The Mighty Dragon
Ruth C. Kinney Elementary School
Contact Us:
1 Spur Drive South, Islip Terrace, NY 11752
Telephone: (631) 581-1862 Absentee Line: (631) 581-0969
Principal's Message
Dear Parents,
Fall is here! Leaves are changing, trees are swaying and there is a cool breeze in the air. As the temperature continues to decrease, please send your child to school with a coat for outdoor recess.
As you know, this year we will be having our annual Parent/Teacher conferences on Monday, November 20th and Tuesday, November 21st. On those days, students will be dismissed at 11:42 a.m., so please plan accordingly. The After School Program will not be in session on those days.
We are very excited for this year’s annual Veterans Day Celebration. Once again we will have school-wide participation, as we conduct a “Parade of Veterans” through the halls of RCK, giving all students the opportunity to honor the brave men and women who continue to keep our country safe. In addition, we will have our “Gallery of Heroes” in our cafeteria.
We will also be having our Annual Turkey Trot, led by our Student Council. Students will donate canned and boxed food items to be donated to a local food pantry, and then we will trot around our field together united as a school.
I hope to see you throughout the month. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me. From all of us at RCK, we hope you and your family enjoy a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday.
Sincerely,
Hillary Bromberg Ed.D.
East Islip Board of Education
President…………...........Jessica Carney
Vice President…….........Philip Montuori, Sr.
Trustee………...…............Steven Behan
Trustee……………….........William Carpluk
Trustee..........................Christopher Zachry
If you are not on Twitter, please use the Twitter Search link, https://twitter.com/search-home and type in our handle @EIprideRCK and see all of our school's happenings at RCK.
If you do join Twitter, you can follow the school’s account, RCKelem, and always see the updates on your twitter feed.
We also have a school hashtag: #RCKelem
Our district has a hashtag to look at as well: #AllinatEI
Red Ribbon Week at RCK
Make Healthy Choices from Head to Toe
Make Healthy Choices from Head to Toe
Hats off to Healthy Choices
East Islip High School SADD Club Visit RCK
East Islip High School SADD Club Visit RCK
East Islip High School SADD Club Students
RCK Elementary School joined educators all over the world in participating in Digital Citizenship Week October 15-21. A School-Wide activity was put in place where all classes had a great discussion about how to be a good digital citizen and remain safe on the internet. Teachers facilitated the discussion as students offered their own ideas about how to be good digital citizens and make the right choices. This generation has grown up in a digital world and it is important for all to learn about how to leave a good digital footprint. Students have been learning how to be good citizens and kind people for many years and now it is important to transfer that knowledge to how we act on digital devices. Not only do we say, “Think before you speak,” we also say, “Think before you click send.” A Padlet Wall was created to showcase ideas that the students and staff discussed. Padlet is a controlled digital board where people can post text, an image, or video having to do with a topic. The Padlet wall is given its own URL or link so that others can view it, https://padlet.com/hillarybrom/rckdigcit2017. All students and staff were able to see what the other classes posted and now you can too! We also created a school-wide Flipgrid where students videoed themselves offering advice on how to be a good digital citizen. Click here to see their responses!
PTA Happenings
Dear Parents and Students,
October flew by very quickly and we are very excited about some of our upcoming events. Red Ribbon Week was a huge success! The kids had a great time during Red Ribbon Week, and a special thanks to Mike Ianonne of Dragon Gate Martial Arts for the wonderful kick off assembly.
We are still in need of volunteers to assist with Harvest Zingo and Scholastic Book Fair.
November events:
November 1 & 2 – Scholastic Book Fair
November 3rd – Harvest Zingo and Evening Book Fair
November 14th – PTA meeting at 7pm
November 16th - makeup pictures
November 20 & 21 – parent/teacher conferences
November 23 & 24 - Thanksgiving recess – NO SCHOOL
The RCK PTA Board would like to thank all of your for your continued support. We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!
Tiffany Williams
RCK PTA President
631-431-5045
2017-2018 RCK PTA BOARD MEMBERS:
President: Tiffany Williams tifwilliams35@yahoo.com 631-431-5045
1st Vice President: Karen Quintero kaquint8@gmail.com 631-839-1164
2nd Vice President: Anjie Lewis lewny1@optonline.net
Treasurer: Briana Martinez briana_otto@yahoo.com
Recording Secretary: Melissa Smith sunflowerchick7@yahoo.com
Corresponding Sec.: Cheryl Rigogliosi abijazz@verizon.net
Join the PTA and Follow them on Facebook
The PTA Membership Application is now available online. The online address is:
Veterans Day Celebration
Join us as we honor all those who have served our great country
at RCK’s annual Veterans Day Celebration!
Thursday, Nov 9, 2017, 09:30 AM
Ruth C Kinney Elementary School, Islip Terrace, NY, United States
November's Patriotic Song
Please take the time to look over the words and join us each morning as we sing and celebrate the great country that we live in!
God Bless the USA
From the lakes of Minnesota
To the hills of Tennessee
Across the plains of Texas
From sea to shining sea
From Detroit down to Houston
And New York to LA
Well there’s pride in every American heart
And it’s time we stand and say
(Refrain)
That I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free
And I won’t forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
And I gladly stand up next to you and defend
Her still today
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land
God Bless the USA
Box Tops for Education!
The Box Tops for Education program has been very successful. Through the Box Tops for Education program, an everyday trip to the grocery store can make a difference for the students at Ruth C. Kinney Elementary. This program allows families to clip the Box Tops coupons, found on hundreds of common grocery items, and send them into school where they will be combined with coupons from other families. Each coupon is worth 10 cents for your school. The dollars add up quickly! The average family purchases more than 100 Box Tops products each year, and 100 Box Tops totals $10 in earnings for our school. Ruth C. Kinney Elementary can earn up to $20,000 per year with your help.
We look forward to another successful year for Ruth C. Kinney and your children! Thank you in advance for your participation.
STEAM Challenge
Students in grade 3 were challenged to create "Creature Catchers" that would catch the most amount of spiders. Students went through the Engineering Design Process with their groups. They collaborated ideas, put them in action, tested it, and improved their product. Great Job!
Reminder!
Parent/Teacher Conferences:
Students will be dismissed at
11:42 a.m. on Monday, November 20th
and
11:42 a.m. on Tuesday, November 21st
Ongoing communication between a child’s teachers and parents makes a significant impact on a child’s education.
During Parent/Teacher Conferences this month, your child’s teacher may discuss your child’s current reading level, progress in math, ability to do class work and his/her social adjustment.
We hope that you will make every effort to see your child’s teacher on November 20th or 21st. Together, parent and teacher can make the difference!
DELAYED OPENINGS AND EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSINGS DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
In the event of inclement weather, which might cause hazardous road conditions, the closing of school will be announced as follows:
WALK (1370 AM, 97.5 FM)
WGBB (1240 AM)
WCTO (94.3 FM)
WHLI (1100 AM)
WBAB (102.3 FM)
WLIX (540 AM)
WBLI (106.1 FM)
TV Channel 12
If it is determined that a One-Hour Delayed Opening is needed, the starting time for RCK will be 10:12 AM The starting time for RCK in the event of a two-hour delay will be 11:12 AM. Please plan accordingly for morning pupil pick-up time, (i.e., buses will be one or two hours later than usual). Dismissal time will remain 3:12 PM. as usual.
Please be reminded, in accordance with East Islip School District Policy, once school is open, it will remain open until all children are picked up or dismissed at 3:12 PM. This policy also pertains to snowstorms and blizzards.
A Message from Mrs. Merlucci, the School Social Worker
RCK will be starting our annual needy family drive this fall. We will also be having our annual Turkey Feather drive. Last year, the money raised went to purchase food vouchers, gifts, winter coats and other items for our families.
Your generosity is always appreciated, especially at this time of the year.
If I can be helpful to you or your child, please feel free to contact me at 224-2000 x 2282.
A reminder from your school nurse...
Tips for Parents from RCK Health Office
Many parents ask, “When is my child sick enough to stay home from school?”
This is not always an easy question to answer! We hope that these tips can help!
A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff. We suggest making a plan for childcare ahead of time so you will not be caught without a comforting place for your child to stay if he/she is ill.
Our school policy states that you should not send your child to school if he/she has:
- Fever in the past 24 hours
- Vomiting in the past 24 hours
- Diarrhea in the past 24 hours
- Chills
- Sore throat
- Strep Throat (must be taking an antibiotic for at least 24 hours before returning to school)
- Bad cold, with a very runny nose or bad cough, especially if it has kept the child awake at night
- Head lice — until your child has been treated according to the nurse or doctor’s instructions
If your child becomes ill at school and the teacher or school nurse feel the child is too sick to benefit from school or is contagious to other children, you will be called to come and take him/her home from school. It is essential that your child’s teacher have a phone number where you can be contacted during the day and an emergency number in the event you cannot be reached. Please be sure that arrangements can be made to transport your child home from school and that childcare is available in case of illness. If your daytime or emergency phone number changes during the year, please notify your child’s teacher immediately.
Please call the school’s Health Office if you have any questions or concerns.
Mrs. McLoughlin, RCK School Nurse
631-581-1883
Character Education Virtue of the Month - Citizenship
The school wide book of the month to illustrate our focus on Citizenship will be the story, Peppe, the Lamplighter, by Elisa Bartone. This story is about a boy, Peppe, who becomes a lamplighter to help support his family who are immigrants in New York City. Being a lamplighter is not the job his father had dreamed of for Peppe, but when Peppe's job helps save his little sister, his family respects him and his work.
Student Showcase
Mrs. Eskedal's third grade class is writing realistic fiction narratives. The class created external story mountains to map out their main events in sequential order. They also created internal story mountains of their main character's feelings and thoughts. Students are excited about writing and publishing their realistic fiction narratives!
Mrs. Fix's class learned all about the geography of New York and what continent and hemisphere it's located. They also learned about other continents and locations in relation of the Equator and the Prime Meridian. As a culminating activity, they created pumpkin globes!