November 2018
For the 2018-2019 school year, LYFE Family Groups have expanded across the program, with a total of 7 different groups being facilitated and with all LYFE Bronx social workers facilitating a Family Groups! Special shout out to the following social worker peer partners who are leading the way in this innovative and empowering work: Darie Martin & Melissa Mora, Diane Whitaker & Jennifer Schwam, Robert Olivacce & Laverne Grimes, Sherelle Parker-Marks & Gina Abitable, Susan Farrell Laplant, Sarah Kourouma, & Jacqueline Broady-Blackett, Jodi Kaltner & Auressa Simmons, and Elijah Tax-Berman & Xaxia Sanchez. The first Family Group of the year for each set of peer partners was facilitated during the month of October, focusing on Parenting Styles! All peer partners came together as one cohort to have intentional time to debrief and reflect on their work with families, as they considered their beginning assessments of their groups and of individual families, as a well as considering how such assessment data will inform their work with both families and individual student parents. There were many inspiring moments as social workers shared thoughtful insights and special highlights about their peer partner’s facilitation skills and the ah-ha moments regarding student parents that they were able to have via their group work with families. What an true example of fostering a LYFE’s core value of a Supportive Environment for families across NYC!
On October 24th, LYFE’s 3K class at Beach Channel High School hosted visitors from the NYC Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood Education, Superintendent Robert Zweig, and LYFE Leadership for a collaborative Learning Walk. The LYFE team, Peggy Diercks, Caterine Lugo, Betty Passik, and Rose Millsap effortlessly and effectively facilitated rich learning experiences for all children! All of the visitors commended the team for their energetic and enthusiastic morning greetings to each LYFE family, their innovative and interactive group learning experience, and their seamless and meaningful transitions between routines! The team’s collective and individual teaching practices, combined with their intentional, advance, and collaborative planning, exemplifies a high-quality early childhood classroom within the DOE and certainly exemplifies LYFE’s core values of High-Standards and implementing Strengths-Based Programming!
LYFE’s very own Ms. Maricour Altidor, educational paraprofessional at City As Schools, was an honorary guest at the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York’s Award Ceremony in October. Maricour received the Shining Star Award for her outstanding dedication to serving the the Brooklyn and Manhattan communities, specifically within the West Village area where City As School is located. Maricouer is acknowledged for helping various families within both communities by volunteering at the local churches’ food and clothes pantry before and after her official work hours, for over the last 15 years!
In addition, Maricour is recognized for paying several children’s tuition, who reside in an orphanage in Haiti, which ensures that children are given an opportunity to receive the high-quality education we provide in LYFE. Marciour, is also known to many of her past and present student parents as the “auntie” everyone loves because of her “kind, loving, and caring spirit.” Maricour, LYFE commends you for being a prime example of LYFE’s core value of Relentlessness, by extending the values of LYFE to others within the community.
