Assemblymember Bobby Carroll, Councilmember Shahana Hanif, Ms Joanna, Ms Rinah, Brooklyn DOT Commissioner Keith Bray, PTA Co-President Cynthia Thaler, Officer DeLeon, Officer Valdez during Friday’s 8th Avenue safety walkthrough
Dear PS 107 Families,
We hope that your conferences with your children’s teachers were productive and that you walked away feeling good about your children’s progress thus far this year. We certainly are proud of our students’ progress! All of our students have different strengths and struggles, but we have seen enormous growth this year and know how hard all of our children are working. Bravo! As always, if you have questions or concerns about how your children are doing during this final third of the year, please don’t hesitate to reach out to their teachers.
This past Friday, we conducted a walkthrough of 8th Avenue and the side streets surrounding PS 107 with Assemblymember Robert Carroll, Councilmember Shahana Hanif, Brooklyn Borough Department of Transportation Commissioner Keith Bray, PTA Co-President Cynthia Thaler, and Officers DeLeon and Valdez from the NYPD’s 78th Precinct. We identified trouble spots and discussed some possible solutions to calm traffic, including:
adding leading pedestrian intervals to the intersections that currently lack them;
adding small rubber speed bumps so that cars must slow down before turning at the intersections near our school;
reviewing and adjusting guidance with the NYPD for which intersections crossing guards are required to guard;
considering the addition of designated loading zones at key points along 8th Avenue to reduce double-parking in the neighborhood; and
adding a school zone with a reduced speed limit (and increased fines for speeding) in the blocks around PS 107.
We also learned from Commissioner Bray that there is currently a mobile speed camera stationed near 15th Street and 8th Avenue! (It is well-hidden — we did not know it was there until Commissioner Bray pointed it out.) This camera is collecting data on the number of cars that are speeding in the vicinity of PS 107. The data gathered will inform the DOT’s determination as to whether a permanent speed camera can be installed on 8th Avenue. Overall, the walkthrough was a positive experience, we felt that the Commissioner took our concerns very seriously, and we were grateful for the support of our elected officials. We hope to see some changes in the coming months!
On another note, we hope that you’ll join us for an important parent workshop — Internet Safety: Parents, Guardians, Communities — this Tuesday, March 14th, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in the 4th Floor Art Studio. Led by PS 107 parent and US Secret Service staff member Kevin McCleary, you will learn how to keep your children safe in our increasingly online world. Due to the sensitive content of this presentation, it will only be held in-person and children are not permitted to attend. But, we will have childcare available in the cafeteria! Your children can play games, draw, and read with school aides Ms Malani and Ms Brigid during the workshop. If you plan to make use of childcare, please fill out this brief form.
I hope to see many of you at the workshop this Tuesday, as well as at the return of our beloved Heritage Day this Saturday from 1 to 4 pm. Have a terrific week!
Warmly,
Ms Joanna