Cell Phones
The DOE citywide policy is no cell phones in schools. We understand that some students have cell phones to communicate with parents/caregivers before and after school hours. Children are not permitted to receive or send phone calls in school or at recess or when they are out to lunch. If they have a cell phone with them, it must stay in the back pack, turned off, for the entire day. If a teacher sees or hears a child’s cell phone, it will be confiscated and cannot be returned until a parent/guardian comes to school to pick it up. The same is true if we see a child with a cell phone in the yard or in front of school during school hours. Children who go out to lunch should not bring cell phones with them.
Classroom Environment
Among the things that make PS 321 so special are the unique characteristics of each classroom. While there are standards for everything academic, PS 321 teachers show amazing creativity and individuality, allowing classrooms to display their own personalities within these standards. Rooms are arranged with areas for group meetings as well as small group work. Student work is always prominently displayed, bulletin boards lively and current, materials organized and readily available, and large classroom libraries are arranged in baskets according to genre, encouraging students to select their own books for independent reading. Classroom routines are established early each year and usually include a morning “putting away” and homework hand-in time (reversed at the end of the day), establishing classroom rules, lining-up routines, etc. Children are taught through these routines to be responsible for their own actions and possessions and to respect others’ property.