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Megan Wagner-Flynn visits as a Mystery Guest

Megan Wagner-Flynn visited The New School, not as Evan’s sister, but as a Mystery Guest! The students guessed that she was here to share about her experience as a former student at The New School and they were right. Megan brought 3 of her end of year gifts she received. She shared the meaning of Read More >>

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Phil Brill, Mystery Guest

Phil Brill, Valor’s Grandpa and author of a children’s book, The Red Bottle, was in town visiting his family. He offered to come to school and share his real life story that inspired him to write The Red Bottle. He shared the lovely story of his trip to the beach where he found sea glass. He talked Read More >>

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Writing Workshop – The Elements of a Good Story

A small group of older students have been discussing the important elements of a great story. First we considered setting and the children created a drawing or map of a place or setting that intrigued them. The following week we discussed character and the importance of considering the inner as well as outer traits of Read More >>

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Book Club: Two Tickets to Freedom

The oldest students have all read Two Tickets to Freedom: The True Story of Ellen and William Craft, Fugitive Slaves by Florence B. Freedman. This has been part of their social studies unit on the Civil War. After completing the assigned reading, they met in small groups to discuss questions that not only exercised their comprehension Read More >>

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Lego Class

In Lego class we have been learning about simple and powered machines using hands-on activities. We investigated structures and forces, incorporating both rigid and flexible shapes in our deck chair and drawbridge. Applying principles we learned about levers, we made a drumming machine and windshield wipers. Attaching a motor provided opportunities for further exploration.  After Read More >>

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Vanessa Johnson, Mystery Guest

Our storytelling unit has begun! The gifted Vanessa Johnson kicked it off as our fifth mystery guest. She started her presentation with a clever interaction between herself and three future generations, played by our own Glady, Frannie and Lola! Artfully she demonstrated how stories are passed on from one generation to another and how we Read More >>

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Lower Case Printing

A small group of students have been meeting once a week to practice their lower case printing. While working their way through the alphabet they have looked at similarities between lower case letters to help them form their letters correctly. The “magic c” for example helps them write the lower case o, d, g, and Read More >>

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Sam Van Aken and his Tree of Life

On Thursday, October 30, Sam Van Aken was our third mystery guest of the year. Sam created, using grafting, a tree that can bear 40 different kinds of stone fruits. The children asked their yes/no questions and quickly determined Sam had come to share something about trees. But then we challenged them, in the remaining Read More >>

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Margaret Bourke-White Field Trip

On Thursday, October 16, 2014, nineteen of our oldest students visited Syracuse University’s campus to view Margaret Bourke White’s exhibit of 180 vintage photographs taken in the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Germany, England and Italy in the 1930s and 40s. Prior to our field trip, Andrew Saluti, Assistant Director to SU’s Art Galleries, visited The New Read More >>

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Geometry

Our 5th graders have been working on all facets of geometry lately.  They started with reviewing polygons during class and individual time on their contracts.  They played games such as: Guess My Rule and Get it Together Polygon 1-4.  The challenge lately has been measuring all types of angles using protractors.  An angle hunt around Read More >>