n e w s - Mary McDowell Friends School

A Monthly Newsletter for Parents
n
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Debbie’s Note
MMFS News is published the
first Friday of each month by
Mary McDowell Friends School,
a Quaker school for students
with learning disabilities.
May 2013
In This Issue
Debbie’s Note
1
New Playground at Bergen St.
2
The MMF Fund Appeal
3
Upcoming Events
4
MMFS Carnival
4
Alumni Spotlight
5
PA News
7
Birthday Book Club
8
Upper School Play
8
Speaker: Sister Helen Prejean
8
News From the Divisions
9
Language Therapy at MMFS
11
Lightning Team Games
12
Mary McDowell Friends Fund
13
Spain: Debbie’s Reflections
15
Preliminary Calendar 2013-14
17
MMFS
Carnival
May 11th!!
See p. 7 for more
information.
Mary McDowell Friends School
20 Bergen Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-625-3939
www.marymcdowell.org
International travel forms an
important part of Mary McDowell
Friends School’s educational
philosophy. For students with learning
disabilities, exploring an unknown
place with the support of faculty who
know and understand them is a
powerful, confidence-building
experience. It allows them to taste
independence for perhaps the first
time and learn to trust their own
ability to navigate the world. In that
spirit, our 9th Grade class traveled to
Spain last month with Kirk, Linda,
Caitlin, Patrick, Gabe, Monica and me
for what proved to be an incredible
journey. We laughed a lot, learned a
lot and had a fantastic time together.
To hear more, please turn to page 15,
where you’ll find excerpts from the
emails I sent home – we hope you
enjoy.
This past week we were fortunate
enough to have National Book Awardwinning author Andrew Solomon give
a talk at Mary McDowell. A gifted
public speaker, Andrew shared with a
packed audience some of the stories,
insights and lessons from his book, Far
from the Tree: Parents, Children and the
Search for Identity. Named one of the
best books of 2012 by The New York
Times, Far from the Tree documents the
experience of parents whose children
present them with exceptional
challenges due to cognitive, physical,
psychological or other differences. As
the book reveals, these parents not
only learn to deal with their
exceptional children but find
profound meaning in doing so.
Andrew has plenty of first-hand
experience being “different:” as the
gay child of straight parents, he
struggled for years to accept himself.
He also faced dyslexia as a child and
suffered through a period of crippling
depression. Far from the Tree grew out
of an article about deafness Andrew
wrote for The New York Times Magazine
in 1994. While writing it, he realized
that many of the issues faced by deaf
individuals are the same as those he
faced as a gay man. Intrigued, he
began interviewing the parents of
children who were different in some
way, including those with Down
syndrome, dwarfism, autism,
schizophrenia and deafness. He also
talked with the parents of children
conceived in rape, children who
commit crimes and children who are
prodigies. In all he spoke with 300
families over the course of eleven
years before the book was finally
published in 2012. The first draft was
nearly twice as long as the final
version, which clocks in at a whopping
700 pages.
As Andrew explained, some of the
people he interviewed told him their
stories right away. They were honest
about their thoughts and feelings and
eager to share their experiences with
him. Others took more time to open
up. For example, he spent years
talking to the mother of Dylan
Klebold, one of two students who
committed the massacre at Columbine
High School in 1999. The insight those
years yielded, though, was worth the
wait. “I wish for the world that Dylan
hadn’t been born,” she told Andrew,
“but I don’t wish for me that he
hadn’t.”
One of the most moving stories
Andrew heard was told by the mother
Continued on page 2
New E lementary School Playground
We are very
pleased to
report that the
new elementary school
playground at
Bergen Street,
which is located
on ground level
at the back of
the school
building, has
been installed.
This was made
possible by two
very generous
grants from The
Morris and Alma
Schapiro Fund, thanks to Rufus Collins and Molly Hoagland,
parents of Rafie in the Krisberg Room. Thanks also go to
Ginny Perrin, Facilities Manager, for all her hard work managing this project. As Ginny said, “It is so exciting to see this
project finally become a reality. It is a joyous celebration for
all of us now that it is officially reopened.”
Last spring, it was determined that the wooden play
structure, which had deteriorated over ten years of use by
our students, needed to be replaced. It was demolished and
removed last summer, along with a portion of the yard surface. This offered the school the opportunity to take advantage of advancements in design and materials for outdoor
play structures to create a play area that is even better suited
to meet the needs of
our students.
This April, a crew
spent three (four)
weeks repairing the
backyard and installing the new playground equipment.
The new playground
will provide a
multitude of opportunities for our
students to benefit
from the outdoor
activities that are
vital to building their
physical, social and
academic skills.
Continued from page 1 (Debbie’s Note)
of Clinton Brown III, who is a dwarf. Clinton grew up
and went to college on Long Island. He drove a special
car that was fitted just for him. One night his mother
drove past a local bar and saw his car parked there. “Oh
my God,” she thought, “my son’s in that bar, he’s three
feet tall, they’re six feet tall, two beers to him are like
four beers to them.” She was terrified about him
drinking and driving. Then she realized that, when he
was born, she never thought she’d have to worry about
him getting drunk at a bar because she never thought
he’d be able to have those kinds of experiences.
Andrew was an exciting and thought-provoking
speaker, and his intelligence, compassion and
enthusiasm made for a riveting evening. I want to thank
MMFS parent Frank Ligtvoet for reaching out to
Andrew and arranging his appearance. I’d also like to
thank Associate Head of School Beth Schneider and
MMFS parent Molly Hoagland for organizing the event.
My thanks to you all.
As if one special speaker weren’t enough, on
Wednesday, May 15th at 7:00 pm Sister Helen Prejean
will give a talk at 23 Sidney Place. Sister Helen is one of
the country’s leading advocates for the abolition of the
death penalty. Her book Dead Man Walking: An
Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States,
was on the New York Times bestseller list for 31 weeks. It
was later made into an Academy Award-winning movie,
an opera and a play. The death penalty as it is applied in
the United States raises a number of important legal and
ethical questions. We encourage you to come learn more
about this important issue from the woman at the
forefront of the abolition movement. Please call the front
desk at Sidney Place at 718-855-0141 to register.
Read-A-Thon
We are very proud of all the reading our
students have done during our annual Read-A-Thon! Not
only is the Read-A-Thon fun, it raises money for our sister
school, Lwamaya Primary School, in Uganda, and for Red
Hook Rise, the non-profit organization founded by PE teacher Earl Hall. The close of the Read-A-Thon was celebrated in
the elementary school with Wacky Hat Day on April 30th.
The total raised will be published in the next newsletter.
Thank you all for participating!
2
WE NEED
YOUR
HELP!!!
70% of Mary McDowell families have not yet made a gift to The Mary McDowell Friends Fund, the school’s annual fund.
You have until June 30th.
Please participate & help us reach our goals of $400,000 and 100% parent support.
No gift is too small, & every gift counts. Even in these difficult economic times, please think carefully about what you can give. We are grateful for your support. Make a gift online at
http://www.marymcdowell.org/giving/online.shtml
Thank you so much!
For more information, please call L.J. Mitchell, Director of Development, at 718‐625‐3939, ext. 2223.
3
Upcoming Events You Won’t Want to Miss!
May 6 .................. US Performing Arts Night at Sidney Place, 7-8pm
May 6-8 .............. Fry, Penn & Levi Rooms Trip to Fairview Lake,
No school for Fry, Penn & Levi May 9th
May 7 .................. Coffee & Chat for 6th Grade Families only at Summit Street, 8:30-9:30am
May 9 .................. All-School Arts Night at Summit Street, 6-8pm
May 11 ................ Spring Carnival at Summit Street, 12-3pm
May 13 ................ 8th Grade Registration Meeting (Only for families entering 9th Grade Next Year)
at Sidney Place, 7pm
May 13-15 .......... 6th & 7th Grades Trip to Nature’s Classroom, No school for
6th & 7th Grades on May 16th
May 13-16 .......... 8th Grade Workshops at Summit Street
May 15 ................ Speaker Series at Sidney Place, 7pm: Sister Helen Prejean, author of
Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States.
May 16-17 ........... US Spring Play, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, at Sidney Place, 7-9pm
May 20 ............... 7th Grade Preview of Upper School at Sidney Place, 7-8:30pm
May 20-22 .......... Cuffe & Fell Rooms Trip to Fairview Lake, No school for Cuffe & Fell on May 23rd
May 29 ................ US Athletics Banquet at Sidney Place, 6-8pm
May 30 ............... Field Day for Entire School
June 5 .................. PA Council Meeting at Bergen Street, 8:30-9:30am
June 5-7 .............. Upper School Final Exams at Sidney Place
June 10 ............... Upper School Final Exam Make-up Day at Sidney Place
June 11 ............... Moving Up Ceremony at TBA, 8:30am – noon. Noon Dismissal for All Students
June 12 ............... 8th Grade Special Silence & Brunch at Summit Street, 10am – noon. Noon Dismissal
June 12 ............... Last Day for Elementary and Middle Schools. Noon Dismissal. No School for Upper School.
Carnival
Saturday, May 11th
12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Summit Street Campus
The carnival is for students of all ages.
Please join us for lots of fun, including rides, games of skill, crafts,
prizes, popcorn, cotton candy and entertainment.
Access will be from Carroll Street, between Henry and Hicks Streets.
4
PETER LAW
Peter Law moved on from Mary McDowell Friends
School in 2003 after completing the “fifth grade.” Peter
attended Winston Prep for two years, skipped eighth
grade, and moved on once again to boarding school.
Peter attended high school at Cushing Academy in
Massachusetts. After graduating in 2009, he entered
Drexel University in Philadelphia, with a major in
mechanical engineering.
“Drexel was not a good match for me. It’s a great school
in a cool city, and close to New York. For 90% of the
college application process, I was interested in Syracuse
University, but when I went to an accepted students’
weekend at Drexel, they really sold it, and I really liked
Philadelphia. Drexel has a cool co-op work study
program. You do the usual courses freshman year and
then alternate between six months on campus as a full
time student and six-months at a full time internship for
the rest of the time – which would look really great on a
resume.
But, in the end, Drexel was not a good fit for me. It was
total culture shock for me – you have to take care of
yourself when you go to college. I wasn’t ready for that,
and I wasn’t mature enough to handle my studies. Like
I said, it’s a great school, but I wasn’t having any fun . . .
I wasn’t participating in college life . . . and I wasn’t
doing well academically. It wasn’t the right time or place
for me.”
So Peter left college and did a “gap year.” Noting that
there is something to learn from every experience, he
commented that, “a lot of kids do a gap year before
college to work and earn some money while they figure
things out. I did my gap year after freshman “year!”
Peter has a sense of humor about the situation: “Yeah, I
did my gap year at the wrong time. I definitely should
have done it before college – a gap year would have
come in handy for me!”
Once back in New York City, Peter concentrated on
getting some work experience – mostly in restaurants.
He eventually landed at the Brooklyn Ice Cream
Factory, located under the Brooklyn Bridge and across
from the River Café, which has the same owner. “I
started learning everything about the restaurant
business, and when things got slow, I would Start
thinking about the scientific aspects of various things.”
“Like what, exactly, happens when water droplets hit a
‘boiling’ surface – like a hot skillet. But the reaction
happened too quickly to really study it, so I wanted to
freeze the action so I could really see it ... and the only
way to do that was with a high-speed camera. And then
later it occurred to me that this was a way to combine
my interests.”
Peter says he’s gotten a lot more creative with his
photography since he got serious about it. “I taught
myself photography for quite a while – I was using my
camera phone for a long time. I got curious about
processing and printing film, which is a great way to
really learn photography, and now I’ve been serious
about it for the past year. I’m interested in fine art
photography and am doing my own kind of
independent study at the International Center of
Photography – they have great equipment, and you
develop film ‘old school.’ That’s very cool because you
have to get it all right in the camera, so if forces you to
be a better photographer.”
Peter acknowledges that he has done a lot of growing
up and is now ready to go back to school and plans to
enroll in a program next spring. SUNY Stony Brook is
currently his first choice, followed by Syracuse and the
Rochester Institute of Technology. Other contenders
include Hunter College, a CUNY in Brooklyn and
Alfred University in Alfred, New York. Peter is
interested in math, chemistry, physics and, of course,
photography. “I’m thinking about going to summer
school at a CUNY – I want to get into the system! I also
might do some fall courses, maybe at BMCC (Borough
of Manhattan Community College).”
Continued on page 6
5
Continued from page 5 (Alumni Spotlight)
In the meantime, Peter is still working at the Brooklyn Ice
Cream Factory, although his job responsibilities have
changed a bit since Hurricane Sandy. “The structures are
okay, but we had heavy damage inside, so both places
had to be gutted and rebuilt. I’ve been there throughout
all these repairs.” Peter also spends his nights on-site.
“I’m sort of a night watchman, if you will.”
Peter’s life isn’t all brick and mortar. “I do some
freelance photography – mostly portraits and a birthday
party or two.” When he’s taking pictures for himself, it’s
all about “street photography” – especially cityscapes
and landscapes. “Dumbo has great architecture, and
you can’t beat that skyline!”
Although he hasn’t quite figured out how to combine
his two loves – science and photography – Peter
continues to look forward. “I’ve talked to several pros
and assisted on a house shoot. Being an assistant is the
best way to break in, so I’ve been checking out this
option at some studios.”
Peter says his learning disability is reading- and
writing-based. “I didn’t pay all that much attention to it
at the time they were figuring out that I was LD ... but I
remember that ‘auditory processing’ was one of the
labels they were throwing around.”
About Mary McDowell: “I’m glad to hear that the school
is growing, and I think it’s really cool that they have a
high school now. I enjoyed it all. It was a lot of fun, and
it was a great place to be a kid.”
The Grid, Peter Law
And to the kids who are at Mary McDowell right now,
Peter says: “Learn all that you can, and make friends ...
after all, it’s in the name of the school!”
Kris Hallam
Mother of Andrew Corby, Alumnus 1999
Fork in the River
Peter Law
6
PA News
Dear Mary McDowell Friends School Families,
The Parents Association has a lot to report this month!
• An absolute highlight of this school year was the PA
organized evening with distinguished writer Andrew
Solomon, who is the author of Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity, which took
place on Wednesday, May 1st, from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, at
the MMFS upper school. The auditorium was packed
with over 150 MMFS parents, teachers, staff and friends
attending. Molly Hoagland, PA Council Class Coordinator, welcomed the guests and gave a brief overview of the
Parents Association’s work. Debbie Zlotowitz gave an
introduction to the evening’s guest speaker by reflecting
on how the book touched her personally. Mr. Solomon is
a very charismatic speaker with a profound knowledge
and understanding of what it means to be a parent, and
especially a parent of a child who is different. He started
his talk with the video trailer of his book and then went
on to tell anecdotes of his many interviews. The evening
ended with an insightful question and answer session,
and book signing. We want to say a very special thank
you to Mott Class parent Frank Ligtvoet who not only
came up with the idea for the Parents Association to
invite Andrew Solomon, but who also worked tirelessly
to make it happen!
• This year’s parent-sponsored Faculty & Staff
Luncheon was held on Thursday, April 18th, the first
day of Parent-Teacher Conferences, at all three campuses. The event went really well and our teachers
and staff loved it! The food came from Fairway and
included wrap sandwiches, both vegetarian and meat
options and various salads – green, pasta and fruit.
There were loads of desserts, home-made and bought,
such as cookies, cakes, cupcakes, brownies and macaroons. Seltzer was the beverage offered. The teachers
and staff were very appreciative and really enjoyed
the food spread. A very big THANK YOU to all parents and students (!) who helped with ordering the
food, set-up and clean-up, baking, flower arrangements, as well as with making a “Thank You” poster!
A special thank you goes to Levi Class parent Vicki
Botel for the overall coordination of this event.
• Even though the Quaker Cemetery Clean-up had to
be cancelled due to weather, we still would like to
thank all of the families who baked for the event. We
do hope that the goodies were enjoyed by your families instead!
• The next and final PA Council meeting is on
Wednesday, June 5th at 8:30-9:30am at Bergen Street.
The following topics are on the agenda.
Finalize calendar of events
Talk about additional fundraising opportunities
General structure of the PA Council going forward
PA Communication
Below you will find information on upcoming and ongoing PA sponsored events. Please mark your calendars:
• In just one week, the Spring Carnival will be held!
The Carnival will take place on Saturday, May 11th,
from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm at 135
Summit Street (entrance on Carroll Street, btw Henry and Hicks).
The Carnival Committee and its
Chair, Obadiah and Ham Seokheon House parent Gigi Sharp,
have been very busy over the past
months planning one of the most
popular events of the MMFS school
year! There will be fun for all ages – inflatable obstacle course, skee ball, caricature artists, giant twister,
Mother’s Day crafts, hi striker, cotton candy, popcorn,
hot dogs, pizza and more. Plus, this year we have
prizes! Win tickets at each activity and choose your
prize from special new MMFS merchandise and gear!
Tickets are $15 pre-pay admission per person / $40
pre-pay for 3 or more people, and $20 at the door per
person / $50 at the door for 3 or more people. Please
note that there is no rain date for the Carnival.
To make the event a success, please volunteer to man
your assigned class game booth as per your class
representative’s request. Thank you so much.
• The best kept secret at MMFS is the PA Council
Parent Library! Did you know that
you can borrow an extensive selection of books on learning disabilities,
child development, parenting and
related issues for elementary through
high school from the MMFS Parents
Association Parent Library? Located
on the second floor conference room
at 20 Bergen Street, you can arrange library access
with the front desk. Call or email Leslyn at leslynr@
mmfsnyc.org . For any library questions, contact Molly
Hoagland, PA Council Class Parent Coordinator, at
mmaghoag@hotmail.com
We hope that the PA events will provide many opportunities for you to get involved and/or to mingle with other
MMFS parents who are going through similar experiences, challenges and joys as a family, and that they will
Continued on page 8
7
Continued from page 7 (PA News)
foster a strong sense of community between our families and our school. The PA Council is always keen to
hear and implement your ideas. We also appreciate your
feedback – especially with regards to what should be
improved. Please contact us!
We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the
CARNIVAL next weekend!
Until next month,
Tanja
Tanja Bruestle-Kumra
PA Council Secretary
kumra@nyc.rr.com
917-415-4521
Mary McDowell Friends School
Presents
Bi r t hday Book Club
Thank you to the following families who
recently participated in the Birthday Book
Club. This is a great opportunity to bring
new and wonderful books to our library.
Sandra and Jeffrey Justin for Zoe Justin
Sandra Goldberg and Paul DiLorenzo
for Marc Di Lorenzo
Howard Epstein and Sandra Hartog
for Isaac Epstein
Charulata Prasada and Richard Bridle
for Vir Prasada-Bridle
Fran and Michael Berini
for Michael Berini
Anthony Catalano and Peter Delizzo
for Tereza Catalano
Rosemarie Ingleton and Edgar Cooper
for Niles Cooper
you’'re a good man,
charlie brown
BASED ON THE COMIC STRIP “PEANUTS” BY CHARLES M. SCHULZ
BOOK MUSIC & LYRICS BY CLARK GESNER
May 16 & 17, 2013 7PM
Upper School 23 Sidney Place
Directed by Sharon Counts
Starring
Choreographer Sarah Misch
Ben Lefkowitz
Music Director Sinai Tabak
Cristina Groby
Set and Lighting Design Daryl Embry
Emily Kiamie
Henry Tippens-Richan
Stage Managers
Karina Rubin
Nikolas George Brown
Linus Jakobson
Arianna Levine
Malcolm DosReis
Gabby Fox-Denize
Malik Fleary
Shira Silver
Together with St. Charles
Borromeo Church,
Mary McDowell
Friends School presents
Dead
Man
DE A D
M AWalking
N WA L K I–NG
The Journey Continues:–
H E JOU with
R N E Y CON An TEvening
Sister Helen Prejean
Wednesday, May 15th at 7PM
Mary McDowell Friends
Upper School
23 Sidney Place
Brooklyn NY 11201
Registration is $20
Call 718-855-0141
8
News From the Divisions
Elementary School
We love traditions at MMFS and have happily been participating in a variety of annual events this past month.
We loved celebrating Mary McDowell’s Birthday and
Earth Day as a whole school and especially enjoyed having Meeting for Worship all together outside. In the elementary school we celebrated a few more annual events
that were very exciting. For photos, go to the flickr galleries on the MMFS website.
On Friday, April 26th
the Mott, Fox,
Obadiah and
Whittier rooms held
their annual Variety
Show. You would be
amazed at the range
of performances! We
were treated to
martial arts
demonstrations, a
drum solo, acapella
singing, break
dancing, original
poetry reading,
accompanied
singing, a variety of
sports
demonstrations, the
reading of an autobiographical book about dyslexia, a
violin solo, coin collections, a lesson on skateboards,
ballet, impressive Lego structures and the list goes on!
Students were wonderful audience members, cheering
on classmates who felt nervous, sitting quietly during
each act and clapping enthusiastically for all who braved
the ‘stage.’ It was really a thrill to witness and celebrate
the assortment of accomplishments!
Later on that same afternoon students in the Cuffe, Fell,
Levi, Penn and Fry rooms participated in our annual
Cup Stacking Tournament. Cup stacking is an official
competitive sport that was developed by a physical education teacher in the 1980s. Justin introduced it to Mary
McDowell students several years ago and it has caught
on like wild fire! Many long tables were set up on the
roof. Teachers took their places behind the tables and
students lined up ready to challenge them. Other classes
came up to watch the fun. Students had been practicing
cup stacking during recent gym classes, so some of us
adults were at a distinct disadvantage! The competition
was fierce, and though emotions ran high, everyone
remembered to shake hands after every came. It was a
pleasure to see the level of sportsmanship that was maintained. We look forward to celebrating more MMFS traditions in the coming weeks!
Hannah Wiltshire, Elementary School Director
and Franziska Laskaris,
Elementary School Assistant Director
Middle School
Once I decided that this year’s middle school production
would be a musical, it took all of September to decide
which show satisfied two important criteria: the students
would love to perform it and the audience would enjoy
watching it. As October drew near, Leah Wasserman,
Julie Ackerman Hovis and I committed ourselves to
bringing “Bye Bye Birdie!” to the MMFS stage. In the
February newsletter we invited the community to join us
for our performances in April, and shared the fervor and
momentum that was building as all facets of preparation
were in full swing. By March we were rolling up our
sleeves and dedicating every waking moment to scene
work, songs, set design, and costumes. The proverbial
blood, sweat and tears were poured in from those in our
community who wished to be involved; Genna Chan
(costumes), Melody Olsen (Set Design Club), Johnny
Young (Sound), and by the week of the performance we
knew we had a good show. But no one was prepared for
opening night and what was to follow.
Flashforward: It is opening night. We adults are calm,
but the cast and crew are energized, anxious and
nervous. The last few rehearsals were good, but not yet
exceptional. Some actors hadn’t fully absorbed their
Continued on page 10
9
Continued from page 9 (News From the Divisions)
characters, there were some choreography issues and
pitch problems, not to mention a few costume mishaps.
Cues were missed, props were misplaced and I had
the dream; the one where everything goes horribly
wrong. As I enter the gym-turned-auditorium I know
everything is happening as it should. I see the joy in
those individual faces as they line the perimeter of the
gym, anxiously awaiting the start of the show. I take my
seat and cue music.
April 11th and 12th will go down in MMFS history
as the period when magic infused a group of kids,
some very weary adults and an initially skeptical
but supportive audience. Every individual brought
something special those two nights and it is almost
impossible to put into words. This group stretched
beyond the limits of its daily boundaries and surfaced as
actors, actresses, comedians, singers, dancers and crew.
This experience proved determination could dispel the
preconceived ideas about what our kids can and cannot
do. The leads were outstanding and the supporting cast/
chorus transported us to a time and place that seemed
very real. The fairy dust lingered as the community
celebrated the success of its members over several days.
New friendships were formed, confidence was found,
and those lurking in the corners, unsure of themselves,
stepped forward and said, “I want to be in the show next
year.” For photos, go to the flickr galleries on the MMFS
website.
Suzanne Leake
Middle School Theater Teacher
Upper School
During the last week of April, twenty-five ninth graders
and seven chaperones traveled for eight days in Spain,
and the junior class took an important next step in their
college and post-secondary search processes. The ninth
grade Europe trip has become a highlight of the upper
division’s school year. This year, the group traveled to
two quintessential but distinct Spanish cities: Barcelona
and Madrid. In Barcelona, we were introduced to the
fantastical world of the architect Antonio Gaudi. From
the ongoing construction of la Sagrada Familia church,
to landscape architecture and private homes, we were
inspired by Gaudi’s fusion of natural themes, his
creative use of color and shape and his engineering
genius. Barcelona also afforded majestic views, albeit
not always sunny, of the Mediterranean and an
introduction to Spain’s wonderful food markets. In
Madrid, the group learned beginning flamenco dancing
steps and was treated to a trio of outstanding dance
performers, accompanied by a virtuoso guitar player
and a singer whose voice seemed to recall the entirety
of Spanish history from the Moors to the present day.
We also saw some of the finest paintings in the western
world and were awed by our first-hand experience
seeing Picasso’s famed Guernica. Seeing famous sites
and learning about art, architecture and history are
normal benefits of travel; but for our students, growth
and the ability to experience greater independence are,
perhaps, the biggest payoffs of programs such as this
year’s trip to Spain. Experiencing the challenges of
getting along with a wide variety of fellow travelers,
eating new foods and navigating a culture based on a
language other their own provide wonderful
opportunities for students to feel accomplishment
alongside satisfying their curiosity about the world
beyond their usual context and routine.
While the freshmen were away, the juniors passed a
milestone of their own. On Thursday, April 25th, the
students who will soon comprise our first senior class
attended a day-long pre-college program. In the morning,
Director of College Guidance Amy Salomon-Kohn
orchestrated workshops and a speaker. In the afternoon,
our students joined their peers at Berkeley-Carroll,
Brooklyn Friends, Poly Prep, Packer, St. Ann’s and
Staten Island Academy in attending the Brooklyn and
Staten Island Independent School College Fair, held at
St. Francis College. This event is open only to juniors
from the sponsoring independents schools and it
affords much better access to representatives of scores
of colleges than college fairs that are open to the general
public. At the fair, students spoke directly with college
representatives about various schools and programs.
Events such as these are important ways for colleges
and prospective students to connect with each other
and to help them begin to determine whether an
appropriate match between the two is possible. Amy
reports how proud she is of our students. They
presented themselves well and asked great questions.
They were excellent representatives of our school and
they demonstrated that students from a specialized
program such as ours can be every bit as focused,
articulate and engaging as their mainstream peers.
The college search process is alive and well-underway
at Mary McDowell.
Kirk Smothers
Upper School Director
10
Language Therapy at MMFS
ELE M EN TA RY SC HOOL
May is Speech and Hearing Month!
information so that their thoughts make sense.
“We tell ourselves stories, and we live by the stories we
tell.” – Carol Westby, PhD., Speech-Language Pathologist
How can you improve your child’s verbal narrative
skills at home?
What is expressive language?
“Newstelling:” Encourage your child to share a “story of
the day or week.” Verbal narratives can be object-based
news (describing an object), activity-based sharing (talking about an activity the child has completed) or an
event-based news/recount (talking about something the
child did or something that happened). Expressive language skills relate to the verbal organization, production and context of what a person says.
Expressive language skills include vocabulary, morphology (grammar), syntax (sentence structure), describing/
defining skills, discourse skills (explain, persuade,
inform, compare/contrast) and verbal narrative skills (retelling a story). Expressive language skills relay how a
person communicates their thoughts, wants, needs,
experiences, ideas and opinions. Expressive language
skills can also impact writing skills such as sentence
structure, sequencing and organization. What is a verbal narrative?
A verbal narrative is a monologue in which a student retells a story or personal experience. This expressive communication task encompasses many language skills such
as sequencing, utilizing vocabulary and depicting story
elements (i.e., characters, plot, problem and resolution).
On some occasions students may tell a personal story
but omit important details, such as when an event
occurred or who was involved. This results in a break in
communication wherein the listener often needs to ask
several follow-up questions to understand the main idea
of the story. Students may also become stuck on irrelevant details when re-telling the plot, sometimes missing
the main idea of a story.
Narrative skills are important for students in order to
describe events in an organized way for their listeners.
Verbal narratives must include a beginning, middle and
end. Students are taught to include enough background
Reviews: Your child can review a television show, movie,
video game or camp experience, remembering to include
at least one event from the beginning, middle, and end
of the story. Use a story map to help your child recall
characters, plot, setting and other story elements in an
organized way. Pictures: Create a visual notebook story with your child.
Cut illustrations from magazines and newspapers to create a collage that tells a story. Encourage your child to
recall WH questions (who, what, when, where and why)
as he or she creates a verbal narrative with three parts: a
beginning, middle and end. Favorite “Re-telling” Books: A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog by
Mercer Mayer, The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats, The
Wolf’s Story by Toby Forward and What Are You So
Grumpy About? By Tom Lichtenheld.
Favorite Ipad applications: Super Duper StoryMaker,
Toontastic, GoAnimate, Puppet Pals and ZooBurst.
Franna Bari, Senior Language Therapist
Linda Pelligrino
Heather Rutka
Bevin Small
Elementary School Language Therapists
M I DDLE SC HOOL
Language therapy in middle school focuses primarily
on language for academics. There is a significant shift
in the type of language used by teachers and that is
found in texts once a student reaches the middle grades.
A complex interplay of language systems (auditory
comprehension, word knowledge retrieval, expressive
fluency, reading comprehension and written language)
is necessary in order to develop more abstract ideas and
demonstrate knowledge of learned concepts. Middle
school language therapy takes the unique needs of adolescents into account. There is a stronger emphasis on
using curriculum material as a way of reaching
language goals. Language therapists are able to teach
content area information with an increased level of
language supports, as well as allowing students additional time to work on long term projects. In addition,
language therapists work frequently with teachers on
a consultation basis to further support the language
needs of all our students. This also helps to generalize
information outside of the therapy room. Pragmatics,
the way in which we use language, also begins to take
a different form. The way in which language is used for
classroom discussions plays an important role in the
academic success of students. Are they able to express
Continued on page 12
11
Continued from page 11 (Language Therapy)
their point of view, listen to the views of others and
integrate ideas from various sources? This requires both
comprehension of language and the ability to express
oneself.
Jennifer Volpe
Leah Wasserman
Middle School Language Therapists
U P P E R SC HOOL
Language is an essential skill for learning in school,
getting along with peers and for acquiring and
maintaining employment throughout our lives.
Adequate language skills are necessary to acquire
knowledge in math, history, science, and to read and
comprehend complex novels in English. Although the
upper school has only been in existence for three years,
it is well equipped with highly skilled educators who
possess a wealth of knowledge and experience that they
impart to the sizeable population of students diagnosed
with a language based learning disability. The language
therapist, in collaboration with these specialized
teachers, strives to help our pupils to maximize their
abilities and learning potential.
In the upper school division, we work in partnership to
enhance the language development of our pupil
population. The traditional theory model of pull-out is
not the pedagogical approach that is practiced in the
school. Rather, curricular language intervention is
employed in the classroom setting. In other words the
language therapist provides intervention in the context
of the classroom and in conjunction with the goals of
the classroom teacher. For example, students receive
remediation when engaged in formulating a hypothesis
L
I
G
H
T
N
I
N
G
during scientific writing, establishing a thesis during
expository writing in English and/or analyzing and
writing evidence critically in history. In consumer
math class, language intervention is conducted by
implementing techniques that assist students in
acquiring the mathematical vocabulary and concepts to
facilitate knowledge of everyday math skills by
targeting their auditory processing language skills and
short-term memory weakness through mnemonic
supports.
Transitioning between classes presents a challenge to
many of our students due to the lexical conversion that
is required of them when shifting from one subject to
another. Therefore, assisting them with transitioning
between the conceptual structure and vocabularies of
different classes is essential. As we continue to grow as
a division, our language department will also expand
clinically to help facilitate stronger organizational
writing skills and improve our students’ development
of grammar.
Marie-Michelle Monéreau-Merry
Upper School Language Therapist
Upper School Track and Field: Meets Remaining
Meet Dates
Time
Location
Thursday, May 9th
4-6 pm
Red Hook Park
Thursday, May 14th (Championship Meet)
4-6 pm
Van Cortland Park
Van Cortland Park is located at 1 Bronx River Parkway, Bronx, NY
Red Hook Park is located at 155 Bay Street , Brooklyn, NY
Middle School Softball: Games Remaining
Date
Opponent
Time
Tuesday, May 7th
Garden School
4pm
Friday, May 10th
Gateway
4pm
Home/Away
away - St. Michael’s Park,
Queens
home
Monday, May 20th
St. Luke’s
4pm
away - Central Park
Wednesday, May 22nd
Churchill
4pm
home
Tuesday, May 28th
C&C
4pm
home
Wednesday, May 29th
Child School
TBA
TBA
12
The Mary McDowell Friends Fund 2012-13
We would like to thank the following individuals who
have so generously contributed to this year’s Mary
McDowell Friends Fund, the school's annual fund.
Each year, we depend on the annual fund to provide
direct funding for educational initiatives that tuition
alone does not cover. We need everyone’s participation
to reach this year’s goals of $400,000 and 100% parent
Trustees and Former Trustees
(and spouses)
Alan Alpert and Linda Trotta
Wade N. Black and Wendy Wong
Heather and Peter Campbell
Nell Clark
Cynthia Crossen and James Gleick
Nancy Feinberg
Lynn Gernert and Susan Weiler
Rebecca K. Givan
Joseph Gosler and Sheila Wolper
Sharon and Barton Inkeles
Milt Sleeter and Joel Herman
Avis Hinkson
Arline Krisberg
Michael C. Lasky and Peggi Einhorn
Talmadge and Edith Neece
Felice Shapiro Friedman
Alan and Lisa Sinsheimer
Pauline Thomas
Benjamin Warnke
Susan L. Weiner
Sherri Weiser-Horwitz and
Michael Horwitz
Sue and Joel Wolfe
Current Parents
John Illig and Merry Alpern-Illig
Eileen Ayling
Freddi and Edward Baranoff
Albert and Drusilla Belman
Fran and Michael Berini
Stephen and Kimberly Biehle
Vicki and Larry Botel
Peter and Cathy Brown
Tanja Bruestle-Kumra and
Vijay Kumra
Eva Kolodner and Eliza Byard
Mary Cahill-Hojraj
Joseph and Karen Calvarino
Alan Carver
Deborah Carver
Darwin Chan and Genna Allen-Chan
Alexandra Chasin
Isabelle Dervaux and James Christie
participation. No gift is too small, and every gift counts.
Please think carefully about what you can give, and
please stretch your giving to the fullest extent possible.
We are very grateful to all of you who have given.
As of May 2nd, 2013*, contributions total $281,753.
Andrea and Paul Compton
Ernest and Donna Chornyei
Marya Cohn and Tjebbo Penning
Molly Hoagland and Rufus Collins
Ann Weathersby Cooney and
Michael Cooney
Nicole and Brian Cox
Frank Ligtvoet and Nanne Dekking
Lisa Aguilera del Puerto and
Fernando del Puerto
Yves Denizé and Susan Fox
Bridget Elias and Townsend Davis
Loretta and Curt Dill
Paul DiLorenzo and Sandra Goldberg
Howard Epstein and Sandra Hartog
Susan Dooha and Robert Fasano
Josephine and Riccardo Fischioni
James and Lee Gallagher
April and Daniel Goldberg
Jacqueline and Nicholas Gravante
Sheila Harley and Mark Simonian
Kellie Hart and Alasdair Philip
Amy Hausknecht and
Stephen Lichtman
Caren Golden and Peter Herzberg
Delicia Shaw-Hitchcock and
William Hitchcock
Betty and Michael Huber
Sandra and Jeffrey Justin
Stephan and Stacie Kiratsous
Lori and Larry Leibovich
Oswald Liew and Betty Lee
David and Mary Jane Lifson
Elizabeth Mair
Hope Manville
Cornelia Buckley Marakovits and
Bob Marakovits
Christine and Andrew Merola
George Michael and
Miriam Mayerson
Claiborne and Benjamin Milde
Melissa Miller
Catherine and Cathal Moore
Rebecca Mueller and John Hojnacki
Bonnie Eissner and Joseph O’Connor
Faith Rose and Devin O’Neill
Antonio Perez and Myriam Juarbe
Tracy Plauski
Pamela and Gabriel Rabinovici
Caroline and Laurent Rimmen
Beth Ann Day and Ben Rinzler
Joshua and Alexandra Rosenstein
Carolyn and Ernie Roth
Cordy and Raquel Ryman
Gigi Sharp and George Gilpin
Robert and Vera Silver
Michele Smalley
Janee Waner-Szekely and
Steven Szekely
Caitlin Thomas and David Clark
Maria Pyrros Vergos and
Dorian A. Vergos
Monica Elias and Roy Walter
Jennifer and Robert Wheelock
Molly and Stewart Winter
Claire Schultz Yaffe and Rick Yaffe
Connie and Koray Yilmaz
Grandparents
George Abrams
Louis Alfieri
Hale and Mildred Alpern
Linda Attoe
Ronnie Berish
Lydia Brown
Marilyn Buckley
Joe and Jean Butera
Ms. Rosalie Byard
James and Eileen Cassidy
Marie and James Connolly
Jerry and Harriet Dorf
Daniel Fisch and Babette Coffey Fisch
Marilyn and Lawrence Friedland
Elizabeth Gilmore
Joseph and Joan Juliano
Isobel Konecky
Lee and Rusty Meshier
Warren and Flo Sinsheimer
James and Jean Smida
Sidney and Brian Urquhart
Continued on page 14
13
Continued from page 13 (The Mary McDowell Friends Fund)
Kenneth and Carol Westlund
Bob and Mary Jane Woodward
Lois and Bob Yaffe
Alumni and Parents and
Grandparents of Alumni
Greg Brooks and Rachel Adams
Richard Bearak and
Adrianne Wallace
Irmgard and Kai Borner
Maureen and Richard Carruthers
Joel Cohen and Diane Milder
Thomas Lee and Joan Giambusso
Camille and David Gillespie
Fred Myers and Faye Ginsburg
Michael Green and
Andrea Hirshman
Francis Greenburger and
Isabelle Autones
Tracy Gross
Zeph Grunschlag
Paula Katz and Rick Mandler
Andreas Killen and Marie Sacco
Laurin and Norman Kleiman
Fay Leoussis
Joseph Magnavito
Robert McLoughlin and
Jeanne Arfanis
Edward and Mary Miller
Julie and Jesse Miller
Laura and Neil Mitchell
Rayna Rapp
Rajpal Sandhu and Mary Henry
Gary and Dana Shapiro
Don and Lori Sellitti
Phil Silvestri and
Rita Senders Silvestri
Ellynne Skove and Roger Gilchrist
Michael Slater and Leslye Noyes
Marjorie Slobetz and
Donald Pickering
Marjorie Small-Medney
Trevor and Barbara Sohan
Klay and Jane Stack
Basil Williams and Heather Shamsai
Bill and Louly Williams
Neal H. Rosenberg
Lois Schiffer
Frederick and Jane Sillman
Regina Silvers
Regina Skyer
Robert and Paula Usadi
Bernard and Shirley Zlotowitz
Robin Zlotowitz
Friends
Louis Bastone
Lauren Baum
John Bava
Kristine Baxter and Jim Rein
Daniel Beder
Steven and Joan Beder
Mr. David Berman
Judith Bickart
Loren Blackford
Charlotte Blankfield
Marvin and Ellen Ciporen
Harvey P. Dale
James Dejesus
Emily Franzosa
Deborah Friedman
Micki and Robert Friedman
Muriel L. Frischer
Curtis Givan and
Alice Longobardi Givan
Eric and Carolyn Gould
Steven J. Kimble
Erin Lynch
Lee and Rusty Meshier
Sherri Miller
Beverly and Charles Morris
Mary Nerney
Calvin L. Palmer
Janine Pollack
Staff and Former Staff
Bevin Daly
Orla Dunstan and Robert Salmieri
Deborah Edel and Teddy Minucci
Bernie McCormick
Courtney Nuzum Jiménez
Ginny Perrin
Leslyn and Don Rigoni
Jodi Scheurenbrand
Beth Schneider and Steve McFarland
Kirk Smothers and Sarah Clarke
Katherine Sorel
Debbie Zlotowitz and
Rick Greenberg
***
*Due to printing deadlines, all gifts
received after May 2nd, 2013 will be
acknowledged in the June MMFS News.
This report gratefully acknowledges gifts
received between July 1st, 2012 and May
2nd, 2013. Every effort has been made
to ensure the accuracy of this report. If
there are any errors, please accept our
apologies and notify the Development
Office at 718-625-3939, ext. 2223.
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14
9th Grade Trip to Spain: Reflections from Debbie
Thursday, April 25th
Hi All - Greetings from Spain. We arrived in Barcelona,
excited but tired after an approximately seven and a half
hour flight that was relatively smooth except for a few
pockets of turbulence. Our trip began with one student
leaving his backpack at security. Thankfully it was found.
Everyone had one dinner at the airport and a second one
on the plane. There was lots of bravado around not
sleeping on the plane and how many hours each of them
could stay awake. The answer? Not as long as they
thought.
the city and learned that every corner building is flat so
that one can see better while driving. We drove past the
Olympic Stadium and the former bull ring (bull fighting
is not practiced in Barcelona any more). We stopped at
Montjuic or Mountain of the Jews – so called because an
old Jewish cemetery was found there – to see beautiful
sweeping views of the city and the Mediterranean Sea
with cruise ships in the harbor.
Going through passport control and getting our luggage
was easy and quick. We took a bus to the hotel, dropped
off our luggage and began our journey. By now it was
11 am and the students were getting tired but they were
too excited to sleep. So we walked and then walked some
more and then we still walked! We also rode the metro,
which the students loved. They were very impressed that
the doors to the subway cars didn’t open automatically
and that each platform had a vending machine.
We had a great time walking around Barcelona. It’s a
beautiful, cosmopolitan city with wide boulevards, lots of
greenery and
apartments with
large windows
and “Juliet
balconies”
overlooking the
boulevards.
Vendors line the
streets selling
flowers, pets and
food.
Perpendicular to
the boulevards
are narrow, stone
streets with
decorative
doorways and
arches leading to
a large square
with a church. Friday, April 26th
Hola All - We had a great day. Your children are doing
very well. They are cooperative, helpful and responsible.
They were real troopers today as we walked and walked
and walked and it poured and poured and poured!!!!
Wake up was at 8:00 am. The students got up fairly
easily. After a breakfast of breads, cereal, cheese, eggs
and yogurt, everyone got on the bus. Most of us were still
a little tired, so a bus tour of Barcelona was a perfect
morning activity. We drove on the major boulevards of
Saturday, April 27th
Greetings All - Luckily the weather was better than
predicted today. The first drizzle started as we were
walking to dinner and it began to pour as we were
leaving our final activity at 9:00 p.m.
Everyone has been grappling with the concept of “time”
and being in a different time zone that is six hours ahead
of New York. Some have been confusing the days because
we left on Tuesday but didn’t arrive until Wednesday and
didn’t sleep until Wednesday evening. So two days felt
like one really, really long day!!! They love figuring out
the time in New York and contemplating what you are
doing. Tomorrow wake-up is early as we say farewell to
Barcelona and travel to Madrid.
Monday, April 29th
Hola All - I am grateful that your children are more
cooperative than the weather is. It was FREEZING today.
But in spite of the weather we had a fabulous day. Your
children were exhausted. It is midnight here and all is
quiet and calm.
At the Royal Palace we had great guides and a great tour.
The students listened, asked wonderful questions, learned
a lot and enjoyed themselves. The Royal Palace was built
250 years ago by Carlos III in the center of Madrid at that
time. The last king to live there was the grandfather of
the present king, Juan Carlos I. Today, King Juan Carlos
lives about six miles outside of Madrid and the Royal
Palace serves as a museum, though it is still used for
Continued on page 16
15
Continued from page 15 (Spain: Debbie’s Reflections)
state visits. It is one of the largest palaces in Europe and
has gone through several renovations. You can tell which
rooms are renovated because the floors are made of wood
whereas the original floors were made of marble. The
palace is magnificent with over 3,000 rooms (we all heard
different numbers so I’m not sure about this). The dining
room was most impressive as it had seating for 144.
Imagine having matching plates and silverware for 144!
And the plates have gold on them so they have to be hand
washed!!!! The throne room is the only room that never
changes, except for the king’s and queen’s chairs, which
are made specially to fit their bodies.
Dinner was a huge success. Everyone had a choice to go
to either the indoor market and informally stop and buy
from the many stalls serving all kinds of fresh, cooked
foods or a traditional, more formal sit-down Tapas
restaurant and order lots of small plates to share. Most of
the group chose the restaurant. The group I was in went
to the marketplace. We loved everything. Between us we
ate and drank hot chocolate, rice balls (the clear winner as
everyone kept going back to that stall for just one more),
sushi, fried octopus, dried fruit, Japanese pancakes,
lobster tails, olives filled with cheese, goat cheese and
crackers and chicken and garlic empanadas. For dessert
we had cake and chocolate churros. The other group was
REALLY adventurous and ate octopus with white rice
covered in the black octopus ink, ham and Roquefort
croquettes, Jamon Iberico with eggs and fries, fried
calamari and potatoes in a mildly spicy sauce. At the end
of a very satisfying day, everyone wrote in his or her
journal and went off to bed.
Tuesday, April 30th
Hi All - Our final day and guess what? It poured! We had
a really nice day in spite of all the rain. As usual we
packed a lot into the day. We started our morning by
taking the commuter train into the center of Madrid to be
at the Prado when it opened at 10:00 am. When we got to
the train station near the Prado we saw the outside to the
memorial dedicated to those who died from the terrorist
attack in Madrid in 2004.
We next went to see the oldest synagogue in Spain. No
one knows when it was built, but it was in use by 1196.
The synagogue was built by Muslims because they were
the best builders. They had never built a synagogue
before, so they modeled it after a mosque, facing Mecca
and with traditional arches. It was a Sephardic, Orthodox
synagogue so the pulpit was in the middle and the
women had to sit upstairs in the balcony. After 1492 it was
converted to a church and took the name Santa Maria la
Blanca or Saint Mary the White. A cross was hung there.
Today there is only one symbol left of Judaism, a Jewish
star on the wall. The original Torah was taken by the
congregation to Portugal when the Jews were forced out
of Spain and eventually made its way to Savannah,
Georgia, where it is now.
Our final stop on the tour was to see how swords were
and are made. I have no idea how a group of students
from a Quaker school ended up there, but we did and
they LOVED it. Of course, they all wanted to buy
swords. One of the students tried all week to change
Kirk’s mind and was surprised that he never did. Another
bargained down the price of everything in the store. I am
sure the store still made a nice profit on our students!
After our visit to Toledo, we went to dinner and then back
to our hotel to finish our journals and work on our
projects. In addition to writing in our journals every
night, each group has to complete cards listing facts we
learned during the day, new Spanish words learned,
kindnesses performed, conversations in Spanish, new
foods tried, haikus written about the day, drawings made,
and about ten other categories. Each team accumulated
points based on the number and quality of the
submissions. The last two nights, the competition has
been heightened as two of the groups vie for first place.
Looking forward to the results tomorrow morning.
As I end this email, I am thinking about our week and
how much everyone has learned, changed and grown.
Your children have done really well. You should be
proud. They have problem solved, worked together,
helped and supported each other, laughed and cried
together, tried new foods, become more responsible, dealt
with adversity, become more independent and lived
together 24/7 mostly in harmony! It has been an excellent
week.
16
Mary McDowell Friends School
Phone: (718) 625-3939 ♦ Fax: (718) 625-1456
Preliminary School Calendar 2013-2014
2013
September 2
Monday
Labor Day
September 9
Monday
Open House for Krisberg and Anderson Rooms
First Day of School for All Other Classes – Noon Dismissal
September 10
Tuesday
First Day of School for Krisberg and Anderson Rooms
Sept. 10 – 12
Tues. – Thur.
Upper School Overnight Trip – Mandatory for All US
Students
September 13
Friday
Noon Dismissal
October 1
Tuesday
Middle School Back-to-School Night
October 2
Wednesday
Elementary School Back-to-School Night
October 8
Tuesday
Upper School Back-to-School Night
October 14
Monday
Columbus Day – School Closed
October 15
Tuesday
Professional Development Day – No School
October 16
Wednesday
PSATs
College Visit Days
No School for 9th and 12th Grades
November 11
Monday
Parent/Teacher Conferences – No School for Entire School
November 12
Tuesday
Parent/Teacher Conferences for Middle and Upper School
No School for Middle and Upper School Only
Nov. 27 – 29
Wed. – Fri.
Thanksgiving Holiday – School Closed
Dec. 11 – 12
Wed. – Thur.
Upper School Play
December 20
Friday
Elementary School Winter Performance – Noon Dismissal for
Entire School
Last Day of School Before Winter Break
Dec. 23 –
Jan. 3
Mon. – Fri.
Winter Break – No School
Continued next page
17
Mary McDowell Friends School
Phone: (718) 625-3939 ♦ Fax: (718) 625-1456
Preliminary School Calendar 2013-2014
2014
January 6
Monday
School Resumes
January 17
Friday
Elementary and Upper School Writing Day
No School for Elementary and Upper Schools
TBD
TBD
Middle School Writing Day – No School for Middle School
January 20
Monday
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day – School Closed
Feb. 17 – 18
Mon. – Tues.
Presidents Day – School Closed
February 19
Wednesday
Professional Development Day – No School for Entire
School
March 14
Friday
Last Day of School Before Spring Break
March 17 – 28 Mon. – Fri.
Spring Break – No School
March 31
Monday
School Resumes
April 7– 8
Mon. – Tues.
Parent Teacher Conferences – No School for Entire School
April 14
Monday
Half Day of School
April 15
Tuesday
First Day of Passover – No School
April 18
Friday
Good Friday – No School
May 23
Friday
Elementary and Middle School Writing Day
No School for Elementary and Middle School
May 26
Monday
Memorial Day – School Closed
June 11
Wednesday
Upper School Writing Day – No School for Upper School
June 12
Thursday
Last Day for Students
18