PTA After School Foreign Language Program Starts in the Roosevelt Island School

Roosevelt Island School PTA is proud to sponsor after school Foreign Language Program for students K through 3rd grade.  A message from the PTA president:

"Dear Parents,

We are so thrilled to start the After-School Spanish program this Monday! In preparation, here are a few details:

1) The Program runs on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3-4pm. It will run from March 1st to June 16th.
2) We have, to the extent possible, to accommodate requested dates. Please see the attached spreadsheet which notes what day your child is scheduled to attend, as well as which group they will be in.
3) The Spanish Program will be held in 2 of the Kindergarten classrooms - Group 1 in Ms. Z's class (K001), and Group 2 in Ms. C's class (K003). Kindergarten students enrolled in the Program will be met outside the classrooms at 2:45 pm dismissal by a Parent Volunteer and escorted at 3 pm to the appropriate classroom. Children in Grades 1-3 will be met in the Cafeteria by a Parent Volunteer & escorted to the appropriate classroom. Your child may bring a snack to eat before the start of the class.
4) The PTA Executive Board will supervise the Program but we need your help. If you are available to act as a Parent Volunteer between 2:45 - 4:00 pm please email nikkipta@gmail.com as soon as possible.
5) In order for this to be an enriching experience, we need the cooperation of all the children and parents involved. Please talk to your child about behavior expectations before the Monday start date. As we are using outside Instructors, good behavior is especially important. Continually disruptive behavior on the part of any child will unfortunately lead to removal from the classroom, and/or the Program itself.
6) PLEASE LET US KNOW ASAP WHAT PREFERRED DISMISSAL PROCEDURES ARE FOR YOUR CHILD, PARTICULARLY IF THEY ARE NOT BEING PICKED UP (e.g. dismiss to the Beacon).

Please feel free to email me with any additional questions. We look forward to a great program!

Sincerely,

Nikki Leopold
PTA President"

Another Snow Day

Due to snow weather conditions, all New York City public schools will be closed today, February 26, 2010. All after-school activities and PSAL events will also be cancelled. Administrative offices will remain open. Family Night at the School in P.S./I.S. 217 is cancelled.

February Birthday Lunch with the Principal at the Roosevelt Island School

P.S./I.S. 217 students born in February had a birthday party with the principal.  K003 has two students born in February - congratulations to Shai and Lilli!  Pizza, cake, games, and even some friendly competitions - everyone had fun!  The PTA thanks parent volunteers who helped to set up and clean after this event.

P.S./I.S. 217 & Turtle Bay Music School Partnership

Roosevelt Island School is proud to partner with Turtle Bay Music School which began their third year of programming with students in grades 3 through 7 in the school year 2009/10. This program is a 12-week residency on the music, dance and culture of Colombia. Small group classes are offered in-school to 3rd grade students and after school sessions are held for students in grades 5 through 7. The program kicked off with 2 all-school performances presented by Pablo Mayor and Folklore Urbano, a 10-piece Colombian band.

P.S./I.S. 217 students are currently rehearsing for two special culminating performances concluding their program featuring students performing alongside the band. These concerts serve the entire student population, parents and teachers, and are scheduled for next Friday, March 5th - hope to see you there. Expect more information soon!

Flags Display Honors The Roosevelt Island School Diversity

The flags are finally up and P.S./I.S. 217's hallway looks incredible!  There are 400 students in the Roosevelt Island School and collectively they represent 59 nations of the world.  Now all the students, staff members, and visitors have a visual sense of how diverse the school is. The PTA thanks all parents who donated their time to iron the flags, and money to support the PTA General Fund.  Roosevelt Island School beautification project is so successful because of your generous donations!

Roosevelt Island School PTA Thanks the Volunteers

Many thanks to parent volunteers who braved the weather this morning to iron the flags for our display!  Roosevelt Island School has students from 59 (!) countries - we had so many flags to iron!  And ironing your country's flag does make you feel proud.  A message from Summer L., PTA 3rd VP:

"Thank you SO very much for helping iron the flags this morning!  It's a great feeling that with everyone working together we were able to finish ALL the flags, and now they are ready to be hung tonight!  Hooray! I like to think we had a good time while working out our arms of steel  :)   

Thanks again!"

This Week's Highlights at the Roosevelt Island School Gifted and Talented

- Wednesday, February 24th - February Birthday Lunch with the Principal
- Friday, February 26th @1:30-2:30 pm - Conversational English for parents - in the PS/IS 217 Library
- Friday, February 26th @6:30 pm - Family Night at the School
- Friday, February 26th @12:30 pm - Mystery Reader - Elijah's dad will come and read to the class.
- This week's sight words are: THANK, GIVES, GOES, NEED, MAKE - please practice these words daily with your child in addition to their assigned homework. Students will have a sight word test on Friday.
- Weekly lunch menu

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
22 Crispy Chicken Tenders Served W/ Dipping Sauce Sweet Plantains	23 Hamburger / Cheeseburger On A Small Whole Wheat Bun Choice Of: Hot Turkey & Cheese OR Hot Ham & Cheese Wrap Mashed Potatoes Served W/Gravy Schoolfood Green Salad	24 Southwest Style Beef Served W/ Baked Tortilla Chips Vegetable Normandy	25 COLORFUL DELIGHT Seasoned Vegetables Pasta Choice Breaded Chicken Patty On A Small Whole Wheat Bun SchoolFood Plus Steamed Broccoli W/ Toasted Garlic	26 "PIZZA FRIDAYS" French Bread Pizza SchoolFood Plus Very Vegetable Salad

Student of the Month February Assembly at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

February students of the month in K003 G&T class at The Roosevelt Island School are Xavier P. and Xavier T. Congratulations!

The Principal and teachers handed out the certificates to the students at the auditorium.  Lower grades did a great job at singing the school song "P.S. 217 is the place to be!"

New York City Kindergarten Science Scope & Sequence

Below is the NYC Kindergarten Science Scope & Sequence for the last 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. 
UNIT 3
Animals
What are animals?
Identify the basic needs of organisms to live and thrive:
- Needs of animals to live and thrive (e.g., air, water, food, shelter)
- Living things grow and change
Observe and compare the different structures that enable each animal to live and thrive:
- Wings, legs, fins, eyes, nose, ears, tongue, skin, claws, etc.
Make clear that nonliving things do not live and thrive.
Recognize that living things have offspring and that offspring closely resembles its parents:
- Dogs/puppies, cats/kittens, caws/calves, ducks/ducklings, frogs/tadpoles
Observe physical animal characteristics that are influenced by changing environmental conditions such as:
- coat thickness in winter, rabbits changing fur color, shedding of fur
Observe that some animal behaviors are influenced by environmental conditions:
- Nest building, hibernation, migration
Complete New York State Elementary Science Core Curriculum is available online.

Supporting Your Child to Succeed in School

Ten tips that might help parents to continually support their child to succeed in school.  

1. Periodically (but not continuously) communicating to child the importance of education.
2. Building up child’s confidence and self-esteem.
3. Working with child to help him or her develop a positive attitude toward work and school.
4. Providing encouragement to child whenever possible.
5. Being a good listener.
6. Being available to discuss problems child is having, whether they are large or small.
7. Setting up child’s time schedule to include a balance of work, play, and study.
8. Establishing a time for sharing and caring.
9. Taking part in child’s education - being active in his or her school.
10. Showing your love and affection in creative ways to child - often.

No School Tomorrow

All NYC public schools will be closed tomorrow Wednesday, February 10, 2010 due to inclement weather.  P.S./I.S. 217 Kindergarten field trip will be rescheduled.

P.S./I.S. 217 (Roosevelt Island School) Art Show & Silent Auction

P.S./I.S. 217 PTA is excited to tell the parents about our upcoming Art Show & Silent Auction fundraiser on April 17th.  This event will be the start to a wonderful celebration of our talented children and commitment to our school.  Come and invite the community to view our school, see the work of our children and take part in the Silent Auction.  A silent auction is an event where numerous items (see examples below) are displayed and bid on. The highest bid wins the item. 


The funds raised at this event will go towards our art and music program, in-house specialized enrichment, school resources and supplies.  This is one of the school's most significant fundraisers.  In light of recent budget cuts in the public school system, the income from our fundraisers is even more important than ever to ensure P.S. 217 can remain a great place to educate our children!


The teachers and PTA are already hard at work at school and in the community putting together what is necessary to make this event a success.  As you know, it is a team effort and we really need your support!  We are asking your help in planning, setting up and obtaining donations.  Every donation, no matter the size, is deeply appreciated!  Here are some example donations:
- Access to sporting events, museum tours, United Nations tour, backstage tours, theater tickets, other unique experience opportunities.
- Gift Cards to restaurants or items from merchants you frequently visit.
- Your job? Is there something you or your employer can donate from work?
- A skill.  Babysitting, house organization or interior design, cooking lessons or a catered dinner for 4, a makeover, lessons in instruments/swimming/sports, technology classes, language lessons, entertainment for a kids party, etc. The list could go on forever with all the talents we have in our community!
- Spa treatments, hair salons or other beauty services or products.
- Vacations... do you have a summer home you could donate a weekend at?  Or a connection to a hotel?


You can request a donation form by emailing PTA psis217info@gmail.com.  Donations to the auction are tax-deductible.  Thank you in advance for your help with putting together the auction!  Please come and take part in this wonderful celebration!  We look forward to seeing all of you on April 17th.


Warmly,
P.S. 217 PTA

This Week's Highlights at the Roosevelt Island School Gifted and Talented

- Monday, February 8th - School Store Opening
- Monday, February 8th @8:45 am - School tour for families interested in enrolling their children to PS 217
- Monday, February 8th-Friday, March 12th @9-11 am - New Kindergarten Admissions Process in the main office

- Wednesday, February 10th @9:30-12:00 - Field trip to see "The Paper Bag Players" at LaGuardia Community College.
- Thursday, February 11th - Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year Celebrations in class

- Thursday, February 11th @8:45 am - General PTA meeting in PS 217 library

- Friday, February 12th @7:30 am - School Leadership Team meeting in the conference room
- Friday, February 12th - 100th Day of School celebration

- Friday, February 12th @1:30-2:30 pm - Conversational English - in the PS 217 library
- This week's sight words are: LOOKING, THINK, EATING, IT'S, YOU'VE - please practice these words daily with your child in addition to their assigned homework. Children will have a sight word test on Friday.
- Weekly lunch menu

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8 Hamburger / Cheeseburger On A Small Whole Wheat Bun Mozzarella Sticks Served W/ Tomato Sauce Vegetable Normandy Wedge Cut Potatoes	9 ITALIAN BISTRO Zesty Italian Meat Topping / Pasta Choice Red,White & Green Panini Capri Blend Vegetables	10 FIELD TRIP We'll be eating lunch in the classroom. If you can't provide a bag lunch for your child, let the teacher know so she can have the school provide a bag lunch	11 NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CELEBRATION Roasted Chicken Crunchy Fish Nuggets Served W/ Tartar Sauce Cheesy Baked Rotini SchoolFood Plus Collards W/Sweet Tomato	12 "PIZZA FRIDAYS" Corner Style Pizza OR Turkey Pepperoni Pizza SchoolFood Plus Zucchini, Corn, Tomato & Basil Salad

Update from "LINKS" (P.S./I.S. 217 The Roosevelt Island School Newsletter)

2010 is off to a great start!  The students in K003 have been working on story elements and comprehension strategies in reading.  Writer's Workshop this past month focused on letter writing.  The students had so much fun writing friendly letters, persuasive letters and even letters to characters in a book.  In math, they have been studying Geometry.  Students can identify, sort and describe 2 and 3 dimensional shapes.  They even created their own 3 dimensional shapes using straws and connectors.  The next unit of study will be Measurement.  In social studies, the class continues to study holidays and traditions.  Earlier this past month they celebrated Three Kings Day.  They are looking forward to their Chinese New Year celebration this month.

"Chinese New Year Celebration" Field Trip at the Roosevelt Island School K003 Class

Students in K003 G&T class in the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) visited LaGuardia Performing Arts Center show "Nai-Ni Chen Chinese New Year Celebration" on Monday, February 1st.  Information from LGPAC website: "With dazzling costumes and fantastic props, the dancers combine the flowing lines, twirling ribbons, martial arts and acrobatic moves in this colorful celebration of the Chinese New Year of the Tiger. This is an extraordinary production that brings the young people to explore one of the most ancient cultures in the world and it includes both traditional and contemporary music and dance. The New York Times says that Nai-Ni Chen's singular style which weaves the discipline of Chinese Arts with the freedom of American modern dance, is "an impressive, remarkably smooth blend of new and old.""

Students loved the lion dance, dances with the ribbons, and, of course, the interactive aspect of the show when performers taught the audience some elements of the dances.  Children had fun folding their fingers to make "Orchid flower" and "Tiger hand".  More pictures in our unlisted photoblog.

 

Valentine's Day Celebration in Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) K003

A note from our teacher: "Dear Families, we have a very busy week coming up in K003.  Our school wide 100th Day celebration will take place on Friday, February 12th, even though it is officially day 99.  Therefore, we will celebrate Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year in class on Thursday, February  11th.  If your child decides to make or bring in valentines, please be sure to include everyone in the class.  I have attached a copy of our class list.

Reminders for the week of 2/8-2/12
- Wednesday 2/10 - Field Trip - "The Paper Bag Players" at La Guardia Community College 9:30-12
- Thursday 2/11 - Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year Celebrations in class
- Friday 2/12 - 100th Day of School Celebration

If you have any questions about next week's events, please let me know.

Thank you,
Jennifer C."

Q&A Session at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

PS/IS 217 PTA invites families interested in enrolling their children to the Roosevelt Island School to an informal Q & A SESSION!  Interested in learning more about our local Island school? Please join us for an informational session, with parents of current PS/IS 217 students available to answer your questions and address your concerns SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2010 @ 1 pm.

Also: mark your calendars for the first of three upcoming PS/IS 217 school tours Monday, February 8 at 8:45 am.  Please, RSVP to psis217info@gmail.com Or call Lauraine Rademaker, Parent Coordinator,
at 212-980-0294, ext. 1010.

Let your friends and neighbors know about these events if they are considering sending their children to our beautiful school!  See the flyer here.

Movie Night Featuring "Bolt" at The Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

Thank you for joining us for the Family Movie Night at the Roosevelt Island School last Friday, January 29th.  It was great to see so many parent volunteers helping the PTA to set up this event!  Children K through 5th grade had fun running and playing before the show, watching "Bolt", and, of course, enjoying the snacks.  Many thanks to volunteers who kept the popcorn coming!  Hope to see you at P.S./I.S. 217 for the next Family Night on Friday, February 26th.

Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) PTA February 2010 Newsletter

The Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) PTA February 2010 Newsletter

This Week's Highlights at the Roosevelt Island School Gifted and Talented

- Monday, February 1st - Box Top Class Competition begins!
- Monday, February 1st - Wednesday, February 3rd - PTA Volunteer Fair - before and after school in the main lobby
- Monday, February 1st @10:30-1:30 - Field trip - Chinese New Year Celebration - we will see a Chinese New Year show as part of our unit on holidays and traditions.
- Tuesday, February 2nd - Groundhog Day
- Saturday, February 6th @1pm - Informal Q&A Session for New Parents - in the library (2nd floor)
- This week's sight words are: HOUSE, WHEN, WITH, BACK, ATE - please practice these words daily with your child in addition to their assigned homework. Children will have a sight word test on Friday.
- Weekly lunch menu

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1 FIELD TRIP We'll be eating lunch at the Theater before the show. If you can't provide a bag lunch for your child, let the teacher know so she can have the school provide a bag lunch	2 Rachael Rays YUM-O NYC Sizzling Soft Taco Southwest Roasted Chicken & Sweet Roasted Corn Rachael Rays Southwest Red Papper Sauce Vegetarian Veg-Head Beans Steamed Spinach W/Toasted Garlic	3 Swiss Cheese Burger On A Small Whole Wheat Bun Crunchy Fish Sticks Served W/Tartar Sauce Choice Of Cole: Straight Cut Potatoes OR Baked Potato	4 ASIAN EXPRESS Beef Teriyaki Choice Of: Hot Lo Mein Noodles OR Vegetable Fried Rice SchoolFood Plus Lemon Roasted Carrots	5 "PIZZA FRIDAYS" New York Pizza Slice Schoolfood Green Salad