LOWER SCHOOL NEWSLETTER - Spring 2008 ~ Lower School  Newsletter Archive

Spring vacation is nearly here. We look forward to the break from school and daily routines and the chance to enjoy a little extra sunshine. When we return in late April only eight weeks will remain in the school year. Momentum will surely build as students and teachers work together on culminating activities that help bring satisfaction and closure. It will be a busy time in the lower school! I hope the following information is useful as you look ahead to the remainder of the spring semester.

Classroom News As yearlong studies draw closer to an end, students will engage in projects and activities that help them reflect on their own learning as well as group accomplishments. Here's a glimpse of what you might encounter in the coming weeks:

Pre-k Biscuit, the plush canine pal of all the pre- k students, has had a chance to spend the night at every child's home. Local maps hang in the classroom and children have marked their hometowns to pinpoint Biscuit's travels. Each child has also recorded Biscuit's adventures in a journal shared by all. A book called Letters from Felix sparked an interest in letter writing. Parents should expect a letter in the mail from their child sometime soon. Our youngest students will also learn a bit more about their school community by interviewing buddies, teachers and older students throughout the spring.

K Here a chick, there a chick, everywhere a chick…." Lily, Chickenstein, Derek and Chickie hatched after twenty-one days in an incubator and were observed and adored by nearly everyone in the school community. In late March the chicks left PDS to go to their permanent home with Brian (1-2 teacher), Lisa and Logan Reid (1-2 student). The kindergarteners will rise extra early one day to do morning chores at Sprout Creek Farm. They will culminate their studies by building large scale models of the farm. In math the children are engaged in projects involving measurement and geometry.

1-2 Students in the 1-2 classes continue their study of the Hudson River. They are currently learning about different forms of transportation on the river with a focus on bridges. A shad fisherman and a tugboat pilot visited each class to tell about their special interests and to answer many, many questions. The children recently collaborated with their 7-8 science buddies to learn more about the water cycle. A lively interest in poetry is blossoming as the lower school prepares for a celebration of poetry at the annual meeting of the Eagle Society.

3-4 A recent trip to the Hall of Mexico in the American Museum of Natural History sparked an interest in traditional Mayan architecture and agricultural practices. Back in the classroom the children will build models of temples and create mound gardens. They will also embark on research projects stemming from individual interests in the Mayan culture. Their explorations and studies will culminate in a Mayan feast at the end of the semester. Toward the middle of May, fourth graders will spend part of a day visiting the fifth grade to become more familiar with the middle school.

Library Traditional folktales that have the numbers three and seven in them captivated the pre-k students for several class sessions. They have now moved on to stories by Beatrix Potter. Kindergarten students are completing an author study of Ezra Jack Keats. Books receiving the Caldecott Medal were introduced to 1-2 students. They later had an opportunity to make their own medals and recreated the nominating process. Morals and lessons about daily life were discussed by 3-4 students as they read various versions of Aesop's fables.

ALL Projects based on Squire Vickers' painting Fantasy Castle with Men on Zebras (at left) continue to evolve in classes throughout the lower school. In addition to individual class efforts, Pat Henneberger is working with ideas generated by all the children to create our annual lower school musical. It certainly adds another dimension to the Take One Picture project. Rhonni Hallman is working on the music and rehearsals are well underway. We are all in for a treat! More able hands are still needed to help with costumes. If you have the time and interest, please contact Pat Henneberger.

Third and fourth graders continue to lead the way in Pizza Math as we aim to determine how many slices of pizza will be consumed by the lower school this year. Counting, calculating and predicting are an integral part of the work. As of March 20 we purchased 450 pizzas. If all the boxes were piled in a single stack, the tower would be seventy-five feet high.

The children are working on drafts and illustrations for this year's final edition of Writer's Choice. It will be our third publication this year.

Faculty News
Dorothy Toman (pre-k) visited Little Red Schoolhouse/Elisabeth Irwin School in NYC for a
day of classroom observation. Dorothy also attended several workshops at the annual National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) conference in late February.

Lenae Madonna attended three days of workshops at the Garrison Institute. The title of
the conference was Developmental Issues in Contemplative Education.

"Friendly Neighborhood Math Guy" Stephen Currie will present a workshop at the upcoming National Council of Teachers of Mathematics held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Stephen's
workshop is called Can You Name All the People in the World?

Nan Moran (pre-k) and Brian Reid (1-2) will attend a workshop for teachers called "Sensory
Strategies to Improve Children's Learning and Behavior."

Nearly the entire lower school faculty attended a lecture at Vassar College given by Dr. Robert
Brooks. The talk was called: "The Power of Mindsets: Nurturing Resilient Children and Young
Adults with Learning Disabilities at Home and in School."

Looking Ahead
As the school year begins to wind down, it's natural to begin to look ahead to next year. We anticipate healthy enrollment in the lower school and look forward to welcoming new students and families to the PDS community. As always, it will take several more weeks for a clear enrollment picture to emerge in the lower school. Class configurations and teaching assignments will be made later this spring. We are currently interviewing qualified candidates to fill staff vacancies. We will provide you with more detailed information in the weeks to come.

In the fall, Gretchen Lytle (3-4) will shift from being a full-time classroom teacher to a part- time member of the learning support team. Gretchen has an advanced degree in developmental reading and has recently participated in Orton-Gillingham training. She will join Ruthie Shaw in working with teachers and students to enhance literacy development in the lower school. Gretchen also will collaborate with Stephen Currie in providing additional support to teachers and students in the area of mathematics. On the days when she is not at PDS, she looks forward to spending more time with her three young grandchildren.

Lenae Madonna (kindergarten) has decided to leave PDS at the end of the school year. We extend our sincere gratitude to Lenae for her six years of dedicated work with our students and we wish her well on her next big adventure. Among other pursuits, Lenae will use her creative talents to write children's books.

A search committee, which is headed by Jill Lundquist and includes Bill Fiore, Gretchen Lytle, Nan Moran, Robbie Puglisi, Ruthie Shaw and George Swain, remains hard at work interviewing candidates for the position of Lower School Head. Many other members of the PDS community will have an opportunity to spend time with the candidates as well. There are many talented educators interested in our school and we will all work together to ensure a smooth transition for our students once the new division head has been selected.

I look ahead to a move to Manhattan, a different job and a new community with true excitement and sadness, as well. A significant change, however appealing, is accompanied by a sense of loss. A few years ago my husband I began to envision a time when living in Manhattan would be feasible. He has been commuting by train to NYC for over two decades and we both welcome the chance to spend more time together. Our children are grown and the "nest is empty." After visiting many schools and interviewing for several positions I have found a school that makes my heart beat with the same excitement for teaching and learning that PDS has always provided. This summer I will join a team of fine educators at Corlears School in Chelsea. I will serve as assistant head for curriculum development in this progressive school for students ranging in age from two and a half to ten years. It's a wonderful opportunity. I look forward to the change with eagerness as well as tremendous gratitude to the students, colleagues and families of PDS who have inspired and sustained me for so many years. I have loved my time at PDS; I will miss you all.

Important Dates
Thursday, April 24 Parent-Teacher Conference Day
School is closed for lower and middle school students.
Child care is available; please schedule with Tricia Irving.

Thursday, May 1 Annual Meeting of the Eagle Society
A celebration of poetry…recitation by PDS students
8:45 a.m., Chapman Room (parent audience welcome)

Wednesday, May 14 Lower School Musical: Fantasy Castle in the Sky
9:00 a.m., James Earl Jones Theater

Friday, May 16 Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day

Monday, June 9 Fourth-Grade Moving-Up Ceremony
8:45 a..m., Chapman Room

Friendly Reminders

• The following passage from the PDS Family Handbook may help clarify the process that is used in making class placements each year: "Students are placed in particular classrooms so that a balance is achieved socially and academically, encouraging cohesiveness as a group. During spring conferences, placement issues are often part of the parent-teacher dialogue. Teachers use parental input as one of the many pieces of information that influence placement decisions. Accordingly, the school reserves the right to make assignments based on the needs of both individual students and the overall good of the group. Classroom teachers, division heads and the admissions director make these assignments over the summer prior to a new school year. Parents are discouraged from submitting requests for specific placements." Thanks in advance for your understanding.
• Our school day begins at 8:20 a.m. Please make every effort to have your child here on time
• Please remember to call us when your child is absent from school.
• The bus lanes in front of the building need to be free of cars during drop off and pick-up times.
  

Thanks

• For driving and chaperoning on field trips
• For making costumes for class plays
• For working so hard on the PDS fundraiser, Spring Fling
• For asking good questions
• For your continued trust and support

Please be in touch if you have any questions or concerns you wish to discuss. I can be reached at extension 220 or via e-mail at mkenny@poughkeepsieday.org. Looking forward to a wonderful spring!

Sincerely,

Mary Ellen Kenny
Head of Lower School