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| In conjunction with Center City District (CCD) Plant!Philadelphia, Friends Select’s student body is fundraising and contributing toward the installation of six new London Plane trees around the campus along N. 16th Street. The CCD has created Plant!Philadelphia so individuals and organizations can directly participate in the effort to expand Center City’s canopy of healthy street trees and add to the citywide goal of planting 300,000 trees by 2015.
Like many community members, David Wood, director of lower school, liked the idea of increasing the green space around the school. He thought the idea of trees on 16th St. would align with efforts made last year to “green” the back entrance, which was done through the installation of six planters of evergreen boxwoods and fountain grass. Additionally, faculty advisors to student groups in middle- and upper school reported interest in planting trees.
Conversations aligned when Wood, Mike Noonan, business manager, and Rose Hagan, head of school, sat down with representatives from CCD to review diagrams and spacing restrictions to determine if the initiative would be possible for the property. Once approved, Friends Select put in a request for six trees to be planted. The City is scheduled to prepare the sidewalk openings and to plant the trees this spring, around Earth Day.
 “Center City District has worked for years to improve the quality of life for people living and working in the city,” said Wood. “Working with the CCD to plant new trees aligns with our mission of urban education and helping children understand the benefits and challenges of living in Center City.”
In an effort to fiscally support this positive venture, each division agreed to host a fundraising event to raise money to contribute toward one out of the six trees. Among other efforts, the middle school Green Thumb Club held a jewelry sale before winter break that raised $270 and plans to hold another similar sale in the coming weeks. The upper school Green Notebook Club will hold a plant sale in mid-April, and the lower school will hold their annual Bazaar/Flea Market with the funds this year going to support the trees.
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| At Friends Select we are fortunate to enjoy a growing Mandarin program. This takes the form of classes in the after school program for lower schoolers, classes during the regular school day as a foreign language choice for middle- and upper school students, and adult education Mandarin classes at night. We are also privileged to enjoy a growing International Studies program and a growing international student population in the upper school. These areas, combined with our single campus, provide many opportunities for collaboration between divisions. One of these opportunities takes the form of learning about and celebrating Chinese New Year together.
For several days each year, middle- and upper school Mandarin students work with lower school students to explore the activities, history, culture and language of China. This year, the lower school division celebrated Chinese New Year in the classroom on January 18 and 19, and on January 20, came together for a culminating assembly showcasing their efforts and celebrating the animal of the year. This year it is the Year of the Water Dragon.
During the classroom celebrations, upper schoolers visited lower school classrooms and introduced the legend of the dragon to students. Lower schoolers participated in New Year crafts, wrote couplets of good wishes to decorate the walls, and listened to upper school students talk about their travels to China.
At the lower school assembly, older students ran the show. A student MC introduced the assembly’s program and from there, eight middle- and upper schoolers in the Friends Select Mandarin program performed the lion dance, played the erhu instrument (sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin"), and conducted a question and answer session with the younger students.
“The older students displayed great enthusiasm and energy during the lower school classroom visits and assembly,” said Yan Huang, middle- and upper school Mandarin teacher. “In fact, the eight students volunteered to come in on the day of the assembly when classes were not in session, which was most impressive. The cross-divisional work we do is a great way to celebrate diversity of cultural activities.”
Most classrooms in the lower school division, including the youngest students in our community, took part in the festivities. In prekindergarten each year, students study all of the holidays celebrated by the classroom families. More specifically, they study how these holidays, such as Chinese New Year, incorporate festive lights. Besides Chinese New Year, prekindergarten students learn about the role of light in Eid, Santa Lucia Day, Los Posados, Christmas, Hannukkah, and Three Kings’ Day. “I enjoy teaching in a city where so many traditions are celebrated, and a city education for our students should, in part, explore these traditions,” said prekindergarten teacher Kate Rice.
There are multiple benefits that come from being able to collaborate across divisions and across cultures. Students teach and learn from each other, solidifying content knowledge and language skills. Students share voices and experiences that enhance their social skills within and beyond their immediate generation. Students broaden their understanding of history, geography, and global citizenship. Students acknowledge our diverse community and broaden their sense of community.
The Year of the Water Dragon began on January 23, 2012. The mythical beast is a lucky sign, the fifth of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese dragon is a much more loving creature than the Western equivalent – blessed with supernatural power, fortune, and understanding.
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| On January 10, 2012, Friends Select students will compete in a school-level, seven-round geography bee, hosted by the National Geographic Society and held in the school’s Blauvelt Theatre. Going into its second year, the school’s format for the bee will look slightly different as both fourth and fifth graders will be participating in the competition this year.
There will be preliminary rounds in each grade, which will yield the final ten participants in the school-level competition. The winner of the school bee will advance to the next level, a written examination to determine the state competitors. The top 100 students from each state then move onto the National Geography Bee scheduled in May 2012.
Now in fifth grade, Jack Ryan placed first in the school challenge and competed in the state bee last year. To see how he ranked, read For the Love of the Game.
Fourth graders start the year with colonial geography as part of their study of American History. By understanding the geography of the colonies, students are able to gain a strong grasp on why centers of industry, economics, and leadership developed the way they did throughout our young nation. Students begin to understand the relationship and impact geography has on a developing nation and its ability to interact with the broader world community. “It’s most important that our students see themselves as citizens of a wide, diverse world, and begin to find where they fit in and how they can be a part of the global community,” said Hal Morra, fourth grade teacher.
In conjunction with the fourth grade geography curriculum, lower school librarian Paula Cairo instructs students on the use of maps and visuals during library class period. Throughout the year, students learn how to read and dissect maps while examining questions about physical and political geography, as well as recognizing the impact physical features of the environment have on how societies develop.
“Geography can be a neglected subject and we use the geography bee as framework and an opportunity for students to expand their global knowledge,” said Cairo. “Maps are an interesting way into visual literacy. Kids love learning how to decipher the different codes of symbolism in them.”
 Throughout the course of the geography bee, it’s up to students to decide their level of preparation and many decide to collaborate and practice. During the competition last year, students showed support of the final ten competitors in the school rounds and cheered loudly as the questions became more and more difficult.
“The geography bee is fun, and an age-appropriate exercise for the bridge between lower and middle school," said David Wood, director of lower school. "It helps students broaden their understanding of the world in which we live. The digital natives of our current student body interact with the world in a very broad sense, and it’s good to take time to examine more closely the geography of our world and consider how and why societies differ because of their location and landscape. Studying geography and the inherent physical and political dynamics therein helps students broaden their thinking as global citizens.”
For the 24th year, the National Geographic Society is holding the National Geographic Bee for students in the fourth through eighth grades in thousands of schools across the United States and in the five U.S. territories, as well as in Department of Defense Dependents Schools around the world. The 2012 Bee is sponsored by Google.
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| by David Wood, Director of Lower School
Two Thursdays of each month, you can walk into the lower school art room mid-day and find 38 third and fourth grade students sharing lunch, fellowship and ideas during meetings of the lower school student worship and ministry committee. This impressive student response also reflects the work by lower school teachers to teach, model, and value Quaker testimonies in the fabric of our lives at school.
Clerked by lower school art teacher Dan Deslaurier, the students volunteer their lunch and recess periods to participate in the exchange of feedback and suggestions about the lower school Meeting for Worship (MFW) experience here at Friends Select.
Students deliberate and generate queries based on the Quaker testimonies that they feel would be especially meaningful to reflect upon by the entire lower school at either the weekly time together in the Meetinghouse or for worship sharing in the classroom. “During a committee meeting, the agenda includes fellowship, developing queries, discussing challenges and creating solutions with an aim to make the lower school meeting experiences authentic and enriching for all,” said Deslaurier.
Examples of past queries
Quaker testimony on stewardship- What is it you do to take care of our school?
Quaker testimony on integrity- What does it mean to be your best self?
Each student committee member has an opportunity to voice their views and opinions either verbally or in writing. In addition, there is a box in the Elizabeth Wallace Library where all lower school students are welcomed to share their thoughts on a MFW query. This student input is shared with the lower school faculty worship and ministry committee and becomes an integral part of the process that shapes the program.
There are many different platforms in which MFW exists. In the beginning of the year, grades PK-2 participate in classroom and grade-level worship sharing on campus, while grades 3 and 4 go to the Meetinghouse for meetings. Over the next several weeks, PK will continue to meet in the classroom, while students in K-4 will begin to meet with partners in other grades. These one-to-one relationships are fostered throughout the school year by attending Meeting together, as well as meeting for other classroom activities or experiences outside the school building such as visiting local institutions in the neighborhood together.
Once these student partnerships are established, weekly worship is held at the Meetinghouse with partners as a lower school community. “In lower school, there’s a great value placed on worshiping in partnerships and our Meetinghouse truly defines our worship and it does it in a space that nowhere else does,” said second grade teacher and faculty worship and ministry committee member Carol Sime.
Lower school life is in constant motion, but everyone recognizes the importance of Meeting for Worship and Meeting for Community, and consistently makes time for these in our busy schedules. The student committees’ commitment and leadership underscores this importance to our community.
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| Friends Select Lower School Halloween Costume Policy Prime Directive: For all students to have fun as they parade, sing, laugh, and perform for one another.
Allowed and encouraged: - Monsters, witches, ghosts, ghouls, mummies, vampires and the like. The only caveat is that these costumes should not feature blood and gore as we don¹t want to feature violence nor add to scariness for the youngest members of our community.
- Police officers (no weapons) are okay with the explanation of their role in community protection and assistance.
- Princesses, dancers, athletes, rock stars, clowns, doctors, nurses, businesspeople, firefighters, food, animals, insects, non-violent characters from books, non-superhero characters (such as Clifford, Thomas, Scooby Doo, Caillou, Little Bear, Dora, Blue, Bob the Builder, etc.), inanimate objects (i.e. dice, pencils, crayons, toothpaste, cereal box, cell phones, ipads ), and vehicles (i.e. trains, cars, etc.).
- No warriors, knights, soldiers.
- No superheroes. Our community focuses on peaceful resolution to conflict. This ban affords us the opportunity to say that superheroes employ violence to solve problems.
- No "hobos". As urbanites we come into contact with homeless people. Homelessness is not a funny subject and we do not wish to be perceived as poking fun at people in such dire straits.
- No Indians/Native Americans, Gypsies, or other national, ethnic, cultural, or religious groups. We do not wish to stereotype or mock such groups. The only exception is if the person wearing the costume is a member of the group portrayed and the costume is a celebration of that heritage.
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|  In lower school, we are continually examining our academic curriculum. Given that faculty teach several content areas, these opportunities give us a chance to consider alternatives, reconfirm past decisions, and incorporate new research-based programs. Over the years, we’ve looked closely at the mathematics and reading curricula and made decisions on how to improve our practice.
While keeping these areas in focus, this year the lower school faculty has decided to look more closely at our writing curriculum. We are examining why we do what we do, to ensure our expectations for students’ understanding of content and skills are clear, appropriate, and aligned throughout the division. In looking at our current program, we aim to reveal the different stages of writing from our youngest authors in pre-kindergarten to our crafted authors in fourth grade.
The evaluation process is a collaborative effort among the entire lower school. Faculty often examine curriculum by sharing about the development of a subject across the division. Our guidance team, including lower school learning specialist Amy McCann, assess the curriculum by what is being practiced in each grade and how it fits in with the literacy program.
McCann explains that similar to reading, there are multiple stages of development for writing.
“As young writers, children begin to understand the value of putting their thoughts onto paper. This may begin with illustration, dictated sentences, and modeling from teachers and mentor authors. As they progress into first, second, third, and fourth grade, children become more aware of their writing voice, their audience, and the value of different types of writing. They are able to engage in the revision process and authentically use mentor authors to shape what they want to communicate with their written words. It is an amazing developmental process to watch!”
Children are able to characterize themselves by the things that they do in life, and writing every day helps them start to develop their voice. Our sequential writing program, which begins in pre-kindergarten, culminates with fourth graders writing research papers, short essays, letters, persuasive paragraphs and personal narratives.
It’s essential to have the conversation about our curriculum often so that there’s a planned and guided learning approach in place that aligns with our school’s academic mission and cultivates our young students.
In February, there are two lower school curriculum nights scheduled that will focus on components of our writing curriculum. The first is on February 1st, and the second, on February 29th. We encourage you to join us to learn more about our writing program!
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| by: David Wood, Director of Lower School
Summer is a wonderful time for rest and reflection. I hope you had some time for both this summer.
At Friends Select we spend a lot of time exploring ways to connect within and beyond our school community. From activities connecting students between divisions like all school Meeting for Worship, Brown and Gold Days, DEAR (Drop Everything And Read), and Chinese New Year, to connections with local institutions like the Atria Senior Center, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, and Philadelphia Museum of Art, students at Friends Select frequently enjoy connections to a broader learning community within the school, within the city, and beyond. Students grow and learn from each other and build clarity in their opinions and gain perspective in relation to others in our community. The ability to easily access local resources and gather and share information is exciting, and we are repeatedly reminded of our great location in Center City and the wonderful urban community that is Friends Select.
This year, we have a few changes in faculty assignments and a welcome to share. As you know, Marissa Colston has moved into the lower school administrative office as administrative assistant to lower and middle school divisions. Marissa comes with a range of teaching experience and a graduate degree in education administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. As her new role has been revised and expanded, she is looking forward to taking on more challenges and program development opportunities. Kindergarten teacher Jaime Weingart has taken on the additional role of lower school technology coordinator supporting faculty interests in incorporating more uses of technology into the classroom. Jessica Brister has moved into assistant teacher in kindergarten as she continues to pursue her graduate degree in elementary education at Temple University. We are also happy to welcome Barry Lynch as first grade assistant teacher. Barry has a background in sports studies from University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and is looking forward to pursuing further studies in elementary education.
There are many events coming up this fall to look forward to, and you will receive more information about each of these, but here are some reminders for your calendar.
Sept. 9, 8:15 a.m. - First day of school
8:30 a.m. - New Parent Welcome Reception in the dining hall
Sept. 22, 6:00 p.m. – Back to School Night
Sept. 25 – Lower School Picture Day
Oct. 6 - Brown and Gold Day for students in all divisions
Oct. 7 – In-service day for faculty, no school for students
Oct. 13, 6:00 p.m. – LS Specialists Night
Oct. 21, 8:15-9:00 a.m. – Director of Lower School coffee
Oct. 31, 8:30-9:30 a.m. – Halloween Parade
Nov. 3 & 4 – Parent/Teacher Conferences
Nov. 18, 8:15-9:00 a.m. Director of Lower School coffee
Dec. 2, 9:00 a.m. – Winter Concert grades 3, 4
Dec. 9, 9:00 a.m. – Winter Concert grades 1, 2 Dec. 16, 2:00 p.m. – Holiday Sing at the Meeting House
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