PS4 Alumni Visits Class 501

Denise, a graduate of PS4 attending Syracuse University, visits her 5th grade class.

Denise Romero, a PS4 alumni and freshman at Syracuse University, recently visited class 501!   She shared her college experience with our scholars.  She is an older sibling of Daniel R., who is a current student in that class.  The students really enjoyed hearing specific details about college life, majoring in a subject area of interest, and transitioning to living at school and managing free time effectively.  Denise is majoring in English and Secondary Education.  She wants to be a teacher!

Ms. McLeod, who was her 5th grade teacher, was inspired by College Awareness Day, that took place in January.  "It's important for young scholars to hear from students in college", she said.  "This way they can see that college is something that they can do".  Thank you, Denise, for inspiring our scholars at PS4 and good luck to you in completing your first year at Syracuse!

To see photos from Career Day, that took place in January, click here!   

17 Days of Success - December Attendance Contest Winners

Ms. Schwartz and class 301 wearing holiday hats preparing for their pizza party.

Congratulations to the winning classes from the 17 Days of Success Contest! These classes had the highest attendance during the month of December have won a PIZZA PARTY! The winning classes were:


Class 202 - Ms. Smith & Ms. Delpesh - 96% average

Class 222 - Mr. Diaz - 96% average

Class 301 - Ms. Schwartz - 98% average

Class 501 - Ms. Wilson - 98% average

Class 501

Class 222

On behalf of Mr. Stevens, Ms. Jones, Ms. Martin and Mr. Batiz….Congratulations!  Classes that have the best attendance in January will be invited to a see a movie!

Photo of the Week: June 8-12, 2015

Photo of Nathan M. as he performs at the 2015 Talent Show.

The Photo of the Week was taken by Ms. Lennon from backstage at the 9th annual PS4 Talent Show!  The Talent Show is not only a big fundraiser for our school, it is a major event for the PS4M community.  Taking the stage are student musicians, comedians, dancers, vocalists, actors and even poets.  Nathan M. (Class 501-Ms. Wilson) has been sharing his love of poetry since the 3rd grade.  This year he graduates with honors and shared William Shakespeare's famous soliloquy from Hamlet.  "To be or not to be....that is the question", is the way Nathan eloquently began his performance in front of an audience of nearly 300 guests.  Special thanks to Mr. Cantu (his Talent/Peotry Coach) for keeping poetry alive at PS4M.

Senior Trip to Sportime USA

5th grade students from Ms. Marmolejos & Mr. Nycz's class at Sportime USA.

Congratulations to the graduating girls and boys of the 5th grade who went to Sportime USA in Elmsford, New York!  They enjoyed 4 hours of unlimited games, roller coasters, laser tag and bumper cars!  They even got a $10 game card!

Thanks to Kenya our party host who made sure we had a lot of fun.  Special thanks to Jackie Rivera (Sales and Marketing) and Jay Matthew (Sportime President) for making sure our students had an opportunity to participate in all that Sportime had to offer.  Take a look at the slide show below for some highlights from the festive occasion!

Free slideshow generated with Smilebox

Two 5th Grade Girls Donate to PS4

Veia G. (top) and Stacey E. are creative 5th graders who are helping PS4 raise money.

The PS4 School Store, run by members of the Honor Society and managed by Ms. Lennon (librarian), is not just a rolling cart where students get to purchase school supplies.  The School Store is a fundraising initiative that allows students to understand the concept of money, learn elements of customer service and experience running a small business.  Each year, student leaders are encouraged to support their school by creating a product to sell at the PS4 School Store.

This year, Stacey E. and Veia G. (5th graders from Ms. Wilson's class) are donating their creativity to help PS4 raise money for school assemblies and programs.  They are decorating pens with Duck tape!  Proceeds of the sale of every pen will support PS4.  "I wanted to sell these pens to help my parents with money for my college education.  But, the school needs money", said Stacey who wants to be a doctor and give these pens to hospitalized children.  Veia wants to be a designer of shoes and dresses.  She used Duck Tape to create her own tablet bag!  "YouTube has videos on how to make everything", she exclaims.

Duck Tape Pens are wrapped in decorative duck tape and will be sold for $2 in the cafeteria from 11:30-12:30pm.  For directions on how to make your own Duck Tape Pen, click here!  

PS4 Celebrates Black History: Black History Month Assembly

Under the direction of Social Studies Teacher Mr. Harris, students create a timeline.

At our annual Black History Assembly, students from grades 2 through 5 celebrated a few of the many achievement by African-Americans.  Two students were awarded with certificates for participating in an essay contest and representatives from the Harlem Swing Dance Society showed how Swing Dancing in 1930's Harlem has influenced the hip-hop dancing of today.  Under the direction of Mr. Means, class 501 shared a powerful poem about Harriet Tubman and Social Studies Teacher Mr. Harris guided students in creating a timeline with the names of seven African-Americans in the fields of science, literacy and civil rights.  To see the full video of the performance by class 501, click here or click the photo below!


Tubman Poem By Class 501 from PS4M on Vimeo.

Special thanks to Ms. Barbara Jones and Ray Davis from the Harlem Swing Dance Society!  For more information about their organization, click here!  Take a look at the photo collage below for highlights from the event!

Create a collage

5th Graders Attend Latin Jazz Workshop

Students from Class 502 play the Conga Drums after learning about the history of Latin Jazz.

 
Chris Washburne and percussionist Oreste Abrantes played music and discussed Latin Jazz at a recent workshop that was given to 5th grade students.  This was one of the many ways that PS4 celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month.  But, what students really enjoyed was playing the instruments that the Professor of Music and Director of a jazz program at Columbia University brought to our school.

During this workshop, students learned about the history of Latin Jazz.  They were told about the origin of instruments like the clave, conga drum and cow bell.  These instruments were brought to Caribbean islands by African slaves.  Students were able to take notes and ask questions.  "Music is a very important subject to learn in school", said Mr. Washburne as he answered one of many great questions that PS4 students asked.  "It teaches you how to work together and how to improvise".

Special thanks to Jonathon Greenburg at Community Works for supporting music education in our school.  All 5th graders have been invited to attend a performance funded by this great organization on October 29th at Hostos Community College.  Chris Washburne and his band will be performing!  Take a look at the slide show below for some highlights from the workshop in the PS4 auditorium and click here to read more about Mr. Washburne!

This free slideshow design generated with Smilebox

Washington Heights Library Reopens

Members of the PS4 Honor Society & Ms. Wilson's class cut the ribbon of the newly reopened library with local politicians.

The PS4 Honor Society and Ms. Wilson's class were invited to join the Washington Heights New York Public Library for their grand reopening and centennial celebration!  The renovated branch now features materials and dedicated spaces for adults, teens, and children, a multipurpose community room, nearly 50 brand-new desktop computers, and more than a dozen laptop computers with Wi-Fi capability!  PS4 Honor Society members, instructed by our librarian Ms. Lennon, and Ms. Wilson's class (501), instructed by our music teacher Mr. Means, performed in front of nearly 300 local officials, community organizations, school children and residents of the Washington Heights community! 

Click here to see the news report from the event on Time Warner Cable!

http://www.ny1.com/content/news/204584/washington-heights-library-reopens-to-rave-reviews

Check out the photo collage below for more highlights from the event!

Free picture collage created with Smilebox

PS4 5th Graders Design in the Classroom

Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Design Educator, Allison Cox gives students in Ms. Wilson's class a design challenge.

The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum's Design in the Classroom Program brings a basic understanding of design to the classroom!  Recently, students in 5th grade classrooms were visited by Allison Cox, Design Educator for Cooper-Hewitt.  During her 45-minute workshop, students solved a challenge through prototyping or creating a smaller version of a structure that will solve a problem.  Ms. Allison worked with each class to create a structure for kids on the beach!  "PS4 students are very innovative", she said.  "They really thought about the challenge and even created a water slide with a tent for a sunscreen".  Ms. Allison went on to talk about how design impacts our daily life and how it is thinking at a higher level.

Special thanks to Allison Cox and the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum!

  Ms. Allison and Physical Education Teacher, Mr. Ovalle, support students with a design challenge.

5th Grader Wins Writing Contest!

The PS4 family is very proud of our very own Adriana H., from class 501.  Adriana’s story “George” was selected as one of the twelve winners of the Peter J. Murray (one of our favorite authors) Spooky Story Writing Contest!  The story will soon be published in a book, along with the eleven other winning stories and a special story written by Mr. Murray.  Recently, this author visited PS4 and spoke to students from 3rd and 4th grade about his famous Mokee Joe character.  "You were all born with the most powerful tool in the world...your imagination", the author said during the assembly.

Author Peter Murray (center) pictured here with PS4 Librarian Ms. Lennon and students.

On Thursday, May 30th, Adriana is invited to attend a spooky lunch with Peter J. Murray.  Adriana and the chaperone from PS4 will be picked up at the school by limousine and transported to the Jekyll & Hyde Club Restaurant in midtown Manhattan.  Adriana will also receive 20 copies of the book for her family and friends and copies of the book for our school.

Congratulations, Adriana!  Special thanks to Judy Parker (Carmel Hill Director), Tommy Parker (Carmel Hill Implementation Specialist), and Ms. Wilson (Adriana's teacher).

Adriana H. with her teacher (Ms. Wilson).

Students Visit the Museum of Mathematics

Lynn Cartwright-Punnett, Museum Education Coordinator, speaks to students.

After its December 15th grand opening, PS4 was one of the first set of schools to visit New York City's newest museum; the Museum of Mathematics located on E26th Street in Manhattan.  After receiving name tags, students were led downstairs to attend a workshop about knots!  "Knot Theory is the mathematics of knots!", says Lynn Cartwright-Punnett, Museum Education Coordinator.  "Students will use rope and their jobs to make, explore, and classify knots.  The Knot Theory program relates to students work in geometry to study and classify shapes based on properties.  The work that students do with knots strengthens the same skills students do with shapes in geometry".

  

Students were also given an opportunity to explore the museum which included, pulley systems, puzzles, games, and even a bicycle with square wheels!  Teachers enjoyed the museum as well.  "Teachers are always looking for hands on learning experiences that involve math concepts", said Ms. Cabral.  "The activities at this museum are perfect...I can't wait to bring my nephew".

Congratulations to Miss Lynn and her staff at the Museum of Mathematics!  Click here for more information about the programs they have to offer and see below for some highlights from our trip!


           
         

What Is The 5th Learning About?

After the Social Studies Quiz Bowl, the 5th grade is changing their focus from The United States Government to the expansion of America. Students will be learning about the Louisiana Purchase, explorers like Lewis and Clark and the history of Native Americans living in this country. Look forward to the students gaining their knowledge by constructing timelines, Venn Diagrams and completing a research paper about the expansion of America. "I think our students will be ready for the challenge", says school's Social Studies teacher, Mr. Harris.

For great resources to help you learn about the expansion of America, check out these websites!

• History.org - Westward Expansion
• PBS.org - Lewis and Clark Trail Interactive Map
• Bookrags.com - Timeline of Westward Expansion Events
• Westward Movement