Special Music SchoolParent Teacher Association

UPBEATSpecial Music School PTA monthly Newsletter

Oct

ober

20

14

Samantha BrinkmanKindergarten

Piano

FallMessagesDear families,

another wonderful start to the school year. I love the month of October because a certain buzz begins in the classrooms. students begin to settle down into books and projects and become engrossed searching for answers and asking questions.

This month we begin by celebrating the life of Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace prize. We will be reading an autobigraphy by Karen Leggett abouraya. I hope you will join your children in discussing her important work.

October also begins our work with NDI. We are so lucky to have this partnership with the National Dance Institute and look forward to their work ahead. The first performance is December 18th at 9:00.

October also marks the beginning to our new professional development structure for staff. Monday afternoons are dedicated time for our staff to work as “critical friends.” Now that our staff has expanded we have formed groups of teachers to work together to develop collaborative conversation around classroom dilemmas.

some of these dilemmas have focused on instructional techniques (i.e- having students accumulate understanding in a chapter books, or developing more sophisticated ideas around fractions) other conversations are to support individual students in our classroom. It’s a wonderful mark of a reflective and hard working staff that we can support each other with our new professional development structure.

This year we will have a different schedule for our parent/ teacher conferences. Our night

time conferences will be held on November 19th from 4-7, and our afternoon conferences will be held on November 20th from 1-3.

also a reminder that we will not have school on November 4th and 11th.

I want to formally welcome all our new students from kindergarten to tenth grade. Our community continues to diversify in its instrumentation and creativity. Thanks sMs.

Katie Banucci-smith, PrincipalThe special Music school

sMs K-8 is gearing up for performance classes, juries and grade concerts. The halls are ringing with the sounds of some very dedicated summer practice and the organized work that is happening this Fall.

Written by : Katie Banucci-smith - Principal, The Specal Music School

sMsUPBeaTOCTOBeR

We will welcome Young Concert artist clarinetist Narek arutyunian on November 12 at 2 PM in the ann goodman Recital Hall and sMs kids are working hard for Kronos masterclasses on Thursday, October 23 at the High school; sMs families are welcome to attend both events. There are several exciting masterclasses at the high school this year; new Dean of Music, seth Baer, will keep us updated as to

what is on the horizon.

as you know, we are trying a new jury schedule in December, a compact 4 days. We are also adding sight reading to our jury requirements for December. Our children have wonderful musical ears, which means that they can sometimes bypass music reading for awhile and use their ears to tell them whether they are playing a piece correctly. What

a delightful problem to have, in some ways! However, we realize that for some of our children, the biggest challenges appear with the assignment of a new piece when a recording or performance is not available, or when the piece is more complicated. More sight reading skill will make that part of the process easier and more enjoyable. Ultimately, I know every family hopes their children will

enjoy being able to read through music--whether alone or in ensembles--just to explore the music or to play together for fun. Our faculty is excited to further support this aspect of our curriculum.

Keep up the great work! I look forward to seeing you all at Performance Classes and grade Concerts.

The school year is off to a healthy start in the music department at sMsHs. We now have twice as many students (100, as opposed to 50 last year), which makes some larger pieces possible! students are working on preparing a Telemann Cantata O schönes Weltgebaüde, for voices and orchestra; John adams’ scratchband for

amplified ensemble; and several significant works by John Cage. There are also many exciting small and medium sized chamber ensembles rehearsing for concerts in December.

Face the Music has grown to around 200 members, from all over the city, and any given sunday you can find

two different orchestras (FTM symphony and FTM Philharmonic), a jazz band (samurai Mama Big Band), and improvisation ensemble (sound Bite Orchestra) and an assortment of quartets and chamber groups rehearsing between 12 and 9 PM. Kronos Quartet is coming for their first visit on October 23rd, and will

finish a day of coaching with a panel discussion about their life as a quartet - please come and hear what they have to say. The Kronos activities are all open to the sMs community and will be held at the sMsHs (MLK Building).

Written by : sandra Noreen - Dean of Music

Written by : Jennifer Undercofler - Director of Music, Director FTM

Year two of the high school is off and running. This september, we welcomed fifty new ninth graders into the high school community—doubling our high school student population. The ninth and tenth graders have spent the last month getting to know one another and acclimating to academic and music courses. We were also fortunate enough to welcome several new staff members to the high school staff including ari Friedman (global History), Hillary Moore (guidance), Robert Raph (Chemistry), and elli simonen (Math). These teachers have joined returning staff members, sarah anderson (esL), Noah gordon (eLa), and Morgan Harlan (spanish). as the high school continues to grow, we have several projects in the works—most notably our Learning Collective advisory program, which has grown substantially this year. Learning Collectives kicked off the year with a week of anonymous gift giving and a big advisor reveal at

our first official town meeting of the year. students were excited to find out which staff member would serve as their advisor for their four years at sMs and to start working collaboratively and receiving support from their Collective peers. This year, LC advisors will facilitate student-led conferences with parents. More information about this initiative will be communicated in the coming months. as part of the “sMs goes google” initiative, the high school has launched a high school website and course specific sites to support students and parents. although still a work in progress, the site provides information about the sMs academic and music programs, campus information, school policy, and parent resources. Please stop by to check it out! at our October 16th Town Meeting, the high school will host its first official Cover Me competition. as part of the competition, students have

the opportunity to cover a song chosen by the staff. anything goes with this competition—a cappella, instrumental, duets, solos, large ensembles, etc. Cover Me Champs receive Cover Me t-shirts designed by Ms. anderson, in addition to bragging rights. Our students have been hard at work these last few weeks adding their own take to “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes. Video of the winning cover will be posted to the school website. Lastly, the high school students and staff would like to issue a formal thank you to the parent body for supporting our high school purchase of lockers. The lockers have made a substantial difference in the lives of our students and in the functionality and feel of our space. We are incredibly grateful. Looking ahead, we are planning our first set of student-led conferences, electing a student government, and working towards January music juries and January midterms.

Written by : Kristen Palmieri - High School

Dear sMs families,

On behalf of the special Music school PTa, we look forward to a wonderful year complete with special programs and events that will support the academic and music needs of all sMs students, grades K to 10. We will kick off the year with a community celebration – the annual Halloween Party – and continue planning other special events and fundraiser initiatives, like the sMs Playathon, auction, Talent show, art show and a few other family friendly and fun events. We believe these programs will help to bring the community closer together and also help to raise the kind of funding that our school depends on, to purchase classroom supplies, library books, new technology, field trips, dance classes and performances, and so much more.

With your help, the vibrant sense of community that exists here at sMs will continue to flourish. The PTa will need all parents to become engaged as volunteers, project leaders, and ambassadors in the community to ensure that we can achieve our goals and afford our children an enriched education at the special Music school. We also want to take this opportunity to thank all parents who have thus far made a commitment to financially support the PTa. We hope to reach 100% participation on both PTa and Kaufman Center funding this year. We know we can do it!

The PTa would also like to hear more from parents, especially about new ideas you may have to build community, foster more communication, and raise more funding from within the larger NYC community. We encourage

you to reach out to us to share your thoughts and ideas. More importantly, we ask you to consider being a parent leader on some of the upcoming programs planned for the year, and/or propose a new program to launch – especially if it will benefit the sMs community at large and help our children to succeed. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the next PTa meeting!

Thank you for support of the sMs PTa

Michelle Marquez & Luis UgazCo-Presidents, sMs PTa

Written by : Michelle Marquez & Luis Ugaz - Co-Presidents, SMS PTa

Seventh graders explore mineral lattice structures by making models with marshmallows and toothpicks as part of a Geology Unit.

sMsUPBeaTOCTOBeR

8 MagazineUPBEAT

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s

Die ZauberfloteMy name is Connor Tsui and I’m in 7th grade and I play the cello. This Fall, I was cast in Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) at the Metropolitan Opera. I was in the same production last year but this time, the

Met is doing the

full-length German version and there is an extra long scene in it for the 3 boys. I play the 1st Spirit and there are 2 other boys who are slightly older than I am who play the 2nd and 3rd Spirits. My part is the highest. We sing with Tamino, then Papageno and Tamino, then Pamina, then Papageno. The spirits are guides to help the

main characters make good

decisions about their lives.

If you would like to see it, there are 9 performances, but we’ve already done 4.

http://metopera.org/opera/die-zauberflote-mozart-tickets

The best part has been performing with great musicians and having so many of my SMS friends and teachers come to watch, and the worst part is the costume.

PS. Here is a news feature that was aired on Norwegian TV on Oct 5 just before opening night. A news crew came out and followed us at the dress rehearsal. The 2nd Spirit is half Norwegian.

Click on the following Youtube link to watch.

Sebastian Berg in Die Zauberflote, Met Opera

click on CC bottom right for english subtitles

Cover Me is a competition at the High School where student groups are asked to reinterpret a song.

This month four groups worked to perform Be My Baby by the Ronettes.

The Winners are Raimi Kadi Bactowal, Michelle David, Boubacar Diallo, Jason Miller, Freddy Renaud

SMSUPBEATOCTOBER

Congratulations Ms. Alyssa

and Happy Birthday Charlotte and Olivia

Alyssa Chapados, 3rd grade teacher out on maternity leave. Twins.Charlotte has her eyes open and Olivia is snoozing

Play-A-Thon

SMS 2014 Spring Community Concert Series &

Play-A-Thon Update

SMS 2014

April 25th Sinai

Play-A-Thon

SMS 2014 Spring Community Concert Series &

Play-A-Thon Update

SMS 2014

March 30th Church of Advent Hope

Play-A-ThonSMS 2014

April 27th Esplanade

Play-A-ThonSMS 2014

May 2nd Sinai

By: Dr. Luz Claudio Mount sinai school of Medicine

It is flu season, again. As the cold weather starts and we have to wear our coats, hats and gloves, we also need to protect ourselves so we don’t get sick. Although you can get a cold or flu (influenza) at any time of the year, the peak months when most people get it is December through March.

The flu and cold is caused by viruses that spread from person to person. So if a person who has the flu sneezes or coughs near you, you can breathe-in the viruses and get sick. A single sneeze can have 3,000 droplets containing viruses that are sprayed at a speed of 100 miles per hour! So you don’t have to be that close to a sick person to get these drops on you.

The influenza viruses can live for about 24 hours outside of the body. This is why, if you touch a surface on which a sick person has sneezed or coughed, you can get the virus on your hands. If you then touch your mouth, eyes or nose, you can get the virus into your body where it can make you sick.

To avoid getting the flu or cold, follow these simple steps:

1. Get the flu vaccine –People who are 6 months or older should get the vaccine. You should get the vaccine in October or November of every year because it takes about 2 weeks for it to work. Every year, the CDC tries to predict which strains of the influenza virus will be most likely to infect people in the United States. Then the manufacturers make the vaccine to try to match the virus combination that they expect will be most common that year. You could have the bad luck of being exposed to a strain of the virus that was not in this year’s vaccine, but still, the viruses are similar enough that the vaccine will give you some protection.

2. If you are squeamish about needles, get the vaccine anyway – There is a nasal spray flu vaccine. Call your physician to see if she has it available.

3. Wash your hands- There is NO substitute for washing your hands with soap and water. It is the most effective way to avoid catching a cold or flu. Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands and ALWAYS wash your hands before eating anything. You need to have soap on your hands for at least 10 seconds for it to kill all the germs. Sing a song or count slowly to 10 to make sure that you wash your hands for long enough.

4. Use hand sanitizer – Although it is always best to wash hands with soap and water, hand sanitizers can be very effective in reducing the numbers of colds in schools. It is best to use alcohol-based sanitizers. Avoid those that contain Triclosan.

5. Avoid touching your face – If you are playing an instrument that is shared by other students, do not touch your face while you are playing. After your practice or lesson, wash your hands well with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Dr. Luz Claudio is a Professor of Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the mother of Elis Carmen who is in Second Grade.

Protecting yourself from getting colds and flu..

sMsUPBeaTOCTOBeR

SMS PHYSICAL EDUCATION NEWSLETTER 2014

All  of  our  students  will  be  participating  in  specific  activities  to  help  them  increase  their  level  of  fitness  for  the  NYC  Fitnessgram  that  they  will  do  in  December.    Reminder:  The  NYC  FITNESSGRAM  assessment  for  students  in  grades  K—12  is  one  tool  to  support  students  as  they  develop  personal  goals  for  lifelong  fitness.    It  does  not  compare  one  student  to  another.    Results  are  based  on  whether  an  individual  student  is  in  the  Healthy  Fitness  Zone®  for  their  age  and  sex.  This  is  just  one  tool  used  nationwide  to  help  families  focus  on  fitness  and  healthy  habits.    NYC  FITNESSGRAM  results  are  not  the  complete  measure  of  health,  but  they  do  provide  key  information  about  aspects  of  a  child’s  health  and  fitness  levels.  Doctors  tell  us  that  the  eating  and  activity  habits  developed  in  childhood  are  crucial  to  lifelong  health.  NYC  FITNESSGRAM  gives  students,  families,  teachers,  and  health  care  providers  another  tool  to  create  healthy  futures  for  all  our  

children.    SPECIAL EVENTS: Adding Math to P.E. Middle  School  Students  are  running  the  “100  Mile  Climb”-­‐Each  grade  uses  many  locomotor  movements  during  class  to  

accumulate  mileage.  The  students  add  up  the  mileage,  divide  it  and  I  record  it.    So,  it  is  accumulative  mileage  within  each  grade  level.      3rd  Graders  are  runnning  their  first  Marathon!-­‐Each  P.E.  class,  the  students  are  running  and  mixing  it  up  with  other  locomotor  movements,  to  go  the  distance  for  26.2  Miles.    

Tips for a Healthier Halloween Night:

Halloween  doesn’t  mean  handing  out  sweets  full  of  empty  calories!  Being  healthy  doesn’t  mean  giving  up  all  of  the  treats,  so  remember:  Balance:  Portion  candy   with    other  healthy  alternatives  such  as:  fruits,  vegetables,   crackers,  pretzels,  low-­‐fat  milk,  granola  bars. Eat    Dinner:  Remember  to  feed  your  child  a  well-­‐balance  dinner  prior  to  trick-­‐or-­‐treating.    This  will  prevent  candy  from  substituting  dinner  as  well  as  prevent  overeating  of  treats.                      TRICK  OR  TREAT!!!!!    Choose  to  learn  a  Trick!    

BACKBEAT

visit www.smsparents.org

Special Music SchoolParent Teacher Association

UPBEATMagazine

Monthly Mensa Problem from Mr T.