“For those of us who attended Parkside’s 35th Anniversary Gatsby Gala, the glow of the evening continues to live on in our hearts and minds. It was clear from the start that everyone attending was there with a singular vibrant purpose: to raise money to support our extraordinary staff, teachers and therapists, and to have a complete blast doing so!” — Leslie Thorne, Co-Head of School
Read MoreWe are always delighted to hear from our beloved alumni! Here’s some of the latest news we’ve received. Be sure to submit your alumni news to be included in future editions. Click here to share your news items.
Read MoreAs we conclude Parkside’s 34th year, and embark on our next chapter, we reflect with deep gratitude on the immense impact Ronnie and Gene Isenberg have had on our school.
Read MoreWith another school year behind us, summer is a great time to reflect on the achievements of our alumni. We’ve heard from a number of alums over the past year. We hope you enjoy reading about their adventure and accomplishments below!
Read MoreWe recently had the opportunity to visit with Yoni Messing, who stopped by Parkside over the summer. We had a great conversation about his memories of Parkside, and what inspired him to become a software developer.
Read MoreIn 2014, The Parkside School held a benefit at Del Posto honoring Al Roker and Deborah Roberts. It was a festive evening, featuring “A Night of Comedy” exquisitely crafted by Sherri Shepherd with comic Joy Behar, Judy Gold, Diane Neal, and Tammy Pescatelli. Leading up to the event, Parkside set the goal of creating a dedicated fund that would help our school attract, develop and retain exceptional teachers and offer outstanding professional development opportunities.
The event raised more than $3.1 million thanks to 64 donors and a generous leadership challenge from the Isenberg family. Today, the fund’s balance has grown to more than $3.5 million, and the impact of that support can be seen throughout our school. Parkside’s annual budget for professional development includes more than $65,000 specifically for teacher training, consultants, conferences and initiatives that strengthen our curriculum and allow our staff to be leaders among special education professionals in New York City.
There is exceptional work happening year round to support our teachers and therapists. The following is a representative sampling of the type of impact the Fund for Teacher Excellence has had on our school.
Read MoreBefore coming to Parkside full time in the Fall of 2016, Roberta Favant worked in an inclusion program but was looking for a school whose resources were dedicated 100% to special needs students. “As a speech and language therapist, my purpose is to support special needs students, and I wanted to work is a setting designed for them. The Parkside program places a particular emphasis on language learning, and that has been the focus of my practice over the years,” she said. Ms. Favant had attended professional development workshops at Parkside, including the Constable Reading sessions as part of the Parkside Summer Institute, and a Carol Gray lecture on social stories. “The workshops were excellent, as is the reputation Parkside holds in the special education community, she recalls.
Ms. Favant took some time to share with us her unique perspective on The Parkside School, our students, and our philosophy of teaching.
Read MoreEvery day I feel lucky that my son William goes to Parkside. William is a funny, smart, loving, happy and in many ways a complicated little boy. He needs to be at a school where the directors, teachers, therapists, and staff not only recognize, but understand his strengths and challenges, are attuned to his feelings and appreciate him for his unique self. A place where he can feel part of a community and develop an identity. Parkside gives him all of these things and more.
Read MoreMike Tramontana is Parkside's gym teacher and head of the arts and movement program.
Q: Why do you teach?
A: At first I wanted to become a teacher because I knew I wanted to have a family of my own, and I’ve seen many friends complain of “not having enough time” for their children. I thought having the same schedule as a child in school would increase my overall time with my future children, something that is very important to me. Now that my wife is pregnant with our first child, due in April, I’ll finally get to see if my plan worked.
Once I began teaching, I lost sight of that original idea. Ensuring the children in my class were always safe, smiling and having fun during gym became my priority.
