PS 77-The NYC Laboratory School for Gifted Education
1700 Third Avenue • New York, NY 10128
(TEL) 212-427-2798
(FAX) 212-423-0634
Sandra G. Miller, Principal I.A.
Denise Pérez, Assistant Principal
October 22, 2015
Dear Fifth Grade Families,
It was great to see so many of you at this morning’s meeting. Hopefully, most of your questions have
been answered and the process feels a bit clearer. If you have additional questions, or you were unable to
attend today’s presentation, please do not hesitate to contact me.
There were some questions about the number of students who applied to each school versus how many
were admitted. I will take a look over the applications from last year, and I will send along that
information as soon as I calculate it.
At the meeting, I mentioned several upcoming dates:
 Alumni Panel: On Monday, 11/16 at 6:00 in the cafeteria, Lower Lab alumni who attend many
of the public middle schools you are looking into will speak about their experiences in middle
school. There will be some alumni parents on hand as well to answer your questions. Students
and parents have found this discussion very illuminating in the past, so I hope you can join us.

Jimmy Bueschen Meeting: Jimmy Bueschen, District 2 Middle School Choice Coordinator will
speak with PS 77 and PS 198 parents on Tuesday, 11/17 at 8:30 AM in the auditorium.
PLEASE NOTE: we have adjusted the time for 5th grade open school visits so that parents
can attend both – Claudia and Ms. Blaustein will open their classrooms to parents between
9:30-10:55 AM.

There was a question about NEST+m test dates. According to their website:
Middle Grades Entrance Exam Dates (For students interested in entering the 6th Grade at
NEST+m for the 2016-17 school year. Online registration will open here during the first
week of January)
 February 27: 8:30-9:30am, 10:00am -11:00am, 11:30am -12:30pm, 1:30pm 2:30pm, Extended Time 10:00am -12:00pm
 March 2: 3:30pm – 4:30pm
 March 8: 3:30pm – 4:30pm, Extended Time 3:30pm -5:30pm
 March 17: 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Reminders
 Yorkville East/MS 177: Yorkville East (1458 York Avenue) will be hosting information
sessions and tours are scheduled for District 2 fifth graders and families from 9:30 am to 10:30 on
the following dates: 10/29, 11/12, 11/20. Families must call ahead of time to reserve a place on
the tour as space is limited. Please ask for Ms. Morales at (917) 432-5413.

Quest to Learn: Q2L (351 West 18th Street) will hold Middle School Open House sessions begin
in October. The dates are: 10/26, 10/29, 11/2, 11/12 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm each day. Register
at http://middleschool.q2l.org/ under “Admissions & Tours.”

Salk: Salk (319 East 19th Street) will hold an Open House for Lower Lab families on Tuesday,
November 3rd (Election Day) at 3:30.

School of the Future: SOF (127 East 22nd Street) has a number of tour dates posted at
http://www.sof.edu/ under the “Admissions” tab.

Baruch: Baruch (330 East 21st Street) has a tour available on Tuesday, November 10th at 8:30
AM. Please contact me if you have not already registered for a Baruch tour and you would like to
attend.

Clinton: Clinton is holding a parents/guardians-only open house on November 5th at 6 pm at
its new location, 10 East 15th Street. No RSVP needed

NEST+m: From the NEST website:
o November 3: Middle Grades Open House Sessions– 8:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 10:30 AM,
11:30 AM (Note: This is Election Day, so school will not be in session)

East Side Middle School: ESMS (331 East 91st Street) will hold an open house for Lower Lab
families on Wednesday, October 28th from 6:15-7:15 PM. No registration is necessary.
Families with questions are welcome to call Caren Austen or Lori McDermott at East Side
Middle School, 212-360-0114.

Wagner Middle School: Wagner 220 East 76th Street) has scheduled a tour for Lower Lab
families on Thursday, November 12th at 5:30 PM. Sign up at http://www.wagner167.org/
Please note: the website lists the tour time as 9:15, but it is at 5:30! Also, if you are unable to
attend on that date, you can sign up for an alternate date with another school.
If you are attending a public or private school open house/tour or the Middle School Fair, your child
should join you in order to get a sense of the schools. 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.
This year, I am at Lower Lab on Mondays, 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. If you would like to make an appointment, I am available to meet with you about
this process.
Sincerely,
Elana Hoffman
Guidance Counselor