The Courtyard: An Upper Division Newsletter

Dear Garden Families,

It is hard not to notice the silence of the building this past week. To say we miss our students would be an understatement, but we are also pleased to know you are all safe and still progressing with your studies. As we sent home report cards last night, I was impressed with how many of you did extremely well this first quarter. Under challenging circumstances, you met the lofty expectations of your teachers in almost every respect. Whether studying in-person or remotely from home, our Garden students were engaged with the material and engaged with their classmates. Comments from teachers were striking. They used words like committed, gritty and brilliant and described how many of you assisted others who might be struggling with a concept or idea. Moreover, you stayed for extra help if you yourself needed it, you participated in our clubs and sports clinics in large numbers, you took on the Halloween decorating competition with zeal and you pulled off an impressive student council election. During these first nine weeks we have seen teachers stretching their curriculums to incorporate fresh new ideas that strengthen their courses and beginning exciting projects that put what students learn into practice. Beyond the classroom, we have begun strategic planning for Garden’s future and discussed the ways we can build upon the strong foundation already in place. In short, things are happening at Garden all the time and the pandemic has not slowed our desire to continue improving for today, tomorrow and always.

As we prepare for our students to return to campus next week, please know we will continue to communicate with you on any and all developments related to the health and safety of our community. We also encourage you to contact us if you ever have questions about anything happening at Garden. Our goal is to be as readily available to you as possible.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,
Brad Battaglia
Upper Division Head

There have been questions about how Garden will respond if the Mayor announces a move to fully remote in city public schools. Being an independent school means that we are not governed by decisions the mayor makes about city schools. As members of NYSAIS and SORIS, we look to Albany. Back in September, the Governor indicated statewide closures would be only be considered if positivity rates went above 9%. The city may move remote because of the logistic and resource challenges to staying open with rates above 3%. We will continue to make decisions based on the circumstances within our community, keeping an eye on the data, and following all laws that govern independent schools in NYS.

Many Garden School seniors take Economics as a history elective each fall. When asked for a recent update regarding his course, Mr. Kruczek gave a breakdown that showed just how in-depth the work can get. He stated, “In Economics, we are studying the branches of microeconomics which develop from a market economy: perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly. We have covered perfect competition in depth, replete with an in-depth look at marginal analysis. Next, we examine the example of imperfect competition known as oligopoly, where a few firms dominate a given market. We will look at the ‘Cola Wars’ of the 1970's and 1980's, between Coca-Cola and Pepsi, as a primary case study in the next several days.” Beginning in late January, seniors will have the opportunity to take Mr. Kruczek’s spring elective, Humanity Through Conflict.

Since early October, our Physical Education staff has held volleyball and basketball clinics for interested 7th through 12th grade students. Meeting twice per week, Mr. Dervishi & Ms. Ferreira assist students in building up stamina necessary for sports seasons that may be on the horizon in 2021. Key focus is given to teaching newer athletes the fundamentals of each sport, such as learning to bump and set in volleyball and pass and dribble with both hands in basketball. Each clinic session ends with socially distanced games that put these techniques into practice. While the ISAL (Independent School Athletic League), of which we are a proud member, does not currently have plans for competition, we are eager to prepare our students for athletics when they resume. If your child is interested in getting involved in these clinics, please contact Mr. Dervishi or Ms. Ferreira by email.

The 7th Grade Foundations of Algebra class is currently taking on the Stock Market. Designed by Mr. Hale, this is a cross-curriculum project that incorporates math, social studies, and writing to help the students understand the stock market and how people make or lose money on the market. The game begins with students receiving a fictional $100,000 to invest in as many or few stocks as they like. Mr. Hale acts as the stockbroker and students can buy and sell daily during the ten weeks the project runs. Furthermore, students complete a Weekly Stock Tracking Sheet, a Basic Stock Definitions Sheet, and a Company Profile Sheet as part of their research. Last, rankings of stock performance are posted regularly, allowing students to track their progress relative to their peers. It can get pretty competitive!

As you know, Nicole Adams had continued on as this year’s President. However, she is now passing the torch onto our new Parents’ Association Co-Chairs Christine Marengo and Evelyn Frey Zamora.

Please join us in thanking Nicole for her leadership of the parent group. Nicole has been an instrumental community leader and Garden families owe her a great debt of gratitude for her stewardship of our mission. Especially during these challenging last eight months, Nicole has been a source of calm and enthusiasm pushing forward with ambitious goals, teacher support, and a few key initiatives including picture day and our recent Garden Gear pop up shop.

As current VP and Treasurer, Christine and Evelyn graciously volunteered to step in as co-chairs of the Parents Association for the remainder of the year and we could not be more excited to have them in this role. They hold their first Parents' Association Happy Hour gathering on Thursday, December 3rd at 6:30pm on Zoom. Perhaps a bit different than meetings of the past, there will a little time for business, but even more for connection. Please RSVP here.

As always, the Parents' Association is a conduit for engagement, sharing ideas and volunteering opportunities. Grade level questions can continue to funnel through Grade Reps, interest in volunteering can be sent to PTA@gardenschool.org, and any questions about your child’s program or other school related issues should be sent to Mr. Vogel in the Lower Division or Mr. Battaglia in the Upper Division.

On Thursday, November 19th, the Food Service Staff will be preparing Garden School’s Annual Thanksgiving Feast. The entire school community (faculty & students….meal plan or not) is invited to enjoy turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and dessert. Please don’t plan to bring your lunch that day, but do bring your appetite!

Don't forget to tell us about any Thanksgiving plans that will take you outside of the New York State (and contiguous states) area! Please fill out this form so we can plan accordingly.

We believe there is frequent and open communication between families and teachers. That said, some may feel an individual conference would be of additional value. If you would like to meet some of your child's teachers through Zoom on Tuesday, November 24th for an individually scheduled ten-minute Parent/Teacher Conference, please complete this form.

Every effort will be made to accommodate requested meetings between 3:20-7:50pm. Please remember that the Parent/Teacher conferences are brief and scheduled in ten-minute intervals. There is a limit of three teacher meetings per child on November 24th. If you feel it may be more productive to arrange a more comprehensive conference with all your child's teachers on another day, this can be scheduled through grade advisors or homeroom teachers. Hope to see you all on the 24th!