THE DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM:
MS 256, a screened middle school located on
the Upper West Side of Manhattan, is proud to
announce the launch of a new French Dual
Language Program to begin in the fall of 2013
for incoming sixth grade students. The program
is open to participants of elementary school
French Dual Language and Bilingual programs,
as well as English Language Learners and French
heritage language speakers.
Students are
expected to be proficient or fluent in reading,
writing, and speaking French prior to entering
the program.
An extension of the successful Manhattan
elementary school French dual language
program at the Lillian Webster School for the
Arts, PS 84, the program at MS 256 is designed
to provide advanced French education for
middle school students already fluent in the
language. The Dual Language Program will have
four components: Advanced French Language
Arts, Math and Social Studies taught in French
and optional after school programs in French. It
is also our intent to offer students a one-of-akind culminating trip to France at the conclusion
of eighth grade.
STATISTICS:
The program will begin
with one French Dual Language class in grade
six in the fall of 2013. In 2014, we will accept
another class, encompassing grades six and
seven. By 2015, we anticipate having one class
in each grade; our first Dual Language class will
graduate in June, 2016. The application for
admission can be accessed on the MS 256
website:http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/0
3/M256/default.htm, or by emailing the
school’s parent coordinator, Starrlynn Fikaris, at
sfikaris@schools.nyc.gov.
Our students’ academic growth over the last
three years has been considerable. During the
2011-2012 school year the number of students
meeting proficiency in English Language Arts
(Level 3 or 4) increased 5% and the number of
students meeting proficiency in Mathematics
(Level 3 or 4) increased 6%. When measuring
growth by students moving up a level, schoolwide 23% of students moved up one level in
ELA and 26% of students
moved up one level in
Math.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MS 256:
A “small” school of less than 200 students, MS
256 employs some of the best teachers in New
York City and is currently ranked in the top third
of all NYC elementary and middle schools. Our
size enables us to provide a personalized
learning environment for our students – no
student “falls through the cracks,” as we help
our students grow not just academically, but
socially and emotionally as well. While we
know that literacy and mathematics are very
important to our students’ success, we value
the arts and provide classes in Music, Drama,
Visual Arts, and (in the future) Dance. MS 256
believes in and commits to educating the whole
child.
PARTNERSHIPS:
MS 256 partners with many cultural, academic,
and athletic institutions in NYC. Past and
present partnerships include:
 Wellness in the Schools (WITS)
 Urban Advantage
 The Shubert Foundation
 Play Rugby USA
 The New York Historical Society
 New York Road Runners
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:
MS 256 offers after-school programs in the
following academic, social-emotional, artistic,
and athletic areas:
 Track and Field
 Volleyball
 Basketball
 Flag Football
 Soccer
Faculty 2012-2013
Jeffrey Perl
Stephen Rau
Esther Grimaldi
Starrlynn Fikaris
Elena Rangel
Principal
Assistant Principal
Business Manager
Parent Coordinator
School Secretary
David Patterson
Jessica Fazekas
ESL Coordinator
Special Ed Coordinator
Rease Diroche
Ken Greenfield
Liz Lasky
Michael Bernstein
SAPIS Worker
Guidance Counselor
Social Worker [RAPP]
Social Work Intern
Marci Kim Guarriello
Judy Lief Recalde
Speech Pathologist
School Psychologist
 Visual Arts
 Guitar
 Choir
 Double Dutch
 Step
 Chat Room (Counseling)
 Tutoring
Marde McBreen
Patrick McGee
Brenda Gutierrez
Enid Soto
Visual Arts/Science
Science
Music
Spanish/Social Studies
Shawn West
Kristen Birchard
Jane Kim
Queona Finley
Lauren Gershkow
Special Ed/Physical Education
Special Ed/Science + Math
Special Ed/Social Studies
Special Ed/Math
Special Ed/ELA
Ross Lanvin
Elizabeth Lang
Liz Khinda
 Homework Help
Michelle Camilo
Erin Walsh
Jeffrey Macculloch
 High School Prep
Keith Nimetz
 School Newspaper
Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics
ELA
ELA/AR Coordinator
ELA
The French Dual Language Program
@
Middle School 256
Joan of Arc Educational Complex
154 West 93 Street
New York, NY 10025
Phone: (212) 222-2857
Fax: (212) 531-0586
Paraprofessional
http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/03/M
256/default.htm