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HARLEM

AS

SCHOOL

THE ISLAND SCHOOL

Updated: Aug 6, 2019

The school is located along a busy high street, and the entrance is opposite a public housing complex. The road had clearly been recently renovated to provide safer crossings (trees on and middle paving). Arriving at the school, it was clear that some children were going on a fieldtrip. Some children were dressed in uniform (all girls’ charter school) and some were from P.S. 188. Arriving at the gates, I asked a teacher where Esther Zito was – the main contact at the school. Of course, it turned out that this was a teacher from the charter school, and not the school that I wanted to visit.


I had to sign in at the door – an external security company monitors the whole school with some staff patrolling the hallways to make sure everyone was safe. Esther later told me that the school also hires a few security personnel to keep students safe. The school was on the second floor, with predominantly blue walls.


I found the admin and principal’s office quite easily – it was a generous open plan office with a smaller private room for the principal complete with a conference table. I was greeted by Esther and the vice principal. Principal Suany Ramos greeted me after attending to other guests. She welcomed me with a hug and led me to her office, introduced me to her staff and sat down with me to have a chat. We mostly discussed how the public funding system worked – she talked about how the ‘galaxy’ of government funding helps to fund core subjects and works on a per pupil basis. P.S. 188 receives higher funding because they are a community school (provides more than just education) and are in a disadvantaged neighbourhood with vulnerable children. This funding pays for the year, teacher wages, subs and some materials.


She then goes on to describe how the government does not fund for extra curricular activities or arts subjects, and these are achieved through the multiple partnerships the school has with other organisations. During the day that I visited, the Navy and Army were at the school reading for students – an initiative funded by school partner KPMG. The school is also partnered with Reading Partners who provide the school with books and literacy workshops. Principal Ramos describes that the school has a laundry service, a dental and health clinic, and they provide children with free breakfast. The school also relies on Community School grants.


I then had a tour of the school to meet other teachers such as Sharon, Dr Lahana and a nurse at the clinic. I visited key rooms included the dining room, kitchen, mini gym, gymnasium, the Makerspace (in collaboration with an architect), library, science labs, elementary and middle schools. We also walked through the girls’ charter school in the same building which was different only in the sense that the walls were painted purple! In the dining room, different students from different schools had gathered… Esther told me that students from other schools do not make friends with each other, and the shared spaces are allocated through a large google calendar.







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