A Letter from the Principal

The staff of Dr. Paul Rafalides PS 33 would like to express our appreciation for the opportunity to serve our students and parents for the 2009-2010 school year.  It is certainly our honor and pleasure to do so. This school year marks the debut of new initiatives and the refurbishment of old.  The launching of our Extended Day Program has commenced, as has our Principal’s Reading Club.  Project Connect, a character education program, will be fully operating this school year.  Please explore our website thoroughly. It is the best source for information about our great new projects, in addition to some of our existing programs and activities, as well as all current events and calendars.

We invite every parent to join our PTA and attend the meetings.  PTA meetings will encompass hands-on workshops that will assist parents in furthering the education of their children.  They are a wonderful group and do amazing things for our students and their families.

Throughout our storied corridors you will find many beautiful displays of students’ accomplishments that illustrate the effective teaching and learning that transpires in our classrooms.  We will continue to put forth a concerted effort so that we may best serve the students.  We commend our parents for their continued support and assistance.  A seemingly insurmountable task is made easier due to their diligence and encouragement.

With the expansion of our school library, computer lab, classroom libraries, and our ongoing efforts to beautify school grounds, success continues to resonate throughout the building.  It has been a unanimous decision, in concurrence with our PTA, to assume another responsibility and focus more time and energy on motivating students, which we believe, is crucial to helping our students succeed.  A significant impact has been made in promoting social and emotional growth and student achievement.  However, this is only the tip of the iceberg.  We will persist in providing staff development to furnish our teachers with the strategies and tools necessary to spark in our students the desire to succeed.  We will also continue to award our students with incentives in an effort to encourage them to always do their best.

Many of the parents and teachers have taken ownership and are proactive in the pursuit of maintaining our reputation as a high-performing school. They are formulating plans and effectively delivering instruction that provides a wide variety of exciting lessons addressing specific intelligences that encourage our students to achieve the best possible results.

We urge our parents to call and make arrangements to visit our school and your child’s teachers to discuss an assortment of ways you can help your child at home. It is critical for our students to know that they are loved both at home and at school. Once again, from the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank our students, PTA, and parents for a wonderful job. We hope to see you soon.

Warmest Regards,
Mr. Frank Piccillo