Jan. 7, 2014 By Christian Murray
Woodside’s middle school IS 125 is about to undergo a major expansion.
The School Construction Authority has budgeted $50 million to create a 600-seat addition, which will include a cafeteria, gym and several classrooms at the 46-02 47th Avenue school.
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who has been advocating for the expansion for some time, said the addition was needed since the school is at 123% capacity and more than 200 students are currently housed in temporary classroom units that were built more than 16 years ago. He said many of those units are in poor condition.
Furthermore, Van Bramer said, students who attend classes in the portable units have to walk back and forth from the portable classrooms to the main building several times a day in all types of weather. Additionally, there is a lack of security in the school yard, where the temporary classrooms are located.
With booming numbers, lunch period is also not easy to schedule. The first lunch period starts at 11am with the last period at 2 pm.
“We have been working with IS 125 on their needs and I toured the school with Principal [IS 125] Mittler two months ago and promised her I would do everything I could to secure the extension,” Van Bramer said. “I pleaded to the School Construction Authority and [School] Chancellor to get this as soon as possible.”
Van Bramer said that construction could begin as early as this year and it might only take a year to complete. He said the expansion will go up where the existing mini building is today—and that in time the temporary classroom units will be removed from the yard.
Despite the overcrowding problems, the school has fared well. It earned an “A” grade in the Department of Education’s 2013 Progress Report.
NOTE: There will be a press conference at the school this Friday at 1 pm, where further details will be provided.
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15 Comments
Wonderful news! It is needed and the children deserve it. I just hope that the teachers there take it more seriously, are more caring, dedicated not only to their jobs but to their students.
Part of the reason that IS 125 is overcrowded is that it takes all the 5th graders from PS 199 (they “graduate” primary school at the end of 4th grade). With a new primary school opening in September in the immediate area, why doesn’t the DOE make sure that new school opens with all grades so that PS 199 can keep its 5th graders and not sent them to trailers at IS 125?
I’m so tired, I COMPLETELY agree with you. JVB just looks opportunistic now…siding with that nutjob Melissa Mark-Viverito-the same woman who wouldn’t say the Pledge of Allegiance even though she is in elected office in the USA, stood with Occupy Wallstreet-ers even though she is a MILLIONAIRE, and “forgot” to declare rental income from one of her properties…I guess JVB is hoping for more handouts for Sunnyside Gardens Park-and to pay our local cops OT to canvas the crime ridden north side!
I use to think van bramer was a good guy , but when I see him supporting the new council women speaker who called for parole for a FALN terrorist who killed four New Yorkers in the 70,s, I can’t believe he stands with a person like that , I will never vote for him again
Thesmiledog, did you go to that school? if not kindly shut the hell up and let the grown folk talk.
sunnysideposthatesme14…. how much more hatred for the world do you have to spit out before you turn into 15?
Just curious…
Gotkin…aka Papa Smurf! and yes, youre on the money about the SPE classes.
That A must be an inflated grade. The only good students there are the ones in the 7spe and 8spe classes. The rest are just slackers.
When I was a student at 125 I had three problems. One was our grades dean. He would scream over the microphone if you didn’t quit down the absolute millisecond he picked the microphone up. And I mean millisecond. It was a joke in my grade to bet on when the guy would finally give himself an aneurism from screaming loud and losing his temper as often as he did.
The second was the lunches. They mostly ever served pizza while telling our parents they were making sure we were given healthy foods. When they did serve anything else it was disgusting. Spaghetti with watery tomato sauce and meatballs that look like rabbit droppings anyone?
And the over crowding since I could barely get to the stairs and go up and down them safely without the crowds of other kids shoving me and everyone else. There were plenty of times I almost fell down the stairs.
At least they’re fixing the over crowding problem.
There’s PRISONS that are better than IS 125. I went to that hell hole and I’m still shocked I managed to get out of there alive.
I’m home schooling my kid instead of sending him to that criminal making academy.
The students AND teachers have to deal with those crappy trailers.
wow, when i went to 125, those temporary classroom units were not there and we were able to enjoy the wide open courtyard during gym class.
I just hope that the teachers there now are as caring, dedicated and good at their jobs as the ones when I attended.
All this overcrowding is just further proof that we should follow the “villan’s” plan in Dan Brown’s ‘Inferno’….
11 am isn’t so bad with a start time of about 8:30, but 2 pm is pretty late to have to wait for another meal. Those kids must be starving by 2 pm. Remember that kids that age are entering their big eating years when parents fear they’ll be eaten out of house and home by their growing and wildly energetic children.
I’m glad they’re finally expanding instead of putting kids in trailers that aren’t meant to be used permanently.
Wonderful news! Our elementary schools are great and now the middle school will improve as well. Makes me glad we’re raising kids in Sunnyside.
Oh, boo-hoo!!! lunch at 11am, what is the world coming to?