About The 30th Avenue School (Q300)
Founded in 2014, Q300 is a K-8 public school located in two campuses in Astoria, Queens. Situated in one of the country’s most diverse communities, Q300 is one of five citywide gifted & talented (G&T) schools in New York City.
Q300 Mission
- Through the inclusion of diverse student identities, inquiry-based learning, and data-driven decision-making, Q300 prepares students to collaborate with others to ask meaningful questions, to solve complex problems, and to responsibly engage with their communities and beyond. By exploring who they are and who they want to be, students engage in the active process of making knowledge and better understanding the world around them in ways that drive a sense of responsibility and action. Students receive a comprehensive education that prepares them for competitive high schools and beyond. The school’s core values are inclusion, inquiry, and responsibility.
Q300 Overview
The following is an overview of Q300:
- Q300’s community includes empathetic, inquisitive, dedicated educators and staff who are committed to working in a collaborative team to ensure that students’ social, emotional, and academic needs are met.
- Q300 provides inclusive, inquiry-based programs that offer differentiated, rigorous, and specialized instruction. Further, Q300 students study coding/technology and Spanish language in all grades. Kindergarteners and first graders develop pre-engineering, design, and cooperative socio-emotional skills in an Explorations Room with wooden blocks, gears, and other materials. Eighth graders take Algebra 1 and Living Environment Regents exams. In previous years, nearly all eighth graders received offers from either specialized high schools or at least one of their preferred high schools.
- Q300 teachers are trained in and use the Sanford Harmony socio-emotional curriculum and Responsive Classroom practices. In addition, grades 6-8 teachers use an advisory-based curriculum to support the academic and socio-emotional needs of students.
- Q300 provides services for students who are English language learners or who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 Plan, including those who are twice exceptional. For the 2019-2020 school year, Q300 has one sixth grade class designated as an Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) class.
- Q300 has highly competitive math, debate, and chess teams.
- Q300 is located in 2 campuses, which are about 5 blocks apart. In the lower division, grades K-4 have an Exploration Room, a computer room, an interior courtyard with playground equipment, and exterior yard. In the upper division, grades 5-8 have a science lab and computer lab. Thanks to the generosity of Council Member Costa Constantinides and then Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Q300’s science lab is undergoing a renovation, will include the addition of a hydroponic lab.
- The School Leadership Team (SLT) has been discussing a plan to increase student diversity through changes in Q300’s admission policy
- For more Q300 info, including application process: http://www.ps300q.org.
