NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE LILLIE DEVEREAUX BLAKE SCHOOL PUBLIC ...ps6nyc.com/news6/News@6_Spring2017.pdf · NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE LILLIE DEVEREAUX BLAKE SCHOOL PUBLIC SCHOOL SIX ... us

NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE LILLIE DEVEREAUX BLAKE SCHOOL PUBLIC SCHOOL SIX WWW.PS6NYC.COM

SPRING2017

LILY DUNHAM (3-207)

SPRING2017

is the only news magazine for PS 6. It is published jointly by the PTA and School

three times during the school year. 45 East 81st Street, New York, NY 10028

PRINCIPAL LAUREN FONTANA ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL JANE GALASSO ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AMY SANTUCCI PTA PRESIDENTS CHRISTINE TRAUBEN YVETTE BJORK

EDITORIAL STAFF PARENT EDITORS KATE COMISSO ELLA WHITE PARENTS TIFFANY MENDELL BETH KIMMERLE SANDRA O’CONNOR KATE COMISSO PTA SECOND VP CARRIE SOLOMON PARENT COORDINATOR SANOBER KHAN

Parents and Kids: Would you like to contribute

to News@6?Carrie Solomon, the PTA’s Second VP, is your contact for all submissions, from articles, artwork, photos, kids’ or

parents’ quotes, to brain-teasers, puzzles or even silly jokes. Please also feel free to tell us what you like or dislike about

News@6 as well. Email us at [email protected].

Would you like to advertise in News@6? News@6 is distributed to over 600 PS 6 families and other

members of the PS 6 community, reaching over 2,000 readers. If you would like to advertise in News@6, please

email us at [email protected].

© 2017 PS 6 PTA

ZANNIS RIGOS (3-207) ELLA GREEN (1-202)

GIOIA DE NOUE (PREK-104)

On the cover: Artwork by Lily Dunham (3-207)

www.ps6nyc.com NEWS@6 | 1

PTA MESSAGE

FIRST EVER PS 6 FUN RUN

LAST NOVEMBER, PS 6 teamed up with Boosterthon to promote a fun fitness event, an interactive character program,

and a highly profitable fundraiser all in one – The PS 6 Fun Run. The fundraiser took place over 6 days. This year’s theme was Backyard Box Office. During the first 5 days, each grade met in the auditorium with the Boosterthon team to enjoy a character lesson based on the theme along with some light ex-ercise and stretching. The character-building lessons covered the following topics:

1. Find a Need2. Write a Plan3. Rally a Team4. Launch it Now5. Grit it Out

Before the big day, the students asked their friends and family to sponsor their participation. On the 6th day, the event culminated in the Fun Run itself. Grade

by grade, the students came out and ran through a blow up entry tunnel as music played and their class was announced (think Superbowl). Each student then ran up to 35 laps in the PS 6 schoolyard, whether or not they had collected pledges. Although it was a bit on the chilly side, the kids were excited, cheered on by parents who were invited to watch the action. Meanwhile volunteers tracked the kids’ laps and handed out water – it was the real deal.

Two highly energetic team members of Boosterthon – Eric and Sam (aka Electric Eric and Yosemite Sam) – were in our school every day for 6 days and were key to making the event such a success. The stu-dents were excited to have a couple of new lively faces in the school, especially since they brought a new and fun aspect to their jam-packed days.

By Christine Trauben and Yvette Bjork PTA Executive Board Co-Presidents

TURN TO PAGE 2

2 | NEWS@6 www.ps6nyc.com

PTA MESSAGE

A couple of astonishing statistics looking back at our 1st Fun Run:

• Of the donations: 38% came directly from parents, 62% came from non-parents

• PS 6 received donations from 39 states and 27 countries

Every day, we were truly amazed by the amount of support our children received worldwide.

Reflecting back on the event, there were many things which put smiles on our faces – the excitement and happiness of the kids evident on their faces, the feeling of school spirit during the lesson days and during the run, the participation by the administration and teachers, and in general the ease with which families and friends could donate to our school. We think our 1st PS 6 Fun Run was a huge success and look forward to next year’s Fun Run.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1


BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

PS 6 STUDENTS’ ART FEATURED AT SOTHEBY’S ART SHOWBy Carrie Solomon, mom to Annabel (3-227) and Thomas (1-204)

IMAGINE SEEING YOUR very own work at So-theby’s! Several students had that chance on March

22nd and 23rd as their art was part of the annual Public School Art Show. The yearly show is organized by NYC Council Member Ben Kallos and PS 183 in collaboration with staff at Sotheby’s. Schools across District 2 are invited to participate and Emily Dia-mond, our amazing art teacher, helps to select the works featured from PS 6.

Sasha White (3-227) was excited to learn that a piece of her art will be included. She says, “I am proud that people will get to see my art at Sotheby’s. I put a lot of effort in my work and I’m glad people will get to enjoy it!”

Ms Diamond says “I'm a process-based teacher. Effort in the entire process means a lot to me and how I instruct my stu-dents. Specialists like myself are fortunate to watch the students mature and change throughout 6 years. Some students were chosen because their true development as an artist has been a very special and suc-cessful journey to watch.”

The work of the following students was included in this year’s show: Annabelle Keller, Alexander Ronzhes, Dane Dinc, Cooper Marks, Elizabeth Galasso, Dale

Heller, Myles Coven, Daniel Bean, Florence Shaw, Rana Kuramoto, Amanda Dupler, Ella Nahmiyas, Kosta Konstantinovic, Ella Honeck, Carter Medved, Marielena Hartmann, Sasha White, Dalia Phillips, Elie Carpenter, Amalya DeVitre, Kate Hankin, Avery Manley, Sofia Broughman, Clara Parkin, Caitlin Huang, Jonah Schonkupp, Preston Shin, Alexandra McGlynn, David Lagocki, Bailee Cape, Borja Hernandez, Amit Zimmerman, Katya Khesin, Samara Burnstein, Tripp Ward, Alex Chodkowski, Gwyneth Cook, Gabe Huang, Annabel Farmakis, Maxwell Schorr, Taylor Serotta, Lana Lombardi, Leyna Director, Louise Stael Van Holstein, Isabella Mayer, Anand Tuchs-Ochir, Margo Brenna, Max Pollock, Sam Firoozi, Zannis Rigos and Ethan Roberts.

ALL ABOUT OUR SHAKESPEARE EXPERIENCE

By Kate Hankin, Amalya DeVitre, Alara Mirza and Gywnnie Cook, (5-303)

WHO WAS WILLIAM Shakespeare? Who was Julius Ceasar? They lived a long, long time ago! William Shakespeare

was an actor and also wrote plays, such as Julius Caesar! The problem though is that they speak a weird language! What’s the use in that? But don’t worry, you will learn this in 5th grade like we did.

One thing we learned during our work-shop was Shakespearean language. In our script, we had to memorize word for word. Some of it was funny! For example, the words “Methinks” and “The good is oft” were funny to say. The teachers asked us to translate the script into present day language to help us memorize it. For example, I played Octavius, Julius’s adopted son. One of my lines was “Brutus and Cassius are rid like madmen”. I translated it to, “Brutus and Cas-sius are acting crazy throughout Rome”. The translations really helped us understand and memorize our lines better.

We also did many cool exercises and warm-ups. For example, at the beginning of each class we would focus on a bowl for a growing amount of time, working on our

concentration. We also did a chant called, “The Mamas and the Papas” which taught us about archetypes (your personality in a play: scholar, peasant, king, coward, clown, etc), Another exercise we did was called “Two Feet Flat on the Floor”. It was a “Call and Response” chant. This exercise taught us acting skills.

In conclusion, we really enjoyed the Shake-speare program. We learned a lot about the Shakespearean language, choral teams and acting exercises. We really enjoyed explaining our characters and learning about actors.

A special thanks to Todd and Albert (our Shakespeare teachers)!

THE 5TH GRADE COMPLETED THEIR ARTS RESIDENCY WITH CREATIVE STAGES NYC, WHICH CULMINATED IN A PERFORMANCE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S JULIUS CEASAR. HERE’S A FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF WHAT THE 5TH GRADERS LEARNED, AND WHAT THEY LOVED ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

SAN PARLAK (3-227)



Reviewer: Sonya Cisse (3-209)

Reviewer: Hudson Lowe (5-301)

The Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton

IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO figure out what book I wanted to write about. I wanted a book that had adventure, unique char-

acters, and interesting background stories. I looked through my bookshelf and found Bridge to Terabithia. I read this book last year, but I still remember it because it was one of my favorites.

The book is about an insecure boy named Jess who lives in the country. He loves to paint and draw but is afraid that if his dad finds out that he likes these things, he will be labeled “weak” or “sissy.” At the same time, a

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

I WOULD RECOMMEND this book to anybody that likes adventure stories. I like adven-ture stories. They're full

of terrifying and funny twists and turns. The book is about Geronimo, Thea, Trap, and Benjamin. They set off on "vacation" to find the emer-ald eye. They followed a map to an island, and they ran into obstacles like huge crabs, holes, and some rodents. They finally found the eye, but it wasn’t what they expected it to be. This is why I liked it.

I like to draw, I like cheese, and my favorite stuffed animal's name is Cheese Sandwich. Combine them, and you end up with a Geronimo Stilton book. They're easy and fun

to draw from. By reading those books, I got inspired to draw the cover. I hope you like the Geronimo Stilton books, too!

new girl moves next door to Jess. Her name is Leslie. They become friends, and they make up a kingdom in the woods that they call Terabithia. They become king and queen of this land. They spend all of their free time playing together in Terabithia. This is their secret hiding spot where they can be whoever they want to be. They can escape their life.

Leslie teaches Jess how to be brave and how to overcome his fears. Leslie shows Jess that is it OK to be who he is, and that he should never be scared to show this.

The story ends with great sorrow, but the magical land of Terabithia lives on.

BOOK REVIEWERS


PS 6 IN PHOTOS

Second grade music share

Valentine's Day in 3-227

1st grade Olympics

SCHOOL PIX


COMMUNITY COUNTS

HELP US BUILD A WELL!

HELLO PS 6!Did you know that nearly

800,000,000 people in the world don't have access to clean water?

Do you even know how many people that is? It's a lot!

Well, we are trying to change that and you can too. Kids like you have to walk many miles to get water every day instead of going to school and having a good life.

A program called Water for South Sudan makes wells for people without water. The charity was founded by Salva, one of the main characters of the book “A Long Walk to Wa-ter.” The book inspired us to try to do some-thing about it. If you can help us raise money, we can donate the money to build a well.

You will see 5th grade posters in the school that will tell you more about this problem. Soon we will be raising money so please help. We really can make a difference!

By Alex Chodkowski and Harry Comisso, (5-301) and Gabe Hwang, (5-304)

PS 6 students and families continue to show their enthusiasm for helping their community. The annual Holiday Toy Drive was a great success, and many families generously donated new toys and gift cards to Toys for Tots and to students in Wagner middle school. Thank you for making the holidays special for those in need.

The Grade-Wide Projects are now beginning. Each grade has chosen a community project.

Pre-K and Kindergarten students will create greeting/get-well cards for children at Harlem Hospital. 1st grade students will donate items to the Ronald McDonald House Parents

Pantry for families to use during their stay in NYC while their children undergo treatment for cancer at local hospitals.

2nd grade students will donate children’s hats, gloves and scarves to Harlem Hospital.

3rd grade students will donate school supplies to a Harlem School. 4th grade students are having a danceathon. 5th grade students will support Girl Power 2 Cure – Rett Syndrome, which is a rare but severe disorder that affects brain development in girls.

Thank you students, families and teachers for your cooperation and generosity.

SPRING COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS


CESAR ARIAS AND LOVELL KINGSBERRY

TWO MEMBERS of the PS 6 Custodial Team, Cesar Arias and

Lovell Kingsberry, have won a coveted award for going “above and beyond” in their dedicated commitment to our school. The PS 6 administra-tion department nominated the pair for the 2016 New York Dept. of Education Exemplary Service Award for such things as showing up extra early at the school for events (with a positive smile) and even dancing (on occa-sion) with the kids.

In December, Cesar and Lovell attended a special ceremony and banquet hosted by the New York Department of Education Chancellor, Car-men Fariña. The event, held at the city’s historic Tweed Courthouse, was attended exclusively by the winners and their families. It included a delicious dinner and even entertainment and perfor-mances by New York City school children.

Give Cesar and Lovell a kudos when you see them and acknowledge their distinction. Only a handful of winners receive awards

from hundreds of nominations across the five boroughs. They are part of what makes PS 6 amazing!

By Beth Kimmerle, mom to Cliff (4-307)

HAVE YOU MET?

Lovell Kingsberry (center) and Cesar Arias (right)


STUDENT SNIPPETS

SNIPPETS SPRING 2017WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY ABOUT BEING 6 YEARS OLD?When I was 6 years old, I was in Mr. Boshart’s class and I really liked how he gave out marbles for everyone’s birthday and on other special oc-casions. I shared a birthday with my best friend and I remember Mr. Boshart let us chose our marbles from a very big selection. I don’t think he did that for anybody else that is why it is my favorite memory about being 6 years old. Olivia Medina (4-306)

My favorite memory about being 6 is Camp-Learned-a-Lot in second grade and all the great field trips around the neighborhood. I also loved spending the summer with my mommy and daddy in the Dutch Pennsylvania area. Rhys Auerbach (3-227)

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT SCHOOL WHAT WOULD IT BE?I would change some things in the gym like; add different activities, for example duck, duck, goose or may be hula hoops. And in yard, I would like to add some stuff for the older kids to play with, like jump ropes and more balls because kids are always fighting about that. That’s all, there is nothing else I want to change about PS 6. I like it the way it is! Romy Joos-Mangerini (3-207)

In yard, I sometimes see some kids sitting alone while others are playing. I would like everyone to play with each other. Even if they are not in the same classroom, they can still play together. Today at yard, I saw someone sitting by herself, so I went up to her and asked her to join me and my friends. Natalie Song (1-203)

I would like to add an extra study period so we

could do our homework at school and I would also have teachers let students stay in their classrooms everyday if they wanted to skip their lunch and recess. Emily Genic (5-302)

Probably the size of the classes, because I feel like certain students don’t get the amount of time that they need from their teachers and if they did, they would do better in class. Other than that, I feel that our school is very good and I wouldn’t change anything about it. Tommy Pojarliev (5-302)

I like all of school and all of my teachers and I don’t want to change anything. I really like my art class and Ms. Diamond. Alejandro Vela (K-105)

SOME JOKES AND RIDDLES WERE SHARED BY 2ND GRADERSSophia Thompson of class 2-225 asked:Two fathers and two sons went fishing. They all caught one fish each and had a total of three. How is this possible?(Answer: It was a total of three people a grandfather, a father and a son)

Ripley Chang of class 2-225 asked:You were the driver of a bus; at the first stop 2 people got on and 0 people got off. At the second stop 3 people got on and 1 got off. At the third stop 2 people got on and 3 got off. At the fourth stop 6 got on and 5 got off. At the fifth stop 0 got on and 0 got off. At the sixth stop 4 got on and 3 got off. What color is the bus driver’s hair?(Answer: You were the driver, remember?)

Emily Butkow and Natalie Song of class 1-203 asked:What do clocks do when they fall in love?(Answer: They hold hands)


THE POWER SNACK

FOR SOME PEOPLE, A snack is often thought of as some type of convenient treat in a little bag (think gummy candies,

muffins, chips or cookies) that, while tasty, doesn’t provide the body with substantial nutrition. Consider what happens to our bodies when we eat these types of treats: Our blood sugar (which is the fuel for our bodies, much like gas in a car) rises quickly, but then rapidly falls, leaving us tired and low in energy (not very helpful when we have to get through an entire day of school and afternoon activities!).

For kids and adults alike, a snack is JUST as important as a meal. Enter the Power Snack. A Power Snack is a balanced snack that provides nutrition for our bodies and helps us feel energized throughout the day. Our bodies operate at their best when our blood sugar stays at a steady state – not too high, and not too low. The Power Snack helps to maintain this steady stream of fuel, helping us to con-centrate better in class or at work (because our brains have fuel) and have more energy for PE, after-school sports and other activities (because our muscles have fuel). Addition-ally, the Power Snack helps prevent us from becoming starving and cranky before our next meal (no one likes to be hangry!).

What does a Power Snack look like? There are lots of choices that are both easy and convenient. Here is the basic formula:

POWER SNACK = FIBER + PROTEIN AND/OR HEALTHY FAT

Where do we get fiber? Here's an easy one: Fiber is ONLY found in plant foods,

such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Foods containing protein and healthy fat include nuts and seeds, hummus, guacamole, beans, cheese, unsweetened yogurt and kefir. Pair any combination of these foods together and you get a Power Snack.

Here are some examples of a Power Snack (all of these work for school because they are nut-free):• Apple + roasted edamame• Clementine + hard-boiled egg • Banana + The Good Bean roasted

chickpeas • Berries + Siggi’s yogurt + chia seeds • Carrots and sugar snap peas + hummus• Mary’s Gone Crackers pretzels +

guacamole• Popcorn + string cheese• Trail mix: Barbara’s Puffins cereal +

dried apricots + pumpkin seeds + dark chocolate chips

• Apple pie oatmeal: oatmeal + ½ chopped apple + chia seeds + raisins + cinnamon

The two best opportunities to get in a Power Snack include your classroom snack as well as after school, before beginning your after-noon activities or homework. (Kids, make sure your moms and dads are getting in their Power Snacks during the day as well!).

Is it OK to eat the gummies, chips and cookies on occasion? Sure. But they are bet-ter off viewed as a treat every in once in a while as opposed to every day fuel. When you eat a Power Snack (or two) EVERY day you'll have more energy and will perform better in school, in sports, on stage and in life. Your body will thank you!

By Tiffany Mendell, MS, RDN, CDN

WHAT'S IN YOUR LUNCHBOX?


LEMON VOLCANO EXPERIMENTYou will need:

• Lemons, 2 lemons per volcano• Baking Soda• Food Coloring• Craft Stick• Dish soap• Tray• Cup & Spoons

And don’t forget your grown-up!

• Step One (Adults only) Slice the bot-tom off a lemon to make it sit flat, then flip it over and carve out the center core. If you are making an open-faced volcano, just slice the lemon in half.

• Step Two Prepare extra lemon juice by slicing a second lemon in half and juicing it. Pour juice into a cup and set aside.

• Step Three Place your cored lemon on a tray. Use your craft stick to mush the center of the lemon and bring out the juices, but be sure to keep the juice in the lemon!

• Step Four Place a few drops of food col-oring or liquid watercolors (do not dilute) in the center of the lemon.

• Step Five For extra oozing and frothy bubbles, add a good squeeze of dish soap to the lemon.

• Step Six Next add a spoonful of baking soda. It should start to fizz. Take your craft stick and stir the inside of the lemon. Then watch it really start to foam!

• Step Seven To keep the reaction going, alternately add more baking soda, color-

ing, dish soap and the reserved lemon juice to the reaction. Squeezing the lemon to release the juices also enhances the reaction. Or if you are like my kids, just stick your whole hand in there and give it a good squeeze…ha!

THE SCIENCE BEHIND LEMON VOLCANOESLemon juice contains citric acid which, when mixed with baking soda (sodium bicar-bonate), reacts to form carbon dioxide, water and sodium citrate. It is the carbon dioxide gas that causes the fizzing and bubbling.

DO IT YOURSELF SCIENCE

(Adapted from babbledabbledo.com/science-activity-kids-lemon-volcano)

AMANDA CISSE (5-304)

ANAND TUGS-OCHIR (3-227)

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NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE LILLIE DEVEREAUX BLAKE SCHOOL PUBLIC ...ps6nyc.com/news6/News@6_Spring2017.pdf · NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE LILLIE DEVEREAUX BLAKE SCHOOL PUBLIC SCHOOL SIX ... us