The Parkside School

Friendship doesn't come from blending in — it comes from being known.

A lot of kids with ADHD, autism, or a learning disorder believe that making friends means "masking" who they really are. But as ADHD coach Caroline Maguire puts it, the children who work hardest to hide their true selves are often the loneliest.

Our latest Articles of Interest, adapted from the Child Mind Institute's Thriving Kids newsletter, offers parents concrete, doable ideas: start with who your child actually is, let shared interests do the introducing, treat social moments as practice rather than a test, and honor the quiet kids who make loyal friends.

A worthwhile read for any parent or educator supporting a neurodivergent child.

👉 https://www.parksideschool.org/resources/helping-neurodivergent-kids-build-real-friendships

With gratitude to Dave Anderson, PhD and the Child Mind Institute.

Helping Neurodivergent Kids Build Real Friendships — The Parkside School Many kids with ADHD, autism, or a learning disorder come to believe that making friends means “masking” who they really are. So they study everyone around them, try to blend in, and hope it works. They hide the fidgeting, agree with opinions they don’t hold, and over-apologize for awkward mome...

The Art Room is where imagination gets messy — in the best way! Students are exploring painting, collage, and even a little clay, turning simple materials into one-of-a-kind creations. From vibrant bird collages to swirling color designs, every table was buzzing with focus and fun under Mr. Lonsdale's guidance. Because the best learning happens with paint-stained fingers!

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Summer at Parkside means making the most of every sunny day! Our campers cooled off in the sprinklers, built epic creations out of the big blue blocks, and turned the roof into their own imaginative world — playhouses, obstacle courses, you name it! There was even some paper airplane testing along the way, with campers discovering how far practice (and a good design) can take you.

Curiosity is in full bloom this summer!

Our campers have been thinking like real scientists — learning about trailblazers like Jane Goodall, Mary Anning, and Marie Curie, then putting that curiosity into action. On trips to the American Museum of Natural History, students explored the Hall of Primates, measured up against Lucy in the Human Origins Lab, examined bones under microscopes, and recorded their observations in their very own science notebooks… just like scientists!

From fossils and primates to woolly mammoths, our campers are asking big questions and discovering that science is everywhere.

Summer at Parkside is all about learning, laughing, and cooling off together!

Campers have been making a splash on sprinkler days, earning medals for teamwork and great sportsmanship in gaga ball and zombie tag, and building friendships over UNO, Jenga, and plenty of popsicles. Add in art projects, music and drama games, and a few birthday celebrations, and every day is packed with joy — and just the right mix of fun and growth.

There's no place quite like Parkside in the summertime.

On Sunday, Parkside families headed out to Maimonides Park in Coney Island to cheer on the Brooklyn Cyclones together! It was such a fun day of community, sunshine, and baseball — from cheering as a group in our own section, to sporting our Cyclones hats, to seeing the Parkside shout-out up on the scoreboard!

A huge thank you to our Parents Association and Summer Outing Organizers, Leah Shalev and Claire Stevick, for putting together such a special day.

Last week was a wonderful first week of Summer Camp at Parkside! 🎉

Our campers dove into brand-new theme units, from water and trains to birds and sensational scientists, packed with hands-on experiments, virtual field trips, and a real trip to the American Museum of Natural History. They built with Creation Stations, tackled the rock wall, made music and art, and made new friends at roof time and Friendship Time.

Little moments, big memories — we can't wait for another week of fun, learning, and exploring together! 💙

Congratulations to Parkside's Class of 2026! 🎓 Yesterday, we celebrated this remarkable group of graduates as they marked the end of their Parkside journey — and what a journey it's been. From their very first days to walking out our red doors as confident, capable young people, these students have grown in every way imaginable. They've worked hard, supported one another, and shown us again and again just how much they're capable of. As they head off to their next schools and new adventures, they take a piece of Parkside with them — and they'll always be part of our community. We are so proud of you, and we can't wait to see all the incredible things ahead. Once a Parkside student, always a Parkside student! 🌟

Look how far they've come! 🌟 Our fourth-floor classes closed out the year with their Achievement Ceremonies on Friday, each student stepping up to give a speech about what they learned, the memories they'll treasure, and the growth they're most proud of. What struck us most was the confidence — for some of these students, simply stepping onto the stage took real courage. Seeing them stand up in front of family, friends, and teachers and speak is a powerful reminder of how much they've grown. Bravo to every single one of our fourth-floor students — we are so incredibly proud of you! 👏💛

Our Class of 2026 graduates next week — and we couldn’t imagine a better send-off.

In the season finale of In Conversation, the first season of our podcast, six of our soon-to-be graduates sit down with Andie Levinger to talk about their years at Parkside, in their own words. And what they have to say will stay with you.

They talk about Parkside Singers and starring in Matilda. About teaching themselves animation on YouTube and piano scales by ear. About the deep breaths that calm them down, the reading that finally clicked, and knowing just how to tell a new teacher what they need. They talk about friendship and forgiveness in a way that will melt your heart.

As Jessica Scovel listened back on the season, she wrote down the words that kept coming to mind: positive, confident, creative, humorous, courageous, forgiving, self-aware, hopeful. That’s our Class of 2026. That’s a Parkside kid.

🎧 Listen now: https://www.parksideschool.org/podcast

Congratulations, graduates. The world really is a better place with you in it. 💙