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of the Pupils' Express
Dear Parent,
Our Rosh Hashanah assembly this Monday was in the true spirit of this season of both reflection and looking ahead. Our Judaic Studies teachers, with the guidance of Marit Shmargad, Judaic Studies Principal, helped their classes decide on a tzedakah project. Helping animals, feeding the hungry, working with projects in Israel were among the many wonderful projects. Students were elected by their peers to represent the class, and students explained the projects in front of our full school kehillah (congregation). From the youngest kindergarteners to our eighth graders, we saw what our program gives students--public speaking ability, thoughtful articulation of their ideas and a sharing community. Our seventh graders especially are focusing on a curriculum about tzedakah, each researching a project and writing it up for further presentation to their families next week,and continuing learning and sharing about this project for the entire year. This is a wonderful project, integrating General and Judaic Studies, led by Middle School teacher Amy Kurzeka.
Students in Mr. Jay Levin's 6th grade English class were putting on puppet shows this week. The students read The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, a series of vignettes in her semi-autobiographical account of growing up Chicana in a poor area of Chicago. Students selected a scene, created puppets and behind a scrim, performed for their fellow classmates. The wonderful part of a project such as this is the ability to take apart a text in a creative manner. Students' imaginations come alive to create puppets, sound effects and even the selection of the text. Their understanding of the story's construction is enhanced through their own production and by listening to the story as their classmates read it aloud. How we read and how we understand what we read is a crucial skill for all our students. Studies show that enhanced literacy skills improve even math and science test scores. Our Middle School literature program is a rich one. Congrats to Mr. Levin and his talented students.
Last week, I had a wonderful meeting with one of our alumni, Raziel Unger. A graduate of our 3rd class in the days Wornick only went to 5th grade, Raziel is a successful realtor in the Bay Area. He is also the first alumni who is a member of our Board of Trustees. Raziel will be contributing updates to the Pupils' Express about his fellow alumni. Should you know an alumni, forward the interesting story or the contact information to Raziel, so we can hear from more our of gradutes, learn where they are, and how Wornick contributed to their success. Raziel's email is raziel.ungar@gmail.com.
It has been a pleasure to meet so many parents and community members. Your vision of our wonderful school is invigorating and inspiring. We will work together this year to create priorities that strengthen all aspects of our program and maintain the weloming community that we all love. Please sign up with Carolyn for my weekly Friday Ipen house from 8:30-9:30am.
The best part of the day is talking to our students. A few days ago, a kindergartener stopped in my office, tears rolling down her checks as she explained that she was having a bad day. Debbi Seligman, our Lower School Principal, and I had been meeting. We immediately sat with her and talked for a few minutes, then we each took a hand and walked her to her classroom, where kindergarten teacher Gina Centanni welcomed her with a hug and a listening ear. I saw this child an hour later, happily skiping down the hall with her class. It warms my heart to feel the children's trust and to know that the reasons that I became an educator --love of children, a wish to help them become strong independent thinkers and community members--still inspire me and make me know that our future is bright, with your children as our community's future leaders. Shabbat Shalom,
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