What's Your Favorite Poem?

Poetry is being celebrated school-wide during National Poetry Month. For example, second graders have been reciting a poem for the entire school at Monday morning gatherings. I've been impressed by their composure and public speaking skills!

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day. Every student and teacher is carrying a poem either in a real pocket in their clothing or a special pouch designed to be worn around their neck for the occasion and taking them out to share with each other throughout the day. Some special sharing is taking place by bringing students from different grades together.

I have a few Shel Silverstein poems in my pocket and one called "My Dog Is a Plumber" by Dan Greenburg that comes from Free to Be, You and Me. I am also reciting a "mystery" poem that I learned when I was about ten years old and challenging older students to guess where it comes from:

Stop my friend, the reason why,
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, so you must be.
So now prepare to follow me.
- author unknown

I invite you to post a comment on the blog to share your favorite poem or make a guess about the source of the mystery poem!

Another Great Science Fair

The Science, Technology and Invention Fair last evening was another great success. Students expertly explained their experiments (third), consumer product research (fourth), and inventions (fifth). We now know that hot water melts ice faster than salt, tomatoes have more vitamin C than oranges, and generic brand diapers hold more water than name brands. Fifth graders have some marketable inventions, like a book stand for people who have trouble holding books and turning pages, a changing station for people on the go, and the Robo-Artist!

Many thanks to Teachers Dottie and Alice for their hard work in preparing these young scientists and designers.

Second Grade's Green Dollhouse

Inspired by our All-School Unit theme of the Environment, the second grade has been making a "green" doll house since the fall. Everything that has gone into this house comes from materials that are recycled from some other purpose. Walls are decorated with paint left over from other projects. Thread spools are now chairs. Plastic pieces from inside pizza boxes are now tables. The roof is tiled with acorn shells and a plastic food container has been put to good use as a greenhouse. There is even a dog house and swimming pool!

Read the article about the doll house that recently appeared in the Daily Local.

The green doll house is on display for tonight's Science Fair, a perfect setting for you to see our second graders' creativity and inventiveness for yourself!

More on the Science Fair tomorrow . . .

Folk Arts Rajasthan

Today we enjoyed an entrancing performance by a group of musicians and a dancer from Rajasthan, India. The Merasi (which means "musician" in the local dialect) are still considered "untouchables" in the Indian caste system, but when they perform here they receive the admiration and respect that they so dearly deserve. In addition to enjoying their music and dance, students learned about their unique instruments and about their culture.

Folk Arts Rajasthan, the organization that brought the Merasi to our school, was established to preserve traditional Rajasthani music, arts, and culture; provide opportunities for education and empowerment; and facilitate international cultural exchanges of music, dance, and crafts. Among their projects, they have established The Merasi School as a means to combat poverty.

Trips and Summer Programs

At Friday afternoon's Chat we talked about . . .

Summer Program registration is ongoing. Have you signed up? Take a look at the Summer Programs section of the web site for the remarkable array of offerings. And please spread the word. This is a wonderful way for friends and neighbors to experience a bit of WCFS.

The fourth grade returned from Echo Hill Friday afternoon, which prompted a discussion of the range of field trip opportunities from pre-k through fifth grade. Trips enhance the curriculum in ways that allow us to go beyond the "four walls" of our school. On overnight trips, like Echo Hill and the fifth grade trip to DC, students also learn from the experience of travel itself and of living together as a group.

Campaign Video

I am proud to present this video that provides a glimpse into the life of our school. It was created for the Campaign for Friends and premiered at the auction earlier this month.

Many thanks to board member Randy Lyons for his support of this project, and to Pascal Dieckmann for his gift of cinematography.

Curricular Integration Through the Arts

Those who attended either concert this week saw curricular integration in action. The selection of songs for several grades complemented units of study in other areas such as reading and social studies. The first grade sang songs related to the Civil Rights movement; the second grade performed "The Weary Blues" (Langston Hughes) and other extensions of their study of Jazz; the third grade sang songs from the Underground Railroad; and the fourth grade sang songs based on some of their biography report subjects. Even though many fifth graders were home with the flu, we had a brief preview of their year-end show: Your a Good Man Charlie Brown!