The Richard Rodgers School of the Arts and Technology

Mirlene Dere, PhD., Asst. Principal
Natalia Garcia, Asst. Principal
Larisa Vail, Asst. Principal

 Public School 166                     132 West 89th Street              New York, NY                10024                    (212) 678-2829

WELCOME VISITORS!!  We're sure everyone has realized that there are some new faces at our school today.  We have over 230 Grandparents and Special Friends at PS 166 this morning, and we're all very excited to be showing off our school to you.  We hope you are enjoying your morning with us!

Dates to Remember

May 6          4th Grade Parent Meeting (Ashoken)
May 8        Staff Appreciation Luncheon
May 16       Graduation Photo Day (K & 5 Only)

PTA STAFF APPRECIATION DAY
is Thursday, May 8, 2008.  The PTA will be hosting our traditional staff luncheon.  We are proud of our school and the staff that work so hard to make each day great for our children.  Parents are asked to prepare a dish – appetizer, salad, main course, or dessert - enough to feed 8 - 10 people and bring it to the community room the morning of the 8th.  Please bring food in a disposable dish.  If you have a question please contact Cathy Coppola at c2copp@aol.com.

PTA ELECTION TIME
  Nominations for the 2008-2009 PTA
  Executive Board are still open.  Deadline
  for submissions is Monday, May 12th. 
If you did not receive a nomination form, please contact Mary Anne Regan at regan.r@att.net . Don't think you have the experience? You do! You are a parent in our school.  Please speak to any board member about the position; contact information is on the PTA bulletin board and on the webpage.  This is a great way to get involved and really contribute to our school.

Open door hours
Tuesdays,  8:45 – 9:30 AM
Thursdays,  1:45 – 2:30 PM

A Note from the Afterschool Enrichment Club

Tanya Wills is officially on maternity leave.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding afterschool, please contact Katrina Murray at 646-302-6807 or e-mail her at ps166katrina@aol.com; or contact Natalia Mitchell at nataliaps166@gmail.com.

Also, yearly Program Evaluation Forms have gone home in backpacks.  If you haven't received one, please obtain one from any afterschool staff member.  We'd love to know your opinions and hear your feedback about the year!

CONNECT WITH KIDS
PARENT WORKSHOPS

Conducted by Dana Greco
Licensed Family Therapist / PS 166 Parent
Cafeteria, Room 109

Thursday, May 29th   6:30 PM
Friday, May 30th        8:30 AM

Gale Brewer, the CASA Program, and the Lincoln Center Institute Present
Bob Greene:  Fire on the Mountain
An Evening of Bluegrass Music
PS 166 Auditorium
Friday, May 9, 2008
5:00 PM
FREE!!!

Please bring friends and family.  The performance is appropriate for
children and families of all ages.

Ms. Stone’s K-101 and Mr. Huston’s 3-306 classes were invited to an EXCITING event at The Hilton where U.S. Olympic gymnast, Morgan Hamm, and award winning author/illustrator, Todd Parr read a new book, that is just being released this month, called Be Hospitable: A World United Edition.  The book had messages of teamwork, graciousness and multiculturalism.  After reading the book together the students asked both Todd Parr and Morgan Hamm questions and then completed their own hospitable act by making good luck cards for all the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians.  New York was selected as the first stop in this nationwide youth education tour, which kicked off Wednesday April 30, the official 100-day mark for the 2008 Olympics in Bejing, China andK-101 and 3-306 were sooooo thrilled to be a part of this tour. ~Ms. Mishanie, classroom assistant
    

As a culminating activity in Social Studies, Ms. Stephanie’s class 2-308 is in the final stages of constructing our 3- D city. Our exploration of what makes a community from land development to zoning and planning, have allowed us to explore the various aspects of building and creating a real community, as well as meeting the various needs of a community as a whole. We have tried on many hard hats- from cartographer to architect, and next we will have an Election to find a governor, mayor, and other community leaders necessary for our community to thrive!
~Ms. Michelle, classroom assistant

The students in Ms. Ruffler’s class 3-302 are making Mexico brochures.  Some groups are doing food, culture, festivals, and sports.  We are getting a lot of information for our topics by researching on the computers and reading books.  There are lots of things to write about.  It’s fun because we get to learn interesting things that we never knew about like at Christmas they don’t get presents, instead they get them in early January in what’s called Three King’s Day.

~Chloe Morse, 3-302 student
 

Ms. Volat’s class 5-406 observed igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Our assignment was to categorize twelve rocks. Mr. Volat handed out a tray of tiny pieces of three kinds of rocks and two minutes to classify the rocks.  Then he also showed us some bigger versions of the three types of rocks we're studying.

We learned that an igneous rock is a rock that is formed when magma cools and hardens. Usually, they are black or dark. They are found near volcanoes.  Metamorphic rock is a rock that is formed under heat and pressure.  It usually has glitter on it and swirls of color.  A
sedimentary rock is a rock formed by a lot of different minerals and
sediment.  These rocks are usually bumpy and colorful.  We had a lot of fun learning about the three basic rocks with Mr. Volat and now we're ready for our trip to the Natural History Museum to study gems, minerals and fossils. ~Scott DeSilva & Alison Palmer , 5-406 students