From the
Parent Council Excecutive Committee
SA families Bensonhurst
November 2015 Newsletter
What’s Inside 1 Opening Letter 2 Art of Practice 3 For what are you thankful?
100% Fun
Favorite Color
The King and I
4 Calendar of Upcoming Events at School and Around Town
sa-bh PCEC Polina Bulman President
Madeline Vega Vice President
Lana Dziouba Secretary
sabh.pcec@gmail.com Thank you Illona Brobitsky and Elena Gorohovsky! Send pictures or calendar events anytime to contribute_sabh@yahoo.com
Principal Dant greets scholars who gathered early to sing “happy birthday” to him with noisemakers and party hats. photo by Polina bulman
showing appreciation As we continue the PCEC’s collections for our Winter Social and gifts to teachers, we should stop to think about thankfulness. After so many weeks at SA-BH, it’s easy to forget that not every school’s everyday routine includes a handshake with the principal who knows your scholar’s name—an important way to establish individuality in a place filled with uniformity. Reading about school and seeing it in action are different things. A class full of Kindergarteners and chess boards might not sound like a place where 4- and 5-year-olds can act like Kindergarteners. They watch a music video and laugh about the King’s short legs. They have trouble explaining why it’s important to play quietly, but they are all playing games—some are even applauded for good strategy. Probably not many scholars came home Thursday and said they practiced using scissors safely, but that might be because time in the Art Studio is time spent letting the paper speak to them. One scholar is adept at cutting, another is confident composing. They all share ideas in different ways. And unseen outside the school are the ways the staff supports each other to finish prepping a class or find a solution. A lot of rules create structure, but the structure includes room for improvisation and individuality. And what more could we want for our kids than for them to be their best selves?
Art of practice More than a safety exercise, WCU makes choices and explains those choices
Ms. Rodriguez (top left) reviews “Far apart, next to, overlapping” after demonstrating how to use scissors safely. Wcu scholars cut shapes big and small, geometric and organic. Each table sorts the colored paper into a tray of cut shapes and unused pieces before arranging compositions on white paper. Every Scholar talks with a partner, a few explain to the whole class. Then all the shapes go back into the bins. photos by Madeline Vega
Children must be taught how to think, not what to think. 2 SA-BH PCEC Newsletter November 2015
—Margaret Mead
SA-BH Family Members Answer the Question “What are you thankful for?”
Love
Knowledge
Comunity
Friends
Family Faith Peace
Possibility to live in this country DC Comics
Brockport uses writing skills to extend an invitation to their party.
My Children
What we have
Health
Life
100% Fun
Hugs and cuddles with my daughter!
Star Wars
My child being accepted to SA-BH
Chipotle No really, I love that place
As one mom put it, “I’m thankful I’ve met some wonderful SA-BH parents that I can now call friends.” Join us on the family-only group at facebook.com/groups/sabhparents.
Green
From the Staff Survey:
Favorite Color? Fuchsia and Magenta family
1
Turquoise Orange 1 1
One Piece at a Time
Blue
Pink Purple Yellow 2
2
2
5
5 10 11
Kindergarteners master the king
Morehouse works hard to prepare “Watch me” for community circle. photo by Madeline Vega
with Mr. Puckett, Muhlenburg reviews how a king can move before heading to the tables. Each scholar is supposed to prevent the other king from reaching the opposite side of the board. photos by Madeline Vega
November 2015 SA-BH PCEC Newsletter 3
Calendar of Upcoming Events sun
mon 2
1
tues 3
wed 4
thurs
fri
sat
5
6
7
12
13
14
Halloween at the zoo Daylight Saving Time Ends—set clocks back
Election Day
8
9
Winter Social collection ends
Teacher Gifts collection begins
10
11
Family treasure hunt
Big Apple Circus Lincoln Center
Diwali Veterans Day
15
16
18
17
S’more Fun School Play-date*
22
19
20
21 Holiday Train Show
Multicultural Day Potluck in classrooms
23
24
25
26
27
No School
No School
No School
No School
No School
28
Balloon inflation Thanksgiving Day
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
Lincoln Square holiday festival
Fun Things to Add to Your Calendar A selection of events in and around Brooklyn to check out with your scholar * Check ACTION Updates and Facebook for School Play-date information Halloween at the zoo Nov. 1 - 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Boo at the Zoo features costume parades, magic shows, a hay maze, scary stories, pumpkin carving, and treats at the Bronx Zoo and is included free with a regular ticket (Adult $33.55, Child $23.95) http://bronxzoo.com/boo-at-the-zoo Family treasure hunt Nov. 14 - 12 to 3 p.m. All ages can use a map and compass to follow clues to find island treasures
at The Great Randall’s Island Treasure Hunt at Icahn Stadium. Free. For more information: christopher.girgenti@parks.nyc.gov Holiday Train Show Nov. 21 - Jan. 18 - 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Watch model trains zip around miniature New York landmarks made of plant materials and enjoy kids’ activities at the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden. (Adult $25, Child 2-12 $10) http://www.nybg.org/hts15/
4 SA-BH PCEC Newsletter November 2015
Balloon inflation Nov. 25 - 3 to 10 p.m. Watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade balloons slowly fill with helium near 79th Street and Columbus Avenue. Lincoln Square holiday festival Nov. 30 - 5:30 to 9 p.m. Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square features a tree lighting in Dante Park, a brass band, dancing, evening food tasting from local restaurants, and activities and entertainment for kids, all along Broadway. Free.