Quakerism This Month

The Quakerism theme for this month is Stewardship, and was chosen to coincide with the annual celebration of Earth Day (April 22). Have you seen the bulletin board display on the first floor of the classroom building? Created by T. Caroline with beautiful doves made by T. Connie's first graders, it is simple in its design and message.

stewardship the conducting, supervising or managing of something: especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care (Webster's)

"We did not weave the web of life; we are merely a strand in it. What we do to the web, we do to ourselves." Chief Seattle

Classroom lessons since we returned from spring break have focused on how we as individuals and a community can take simple steps to care and manage what has been entrusted to our care, especially our environment. Next Thursday (April 16), worship sharing groups will consider a query based on this theme. The following Thursday (April 23), we will start our morning by engaging in some outdoor cleanup and campus beautification activities, and then share silent worship on the lawn (all weather permitting, of course). The last Thursday of the month (April 30), we will have meeting for singing and then silent worship in the Meeting House.

Parents are welcome to join us for worship:
Thursday, April 9, 8:55 a.m.
Thursday, April 23, 8:55 a.m. -- on the lawn
Thursday, April 30, 8:35 Meeting for Singing, 8:55 Meeting for Worship

Here are some good family-oriented activities in our area related to Earth Day:
Stash Your Trash at the Chester County Historical Society
Volunteering for Earth Day Events (Senator Dinniman's site)
Earth Day History and Calendar (EnviroLink)

A parent recently sent the following email message to me, and I am happy to share it. His family is new to WCFS this year and, not surprisingly, he has already discovered one of the greatest qualities of our school.

T. Matt,

I recently read an article in the NYT about educational reform. One paragraph made me think of the staff @ WCFS. I think the student teacher relationships that are developed are the best part of WCFS.

"We’ve spent years working on ways to restructure schools, but what matters most is the relationship between one student and one teacher. You ask a kid who has graduated from high school to list the teachers who mattered in his life, and he will reel off names. You ask a kid who dropped out, and he will not even understand the question. Relationships like that are beyond his experience."

(The full article - an op-ed by David Brooks - is a good read.)

Take a Break for Reading

"No!"

The cry of polite protestation came from across the library after T. Claire told the class it was time to move on. The third grade had been reading silently for the past 45 minutes - each student comfortably curled up on a rug, lying on a pillow, or seated on a chair or bench - and they did not want the time to end. Nor did I.

I had the pleasure of joining the third grade twice over the past week as they enjoyed silent sustained reading in the new library. Both were welcome excuses to "drop everything" and simply read. How often in the middle of our busy days do we take a half-hour or more to read, uninterrupted? I highly recommend it!

The first of these opportunities was last Thursday as part of our participation in Read Across America. That morning, District Judge Gwenn Knapp, who is also an alumni parent as well as a member of our Board and West Chester Meeting, administered the Reader's Oath to all of our students. She then read one of her children's favorite picture books, The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss, to pre-k and kindergarten. After lunch, the upper grades gave up their recess (almost without complaint) and enjoyed an extended independent reading time. T. Sally dubbed it, "Read-cess."

Spring Break is upon us. Whether traveling or simply staying home, we can sometimes become too busy even on a vacation. I encourage you all in the coming week - and beyond - to "Take a Break for Reading."

As we recited last week:

I promise to read
Each day and each night.
I know it's the key
To growing up right.

Fifth Graders Getting Happy Middle School News

Earlier this month, fifth graders who had applied for admission to independent middle schools began to hear some very happy news. I am pleased and proud to report that every one of these students has gained admission and plans to attend the school of their choice. Congratulations to all of them!

The schools that have offered our students admission to their sixth grade classes include Westtown School, Wilmington Friends School, Upland Country Day School, Montgomery School, Academy of Notre Dame, Episcopal Academy and Sanford School.

This class will be representative of a typical WCFS class in terms of where they are headed for middle school. In addition to the independent schools listed above, several students plan to attend their public middle school, which is always the case. Over the past five years, 22% of our graduates have gone on to public or charter schools.

A full listing of the middle school destinations for the classes of 2004 through 2008 is available on the school web site.

Children Meet the Library

Excitement abounded this afternoon as the children were introduced to our new library. This is one of those cases in which the pictures say more than words, so I will leave it there . . .

Experiencing the Inauguration

I had the pleasure of watching the Inauguration with our third grade class earlier today and to share in their experience of this monumental event. The children sat quietly, eating their lunches and watching the arrival of dignitaries on the podium. As Mrs. Obama entered carrying the Lincoln Bible, the television was muted so that we could hear a brief report from Troy. After learning last week about the significance of the Lincoln Bible, the class had wondered which presidents had sworn their oath on the Bible first used by George Washington. According to Troy's research, they were Warren Harding, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush.

Throughout the building, the rest of the classes had gathered with teachers and administrators, often two or three grades together, to witness this moment. The second grade then returned to their room to enjoy the apple pies they had made this morning with apples contributed by each student. They had learned about simile on Friday with "As American as apple pie," and today they got to enjoy the symbol for themselves!

Back in T. Claire's room, the third grade marked the inauguration of the first African American president by singing Amazing Grace. This spiritual is known to many, but you may not know that it was written in 1772 by John Newton, a former slave trader turned minister. It is one of several songs that the third graders learn through their study of the Abolition Movement and Underground Railroad. It is not lost on them that descendants of slaves took up residence today in our nation's executive mansion - a house built with slave labor.

Perhaps the most moving part of the Inauguration for me was Elizabeth Alexander's reading of her poem, Praise Song for the Day. In words that are accessible to children and adults alike, she conveys images of both the history that has led to this moment as well as the reality of our lives today, and invokes a sense of limitless possibility. As a former history teacher, it seems to me that those are the elements of every good lesson.

Quakerism This Month (November-January)

Before looking at Quakerism this month, I need to do a little bit of catch-up . . .

In November and December, our focus was on the testimony of Simplicity. This theme was chosen specifically because the holidays can be a challenging time to maintain simplicity in our lives. During worship sharing, students pondered this query: "What is a simple gift that you could give?" As a lead-up, classes read an excerpt from "Christmas Day in the Morning," by Pearl S. Buck, a story about a fifteen year old boy who lives on a farm and wakes up extra early on Christmas morning to milk the cows alone - giving his father a special and simple gift. During Meeting for Singing, just before we began the holiday vacation, T. John treated us to a rendition of "Christmas in the Trenches," by John McCutcheon, which tells the true story of a truce on Christmas Eve, 1914, when Germans and Brits celebrated together.

Now, in the month of January, we are focusing on Service. This Thursday, students will work together in pairs to create posters illustrated their thoughts about service and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These posters will be displayed for our Hickman neighbors to enjoy. When we gather in the meeting house for silent worship, we will also sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and "We Shall Overcome." This is often a very moving experience for me, as the entire school encircles the meeting room holding hands.

This coming Monday, school will be closed in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. It is also the Martin Luther King Day of Service. If your family is interested in finding a service activity to join over the weekend or on Monday, try the Find a Volunteer Opportunity page on the Day of Service site.