“...BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS...” -JOSHUA 1:9
N OV E M B E R 2 01 6
WELCOmE TO THE SPOTLiGHT Welcome to a new school year! We hope the Spotlight will be a resource for your family. In it you will get a glimpse into some of the beautiful things that are happening across our four campuses. You will find important dates and reminders and, more than that, we hope you’ll gain a clearer vision of The City School as a pre-K through twelve family. Whatever grade your student is in, they are part of a larger community of learners, and we want to share life together as one school.
viSuAL LEArNiNG We all learn dierently. God has wired our brains in diverse ways that allow us to navigate the world, learn new concepts, and master new skills as unique individuals.
Visual learning is one learning pathway that can often be overlooked in a world of textbooks and lectures. But at The City School, we embrace the visual.
Last month our second graders learned about cells in their science classes. In STEAM, they explored the cell from the vantage of art. Looking at potato cells under a microscope, (Continued on back inside cover)
Fairm ount Grades Pre-K to 2 860 N. 24th Street Philadelphia, PA 19130 215.769.5366
Fairmount End of Quarter 1 – November 4 Partners’ Breakfast & Chili Cook-Off - November 11 Volunteers needed. See back inside cover for details.
HALF DAY, No Aftercare November 23 Thanksgiving Break, SCHOOL CLOSED - November 24 & 25
Picture Retakes - November 16 For students who missed picture day or want their pictures retaken. For retakes, please return the original portraits. You may keep the class composite.
Parent Teacher Conferences, HALF DAY, No Aftercare – November 17 Parent Teacher Conferences, SCHOOL CLOSED – November 18 Franklin Institute Field Trip – November 21 Thanksgiving Feast – November 23 10:30 am to 11:30 am During our “Celebration of Thanks,” students will participate in a brief Thanksgiving program and a time of worship, followed by a Thanksgiving Feast. Each class will contribute a portion of the meal, prepared ahead of time by the children. They will gather to eat in Pilgrim Hall (our lower level). Parents are welcome to attend, but we are unable to accommodate younger siblings. Volunteers are needed. More details to follow.
We had such a wonderful time spending the morning with our grandparents. Thanks to all the parent volunteers who made this special time possible!
S pru ce Hill Grades k to 5 4115 Baltimore Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19104 215.382.7839
Spruce Hill End of Quarter 1 – November 4 Partners’ Breakfast & Chili Cook-Off - November 11 Volunteers needed. See back inside cover for details.
HALF DAY, No Aftercare November 23 Thanksgiving Break, SCHOOL CLOSED - November 24 & 25
Picture Retakes - November 16 For students who missed picture day or want their pictures retaken. For retakes, please return the original portraits. You may keep the class composite. Students will be asked to change into their school uniform after they are photographed.
Parent Teacher Conferences, HALF DAY, No Aftercare – November 17 Parent Teacher Conferences, SCHOOL CLOSED – November 18 Thanksgiving Feast – November 23 10:30 am to 11:30 am, Grades K to 2 During our “Celebration of Thanks,” students will participate in a brief Thanksgiving program and a time of worship, followed by a Thanksgiving Feast. Each class will contribute a portion of the meal, prepared ahead of time by the children. They will gather to eat in Pilgrim Hall (our Chapel). Parents are welcome to attend, but we are unable to accommodate younger siblings. Volunteers are needed, please contact your child’s teacher.
We had such a wonderful time spending the morning with our grandparents. Thanks to all the parent volunteers who made this special time possible!
Wa lnut St reet Grades 6 to 8 4501 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19139 215.382.7839
Walnut Street End of Quarter 1 – November 4 Field Trip to Bartram Gardens – November 10 Partners’ Breakfast & Chili Cook-Off - November 11 Volunteers needed. See back inside cover for details.
Picture Retake Day – November 16 Parent Teacher Conferences – November 16 | 4-8 pm November 17 | 1-8 pm All conferences will be held at the Spruce Hill Campus.
HALF DAY - November 17 SCHOOL CLOSED - November 18 HALF DAY - November 23 As part of our Year of Service, Students visited Whosoever Gospel Mission, A Christian nonprofit which provides goods, support, and services to the homeless and needy. Inspired by their time there, they decided to start collecting monthly donations to support the mission’s work.
Thanksgiving Break, SCHOOL CLOSED - November 24 & 25
R i t t e n h ou se Grades 9 to 12 315 S. 17th Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 215.731.1930
Rittenhouse Cold Weather Reminder City School hoodies can still be purchased from Flynn & O’Hara.
Basketball Reminder Any student interested in participating in basketball should make sure there is a current physical on file.
Partners’ Breakfast & Chili Cook-Off - November 11 Parent volunteers needed. See back inside cover for details.
MP2 Interim Reports – November 18 HALF DAY - November 23 Thanksgiving Break, SCHOOL CLOSED - November 24 & 25
Students in our computer science course are learning about alternate counting systems by studying binary code and developing shape-based counting systems.
(Continued from front inside cover)
they illustrated their findings. As they doodled, Mrs. Gregory noticed the concentric circles in crayon looked a bit like the famous color studies of Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky. So, after finishing portraits of the cell, they recreated Kandinsky’s expressionist masterpiece. Mrs. Gregory explains. “We learn through art. We learn through play and discovery and wonder. My point with these projects is not that second
graders will remember each part of the cell—although we cover that. My hope is to capture their sense of wonder. Look what God has made! A passion for God’s creation is the best foundation for learning. By familiarizing young students with higher-level concepts through the visual arts, and by igniting their sense of awe, we are preparing them for a lifetime of learning. To do this, we must embrace the arts.”
Volunteers Needed. Interested in giving back to The City School community? We could use your help. There are many different ways to serve. Please contact Betty Handy, Home and School President, at homeandschool@cityschool.org. You can also sign up for campus specific opportunities at http://signup.com/go/x8QzPr.
FUNDRAISING BREAKFAST We’re looking for volunteers on the morning of November 11 from 6:45 am to 10:30 am to help us host some of our school’s financial partners. 5 to 7 volunteers are needed to help with last minute preparations, talking to guests, assisting the caterers, clearing tables, and cleaning up after the breakfast. Please contact Anna Gunther with questions (agunther@cityschool.org).
HSA SCHOOL-WIDE CHILI COOK-OFF We need parents, teachers, students, grandparents, etc. to sign up to bring chili for our contest held at the Fairmount Campus from 6-8 pm on November 11. There will be prizes for the best chili and special guest judges! Email Home and School to sign up for the contest. Other parents who want to help plan and set up or sell refreshments can sign up at the signup.com address above.
Like us on Facebook at: facebook.com/thecityschool BUSINESS OFFICE 860 N. 24th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130 | 215.769.5363 The City School is a pre-K through 12th grade Christian school serving over 340 students on four campuses across Philadelphia. Our mission is to train students’ minds, disciple their hearts, and bring light to the city—one child at a time.
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SH - Open House, 9:30 AM
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Fri 4 FM, SH, WS End of Q1
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RH - Open House, 5 PM
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Partners’ Breakfast & Chili CookOff
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FM, SH, WS - HALF DAY & P/T Conferences
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FM, SH, WS - SCHOOL CLOSED & P/T Conferences
SCHOOL CLOSED Thanksgiving Break
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SCHOOL CLOSED Thanksgiving Day
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Whole School - HALF DAY FM, SH Thanksgiving Celebration
FM, SH, WS - Picture Retakes WS - P/T Conferences
WS - Open House, 9:30 AM
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FM - Open House, 9:30 AM
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NOVEMBER OPEN HOUSES
Help us spread the word about The City School. Do you know someone looking for an excellent and accessible education? Invite them to a November open house.
Fairmount - November 30| 9:30 AM
Spruce Hill – November 15 | 9:30 AM
Walnut Street – November 9| 9:30 AM
Rittenhouse - November 10 | 5:00 PM
For more information or to RSVP, contact Kim Jones, Admissions Director at admissions@cityschool. org or 215.805.4129. More admissions information can be found on our website at cityschool.org.