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Our Art Teacher, Ms. Alfredson, applied for and was awarded a grant to bring Marquis Studios into our school for an After School Program.
First grade students participate in Circus Arts and Puppetry classes on Mondays. Grade Two students are learning about Radio Theater and Folk and Fairy Tales on Tuesdays.

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Class K213 visited Build-a-Bear in January. Students will use the experience to write how-to pieces.

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K-211 recently stratified milkweed seeds that we collected in October at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.  We are attempting to mirror winter conditions so that we can grow the plants indoors.  We will then plant the seedlings at the Refuge in May where they will provide food for monarch caterpillars. This year, we are experimenting with growing a batch of unstratified milkweed seeds (collected in December) to see if they will germinate.

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Family Game Night and Parent Conferences

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Family Game Night and Parent Conferences

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The teachers at PS 197 voted to move May conferences to January. Teachers distributed Progress Reports giving parents an opportunity to understand how their children are progressing  mid-way through the school year.
The same night, families were invited to the cafeteria to play board games with our staff.
In the picture below, Ms. Licari is running a BINGO game for our families.

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In January, we launched our Saturday program. Third, fourth and fifth graders who are participating in our Saturday Enrichment Program are working to fine tune their ELA and Math skills. At Saturday Club, students also have opportunities to play games. Here some of our third graders are playing Chinese Checkers.

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Ms. Colley, Mr. Richford and Mr. Slavin received training on the new A+ STEM Lab Computer Carts. The carts are equipped with laptops, sensors and even pulse rate monitors that students will be able to use during science experiments.

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New Mural installation on the 1st Floor!

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New Mural installation on the 1st Floor!

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Classes participated in creating a new mural from recycled material to display on the 1st floor. We pledge to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible at P.S.197!

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In January, Class 4-419 and Class 4-418 learned how to mount a motor and connect it to a base so that it will be sturdy. Then groups presented their projects to the class and discussed what they learned from the experience.

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At Saturday Club, students engage in Arts and Crafts. Here, Ms. Campanie is helping a group of fourth graders construct a lantern to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

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The Student Council met with our school custodian, Mr. Ferrara, to discuss a project that would enable the Council to paint inspirational quotes in our hallways. The Student Council hopes to begin this project in February.

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Deputy Superintendent Melchiorre toured our Social Studies Fair. The Social Studies Fair was on display during the week of January 21. The projects were created in collaborative groups in classrooms. Student representatives from each class spoke to the deputy superintendent about their projects.

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In January, Class 5-511 and Class 5-506 built either windshield wipers or conveyor belts. This project is part of a year long curriculum that will eventually enable students to build their own machines.

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Ms. Little is teaching fifth graders how to read music and play the bells in Saturday School.

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Class 5-506 attended a Tae Kwon Do class in January. Students warmed up with the instructor, practiced Martial Arts and completed an obstacle course. Ms. Denisova is interested in Tae Kwon Do and wanted to share that interest with her class.

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Class 4-416, 4-418 and 4-420 visited the Whitney Museum to take in the Andy Warhol exhibit.

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Our Kindergarten students are participating in a Children's Theater residency. During these workshops, students are working with artists to perform a skit based on a book. They are also writing songs based on the book.
This grant was awarded to us as a result of our Art Teacher's hard work.

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In Ms. Torres' Art Class, students are using patterns to create mosaic designs.

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Teachers across the school designed door decorations to carry messages of kindness and acceptance for the launch of "Just Say Hi"

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Our after school directors, Colwin Benn (NYJTL), Lucille Mauro (Midwood) and LeNard Pitts (Urban Arts) took time out of their busy schedules to tour the school and serve as judges for our "Just Say Hi" door competition.

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We have been selected to receive a solar panel installation at our school in the next 3 years. The process is slow, but we will have solar power at P.S.197 in the near future. Thanks to our school community for working to reduce electricity consumption in our school by turning off the lights when leaving a room and using natural light when possible.

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Members of the Student Leaders Club accept a banner from the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Foundation. PS 197 staff members raised $3,000 to support the foundation.

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Mr. Goldstone, PE Teacher, hosts an assembly to launch PS 197's "Jump Rope for Heart" fundraiser. Our Jump Rope for Heart Event is scheduled for February 14 and 15.

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Water Bottle Filling Station is being installed soon!

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Water Bottle Filling Station is being installed soon!

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We won a grant from the Office of Sustainability for a water bottle filling station. It's about time!!! Installation should be completed by spring 2019. Thanks to the Office of Sustainability for awarding us this grant. We are very excited!

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Grace Chough, TC Consulatant, and Rosemarie Nicoletti, Principal, coach into Ms. Sladky as she works to help students devise work plans for their writing.