During last week's parent conferences, it became apparent that there are still some parents who have not logged into the School's website to view their child's January comments. If you have forgotten your login information or need assistance, please call the main school number and then dial extension 3826 to get assistance from our technology department.

“Challenged to Change the World”

It Begins in the Lower School

Educating students who challenge themselves to change the world begins in the Lower School with the development of three important attributes: empathy, passion and voice.

Learning that living happily in the world means taking the needs of others into account is the beginning of developing empathy. Resolving conflicts and working together productively does not always come naturally for children. Our youngest students begin the process of learning how to look beyond their own needs by 

Thanks to the commitment and passion

of Lower School students,  the Lower 

School saved more electricity in February

than either the Middle or the Upper Schools,

and D-E as a school saved more electricity 

than all but five other schools on the eastern 

seaboard in the 2012 Green Cup Challenge.

developing the ability to sit in a circle for brief periods, waiting their turn to speak and keeping their hands to themselves. It progresses to learning to look one another in the eyes when they shake hands during a greeting at morning meeting. As they begin to look outside of themselves, they can move beyond parallel play toward the challenging but satisfying give-and-take required to build an intricate block structure with others. Learning early to care for the school’s bunny, Teddy, and later as fourth and fifth graders to care for their younger buddies, along with hundreds of other experiences, strengthens their developing sense of empathy.

Lower School students quickly discover that certain activities that they are exposed to have an irresistible appeal for them. They find that they can’t get enough of whatever it is: learning about animals, the natural world or the universe, solving engineering or math problems, playing basketball, creating music, art or stories, working with younger children….  What they are discovering are their interests, some of which, with the support and encouragement of their parents and their teachers, turn into full blown passions that will sustain them throughout their lives.

Then there is the all-important voice. Even three year-olds have important things to share with others. At Dwight-Englewood, it is vital to give all students regular opportunities to express themselves and develop confidence sharing their thoughts, interests, achievements, and especially their dreams for the future. Finding their voice can come from being part of a grade-level chorus or as an individual performer at an assembly, from displaying works of art, publishing  a blog, explaining  strategies in solving a math problem or by championing  a school-wide service project.

Former Lower School student, Spencer, reaching out to
Lower Schoolers about his passion,the Upper School  
Robotics club. We also took the opportunity to announce 
that next year we will begin a 3rd, 4th and 5th grade robotics 
thread to our curriculum.

It is at the intersection of these three developing attributes that children learn not just to challenge themselves, but to challenge themselves to change the world. Their passions define the what, their empathy supplies the why and their voice shapes the how. It was student passion about our environment that led to the Lower School composting project that not only reduces landfill and nourishes our gardens, but provided a model for our Middle and Upper Schools. It was their empathy that led second graders to collect weekend snacks for homeless children, and it was their voice that allowed fourth graders to collect close to 200 mittens from others in the school so that children beyond our community could have warm hands.

It is no surprise that it is the seniors who are “lifers,” (those who have been in our Lower, Middle and Upper School - 35 in this year’s graduating class) who provide the core of the leadership in our Upper School. These are the students who, with their voices, guide our student government and run the activities designed to address the needs of others in ways that reflect their passions and display their empathy. These are the students who will change the world. 

Going Behind the Scenes

Two recent trips have allowed second and fourth graders to dig deep and go "behind the scenes." Thanks to second grader, Tayler's mother, who works as the Museum of Natural History, the entire grade was not only able to visit the museum but also get a tour behind the scenes in the area that creates dioramas. This was a wonderful opportunity as students are in the process of creating their own "expert" shoe-box dioramas.


Fourth graders Bea and C.J write about their recent "behind the scenes" trip, which was a wonderful preparation for their "Creating Original Opera" experience as fifth graders:

4th graders visited Urban Stages in NYC

Recently the fourth grade went to Urban Stages in NYC. We went behind the scenes and
saw everything! On our trip we learned a few interesting facts about the theater’s history. One thing is that their theater used to be a fur factory. The manager of Urban Studios is Frances Hill. She said, “Producing a play is like playing!” We learned that an off-Broadway business is small, but wonderful.


We learned how to change the color of a play’s lighting by placing gels over the lights. We enjoyed seeing the “green room” which is not green! We had a great time at Urban Stages thanks to C.J.'s dad!

SPRING CONCERT

On Thursday, March 15th, students in second through fourth grades will present their annual “Spring Concert.” The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Schenck Auditorium. This event is always a very special one, and the students are very excited as they prepare for it. All students are asked to dress appropriately in either dress slacks, skirts or dresses for the girls and slacks and shirts for the boys. Students should not wear jeans or sweats and should wear shoes rather than sneakers. Please plan to have your child arrive at Schenck Auditorium at 7:15 p.m.

First Grade Houses and Homes Project

Below are images of the final products of the first-grade houses and homes projects. Thank you to parents who helped to create these wonderful houses and homes that reflect a wide range of cultural and geographic influences.

The Adobe

The Apartment House

The Stilt House

The Cave House

The Log Cabin

Fifth Grade Opera Update

Hi, I’m Kyle, a PR officer and I am here to tell you about the stage manager. The stage manager’s name is Jayna. I asked Jayna a few questions and here is what she had to say:
Kyle : “What is hard about your job?”
Jayna : “The hard thing about my job is settling down all 8 performers.”
Kyle : “What have you been doing?”
Jayna : “I have been observing the performers and helping them with auditioning for their parts.”
Kyle : “What do you like about your job?”
Jayna : “I like being with the performers,and observing them.”
Kyle : “What are you looking forward to?”
Jayna : “I am looking forward to the night of the show.”

Thank you Jayna. She must be having some fun. Jayna has also been helping the performers to learn their lines and works with them to develop their acting techniques. During the performance she will be cuing the electricians among many other important responsibilities. Stay tuned for next week when  Ryan writes about the assistant stage manager.

Exciting New D-E Summer Violin Program

 (June 25- July 13) for ages 5-11

 No experience required. 

Click here for more information.

Violin teacher, Kimberly Syvertsen