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The days of May are certainly warming up, and going outdoors throughout the day does not seem to be as tedious. Students really enjoy the fresh air, void of coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and sweaters. The playground activity seems to be more fluid and fast-paced, compared to winter-time activities. And more organized games spontaneously erupt on the playing field.
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The 79th Street Gate: A Lower Division Newsletter
 
May 14, 2021
Dear Garden School Community:

The days of May are certainly warming up, and going outdoors throughout the day does not seem to be as tedious.  Students really enjoy the fresh air, void of coats, hats, scarves, gloves, and sweaters. The playground activity seems to be more fluid and fast-paced, compared to winter-time activities.  And more organized games spontaneously erupt on the playing field.

I was truly fortunate to spend my childhood summers on a lake in upstate New York. While our cabin was cramped, lacking electricity, plumbing, running water, television, and phone, my brothers, sisters, and I spent our time outdoors with my eight cousins running, riding bikes, swimming, and hiking.  A highlight of the summer was weekend wiffleball games when the adults could join after working in the city.  It did not matter what age you were, you were expected to participate, with teams fairly even in skill.  To this day, family time at the lake revolves around sharing memories-who was able to hit the ball over the house, who could pitch, who broke my father’s glasses with a line drive back at the pitcher.

I happily see our students engaged in this same game on the field.  How wonderful to witness varying skill levels, teamwork, taking turns, following instructions, and rooting others on. While we all may not be the best player, I certainly was not, playing a game is quite a learning experience. It does not even need to be an athletic game.  I have seen nursery students sitting around a table, experiencing board games, taking turns, learning to be patient, grappling with holding cards or rolling dice, and calling out “Bingo!”

Take some time for family games, for enjoying them outdoors, or for learning something new such as chess, checkers, or solitaire.  Read through this newsletter to appreciate life for a lower division student, while taking note of the physical education activities and the pictures of the 5th and 6th grade wiffleball game. Learning takes on many forms and happens in various environments; Enjoy!

Bill Vogel
Lower Division Head

 
World Languages in the Lower Division
Lower division students enjoy immersing themselves in both Mandarin (grades N through Grade 2) and French (Grades 4 through 6).  Within each class, students learn through games, songs, art, conversation, and modeling.

Our early childhood students learned vocabulary for various leisure activities and different ball games in Chinese, such as 画画( hua hua, drawing), 游泳( you yong, swimming), 踢足球(ti zu qiu, play soccer), etc. They can interpret and react to pictures, illustrations, and rhymes; Students also can interact with their teacher and classmates by responding to requests, asking and answering questions, and participating in game activities. Our children recognize some Chinese characters of the popular sports in China, and many are able to trace characters. Kindergarten students made their weekly activity plan to finish this unit.

First, second and third grade Mandarin classes are exploring Chinese words for public transportation. Students initially comprehend the vocabulary orally and visually and then express themselves by speaking and writing. Students are exposed to common phrases that are necessary to express ideas regarding transportation as well as incorporate and review vocabulary from earlier units. At the end of this unit, students use the new information in dialogues regarding moving from location to location in a Mandarin Chinese environment.

The students in second grade had fun making a thoughtful and eco-friendly gift for their mothers and other family members in Mandarin last week. They carefully traced and colored the characters and included fantastic drawings.
The fourth graders have been exposed to the French adjectives. They learned to differentiate the adjectives that refer to human values and colors and the ones that exposes our flaws. Fifth graders showed great proficiency in the ordinal numbers. They also can compare farm animals using the adjectives they learned previously. They have tested their understanding of ordinal numbers and farm animals through constant oral practices. The sixth graders can express themselves in the past tense as we engaged this past two weeks to learn the “passé compose”, the French most common past tense. They showed great excitement during dialogues and conversations using the past tense. 

As students contemplate the study of World Languages in the upper division, some anticipate the study of a third language, Spanish.  Others want to continue their study of French, while returning to the study of Mandarin is also a very realistic option!
Physical Education
Our students have begun their final unit of the year in Physical Education, wiffleball. The rules of wiffleball are very similar to baseball and softball.  Each game runs 7 innings or 30 minutes long. The wiffleball diamond is a square with bases at each corner and equal sides of 20 feet base lines. Teams can play with a minimum of 8 players and a maximum of 11 players on the field. While in PE classes, each batter receives a set number of 3 pitches.  Everyone must bat, and the batting order cannot change after the first pitch. Mr. D., our Athletic Director, pitches the ball to the students and all pitches are fair. The team with the highest score after 7 innings or 30 minutes wins the game. Games are competitive and our students are quite respectful; they play with a lot of energy. We are having a great time in Physical Education class while using the field outside.

Hopefully, within the next 2 weeks the weather will continue to improve and kickoff Pool season. Some of the pictures below show PreK and K students participating in the basketball unit at the moment. We continue to stress shooting the ball and dribbling around the gym.

In nursery, the students are always moving, whether it is on the playground, stretching to “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (in Mandarin),” getting their “sillies” out, or marching to music.

Morse Code
The fourth grade took part in a special project on Morse Code.  They researched what Morse Code is, who invented it, and how it is used.  They learned the Morse Code alphabet and numbers from zero to nine.  In science class students built circuits, and by opening and closing the switches were able to flash their names, in Morse Code, using a lightbulb.  Morse Code is also used by the Navy, and students color-coded signal flags to represent numbers.  Students also created a Morse Code message using miniature signal flags.  The three-day activity culminated in students creating Morse Code bracelets of their first names, which they got to take home as a remembrance of this exciting interdisciplinary unit of study.  
The fourth grade congratulates Mrs. Bruzzese as she looks forward to the birth of her child. They are using their newly acquired skills centering around Nautical Flags and Morse Code!
Fifth & Sixth Grades "Go" to Boston!
Last week, the fifth and sixth grades spent three full days immersed in a virtual field trip to Boston, Massachusetts. We wanted to curate a special program that would recreate the excitement of an actual field trip to the historic area, as had been customary at Garden School. The classes engaged in collaborative, cross-curricular lessons spanning an array of Boston-centric topics and historical events. There were many highlights to this special week. On Wednesday, The Freedom Trail Society presented a virtual Zoom lesson about The Boston Massacre to all the students. On Thursday, Ms Wright led the fifth grade in a science lesson about speed and velocity which was then connected to an analysis of famous Boston pitchers and a quick tour of the famous Fenway Park. The sixth graders played A Sailor’s Life with Ms Renner in which they imagined their lives as American colonists on the USS Constitution in the 1700s. Some enjoyed the rank of captain, while others lamented their responsibility of cleaning out the chamber pots. Friday brought the two grades together for a reader’s theater where various groups performed historical reenactments of The Boston Tea Party, The Boston Massacre, and Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride. The week concluded with the fifth grade teaching their speed/velocity lesson to the sixth graders which culminated in a head-to-head wiffleball game!  The students enjoyed the “ballpark” experience thanks to the dining staff who provided hot dogs and chips as a mid-game snack.

When asked to reflect on their experiences, the students were ablaze with ideas! Sebastian C. in fifth grade said, “Best. Virtual. Trip.” Haseeb C. in sixth grade immediately recalled, “fun, learning, and massacre!” Haseeb also considered his favorite part of the week, claiming that performing a historical reenactment with his friends was great. Students also enjoyed a tour of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (see below) with Mr. Orlowski and learning about famous musicians from the Boston area (see below) with Mr. Heineman. Kelsi T. in sixth grade captured it best, “We got to work together and learn about different topics.” This sentiment is at the heart of all we do at Garden School, and this special Boston trip was no different. It was certainly a special and memorable three days.

As part of their Virtual Trip to Boston students enjoyed a virtual visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Collection. They learned about the quirky socialite, Isabella Stewart Gardner and the story of how she built her amazing collection. The artworks, architecture and furniture span a wide range of art historical movements and cultures from antiquity through the Renaissance to Impressionism. Inspired by her world travels, Ms. Gardner turned her house into a literal museum, transporting an architectural facade of Venice. Upon her death in 1924, she left her entire wealth to fund the maintenance of the museum and her treasures. The sixth graders took a deeper dive into the Gardner collection, discussing the unfortunate events of March 18, 1990, when two men broke in and robbed Ms Gardner’s collection of its most precious treasures including Rembrandt’s "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" and Vermeer’s "The Concert.” This heist remains unsolved despite the $10 million dollar reward, and it was the largest art heist ever.


For a sample of music associated with Boston, 5th & 6th graders had the opportunity to listen and dance to the music of Donna Summer, a Boston native. They also heard music from local favorites like The Cars and Aerosmith, who had two members that attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. We viewed a 3-D tour of the college facilities and discussed the fact that some musicians, like singer-songwriter Aimee Mann and Jazz guitarist John Scofield, were not local but stayed in the area after graduating from the school. After experiencing their music, we concluded the virtual trip by examining a song from the short-lived, but great, Boston band Mission of Burma; their insistence on remaining on an independent record label was the spark that helped create Indie Rock.

Art and its Impact
Art exploration is not only fun and entertaining, but also educational. Here are some tips for growing a budding artist as posted by Michigan State University Extension.

Skills youth practice when participating in art activities include:

  • Fine motor skills. Grasping pencils, crayons, chalk, and paintbrushes helps children develop their fine motor muscles. This development will help your child with writing, buttoning a coat and other tasks that require controlled movements.
  • Cognitive development. Art can help children learn and practice skills like patterning and cause and effect (i.e., “If I push very hard with a crayon the color is darker.”). They can also practice critical thinking skills by making a mental plan or picture of what they intend to create and following through on their plan.
  • Math skills. Children can learn, create, and begin to understand concepts like size, shape, making comparisons, counting and spatial reasoning.
  • Language skills. As children describe and share their artwork, as well as their process, they develop language skills. You can encourage this development by actively listening and asking open-ended questions in return. It is also a great opportunity to learn new vocabulary words regarding their project (i.e., texture).

The Pre-K students do various art activities to further understand all units of study.  They express their understanding of lessons when they create art projects using their imagination and materials provided.  Last week, a jar of caterpillars came to live in our classroom.  The students have been observing these little creatures for a couple of days.  They noticed that they eat all day and their size is changing.  As they learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, they have been creating art.  The stages of the butterfly life cycle were mapped out using their fingerprints. Caterpillars were made using pom poms and tongue depressors.  Symmetrical butterflies were made using finger paints. Each art project gives the children an opportunity to talk about metamorphosis and their understanding of our butterfly unit of study.  Their projects are displayed in our classroom for the remainder of the month.
Art students across the Lower Division, this week, started compositions inspired by the Pointillist technique of George Seurat. Inspired by Seurat’s most famous painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”, students created crayon or marker landscapes or drawings of their favorite cartoon characters.
Geometry
Recognizing shapes is an introductory lesson in geometry.  The nursery students have made this into a game, naming a shape, finding it in the playground, and proudly holding it for all to see.
The first graders enjoyed a more in-depth look at geometry. They loved exploring spatial relationships using hands on manipulatives. Students sorted shapes and properties by color, size and angles and created symmetrical and asymmetrical designs in and outside the classroom.

Students also mapped objects in the classroom to real-world contexts. The children were excited when they found a plethora of shapes in their everyday world. Identifying space and direction help students build problem-solving and deductive reasoning skills. Watching it unfold within students is amazing!

As is typical of many math topics, scaffolding lessons from year-to-year builds mastery. The third graders have begun a new unit in math, geometry.  They have been investigating the various types of lines and two-dimensional shapes and can calculate the perimeter and area of these figures.  The students used geometric shapes to create "geometry art.”  Their creations ranged from constructing houses, people, abstract work, and more.  Most recently, they have been exploring three-dimensional shapes, and experimenting with creating one using two-dimensional nets.  They really enjoyed transforming their nets into 3-D objects.  Next topic will be volume. Geometry seems to be their favorite unit in math to date!
Mark your Calendar
Moving Up Ceremonies (via Zoom)
Grade 6: Thursday, June 3 from 6:00-6:45pm
Kindergarten: Monday, June 7 from 10:00-10:45am

Memorial Day
Monday, May 31 (School Closed)

Last Day of School
Friday, June 4 (Noon Dismissal)

Summer Program Pre-Season
Monday, June 7 to Friday, June 25
Make sure to follow us on social media if you are on:
Instagram (@gardenschoolnyc) and/or Facebook (@GardenSchoolNY).

Kindergarten and Our Science World
We have wrapped up our plants unit by learning about different types of flowers in our community. In Jackson Heights, we see a variety of beautiful plants that grow flowers all over our parks and front yards, including tulips, morning glories, daisies, and sunflowers. Some of these flowers grow on trees, like magnolias, some grow on bushes, like roses, and some stand on their own, like zinnias. The students chose their favorite flowers to paint on the art easel as well as write about in their journals. Oh, and did we mention we have been growing lentil and kidney bean plants?! They have officially sprouted into baby seedlings!

The Kindergarten students also begun learning about the life cycle of a butterfly! Like many of the early childhood classrooms, we now have pet caterpillars in our classroom to observe (the nursery students are excited about using this word!) growing and changing. So far, their bodies have tripled in size and some are beginning to make their way to the top of the cup to begin the chrysalis stage of life. Although we have Painted Lady caterpillars, we learned that there are many different types of caterpillars that come in many shapes and sizes depending on the type of butterfly that lays the egg! Students wrote about our class caterpillars and illustrated what they look like. We cannot wait to see them take the 'J' shape in just a few days and start to make their chrysalides!
Planning for the Summer
Just around the corner as the weather warms, our camp season will soon begin! We have expanded to 12 weeks of activities… swimming, arts & crafts, sports, games, creativity, and fun. Submit registration forms for our Pre-Season, Regular Season, Post-Season, and Counselor-in-Training Programs. If you have already enrolled your child for a few weeks and are undecided about signing up for the full summer, please reconsider now.   Summer camp is a real treasure and enrollment is happening at a quick pace. Some weeks may be completely booked, and only a few places remain for the Pre-Season!

If you know someone who really enjoys swimming and would like to become a lifeguard, pass along information on our Lifeguard course to be held here on campus.
 
Everyone into the Pool!
Garden School is among the few independent schools having an outdoor pool as part of its facilities. Since the weather is still warm, our students in grades one through seven may have the opportunity to swim during the school day beginning Monday, May 24 (hopefully, and weather dependent).

To be prepared for swim, students should have a bathing suit, towel, and foot gear to walk to the pool at school each day. Garden School Athletic Director, Mr. Dervishi, is a certified lifeguard.

Please complete and submit the Pool Permission Form.
Around Campus - Equity, Inclusion, Outdoors
 
 
 
 
 
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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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