Cluster Newsletter
January 2016
Technology
Dear Parents
This is going to be an exciting month in the Technology lab, we are going to be finishing up our unit on Music in Technology for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and our Small Moment/Personal Narrative unit for the 1st and 2nd graders. The first and second graders are writing beautiful stories in Microsoft word, and the upper grades have been working hard researching and writing their opinion pieces with supporting details in our Music in Technology unit. The first week of February we will be celebrating all of our hard work in the classroom.
In December, our school participated in the World Wide Hour of Code using the Website Code.org. The children had a blast getting the introduction to Computer Science.So starting in February we are going to be venturing into our next unit Computer Sciences. This year the Mayor, Chancellor and Brooklyn Borough President have asked that all children K-12 learn the basics of computer science. So in order to meet these requests, I am piloting the 20 hours of Code program on Code.org with our children.
To find out more about the Growing Push To Expose our Children to Computer Sciences check out this article
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/growing-push-expose-students-computer-science-35524790 from December 2nd.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me via email at
Mrs. Ostrow
Theater
EXCITING NEWS!!!!!
A very exciting announcement from the Arts Department: after a extensive grant application and interview process, P.S. 52 has been selected (from a pool of over 80 NYC public school applicants) to participate in a three-year long partnership with Disney Musicals in Schools. Students will be working with Mr. Mack, Ms. Gordon and myself to help rehearse, perform, and design this musical from the ground up. We are incredibly fortunate to have been granted this amazing opportunity and we're so excited for all that's in store in the coming years. The partnership includes:
- Licensing to a Disney KIDS musical
- A series of three visits from a Disney Teaching Artist to help guide the process
- The opportunity for the cast of students to perform a song on a Broadway stage as a part of our culminating Student Share event!!!
We are all so lucky to have an administration that is so supportive of the arts and understands the impact that rehearsing for and participating in a live musical production can have on your child. As they say, "it takes a village...," please look out for volunteer opportunities for our after school musical coming soon. If you are interested in volunteering and being involved in P.S. 52's first annual musical production please do not hesitate to reach out to me at Navadanei@schools.nyc.gov and/or 718-648-0882.
The first annual P.S. 52 Winter Arts Festival is Thursday, December 17th at 9am and 1pm. Mr. Mack, Ms. Gordon, and I have collaborated to create a spectacular feast of artwork, music, and theatre. As the theatre teacher, I wanted to give you a little more insight into how 3-217 and 3-241 worked to devise their short plays. We started the process back in November when we read the book Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and listed for any sounds and interesting lines that stuck with us, and we closed our eyes and searched for the imagery in the piece. Once we created several extensive lists, we got to work creating our scripts. After the scripts were created, it was time to begin staging, each group is in charge of three different sections: storytelling, tableau, and soundscape. The storytelling group rehearsed enunciating and projecting their voices so they could be heard and understood (from the very last row of the theater) and telling their story in a meaningful and engaging way. The tableau group used their bodies to re-create images from the story and the soundscape group used the rich sounds from the story to help create a realistic setting. When you watch the piece on December 17, what sounds and images stay with you? We hope you enjoy the show and we look forward to many more collaborations between the arts department.
On that note, please keep your eyes peeled for the after school musical notice going home in the coming weeks. The audition, rehearsal, and performance dates will be announced then.
Finally, 1st and 2nd grades have some field trips coming up. Please have your permission slips and money in as soon as possible. Should you have any questions please feel free to call the school at 718-648-0882 or email me at Navadanei@schools.nyc.gov.
1st Grade:
The Velveteen Rabbit January 21st at The New Victory Theatre Trip Cost: $5
The Big Friendly Giant April 5th at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Trip Cost: $8
2nd Grade:
Monster Who Ate My Peas, March 2, Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Trip Cost: $8
The Big Friendly Giant April 5th at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Trip Cost: $8
Theatrically yours,
Ms. Avadanei
Science
First I would like to begin by wishing you all a happy and healthy new year. As we enter the new year, grades 3, 4, and 5 will be getting their science fair packets. This packet is full of all you need to know in order to do a inquiry based project. Please make sure your child completes their science fair proposal and hands it into me for approval. Kindergarten has begun their new unit on fabrics. They are having fun identifying all the properties of the fabrics that they notice. Calling all third grade parents...keep an eye out for an invitation to come to the science lab with your child where you can engage in a hands-on experiment just like the children of P.S. 52 do on a daily basis. This workshop will also give you some insight into how a science experiment should be done for the science fair. Mrs. Ostrow will be joining in on the fun. This workshop will be given in two parts. After students and parents work through the hands on investigation, two weeks later Mrs. Ostrow will show students and parents how to turn the investigation into a power point on the computer, A power point is one of the options students have this year for presenting their science project at the science fair. I look forward to seeing all of the project ideas this year. Enjoy the time working with your child on their science project. Happy investigating!!!
Music
Greetings Parents and Guardians!
Cold weather can be harsh on the voice. This is the season for sore throats and runny noses, which can make it difficult to sing. To keep your singing voice healthy and in good shape, here are my top four tips to keep you singing through the winter months:
1. Sweet Dreams! - Nothing keeps your immune system stronger than plenty of rest. Many doctors suggest seven to nine hours of sleep every night for adults, but children usually require more.
2. Tea Time! - When my throat hurts, I find that a warm cup of tea does the trick. Go for something caffeine-free like chamomile, peppermint, or ginger. Add a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of honey for flavor and natural health benefits.
3. Dress to Impress! - Be sure to wear plenty of layers during these cold months to keep your body warm. Singers will often wear a scarf around their necks while indoors to keep their throat warm and ready for singing.
4. Take a Break! - Does your throat hurt? Is your voice scratchy? Do you feel a small cold coming on? It is perfectly fine to take a break and rest your voice. This will prevent further damage and help you get well soon.
Be sure to keep those singing voices healthy and stay tuned for future performance dates.
Musically Yours,
Mr. Ryan W. Mack
Music Teacher
Art
Dear Parents,
I want to start off by thanking you for attending the Winter Arts Festival which took place on December 17th. This festival was a collaborative effort between, Ms. Avadanei, Mr, Mack, and myself, and we are planning more collaborations like this to tie various arts disciplines together and showcase the hard work and artistic talents of our students.
In January, art classes in all grades will begin art projects that will require them to apply the basic elements of art that they have learned about so far (line, shape, color, form, etc.) to more involved projects. Classes will conduct in-depth studies of a specific artist or culture. January will also mark the beginning of our collaboration with the Children’s Museum of the Arts as part of our Arts for English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities Grant. Selected third, fourth and fifth grade classes will participate in a film project which will involve working with the museum’s teaching artists and visiting the museum. Information regarding this project for selected classes will be sent home in January.
Also, be on the lookout for a notice going home regarding the school musical project. There will be an after school art opportunity for students in the upper grades who are interested in designing scenery, costumes, and props for the musical, as well as an opportunity for parents to volunteer with their children for these projects on Tuesdays. The dates for the beginning of these programs will be determined in January.
I would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Gordon
Visual Arts Cluster
Art Links
- Here is a link to the revised version of the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Visual Arts:
- Here is a link to the Sheppard Software site. This site offers great learning opportunities in a variety of curricular areas. Pre-K students will find interactive games to help reinforce basic shapes and colors. There are also painting activities (mostly connected to a particular subject like science) for early childhood grades. Older students can find information on art history and art from other cultures by searching “art” on the site:
Physical Education
2-243, 2-242, and 2-246 have completed Swim For Life! Congrats to all of them. 2-240 and 2-244 will be starting in Janury so good luck to them.
Keep moving,
Ms Novella
Physical Education Teacher
Library
Happy New Year and welcome back!! With a new year starting it’s a great time to set New Year goals that can help ensure your child’s academic success. Be sure your child reads every day in addition to their homework assignments. Read texts with your child that are above their reading level and work on comprehension skills while discussing the books that you share. Help them choose their reading goal whether it is a number of books read in a year, how many series to tackle, or maybe how many new authors to test out. It is a wonderful way to keep the reading momentum going, as well as to get kids who already love reading to stretch their boundaries.
Also, you can make sure your child is taking advantage of the programs offered in our school like the MYLibraryNYC program. This program provides fine free borrowing from the Brooklyn Public Library and any child enrolled will have fines from a previous card cleared. Your child can place books on hold and then go to the library to pick them up. The BPL cards I provided the students and staff in the past are still valid. If your child does not have a BPL library card through our school's program please let your child's teacher know or you can send me an email. All cards must be registered at a local branch or on-line by an adult to be acivated-https://bpl.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/patron/getstudent.aspx .
Last but not least, your child can become part of our school's ongoing conversation about our library's books via our Destiny Automation system. They can also create their own bookshelf to keep track of their reading. Our PS 52 students go to http://library.nycenet.edu , click on Brooklyn, then choose our school name to browse our school’s library collection, put books on hold, write reviews and rate the books that they have read from our library! Please encourage your child to take advantage of these programs.
Happy Reading and Happy New Year!!
Ms. McCabe
Jmccabe2@schools.nyc.gov