Dedication of 'Giselle McGee Way' In Carroll Gardens To Honor Beloved PS58 Principal

Giselle Gault McGee

(photo courtesy of the McGee family)

On Monday, April 1 2019, friends and colleagues of Giselle Gault McGee, the much loved former principal at P.S.58, will be holding a tribute to her.  The event coincides with Giselle's birthday and will include a ceremonial co-naming of Carroll Street between Court Street and Smith Street as "Giselle McGee Way".

More about Giselle by PS 58 Parent Coordinator Joan Bredthauer:

Giselle Gault McGee was a dedicated educator who pioneered French-English language programs in NYC schools. Her warm leadership as Principal of PS 58 The Carroll School from 2006 to 2014 created an environment of positivity and collegiality that welcomed new ideas and encouraged meaningful parent engagement.

Shortly before her planned retirement, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The news was devastating to our school community. She died in December of 2017.

In 2006, Giselle was appointed principal at P.S. 58, The Carroll School, in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn by former Chancellor Carmen Farina. Giselle believed strongly in the importance of arts programming and experiential learning in daily curriculum. She gave countless Carroll Gardens children a unique school experience by providing school-wide enrichment, including ballroom dance, chess, story-telling through ballet, opera, and even special “wildlife” visits from birds of prey, small mammals and reptiles, to name a few of the programs Giselle brought to her students.

Giselle was one of only three forerunners in the NYDOE to launch a French-English Dual Language Program and grew the school from 330 to more than 800 students. On the last day of school 2006, Chancellor Joel Klein visited Giselle's school and was quoted in the Daily News saying, "You've got a great new leader in here who really has united this community."

Principal Giselle Gault McGee was made a Knight in the Order of Academic Palms in 2009 by French Ambassador Pierre Vimont for her work with the French-English Dual Language Program. She also received the Label FrancEducation, a prestigious award, given by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a formal recognition and accreditation to schools providing a French bilingual program. At the time, only eight schools worldwide had received the award, including two New York recipients.

Giselle was a true people person, who bought a smile and compassion to everyone who crossed her path. 

Here are some additional details about the ceremony:

Wear Orange!
On this special day, we’ll remember Giselle’s incredible positivity of spirit and generosity. Giselle was a ray of sunshine in our lives. Her favorite color was sunny ORANGE, and we invite you to wear orange in her honor.

Cookie Swap
The dedication ceremony will be followed by a cookie swap. I know you all remember Giselle’s incredible hospitality and, of course, her amazing baking skills. She never attended a meeting or gathering without bringing a delectable homemade treat with her to share. Please help us celebrate this particular memory by signing up to bring a batch of individually wrapped cookies for the swap, or to help us set up and serve them to our guests.

Photos and Remembrances
We also encourage you to bring photos and written notes of remembrance for a display, which we will present to Giselle’s family. 

Date: Monday, April 1st (Giselle’s birthday)

Time: 4:00 PM

Where: Corner of Carroll Street and Court Street

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Carroll Gardens' PS 58 To Host Holiday Market This Sunday

PS58 at 330 Smith Street is planning its second annual Holiday Market/Craft Fair this Sunday, December 9th from 10 AM to 4 PM. The event is a wonderful way to support our local school and our local artisans, while doing some gift shopping. Proceeds will go to the school's PTA funded programs.
Remember to shop locally this Christmas!

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Well, Hello! Raccoon Having Fun With Garbage Next To PS 58

(Photo credit: Alison Fargis)

(Photo credit: Alison Fargis)

(Photo credit: Alison Fargis)

(Photo credit: Alison Fargis)

(photo credit: Lee Crespi)

(photo credit: Lee Crespi)

Yesterday afternoon, a raccoon was happily diving into garbage right next to Public School 58.  He was caught on camera by both Lee Crespi and Alison Fargis, who were kind enough to allow me to use their photos.
There are quite a few raccoons in the neighborhood, especially in the Gowanus Canal area.  Two years ago, the Department of Health was called to investigate if the population was growing after worried residents reported several sightings on Second Street, between Hoyt Street and Bond Street.

Since raccoons are mostly nocturnal, it is unusual to see one in broad daylight, obviously unafraid of passers-by.


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Shop P.S.58's Holiday Book Fair To Support Visiting Authors Program

After the very sad news that Book Court, the beloved independently owned bookstore in Cobble Hill, was closing its doors after 35 years, it is more important than ever to support events like the one that P.S. 58 will be hosting Thursday and Friday of this week.

This fundraiser will benefit the school's wonderful Visiting Authors Program, which gives "students in all grades get a chance to hear a published author or illustrator talk about their work."

The sale is open to the public, so stop on by, shop, and enrich a child's life through literature.
Come shop the PS58 Annual Holiday Book Sale
Thursday 12.8 and Friday 12.9, at pick up and drop off in the lobby.
1000s of brand new books at great prices. (Most hardcovers $6 / Paperbacks $3)
PS 58 is located at 330 Smith Street. The main entrance is on Carroll Street


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Local School Kids Unveil Their Contribution To Carroll Park's "Trash Can Art" Project

Students of PS 58 veiling for their trash cans to be unveiled to the public in Carroll Park

A student of Brooklyn School For Collaborative Studies
ready to unveil one of two cans painted by students at the school.

Thanks to some amazingly talented local artists, Carroll Park now has the most beautiful trash cans of any park in Brooklyn, if not the entire city.

A few weeks ago, Friends of Carroll Park, the volunteer group that keeps our neighborhood oasis looking its best, organized a "trash can' artist project. The idea behind the project was to make the drab Parks Department metal trash cans just a bit more pleasant to look at. Many talented people stepped forward to adopt a can and to turn it into a piece of art.

The result is impressive. Each can is a unique masterpiece. They were unveiled at a reception for the artists this past Saturday. For photos of all the cans, click here.

Students from two local schools, Public School 58 on Carroll Street and the Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies on Henry Street also participated in the Trash Can Art project. The schools decorated two cans each. They were unveiled at a separate reception for these younger artists on Monday.

I am sure you will join PMFA in thanking the students and their teachers for making Carroll Park even more beautiful.

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Shortage Of Pre-K Seats At PS 58 In Carroll Gardens Leaves Parents Scrambling

PS 58 at Smith Street between Carroll and First Streets.

Union Street between Columbia and Hicks Streets

New Pre-K annex for PS58 at 131-133 Union Street

A few days ago, I received an email from Carroll Gardener Hope Korenstein, who expressed her dismay at the shortage of Pre-Kindergarten spaces at PS 58. She writes:

"I am one of the unlucky parents who did not receive a seat for my son in the pre-k at PS 58. I was denied a seat even though I live in the zone and my daughter attends PS 58. For the first time, zoned siblings were denied seats; supposedly there are 23 of us.

What I don't understand - and what the DOE has so far refused to explain - is why they are only putting 2 pre-k classrooms in the new annex space? The building, at 131 Union Street between Hicks and Columbia, is 42 feet wide and three stories tall. It appears to be completely empty. Carroll Gardens is a wildly underserved neighborhood for pre-k, so why on earth would the DOE not use all of that available space?

I intend to keep trying to reach someone in the DOE who is willing to at least give me an explanation."

For the past few years, PS 58, a.k.a. The Carroll School, located at Carroll Street and Smith Street, has had three pre-K classes that seat 18 children each. In October 2015, the school announced that it was "unlikely that PS 58 will be able to retain its three Pre-Kindergarten classrooms in the building for the 2016-2017 school year."

Principal Katie Dello Stritto told parents that the problem was overcrowding and that the pre-K program would either have to be eliminated or be moved out of the school building on Carroll Street.

Luckily,  the Department of Education has been able to secure space for two of the existing three classes in a former bank building on Union Street between Columbia  and Hicks Streets and construction work is underway to ready the space for this coming September. 

A third class would  continue to be housed at the school's main campus.

Despite the fact that the new annex was several blocks away from PS 58, it came as a relief to many parents. The school, however, reminded everyone that "as in previous years, we expect that most of our Pre-K seats will be filled with children who will have an older sibling attending PS 58 in September."

Obviously, as Hope Korenstein's email indicates, quite a number of younger siblings who should have qualified were not offered a seat.  This also means that despite being able to retain three pre-k classes next year, the need for additional seats is far greater in the neighborhood.

And we are not even talking about all the four-year olds in Carroll Gardens who don't have an older brother or sister already at the school and who don't stand any chance of getting a seat.

Hope reached out to Principal Dello Strito to ask why the DOE is limiting the number of pre-k classrooms at the newly leased Union Street building to only two, "when it could so obviously accommodate more pre-k classes in the annex space?  Especially when Carroll Gardens is so horribly underserved for pre-k?"

Principal Della Strito, in an email to Hope responded: "I understand your frustration in that the space looks larger than the capacity of having only two PreK classes. I can tell you that when we were first told that they would be leasing the space and we would be able to have two PreK classes there that this was what the School Construction Authority had deemed possible for the space that was leased."

She assured Hope that she had spoken to Superintenant Anita Skop, about these concerns.  The superintendent has reached out to the SCA on our behalf and will be looking further into the specifics of the space and what is possible," according to Della Strita.

Let us hope that it is possible to add one if not two more classrooms to the Union Street annex to accommodate more children.  

How ironic that one of New York Mayor DeBlasio's mandates when he was elected was to create more Pre-Kindergarden seats in the city.  The obvious shortage and the overall overcrowding in our classrooms here in Carroll Gardens was entirely predictable given the number of new residential developments that have been added to the neighborhood.

Is your child one of the ones that did not get a Pre-K seat offer depute having a sibling at PS 58 already?  What will you do?  What alternatives are you looking at?  let us hear what you think?

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PS 58 Finds Pre-K Annex Large Enough To House Two Classes For 2016/2017 School Year

PS 58 at Smith Street between Carroll and First Streets.

Union Street between Columbia and Hicks Streets

New Pre-K annex for PS58 at 131-133 Union Street

You may remember that back in October 2015,  Public School 58, a.k.a. The Carroll School, announced that it was "unlikely that PS 58 will be able to retain its three Pre-Kindergarten classrooms in the building for the 2016-2017 school year."
Principal Katie Dello Stritto told parents that the problem was overcrowding and that the pre-K program would either have to be eliminated or be moved out of the school building on Carroll Street.

To address the problem,  the school has been looking for an annex here in the neighborhood to house the Pre-K classes.  It appears that the search has been at least partially successful.  The Department of Education has been able to secure space for two of the existing three classes in a former bank building on Union Street between Columbia  and Hicks Streets.

Here is a recent announcement that was posted on PS58's web site:
"We have an exciting update to share regarding Pre-K for PS 58 next year. We are going to have a Pre-K annex site at 131 Union Street for the 2016-2017 school year. At this time we have been told that the space can house two classes. We are trying to find creative solutions for the third class now. We are in the very beginning stages of planning with our wonderful Pre-K team, the Superintendent’s Office, the Office of Early Childhood Education and the School Construction Authority. There are many moving parts and many logistics that we will need to work out. We will keep the community updated as we have more information.

As in previous years, we expect that most of our Pre-K seats will be filled with children who will have an older sibling attending PS 58 in September."

Though two Pre-K classes in an annex several blocks away from the main PS58 building are better than none, it does all seem very ironic given the fact that one of New York Mayor DeBlasio's mandates when he was elected was to create more Pre-Kindergarden spots in the city.

As the announcement makes clear, unless you already have an older child attending the school,  your little one will not get a Pre-K spot at PS58.
For those few lucky enough to secure a space, it will be quite a juggling act to drop off and pick up children in two separate locations.
Let us know your thoughts.

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P.S.58 Currently Hosting A Holiday Book Sale

PS 58 is currently hosting a Holiday Book sale in the main lobby on Carroll Street. The sale goes till tomorrow, December 4th.

If you need some gifts for the children in your life this Holiday season.  Make sure to check it out.

From PS 58:
Starting this morning, Wednesday, December 2nd, and running until Friday, December 4th, Come do some Holiday shopping at the annual P.S. 58 Holiday Book Sale at drop-off and pick-up in the school lobby. 

With hundreds of new board books, picture books, middle-grade novels, DVD’s, classics and new books hitting the bestseller list, 100% of the proceeds goes to the P.S. 58 PTA and the Visiting Authors Program which brings authors and illustrators into the classroom and every child has a book of their own to take home!

And with Hardcovers starting at $6 and Paperbacks at $3, shopping for the holiday’s has never been easier.

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PS 58 In Carroll Gardens May Lose Pre-K Next Year Unless Solution To Overcrowding Can Be Found

One of New York Mayor DeBlasio's mandates when he was elected was to create more Pre-Kindergarden spots in the city.  It therefore seems ironic that our own local elementary school,  Public School 58, also knows as the Carroll School, may not be offering pre-K classes next year.

PS 58's principal Katie Dello Stritto confirmed the news that had been circulating amongst parents for a while.  In a letter to the school community which was sent out a few days ago, Strito writes:

"Our community continues to grow and we are very grateful for all that comes with that growth, but as you know, we are experiencing a space crunch. As we discussed at the Oct. 21st forum on over-crowding and at this week’s PTA meeting, it is unlikely that PS 58 will be able to retain its three Pre-Kindergarten classrooms in the building for the 2016-2017 school year. 
I am sure many of you have heard about this as you talk with your friends and read news articles. I regret that we will need to either eliminate or move our Pre-K program out of the building; this move is necessary to meet the needs of our growing community. As our current students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade move up, we need more classrooms in the upper grades. 
We are very fortunate that the School Leadership Team has formed a group of parents and staff members who are diligently working together to find alternate solutions for Pre-K classes for next year. However, at this time there is not yet anything concrete to report regarding space for next year. I am speaking regularly with our District 15 Superintendent as well as officials in Brad Lander’s office who understand that, like so many other areas, we require more space to meet our students’ needs."

The news certainly cannot come as too much of a surprise.  As we all know, Carroll Gardens has become more and more popular amongst young couples with children.  Several large scale developments catering to families have risen in the neighborhood in the last decade. The problem will get even worse with the completion of the 700-unit Lightstone Group Project on Bond Street, the proposed 770 unit housing development at Public Place at Smith Street and countless others that are in the works.

Apparently, PS58 is currently at 130 percent capacity.  This is simply the result of poor planning on New York City's part, which should have taken measures long ago to create more school seats to accommodate all the students moving into the neighborhood. 

PS 58 once had an annex right across the street, which was built in the 1950s or 60s on leased land at 360 Smith Street to provide additional classrooms if the need should ever arose.  The Department of Education used it for years to house the District 15 offices. About 10 years ago, the DoE canceled the land lease and walked away from the building.   The owner of the land, Bill Stein, then sold the building to the Hannah Senesh Community Day School in 2006. (Subsequently, Stein built a new development right next door at Second Place and Smith Street that attracted young families)

Had the City held on to the building at that time, PS 58's problems today could perhaps been solved very easily.  But instead, the DoB was shortsighted.

The Hannah Senesh School building at 342 Smith Street.
The original building was erected in the 50s or 60s by DoE as an annex for PS 58.
For years, it house the District 15 office.

It is unlikely that Pre-K space will be found in enough time to accommodate the little ones in our neighborhood for the 2016-17 school year.

As a long time resident of Carroll Gardens and mother of two children who once attended PS 58 from Pre-K to 5th grade, that makes me rather sad.

Let us hope that a solution will be found, and soon.

Below are some photos of my kids at PS 58 Pre K.  Who remembers Miss Hogan, the best teacher ever?

My daughter's Pre-k class at PS58 in 1991

 Pre-K classroom back then

Pre-K teacher Miss Hogan with my daughter C, and some classmates

Daughter C in Pre-K

 My son M. class in 1995

 My son M. with Miss Hogan

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