School for Excellence (09x404)

September 2019

Dear School for Excellence Students and Families,

My name is Mrs. Leslie Aquino,  and I am so excited to introduce myself as your new Principal and member of the SFE family. I am humbled and honored to have been selected to join the team in this important capacity and take my role in your students’ lives very seriously.

For the past 16 years, I have been a proud educator for the New York City Department of Education. Over a decade of that time I served as a Middle and High School Mathematics teacher for the Bronx community, where I was one of the founding teachers for a school that started on one floor in a nearby building right on Home Street and rose to a fully staffed and successful 6-12 community school in the Hunts Point area of the Bronx. For my entire career as a teacher, I also dedicated much of my time as a student Advisor and advocate. My firm belief has always been that ALL students can achieve and that it is up to the adult community to foster our students’ creativity, strength, and self-advocacy so they may become the great leaders we know they can be.

As the new Principal of SFE, I know that we have a lot of work ahead of us to raise student achievement. In accepting this role, I have made a full commitment to getting to know each student in an effort to build a positive relationship and know how best to support them as individuals. My SFE students are not numbers on a sheet of paper…they are living, breathing, dynamic young men and women that are capable and intelligent. I will lead them by example, modeling for all in the community the importance of values such as integrity, respect, perseverance, and resilience.

I ask that each member of our SFE community join me in this commitment to make SFE a safe, vibrant home for learning and growth. Join me to create a family that helps to build each other up, that believes in each other’s potential for success, and that is willing to help or support when obstacles and challenges make it seem impossible to achieve.

I am thankful to have the opportunity to bring my love of learning and my strong spirit and perseverance to our SFE community. I look forward to working alongside each of you every day to make SFE a better place. My door is always open, and I am inviting you to come in and let me know what can do to continue to build up our school community.

I look forward to a great year and to meeting each of you soon.

With Warm Regards,

Mrs. Leslie Aquino

SFE Principal

SFE S.C.H.O.L.A.R. (Show up, Commit, Honor, Overcome, Lead, Advocate, Rise!)

As an SFE S.C.H.O.L.A.R., I will…

1. Show up every day, on time, because I value my education and what opportunities it will bring to my life.
2. Commit to my learning by bringing necessary materials and tools for success for every class, every day.
3. Honor myself and my school community by being a peacekeeper and upstander, following rules and expectations that maintain safety for all.
4. overcome obstacles and challenges by maintaining a growth mindset, pushing past my limits to achieve, both academically and socially.
5. lead by example, serving as a positive role model for those around me with my words, actions, and behaviors, in and outside of the school community.
6. advocate for myself and my fellow students by being an active participant in my school community, demonstrating school pride.
7. rise above difficult situations by getting support when I need it, lifting up others when they need it.

SFE Scholars:  Show up, Commit, Honor, Overcome, Lead, Advocate, Rise