Gowanus Pie Social: Fundraiser For Current And Future PS32 Programming

This Saturday, November 10, 2018, make sure to stop by PS 32 Samuel Mills Sprole School at 317 Hoyt Street to eat pie, drink coffee and swap cookbooks, all to help one of our local schools. Sounds fun, right?

From PS32
Do you love pie?
Join us for 2 pie-rrific contests (professional and homemade) during an afternoon of fun and community at PS32.

Enjoy a 10 pie flight of professional pumpkin pies from area businesses Betty Bakery, Blue Stove Bakery, Butter & Scotch, Buttermilk Bakshop, Kos Kaffe, Mia's Brooklyn Bakery, Miss American Pie, Petee's Pie Co., Poppy's, and Trader Joes. Vote for your favorite to crown Brooklyn's Best Professional Pumpkin Pie!

Watch the judging and awards for Best Homemade Pie. Homemade Pie slices are available for $3 each.

Coffee is pie's best friend and our friends at Abbotsford Road will be pouring hot coffee for ticket holders.

Enjoy arts and crafts, a cookbook swap, and activities by area makers from the Gowanus Souvenir Shop, Textile Art Center, Curious Jane and the PTA of PS32.

A special thanks to our sponsors Fairway, Michel et Augustin, Abbotsford Road, and Millennium Steel Rack!!

All proceeds are used to fund current and future PS32 programming.

Tickets are $7 ($10 at the door)
All further details can be found here

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Affected By P.S. 32's Construction? Neighbors In Carroll Gardens/Gowanus Holding Community Meeting On The Matter Tonight

The construction project at  Public School 32, the Samuel Mills Sprole School, located at 317 Hoyt Street between Union and President Streets in Carroll Gardens/ Gowanus, continues to be loud and disruptive to those who live nearby.

Neighbors are organizing a meeting tonight, March 19 from 7 to 8 at PS 32, to seek answers from representatives of the NYC School Construction Authority and to ask for help from our local officials Councilman Brad Lander  and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.

The organizers of the meeting have also launched a new "P.S.32 Construction" Facebook Page here.  

The construction relates to the expansion of P.S.32 with a new three-story addition directly behind the current 1950's area structure. Designed by Edelman Sultan Knox Wood/ Architects, the addition will provide the school with approximately 200 additional seats and replaces the trailers that had being used for the lower grades at the back of the schoolyard.
The new building will house a large dining area, administrative offices, as well as pre-k and kindergarten on its first floor. Occupancy of this new wing is slated for September 2020.

In March 2017, the New York City School Construction Authority and Councilman Brad Lander held a joint public meeting meant to give neighbors of the school a chance to address their concerns regarding the construction. A similar meeting was held with parents of students.
At the meeting, Councilman Lander stated: "It is an indisputable fact that we need more school seats in District 15," he told local residents. "It is also an indisputable fact that it is a headache living near a construction site."
Yvette Knight, the Project Support Manager for SCA, assured local residents that her agency has managed many projects like this and "is very experienced in doing this kind of work with kids in the building." However, she added, "I am not going to sugar coat this. Please do not expect that there will be no noise."

Construction began with the demolition of the trailers this fall. Currently, steel piles are being driven into the ground on the site of the new building. The piles are needed to stabilize a structure of this size, and are most probably an indication of the poor soil in the area. The noise from the pile driving has been reverberating all the way to Smith Street in Carroll Gardens and across the Gowanus Canal in Gowanus.  (One wonders how the kids in the school can even concentrate during classtime.)

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Poor PS 32 Students: Pile Driving For School Expansion During Class Time Must Be Terribly Disruptive

If you live anywhere near Public School 32, the Samuel Mills Sprole School at 317 Hoyt Street between Union and President Streets in Carroll Gardens/ Gowanus, you will have no doubt heard the loud pounding noises coming from the construction site behind the school these last few days.

The construction relates to the expansion of P.S.32 with a new three-story addition directly behind the current 1950's area structure. Designed by Edelman Sultan Knox Wood/ Architects, the addition will provide the school with approximately 200 additional seats and replaces the trailers that had being used for the lower grades at the back of the schoolyard.

The new building will house a large dining area, administrative offices, as well as pre-k and kindergarten on its first floor. Occupancy of this new wing is slated for September 2020.

Construction began with the demolition of the trailers this fall. Currently, steel piles are being driven into the ground on the site of the new building. The piles are needed to stabilize a structure of this size, and are most probably an indication of the poor soil in the area.  The noise from the pile driving has been reverberating all the way to Smith Street in Carroll Gardens and across the Gowanus Canal in Gowanus.

In March 2017, the New York City School Construction Authority and Councilman Brad Lander held a joint public meeting meant to give neighbors of the school a chance to address their concerns regarding the construction. A similar meeting was held with parents of students.
At the meeting, Councilman Lander stated: "It is an indisputable fact that we need more school seats in District 15," he told local residents. "It is also an indisputable fact that it is a headache living near a construction site."
Yvette Knight, the Project Support Manager for SCA, assured local residents that her agency has managed many projects like this and "is very experienced in doing this kind of work with kids in the building." However, she added, "I am not going to sugar coat this. Please do not expect that there will be no noise."

Carroll Gardens and Gowanus residents are used to construction noise by now, as the community has endured its fair share in the past ten years. However, no one mentioned at the meeting the need for all the piles that would need to be hammered into the ground during school hours, no less.

Take a look at the videos above, filmed yesterday at about 11:30 am, while kids were trying to learn inside their classrooms just feet away.  The sound was deafening and one wonders what kind of learning can take place under these conditions.

On February 9, 2018, Yvette Knight sent out the following email to local residents:

"Dear K32 neighbors:
In an effort to inform you of upcoming construction activity, please note:
Pile delivery began today and production piling will begin shortly.
Baring unforseens and weather permitting, production piling will continue for 2-3 months.
Please be reminded that monitoring of the vibration around the school will take place. Piling will be suspended if the vibration is above allowed levels.
The SCA apologizes for any disruption to the community and thanks you for your patience."

Another 2 to 3 months of that noise? Really? That brings us almost to the end of the school year.

As we all know by now, the area around the Gowanus Canal was once marshland, which was filled in to create more land in the 1800s. Any larger building going up in the area near the canal needs to be supported by steal piles. (Remember the more than 1,200 piles that were needed for the recently completed Lightstone Group's buildings at 363-365 Bond Street?) 

There are ways to reduce the sound associated with the installation of piles. For example, they could be screwed into the ground, instead of hammered. The use of special sound-deadening apparatus, commonly called a 'noise shroud', would also make a difference.

Are you are parent, teacher or student at P.S. 32? Are you a nearby resident?  What has the noise been like for you?  We would love to hear from you.

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New P.S.32 Addition In Gowanus Slated For Fall 2020 Completion

NYC School Construction Authority representatives at public meeting on Wednesday night, discussing PS 32 expansion with Gowanus community.

Councilman Brad Lander addressing local residents

Yvette Knight, Project Support Manager for NYC School Construction Authority.

Denise Watson-Adin, Principal of PS 32

On Wednesday night, Councilman Brad Lander joined representatives of the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) to speak to the Gowanus community about the upcoming construction of a new addition to P.S. 32, the Samuel Mills Sprole School at 317 Hoyt Street.
The meeting was meant to give neighbors of the school a chance to address their concerns.  A similar meeting had taken place separately with parents of the school at a previous date.
Though SCA showed the public several images of the proposed building last night, taking pictures of the plans was forbidden. (Something about Homeland security and risk of compromising students and staff.)

Councilman Brad Lander opened the meeting by addressing overcrowding in our neighborhood schools. "It is an indisputable fact that we need more school seats in District 15," he told local residents. "It is also an indisputable fact that it is a headache living near a construction site," he acknowledged.

Yvette Knight, Project Support Manager for SCA, introduced her team and assured local residents that her agency has managed many projects like this and "is very experienced in doing this kind of work with kids in the building." However, she added, "I am not going to sugar coat this. Please do not expect that there will be no noise."

The new three-story addition to the existing school building at PS 32 was designed by Edelman Sultan Knox Wood/ Architects, It will replace the trailers currently being used for the lower grades at the back of the schoolyard and will provide the school with approximately 200 additional seats.

The main entrance of the school will be relocated from Hoyt Street to Union Street. The new building will be built directly behind the current 1950's area structure, and will house a large dining area, administrative offices, as well as pre-k and kindergarten on its first floor.

Besides concerns about noise, dust, street closures and damage to neighboring buildings, residents expressed concern about the loss of the community playground behind the school. Completed in 2007, the playground was a $1 million investment in the community through the City Spaces program of The Trust for Public Land.

A representative for Edelman Sultan Knox Wood/ Architects stated: "We are very conscious of the importance of this playground for the children in the neighborhood. It will be replicated square foot by square foot." The plans call for a new play area behind the building, where the trailers are currently located.

The loss of playground space, even temporarily, is one of the major logistical problems for Denise Watson-Adin,  PS 32's principal.  "I know the importance of having kids outside for recess," she said. She is currently looking at all options, including using Carroll Park, and appreciates any suggestions from the community.

Construction will start sometime this fall, after the project has been put out for bid. The expected occupancy of the new building is September 2020.  All construction will happen during school hours and during the week, but may include week-end and after-hour work closer to the completion date.

On an additional note:

MS 442, the Carroll Gardens School For Innovation, which is currently housed at PS 32, will be relocating to Bishop Ford, located at 500 19th Street in Sunset Park for the 2017-18 school year.

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Important Public Meeting On PS 32 Annex Construction In Carroll Garden

Now that the Department of City Planning has officially launched its Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study process, it behoves the community to push for better infrastructure and services to support the additional high rise residential developments that surely loom in our future.

Take schools for example.  Our local Public Schools are already over capacity before an overall rezoning of Gowanus which is sure to bring more families to the community.
Just imagine the Gowanus Canal area lined with more towers 'à la Lightstone' and you get a general idea of the looming problem. (Incidentally, the 363 Bond Street and 365 Bond Street buildings are zoned for PS 32.)

There has been talk regarding building a more permanent annex at PS32, which is located on Hoyt Street between President Street and Union Street.  The New York School Construction Authority is now ready to present the design and plans for the new addition and will see with the community on.

Wednesday, March 1 at 6:30 pm.

If your property is zoned for PS 32, if you currently have children who attend the school, and/or if you happen to live right next to the school, you may want to attend this public meeting.

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Concern About Traffic At The Corner of Union And Hoyt Streets

A few days ago, a concerned reader forwarded me a message that he had sent to Community Board 6 regarding the traffic situation at the intersection of Union Street and Hoyt Street. The message reads:

Hello,
I live near the corner of Union and Hoyt Streets.

As traffic congestion in the neighborhood continues to grow, I am increasingly concerned about the traffic safety at this corner. The presence of the school and small children only increases my concern.

There are two basic problems, excessive speed on Union Street when cars are trying to "make the light" on the corner of Hoyt and the inability of trucks to turn from Union Street onto Hoyt Street due to the narrowness of Hoyt Street and the lack of of a "fire zone" on Hoyt Street.

Yesterday, I watched a garbage truck try to turn from Union onto Hoyt. He needed to back up and straighten out at least 3 times because cars were parked very close to the corner of Union on both sides of the street. Cars were honking and worst of all children were outside the school at the time. This was a recipe for disaster, one car finally whipped around the truck and try to get through the light, having waited for 2 or 3 cycles because the truck could not make the turn. Had a child been in the crosswalk at the time, the driver, whose vision was totally blocked by the truck would have struck the child while accelerating. It could have been a disaster. And it happens day after day.

I would like to propose the following saftey measures for the block.
1. A speed bump on Union between Smith and Hoyt, to slow down cars when they are approaching Hoyt Street.
2. A "No Right Turn for Trucks" sign on the corner of Union and Hoyt Streets.
3. Fire zones that extend from the crosswalk for 10 or 20 feet on both sides of Hoyt Street (south side) at the corner of Union Street so that emergency vehicles can turn easily.
4. Fire zone that extends from the crosswalk for 20 feet on Union Street at the corner of Hoyt Street (South West side) so that emergency vehicles can turn easily. (Note:
There is already a fire hydrant here, so you are really only losing a single parking space on the corner, that realy shouldnt be a parking space anyway.)

I understand that PS 32 is scheduled to be enlarged and will covert back to a K-5 school. Given the increased number of children expected in the area, it is imperitve that safety be addressed before tragedy strikes.

Please let me know how I may advance this suggestion with the Transportation and Safety Committee of Community Board 6.

From a concernd resident.

The suggestions made by this local resident makes quite a bit of sense.
I stopped by that particular corner this morning at about 11 AM to take the photos above and can confirm that there was quite a bit of traffic on Hoyt Street.
Traffic has indeed increased tremendously here in Carroll Gardens.  Smith Street and Court Street are also backed up on a regular basis. A while back, another reader contacted me about her own concern regarding the intersection of Smith Street, Second Place and Second Street, which many children use to get to and from school.

What other intersections are you concerned about in the neighborhood?


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"Let's Talk About School Overcrowding": Carroll Gardens And Cobble Hill Parents Organize Event To Discuss The Issue

It was bound to happen: overcrowding in our local public schools. When you take the rise in popularity of Cobble Hill in Carroll Gardens amongst young couples with children, the addition of several large scale developments in the area, and consider the lack of planning for new school seats, it can't be a surprise to anyone that  all three of our local schools are busting at the seams.

The problem will get even worse with the completion of the 700-unit Lightstone Group Project on Bond Street, the possible re-zoning of the Gowanus corridor, and the proposed 770 unit housing development at Public Place.

The parents of local Public Elementary Schools 58, 29 and 32 have joined together to address the overcrowding issue on Wednesday, October 21 from 7 to 9 PM at PS 58 on Carroll Street. On hand will be representatives of the Department of Education, the School Construction Authority and our local elected representatives.

For more information on the meeting, click here. It should be an interesting conversation.



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PS 32 Holds Its 4th Annual Poetry Celebration Today

Today, join the students and teachers of PS 32, the lovely elementary school on Hoyt Street between Union and President Streets for their 4th annual poetry reading. Tina Chang, the poet, will be joining them. The Celebration will take place from 12:30 PM to 2:45 Pm.

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Want To Get Involved In Your Community? Learn How At New Horizons Middle School's Engagement Fair

New Horizons, the middle school at PS 32 on Hoyt Street is holding an 'Engagement Fair' this Thursday. The event is open to everyone in the community.

From Corrine at New Horizons:

The information is most relevant to parents of students in fourth through eighth grade. It's not just for parents, though. Representatives from NY Cares and NYC Serve will also be there and will be available to speak to people about opportunities (for adults) for involvement in the community, or anywhere throughout the city.

The purpose of the fair is to connect parents in the district with one another, with community partners, with civic involvement activities, with websites and communication tips necessary to help their children succeed academically or to enhance their already successful academic experience. Also featured at this "engagement fair" will be a wide range of information on our latest environmental projects -- our green roof and solar panels projects."

The fair is being held on Thursday, March 31 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at MS 442, 317 Hoyt Street (between President and Union Streets).

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Teachers, Parents And Kids Win A Round! DoE Abandons Its Plan To House Charter School At PS32

No one messes with PS 32 and with the ASD Nest Program for autistic children, not even the NYC Department of Education, which had announced a few days ago that they intended to temporarily house a charter school in PS 32's movable classrooms. PS 32 parents and teachers feared that co-sharing the space would negatively affect the program.

It seems that the outcry from the PTA and our local politicians, who got behind the issue immediately, has worked. It was just announced that the DoE has backed down. All the media coverage probably helped as well.

Here is a press release from Borough Prez Marty Markowitz:

BP MARKOWITZ ANNOUNCES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DECISION THAT WILL SAVE “ASD NEST PROGRAM” AT PS 32 IN CARROLL GARDENS

“The Department of Education got our message loud and clear,” said BP Markowitz

Today, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz announced that the New York City Department of Education is no longer pursuing the temporary siting of Brooklyn Prospect Charter School at PS 32, a move that would have threatened the continued success of the ASD Nest program at the school.

“I am relieved to announce that the Department of Education has agreed to find an alternative to placing a charter school at PS 32—allowing their ASD Nest program to continue,” BP Markowitz said. “Parents, students and my office made it clear to the Department of Education that placing a charter school at this location would severely damage existing educational programs. The Department of Education got our message loud and clear and I am pleased that they responded to our efforts by cancelling the proposed charter school.”

If there were to be a charter school at PS 32, the ASD program would lose unique components which make them the only public school option in NYC for high functioning children with autism. The services the children receive are contingent on their regularity and frequency, and they need to be administered in a proper setting.

Speech, occupational therapy, sensory activities and social development integration need to have adequate class space to support children’s development. Removing rooms dedicated to servicing these compulsory mandates would be antithetical to the mission of the ASD program that the DOE so wisely created.

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Take A Moment To Help Neighborhood School PS 32

********UPDATE*********

Thanks For Everyone's Help. The DOE Has Just Announced It's Abandoning Its Plans!

Read the update here:

Teachers, Parents And Kids Win A Round! DoE Abandons Its Plan To House Charter School At PS32

As reported yesterday, the NYC Department of Education is intending to temporarily move the Brooklyn Prospect Charter School into the portable classrooms currently stationed in the school yard of the Samuel Mills Sprole School (PS 32) on Hoyt Street. The charter school will eventually move to a brand new school building on Douglass and Third Avenue in the Gowanus area.

The problem is that the portable classrooms are currently used by PS 32 as part of their successful and widely emulated ASD Nest Program. The program is a collaboration between New York University and DoE, which is designed to integrate autistic children into mainstream classes. If the elementary school children will have to give up these additional classrooms and squeeze into the main building, the Nest program as well as the other wonderful learning opportunities at the school will be significantly impacted.

Parents and teachers at PS 32 fear that co-sharing the school with the charter school will severely impact the education of the current students. They have asked for the community's help and have started a letter writing campaign.

My friend Lisanne has sent me the cut-and-paste letter to send to the appropriate authorities.

Please take a moment today to help PS 32.

PLEASE CUT AND PASTE THE FOLLOWING EMAIL which is tailored to fit to the word length requirements at the Mayor's office. Email addresses provided below to Kathy Black and Councilman Brad Lander:

I want to call to your attention to the plight of a special program.

In 2003, PS 32 was the first school to host the Nest program, which places autistic children in classrooms with other children. Since then, this milestone program has expanded to more than 20 schools citywide. It works.

Now that program is being threatened by city plans to embed a charter school in the building, thus disrupting the nesting plan that depends on space & special attention. What is more, the proposed change would be a major disruption for autistic kids who who can be unusually distressed by changes to routine.

Autistic children and their parents have been well served by PS 32 and they really do deserve and NEED the continued support of the Mayor's office to hold on to this program that they have counted on.

CUT & PASTE and SEND TO

Mayor Bloomberg click here

School Chancellor Black click here

Councilman Brad Lander click here

I just did it and it really only took a few minutes.

Related Reading:

Once Again, DoE Maneuvering Puts Students Last. This Time It's At PS32

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Once Again, DoE Maneuvering Puts Students Last. This Time It's At PS32

Trying to understand the irrational decisions of the NYC Department of Education is futile.

That goes without saying. But this latest DoE maneuver, affecting Samuel Mills Sprole School (PS 32) on Hoyt Street, is particularly bizarre.

During the Presidents Week, when the school was closed (and empty) for winter break, Deborah Ann Florio, the principal of PS 32, received a call from NYC Department of Education officials. A delegation wanted to tour the school.

DoE is intending to move the Brooklyn Prospect Charter School from its home in Sunset Park to the portable classrooms currently parked in PS 32's schoolyard. Ultimately, the charter school is supposed to occupy a brand new building being built at Douglass and Third Avenue in Gowanus.

Officials say that Brooklyn Prospect's temporary move to PS 32 will only be for one year.

However, teachers and parents at PS 32 say that the school can not accommodate the additional students without severely undermining the education of the children that are already there. The building currently houses an elementary school and a middle school. PS 32, the Pre-K to 5th grade school, has about 300 students and is part of the ASD Nest Program, a successful collaboration between N.Y. University and the DoE, that helps integrate autistic children into mainstream classes.

New Horizon Middle School (MS 442) has about 200 students.

Giving up extra classrooms to the 300 charter school children would mean that students already attending will lose their science room, the music room for their beloved keyboard instructions, as well as a planned improved library.

According to a staff member at PS 32:

We will have to relocate our 8 classrooms, a sensory gym, occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and Speech rooms from the portable classrooms into the main building which we already share with MS442. Our art, music and science rooms will be used as classrooms. We will only have access to the gym 1 day and 2 hours. We spent over two years raising close to $700,000 to expand our library, which renovation will start in July 2011 and now we will have access to it for only 1 day a week. Most importantly, we have a very successful program for children with Asperger's Syndrome which can not properly function if we lose this space.

We have worked so hard at PS 32 and need help in stopping this from happening.

One has to wonder why the DoE feels it necessary to disrupt not only the lives of the charter school students with a temporary move before a more permanent one a year later, but also to take away educational opportunities for the children of PS 32 and New Horizon. Who is this benefiting? Certainly not the kids.

There will be a PTA meeting at PS 32 tonight at 6 PM to discuss this matter. The DoE will hold a public meeting in April. To read the entire DoE proposal click here

Related Reading:

A Look Back In Time: About Principal Samuel Mills Sprole And Public School 32 On Hoyt Street

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PS32 Hosting An Evening With Award Winning Author Jacqueline Woodson

My friend Fran, who teaches at PS32, just informed me that the school is hosting a book signing and reading by children's book author Jacqueline Woodson. This is a wonderful event for the whole family and I hope you will take time to attend.Read on:

P.S. 32 is hosting a Book Signing, Q&A, and Readings with Award Winning Brooklyn Author, Jacqueline Woodson. Books will be available for purchase. This is a free event available to the entire community. All proceeds will benefit our library.

Book Stock III

An Evening With Award Winning Author Jacqueline Woodson

June 18th

6 PM

PS 32

317 Hoyt Street

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