Our Magnet Program
MS 358 obtained National Magnet Certification August 2020 at the Demonstration level. We are the first and only school in New York City to obtain this acknowledgement.
This recognition is the culmination of a process that acknowledges the work we are doing to ensure we support students and families through our recruitment and selection process with the goal of diversifying our student body. In addition it allowed us to reflect on the work we do with Family and community partnerships, academic excellence, curriculum and professional development for staff and high quality instructional systems.
The Hydroponic Systems affords our students to make real world connections with science and the environment. Students explore the various aspects of biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, as well as the living environment. The systems are in our science classroom and projects are aligned to making meaningful use of hydroponic farming technology.
NYIT STEP Program is a partnership with New York Institute of Technology where students engage in after school computer science activities. Virtual reality, coding, 3D printing and app development are just some activities students learn about over the course of the year. Students who participate are also invited to attend institutes at the college during the summer.
Our students engage in a Project Based Learning curriculum where they investigate real world problems and present their solutions as projects to various audiences. Students engage in inquiry around a relevant real world problem such as global warming, civil rights, and food insecurity to learn more about these problems and become advocates and agents for change in their community. Students present their projects as art installations, iMovies, animated presentations, magazine articles, and other various mediums. Our teachers strive to give students a transdisciplinary experience, meaning they use what they learn in ELA, Social Studies, and Science to create their final projects.
Materials for the Arts is New York City's premier creative reuse center, which provides NYC arts nonprofits, public schools and City agencies with access to free materials. Each grade has a teaching artist work with a specific content area during the unit to create an art installation based on what they are learning about. Students work collaboratively and use a variety of recycled material to convey their learning through art.
The Middle School Quality Initiative (MSQI) is a NYC Department of Education partnership geared towards making students college and career ready. The program prepares students for the future through Strategic Reading, a skill intensive reading program, Word Generation, an academic language development program and MSQI Debate Tournaments which enhances MS 358 three prong approach to learning with purposeful writing, passionate speaking and powerful presentation. Our students have consistently won several best speakers awards and the school awarded trophies for outstanding performances.
Technology at MS358
Students at MS358 are able to utilize various forms of technology and we have one to one ratio of technology to support all classrooms. Our technology inventory includes an A+ STEM cart, Robots, 3D Printers and iPads, laptops and more.
