Domain2 | mysite

Screen Shot 2021-11-09 at 8.37.32 PM.png

Domain 2

School Culture & Instructional Program

Culture

Attitudes, knowledge, behaviors and beliefs that characterize the school environment and are shared by its stakeholders.

Culture

Professional

Learning

Calendar

Daily professional learning time continues to provide 177Q staff with valuable opportunities to collaborate, share ideas, plan, and receive training. All presentations and related materials are shared with 177Q staff through the professional learning calendar.

Professional development topics have included the review of instructional strategies and curriculum, AAC devices, sensory integration, assessment/data, behavior support strategies, and technology. Teachers, paraprofessionals, and related service providers discuss these topics during team meetings that are built into the school day.

Recent Professional Development Activities include:

AAC - Teachers, related service providers and paraprofessionals were given the task to complete an art activity while using a GoTalk to communicate with each other. Staff used the GoTalk to make requests of various art supplies to decorate a flower pot then add seeds and soil to it. Speech therapists were available to support staff during this immersive experience.

A friendly Kahoot competition which reviewed topics that were presented from September to January. This activity was both informative and engaging for staff and provided the Professional Learning Team with information about the effectiveness of their PD offerings. Kahoot questions included: What prompt is the easiest fade? What is 1 component of structured teaching? How often must Teachers and Related Service Providers report progress of IEP goals in SESIS?

Teachers created a game combining instruction and socialization for use with students. 177@MVB students made packets of materials for each homeroom and cluster team across all 177Q sites. Some examples of games created include:
- Letter sounds game aligned to FUNdations
- Dollar-up strategy game

The counselors and deans from 177Q are providing ongoing support through the Behavior Intervention series. This is a series specifically for teachers with students that have FBA’s and BIP’s, which has included analyzing and uploading progress monitoring data.

Upcoming topics for professional learning include:

Travel Training
Best Practices Share Fair
Continued PD in Literacy
Additional AAC PD
Inquiry Share Fair

In June 2022, 177Q staff voted on the implementation of regularly scheduled Professional Learning activities for the 2022-23 school year. As a result, 177Q has implemented daily professional learning activities for all staff members from 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM. The Professional Learning schedule of daily activities is as follows:

Team Meetings: Monday, Wednesday & Friday

Professional Development: Tuesday

Drop in Support/Office Hour: Thursday

Staff feedback and input are an integral part in the development of 177’s Professional Learning Program. To ensure that the needs of all 177Q community members are represented through the Professional Learning program, the entire staff is invited to share feedback through surveys. Additionally, a multidisciplinary planning committee has been designed through the collaborative efforts of the administration and UFT. This team, consisting of administrator, teachers, paraprofessionals, and related service providers, meets on a weekly basis to discuss school-wide needs and evaluate current programs.

Professional Learning expectations and norms were shared with 177Q staff during the opening faculty meeting on September 6, 2022.

Professional Development topics have included promoting Social Emotional Learning across all settings, incorporating AACs, and elevating IEP goals. Various constituents that are part of P177 have presented these topics such as the PBIS team, speech therapists, and Special Education Coordinator.

Weekly drop-in support sessions are offered from a variety of 177Q departments. Participation in these sessions is voluntary, but staff make regular use of these sessions. Through the drop-in support model, staff are able to ask questions and receive support on topics such as assessments, curriculum, PBIS, and technology. To reach staff across all 177Q sites, drop-in support sessions alternate between remote platforms and in-person sessions.

Team meetings are scheduled three times a week. During this time, homeroom and cluster teams meet to plan for instruction, analyze data, review student work, and enhance their classroom environment. 177 staff have provided feedback on the structure of these planning sessions in order to make the best use of this collaborative time.

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 4.49.29 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 1.07.58 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 4.54.19 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 4.56.03 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 4.58.12 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 4.59.58 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 5.11.56 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 5.14.14 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 1.15.02 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 5.04.20 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 5.09.07 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 5.16.13 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 12.53.17 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 1.12.44 PM.png

Common

Planning

Teams

Screen Shot 2023-03-08 at 9.43.00 PM.png

P177’s nine common planning teams are currently engaged in inquiry work. Each team identified an intervention that addresses a specific need of their students and are assessing the effectiveness of that intervention. Teams meet regularly to review student progress and evaluate intervention effectiveness.

To prepare for inquiry, teacher teams discussed exploratory questions such as: ‘What do we know about the inquiry cycle?’ and ‘What do we want to know about the inquiry cycle?’ A presentation was shared with teachers to guide them through the progression of steps throughout the inquiry process.

At the end of this cycle of inquiry, common planning teams will share their findings with the school community during a share fair. The share fair will be scheduled as part of 177’s daily professional learning time.

Common planning teams also use their meeting time to review student work samples and data, and to share instructional resources. Using their team’s focus, team members collaborate and share ideas for the improvement of student instructional outcomes.

P177 has a total of 9 Common Planning Teams that are supervised by an administrator. Teams of teachers have been grouped based upon ratio and the ages of students. In September 2022, each common planning team identified an Instructional Focus for their team. Some team focuses include reading instruction and transition. This focus will guide the team’s work over the course of the school year and will be used to guide upcoming inquiry work. Currently, teams are reviewing and analyzing student work samples that are aligned to their team’s focus. Upcoming activities for Common Planning Teams include an inquiry cycle and a best practices share fair.

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 5.34.50 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-23 at 11.28.36 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-23 at 11.05.28 PM.png

Multi-Disciplinary

Instructional Leadership

Team

ILT members designed a parent survey to obtain a deeper understanding of the Daily Living and Community needs of 177Q students. Using information from this survey, the ILT is designing resources for 177Q families to use at home. These resources will be integrated into the 177Q curriculum and will be aligned to the EFL and ULS curriculum.

The ILT will be collaborating with the CCR Team who recently conducted a staff Vocational Experience Interest survey. In doing so, the two teams will gain deeper insights into the most prevalent needs of 177Q students as related to their transition and daily living needs. Results will be used to establish fall classes and programs that best meet our students’ needs.

The multidisciplinary Instructional Leadership Team consists of fifteen teachers, paraprofessionals, and therapists who serve as the ‘voice’ for their respective departments. All members of the ILT are familiar with 177’s focus statements, District 75 priorities, and the Chancellor’s Pillars. Through collaborative discussions, ILT members have shared instructional priorities for students aligned to their areas of expertise. Team members worked together to review and discuss these priorities to identify a school-wide priority for the school year. This year’s ILT focus is student independence and self-advocacy.

An ILT sub-committee has been established and will be working on implementing school-wide structures that are aligned to this focus. The committee’s work will focus on the meaningful facilitation of student communication, strengthening pre-vocational and job skills programs, encouraging student independence, and student’s participation in preferred leisure activities. The team’s work will also include rubric design, data analysis, and student assessments.

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 5.45.36 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 1.49.57 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 1.52.01 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-23 at 11.01.25 PM.png

School-Wide

Calendar

P177’s Site Wide Calendar includes events for students, families, and staff at all sites. The calendar consists of PTA meetings, Brightside meetings, student of the month assemblies, shows, and workshops. This helps the school community to continue to be updated on school celebrations.

Parents and families are invited to all school-wide events and celebrations. Additionally, P177 homeroom classes visit other P177 sites for special performances and events.

All 177Q sites have their own Instagram page to keep the entire school community updated on events and happenings throughout the organization.

“Welcome” is the first component of P177’s Mission statement. All sites for P177 plans cultural, educational, and social events for students to participate in. There are also opportunities for families to participate in these events with their child/ young adult.

Through the utilization of a shared calendar, all sites are better able to effectively plan events while including all members of the school community.

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 3.15.51 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 9.24.37 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 2.05.06 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 2.13.19 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 9.18.04 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 9.20.43 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 2.01.24 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 2.10.11 PM.png

Parent

Resource

Center

Parent Coordinator, Ms. Alicea collaborated with parents to make the newly designed Parent Resource Center a space that is friendly and inviting. Parents and staff members are welcome to utilize the resource center for meetings, trainings, and workshops. Parents who attend the Students’ Monthly Assemblies are invited to meet and network with other families.

Currently, the ILT is working with representatives from the Attainment Company to identify and purchase relevant resources and materials for parent reference. These informative materials will be made available to families through our Parent Resource Center. These materials are aligned to the ILT’s work in promoting student self-advocacy and independence within the home and community, reflect parent voice from our ILT survey, and will also be included within our school-wide curriculum.

Parents will have access to a space at P177 specifically geared to meet their needs. This can include PTA meetings, IEP meetings, and as a place to network with each other and share ideas.

With the support of 177's administration, parents have shared their voice in the environment of this space and how it will be utilized to meet their needs.

Screen Shot 2022-11-14 at 10.20.48 AM.png

Worksites & Vocational Programs

177Q has networked throughout the community to provide our students with the opportunity to build and apply job related skills at 20 different worksites. Students from our main site travel to the library at our 295 site to facilitate book returns. There are a total of 45 in house worksites for students to participate in across all off sites.

In addition to the Fall 2022 worksites, recently established worksites include:

Community Worksites

Walgreens (Queens Village & Springfield Gardens)

Al-Oerter Rec Center

Orange Theory Fitness (coming soon)

IS 295 Library

Bayside Historical Society

Cunningham Park Farmers Market (coming soon)

In-House Worksites (Main Site)

Recycling program

Technology Assistant

Horticulture

Copy Center

Supply Closet: Maintenance/Distribution

Bookroom Maintenance

Sweet Corner

School Events

Smokey’s Delivery

Chicken Run

Post Office

Printing Service

Cricut Crafts (coming soon)

In-House Worksites (177@MVB)

Copy Center

Gift Wrapping Service

Key Food

Handyman

In-House Worksites (177@295)

Student Leader Center

Breakfast Distribution

Recycling

177Q students are back to work in the community. Community worksite programs provide students with the opportunity to expand and apply job related skills while also being provided with participatory training.

Community-Based Worksites

Hope Center

Parks Clothing Store

Slims Bagels

Five Guys (Glendale & Fresh Meadows)

Ramen Jin

CVS

Applebee’s (Fresh Meadows & Bay Terrace)

John’s Pizzeria

Panera Bread (Little Neck)

St. John’s Bread and Life

Qdoba

Ozanam Hall of Queens Nursing Home

St. John’s University

In- House Worksites (Main Site)

Culinary

School IDs

McSwirlies

Clothing Closet

Carol’s Market

Students’ Leaders’ Center

Library Program

PPE Distribution

Fun Friday Delivery Service

Cafeteria Recycling

Cafeteria Assistance

Peck Park Clean Up

Shredding Service

In- House Worksites (Martin Van Buren)

iPad cart

Squeaky Clean

Hygiene Supply Delivery

Snack/ Coffee Cart

Library & Gym Supply Maintenance

Breakfast Delivery

Cafeteria Clean Up

Recycling

In- House Worksites (295)

PPE Distribution

Classroom Supply Distribution

Copy Center

Mobile Library Cart

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 9.44.22 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-12 at 9.44.57 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-14 at 10.23.51 AM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-14 at 10.26.03 AM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-14 at 10.36.11 AM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-14 at 10.36.28 AM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-14 at 10.35.56 AM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 7.39.31 PM.png

Peer Support Systems

Structured Teaching

The 8 teachers that are participating in structured teaching have received hands-on support and training from both D75 Coaches Nisha Murray and Cynthia Torres. Both coaches visit 177Q each month and provide feedback and next steps after each visit. Students are using individualized schedules to successfully transition from activity to the next while also being prepared for what is coming next in their school day. Teachers were also given the opportunity to spend time in each other’s classrooms to replicate best practices especially in the area of functional work tasks. In this photo, a student is shopping from a list with real items. This idea was implemented in this classroom after visiting Ms. Sanacore’s class.

Lead Teacher

P177’s Lead Teacher facilitates monthly Lab Classrooms and Lunch and Learn sessions which support 177’s instructional programs. Lunch and Learn topics have included Best Practices in Literacy, Exploring ULS, and Resource Sharing. Recent Lab Classroom topics have included using Kahoot to support reading groups and building instructional routines. As part of our Lab Classroom series, our Lead Teacher actively recruits teachers to showcase their classrooms within this collegial setting.

Essentials for Living (EFLs)

The EFLs team consists of four homeroom teachers, a coach, and two administrators. The team meets on a weekly basis to discuss and ‘unpack’ the program. Each meeting takes place in a different member’s classroom so that the team can provide feedback on that member’s physical environment and program set-up. In addition to these meetings, team members participate in EFLs intervisitations in established and new EFLs classrooms. Through these intervisitations and discussions, the members of the EFLs team are individualizing and adapting the program to meet the diverse needs of their students.

Intervisitations

Intervisitations are a valued practice at P177. Teachers are encouraged to participate in intervisitations as part of their professional learning experience and through observation feedback. Teachers and administrators often discuss the impact of intervisitations on their instructional practices during post-observation conferences.

Teacher teams work together to visit each other’s classrooms and share ideas as they learn about new programs. This practice is evident in the work of our Structured Teaching Cohort and our Essentials for Living Team.

Mentoring

Currently, twelve special education teachers and speech therapists are receiving mentoring from their peers. Mentors and mentees are matched according to experience and similar instructional programs. Mentors provide this peer support as part of their professional period responsibility. Mentees often engage in intervisitations and professional dialogues with their mentors, learning through experience and camaraderie.

In addition to bi-weekly meetings with their mentees, mentors participate in team meetings to share experiences, collaborate, and provide peer support.

Structured Teaching

There are a total of 8 teachers that participating in asynchronous and in person professional development with the District 75 Autism Coach, Ms. Nisha Murray. Ms. Murray visits on a monthly basis to provide support to specifically in the areas of physical environment, visual schedules, and workstations. A highly organized classroom reduces distractions of students therefore being provided with an optimal learning environment. Visual schedules prepare students for the next activity and also to navigate the classroom. Workstations focus on students attending to and completing tasks independently.

Lead Teacher

The Teacher Leader at 177Q serves as the “lead-learner” by modeling and facilitating reflection of instructional strategies. They lead this adult learning through the Lab Classroom: a welcoming environment that increases collaboration, allows others to share their perspectives, and encourages all to create the best learner-centered environments. The Teacher Leader amplifies the voice of the students, caregivers and colleagues at 177Q, building trusting relationships in the community.

Screen Shot 2022-11-16 at 8.41.07 AM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 7.48.01 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 7.50.46 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 7.45.58 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-11-16 at 8.45.31 AM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 7.56.10 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 7.52.37 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 7.54.27 PM.png

Screen Shot 2023-03-24 at 8.00.35 PM.png

School-wide Cultural Events

177Q deepens social awareness and understanding by highlighting the cultural richness within our school. All students and staff are invited to participate in cultural events to share information to the school community while also showcasing their talents. Homeroom classes often visit other 177Q sites to participate in these enriching events. Recent cultural events have included:

Lunar New Year: In addition to student performances, the Zhong Yun dance group volunteered to be a guest performer.
Black History Month Share Fair & Show: All 177Q classes participated in a Share Fair where projects were aligned to the theme: “Who Was the First?” A Black History Month show concluded the month’s celebrations and learning through musical performances and student speakers.
Women’s History Month Celebration & Contest: To celebrate Women’s History Month, all 177Q students are invited to participate in a “Celebrating Inspirational Women” Contest.
Irish Heritage Show: Students practiced then performed traditional songs and dances. Students from 295 visited the main site for this performance.

Spring will be a busy time for our soon to be graduates. P177 will kick off graduation season with Awards Night on May 4th and then the prom on May 18th at Il Bacco. Students will receive their yearbooks June 2nd at the Senior Social an exact week before they cross the stage at Graduation on June 9th.

Cultural events represent the diverse student body of our school. The school community comes together to celebrate and learn about the different backgrounds that comprise the 177Q community. Event highlights are shared through slideshows, videos, and social media platforms.

The following cultural events have occurred to date: