Blog

  • New Faces at East-West (Part 2)

    February 7, 2012 - 1:16pm

    This feature will highlight our new staff members this year. Welcome aboard!

    Ms. Zucker

    Ms. Zucker
    ESL and 6th grade Social Studies teacher

    I began teaching at EWSIS in October of 2011. Previously, I taught at a middle school in District 30, Queens, for several years.

    The one thing I really enjoy at East-West every morning is Muster. It's a nice way to get the entire school body together when the day begins.

    I love being an ESL teacher since I, too, learned English as a second language. My native language is Hebrew. Therefore, I can identify with my students.

     

    Ms. Wilkerson

    Math Coach

    I am privileged to work with an outstanding group of math teachers. I began teaching math when I realized that most of the critical decisions we have to make in the U.S. and in the world require fluency in the language of mathematics. For decisions about the environment, toxins in our food, choices about medical procedures or personal finances, we need to be able to reason and communicate about numbers, trends and predictions. Advertisers and politicians often use statistics in odd ways and we – as consumers and voters – must try to see through possibly misleading inferences.

    I teach in NYC because I want to help all students in urban areas to have access to a rigorous understanding of math and the opportunities for happiness that provides.

    I lived and went to school in Switzerland for a year as a child, and as a young adult traveled around the U.S., Cambodia and Europe on several occasions. I have relatives in England and travel there every year to visit.

  • New Faces at East-West (Part 1)

    January 27, 2012 - 12:19am

    This feature will highlight our new staff members this year. Welcome aboard!

    Ms. Warren and Ms. Ng, two of our new math teachers this year

    Ms. Warren

    Math teacher : 7th grade, and Algebra II/ Trigonometry

    While studying at CUNY Queens for my Master's in Literacy, I enrolled in a practicum course that was held at East-West. During the semester, I worked with students to develop their skills in reading and writing. Through this, I was able to get to know the students and also a feel for the school. It seemed that the students were excited to learn and wanted to put in the extra time to improve their grades. The drive and passion the students had for excelling in academics made me want to be a part of the East-West team. Now, knowing the school's four pillars: honor, excellence, curiosity, and celebration, makes me confident in my decision to have joined East-West.

    I love to cook and play sports, especially lacrosse.

    Outside of the United States, I have traveled to Croatia, Italy, and New Zealand. I always look forward to my next opportunity to explore new places, people, and cultures.

    I really love the sense of community and all the acts of kindness I see everyday at East-West. It makes me happy to be a part of a group that is helpful and sweet.

    Ms. Ng

    Math & Special Education Teacher: Geometry, ELA, Pre-Calculus, and Methods of Mathematical Thinking

    I am a mathematics and special education teacher here at East-West. I co-teach Geometry with Mr. Deihl and 6th grade ELA with Ms. Mandel. I’m also teaching Pre-Calculus and had the pleasure of starting Methods of Mathematical Thinking, a new middle school course linking problem solving, logic, and critical thinking in math.

    There are many reasons why I joined East-West, but my main motivation was because I was attracted to its goal of educating students with a globalizing world in mind. At East-West, students are exposed to the idea that they are world citizens, and therefore embrace diversity and promote cooperation and compassion among all individuals.

    Having been born in Puerto Rico, I am fluent in Spanish. My father lived there until I was nine, so I went back every summer and was able to learn the language at an early age. I continued with the language from middle school to college, and studied in Madrid for a summer.

    Both my parents emigrated from China, so I grew up speaking Cantonese with them. I was always interested in other cultures, and therefore became an anthropology and international relations major in college. During that time, I studied abroad and interned in New Zealand for half a year. I think that it is incredibly important that all students take the opportunity to travel to learn as much about the world as possible.

    I love the students that I’ve gotten to know so far at East-West. Each student is so unique and brings so many different ideas and strengths into the classroom. I am also so incredibly impressed by some of my students’ intrinsic motivation, desire to learn, and aspiration to do well.

    Mr. Krummel as a stage performer

    Mr. Krummel

    Drama Teacher

    A great American stage director once noticed that Democracy and Drama were invented during the same decade back in Ancient Greece. And it occurred to him that this was no accident, that both require empathy, an effort to imagine and understand what it's like to walk a mile or three in another person's shoes.  Many child-psychologists and students of student-learning believe that young people must learn empathy. It is believed, furthermore, that key to the education of the whole child is an exposure to stories and to guided play. Drama and Theatre Arts are a vital piece of the puzzle that makes up that picture.

    I was a stage actor for over twenty years, playing some of Shakespeare's greatest parts, and roles in a whole host of other great plays, all around the country. A few years ago, I decided it was time to share the passion I had long had for the theatre and its drama, and to do so as a public school teacher.

    I was a child in and around Beirut, Lebanon and Geneva, Switzerland, and still feel like I am who I am because of those multi-hued international influences and the values instilled in me by my parents and teachers. A feeling that The East-West School embodies and shares some of those values and hopes and dreams played a big part in my decision to come here. I came to East-West during the Fall of 2011 after three years teaching in Hunt’s Point, The Bronx … and my feet have yet to hit the ground. And that’s as it should be. Young people embody the wider world's dreams for a happier future. It is my fervent hope that I may be able to contribute in some small and happy way to the future of the young people of Flushing and beyond.

  • Photo Walkthrough of Fall 2011

    January 10, 2012 - 3:37pm

    Happy new year, East-West! We are halfway into its sixth year since opening our doors in 2006. Let's look at some of the highlights from our fall semester.

    View the East-West photo albums.

    Prospective families filled the art room during our Fall Open House. A panel of East-West staff and students answered questions and shared their experiences. East-West's small size and supportive community were cited as some of its greatest strengths.
    East-West students led specialized Q&A tours.
    Teachers participated in professional development days to increase their understanding of Common Core Standards and incorporate them more effectively into their curriculum.
    Our Guidance Team: Jeannie Park, HS; Carlos Diaz, MS; and Susan Erhard, College. Ms. Park returned from maternity leave this year and Ms. Erhard joined our team as the College Counselor.
    Our school administrators know that school is about having fun too.
    Students and staff participated in School Spirit Days, such as Nerd Day.
    Nerd Day twins!
    Middle school students studied the human body by sketching and painting facial muscles.
    Student Government organized and hosted a Game Show Night for students and staff.
    The East-West community donated over 60 gifts to the children of deployed military personnel for the holidays. Way to go, East-West!
    Gabrielle Gonzalez and Jean Soo show off the new Middle School Road to Success artwork in the 429 office.
    Our school has officially been added as part of the Guinness Book of World Records Speed Stacking record.
    East-West remains committed to Rachel's Challenge anti-bullying message. Students and staff continue to contribute Acts of Kindness strips which are displayed as chains throughout the school.

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