MMFS_News_06-2010 - Mary McDowell Friends School

Center News
Mary McDowell Center for Learning
Center News is published the first
Friday of each month by the Mary
McDowell Center for Learning, a
Friends school for children with
learning disabilities.
June 2010
I n T h is Issue
Debbie’s Note
Announcements / P.A. News
Alumni Spotlight
Upper School Update
25th Anniversary Celebration
Founder’s Award: Susan Weiner
Birthday Book Club
MMC Fund Reminder
Mary McDowell Center Fund
Field Day photos
June Calendar
2010-11 Calendar (tentative)
Fairview Lake Photos
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Nature’s Classroom Photos
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A Mont h l y Ne w slet ter for Pa rent s
Debbie’s Note
It’s hard to believe the end of the
school year is here already! Time certainly flies. May has been a busy month
for our students. The upper elementary
division and the Cuffe, Fox, Fell and
Whittier Rooms went to Fairview Lake
while the 6th and 7th graders visited
Nature’s Classroom. The PA hosted a
Family Fun Swim Day and a Mets
game. All three lower elementary divisions presented theater performances.
Students had a great time at Field Day
yesterday and now they are gearing up
for the last day of school!
May also marked the occasion of our
25th Anniversary Celebration. Parents,
staff, trustees and friends gathered
together at the Tribeca Rooftop to
toast the success of the school and pay
tribute to this year’s honorees. I am
pleased to announce that our community outpouring of generosity resulted
in net proceeds of close to $140,000!
John Patrick Shanley, a former MMCL
parent and Pulitzer Prize-winning
playwright, served as emcee. He spoke
about how helpless he felt as he
watched his son Nick struggle to learn
and how grateful he was to find a place
like Mary McDowell. His beautiful
Can you find the frog our students saw on
their Nature’s Classroom trip? For more
photos see page 19.
Mary McDowell Center for Learning
20 Bergen Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 625-3939
www.marymcdowell.org
words helped make the night extra special.
Susan Weiner received the Founder’s
Award for her critical role in starting
the school. When her son Adam was
diagnosed with a learning disability,
she discovered there were no schools in
Brooklyn or lower Manhattan that
could help him. Instead of giving up,
she decided to start one herself. Susan
ran Mary McDowell for its first year
and has continued to guide its growth
as a trustee ever since. For twenty-five
years her commitment to the mission
of the school has never wavered and
has served as the guiding principal in
everything we do.
It was Susan who, along with John
Bender, hired me as Head of School
eighteen years ago. She has encouraged
and supported me every step along the
way. Her deep love for children and
commitment to helping others have
served as a model for my own work.
Over the years I have turned to Susan
whenever I needed help and she has
never let me down. Her advice is
always thoughtful, honest and smart.
Her guidance is invaluable to me, and
for that I am truly grateful. To read
Continued on page 2
MMCL is proudly celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this year! In the spirit
of looking back, we’ve dusted off the archives to bring you some of our favorite
trivia from years past. How well do you know your MMCL history?
1) Which public official has attended all of MMCL’s significant events?
2) In September of what year did MMCL welcome its first 13-year old
student?
3) Which popular AIMS presenter has participated since the first year?
Stumped? See page 9 for answers.
Continued from page 1 (Debbie’s Note)
Susan’s remarks upon receiving the Founder’s Award, see
page 8.
Deborah Edel was honored with the Violet Longobardi
Award for her extraordinary dedication and commitment to
the school. As Director of Admissions and Senior
Psychologist for the last twenty-four years, she is the school’s
longest-serving employee and one of the most beloved members of our community. She has the distinction of admitting
every student who has ever attended the school. Her judgment is extraordinary: she knows exactly which students will
thrive at Mary McDowell and which would be better served
elsewhere.
From the moment I met Deborah I knew I wanted to work
with her. I had never met anyone so kind, so sincere or so
self-possessed, and I trusted her immediately. Over the years
my admiration for her has only grown. I am continually
moved by her near-bottomless wisdom and compassion. Her
insight, experience and integrity have guided every major
decision that has affected the school. Her advice has become
indispensible to me, and I am indebted to her for her support.
Adam’s Prize was presented to bestselling children’s author
and illustrator Patricia Polacco. This award is given to a person whose triumph over a learning disability as a child or
whose work on behalf of such children merits public recognition. Patricia struggled with dyslexia until age fourteen when
a perceptive teacher recognized her difficulty and helped her
learn to read. Patricia is now the author of more than 40 children’s picture books, including the much-loved favorites
Thank You, Mr. Falker, The Keeping Quilt and My Rotten
Red-Headed Older Brother. Andrea Pinkney, mother of
MMCL students Dobbin and Chloe, introduced Patricia. A
children’s book author and illustrator herself, Andrea spoke
of Patricia with glowing praise, commending her for bringing
joy to so many people and for reminding her readers that
children with learning disabilities are creative and smart in
spite of them.
Patricia first visited Mary McDowell in October 2008. She
talked to the students about the books she had written, her
family and her learning disability. It was an absolute pleasure
to watch the joy on our students’ faces as they listened to
Patricia. Her stories about her struggle with and ultimate triumph over a learning disability touched both faculty and students alike. I can’t think of a person more deserving of
Adam’s Prize than Patricia.
Bill Borman and Courtney Nuzum Jiménez were honored for
ten years of service to the school. Bill has been teaching in
the lower elementary division since his very first year at the
school. Four years ago the school capitalized on his many
strengths by making him the art, science, and building block
specialist for the lower elementary school. Whether supporting a sad student, preparing a SMART Board lesson on the
physiology of snails or showing a student how to build a
foundation for a block tower, Bill instinctively understands
the developmental needs of our youngest students. Teachers
and staff know that they can rely on Bill for help, and he in
turn is generous with both his time and his talents. He
devotes himself to taking care of people and likes nothing
better than to make them smile.
Courtney Nuzum Jiménez has worn many hats since joining
the faculty ten years ago. She has been a student teacher, an
assistant teacher and a head teacher. When we opened the
middle school in 2005, Courtney was the obvious choice to
co-direct the division with Mark Doty. Together they develop the division’s curriculum, supervise the faculty and work
closely with families and students. In addition to all this,
Courtney teaches a math class every day. She encourages students and staff alike to think responsibly, act with integrity
and put forth their best work possible. Courtney prefers to
stay out of the limelight and let her work — the work of educating children — speak for itself. Her commitment to the
well-being of all Mary McDowell students serves as a model
for the entire faculty. The Mary McDowell Center has been
blessed to have these two extraordinary teachers for the past
ten years.
Finally, I can’t thank L.J., Beth, Orla, Stephanie, Hope, the
Benefit Committee and the MMCL staff enough for all they
did to make this such a fabulous evening.
On a different note, we’ll be having our “Moving Up” ceremony on Wednesday, June 9th at the Brooklyn Marriott at
133 Adams Street. This ceremony is a celebration of the end
of school and all the hard work our students have done
throughout the year. The festivities will begin at 10:00 AM
and conclude at noon. Please remember that there will be no
busing that afternoon, so parents MUST take their children
home directly from the Brooklyn Marriott. I look forward to
seeing you then.
Wishing you all a wonderful summer!
See pages 6 and 7 for photos of the
25th Anniversary Benefit Celebration.
Enjoy more photos when you visit the
online photo album on our webpage:
www.marymcdowell.org.
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Upcoming Events You Won’t Want to Miss!
June 9 ..................... Moving Up Ceremony at the Brooklyn Marriott, noon dismissal, no busses
June 14 - 25 ........... Camp MarMac
Next Year
September 7 .......... Open House
September 8 .......... First Day of School, regular 1:45 pm dismissal
P. A. News
It’s hard to believe that the end of the school year is next
week! As the 2009-2010 year at MMCL draws to a close,
we’d like to thank all of you for being so supportive of
the MMCL PA. Sponsored events that promoted socializing among parents and students from different classrooms were very well attended. These events included
Bowling Day, Crafts Day and the outing to see the Mets
at Citi Field. Our last event of the year, Family Fun
Swim Day, was a roaring success with over 130 people
attending! We sincerely thank you as well for your generous financial support. Without you, key fundraising
efforts like the Sally Foster Candy Drive, the
Tupperware Drive and the Book Fair would fall flat!
We extend a hearty and grateful thank you to our pot
luck hosts and all of our parent volunteers. Thank you in
advance to those families who have agreed to participate
in the Buddy Program. There are too many parent volunteers to name here but you know who you are - and we
know who you are! By pitching in, you are giving the
children at MMCL a first-hand lesson in the importance
of community and volunteerism. It is that spirit of generosity and camaraderie which helps make MMCL the
unique, supportive community it is.
Celebration Benefit. If you were able to attend you know
first-hand that it was an especially memorable event and
a wonderful chance for us to get to know more of you.
After three rewarding years as PA President, I feel it is
time to pass the torch. It has truly been a delight getting
to know you and your children. As of September, Maria
Nunes will be my very able successor as President of the
PA. Maria and I have functioned as co-presidents this
year and the PA will be in extraordinarily competent
hands. Tracy Callahan will serve as Vice President and
Cathy Brown and Merry Alpern-Illig have once again
agreed to serve as Secretary and Treasurer. Thank you
for your commitment to the Parents’ Association!
Over the summer, the PA will be working to organize
events for the 2010-2011 school year. You can expect PA
favorites as well as events that are sure to be exciting
additions to our calendar of events!
We wish you all a wonderful, relaxing, fun-filled summer. If we can be of assistance, please feel free to contact
any one of us.
Best always,
Mindy
Thank you for contributing items to the 25th Anniversary
Mindy Boslow
Co-President
[email protected]
212-662-6168
Maria Nunes
Co-President
[email protected]
347-529-5240
Merry Alpern-Illig
Treasurer
[email protected]
718-636-0097
Cathy Brown
Secretary
[email protected]
718-499-6199
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Check i ng i n wit h o u r A lu m n i
Congratulations to Our Alumni
We applaud the very impressive list of college acceptances
for our alumni graduating from high school this year. When
much press has been given to the greater competition and
increased difficulty of getting into good colleges, our alumni have done very well.
We have been able to contact several alumni who are going
to college in the fall. The following are the colleges and
universities at which they have been accepted.
American University
Clark University
CW Post (Long Island University)
Drew University
DePauw University
Fordham University
George Washington University
Lynn University
New York University / Tisch School of the Arts
Northeastern University
Rollins College
University of Arizona
University of Hartford
York College in PA
Congratulations to all our college bound alumni and best
wishes from everyone at MMCL.
We always enjoy when alumni come back to visit.
This photo was taken earlier this year.
MMCL alumni who currently attend Xavarian High School on a visit to MMCL. From left: Donny Henglein, Philip McManus, Chris
Ruggiero, Mikey Rivera, Brandon Longo and Christian Sellitti. All are involved in sports including lacrosse, football and basketball.
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Upper School Update
Summer is just about here and that means that the opening of the upper school is virtually around the corner.
Emily and I have already been working with next year’s
fulltime faculty in the division to lay the groundwork for
the Field Studies program that I wrote about in the April
newsletter. We are also in the midst of registering students
for their elective courses in the ninth grade. As my final
newsletter article for 2009-2010, I want to share with you
another exciting curriculum development. I am delighted
to announce that we are establishing a partnership with
Teachers College of Columbia University. TC is the largest
education school in the nation and one of the finest.
Because of its size, it houses several rare and highly specialized programs. One of these is the program of
American Sign Language (ASL) as a Second Language,
which is the only program of its kind anywhere. Beginning
in the fall, we will partner with TC’s ASL as a Second
Language program to offer American Sign Language as an
option for Mary McDowell upper schoolers.
In the middle school years at Mary McDowell, students
take Spanish from the sixth through eighth grades. From
the beginning of our planning process, we wanted to offer
a high school level program in Spanish. However, students
who have language-based learning disabilities often find a
second written language to be especially challenging,
which is the reason that most schools like Mary McDowell
do not offer it. We believe that a program tailored to our
students’ individual needs, on the other hand, makes
learning a second language accessible. Furthermore, when
researching schools for students with learning disabilities
across the nation, we discovered that a small number of
institutions had introduced ASL to students with language-based learning disabilities with great success.
Therefore, we are offering Spanish and ASL as distinct
options for upper school students.
ASL as a Second Language has a fundamentally different
approach from Deaf Education, which is the focus of most
ASL teacher training programs. While the latter is intended to assist non-hearing students in all aspects of their
education, ASL as a Second Language is targeted toward
teaching hearing students not only how to communicate
using sign language, but also as an introduction to understanding deaf culture in America. ASL as a Second
Language is a discipline on the cutting edge of research
and practice in a field called cognitive linguistics, which
has proven to provide new avenues to learning for many
types of students, including those with auditory processing disorders. Cognitive linguistics enables students not
only to visualize language, but also to construct meaning
based on their own prior knowledge and experiences. In
short, cognitive linguistics not only provides an avenue to
learning the structure and syntax of a language, it also provides an examination of the meaning of expression as well.
A simple example may make this concept clearer. Years
ago, sign language instruction was focused primarily on
the independent hand gestures and signs that are associated with specific words or letters. A person, therefore,
might use specific signs for the word tree, but there would
be little room for a nuanced understanding of a tree, such
as its size, color, health, grandeur, frailty, et cetera. In ASL
as a Second Language’s cognitive linguistics approach, the
communicator uses a variety of gestures that are based
upon his or her own particular experiences of trees to give
a clearer, more detailed and deeper understanding of the
massive, towering locust tree that stands behind my apartment, for instance.
We are very excited to be offering both Spanish to students who want to continue to strengthen their skills and
proceed toward fluency in that romance language and we
are also looking forward to the development of our ASL
program. By collaborating with Professor Russell Rosen,
PhD at Teachers College, we are lucky to work with one of
the foremost scholars and practitioners in the field today.
Our partnership will bring one of TC’s most advanced
ASL graduate students, under Professor Rosen’s guidance,
and the curriculum that they have designed to our very
fortunate new division. In return, we will provide
Professor Rosen and his program a window into both
Quaker education and the NYC world of specialized
schools for students with learning disabilities. It is certainly a win-win for both of our institutions.
Kirk Smothers
Upper School Director
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25th Anniversary Benefit Celebration
May 12, 2010 – Tribeca Rooftop
Clockwise from L: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz with Debbie Zlotowitz & MMCL Board of Trustees; Joanna Weiner, Founder’s Award Honoree
Susan L. Weiner & Board Clerk Randi Beth Small; Marianna Bender; Trustee Sherri Weiser-Horwitz & Michelle Carfagna; Master of Ceremonies John Patrick Shanley &
Adam’s Prize Honoree Patricia Polacco; Violet Longobardi Award Honoree Deborah Edel; Honoree Courtney Nuzum Jimenez with mom Bonnie Nuzum & husband
Sandy Jimenez; Susan L. Weiner; Trustee Andrea Davis Pinkney & Patricia Polacco; Susan L. Weiner receives a warm ovation from the Celebration guests;
Honorees Bill Borman, Courtney Nuzum Jimenez, Deborah Edel, Patricia Polacco & Susan L. Weiner with John Patrick Shanley & Debbie Zlotowitz.
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25th Anniversary Benefit Celebration
May 12, 2010 – Tribeca Rooftop
By row: Krystle Rosado & Wendy Kelleher; Cynthia and Paul Alfieri; Lisa Shapiro; Harry Steinberg, Peter Steinberg & Nola Zirin;
Bethany Millard & Debbie Zlotowitz; Heather Campbell & Heather Shamsai; Susan S. Rai; Florie Huppert & Alla Huppert;
Sarah Connors and Michael Dorf; Andrew and Chris Merola; Amy Jakobson; Beth Schneider & Teddy Minucci;
Elizabeth Post-Marner and Larry Marner; Susan Weiler, Fran Yellen & Lynn Gernert; Larry Botel & Robert Millard;
Rick and Claire Yaffe; Ann McHugh and Clare O’Brien & Deborah Edel; Ellynne Skove; Rebecca Abrams and Nathan Benn & Patricia Polacco;
Timothy and Kimberly Dowling & Lisa Kim; Diane Baker & Mary Ann Cassidy.
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Founder’s Award
25th Anniversary Remarks
Susan L. Weiner, founder and current trustee of MMCL, delivered the following remarks upon
receiving the Founder’s Award at the 25th Anniversary Benefit Celebration on May 12th.
Every year the new parents come to a cocktail party at my
house, and someone asks me: “how did you start the
school?” And my answer is “Well, you just do it, but you do
it very carefully.” The idea for our school came to mind
when it became clear to me that children, like my son
Adam, who had learning problems and lived in Brooklyn
and lower Manhattan, had no nearby independent school
offering special education. Adam’s father, Jonathan and I
were sitting at our dinner table, we said to each other –why
not do one? That was 1981. Two years later, the Mary
McDowell Center for Learning opened with 5 children, 5
to 7 years old. My vision was for an outstanding program
for 20 students. Today the Mary McDowell Friends School
enrolls nearly 250 students. So people say, “You must feel
very proud.”
Of course, the school in its current size and scope is something we are all proud of. But what I am most proud of is
the enduring culture of the school, a culture which comes
from carefully considered values and principles established
at its beginning. Early on I thought that a new school was
more likely to succeed if it was attached to an established
school on whose strong history we could build. Well, the
1980’s were a time when ‘learning disabilities’ were not to
be discussed too openly. A child with learning disabilities
was often stigmatized as inferior, really pretty stupid, and
likely to fail in school. So when I approached many of the
Brooklyn independent schools, they said, thanks, good idea,
but no, these are not our students. These schools now, of
course, refer their children to us and admit our graduates.
But Brooklyn Friends School, Brooklyn Monthly Meeting
and the larger Quaker community responded with, “Let’s
see if this can work.” And work they did. Violet
Longobardi, about whom you will hear more later,
Talmadge Neece, Norman Krisberg, Ed Doty, Jean Sterrett,
Dulcie Barlow, David Anderson, Kay Edstene, among many
others, guided our way, so we could formally operate as a
unit of Brooklyn Friends School. The New York Quarterly
Meeting allowed us to use the Brooklyn Meeting House
rent free. And they agreed to cover a first year deficit, which
we never ran. But even more important to me, the support
of Friends Meeting meant our children would be nurtured
as part of a community with established values, where their
individuality would be cherished. So I knew the new school
would have heart and soul – without which our children
would never learn.
To educate these special children we needed other sound
values – we were committed to challenging their minds in
innovative ways and not compromising, but setting high
standards for them so they could become successful learners. As you know, children with learning disabilities have
unique profiles, intellectual strengths and weaknesses that
vary from child to child. This complex educational challenge called for access to the latest thinking about learning
and learning disabilities. The school had to have systematic
ways of accessing and disseminating state of the art ideas
about education, in short, a Center for Learning. So we set
out ways to engage insights from some of the best education
specialists in academia and in practice. I established a
Professional Advisory Board, including Lillie Pope, Martha
Bernard, Mary Ellen Isaacs, Sister Helen Kearney to help
shape our admissions, curriculum, and related services. We
created the MMC Roundtable, which has continued as the
Prominent Speaker Series, where learning disabilities
experts would share insights with parents and professionals
in an open meeting. We established relationships with the
graduate special ed. departments at Columbia, NYU and
Bank Street, which would be the sources for our faculty.
And we’re proud to say that Debbie, our Head of School, is
now on the board of trustees of Bank Street College of
Education, where many of our extraordinary teachers come
from.
Other important and enduring principles were established
at the start. For example:
• admissions and education policy would have to stretch
to meet the needs of a more impaired child who had
cognitive sparkle that we thought we could enhance;
• the school rather than the child must bear the primary
responsibility for a child’s learning success; we had to
figure out how to unlock a child’s code;
• and we needed to be a school wide open to parents,
where they could also find support and guidance.
Continued on page 9
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Continued from page 8 (Susan Weiner’s Remarks)
Oversight of the school is the responsibility of volunteer
trustees. The trustees in the first decade set the tone and
quality of oversight which continues today. They planned,
advised, mentored staff, provided strict fiscal oversight and
generous financial support. They stuffed envelopes, dusted,
revised budgets, obtained foundation grants and did whatever was necessary to build our school. Susan Rai, John
Bender, Pam Wood, Mike Lasky, Randi Small, Alan Alpert
among so many others provided leadership at critical points
in the early years. Most of the school’s current trustees are a
talented new generation, and they carry on the culture of
respect, caring and commitment to the highest standards.
So how did we get from a program of 20 students to an
established institution of 250? We hired Debbie Zlotowitz!
Debbie’s leadership since 1992 has grown our entire community. Our elementary school burst out of the Meeting House,
out of the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue Annex, and eventually into our own beautiful Bergen Street home. We now
have a Middle School in a wonderful site on Summit Street.
And we will have a high school to be launched this coming
September. Debbie has taken our founding values, principles
and policies and ensured that the vision of our school has
remained real. Her focus is always on the children first. She
has thoroughly assimilated the faculty and staff into the
Mary McDowell way of working. She has expanded not only
the numbers of children we can educate but the community
of friends, parents and grandparents who support the school.
Her talent and enthusiasm has pushed the shy 20 th century
Mary McDowell Center for Learning into the extraordinary
21st century Mary McDowell Friends School.
The principles and values - the DNA - of the Mary
McDowell Friends School are the products of a community
now largely gone. Our 25-year old school will soon enter
another phase of growth. New families, faculty, staff, trustees, neighbors and friends of our wonderful school, many of
whom are celebrating this anniversary here with us tonight,
now have the exciting responsibility of sustaining the DNA
of the Mary McDowell Friends School so it can continue to
evolve as a splendid institution. So all of us should take
pride in our wonderful school, and, yes, I am especially
proud of its cultural legacy. For me, it has been a project of a
lifetime.
Bir thday Book Club
Here are the answers to MMCL
history questions from page one.
1) Marty Markowitz
2) September 2005
3) “Vinnie Voltage” has been a muchloved presenter since Adventures in
Math & Science’s first year in 1994,
leading children in hands-on and fun
science experiments.
Thank you to the following families who recently
participated in the Birthday Book Club. This is a great
opportunity to bring new and wonderful books
to our library.
Paula Katz and Rick Mandler for Henry Mandler
Jeanne-Marie and Joseph Accetta for Justice Accetta
Merry Alpern-Illig and John Illig for Sally Illig
Margaret and John Doherty for Shannon Doherty
Louisa and Marc Liechtung for Ross Liechtung
Mindy Boslow for Max Boslow
Yaskara and Hector Quiros for Gabrielle Quiros
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
for Chloe Pinkney
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What’s Missing from this Picture?
49% of Mary McDowell Center families have not yet made a gift to The Mary McDowell Center Fund, the school’s annual fund.
You have until June 30th.
Please participate & help us reach our goals of $230,000 and 100% parent support.
No gift is too small, & every gift 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. Make a gift online at
http://www.marymcdowell.org/giving/online.shtml
Thank you so much!
For more information, please call L.J. Mitchell, Director of Development, at 718‐625‐3939, ext. 2223.
Continued on page 13
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The Mary McDowell Center Fund 2009-10
We would like to thank the following individuals who have so
generously contributed to this year’s Mary McDowell Center Fund, 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 $230,000 and 100%
parent participation.
Trustees and Former Trustees
Alan Alpert and Linda Trotta
John and Helen Bender
Martha Bernard
Nell Clark
Jonathan Collett and Charlotte Brown
Collett
Mercer Cook III and Cindy Cook
Trudy Craney-Germans
Cynthia Crossen and James Gleick
Joseph Gosler and Sheila Wolper
Arline Krisberg
Michael C. Lasky and Peggi Einhorn
Jon Miller
Talmadge and Edith Neece
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
Susan and Kanti Rai
Alan and Lisa Sinsheimer
Milt Sleeter and Joel Herman
Randi Beth Small and Tom McMahon
Robert D. Vitalo
David Warren and Helen Lee-Warren
Susan L. Weiner
Sherri Weiser-Horwitz and
Michael Horwitz
Sue and Joel Wolfe
Pamela Wood
Parents
Anonymous (5)
Shirley Abraham
Joseph and Jeanne-Marie Accetta
David and Alisa Ackerman
Scott Adkins and Erin Courtney
Javier Alvarez and Nuria Lopez
Linda Anton
Nell Archer and Nancy Webster
Christopher and Valerie Arnade
Ara Arslanian and Cecile Casablancas
Michael Arvystas and Mary Ruth
Buchness
Eileen Ayling
Mark and Diane Baker
No gift is too small, and every gift counts. In this, the school’s
25th anniversary year, 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 June 2nd , 2010*, contributions total $218,416.
Nathan Benn and Rebecca Abrams
Kris Bevilacqua
Stephen and Kimberly Biehle
Mindy Boslow
Larry and Vicki Botel
Frederick and Susan Bremer
Steven and Debra Brenman
Peter and Cathy Brown
Joseph and Donna Butera
Stephen and Tracy Callahan
Peter and Heather Campbell
Kenneth Westlund and Mary Ann
Cassidy
Mary Chan
Ernest and Donna Chornyei
Eunu Chun and Lisa Kim
Carmine and Marie Cincotta
Neil and Virginia Coleman
Douglas and Sonia David
William Diodato and
Linda Hilfiker-Diodato
John and Margaret Doherty
Anne Donadeo
Timothy and Kimberly Dowling
Howard Epstein and Sandra Hartog
Robert Fasano and Susan Dooha
Thomas Faulkner and Brenda Husson
Henry Ferris and Nancy Weltchek
Riccardo and Josephine Fischioni
Aram Flores and Diana Biagioli
Joseph and Vera Ga Nun
James and Lee Gallagher
Craig George and Kevin Brown
Lynn Gernert and Susan Weiler
Roger Gilchrist and Ellynne Skove
George Gilpin and Gigi Sharp
Nicholas and Jacqueline Gravante
Mark Groby and Kate Fitzgerald Groby
Barbara Gross and Ellen Neipris
Zeph Grunschlag
Richard Guay and Nancy Dennigan
Hugo Guinness and Elliott Puckette
Michael Gulas and Rebecca Perrin
John and Gina Gutzeit
Daniel and Lauren Hellberg
Diego Hojraj
David and Kathryn Hwang
John Illig and Merry Alpern-Illig
Thomas and Amy Jakobson
Kurt Kauper and Annelizabeth Wells
Vadim Khazatsky and Monica Panzani
Colleen Kelly
Andreas Killen and Marie Sacco
Michael Klebnikov and
Alexandra Ourusoff
Anthony and Tania Kleckner
Keith Kleinick
Susan Kricorian
David and Shelley Kruth
Frank and Irene Lee
Stephen Lichtman and Amy Hausknecht
David and Mary Jane Lifson
Elizabeth Mair
Andrew Mandell and
Marilyn Gold-Mandell
Rick Mandler and Paula Katz
Alain and Claudina Marcus
Lou and Francoise Mazzone
Ann McHugh and Clare O’Brien
Robert McLoughlin and Jeanne Arfanis
Andrew and Christine Merola
George Michael and Miriam Mayerson
Robert and Bethany Millard
David Moldenhauer and Julia Lichtblau
John Monti and Irene Hultman Monti
Deborah Mullen-Prevot
Mary Murphy
Maria Nunes
Stewart Otley and Lyn Koppe
Pedro Pedraza and Enercida Guerrero
Tjebbo Penning and Marya Cohn
Antonio Perez and Myriam Juarbe
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
Hector and Yaskara Quiros
Elizabeth Radcliffe
Continued on page 12
11
Continued from page 11 (MMC Fund)
Parents continued
Ben Rinzler and Beth Ann Day
Ernie and Carolyn Roth
James and Judith Ross
Soumilia Sidibe and Maria Bassi
Richard and Faye Silberberg
Michael Slater and Leslye Noyes
Peter Steinberg and Lisa Shapiro
Anthony and Terilyn Stewart
Philip and Ann Marie Thomas
Theodore Tabasso and Mea Townsend
Robert Usdin
Timothy Vaughn and Nanette BraceroVaughn
Roy Walter and Monica Elias
Dan Walworth and Hilary Kliros
Robert and Jennifer Wheelock
Basil Williams and Heather Shamsai
Joseph Wood and Jamie Smida
Thomas and Brigitte Yohe
Grandparents
Hale and Mildred Alpern
Linda Attoe
Murray Azaria and Lore Baer Azaria
James and Eileen Cassidy
Hy Dooha
Jerry and Harriet Dorf
Dan and Babette Fisch
Frank and Ruth Ga Nun
Peter and Ellen Jakobson
Joseph and Joan Juliano
Carol Feinberg
Carol Kelleher
Shannon Kelly
Ron and Isobel Konecky
Howard Levenberg and Nancy Glube
Emily Mandell
Patricia Murphy
Uriel and Sareva Naor
Joseph Silberberg
Warren and Flo Sinsheimer
James and Jean Smida
Alumni and Parents and Grandparents
of Alumni
Anonymous (2)
Alan Alpert and Linda Trotta
Robert and Theresa Barclay
Richard Bearak and Adrianne Wallace
Eunice Becker
Andrew and Emily Berger
Howard and Ellen Brecher
Peter Buckley and Rita Foley
Richard and Maureen Carruthers
Howard Chernick and June Zeitlin
Joel Cohen and Diane Milder-Cohen
Robert and Dorothy Cook
Christopher Cosma and Denise Amses
Trudy Craney-Germans
Cynthia Crossen and Jame Gleick
Andre Dehondt and Nardos Assefa
Randall Doud and Susan Lightfoot Doud
Nancy Feinberg
Kenneth Fuller and Anni Beherec
David and Camille Gillespie
Amy Goldin and Nancy Lu
Jennifer Green
Michael Green and Andrea Hirshman
Marc Gross and Susan Ochshorn
Tracy Gross
Jose Gutierrez and Emily Berger
James Haddad and Shereen Beydoun
Don and Helen Henglein
Michael Hirsch and Lee Levin
Barton and Sharon Inkeles
Norman and Laurin Kleiman
Michael C. Lasky and Peggi Einhorn
Thomas Lee and Joan Giambusso
Allan and Dvorah Lefkowitz
Fay Leoussis
James and Katharine L’Heureux
David and Elizabeth Lipman
Jack Maiorino
Robert and Laura Marino
Robert and Eileen Magnavito
Marie Milano
Edward and Mary Miller
Ian Mitchell
Laura and MacNeil Mitchell
Fred Myers and Faye Ginsburg
Ron and Debbie Natoli
Tom Ott and Peter Bingham
Gregory Petrick and Cynthia Smith
Thomas and Linda Quigley
Rayna Rapp
Don and Lori Sellitti
David Sidman and Marjorie Landa
Phil Silvestri and Rita Senders Silvestri
Randi Beth Small and Tom McMahon
Elissa Sommer
Klay and Jane Stack
George Szajnberg
Jacob Tobin
Sherri Weiser-Horwitz and
Michael Horwitz
Bill and Louly Williams
Ed Wollman and Jane Herrick
Pik Fan and Kam Choi Yan
Fran and Dwight Yellen
Friends
Lauren Baum
Robert and Bernice Berk
Judith Bickart
Charlotte Blankfield
Lorraine Boreyko
Marvin and Ellen Ciporen
Dennis Connolly and Patricia Casey
George and Karen Getz
Ben Givan
Rebecca K. Givan
Marjorie Gorkin
Delia Gottlieb
Francis Greenburger and Isabelle Autones
Walter Hill and Hildy Gottlieb Hill
Michele Kule-Korgood
Gregory Macosko and Sharon Zane
Greg and Kim Manocherian
Joan Marshall
Aricka Martinez
Michael McMahon
Robert Mofenson and June Pintchik
John Nuzum
Fredda Rosen
Lois Schiffer
Alvin and Annie Schlesinger
Mr. and Mrs. Martin E. Segal
Frederick and Jane Sillman
Regina Skyer
David and Paula Weiner
Jonathan Weiner
Bernard and Shirley Zlotowitz
Robin Zlotowitz
Staff and Former Staff
Anonymous (1)
Hally Bayer
Karen Beja and Hal Weiner
Stephanie Bishop
Heather Burchyns and David Canton
Stephen and Joan Conti
Vera Donovan
Orla Dunstan and Robert Salmieri
Deborah Edel and Teddy Minucci
Mary and Chris Hadley
Melvyn and Lorna Littner
Diane Lupow
Laura and MacNeil Mitchell
L.J. Mitchell
Kristen Pedersen
Leslyn and Don Rigoni
Beth Schneider and Steve McFarland
Bevin Small
Kirk Smothers and Sarah Clarke
Continued on page 13
12
Continued from page 12 (MMC Fund)
Staff and Former Staff continued
Katherine Sorel
Liz Yamin and Ron Singer
Fran and Dwight Yellen
Debbie Zlotowitz and Rick Greenberg
Foundations/Organizations
Around Foundation
Denis P. and Carol A. Kelleher
Charitable Foundation
Harry Stern Family Foundation
Law Offices of Skyer, Castro,
Cutler and Gersten
The Louis and Lucille Jakobson
Foundation
Maurice & Carol J. Feinberg Family
Foundation, Inc.
Roe Foundation, Inc.
The Warren J. and Florence Sinsheimer
Foundation, Inc.
***
*Due to printing deadlines, all gifts
received after June 2nd, 2010 will be
acknowledged in the 2009-2010 Annual
Report.
This report gratefully acknowledges gifts
received between July 1st, 2009 and June
2nd, 2010. 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.
fie ld day fu n
13
...
and more
f ie ld day fu n
14
June 2010
Sun
Mon
Tue
1
Wed
2
Thu
3
Fri
Sat
4
5
10
11
12
17
18
19
25
26
Field Day
6
7
8
9
Moving Up
Ceremony
NOON
DISMISSAL
13
14
15
16
C A M P M A R M AC: J u ne 14 - 2 5
20
21
22
23
27
28
29
30
24
See you next year!
MS = Middle School (Summit Street)
ES = UED + ED + LED
UED = Upper Elementary Division
i.e. Penn, Coffin & Fry Rms.
ED = Elementary Division
i.e. Cuffe, Mott, Obadiah, Fell , Fox & Whittier Rms.
LED = Lower Elementary Division
i.e. Anderson, Krisberg, Longobardi Rms.
15
Please note that this is a preliminary draft of next year’s school calendar. We will mail the final calendar in July.
Mary McDowell Center for Learning
20 Bergen Street · Brooklyn · New York 11201 · (718) 625-3939 · (718) 625-1456
Tentative School Calendar 2010-2011
School Hours: 8:15AM-3:00PM M, T, TH, F; 8:15 AM-1:45 PM WED.
2010
September 6
September 7**
September 8
September 9 - 10
September 13 - 15
September 17
October 4
October 5
October 6
October 11
October 16
October 19
October 21
November 2*
November 11
November 12
November 23
November 24 -26*
December 1
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thurs. – Fri.
Mon. – Wed.
Friday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Monday
Saturday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Friday
Tuesday
Wed. – Fri.
Wednesday
December 9
December 21
Dec. 22 – 31
Thursday
Tuesday
Wed. – Fri.
2011
January 3
January 14
Monday
Friday
January 17
February 9
February 12
February 21 – 25
March 12
March 14
March 29
March 30
April 7
April 18 - 26
April 27
May 3
May 14
May 27
May 30
June 9*
June 13 - 24
Monday
Wednesday
Saturday
Mon. – Fri.
Saturday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Mon. – Tues.
Wednesday
Tuesday
Saturday
Friday
Monday
Thursday
Mon. – Fri.
Labor Day
Open House
First Day of School – Regular 1:45 Dismissal
Rosh Hashanah – School Closed
9th Grade to Powell House
Noon Dismissal
Elementary School Back-to-School Night
Upper School Back-to-School Night
Middle School Back-to-School Night
Columbus Day – School Closed
Bowling Day
Teacher Development Day – No School
PA Meeting
Family and Friends Day – Noon Dismissal
Parent Teacher Conferences – No school for Entire School
Parent Teacher Conference Day – No School for Middle School Only
Service Day – Upper Elementary and Middle School Divisions
Thanksgiving Holiday – School Closed
Middle and Upper School Teacher Writing Day – No School for Middle and
Upper School Only
PA Meeting
Winter Performance – Noon Dismissal for Entire School
Winter Break – No School
School Resumes
Elementary School Teacher Writing Day – No School for Elementary
School Only
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day – School Closed
PA Meeting
Crafts Day
Mid-Winter Break – No School
Adventures in Math and Science
Professional Development Day – No School for Entire School
Parent Teacher Conference Day – No School for Entire School
Parent Teacher Conference Day – No School for Middle School Only
Tentative Annual Event
Spring Break – No School
School Resumes
PA Meeting
Swim Day
Teacher Writing Day – No School
Memorial Day – School Closed
Last Day of School/Moving Up Ceremony – Noon Dismissal
Camp MarMac
** The Open House on September 7th is mandatory for 6th and 9th graders. More information to follow.
* Please note the following changes to the school calendar:
1. Family and Friends Day, which was held in previous years on the day before Thanksgiving, is on
Tuesday, November 2nd. This is Election Day, and so we will have a noon dismissal as usual.
2. The school is closed for Thanksgiving from Wednesday, November 24th through Friday, November 24th.
This is in keeping with most other private school calendars. November 23rd is a full day of school.
3. The last day of school is on Thursday, June 9th, rather than a Wednesday as in previous years.
We have moved the date one day forward to compensate for the day we are closed before Thanksgiving
so that we do not add another day to the school calendar.
16
and
ll
e
F
,
x
o
F
,
e
f
f
u
C
Whittier Rooms
Lake
Trip to Fairview
For more photos of the Fairview Lake trips visit the online
photo album on our webpage: www.marymcdowell.org.
17
y Trip
r
a
t
n
e
m
le
E
r
e
p
Up
e
to Fairview Lak
Enjoy more photos when you
visit the online photo album
on our webpage:
www.marymcdowell.org.
18
6th and 7th
Graders visit
Nature’s Classroom
For more photos of the Nature’s Classroom trip visit the online
photo album on our webpage: www.marymcdowell.org.
19