Home Page
Welcome to the PS 255 School Counseling Page
School begins September 8, 2022 for students.
Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!
I am Ms. Silecchia-Abel, your School Counselor at P.S. 255.
My primary role here at school is to assist students in developing skills to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. I assist students in developing these skills now, so that they may utilize and expand on them throughout life to be healthy productive community members.
As a School Counselor, I help students learn to develop effective collaboration and cooperation skills, to practice perseverance, to develop time management and study skills, and to learn self-motivation and self-direction habits.
Another important role I have here at PS 255 is to guide all 5th grade families through the Middle School Application Process. Please scroll down to the section below titled "Middle School Information" for the most current information, deadline dates, and important links regarding the Middle school Application Process.
My school day begins each day at 7:50 AM. If you have any questions or concerns, the best and quickest way to reach me is via email at CSilecchiaAbel@schools.nyc.gov. You may also reach me by telephone at 718-376-8494.
You will find useful resources here for students and families.
If you need any assistance, information, or guidance, please reach out to me.
SEL- Social Emotional Learning
Staff, students, and families working together for social, emotional and academic success!!
Middle School Information
Attention All 5th Grade Families...
The Middle School Application is currently closed for families. The deadline to submit the application was December 1, 2022. Middle School Offer Letters will be distributed in April 2023.
Families who signed up for the DOE newsletter or with a MySchools account will receive email invitations to virtual events.
Please make sure you have created a NYCSA (NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS ACCOUNT) at schoolsaccount.nyc to ensure that you receive the most up to date information from the NYC Department of Education.
In addition, please ensure that your child's address is correct in the NYCSA system and the MySchools.nyc account. This address will dictate to which middle schools your child may apply.
If you have any questions or concerns about your Middle School Application or Waitlists please contact me at CSilecchiaAbel@schools.nyc.gov.
Please take some time to watch the NYC DOE video series on applying to middle school. Just click the link below to watch.
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/enroll-grade-by-grade/middle-school
The following information was emailed to families this week.......
Dear families,
Applying to middle school this fall? Welcome letters are now in the mail to families of all current fifth-grade public school students, including Department of Education (DOE) and charter school students. This letter includes an overview of middle school admissions, including how to create an account and use MySchools.nyc, the DOE’s online school directory and application system. Your child’s welcome letter includes their unique MySchools account creation code.
You will use MySchools to explore middle schools and submit your application. The deadline to apply is December 1. If you need help setting up your account, watch How to Create or Access a MySchools Account, a video tutorial that walks you through the process.
Need more assistance and/or a copy of your welcome letter?
- Talk to your child’s current public school counselor. They will be your main point of contact through the admissions process. Your child’s public school can provide a copy of your welcome letter and help you set up your MySchools account.
- If your child attends a private or parochial school, you can contact a Family Welcome Center to request a welcome letter.
You can learn more about middle school admissions and watch our video playlist on our website, schools.nyc.gov/Middle.
Best wishes,
The Middle School Admissions Team, Office of Student Enrollment
District 22 Middle School Virtual Open House Information
We invite all our 5th grade families to attend the District 22 Open Houses. Please click the link below for dates, times, locations, and MS Parent Coordinator contact information.
Most middle school Open Houses require registration, so please click on the registration links on the Open House Flyers in the google sheet below.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QKh9DP7J4YT1tWrWmQ65yoisvV0PxMQutapoh_9Rh1Y/edit?usp=sharing
**************************************************************************************************************
Superintendents will partner with school communities’ leadership, staff, and parents to thoughtfully determine if and where middle school screened programs should exist based on instructional and community needs. Where screening is allowed, students would be ranked based on a composite of their course grades
from fourth grade. The number of academically screened schools will be limited and based on the needs of the community. Screens will be determined by the start of the middle school admissions process on October 26. There will be closed captioning in Spanish, Russian, Haitian Creole, Chinese (Traditional) and Urdu.
All District 22 Families are invited to attend.
Middle School Admissions Virtual Town Hall with Superintendent Bove Wednesday, October 12, 7:00 PM. Please join the conversation with the meeting link below:
2022 Middle School Admissions Updates:
The DOE will continue to pause screening (using students’ academic records in admissions) for students entering middle school in fall 2022. If middle school programs have more applicants than seats, offers will continue to be made using admissions priorities and random selection––learn more about how admissions works.
NEW! Auditions
This year, arts-based middle school programs will resume holding auditions and make offers based on these auditions. Learn more, including the required components for specific programs, on the Middle School Auditions page.
NEW! Sibling Priority
We are excited to announce that, starting with Fall 2022 admissions, the DOE will phase in a sibling priority for middle school applicants citywide. This means:
- This year, students entering middle school in fall 2022 who have a sibling in sixth grade during the 2021-2022 school year have a priority to attend the same school as that sibling if they apply to it.
- Next year, students entering middle school in fall 2023 who have a sibling in sixth or seventh grade during the 2022-2023 school year will have a priority to attend the same school as that sibling if they apply to it.
This priority includes any full-siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, and/or foster siblings who live in the same household as the applicant.
- Applicants will keep the same priority to attend their sixth-grade sibling’s school whether you list it first or last on their application. When submitting your child's middle school application, you will be asked if the applicant has a sibling in sixth grade at a DOE middle school. If the answer is yes, you will be prompted to provide the sibling’s name and school. This information will then be verified with the middle school.
- Select programs that are admitting students through the audition or language: criteria admissions methods would not have a sibling priority, as those programs have distinct criteria for admission.
- Remember to list programs on your child's application in your true order of preference. For instance, if you list your child's sibling’s school second and the applicant does not get into their first-choice school, they will still have a priority to attend their sibling’s school.
NEW! Multiples Priority
If you have more than one child the same age applying to middle school (ie., twins), you may choose to submit identical applications for both children so they receive an offer to the same program:
- If you have more than one middle school applicant connected to your MySchools account and want them to attend the same program, you only need to add choices to one application. Before submitting that application, you will be asked by MySchools if you'd like to add the same application choices to the other child’s (or children’s) application(s).
- If you include an audition or language: criteria program on your children's identical applications, and only one child is accepted to that program, then the children may receive separate offers.
Please find below, the direct link to the NYC DOE website for middle school information.
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/enroll-grade-by-grade/middle-school
Please click this link below to search and explore all middle schools and programs across NYC.
Gratitude Activity
The Gratitude Tree
Here’s the perfect gratitude activity. It’s called the Gratitude Tree or Thankful Tree. It’s a fun simple activity to do with your child.
The Gratitude Tree activity teaches children to:
*appreciate the small things in life,
*be grateful for everything they have,
*be mindful of the things that are going right in their lives
*and be grateful for the people they hold closest to their hearts.
Gratitude practice is easy, heartwarming and fun to do.
What you will need: paper, pencil, pen, or crayon, small safety scissors
Directions:
-Draw a simple tree shape on a piece of paper.
-Cut out simple leaf shapes on plain paper
-Ask your child to write down on the leaf shaped paper, the things for which your child is grateful.
-Tape or glue the gratitude leaves onto the tree branches.
-You’re done! (Please see the picture below for an example of the tree.)
Now your child can display the Gratitude Tree and you can talk together as a family about the things for which you are grateful.
Daily Gratitude Activity
Friendship Soup Recipe
Respect For All
Respect for All is the NYC DOE system-wide response to bullying and harassment. We are committed to keeping our school safe, supportive, and free from discrimination.
It is the policy of the Department of Education to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment that is free from harassment, intimidation and/or bullying and from discrimination on account of actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, creed, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability or weight.
Respect For All Week is Monday February 14, 2022 through Friday, February 18, 2022.
During this week, we focus on our daily efforts of inclusion, acceptance, diversity, and friendship.
Friday, February 18 is National No One Eats Alone Day. We acknowledge this day to combat social and emotional isolation.
February 14 Anti-Bullying/Cyberbullying
February 15 Respect For Diversity
February 16 Pride & Acceptance
February 17 Celebrating Kindness & Friendship/Being an Ally
Please visit the link below to see more information and resources concerning Respect For All.
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/school-environment/respect-for-all/respect-for-all-handouts
Social Media and Elementary School-Age Children
Set up accounts together
Show your child/children how to flag inappropriate conduct
If you wouldn't let your children have unsupervised play dates, don't let them go online by themselves. Remember, the social skills they bring to online worlds are the same ones they have (or don't have) in real life.
Establish codes of conduct
Do your homework. Make sure you check out sites before you let your child go online
Set time limits
Make sure your children never share their passwords
Keep the computer in a central place
NEW SIBLING PRIORITY EXPANSION
Dear families,
We’re excited to announce that we are expanding sibling priority for middle school admissions.
- Earlier this year, we announced that applicants who are siblings of sixth grade students would receive sibling priority.
- Based on feedback from families and communities across the city, we are now expanding this priority as follows:
- At schools where the final year is eighth grade,
- Middle school applicants with siblings currently in sixth or seventh grade have priority to attend their sibling’s school.
- If the school has younger grades (for example, grades K-8), middle school applicants with siblings currently in kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, or fifth, sixth, or seventh grade have priority to attend their sibling’s school.
- At schools that continue through twelfth grade, middle school applicants with siblings currently in sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, or eleventh grade have priority to attend their sibling’s school.
- At schools where the final year is eighth grade,
This sibling priority pertains to students participating in this current admissions process, and not to students who are already enrolled in middle school.
If your child is applying to middle school and you think they would now be eligible for a sibling priority, you can reach out to your child’s school counselor or a Family Welcome Center by Tuesday, March 15. They will be able to add the sibling to your child’s application.
Have questions about sibling priority for middle school? Email us at siblings@schools.nyc.gov.
Best,
The Middle School Admissions Team, Office of Student Enrollment
Department of Education
Middle School Application Process Live Event
العربية / বাংলা / 中文 / Français / Kreyòl ayisyen / 한국어 / Русский / Español / اردو
Dear families,
We hope you’ll join us for one of our virtual information sessions!
As a reminder, this online event is for all NYC families of current fifth-grade students applying to middle school. We will go over how to learn about your child’s middle school options, how to apply and how offers are made, and how to access your child’s MySchools account. After the presentation, we’ll respond to your questions. Each event will be virtual, so you can join from anywhere!
Virtual Family Events
The Office of Student Enrollment will be hosting a series of virtual events for elementary school families about middle school admissions. Each event will be virtual and will cover the same content, but different events will provide interpretation in different languages.
- Thursday, October 27, 5pm – 6pm | Interpretation provided in: Bangla, Korean, Spanish
- Friday, October 28, 1pm – 2pm | Interpretation provided in: Arabic, French, Russian
- Tuesday, November 1, 5pm – 6pm | Interpretation provided in: Chinese (Mandarin), Haitian Creole, Urdu
Families who signed up for the DOE newsletter or with a MySchools account will receive an email inviting them to participate in these events.