PS 77-The NYC Laboratory School for Gifted Education
1700 Third Avenue • New York, NY 10128
(212) 427-2798
Fax (212) 423-0634
Dr. Mara Koetke, Principal
Denise Pérez, Assistant Principal IA
October 23, 2013
Dear Fifth Grade Families,
Several middle school updates for this week:

I recently attended a meeting for Middle School Liaisons. There have not been any changes to the process
this year. At that meeting, we were informed that, as in past years, East Side Middle School and Salk will
only consider students who rank them in the 1st choice position. If you are interested in one of these schools,
you must place it first, and you should not rank the other, as it will be disregarded as a choice. At this point,
all other District 2 schools will consider student who rank them in other spots on the application. In addition,
there are plans to open two new middle schools in the fall, but no details have been shared, including their
location. There will be a separate application process for these schools in March that will in no way affect
your current District 2 options or placements. More details will be provided as soon as they are released.

On Friday, November 1st at 8:30 AM, Jimmy Bueschen, District 2 Middle School Choice Coordinator, will
be at Lower Lab to talk with parents about the choice and application process. The session will be held in the
cafeteria. Jimmy is an outstanding resource who knows everything there is to know about the middle school
application process, so please plan to attend this valuable session. His presentation will be similar to that
which he gave at the District 2 Fair, but he will be able to answer additional questions in this smaller venue.
No RSVP necessary.

Middle School Panel: We are organizing a panel on Thursday, December 5th at 6:30 PM featuring Lower
Lab Alumni (students and parents) from various middle schools. We plan to hear from students who currently
attend various District 2 and Citywide schools. These students and parents will share their experiences and
viewpoints on their school. More details will be provided soon.

If you attend a school tour during the school day, be sure to bring a note from the middle school to our main
office so that your child is not considered tardy.

Anderson: Anderson has now posted its admissions criteria for the upcoming year. All information and
application instructions are posted on Anderson’s website, http://www.ps334school.org/admissions/andersonschool-6th-grade-admissions IMPORTANT INFORMATION – “Please remember that we are a K-8
school, therefore 5th graders currently enrolled in Anderson are guaranteed a seat in our 6th grade if
they choose to continue at Anderson, as long as they are in good academic standing. However, we
expand our class size slightly in 6th grade, so there are always at least eight seats available. For fall
2014, we know that we have at least 14 seats to fill.”
Initial Admissions Criteria


High academic performance and good attendance based on report cards (interim fifth grade report card and
final fourth grade report card.)
Public school students must have achieved a minimum score on both the 4th grade New York State
tests of:
o 343 English Language Arts (ELA) (10 wrong answers - 5 more wrong allowed than last year )
o 350 Math (8 wrong answers - 3 more wrong allowed than last year)
o



At this point, we are not making ANY exceptions to these minimum score requirements. If,
however, we find we need a larger applicant pool in mid-January, we may adjust the eligibility
requirements and post them on this page at that time. Please do not contact the school to inquire
about exceptions to these numbers prior to mid-January.
If the student has not been attending a New York State public school, submit any standardized test
documentation from 4th grade. If no standardized tests were taken, submit all other components of
application packet. Our admissions committee will determine if these students will be invited to take
Anderson's entrance exam.
A strong teacher recommendation (two recommendations, only if not attending a NYC public school)
An application submitted/postmarked by Friday, December 13, 2013 - there are no exceptions.
REMINDERS

Lab Middle School: Lab Middle (333 West 17th Street) has opened registration middle school tours on a
variety of dates. Please visit their website at http://www.nyclabschool.net/ to register under “Admissions.”
You do not need to RSVP to me for your tour.

Salk: Salk will hold an Open House for Lower Lab families on Monday, November 25th at 4:00 PM. Please
enter at 319 E. 19th Street. No registration is necessary.

NEST+m: NEST+M (111 Columbia Street) will hold its Open Houses on Tuesday, November 5th at the
following times:
Session I: 8:30AM - 9:30AM
Session II: 10:00AM - 11:00AM
Session III: 11:30AM - 12:30PM
No reservations necessary. Please note that attending an Open House is not mandatory in order to apply for
admission.

East Side Middle School: East Side (331 East 91st Street) will host an Open House for Lower Lab families
on Tuesday, October 29th, from 6:00–7:30 PM in the Cafeteria. It is not necessary to register to attend. If
you have any questions or you can not attend on the 29th, please contact Joan Green at (212) 360-0114, ext.
1092.

Wagner Middle School Tours: Wagner (220 East 76th Street) will hold a tour for Lower Lab families on
Wednesday, November 20th at 9:00 AM. If you are unable to attend at this time, there are also tours
available on Wednesday, November 13th at 9:00 AM. You must register in order to attend. To register, go
to http://www.wagner167.org and click on “About Us” to find the link to “School Tours.”

Clinton School for Artists and Writers: Clinton (425 West 33rd Street) will hold tours for parents and
students on October 29, and November 5, 7, 12, 14 at 8:45 AM. To register, visit
http://theclintonschool.net/ and click on “Admissions.” Clinton will also have one Open House on Thursday,
November 14th at 6:00 PM. The Open House is designed for parents. You do not need to sign-up for the
open house in advance. Please note: “Clinton is expected to be in its current location at 425 West 33rd Street
through 2014-15. In the Fall of 2015 we expect to move to 10 East 15th Street, just off Union Square, and
begin our expansion to a 6-12 school, upon Panel for Educational Policy approval.”

If you are attending a school open house/tour or the Middle School Fair, your child should join you in order to
get a sense of the school. If the visit occurs during school hours, please get documentation of attendance so
that your child’s lateness can be entered in the system as a school visit.
I am at Lower Lab on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In spite of my limited schedule, I will make every effort to keep
you informed in a timely manner and to make arrangements to meet with you as needed. I can be reached at
ehoffman@schools.nyc.gov or (212) 427-2798, ext. 1371. My office is located in Room 137.
Sincerely,
Elana