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Faculty News
Linda Gardiner “Best in Show” Director of Lower School and Assistant Head Linda Gardiner was awarded the “1st Place,
Best in Show” award along with partner
Christey Robinson at the Garden Club of America flower show, “There is a Season, Turn, Turn, Turn!” in September. Their arrangement was part of Division I/Class 2, and won Best In Show: Floral Design as well as the North Shore Garden Club Jane Greenleaf Award.
“Arranging flowers is like painting/sculpting/designing with natural materials,” says Gardiner. “The textures, the shapes, the colors, and the fragrance are your tools and the canvas is wide open for you to create...Creating a tablescape to complement the arrangement was great fun. I’d never done anything like this before, so it was a surprise and honor to win.”
“Water Bowl,” made from rulers bent out of shape by GVS students.
Lizzie Wright, Solo Sculpture Exhibition Crafts teacher Lizzie Wright mounted a solo exhibition of her original sculpture at top New Orleans gallery Good Children last fall. The show, entitled “Pet Turtle,” explores the form and symbolism of a 60-million-year-old species. Whether by literal depiction or through references to the world of pet turtles (water bowls, heat lamps, habitats), Wright employs both recycled and at-hand materials. Some works also feature glazed ceramic turtle shells cast from the shell of her own childhood pet.
Wright received an MFA in Sculpture from Yale University. She has exhibited at a variety of spaces in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Her work has been reviewed by various publications including The New Yorker and New Art City.
Faculty Professional Development Day
Once a year, Green Vale devotes a day to a full-faculty professional development schedule. This year, divisions rotated among themed workshops led by outside experts. Some topics included:
Recycling Meets Play, Early Childhood Lisa Zaretsky is the founder of playAGAIN, an early childhood program based on the importance of unstructured play for a child’s development and social/emotional wellbeing. She led a workshop on the use of repurposed materials in the classroom. “Anything children can manipulate — move, change shape, etc — you will always have success with it.” She showed how this can foster decision-making, problem-solving, conversations, deep exploration, creativity, and creative thinking.
Elizabeth Blatz Brings Professional Development to Her Classroom
3rd Grade teacher Elizabeth Blatz has taken advantage of several faculty enrichment opportunities this year, in addition to working toward a second master’s degree in literacy.
Greg Tang’s Enrichment Math Institute addressed such questions as: When and how can whole-class instruction be modified and when is small-group instruction most beneficial? How can we help kids who struggle become proficient, kids who are proficient become advanced, and kids who are advanced become more advanced?
Another seminar addressed “guided reading,” an instructional approach that involves a teacher working with small groups of readers. In groups that are fluid (due to ongoing assessment), students are grouped by level and given a text that is slightly harder than what they can read without support. The teacher coaches students with problem-solving strategies as they read.
Finally, she attended “Diversity & Inclusion in Picture Books” at the Nassau County Museum of Art. Blatz reports: “The seminar showed us how to ensure we are giving ample opportunity to express different voices and opinions.”
Teachers Star in Remake of “Casablanca” In a show of humor, school spirit, and support for the annual Gala, several teachers surprised the crowd at the event with an original video remake of the famous farewell scene from “Casablanca”, the theme of the event. The cast starred
Joanne Pappas as Ingrid
Bergman and Richard Quinlan as Humphrey
Bogart and featured Bill Hiss, Melissa Noga and Frank Zanone in supporting roles. The School’s new production studio and green screen enabled the authentic backdrop.
View the video at greenvaleschool .org/gala
Social Emotional Learning, Early Childhood Lindsay Weiner, founder of The EQ Child consultancy, has been conducting monthly workshops on various SEL topics with GVS parents all year. A focus of Early Childhood classes has been to build children’s social-emotional toolbox over time. Together, teachers brainstormed how the five components of SEL (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) are implemented in each classroom.
Innovation Lab, Lower School Harvey Bass presented an overview of how various grades and teachers have been making use of Green Vale’s new innovation lab and the available 3D printers, robots, electric circuitry, glue guns, and massive table space. In addition to technology class applications, science and history and even art teachers have taken advantage of the facility. For example, 3rd Grade science used the lab and materials to create simple machines (tiny catapults for distance and accuracy). Bass wants teachers and students to get used to the notion that “technology is not a separate subject. Rather, it’s integrated throughout all subjects."
Facilitating Critical Conversations, Lower & Upper School This workshop was led by Kim Burkhalter, PhD. of Teaching Tolerance, the organization that spent a day with the full faculty last year. While last year focused on curriculum design, this year’s conversation centered around ensuring successful outcomes when critical conversations arise. Participants examined common beliefs and biases that can affect the ability to engage in productive conversations. The intent was to equip teachers with the confidence to lean into conversations about race and other critical topics.