PS 139 Quarterly Newsletter

PS 139 Rego Park

Quarterly
Newsletter

November 2021
Issue 1.0

A Note From Our Administration

It’s hard to believe we’re already into Welcome home, PS 139 family! We are so happy to have
November! The year has proven to be a our students and staff back in the building full time! I'd also
challenging one but is also promising to also like to take this opportunity to welcome all the new families
be a very successful one for our students and we have and thank you all for entrusting us with your
staff, who are all hard at work in our classrooms. There children. As the world continues to rally and come back
is a lot going on, so please make a point of staying from the global setbacks caused by the pandemic, please
in touch and staying involved. know that we are working diligently to prioritize our
students' and families' emotional well-being while
We are continuing our parent town hall meetings. As we did last year there will be continuing to provide the best academic and educational support possible.
two every month – one for grades K-2 and another for grades 3-5. Please be on the
lookout for emails from our parent coordinator Ms. Lipton. They usually go for about We are currently planning for, and hope to have, art residencies through Marquis Studios
30 minutes and they are a great way to quickly check in, hear about what’s return for in-person instruction in the Spring. The arts in school allows students to learn
happening at the school and ask any questions you have. about various topics through creative expression. Some of these residencies include
cultural exploration through mask making and appreciation of our own distinct traits with
We were also fortunate to have two new murals recently painted. Please come take self portraits.
a look at the back of the school yard whenever you have a chance – one of them
even features our Eagle mascot! The artist – who came to us free of charge through a We are also organizing the return of parent workshops on a variety of topics. In the past
NYC grant – did a wonderful job with it. we have shared with families what to expect for the NYS ELA and Math exams for grades
3-5, as well as the Middle School application process. Is there something you're
Things will only get better as the year progresses, so please stay connected! interested in learning more about? Reach out to Mrs. Lipton and we'll do our best to
provide families with more information.
Eleuterio Rolon, Jr., JD
Principal, PS 139 Rego Park Mr. Rolon and I spend a lot of time in classrooms and at lunch with students, talking with
them and hearing them share how happy they are to be back in school with their friends
and teachers. Happy and safe children are our #1 goal here. We are excited to see where
this year takes us, and we're thrilled to have you all along for the journey.

Erin Hookim
Assistant Principal, PS 139 Rego Park

Cluster Teachers

Enrichment: Mrs. Robinson

During enrichment, grades 4 and 5 are participating in the SIFMA foundation’s stock market game. Students
are learning about companies, stocks and investing. Grades 2 and 3 are focusing on Core Values such as
empathy, integrity and responsibility. In November, grade 2 will study different types of landscapes and grade 3
will explore animal adaptations.

Student Council: Mrs. Robinson

Primary elections were held in third, fourth and fifth grade classrooms the week of October 11. A finalist from
each class took part in a final election the week on October 18. The top two vote getters from each grade
became the Student Council Representatives for their grade. I want to congratulate all the students who ran
and commend them for taking an interest in their school and their willingness to work on making it an even
better place to be. Your grade 3 reps are Abha Thapaliya and Parizoda Samatova, Co-Secretaries. Your grade 4
reps are Ryan Joshi and Rudra Sheth, Co-Vice Presidents. Your grade 5 reps are Ethan Benji and Julia Trusova,
Co-Presidents! The first Student Council meeting was held on October 29. Student Council will be running a
food drive the week of November 14-19 sponsored by City Harvest and the NY Daily News.

ENL Team: Ms. T, [email protected] |Ms. Dabool, [email protected] |Ms. Ravnic, [email protected]

Our ENL Program is underway! We have spent the beginning of the school year testing and getting to know our new ENL and not so new ENL Students. This year Ms. T
will be servicing Kindergarten and Third Grade, Ms. Dabool will be servicing First and Fifth grade and Ms. Ravnic will be servicing Second and Fourth Grade. We work
closely with the classroom teachers to make sure our lessons are supportive and effective for our students. If you ever need to speak with us, we would be happy to
meet with you.

We look forward to getting to know your children and helping them master the English language!

Cluster Teachers (Continued)

Technology: Ms. Buckley The Art Room: Mrs Hadouliis

When students come to the It is so exciting to have the students back in the art room and to watch them
computer lab in room 309 they create beautiful artwork.
are using MacBooks to complete Kindergarten students jumped right in and started painting beautiful autumn
projects. The fifth grade is trees. They are learning about all different kinds of lines.
starting the year by creating dynamic animations using Apple’s
presentation application called Keynote. The fourth grade is using a 1st Graders created mosaic apples and are working on sponge painting with
graphics application called Inkscape to create their own original silhouette bats.
graphics while they learn about Creative Commons licensing for digital 2nd Graders learned about artist
content. Third graders are word processing newsletters all about Wassily Kandinsky and they painted
themselves. Second grade students are beginning the year learning their own concentric circles, while
touch typing. First graders are getting familiar with coding concepts incorporating warm and cool colors.
using Code Monkey’s Hour of Code activities. They are working on direct drawings
of scarecrows.
Computer Coding: Mrs. Miller 3rd Graders are studying about artist
Henry Matisse and they are ‘drawing
Kindergarten students are learning how with scissors’ and designing collages.
to handle and operate iPads. They are also 4th Graders learned about artist Keith Haring and they drew people and
learning computer coding using a program incorporated movement in Haring style. Students are making Day of the Dead
called Scratch Jr. 1st and 2nd grade students skulls by using foil transfers.
are learning sequencing and debugging in 5th Graders worked very hard on One Animal, Four Views. They studied an
computer coding using an application called code.org. First grade animal of their choice and creatively drew different views of the animal.
students are learning how to access applications using an iPad, and
the second grade is learning how to navigate on a laptop using They are learning about Pablo Picasso and cubism. Always fun activities in the
Windows 10. art room, so stay tuned.

Cluster Teachers (Continued)

Updates from the Gym: Mrs. Zuckerman Music Making: Mrs. Samo

I am so happy to be back in the gym teaching Our students are so excited about music!
physical education to my students! In all of my For the first 4 weeks of the new school year, we were
classes we jog and exercise every day. In celebrating Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month. All
Kindergarten we are working on our locomotor the students, from Kindergarten through the 5th Grade, have
skills of running, jumping, hopping and skipping. enjoyed singing and moving to stirring rhythms of Latin
We are working in different stations to learn how American music.
to work together to throw and catch a ball. In
Grades 1 - 5, we are learning how to play soccer. So They’ve learned about Mariachi music and sang folk songs
far we have learned how to dribble, pass, and kick from Costa Rica, Mexico, and Bolivia. They virtually travelled
a soccer ball. Next, we will be learning how to be to Brazil while listening to and exploring a modern classical
goalies, learn the differences between offense and piece ‘’The Little Train of the Caipira’’ by Villa – Lobos. The
defense, and learning the rules of game play. See young musicians were inspired to learn “La Morenada,” the
you in the gym! old Bolivian dance, and performed it with such great
enthusiasm in the classroom!

And the musical journey continues!

Throughout the year, all students will be given the
opportunity to explore music and make it an important
part of their lives. They will be exposed to different styles
of music, from classical and folk to jazz. The students will
experience these styles and learn to respond to them
through singing, moving, and analyzing various elements
of music. I hope that my students will successfully
continue this year and become inspired by the great music
they learn in my class.

Cluster Teachers (Continued)

Ms. Devito, Ms. Dietz, and Ms. Karoutsos

Question: What is the cutest of all seasons?
Answer: Awwtumn!

Autumn is an exciting time filled with new experiences and fun activities. In speech, our students have been working on speech and language skills including:

(1) Following directions (2) Increasing vocabulary (3) Listening and reading comprehension...and more!

We have been working on these skills while completing autumn themed activities all season. Reading books about apple picking, sequencing stories about
witches and creating cornucopias of what we love. Improving these skills will help our students continue to grow within their classrooms. With December break
just around the corner, here are a few ideas to continue targeting your child’s speech and language goals at home:

• Describing: Pick a toy or winter animal and practice describing it (color, shape, size, where it lives, etc.)
• Sequencing: Make a favorite drink or treat with your child and talk about the steps before you do it, as you make the item and once you finish
• Ask ‘Wh’ Questions: Read a book and talk about the characters, observations, problems and solutions

Kindergarten – 2nd Grade

Kindergarten Teachers
Kindergarten just completed writing opinion pieces. They chose a favorite book, game or something they like
to do and gave reasons for their opinion. In math we are learning to recognize, write and count numbers 1-5.
We are busy in reading and learning the different parts of a book and story elements. We continue to learn
new letters and sounds weekly. We are looking forward to our Halloween celebrations!

1st Grade Teachers
First grade is off to a flying start this school year! Readers got immersed into their reading program Into Reading. Our First Unit is Nice to Meet You. In this unit, we read fiction and
non-fiction texts. Using these fiction texts, we focus on story elements. The story elements include character(s), setting (Where and When the story took place) and the plot (What
happens in the beginning of the story? What happens in the middle of the story? What happens at the end of the story?

Using non-fiction texts, students are learning how to ask and answer questions. In addition, we are learning the author’s
purpose. Writers are focusing on good speaking and listening skills while they share their stories orally. We are focusing on what
happens in order using the sequence words; first, next, then and last.
In math, we are currently working on addition and subtraction concepts using different strategies such as using counters, a
number line, etc.
We are looking forward to an exciting year.

2nd Grade Teachers
The Second Grade students are off to a great start. They’re working to add and subtract with fluency. They have just begun
to make arrays and we are diving into word problems.

In Reading, we are finishing up our first module which incorporates social studies. We have read many great books about
being a good citizen. We are excited to be wrapping up our first Writing Unit. The children all wrote a Personal Narrative. The
students are getting really good at adding details and being more descriptive.

3rd Grade – 5th Grade

3rd Grade Teachers
Our third graders have been very busy at work. They have done an excellent job getting back into the daily routine of school.
They have been working on building their reading stamina and strengthening reading skills, such as making inferences and
predictions, identifying literary elements and monitoring and clarifying for understanding while reading fictional stories.
We are now going through the writing process to write letters to our future selves.

In math, students have been busy learning various strategies to multiply and divide. In addition, we are exploring inheritance
and traits in various organisms for science.

Lastly, we are studying China in our social studies unit. As you can see, the third grade is very busy!

4th Grade Teachers 5th Grade Teachers
Our fourth graders are becoming awesome researchers. In writing, we Wow! What an exciting start to the year. The children have
will be discovering amazing creatures from the past and present. In accomplished a great deal across the curriculum. The fifth grade
reading, we will find out about how we use our senses to explore the adjusted so well to in-person learning, engaging in SEL Sanford
world around us. Harmony and Brain Power Wellness. Our school has adopted the
new HMH Into Reading Curriculum. In module One, we read
Social studies leads us into the world of about and researched various inventors such as Thomas Edison,
the Native Americans learning about their Henry Ford, and Benjamin Franklin. Students then choose their
homes, tools, clothing and so much more. own inventor and composed expository essays which explained
their contributions to our modern day world.
In math we are building on our basic facts
and learning about multi-digit In mathematics, students tackled concepts such as place value, powers of ten, addition and
multiplication and long division. subtraction of decimals, and now multiplication.

After learning all about energy in science Science had the children exploring patterns of Earth and sky and why we see different stars during
we will be exploring some amazing animal various seasons of the year. We traveled back in time to investigate Pangea, the formation of present
habitats. We can’t wait to share all of our day continents, and the Ice Age.
knowledge with you. Be on the lookout!
We are looking forward to continuing this positive journey with your children until graduation!

PS 139 Halloween Fundraiser

A few weeks before Halloween, the Parents, Teachers, and Administration of PS 139, collectively decided that our kids needed and deserved something fun to celebrate being back in school. Based on all our successful
Halloween events in the previous years, we knew that we had our work cut out for us. The planning began with just a few simple ideas. The ideas got bigger and the tasks very time consuming! Due to the DOE Covid
restrictions, we had a lot of obstacles to overcome but with the help of Principal Rolon, Assistant Principal Hookim, Parent Coordinator Ms. Lipton, and Custodial Engineer Mr. Knee, we came up with a plan that seemed
to start to come together. As we came down to the last two weeks prior to the event, teachers and parents started coming on board to offer their help and support. On the day of the event, teacher and parent
volunteers came out in full force to help with the event. We had volunteers coming before work, after work, and event in between other weekend commitments. Our kids must have prayed for good weather because,
even though it rained a bit during morning set up, we managed to have a rain free event. For a few hours, the sounds of kids laughing, screaming in glee, seeing all the costumes, playing games, and everyone enjoying
the Trunk & Treat, face painting, bouncy castle (despite the long line), and thousands of pieces of candy consumed by both kids and adults …. we managed to have our first successful event and though we learned a few
things during planning, it is because of the support and volunteers from our parents, teachers, and administration that made this event a success. With the help of our sponsor, Costco, donations of snacks/ candy/ and
beverages received from families and teachers who weren’t able to attend, and the older kids from families who just wanted to help deliver an event for their younger siblings, we managed to raise about $5K from the
event to help support other events in the future. They say it takes a village …. What an amazing village that we are all a part of. We look forward to seeing you at the next planned events.

PS 139 Mural Painting

The NYC Artists Corp funded a grant where
Shauna Sorensen, a wonderful dance
instructor from All Star Studios, teamed up
with Annabelle Popa, an amazing artist/
muralist, to deliver a beautiful performance
that focused on the human need for
movement in order to grow and heal. With
instrumental music in the background, Shauna
taught the kids to dance while Annabelle used
similar movements from the dance to create
the strokes that resulted in the Mural. Not
only was the performance beautiful, but it was
a show of mental and physical strength that
lasted almost 5 hours. Thanks to Annabelle,
PS 139Q now has a strong identity in our
community park when she painted the PS 139
Rego Eagles logo on the other wall. Thank you
Shauna + Annabelle + all the folks who
attended the event.