Support Staff

Ms. Baity is from Jackson Heights, New York and lived all over the United States growing up. She is the Special Education/IEP Coordinator for EECS. This is her 22nd year in the field of education and she started her career in Buffalo, New York. She moved to New York City when she was 24 and began teaching in New York City Public Schools in 2004. She has taught many grades over the years and enjoyed not only teaching, but everything the students have taught her too. She has a Master's Degree from Medaille College in Buffalo, New York in Curriculum and Instruction and an additional Master's from Queens College. She has a TESOL certification from St. John's University.

She came to EECS with Ms. Staroba after working together for a few years in another District 30 school. She is very lucky because Ms. Staroba gave her the opportunity to open our school with a dedicated and wonderful team of teachers and staff that have grown into what we are today. Some things she loves to do in her free time is spend time with her two sons named Elijah and Mason. She loves to bargain shop, ride her scooter, go camping, and travel. She likes doing staycations in New York City, traveling across the United States, and visiting places abroad when possible. She enjoys kayaking in the country and trying different restaurants in the city. She also has a new puppy named Molly at home. She is a big football lover and a wild Buffalo Bills fan!

Parent Engagement Hours: These appointments are optional but if you would like to meet with me, you can pick an appointment and we can meet on Google or through a phone call. Every Tuesday and Thursday in the morning 8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. or every Thursday in the evening 7:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Google Meet or a phone call.

Ms. Bastone is an EECS founding teacher. She has taught Kindergarten, First Grade ICT, and was EECS’s K to 2 Literacy Coach. Ms. Bastone is excited to take on a new role at EECS for the 2021-2022 school year. She will be the K to 2 Reading Intervention teacher and will provide students with individual and small group instruction to strengthen their reading skills.

Ms. Bastone has an MSEd in Early Childhood/Elementary Education with an emphasis in Literacy. She is also certified in TESOL (Teaching English to speakers of other languages). Ms. Bastone is trained in Orton-Gillingham, a structured multi-sensory approach that breaks reading and spelling down into smaller skills involving letters and sounds, and builds on these skills over time. 

Ms. Bastone firmly believes that all children can learn when provided with instruction that considers their strengths while addressing their needs and looks forward to putting this into practice in her new role at EECS.

She is available to speak to parents by telephone or on Zoom Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 7:20 PM and Thursday mornings from 7:40 to 8:00 AM. You may call the school at 718 505-6050 or email her directly at gbastone@ps329q.com to schedule an appointment.

Zoom Link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/4088851106?pwd=RzA4dXdxMEJybTBsdjFoSnhyYkZuQT09

Passcode: qTdd5H

Ms. Vercosa graduated from Hunter College with a BA in Geography and History, and a MS in TESOL. She also graduated from City College with a MS in Childhood Education. She taught first grade for many years and now is our ESL coordinator. As an English Language Learner herself, Ms. Vercosa wants to encourage, guide and advocate for our ELLs. 

Ms. Ortiz obtained her MS in TESOL from Queens College. She’s been a part of our school community for seven years. This year she will be supporting our English Language Learners. In her free time Ms. Ortiz enjoys staying active by riding her bicycle and going on adventures with her son.  

Ms. Pachucho was born in NYC and has strong roots from Ambato, Ecuador. She graduated from Hunter College in 2014 with a B.S. in Sociology. In 2018, she obtained a masters from Silberman School of Social Work. This is her second year as the school’s Social Worker. Prior to coming to PS329, she had the wonderful opportunity to work in multiple organizations such as Safe Horizon, Cayuga Center, The Child Center of NY along with other educational settings. This experience fostered her love and passion to be present for others in times of need. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and her two dogs, Sophie and Xavi. Overall, her life goal is to serve her community as a Social Worker and make a difference in every life that crosses her path, planting one seed at a time!

La Sra. Pachucho nació en Nueva York y tiene fuertes raíces de Ambato, Ecuador. Se graduó de la universidad Hunter College en 2014 con un B.S. en Sociología. En 2018, obtuvo una maestría de trabajadora social en la universidad Silberman School of Social Work. Este es su segundo año como trabajadora social de la escuela. Antes de llegar a la escuela PS 329, tuvo la maravillosa oportunidad de trabajar en varias organizaciones como Safe Horizon, Cayuga Center, The Child Center of NY junto con otros entornos educativos. Esta experiencia fortaleció su amor y pasión por estar presente para los demás en momentos de necesidad. En su tiempo libre disfruta pasar tiempo con su familia y sus dos perros, Sophie y Xavi. En general, su objetivo de vida es servir a su comunidad como trabajadora social y marcar la diferencia en cada vida con la que ella interactúe, ¡plantando una semilla a la vez!

Ms. Quinde is from the heart of Queens, New York, and a proud Ecuadorian from Cuenca. She went to The City College of New York and received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with a minor in Psychology. After graduation, she decided to work as a paraprofessional serving her community. Then in 2021, she graduated from Long Island University with her Masters of Science in Education in Bilingual School Counseling. Ms. Quinde has been serving in her community for over 10 years. She enjoys traveling with her family to Ecuador and other places around the world. She is a yogi at heart and loves spending time with her bunny Bella. This is her first year at P.S 329 Q and is excited to get to know all the students and their families. Her goal is to advocate for all students and to teach students to always advocate for themselves. 

La Srta. Quinde es del corazón de Queens, Nueva York, y una orgullosa Ecuatoriana de Cuenca. Estudio en City College de Nueva York y recibió una licenciatura en bioquímica y especialización en psicología. Después de graduarse, decidió trabajar como paraprofesional en su comunidad. Luego, en 2021, se graduó de la Universidad de Long Island con su Maestría en Ciencias en Educación en Consejería Escolar Bilingüe. La Srta. Quinde ha estado sirviendo en su comunidad durante más de 10 años. Disfruta viajar con su familia a Ecuador y otros lugares del mundo. Ella le gusta yoga y le encanta pasar tiempo con su conejita Bella. Este es su primer año en P.S 329 Q y está emocionada de conocer a todos los estudiantes y sus familias. Su meta es apoyar a todos los estudiantes y enseñarles a expresar su voz.

Marjorie James is a New York State and nationally certified bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist at East Elmhurst Community School (EECS). She is proud to have worked at EECS for 8 out of her 9 years.  She loves working with all her students across grades K-5. She enjoys collaborating with parents, teachers, other providers, and staff. Team work makes the dream work and she looks forward to working with you too! 

 Angela Giraldo is a New York State licensed and American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) certified Speech-Language Pathologist. She holds a New York State Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD) certificate with a bilingual extension in the Spanish language. Angela holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queens College in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and a Master of Science from Teachers College, Columbia University in Speech Language Pathology. While at Teachers College, Angela authored multiple children’s books in the Spanish language under the guidance of Dr. Catherine Crowley, founder of Leaders Project, aimed at helping children with repaired cleft palates. Angela currently works as a clinical educator within the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Long Island University—Brooklyn, and for the New York City Department of Education servicing culturally and linguistically diverse students from kindergarten through fifth grade, and through Early Intervention. She is also a part time professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Angela has conducted multiple workshops while at the Department of Education in various districts in Queens North. Angela and her colleague won the 2016 Better Speech and Hearing competition for their work on a series of 12 parent workshops that focused on providing critical language and literacy skills to parents of children with speech and language impairment. Angela has also worked on various teams that have conducted seminars and presented independent research at various ASHA conventions. In 2019, she co-author a chapter titled, “Parent Education in Latino Families of Children with Language Impairment” in “Language, Culture, and Education” with Dr. Elizabeth Ijalba, which has been published by Cambridge University Press.

Ms. Diane is the Senior Occupational Therapist at East Elmhurst Community School (EECS.) She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Psychology from New York University and her Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy at Columbia University. As a school-based occupational therapist, Ms. Diane uses meaningful activities (occupations) to help children and youth participate in academics, play and leisure, social participation, self-care skills and transition/ work skills. Her professional focus is centered on sensory integration therapy as well as activity and environmental analysis and modifications with a goal of reducing the barriers to participation.

Ms.Diane is one of the founding staff members at EECS and has had the pleasure of witnessing the community’s growth and expansion over the years. In addition to providing therapy services to students, Ms. Diane is a member of the school’s ROAR team providing support for students in academic need and the PBIS team that promotes school-wide positive behavior and expectations. In early 2020, she launched the Glasses in Classes Day school-wide event to help reduce student’s stigma of wearing glasses.

Ms. Kanzer is a Speech/Language Pathologist who works with students in grades K-5. Whether it is challenging for students to understand the information they receive, or difficult to express the knowledge that they possess, she is devoted to strengthening their unique skill set. Being able to connect with students and watch them grow and shine is why she loves her profession. Outside of school, Ms. Kanzer loves hanging out with her family and dog Rex. She loves cooking for friends, planning trips and parties, and also listening to live music. 

It is evident that healthy students are better learners. Yet according to CDC Healthy School, more than 40% of school age children have at least one chronic health condition, such as asthma, allergy, diabetes, or obesity that may prevent them from attending school regularly or take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the school.

As a junior public health nurse assigned to the school, nurse An’s daily roles include providing basic first aides as well as managing and supporting the health needs of the students with chronic conditions to ensure they stay healthy and ready to learn. Throughout the school year, Nurse An also holds some health classes like hand washing, or open airway class for children with asthma, or healthy option programs for students with obesity.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s health, you can reach out to nurse An through phone, emails or in person. Nurse An’s office hours are from 8:00am to 3:00pm. Her phone extension is #3171. And her email is avong@ps329q.com. 

I have been working at Ps 329Q for the past 5 years and I feel great about it. I believe that education is a process that happens in both ways, students learn from the teacher and the teacher from the student. We all learn from each other and I have been learning a lot from my colleagues, parents, students and from the community in general. I feel very proud to be working at this school so I always share that anywhere I go. I love to write poetry and travel. Most of my family lives in Colombia so I go whenever I can. I have been working in the garden since last year. Lion's Den Garden is a great space that the school is building for the community to enjoy. I believe that our neighborhood can be empowered if we all develop community gardens. We can learn from nature but also from ourselves, we can empower the community if we can claim food sovereignty, we can help our Pachamama to heal herself if we cultivate and maintain gardens, we can enhance our mental, emotional and physical bodies when we work with dirt, worms and tools. We can learn to heal ourselves and our families if we learn herbal remedies. That's why I love to work in the garden and in the Pride of East Elmhurst.