Greetings!
We have an awesome committee working on our annual auction this year. Want lunch with Congressman McMahon in Washington -- hotel included? The VIP suite at Citi Field? Tickets to the Borgota Comedy Club? Well, get in line for our June 4th Auction.
This month we're talking about persistence and asking for help when you need it.
Well, we need your help. Donate an item for the auction. Buy a journal ad to honor the board members who have helped us grow, become a sponsor, or come to the event with your wallet open. Details here.
- Editor
|
Getting the Help You Need
|
Gabriella Consolazio (left) has wanted to write a novel since 8th
grade and now has a work-in-progress. She's also thinking of following her
uncle's footsteps into the Marines. First, though, she plans to pass that last Regents
exam, collect her high school diploma, and get some college under her belt.
Jennifer Farrell (R.), her tutor, is helping her do that.
Jennifer heads to the YABC where she tutors Gabriella and
others after she finishes her teaching day at Notre Dame Academy.
"People ask me why I want to tutor at YABC after teaching
all day. The YABC students are really motivated to pass their Regent's and get a
high school diploma. They're so persistent despite the challenges they face. I
tutored one student who had failed a US History Regent's four times but never
gave up. I was so excited when she passed!"
"It's not easy to pass a Regents exam when you're nineteen.
Many took the course years before, and seldom went to class. Now, they're going
to school, holding down a job or internship, and maybe have a child at home.
Yet, they're determined to pass Regents and get a diploma. We all root for
them."
Recognizing when you need help
Gabriella says she tried to study for the Government exam on
her own. She just couldn't focus. So, she went to see her advocate and found
Jennifer as a tutor. They work together twice a week. Gabriella says she's
learned to outline and summarize what she reads, to take her time, and to read
carefully.
Jennifer says a strong relationship is critical when working
with students who have failed academically so often in the past. She described
how she builds on a student's strengths, helping them recognize what they
already know. "That way," she says, "they build confidence in their ability to
learn."
What would Gabriella like our newsletter readers to learn
from her experience? "Seek the help you
need." She did. She'll graduate in June because she found a tutor, an
internship, and the support she needs to accomplish her goals.
Do you ask for help when you need it?
|
April Poetry
|
In celebration of April as National Poetry month our
elementary after school program participants at PS 13, PS 30, and PS 50, wrote poems
about their heritage and diversity. Here are a sample of the poems by two of the students from
PS 13.
Where I come from by Quadir Gatling, 2nd grade
I come from Africa
it's a wonderful place it feels
like a new heaven.
My Family by Zene'
Ezell, 5th grade
My family is from everywhere
all around the globe
even though we're scattered
New York
is our home
from Kingston Jamaica
to California, L.A.
these places aren't close
but they aren't far away
half of us are Christians
Jehovah Witnesses too
even though people don't like us
for each other, we come through
people can be racists
my family doesn't care
we think & know we're special
we won't be afraid of a bear
each family is different
in their own special way
from all the places we come from
New York
is our home to stay
|
| April Headlines |
Basic Mediation Training
June 11, 12, 14, 15
Optional 10-hour Divorce Mediation Training, June 16
This is a comprehensive 30-hour Basic Mediation training, approved by the New York State Office of Court Administration, designed to cover basic theory and skills of mediation.
- Upon completion, participants will be eligible to participate in New York Center's Mediation Apprenticeship Program.
- This training meets the Basic Mediation training requirements of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals and the New Jersey Collaborative Law Groups.
- The additional 10 hour Divorce Mediation Specialization option gives participants a strong foundation in the fundamentals of Divorce & Family Mediation and meets the requirements of the Association for Conflict Resolution Family Section.
Adam Berner, Esq. and Sequoia Stalder, Esq. are the faculty for these two foundational courses at the NY Center's Offices on Staten Island, a 3-minute walk from the Ferry. You can read the details here or call Liz Bonici at 718-947-4036.
CLE Credit is available. Cost: $1000 for Basic only; $1250 for all five days. Financial aid and student discounts available to those who qualify.
Note: the Divorce Mediation training is only available in conjunction with the Basic Mediation Course.
 Excitement is building --
Annual Helping Us Grow Dinner & Auction
Thursday evening,
June 4th.
Donations keep rolling in -- everything from a deluxe VIP suite at Citi Field, Yankee and Mets tickets, Fred Astaire dance lessons, a Washington DC package that includes lunch with Congressman McMahon, hotel, and Capitol Building Tour, to a behind the scenes tour of the SI Advance. To make a donation, purchase a journal ad, or buy tickets to the big event, $25, contact Mike Baver by email or phone: 718-947-4121.
******
Olympus Academy is a NY Center-DOE transfer high school
in Canarsie, Brooklyn that combines
a rich educational environment with a Learning-to-Work
component.
Update from Dina Molina, Advocate Counselor:
The first Thursday of
every month our entire school -- students and staff -- share in our
monthly Town Hall meeting. We honor students who have achieved Honor Roll and Most Improved
in attendance, behavior or academics and issue them a certificate in front of
the entire school. Town Hall is also the place where students share
their thoughts and feelings about school and discuss ideas that may help them to succeed.
In April we honored Orin
Matthews and Mamoudou Diomande, our first
graduates of Olympus
Academy! We also
honored eighteen students that achieved honor roll status consisting of
85% overall average -- the most honor roll students we have had at
one time SO FAR. Olympus
Academy- keep up the good
work!
******
SPOTLIGHT SERIES - May 19th. For information, please contact Gary Carsel.
|
| Yes, the NY Center is Hiring
|
Do you know someone who'd like to work for the NY Center?
Program Associates
- part-time positions open working in elementary after school programs.
Candidates must have some college and experience with elementary aged
children. Salary $8-$10 per hour. Send cover letter/resume to Robert Busan
Administrative Assistant- part-time position open at Olympus Academy
in Brooklyn. Candidates must have some college
and experience with at-risk high school students. Salary $10-13 per hour.
Send cover letter and resume to Erin Neubauer-Keyes.
If you know someone interested in one of these positions, have them email their resume to Candace Gonzalez.
|
|
|
Please help us expand our circle of friends. Use the "Forward email" link below to send this newsletter to someone you think would be interested. Your friend's address is protected. We don't keep it and won't use or sell it. |
|
|
| ON MY MIND
Dom's Wanderings |
 |
I'm proud to admit it; Sara, my daughter, became my role
model when it comes to persistence and asking for the help you need to
accomplish your goals.
Sara was a great student but an over-anxious test-taker. Despite
being on the honors track in high school, her SAT's were dismal. She took SAT
prep courses, studied hard, took SAT's again, and they still weren't good
enough to get her into the schools she wanted to attend.
But, like Gabriella, she was persistent and she figured there
was more than one way to skin a cat. (Forgive the image, please, animal lovers!)
When she failed to get into her top tier college choices,
she chose one close to home (within walking distance - that's pretty close) and
set to work. She took advantage of everything they had to offer, including
tutoring. She achieved a 3.8 index and the schools she wanted encouraged her to
transfer.
Sara transferred to her first choice and three years later
graduated from Drexel with a major in Fashion, Merchandizing and Design. She's now well on her way to the career she
always imagined.
I'm struck by the fact that as we age it gets harder and
harder to ask for the help we need. We get caught up in being the expert,
knowing it all. When I hear staff talk about the things our students overcome
to accomplish their goals, it makes me humble.
May we all be more like Gabriella and Sara.
Wishing you the courage to ask for help to master something
new.
Dom
PS - Care to share something you've achieved lately through persistence and asking for the help you need? Do tell. I'd love to hear.
|
Help Us
Strengthen
Our Community |
|
| Our Calendar |
ACT Classes Helping separating or divorcing parents understand how to help their children cope with the changes. Thursday evenings, May 7 & 145:30-8:30 Spotlight on MediationCheck with Gary Carsel Fundraising Auction
Thursday, June 4th
Details here
Basic Mediation Training & Divorce Mediation
June 11, 12, 13, 14 See details here
Registration form
|
|
|
