“As a community…”
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| Frank, Mia and Macri |
It is no coincidence that these are the very first words of
Dwight-Englewood’s mission statement.
As a member of our community, I am deeply saddened to report
the passing of Mia Macri, mother of second grader, Macri. She and her husband, Frank Leanza, have been well known to
the children in the class and to our community, as they established a tradition
when Macri was a preschool 3 student of several times a year coming to school
in costume to visit with students to celebrate holidays and special events,
often with hats or other elements for all, that allowed everyone to get in to
the spirit. In October of this year, despite her illness, Mia and Frank came into the classroom dressed as
pumpkins to read to second graders and held court at the annual
Lower School Halloween Party dressed as lobsters.
Our
hearts go out to Macri and his dad, Frank, during this very difficult time.
Together we will support one another as we all grieve for this sad loss of an
important member of our community.
A Different Kind of Birthday Present
Do our children really need 30+ gifts from their classmates each year? What everyone is really excited about is having all their friends together doing something fun. Several students and parents have experimented with a different kind of birthday gift giving that helps their children focus on meeting the needs of others. They report that it has been a very positive and powerful experience for all.
Taking the time to involve your child in making a decision about how they want their birthday celebration to help others is probably one of the greatest gifts that we can give them. It could be a monetary donation in support of a cause or donating books, stuffed animals for less fortunate or ill children, pet toys for shelter animals.... These kinds of presents allow all the guests to look beyond their own needs.
I urge parents to consider and experiment with this different kind of birthday giving. I would love to have feedback on how it has worked out.
As much as it is important to remember that the big picture
is for us to prepare our children to be flexible, resilient and capable of
responding positively to novel situations, we also have to be clear that
certain regular events, like bedtimes, are not novel, and increased flexibility
should not be the desired outcome. Making transitions for children such as
turning off the TV, starting homework, beginning the dishes or cleaning a
bedroom can require a great deal of parental energy and still be met with regular
resistance, arguments or both.As I went straight from college to teaching in the
However, this is not always so obvious to parents who are
dealing with only one or two of their own children. In fact, as I know only too
well myself, just because one is effective in dealing with other peoples’
children does not automatically lead to success with one’s own! It is as if
most, or all, experience and good judgment seem to fly out the window when it
passes through the emotional filter of parenthood. Teachers who are also parents
have to explicitly relearn these skills in the parent context. Everything often
seems so much less clear when clouded by parental hopes and expectations.
I remember when I first relearned the importance of the five
minute warning as a new parent. It occurred around the bedtime struggle and was
almost as startling a revelation as it had been in the classroom years before.
A predictable warning before the transition to the bedtime routine made all the
difference. Clean up, baths and a story changed from a regular struggle to a
normal routine. Most of the change had to do with the fact that there were no
surprises. Add to this the anticipation of the next chapter of a book or, even
better, a new adventure of the characters in a made-up story, and a former
struggle can be further transformed into a cherished ritual.
Robotics is Coming. Robotics is Coming
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| Click here to see Scratch video |
Fourth and fifth graders, while taking on engineering projects and learning about simple machines in science, will learn to use the Lego WeDo robotics, controlled by the Scratch programming interface to solve engineering problems. Click here to see Lego WeDo video. Click here to see the Lower School Technology Blog.Opera Update
My name is Emma and I am a PR officer. I am |
| Emma |
going to tell you all about our Production Manager, Ashley. Ashley is in charge of the entire company. She has a big job! She is responsible and independent. During our opera period, she walks around to each group to see how everyone is working. Most of the time, Ashley spends time with the performers. She is a very important person to the opera. Without Ashley, nothing would be done. She is a very good production manager. I asked Ashley what her favorite part is, and this is what she said- “My favorite part is being with all of the groups and to see how the opera comes
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| Ashley |
together.” Also, I asked her what the hardest part is and she said, “The hardest part is keeping people focused, while staying calm myself.” Sadly, this is the last opera update about our jobs. We hope you enjoyed them and will come to our opera!
Date Change! The speaking date in last week's Lower School Notes has been changed to Tuesday April 17th!Bob Bigelow will be speaking here at Dwight Englewood on April 17th from 7:30 to 9:00 in Hajjar Auditorium.
The topic is Adults and Children in organized youth sports; Who wins, who loses?
Bob Bigelow has conducted over 600 talks to adults throughout the northeast and has received local,regional, and national media recognition. Mr. Bigelow is the author of Just let the kids play, (Health Communications Inc.) that describes organized youth sports' major systemic problems and offers many reforms for better changes. For more information: go to www.d-e.org/athletics.
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315 East Concert This Thursday Kicks-Off "Arts in April @ D-E"!
This Thursday, April 12, 2012, a concert by 315 East: A Chamber Ensemble, will kick-off the first event of "Arts in April @ D-E"!
On April 12, all ages will be sure to enjoy puppetry magic and a "soldier's tale" when 315 East, A Chamber Ensemble, D-E's professional resident chamber ensemble, performs "L'Histoire du Soldat" (The Soldier's Tale) by Igor Stravinsky. This suite will be performed in its entirety with original narration translated into English, and will feature hand-carved marionettes by expert Puppeteer Dan Butterworth. This is a can't-miss event! Click here for our informational flyer (PDF) about the April 12 concert: "L'Histoire du Soldat".
D-E PEP's
