THE CURRENT
DISPATCHES From Page 18 Deal before the winter break. The winter concert is a lot of fun, and the school will be selling holiday greens on Dec. 4, 5, 11 and 12. They will have candy and a great selection of trees, greens and candleholders. There will also be more homework for the break. — Sam Meroney, seventh-grader
Eaton Elementary The first-graders have been learning all about Thanksgiving. We learned about how the Pilgrims were thankful for the Native Americans because they taught them how to get food. We read many books about Thanksgiving, and we talked about what we are thankful for. Ms. McKinley’s firstgraders drew pictures and wrote sentences to show what is most important to them. Alex, Hannah, Hunter, William and Zoe are all thankful for their parents and families. Ayana, Calla and Jackie wrote that they are thankful for having a nice place to live and for clothes to wear. Justice, Diana, Miranda and Sydney mentioned food as something they are very thankful for. Bennett and Ishat told us that they are lucky to have toys and books, and Lydia is thankful for her friends. Charlie told us that he appreciates having nice
teachers. Felseta, Mei-Mei, Mattie and Viggo didn’t forget nature and animals. Our teachers made a bulleting board of our pictures and words telling what we are thankful for. We had our own Thanksgiving feast at school with all the firstgraders and their families. — First-graders
Georgetown Day School Everyone was off for the majority of last week due to the Thanksgiving break. One exciting piece of Thanksgiving news was that members of the Georgetown Day School community made about 225 pies that were then sent off to D.C. Central Kitchen to be distributed throughout the city to serve the area’s many hungry on Thanksgiving Day. According to the project’s coordinators, parents Sue Cohn and Jessica Gladstone, this was a record number of pies compared to those donated by Georgetown Day in years past. — Samantha Shapiro, sixth-grader
Hearst Elementary Ms. Weng and Mr. Wallace’s pre-k class recently spent several weeks learning about their neighborhoods and community. Some of that time focused on community helpers and how they help us. Making text-to-self connections,
students were asked how they can help others. Some of their responses included: “I can help a friend clean up blocks,” “I can help my mom with the dishes,” “I can help my friends zip their coat,” and “I can help [Ms. Weng] with snack.” Their enthusiasm to help others was never more apparent than it was this past Tuesday. Armed with an understanding that some people “don’t have enough money to buy food [and] if we don’t help them, they’ll starve,” a recipe for turkey and cheese sandwiches and a little help from our awesome parent volunteers, 18 4-year-olds eagerly set out to make sandwiches for Martha’s Table. Their sandwich goal, depending on who you asked, varied widely from 16 sandwiches to 1 million; yet in all, the class made more than 200 turkey and cheese sandwiches for those in need (and they didn’t even taste them for quality control)! — Pre-kindergartners
Janney Elementary Traditions are a fun way to preserve happy memories of friends and family. Members of the Janney community celebrate using a variety of traditions when it comes to Thanksgiving. Third-grade teacher Ms. Nichole David keeps her dog from eating her turkey, while secondgrade teacher Ms. Elizabeth Koruda travels home to North Carolina and spends the Friday fol-
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2010 lowing Thanksgiving shopping. Mr. Ryan Varner, one of Janney’s pre-k teachers, said, “I go home and pick a veggie and my mom makes it. I like Brussels sprouts!” Isabella Warner, a student in Ms. Lauren Rockwell’s kindergarten class, said her family plays a game called “pin the tail on the turkey.” — Sophie Anderson, second-grader; Molly Ehrlich and Sophie Schiff, third-graders; Natalia Facchinato-Sitja, fourth-grader; and Claire Medina, fifth-grader
Kingsbury Day School October and November have flown by at Kingsbury Day School. We have been involved in several events. On Oct. 27 the middle school students participated in the Walk for the Homeless sponsored by the group THC. Due to the rainy weather we showed our support for the homeless by walking around the school building. We raised more than $1,700 to help homeless children and their families. On Nov. 6 one of the lower school teachers participated in the autism walk in D.C. Kingsbury students donated approximately $50 to the group Autism Speaks. On Nov. 12 we had our fall dance. The theme was “Masquerade Party.” Some students wore costumes, and others
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came casually dressed. We had lots of fun. In my reading class we are reading a book called “Chasing Lincoln’s Killer.” It is about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. In my social studies class we are learning about Reconstruction. Reconstruction was a time period after the Civil War when people began to rebuild our country. I am looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday to spend time with my family and friends. Thanksgiving is a time when we should take time out from our busy schedules to thank the people we love and care about. Have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday! — Zenzi S., middle school student
Lowell School On Nov. 12 the Lowell School sixth-grade public art elective class sponsored “An Amazin’ Night Out.” This event allowed parents of kids in kindergarten to fourth grade to enjoy a night out while their kids were entertained. It was a fundraiser for a mural that the public art elective students are going to make for the new middle school lunchroom. At the Night Out, kids could do a variety of activities. They could get their faces painted, with the designs ranging from rainbows to See Dispatches/Page 20
Early Stages can help. We offer free developmental testing for children ages 3 to 5 who live in the District of Columbia. Our family-friendly center is staffed by a team of experts who are here to help give your child a strong start to school.
Call us at 202-698-8037 or visit earlystagesdc.org to make an appointment for your child.
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