A Message from Mrs. Paz, Principal, IA

School Year 2023-2024

September 13th, 2023

Dear Parents and Guardians of PS232,

I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy. My name is Mrs. Naviha Ponce-Paz and I am the new Principal of PS232. I am thrilled to welcome and work with each of you this school year, and to continue building on all the greatness that PS232 has to offer. Through this time, we have learned that there is no replacement for an in-person smile, affirmation of success, a high five and collaboration amongst classmates and staff. This year more than ever, we want to work closely to ensure that we continue fostering strong connections between students, teachers, and parents. I come to you with over twenty years of educational experience and with a firm belief that all children can and will learn. As a mother, I find it extremely important that families trust their children’s school and when they leave, they feel confident that their children are safe and valued. As a professional, I push myself and my staff to ensure that students find school to be supportive, fun and a place where they feel respected, heard and valued. My goal is to support students in developing a positive mindset, always learning to see things they have not “yet” accomplished instead of “can’t” accomplish. The development of a child requires a team effort, inclusive of all staff members and especially our parents. As such, not only are our teachers eager to welcome students back, but our PTA is ready to support our community to build relationships and establish experiences for our students and families that they will cherish for years to come.

I encourage you to always remember that while we may have challenging times, together, we can build strength, unity and overcome adversity. Our strength comes in working together, always putting children at the center of all we do. Our children and families have faced so much and as we move into a new school year, remember as Maya Angelou once said: “Nothing can dim the light from within”. I ask that you think about the light within each one of our children and ourselves, and work towards supporting that inner light to shine stronger each day.

My door is open and I welcome your input so please feel free to contact me via email or call the office and schedule an appointment to meet with me. As always, you can also reach out to Assistant Principal Leibman (Grade 4k-2 Supervisor), Assistant Principal Collins (Grade 6-8 Supervisor) or Parent Coordinator Mrs. Mary Desimone for additional support.

Please visit our website at www.ps232queens.org regularly for information about our school.

Together we will make this the best year yet!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Naviha Ponce Paz
Principal, IA

September 7th, 2023

Dear PS 232Q School Community,

As the Principal of PS 232Q, it is with great pleasure that I welcome everyone back for the 2023-2024 academic school year. We are excited to be able to share another year with you. Our goal is that all students and families feel welcomed, supported and connected to our school community. Our teachers have spent countless hours planning culturally responsive units of study to challenge and engage our students to grow socially and academically. We are looking forward to reading literature where our children’s faces are reflected as characters, writing that engages them in critical thinking skills, and in rigorous math, science and social studies learning activities that are inquiry or project-based experiences.

We encourage our parents to be active in their child’s education. Please reach out to our parent coordinator, Ms. Desimone for any parent concerns, specific school information you may need, and how to join and support the PTA. She can also help you with signing up for your parent DOE account so that you can receive emails, text messages and phone calls from our school with updates. This will take the place of the Remind App which we are no longer using.

Our pupil personnel secretary, Ms. Carbone, can be of assistance with anything related to student registration, buses and overall student support as related to updating addresses, or pertinent student information. Please ensure that you are completing and returning the emergency blue cards as soon as possible to our school.

Our in-person Principal’s Breakfasts enable parents to come into our building and learn about what our school offers parents but more importantly so that we can communicate and exchange ideas to make PS232 greater than ever! Please use this form to RSVP your attendance https://forms.gle/7bsHczLTVPJoAi9e6.

Please check your child’s homework folder every night. Important school information will come home in this folder. After checking the folder nightly, please put in the folder any absence notes or other information for your child’s teacher. This will facilitate an open line of communication with school staff and faculty. Students will receive a packet with all necessary permission slips and documents on September 7, 2023. It is imperative that Emergency Blue Cards are completed/updated and immediately returned to the school for emergency contact information. All court orders must be copied by the parent and delivered to our school so that we can attach this important document to the emergency card.

Ms. Leibman (aleibma@schools.nyc.gov), our Assistant Principal in charge of our early childhood grades, and Mr. Collins (kcollin7@schools.nyc.gov), our Assistant Principal in charge of our middle school grades, and I look forward to working with each of you this school year! We are always here to support you with your concerns but if for some reason we are not immediately available, please call or email Ms. Dobkowski (DDobkow@schools.nyc.gov), the school secretary and she will relay the message to us. , and she will be happy to take a message or set up an appointment.

I am excited to be part of the PS 232Q community and look forward to continuing to focus on cultivating an environment that is welcoming, caring, positive and inclusive to all cultures, religions, and identities.

Welcome back to a wonderful and safe school year!

Naviha Ponce Paz
Principal, IA- 27Q232
(E): nponcepaz@schools.nyc.gov
(P): 718-848-9247