Back to School and Fall Guide 2022 - Queens Chronicle

2022GuideFall&SchooltoBack C M BTS page 1 Y K Queens’ Largest Weekly Community Newspaper Group B ACK TO SCHOOL AND FALL GUIDE 2022

2Page202225,AugustThursday,CHRONICLE,QUEENS C M BTS page 2 Y K visitnewslatesttheFor qchron.com 2022GuideFall&SchooltoBack LUTS-080928 ◆ Seats Available (K-3rd Grade, 4th – 8th Grade) ◆ DOE sponsored 3-K & Pre-K for All program ◆ Large classrooms, outdoor playground and indoor gymnasium ◆ Stress of the Fine Arts and 30 minutes of recess every day along with the major subjects ◆ Certified and Experienced Staff ◆ Extended hours available ◆ Located a few blocks north of the Bayside Train Station *Class sizes are limited (15-20 students / room). Wearestillcomplyingwithstateandlocalhealthguidancetoensurethesafetyandhealthofallstudentsandstaff. “Big Enough to Challenge-Small Enough to Care” 3601 Bell Blvd., Bayside 11361 (718) 225-5502 www.lsfb.org FREE FULL DAY 3-K & PRE-K KINDERGARTEN – GRADE 8 BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE Follow us Facebookon gg The Mary Louis Academy A smart choice for extraordinary girls like you YOU A smart choice for the active A smart choice for the creative A smart choice for the college-bound A smart choice for the tech-savvy A smart choice for the leader A smart choice for the critical thinker 176-21 Wexford Terrace, Jamaica Estates, NY 11432 718-297-2120 WWW.TMLA.ORG TACHS #016 B ACK TO S CHOOL • Catholic schools see growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 • Libraries also key to education . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 • Where schools are expanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 • Charters an appealing option. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 • Phonics are fundamental again . . . . . . . . . . . 10 • Fashion ideas for today’s kids . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 • Your 2022-23 city school calendar. . . . . . . . . 12 F ALL G UIDE • What’s on stage this season . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 • Rural recreation at the farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 • The wheel joy of roller skating . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 • NYC & Co. touts our borough . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 • New TV and streaming shows. . . . . . . . . . . . 20 • A day trip to near Connecticut. . . . . . . . . . . . 22 CONTENTS Supplement editor: Peter C. Mastrosimone Editorial layout: Gregg Cohen Cover design: Jan Schulman

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Many are attracted to Catholic schools for the smaller school community and academics that rival those of public schools. At St . Kevin Catholic Academy in Flushing, parents appreciate that administrators know their kids by name. At right, students learn in the LabLearner Discovery Lab.

communityParochial Editor

Kids likely don’t know McCormack, he noted, but they do know their teachers and that’s what matters.

High school populations are especially holding their own, he said, for reasons including academics and high college acceptance“Thererates.are individual schools that struggle, but we have several schools that are actually exceeding their numbers really significantly.”Atleast20 schools in the diocese are reporting growth in student registration, and of those, the average K-8 growth is 20 percent compared to 2019 enrollment.St.Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy in Maspeth is seeing 60 percent growth over prepandemicThenumbers.school’s principal, Cathy Mangone, sees strong retention rates among families as notable in light of recent enrollment trends“Whilecitywide.we’ve gained students from public school during the pandemic, we work hard to create a relationship with all of our families, so they stay,” she said in a statement. McCormack is the new superintendent of schools for the diocese, his appointment having gone into effect on July 1. To continue trends of rising enrollment, he saidn it’s about getting the “good news of Catholic education out there.”

Kristin Horan, a Fresh Meadows mother of two boys going into second and fifth grades at St. Kevin’s, noticed new students coming to the school during the pandemic and staying because they were happy there. Some, she knows, have left the school but often because they’re moving out of state. “We were open during that year where other schools were closed ... I felt like my kids had a little bit of normalcy in their education, even though it wasn’t really normal, but at least they were in school five days a week with their friends,” recalled Horan. Parents also appreciate the rigorous academics, which many feel are comparable to the public school system. Last year, Horan’s eldest had homework in each subject every night of the week and was consistently challenged.“We’revery competitive academically and we have a very rigorous program. We have Regents science and Regents math, we have a working lab,” saidAndMurphy.class sizes of about 20 are a positive sign of growth to her. But the parochial education environment means more than just“Also,academics.it’s about character development. When you talk to me, I tell you how important character and faith and religion are and people, that’s what parents are looking for.”

“Everybody’s very accessible,” said Horan. “They have an easy system for us to get in touch with them and they’re very responsive.”

Students travel from as far as Cambria Heights, she said. And of course, the school’s 100 percent acceptance rate to high school doesn’t hurt.

“That was a huge motivating factor for people to come to St Kevin’s because we were live teaching every day and many schools in our neighborhood weren’t,” Murphy told the Chronicle.Parents are the best marketing at the school, she“Covidsaid. started it and people stayed because they loved it so much and then they told their friends,” she said. “It also has to do with our very, very active parent association.”

“We’re on track right now to be just about where we were last year or just a slight bit more,” said McCormack

One area for improvement, he said, is providing competitive salaries for teachers that keep up with wages in the city and suburban public

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“When we are at our best, we are always looking to make sure that the individual is recognized and supported, that when a family or a kid comes in, they’re not a number. They’re not warehoused.”McCormack continued, “The dignity of the person is first and foremost. It’s the way a parent is treated in the office. It’s the way a kid is treated in the class. It’s the way the kids treat each other at lunch.”

Allison Murphy’s first year as principal of St. Kevin Catholic Academy in Flushing was 2020 and thwarted, of course, by the Covid-19 pandemic.Butthere was a silver lining because the school reacted quickly, ensuring every student had a device to use at home for virtual learning and later enforcing strict protocols to limit the spread of the virus. Once in-person classes could resume, St. Kevin never had to close again because of a spike in cases while schools around the city battled many of them. Word of that got around to parents and made them want to enroll.

“We guarantee the same kind of academic rigor and the robust curriculum, the same as the city’s but then we can add that social dimension that comes out of our faith,” said Deacon Kevin said.palteacherscoresystems,teacherofmunitywhichforsuperintendentMcCormack,ofschoolstheDioceseofBrooklyn,includesQueens.“There’sastrongcom-andthereisn’talotbureaucracybetweenaandme.Inpublicthereareliterallyaoflevelsbetweenandassistantprinci-andsuperintendent,”heAndthatisoftenfelt within the individual school communities.

For her, the sense of community there is strong.“Iknow the families, the teachers and the principal. They know my kids. They’re not just a number or a vaguely familiar name.”

“Ourschools.teachers understand the mission of Catholic school, but at the same time, we have to make sure that we can give them better wages to be able to compete ... We support them in the mission, but now we have to continue to build that up and increase their wages as best we can over the long term.”

The diocese offers programs through the nonprofit Futures in Education to provide financial aid and scholarships to needy students through Brooklyn and Queens.

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St. Kevin Catholic Academy in Flushing offers grades K-8. Above, younger students cheer on last year’s graduates. COURTESY PHOTOS

Catholic schools answer the call

by Deirdre Bardolf Associate

“Parents are willing to sacrifice for the things that matter so if they see our education as giving their children the academics that they need, the security that is demanded and reasons for hope in the future, then they are going to invest,” said McCormack. “And they do and they have and God willing they’ll continue to be.”

Projections from the New York City Department of Education predict 28,100 fewer students will enroll this fall, with another potential 2,000-plus students leaving before the end of the school Approximatelyyear. 120,000 students have left the New York City public school system over the last five years, according to the city data. Cities like Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles are facing similar fates. Enrollment to charters and private schools has in turn ticked up in some cases. Murphy said enrollment at St. Kevin’s has risen nearly 27 percent since the pandemic. Some Catholic schools in the diocese are citing registration 15 percent to 60 percent above prepandemic levels, and registration is expected to grow this year, according to a press release from the diocese.

C M BTS page 5 Y K 202225,AugustThursday,CHRONICLE,QUEENS5Page visitnewslatesttheFor qchron.com 2022GuideFall&SchooltoBack AUSB-080944•M1P©2022 KNOWLEDGE IS A WONDERFUL GIFT TO GIVE… We specialize in books BaseballandLiteratureAmericanofHistory,Music.BooksBought&SoldCall Ahead SaturdaysOPEN:&Sundays10amto4pmOPEN A WONDERF Back-To-SchoolWelcomeWehavebooksforallages. Meet the Fut u re. @ Vaughn College Engineering and Technology AviationManagement LEARN HOW YOU CAN BECOME FUTUREPROOF AT VAUGHN.EDU RENT SOME FUN!this Summer! at DAVID DINKINS CIRCLE Bike Rentals Meridian Road on NORTH MEADOW LAKE Watercraft & Bike Rentals Meadow Lake Rd. W. FLUSHING MEADOWS CORONA PARK MARINE PARK Kayaks, SUPs & Bike Rentals Avenue U & East 33rd St. FDRatBOARDWALKSANDLANE Bike Rentals 300 Father Capodanno Blvd. BENSONHURST PARK Bike Rentals 9000 Bay Parkway BrooklynQueensStatenIsland PROPECT PARK Bike & Pedal Boat Rentals 9000 Bay Parkway 2nd Hour BEFORENOON Purchase a one-hour rental and get the second hour free. Valid 7-days a week, anytime Mon - Fri, and before 12pm Sat & Sun. Valid at New York area locations listed only. Not valid holidays or holiday weekends. No Cash Value. Not valid with any other offer.

The fun doesn’t stop there, though. On Sept. 1 at 2 p.m., head to the Ridgewood branch for its “Crafternoon”! During that time, kids will complete a surprise back-to-school-related arts and craftsLookingproject.for a more practical arts and crafts project? Visit the Whitestone branch at 3 p.m. Sept. 1 to make your own desk organizer to hold all of your pencils, pens andButmore!ofcourse, that requires having supplies to put in your desk organizer. Look no further than the South Hollis branch, which, from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 1, will hand out free school supplies to area students. The library will also give away free backpacks (while supplies last) to those who sign up for a library card during that time. That same afternoon, the Lefferts branch will give away Staples giftcards for school supplies, courtesy of the Lions Club of Richmond Hill-South Ozone Park.

During Back to School Week, the Queens Public Library provides students and families with resources that will help make the school year a success.

Library learning by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

The library will give away a select number of books as part of its summer reading theme, “Oceans of Possibilities.”

The Queens Public Library has long served as a vital resource to students throughout the borough, regardless of age. In that same spirit, the network is getting students back in the swing of things from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 with its Back to School Week. As part of the library’s programming, it will be spotlighting banned books (though not prohibited in New York City or its schools) in an effort to stand against censorship with other institutions that encourage reading, Franny Kent, the QPL’s director of programming, told the Chronicle.“What we wanted to say for Back to School Week is that we’re excited to get young readers interested in these kinds of books, because we want them to open their minds to new perspectives and cultures and surroundings,” she said. “These books don’t shy away from the truth. They really get right to it. And they do it in a fun way with humor and heart andInsuspense.”preparation for that, the QPL has posted a list of its 100 most popular banned books, which include “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, George Orwell’s “1984” and more. Those who check out one of those banned books or sign up for a library card during Back to School Week can get a free QPL backpack while supplies last. Though they will not be available during Back to School Week, come Banned Book Week (Sept. 18 through 24), the QPL will be giving out some of those banned books.

The highlight of the festivities is the Back to School Fair, which will be at the Elmhurst Library on Aug. 31 from 12 to 4 p.m. During that time, attendees can enjoy a free picnic or dance to some tunes from DJ Omar (food is free only for children under 18). Face painting and professionally made balloon art and animals will only add to the fun. Once again, free backpacks will be available while supplies last, this time courtesy of the Amazin’ Mets Foundation.Kentsaid she is looking forward to the bash in particular. “The pandemic kept us from doing a lot of these things, because most of these are in person,” she told the Chronicle. “So the event we’re doing on the 31st is one that we’re excited to highlight, because we want to do a system-wide celebration — not one solely for Elmhurst — that we’re very excited about.”

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Meanwhile, each of the QPL’s 66 locations will set up an informational table outside for an hour every day throughout Back to School Week. Library staff will distribute information to parents about getting ready for the new school year and take-home arts and crafts projects. The library will also be giving away a select number of books as part of their summer reading theme, “Oceans of Possibilities.”

Hitting the books with the QPL

Younger readers can head to the Richmond Hill branch at 11 a.m. on Aug. 31 for a special back-to-school storytime. Bring your dancing shoes and get ready to sing along!

Among the numerous events the QPL is sponsoring throughout the week is a STEM workshop at the Woodhaven branch, hosted by the High School for Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture’s robotics team, Redhawk Robotics. During the three-day program, students grades four and up will get to try their hand at robotics with some beginner engineering and coding activities. Space is limited; visit queenslibrary.org to register.

Stop by between 4:30 and 7 p.m. with a parent or caregiver; supplies are limited. Later in the week, the QPL will hold some college admissionsrelated events. On Sept. 1 at 4 p.m., it will offer a virtual workshop on how to choose courses that will stand out to competitive colleges. Those interested can register at dures.estupcomingdiscussesanddoorsFlushingandwillapplicationshopFlushing—another.thing,Gettingqueenslib.org/3bKVK6u.intocollegeisonebutpayingforcollegeisTheQPLhasyoucoveredonSept.2at2:30p.m.,thebranchwillhostawork-onboththefinancialaidandprocess.ThatprogrambeavailableinbothEnglishMandarin.Earlierintheafternoon,thebranchwillopenitstoallDistrict25elementarymiddleschoolparentsasititsprogrammingfortheschoolyearandthelat-onschoolpoliciesandproce-Thatwillstartat1:15p.m., and will be presented in both English and Mandarin. The QPL will close out the week with some exciting activities for kids at various branches. Head to the Howard Beach branch from 5 to 6 p.m Thursday, Sept. 1 for a few rounds of bingo. It’s not your typical game of bingo, though: The game will be QPL-themed, and will teach kids about the opportunities available to them at the library as they head into the new school year. Fittingly, prizes will include various school supplies. Witness the Magic of Amore at the Flushing branch at 3:30 on Sept 2 as he shows off his skills, featuring colorful handkerchiefs, magic wands and more. For a more low-key afternoon activity, head to the Glen Oaks branch Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m. to make your own “zen calendar.” In addition to your typical calendar pages, a zen calendar includes coloring pages, puzzles, space to doodle and more. Decorate it with stickers and bright colors to make it yourOlderown!students will have a similar opportunity just before the start of Back to School Week: On Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Briarwood branch starting at 3 p.m., teens can create their own vision boards in preparation for the new school year. Registration is required for that event, and space is limited; sign up for your slot at queenslibrary.org.Makethisschool year one for the books by taking part in one of the QPL’s numerous Back to School programs!

PHOTOS COURTESY QUEENS PUBLIC LIBRARY

Farther east, the Cambria Heights branch will welcome teenagers to the library with a tour of its Teen Center on Aug. 29 at 2 p.m. “Teens can meet the staff, learn what those resources are — it’s a beautiful space with different kinds of equipment,” Kent said. “We want to get them comfortable coming back to the teen center.”

As of 2021, there were 89,000 high school students in Queens but only 77,240 seats here, according to Office of Student Enrollment data. O’Shea said there is a need for far more seats than current plans account for and she fears a need for more trailers, or temporary classroomEarlierunits.this year, the new Academy of American Studies in Long Island City opened, with 969 seats. The school opened next to Newcomers High School and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held earlier this year.

Holy Cross High School is proud to offer a rigorous 6-week program for boys and girls to best prepare for the TACHS exam.

With a new school year comes fresh new starts and in the Borough of Queens, that will include newly opened spaces that will offer up a total of 3,110 seats to students here. A brand-new middle school, a new high school building, two new additions to elementary schools, a high school annex and a pre-K are all set to open this fall, according to the School Construction Authority. Districts 24, 26, 28, 29 and 30 will be home to the establishments.Anewmiddle school, IS 419, is opening on Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst between 111th and 112th streets. The location, which is about 98,000 square feet according to the construction company EW Howell, will offer 646 seats from grades 6 to 8 in District 24. PS 196, the Grand Central Parkway School in District 28 in Forest Hills, is getting a new addition, which will provide 250 more seats and addresses overutilization of the space. The school at 71-25 113 St. in Forest Hills includes students from pre-K to fifth grade. An addition to PS 131 in Jamaica Hills will accommodate 384 students in District 29.

For the younger students, a new pre-K is opening at the New York Hall of Science. The school is a partnership between the DOE and NYSCI and will offer a STEM Enrichment program. It was co-designed with District 24 Mosaic Pre-K school leaders and will include science, technology, engineering and math curriculum development, professional learning and coaching for teachers, specialized class field trips, and STEM family days for over 300 families in Corona, according to NYSCI.TheUniversal Mosaic Curriculum is a “rigorous, inclusive, affirming, and standardsaligned K-12 English Language Arts and Math curricula by New York City educators for New York City public schools,” according to the DOE website.

New school thinking in Queens

IMAGE COURTESY SCA / FILE

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Over the span of 6 weeks students enrolled in our program will participate in face-to-face instruction and review mathematics and language skills that are assessed on the Test for Admission into Catholic High School (TACHS) exam. Historically, students that attend a prep-class are better prepared and score higher on the exam. at: 718-886-7250 524 631-600-3346

“In 1960, Francis Lewis opened to alleviate overcrowding at other Queens high schools,” First Deputy Mayor and former SCA President and CEO Lorraine Grillo said in a statement back in 2019 when construction started.

An early rendering of the Francis Lewis High School annex, which is opening this year.

For more information contact admissions

“Now, it’s time to meet the increasing demand for seats as our communities continue to grow and prosper. This new annex will provide much needed relief for the students and staff at Francis Lewis and is a vital part of the SCA’s efforts to provide over 5,300 high school seats to Queens.”

TACHS Prep Program

At a recent town hall that focused on class sizes and cuts to the city’s education budget, Alysa O’Shea, a District 27 parents and the Queens representative for the Citywide Council for High Schools, cited original 2019-20 DOE Blue Book numbers that calculated Queens high schools were over capacity by 8,849 seats.

There is also a competition-sized gymnasium, two science demo labs, two science prep rooms, music and art classrooms, a technology lab, medical suite, guidance suite and library.

The school offers four fully air-conditioned stories with 30 standard classrooms, two district special education classrooms and three resource rooms.

More seats coming, more needed by Deirdre Bardolf Associate Editor

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The Francis Lewis High School annex is opening and will offer 555 seats. The neighborhood school is notoriously one of the most overcrowded in the city and has operated at more than 200 percent capacity.

Outside are four handball courts, a half court for basketball and a reading area.

Email admissions@holycrosshs.org

Queens high schools on average operated over at least 104 percent utilization rates in the 2019-2020 school year, according to Department of Education data.

C M BTS page 7 Y K 202225,AugustThursday,CHRONICLE,QUEENS7Page visitnewslatesttheFor qchron.com 2022GuideFall&SchooltoBackHOHS-080957 To enroll or for more information visit www.holycrosshs.org/tachsprep/ 26-20 Francis Lewis Blvd., Flushing, NY 11358 Educating the Hearts and Minds of Young Men and Women • 13:1 Student-to-teacher ratio • Over 45 Honors and AP Courses offered • 30 Athletic Teams • 50 + Clubs and Organizations • Over $1,000,000 dollars invested in our STREAM program • Every incoming freshman is provided with a Chromebook and full access to the Google Apps for Education • Class of 2022 earned over $50,000,000 in academic scholarships 100% graduation rate

TO KNOW. TO LOVE. TO SERVE. Save the Date - Open House October 16, 2022

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While New York City district school students return to the classroom on Sept. 8, city charter school students will get back into their routines at various points over the course of the next few weeks. Charters operate independently from the city Department of Education. Sixty percent of the academic anomalies, all of which are public schools open to enrollment for any city student through an application process, will open their doors for the year in the month of August, with 80 percent opening before the regular schools’ Sept. 8 starting date.

As city students get ready to go back to school, some may notice that their peers have staggered start times compared to their traditional-school counterparts. Some may spend more time in the music room, or on the athletics field, or in the science lab, all part of their curriculum.

“We’ve talked with enough politicians to know we’d have much more support if the UFT didn’t tend to call them as soon as they showed any kind of support [for charters],” Merriman said. “We get it. It’s a direct threat to the number of members,” he Accordingadded. to UFT President Michael Mulgrew, the union’s opposition to charters stems from the propensity to enroll fewer students of need, like English-language learners and students with disabilities, than their district school counterparts.WhileMerriman shared an anecdote of a former UFT lobbyist citing the passage of 1998 legislation authorizing the state to grant charters as her greatest failure on the job, components of the legislation are keeping in check a potential charter school boom.

A stipulation of the law is that no more than 460 charters can open in New York state, with a smaller sub-cap in place for city charters. As things stand, there are currently no charters left to be issued in the city.

The primary resistance to the creation of more charter schools, according to Merriman, comes from the city’s teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers. With more than 140,000 students enrolled in charters, that means more than 140,000 fewer students are enrolled in the regular school system, which means fewer teachers are required. If more students were to transfer over to newly sprouted charters, fewer traditional school teachers would be required to carry the load.

Nontraditionaloptions

“There’s very little teacher talk and more class participation,” Powell said. In some instances, students will take a deep dive into a highly specific topic, breaking down its process into segments and learning its ins and outs.

NYC CHARTER CENTER PHOTO by Sean Okula Associate Editor

PHOTO BY SEAN OKULA

“We have a large number of charters that are not being used,” he said. “Let’s get those ‘zombie’ charters back online, so we can get the best system in support of that. I am in support of scaling up excellence.”

James Merriman, CEO of the New York City Charter School Center.

“In my middle class community, in D-26, [safety is] kind of a given,” he said. “School is going to be safe, there are going to be calm environments, orderly learning. That is not true across New York and across all community school districts.”

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In March, the city Charter School Center held a rally outside City Hall calling for the revival of more zombie charters. Mayor Adams has previously expressed support for such repurposed uses.

On the by and large, though, charters perform. In the 2018-19 school year, the final full year before the pandemic, 63 percent of city charter students, grades three through eight, passed their state math exam, compared to 46 percent of traditional public school students, and 57 percent of charter students passed their English language arts state exam, compared to 47 percent in district schools, according to NY1. But more than that, and aside from the fact that charter schools are founded on charters received from the state or city Department of Education or the State University of New York and operate independently from the standards of the regular city schooling system, the underlying purpose is to provide better public school education. Whether that’s from charters or from the inplace district school system is of less import to Merriman than one may think. “If the district were providing the great education for every student, or even for, let’s say, many more students than [city Schools] Chancellor [David] Banks himself would say they are doing now ... we wouldn’t care,” he said. “I mean, I think choice for families is important, and even if the districts were doing well, there might be room for some school that parents choose into. “But the phrase was meant to capture the notion, it’s not just about having a different set of schools,” he added. “It’s about having a great set of public schools that are getting kidsIneducated.”thatrespect, the aims of charters and traditional schools are aligned. Merriman says he has spoken to superintendents of district schools not intent on pushing back against charters, but instead asking why it is that parents are so attracted to the schools and how some of their methods could be implemented in the city’s regular school system.

She emphasized, however, that all charters are different. While Success Academy may focus on student achievement, another charter may specialize in music or athletics.

“When a school promises a safe, orderly, calm learning environment, and delivers on that, for the parents who don’t, can’t expect [safety] as a given, because in fact, it often isn’t given to them? That, for them, is what they’re looking for,” he added. “They want the kids to learn and they expect the kids to learn, but they also know they’re safe, and that they’re cared for, and that bullying isn’t allowed in the school, and that their kid will be taken careWhenof.” schools are established, according to Merriman, they are started in areas where they may stick out above the rest. If a charter were to open in an area that is already saturated with high-quality, safe learning environments, it may get lost in the shuffle and the application numbers may be diluted, leading to its “Chartersfailure. are going where there is a need for the alternative,” Merriman said. “Those are mostly and sadly, but predictably, low income communities, and in New York, lowincome too often is Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.”Accordingtothe city Charter School Center, 27 of New York’s 275 charters operate in Queens. The borough’s newest, Our World Neighborhood Charter School 3 in Corona, is slated to open its doors for the first day of school on Sept. 6.

One example cited by Powell was a bread unit: students will spend time baking bread, learn the science behind baking, read stories about baking and even visit a bakery for themselves.

Charters that close or are otherwise surrendered or terminated do not go back into the count of charters to be allotted. In 2015, amendments to the 1998 legislation made it such that some of these so-called “zombie” charters could be re-issued.

The institution places an emphasis on the importance of thinking skills. It doesn’t want students to merely regurgitate facts as told to them by their teachers, Success Academy chief public affairs officer Ann Powell said; it wants students to take what they’ve learned and be able to apply it to other problems and, eventually, into their lives. It’s a method of teaching that’s much more process-based than results-based. Success wants students to have the tools they need to succeed in a range of fields, not to just give them the right answers and hope they spit them out at the right time.

mySuccessnetwork.operates four elementary schools and three middle schools in Queens. Locations include a middle school in Ozone Park, elementary schools in Rosedale and South Jamaica and an elementary and middle school in Springfield Gardens.

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Also in favor of reissuing previously revoked charters, and lifting the cap on the schools entirely, is the Success Acade-

Charters set their own path

Powell says this is a feature of the charter school system, not a bug: that parents are afforded the option of picking which school works best for their child. “One school is not necessarily going to work even for the same family,” Powell said. “Kids are different, and so having more choices is really a great thing for parents.

Despite their deviation from public school standards, the city Charter School Center has a phrase plastered throughout its website, and even in CEO James Merriman’s email sign-off: It’s about great public schools. To Merriman, this is a testament to the charter system’s status as a public school system with high, incentivized standards; if a charter performs poorly, applications will decline and it faces risk of closure.

The Success Academy middle school in Springfield Gardens, co-located with JHS 59, is one of the institution’s seven charter schools in Queens and one of 27 charters in the borough.

“Schools that are working the best will receive the most applications, and if not, theyWhileclose.”Merriman sees choice as one of the system’s virtues, a more central appeal, he thinks, is the assurance of safety.

C M BTS page 9 Y K 202225,AugustThursday,CHRONICLE,QUEENS9Page visitnewslatesttheFor qchron.com 2022GuideFall&SchooltoBack $75 in www.jamnewyork.orgforBack-To-SchoolFreeSuppliesWhileTheyLastforNewStudentsForover20years,providingmusicanddancelessonsatalllevelsstudents18monthsold,Pre-Grade12,adultsandseniors.718-454-3036Music | Dance | Theatre “High School is four years; St. Francis Prep is Forever.” The Class of 2022 earned over $160 million in scholarships. ST. FRANCIS PREPARATORY SCHOOL 6100 Francis Lewis Blvd. Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 (718) 423-8810 www.SFPonline.org #SFP4ever #TerrierTough Seats still available for all levels. To apply visit www.SFPonline.org Imagine What You Can Do. STFR-080930

“If all kids could read at the same level at an early age in a proper way, that would be the great equalizer,” she said.

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“It’s

For one high school English teacher in Queens, the problem is simple: Some students lack the fundamentals of language required for the grade level. like putting students in an advanced calculus class and they don’t know how to add or subtract yet,” he said. While data from the Nation’s Report Card, a subsidary of the National Center for Education Statistics, says reading testing data for city fourth- and eighth-graders were roughly on par with the rest of the nation, the teacher, who preferred to remain nameless, says there are students excelling in his classes. It’s the disparity between those excelling and those struggling that has him Channelingconcerned.ayoungster, he said, “If they’re worried about my self-esteem or my confidence, but I can’t handle [the workload], and they put me in an advanced class, how’s my self-esteem going to be when I get a 22 on a test and the guy next to me gets a 95?” Mayor Adams and city Schools Chancellor David Banks have made it a priority since the start of the Adams administration to offer assistance to those struggling in the classroom, specifically those with learning disabilities. Adams himself struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia during his school years. Part of their plan is the institution of a phonics-based early-learning program in city schools. Over the course of the upcoming school year, the city Department of Education will require teachers in grades kindergarten through second to have a “phonics-based, proven foundational literacy curriculum,” according to a May Thoughrelease.thecity does not track each school’s specific curriculum, it’s estimated roughly 200 of the 700 city public schools do not use phonics-based instruction, and a number of those that do are not implementing the structure as effectively as they should, according to Chalkbeat New York. The teaching of phonics, which is a style that stresses the association between sounds and letters and letter structures, could help raise the academic floor described by the English teacher. According to a study performed by the National Reading Panel in the late 1990s, “systematic phonics instruction produces significant benefits for students in kindergarten through sixth grade and for children having difficulty learning to read,” according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Phonics-based instruction stands in contrast to the reading instruction method pushed during the Bloomberg administration, branded “balanced literacy,” which is still used in many city schools, according to news outlet The City. The approach is a version of whole language teaching, which emphasizes teaching children to understand words as whole pieces of language working in context with other words. Phonics builds reading development from the root, and teaches children to understand how words are formed rather than exclusively what they mean. The method focuses on sounds created by combinations of letters, breaking down reading into something that’s more of a process rather than a memorization of meanings behind combinations of letters than could seem abstract to a developing reader.

An example cited by the National Literacy Trust focuses around sounds for the letters “t,” “p,” “a” and “s.” Teaching students the sounds of letters can help them decode words they come across in their reading; if they know how “s,” “a” and “t” sound, they can sound out the word “sat.” That then leads to the understanding of multisyllabic words, such as “Sat-ur-day.”Whatthe implementation of a phonics-based learning system at an early level could do is help mitigate the academic disparities experienced by the English teacher before struggling students reach his classroom. In the opinion of Jean Hahn, head of Queens Parents United and mother of an 11-year-old with ADHD, such implementation could be a “game-changer.”

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by Sean Okula Associate Editor

Mayor Adams and city Schools Chancellor David Banks are putting phonics back in city classrooms.

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Sept. 29 Thursday Evening Parent-Teacher conferences: high schools, K-12 and 6-12 schools

Note: Parent-Teacher conference dates are citywide, however, please check with your school for changes. For testing dates and other events, visit schools. nyc.gov/calendar. Courtesy NYC DOE website: schools.nyc.gov It’s late August, the summer heat is winding down, and pumpkin spice-flavored coffee is making its return. This can only mean one thing: It’s officially back-to-school season. Whether you’re keeping an eye out for sales on kids’ clothing or want to send your child to school wearing the latest trends, we’ve got you covered. As to be expected for the season, fashions are going to be straying away from brightly colored outfits and transitioning into more neutral, muted tones with the occasional pops of color. Red, dark blue, slate gray, pale pink and sage green are all popular color choices this season for all ages and genders. Loungewear and athletic wear are in — even when not at home or the gym. It’s all about comfort. Keep an eye out for matching loungewear sets for the girls, and sporty-butstylish gym clothes for the boys. H&M, which has locations in Jamaica and Elmhurst, sells sets for as little as $20. Zara, which can be found in Queens Center mall, showcases bomber jackets, varsity-style sweaters and puffy vests for back-to-school. Try layering those with your child’s favorite-colored shirt and a pair of neutral-toned pants or jeans for the perfect trendy outfit.For the girls, polo collared dresses are in. Try a plaid or denim style for a quick but trendy outfit, perfect when you’re in a rush but still want your child to look her Overallsbest.arealso back in for all genders and ages. Layer a striped or geometric patterned sweater underneath denim or neutral-colored overalls with a pair of white sneakers for an outfit that will make your child look like he or she stepped out of a fashion catalogue, all while keeping warm for autumn at the same time. If you want to go the simple route, try an old favorite like Target. “I don’t like to send my kids to school in anything too expensive. Kids will be kids, and I know anything I buy could come back dirty or ruined,” Daphne Rodriguez said of her 5-year-old twin boys while back-to-school shopping at Target in Rego Park. She recommends Cat and Jack, a Target brand, for other parents. “They have good basics like T-shirts but also have fun colors and styles. I’m here almost every week looking for new things.”

Among the stylish offerings for kids this season are a belted romper with buttons, a bright red Puma hoodie and Levi Strauss T-shirts with a patriotic flair. These were all spotted at Rainbow in Woodhaven.

Jan. 30 Monday Professional Development for 9–12 & 6–12 schools (students in these schools do not attend)

Mar. 23 Thursday Evening Parent-Teacher conferences: high schools, K-12 and 6-12 schools

Sept. 26-27 Monday-Tuesday Rosh Hashanah (schools closed)

May 18 Thursday Evening Parent-Teacher conferences: high schools, K-12 and 6-12 schools

June 8 Thursday Anniversary Day/Chancellor’s Conference Day for staff (students do not attend)

In addition to typical fall fashion, character-based clothing is always in for kids. Graphic tees with their favorite princess or action hero will never disappoint, and will be an easy conversation starter for potential friends at school. What better way to bond than over a favorite superhero on a cool T-shirt? The same goes for brand-name clothes if your spending allows. A brand’s logo on a hoodie is a great choice for boys and girls of all ages when trying to stay casual, keep warm and look good.No matter where you’re shopping this back-to-school season, it is also worth considering letting your children pick out their own clothing. These days, social media makes kids and teens keenly aware of the newest style trends amongst their peers. If you want to try new trends but have a tight budget, stores like Rainbow, with multiple locations around Queens, allow your kids to pick out trendy clothing they might not usually wear for as little as a few dollars per item. Diana Lopez, a mother of a preteen daughter, frequents the Woodhaven location. “I can get her some crewneck sweaters for five dollars a piece and they last a long time,” she commented. “It’s cheaper than other stores, so I can get extra things to have more options in her closet.” Clothing is an important part of selfexpression for all youth, so choose wisely and make sure your child is comfortable with the way he or she looks this season to make for a great, confident school year.

June 9 Friday Clerical Day for K–5, K–6, 6–8, and K–12 schools and D75 (students do not attend)

May 4 Thursday Evening Parent-Teacher conferences: elementary schools & Pre-K Centers

PHOTOS BY KRISTEN GUGLIELMO

May 29 Monday Memorial Day (schools closed)

Mar. 9 Thursday Parent-Teacher conferences: elementary schools & Pre-K Centers (early dismissal)

Oct. 10 Monday Italian Heritage Day / Indigenous People’s Day (schools closed)

Nov. 18 Friday Afternoon Parent-Teacher confs: high schools, K-12, 6-12 schools (early dismissal)

Jan. 24-27 Tuesday through Friday Regents Exams Administration

Nov. 8 Tuesday Election Day (fully remote, asynchronous instructional day)

Jan. 31 Tuesday Spring term begins (semester-based schools)

Mar. 16 Thursday Afternoon & Evening Parent-Teacher confs: middle schools and Dist. 75 schools(early dismissal)

Mar. 24 Friday Afternoon Parent-Teacher confs: high schools, K-12, 6-12 schools (early dismissal)

April 6-14 Thursday to following Friday Spring recess (schools closed — includes Good Friday and Passover)

Dec. 26-Jan. 2 Monday to following Monday Winter recess (schools closed). School resumes Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. Jan. 16, 2023 Monday Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (schools closed)

Sept. 15 Thursday Evening Parent-Teacher conferences: elementary schools & Pre-K Centers

Sept. 22 Thursday Evening Parent-Teacher conferences: middle schools and District 75 schools

Nov. 9 Wednesday Afternoon Parent-Teacher confs: middle schools and Dist. 75 schools (early dismissal)

April 21 Friday Eid al-Fitr (schools closed)

Nov. 17 Thursday Evening Parent-Teacher conferences: high schools, K-12 and 6-12 schools

May 11 Thursday Evening Parent-Teacher conferences: middle schools and District 75 schools

Nov. 24-25 Thursday and Friday Thanksgiving recess (schools closed)

June 14-23 Wednesday to following Friday Regents Exams Administration (excluding June 19 when schools are closed)

JUNE 27, 2023 TUESDAY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR ALL STUDENTS!

Nov. 11 Friday Veterans Day (schools closed)

Feb. 20-24 Monday through Friday Midwinter recess (schools closed)

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They’ve got class, and style, too fashionableFittingly by Kristen Guglielmo Chronicle Contributor

Nov. 3 Thursday Afternoon Parent-Teacher conferences: elementary schools (early dismissal)

June 19 Monday Juneteenth - observed (schools closed)

Oct. 5 Wednesday Yom Kippur (schools closed)

12Page202225,AugustThursday,CHRONICLE,QUEENS C M BTS page 12 Y K visitnewslatesttheFor qchron.com 2022GuideFall&SchooltoBack 2022-23 PUBLIC SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR SEPT. 8, 2022 THURSDAY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR ALL STUDENTS

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Classical Kids Fair, a music festival featuring performances, radio and dance workshops and more, is a free event that will happen on Oct. 23 from 1 to 4 p.m.

A new company making its debut at the Secret is “Shakespeare On the Fly,” described by producer/performer Carolyne Gallo as “spontaneous, unrehearsed Shakespeare, performed in Bare Bard style and exploring contemporary issues.”

The last out-of-doors attraction presented by Queensborough Performing Arts Center before its newly renovated theater reopens in February is “The Movin’ Out Band,” a tribute to Billy Joel that will take place at Fort Totten Park on Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. It stars Wade Preston as the Piano Man himself, a role he played on Broadway during the long run of the musical “Movin’ Out.” Of course, audiences can expect him to perform many time-honored Joel favorites. The event is free, and attendees are advised to bring their ownFortchairs.Totten is located at Totten Avenue and 15th Road in Bayside. As for the theater’s reopening, it will happen on Feb. 4, with “The MJ Experience,” which preserves the legacy of pop icon Michael Jackson.Andthat’s just for starters. QPAC’s executive and artistic director, Susan Agin, promises, “Boy, do we have a lot of exciting programs.”

PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER DUGGAN

Wade Preston, left, will reprise his role as Billy Joel in a tribute to the Piano Man on Sept. 18. The Honolulu Theatre for Youth will perform at Queens Theatre Nov. 13.

Live shows of all kinds await

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tymind,company’spiece,toand(Oct.whichtivelypromomystery.com/much-ado-about-nothing.gumshoemurderIncludecode“hero”for$10off.More:(646)820-7751.AlsocomingtotheSecretisanotherrela-newcompany,CityGateProductions,madeitsdebutin2021.Whilethedatesforitslatestendeavorareset14,15,21and22at8p.m.andOct.1623at3p.m.),thefinalselectionofaplayisbedetermined.Ticketswillbepricedat$20.ButThomHarmon,whowilldirectthepromisesitwillbeinkeepingwiththecommitmentto“challengetheinspiretheheart,andreflectthediversi-oftheborough.”More:Visitcitygateproductions.org.TheSecretTheatreislocatedat38-0161St.HistoricFlushingTownHallpresentsNewYorkClassicalPlayers:StellaPlaysMozarton

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Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are free with online RSVP.The Honey Dewdrops, an experimental folk band, will offer a concert on Sept. 16 at 8 p.m., preceded by a harmony singing workshop at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18. Sept. 23 brings An Evening of Music with Queens native and jazz fusion drummer Lenny White & Friends at 8 p.m. Tickets: $40. The Louis Armstrong Legacy Monthly Jazz Jam sessions continue on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m., with the house band and jam sessions led by Carol Sudhalter. The jams are open to professional jazz musicians, graduate students studying jazz, music educators and serious hobbyists, as well as audiences of music enthusiasts. Tickets are $10, but it is free to join in with the band. Town Hall is located at 137-35 Northern Blvd. in Flushing. More: Visit flushingtownhall.org or call (718)The463-7700.Thalia Spanish Theatre presents the bilingual world premiere of “Life Lessons,” a dramedy by Spanish playwright Eduardo Galan, under the direction of Angel Gil Orrios.The play, centering around a cultivated teacher and an uneducated fishmonger who engage in a duel of personalities, will be performed by two alternating casts. Performances in English will take place on Friday nights at 8 p.m. and Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. Spanish versions will be on Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 4 p.m. The show runs Sept. 9 to Oct. 12. Tickets are $35; or $32 for students and seniors. Next up will be a world premiere musical, “Christmas/Navidad in Colombia,” highlighting family traditions through music and dance. It will run Nov. 11 to Dec. 11. The Thalia is located at 41-17 Greenpoint Ave.,More:Sunnyside.Visitthaliatheatre.org or call (718) 729-3880.

“Dia de Los Muertos,” or “Day of the Dead,” is a bilingual, interactive performance interweaving Mexican music and dance with stories, myths and legends.

COURTESY PHOTOS centerTakingstage by Mark Lord Chronicle Contributor

The same company’s production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is scheduled for Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. Tickets for each show are $25 to $35.

“In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson,” a play adapted from a novel by Bette Bao Lord, comes via the Honolulu Theatre for Youth, a group founded in 1955 to serve young people, families and educators across the Hawaiian islands. Based on memories of Lord’s immigration to the United States, the play is told through humor and a multimedia staging, celebrating those who bring new perspectives to this Performancescountry.areonNov. 13 at 1 and 3 p.m. Tickets:Queens$18.Theatre is located at 14 United Nations Ave. South.

“It’s a tossup as to who is laughing more, the kids and parents in the audience or the actors,” MazdaPerformancessaid. take place the second Saturday of each month. Tickets are $20 for adults 16 and up; and $12.50 for children 3 and up.

It would be hard to dispute the borough’s claim as the most diverse place on Earth — both when it comes to its population and, as it’s shaping up once again for the fall, in the varied forms of entertainment available now through the end of the year.

The troupe will offer its version of “Much Ado About Nothing,” which, according to a release from the company, allows us “to laugh at ourselves and our implicitAccordingbiases.”to Gallo, the aim of the company is to focus on the power of the text by keeping costumes and props to a minimum. The troupe’s director, David Demke, will direct this production, as Performanceswell. are on Oct. 28 and 29 at 7 p.m., Oct. 30 at 2 p.m., and Nov. 3, 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30. To order, visit

Parsons Dance, a troupe known for its energized, athletic and joyous style of contemporary American dance, takes center stage on Oct. 29 at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $35.

More: Visit queenstheatre.org.

More: Visit qpac.qcc.cuny.edu or call (718) 631-6311.Kupferberg Center for the Arts, on the Queens College campus, has top salsa performer Victor Manuelle making a return concert appearance at Colden Auditorium on Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $59 to $109. A couple of weeks later, on Nov. 6 at 3 p.m., the venue will offer “Dia de Los Muertos” (“Day of the Dead”), billed as a bilingual, family-friendly, interactive multimedia performance, interweaving traditional Mexican music and dance with stories, myths and legends of Mexico’s ancestors. Tickets: $15. Colden is located at 153-49 Reeves Ave., Flushing.More: Visit kupferbergcenter.org or call (718)Queens793-8080.Theatre, located indoors in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, has an unusually packed calendar, including the Queensboro Dance Festival, its season finale weekend taking place Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. It will feature 26 Queens-based professional companies over the three days, offering diverse dance cultures and techniques, ranging from tap and hula to ballroom and Performanceship-hop.begin on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and on Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. Tickets: $25 each performance or all three forThe$60.Acting Company takes up residence at the theater with its version of “The Three Musketeers,” based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, on Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 16 at 3 p.m., marking this production’s first public performance. According to advance word, the adaptation will “shed new light on this swashbuckling adventure,” serving as a “reminder that courage, honesty and valor can change the world.”

More: Visit secrettheatre.com.

The Secret Theatre, operating out of its new home base in Woodside, kicks off another season of its long-running attraction “Pirate Pete’s Parrot,” featuring original cast members Richard Mazda and Rick Benson, who have been with the show since its premiere in 2005.

An homage to English Panto, a type of theatrical spectacle popular in England, the show follows the story of Pirate Pete, who needs to find some treasure in order to keep him and his family from being evicted by landlord Baron Bigbutt.

C M BTS page 15 Y K 202225,AugustThursday,CHRONICLE,QUEENS15Page visitnewslatesttheFor qchron.com 2022GuideFall&SchooltoBack Jamaica Hospital Medical Center is proud to be named one America’s Best 250 Hospitals by Healthgrades This is one of many awardsOtherhigh-qualitydeliveringhasJamaicaawardsHospitalreceivedforcarerecentinclude Serving our patients and the community in a way that is second to none

16Page202225,AugustThursday,CHRONICLE,QUEENS C M BTS page 16 Y K visitnewslatesttheFor qchron.com 2022GuideFall&SchooltoBack Sapphire Center For Rehabilitation & Nursing of Central Queens SAPR-079083AWARDS: • Five-Star Nursing & Rehabilitation Facility awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. • Administrator member of American College of Health Administrators • Administrator recipient of CMS Outstanding Achievement award for Reducing Hospitalizations • Administrator is 2016 Recipient of Lily Leadership Award

PHOTO BY RUTH MONTESA / FILE

The fair marks the opening of the Queens Farm’s Amazing Maize Maze, a three-acre labyrinth and the only corn maze in New York City. During the fair, admission to the maze is included in your ticket, and after that, admission is $8 for children 3 to 12 and $12 for adults. The maze will be open Friday through Sunday, Sept. 16 to Oct. 29. It will also be open on Monday, Oct.For10.four nights only — Oct. 15, 20, 22 and 27 — the Queens Farm will host Maze by Moonlight, during which attendees will navigate through the Amazing Maize Maze in the dark. Tickets for that are $15 for adults, $12 for children 3 to 12 and free for those 2 and under. Grab your flashlight and get going! Of course, the month of October would not be complete without a trip to a pumpkin patch. The Queens Farm has you covered from Oct. 1 to 29, Monday through Friday from noon to 4:30 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free; it is recommended that you bring your own bag. If the pumpkin patch isn’t enough to get you in the Halloween spirit, you can join the fun at Halloween on the Farm on Oct. 30 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Put on your costume and go trick-or-treating with the farm animals or join the dance party! Those looking for a spookier experience can head to the farmhouse for some haunting. Hayrides and food from area vendors will also be available, just as at the County Fair. It’s also the last day to try the Amazing Maize Maze! Those who missed the Queens Farm’s Thunderbird American Indian Pow Wow in July need look no further than the Autumn Dance Celebration. On Nov. 13, the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers will, once again, perform traditional dances, this time in celebration of the year’s harvest. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 4 to 11.For tickets and more information, visit queensfarm.org.

The farm will kick things off on Sept. 9 with the 39th Annual Queens County Fair, which will run through Sept. 11. Over the course of the weekend, those in attendance can enjoy carnival games and rides, hayrides, arts and crafts and other classics. Buy a souvenir from an area artisan at the Queens Farm’s Handmade Marketplace, and grab a bite (or, for those over 21, a drink) at Food Alley. On top of that, several New York City-based performers will take the main stage, such as acrobat Li Liu, who has been a staple of the County Fair for years, and musical group Dr. K’s Motown Revue. Meanwhile, students from John Bowne High School will play host to some agriculturalCommunityexhibitions.members will put their culinary, agricultural and artistic skills to the test as they vie for the top prize in the Blue Ribbon Competition on Saturday and Sunday. The competition includes 360 subcategories across six different divisions: vegetables, flower arranging, horticulture, arts and crafts, culinary arts and apiculture. There are also two junior divisions of culinary arts and arts and crafts. The competition is free to enter.Tickets for the fair are available online at queensfarm.org. Three-day passes are $45 for adults and $35 for children ages 3 to 12; those under 2 may visit for free. Single-day passes are $20 for adults and $15 for kids ages 3 to 12, except for Friday passes, which are $14 for all ages (the festivities begin at 3:30 that afternoon as opposed to 11 a.m. the other days). It is recommended you buy tickets in advance.

As summer winds down and kids prepare to return to school, the Queens County Farm Museum is gearing up for its busy fall calendar, which is chock-full of seasonal events.

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The Amazing Maize Maze is a staple of the Queens County Farm Museum’s fall programming.

Fall Festivities at Queens Farm Outdoor fun by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

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DeLucia said United Skates is helpful with fundraisers and other community activities, and is accommodating for things like concerts in the mall’s courtyard, doing such things as lowering the volume on the rink’s own music. For those looking for an indoor skating rink, particularly as the weather turns cooler, United Skates of America has another location in Seaford, LI, at 1276 Hicksville Road. They can be contacted (516) 795-5474 or online at unitedskates.com/seaford.

PHOTO BY IAN BRYANT

Other skating opportunities in the region include, but are not limited to:

“They’ve been in business a long time,” he said of United Skates, which has its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. “They’re good neighbors. And they definitely bring additional traffic to the mall.”

Senior News Editor

• Pier 2 Roller Skating Rink in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with information available online at brooklynbridgeskating.com;

A Queens skating rink intended to hearken back to the days of malt shops and poodle skirts is Roll-A-Rama, the Runway Rink outside the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The 44-by-56-foot outdoor rink “with retro tunes, naturally,” is in its second season, sitting in the shadow of the hotel’s classic 1958 Lockheed Super Constellation. Weather permitting, Roll-A-Rama is open from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays until Nov. 1. Skate rental is included with every 50-minute session, which costs $20 for adults and $16 for children under 12. People are permitted to bring their own skates.

Peter DeLucia, general manager at Atlas Park, said the mall and community members are as happy as the clientele.

“Bring ’em, even if you’re going straight from skating to your flight gate,” the TWA Hotel advises in a press release. The Transportation Safety Administration allows footwear in carry-ons and checked bags.”

He said people passing by come in to see what is going on and become regulars. “People tell me this is great, that they’ve been looking for something like this in Queens for a long time.” He intends to run through October as long as the weather holds.

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PHOTOS BY IAN BRYANT, LEFT, AND COURTESY TWA HOTEL fun to music by Michael Gannon

• LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park in Brooklyn with information available online at lakesidebrooklyn.com; and • Skaterobics, which hosts classes and activities in Queens and throughout the city, with information available online at skaterobics.com.

Say roller skating today and it can mean friends gathering at a rink just like happens in movies from the 1950s; but also it can be the backdrop for exercise, social gatherings and parties ranging from children’s birthdays to corporate get-togethers. There still are rinks like the United Skates of America site in The Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale, and more traditional indoor rinks in Brooklyn and Nassau County.Butother settings for varied audiences have sprung up in recent years to meet new demands.IanBryant of Rosedale this year founded Skating in the Park at the park adjacent to PS 38 at 135-21 241 St. It offers free skating for all who show up, and a free lesson for all who register at bit. ly/3Kd9TWX.“Skatingin the Park is an event where people of all ages can come,” Bryant said. “We get together on Saturdays and we have fun skating! I also do a class for people that don’t know how to skate or would like to learn.” He started skating at age 8 or 9 in his native country of Jamaica. He started the Saturday event back in April to meet a demand that he says always existed to some extent.“I’ve been skating since I was young,” he said. “I came to the United States and was introduced to the old Empire Roller Rink. It’s not there anymore. There also was a place called Hot Skates on Long Island that I used to go to.” He stopped for about 20 years. Then the pandemic came along. Last year he heard of a group called Skaterobics that was hosting an event at St. Albans Park, and the old fire was“Irekindled.wentthere and got back interested in skating again,” he said. “Their event was only on Sundays, so I wanted to skate more. I decided to look for a place to have a few people get together and skate. That’s basically how it started.”

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Skating is on a roll in Queens

And Martin would not exactly agree that roller skating is “back.” “It never went away,” he said. “People were doing it more underground. You had to be a hard-core skater to travel an hour and a half, especially if you lived in New York City, Brooklyn or Queens, to go all the way out to Long InformationIsland.”onfuture events and private bookings is available online at rollerwavenyc.com.Oneofthebiggest names in roller skating — United Skates of America — has had an outdoor rink at The Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale for the last two years. It has a full slate of events set through Sept. 4, the day before Labor Day, and special weekend events like family skates and public skating events through September and October listed on its website at unitedskates.com/atlas-park.Amongtheeventsplanned are tribute skates featuring the music of the 1980 movie “Xanadu” starring Olivia Newton-John (Aug. 25); Beyonce (Aug. 26); Michael Jackson (Aug. 28); Selena (Sept. 1); and Newton John’s own music (Sept. 2). The Google reviews are largely appreciative.NateGrove recommended it after his daughter’s 10th birthday party. “The rink is what it is (small), but it was great for her and her friends. She and her friends had a really great time. And we were super happy with the service and how accommodating the staff were ... I definitely recommend this place for an easy, turnkey, party venue for “Amazing!!!!”kids.”reported Amy Donayre.

The rink can be booked on weekdays for private events at twahotel.com/rink.

“The girls had so much fun!! 100% recommend!!!! There’s no limit to how long they can skate and the staff is so friendly!”

When Ian Bryant of Rosedale couldn’t find enough opportunities for roller skating in the community, he created his own in Skating in the Park.

Young skaters in Rosedale, left, are having a great time as they learn the finer points of the discipline, while at right, Roll-A-Rama at the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport takes its guests back in time.

Wheel

Harry Martin of Brooklyn took up skating as an adult, but, like Bryant, he founded Roller Wave NYC, a mobile pop-up roller skating business, in 2015 to counter what he said is a dearth of rinks in places like Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. But he also has been in cities like Miami, Atlanta and Los“IAngles.have 60 pairs of skates in various sizes from children’s sizes to adult,” he said. His Facebook page, at bit.ly/3AGFDQS, features video and comments from small events in city parks; a corporate function for former Mayor Mike Bloomberg: and the three-day Governors Ball extravaganza back in June at Citi Field. “Had a blast,” says poster Ramon Temple in a comment accompanying a video of the skating at the Bloomberg event. Martin was a runner and crossfit instructor when he caught the bug. “I took up skating because it has the same benefits of running, like the cardio, with the added fun of enjoying the music you’re listening to,” he said. “People tell me they love it. They say they enjoy the diverse crowd, they love the music and events. They’re having a great time. It’s just a joyous feeling, a feeling of community.”

C M BTS page 19 Y K 202225,AugustThursday,CHRONICLE,QUEENS19Page visitnewslatesttheFor qchron.com 2022GuideFall&SchooltoBack 144-45 87th Avenue Briarwood, NY 718www.silvercrest.org114354804000

Oh, the places you should go! tourists and residents

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The neighborhood pages each give a brief summary of the area and then go into detail on everything from landmarks to restaurants and hotels, along with showing an interactive map. The page for Jamaica, for example, says it is best-known as a transportation hub but that it is home to a patchwork of cultures with a variety of cuisine, as well as a manor house that was lived in by a signer of the U.S. Constitution.Corona’spage makes note of some famous residents, touts both Latino and Italian heritages and advises those who eat there to “walk off your feast in nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park, where you’ll find the Queens Zoo, Queens Museum and New York Hall of Science.”Forest Hills is dubbed “your friendly neighborhood Tudor home” while Rockaway is called “Surf City, NYC.” “Queens can satisfy nearly every taste,” NYC & Co. says. “Foodies covet the Greek cuisine of Astoria and the authentic Asian food in Flushing; others admire the inventive art at Socrates Sculpture Park and the stunning flora at the Queens Botanical Garden. In the borough’s southern extremes, the surf is always up at Rockaway Beach.”

PHOTO BY MATTHEW PENROD by Peter C. Mastrosimone Editor-in-Chief

CenterYour VentilatorandRehabilitationforCare

The Lemon Ice King of Corona is a landmark business billed as “universally loved” by the tourism marketing organization NYC & Co.

There’s an old cliche that says New Yorkers skip the sights in their own backyards — that many have never been to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History. Regardless of whether there’s much truth to that, and whether it applies to Queens, NYC & Co., the city’s “official destination marketing organization,” is promoting our borough’s landmarks and other notable spots in a new campaign called “Queens Like a New Yorker.”

alike

On the web page for Queens, NYC & Co. starts with a “What’s Happening” section, which is actually a mix of event notices and feature stories, sometimes about a neighborhood, such as Ridgewood or the Little Guyana section of Richmond Hill and Ozone Park; sometimes about one aspect of an area, such as “Asian culture in Long Island City”; sometimes more specific, such as an interview with Regina Bain, executive director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona. Below “What’s Happening,” the page outlines a selection of neighborhoods, each with its own detailed web page. Nine are listed, from Long Island City to Forest Hills to the Rockaways (notably absent is northeastern Queens; surely Bayside at least should be included).

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The initiative is part of NYC & Co.’s “Get Local NYC” campaign. It highlights places that have been famous for decades, as well as smaller and more recent spots worth visiting, and can be found at online gamefamoustiativewantsfornycgo.com/boroughs-neighborhoods/queens.atWhetheryou’reasocialbutterflylookinganewspottolandorahomebodywhotogetoutmoreandneedsideas,theini-offersplentyofideasQueenswide.“Planatriparoundticketstoseeworld-tennisstarsattheU.S.OpenoraMetsatCitiField,”NYC&Co.saysinan

announcement of the campaign. “Pack a bathing suit and hit the beach in the Rockaways. Hop the subway to Jackson Heights or Flushing and enjoy food from around the world. Queens is also home to several major museums and arts venues, including the Museum of the Moving Image, Socrates Sculpture Park, the Noguchi Museum, MoMA PS1 and more.”

“Queens holds the Guinness Book World Record as the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world, with at least 138 languages spoken,” NYC & Co. President and CEO Fred Dixon points out. “For visitors, it’s a great place to experience New York City’s diversity, including authentic cuisine from cultures around the world. It’s also a great place to watch tennis legends play at the U.S. Open, travel back in time to the 1964 World’s Fair, or take a beach day at the Rockaways. Whether you want to visit the home of jazz great Louis Armstrong, see contemporary art at MoMA PS1 or enjoy a night out at a bar or brewery, Queens is the ultimate destination.”

“Lopez vs. Lopez” stars George Lopez and his real-life daughter, Mayra, in a fictional version of their lives. If this sounds to you like Lopez’s old ABC series, “George Lopez,” you are probably right.

The arrival of September used to always mean both the start of a new school year and the launch of new series by the TV networks. Television has expanded considerably from the three major networks baby boomers grew up with, and thanks to the growth of cable and the advent of streaming services, new shows are premiering over the entire calendar year. Nonetheless, there remains something special for the entertainment industry about the arrival of fall. Here is a look at what the various networks have planned for us. It should be noted some of these programs may not air until later in the fall or early winter.

The only new show ABC debuted last season that attracted both ratings and critical praise was “Abbott Elementary,” which starred Quinta Brunson as an idealistic PhiladelphiaKimmel’sschoolteacher.criticismmay have some meat considering that ABC, which could use a lot of new programming, is only launching two newOneshows.ofthose is a spinoff of “The Rookie,” a middling ratings performer starring Nathan Fillion as an older person who seeks a second career as an LAPD officer. “The Rookie: Feds” takes the same premise with comedy actor Niecy Nash joining the FBI. “Alaska Daily” stars Academy Awardwinner Hilary Swank as a journalist who must leave New York City after a scandal and start over at a newspaper in the 49th state.

At left is Katherine McNamara as Abby in the CW Network’s “Walker Independence,” a prequel to “Walker.” At right are Hilary Swank and Craig Frank in “Alaska Daily,” which is about a New York City reporter who flees to the Last Frontier to find personal and professional redemption following a scandal. (The latter photo was not at all chosen because any journalist here can relate to the premise.)

What’s new on TV and streaming

NBC The Peacock Network will have a tough time replacing its biggest hit, “This Is Us,” which wrapped up last spring. There is no nice way of saying this, but NBC is relying heavily on retreads and reboots. NBC immediately picked up “Magnum PI” as soon as CBS canceled the remake, which stars Jay Hernandez in the role that made Tom Selleck a household name. At its May upfront, network executives announced an updated version of the ’90s time travel series, “Quantum Leap,” with Raymond Lee and Ernie Hudson taking over the Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell roles, respectively. Sticking with NBC’s in-house nostalgia theme, “Night Court” will be returning with John Larroquette back as prosecutor Dan Fielding, and with Melissa Rauch of “The Big Bang Theory” fame playing the judge. Her character is the daughter of Judge Harry Stone, who was played by the late Harry Anderson.

CW The smallest of the broadcast networks is television’s version of “The Tortoise and the Hare.” The CW is the only broadcast network to offer original programming seven nights a week. Its president, Mark Pedowitz, has served in that capacity since 2011, which is longer than any other broadcast networkWhilechief.the CW really hasn’t had a water cooler hit since “Gossip Girl,” it is incredibly patient and lets series develop so they can find an audience. That reluctance to cancel shows has allowed the CW to develop prequels and spinoffs of its exiting series. Last winter the CW launched “All-American: Homecoming” from its high school football drama “All-American.” This fall it is introducing “Walker: Independence,” which is a prequel to “Walker,” while “The Winchesters,” set in 1972 (I can’t believe that is 50 years ago!), is a prequel to “Supernatural.” The CW is importing a pair of shows from north of the border. “Family Law” is a show about a female attorney who is thrown out of her home by her family because of her excessive drinking. She must turn to her stern father, who is a legal legend, to continue her career. Canadian actors Jewel Stiate and Victor Garber star as the daughter and father legal team.

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PHOTO BY BETTINA STRAUSS / CBS by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

Fox Fox has always prided itself on a programming lineup that skews a bit younger than the other three major broadcast networks, but on occasion it does try to branch out to an older demographic. This fall it will debut “Monarch,” a soap opera about a corrupt Nashville family-run musical empire, which stars real-life deep-voiced country singer Trace Adkins and Jackson Heights native Susan Sarandon. This sounds much like the plot of a former Fox soap opera about a corrupt family-run television ministry, which starred Gerald McRaney and Kim “Accused”Cattrall.isan American version of the BBC crime anthology series about individuals who have rightfully or wrongfully been charged with a serious“Alert”crime.is another crime-related anthology series whose producer is actor Jamie Foxx. It is a dramatization of cases from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing PersonsNoUnit.other broadcast network has done more for animated series than Fox has. “Joining “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy” and “Bob’s Burgers” are “Krapapolis” and “Grimsburg.”“Krapopolis” is the brainchild of producer Dan Harmon, who is best known for the NBC comedy “Community.” The same sharp wit that Harmon set at a fictional Southern California community college has been transported to ancient Greece. Anyone who is a fan of “Rocky & Bullwinkle” will enjoy the satire and puns of “Krapopolis.”

“Fire Country” on CBS stars Max Thieriot and centers on an unconventional prison release firefighting program in Northern California.

CBS The Tiffany Network remains the nation’s most-watched broadcast network. It has always had success with police procedurals so it’s not surprising one of its new shows is the police drama “East New York.” Amanda Warren stars as a precinct commander in that Brooklyn neighborhood, which borders Howard Beach. CBS was the home of classic lawyer shows such as “Perry Mason” and “The Defenders.” In recent years, it had success with “Shark!” and “All Rise.” The latest legal entrant is “So Help Me Todd,” a “dramedy starring Marcia Gay Harden as the no-nonsense head of a law firm, with Skylar Aston as her slacker son, whom she reluctantly hires to be its investigator. One unfortunate annual late summer and fall story has been vicious California fires that have destroyed small communities in the Golden State. “Fire Country” stars Max Thieriot as a convict who seeks redemption by working with firefighters to combat blazes.

ABC These have not been the best of times for what Variety Magazine likes to call the “Alphabet Network.” At its 2022 upfront, Jimmy Kimmel tore into Disney executives for ignoring ABC during his monologue.

Ace private investigator Marvin Flute (voiced by Jon Hamm) has solved the toughest cases all over the country, but he returns to his hometown, Grimsburg, to try to win back the love of his ex-wife and get to know the son he has spent little time with since his birth. In a nice nod to television’s past, Flute’s avatar resembles Frank Cannon, the detective played by William Conrad on the popular 1970s CBS series “Cannon.”

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At home on the small screen

PHOTOS BY ANNA KOORIS / THE CW, LEFT, AND DARKO SIKMAN / ABC

FX’s “Welcome to Wrexham” is a weekly documentary about a professional Welsh soccer team whose real-life owners are actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny. FX executives are undoubtedly hoping to capitalize on the buzz created by Apple TV’s “Ted Lasso,” which stars JasonSouthSudeikis.Jamaica native and entertainment star Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is the executive producer of WE TV’s “Hip Hop Homicides.” The weekly series will look at the inordinate number of murders thatt have befallen rap music performers.

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Since Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes are a part of Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., expect to see this one on MSG Networks as well. Sports will be prominent on streaming services this fall.

New TV, streaming shows

New showrunners Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, left, and Seth Meyers are looking forward to series on WE TV and IFC, respectively. AMC NETWORKS

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“Professionals” has Tom Welling (a CW favorite from his “Smallville” days) playing a fixer for the wealthy and powerful. His latest client is a high-tech industrialist portrayed by Brendan Fraser. PBS What the late Vin Scully was to sportscasting, Ken Burns is to documentarymaking. Burns’ latest project for PBS is “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” which will air over three consecutive nights from Sept. 18 to Flushing20.native Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, better known professionally as Chuck D, founder of the rap group Public Enemy, is the executive producer of “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World.” It is a four-part documentary which debuts in January 2023. Expect a lot of Queens musicians to be featured in it. PBS’s long-running “Nova” series will delve into such topics as “Ending HIV in America,” “Computers vs. Crime,” “Can Psychedelics Cure?” and “Saving Venice.”Ihope PBS will continue its tradition of showing concerts from the worlds of rock, country and soul, as has been a tradition during its membership drives.

It is impossible to list every new offering from the myriad cable networks and streaming services, but here are some that stand out.

While the violent deaths of Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls and Hollis’ RUN-D.M.C. member Jason “Jam Master J” Mizell will be examined, the show wants to concentrate on the lesser-known hip-hop artists whose lives were snuffed out way too early, and whose cases remain unsolved. IFC’s spoof of documentaries, “Documentary Now!” whose showrunners include “Saturday Night Live” alums Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen and John Mulaney, returns after a three-year absence caused by Covid-19. Hallmark Channel movies have become as much a part of Christmas as Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Ebenezer Scrooge. This year Hallmark is teaming up with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes for a holiday movie which will debut just before Thanksgiving, and is titled, what else, “A Holiday Spectacular.”

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Cable and streaming services

Amazon Prime Video will be the only place to watch the NFL’s Thursday Night FootballNetflix’sgames.“Untold” is a documentary series that will tackle such topics as former college football star Manti Teo’s imaginary girlfriend story, which created a cause celebre a decade ago; the rise and fall of basketball shoe brand AND1, and corrupt NBA referee Tim Donaghy. Netflix executives are hoping this will become a tent pole for them the way “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” is for HBO and HBO MAX. Not to be outdone, Hulu will be launching “Mike,” a miniseries dramatization of the life of Mike Tyson with actor Trevante Rhodes portraying the controversial boxer. Hulu will also be debuting “Legacy; The True Story of the LA Lakers.” Hulu executives are hoping to piggyback on the success of HBO’s Lakers dramatization, “Winning Time,” which garnered a lot of attention this pastUnivision’sspring. new streaming service, Vix+, is the largest Spanish-speaking streamer in the world. It is almost impossible to ride the subway without seeing its ads. Vix+ promises to air over 3,000 soccer matches, which approximates the number of telenovelas it will be showing. In nonsports streaming news, Amazon Prime Video will be launching a “Lord of the Rings” weekly series. Paramount Plus will be producing new episodes of its classic 1990s cartoon series “Beavis and ButtHead.” Paramount Plus executives promise they will be as doltish as ever. Hulu’s “The Fool” stars standup comic Chris Estrada as a struggling 30-year-old who lives at home and works a nonprofit whose mission is to help rehabilitate violent gang members in South Central Los Angeles. Britbox, the streaming service dedicated to programming from the United Kingdom, will be commissioning “Archie,” which will be a film dramatization of the life of debonair actor Cary Grant (real name: Archibald Leach). Jeremy Isaacs will portray Grant. Discovery+ will have a three-part series, “Viagra: The Little Blue Pill that Changed the World.”

PHOTOS COURTESY

In Lights On!, light energy creates kaleidoscopic prisms and optical illusions. Children can employ technology from “silly mirrors” to an infrared laser harp. Studio K, with a green screen and video feed, allows young visitors to create their ownThenewscasts.Energy Lab exhibit offers hands-on exposure to multiple ways of producing energy in a laboratory setting. The Solar Lab, as the name indicates, deals with harnessing the sun’s energy to generate electricity. The Wind Lab features a giant wind tunnel, allowing children to feel the power and potential of wind energy. Children entering the Energy Lab will receive lab coats, and the Water Lab section is the primary reason why, according to the museum’s website. The exhibit includes waterfalls, basins, funnels and water wheels to “entice children to pump, push, turn and direct water to perform everyday activities.”

And what children’s museum is complete without a healthy dose of dinosaurs? Big Adventures: Dinosaurs invites children into “a wacky and whimsical time machine” that takes them back about 200 million years to the den of a mother dilophosaurus and her young. Children are invited to become “a modern-day paleontologist or time detective.” One can hunt for fossils or step back in time to look at the plants and animals from Connecticut’s far back past. The museum is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $16 for adults and children, $12 or seniors over 62. Admission is free for children under 12 months, museum members, active duty military personnel and their families within the same household. Adults must accompany children at all times. Strollers are permitted in all galleries with the exception of Tot Town and the Energy Lab, due to space constraints. Masks are optional and will be provided for all who request one. Parking is free. Additional information is available on the website.

And while up there, just head to the east for some classic and family-friendly Connecticut dining. Get off I-95 at Exit 25 in Fairfield and head on over Super Duper Weenie at 306 Black Rock Tpke.

Family fun in SW Connecticut

Tot Town has activities for children from birth to 12 months from snuggling and reading with their parents to displays designed to draw their attention and elicit amazement.

The new two-story meerkat exhibit — twice the size of the colony’s original enclosure — replicates the animals’ native African desert habitat, offering the animals opportunities for climbing, digging and exploring.Visitors also can take advantage of clear plastic bubbles in the display that allow them to poke their heads up through the sand and possibly come face-to-face with the tiny desertThedwellers.meerkat exhibit now is connected with “Just Add Water,” a display that traces the path from the desert to the rain forest, helping explain how the world’s oceans drive climate around the world.Separate biomes allow guests to view quail, lizards, a skunk, a porcupine and tamarin monkeys.TheSea & Discover Zone offers handson study in marine exploration, conservation and animal care. Its three focuses are a beach zone that includes live animal presentations; an ocean zone featuring a mock coral reef; and a science lab where people can employ tweezers, magnifying glasses and microscopes to examine animals’ shells, fur, feathers and other items. Groups looking to visit the Sea & Discovery must book the space in advance. Information is available on the website.

John Pellegrino, left, Gary Zemola and Lorin Pellegrino show off some of the house specialties at Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield.

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The aim is to show children how water can make things move to generate electricity. Young visitors can crawl below the surface of the earth to see where coal, oil, natural gas and uranium come from. They then can climb platforms to look at potential energy. “Cranks, levers air tubes and blowers set objects in motion and young minds into action,” according to Stepping Stones.

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How would you like to get up close to a meerkat after seeing some harbor seals devour a little lunch? Or have your children don lab coats for a hands-on, walk-through tutorial on how various types of energy create electricity? With a drive just over an hour to Norwalk in southwestern Connecticut, biological, physical and earth sciences are fun at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk and the Stepping Stones Museum for Children. The aquarium — located at 10 N. Water St. just south of I-95 at Exit 15 — is the only one focused on Long Island Sound, according to Norwalk Maritime officials. It features 75 exhibits with nearly 7,000 animals belonging to 363 species. “Your Long Island Sound journey begins along a freshwater river and the shallow waters of the salt marsh, then moves into deeper and deeper habitats out to the open ocean,” states the website at sealsthedisplaymaritimeaquarium.org.Themuseum’slargestisPinnipedCove,homeoffemaleharborRasal,Ariel,Leila, Polly and Tillie. Visitors can see them from three sides on two levels, including through floor-to-ceiling windows on the lower level that allow visitors to watch the seals swim and cavort underwater.Informational displays discuss how seal populations have rebounded in New England over the years. Guests can see training demonstrations and watch the seals being fed at 11:309 a.m., 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. every day.Other extremely popular denizens of the watershed include the North American river otters, who often will be given “enrichments” in their habitats to keep them busy.

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The aquarium is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the end of August, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until next July. It is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is $29.95 for adults; $25.95 for seniors 65 and older; and $20.95 for children ages 3 to 12. Admission to the 4-D movie theater is $7 or $6 for aquarium members.

Purchasing tickets in advance online is no longer required but is recommended. Multiple metered public parking sites are located close to the aquarium. Also off of Exit 15, but just to the north of I-95, is the Stepping Stones Museum for Children, located in Mathews Park at 303 West Ave. in Norwalk. “At Stepping Stones Museum for Children, play is serious,” according to the institution’s website, steppingstonesmuseum.org. Science and play come together in numerous interactive exhibits.

“It’s what we call classic road food, but really done right,” said John Pellegrino, who owns the hot-dog-heavy restaurant with his brother, Lorin, and Gary Zemola. The brick-and mortar restaurant has its roots in a legendary area food truck that goes back more than 50 years, and has been chronicled in print and on television. The history, menu and directions are available online at superduperweenie.com.“Wemakealloutown condiments. We use all fresh ingredients ... We make two chillis, a hot and a sweet. We make out own coleslaw. We use fresh kraut which we season; we make out own onion sauce, street cart onion sauce.” Even their beef-and-pork hot dogs are another Connecticut tradition, coming from Hummel Bros., which has been familyowned since 1933. For those who prefer them, there are burgers, veggie burgers, sausage, chicken sandwiches and or their “Phairfield”“Andcheesesteaks.tellthemwhen they come, they have to get our fresh-cut fries,” Pellegrino said. “Our potatoes, we’re getting them right out of the ground from a couple of different farms. They’re just great.”

Marisa Mangiafico, left, and Samantha Sorbello feed Polly and Rasal in the Pinneped Cove Exhibit at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk in Connecticut

Even the youngest guests, according to the aquarium, can safely enjoy the Shark and Ray Touch Pool where they can get a feel for a number of species. Information for those interested in feeding the rays can be found on Norwalk Maritime’s website. In keeping with the idea that all habitats are connected and interdependent on each other, the aquarium has multiple exhibits with more terrestrial animals.

Toddlers from 13 to 36 months can amble around a play kitchen and house, or explore an exhibit inspired by nursery rhymes.

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Connecticutdaytrip by Michael Gannon Editor

C M BTS page 23 Y K 202225,AugustThursday,CHRONICLE,QUEENS23Page visitnewslatesttheFor qchron.com 2022GuideFall&SchooltoBack Flushing Hospital Medical Center is proud to be the recipient of many nationally Healthgradesrecognizedawards These awards were given to Flushing Hospital in recognition of the high-quality, person-centered care we deliver to our community. Providing superior service to our patients and our community in a caring environment

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