P.S. 18 Winchester

PS 18 has exceptionally high standards, committed teachers, and test scores that are well above average. The school houses a district-wide gifted and talented program.

The school is located in a neighborhood that feels safe and suburban, with a large park right next to it.

PS 18 benefits from the leadership of Kathleen Peknic, principal since September 2005. She has an approachable style and gives critical feedback and evaluations to the teachers, visiting classes often, according to the Quality Review. Both parents and teachers give the principal high marks on the Learning Environment Survey. [Peknic retired in 2014. Her successor is Laurie Careddu, formerly assistant principal at PS 130 in Bayside, Queens, an award-winning school recognized by the US Department of Education for consistently high performance in reading and math.]

The school also includes parents through an active PTA group, which holds events such as Movie Night and a Maquerade Ball.

Fun events are held for kids each year, such as Field Day, Sports Day, Color Day (when everyone wears bright colors), School Spirit Night and Physical Education Night.

PS 18 exposes students to a variety of art experiences through the schools partnerships with the American Ballroom Theater, Queens Theater in the Park, and Early Stages Magic of Storytelling, according to the school website.

Built for 470 children, the school is overcrowded.

Special education: The school offers both self-contained special education and special education for students in regular classes. Counseling, speech and physical therapy are all available, as well as English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction.

Admissions: Zoned school. Families who wish to have a child tested for possible placement into a Gifted and Talented program, must complete the Request for Testing (RFT) form. The form can be completed here or in paper form found in the Gifted and Talented Program Handbook. (Owen Minott, web reports, DOE statistics, July, 2013; Lydie Raschka, new principal update December 2014)