to get him off the stage. So he went home and he practiced and practiced and practiced. And now he’s one of the greatest jazz artists who ever lived. It’s just a matter of putting your mind to it and focusing.”
Mr. Trust also has advice for parents who may feel that their children are moving toward a musical passion.
He says, “If parents feel that their child has an interest in music, then they should let them be exposed to different instruments. What I do here is try to expose students to what’s out there. I teach them a bit about reading music and about different songs and different composers, from back in the day to modern times.
“But ultimately, if the child decides that they want to play piano or guitar or drums, let them pursue that and take lessons. Let them try to take it seriously.
“I think it’s important not to force a child to play an instrument. They have to have an interest and a love. And they have to understand that maybe it’s not for them, or maybe it’s not for them now. They may lose interest, but they also may come back to it.
“That’s what happened to me for a little while. I sort of thought that I wasn’t going to be playing anymore. Where I was in my life, it just didn’t fit in, and I can’t believe I thought that at one time. Things come and go, but expose them to it. Take them to music stores. Let them bang on some drums and hit some pianos or pick up a guitar. Then have them take lessons and have them learn from a teacher who does that for a living.”
There also may be some exciting musical news to close out our exciting year at PS 39. “There is a talent show in the works,” he says. “It is in the early stages of development. We’re shooting for the springtime. More information will be revealed, possibly a May date. That will give the children who do take lessons an opportunity.
“However, it doesn’t only have to be in music. I know some students pursue ballet. I even heard that there is a child here who is an amateur magician. It should be a nice, diverse show where kids who have the talent or who are working on pursuing some sort of craft can come and show what they’ve got.”
That will make us positively Glee-ful! And we all thank Mr. Trust for keeping the music – and the inspiration -- alive every day!
-Ron Sklar- PS 39 Reporter At Large
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Mitchell and Jocelyn Baker in Rwanda
We always love to keep up with our PS 39 families, even when they’re halfway around the world. Mitchell and Jocelyn Baker, the parents of Zoe and Winnie, are all currently living in Rwanda (far from Park Slope!).
Jocelyn is making the most of her nursing skills to help care for the people there. They plan to return to us in January 2012, but for now, we thought you might like to see how they’re doing.
The beautiful photos below were taken by Mitchell. The following is our interview with Jocelyn.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Miami, Florida, but my husband grew up in Manhattan. I moved to the city in 2002 (when I was pregnant with Zoe) and haven't looked back since.
Who do you have attending PS 39?
My older daughter, Zoe, age 8, has been attending PS 39 since she was in Pre-K with Miss Cassens. This year she was in third grade with Mrs. Taylor.
When did you first become interested in nursing?
I have pretty much always worked in public health. I started out as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon in 1998 and from there moved on to work for various other non-profits, both overseas and in New York City. I often worked with African immigrants in the city as well. In 2004, I became interested in pursuing a more clinical path and finding a way to help people more directly. So I decided to return to school to become a nurse.
I had to take a lot of special pre-requisites like Anatomy and Physiology (learning all about how the body works - I loved it!) before I could start my program. I did the accelerated BSN program at Columbia University in 2006-2007 - the same year that Zoe was in Pre-K. It was a very busy year!
Do you have a specialty?
I have specialized in maternal and child health (i.e. mothers and babies). Having lived in Africa for many years, I saw that there was a real need in this area - especially around childbirth. We tend to take for granted in this country that having a baby will be a safe experience, but the reality is that almost half a million women die every year during childbirth. For that reason, I decided to specialize in maternity care and am currently working towards becoming a certified nurse midwife (a special type of advanced nurse that helps women deliver babies).
How did you become involved in working in Rwanda?
In Rwanda, I work for an international organization called Partners in Health. I, like many people, first learned about PIH from a wonderful book about its' founder, Paul Farmer, called "Mountains Beyond Mountains". That book was about the work he started, building a clinic and
improving healthcare in rural Haiti.
Dr. Farmer believed that everyone has the right to good health and good healthcare - no matter if they are rich or poor, if they are black or white, urban or rural, or whether or not they live in a wealthy country. I, and many, many other people, have found his books and his work very inspiring and it is what brought me to work here in Rwanda.
What are your biggest challenges there?
There are so many challenges here! In my work though, probably the biggest challenge is a lack of resources in the hospital and health centers - all the little things we take for granted in the US. Things like medicines, blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, scissors, even clean sheets. Oftentimes the nurses here just have to do without and figure out other ways to take care of people who are sick.
There are also definitely not enough nurses in this country (11 million people and only 6,000 nurses), which is one of the reasons that PIH brought me here - to help train new and existing nurses so that they can give the best possible care to their patients.
In our personal life here too there are many challenges as well. Now that Zoe and the family are here with me, we have moved into a little house in the village (or, as they say here, umudugudu) next to the hospital. The house doesn't have running water and the electricity can be spotty. So that is definitely challenging!
Do you see Rwanda's situation improving anytime soon?
Oh yes, definitely! Rwanda is an amazingly industrious country with a very strong leader who is determined to see his country become a shining star in Africa. In the capital of Kigali, there is so much construction going on. It is also very well organized, clean, and safe - one of the nicest big cities I've been to in this part of Africa. The Rwandan people as well are extremely hardworking and dedicated to improving their lives and their country.
What do you miss most about home?
The food - definitely the food! Especially the food in New York! Bagels from La Bagel Delight and Dim Sum in Queens (and pizza, mmm, pizza...).
What do you miss about PS 39?
Oh there are so many things we love about PS 39! I would have to say though, that first and foremost is all the wonderful teachers! My mother was a teacher and so I know firsthand what a challenging job it is and what it takes to be really good. I feel so fortunate that Zoe has had the opportunity to be nurtured and taught by such a strong group of people. We, of course, also love the PS 39 community. We have all made so many good friends through the school and I know Zoe misses her classmates a ton!
When do you return?
We will actually be back in the states this summer, but staying up at our farm in Ithaca, NY (all PS 39ers welcome!). Zoe, though, won't be back at PS 39 until the following winter - January 2012, when she will be able rejoin all of her classmates in the fourth grade.
***
By Ronald Sklar, PS 39 Reporter at Large
Jocelyn is making the most of her nursing skills to help care for the people there. They plan to return to us in January 2012, but for now, we thought you might like to see how they’re doing.
The beautiful photos below were taken by Mitchell. The following is our interview with Jocelyn.
***************************************************************
 |
| Winnie watching a cow from a tree |
I grew up in Miami, Florida, but my husband grew up in Manhattan. I moved to the city in 2002 (when I was pregnant with Zoe) and haven't looked back since.
Who do you have attending PS 39?
My older daughter, Zoe, age 8, has been attending PS 39 since she was in Pre-K with Miss Cassens. This year she was in third grade with Mrs. Taylor.
When did you first become interested in nursing?
I have pretty much always worked in public health. I started out as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon in 1998 and from there moved on to work for various other non-profits, both overseas and in New York City. I often worked with African immigrants in the city as well. In 2004, I became interested in pursuing a more clinical path and finding a way to help people more directly. So I decided to return to school to become a nurse.
 |
| Our House |
 |
| Our street in the Umudugudu (village) |
I have specialized in maternal and child health (i.e. mothers and babies). Having lived in Africa for many years, I saw that there was a real need in this area - especially around childbirth. We tend to take for granted in this country that having a baby will be a safe experience, but the reality is that almost half a million women die every year during childbirth. For that reason, I decided to specialize in maternity care and am currently working towards becoming a certified nurse midwife (a special type of advanced nurse that helps women deliver babies).
 |
| Zoe in Akagera park (note the baboon) |
In Rwanda, I work for an international organization called Partners in Health. I, like many people, first learned about PIH from a wonderful book about its' founder, Paul Farmer, called "Mountains Beyond Mountains". That book was about the work he started, building a clinic and
improving healthcare in rural Haiti.
Dr. Farmer believed that everyone has the right to good health and good healthcare - no matter if they are rich or poor, if they are black or white, urban or rural, or whether or not they live in a wealthy country. I, and many, many other people, have found his books and his work very inspiring and it is what brought me to work here in Rwanda.
What are your biggest challenges there?
There are so many challenges here! In my work though, probably the biggest challenge is a lack of resources in the hospital and health centers - all the little things we take for granted in the US. Things like medicines, blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, scissors, even clean sheets. Oftentimes the nurses here just have to do without and figure out other ways to take care of people who are sick.
There are also definitely not enough nurses in this country (11 million people and only 6,000 nurses), which is one of the reasons that PIH brought me here - to help train new and existing nurses so that they can give the best possible care to their patients.
In our personal life here too there are many challenges as well. Now that Zoe and the family are here with me, we have moved into a little house in the village (or, as they say here, umudugudu) next to the hospital. The house doesn't have running water and the electricity can be spotty. So that is definitely challenging!
 |
| Zoe reading under her mistnet, with her new kitten, Crookshanks, tucked under her arm. Malaria is not very dense, but it is endemic here, so we have window screens and bednets for sleeping. |
Do you see Rwanda's situation improving anytime soon?
Oh yes, definitely! Rwanda is an amazingly industrious country with a very strong leader who is determined to see his country become a shining star in Africa. In the capital of Kigali, there is so much construction going on. It is also very well organized, clean, and safe - one of the nicest big cities I've been to in this part of Africa. The Rwandan people as well are extremely hardworking and dedicated to improving their lives and their country.
 |
| Zoe and Winnie walking from our village |
What do you miss most about home?
The food - definitely the food! Especially the food in New York! Bagels from La Bagel Delight and Dim Sum in Queens (and pizza, mmm, pizza...).
What do you miss about PS 39?
Oh there are so many things we love about PS 39! I would have to say though, that first and foremost is all the wonderful teachers! My mother was a teacher and so I know firsthand what a challenging job it is and what it takes to be really good. I feel so fortunate that Zoe has had the opportunity to be nurtured and taught by such a strong group of people. We, of course, also love the PS 39 community. We have all made so many good friends through the school and I know Zoe misses her classmates a ton!
When do you return?
We will actually be back in the states this summer, but staying up at our farm in Ithaca, NY (all PS 39ers welcome!). Zoe, though, won't be back at PS 39 until the following winter - January 2012, when she will be able rejoin all of her classmates in the fourth grade.
 | ||||||||
This is one of a small group of citrus swallowtail butterflies roosting in some grasses for a week.
|
By Ronald Sklar, PS 39 Reporter at Large
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Breaking News Re: Bowling Party
BOWLING
THE BOWLING PARTY IS ON!
We have decided to GO FOR IT.Word on the street is that while it is cold and snowy, it *is* possible to commute. Buses are coming back after not running early this morning, and train delays are getting shorter. Who knows: by tonight, it may be business as usual, or nearly usual.
Melody Lanes is open, and warm, and after a day off school, kids will be climbing the walls, as several parents kindly pointed out in their (slightly imploring) emails, which is all the more reason to keep this community event as originally scheduled.
Know that per the MTA (www.mta.info), buses and trains are BOTH running on delayed schedules. That includes those nearest to Melody Lanes, which are:
TRAINS: R and N to 36th St/4th Ave
and
BUS: B63 to 36th Street and 5th Ave
Another option might be your local car service, although they are probably in high demand today, and some of their cars might be snowed in, as are some of ours.
Once again, Melody Lanes is located on the border of Greenwood Heights/Sunset Park, on 37th Street, between 4th and 5th Aves, closer to 5th Ave. I rarely say this, but: YOU CANNOT MISS IT. Truly.
Be in touch if you have questions,
Thanks,
Susan, PTA Co-Prez
917 204 2107
Monday, January 24, 2011
PS 39 Parent Tony Garnier
 |
| Bassist and PS 39 Parent Tony Garnier |
Born in Minnesota (like Dylan) and raised in California, Tony now calls Park Slope home. He’s like a rolling stone, however, when he spends five or six months a year touring the world with Dylan. Trish, who was at one time Bob Dylan’s personal chef, met Tony while they both worked a Dylan tour. Now they have two sons, Luke (who is in Ms. Imperiali’s kindergarten class) and baby Tino.
A professional musician who has been making a living at music since the seventies, Tony has played with an impressive Who’s Who of pop music (as if Dylan weren’t enough!): Asleep at the Wheel, Paul Simon, Buster Poindexter, Robert Gordon, Tom Waits, and many others. He’s also played in Broadway orchestras, for TV commercial jingles, and in the house band for Saturday Night Live.
“My mom had said, ‘Well, you didn’t choose the bass, the bass chose you,’” Tony tells me. “I didn’t even think about it until years and years later. I like playing the bass, playing the supportive role. It’s a really important thing. I consider myself really lucky.”
Tony comes from a musical family. His mother is a music teacher and had played the church organ. His dad (who died in 2001) was a carpenter, but also sang opera. Tony’s grandfather, it is believed, taught music to a young Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong in New Orleans, way back in the day.
“Out of fifty first cousins,” he says, “there are only three of us playing as professional musicians.”
His musical journey was not always intended as a first priority. He had started out on the straight and narrow before music became his life.
“I was planning on becoming a lawyer,” he says. “I was really into politics. I got out of high school a year early and started playing more. I went to college at U.C. Berkeley, but I wasn’t really into school. I was into playing.”
He moved to New York in 1978, building his solid reputation one band at a time. By 1989, he was playing with Dylan. It was just in time for Communism to fall and for the Iron Curtain to rock around the Bloc.
“Those were heavy days,” he says of those historic Dylan concerts which took place right after the Berlin Wall came down.
Eventually, Tony was promoted to Dylan’s band leader, after G.E. Smith decided to stop touring. Of working and playing with the man himself, Tony says, “Bob has the final say as far as the shows are concerned. He is really open to almost any suggestions from band or crew members. It's one of the reasons he has such a successful touring operation; it's constantly evolving. It's probably a good lesson in how to run a long-term business.”
Tony’s son Lucas, 5, is a Dylan fan, and has actually attended his concerts and recordings. He also traveled with the band on the road. For his young age, Luke is quite the music connoisseur.
“Certain songs Luke really takes to,” Tony says, “like earlier on he liked Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. He likes singers and songs. He likes Chuck Berry, ‘Johnny B. Goode.’ He loved the songs on Christmas In the Heart [The Bob Dylan Christmas album, released last year].”
These days, Lucas is busier with school than with traveling. Although both Lucas and Tino still occasionally attend a concert with dad, the schedule is not as intense as when Lucas was younger.
Tony says, “It was easier traveling with one kid, but with two, it’s difficult. Now that Lucas is in kindergarten, it’s really harder. He went to Europe twice. He went to Italy. While we were doing the Christmas album, he came out to LA and stayed.”
Still, when Tony is on the road, father and sons manage to keep in touch the modern way.
“Lucas is really into Skyping,” Tony says. “He could open Trish’s computer when he was three. He could turn on the computer and find my name on Skype!”
Tony plans to start Lucas on piano at around age seven (“Playing piano is something that every kid should learn. That’s a great thing for every kid.”), but for now, the intensely fun experience of kindergarten is more than enough.
“A good teacher is everything,” says Tony of Lucas’ teacher, Ms. Imperiali. “Lucas’ first day in kindergarten was so heavy, because it was our first real separation. The first day I picked him up, I asked him, ‘How was school?’ ‘Good,’ he says. But on the second day, he answers, ‘Really good!’ And now he says that every day! He never says he doesn’t like school. I mean, I liked school but he really likes it. What a great school!”
- Ronald Sklar, PS 39 Reporter at Large
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