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.