Field Days at P.S./I.S. 217 (Roosevelt Island School)

Parents and third graders had a fabulous time at Field Day last week! Field Day is an event where students participate in friendly competitions through supervised outdoor games like potato sack races, egg spoon races, Three-Legged-Races and steal the bacon.

In order to have successful Field Days, we need parent chaperones (to help supervise and to escort students to the bathroom), as well as donations for snacks. Suggested snacks include: juice boxes, assorted fruit cut into serving sizes, pretzels and popsicles. Some students have nut, dairy, and wheat allergies, so please be mindful of what you donate! Please pay attention to the notes about upcoming Field Days from you teachers sent home via backpack and help your children have a wonderful team-building experience!

3rd Graders' Field Trip to China Institute

Class 103 Field Trip to the Fire Museum

P.S./I.S. 217 (The Roosevelt Island School) first graders visited Fire Museum of NYC on Friday, October 22nd.  Students watched a 15-minute video about fire safety, and learned about the history of firefighting in New York on a guided tour of the museum.  The tour concluded at a mock apartment - fire safety training room, - where students identified and discussed potential fire hazards at home, and finally had to escape from a simulated "fire" - steam-filled room.

P.S./I.S. 217 Class 103 Field Trip to the Roosevelt Island Public Library

Students in Class 103 visited Roosevelt Island Public Library on Friday, October 1st.  It was a perfect trip for a rainy day. Students learned about library rules, listened to a story, picked up their own books and checked them out.

A Field Trip to the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center

Class 103 will attend a performance of Strega Nona at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, October 26th.  We will be leaving by bus at 10:30 am and will return by 1:30 pm. Show starts at 11:30 am and runs about an hour.  Please sign and return the form sent home via backpack and $7 per child.  We can have a limited number of parent helpers, so it is on a first come basis.  It should be a great day of theater for the kids!

A Field Trip to the Fire Museum

Class 103 will have a Tour of the Fire Museum on Friday, October 22nd.  Please sign and return the form sent home via backpack and $3 fee.

"The New York City Fire Museum houses one of the nation's most important collections of fire related art and artifacts from the late 18th century to the present. Among its holdings are painted leather buckets, helmets, parade hats and belts, lanterns and tools, pre Civil War hand pumped fire engines, horse drawn vehicles and early motorized apparatus."

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-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

Upcoming Field Trip for P.S./I.S. 217 Kindergärtners

Who: K001, K002, K003
When: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Where: Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater, Central Park
Why: To see Three, an adventurous mash-up of the classic fairy tales "The Three Little Pigs," "Three Billy Goats Gruff," and "The Three Bears".

Weather permitting, children will be having a picnic lunch after the show in Central Park.  If you cannot provide a bag lunch for your child, let the teachers know so they can have the school provide a bag lunch.

Field Trip to the American Museum of Natural History

Who: K-001, K-002, K-003
When: Monday, May 3rd 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Where: Museum of Natural History
Why: To see the "Lizard and Snake" exhibit



The children will be eating lunch at the museum.  If you cannot provide a bag lunch for your child, let the teachers know so they can have the school provide a bag lunch.

Please sign and return the permission form sent via backpacks by Monday, April 19th.

Roosevelt Island School Kindergarten Field Trip to See "The Great Mummy Adventure"

Kindergarten students from the Roosevelt Island School (P.S./I.S. 217) went on a field trip to see a performance by the Paper Bag Players on March 10th, 2010. The troupe People Magazine called “unquestionably the leading U.S. theater company for kids" returned in "The Great Mummy Adventure" an expedition to the land of the pharaohs in search of a mysterious mummy named Shirley. As advertised, the show was chock full of good humor, sing-along songs, and extraordinary props made of paper bags and boxes.  Students loved the performance, and particularly enjoyed the parts of the play where they get to join the troupe singing, dancing, and goofing around.

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

- Tuesday, March 9th @8:45 am - "Respect For All" Parent Workshop in the library room

- Wednesday, March 10th @8:45 am - School tour for prospective parents

- Wednesday, March 10th @9:30 am-12 pm - Field Trip to see "The Great Mummy Adventure" by The Paper Bag Players 

- Thursday, March 11th @6:15 pm - PTA general meeting in the library

- Friday, March 12th @ 12:30 pm - Mystery Reader - Sophia's mom will come to the class
- This week's sight words are: PLEASE, WON'T, MADE, SOME, THOSE.  Practice these words daily with your child in addition to the assigned homework, students will have a test on Friday.

- Weekly menu:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8 COLORFUL DELIGHT Seasoned Vegetables Whole Grain Pasta Choice Roasted Chicken Served W/ Dipping Sauce Vegetable Normandy	9 TRAYLESS TUESDAYS Toasted Cheese Sandwich Schoolfood Green Salad	10 We will be eating lunch in the classroom when we return from the show. if you cannot provide a bag lunch for your child, let the teacher know so she can have tho school provide a bag lunch	11 THE THREE POINT PLAY Mozzarella Sticks Served W/ Tomato Sauce Hamburger / Cheeseburger On A Small Whole Wheat Bun Capri Blend Vegetables Straight Cut Potatoes	12 PIZZA FRIDAYS Corner Style Pizza OR Turkey Pepperoni Pizza SchoolFood Plus Very Vegetable Salad

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

"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.

 

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

The Nutcracker Field Trip Roosevelt Island School G&T Class

For many of us winter season does not feel right without seeing The Nutcracker. It was wonderful to watch children get to know or meet again with the beloved characters from the Land of Sweets! Sugar Plum fairy, Mouse King, and of course Clara and the Nutcracker went on their magic trip once again accompanied by the amazing Tchaikovsky music. Actors from the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center did a nice job at making the story easy to follow even for kindergartners, obviously not equipped with enough patience to seat through the regular 3-hour long ballet show.

You can find more pictures in our unlisted photo-blog. Email rigandt@gmail.com to request an invitation to view this album if you haven't received one yet.

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

- Winter Concert: Wednesday, December 9th @5:30 pm

Children should arrive and get ready starting 5 pm, please remember about the dress code. Kindergarten-2nd grade performance at the annual concert starts at 5:30 pm. Suggested donation for parents at the door is $5, but you're welcome to contribute more. Enter PTA Raffle for a chance to win one of the gift baskets, tickets will be sold before the concert - $2 a ticket, or $10 for a book of 6 tickets.

- School Leadership Team Meeting: Friday, December 11th @7:30 am

The School Leadership Team puts together the school’s comprehensive Educational Plan (CEP), a document that details the school’s goals and strategies for the following year based on the current academic year’s progress. Everyone is welcome to join the meeting.

- School Trip: Friday, December 11th @10:15 am

We are seeing a winter classic - one of the all-time favourite timeless ballets and definitely the most popular ballet among children - The Nutcracker, accompanied by Tchaikovsky's famous score. The performance is complete with narration so even the youngest members of the audience can follow along.

LaGuardia Performing Arts Center website: "Clara travels with the help of music and dance and imagination. Her godfather, the mystical clock maker, Herr Drosselmeyer, is the one responsible for sending Clara on this exotic trip across time with the Nutcracker Prince. Get an injection of holiday cheer, as Clara, Old Drosselmeyer, and the Nutcracker Prince take a frolicking musical journey that happens only once a year."

All chaperones must be at school by 10:15 am, the show begins at 11:30 am. We will be getting to the show a 1/2 hour early and will be having lunch at the theatre. If you cannot provide a bag lunch for your child, let the teacher know so she can have the school provide a bag lunch.

- This weeks sight words are: NOT, JUST, OFF, I'M, BY - please practice these words daily with your child in addition to their assigned homework. Children will have a sight word test on Friday.

Queens Botanical Garden Trip

Throughout November our children have been studying the trees. They have learned the parts of trees, what trees need to live and why trees are important to people and animals.

A school trip to the Queens Botanical Garden was a perfect way to reinforce their understanding. Children had a guided tour of the Garden, observed different types of trees, and had a seminar on parts of the trees and their role in our lives. They even surprised the instructor with their knowledge of such words as "photosynthesis" and "chlorophyll"! Kids were particularly excited to see mini-trees in the pots with familiar names - coffee, banana, avocado and to plant the tangerine seeds to hopefully grow the trees of their own.

As usually, you can view all the pictures from this trip in our photo-blog. If you have not received an invitation to view this album, please email rigandt@gmail.com to request it!

Please join the class as a chaperon on the next trip to see the Nutcracker on December 11th!

Harold and The Purple Crayon

Children are going to see "Harold and the Purple Crayon" at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. Here's the information about this show from the LAGCC website:

"One evening, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight.” So begins Harold and the Purple Crayon, the first of seven delightful picture books by Crockett Johnson, following the zany adventures of an inventive young boy.

Enchantment Theatre’s production will take your school and family audiences on a wild ride as Harold jets to Mars (shooting stars, space ships!), joins a circus (he walks a tightrope!) and meets a king in an enchanted garden (of course, there’s a dragon). The “Harold” books have captivated families for more than fifty years, celebrating the imagination of children and the unique way they see the world.

Using all the elements of its signature style, which combines life-size puppets, masks, magic and music, Enchantment’s production will delight and amaze your audiences, from children starting at Harold’s age, all the way up to grandparents — anyone, in fact, whose heart is young and adventurous."