Our Budding Authors

Our kindergartners are amazing writers!  They are discovering how to be in charge of their own writing by using their creative ideas to get a piece started and then deciding when the work is finished or needs revising.  They have their own writing folders with two pockets.  One pocket has a green dot, and it holds pages that will be worked on again.   The other pocket has a red or orange dot, and it holds pages that the children have decided are finished pieces.

Already this year, the students have written in a variety of ways.  Some of the inspirations have been: writing about something they know a lot about, an experiential piece about our first field trip, a reflection after reading the book, Have You Filled Your Bucket Today?, something they love, being kind and even replicating an author’s writing pattern.

The students take their ideas, stretch out each word, and put down the sounds they hear as they stretch out the words.  This ‘kid writing’ gives the students the opportunity to write freely and without worry about ‘correct’ spelling.  It also informs the teachers of the letters and sounds that may be challenging.

We use the Handwriting Without Tears program to develop letter and number formation.  This program was introduced using the wooden pieces that represent the four lines used to create all upper case letters.  There is a big line, little line, big curve and little curve.  The students created a variety of designs and letters as they used these pieces in an exploratory and rewarding way.  Following the use of the wooden pieces, the children practice ‘Wet,Dry, Try’ before they work in their books.  The program has been greeted with great delight!  At Back to School Night, parents received a copy of the letter/number formation guide that is used in school so that you can support your child’s writing at home.

Encourage writing at home with lots of fun opportunities such as writing shopping lists, letters to friends or family, creating a book or story, or labeling an illustration.  You can work on projects together or simply support the writing that your child likes to do.  Have fun with your budding authors and illustrators!

Monarch Study in First Grade

This week first graders continue to follow the growth of our Monarch caterpillars. Students are making careful observations and recording what they see, both in pictures and writing.  We have also watched some videos of caterpillars transforming from one stage to the next.  They shed their skin, or molt, as they continue to grow. When they are ready, they transform into a chrysalis.  This is what we are watching for now.  Students have counted 17 chrysalises so far with about five more still in the caterpillar stage. We are also recording how many days they have been in the chrysalis. After 10 to 14 days, they will hatch into butterflies! That's just five days away!

Click here for a video of the Monarch's life cycle

 

Below are some examples of their observations drawings of the various stages.

             

¡Bienvenidos!

¡Bienvenidos familias, amigas, y amigos! Welcome family and friends! 

In Spanish class, we approach different vocabulary sets in different ways with different expectations. Often, the children start by simply recognizing and responding to new words. Then, they begin to provide the words independently within an appropriate conversational context. This transition happens naturally as our curriculum builds on previous learning.

Our most important objective en la clase de español is to provide a nurturing environment where everyone feels comfortable learning a second language and to encourage all to develop an openness, understanding and appreciation for other cultures. Since the start of the school year, everyone has enthusiastically expressed their joy in Spanish class as they engage in the process of exploring the world of language by playing games, greeting puppets, listening to storybooks, singing and dancing to Spanish videos, and role playing using written dialogues. 

Paz,
Alicia

   

Wonderful Writers

Third graders have been very busy during Writer's Workshop the past two weeks!   One of the things we talked about is how writers write about things they love and are excited about.  As a class, we brainstormed ideas and shared about things that we love: fried chicken, soccer, legos, bikes, cooking, video games, stuffed animals,  talking, and more!




In class, we came up with strategies to really show how passionate we are about something.   Some students came up with lists to show all the reasons why they love what they love. Others thought of a specific memory or story that told about the first time they were able to enjoy an experience.  Expressing interest and excitement via writing is a skill that third graders work hard to develop over the course of the year.  We can't wait to publish some of our stories next week!

Hold the Date - October 18th! Creekside Planting and Environmental Fair.

Plan on being at AFS the morning of Saturday, October 18th!  In addition to the Book Fair we'll be having a Creekside Planting and Environmental Fair from 9:30 to 1:00 PM.  In cooperation with the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, AFS will be planting a riparian buffer along our beautiful stream.  Middle and Lower School students will be involved in activities throughout the week, and will do some planting on Friday, but the main planting event will be open for families and members of the community on Saturday.  There will be refreshments and a variety of partner organizations present with all kinds of environmental and outdoor activities!

Students have already been out at the stream to explore and learn about riparian buffers!

Below is the press release from TTF that outlines the whole project and some photos from the day of announcement of the grant.

The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership (TTF) has been awarded a Delaware River Restoration Fund grant of $155,000 through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for stream restoration and green stormwater management projects along the Jenkintown Creek at the Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great and Abington Friends School in Abington Township. TTF was able to access this opportunity because of our participation in the William Penn Foundation's Delaware River Watershed Initiative and their identification of our watershed as a priority for implementation of stormwater improvements in the Philadelphia upstream watershed cluster.
According to Julie Slavet, Executive Director of TTF, "This significant funding will enable us to implement a combination of restoration and green stormwater management projects along the critical headwaters of the Jenkintown Creek. We are so honored to be working with partners who are committed to environmental education and stewardship at their historically significant educational and religious institutions. We can't wait to get started!"

At Abington Friends School, a 25,000 square foot riparian buffer averaging 20' on each side will be planted along 500' of the Jenkintown Creek. In addition, a 1,700 square foot rain garden/headwaters wetland will be constructed to manage the first inch of stormwater runoff from 17,000 square feet of an impervious parking lot and driveway. This feature will serve as an extended detention facility connecting to a bioswale, which will filter runoff from a playground to the rain garden.

According to Debbie Stauffer, Associate Head of School at Abington Friends School, "We are excited about the project and the water quality improvements being proposed. We look forward to involving students in implementation, providing them with hands-on environmental education. Our Science Program encourages students to steward and use all the natural resources we have on campus."

Students and community volunteers will be involved in the planting efforts for both of these projects, and each site will feature educational signage. Both sites will be part of our Streamkeepers citizen water quality monitoring effort, which we are undertaking with the support of Temple and Villanova universities, also funded through a grant from the Delaware River Watershed Initiative of the William Penn Foundation.

In addition, the effectiveness of each stormwater control measure will be monitored by the Villanova University Urban Stormwater Partnership. Watershed-wide monitoring and modeling will be performed by Temple University, with regional monitoring being performed by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

Consultants on this project include Cerulean, LLC, providing project management as well as AKRF, Inc. and NAM Planning & Design, LLC. Design work will begin this Summer and Fall, with installation and planting scheduled for the Fall of 2014, and Spring and Fall of 2015. TTF will be seeking additional matching funds from a number of other sources to support this project.

TTF's mission is to improve the health and vitality of our watershed by engaging our communities in education, stewardship, restoration, and advocacy.  Our watershed includes neighborhoods in North, Northeast, and Northwest Philadelphia and Abington, Cheltenham, Jenkintown, Rockledge, and Springfield in Montgomery County. Working with a variety of groups including residents, schools, community organizations, environmental advisory councils, businesses and policy makers, we build watershed awareness, participation, and stewardship through workshops, tours, volunteer activities, and restoration projects. All of our restoration projects serve as watershed classrooms.

Our First Kindergarten Field Trip to SCEE

                                  

 The kindergarten children were so excited to ride a school bus on our very first field trip of the school year to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. (SCEE). Once we arrived, the enthusiasm turned from our mode of transportation toward the beauty of the world around us as we explored a pond, the woods and a field. 

A visit to the pond

Exploring the life in the pond

In small groups, the children were guided by SCEE educators on a nature walk. The kindergartners learned that we have "tools" that we carry with us, our senses, that help us to continually take in information and learn from our environment. Children are intrinsically drawn to nature and their heightened curiosity led to thoughtful questions and careful observations as we explored the grounds. 

Sharing a discovery

One of the many creatures seen

                                    

                                           What did we find?

Be sure to ask your child what was in the brown paper bags. What sense did we not use on this trip? What were some of the creatures found? Which ecosystem did they like best- the pond, woods or field? 

   

                                             Using the sense of touch to play a guessing game with nature objects                                                

                         

                          Discovering what was inside the paper bag

Using our sense of sight to identify animals camouflaged in photographs

One of our SCEE guides in the field

Our very first kindergarten field trip was such a hit that the children have been asking where the bus will take us next! We will travel to Styer Orchards on October 7 as thoughts turn to cooler weather and the beauty of autumn.

If you would like more information about SCEE and some wonderful opportunities to explore the beautiful outdoors with your family, click on the link:   http://www.schuylkillcenter.org/

News Update

Many of our friends will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah Wednesday evening through Friday evening. Shanah tovah (Happy New Year) to all those celebrating!


This week is the first week of our wonderful enrichment courses.  It is the final week that registration will be accepted.  If you have questions, please contact Jason at jnovak@abingtonfriends.net.

All families are warmly invited tomorrow - Wednesday, September 24^th to participate in Meeting for Worship with their child's class.  Kindergarten and younger friends will meet in the Lower School music room at 8:30 a.m.  First grade through fourth grades will meet in the Meetinghouse at 8:25 a.m. Refreshments will be served in the John Barnes Room in the Meetinghouse following Meeting.

Join us for coffee and conversation in the Lower School admissions space!
Friday, September 26th at 8:00 is the first monthly coffee hosted by Home & School.  

To those who have not completed the "Netclassroom" forms, it is extremely important to do so.  Please refer to the email you received this week from Tricia which contains instructions.  Questions?  Contact Tricia at tcassisdy@abingtonfriends.net.

Join us for our first 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: Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

Location: Lower School Library

Date: Monday October 6 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

AFS Outside - Science in the Outdoors!

The AFS Outside program means that we go outside a LOT in science class! Did you know what the acronym AFS Outside stands for?   It stands for AFS Outdoor Scholarship, Inquiry, Discovery and Exploration. The Lower School faculty developed this mission statement to support our outdoor learning goals:

A first grade student studies a spider web very closely.

The Abington Friends Lower School community is dedicated to developing and maintaining natural spaces on our school grounds where the community can have sustained and meaningful interactions with the living world.   Natural spaces provide environments for observation, investigation and active hands-on learning. Interactions in these living classrooms foster curiosity, imagination, and create passion for and knowledge of the natural world. We believe that a commitment to outdoor learning will deepen socially responsible, culturally sensitive and environmentally aware behavior in our community.

In science class, we get outside every chance we get!  There's so much value in learning outside; the students learn to observe the world around them more closely, and develop questions about things they are wondering about.  At the beginning of the year, there are so many opportunities to spend time in the outdoors.  

3rd grade students make observations about the creek.

In Kindergarten, we'll start our seed hunts very soon.  Fall is a terrific time to study seeds as it's the season that the trees and other plants are making their seeds.  1st grade students went outside for Monarch Watch, a citizen science program to report Monarch butterfly sightings and other observations along the Monarch butterfly migration route. 

2nd grade students discuss the features of their tree.

Second grade spends a lot of time outdoors!  The students study trees throughout the seasons. One of their first outdoor experiences was to pick a tree to study.  Some of their questions included: "How old is my tree?", "I wonder how tall my tree is?" and "Why is my tree's bark so smooth?".




"Creek Walk" is a highlight of 3rd grade!  Students study our creek and travel to other creeks to study macroinvertebrate life, among other things.  Students have already been out to observe the creek and make their first venture into the creek this week.

4th grade students measure long distances with trundle wheels.

Outdoor learning isn't just about nature.  4th grade ventured outside to measure very long distances with trundle wheels.  It was good practice in the metric system and in recording data accurately. Throughout the year, we'll continue our outdoor adventures and take full advantage of our beautiful campus!  

Third Graders Jump in With Stop Motion

Third graders have taken up the challenge of creating, for many, their first stop motion animation video. We started by discussing how we share thoughts and information in ways that either don't include words or include very few words. The Monkey Goes Bananas by C.P. Bloom sparked our conversations and our thinking around how we can share stories primarily with pictures.  Reading pictures builds on the work we started in second grade, when we realized that not everyone comes away with the same thoughts when they see the same picture.


Presently, the children are working in twos and threes to share a short idea through stop motion. The students needed to generate an idea, plan their movie and then take all of the pictures. We are realizing that stop motion animation requires a lot of pictures. In our next phase of the project, we will compile the pictures in iMovie, trouble shoot timing, add sound effects and share our movies. We are looking forward to our premiere next week!!!