From the Director’s Chair September 2008
Posted by msnl in : From the Director's Chair, September 2008“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
Mother Teresa
This year we explore the theme of peace at Penn Charter. It’s a rich topic, grounded in our Quaker heritage and relevant to our world and our times. It’s also, for better or worse, a topic which lends itself to oversimplification: peace as “the opposite of war,” or “the absence of conflict.” I know I’m guilty of sometimes dismissing peace as a cliché, but there’s more to it: it’s the possibility of listening first, then talking; it’s the feeling of being able to wait, rather than act; it’s the ability to consider another’s perspective before presenting my own. It is remembering, as Mother Teresa said, “if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
As we who live and work with teenagers know, adolescents have a wonderfully keen sense of justice and equity. This sense is a key part of growing up and understanding the world, and it ranges from simple questions such as who gets more pizza, to social and political situations with increasing complexity. When we in Middle School work with young people, we help them to move from the concrete examples of equity to examples that are more complicated and nuanced. This learning matches students’ maturation process, and gives them the tools to begin understanding a complicated world on their own terms, with their own resources.
In our study of peace in Middle School this year, we strive to approach peace – a complicated topic – with the same kind of learning that helps us to define self and other, fair and unfair. Peace is a big idea – an idea we adults, too, can find overwhelming – and it is our job to help one another explore its meaning in ways which can make it relevant in our lives, here and now.
So, where do we start? We will lift up peace each week, in our own words and our own minds, with a simple study of the things happening in the world around us: current events. As they lead our weekly assembly, our eighth graders will choose a story about peace, picked from the news. We can talk, of course, of conflicts around the world; but we can also talk about Fair Hill Burial Ground, the Quaker cemetery in North Philadelphia fringed by a community which took its streets back from a ravaging drug trade. We can talk about world peacemakers like the extraordinary Nelson Mandela, featured in a Newsweek cover story this July celebrating his 90th birthday. We can find stories of our own heroes, people like Penn Charter parent Elsie Caldwell, who spoke movingly of love’s power over hate, even after her son Kenny (OPC ’ 89) was lost on 9/11.
As the year goes on, who knows what we will find? Can peace be about giving free music lessons to neighborhood kids? Can it be about police efforts to know people in their neighborhoods? I can’t wait to see what other questions our young people will think to ask.
The new year always brings renewed energy and imagination, ideas and questions. I welcome you all to Middle School for this 2008-09 school year, and I invite you to consider, along with all of us at Penn Charter, the meaning of peace.
Rebecca Tatum
Director of Middle School
In the Classroom September 2008
Posted by msnl in : In the Classroom, September 2008Class Trips
Sixth Grade
Hannah Jacoby-Rupp, Sixth Grade Class Advisor
We continue a new tradition in sixth grade this year with our second annual two-day fall trip. Sixth graders stick to the Philadelphia area in two days of local service and fun activities on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 25-26, returning to school each afternoon to debrief (and clean up!).
Last year’s group spent a day planting trees in the Wissahickon section of Fairmount Park, then bonded during trust-building and hiking in the park. This year, we look forward to another outdoor service experience in Fairmount Park, with plenty of chances for students to get to know one another as they embark, together, on the adventure of Middle School. More information is on its way – watch your mail for the details!
Seventh Grade
Alice Bateman and Jim Fiorile, Seventh Grade Class Advisors
Seventh grade is a special year in middle school, as there is tremendous physical, emotional and social growth that takes place. Our Penn Charter seventh grade program seeks to support, challenge and inspire students during this time. Therefore, we begin the year with an exciting three-day camping trip in late September to Bloomsburg, Pa.
The purpose of the trip is twofold: we want to create opportunities for the class to bond and learn to work together in both small and large groups, and we also want to have some outdoor educational experiences which tie into the curriculum and the seventh grade theme of “Perspective.” The team-building experiences, which will include a session on conflict resolution, are especially important for the grade as there are many new students.
The trip this year will be Wednesday, Sept. 24 to Friday, Sept. 26. We will leave school by 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, travel in tour buses to the camp, and return by 2:55 p.m. on Friday. Parents, look for more information in upcoming days.
Eighth Grade
Cassandra Aldridge and Hannah Jacoby-Rupp, Eighth Grade Civics Teachers
As anyone who follows politics knows, this is a big year. We’re witnessing a remarkable campaign, and the fall promises to bring this exciting race to the finish.
Our civics program links students’ learning about our government and electoral system to the very real process of electing a president. In this unique year, our eighth graders will follow the elections through their own visit to our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., for their class trip on Oct. 15-17. This is a new experience for students and teachers, and ties into an exciting fall project for students, a new take on the independent work often considered one of the highlights of the eighth grade year. Stay tuned for details on the Washington, D.C., trip, and for information on our Election Night event in the Middle School. We’re excited to share this new experience with you.
New This Year: Drama Club
As many of us discover during the spring Middle School play, our students can act! This year, we have a new outlet for those actors and actresses dying to try out a new scene, or play a new character, or find something to do with those costumes and props. Middle School teachers Elizabeth Jones and Michael Roche have created a new Drama Club, which will meet both during and after school, throughout the year. Drama Club is open to any interested student. Participants will help to shape the club’s activities, and may be called upon to entertain the occasional Monday morning assembly. More than anything, they’ll have fun while exploring.
Summer Explorations: Family, Culture and Language
Elizabeth Pago-Taylor, Middle School French
I am certain that home is wherever you are. I like the idea of living in the moment, but there is something about origins that tugs at your core. My husband, Rodney, and I decided to take our son Sebastien to four islands to celebrate my 40th birthday. We started on a little island in New York, traveled to Trinidad, then continued on to Martinique and finally to Puerto Rico. At three, Seba understands that we explore the islands to learn our history, remember our past and change our future. We ate the best mango in Trinidad, the best avocados in Puerto Rico and the best pineapples in Martinique. The food! The ocean! Family! Languages!
Since the earthquakes and Hurricane Dean, things have changed on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, yet things remain the same. People go about living the lives they know. Shared meals, traditions, hot days, cool nights, rain and tree-ripened fruit. Did I mention the ocean? Sebastien refused to go into the pool alone, yet he got into the ocean, descending on his own from the boat that we rode into the choppy waters of the Atlantic during Martinique's magnificent yole rondes competition. He learned a few more words in Creole and he ran errands with my mother in downtown Fort-de-France, where she showed him the hospital in which I was born. We walked passed the Bibliotheque Schoelcher, the ornate library dedicated to the abolitionist who helped end slavery in the French islands in 1848.
A few weeks earlier Sebastien accompanied us for a tribute to the great Martinican poet Aime Cesaire. He watched his father join other scholars to read from the monumental Cahier du Retour au Pays Natal by Cesaire. Cesaire was leader of the Negritude movement and a politician instrumental in Martinique becoming not just a colony, but a full-fledged department of France in 1948 (just as Hawaii became a state of the United States). When we landed on the island, Sebastien was the first to notice the pictures and poetry banners of Aime Cesaire hanging in the terminal of the airport, which has now been named in Aime Cesaire's honor.
Some call the island paradise. I call Martinique that special part of me – the intriguing and colorful blend of France and Africa. It is essential to regularly visit and remember one's origins. It was a joy to experience the return visit through Sebastien's eyes.
News You Can Use September 2008
Posted by msnl in : News You Can Use, September 2008What Happens After School?
Middle School students have a space of their own after school: the Sanctuary program meets from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m. every day in the Balderston Commons in the Richard B. Fisher Middle School. Students who need to stay at school after 5:30, however, should plan to go to the Upper School lobby to wait for their ride. Students may not be in the Middle School building after supervising adults lock the building at 5:30. Parents, please do your best to make arrangements so that your child/ren are picked up at the close of Sanctuary, or plan to meet them in the Upper School. Thanks for helping us keep our students cared for and safe after the end of the academic day.
Fall Athletics in Middle School
Middle School athletics begin on Monday, Sept. 8. Before teams meet, students will receive a locker in our Activities Building, along with a school lock (and, of course, the combination). Teams in soccer and football, field hockey, tennis and cross country will take the fields to begin preparing for our friendly rivalries against Germantown Academy, Germantown Friends School, Malvern Prep, Springside and others.
We are delighted this year to announce new leadership in Middle School athletics at Penn Charter. Jim Phillips (Middle School mathematics teacher) will take on the added responsibility of Middle School athletic coordinator. Jim will work closely with Ed Foley, our new associate director of athletics for boys, and Tori Small, associate athletic director for girls. Together, Jim, Tori and Ed will help to support Middle School teams for kids, coaches and parents. Look for them at your child’s practices and games, and get ready to come cheer for Penn Charter.
Back-to-School Night
Parents, we invite you to Middle School on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7p.m. for Back-to-School Night. Join us for light refreshments, for a chance to meet each one of your child’s teachers, and for an overview of the exciting ideas and topics your son or daughter will be learning this year in Middle School. It’s a busy evening, and a favorite event of the fall. See you then!
Parent Advisor Conferences
The Parent Advisor Conferences for sixth, seventh and eighth grades are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 10 in the Middle School. Parents can schedule their appointments beginning Monday, Sept. 22 by calling Diane Kane at 215-844-3460, ext. 107. Please note that Nov. 10 is a faculty workday and students will not attend classes.
New Faces, New Roles
Kevin Berkoff joins us in Middle School this year to teach seventh grade life science. Many of you may know Kevin in his capacity as director of the Penn Charter Aquatic Club and head Penn Charter swim coach. Kevin has a B.S. from the University of California at Berkley and a master’s from Arcadia University. An experienced outdoor education leader, Kevin will also teach an Upper School outdoor education elective and a section of Upper School physical education.
Amanda Dunlap will teach seventh and eighth grade Middle School math beginning in September. Amanda taught seventh grade math and AP Calculus at Penn Charter last year. She has a B.A. from Bucknell University, where she majored in math and math education. Amanda will continue to coach Middle School swimming and will be an advisor to seventh graders.
Ed Foley is in a new position as associate director of boys athletics. A graduate of Penn Charter, Ed has a B.S. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and comes to us as from a career in business. Ed has been a coach for both boys and girls sports with the St. Philip Neri CYO and, for 11 years, a head coach for the Philadelphia Little Quakers.
Hanne Gradinger will teach art in the Middle School. Hanne has a B.A. in studio art and ceramics from the University of Colorado and a master’s in art education from New York University. She taught visual arts last year at St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Delaware, and has also worked at the Fairmont Arts Center and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Hanne is already familiar with Penn Charter, as she was a long-term art substitute in the Middle School. She is pleased to return to Penn Charter, to a Friends School, and to give up her long daily commute!
Heather Larrabee will be a part-time learning specialist in the Middle School beginning in September. Heather worked last year as the K-12 learning specialist at Baldwin School and previously served as a reading specialist at the National Presbyterian School in Washington, D.C. Heather has a B.A. from Trinity College and a master’s in education from Lesley College.
Community News September 2008
Posted by msnl in : Community News, September 2008Parent Community Welcome
Welcome to the 2008-09 school year!
We’re off to a fun start, with many events in the opening weeks of school. Please join us for the following all-school events:
Community Meeting, Thursday, Sept.11, 8:15am, at Timmons House. Meet our parent volunteer leaders and hear more about what is new for parents this year.
3rd Annual Run for Peace, Saturday, Sept. 13, 9am, in the front circle. Students and parents are encouraged to join faculty and alumni for our annual 5K run / 1-mile walk to promote peace and raise funds for scholarships honoring two graduates – Kenny Caldwell OPC ’89 and Peter Ortale OPC’ 83 – killed on 9/11.
All-School Picnic, Saturday, Sept.27, noon to 2pm. Crafts, games, foods and many home athletic contests to cheer on.
In addition to the all-school events listed above, don’t forget the Middle School Back-to-School Night, Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7pm. This Middle School-only event is an important chance to meet your child’s teachers and learn about their classroom work.
Join other parents from your child’s grade for an evening parent social at the Timmons House:
6th grade parents gather on Friday, Sept 12
7th grade parents meet on Friday, Nov.7
8th grade parents celebrate on Friday, Oct. 3
These socials are a wonderful way to get connected with other parents, share stories and enjoy Penn Charter. Stay tuned for more details about exact times and how you can contribute entrees, desserts, etc.
As the year begins, we invite you to consider joining a parent committee to help plan or run an event later this year. We are always looking for volunteers to support the school: we couldn’t do it without you! Contact Middle School Community Co-Chairs Nan Kelly and Susan Brown to get involved or ask questions.
Thanks, and welcome back to school.
NanKelly@landservicesusa.com
Suzyb723@aol.com