progressions GREENE HILL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2015
CONTENTS LETTER FROM DIANA LEARNING + PRACTICE AT GREENEHILL EYE ON EDUCATION GREENE HILL GROWS UPDATE PATHS REPORT BOARD CORNER
GREENE HILL SCHOOL 39 Adelphi Street Brooklyn, NY 11205 718.230.3608 WEB SITE
www.greenehillschool.org
DEAR GREENE HILL FAMILIES,
I’d like to say that winter is a time of introspection and reflection for me at Greene Hill but truly it is the opposite. Days are stuffed to the brim with admissions meetings, strategic planning and of course fun social gatherings! The independent school admissions season has a predictable ebb and flow, tours in fall and spring, interviews with parents and children in the winter and then difficult decisions. We are fortunate that so many people have taken an interest in our school and every weekend have been meeting groups of children whose parents are applying to join Greene Hill. It is always a pleasure to get to know families a bit through this process and the craft of building a class is something we think deeply about as a staff. And though I said it is not a reflective time, it is a time that we find many ways to communicate our progressive identity to prospective parents. As we think about what our goals are for education: educating the whole child, preparing active and caring citizens and fostering creativity in all areas of the curriculum, you might be interested in THIS CLIP from Yale’s Stephen Carter. I am involved with our board of trustees and staff in thinking about the current year, next year and the years to follow. This ongoing careful planning process enables us to consider how to make the best choices for the school’s development. This summer the school completed our fifth fiscal year. This made us eligible to submit a formal application to NYSAIS (New York State Association of Independent Schools) the primary organization of accreditation for NYS Independent Schools and the one that opens the doors for us to then join both the National (NAIS) and City (ISAAGNY) organizations. Following our application we hosted a full day visit with Mark Lauria the Executive Director of NYSAIS, the Director of Evaluation and Accreditation George Swain and two NYSAIS Board Members, Jane Foley Fried, Head of The Brearley School in Manhattan and Diane Hulse, former Head of the Staten Island Academy and school consultant. As this group has seen a tremendous number of schools throughout NY, their response to our school was gratifying. They left us with statements such as “you have accomplished so much in five years” and “we are excited to work with your lovely school”. The panel was impressed by our financial planning and thoughtful board. They had the opportunity to speak with parent and PATHS co-chair Rebecca Caban, teachers and staff including Laurie Baum, James Choi and Jaime Quackenbush and board members Eric Ashman and Beth Schneider who provided them with a tremendous amount of information about Greene Hill. Our provisional membership was granted by the entire NYSAIS board following the panel’s recommendation. A significant milestone for GHS!
info @ greenehillschool.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES Nanci Berman, Chair Nils Mellquist, Treasurer Amanda Smith, Secretary Meredith Phillips Almeida David Horowitz Carrie Mauer Beth Schneider
I have also had the pleasure this year of helping to plan the PEN (Progressive Education Network) National Conference to be held from October 8-10 in Brooklyn. We expect over 1,000 educators, administrators, activists and policy makers to attend and Greene Hill will have a prominent presence throughout. The theme this year is ACCESS, EQUITY AND ACTIVISM: TEACHING THE POSSIBLE and is so connected to Greene Hill School’s mission and approach. We look forward to leading workshops and hosting educators. When it’s cold it is a joy to come together as a community and celebrate the season. Take a look at page 5 to see some of the fun we had ice skating in Prospect Park this January. I remember the first time we decided to take the whole school ice skating, 4s and up, and what a feat it seemed. Now part of our school culture, it’s wonderful to see kids and adults practicing their skating skills together. We are all looking forward to the Greene Affair- the amazing party that supports Greene Hill School so well each year. Put together by an incredibly hard working group of parents and this year fearlessly lead by Daria Stanford and Stav Birnbaum. I hope you have all booked your sitters so we can celebrate together! To find out more about the planning process and how you can help please see page 5.
MY VERY BEST, DIANA SCHLESINGER, SCHOOL DIRECTOR
GREENE HILL SCHOOL
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www.greenehillschool.org • 718.230.3608
SPRING 2014
LEARNING + PRACTICE AT GHS Creepy Crawlies at GHS CLASSROOM ANIMALS AND ARTHROPODS HAVE ARRIVED! The 6s have an extensive collection of arthropods that keep them company every day and made the lab study, titled Creepy Crawlies, come alive. The 6s arthropods come from the phylum that includes four groups of related animals: Insects, arachnids, centipedes/millipedes, and crustaceans. For everyone unversed in arthropod vocabulary, this means that the 6s have hissing cockroaches, a tarantula, crickets (food for the tarantula) and meal worms. The animals share a phylum because they all have segmented bodies, jointed legs, and an exoskeleton. Lap participants were introduced to at least one animal in these four different groups. Through direct observation and study, including building habitats, holding and touching the animals, providing them with food and water, and in the case of crustaceans, a dissection, children developed firsthand experience with these animals. They noticed their structures and behaviors, discussed their findings, and asked many questions. We introduced the scientific classification system as it relates to these animals, and the students practiced categorizing them, noticing their similarities and differences. We discussed the animals’ defining characteristics, such as the number of legs they have. Students culminated their study by choosing one of the animals we observed and making a clay model of it. Harriet and Marty are box turtles living in the 5s room. They are wintering here at GHS, down from teacher Roxanne’s parents farm in Massachusetts. The 5s are providing a stimulating habitat for both turtles, although it is said that Harriet prefers to stand still and enjoy the scene. The 5s feed the turtles and see how they react to different classroom environments. As part of their turtle study, they drew Marty and Harriet with great observational details. And, we can’t forget Darwin the red-footed tortoise who lives in the science lab with Marjorie. Red-footed tortoises are found in rainforests so her tank is warm and damp. Her diet consists of green leaf lettuce daily and a variety of other things (banana, tomato, strawberry, hard boiled egg) as a supplement a few times a week. She will be 4 in April and could live to be 50 years old. Right now she weighs about 2 pounds but at full size she could be up to 50 pounds. The difference between a turtle and a tortoise is where they dwell – turtles spend most of their time in the water while tortoises are land dwellers. GHS students are fascinated with watching her eat and how she moves. She helps us to think about the basic needs of animals as well as the differences between reptiles and mammals.
BY RACHAEL BURTON CONTRIBUTORS: ANTHONY BRADFORD AND MARJORIE VAREEN
GREENE HILL SCHOOL
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www.greenehillschool.org • 718.230.3608
EYE ON EDUCATION GREENE HILL SCHOOL HAS BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF WONDERFUL PRESS THIS WINTER. Check out the GHS FILM made by parent and filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. It captures the community spirit and warm and engaging environment that we all work so hard to create. CLICK HERE to go directly to the film or go to the website (www.greenehillschool.org) and follow the link on the homepage. RoadMap Brooklyn blog editor and educational consultant Lisa Roth paid a visit to GHS and interviewed director, Diana Schlesinger, and Admissions Director, Nanci Berman. Here is an excerpt from the longer article on the blog — the answer to a question we hear all the time. RMB: Greene Hill is 6 years old, but it seems to float just under the radar. What makes it a unique place? DS: Greene Hill is a progressive school and we know that progressive education can mean a variety of things – we always get questions about what it means to us here. In addition to small class size and first names for teachers, students and staff, we have a constructivist approach to learning and teaching — the idea that all people construct their own knowledge, and develop meaning and understanding through experience. In other words, children are not passive recipients of knowledge or information. Educators cannot give children knowledge or understanding — children have to come to that understanding themselves. This means that it's not enough to make a wish list for what we want children to learn — we need to recognize that children build knowledge incrementally over time, and we need to have an accurate understanding of how that process works so that we give them the right opportunities at the right time to build their understanding. Teachers really think closely about the particular children in their classroom as they plan curriculum. NB: One thing that makes Greene Hill so special is how small it is. We have one class at each grade level which really creates a special sense of community and connectedness. People often ask whether we are going to add additional classes at each grade level. But we know that widening [the school] changes that and we’re really committed to the idea of a small community. To read the entire article, CLICK HERE. One more article of interest. Recently The Washington Post published an article about the gap between what happens in schools and what educators know to be true. CHECK IT OUT
SPRING 2014 2014-15 ANNUAL APPEAL The 5 W’s of the Annual Appeal: CONTRIBUTORS Rachael Burton Paris Noldon Diana Schlesinger
PHOTO CREDITS Laurie Baum Rachael Burton Diana Schlesinger Marjorie Vareen LAYOUT AND DESIGN Ilana Greenberg Please contact Rachael Burton at rburton@greenehillschool.org for information about contributions to the school
WHO ALL GHS families, friends and extended community
WHAT Come together to support the school financially; to close the gap between tuition income and operating expenses and TO MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT TO THE SLIDING SCALE TUITION MODEL.
WHERE CLICK HERE to make a contribution online. Email rburton@greenehillschool.org to charge a contribution to FACTS or send a check to school.
WHEN NOW! Our goals are 100% family participation in the Annual Appeal and $100,000. Please make a donation today.
WHY Tuition alone does not cover the cost of education a GHS student. It costs about $1000 more per student per year to get the small class sizes, individual attention and amazing curriculum that allows our students to flourish. Everyone needs to contribute their fair share to the Annual Appeal to help GHS maintain the sliding scale tuition model and the wonderful community for students and families.
GREENE HILL SCHOOL
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www.greenehillschool.org • 718.230.3608
PATHS
Board Corner
The Community Service Committee is one of the most active PATHS committees.
We are pleased to introduce Greene Hill’s newest Board member – Carrie Mauer.
Earlier this winter, PATHS invited visitors from Elders Share the Arts' Pearls of Wisdom program to GHS to share personal stories and answer student questions. One Elder's story was about children as active participants in social justice movements as well as other issues that come up around Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Carrie is currently a consultant with Education First,
A Greene Hill 6th grader, Paris Noldon, reflected on the experience:
and Professional Development. Carrie will be helping
Just recently Greene Hill School had had the privileged pleasure of being visited by two dynamic women who were kind enough to share with us a story that was told to her by her uncle. She told us what it was like to be a young black boy in a racist atmosphere. She explained that her uncle was an ambitious boy and how that little act of ambition got him to a very good spot in his life. They were really telling the story in a way everyone could imagine it happening like they were there. The story was tremendous and we all had plenty of questions for her afterwards. She exemplified a great woman who knew about her heritage which may have inspired some of us to learn more about ours. We all really appreciated her visiting and inspiring us.
a national consulting firm dedicated to education improvement and reform. Carrie also served as the Chief of Staff at KIPP NYC, the non-profit network of charter schools. Before coming to New York, Carrie was the Providence Public School District Facilitator of Planning the Board with financial planning and forecasting — and we are delighted to have her expertise.
THE GREENE AFFAIR Greene Hill School’s largest fundraising event — and most fun party is coming on March 6 at 8 pm. Art, Jewelry, Spa Services — all can be had in our Bidding for Good auction site. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE AUCTION ITEMS CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
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.
Š 2015 Greene Hill School