Ps 42 Benjamin Altman

I'm a parent of 2 children at PS124 (one in general ed and one in G&T) and am impressed by the dedicated teachers and staff admin who truly care about the students. Many of them have been with the school for 10 to 20 years and some have/had their own children attend the school. My older child started right after the end of COVID when social distancing was in place, so I didn't have a feel about the school initially. But with each passing year, there have been many more opportunities to visit and see my children in the classroom. There have been family class visits where parents can visit your child's class for about an hour and do an activity together, fun and educational field trips which my children still talk about 2 years later, and even a monthly Friday morning Tea & Talks with the Principal if you want to chat with her face-to-face about recommendations or concerns. Through these experiences, I got to know the staff and other families. There is a sense of community and learned that some of the parents were also alumni here, which is a testament to the strong community. PS124 also offers many wonderful enrichment programs including in-school chess instruction and arts connections. My children love telling me about what they learned and tried to teach me chess when they were learning as well. My oldest is also learning cello, through one of the afterschool programs offered called Harmony. There are many other after-school enrichment programs provided including Theater Club, National Dance Institute, Running Club, and Modern Rock Band that my children can participate in as they get into the higher grades. One of the reasons I chose PS124 as my top choice, even though I was zoned for another great school, was the strong academics paired with the community. Usually schools, have one or the other, but not both. I wanted my children to be happy going to school, which helps them focus on learning. A second reason I selected PS124 is all the after-school activities available (both provided by the school/PTA and fee based). With two working parents, my children need to be in after-school programs. There are many to select from that are offered on-site and with pick-up options.As a family, we've been at the school for 4 years currently, have no regrets sending my children here and have encouraged our friends to send their children here as well.