The 79th Street Gate: A Lower Division Newsletter

Dear Garden Community:

Everybody out of the pool. Sadly, the temperature is dropping, and we are getting ready to close the pool for the season. We were quite lucky to have gotten in so many swim periods and to have enjoyed time on the pool deck with friends and teachers.

But we still delight in being outdoors. The fresh air is invigorating, and often we enjoy music, art, and physical education in the field. Equally intriguing is all the World Language and Reading activities taking place outdoors. Recess is an important part of everyday, and whether in the playground, on the fields, in the courtyard, or on the benches and grassy areas, we enjoy the outdoor spaces. Often, students enjoy imaginative games or more structure conventional sports. Zumba dancing is a favorite. Others enjoy walking or sitting in conversation. Sometimes, it is time for a good book or last-minute studying. Or alone time can be craved! On Wednesday, the Health Department Inspector visited campus to see our outdoor spaces. She was impressed with our creative usage of spaces and the safety protocols we have in place.

Safety precautions are everywhere on campus. We thank all for adhering to our policies, including sanitizing, temperature checks, masks, and physical distancing. Recently our Maintenance Department members installed new temperature scanners at some of our entrances. Please carefully read the attached letter from Nurse Elena.

Thank you, too, to all the parents and teachers for participation in our Virtual Curriculum Day. It provided meaningful conversation around course content, class expectations, procedures, and goals. If you were unable to attend, please take the opportunity to connect with classroom teachers, either through email or a phone call. Classroom teachers, Cluster Deans, and our Leadership Team are always available as we partner with you in your child’s educational plan. Individual family conferences can be scheduled on campus, by appointment and with adherence to all our safety measures. Communication is so important!

Let us hope the temperature does not drop too drastically. We still have many plans for the rest of the year, and many include our outdoor spaces.

All the best,
William Vogel

Young children are thrilled to count, to see shapes and patterns, and to play with money—all fundamental skills of mathematics. These events have all been taking place in our Early Childhood classes these last weeks.

A visit to the nursery shows a classroom full of color and shapes. They count the days of the week; they count the number of friends in class each day; and they count the steps they walk. Seeing numbers around them is a joy to them. They have been working with the numbers one and two, and they happily place one or two items on a peg!

Shape exploration, the beginning of Geometry, in Pre-K occurs through class discussions, conversations, songs, art games, simple worksheets, and SmartBoard fun. It will continue through play using many classroom materials: wood blocks, magnetic tiles, Legos, tangrams, and puzzles. Some interesting books to read include The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds, Shape by Shape by Suse MacDonald, Shapes and Colors by Nina Filipek, Shapes are Everywhere: Shapes by Nikita Floyd Jr., and Brown Rabbit’s Book by Alan Baker.

First, second, and third graders are beginning to manipulate numbers, and study the relationships that numbers have. Here an algebraic component is added to the discussion of numbers and number sense. What comes before, what comes after, which is greater than, which is less than, and how can I combine are all points of discussion and exploration. And wait until they get to fractions because they have begun discussions of money and decimals. Manipulatives frequently give a great perspective to math work, sometimes using their own bodies on a number line, and sometimes with card games. Some students just prefer using textbooks and workbooks.

Students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades are perfecting skills in addition and subtraction of large numbers, often with decimals and using money to connect to real life situations. Multiplication patterns are explored as students work their way into the billions by way of three-digit multipliers. And a shopping spree project is in the works involving short division problems. Negative numbers, order of operations of integers, and two-step word problems continue algebraic discussions. Students are becoming vey nimble with thinking about money. They can look forward to Mr. Hale’s Stock Market Game, currently being played by 7th graders and some administrators. Shockingly, Mr. Vogel clearly needs a refresher course!

There is great joy in mathematics, and these highlighted concepts add to the pleasure of the study of mathematics at Garden School. The mathematics faculty offers Upper Division courses in Algebra, Geometry, Intermediate Algebra & Trigonometry, Precalculus and AP Calculus AB. Additional courses have been offered in Calculus BC and an Independent Study in Multivariable Calculus. This year, one of our students is enrolled in Linear Algebra at Queens College!

The fourth grade is reading The Year of the Book (theme of friendship and second chances) by Andrea Cheng
The fifth grade is reading The Sign of the Beaver (historical fiction) by Elizabeth George Speare
The sixth grade just finished The Egypt Game by Zipha Keatley Snyder and is working on an independent author study (focus on comparing/contrasting major elements between two novels by same author).
Bernard Cohen, the lawyer who argued Loving v. Virginia case died last week. Phyllis Newbeck, ’79, who was a lifer at Garden School, wrote a most interesting study of interracial marriage in America; her book, Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers, published in 2004, examines the legal and social history of interracial marriage bans in the US, and in particular, the case of Richard and Mildred Loving of Virginia.

To celebrate the Fall season, and Halloween can be a part of the seasonal festivities, Lower Division students may dress in costumes on Friday, October 30. These costumes may be worn to school (but hold your masks) or brought to school for a quick change before parading around the track by grade clusters in the afternoon. Masks may be worn for the parade. Nothing scary, please and no weapons. Perhaps you do not like wearing a costume. No problem; walk around the track in your school attire. Mr. Vogel and some teachers may not be dressing up entirely, but look for a festive tie, sweater, or t-shirt.

Parents can assist by sending in some packaged snacks and drinks (drop off at school entrances this week and label with your child’s name and grade) to be distributed by the homeroom teachers during some party activities in sixth and seventh periods. As a safety precaution, The PTA has donated factory-packed goodie bags, so no need for families and students to take on this tradition this year. Parent representatives can contact homeroom teachers to plan the party activities, but parents are excused from chaperoning duties this year!

During Hispanic Heritage Month the third graders researched Hispanic countries, created posters, and presented class reports. Traditional dance and music videos added to the classroom excitement. The Lower Division got very involved as we all took a Salsa lesson on the basketball court.

National Disability Awareness Month is celebrated each October. Bringing awareness to eliminate stigmas associated with differences begins with understanding and many conversations with children. As a start, Ms. Ahlfeld suggests reading some books and looking at videos as a way of engaging students and families.

Who Do You See When You Look at Me? By Angela Ray Rodgers with Grace Anna
https://www.respectability.org/2018/12/short-film-about-playground-inclusion-wins-international-acclaim/
http://imtyler.org/index.php/video/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKSWXzAnVe0
https://youtu.be/iX7c8Enk3io

Articles in the last two newsletters focused on plants/planting/seeds with Lower Division students. In visiting our school spaces this week, I delighted in seeing collections of classroom plants. They add a “homey” feeling and create opportunities for science exploration, student responsibility, and school citizenship, not to mention the ecological advantages of increasing air quality or the emotional benefits of pleasant surroundings. Some of these collections have come from a plant that has “outgrown its place” or “needed a new home.” Some favorite choices of classroom/houseplants are coleus, philodendron, spiders, and rubber and snake plants. My office has a great collection of plants that have been propagated from plantings that have been in my wife’s family for three generations! Perhaps you may want to start a collection for your child’s room or a family space at home.