10-29-2008 - EMS - HEADLines

8/7/2019 10-29-2008 - EMS - HEADLines

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HEADlines Cooperation ● Courtesy ● Compassion ● Consideration

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

David M. Lowry, Ph.D., Head of Schoo

www.emswednesdayenvelope.orgFor our calendar: www.elisabethmorrow.org

Last Friday at the Morrow House Assembly, a “PresidentialMock Debate” was held between Loretta Weinberg, repre-

senting the views of Barack Obama, and Robert Agresta, repre-senting the views of John McCain. History and Current Eventsteacher, Michele Bower, was the moderator. The questionsasked had been culled from those submitted by the students.

Loretta Weinberg is the Democratic incumbent running for theNJ State Senate in the 37th District. Robert Agresta, a Republi-can and member of the EMS class of 1995, is currently running for the City Council of

Englewood Cliffs. The student audience was instructed to behave in the manner of those at the televised presidential debates, and they were perfect, never reacting to thecandidates’ responses.

Needless to say, this presidential race has stirred an energy and excitement like noother in recent times. The students’ discussions and projects have been outstanding;their knowledge of the points of view impressive. Mrs. Bower has been a master atseizing this phenomenon and making it powerfully instructive, extending understand-ing of the American form of democracy as well as clarifying the serious issues.

The students' most important job now? Making sure their parents vote! Mrs. Weinberg, Mrs. Bower, Mr. Agresta

Parent-Teacher Conferences are next week, Thursday af-ternoon and all day Friday, November 6 and 7. To helpmake the most of these occasions, I offer a few tips:

Be on time for your appointment and keep to the schedule, asother parents may be waiting for their conference. If you findthat the allotted time is not adequate to cover everything, endon time and schedule a follow-up meeting.

Think ahead about any questions or areas that you wish to besure are covered. You might like to leave a voice mail or an e-mail with the teacher in advance, so that he or she has a chanceto contemplate your questions.

Jot down these areas and bring them with you; it is easy to getside-tracked during a conversation and then remember whatyou wanted to ask after the conference is over.

Because time is limited, get down to the task of the conferencewith minimal pleasantries. Focus on the student.

If you have questions or concerns about general procedures orpolicies of the School (i.e., dismissal, car lines, music lessons,etc.), do not spend time on those. They most likely need to bedirected to a principal or me.

If you want to speak with a special teacher, such as music,physical education, art, library or technology, you would be wiseto make an appointment in advance that precedes or followsyour conference time.

If areas emerge that require some follow-up, be sure to set anappointment for a future meeting before ending the conference

Be sure to share any perceptions that your child may have of hisor her life at school of which the teacher may not be aware. This may include any feelings of anxiety or worry that your stu-dent may have about academic work, the social dynamics withinthe class or grade or about a teacher. We need to know thesethings to ensure the best possible situation for learning.

Also, share special areas of enthusiasm and enjoyment that youryoungster reports at home. These are equally important for usto understand.

Remember that these conferences are simply the regularly

scheduled times for parent-teacher collaboration. You are welcome and encouraged to have additionalconferences at any time. Never let issues gounspoken!

Skills for the 21st Century

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EMS BOOK FAIR

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY

NOVEMBER 11 — 13

A TRADITION NOT TO BE MISSED!

Last week I wrote about the initiative that is summed up by the concept of “Skills for the 21st Century.” Educators and other “futurists” who are in-

volved in determining what capabilities people will need to succeed in the coming years have developed several categories of skills: Core Subjects and Interdisci- plinary Themes; Learning and Innovations Skills; Communication and Col-laboration; Information, Media and Technology Skills; and Life and CareerSkills. There are subsets of skills in each category. In many of its practices, pro-

jects, and activities, The Elisabeth Morrow School already focuses on many of these aptitudes, perhaps intuitively. Nevertheless, it is clear that we need to makesuch learning more visible and deliberate. How, exactly, does the School move be-yond core subjects and skills and ensure the incorporation of what will be equally im-portant for your children’s futures?

Excellent examples of the skills noted in the title of this piece were in full force dur-ing the 7th grade’s Adventure Week projects: building a large pond with a re-circulating waterfall and constructing an outdoor classroom, both on the campus.

These projects, while led by Gary Lyon, Director of Environmental Studies, were a collaboration among students, faculty members, administrators andmaintenance professionals.

Advance planning required a high level of critical (active, investigative) think-ing, and any number of unforeseen obstacles required on-the-spot problem-solving, often involving collaboration among those with differing approaches.In fact, both of the projects were heavy on teamwork. And discovering solu-tions to obstacles necessitated some pretty creative approaches and the com-bining and refining of them. Team members had to evaluate the quality of the proposed solutions, yet another level of thinking.

One of the more crucial skills that will ensure career success is the ability to work in a team of dissimilar people. Just about all work is done in teamsthese days, and the workforce becomes more diverse every day, reflective of the diversity that EMS already possesses.

If you're on the campus, come take a look atthese two projects!

David

SKILLS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY : LEARNING AND INNOVATIONS SKILLS CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING

CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

CENTER FOR FOOD ACTION

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SUGGESTED ITEMS(Please do not send in foods past their expiration date,

as CFA cannot distribute them.) apple or cranberry juice

cranberry saucepeanut butter and jelly

canned:sweet potatoesvegetablesfruitham or beef stew

chicken or tunasoupgravypumpkin pie filling

nuts and raisinsParmalat milkpie crust or mixcake mix

coffee and teacerealbeansriceboxed potatoesstuffing mixsalad oil or shorteningspaghetti sauce andpasta

Dear EMS Families,

Helping the Center for Food Actionis an annual event at The Elisabeth

Morrow School. This year morethan ever, there is great need in ourcommunity. As the economy fallsand unemployment rises at un-

precedented speed, more and morefamilies will need food this winter.

Typically, the Center for Food Ac-tion helps over 3,000 families. This

year, even more will call on themfor help.

We will begin collecting food itemson November 3 and will continuethrough November 17.

Should you prefer, a $20.00 check made out to CFA or a Shoprite GiftCard in that amount can be par-ticularly helpful at this time of

year. Gail Winter will forward themto CFA.

The Student Council has also de-cided to place collection boxes atthe coming BOOK FAIR. Let’smake a gift of food an “entrancefee” to this special event.

CENTER FOR FOOD ACTIONcfanj.org

Hunger FactsMilk prices have soared over the past year by26%, eggs by 24%, bread by 13%. Add rising

grocery prices to the higher cost of gas and elec-

tricity, throw in disappearing jobs and homeforeclosures, and you can understand why people

are struggling to keep food on the table. Ourgovernment figures 28 million Americans will be

using food stamps this year —the highest level

since the program began in the 1960’s.

Bill Moyer’s Frontline - April 2008

This is a time whencommunities musthelp to supporttheir members.

Let’s make this the mostgenerous and successful driveEMS has ever had!

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EMS Book Fair Pantry

We’re Still Looking for Donations!!

If you would like to make a donation for

the Pantry, please contact the Pantry

Co-Chairs:

Cynthia Oh

201.563.2213

[email protected]

Grace Park

917.881.8054

[email protected]

Amy Spiewak

201.988.7618

[email protected]

Or you may download the Pantry Donation

Form from the October 22 WednesdayEnvelope.

THANK YOU!!

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AMERICA

READS

In recent years, the families of The Elisabeth Morrow School have

served the needs of New Jersey inner-city students and schools by

donating books that our children have outgrown. This year, we

will once again be providing used books to support a

supplementary reading program at the Jackson Avenue School in

Hackensack.

Please bring in any books you wish to donate. They will be put to

the best possible use. Stations will be set up from Monday,

November 3, through Monday, November 17, at Chilton House,

Little School and Morrow House. Please drop off your old books

at any of these stations. In addition, you may drop off books at the

Book Fair.

Thank you for your generosity.

Bonnie Federman Book Donation Chair 201-816-9718

The Elisabeth Morrow SchoolBook Fair 2008

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ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT

GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM

MERRILY, MERRILY, MERRILY

LIFE IS BUT A DREAM

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THREE LITTLE GHOSTESSES

THREE LITTLE GHOSTESSES

SITTING ON POSTESSES

EATING BUTTERED TOASTESSESGREASING THEIR FISTESSES

UP TO THEIR WRISTESSES

OH WHAT BEASTESSES

TO MAKE SUCH FEASTESSES

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October 29, 2008

Dear Parents,

Teachers and I are beginning to prepare for Parent-Teacher Conferences. It is

hard to believe that we have been in school almost nine weeks. The childrenhave adjusted beautifully to their classrooms. They have been eagerly

participating in so many of our treasured fall traditions in Chilton House.From nature walks to pumpkin patch visits, the children have observed,

explored and experienced the wonders of fall.

As we plan and prepare for the remainder of the school year a few

housekeeping issues have been noted that I would like to address withparents. Please review these points. If you have comments or questions,please do not hesitate to call me for further discussion about any point

mentioned. Your continued support in providing all of our children with ahappy and healthy learning environment is truly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Beth Anne Brennan

Please be mindful of packing healthy foods for lunch. Candy and

excessive sweets will be sent home with your child.

Please send a note and or call if your child will be having a change in

dismissal.

Please be in school by 8:45 a.m.so that your child can be an active

member of the class during morning meeting.

Check your child’s cubby. Please make sure the extra clothes at school

are appropriate for the current weather.

Kindergarten parents - please allow your child to walk into the

classroom independently, hang up his/her belongings and complete

their morning jobs.

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GIFT BOOKS AT BOOK FAIR

October 29, 2008

Dear Chilton House Parents:

The EMS Book Fair will be held this year on November 11th, 12th,

and 13th. This wonderful annual event is sponsored by theParents Association with the guidance of the school librarians.

One of EMS’s finest customs is for each child to select a book todonate to the Chilton House Library. A selection of gift bookscarefully chosen by Mrs. Rubin will be prominently displayed inthe gift book section. Each child will proudly sign and date abook plate to be placed in the gift book. The teachers will sharethe gift books with the children in the class before they aredelivered to the library.Your child may then check out the book and take it home toshare with your family.

This is one of the many ways that the EMS communityencourages a love of books, reading and sharing. I hope that allof you will take part in this truly enjoyable EMS tradition.

Sincrely,

Beth Anne Brennan

Director of Early Childhood Programs

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October 29, 2008

Dear Parents,

We strongly encourage all families to attend the EMS Book Fair with their children. This is a wonderful opportunity to purchase books for your family.

3-YEAR-OLD & PREKINDERGARTEN CHILDRENMrs. Grace Oliff, our EMS storyteller, will tell a story to the 3-Year-Old and PreK children at 1:00 pm on Thursday, November 13th in the Morrow House Music Roomlocated to the left of the lobby. Please bring your child to this wonderful event andlisten to Mrs. Oliff work her magic of storytelling. Children who are enrolled for theafternoon session should be in their classrooms a few minutes before 1:00 p.m. We will walk up to Morrow House as a group. Those children who leave earlier areinvited to join us at 1:00 p.m. You can visit the Book Fair before or after thestorytelling or any other time during the three days.

KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN The families of the children in kindergarten are invited to a flashlight picnic in yourchild’s classroom on Tuesday, November 11th at 6:00 pm. Please bring dinner foryour family and a flashlight. After dinner we will walk up to the Book Fair in theGymkhana next to Morrow House.

Tuesday

November 11, 2008

Wednesday

November 12, 2008

Thursday

November 13, 20086:00 p.m. (with families)Kindergarten FlashlightPicnic

9:00 a.m. (children only)PreKindergarten &Kindergarten with Author:Mordicai Gerstein(CH Music Room)

1:00 p.m. (with parents)Mrs. Grace Oliff Story time (MH Music Room)

Sincerely,

Beth Anne Brennan

Director of Early Childhood Programs

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October 29, 2008

Dear Third & Fourth Grade Parents:

During the week of November 17th, we will be administering the CTP 4(Comprehensive Testing Program) to your child. This is a standardizedtest published by The Educational Records Bureau (ERB) designed toprovide instructionally useful information about student performance inthe key areas of school achievement: listening, reading, vocabulary, writing, and mathematics. It is given in the fall of each year to third &fourth grade students at The Elisabeth Morrow School. In order tohelp children achieve their best results, we have been familiarizing thechildren with the test format and test taking strategies.

During testing week, it is important for children to have an adequateamount of sleep and a healthy breakfast before they come to school. The CTP 4 is only one of many standardized tests the children will takethroughout their educational career. The results of these tests will be

given to parents in February 2009.If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

Jane PhendPrincipal of Little School

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October 29, 2008

Dear Parents of Morrow House Students,

You are invited to two holiday concerts in the Peter Lawrence Gymkhana:

• The choruses and hand bell choir will perform at the annual Thanksgiving

Program on Tuesday, November 25, at 1:30 p.m. Although the regular

school dismissal will be at 3 p.m., students may go home with parents

following the performance.

• The Morrow House Holiday Program will be held on Thursday, December

18, at 7:00 p.m. The choruses, orchestra, jazz ensemble and hand bell choir

will perform.

Students have been preparing for these programs since September, and we look

forward to sharing their talent with you. Although it seems early to be wishing

anyone a Happy Thanksgiving, we know it will be here in the twinkling of an eye. All

of us at Morrow House wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving filled with

warmth and friendship.

Thank you,

Germaine DiPaolo Aaron Cooper

Morrow House Principal Dean of Students

Documents

10-29-2008 - EMS - HEADLines