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Spring is here! We all set our clocks back a few weeks ago and while we missed that extra hour of sleep, it has been wonderful to have longer days, greater sunlight and warmer temperatures. Just yesterday our 8th grade students spent an hour launching rockets on the tennis courts and this morning we welcomed our seniors to campus for a celebratory breakfast in the courtyard to honor their upcoming graduation. They capped off the event by preparing two dozen blankets to be sent to those in need around the city, and they packed each blanket with a message of support and encouragement.
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March 26, 2021
Dear Garden Families:

Spring is here! We all set our clocks back a few weeks ago and while we missed that extra hour of sleep, it has been wonderful to have longer days, greater sunlight and warmer temperatures. Just yesterday our 8th grade students spent an hour launching rockets on the tennis courts and this morning we welcomed our seniors to campus for a celebratory breakfast in the courtyard to honor their upcoming graduation. They capped off the event by preparing two dozen blankets to be sent to those in need around the city, and they packed each blanket with a message of support and encouragement.

Everywhere you look, students are thriving. From attending virtual climate summits to applying for college science programs for the summer and fall, Griffins are putting themselves into the mix, pushing their limits in new and beneficial ways. Next quarter we will welcome tennis matches back to Garden, host an SAT prep class, have our 8th graders teach rocketry to lower division students and hold an in-person prom. Additionally, we will celebrate spirit week, a sports award ceremony, pass out yearbooks and hold an end of year barbeque and pool party. These events can be done safely and effectively, and we are thrilled to be able to do them for our students. They have worked so hard this entire school year and we could not be prouder of their efforts.

We want to wish you an enjoyable and safe spring break holiday. We will see you soon.

Brad Battaglia
Upper Division Head
Director of College Counseling

 
Post-Break Risk Planning
A Note from the Nurse:
Thank you for completing our spring break risk assessment survey. If you have not yet competed it, please do so here. Our goal in all of this is to limit exposure to students and staff, and thus every family in the community, by understanding travel plans and reducing the risk of COVID on campus after break.

We again are asking any family traveling outside of the five contiguous states, flying, or spending time outside of their "bubble" to meet the following criteria before having their child(ren) return to campus:
  • Self-quarantine and go remote for 14 days from the day after you return to your bubble or
  • Self-quarantine and go remote for 10 days from the day after you return to your bubble with a PCR test administered between day 6 and 8.

We have all worked so let's keep up the good work and keep our risk low! We need to remain aggressive in our approach to keeping COVID off campus and reducing spread when and if we do not. We thank everyone in the community for the sacrifices they have and will continue to make to achieve these ends.

Griffin Admitted to Yale School of Music!
We would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Hanchi (Class of ’21) for her recent acceptance to the Yale School of Music. Hanchi has been playing violin since she was 4 and has participated in the Julliard Pre-College music program for the last 6 years. Hanchi practices five to eight hours each day to hone her technique and rehearse demanding pieces for upcoming performances. Hanchi has also been accepted to the New England Conservatory of Music and will make her final college choice later this spring.
SAT Prep Course Begins Soon!
Beginning Tuesday, April 6th, Garden will offer an SAT prep class to 10th and 11th grade students planning to sit for the May SAT. The course will include a diagnostic exam as well as 11 structured classes that will focus on the Critical Reading and Math sections of the test. The course will meet two to three times per week from 3-5pm and will be led by Ms. Lauren Little and Mr. Greig Roselli. To sign up, please contact Mr. Battaglia in the College Counseling Office asap as seats are limited.
Griffins Attend Climate Summit at Columbia
This past Saturday, two Garden students, Josefina (Class of ’23) and Lucas (Class of ’24) participated in the fifth annual Columbia Youth Climate Summit. The event, which was held over zoom, brought together over 100 students from across the country to discuss climate issues that currently impact the United States and beyond. Individual sessions focused on the complexities of recycling, decreasing building inefficiencies, developing effective climate change curriculum, and striking up productive climate conversations online. The event culminated in the creation of a Climate Action Plan (CAP) that can be implemented at Garden School to support our growth as an environmentally supportive school. Fresh from this amazing experience, we are eager to get started!
Summer Reading Ahead!
 
Garden Swag Store
This summer, Garden School will implement a new reading program that asks all students in grades 7-12 to read a pre-determined text, with the goal of developing a common base of knowledge from which all students can have thoughtful discussion in the fall. Stamped, Racism, Antiracism, And You, written by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, will serve as the first such book in our history and we could not be more excited. Additionally, we are asking students to select a reading group from a collection of six and find and read a book from that grouping. If you have any questions about our summer reading program, please do reach out.
Rocket Boys
by John Hale
The Garden School 8th Grade Teachers are coordinating school-wide projects during the month of April. The topic will be centered around the book October Sky by Homer Hickam. This is a non-fiction story about a group of boys from a coal-mining town in West Virginia. After the launch of Sputnik, the boys start to study rocketry. The book takes readers through their hard work to design, build, and launch their rockets. Their hard work pays off when they win the National Science Fair.

To help our 8th graders learn more about these self-motivated students from West Virginia, we are asking each teacher to design a lesson, unit, or activity that will highlight what these boys did, or delve more into the Appalachian culture. In English, they will be reading and analyzing the book. In History, they will be learning about Appalachian culture. In Science, they will investigate rockets and then build and launch them.

All this work will culminate in the 8th grade students teaching three topics to students in PreK through 3rd grade. The topics to be taught are The Mars 2020, the Crewed Mission to Mars, and Exploring the Solar System. The 8th graders will design their own lessons and present them to students in April. They will also help the younger students build their own rockets and get a chance to launch them in the field next door. It should be a day of fun and excitement for all.
Game, Set, Match!!
As you know, we have not been able to compete in athletic competitions this year as a result of pandemic restrictions. We are excited to announce this spring members of the Garden School Tennis Team will hold 8 matches with cross-town rival, Birch Wathen Lenox. Thanks for this opportunity go to Mr. Dervishi, who worked tirelessly with the athletic director at BWL to set up a safe and enjoyable program that allows students from both schools to engage in friendly athletic competition. Matches will begin after spring break and we will allow limited student seating to make the atmosphere exciting for all. Go Griffins!!
Celebrating Hispanic Women in History
In celebration of National Women's Month, each student in my 7th and 8th grade Spanish classes researched a notable Hispanic woman and the impact she had in history. Students' choices varied from historical firsts, such as Ellen Ochoa (the first Hispanic woman to go to space), Sonia Sotomayor (the first Hispanic woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court), and Gabriela Mistral (the first Hispanic woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature) to entertainers, such as the 5-time Grammy Award winner Celia Cruz ("The Queen of Salsa") and Jennifer Lopez (recipient of 11 Billboard Latin Music Awards). Other notable figures included Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and Venezuelan fashion designer Carolina Herrera. Having completed their research, students presented their findings to the class.
College Session for Garden Families
This past week, Mr. Battaglia held a virtual college meeting with families of students in grades 9-11. The goal of each meeting was to highlight the timeline families should know in relation to college applications as well as pointing out any and all possible points of interest along the way. Special focus was given to transcripts, extra-curriculars, standardized testing, essays, recommendations, and the like. In addition, Mr. Battaglia holds individual family meetings with all junior students and parents each winter to establish an initial list of colleges for research.

As we have highlighted before, we are so happy to see our current seniors met with tremendous success in the college process. Students have already been accepted to the likes of Yale, Fordham, Howard, UC-Davis, UC-San Diego, Boston College, NYU, Wake Forest, Duke, Rensselaer, Rutgers, St. John’s, Beloit, Kalamazoo, SUNY Buffalo, Binghamton, USC, Drexel, Bentley, UConn, Baruch, Quinnipiac, Flagler and more.

Virtual Garden Gala: April 23
 
 
Tickets to the Virtual Garden Gala are now on sale! Join fellow parents, alumni, students, faculty, and friends to celebrate Dr. Richard Marotta's career, honor our amazing faculty and staff, recognize our 2021 Griffin Circle: Garden's COVID Response Team, and support Garden's future. We need you now more than ever! To buy tickets, become a sponsor, order a Journal Ad, donate to the auction, and more, head to gardengala.givesmart.com.
 
 
 
 
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Garden School
33-16 79th Street
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
United States

"Cultivating Success in Every Child"

Garden School is a Nursery-Grade 12, NYSAIS-accredited independent school in Jackson Heights, Queens.

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