The 79th Street Gate: A Lower Division Newsletter

Dear Garden Community:

Temperature, temperature, temperature... the talk of the town.

We appreciate all of the families taking temperatures and using the CovidQuickScreen app before arriving at school each day. We, too, take temperatures of everyone entering campus. We hear the outdoor temperature that tells us to schedule swim in our school pool or have outdoor classes.

Changing temperatures tell us that fall is here so parents are scheduling family outings for apple and pumpkin picking. In the early grades, teachers and students explore signs of the changing seasons. Fall motifs are integrated into class lessons and discussions. At Garden School these science topics expand to a rich array of course content including life science, physical science, chemistry, and engineering.

Parents can often “give us a temperature reading of our school.” You are partners in helping us tweak programs and procedures. We are thankful for your expertise and being providers of resources and research. I am most grateful to all of you who have been spreading the word and sending families to look at Garden School as a fantastic educational option for their children. We continue to see families interested in joining our school community this year, and we have begun the admission season for next school year! If you are interested in being a Parent Ambassador and sharing your unique experience with prospective families, kindly contact Kat Sullivan, Director of Enrollment Management & Marketing ksullivan@gardenschool.org

As the temperature cools down, I always think of curling up and reading a great book. Our school community is privileged to have Roberts Library on campus. Soon the Lower Division students will begin checking out books.

I am “boiling over” with gratitude for so many in our school community. I am impressed with the care that big brothers and big sisters provide to their younger siblings each morning and afternoon, holding hands, carrying belongings, and escorting to classrooms. BRAVO! Special THANK YOU to Nurse Elena, for her tireless efforts to clean and cover the cuts and bruises, soothe the upset stomachs, check the temperatures, manage the medical records, and consult with family doctors—all so important with the city’s ever-changing COVID challenges. Most importantly, appreciation to all our students and teachers for being so positive and engaging each and every day.

Remember, take your temperature, wear a mask, stay physically distant, and wash your hands!

William Vogel

Young students are very curious about the world around them. “What’s this? What’s that? How does this work? Why does that happen?” So many science lessons are designed around ideas and concepts that make use of our senses for observation and discovery. Students explore nature, read books, have conversations, taste, smell, draw, and copy. They use scientific instruments such as magnifying glasses, tweezers, and dissection equipment.

Our Early Childhood classes (nursery through kindergarten) have had leaf hunts on campus, compared different trees, and have been studying and tasting apples. They build their scientific vocabulary around these fall activities and even reenact and sequence stories in their study of a famous folk hero, Johnny Appleseed. You may want to reread some stories with your child, take a trip to an apple orchard or the grocery store, taste different apples at home, or even go on your own leaf hunt!

How Do Apples Grow? by Lisette Andreani
Apples by Gail Gibbons
An Apple’s Life by Nancy Dickmann
We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger

First through fourth grade science students immersed themselves in the study of plants. While they, too, investigated apples, their study took them into discussions of habitats and life cycles. Dissections of plants, flowers, and seeds led to activities of classifications and experiments with sunlight. Substrates of white sand, desert sand, peat moss, sheet moss, and Spanish moss were tested and ranked from best to poorest water retention….important information for any gardener!

Fifth graders continued an in-depth study into Charles Linnaeus’s classification system known as taxonomy, learning how scientists systematically organize living things based on their physical characteristics including an organism’s color, number if toes and even their backbones! Sixth graders investigated cells, made a semipermeable membrane, and measured the rate of osmosis. They then compared this to different membrane types (different bags).

These highlighted science activities are just a sample of the varied experiences enjoyed by the Lower Division students. In addition to these science classes, our science faculty offers Upper Division courses in Life Science, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Advanced Placement Biology, as well as selected electives in Anatomy & Physiology, Medical Ethics, Astronomy, and Mechanical Engineering. Afterschool activities include Lego Robotics and Radio Club for interested students.

Everyone loves a good book, and we have many. The Garden School Library was dedicated in honor of Henry Roberts, Headmaster from 1948 to 1960. Roberts Library houses the school collection of print material from picture books to autobiographies, scientific volumes, art references, fiction, and non-fiction resources. Teachers will begin class discussions of library use for our students, and book selection will begin shortly. When returned, books will remain out of circulation for a two-week period before being returned to the shelves. A long-standing tradition at Garden School is the placement of books in our collection recognizing the accomplishments of graduating senior!