STEM, Maker and Multimedia at P.S. 62Q

Children’s natural curiosity leads them to explore and wonder. At PS 62, we have built upon this innate interest in order to provide students with innovative & engaging opportunities to interact with STEM concepts. Our interdisciplinary and hands-on approach fosters students’ creativity, scientific inquiry skills and problem-solving skills, allowing students to create, invent, and tinker as they strive to become Makers.  

Students annually showcase their engineering and innovation skills at our annual Maker Faire.  Makers of all ages showcase arts, crafts, science, engineering and Do-It-Yourself projects as we celebrate invention, creativity and resourcefulness.  For more information about our annual Maker Faire and information on how to help your child prepare for the Maker Faire, please visit our PS 62 Maker Faire Website.

Ms. Maletta

Ms. Maletta loves learning. She builds upon children’s natural curiosity, wonder and problem solving skills to foster a love of inquiry and innovation.  Ms. Maletta has been teaching at PS 62 since 2004.  She constantly expands her pedagogical repertoire by seeking out new professional development opportunities. Her expansive knowledge of the NYS standards has fostered her creation of an engaging and innovative STEM & Multimedia curriculum. In addition, Ms. Maletta has facilitated partnerships with multiple organizations including: the New York Hall of Science (NYSci), BioBus and Uncharted Play.

This year, Ms. Maletta teaches STEM to three third grade classes.  She teaches MultiMedia/STEM to Grades 4 & 5.  Ms. Maletta pushes into students’ classrooms twice a week.  

Ms. Evelyn

Ms. Evelyn, the Maker Teacher, excels in guiding students through hands-on projects and fostering creativity and problem solving. With a keen focus on experiential learning, she designs innovative lessons that encourage students to explore their interests and develop critical thinking and engineering skills. Ms. Evelyn empowers her students to think outside the box and embrace new challenges, creating a dynamic and engaging learning environment that inspires growth and discovery.

Ms. Yaloz

Ms. Yaloz loves planting the seeds and helping children learn through explorations.  She has been an educator for more than 20 years.  She has taught all age levels.  Ms. Yaloz always finds a way to make her lessons fun and challenging.  Her knowledge of the NYS standards supports her creation of engaging lessons which include real world experiences.  She attends many workshops with the New York Hall of Science and other organizations.   She believes that science is all around us.  Immerse yourself in it. This year,  Ms. Yaloz pushes into the classrooms.  She  teaches STEM to kindergarteners through 2nd grade once a week and third graders twice a week.

STEM @ PS 62

Science is magic! Science is wonder! Science is exploration! Our students build upon their prior knowledge as they hypothesize, observe, manipulate, collect & analyze data, make connections and draw conclusions about Science content, concepts and the world around them. They are true mini-scientists!

At PS 62, we are pioneers of STEM; our students are not only scientists, but also engineers! STEM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Throughout the year, students are given challenges that incorporate all four disciplines. In cooperative learning groups, they use the Engineering Design Process to solve challenges.

Grades K-2:

Students in Grades kindergarten through 2nd receive STEM instruction once a week.  The STEM cluster pushes into the classrooms.  Students in Kindergarten learn about forces, weather, and properties of matter, solids and liquids.  Students in first grade learn about animal and plant survival needs, light and sound.  Students in second grade learn about changing landforms, properties of matter and more.  Teachers use Amplify and Mystery Science curriculums to meet the needs of our diverse learners while addressing the NYS P-12 Learning Standards. 

Grade 3:

Students in Grade 3 receive STEM Instruction twice a week.  The STEM Cluster pushes into classrooms.  Students learn about forces, inheritance and traits, life cycles, and more.  Teachers draw upon Amplify and Mystery Science curriculums to meet the needs of our diverse students while addressing the NYS P-12 Learning Standards.

Grades 4-5:

Classroom teachers use Amplify to teach Science units that address the NYS P-12 Learning Standards and help to prepare students for the NYS Science exam in Grade 5.  The MultiMedia/STEM Cluster pushes into classrooms twice a week.  She supplements their program with one Science Unit.  This addition helps to cover any gaps in the Amplify curriculum.

Maker @ PS 62

At P.S. 62, we strongly believe in fostering creativity, problem-solving skills, and innovation among our students. To further encourage these qualities, we will be designing projects focused on resourcefulness, innovation and conservation.

Maker/STEM meets once a week for kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 4th graders. In Maker the main goal is to provide a learning environment where students become problem solvers and innovators. Through the engineering design process, children learn how to use tools and apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems.

Project-based learning. By exploring themes like conservation, innovation and thinking outside the box, students are encouraged to experiment with new ideas and build creative solutions.  Students participate in various project - based learning activities as well as design challenges.  Whether it's constructing models or brainstorming ways to reduce waste in our community, every project offers a chance for young minds to develop critical thinking skills and unleash their creativity.

Every year in May the whole P.S. 62 community celebrates the students' hard work by showcasing projects in the annual  Maker Faire.   Parents are encouraged on this day to see the culmination of their hard work and dedication to innovation and design. 

MultiMedia at PS 62

Our students are eager to express themselves through multiple modalities.  In Multimedia Class, students in grades 4-5 engage in opportunities to display their creativity through text, images, audio, animation, video and sound.  Students create and innovate as they utilize more than one multimedia element to convey a message to a wider audience.  Our Multimedia Makers design GIFs, emojis, animations, videos, music and much more.  We have received a grant to transform our Library into a MultiMedia space.  We look forward to its Grand Opening soon.  Once complete, students will use green screen techniques to create videos.