Curriculum Night at The Roosevelt Island School Gifted and Talented Class

Reading Workshop - (Shared Reading, Independent/Partner Reading, Guided Reading, Read Aloud and Word Study) - students will learn a variety of strategies to decode new words and read books. They will also learn comprehension, fluency and stamina.

Writing Workshop - (Shared Writing, Interactive Writing and Independent Writing) - students will learn to write in a variety of genres including personal narratives, non-fiction, poetry and letter writing.

Fundations - students will review letters/sounds, hone handwriting skills and practice how to sound out and spell new words.

Math - "Everyday Math" units include: Numeration, Patterns and Sorting, Geometry, Measurement, Data, Operations and Computation, Time and Money.

Social Studies - Social Studies units include: Our School Community, Holidays/Traditions and Our Neighborhood.

Science - Science units include: Trees, Animals, Properties and the Life cycle of the Butterfly.

New York City Kindergarten Science Scope & Sequence

Below is the NYC Kindergarten Science Scope & Sequence for the first third of the school year provided by the Department of Education. Gifted and Talented acceleration will be provided in The Roosevelt Island School K003 class through curriculum compacting and differentiation of instruction to maximize learning for advanced students.  As part of this module students in K003 class will visit Queens Botanical Garden to facilitate studies of ecosystems, and grow their own plants from seeds in class to support project-based learning.

UNIT 1
Trees through the seasons
What are some changes we see in trees during the year?
Identify the basic needs of organisms to live and thrive:
- Needs of plants to live and thrive (e.g. air, water, light)
- Living things grow and change.
Observe and compare the different structures that enable each plant to live and thrive:
- Roots, leaves, stems, flowers, seeds.
Observe adaptations of plants:
- Plants respond to changes in the environment including seasonal changes such as:
   - Leaves falling in autumn and forming in springtime
   - Flowers blooming

Complete New York State Elementary Science Core Curriculum is available online.

Monthly "Lunch with the Principal" Birthday Celebration at The Roosevelt Island School

This year, the PTA is implementing a new Birthday Celebration tradition. Each month, instead of having in-class celebrations, all children whose birthdays occur within the same month will have a birthday celebration pizza lunch with the Principal. Below is the monthly calendar. Please email the PTA psis217info@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer to set up or clean up after any of these events. Monthly lunches are always held on Wednesdays @1:30 pm at the P.S./I.S. 217 cafeteria.

September & August birthdays: September 23rd
October birthdays: October 28th
November birthdays: November18th
December birthdays: December 16th
January birthdays: January 27th
February birthdays: February 24th
March birthdays: March 24th
April birthdays: April 21st
May birthdays: May 26th
June & July birthdays: June 16th

SMART Goals at The Roosevelt Island School Gifted and Talented Program

We met our teacher, who once again highlighted some goals and methods that are applied in Gifted and Talented class at The Roosevelt Island School. Accelerated literacy, math, and science program incorporate many interactive activities. Individualized instruction provides opportunities to promote development of G&T students' higher order thinking skills, and encourage multi-disciplinary approach to learning.

Part of the school philosophy at The Roosevelt Island School is setting up SMART Goals. Throughout the school year, students in K003 G&T class at P.S./I.S. 217 will also be setting "SMART" goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound. Each student will be setting goals in Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies to enhance their interests and facilitate project-based learning.

Many parents were concerned about differentiation in the classroom. Ms.C. told us that daily lessons will be differentiated in order to meet the needs of all G&T students based on their interest, ability, and learning styles. To celebrate the talent in all students, and maximize learning for advance learners in the G&T program, lessons will be modified by content, process and product.

New York City Kindergarten Social Studies Scope & Sequence

Below is the NYC Kindergarten Social Studies Scope & Sequence for the months of September and October provided by the Department of Education.  Gifted and Talented acceleration will be provided in The Roosevelt Island School K003 class through curriculum compacting and differentiation of instruction to maximize learning for advanced students.

September-October
UNIT 1
SCHOOL AND SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Essential Question:  What is a school and what does it mean to be a good citizen of a school community?
The school and classroom community:
- Classrooms are organized for students learning
- A classroom has rules for all to follow
- Rules are important
- Children have classroom responsibilities
- Members of a classroom deserve to be heard and deserve respect
- Teachers are important to classrooms
- Teachers help students learn
- Schools are special purpose buildings
- A school community helps children learn
- Many people work in schools and have different jobs and responsibilities
- A school community helps in many ways (health, etc.)
- A school is made up of diverse people and students
- Members of the school community deserve to be heard and deserve respect
- School communities have missions, special songs, mottos
- Schools have rules for all to follow
Community geography:
- Places in the classroom can be located using directions
- Places in the school and neighborhood can be located using directions
- Schools are located in neighborhoods
- A school and community/neighborhood can be located on a map
Citizenship and Communities:
- People can be citizens of the school, neighborhood, and the United States
- Being a citizen involves right and responsibilities
- Schools, neighborhoods, cities are part of The United States
- The flag is an important symbol of the U.S.
- U.S. residents recite the Pledge of Allegiance
- U.S. residents share special songs ("The Star Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful")
- U.S. residents celebrate national holidays (Independence Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, etc.)
- U.S. residents have rules and laws
- The President is the leader of the U.S.
- Washington, D.C., is the capital of the U.S.

2009/2010 PTA General Meeting Schedule at The Roosevelt Island School

Thursday, September 17th @6:15 pm
Thursday, October 15th @8:45 am
Thursday, November 19th @6:15 am
Thursday, December 17th @8:45 am
Thursday, January 21st @6:15 pm
Thursday, February 11th @8:45 am
Thursday, March 11th @6:15 pm
Thursday, April 15th @8:45 am
Thursday, May 20th @6:15 pm
Thursday, June 10th @8:45 am

Please make every effort to attend; your participation is key in making this school year a success!
To contact PTA email: psis217info@gmail.com
Keep informed, visit PTA website http://ps217pta.org

2009-2010 The Roosevelt Island School Calendar

Monday, September 28 - Yom Kippur - No School
Monday, October 12 - Columbus Day - No School
Tuesday, November 3 - Election Day - No School
Tuesday, November 10 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Thursday, November 26-Friday, November 27- Thanksgiving Recess - No School
Monday, November 30 - School reopens
Thursday, December 24-Friday, January 1 - Winter Recess - No School
Monday, January 4 - School reopens
Monday, January 18 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No School
Monday, February 15-Friday, Feb 19 - Midwinter Recess - No School
Tuesday, March 16 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Monday, March 29-Tuesday, April 6 - Spring Recess - No School
Wednesday, April 7 - School reopens
Monday, May 31 - Memorial Day - No School
Thursday, June 10 - Chancellor’s Conference Day
Monday, June 28 - Last day for all students

Great Expectations

For the future reference, NYC Department of Education guidelines for each grade level. Personally, I feel like we as an accelerated program should aim high. These guides outline what is expected of the student by the end of the first grade. You can check out the ones for the Kindergarten and other grades on-line at Great Expectations section or pick up your paper copy by the school main entrance.

G&T Program Started at The Roosevelt Island School

Gifted and Talented program in The Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) is up to a great start! With only 14 students in the K003 class this year our children will get lots of individual attention and support. Our teacher Ms.C. is experienced, caring, well-prepared, and very enthusiastic about teaching G&T kids.

The Roosevelt Island School is an amazing facility - the building itself is beautiful, very spacious, clean, and located right next to the East river. School playground is very large compared to the schools I've toured in Manhattan, and P.S./I.S. 217 boasts new gym and state-of-the-art auditorium. Not to mention spacious computer lab, music and arts classes. The kindergarten classroom itself for the Gifted and Talented class is big, bright, and is well-equipped with learning materials for the most inquisitive and creative young minds.

Welcome to the Roosevelt Island School Gifted and Talented Class Parents Blog!

Welcome parents to the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) gifted and talented program blog! In case you are wondering, mysterious "RIGANDT" stands for Roosevelt Island Gifted AND Talented. I will try to keep this blog updated with the current information from our children's classroom as well as from the school PTA and administration.

If you want to submit something to this blog, please email it to rigandt@gmail.com, I'd be happy to post it up! The blog is a work in progress, so any suggestions or ideas for improving it are welcome!

Looking forward to working with all of you during the school year!

Olga (Sophia's mom).