Back in Business: An Overview

AFS students are starting the new year with new projects in the library. First graders are spending some time exploring how the library is laid out. Where are the fiction books? Where are the non-fiction books? In our ongoing effort to have students take one book they can read to their families and one book they can read with their families, students will be exploring the library. As we explore, students will star the areas that have books they might want to read.

Second grade is focusing heavily on the nonfiction section for the next two weeks. How are these books organized? What do those numbers mean? Who thought of this? Second graders are taking their library mapping a step beyond focusing exclusively on nonfiction. The goal is that students can begin to become more self sufficient library users and to introduce them to the concept of the Dewey Decimal System.

Third grade students are working on their story settings. Each student was challenged to pick a part in a favorite book and recreate the scene in a shoebox.  Because we really want students to read deeply and use their own imaginations, they are not allowed to use books that have been made into movies unless they haven't seen the movie. They also can't use books that have pictures already drawn of the setting. One of our students even discovered that the picture didn't really match the author's description.

Fourth graders are working in groups to create "Welcome to Pennsylvania" commercials. They are incorporating the facts they learned in class and their own imaginations to share what they have learned about early Pennsylvania. The students will record their voices in Garage Band and then export them to iMovie so sound effects can be added.

Coming back from winter break can be a challenge, but we have our amazing projects to keep life exciting and fun!

January 20th- Join the Lower School Book Club for Adults

Join us for our Lower School Book Club for adults led by Ann Botel-Barnard, our Language Arts Specialist. We are excited to come together to share a love for a great story!

Book: My Brilliant Friend

Location: Lower School Library

Date: Friday, January 20, 2017 from 8:00-9:00am.

Enjoy a light breakfast and great conversation as we discuss what we loved about the book, what we had questions about and what we could connect to. Feel free to join us even if you have not read the entire book. You will still have a lot to contribute and the discussion will enhance your reading of the book. You are welcome to bring adult friends and relatives that are also interested in discussing this book.

RSVP: Ann Botel-Barnard  abotelbarnard@abingtonfriends.net

Elena Ferrante’s book is a beautiful journey of friendship between two friends as they navigate the challenges and changes of their friendship and their nation. The novel starts in the 1950’s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood in Naples, Italy.

3rd Graders Weaving Their Way Through Art

The third grade class has started off the new year in art class by embarking on a new project: taking on the task of weaving. The third grade artists learned that a loom is the structure on which a weaving is created and excitedly added warp, or vertical, threads to their loom to begin their creations.

As a class, we discussed the importance of choosing a thoughtful color palette, to give a sense of design and consistency to our pieces. The students brainstormed different color families, like warm and cool, which they could use, or how they could create contrast using complementary colors. The third grade artists imagined the possibilities of using rainbow colors or limited color palettes, selecting two to three colors to repeat.

The third graders then began selecting their weft threads, which they began weaving into their looms using a simple AB pattern of under-over. As they continue to work on their weavings, they will be introduced to a new technique each class which they can add to their weavings, including the block technique in which smaller sections of warp threads are woven to create a pattern of blocks. They will explore more complex weaving patterns like AABB. They will also get the chance to add more complex shapes such as triangles, and decorative motifs like fringe to their weavings. When their masterpieces are complete, they will learn to transfer their weavings from their looms and add fun flourishes like handmade pom-poms.


Weaving helps to reinforce fine motor skills and gives students the opportunity to practice their knot-tying and needle-threading skills. There are many connections to math as students use division to plan out their block weaving and create and follow patterns.

Looking forward to MLK Day!

We hope you can join us for our annual MLK Day of service on Monday, January 16.  All are welcome.  To sign up, click HERE!

Gently used clothing and books of all types are still being collected in the Lower and Upper School lobbies. 

Third Grade Explores Engineering In Science

Before leaving for winter break, our third grade students made the most of our final fun filled days while building bridges in the Maker Space during science class time. Following an amazing lesson about bridges and dams presented by  Brian Fitzhenry, one of our third grade parents, our third graders were enthusiastic about extending their knowledge about engineering. 

After discussing the basic types of bridges, the students used an online program that allowed them to make and execute bridge building blueprints. By designing the blueprints and virtually testing them, the students were able to gain a deeper understanding about the components and component placement which allow the bridges to become properly load bearing.

During the next two class periods the students were charged with the task of working in small groups and using any and all the available materials in the maker space to build bridges. All of the groups used what they already knew about bridges along with their brilliant creativity and came up with very impressive 

Second Grade Travels Back in Time: Historical Fiction Exploration

This January, second grade students are reading historical fiction in school and at home. First students explored the structure of historical fiction. In December, the reading of biographies set the stage for this study as many biographies focus on people from a time period in the past. As we discussed the contributions made by these people, we also focused on how the time period in which they lived affected their lives and helps to explain the importance of their work.

The entire grade is reading the historical fiction book Wagon Wheels and learning the story of the Muldie boys and their father as they travel from Kentucky to Nicodemus, Kansas in 1878. The Muldies were a real family who along with thousands of African American pioneers left the South after the Civil War to settle in the West. They first settled in the town of Nicodemus. This site has become an historical site managed by the National Park Service. The following link will take you to the section of the site that will allow you to learn about the history.  https://www.nps.gov/features/nicodemus/nonflash.htm
We shared relevant information from this site with the second grade students in preparation for the reading of this book in small book groups.

We will read about the courage of the boys as they live in a dugout while their father searches for land that will enable them to have a better life, and then of their journey of one hundred and fifty miles to connect with their father.

Students will be selecting historical fiction books of interest to read at home with their families and then talk, write and draw about their particular book.  We will also be reading an assortment in class of historical fiction books as well both individually and in small groups. 

Farewell 2016

First grade closed 2016 by sharing family traditions around the winter holidays.  We enjoyed all the parent visitors who shared their traditions and books with our classes those last weeks.  In Kathy and Caroline's class we heard the story of Hanukkah and learned of the miracle of the oil burning for eight days with Joah's parents. 

 We had the opportunity to see and hear about the menorah, and see it glowing bright as the candles burned as Anna and her mom shared their traditions.  Playing dreidel was great fun! 
The students were tickled to watch the tops spin and thrilled if they got gimel!  We ate special Hanukkah cookies and discovered our new “official, favorite food,” latkes with applesauce and sour cream!!

We got to hear about German traditions for Christmas from Ryan and his mom that included using an advent calendar, decorating a Christmas tree, and hiding a pickle ornament. The students tried a traditional cookie they shared called pfeffernusse, and then decorated their own cookies.

Matthew's mom brought in a favorite Christmas story called, The Nativity, to read to the class. The students delighted in the illustrations.

In Susan and Janmarie's class, Ben's mom shared a story about Hanukkah and taught us how to play dreidel with chocalate gelt for all!


Xavier's dad shared what Christmas in Argentina is like. Since he grew up watching movies that connected snow and Christmas, the tradition is to make their own snow with cotton balls which they put on the tree. They also make their own mistletoe out of cranberries and green leaves. New Years Eve is a huge celebration with fireworks and in Buenos Aires on the last day of work before the holiday, they throw all of their old papers out the windows and into the streets. Many people make giant dolls to burn in the streets welcoming a new beginning! On January 6th, Little Christmas or Three Kings Day, they take down the tree. This is when they leave their shoes out when they go to bed and put out water and grass for the camels. The three wise men leave gifts in their shoes!

Hadley's mom shared their family tradition of making British minced pie. They made mini pies to share with our class, and we learned about this tradition. They were sweet and filled with fruit and nuts and sugar but back in the day were made with meat.

To enrich the traditions that we were hearing about, we read many wonderful books and engaged in many craft projects.  We made gingerbread people, 3-D Christmas trees and Hanukkah dreidels, poinsettia paintings and muhindi, ears of corn that represent each child in a family during Kwanzaa and colorful mkeka's, Kwanzaa mats.

We extend a warm thanks to all our parent visitors!  Getting to know our families in this very special way has been so rewarding for the students.  This provided another window into the richness and uniqueness of each member of the class through celebrations that we each share.  We continue to notice that we are all alike and we are all different and what a gift that is!