Grade 2 – Ms. Rivera and Ms. Calixto’s Class

gisell

Gisell Rivera

Ms. Rivera (she/her)

Grade 3
Dual Language Spanish

lightbulb smiling

Daisy Cali Calixto

Ms. Calixto (she/her)

Grade 2
Dual Language Spanish

Welcome to class 202!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year at P.S. 896! My name is Ms. G. Rivera alongside with my co-teacher Ms. Gomez. We are excited to be the second grade Spanish dual language teacher. We’re looking forward to working with you and your child this year as we embark on the magical journey of second grade together. I believe open communication is key between home and school in order to have a successful school year. By working together we will be able to achieve the success of learning.

More about our class

Second grade will be an amazing experience filled with adventures and new learning experiences. We will work on reading, writing, art, music, phonics, math and much more!

Here is more important information for the school year:

Morning drop off and afternoon dismissal: Please drop off and pick up your child at the assigned location on time. For late drop-off or early dismissal, please send me a message through Class Dojo. I will update our class-assigned location soon.

School start time: 8:40 AM

School end time: 2:40 PM

Blue Card & Emergency Contact: Each student should have a completed emergency contact card (blue card) on file. Blue cards are currently completed and housed in our OPEROO APP. If there are any changes to parents’ contact information, please notify us so it can be updated accordingly. Please update all emergency contacts on your child’s blue card in the event that you are unable to pick up your child. If the person picking up your child is not listed on the blue card we are unable to release your child due to safety protocols. Bring your ID for verification purposes.

Change of clothes: Please send in two changes of clothing including underwear, shirts, pants, and socks labeled with your child’s first and last name in a Ziploc Bag.

Take-home/Homework Folder: Your child will bring a take-home folder home every day. Inside the folder, you will find your child’s daily homework packet (to be returned the following day), letters that need to be returned to school, newsletters, and updates on what is happening in our school and classroom. Please empty the folder and return it to school the next day.  It is essential that you check your child’s homework folder every night in order to maintain constant, efficient communication between school and home.

Snack/lunch: We will provide a healthy lunch every day. You can view the lunch menu on our school website. If your child prefers to bring their own lunch/snack, they’re welcome to do so. Please send your child to school with a healthy snack/lunch labeled in a bag/lunch bag. Healthy snacks include fruits, vegetables, seaweed, yogurt, pretzels, and crackers. Unhealthy snacks such as candy will be sent home with a reminder note. Your child can also bring in a water bottle labeled with their name to drink throughout the day and during lunchtime.

Sneakers: Sneakers should be worn every day. We are extremely active each day, and dress shoes or flip-flops are not appropriate for many of our activities.

Toys: Please do not allow your child to bring toys from home to school. We want to avoid the risk of personal items being misplaced or broken. We have plenty of toys here at school for all the children to play with.

Birthday: We celebrate the birthdays of our students in different ways in our school. To ensure that instruction is not disrupted several times during the week for parties, all birthday celebrations will be held on one day during the week, which will be held on Friday afternoons during period 8. As for the distribution of small gifts, we do not recommend parents to prepare food, you can choose to have something like a notepad, pencil, erasers, etc. Please inform us at least a week ahead.

We believe that communication between teachers and families is very important for a child’s

success in school. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by Class Dojo,

or email me at grivera@ps896.org 

Email Ms. Gomez at jgomez76@schools.nyc.gov

In Unity,

Ms. G. Rivera & Ms. Gomez


Class Blog & Events

January/ February Blog

It was wonderful to return to the classroom in January after my maternity leave! I was so happy to reconnect with students, meet everyone again, and spend time rebuilding our classroom community. The beginning of the year was a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better, review routines, and jump back…

Keep reading

welcome Letter

Dear Parents and Guardians, Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year at P.S. 896! My name is Ms. G. Rivera alongside with my co-teacher Ms. Gomez. We are excited to be the second grade Spanish dual language teacher. We’re looking forward to working with you and your child this year as we embark on the magical…

Keep reading

November Snapshot 

November brought a month full of learning, growth, and connections in Class 202. This was also a special month for me as I took over the class while Ms. Rivera is on maternity leave, and had the joy of getting to know each student,learning their personalities, strengths, and all the things that make them shine. Here’s a look at what we’ve been working on this month!

1. Social–Emotional Learning (SEL)

Every day, our students continue to grow not only as learners but also as people. Throughout the month, we focused on what it means to be kind, respectful, brave, and a hero in and out of the classroom. We practiced using our words to solve problems, showing empathy, and working together as a team.

2. Reading

In reading, we strengthened important comprehension skills that help us think deeper about texts. Students practiced identifying a story’s theme, understanding the central idea, and noticing the point of view the author uses.

3. Writing

This month, students began an exciting new unit: nonfiction chapter books! Each writer chose a topic they know a lot about and began planning and drafting chapters to teach their readers. We focused on organizing information, using clear details, and writing with purpose.

4. Math

Class 202 wrapped up Unit 2: Adding and Subtracting Numbers Through 100. Students used a variety of strategies, such as making tens,decomposing numbers, and modeling with base-ten blocks to solve problems and explain their thinking. 

November has been a wonderful time of learning and building our classroom community. I am so proud of all the work that’s been happening in Class 202, and I’m excited for all the learning ahead as we move into December!

If you have any questions feel free to send me a message through class dojo!

Best,

Ms. Calixto

School Calendar

CLASS 3/202