The month of March was filled with yoga celebrating the blossoming of spring, new yoga games, and deepening our self regulation tools. Games have included Yoga Bingo, Musical Mats, Yoga Jenga, Yoga Stars, Yoga Museum, Detective, Red Light Green Light yoga, and more. Incorporating games into yoga classes offers numerous benefits.

On Thursday afternoon, Shir’s mom, Dr. Orna Issler, came in to teach a lesson on neurology and the brain in Class 5-2. The children learned about the different parts of the brain and their functions.

In February we built upon our repertoire of poses, challenging and strengthening our bodies and minds. We added new poses such as half moon, warrior three, and twisted lunge. Children have also loved a variety of stories and games interwoven with asana such as, Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae and The Troublesome Pig by Priscilla Lamont.

In the month of January after returning from break, we eased into our yoga practice by revisiting familiar songs, asanas, and meditations to provide consistency and predictability to transition back into the school routine.

Last year Parkside’s speech department introduced a pilot program called Lively Letters. Along with classroom and reading teachers of 3-1, 3-2 and 3-4, our goal was to increase our students’ sound symbol correspondence. This ability to know and produce a letter sound is a foundational building block to reading. This is no easy task, especially for children with speech and language-based challenges. Enter a program called Lively Letters.

This weekend’s news from Israel leaves us deeply saddened by the horrific violence that has already left many hundreds dead and thousands injured. As we continue to watch the violence unfold, we want families and staff impacted to know that you are very much in our hearts and minds.

Last night, more than 120 parents, alumni parents, staff and friends gathered in The Loft at City Winery for our annual Spring Benefit in support of Parkside’s art and movement programs.

As February has drawn to a close, we are pleased to share the different ways Black History Month has been celebrated at Parkside. Though we strive at Parkside to integrate recognition of and respect for all cultures year round, Black History Month is a time set aside for us to shine light on the contributions of Black Americans despite ongoing racism and oppression.

The start of a new school year is an exciting time, filled with new experiences and anticipation for what’s to come. Our teachers and therapists spend a lot of time in the first few weeks of school helping children get to know each other, learn routines, and acclimate to their new classroom, rules, and materials so that they can build autonomy and feel ready and excited about learning.

This afternoon, the Parkside Class of 2022 walked across the stage at the New York Society for Ethical Culture to give their graduation speeches and celebrate all they have achieve during their time at Parkside. It was a moving ceremony, with family and friends present in person for the first time since 2019. One of the highlights of the ceremony was the commencement address by alumna Maude Lehmann ‘15.

The following message was distributed to Parkside families and staff on February 28, 2022 as we all grapple with the news of the horrible events happening in Ukraine.