progressions GREENE HILL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
SUMMER 2014
DEAR GREENE HILL FAMILIES AND FRIENDS,
The end of the school year was a dramatic time filled with anticipation and a lot of hard work. Even as we happily committed to our endeavors we already started to think about the next school year. For children this meant sneak peeks and purposeful visits into next year’s classrooms to check out the lay of the land and to start forming relationships with new teachers. Parents were finalizing summer plans,
CONTENTS DIRECTOR’S LETTER EYE ON EDUCATION
trying to envision “what’s next?” for our growing children and looking for ways to squeeze family time into our busy schedules. Teachers and school staff felt that every day was three times as full as the last. In June, teachers wrote narrative reports, reflected on the course of the year and made every moment count so that work came to its natural completion. Teachers and staff are now deeply involved in summer planning, enrolled in professional workshops, developing new curriculum and running Greene Hill’s summer camp. Throughout
PATHS REPORT LEARNING + PRACTICE AT GREENE HILL
the summer, teachers and administrators will proceed with the creative research and planning necessary to get ready for the coming school year. 2014 brings some big events and changes to
EYE ON EDUCATION
Greene Hill. Our current 10s were the first class BOARD CORNER
to “Move Up” from the Lower School to Middle School in September. The children identified many ways to celebrate their growing independ-
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ence and responsibility as school leaders. They
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went on a camping trip that they planned from top to bottom, led a First Friday Sing and involved the whole school in a collaboration
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with a local senior center. In the last week of school the 10s held a “Moving Up” ceremony
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that they shared with families and the 9s class.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
These are some of the ways the 10s decided
Nanci Berman, Chair Eric Ashman, Treasurer Amanda Smith, Secretary Meredith Phillips Almeida David Horowitz Jocelynne Rainey Beth Schneider
to mark this important transition and we are so proud of their accomplishments this year. We say goodbye to valued staff members this year and greet thoughtful individuals who are excited to join Greene Hill. I’d like to take the time here to mention two staff members who have devoted their work to supporting the entire school. Barbara Frailey, our first Lower School Director, has been a vital participant in shaping daily life at GHS, supporting teachers, working closely with parents, thinking deeply about curriculum and practice and building new partnerships for the school. We will miss Barbara and her daughters but imagine they are excited for their new adventure in Seattle where Barbara’s husband is now working. Barbara writes a bit about what GHS has meant to her later in the newsletter.
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SUMMER 2014 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE After an extensive search led by our very active and thoughtful committee of faculty and staff Greene Hill School has hired a new Lower School Director, Jaime Quackenbush. Everyone at Greene Hill felt an immediate kinship with Jaime and we look forward to collaborating with her to build on all of the wonderful
NOTABLE DATES SCHOOL CALENDAR
practices that Barbara has established. There is more about Jaime later in the newsletter. We are also saying goodbye to Lucy Segar, Greene Hill’s movement teacher. Since our very first year Lucy has developed our unique program filled with dance, collaborative games and sports skills. Lucy has formed close relationships with children and staff here and has been involved in developing our approach towards conflict resolution. Lucy is completing her MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University and has
SEPTEMBER 2-5 Welcome Conferences SEPTEMBER 8 First Day of School Lower School Parent Orientation 9:00 AM SEPTEMBER 9 Middle School Parent Orientation 5:30 PM
received a Fellowship for next year. We wish her the best! Cara Surico who has taught dance and yoga at Mark Morris and Grace Church School is our incoming Movement teacher and, by all accounts, will bring a love of teaching and thoughtfulness to the work.
Make sure to read about how our second annual all-school musical “The Wizard of Oz” put a spell on the whole school this spring! PATHS (Parents and Teachers Helping the School) grows each year in the important ways it supports GHS. This year, PATHS was seamlessly co-chaired by Rebecca Caban and Kate Sheldon — thank you! Thank you also to all of the parents who spend extra time supporting Greene Hill, participating in various ways throughout the year. A few PATHS highlights include: • The Diversity and Outreach Committee hosted a screening of the documentary “American Promise” and a follow- up discussion. • The garden has truly blossomed under the work of the Gardening Committee and through a garden lab that invited children to regularly tend the garden. • The Library Committee raised much needed funds through book fairs and is actively growing our collection of middle school appropriate texts. • We welcomed over 75 people to Grandparents and Special Friends Day this year, thank you to the dedicated committee who made that happen. PATHS is a wonderful way to get more involved in Greene Hill and throughout the year parents and school staff are invited to be in touch about how they can contribute. Please join me in thanking our incredibly considerate volunteer Board of Trustees, our dedicated parents and our creative and hard-working teachers and staff for a tremendous year. Our Family Handbook for the 20114-15 school year is ready and you should have received it by email in mid-July. It’s also on the GHS website. The handbook contains important information about the school year and ALL of the necessary forms for starting school.
I wish you all a wonderful summer! BEST, DIANA SCHLESINGER, SCHOOL DIRECTOR
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Letter from Barbara
Overall, it was a year of tremendous growth for all of us. Some teach-
Dear Greene Hill Families,
ers took on the challenge of being Head Teachers for the first time,
For educators, one of the great things about living and working
or developed curriculum for a new age group (all fabulously, I might
within the rhythm of the school year is the opportunity, each summer,
add). As a staff we focused on developing our writing curriculum
to pause, step back, and reflect on our work, recharging for the year
school-wide, and on making sure our math program challenges all
ahead. In the final week of school, teachers gathered and shared high-
students to think deeply about new concepts. We worked on refining
lights of the 2013-2014 school year. Some themes quickly emerged,
the ways we communicate what we do here to families, through
as teachers described the ways in which their students surpassed the
newsletters, narratives, and in-school forums, so that our entire school
expectations they had come into the school year with. Yvette and
community can work from shared understandings about what a
Kiera described the seriousness with which the 4s approached their
Greene Hill School education is all about. We introduced a new idea
Fairy Tale study this spring, hungrily asking for more stories, com-
that had been percolating for a long time: WOW, or Wide Open Work,
paring versions, identifying common elements, analyzing personality
providing children with expanded opportunities to work with one
traits, and learning to hold meaty discussions together. 5s and 6s
another across classrooms to explore common interests and ideas.
teachers were blown away by the interest and expertise developed
We finished building the Lower School and enrolled new students
in their students this spring through their studies of local ecology.
for the opening of the Middle School in the fall. Sadly, we say goodbye
Bri and Emily noticed that the nature walk the 5s led their parents
this summer to Brianna Berkowitz, who promises to send baby pic-
on was truly student-driven, reflective of the many things they had
tures, and to Liz Garrett and Emily Ferris, who are off to pursue their
noticed and learned about local birds. And Anthony and Mark-Antonio
careers in ESL teaching and public health, respectively. We wel-
couldn’t believe the interest their students had in the anatomy of
come new 5s Head Teacher Liz Hettich in the fall. And we found a
fish — their dissection experience was so rich because of all the
uniquely talented educator to become our new Lower School Director
research the 6s had done ahead of time.
once I leave for Seattle — I believe you will all enjoy getting to know
In the older classes, teachers were unanimous in their appreciation
Jaime Quackenbush.
for the phenomenal growth their students had made as writers over the course of the year. Sharyne and Melanie described how the 7s came out of their study of poetry with a new awareness of their power over language, and they brought that awareness and control to their fantasy fiction study, writing stories that truly impressed each other and themselves. The 8s experienced a series of role-plays with Anna and Hilary related to their studies of turn-of-the-century immigration, and of New Amsterdam, and these experiences set them up to do some pretty amazing historical fiction and persuasive writing. It seemed that they were writing from first-hand experience as they described journeys to Ellis Island, or explained why they were glad to be at Greene Hill School, rather than a colonial Dutch schoolhouse. James and Liz reflected that their study of Caldecott-winning picture books took longer than any writing study they had ever done before, but with a huge pay-off: the 9s created their own picture books that showed enormous investment and skill. And the 10s did all kinds of terrific writing over the course of the year, but at year’s end, it was the investment in their Open Work projects that stood out most to Mayuko. Working either individually or in productive collaborations, they explored such a wide range of topics and media, always reflecting on “what makes a great project,” and showing genuine interest in one another’s work along the way.
Now, with summer truly launched, children and teachers look to the changes that lie ahead for them. New adventures, new classrooms, new challenges, new opportunities. For my family, leaving Greene Hill School is still hard to imagine. Danny and I are so grateful that our children's first years of school have been in a place that felt like home, where Iris and Sylvie have learned what it means to be so connected to a group of peers and teachers that feel like family. Where their ideas and plans and interests and questions have been taken seriously by everyone around them. For me, I still pinch myself that I've had the opportunity over the last four years to help build my Dream School, alongside such a talented, dedicated, smart, and adventurous group of educators, children, and families. That I've been able to watch Greene Hill grow and evolve in surprising ways, always keeping children and their curiosity and initiative at the center. Thank you, everyone, for being a part of it.
ALL MY BEST, BARBARA
SUMMER 2014
GRANDPARENTS JOIN GHS GHS opened our classrooms and our community for the 4th Annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day last May.
We had a record turnout — more than 75 people joined students and teachers for an afternoon of stories, intergenerational projects and planting in the garden.
Introduction to Jaime
It is such a pleasure to be able to share Greene Hill School with our loved ones every year!
We are pleased to announce that after an extensive search led by our very active and thoughtful committee of faculty
Seana Anderson, a grandparent of GHS students in the 4s
and staff, Greene Hill School has hired a new Lower School
and 10s, welcomed grandparents and friends and introduced
Director, Jaime Quackenbush. Jaime holds a Master's degree
the Grandparents and Special Friends Fund for the School.
in Elementary Education from the University of Buffalo and
Grandparents and friends contributed more that 20% of the
a Doctorate of Education from Teachers College, Columbia
Annual Appeal this year, and we are delighted to recognize
University. She has been a classroom teacher in elementary
their commitment to Greene Hill School.
and middle schools in Manhattan, North Carolina and Westchester County, working with students from 1st to 6th grade. Most recently as Literacy Liaison at The School at Columbia University, Jaime has worked with elementary teachers to integrate reading and writing experiences throughout the school day. Jaime has additionally worked as a literacy consultant with LitLife, Inc. as well as the Secondary Literacy Institute and Student Press Initiative at Teachers College, where she developed reading and writing curricula and provided professional development to PreK12 teachers in the tri-state area.
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FROM SEANA ANDERSON: What a wonderful turnout for Grandparents Day on May 9th! I was so happy to meet more of us who love and support Greene Hill School. I am Seana Anderson, grandmother of Elijah Santana in the 10s class and James Santana in the 4s class. Since I have a grandchild in the oldest class and the newest class, I have encouraged many friends to learn about enrolling their children here, and have been successful in helping GHS receive a number of foundation grants for special projects, Diana Schlesinger and Rachael Burton asked if I would be willing to head the new Grandparents Fund and I said YES! In reviewing how many grandparents and special friends there are who give to the school, we were all pleasantly surprised to find that we already give 20% of the Annual Appeal donations. Not bad! As a group, I want us to rally around a special project, be it the arts lab, technology or sports, that we can be proud to call our contribution to making this school the most wonderful educational experience imaginable. Grandparents Day reminded me again of why I am so happy my grandsons attend. We saw slides of all classes being involved in getting their hands dirty in the garden, collaborating with each other, and going out into the community. How lucky we are that we live in Brooklyn with such rich experiences that are an integral part of the GHS curriculum! Seeing the excerpt from the Wizard of Oz (one of my and my grandsons’ favorite movies!) and knowing Elijah played the scarecrow made me happy. Making a quilt square with James that will be part of the larger whole is a symbol for me of the interconnectedness of us all and a reminder of my beloved Finnish grandmother. And the weather cooperated for planting outside! When I pick up the boys from school, I’m happy to see begonias and alumroot lining the front of the school and beautifying the block. You will hear more from me in the fall when we plan a get together and decide on a project. Remember, it is not the amount you give; it is the spirit in which you give it. You love your grandchildren and you want to show it. Let’s pick a project and participate 100%. Enjoy your summer!
SUMMER 2014
WIZARD OF OZ GHS is off to see the Wizard . . . in our second all-school musical. Our second annual all-school musical “The Wizard of Oz” swept the school! This year, the incredible production was led by 8s teacher Hilary Davis who facilitated every aspect of the musical. Music teacher Bob Goldberg and Movement teacher Lucy Seger shaped the performances and our PATHS Building Committee, headed by Russell Champa, created incredible sets for the show. Building on the success of our first production last year, everyone - students, teachers, and volunteers - were excited to take on this challenge. Thank you to everyone in the GHS Community who made this production a tremendously heartfelt and fun event! Lola Byrd, 9s student and member of the Newspaper Lab, interviewed the Sets Lab as they worked on the Wizard of Oz sets. “On Friday May 23rd, I visited Sets Lab. Sets Lab is located on the third floor. There were bright colors everywhere and all the sets were alive with imagination. I interviewed five students and one thing I noticed from them is how much they loved learning new techniques and expressing their creativity. One question I asked was “What is the best part of sets lab? Lane said, “I like working with friends I’ve never worked with and watching sketches turn into sets.” Oona said, “I love theatre and being around sets that are coming alive. It makes me smile.” All these beautiful sets were on display during the all-school performance of The Wizard of Oz!”
Annual Appeal
Congratulations Everyone on a successful 5th year for the GHS Annual Appeal. Almost 100% of GHS families made contributions or pledges to the Annual Appeal to help GHS close the gap between tuition income and operating expenses and to allow us to maintain the sliding scale tuition model and other programs that support our mission. We’d also like to say thank you to our Grandparents and Special Friends. This year, contributions from Grandparents and Special Friends made up almost 20% of our Annual Appeal. Greene Hill School is truly a community and we could not have done it without your support.
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The 10s Are Moving Up! This June, GHS marked a special milestone. Our first group of 10s students “moved up” to become our pioneering Middle School class of sixth graders.
PATHS Hat’s off to PATHS (Parents and Teachers Helping the School) for everything they do for GHS. This year was made immeasurably more fun and productive with all of their hard work. Diana mentioned some specific projects in her letter and there continues to be so much more that PATHS does for Greene Hill. There is not enough room here to list all of the projects, or thank all of the
The 10s found several exciting ways to
people, but we know who you are and what you’ve
mark the significance of this transition.
done for the school. Please join us in thanking our
Since they were ready for a new challenge
current PATHS co-chairs Rebecca Caban and Kate
that would allow them to exercise the re-
Sheldon, all committee heads and committee mem-
sponsibility and capacity for independence
bers, and — last but not least — all class parents.
they've been working toward for years, we proposed that they plan their own camping trip. And they did it! We booked them a
JOIN US IN THANKING AND ACKNOWLEDGING PATHS COMMITTEE HEADS:
campsite and a bus, and they did the rest.
PATHS co-chairs Rebecca Caban and Kate Sheldon
They made lists of everything that would
Building & Space Rental: Russell Champa, Runit Chhaya, Alan Wiener
need to happen to prepare for the trip, and they organized themselves into committees and got to work. They spent a glorious three days camping in Copake Falls, setting up and breaking down tents, cooking,
Community Service: Veronica Perez and Sally Stark-Dreifus
What a group.
Diversity + Outreach: Vanessa Bobb and Ahtis Davis
We are also proud of the 10s understanding of — and compassion toward — the
Gardening: Mark-Antonio Smith, Patti Coffey and Nicole Porter
world around them. The 10s visited the Fort Greene Grace Agard Harewood Senior
Grandparents Day: Jenie Fu and Hope McGrath
Center for lunch, bringing their own high spirits, a scene from the Wizard of Oz, led the last First Friday Sing of the school year. They provided musical accompa-
Greene Affair: Caroline Bollinger, Stav Birnbaum, Carrie McLaren, Kate Sheldon
niment for many songs and sat among the younger students, showing their leader-
Library: Theres Wegmann, Katja Schroeder
ship skills, love of music and their feeling of responsibility and connectedness to
Winter Brunch: Bettina Schneider, Jenie Fu
cleaning, hiking, fishing, and enjoying each other's company in a novel way.
and cards and crafts that they had organized from the whole school. The 10s also
the whole school. The school year culminated with our first Moving Up ceremony. Every member of the 10s class prepared a speech about their growth at GHS, or read original poetry or shared what they considered some of their best work. They boldly presented these to their parents, loved ones and the 9s class. Each 10 wrote something that they appreciated about one another and these lovely sentiments were included on their diplomas. The ceremony commenced with a lot of tears and a beautiful rendition by the 10s of “Blue Skies”. Please enjoy these wonderful pictures of the 10s! Go 10s!
JOIN US IN THANKING AND ACKNOWLEDGING CLASS PARENTS: 4s Stacie Billis and Rebecca Caban 5s Jen Marik 6s Nicole Porter and Daria Sanford 7s Rob Nassau 8s Natasha Felton and Stephanie Smith 9s Susan Yun 10s Pippa Paulson
SUMMER 2014
CONTRIBUTORS Diana Schlesinger Barbara Frailey Rachael Burton Laurie Baum Sally Stark-Dreifus Hilary Davis Seana Anderson Lola Byrd PHOTO CREDITS Marjorie Vereen Diana Schlesinger Barbara Frailey Laurie Baum Craig Paulson LAYOUT AND DESIGN Ilana Greenberg Please contact Rachael Burton at rburton@greenehillschool.org for information about contributions to the school
NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
Greene Hill School (the “School”) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, financial aid programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs. © 2014 Greene Hill School
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