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Welcome to the PS 255 School Counseling Page

School begins September 4, 2025, for students.

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year!

I am Ms. Silecchia-Abel, School Counselor.

My primary role here at school is to assist students in developing skills to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. I help students develop these skills now, so 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 P.S. 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.

I am available to families each day beginning at 8:10 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!!

What Is the CASEL Framework? - CASEL

Click on the link below for a short video about SEL-Social Emotional Learning

https://youtu.be/ikehX9o1JbI

Middle School Information

September 2025

Attention all 5th grade families...

Middle School Application opens October 15, 2025!

If you need any assistance with anything related to the Middle School Application process, please contact Ms. Silecchia-Abel, School Counselor, by email CSilecchiaAbel@schools.nyc.gov or telephone 718-376-8494.

Please visit MySchools.nyc or click this link Browse Schools - NYC MySchools to begin researching middle schools and programs of interest.

Each 5th grade student's account creation code will be found on the Middle School Welcome Letter that you will receive.

Below are the key dates for families applying during the 2025-2026 school year for admission to 6th grade in the 2026-2027 school year.

Wednesday, October 15, 2025, Middle School Application Opens
Monday, November 3, 2025: Deadline to register to test for Mark Twain I.S. 239 and District 21 Talent Tests
Friday, December 12, 2025: Middle School Application Closes
Wednesday, April 15, 2026: Middle School Offers Released

District 22 Middle School Virtual Open House Information

New Updated information coming soon for the 2025-2026 School Year!!

Middle School Application Process Live Event

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العربية / বাংলা / 中文 / Français / Kreyòl ayisyen / 한국어 / Русский / Español / اردو

Virtual Family Events: Information coming soon!

Families who signed up for the DOE newsletter or with a MySchools.nyc account will receive an email inviting them to participate in these events.

2024-2025 Middle School Admissions Updates:

Cartoon picture of children

2024-2025 Info:

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. You may click on the language of your choice, once on the site.

https://www.myschools.nyc/en/schools/middle-school/

Stress Relief Video For Students

MIDDLE SCHOOL SIBLING PRIORITY

Middle school applicants have a priority to attend the same school as their sibling, 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.

What defines a sibling in admissions? This priority includes any full-siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, and/or foster siblings who live in the same household as the applicant. Please note that this sibling priority pertains to students participating in this current admissions process, and not to students who are already enrolled in middle school.

During the application period, be sure to list your sibling's school on your application if you want to attend it! However, you do not have to list it first.

Applicants will keep the same priority to attend their sibling’s school whether you list it first or last on their application.
The best strategy for all families stays the same: list programs on your child's application in your true order of preference. For instance, if you listed 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.
Please note that middle school programs admitting students through the audition, language criteria, talent test, or screened admissions methods do not have a sibling priority, as those programs have distinct criteria for admission.
Search for a middle school here(Open external link) to see who is eligible for a sibling priority at that school.

Have questions about sibling priority for middle school? Email us at MSenrollment@schools.nyc.gov.

Respect For All

RFA Week Trainings for Families - Google Docs

Click this link above to register for the Family Trainings!

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 February 9, 2026- February 13, 2026

During this week, we focus on our daily efforts of inclusion, acceptance, diversity, and friendship.

Monday, February 9, 2026: Celebrating Kindness & Friendship/Being an Ally

Tuesday, February 10, 2026: Anti-Bullying/Cyberbullying

Wednesday, February 11, 2026: Respect for Diversity, Disability, Religious Acceptance and Racial Diversity Respect For Diversity

Thursday, February 12, 2026: Pride & Acceptance

Friday, February 13, 2026: National No One Eats Alone Day. We acknowledge this day to combat social and emotional isolation.

Please visit the link below to see more information and resources concerning Respect For All.

Please click on the video below.

https://vimeo.com/907593494

https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/policies-for-all/respect-for-all/respect-for-all-handouts

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.

Thankful Tree Craft

Daily Gratitude Activity

The Gratitude Game

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.