MMFS_News_04-2009 - Mary McDowell Friends School

D E B B I E ’S N OTE
In March Ginny, Fran, Linda, Leslyn, and I traveled
to Costa Rica with our 8th grade students. Each
year the Mary McDowell Center 8th graders spend
a week there in a Spanish language immersion program. It is the culmination of the middle school’s
Spanish curriculum and one of the highlights of
being a student at the Mary McDowell Center.
Monthly Newletter for Parents
Published the first Friday of each month
APRIL 2009
Featured this Month
Debbie's Note
1
Career Day / Birthday Book Club
4
Parents' Association News
5
Alumni News
6
Community Service News
7
Spring Benefit
8
Rufus Jones House
9
Norman Krisberg Room
10
Margaret Fell Room
11
Woodworking Projects
12
March Queries / Sports Night
14
Mary McDowell Center Fund
15
Hot Dog Day photos
17
Giving Online
18
Calendar: April - May
19
Mary McDowell Center
for Learning is a Quaker
School, for children with
learning disabilities.
20 Bergen St ▪ Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 625-3939 ▪ www.marymcdowell.org
Our hotel was located about a half hour’s walk from
the school where the students were taking classes.
The walk ran along the beach and every morning
we were able to gaze at the incredibly blue water as
we made our way to the school. Everyone agreed
that it was a much better way to commute than taking the subway! On our first walk to school we saw
a few dead snakes in the sand, which is quite
unusual. Although no one wanted to get too close to
them we were all fascinated by their lifeless bodies.
Later that day a few of us adults looked them up
on-line and discovered that they were poisonous.
We didn’t want to alarm anyone, so we
decided not to mention it to the group.
But the next day when we went souvenir shopping, a student went right up to
the book section, found the snakes in
question, and announced to the group
that they were poisonous! For the rest of
the trip the kids talked about their
encounter with the deadly creatures,
embellishing their stories more and
more every day. The extent of their escapades and the depth of their bravery
increased exponentially, much to the
delight of all. I wouldn’t be surprised if
some of you heard that we were
attacked by giant vipers and just narrowly survived perishing from their
venomous bite!
Although the students were in different Spanish
classes, all of them focused on learning verbs,
nouns, and pronouns and creating both oral and
written sentences with them. They also learned
beginning dialogues and practiced answering questions about their families and interests. By the end
of the week their skills had improved dramatically.
They were so proud to be able to speak in Spanish
to their teachers and understand what was said to
them, and I was thrilled by their confidence.
In addition to taking Spanish classes the students
took a Latin American cooking class, where they
made arroz con pollo for us, and a Latin American
dance class. The students enjoyed showing off their
moves while those of us who are less coordinated
admired their skills.
continued on page 2
1
continued from page 1 (Debbie's Note)
When the kids weren’t in class, we spent our
time playing ping-pong, swimming at the
beach and pool, and eating ice cream. One day
the kids went surfing. On another they went
snorkeling. While on a boat ride down the
Tempisque River we saw an abundance of
wildlife, including crocodiles, iguanas, bats,
monkeys, and an Amazon kingfisher, which
was correctly identified for us by one of our
students. Speaking of identifying natural
objects, we were amazed to discover a worldclass astronomer among us. Our very own
Leslyn knew all about the constellations and
happily shared her knowledge with our curious students. Actually she could only pick out
one constellation—Orion—but that didn’t stop
the kids from asking her about them. They also
brought her all their questions about the earth
and ocean and, though we are not sure how,
she somehow managed to answer all our questions!
Throughout the week we ate a steady diet of
rice and beans, punctuated by the occasional
hamburger. The kids never complained,
though. One night as a special treat we went to
an Italian restaurant. We were supposed to
have two family-style salads and then individual pasta entrees for each of the kids. Instead
the waiters brought out these mind-bogglingly
huge salads, which kept coming and coming—
certainly a mistake in translation somewhere!
We ended up bringing home 14 salads and giving them out at the hotel, the school—wherever we could get rid of them!
All of the students were amazing. They helped
each other with their Spanish homework and
volunteered to carry things or help clean up
whenever we needed it. There were many
funny moments, of course. We discovered one
student was using a liquid other than shampoo
to wash his hair. And another student had us
in stitches with his solution to the slight odor
in his hotel room. The odor came from toilet
paper, which couldn’t be flushed down the toilets and so needed to be put in the wastebaskets. To combat this problem the student simply used the toilets in the other students’
rooms! And you can only imagine what their
suitcases looked like . . . on the whole, though,
the group was thoughtful, responsible, and
well-behaved. They kept us laughing and we
had a great time watching them help each
other throughout the trip.
After the last day of classes we took a five-hour
bus ride into the mountains of Heredia, where
we spent our last two days in Costa Rica. One
of the days we went on a zip line tour.
Everyone participated except Fran and Linda
(but Fran still gets points for bravery for killing
a HUGE water bug in one of the girl’s rooms).
The kids were incredibly supportive of those
who were scared, convincing everyone to try it
and offering encouraging words as we went
along. On the first line a few of us got stuck in
the middle and needed the guide to push us
the rest of the way. We soon got the hang of it,
though, and were able to enjoy the views without any fear. There were six zip lines of various
lengths, heights, and speeds to carry us
through the trees. There were also three very
narrow bridges that we had to walk on while
still being attached to the zip line. One bridge
was a tightrope, one was a log, and one was
mesh. Ginny and I definitely found them scarier than the zip line itself. At one point Ginny
lost her balance and slipped off the tightrope.
Because she was still attached to the zip line,
though, she didn’t fall far but only hung from
her armpits and had to pull herself back up.
Most of the kids walked cautiously across the
bridges, although two brave souls ran confidently across them. Crossing safely to the other
side emboldened the kids, and they started
shaking the bridges for those of us who still
had to cross! When we finished, we ate a delicious lunch of rice and beans and chicken prepared by the mother of the family who owned
the place. After visiting the central market in
Heredia and enjoying our last taste of Costa
Rican ice cream, we held our 3rd annual Mary
McDowell Costa Rican Talent Show. The kids
put on a terrific performance and had so much
fun. Everyone received an award for something.
We all had a wonderful time in Costa Rica, and
I was so proud of our students. As always, this
trip is one of my favorite MMCL events, an
opportunity for me to spend a little time with
our 8th graders before we bid them farewell
(although, with the new high school on its way,
soon it won’t be a farewell trip but a culmination of middle school). My sincere gratitude to
Ginny, Fran, Linda, and Leslyn for all their
support and work on this trip and for being
such wonderful, good-natured, and fun chaperones.
2
COSTA RICA
3
Birthday Book Club
Career Day at Middle School A Smashing Success
Our sixth annual Career Day was held on Thursday, March 26th,
2009. Professionals from all walks of life came to our school to
share their educational and professional journeys with our Middle
School students.
Presenters, some of whom have learning issues, met with students
in small groups and talked with them about how they faced challenges in school and life and how they arrived at their current professions. It was reassuring for our students to hear that adults
who have achieved success may have had a hard time in school.
Students were fully engaged - discussions were lively. The children
came away energized, with interesting information and new ideas
to think about. They held fascinating conversations afterwards,
comparing notes and sharing stories. Both the presenters and our
students have told us what a great experience it was.
Thank you to the following families who participated in the Birthday Book Club recently. This is a
great opportunity to bring new and wonderful
books to our library.
Frank and Heike Castronovo
for Louise Castronovo
Howard Epstein and Sandra Hartog
for Isaac Epstein
Eileen Ayling for James Ayling
Heather and Peter Campbell
for Sam Campbell
We are very grateful to the following people who generously took
time from their busy lives to be with our students, serving as role
models and inspiring them to achieve their goals and imagine their
own
es future successes:
Lisa Wood Shapiro and Peter Steinberg
for Eben Steinberg
Shafqat and Shahida Kureshi
for Haidar Kureshi
Sarah Connors, Producer and founder of She Spun Films and post
production supervisor on numerous films, mother of Eli Dorf;
Bernard Aquina Doctor, author, illustrator and founder of a therapy services business, friend of Mindy Boslow, parent;
Bert Fink, Senior Vice President of Communications for the
Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, friend of Beth Schneider;
Ali Hackett, top executive in the global prime finance industry,
friend of Randi Small, Clerk of the Board of Trustees;
Sara Holliday; artist pursuing a Masters in Art Education, sister of
Lara Holliday, Trustee;
John Howard, founder and CEO of Irving Place Capital, a merchant banking firm, friend of Fran Yellen, Middle School
Administrator;
Lauren Class Schneider, founder and owner of Class Productions,
a producer of large media events, friend of Beth Schneider.
Sara Holliday,
Career Day presenter, discussed
her art-making
process with
middle school
students.
4
PARENTS' ASSOCIATION NEWS
Maybe it was the blizzard a few days earlier or
the bitter cold, but we were sorry to see such a
small turnout for our last PA meeting of the
2008-2009 school year. While Sibling Night was
cancelled, the March 4th PA meeting went on as
planned. A dedicated few benefited from the
animated presentation by Annette Spallino,
coordinator of Sibling Services at the AHRC,
who spoke about what it’s like to have a sibling
with LD.
Since so few parents were able to make the
meeting, we thought we’d recap many of the
pertinent points brought up. Annette has
worked in the disabilities field for more than 18
years and brought with her a wealth of experience as well as some noteworthy books from
the Sibling Support Project, like:
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•
•
The Sibling Slam Book – a brutally-candid, non-PC, unedited book written by
siblings without disabilities;
Everybody is Different – aimed at young
people with autistic siblings;
Being the Other One – geared for parents,
describes what non-LD siblings experience having a brother or sister with LD.
Annette is also involved in the Sibling Support
Project, which offers sibling workshops—Sibshops, a therapeutic recreational program for
sibs with sibs who have LDs or other health
issues. On May 9, there’s a free Sibshop at the
Brooklyn Public Library’s main branch at Grand
Army Plaza. Annette suggests you pre-register
with the library if you’re interested in attending.
Find out more about Sibshops at www.siblingsupport.org.
General Points Raised:
• A sibling is a sibling and they have similar issues across the board whether LD
or not;
• Children with special needs take up
more time so it’s important to schedule
alone time with your non-LD kids so
they feel cherished too;
• The more difficult a child is, the bigger
a toll it takes on the family and siblings.
Common Issues for Siblings of Children with
LD:
• Misconceptions about the disability –
they worry it might be contagious;
• Defending their siblings from name-calling;
• Need to educate their friends about LD;
• Resent the attention focused on the sibling;
• Avoid communicating bad feelings to
their parents because they feel there’s
already enough on their plates;
• Feel isolated, like they’re the only one –
that’s why Sibshops are so helpful;
• Mourn the loss of a “normal” sibling;
• Act out to get attention;
• Worry about how the parents are coping;
• Feel guilty that they have typically
developing abilities/health while their
•
sibling does not;
Resent being given more responsibility
than their LD sibling.
It’s important to:
• Educate them about their sibling’s disability;
• Be open and honest;
• Don’t give them too much responsibility—they’re still just kids;
• Assure them that you’re a family, you all
work together and support each other;
• Schedule special time with your non-LD
kids;
• Listen to them and allow and recognize
their feelings;
• Let your LD child do as much as possible for him/herself;
• Acknowledge each child’s unique qualities and contributions;
• Use professional help when indicated;
• Enroll your child in a sibling support
group;
• Take advantage of Sibshops.
Next year, Annette promises to do a mini workshop for siblings at MMCL on Sibling Night. We
look forward to having her come back and
impart her expertise to a much bigger audience.
For more information, about Annette’s wonderful organization, AHRC, visit www.ahrcnyc.org.
There was a big crowd for Crafts Day on March
14th. Students made beautiful items like mosaic
mirrors and the extremely popular (and messy!)
continued on page 6
Mindy Boslow
President
[email protected]
212-662-6168
Josephine Fischioni
Vice President
[email protected]
718-837-5734
Tricia Fitzpatrick
Treasurer
[email protected]
718-474-0033
Cathy Brown
Secretary
[email protected]
718-499-6199
5
Alumni News
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
JOHN ALPERT
John Alpert moved on from the Mary McDowell
Center for Learning in 2002 for the Brooklyn
Friends School, where he completed middle
school. He is now a senior at Cheshire Academy
in Connecticut and is headed for Fordham
University in the fall.
involved. Since leaving Mary McDowell he has
always attended mainstream schools and continues to use the skills he developed at Mary
McDowell.
John was accepted to all of the colleges to which
he applied: American University, SUNY Buffalo,
Cheshire Academy is a boarding school, located in SUNY Albany, Ithaca, Susquehanna University,
central Connecticut near UConn’s main campus.
and Syracuse. He applied to Fordham University
There are approximately 80 students in the Class
on early action, and since this was his first choice,
of 2009. Mom reports that her son is a “total” city his college search effectively ended in December.
kid and is very much looking forward to being
While English classes sometimes are a challenge,
back in New York City. “He definitely misses the Mom reports that John does very well at foreign
city,” she said, commenting that Cheshire is about languages, especially Spanish. John is very inter45 percent day students and, as a result, really
ested in China and has studied Mandarin Chinese
quiet on weekends. So John pretty much does the and Chinese history and culture. John has been to
two-hour train ride home every weekend.
China twice – once last summer and more recently
John will live on campus at Fordham, which,
according to Mom, is what most of the students
do, even though it’s only 30 minutes on the #1
train from his home in Chelsea. Right now he
plans to study business in Fordham’s Business
Program. “This is not a kid who is going to spend
his time sitting around contemplating Plato! He’s
much more interested in the practical aspect of
things.”
during spring break when he was able to go to
Xian and see the terra cotta army of soldiers.
“John would love to do a semester abroad in
Shanghai.”
John is “very big” on video games and history,
especially anything involving foreign policy. One
of his favorite classes at Cheshire was a course on
Vietnam.
Mom has maintained that bond, too. “I talk to
Debbie all the time, and certainly John’s years at
Mary McDowell helped him get to where he is
today. And we are very grateful.”
Mom notes that John didn’t talk until he was two
years old; his learning disability is languagebased, with the attendant challenges with expressive language and language retrieval. Reading
was never an issue and John currently has a 3.2
GPA. He tests well, although he has utilized timing accommodations, especially when writing is
Dad is equally connected to the school, currently
serving as a Trustee. He was one of the first parents to serve in this role and has been a trustee for
10 years.
John has maintained his bond with Mary
McDowell and visited the school last month when
he returned from China. He will be volunteering
at Mary McDowell over the summer and is looking forward to seeing old friends.
Kris Hallam
(mother of Andrew Corby—1999 graduate)
PARENTS' ASSOCIATION NEWS
continued from page 5
shaving cream art. Many thanks to Tania
Kleckner, mother of Connor, who coordinated
the event and the parent instructors and volunteers who helped run the show. Thanks to Bari
Small, Cuffe Room teacher, and Clare Hilger,
LES Administrator, who were there to lend a
hand. Crafts Day offered a unique out-of-school
bonding experience for all the crafty students
who attended, who not only honed their fine
motor skills but also enjoyed the pizza and
refreshments afterwards.
Family Fun Swim Day, originally scheduled for
April 25th, will be rescheduled. Details to follow. When the date is announced, please call
Jennifer Suarez at 646-672-8053 or email [email protected] if you are free to volunteer!
The PA is happy to announce that we have tickets to a NY Mets v Washington Nationals game
on Sunday, April 26th at 1:10pm at the new
Citifield! Tickets will be $5. each. We will have
150 tickets and they will be distributed on a first
come, first-served basis. Please watch for an
email blast and flyer and sign up! MMCL families have attended Mets games in the past and
they have always proven to be terrific outings.
Although March 4th marked our final PA meeting of the 2008-2009 school year, we look forward to seeing you at MMCL events like Swim
Day and the school’s not-to-be-missed Gala
Cocktail Party and Silent Auction on May 13th.
If we can be of any assistance, please free to contact any of us.
All the best,
Cathy and Mindy
6
Community Service
This year’s Read-A-Thon in combination with Crazy Hat Day and Pajama
Day brought in a total of $5407.00 in donations for our sister school in
Uganda, for Darfur and for Earl Hall's program, Red Hook Rise.
Congratulations to the students of the Obdaiah Room. They raised
$290.00 in donations for Red Hook Rise literacy and sports program by
creating crafts that were sold at their Museum Week Fundraiser. The
students proudly handed over a check to Earl, a Co-founder of the
program.
MMCL recently donated five monitors to the Interfaith Assembly for
Homelessness and Housing (www.iahh.org). In addition, the Technology
Department worked to build a network server at their St. Mark's office.
The assembly has been organizing activities designed to draw attention
to the issue of homelessness since the mid-1980s.
Earth Day is coming ... April 22nd.
Earth Day New York City: Grand Central Station.... Friday, April 24th
and Saturday, April 25th Earth Day New York will once again transform
five city blocks in the heart of Manhattan into a festival of music,
environmental education, and fun. Renovations have been completed at
Grand Central Station and as a result Earth Fair will have both indoor
(Vanderbilt Hall) and outdoor (Vanderbilt Avenue) venues, making ‘09
the biggest and best Earth Fair yet.
Dr. Dan Murokora gave an extremely interesting presentation
about Uganda to both elementary and middle school students
on March 4th. Here, students present him with funds our school
raised for Positive Planet, an organization working in Uganda.
Earth Month at the Bronx Zoo: April 4–19, 25–26 Come party for the
planet during their month-long celebration. Enjoy eco-friendly games
and activities, musical shows and theater, and an Earth Expo showcasing
green products & services. Learn tips to live green, and don’t miss the
wildest event of the year—the WCS Run for the Wild on April 25!
Thank you to all who have helped make our service projects a huge success!
In Friendship,
Franna Bari
Community Service Committee Clerk
7
“Select Simplicity”: The Annual Spring Benefit Celebration 2009
The Mary McDowell Center for Learning's Annual Spring Benefit Celebration is scheduled for
Wednesday, May 13th from 6:00 to 10:00PM. This year, the theme is "SELECT SIMPLICITY,"
and the event will once again take place at the Tribeca Rooftop in Manhattan. Besides being a
festive evening, this celebration is our major fund-raiser of the year. Last year, we made over
$100,000 for the school, and this year we hope to make more!
Please join us as we honor Susan S. Rai, Special Counsel and Secretary at Vera Institute of Justice,
with the 2009 Violet Longobardi Award.
Months ago, mindful of these uncertain times, we began discussing ways to make this year’s event appropriate
to our fiscal climate. We want to share with you the important changes we have made to this year’s spring benefit
in an effort to be sensitive to the economic environment:
• Ticket prices are tiered with the basic ticket price option lowered to $200 per person or $375 for two tickets;
• The format of the evening for this year is a cocktail party with heavy hors d’oeuvres, rather than a formal sit-down dinner.
This format will provide for greater interaction amongst our community and allow us to significantly lower our ticket prices;
• We are aiming an increased number of silent auction items, and we will forgo the live auction. In lieu of the live auction,
we will host an online web auction which is scheduled to launch on Friday, May 1st.
Our auction journal will appear online soon – details will be emailed to you in the coming weeks!
The silent auction is a very important part of the evening’s fundraising, especially since we are not holding a live auction this year.
We have emailed materials to assist you in soliciting silent auction items and journal advertisements. These forms can also be found
on the school website at www.marymcdowell.org. Click on GIVING / SPRING BENEFIT and links to the forms are on the left
margin.
Please support the silent auction through the donation of a product or service, either from you personally or from your solicitation of
friends and business owners. Use your imagination! Items should be new, valid for at least one year, and valued from $25 to
priceless.
We are still in need of restaurant gift certificates, theatre tickets, sporting event tickets, and concert tickets,
and we are still in need of underwriters for the flowers and the disc jockey.
The Event 2009 Committee thanks you for your support of The Mary McDowell Center for Learning!
Questions? Call L.J. Mitchell, Director of Development, at 718-625-3939, ext. 2223 or email him at [email protected].
8
Why is Art So Important? Students in Rufus Jones House Share Their Views.
It seems that whenever Jones House gets together, some kind of
art project ensues. We have a homeroom full of creative artists and
designers. Recently in Jones House we posed the question: Why
is art so important? And we got some amazing responses.
“Art is important because you get to express yourself.”
- Maddie Radcliffe
“You can make a design that is meaningful.”
- Carlos Glick
“Art brings out the imagination of my interest."
- Kate Sinsheimer
“Because [art] is everything you can possibly think of and anybody, any age can make art no matter who they are.”
- Luke Lifson
“Whatever you do with art, woodworking or drawing is always important, because in art there are no mess ups, you just keep trying
until you are done.”
- Grace Hastings
“Art work is important because it shows who you are and what
you’re feeling.”
- Emelia Watson
“Art can help people understand some things and it make you think
about things that you don’t usually think about.”
- Zoe Adams
“Art is a way to express how you feel. It is a way to let your emotions show. Art can also show a lot about a person. It can show
what a person likes or dislikes.”
- Alison Lee
“Any type of art helps creativity in different ways.”
- James L’Heureux
“Art is beauty and in this world we need beauty.”
- Drew Curran
“It embraces creativity.”
- Hannah Sklar
“You can show your talent and create things.”
- Damiano Mazzone
“I think art and design are important because we live in art. It is a
part of our lifestyle.”
- Roxanne Pedraza
9
Krisberg Room Friendship Cinquains
Spencer
Thoughtful, Curious
Playing Soccer, Boxing, Ice Skating
Enjoys sharing his interests
Spence
-Milo Penning
Chloe
Artistic, Curious
Drawing, Singing, Watching T.V.
Cares For Other People
Chloe Girl
-Olivia Chan
Charles
Brave, Kind
Playing Baseball, Snowboarding. Skateboarding
Honest with his Friends
Charlie
-Stella Sroge Johnson
Jake
Cool, Funny
Playing Baseball, Eating, Sledding
Makes Other People Laugh
Jake the Snake
-Zach Otley
Zach
Artistic, Cool
Playing Soccer, Dancing, Swimming
Kind to his Friends
Zach Attack
-Jake Levine
Olivia
Cool, Brave
Eating, Skateboarding, Sleeping
Gets Along With Others
Livy
-Chloe Barton
Jack
Nice, Silly
Doing Karate, Playing Soccer, Running
Makes Other People Laugh
Joosdy
-Alexandra Biehle
Alexandra
Happy, Thoughtful
Drawing, Dancing, Skipping
Shares with her Friends
Alex
-Jack Perry Wiggins
Stella
Silly, Nice
Running, Skipping, Sleeping
Kind to her Friends
Stell
-Charlie O‛Brien
Milo
Funny, Cool
Does Karate, Plays on his Scooter, Watches T.V.
Makes Other People Laugh
Millo
-Spencer Mandell
10
Life in a Tenement
The Margaret Fell students learned about immigrants who moved to America in the early
1900s. As part of our study, the class went to
the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and
learned first hand about life in the tenements.
The students learned that many immigrants
lived in tenements (apartment buildings) that
were poorly structured, overcrowded, unsafe
and dirty. In class after the trip, students wrote
their own interpretations of what it was like to
live in a tenement. Here is a class version of
this experience.
I live in a tenement. The conditions are harsh.
There are only two windows and they are
crooked. I live with 8 other people and have to
share a bed with my sister. There is little room
to live and the space is dirty. Since the tenement is so dirty, I get a cold often. There are
mice and rats in our home. There are also bugs
in the sink. There are a lot of cockroaches crawling all around us. When we are all asleep the
cockroaches crawl on us. My father works at a
place outside of our home as a plumber and my
mother works in our home making clothing. We
have a special room for her to work in. I like
living with my family, but I dislike the bugs
and the fact that I have to share a bed. I don’t
like living in a tenement.
Christopher ▪ William D. ▪ Lily ▪ Michael ▪
Henry ▪William M. ▪ Alejandro ▪ Justin ▪
Felix ▪ Jill ▪ Sal ▪ Philip
11
WOODWORKING
Crandall House has recently had an influx of new
students courtesy of the seventh grade woodworkers. The artisans of Jones and Lister House are completing a three month-long project on puppetry and
their original creations are popping up all over the
room. Each student began the unit by designing a
puppet using one of three different puppetry construction styles: marionette, rod puppet, or a simple
version of a Japanese bunkaru puppet. After completion of the initial two-dimensional design, the students began work constructing the individual pieces
for their puppets. This was a long and sometimes
arduous process as the woodworkers continuously
modified their initial designs as their puppets slowly
began to take form. Throughout the process the students showed incredible patience and stamina as
they worked on their creations over the course of the
school year. All their hard work has paid off as each
puppet comes to life. The puppets include an almost
life-size Hannah Montana marionette, a scary wolf, a
Venus fly-trap, two baseball players, a dog, a tapdancing reindeer, a panda bear, Pinocchio , a deep
sea diver, a disco dancer, Mickey Mouse, a marionette made of natural materials and a pair of
Calderesque glasses, two incredible people in marionette form, two beautiful rod puppets, a duck, a turtle, a nutcracker, a yodeler with a hoop skirt and
clogs, a woman with flashy pink hair and original
clothing designs, Patrick Starfish, “Multitaskiano”
(made by Damiano), and a guy with a working cabinet for his torso! Some of the
continued on page 13
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W
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O
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K
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continued from page 12
students will be exhibiting their completed puppets during Arts
Night on April 3rd. The artisans in woodworking have created an
incredibly supportive and creative community where the students
continue to realize their creations in wood and have literally
watched them come to life. Please feel free to introduce yourself
to one of the puppets should you meet them walking through the
halls of MMCL.
Caitlin C. and Jim
13
March
Queries
Lower Elementary School
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We just changed the clocks! Now it stays light out later. What do you
like to do outside after school with a friend or someone in your family?
We are celebrating Mary McDowell's birthday this week. If you could
make a wish on your birthday what would it be? Your wish cannot
include presents or toys.
We have just a couple of months left in the school year. What is something you have gotten better at so far?
Where is a place you like to go in your community? Why?
Elementary School
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•
•
We celebrate many special days at Mary McDowell, like Pajama Day,
Hot Dog Day, and Mary McDowell’s birthday. If we could celebrate a
new special day at MMCL, what do you think it should be and why?
There are many gifts of nature that we can enjoy, such as a rainy day
that helps the flowers bloom or a special stone that feels good in your
hand. What is a gift of nature that you have liked? What did you
enjoy about it?
A celebration of Mary S. McDowell’s birthday.
The Fox, Fell and Cuffe rooms have been studying immigration. If you
needed to leave your home and travel to a new country, what country
would you travel to? And what would be hard for you as a new person in a different country?
•
•
Sports Night at MMCL
The Mary McDowell Center Lightning Sports Teams celebrated
another school year filled with exhilarating competition on
Wednesday, March 18, following the staff vs. student basketball
game at the Middle School. Family, friends, staff and coaches
gathered in the Middle School cafeteria to honor players from
the co-ed soccer and the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams for
their hard work, dedication and sportsmanship throughout
their respective seasons.
Middle school co-coordinator Mark Doty and Head of School
Debbie Zlotowitz provided opening remarks for the evening,
reflecting on seasons well-played and thanking players and
parents for their commitment and enthusiasm.
Coaches Justin Schumacher, Earl Hall, John Dentin and
Stephanie Bishop had nothing but good things to say about the
MMCL athletes, stressing how well each team worked together
to have successful and fun seasons. It was clear that each and
every player had a positive impact on their teams and
improved greatly over the course of their seasons. Students
who contributed by managing the scoreboard and books at the
games were also honored for donating their time and energy.
What is your favorite springtime activity? Why?
Middle School
•
Lightning
If you could only learn one lesson in school what would it be and
why?
If you could take a trip or adventure to one place in the world where
you haven't yet visited, where would you go and why?
If Mary McDowell could blow out her birthday candles and make a
wish, what would the wish be?
Congratulations
to the Mary McDowell Center Lightning teams for excelling
on the field, on the court and
in the classroom!
14
The Mary McDowell Center Fund 2008-09
We would like to thank the following individuals who have so
generously contributed to this year’s Mary McDowell Center
Fund, the new name of the school's annual fund. Each year, we
depend on the annual fund to provide direct funding for educational initiatives that tuition alone does not cover. We need
everyone’s participation to reach this year’s goals of $225,000 and
100% parent participation.
Board of Trustees
Alan Alpert and Linda Trotta
John C. and Helen Bender
Nell Clark
Trudy Craney-Germans
Joseph Gosler and Sheila Wolper
Lara Holliday
Sherri Weiser Horwitz and Michael Horwitz
Jon Miller
Milt Sleeter and Joel Herman
Kirk Smothers and Sarah Clarke
Susan L. Weiner
Pamela Wood
Alan and Lisa Sinsheimer
Randi Small
Benjamin Warnke
Sue Wolfe
Parents
Anonymous
Shirley Abraham
Joseph and Jeanne-Marie Accetta
Pam and Douglas Apple
Eileen Ayling
Robert and Theresa Barclay
Nathan Benn and Rebecca Abrams
Kris Bevilacqua
Stephen and Kimberly Biehle
Mindy Boslow
Steven and Debra Brenman
Howard and Ellen Brecher
Peter and Cathy Brown
No gi is too small, and every gi counts. Even in these difficult
economic times, please think carefully about what you can give,
and please stretch your giving to the fullest extent possible.
We are very grateful to all of you who have given. As of April 1,
2009*, contributions total $182,678.
Anthony and Rose Bruno
Joseph and Donna Butera
Stephen and Tracy Callahan
Peter and Heather Campbell
Carolyn Casey and Teresa Aguilar
Mary Chan
Ernest and Donna Chornyei
Family of Hunter Cook
Christopher Cosma and Denise Amses
Abileo Cuenca and Daniela Levanon
Andre Dehondt and Nardos Assefa
Terry and Denise Denson
William Diodato and Linda Hilfiker-Diodato
John and Margaret Doherty
Robert Fasano and Susan Dooha
Henry Ferris and Nancy Weltchek
Riccardo and Josephine Fischioni
Dennis and Patricia Fitzpatrick
Jerald Frampton and Laura Salmon
Joseph and Vera Ga Nun
James and Lee Gallagher
Craig George and Kevin Brown
Lynn Gernert and Susan Weiler
Barbara Gibbs
George Gilpin and Gigi Sharp
Mark Groby and Kate Fitzgerald Groby
Tracy Gross
Zeph Grunschlag
John and Gina Gutzeit
James Haddad and Shereen Beydoun
Michael Heilman
William Hitchcock and
Delicia Shaw-Hitchcock
David and Kathryn Hwang
John Illig and Merry Alpern-Illig
The Louis and Lucille Jakobson Foundation
Michael and Louise Kaufman
Kurt Kauper and Annelizabeth Wells
Colleen Kelly
Vadim Khazatsky and Monica Panzani
Andreas Killen and Marie Sacco
Michael Klebnikov and Alexandra Ourusoff
Keith Kleinick
Susan Kricorian
David and Shelley Kruth
Shafqat and Shahida Kureshi
Frank and Irene Lee
Gary Levine
David and Marlene Lieberman
David and Mary Jane Lifson
Elizabeth Mair
Virginia Levie and Peter Maloney
Andrew Mandell and Marilyn Gold-Mandell
Rick Mandler and Paula Katz
Lou and Francoise Mazzone
Raymond McDaniel and Lori Buchbinder
Robert McLoughlin and Jeanne Arfanis
George Michael and Miriam Mayerson
Robert and Bethany Millard
Mary Murphy
Tom Nahrwold and Susan Pelligrino
Clare O'Brien and Ann McHugh
continued on page 16
15
continued from page 15 (MMC Fund)
Tjebbo Penning and Marya Cohn
Brian and Andrea Pinkney
Nathan Pottter and Karen Levenberg
Ernie and Carolyn Roth
Richard and Faye Silberberg
Alan and Lisa Sinsheimer
Marc Sklar and Donna Maione
Ellynne Skove
Michael Slater and Leslye Noyes
Anthony and Terilyn Stewart
Michael and Julie Streiker
Michael and Julie Swidler
Theodore Tabasso and Mea Townsend
Ricardo Tarrega and Sally Webster
Philip and Anne Marie Thomas
Robert Usdin
Dan Walworth and Hilary Kliros
Diane Watson
Kenneth Westlund and Mary Ann Cassidy
Robert and Jennifer Wheelock
Bill and Louly Williams
Heather Shamsai and Basil Williams
Joseph Wood and Jamie Smida
James Wurst and Rosa Rivera
Grandparents
George S. Abrams
Murray Azaria and Lore Baer
Robert Bickford
Alvin and Iris Boslow
James and Eileen Cassidy
Danny and Babette Fisch
Frank and Ruth Ga Nun
Phyllis Gibbs
Joseph and Joan Juliano
Shannon Kelly
Ron and Isobel Konecky
Howard Levenberg and Nancy Glube
Emily Mandell
Patricia Murphy
Sareva Naor
Joseph Silberberg
James and Jean Smida
Basil and Karlene Williams
Lisa Woods
Alumni Parents and Grandparents
Anonymous
Alan Alpert and Linda Trotta
Richard Bearak and Adrianne Wallace
Andrew and Emily Berger
Greg Brooks and Rachel Adams
Richard and Maureen Carruthers
Robert and Dorothy Cook
Trudy Craney-Germans
Wendy Doremus
Susan Lightfoot and Randall Doud
Nancy Feinberg
Kenneth Fuller and Anni Beherec
Deborah Gibbard
David and Camille Gillespie
Amy Goldin and Nancy Lu
Michael Green and Andrea Hirshman
Edward Greenfield and
Emily Raphael-Greenfield
Marc Gross and Susan Ochshorn
Jose Gutierrez and Emily Berger
Michael Hirsch and Lee Levin
Sherri Weiser Horwitz and Michael Horwitz
Sharon and Barton Inkeles
Thomas Lee and Joan Giambusso
Joanne Lehman
Fay Leoussis
Robert and Eileen Magnavito
Jack Maiorino
Marie Milano
Edward and Mary Miller
Laura and MacNeil Mitchell
Fred Myers and Faye Ginsburg
Adam and Ronnit Palley
Gregory Petrick and Cynthia Smith
Thomas and Linda Quigley
David Sidman and Marjorie Landa
Phil Silvestri and Rita Senders Silvestri
Randi Small
Marjorie Small-Medney
Elissa Sommer
John and Pia Thermos
Susanne and Joel Wolfe
Richard and Carolyn Ziegler
Friends
Elizabeth G. Baird
Martha Bernard
Charlotte Blankfield
Lorraine Boreyko
Judy Boslow
Firth Calhoun and Hedy Matteson
Marvin and Ellen Ciporen
Dennis Connolly and Patricia Casey
Bonnie Covey
Harvey P. Dale
Don Elliott
Howard Friedman and
Jill Harkavy-Friedman
Elizabeth Gilmore
Ben Givan
Rebecca K. Givan
Sara Goldfine
Marjorie Gorkin
Walter and Hildy Hill
Macon and Michael Jessop
Ken Lin Fund
Arline Krisberg
Christine LaSala and Ellen Lipschitz
Lynn Leibowitz
Aricka Martinez
Charles and Barbara McTiernan
Talmadge and Edith Neece
Bonnie Nuzum
Bob Mofenson and June Pintchik
Susan and Kanti Rai
Neal H. Rosenberg
Lois Schiffer
Dorothy Schimel
Alvin and Annie Schlesinger
Frederick and Jane Sillman
Law Offices of Skyer, Castro, Cutler, and
Gersten
continued on page 17
16
Thank
you,
Steve
McFarland!!
continued from page 16 (MMC Fund)
Friends
Katherine Sorel
Howard Stein and Jill Comins
Thomas and Julia Vitullo-Martin
Jonathan Weiner
Bernard amd Shirley Zlotowitz
Robin Zlotowitz
Staff
Anonymous
Karen Beja and Hal Weiner
Heather Burchyns
Cathy Burke
Steve and Joan Conti
Orla Dunstan
Deborah Edel and Theodora Minucci
Angela Meyer
Stacy Miller
Laura and MacNeil Mitchell
Kristen Pedersen
Leslyn and Don Rigoni
Beth Schneider and Steve McFarland
Malika Willis
Elizabeth Yamin and Ronald Singer
Debbie Zlotowitz and Rick Greenberg
*Due to printing deadlines, all gifts received
after April 1, 2009 will be acknowledged in the
May, 2009 newsletter.
This report gratefully acknowledges gifts
received between July 1, 2008 and April 1, 2009.
Every effort has been made to ensure the
accuracy of this report. If there are any errors,
please accept our apologies and notify the
Development Office at 718-625-3939, ext. 2223.
*****
17
ANNOUNCING Online Giving to The Mary McDowell Center Fund
Making a gift to The Mary McDowell Center Fund, the new name of the school's annual fund, is now easier than ever.
For credit card gifts only (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover), please cut and paste the link below into your web browser.
It is easy and secure.
www.marymcdowell.org/giving/online.shtml
Step 1. Please complete your personal information, select your constituency, enter your gift amount and click "Send Gift."
Step 2. Enter your billing information. All fields in red must be completed. Click "Continue."
Step 3. Review your billing information, confirm your gift amount, enter your credit card information, and click
"Complete Order."
It's that simple!
As always, you will receive an acknowledgment letter from us confirming your gift and thanking you for your support of
The Mary McDowell Center Fund.
You can also find the online giving page by going to www.marymcdowell.org, GIVING, and following the drop-down menu to
"Online Giving." The online giving page can also be found on the QUICKLINKS drop-down menu.
Please contact the Development Office if you have any questions.
On behalf of all of us at the Mary McDowell Center for Learning, thank you for your support.
18
April 2009
Sun
5
Mon
6
Tue
7
Wed
Thu
13
14
20
School Resumes
21
3
Arts Night
4
8
9
10
11
15
16
27
28
22
Fox & Fell trip to
the Met
29
BREAK
17
18
24
25
Family Fun
Swim Day
BREAK
23
Lower Elem. trip to
Puppetworks
Fairview Lake mtg.
6:30pm
26
Sat
2
SPRING
19
Fri
1
SPRING
12
MS = Middle School (Summit Street)
UED = Upper Elementary Division
ie: Penn, Coffin & Fry Rms.
ED = Elementary Division
ie: Cuffe, Mott, Obadiah, Fell & Fox Rms
LED = Lower Elementary Division
ie. Anderson, Krisberg, Longobardi, Chapman
ES = UED + ED + LED
30
May 2009
Sun
3
Mon
4
Tue
5
Wed
6
MS = Middle School (Summit Street)
UED = Upper Elementary Division
ie: Penn, Coffin & Fry Rms.
ED = Elementary Division
ie: Cuffe, Mott, Obadiah, Fell & Fox Rms
LED = Lower Elementary Division
ie. Anderson, Krisberg, Longobardi, Chapman
ES = UED + ED + LED
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
7
8
6th Grade
Science
Convention
9
Upper Elem. trip to Fairview Lake
10
11
12
13
Event 2009
14
15
7th—8th Grade
Science Fair
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Teacher Writing
Day
No School
23
28
29
30
Fox, Fell & Cuffe trip to Fairview Lake
6th & 7th Grade trip to Nature’s Classroom
24
31
25
Memorial Day
No School
26
27