SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Hurricane Sandy has created a miserable month for thousands of Southern Brooklynites. Homes were flooded, cars were destroyed, jobs were lost, and scores are still left without heat and power. While adults everywhere have been reeling from all the damage they have incurred, their children are also paying a heavy emotional price.

According to an article in the New York Daily News, children all across Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Red Hook, living in homes without power, heat, and hot water, have become anxious, depressed, and frightened due to the radical change in their lives, and wondering when or if their misery will end.

Normally when the snow comes, it brings great elation to children everywhere, but not when they have been absent heat or power for over a week with no relief in site.

“I don’t want to live in my house anymore. I am scared. I don’t want to come back. We are literally right by the water,” told Janasia Chambers, 12, to the Daily News, “When it was snowing, it was scary.”

The Daily News cites child psychology experts who describe how fear and depression grow in children deprived of simple things we all take for granted like warm showers, fresh clean clothes, and the ability to play video games.

“The longer this persists, the more of a lasting impact it will have on kids. It will make them more fearful and more anxious,” said Alan Hilfer to the News, “[its like] a prison sentence.”

P.S. 253 in Brighton Beach (Source: Google Maps)

New York City has worked hard to reopen all public schools as quickly as possible since Hurricane Sandy battered them with flooding, blackouts, and damaged heaters and equipment, but progress has finally taken a significant step forward in recent days.

For the first time this week, students were finally able to return to their actual schools, as opposed to the replacement transfer schools located in other districts, and attendance has surged to over 90 percent according to a story by NY1. That is a massive increase for a school like Brighton Beach’s own P.S. 253, for which only 12 percent of students showed up at their temporary location in Flatbush.

Part of the problem with the temporary locations set up by the city was the lack of reliable transportation. Many parents had no access to cars or the subways in the weeks following the storm, and a citywide school bus shortage limited the amount available pickup sites.

Even in areas where the regular schools have not reopened, like for Coney Island’s P.S. 188, a return to normal school bus service yesterday helped the replacement location at P.S. 281 in Bensonhurst receive an 80 percent attendance rate. While bus service has increased, so has the chaos that ensued for parents and children trying to figure out a way to navigate to their new destinations.

“A bunch of kids screaming, a little girl screaming,” said one student to NY1. “It was confusing.”

Crowding, chaos, and confusion aside, the return to normal attendance numbers is an encouraging sign for students of Southern Brooklyn looking for any kind of normalcy.

The Shorefront Y has become the site of one of the city’s largest relief efforts, with National Guard and government agencies teaming up the Y and other local organizations to collect and distribute food, clothing and supplies to Brighton Beach’s residents in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

We just got an e-mail from Shorefront letting us know that a doctor is on-hand at the time of this writing – 12:30 p.m. – treating children who may need medical attention. Many of Brighton Beach’s residents remain without power, heat or hot water, and in such conditions, parent should have their child checked out.

The pediatrician is from Refuah Health Center, and is assisted by a mobile medical truck. They don’t know how long the truck will stay, but they are trying to treat any and all children who come before they leave. They have medicine available and can also write prescriptions.

We received the following e-mail from Eric L.:

I understand that focus is on the hurricane and damage and power right now. Since this is Halloween, I want to give the kids (two little girls, 7 and 3) something to think about besides the light and water for a change and just smiles, so I’m wondering if you know if businesses that are open will be inviting to trick-or-treaters tonight. Alternatively, do you know if there’s a mass consensus to go on a different day, or maybe just go to Kings Highway or somewhere more inland where they were likely less affected.

Eric’s right. At the moment, our entire neighborhood – or at least those in the hard hit areas below Avenue W – are quite focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Many of us won’t even have to dress up – we’re already looking like zombies, milling around the neighborhood stunned at the damage and loss. I’ve seen too many blank stares this week.

So we like Eric’s idea. We might be struggling, but the world goes on, and kids and families in the neighborhood ought to find a little bit of joy as we push through this. Those of you with children, we encourage you to share your plans and invite your neighbors along.

Source: richiebits/Flickr

Our friends over at the South Marine Park branch of TD Bank (2944 Gravesend Neck Road, near Nostrand Avenue and Avenue U) informed us of a fun family event local branches are organizing tomorrow: free pumpkin painting for Halloween.

“Paint a pumpkin and take it with you!” the flier claims. The event – and the pumpkins – are free of charge.

Head to the Gravesend Neck Road branch – or one of the other branches listed below – tomorrow, October 26, between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to join the party. This is a rain or shine event.

The local TD Bank branches participating are:

• South Marine Park - 2944 Gravesend Neck Road
• Avenue U – 1602 Avenue U
• Kings Highway – 1122-1126 Kings Highway
• Midwood – 1104 Avenue J

If you’re a parent of an autistic child and looking for potential play dates, then we have found the group for you.

From their Facebook page, the group “Autism in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn” hopes to gain more members. Their goal is to set up playgroups for children with autism who live in the area or near it.

By joining the group on Facebook, you’ll get updates on locations were the group will plan to meet.

For more information or if you’re interested and not a Facebook user, contact Arlene at Arlener2470@aol.com

Halloween is supposed to be scary, but judging from the slew of little critters we received photos of - dogs and kids, alike – it was really of a day to warm the cockles of my brutally dark, cold heart.

View the photos.

Photo by Erica Sherman

We wanted to pass on the following email we received from the NYC Department of Education’s High School Enrollment Team:

October is a busy time for high school admissions!

Important Deadlines

Grade 8 or first-time grade 9 students who are residents of New York City can register for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) through their guidance counselor until October 12, 2011. If you’re interested in taking the exam, be sure to meet with your counselor before the deadline.

Guidance counselors will distribute high school applications to students in mid-October. The deadline to submit completed applications to counselors is December 2, 2011.

Fairs and Workshops

The five Borough High School Fairs will take place on Saturday, October 22, and Sunday, October 23, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Visit the DOE website for more information and fair locations.

Check out the schedule for fall high school admissions workshops on our website. These workshops will be held during the month of October throughout the City. We encourage all families to attend a workshop – each session covers the same content, so you only need to attend one.

High School Admissions Videos

Check out our new Videos page on the High School Admissions website to view the High School Admissions Summer Workshop Video Series. These three videos, filmed at our summer workshops, provide an overview of the process, details about the Specialized High Schools, and strategies for making informed decisions.

If you have any questions about the events, and / or the high school admissions process, check out the DOE’s website, email hs_enrollment@schools.nyc.gov, or call (718) 935-2399.

With a new school year underway, and teachers fully focused on enriching the minds of our young people, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is urging parents to become more involved than ever in their child’s education.

To usher in the first day of school, de Blasio, his wife Chirlane and the Public Advocate’s organizing team visited schools all over the city, meeting with parents, and passing out information on five simple ways for parents to get involved in their child’s schooling. He and his team also urged parents to sign his “Count on Me” pledge, in which parents would commit to a deeper involvement in their child’s education.

From an email we received from de Blasio’s office:

We’re asking all parents to commit to playing an active role in their school this year.  As you know, parent engagement is critically important to the success of our schools and it’s never too late for parents to get involved.

Additionally, the Public Advocate’s office is also serving as the drop-off site for “Project: Back to School,” an initiative designed to collect backpacks and school supplies for New York’s homeless children.

If you have school-aged kids and are taking them shopping for their supplies, please consider picking up one additional backpack and filling it with supplies to donate. Alternatively, if you have extra supplies at work that might be helpful, you can also donate those items. You can click here for more information from the Coalition for the Homeless website, including a wish list of items needed.

For more details, visit http://advocate.nyc.gov/5-ways (or in Spanish, visit: http://advocate.nyc.gov/anoescolar).

Source: schools.nyc.gov

School’s Chancellor Dennis Walcott is reaching out to NYC school families. The newly-appointed head of the Department of Education is collecting parent feedback in his Chancellor’s Family Feedback Form, asking what information is important to parents and how they’d prefer to hear from the DOE. Here is the letter, in full:

NYC Public School Parent/Guardian,

Families are valued partners, and we know that your feedback and suggestions are key to improving your child’s education.

Chancellor Walcott wants to know what information about your child’s education is most important to you and how you’d prefer to hear from us. Tell him by completing the Chancellor’s Family Feedback Form.

Our goal is to do a better job of providing tools to help you support your child and this is just another way to help make that happen. The deadline to complete the form is Monday, July 25th. So what are you waiting for? Get started!

If you’ve already completed the form, we ask that you forward this email to a friend, post it on facebook or Twitter or share the flyer with your community (available in 10 languages).

Enjoy your summer and thanks in advance for your feedback!

Don’t forget — the deadline is this Monday, July 25th.