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

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

2nd Annual International Dinner at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) is Smashing Success!

Manhattan Park Theater Club was packed on Thursday night as parents and families from P.S./I.S. 217 and Roosevelt Island community members came together for the 2nd Annual International Dinner hosted by the Roosevelt Island School PTA.  Visitors were greeted by our proud cooks wearing their national costumes, and lead to the tables with authentic artifacts and colorful decorative items from all over the world.  Wonderful and generous P.S. 217 parents created and presented dishes from Japan, Thailand, Italy, India, Pakistan, Senegal, Ghana, China, Tunisia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, and other countries! Colombian band "Folklore Urbano" played live latin music for the entire evening.  Local restaurants Nonno's and Tiffin served delicious Italian and Indian food.

Roosevelt Island School PTA thanks every parent who cooked and decorated for the International Dinner!  Your efforts are deeply appreciated!  The event on May 27th once again was a perfect showcase for the Roosevelt Island School diverse community. More pictures here.

Queens Zoo Field Trip

Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) kindergarteners took another field trip, this time to the Queens Zoo, where, among other things, they had a workshop on animals' habitats and survival abilities. They also met bearded dragon and guinea pig, and learned about their needs and habitats.  Students are working on their "animals" unit in Science;  they continued their zoological study of animals native to New York state and observed abundance of local marsh and forest.

More pictures here.

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

- Monday, May 24th @9:15 am - Student of the Month Assemblies in the cafeteria

- Tuesday, May 25th @8:40 am - Conversational English for Parents - in the school library, open to the community.

- Wednesday, May 26th @1:30 pm - May Birthday Lunch with the Principal - in the cafeteria
- Thursday, May 27th @10 am and 5 pm - Gold Opera residency concluding performance - 4th grade  students wrote and will perform their own original opera.

- Thursday, May 27th @7 pm - International Dinner - in Manhattan Park Theater 

- Friday, May 28th @12:30 pm - Mystery Reader - Micka (Shai's mom) will come to the classroom

- Friday, May 28th @1:30 pm - Conversational English for Parents - in the P.S./I.S. 217 library, open to the community.

- Monday, May 31st - Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL!

Taxi Cow from the Cow Parade 2000 at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

Cow Parade 2000 in NYC is long over, but one of the cows is still on the Roosevelt Island!  Parents and students at P.S./I.S. 217 can see it every day.

New Playground for P.S./I.S. 217 (Roosevelt Island School)

The Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) School Yard Plan Final Scheme


The rooseveltislander blog reports on the construction of the new playground for the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217):

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. President Steve Shane forwards this letter he received from Zog Sports CEO Robert Herzog concerning the new schoolyard <...>

We are looking forward to <...> interacting with the Roosevelt Island community.  We have some other very exciting news that we wanted to share with you and your team. We are pleased to announce our $25,000 donation to Out2Play to help sponsor the redevelopment of the playground at P.S. 217 on Roosevelt Island. The funding will enable Out2Play to transform the school’s empty, asphalt schoolyard into a safe, stimulating and developmentally beneficial playspace. Construction for the playground will take 6‐8 weeks over the summer and P.S. 217 will have a completed playspace by the start of next school year. We selected this project on Roosevelt Island because of our commitment to support, respect and improve the communities in which we play. 

We are thrilled to work with Out2Play to help provide an area where the Roosevelt Island schoolchildren can get outside and be active. To date, Out2Play has built 80 playgrounds and plans to build 40 more this year. ZogSports lauds Out2Play for its mission to keep NYC public school kids active and healthy by providing safe and fun playspaces. We look forward to the fall for the Grand Opening celebration with the school, community, public sponsors of the project and ZogSports participants."

Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) K003 Poem Book

Students in Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) K003 class published their first poetry book in May 2010.  See some of the poems below.

Elephants
I like elephants
Ask me why
    Because they have long trunks
    Because they have tusks
    Because they are gray
    Because they eat lots of grass
    Because
    Because
    Because, that's why
I like elephants

Monster
I have a pet monster
He's really a lobster
He sweeps the floor
And dusts the door
He's really obnoxious

Children think they're very wild
High in the trees
I think they're the best
My sister likes them too
Playing on the vines
A very nice animal
No ordinary monkey
Zoos keep them safe
Excellent climbers
Extraordinary animals
See them if you can!

Parent Workshop on Adolescent Development at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

LEARNING LEADERS CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO A WORKSHOP ON ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT and PARENTING ADOLESCENTS
LEARN:
• WAYS TO COMMUNICATE WITH TEENAGERS
• WAYS TO HELP THEM TO BECOME RESPONSIBLE
• WAYS TO BALANCE CLOSENESS AND INDEPENDENCE
• WAYS TO HELP THEM LEAD HEALTHY LIVES


WHEN: TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010
TIME: 9:00-11:00AM
WHERE: PS/IS 217 LIBRARY

P.S./I.S. 217 (Roosevelt Island School) Teachers vs Students Basketball Game

P.S./I.S. 217 (Roosevelt Island School) teachers playing basketball against student team on Friday, May 14th, 2010.

"Mountain Music" Lincoln Center Performance in the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) and Lincoln Center Institute had another successful year of an annual residency through a partnership grant between the two organizations. "Mountain Music" performance by Bob Green and Company allowed the students to explore "Bluegrass" music.

New Playground Construction Begins at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

Despite the heavy rain construction has begun at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) playground.  The crew is currently dismantling the old equipment and the new playground should replace it soon!  Mini-baseball and soccer fields, basketball court, designated areas for chalk play and other activities, and more.  Expect more updates with the complete plan for the new playground soon.

International Dinner at the Roosevelt Island School

International Dinner is coming to the Roosevelt Island soon!  P.S./I.S. 217 (Roosevelt Island School) PTA invites you to this event on Thursday, May 27th at 7 pm in the Manhattan Park Theater.  Tickets for the seated buffet will be sold at the door for $25 per person, adults only please.  Performing live: "Folklore Urbano" - a Colombian band that has a well-established annual residency at the school through the partnership with Turtle Bay Music School.

Teacher Appreciation Week at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

May 3rd-7th is National Teacher Appreciation week 2010.  Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) PTA thanked our dedicated and wonderful teachers with little gifts.  Words cannot express the gratitude we, the parents, feel for all they do for our children and school.  Teachers' hard work is appreciated each and every day by all!

Parent Workshop at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

As part of a citywide initiative "Let's Put a Stop to Youth Gangs & Violence", NYC Department of Education held a parent workshop on gang awareness in the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) on May 4th, 2010. Police officers gave a clear and concise presentation about gang identifiers, warning signs, and things that schools, parents, and communities can do to prevent gang involvement.

 

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

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

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

Last week the students in the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) G&T K003 class published their very first non-fiction books.  Each student researched and wrote about an endangered animal of their choice.  Included in the books were facts about each animal's appearance, habitat, diet, and why they are endangered.  The students even researched ways that they can help their animals.  The publishing celebration was a big hit!  Thank you parents for coming and showing your support.

As many of you know, April is poetry month.  The class has been reading and writing many different kinds of poems including free verse, acrostic and diamante poems.

In math, they have been playing many math games to strengthen their fact fluency and they will be beginning a unit on Money.

In Science, the students have been exploring wood and paper.  They are enjoying conducting scientific experiments with the wood and paper.  They are looking forward to their upcoming field trip to The Queens Zoo later this month.

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

- Monday-Friday, May 3rd-7th - National Teacher Appreciation Week.
- Monday, May 3rd @9:30 am - School Trip to the Museum of Natural History "Lizard and Snake" exhibition

- Tuesday, May 4th @8:40 am - Conversational English for Parents - in the school library, open to the community.
- Tuesday, May 4th @9:30 am - Parent Workshop "Citywide Initiative on Gangs: Knowledge and Prevention" - in the auditorium.  A member of the Department of Education will be leading the workshop.
- Friday, May 7th @1 pm - Lincoln Center Institute Arts for Education presents "Mountain Music" for grades Pre-K through Grade 2 and Class 345.

- Friday, May 7th @1:30 pm - Conversational English for Parents - in the P.S./I.S. 217 library, open to the community.

- This Week's Sight Words: HERE, SHARE, MUCH, WHILE, MEAN.  Please practice these words daily with your child in addition to their assigned homework, children will have a sight word test on Friday.

- Weekly menu:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
3 Cheesy Lasagna Roll-up served with Savory Tomato Sauce Roasted Chicken served with Dipping Sauce Soft Dinner Roll Vegetable Normandy	4 TRAYLESS TUESDAYS Toasted Cheese Sandwich Straight Cut Potatoes	5 Promotion of the Month: CINCO DE MAYO FIESTA! Taco Bites served with Fresh Salsa Mexicali Beans Fruit Juice Ice	6 D12’s Florentine Chicken Rice Choice Hamburger / Cheeseburger on a WW Bun Wedge Cut Potatoes	7 PIZZA FRIDAYS Corner Style Pizza SchoolFood Plus Very Vegetable Salad

Mountain Music - Lincoln Center Program at the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217)

Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education presents "Mountain Music" on Friday, May 7th at 1 pm in the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) auditorium for grades Pre-K through Grade 2 and Class 345.  Families are welcome to attend, but will need to sit in the back of the auditorium to accommodate seating for the students.

Our Pre-K through Grade 2 students and Class 345 have begun their residency with Lincoln Center.  "Mountain Music" program allows the students to explore "Bluegrass" - a uniquely American style of music which sprang from the mountains of the middle Atlantic states. Originally combining melodies dating to settlers from the British Isles with the rhythmic and instrumental influences of Africans, Bluegrass clings to its traditional roots while always taking in new influences. Using banjo, fiddle, bass, guitar, mandolin, and vocals, Bob Green and Company bring the children back to the heartland with music old and new, from breakneck instrumental to stirring ballad.



Mountain Music—Notes on the Program