feb 2017 newsletter

1. Welcome Back! …. FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS- February 2017 Issue 6
PS/IS 226 Panther Pride Press
“Together We Make Our
School a Success”
This February we have 29 days to continue that momentum as we leap into a calendar
full of activities to help our students learn, grow, and develop. On February 10th, middle
school students will have a designated time slot for them to attend our annual
Valentine's Day dance. PS/IS 226 is happy to announce we are differentiating Respect for
All for middle schooler's for the very first time due to the guidance and support of our
amazing student council. As a cabinet, student council representatives came together to
review activities that would provide students with a platform to celebrate diversity and
show respect for all as well as bring attention to issues they feel passionate about, such
as depression. For further details, please be sure you visit our school website to read
more about what's in store for each day during the week of February 13-17.
Ms. Trovato 6th
Grade Social Studies
Grade 6 just has just completed their unit
assessment on World Religions. We are now
working on analyzing how great civilization rise
and fall.
Ms. Sapienza 7th
Grade Social Studies
The 7th graders just finished their mid-unit
assessment - writing an informational essay on
the reasons colonists in the 1700s chose to stay
loyal to the British crown, or fight for
independence with the Patriots. The second part
of the unit will be focused around the
influential thinkers that played a role in the
ideas outlined in the Declaration of
Independence, the battles fought during the
American Revolution, and the creation of
America's first government.
Ms. Sapienza- 8th
Grade Social Studies
The 8th graders are wrapping up their
American Imperialism unit. The students are
currently working on their informative essays.
The writing skills gained from writing
informational essays will support them later on
in high school when they take their Social
Studies Regents exams. This past unit will segue
into the causes of World War I, our next unit.
The WWI unit will be focused on different
beliefs countries had that resulted in the world
war. The students will be using simulation
games to show what life was like for soldiers in
the trenches and focus their writing on
synthesizing primary source documents taken at
that time.
Ms. Montanes- Monthly Highlights and Inspirational
Quotes
Ms. Issa 6th
Grade ELA
After a very productive and exciting unit on World Wonders, we are now extending
the unit through essay writing on these wonders. Students are assuming four
possible options of roles (news reporter, travel agent, archeologist, or a persuading
letter) in writing an argumentative essay about the wonder of their choice. We are
already very excited during the drafting process and we can't wait to see where this
will take us!
Ms. Jompulsky 7th
Grade ELA
Now that we've closely read our two texts, it's time to write! We've spent weeks
reading and analyzing both 'Twelve Angry Men' and 'I Have a Dream,' determining
how these two talented authors convey their ideas about democracy. We will now
be taking on the role of a historian, examining how these authors convey their
unique perspectives by using such strategies as figurative language, repetition,
dialogue and stage directions. In this timely written piece, we will be exploring how
these authors are disappointed in the democracy of their times but are also quite
hopeful for the future.
M
Ms. Stansici 8th
Grade ELA
8th Grade continues its art unit with the story, "Zebra" by examining various
literary layers that make this a favorite story. Some of the skills include character
types, mood, imagery, and inference. Students will soon take a page out of the
story to create their own art projects using mixed media.

2. Panther Pride Press- January 2017- Issue 6
Ms. D’Acierno- 6th
Grade
Mathematics
This month we are working on calculating percents of a quantity and solving real-world percent
problems involving sales tax, discounts, interest, etc. Our 6th grade super stars are progressing
beautifully and are able to make real-world connections. Test-taking strategies are being
incorporated into the lessons, which are beneficial to all learners. Students are even volunteering to
create power points for their classmates and are willing to conduct lessons. Amazing!!! Keep up the
excellent work super stars!
Mr. Greene- 7th
Grade Mathematics
Can you believe it's February already? Wow, how time flies when you're having fun! Let's talk
inequality, numerically speaking. An inequality is when two sides of an equation are not equal.
Inequalities are so important and will be a major part of our continued focus in our unit of study.
Stay warm and keep working hard - it's been a great year so far, let's keep it going. "Success is built
on the essence of hard work."
Mr. Hadzovic- 8th
Grade Mathematics
Before February we were working on how to solve an equation with one variable, but now we are
transitioning to a system of linear equations! A system includes two or more equations that contain
two or more variables. During the middle of February we will be transitioning to Geometry, the
measurements of shapes. We cannot wait to learn more about Pi. Wait - did someone say Pi? Great
now, I'm hungry!
Ms. Salcedo-6th
Grade Science
The 6th grade young scientists are exploring the structure and composition of the
Earth's atmosphere. They are creating models of the thin envelope of air and
illustrating how it protects life and insulates the Earth. They are also investigating the
mechanisms by which energy is transferred through Earth's systems and demonstrating how
energy is provided by the sun that causes atmospheric movements and weather conditions. They
are also working hard on their long-term investigatory projects.
Ms. Salcedo- 7th
Grade Science
The 7th graders are focusing their study on the diversity of life through the study of cells. They are
observing wet mounts, creating models of plant and animal cells, comparing and contrasting
prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, identifying and describing cell organelles and explaining how cells
make different organisms. They are exploring the factors affecting organism's homeostasis at the
cellular level. They are also enthusiastically working on their science expo projects.
Ms. Toyber- 8th
Grade Science
This month our seniors are exploring the
different types of rocks, weathering, and
erosion. Through a series of hands-on
activities and experiments, they identify
the various tests used to determine rock
properties, as well as the difference
between weathering and erosion. On the
other hand, our 8th grade Living
Environment seniors are exploring the
different human body systems, all while
making connections to their own lives.
All IS 226 scientists are eagerly working
on their long-term scientific investigation
projects.
Mr. Kent- Digital Literacy
As Respect for All week begins,
students will tackle the issue of
bullying as it relates to another topic
that has made news lately, the First
Amendment. Do students have the
same freedoms that their parents do?
When does the First Amendment
apply to cases of bullying? These are
the types of questions that students
will deliberate.
Ms.
Reyes-
Spanish Club
This month my bilingual learners are
going to compare and contrast the
quinceanera with the traditional
American sweet sixteen-birthday
celebration. Equally important, as a
culminating task they will become
party planners by creating a power
point about a quinceanera
celebration.

3. 3
ANotefromOurGuidanceCounselor-Ms.Tsekouras"
Ms. Trombetta
Seventh and Eighth grade band students have been
working on a higher level of artistry by shaping the
notes and rhythms on the page. They are looking
forward to performing on February 15th at the
Community Education Council meeting appointing
our new principal, Mr. Klein.
8th
Grade students, who applied for Specialized HS, will receive letters with Round 1
results in March. At this time, you will need to accept. You must do this by the date
indicated on the Round 1 results letter. Students who do not receive an offer in Round 1
must submit a Round 2 application the date on the letter. If you prefer programs on
the Round 2 program list to your Round 1 offer, you may also submit a Round 2
application. By doing so, you agree to the following: You will give up your Round 1 offer
if your child matches to a program you list on the Round 2 application. You will not be
able to choose between your Round 1 and Round 2 offers. An appeal to your Round 1
offer will not be considered. If you do not receive an offer in Round 2, you will keep
your Round 1 offer. Round 2 applications and a list of available programs will be in my
office, Room 461 after Round 1 results are distributed. If you are interested in submitting
a Round 2 application, you should plan to attend the Round 2 Fair. The Fair dates and
time will be published here:
http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/High/events/default.htm. If you have any
questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at: (718) 234-4940 extension
4611. Sincerely, Your School Counselor – Ms. Tsekouras
http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/High/events/default.htm. If you
have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at: (718)
234-4940 extension 4611. Sincerely, Your School Counselor – Ms.
Tsekouras
Mr Pratt/ Mr. Convissar- Physical Education
Our amazing girls volleyball team finished the
regular season with a perfect record. In their final
match they beat Cavallaro 25-20 and 25-22. We are
now headed into the playoffs looking to bring the
city championship back to 226. GO PANTHERS!!
Mr. Geraci- Middle School Art
Art students have been creating drawings
influenced by traditional Chinese art in celebration
of the Lunar New Year. Next, we will be looking at
scenes of nature and begin depicting winter
landscapes.
"Ms. Shammas & Class 804 It's February!
The first month of the new year is
already in the books. In our ELA section,
seniors continue to promenade through
our unit of study, "The Power of Art".
The benefits of this unit are manifold -
sharpening students' abilities to make
predictions, ask questions, infer themes,
cite text evidence, and examine author's
purpose and characterization. At the
same time seniors are experiencing for
themselves the power art has to
influence their own lives as well as
society in general. Math continues its
uphill slope into linear and non-linear
equations and how they can be
identified, created and applied to real life
situations. To celebrate Black History
Month, the class will be discovering and
analyzing the impact black culture and
its contributions have had in our
communities and on our country.
Ms. Alvarez & 704 In ELA, class
s
Class 604 just finished our chapter on
ratios in Math. We will begin exploring
percent next. Students will learn how to
model percent, how to write percent as
fractions and decimals, how to find the
whole from a percent, and how to find
the percent of a quantity. We are in our
3rd unit of study in ELA. Students are
learning about world wonders. They are
reading the text, "World Wonders, Worn
Down?" and they will write an
argumentative essay about whether or
not we have a duty to preserve world
wonders for future generations.

4. Panther Pride Press- January 2017- Issue 6
Ms. Thomas- In the month of January our digital scholars have been
hard at work focusing on student led learning. Students are taking an
active role in their learning process by taking on teacher roles and
leading the entire class in academic discussions. Not only is this process
exciting but our students are definitely getting more bang for their
educational buck by learning through teaching!
ENL with Mr. Delmonte
ENL students this month will be expanding their vocabulary
by learning new strategies like creating visual mnemonics to
remember and utilize advanced word choice in their writing
and speaking. They will also be studying the paintings of
Norman Rockwell. Students will be analyzing his works and
exploring their stories through tableau, silent conversation,
and improvisation. At the end of the unit, students will
write a descriptive paragraph about their favorite Rockwell
painting.
Classes 605 and 805 continue to work hard! This month we will be finishing up our
unit on Exploration. Our last genre in the unit is a play. Through our theme of
Exploration we will be discussing the difference between realism and fantasy. We will
also continue working in our guided reading groups differentiated by reading levels.
For Math in class 605, we have begun exploring division using different picture
strategies. We will continue to work on this throughout the month. In Math in 805, we
will continue practicing our money skills as well as multiplication and subtraction.