Thank you to everyone for coming and to all of those who worked so hard to make it happen. We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you. It was truly a success, with over 384 attendees and generous contributions we raised a gross amount of $288,400! Last year we raised a gross amount of almost $206,000 of which 65% went to WMS staff development and student financial aid. We expect to net a slightly higher percentage this year.

Ronnie & MikeCo-Chairs:
Penny Armstrong
Ashley Stewart
Lisa Hill

Committee Chairs:
Events: Jodi Zeitoun & Cecelia Oh
Donations: Cheryl D’Hollander & Mona DAtillio
Raffle: Lisa Hofer & Kristen Bollotino
Finance: Sharon Moody, Jennifer Van Zandt & Mark Huston
Creative: Judith Basseches
Website: Sabina Deaton

Committee Members: EVENTS; Patricia Hsu, Hobby Holmes, Katrina Reynolds, Sonal Khot, Sarah Wendt RAFFLE; Bethany Turnure DONATIONS/FINANCE; Lauren Baricos, Nicole Tekkora, Cathy Ewald, Anne-Janette Twombly CREATIVE; Belgies Anan, Rhiannon Kubicka, Sam Sohaili, Andris Vizbaras, Jennifer Zicari.

Day Of Volunteers: Susan Rha, Damon Tassone, Jim Flynn, Jennifer Zicari, Lisa Rothauser, John Eaton, Gina Ma, Deepa Saigal, Allison Fumai, Kerianne Flynn, Talene Kelly, Marni Tangney, Lissa Schiele, Shirley Hapangama, Maria Alataris, Megan Brothers, Bethany Turnure, Ona Bernini, Camie Gontier, Nicole Tekkora, Shelby Lewis, Lauren Baricos.

Underwriters: Fiona Angelini Welch & Jamie Welch, Anonymous, Jason & Newsha McCarthy, Sudie Anning & Kevin Raidy, Annie & Robert Tirschwell, Stephanie Mack, Alexandra Stanton & Sam Natapoff , Claudine & Raphael De Niro, Kerianne & James Flynn, Mona & Paul Dattilio, Grace Lin & Warun Kumar, Erin Powers Brennan & Jeffrey S. Huang, Patricia Pericas & Kenneth Willardt, Julia & Lawrence Steyn, Felicia & Jeffrey Bersh, Joyce Hsieh & Kevin Tan, Stephen Cho, Tiku Natauri.

Ticket Contributions: Marni Tangney & Andrew Brewster, Nina Gross Clevenger & Peter Clevenger, Adriana & Matthew Keiser, Alexandra & John Ross, Rhiannon Kubicka & Theodore Blackston, Cheryl & Thibaut D'Hollander, Rebecca & Jay Markley, Catherine & Jason McManus, Betty & Michael Huber, Joyce Hsieh & Kevin Tan, Yfat & Bradley Gendell, Grace Lin & Warun Kumar, Dani James & Tracy Gardner, Belgies Anan & Lycourgos Tsirakis, David & Amira Strasser, Jennifer Elster & Lewis Helfer, Penny & Christian Armstrong, Gina Ma & Christopher Blum, Marilyn & Marty Diamond, Cori & Dan Galpern, Jennifer & Derek Van Zandt, Stacy & Matt O'Neil, Julia & Lawrence Steyn, Manavi Menon & Omar Karim, Sarah Wendt & Andrew Regier, Ashley & Andy Stewart, Amanda Dubois & Timur Kocak, Paula & Garrett Hall, Sarah Cole & Tim Biggins, Liv & Rich DeRose, Phillip Tiongson & Cynthia Yoon, Emily & Justin Garbacci, William & Brooke Rhind, Ashley & Chris Everett, Martha & Scott Farrell, Brad & Kyong Coleman, Aly Alibhai, Michael Voris & Alexandra Buckley Voris, Anish Sheth & Bobbi Gajwani, Olesya Khodorkovskaya, Alex Wiederin, Julie Yoo, Janaka Maduraperuma, Anne Maffei & John Eaton, Shelby & Steven Lewis, Joanna & Matt McClure, Jennifer & Jamie Rothenberg, Susan & Damon Tassone, Keith Angell, Lisa & Armin Rothauser, Kathy & Tim Cameron, Elissa Johnson, Melissa & Frederic Dassori, Scott Barek, Pamela & Julian Weldon, Sabina & Adam Deaton, Allison & Kevin Fumai, Lorna Stovall & John Durschinger, Lisa & Jay Hill, Samantha Dunham & Justin Dorazio, Maartje Oldenburg & Rustom Khandalavala, Marcia Asch Khalil & Aasem Khalil, Katherine & Bo Peabody, Smita & Debasish Das, Elizabeth Anderson & Matthew Tocks, Lauren & Phil Rubin, Tracey & Tim Brennan, Hilde Pettersen Reljin & Dusan Reljin, Jennie & Michael Hamill, Nicole & Baran Tekkora, Zoe Coombes & David Boira, Jennifer & Michael Zicari, Anne Stuart Hawkins & Joel Sternfeld, Erin & Mike McKool, Shirley Hapangama & Vincent Procacci, Steven & Heather Ehrenkranz, Christine S. Connolly & E.Sander Connolly, Jr., Monica Arora, Alan & Nancy Schatzberg.

Calendar of Events

What’s happening in May...

End of Year Sings

News & Events

WMS Small Works Art Show
This year’s Art Show will take place on Tuesday 22nd & Wednesday 23rd of May at FLAG Art Foundation, 545 West 25th Street. This year we will have a Duane Street Reception (Tuesday 22nd) & a Hudson Street Reception (Wednesday 23rd). Please consult your invitation for more details about your assigned reception time. We ask that you join us at your class’ assigned reception time and this way everyone will have space to enjoy the children’s art work. You may also choose to visit the gallery anytime during the day, between 10am – 4.30pm. Look out for your invitation in the mail early next week.

Cookbook Sales & Deliveries
The WMS Cookbooks have arrived! They are available for pick up May 7th, 8th & 9th. If you pre-ordered a copy you can pick up from a collection box that will be located outside your child’s classroom. We have a limited amount of additional copies available for sale during that time. Purchases can be made at the front desks of Duane & Hudson. Books are $20, cash only please. We expect that these copies will also sell quickly so be sure to make your purchases quickly.

WMS Summer Program
There are very limited spaces available for the WMS Summer Program. If you are still interested in registering please send an email to our Admissions Office to find out if there is still availability for your preferred weeks.
S.Markel@wms-nyc.org

Room to Grow
Our annual Room to Grow drive is underway! Please remember to bring in your lightly used children’s clothes, books and toys. We are
children’s clothes, books and toys. We are not able to accept large baby items such as high chairs and strollers, and we will not be collecting any adult clothes.

Hudson Street Whole School Photo
Will take place on Friday May 11th at 11.20am sharp. We will be on the stairs to the South of Harrisson St\IPN all students will go with their teachers (EXCEPT D(pm) who will meet us there at 11.15. Maps will be distributed via the classroom.

Hudson & Duane Class Photos
Class photos are available for order at the front desk at each site starting Monday 7th. Orders are due back with payment by Friday, May 18th.

Reggio Learning in Practice
Children at Hudson Street’s Big Kids Club are drawing buildings that they see in front of our school and considering old and new architecture in the surrounding area.

Reggio Conference
During the last weekend in April, 15 teachers and staff members attended a Reggio Conference in Cambridge, MA. They shared experiences with schools from across the country and had the opportunity to imagine what children see by considering old and new architecture and their surroundings.

Spring has officially arrived and with it brings our annual benefit and auction, which celebrates our vibrant Washington Market School community. This year we have a fun and exciting celebration planned with THE MARKET – A 1920s SPEAKEASY & AUCTION, which will be held at City Winery on Monday, April 23 – in just 18 days!

By now, you have received your invitation with a link to the benefit website at www.wmsbenefit.org. On it, not only will you find the event’s signature flapper and gentleman dancers, but details of the benefit from purchasing your tickets, to learning more about the amazing Raffle Prizes.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Monday, April 16, as the Online Auction will open on the benefit website. You can start bidding on this year’s exciting items ranging from gift certificates donated by community merchants to gorgeous jewelry and, of course, fun play dates for your child with our school’s wonderful and dedicated teachers. You will also get a sneak peek of the fabulous items that will be featured during the evening’s Live Auction.

Most importantly, be on the lookout for your signature membership card and password that will provide your exclusive entry into the benefit. This is a speakeasy after all!

So, pull out your dancing shoes, follow the red light and we look forward to seeing you for a spectacular evening on April 23!

Calendar of Events

What’s happening in April...

Welcome to the World

Congratulations to...

• Manavi Menon and Omar Karim on the birth of their daughter Ashna and to Zamir (Class 3) on becoming a big brother.
• Kathy Park and Andrew Jacobs on the birth of their son Richard Julian and to Sabine (Class 6) on becoming a big sister.
• Suzanne and Andrew Hudson on the birth of their son Lucien and to Beatrice (Class 1) on becoming a big sister.
• Melanie and David Whelan on the birth of their daughter Charlotte and to Lachlan (Class 1) on becoming a big brother. 
  
  

News & Events

WMS Big Kids Club
For the past 33 years, we have honored a tradition started by the school's children. Back in the spring of 1979 a group of 4's and 5's approached Ronnie and asked if they could get off their cots and be done with rest time. When asked what they would rather do instead of quiet time, the children wisely replied, "Study Something" (Of course it was dinosaurs!) Thus began Big Kids Club!
The full day children who are leaving WMS this fall to either Kindergarten or Grade 1 will no longer rest but join a club from 12.45 - 1.30pm (April 30 until Thursday, May 31) that will focus on a theme. Past themes have been Science, Chapter Club, Chess etc. Our other full day children will enjoy Story Club at this time. Look out for more information outside your classroom in the coming weeks.

WMS Summer Program
It's hard to believe, but summer is just around the corner - and that means now is the time to register for the WMS Summer Program! The program features arts & crafts, music, yoga, tennis, chess, cooking, field trips, picnics in the park, and many other fun activities. It's a great option to keep your children active during the long hot summer as well as to get to know our beloved teachers.

This year's seven-week program runs from Monday June 25 - Friday August 10 and we offer both full-day (9am - 3pm) and half-day (9am - 1pm) options. Enrollment in the Summer Program requires a three-week minimum commitment, but the three weeks do not need to be consecutive.

All current and newly-enrolled children are eligible to register as long as they are between 2-6 years old in July 2012. If you have already submitted your application but would like to make changes you must do so in writing and submit them to the Admissions Office – s.markel@wms-nyc.org

Summer Program Application Forms have already been emailed. They are also available at the front desks.

City Harvest
We held our annual City Harvest Food Drive in March. This year we collected an amazing 1000 pounds of food! This was our biggest collection yet. Thank you to all the families who gave so generously and for Jodi Zeitoun and parent volunteers for coordinating the effort. Well done!

Room to Grow
Collection for Room to Grow will be May 2nd - 8th – Are you Spring cleaning? Please hold on to all of your gently used adult & children’s clothing to donate to this effort.

Tuition 2012-2013
Please be reminded that your second tuition payment for 2012-2013 is due May 1st.

Notes:

• Because of an incident earlier this week, we are reminding parents and caregivers not to leave any items (strollers, scooters etc. or tie your dog) at the entrance or entrance/railing of any of our adjoining railing of any of our adjoining buildings. These are private residences and their entrances cannot be blocked at any time. Thank you for your cooperation.
• Classroom G/H teacher Maria Haroen recently attended the American Montessori Society Annual Conference in San Francisco. It was a great opportunity to share experiences with other Montessori teachers from around the globe.

Dear WMS Families,
A column in the NY Times earlier this year by Nicholas Kristoff, entitled “How Mrs. Grady Transformed Olly Neal” brought home to me, once again, how central in the lives of our children and how critical to their success are our superb WMS teachers.

Kristoff writes about Olly Neal who was a poor black kid with a real attitude, one who was able to bring his English teacher, Mildred Grady to tears. He stole, he didn’t study, he mouthed off, he was clearly headed for trouble but, quite amazingly, one day he was in the library and saw a book that interested him (it had a risqué cover), a novel by Frank Yerby… so he stole it. Mildred Grady happened to be in the library and saw Olly take the book. She was going to confront him but then, in a true flash of understanding, she realized he was too macho to be found reading and would be terribly embarrassed at being seen checking out a book.

As Kristoff puts it, “After finishing the book, he sneaked it back into the library and there, on the shelf, he noticed another novel by Yerby. He stole that one as well. This book was also terrific. And, to Neal’s surprise, when he returned it to the shelf after finishing it, he found yet another by Yerby. Four times this happened, and he caught the book bug. ‘Reading got to be a thing I liked,’ he says. His trajectory changed, and he later graduated to harder novels, including those by Albert Camus, and he turned to newspapers and magazines as well. He went to college and later to law school.”

As it turns out, Mildred Grady quickly realized when she saw Olly take the first book that she might be able to reach him through a surreptitious path of providing him with additional books and it was she who found and placed the Yerby novels where Olly could find them.

Perhaps apocryphal, the story suggest show how a wonderful teacher, dedicated to helping a student, despite his animosity and hostility, can make a real difference in a student’s life.

Now, the situation at WMS is clearly very different, but what is the same is that we have wonderful dedicated teachers like Mildred Grady, teachers who treat each child as unique and are absolutely dedicated to bringing out his or her best. Our children are at a developmental stage where they are at their most impressionable, inquisitive and vulnerable; the teacher is probably their first authority figure outside of their families. It is our remarkable teachers who have the ability to love and guide them through this period of utmost importance. I know that each of you believes, as I do, that our teachers are the heart and soul of WMS.

You can see the Kristoff column here.

Ronnie

Calendar of Events

What’s happening in March...

Ongoing Schools Information Session with Ronnie & Rachael
Tuesday March 13th – Duane Street - 9.30 – 10.45

This session will give parents information about all public, public-gifted and independent ongoing school options. We will address the process for moving on, along with key dates and a discussion on the public school lottery. If you cannot make this meeting our last meeting of this kind will be in June.

WMS Summer Program
Monday June 25 - Friday August 10

It's hard to believe, but summer is just around the corner - and that means it's almost time to register for the WMS Summer Program! The program features arts & crafts, music, yoga, tennis, chess, cooking, field trips, picnics in the park, and many other fun activities. It's a great option to keep your children active during the long hot summer.

This year's seven-week program runs from Monday June 25 - Friday August 10 and we offer both full-day (9am - 3pm) and half-day (9am - 1pm) options. Enrollment in the Summer Program requires a three-week minimum commitment, but the three weeks do not need to be consecutive.

All current and newly-enrolled children are eligible to register, as long as they meet the following age criteria: Half-Day children must be between 2 and 5 years old by June 30, 2012 (born between July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2010) and full-day children must be between 2 years, 6 months and 5 years old by June 30, 2012 (born between July 1, 2007 - Dec 31, 2009).

Summer Program Application Forms will be mailed on Wed March 14th and due back by Wed April 11th.

Dear Parents,

Phoebe Kahanov, Tal's mother, has passed away. I enclose a letter from Learan, Ilan and Tal's father. It is a sad time for us all.

With heavy heart,
Ronnie

Our Dear Phoebe lost her 4 year battle with metastatic breast cancer on Friday Feb 17th, 2012. Those who knew her know there are no words to easily describe her. An amazing mother, wife and friend. A fighter through and through, opinionated, loving, giving and an unabashed brutal honesty about everything and everyone. She will be deeply missed and never forgotten. As her husband the father of her two boys Ilan and Tal, I feel blessed to have spent the last 17 years of my life with her and know she has taught me and the boys everything she could, so we can move on and be strong and prepared for the tough road ahead. No amount of words can describe my loss and grief as well as my happiness and experiences I have shared with her. As I have told many, Phoebe is an easy woman to love, just a hard woman to live with... And with that, I thank all our family and friends for their support now and over the last four years during her battle. I look forward to sharing Phoebe's life and memories with everyone.

Our family is humbled by the outpouring of love and support by all. Thank you all so very much.

Many have asked if there is a charity to make donations in her name. The family has decided that the education of her two children is what Phoebe felt most strongly about. If anyone would like to contribute financially, please contact me for more information at LKDP@me.com.

Learan

Welcome to the World

Congratulations to…
Lirone and Robert Farber on the birth of their daughter Emmanuelle and to Shyli (Duane Class 5) on becoming a big sister.

Notes:

Valentine’s Day Staff Breakfast
Thank you to the Armstrong Family for providing a delicious Valentine’s Day breakfast for the staff at Hudson Street.

City Harvest
Our annual City Harvest Food Drive will be March 5-9th. Collection boxes will be outside your classroom.

Congratulations to Oran on his Grammy win!

Quilting at Duane Street
During the month of February, Latisha (Duane 3 Teacher) started a Duane St. quilting project in honor of Black History month. Quilting is a tradition that is historically significant in African American culture. Each class at Duane was given a square of fabric to decorate with their children. Some classes painted their quilt squares, some teachers taught their children how to sew, and each one was unique. On February 23rd, Duane Street teachers and parent volunteers assembled the quilt sewing together the completed squares from each class. It was a wonderful community project that we all enjoyed taking part in. Thank you to our parent volunteers: Ashley Duncan, Lori Horsley, Jennifer Zicari, Elizabeth Anderson, Rachel Thebault, Makiko Nozaki and Shalini Panwar. And thank you to our teacher sewing volunteers, Latisha, Larry, Laurie, Rita and Isil.

Speakeasy & Auction 2012

During the past few months, the 2012 Gala Steering Committee has been working hard planning this year’s Benefit “The Market – A Speakeasy and Auction” but we still need your help to make it a fabulous success!

DONATIONS NEEDED
By now you will have received a donor solicitation letter and form. Please consider reaching out to EVERYONE you know – friends, family, business associates and others to see if they would be willing to donate to our Auctions and Raffle. We are open to any and all ideas, and the success of our auctions and raffle depend on these exciting and generous donations. With Spring Break just around the corner, the Donations Committee is requesting Donations Forms be turned in by Monday, March 12. Please submit the form to the front desks at Duane or Hudson, via fax at 212-240-0681, or simply email the Donations Committee co-chairs: Cheryl D’Hollander at ip1275@mac.com and Mona Dattilio at mona_dattilio@yahoo.com

EVENT
The Event Committee is still looking for trade discount leads to procure flowers for décor. If you or someone you know can assist, please contact Jodi Zeitoun at jobanze@yahoo.com or Cecilia Oh at cecilia.artacho@gmail.com as soon as possible as the committee will be putting its final touches on décor.
We are also still looking for day-of-event volunteers. If you are interested in helping with the benefit, but can only donate a few hours, this is the committee for you. Please sign-up online at http://tinyurl.com/67t5t87.

UNDERWRITING
Be the “bee’s knees” by becoming an Underwriter for this year's benefit. Your generous cash donation will make possible an evening that we know everyone will enjoy so that more revenue can be used to support ongoing teachers' development and financial aid grants to deserving families.
You may select the items you wish to underwrite - entertainment, décor or general expenses. Underwriting levels range from $500 to $10,000 and are 100% tax deductible. To be an underwriter, please contact the Benefit Co-Chairs Penny Armstrong, pennyarmstrong@ymail.com; Lisa Hill at lmoneill@yahoo.com or Ashley Stewart at ashwstewart@yahoo.com

BE ON THE LOOKOUT
In the next few weeks, you will be receiving a benefit invitation by email and a link to wmsbenefit.org where you can purchase tickets and more. Don’t forget to book your babysitter now, and we look forward to seeing you at City Winery on April 23 for an evening of fun!

The last few months have been very fruitful and creative. I am so pleased by how the children are discovering all kinds of ways to move. There are endless variations of the body making shapes, responding to the rhythm and tempo of the music, moving in different directions, moving on different floor paths, using images and getting inspiration from the movements of others.  
Here’s a list of some of the highlights:

•    We are jumping, hopping and skipping to Jumps, a percussion piece by Chris Cawthray.

•    We walk, trot and gallop and sing to Watch Me Ride My Pony by Sanford and Judy Jones. Sometimes we do this with partners, trios or in a big circle.

•    The Saint-Seans' Tortoise is still our “low” music, but there are more and more explorations of crawling over and under each other, even lifting and carrying another on your back. Legs are up against the column and hands supporting, so that others can slide under a “bridge”.

•    We have been leaping, jumping, walking and hopping over the stepping stones to Stravinsky’s Airs by a Stream from L'Histoire du Soldat.

•    John Fogarty’s Centerfield is the “baseball” song. We try out throwing, catching, swinging a bat, running bases, clapping and playing air guitar.

•    Dinosaur Song by Sondra Boynton and Adam Bryan is a fun syncopated round. Children can stomp, swim and fly like dinosaurs. There are two rules, you can bite and grab the air but not any body, and you can roar but not too loudly.

•    We will soon begin moving as chess pieces to The Chess Songs by Colin McGrath. And we are starting to use a new “exploring” music, Stars by Bobby McFerrin.

Drama

Before the winter holiday I introduced the overhead projector. It is just so much fun to make giant shadows, see the projections of all kinds of colors and objects on the wall, and to interact with all of it.  I used some of those objects to create a forest which was the back drop for Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This was a great story because the children can tell it themselves and then we worked together to act it out.

I often give the children the time to play and develop their own stories using the props, costumes and furniture in the room and the overhead projector. Sometimes elements of the story I have proposed are incorporated into their play. Often new themes emerge such as, ghosts, animal babysitting, picnics, Norman the Doorman, train cars, kittens and dogs, scary aliens and more.  I am consistently fascinated by seeing the themes that are developed one week are not forgotten and can carry though for the rest of the year. They love returning to their pretend play themes.

In the past week, I have shared a story with the children called The Enormous Apple Pie. In the story three cats have collected a big basket of apples. They decide to make a pie. Then they take a nap.  While they are sleeping, a young panda bear and puppy dog (who are so young they haven’t learned any better) see the pie and eat all the apples from the inside of the pie. They refill the pie with something that they conveniently find on the pond nearby...frogs. Meanwhile the cats wake up and invite all the neighboring animals to a party. They cut the pie and hear a strange sound. Then they cut it open and see that the apples are gone and that there are frogs inside. They are upset. The panda and puppy who have come to the party admit what they did, apologize, and offer to get more apples. The frogs help the cheer every one up by singing The Foolish Frog (Pete Seeger sings a fun long storytelling version of this song).  And it’s a happy end. We are just starting to make a really enormous pie so that we can get inside and be the frogs.

Parent Visiting Days

During the late winter and spring months, we are inviting parents to come and visit Movement and Drama in small groups. There will be three week periods of scheduled times to sign up for each class. I am hoping that this will give you a chance to enjoy the class in a natural and relaxed way. I have found that it is very memorable and special for children to have their parents come to watch and participate. You will be getting a detailed invitation from me as the time approaches.  

Does anyone feel like sewing, mending, or gluing?

I have some costumes that need new elastics and other simple mending. If you have the time and the inclination, please come see me.

Thank You

I want to thank everyone for the holiday cards and gifts. I am grateful for your acknowledgement and appreciation.

Yours Truly,
Heather

Art

What a wonderful year we have been having so far. I am very excited about the discoveries we have made through our explorations and the interesting ideas that have come about. We have explored all sorts of different materials and the children now can speak the languages of color, texture, fluidity, wet and dryness, space and balance. All of the children are now very busy in the art studio with interesting creative activities. Some classes are even getting excited about the small works art exhibit.

Jan, Drew and Kate’s class recently finished making books. We used soft foam boards to carve printing plates which we inked and printed onto book covers. The children proceeded to make their own sketch books by attaching the folded paper to the printed covers with yarn.  They are currently investigating drawing by studying detail through visual observation. We are doing this by looking into mirrors and drawing self portraits. Some of our vocabulary words which we have discussed are: details, observation, noticing, appreciating, design, ideas, careful.

Odette, Annie and Michele’s class has been exploring tactile materials, paper leads to paper pulp, which lead to sculpture with paper pulp. Most recently we have been comparing the qualities of paper pulp with clay. There are many parallels of quality and sculpting ability between the two materials, and many differences. We have been exploring the clay, learning to make a pinch pot, learning about “slipping”, “scoring” and “smoothing” and now we are learning how to make animals that are hollow.  We are learning how to make a form such as an animal which stands on legs, in order to do this we must consider “gravity”.

Nicole, Danielle and Marsha’s class has taken their studies to the rainforest. Their work in the art room has coincided purely through the interest of the children. The children made finger puppets and chose to make anything they wanted. When I asked them what I should make to demonstrate how to use the material, they asked for a monkey, because there are monkeys in the rainforest. The children then made animals, birds and insects from the rainforest.

Michelle, Arpee and Stacey’s class has been exploring paper. Please take a moment to view their sculptures, which are on display in the conference room. As part of their paper exploration, the class learned how to make paper pulp and handmade paper. They are also enjoying having a pizza parlor in their dramatic play area. When I asked them what they would like to do in the art studio, they all said they needed pizzas. So, we are making several pizza pies with paper pulp. The afternoon class made one large pie with broccoli, basil, pepperoni and mushrooms. The morning class is making a large and a small pie, so they have just completed the crust (tan paper) and the sauce (reddish orange paper).

Kathleen, Andrea and Christine’s class has been exploring color and glue since October. The children have become experts at mixing the colors into the glue and then pouring the glue into various containers to create colorful creations. The hardened brightly colored glue resembles plastic when we pop it out of the containers.
Christine, Sidney and Brandi’s class have been working on portraiture. First, we painted portraits of friends and mixed colors to make the portraits look as much like our friends as possible. Then we did several self portraits in different mediums. Their oil pastel self portraits are on view in the gym. Now we are making three dimensional self portraits, starting with just the head. The children are learning how to mix the paints to make their skin tone. Soon we will begin to make the bodies; it will be exciting to get to choose what material will work best.

Chelsea, Kim and Maria’s class is about to start learning about the different climates and biomes of the earth. We are going to use the art studio as a way to enrich their learning by creating giant dioramas of some of the differing animals, flora, fauna and geography. So we are looking for very large cardboard boxes.

Carolyn Sirkin

Chess

Hello WMS Families,
 
Wow, we're really having quite the year in chess.  This is my fourth year at WMS and each year seems to be building off the last like a snowball.  The children at WMS have so many connections to the great game of chess: siblings who have already taken and loved chess, friends who have taken chess before and have showed them the game, children coming over from Duane Street knowing how the pieces move; it's only January and we have a school full of chess experts!
 
This level of expertise is amazing, but not surprising.  Not only are the children really good at chess, the teachers are getting pretty good as well! The teachers have to be prepared at any moment for one of their children to ask "can we play chess?" Everyone seems to be getting more and more fluent with our ancient game.

There's an old saying, "chess is a sea big enough for a mosquito or an elephant to bathe." This means children continue to become experts, and so do chess teachers and 19-year-old Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.  Chess is a game for all learners.  
 
We just learned all the pieces.  Pawns, kings, queens, bishops, knights, rooks, we've told stories that explain why these pieces move the way they do. As we move ahead, we are going to tell stories about chess theory! What special ability does a frog give King Fischer during a walk by a pond? And what secret missions does King Fischer discover from taking chess lessons from a dragon? These stories will give children an idea of how to open a chess game.
 
After that, I wish to tell stories about different chess pieces being good at different things.  Knights are good at multi-tasking, Bishops are good at pinning, Rooks are powerful when they're connecting. We're going to learn stories that explain how to use these pieces most effectively; I'm very excited to pen some new stories to bring our chess experts to the next level.

Chess Evening for Parents:

WMS is hosting a "Chess Evening for Parents" on February 29th from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at Hudson Street.  Parents from both sites are welcome to come and learn chess from the same stories their children hear, and learn the best ways to challenge each other in chess!

Tyler Schwartz

Music

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! We've had a great start to our semester so far and have an exciting road ahead of us. Here's what we've been up to:

We've met a new member of the percussion family, the xylophone, and have discovered it knows the songs we've been singing in class, including High Low. At first we explored the different melodies and rhythms that two notes, 'mi' and 'do' can combine to play. Then as we added more notes to our exploration, we saw that the notes get higher in pitch as they continued to get smaller in size from one side of the instrument to the other. One child noticed that the shape the xylophone takes as we add more notes "looks like a decrescendo," insightfully connecting the visual experience of the notes decreasing in size with the aural experience of hearing our voices go from loud to quiet in a decrescendo.

In celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as the holiday approached this past week, we learned one of the songs most important to him and his work‐ We Shall Overcome. We were able to hear the newer notes we've added to the xylophone play the first phrase 'we shall overcome' and each child was able to make the xylophone say it themselves. Now we're taking what we've learned from playing that phrase and finding ways to use it to build up to playing the entire song on the xylophone.

We'll continue our semester with a study of Brazilian music and instruments, leading up to Carnival in February. This exploration will expand our already extensive percussion 'family tree', bringing with it new rhythms and dances to go with those rhythms (including samba!). We'll learn about the great Antonio Carlos Jobim and get to sing some classic Brazilian music. And eventually, I hope to get into
a discussion of American Jazz music, giving us the opportunity to learn about Herbie Hancock and more!

I want to thank you again for coming to and participating in the winter sings. They are always such a special experience and this year was no exception. I look forward to doing it again in the spring, and as we delve into new songs this semester I encourage you to continue to follow along at home. We will post audio and video tracks as often as possible at www.timbalooloo.com to give you the opportunity to experience this music together with your child.

With best wishes,
Rachel

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe 2012 is already here. It seems just yesterday that I joined Washington Market School. Since September, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of you and I look forward to getting to know you all.

As we start off the New Year, a big part of my job and an issue that may be top of mind for many of you right now is ongoing schools. It has been so gratifying working with Ronnie on exmissions. I have learned so much from her experience. So whether you are choosing one of the outstanding public schools in our city, at the end of the ERB and private school process, or perhaps looking ahead a couple of years, I thought it might be valuable to share some information with you regarding our student body and ongoing schools.
This year our families applied to a wide selection of independent schools. We have sent our school reports to the following schools:

Allen Stevenson, Avenues, Berkeley Carroll, Brooklyn Heights Montessori, Blue School, Brearley, Brooklyn Friends, Browning, Buckley, Calhoun, Cathedral, Chapin, Collegiate, Columbia Grammar, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Corlears, Dalton, Dwight, Ethical Culture, Fieldston, Friends Seminary, Grace Church, Hewitt, Horace Mann, Hunter  Elementary, Little Red School House, Lycee Francais, Marymount, Nightingale Bamford, Packer, Poly Prep, Riverdale Country Day, Rodeph Sholom, Sacred Heart, Singapore American, Spence, St. Ann’s, St. Bernard’s, St. David’s, St. Luke’s, The Episcopal School, Trevor Day, Trinity, United Nations School, Village Community School.

Registering at your Zoned Public School
Registration takes place in person at your local school. You do not need to take your child, but you will need proof of residence such as your Con Edison bill. Check the individual school’s website for tour and registration dates.

Re-zoning Update Downtown Manhattan
A number of proposals put forth by the Department of Education to re-zone lower Manhattan were unsuccessful. Except for a small change to include Gateway in the P.S. 89 school zone, all other school zones remain unchanged. That is, of course, except for the new school zone that has been created for the Peck Slip School. Peck Slip School is new in the same way Spruce Street was a new school just a couple of years ago. It will be incubated at the Tweed Courthouse and will move to its permanent location by 2015. In time the school will accommodate approximately 700 children, and with Maggie Siena (the current Principal of P.S. 150) as its leader, it is set to be a great school.  If you are zoned for this new school, you may contact me directly to talk about the best way to tour and register.

As a parent of a seven and a four-year-old I know this process can be daunting. So if you have any questions or concerns, please call or drop in anytime.

Rachael

Calendar of Events

What’s happening in January...

News & Events

Save the Date…
We are busy at work planning our Annual Spring Gala. Make sure to save the date:
 

Monday, April 23rd
If you would like to join a committee or help out in any way please look out for our volunteer sign-up sheet which will be posted later this month at the Front Desks. Or you can reach out to the Committee Co-Chairs, Lisa Hill, Penny Armstrong & Ashley Stewart.

Hudson Street Potluck Dinner
After the success of our Duane Street Potluck, everyone is looking forward to the Hudson Street Potluck to be held on Jan 20th. Sign-up sheets and more information will be posted at the front desk in the coming weeks.

Thank you to the Bersh family for hosting such a wonderful evening for Duane Street.

Welcome to the World

Congratulations to…

• Sophia and Constantine Nikitiades on the birth of their son Markos and to Emmanuel (Classroom 2) on becoming a big brother. 

Admissions Update

The New Year has arrived and it is time to look ahead to September 2013. Please keep in mind these very important admissions deadlines coming up in January and February.

January 4, 2012 - Session Choices Forms emailed to currently enrolled students
January 13, 2012 - Session Choice Forms for returning students are due to the Admissions Office by 4.30pm   
January 13, 2012 - Sibling/Legacy Application Forms are due to the Admissions Office by 4:30pm

*We will be unable to accept Session Choice Forms after this date.  Sibling/Legacy Applications received after this date will not be accorded priority placement and will be considered in with general admissions.

January 20, 2012 – Contracts for 2012-2013 are mailed to current students
January 30, 2012 - CONTRACTS AND FIRST PAYMENTS ARE DUE BACK TO THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE BY 4:30pm  

*A contract accompanied by the non-refundable $5,000 first payment is the only way to reserve your child’s space for the 2012-2013 school year. We are unable to accept contracts handed in after this date/time.

February 6, 2012 - Sibling/Legacy Contracts for 2012-2013 are mailed
February 14, 2012 - SIBLING/LEGACY CONTRACTS ARE DUE BACK TO THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE BY 4:30pm

*A contract accompanied by the non-refundable $5,000 first payment is the only way to reserve your child’s space for the 2012-2013 school year. We are unable to accept contracts handed in after this date/time.



From Michael Edison (Ronnie’s Husband)

Ronnie just attended a 2011 Conference for Heads of Schools of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which represented essentially all of the independent schools in the three states.

Much to her surprise and delight, she was awarded the distinction of being the longest running Head of School in New York and New Jersey, quite an extraordinary accomplishment.  She wanted to share her delight with all of her friends but, of course, is ever reluctant to toot her own horn.

So, I am doing it for her with this letter.  Having closely watched the school for these many years, her longevity is certainly impressive, but what stands out even more for me is how creatively she continues to run the school.  After 3 ½ decades, each day for Ronnie and for WMS is a fresh day, with new challenges and new ideas to make the school more imaginative and ever better in educating the children at this most creative, but vulnerable period in their lives.  That is what, for me, is so remarkable about Ronnie’s achievement. 

From Rosa Borenstein (Board Member & mother of two pictured)

1981 - Diana on Ronnie's shoulders & her brother John in the front row 6th from the right. The Sand Park existed before the Washington Market Park. Note the elevated West Side Hwy in the background.I have known Ronnie for 32 years, since September 10, 1979.

On that day my daughter Diana began attending Washington Market School. I remember it clearly, because it was also my first day at law school. A new beginning for both of us.  What I particularly recall about that day is the relief that I felt when I picked her up at the end of the day.  

I had been sitting in inbound Holland Tunnel traffic, it was hot, the air conditioning wasn’t working; and, of course, I had no cell phone. I dreaded being late for Diana’s pick up (my parental responsibility that day).
My mind filled with thoughts of Diana woefully crying for her mommy and daddy; Ronnie being annoyed and to top it off, being told that Diana had had a miserable first day and maybe she shouldn’t come back.
I made it in time. Diana ignored my breathless arrival, because she was happily playing with the other kids who stayed until 6:00 pm. Ronnie was warm, welcoming and reassuring and Diana was a keeper! She had successfully joined the very special ranks of the two dozen or so children who were then enrolled in the school. (Her brother John joined her the following year.)

We had heard about WMS from parents of a few older children whom we had met in the scruffy, makeshift playground/park that later would be transformed into picture perfect Washington Market Park.  Our small residential community, many of whom were artists, musicians, dancers and writers, was yet to be marketed as Tribeca by real estate interests. When the small workforce left around 5 pm, it was not unusual to recognize and greet almost everyone you met on the street. Neighborhood resources were very limited. There were almost no retail stores of any kind. On weekends during inclement weather the nearly empty World Trade Center concourse was our playground and the landfill dunes on which Battery Park City is built was our urban beach and great for sledding when it snowed. So it seemed magical, nearly too good to be true, that a neighbor named Ronnie had opened a Montessori pre-school in her loft.
While the neighborhood, now morphed into Tribeca, has changed dramatically, making the sometimes bleak, empty streets of the mid-1970s almost unrecognizable, WMS has not. While the student enrollment has grown and the school now occupies two impressive sites, it is the very same school that taught my children to embrace the diversity and to meet the challenges of our wonderously complicated world and nurtured their intellectual curiosity and personal self- confidence.  

Today, when I stop at either site just to take a peek or  to consult with Ronnie about one thing or another, I am drawn in by the same comforting and calming ambience that is as palpable now as it was on Diana’s first day of school 32 years ago. I know that the children are thriving. They are learning to act with purpose, to respect each other and the world we live in, to take joy in the discovery of new information and ideas and in the development of lifetime skills. And, moreover, they are loved and well looked after.
All this, because Ronnie Moskowitz opened her home to a few children of our community nearly four decades ago. 

Thank You WMS Parents…


WMS 6th Annual Book Fair

The WMS 6th Annual Book Fair was a huge success! The children at Hudson Street enjoyed a visit from “Duck & Goose” author Tad Hills. He read his new book “How Rocket Learned to Read” and even showed us how to draw his famous character “Duck”. Children at Duane Street enjoyed readings from “Book Fairies”. Parents enjoyed meeting Rachael Thebault & Sarabeth Levine who generously volunteered their time to sign copies of their books and chat with parents.

A special thanks to our Book Fair Co-Chairs, Cheryl Ip D’Hollander & Lisa Hofer and to our Committee Members, Melissa Dassori & Shelby Lewis, who worked so hard to pull every last detail together.

Well done to Julian Khandalavala who made his very own book for the book fair. It was purchased and donated to the library just as he planned!

Thank you to all our parents who volunteered, from manning the tables, to packing and unpacking books and providing yummy snacks:

Adrienne Lytton, Alexandra Ross, Allison Fumai, Amalia Weber, Amanda Dubois, Andrew Regier, Bethany Turnure, Betty Huber, Camie Gontier, Carol Rotko, Carrie Packard, Catarina Kwan, Catherine Greenman, Catherine Syme, Cecilia Oh, Christie Del Rey-Cone, Christine Buckley, Christine Grounds, Constance Williams, Danielle DeMaio, David Perrine, Deb Seager, Deepa Saigal, Di Bruning, Elizabeth Ferguson, Emily Steels, Genny Agnew, Grace Lin, Haynee Johnson, Hobby Cole, Jane D'Haene, Jennie Hamill, Jennifer Zicari, Jodi Zeitoun, Katherine Peabody, Katrina Reynolds, Kobi Wu-Pasmore, Ku-Ling Siegel, Lauren Rubin, Leigh Fong, Lisa Hill, Lisa Liss, Lissa Schiele, Logan Levkoff, Lorna Stovall, Makiko Nozaki, Maria Alataris, Marni Tangney, Mona Dattilio, Nandini Chirimar, Nicole Pinder, Onna Lee, Penny Armstrong, Perri Dorset, Phil Rubin, Samantha cox, Samantha Dunham, Sara Kidd, Sarah Wendt, Sarah Yardeni, Smita Das, Sonal Khot, Stuart Hawkins, Susan Rha, Susan Schafer, Suzanne Ciongoli, Timur Kocak, Yfat Reiss Gendell, Zehra Zaidi, Zoe Coombes.

Thanksgiving Bake Sale

A great big thank you to Teachers Jan Wyllie (Classroom  A) & Christine Manno (Classroom F) for organizing the Bake Sale. It was made successful by the countless number of parents who donated treats; thank you for all your hard work in the kitchen!  Thank you also to all the parents who volunteered their time to sell goodies through out the day. We loved those lemon bars – please share your recipe in the WMS Cook Book!

A special thank you to Henry Rubin’s parents (Classroom A) Lauren & Phil for donating  their book “The Comfort of Apples”  for the raffle.

 Grandparents Day…

Thank you to all our grandparents and special friends who joined us at Duane Street, especially to those who made long trips to be here. It was great meeting you all and having you be a part of our classrooms.

News & Events

Ongoing Schools
Are you applying out for Pre K or Kindergarten at an Independent School?                                

The time has passed to submit your requests for school records. In order to give our teachers adequate time to complete school reports in a careful and reflective fashion, we need all requests to be submitted by the extended deadline of December 5th.

Forms submitted after this date will only be considered by teachers after the winter break. Forms can be found at the front desk at Duane & Hudson. Any questions, please contact our School Coordinator, Rachael Macchiesi: R.Macchiesi@wms-nyc.org

It’s Coat Drive Week…
New York Cares coat drive collection boxes are at the front desk of both Hudson & Duane. Please donate your used adult & children’s coats through December 2nd.

Spring Gala at City Winery…
We have started planning our Annual Fundraising Event for the Spring. If you would like to get involved please contact our School Coordinator, Rachael Macchiesi
R.Macchiesi@wms-nyc.org

WMS Year-End Appeal
As we head into the holiday season, the school has prepared and will be mailing an end of year Appeal packet.  We hope that you will participate in this annual effort to continue supporting our staff and our extraordinary curriculum.

Welcome to the World

Congratulations to…

•      Sophie Shih (Classroom 5 (pm)) on becoming a big sister to baby brother Solar.

•      Ava Bollotino (Classroom D) on becoming a big sister to baby brother T.J (Thomas John).

•      Gus Markley (Classroom 5 (am)) on becoming a big brother to baby sister Marie.

Important Upcoming Admissions Dates for Returning Students:

Jan 4, 2012    Session Choice Forms will be mailed to current WMS families
Jan 13, 2012    Session Choice Forms are due and Sibling/Legacy Application Forms are due
Jan 20, 2012    Contracts for returning students will be mailed
Jan 30, 2012    Contracts for returning students are due back to the Admissions Office
Feb 6, 2012    Contracts for siblings and legacies will be mailed
Feb 14, 2012    Contracts for siblings and legacies are due back to the Admissions Office

Hudson tours for Duane Street parents are happening now. All tours will take place before the winter break begins. Please schedule your tour as soon as possible by calling or emailing the Admissions Office.             212-406-7271
s.markel@wms-nyc.org

Please click HERE to watch a terrific TEDtalk video.  Sir Robinson is on to something extraordinarily important;  that children come into the world with all of their creative potential glowing and ready to be expressed.

We at school are privileged to be in the front row seats of this amazing developmental phenomenon and to witness it daily. Young children voraciously want to understand and participate in our amazing world. They explore through touch, sound, smell, taste, sight, movement, in every way possible.  Dr. Maria Montessori understood this and created areas for children such as the Sensorial area to allow discovery with all their senses when traditional educators focused (and still do) solely on the three R’s.  

Our teachers are superbly aware of child development and what and how young children know and understand of their worlds.  Each child is growing exponentially;  physically, intellectually, socially, and emotionally.  Early Childhood is truly a time of wonder and our staff takes time daily to think and observe and then discuss what promotes or hinders our children’s different areas of development.  We understand that their capacities for imagination are unlimited, which they build out of the richness of unbounded resourcefulness.  And so  we devote our energy to keeping  all aspects of a child’s creativity alive and growing.  We not only generate a life of inquiry in each classroom, but also offer movement and drama and art and music and chess in the hope that our young students will spend their days increasing their capacity to develop insights and their ability to make associations and therefore create their inner worlds.  

Ronnie Moskowitz
Head of School 

Ongoing Schools

Are you applying out for Pre K or Kindergarten at an Independent School?                                
Now is the time to submit your requests for school records.
Forms can be found at the front desk at Duane & Hudson. Any questions please contact our School Coordinator, Rachael Macchiesi: R.Macchiesi@wms-nyc.org

Calendar of Events

What’s happening in November (it's busy)..

Teachers Visit Reggio Emilia, Italy

Celle Deaton (Classroom D) said it best, “Michelle is going to Italy to learn how to be a better teacher” and upon her return Ava Bollotino (Classroom D) agreed announcing “it worked, Michelle is a better teacher!” Four of our teachers, Chelsea Silber (classroom G/H), Michelle Carberry (Classroom D), Elizabeth Lau (Classroom 2) and Carolyn Sirkin (Art Teacher) visited Reggio Emilia, Italy. Their days were spent at the famous Early Childhood centers of the region. Here they are taking a break, soaking up Italian culture at the Piazza del Vittoria.

If you have visited our website lately you will know how busy the children have
been exploring the topic of Fall.

Classrooms have been taking trips outside to observe the crisp, sunny weather and to collect leaves to bring back for the school community. Others have expressed their observations through art – collecting pumpkins at the market to create pumpkin still life drawings and paintings, then opening the pumpkin to observe the gooeyness inside! The children have also spent time guessing how many seeds are inside the pumpkins. Autumn is a wonderful way to connect learning with all that's changing around us, and we wish you a wonderful new season!

And how many seeds were inside the pumpkins they opened in Classroom B?

Our friends counted 466 seeds!

Diwali – Festival of Lights   

Thank you to all the moms who came into our classrooms to teach us about Diwali. It was a fun and colorful celebration! Mona Dattilio (Classrooms D & E), Seifali Shah (Classroom A & F), Nandini Chirimar (Classroom F), Deepa Saigal (Classroom C), Priya Elliot (Classroom B).

Bake Sale

Wednesday November 23rd
9am – 3.30pm Hudson Street
 
Our Thanksgiving Bake Sale is almost here, so get baking! We welcome all of your donated treats (nut free) for sale throughout the day.

Crewcuts - Shop for a Scholarship

Crewcuts exclusively welcomes Washington Market School family and friends to shop on this morning and receive 15% off purchases over $125. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Washington Market School Scholarship Fund, so start stocking up on your holiday gifts now!

WMS 6th Annual Book Fair

Wednesday 16th & Thursday 17th November                                                                                8.30am – 4pm @ Hudson Street Gym

Proceeds go toward maintaining and growing the WMS Library. In addition to purchasing books, parents can help the school by buying a Bookplate in their child’s or family’s name. This will be placed in a new book to be donated to the WMS library; or by buying a teacher-selected book for their child’s classroom.

We will have a wonderful selection of books, as well as three great Book Bundles. The first is “The Latest and Greatest 2011 New Books” Bundle, which includes a tote bag with the new WMS logo.  We will also have two “Books You Must Have on Your Shelves” Bundles, specially selected for older and younger preschoolers by WMS Librarian Alyssa Sadoff.  We will also welcome authors to the classroom to read and sign books. Children will have the opportunity to select and purchase a book on their own.  Please look out for information from your teachers and class parents about the scheduled visits.  We hope you will also stop by to shop, and we welcome you to bring your children before or after school!

We expect the Bundles to sell out quickly, so please take advantage of the Pre-Order Form to reserve your copies. These forms will be distributed by the classroom before the event. All three Bundles will make a great gift for your family and friends this holiday season!

For further information or to sign up to help please send an email to: wmsbookfair@gmail.com

WMS Cook Book 2011

We have started work on a new annual Cook Book and the theme is “Around the World”. We want you to share your favorite recipe from your home country. Kathy Cameron & Tracey O’Neil are generously leading the project and they are looking for people who are interested in helping. Please contact them directly if you would like to volunteer or learn how to submit a recipe: wmscookbook@yahoogroups.com
Look out for more details on our notice boards.

Welcome to the world

Congratulations to…

• Lex Procacci (Classroom 5) on becoming a big brother to baby brother Max.
• Vivienne Hoffman (Classroom 3) on becoming a big sister to baby sister Valerie.

Admissions Newsletter Update

Session Choice Forms for Returning Students:

• This form asks parents to rank their session(s) preferences for the 2012 – 2013 school year.
• These forms will be sent home on January 4, 2012 and will be due back to WMS no later than January 11, 2012.
• Parents should also use this form to let WMS know if their child(ren) will not be returning for September 2012.

Sibling and Legacy Application Forms for New Students (2012 – 2013 School Year):

• These forms will be due back to the Admissions Office no later than January 13, 2012 to be eligible for Early Notification Date (January 27, 2012).
• Any sibling/legacy applications received after this date will be considered with the regular application pool.

We strive to provide all of our siblings and legacies with one of their preferred sessions, so please submit application forms to the Admissions Office as soon as possible!

WMS Website

Many of you have signed up for the parent portal on Washingtonmarketschool.org – it is a great way to see what is happening in your child’s classroom. It’s easy to sign up:

1. Visit washingtonmarketschool.org
2. Click on the “For Parents” tab and choose “Log In”
3. Click on “sign up here”
4. Fill in your information and submit it
5. Your account will be active within 3 days – you will not receive an activation email, it is automatic

Volunteers…

Designers
With our many upcoming events we are looking for help with graphic design. If you have skills in this area and you are able to donate your time please let us know. Opportunities exist for one project or many.

Art Show
We have started thinking about our annual Small Works Art Show which takes place in the Spring. We are looking for a great space to showcase the children’s art. If you would like to donate a space for this event please let us know.
                
To volunteer for these or any events at WMS please contact our School Coordinator: Rachael Macchiesi r.macchiesi@wms-nyc.org

We are starting a very exciting new school year in the art studio.  I like to start the year with explorations of the art materials. Developmentally, two and three year old children are natural explorers. They like to see what the materials can do and what they can do with the materials. These explorations lead to discoveries, the discoveries lead to understanding (aha moments) and this all leads to ideas  (I can do this, with that. Or, I can use this to do that).

Each of the classes is doing a series of explorations with different materials. This way, when we begin to make specific things, the children will have a tactile and visual vocabulary from which to draw.                               

When we explore the tempera paints, we begin with the three primary colors. I demonstrate and explain that we can make every color in the rainbow and brown by using red, yellow and blue paint. The children then enthusiastically make the magic happen. They blend and mix and enjoy the flow of the brush stroke as they make the colors change.  The four year old children also like to explore, and they have a story to tell which explains the action of their paintings.           

Our paper exploration begins with the question “what we can we do with paper?”  The children’s answers include paint on it, draw on it, glue things to it and make a paper hat or airplane. I then show them a large piece of paper as I rattle it and it produces a noise. This is very funny and unexpected.  I then tear, crumple, twist, roll, fold, ruffle, stack and demonstrate sculpting with paper; the children are very excited to try it. It is quite difficult to tear paper as they develop their fine motor skills, but they figure out how to manipulate the paper to make tearing easy.                                              

Our clay explorations include noticing the coldness and wetness of the clay. The children change the clay by pounding, poking, flattening, rolling, stacking, blending , smoothing and the list goes on and on. Both the paper explorations and the clay explorations are beneficial to fine motor skills as they both focus on manipulating the material with their fingers.

I have just returned from Reggio Emilia, Italy, where I attended a conference on the teaching philosophy of the municipal schools of Reggio Emilia. This philosophy is based on the writing of Loris Malaguzzi. Malaguzzi believed that there are 100 languages of children, or in other words, that each means of expression- exploring art materials, movement, wonder, music, play… are languages with which to communicate the meaning of the world around them. Another important aspect is that curiosity leads to learning, as this will lead to research and exploration and then expression of understanding.

I was inspired by my trip to Italy. I am looking forward to a creative year.

Carolyn Sirkin


Hello!

It has been a pleasure becoming familiar with Washington Market School and meeting your children.  With the opportunity to develop a year long curriculum, I am always reminded of my very first days in undergraduate art school.  

My first class was “2-D Design”.  We studied COLOR, MARK MAKING, COMPOSITION, etc.  I was nearly 20 years old.  Since this experience, my approach to teaching children, even children as young as two years old, is to begin with these very same basics.  An advocate of this approach, the instructional designer, Jerome Bruner, suggests that a learner (even of a very young age) is capable of learning any material so long as the instruction is organized appropriately.

Another important concept that I keep in mind with each project is fine motor development.  I’m always thinking about ways to strengthen children’s fingers and hands - all the while - encouraging independent decision making, familiarity with basic art materials and tools and aesthetic expression.

Each time your child visits the art room, we begin with a conversation about art while sitting around the blue carpet.  This helps establish a quiet and calm setting.  Children can acclimate to their new environment while we have a short discussion about art and how it relates to our next art project.

There is more than meets the eye with each of the art projects your student has participated in.  I would love to take this opportunity to describe a few of the art projects we’ve accomplished so far this year:

Color Wheel Playdough Mixing: In order to strengthen our fingers and to explore the wide world of color, we used Playdough.  We began with the primary colors: red, blue and yellow.  We chose two primary colors to “smoosh and smash,”  “mix and mash” to create orange, green and purple.  Color theories were appearing before our very own eyes!

Tissue Paper Paintings: This project reinforces what we learned with our playdough explorations.  Using pink, blue and yellow transparent tissue paper, watered down Elmer’s glue, and paint brushes, we practiced “overlapping” the paper and found that wherever it overlapped a new color was created.  This was a project that also involved paying close attention to using our fingers carefully to only select one piece at a time and not a clump of paper….more fine motor attention.

Markmaking: There are so many ways to use a crayon!  Straight lines, “zig-zag” lines, curvy lines and scribbling; after we explored this variety of ways to make marks as a group, we explored how to turn our marks into pictures.  Making marks with Craypas and also with paint and paintbrushes, Duane PM students have created very colorful and action packed compositions.

Our most recent projects have focused on all things “sticky”.  We are exploring how to use Elmer’s glue and glue sticks and tape.  We are also practicing how to take very good care of our art materials by learning how to open and close these supplies to keep them from drying out.

In conclusion, strong hands, a familiarity with a diverse list of concepts in art and – of course – fun are a few of the goals in the Duane Street Art Studio.

You are always welcome to drop in and check it out!

Sincerely,
Jenna

Chess

Hello Duane Street!
 
We are all-systems-go for another great year of chess.  I've been teaching at WMS for 4 years now, but last year was the first time we had chess over here at Duane St.  Some of the students have moved down the road to Hudson Street, but some have stayed.  This gives us a great dynamic in the classroom.  Some of the children have never heard of chess before, and some of them know the game.  So as you can see, there are many different levels of chess expertise roaming around these halls.  I can't wait to go through all the rules again, tell stories, and impart all the benefits of chess to your children.
 
Here at WMS we teach chess with stories!  Over the course of the year, I tell 20 stories that explain WHY pieces move the way they do.  I personify all the pieces, and give them memorable stories that cement the rules of movement in the kid’s mind, in a fun way.  So the first two weeks, we've been talking about King Fishcer, and King Spassky, the two kings.  Both of the kings move SLOW.   King Fischer moves slow because he eats too much and has a huge belly! King Spassky moves slow because he grew up in a pillow castle, and is afraid of going outside, so he tip-toes every where he goes.  I never tell the kids the Kings move one square at a time, they can figure it out themselves through these stories.  This is an example of how we teach chess here. Every piece is a character, and every character has a story.
 
So come in and observe chess, because before you know it, your child is going to want a game with you.
 
Here's to another great year!
 
Tyler

Music

This year, the morning classes at Duane Street will be taught by Anthony Taddeo and afternoon classes by Oran Etkin.  Oran and Anthony work closely together and draw on the Timbalooloo method, a comprehensive method developed by Oran Etkin with classes that progress from infancy through school age, eventually leading into playing instruments, composing music and really understanding how it works.  It is based on the belief that music is a language.  Through the proper approach, children can attain full “fluency” and comfort within this language.  Just as one would talk to a child with a full vocabulary, we draw on the full musical spectrum, teaching the children to play and sing songs by the musical masters from many cultures (from Tito Puente to Duke Ellington, Babatunde Olatunji to Mozart).  We use original Timbalooloo games, songs and stories that teach the fundamentals of music in a fun and intuitive way.  The stories also incorporate cultural and historical awareness while the rhythmic games develop speech, math, coordination and listening skills. Through the Timbalooloo website, parents can continue this learning at home, with sound and video of songs we’re learning at school!

What we have been doing:
The children have met Ngoma, a drum from Kenya. They have learned to make it “talk” by playing it and met its family, “percussion”.  We recently started exploring the piano, learning about Herbie Hancock and singing his classic composition, Watemelon Man!

What we will do next:
Our exploration of the piano will lead into games exploring pitch (high/low) through bird and cow sounds (birds fly up high, make high sounds and are small, while cows live low, make big sounds and are even bigger than a tuba!). After our Herbie Hancock unit, we will learn about Brazil and Samba!

Follow along…and sing along at home through the web!
We encourage you to visit www.timbalooloo.com throughout the year.  As we go along, we will continuously update the site with recordings and lyrics of the songs we are learning, including the original recordings and videos by Herbie Hancock and others!

Sincerely,

Oran Etkin and Anthony Taddeo

These past weeks have been a wonderful start to the year. The first week I introduced myself to the children in their classrooms by sharing a story of Little Bear who goes to bed, sees a beautiful full moon out of his window and then gets the idea that he wants to go to the moon. In the morning he wakes up, and using an old box, some pipe cleaners and tape, he makes a space helmet. I told the children that when they came to Movement and Drama, Little Bear would be there.

Movement

The next week the children came down to the movement and drama room and started to learn the routine. Each class, we take off shoes and socks and put them on the shoe train. Then along with the “explore” music, which is John Adams’ ”China Gates”, I invite the children to move freely, safely and without talking.

I really love to see how they choose to move. Children run. They go through the little arches and over the “fence”. They pause to sit on the wood benches. They roll, crawl, spin, skip, and gallop. Children follow each other and share ideas in a nonverbal world of physical expression.
I have added the “running” music, which is “Tanz” from Carl Orff’s Music for Children collection. Children can run in any direction. It’s a challenge because others are running too. We start in small groups and work up to all children at once.


We are also singing and dancing to the “Walking song” which has walking, hopping, running an stomping to the tune of “Where is Thumbkin?”
This week we are trying out moving only on low level with the  “Tortoise” from Camille Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals. Already I am amazed by the variety of movement invention and discovery from this new problem.  We are also developing a movement story about the mice and the cats.

Drama

I have gone on to further develop Little Bear’s story. It’s taken from the chapter “Little Bear Goes to the Moon” in Else Holmelund Minarik’s book, Little Bear. Using stuffed bears as puppets, I shared the story of little bear showing his mother his space helmet and explaining that he is going to the moon. Mother Bear doubts that he will be able to fly, but then after “flying” from the tree, landing on the “moon” and finding his way to a house on the moon. She does play along and pretends that he is a visitor from planet earth.

The following week children choose roles and we acted out the story all together. This will be the first of many stories that we will explore throughout the year.  There is usually time for children to explore the ideas of the story and any other pretend themes using a variety of props, costumes and puppets.  Fire station, Little Red Riding Hood, baby tigers, pirates, restaurant, and deep sea swimming have been some of these themes.  It’s a time for learning to share the space, materials and how to play together or alone or in pairs. There’s a flow of invention and ideas seem to pop around the room.

Safe and easy footwear and clothing

At the beginning of the class the children take off shoes, socks and footed tights and roll up too long pant legs. At the end of the time the children put on their own shoes and socks. Please send your child to school in sturdy shoes that he/she can put on and take off easily and independently.
Leggings with socks work best for girls who are wearing skirts. Skorts with tights and tights underneath pants are difficult and require a lot of dressing and undressing.
It’s also important that children be able to move freely. Narrow skirts, maxi dresses, pants that are too loose or too tight inhibit children’s movement. Please hem or cut nylon sport pants because they are made from soft fabric that won’t stay rolled up and are easy to slip in.

Long hair that is not braided or put in pony tails gets in their eyes and is distracting.  Head bands fall off.
Children are engaged in a lot physical activity throughout the school day; please consider this when getting them ready. Think workout clothes not office clothes.

Observations

I encourage and welcome you to come and watch. Please schedule your visit with your child’s teacher in advance through the year.

Heather

Art

Welcome back to an exciting new school year. I like to begin each school year with explorations of the materials, such as paper, clay, paints etc. Developmentally, the children begin Washington Market School as explorers. Actually, everyone needs to explore and understand a material before using the material for a specific idea. I believe that explorations of materials leads to discovery, these discoveries lead to ideas and ideas lead to understanding.

Each of the classes is doing a series of explorations with different materials. This way, when we begin to make specific things, the children will have a tactile and visual vocabulary from which to draw.
We began with water colors, first, the children learn to mix the water with the colors to make the paint flow. We then experimented with wet watercolors. Wet watercolors is a process of using an excessive amount of water so the paper is soaked before applying the color. The children thought this made their brush strokes look “furry”.

When we explore the tempera paints, we begin with the three primary colors. I demonstrate and explain that we can make every color in the rainbow and brown just using red, yellow and blue. The children then enthusiastically make the magic happen. They blend and mix and enjoy the flow of the brush stroke as they make the colors change.

Our paper exploration begins with the question “what we can we do with paper?”  The children’s answers include paint on it, draw on it, glue things to it and make a paper hat or airplane. I then show them a large piece of paper as I rattle it and it produces a noise. This is very funny and unexpected.  I then, tear, crumple, twist, roll, fold, ruffle, stack and demonstrate sculpting with paper. The children are very excited to try. They have noticed that what they can do with paper is very similar to what they do with clay. Please take a minute to check out the shark hanging in the resource room, the body is made from crumpled paper shaped into a fish body, and then coated with fabric. Crumpling and shaping skills were also applied to the jaw and teeth, but instead of paper, we used aluminum foil.
Our clay explorations include noticing the coldness and wetness of the clay. The children change the clay by pounding, poking, flattening, rolling, stacking, blending, smoothing, the list goes on and on. Both the paper explorations and the clay explorations are beneficial to fine motor skill as they both focus on manipulating the material with their fingers.

This year the Washington Market School has sent  a group of teachers to Reggio Emilia, Italy to take part in the annual conference on their teaching philosophy. I am very happy to have been a part of this group and have come back inspired and full of interesting ideas. It is going to be a great year!

Carolyn Sirkin

Chess

Oh hello, I didn't see you standing there. No, I'm not busy, come in, come into my chess room.
 
You're probably wondering how little Bartholomew is doing in chess. He loves it!  Is he going to be the next Mikhail Tal? All I know is, little Bartholomew will be closer to being a Grandmaster at the end of the year, than he was in the beginning.

These first few weeks have been a blast.  Here's the main idea of chess in WMS, we tell stories to the children, that explain WHY the pieces move the way they do.  So let’s take the two Kings, the white king is "King Fischer." King Fischer eats 10 pancakes, 20 sandwiches, and 30 pizzas a day, so he has a very big tummy, and walks VERY slow.  The black king is named, "King Spassky." He lives in a pillow castle, and is afraid of grass. King Spassky tip-toes everywhere he goes. So when he walks of the chess board, he does so very slow.  Both kings move slow, but for different reasons. 
 
I never tell little Bartholomew "Kings move 1-square-at-a-time." I explain to them why both kings move, "slow." All pieces have a story like this. All chess classes have a story, and a couple of activites that drive home the moral of the story.   
 
Well ok, I hear my next class coming down so I'll leave you this picture of chess class.
 
Tyler

Music

I am so glad to be back at WMS, seeing many familiar and new faces in music class! Our music program at WMS is based on the Timbalooloo method, which is a comprehensive approach to music with the goal of teaching the real fundamentals of music at an early age when they can become internalized intuitively. We strive to develop full "fluency" in the language of music, and see music as part of the whole child, using it to support healthy development in math, language, speech, and physical coordination. Also central to the Timbalooloo method is exposure to other cultures through their music and traditions. As the children get older, we’re able to develop a deeper discussion of these cultures, and currently we’re starting this discussion with the various nations of West Africa, including Mali, Guinea and Nigeria.

We’ve started this year with an exploration of the percussion family. We’ve played caxixi (shaker-like instruments from Brazil pronounced "Ka-Shi-Shi"), and most recently we’ve met Djembe, a beautiful drum from Mali. Djembe has taken us on adventures with his Djembe Fola (the expert Djembe player), leading us to play a variety of sounds and rhythms with Djembe including high and low sounds, a rhythm native to Guinea called “Dununba,” and the children have even begun making the Djembe "talk" by playing different rhythms on it.
As we explore more songs from Djembe’s native Mali, we’ll be expanding on these rhythms and concepts, learning a little Mandingo (a language spoken in Mali) and expanding into songs from other parts of West Africa, including Jingo Ba by the legendary percussionist Babatunde Olatunji.

You can follow along with us at home throughout the year by visiting www.timbalooloo.com, where I'll be posting recordings and videos of the songs we learn in class for you and your children to continue the learning process at home.

Looking forward to a wonderful year ahead!

Rachel


While sailing in Maine and photographing a regatta, I started thinking that running a school is, in some ways, like racing a sailboat…

While the captain is clearly the leader, the boat can function in two ways:
A captain can be controlling and demanding and not trustful of her crew (sometimes this is legitimate as some crews aren’t competent and fully involved).

But a boat sails much faster, effortlessly and calmly, when the crew is smart, knows their job, and is fully committed to sailing the boat as well as possible.

In that case, the captain just needs to keep her hands on the wheel, make an occasional suggestion and let the crew do its job. That is how I feel about our school, the WMS team has made my job as easy as it can be. When we look at these boats, there is a sense of calm and purpose, no one is frantic. These boats are boats that are sailing well. That’s how I feel about our crew. As you all know, we sail extremely well together.

In this Issue:

1. Calendar of Events
2. News
3. Admissions update
4. Welcome to the world
5. Capital Campaign Update

Calendar of Events

What’s happening in October..

 And here’s what’s coming up in November...

Hudson Street Pot Luck Dinner
Book Fair
Bake Sale
New York City Coat Drive

We are looking for volunteers to staff our book sale on Nov 16/17th if you would like to sign up please contact our Co-Chairs, Cheryl Ip D’Hollander & Lisa Hofer

Or, if you would like to volunteer for any of these activities please let our school coordinator know:

 R.macchiesi@wms-nyc.org

 The Cloisters….

We started the new year with our annual retreat. This year it was at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, New York. Despite the rainy weather it was an inspirational day. We learned more about Medieval Art, enjoyed a great meal, recounted our summer adventures and worked on our team and individual goals for the 2011-2012 school year.

It seemed like everyone wanted to get in on the fun of our first day at school! Even Macy’s best friend, yellow lab, Marley, tried to join the fun in Classroom A.

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record

On October 6th all the classrooms at WMS will read Llama Llama Red Pajama. The campaign we support early literacy programs in low income communities. To learn more visit readfortherecord.org

Ongoing Schools Meeting

In October we will give two ongoing schools meetings which give parents information on public schools, gifted & talent programs and entry into Private School. Please join us

Preliminary Meeting: Tuesday October 4th @ 9.30am (Drama Room Hudson St)

Evening with Returning Parents: Tuesday October 18th @ 7.00pm – 8.30pm

Re-zoning of Public Schools Downtown

Re-zoning has been proposed for most of Downtown’s district 2. This will effect some families in our community. We are tracking changes as they happen and we will be able to give you an update during our ongoing school meetings in October. You may also choose to attend these public proposal meetings:

Admissions Update

The 2012-2013 admissions season is in full swing, and the Admissions Office has a few important announcements for all parents concerning sibling/legacy admissions as well as WMS returning families for the 2012-2013 school year.

For all parents wishing to enroll a sibling or legacy child for next September, please submit your tour request online as soon as possible. The Admissions Office will contact each family individually about tours (families with children currently attending Duane Street do not need a Duane Street tour for their younger child). We do need a request form for every child wishing to apply, so please visit our website today to let us know about your younger sibling and legacy children: www.washingtonmarketschool.org/tour-request-form

Please remind other sibling/legacy families you know who wish to apply that it is very important to submit this form as soon as possible. Thank you for helping us reach out to all of our families, both past and present.

The Session Choice Forms for returning students for Fall 2012 will be sent out on Wednesday, January 4, 2012. Duane Street parents who are interested in having their child attend Hudson Street next year are welcome to attend a tour at Hudson Street (this is not a requirement to attend Hudson Street, but all families are welcome to visit). Please call the Admissions Office (212 406 7271) as soon as possible if you are interested in attending one of these tours.

Welcome to the world

Congratulations to…

• Samaya Elina (Classroom 3) on becoming a big sister to baby brother Milan Dev.

• Lila (Classroom F) on becoming a big sister & Roko (Classroom 6) on becoming a big brother to baby brother Santana.

• Jasper (Classroom G/H) on becoming a big brother to baby brother Hudson.

• Greta (Classroom A) on becoming a big sister to baby brother Teddy.

• Julian (Classroom A) on becoming a big brother to baby sister Saskia.

• Ryker (Classroom A) on becoming a big brother to baby sister Angie.

• Olwyn (Classroom E) on becoming a big sister to baby brother Monte.

• Chase (Classroom 2) on becoming a big brother to sister Mackenzie.

• Honor (Classroom 2) on becoming a big sister to twin baby sisters Evie & Dahlila.

Capital Campaign Update

Dear WMS Families,

Last year at this time, the doors were opening for the first time on the expanded Duane Street Site, the new classrooms, new music room, new art room, new gym and newly designed spaces in the original smaller space. The vision, strength and dedication of 36 years of commitment to a community and its children is what made it possible!

The result of the WMS mission and vision has an impact on every one of the WMS families - whether they are alumni families or returning who have reaped the rewards of this program, new families who are experiencing it for the first time or those families who will experience it in the future. The generosity of this community as witnessed in its financial commitment to the Capital Campaign for the Expansion of Duane Street has been inspiring, encouraging and a testament to the belief in the importance of this program for our children.

On behalf of the Capital Campaign Committee, we would like to express our sincerest thank you to all of those whose leadership and generosity have enabled this Campaign to reach the $950,000 mark as of today.

Each time we receive a pledge and note expressing a willingness and desire to contribute to this Campaign, there is a sense of completeness and togetherness. Each and every pledge is a tribute to the school and its relevance in each families life. It is also a reassurance that the children following theirs and ours will be graced with the same important empowering experiences for decades to come.

Welcome Home! Welcome back! Welcome to the WMS Family! We look forward talking to you! We look forward to having 100% participation! We look forward to celebrating when we reach our goal of $1,250,000! And we have complete confidence!

Sincerely,
Sarah Dhar (P '09 & P '11) and Michael Katz (P '09 & '10)
Capital Campaign Co-Chairs

For more information, or to make a pledge please contact Sarah Dhar at sarahkdhar@gmail.com 212-920-9575 or Michael Katz at Michael@makrealtyny.com or 917-543-8505.