Coffee and Conversation 11:00 TOMORROW!

AFS Home and School Association 

invites you to join us for 

Coffee and Conversation 

at 11:00 tomorrow morning in the LS lobby and maker space before early dismissal.  

Coffee, food, friends, and great conversation!  

Questions? 

Fiona:  fionankyck@gmail.com

Melissa: mlevan77@gmail.com

Swedish Folk Dancing!

This week, second graders started learning the Fjäskern (f-yess-kern) (Hurry Scurry),  a folk dance from Sweden.  

First, students learned the dance as a group in one big circle. The dance begins by walking 16 beats counter-clockwise, then turning on the last beat and walking the opposite direction. Then, you stop and do a "scissor kick" (a kind of shuffle with the feet) for four beats then clap and turn. This is repeated four times

Next, we did this same dance but with partners in two concentric circles. Check-out the video below of these second graders on their second try-pretty impressive!

Third Grade Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Story

November Letter from Andrea

Dear Lower School Families,

I am wondering what happened to November. I feel as though I blinked and suddenly December was before me. Perhaps, many of you feel the same.  Today I am deliberately pausing to reflect on all that is good. I could never make a true tally of all that fills me with light and hope, but among the many are these:

• ·      Voices singing in the hallway
• ·      Friends who take care of one another
• ·      Warm applesauce made by little hands
• ·      Mud pies served on giant leaves
• ·      Poetry hanging on the wall
• ·      The thrill of continuous new discoveries

For these small wonders and so many more, I am truly grateful. The next few weeks will undoubtedly be busy ones, but amidst all the holidays, special events and lengthy to-do lists, I hope you are able to make space and see the light that is present in your lives.  At school we will be sharing joy and light in many ways.

Tuesday is an all-school pajama day where we will have the chance to strut our sleepwear.

On Wednesday morning at 8:20, we welcome all who are able to join us to Thanksgiving Meeting for Worship in the Meetinghouse. School ends at noon on Wednesday, buses will pick up at that time.  Lunch will not be served nor will there be Extended Day.

We will celebrate the many winter holidays with a new toy collection to share with families in need of help, culminating in a gift-wrapping party after school on Thursday, December 3.  We will enjoy snacks, make our own wrapping paper and wrap gifts. A toy donation is not required to be part of the gift-wrapping party.

We look forward to welcoming authors Jacqueline Davies on December 4 for kindergarten through fourth grades and Zachariah OHora for early childhood students on December 8.  Both are wonderful storytellers who will share the power of telling a story with our students.

Our Upper School Choral and Instrumental Concert is December 9 at 7 p.m. and we invite young families to come for some, or all, of the program. And our first winter all-school Spirit Day is December 11, culminating with a basketball quadruple-header against Friends Central.

On Friday, December 18 at 10:30 a.m., we will gather as a Lower School for our annual Winter Program.  This is a very special performance, which incorporates music, movement, poetry and more.  Through performance, our Lower School students will explore the meaning of light and how light is shared throughout the world.  Lower School will close at noon on that day and there will not be Extended Day.

Progress reports will be sent out just prior to Winter Break, which begins for Lower School at noon on December 18.

We are filled with gratitude at the many ways you and your children fill our community with light and love.  Thank you for all that you do to help make the Abington Friends School community such an amazing place.

Sincerely,
Andrea

Reporting the Past

A document in the making

This past week the fourth grade was tasked with retelling the story of when the Europeans, more specifically the Dutch and Swedes, encountered the Lenape. They have been learning the history between the the two cultures over the past few weeks. The students, working with a partner or small group, could choose any way to tell the story. The ideas flowed freely and the level of creativity within each grouping really showcased the students' individual talents and interests. Some of the diverse ideas included a digital newspaper, a puppet show made into an iMovie, a play written to be performed live, a documentary movie, a televised newscast and a PowerPoint. The students are putting their finishing touches on their projects and  presentations will take place this week.

Puppet show voice overs           PowerPoint in progress

Script writers                                    Newscast in production

New Toy Collection Begins Today!

We invite you to help us bring children and families a more joyful holiday season and a happier New Year.

We are collecting new toys for Youth Service, Inc. a program that is dedicated to meeting the changing needs of children and families in Philadelphia.

 Youth Service, Inc. offers:

    * Emergency shelter for homeless and runaway teens

    * 24-hour emergency care for children

    * Foster care and placement services

    * Parenting skills and counseling

    * Truancy prevention

    * Family-based services in the home

A collection box will be located in the Lower School lobby entrance.  Please refrain from giving video games, DVDs, or toys that are violent. 

Come to the GIFT WRAPPING PARTY!

On Thursday, December 3rd at 3:15, students and families are invited to join us after school to create gift-wrap and wrap gifts that have been collected.  All are welcome and there is no cost to participate. Please e-mail Andrea at aemmons@abingtonfriends.net if you’d like to attend!

 For information about Youth Service, Inc., please visit their website: http://ysiphila.org/

Art Opportunities

Taking children out into the world to see art reinforces the importance of art and artistic traditions in communities, connects to techniques that they are learning in art class and introduces them to artists from the contemporary world and art history. We are fortunate to have many great museums and art resources in the greater Philadelphia area. As the winter months approach, consider taking advantage of the many art opportunities in our area!

Did you know that Philadelphia has the most murals of any city in the entire world? You can learn more about the famed Mural Arts Program by taking a tour. http://www.muralarts.org/tour/tours-offered

The Brandywine River Museum of Art offers a great collection of art, much of it produced by local Pennsylvania artists. http://www.brandywine.org/museum/visit/visiting-children

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is currently exhibiting "Audubon to Warhol: The Art of the American Still Life" which includes many works by John James Audubon, an artist that the second graders are studying in depth. The museum also offers many family programs and children's art classes. http://www.philamuseum.org/calendar/

The African American Museum in Philadelphia is showing a collection of kawandi patchwork quilts as a part of its exhibition "Soulful Stitching" about the quiltwork of the Siddis of Karnataka, India, who are a part of the African diaspora. http://www.aampmuseum.org/

The Allens Lane Art Center offers art classes for both children and adults. Their winter session begins in January. https://www.allenslane.org/artclass.htm

Want to take home crafts to the next level? Nextfab Studios, a makerspace with two locations in Philadelphia, offers a junior membership in addition to adult memberships. They have a wide variety of high tech tools and resources. http://www.nextfab.com/

Good-bye to the Old Playground

Last week, Lower School students and our fifth grade Middle School friends gathered on the old playground to say good-bye in preparation for the start of construction on our new playground.  We shared what we loved best about playing "on the big kids" playground, and we looked forward to what we will most enjoy once the new Headwaters Discovery Playground (HDP) is complete.  We formed a giant circle around the green climber and chanted a few lyrics from a Beatles song.  Half the circle called out "You say good-bye!" and the other half responded, "And I say hello!"  After several rounds of chanting, students had one last time to cross the monkey bars, jump on the bridge, ride the zip line and use the tire swings.

Over the weekend work to remove the green structure began and on Tuesday it was removed to make way for the start of the HDP.  Along a wall in Lower School are sentence strips that students completed reflecting on what they loved best about the old playground and what they can't wait to try on the new playground.  We have several months to contemplate the many possibilities of our new outside play and learning space and the added joy of watching its creation unfold.

Playground being dismantled.

In the meantime, we have made great use of new playthings at recess among the fields and near the creek.  Magnifying glasses have been employed to study fallen leaves, balls have been used for kickball and burner ball, and jump ropes have a surprising variety of uses!  We are fortunate to have so much incredible green space in which to play and explore.  However, we will certainly be looking out the back windows often to mark the progress of the Headwaters Discovery Playground.

It looks so strange without the climber!

Literacy in Kindergarten

Our enthusiastic young learners are engaged in daily activities involving reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  Recently we have been working on creating our very own Picture Dictionaries.  This activity is fun, collaborative, and develops many skills.  We do this activity in small groups so that we can effectively scaffold skill development.   There are many steps involved in creating each new page…

1.  Write the upper and lower case letter

- develops fine motor, letter recognition and letter formation skills

2. Figure out three words that begin with that letter and draw pictures of them 

- strengthens letter-sound correspondence and develops fine motor skills

3.  Sound out the word and write the word using kid writing 

- increases phonemic awareness and develops decoding skills

4.  Come up with a definition for each word and dictate to the teacher 

- develops verbal skills and is often hilarious!

Poesía en el cuarto grado (Poetry in the Fourth Grade)

Writing poetry is a great exercise for all language learners, regardless of the target language. It gives the learner a chance to experiment with language and vocabulary, and to freely share their ideas without the confinement of accurate grammar. To express their joyful encounter during their Shore Trip to Cape Henlopen in Delaware, the fourth graders gave this art form a try.

To embark on this learning practice the students first gathered for a Meeting and reflected on their Shore Trip experience.  To help extend our thoughts, we read Pam Muñoz Ryan’s book, Hello Ocean / Hola mar. In this tale, a young girl shares how she experiences the sea with all of her senses. Inspired by the story, we decided to create a poem on how our five senses were evoked by the shore experience, adding an emotional feeling as well.

A PowerPoint was prepared that included the Spanish vocabulary for los cinco sentidos (the five senses). As a large group, we discussed the many words that one might use in their poem and included them in this document. The students were encouraged to contribute their ideas for each part of speech; objeto (object), adjetivo, (adjective), verbo (verb), and sentimiento (feeling). Afterwards, written in English with the Spanish translation, a list of all the words suggested was compiled by category. It was this list that the students used as a reference to help them form complete sentences in the Spanish language. 

 The fourth grade's complete work is on display in front of their classrooms. Please make sure to stop by and see the amazing job they did. The poems are truly inspiring!

Math in Focus and Parent Resources

As you know, we have begun using the Math in Focus curriculum this year.  I am glad to say that the transition has gone smoothly and been a really positive one!  One of the reasons we moved to Math in Focus was the strong focus on building a solid foundation of number sense across the grades.
Here is what this has looked like so far:

In kindergarten, we began the year by studying numbers up to ten.  Students strengthened their one-to-one correspondence and worked on finding one more and one less than a given number.  We have played a number of games that have involved the concepts of more and less and have provided the students with addition practice.  I will be sending home packets of these games soon.

In first grade, we spent time identifying and comparing numbers up to 100 and learning to break numbers into parts.  They used number bonds to identify the whole amount and the parts and began experimenting with different ways that a given number could be broken into parts.  Students also became comfortable comparing numbers using the terms greater than and less than and more and fewer.

In second grade, we began by practicing place value concepts into the hundreds and learned different ways of representing numbers, such as standard form, expanded form and word form.  Students then moved into addition of three digit numbers and are learning about regrouping (also known as carrying) when adding.

In third grade, we have been working with numbers up to 10,000 and have been busy practicing strategies for adding and subtracting big numbers mentally. We are also focused on mastering our math facts.

In fourth grade, we began by adding, subtracting, comparing, ordering and finding patterns with numbers up to 100,000.  We then moved into multiplication and students have been using their understanding of multiplication and division to learn to find the factors and multiples of given numbers and to differentiate between prime and composite numbers.


A great way to learn more about the sequence of math concepts at your child's grade level is to check out the 'Parent Resources' section of the Lower School Math website.  I have included videos for each grade, broken up by chapter, to help you get a sense of what your child is learning in math.  These videos can also be helpful if your child has a question about his or her math homework and you need background information on how the concepts have been explained in school.

To go directly to the Parent Resources section of the website, click here.  Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the 'Videos' section.

You may also want to remind your child about all of the math games and activities available to them on the site.  Now that they are in a new grade, they are likely ready to try out some of the new games available to them.   You can go directly to the AFS Lower School Math website by clicking here.

Abington Friends becomes an Arboretum

Have you seen the blue tags on our campus trees?  AFS is becoming an arboretum!  With the help of three grants, we've raised money to inventory and tag 300 trees on our campus and on the Abington Meeting property.  The bulk of the money has been given by the AFS Alumni Class of 64 to create a "tree trail".  We have worked with Bartlett Tree Experts to create a database of the trees that records the genus and species, the location of the trees, GPS coordinates, age, health, and whether the tree is significant in some way. Middle School students, under the direction of Mark Smith, will be learning how to be "Tree Tenders" and will be helping to take care of the trees on the campus.  Last year, nine faculty members and members of the Meeting became certified Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Tree Tenders so that we could create this program for the students and become better stewards of our beautiful campus. The students will also be working with John Rison to create a web-based "tree trail" so that members of the wider community can learn about our trees as well.   The tree trail will be know as Tree Tour '64 in honor of the generous gift from that alumni class.

Kindergarten Joins the Lower School for Meeting for Worship

Last week, the kindergarten classes walked to the Meetinghouse to join the rest of the Lower School in Meeting for Worship for the first time this school year. As a Quaker school, we gather every Wednesday for Meeting for Worship in our classrooms or in the Meetinghouse.

When walking to the Meetinghouse, it often feels as if the walk down the path is part of our preparation for settling our minds and bodies. Nature envelops us as we notice the changes in the seasons and the grounds around us. There is something very comforting and settling about walking the path to the Meeting House; the path may remain the same yet it looks different every week. At the end of the path, is a pole, that we lovingly call the "quiet pole." At this point in our walk, deep breaths are taken and voices are quieted as we begin to move indoors to our Meetinghouse.

Settling into the silence with some calm breaths and quiet bodies, everyone finds a different way to settle. Some children watch the other children, while others close their eyes, take deep breaths, silently count their fingers or focus on the lights up above.

Meeting for Worship (MFW) provides time and space for the community to open their minds and hearts to larger questions, concerns and thoughts that are sometimes overlooked in the busyness of the week.  At times, a child or teacher might stand and share a message with the community. At other times, MFW is silent and reflection is still happening but it is individual and within.  In the classroom, we often speak about how Meeting for Worship messages can be shared and others do not need to be. 

Settling into the silence

Sometimes one feels comfortable sharing and feels that it is a message that should be heard by all, while others quietly hold a thought or idea. We have also discussed with the children that it is not like a Morning Meeting in our classroom where everyone is asked to participate. A message might sit within for a short time or over many meetings before one may or may not decide to share it with the community.  During this week's Meeting for Worship, one of our kindergarten friends shared, "I like Meeting for Worship because it is peaceful." As our time together unfolded, more children stood to share in the Meetinghouse.

Kindergarten friends at the first MFW with Lower School

The silence is broken with a handshake and a morning greeting to friends close by. Meeting for Worship then closes with a song, such as This Little Light of Mine or Simple Gifts, reminding us to let the guiding "inner light," the love that is within each of us, to shine through.

Gathered in song

Walking the path back to school

The kindergarten classes have Meeting for Worship in the classroom on the first Wednesday of the month. On the other Wednesdays, we leave our classrooms at 8:20 am to begin walking to the Meeting House to join the entire Lower School for MFW by 8:30 am.  Please know that you are always welcome to join us on Wednesdays for Meeting for Worship. In two weeks, we will have our Thanksgiving Meeting for Worship and hope that you can join us as we contemplate all that we are grateful for.

Collecting Sneakers and Cleats - A middle school friend works to help others

Austin, big brother to Addison and Logan, is collecting previously loved cleats and sneakers to share with others in need through Pay It Forward Sports.  After traveling to Tanzania this summer and playing with some new friends who didn't have shoes, Austin decided to find a way to share resources with others.  


If you would like to donate sneakers or cleats, there are boxes located in the LS front lobby, near kindergarten and outside second grade.  Thank you!

In Celebration of Trees

 As the fall comes to a close and we look toward the change in seasons, the Lower School community felt it was the perfect time to celebrate trees.  The whole Lower School gathered out front amid the swirling leaves to take some time to think about trees, sing about trees, write about trees and play amongst the trees. From the riparian buffer we helped plant and the tree tagging done recently to the design of our new playground, trees are truly valued in our community. The photo montage captures the spirit of the day.   Click HERE to view the pictures.

Kindergarten Loves Trees!

The kindergartners enjoyed an assembly on Friday morning, which focused on the beauty of our trees on our AFS campus.

We read a beautiful book about trees...

...and then frolicked joyfully in the leaves!

Poetry

Second graders have been studying poetry lately, reading and writing poems.  As we read, we are noticing some of the tools poets use, such as repetition, rhyme, personification, onomatopoeia, and alliteration.  Here’s a poem we enjoyed after walking back from Meeting for Worship:

October's Party
By: George Cooper

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came—
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.

Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."

We have used traditional themes from nature to inspire our writing, spending time looking carefully and using descriptive language. Many students have tried to implement some of the poetry tools they noticed poets employ.

Feathers were the focus of one writing session.  After everyone had written their own individual poems, we shared a word or phrase to create a group poem. 

Here’s an example from one group:

Starlight, black and white

Colorful

Tiger striped lines

Coffee color

Metallic

Beautiful

Soundless delicate pattern

Dot, dot, dot

Spot, spot, spot

Feathers, feathers everywhere

We are encouraging the students to read poetry at home and bring some in to share with the class. If you have a favorite poem, feel free to send it in.

Lights! Camera! Action!

Third Grade's Stop Motion is ready for your viewing pleasure. The students have finished their projects, after a short hiatus while I was recovering. It was amazing how quickly the students were able to jump back into their work as though no time had passed.
The steps from start to finish included:

• Creating a story
• Finding characters and props (in some cases making them)
• Taking pictures
• Organizing the photos
• Adding sound effects
• Adding title slides and credits

The students needed to work collaboratively, hearing each other's ideas as well as be willing to share their own insights. The students were thrilled with their movies and are very excited for you to see their work. I think you will agree, as a first effort the students did a marvelous job. I hope you enjoy it.

Fourth Grade Gets a little Spooky with Recorder Compositions

As a fun Halloween activity, Fourth graders worked in pairs or small groups and collaboratively composed a short piece for the soprano recorder based on the chant "Two for Me." They used the rhythmic pattern based on the words of the chant as a reference, but changed the words to fit the Halloween theme. Students were told that they could use the notes they already know-B, A or G. They could use notes in whatever order they wanted. The notes needed to match the rhythmic pattern of their words. Here is an example of the original chant and one of the Spooky Compositions:

"Tea for me

Tea for you

Tea for the elephant

At the zoo!"

Original Composition

Brains for me!

G         A       B

Brains for you!

      B        A      G       

Brains for the Zombie at the grave!

                                                      G         G   G    AA       B A    G

Friends collaborating to find the spookiest words and best note choices

Friends trying out  their ideas

Students then performed their original Halloween chant while followed their recorder compositions for their friends while Keisha accompanied them on the bass xylophone. The result was a spooky musical delight!

Lenape Research and Map Gets Ready to Go Public

Fourth grade is in the process of making a map of Philadelphia from the late 1400's. The students are drawing and painting a 2-D map that will support their writing and display objects they have crafted representing their individual research.

We foraged outdoors for seed pods, leaves, acorns, pinecones, dried flowers, berries, sticks, pebbles, bark and more.  We discovered everything you can imagine one would come across outdoors this time of year. These natural materials were the basis for our map creations.

The students were tasked with creating objects from our collection of materials.  This process helped them connect to how the Lenape fashioned tools and other items centuries ago for survival. Students' creativity and imagination was evident, and in the end, amazing things were crafted to help them expand and tell their stories.