Notes to Parents FSMH AUGUST 2015
FSMH Summer Camp 2015
A Look Ahead by Beth Reaves
“Time in nature is not leisure time; it’s an essential investment in our children’s health (and also, by the way, in our own).” ― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder Research demonstrates that students can benefit both from time spent in recreation and from learning outdoors. Specifically, the benefits of time spent outside and outdoor learning include: ● Improved learning experiences for tactile and experiential learners ● Increased understanding of complex ecological concepts ● Incorporation of physical activity across subject areas ● Enhanced appreciation for the outdoors through exploration and interaction In addition, a new research study further indicates that students who attend schools with lots of greenery and natural scenery have better attention and superior working memory! Imagine an outdoor space where students can engage in play, help and care for a garden, work together on problem solving in a low ropes course, and participate in a thoughtful discussion. Friends School Mullica Hill is fortunate to have a campus that supports students in a variety of indoor and outdoor learning environments. This summer brings exciting renovations to our outdoor campus, intended to further stimulate student engagement. Students will come back in the Fall to find: - Gaga Pit – FSMH is creating a new outdoor gaga pit for students’ recreational use. Don’t know the game gaga?
Engage with Us! One of the fun and easy ways to get more involved at FSMH is to increase your engagement with us on social media. On Facebook you can like our page, share our content, post to our timeline and mention us if you post something related to the school. Don’t forget to share our page with your friends and families. If you’re on Twitter, follow us @FriendsSchoolMH. If you like what we post, retweet and favorite our tweets. We also love feedback. If you want to see us post something up or have a great idea you’d like to share – tell us about it! Together we can make our online community a reflection of the highly engaged and active community we have on campus.
Gaga (or “touch touch” in Hebrew) is based on an Israeli dodgeball-like game that is very popular with our students! Typically played in an enclosed pen, players use a ball and jump, dodge and run to avoid being hit. The game is already a hit at FSMH and having a defined space will provide a safe space for students to engage in the game. - Outdoor Learning Lab and Garden – Our most exciting project this summer will be the creation of an outdoor learning space for our students and community garden, intended to present regular and ongoing learning based on nature and the outside. The learning space will include seating for students - including seating made from tree stumps from one our trees lost during the recent storm. Our garden plans include formation of the garden this summer, and ongoing education for our students throughout the year supported by the Food Corps program through Rutgers Cooperative Extension program. - Adventure Learning Course – You may not know that FSMH already has a low ropes Adventure Learning Course. Located just a short walk from the school, this wooded property has 7 different challenging ropes elements where students work together on problem solving, collaboration and teamwork. After a thorough clean-up this summer, the course is ready for students to visit with T. Bob throughout the upcoming school year. Ensuring that students are able to get outside on a regular basis is an important part of expanding their learning beyond the classroom walls, and as noted, the benefits are supported by research demonstrating how children learn. Over the course of the year, we will continue to focus on nature-based programming, garden and biodiversity learning and just simply enjoying time outdoors. We are thrilled to be able to support students in broadening their knowledge through these improvements.
Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2015! Zachary Bouggess St. Joseph’s Preparatory School
Claire Leahy The Lawrenceville School
Bria Terrell Bishop Eustace Preparatory School
Jayna Cabry Archmere Academy
Mitchell McEntee St Augustine Preparatory School
Isaac Wasserman Friends Select
Olivia Covington Camden Catholic
Mia Reaves Westtown School
Shelby Whetstone Friends Select
Jacob Fusco Friends Select
Carlotta Redden Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT)
Michael White Camden Catholic
Julia Kropiewnicki Moorestown Friends
Katherine Zemek Bishop Eustace Preparatory School
Levi Rudinsky Episcopal Academy Meghan Shelly Bishop Eustace Preparatory School
Photo Courtesy of Unique Image Photography
Faculty Spotlight: Meet Teacher Brad Teacher Brad is finishing his third season of summer camp as the Director of Ancillary Programs. His responsibilities include overseeing the summer camp, Extended Day program, Music School and after school Friends Plus enrichment activities. He also teaches 8th grade civics and (starting this year) a middle school humanities class.
What event or activity do you look forward to the most during the school year? I appreciate the 8th grade meeting for worship and graduation ceremonies because those events not only bring into focus our mission as an institution but they also give us a chance to express gratitude to the parents, students, and staff who make up this community. I also love how the different personalities of the students really come through in their respective speeches.
You are one of the three teachers here who also attended the school. What was your experience like at Friends School as a student? What drew you back to teach here? Though most of my FSMH teachers have retired or moved on and our facilities were more modest (the Hanshi building was finished during my 8th grade year), I still recognize the defining characteristics of the FSMH experience since I’ve returned. There are the same lifelong bonds between students forming in each grade, a level of confidence that can only develop in a nurturing environment, and a sense of joy in the faculty and staff that comes through in the classroom and in school events. I’m not sure I could articulate my appreciation for the school as a student, but I continued to choose Quaker education in high school and in college and then later on as a vocation because I valued that kind of learning environment. How has your experience as a student at Friends School impacted you now as a teacher? What struck me most about my time in Quaker schools was the sense of mutual respect that defines the teacher-student relationship. I want students to understand the essential role they play in the learning process of the group and to be recognized for their contributions to the school community. What are some of your favorite things to do outside of teaching? I enjoy reading, writing, and following our Philadelphia sports teams (though not so much this year).
FSMH Board of Trustees Justin Aglialoro Ken Austin Maurice Ayars Nancy Beauchemin John Bond William Carrigan
Jim Cibroski Hanshi Deshbandhu John Falciani Brian W. Jones Chris Kimberly Dorothy Kramme Dorothy Lopez
Joe Moczydlowski Beth Reaves, ex-officio Garry Rowe Bill Schmidt Kathi Stetser Alice Waddington
Yellowstone
By Julia Carrigan This summer, my family and I went on our vacation to Yellowstone National Park. There we went sightseeing to some of the nation’s most famous zoological and geological features. We spent time with our family from Texas. Finally, we did some exciting, summer activities that the park specializes in. I had a spectacular time at Yellowstone and I think the rest of the family did too. Yellowstone is a unique place with natural features and creatures found nowhere else on the globe. We saw the popular geyser, “Old Faithful”, which was impressive, but it was a little underwhelming due to so much praise I’ve heard from past visitors. I also visited “The Great Prismatic Spring”, which unlike “Old Faithful”, was less heard of and enchanting. One of my favorite things to do in the park was see wildlife, there was everything from bears to elk to mountain goats, and none of them were too difficult to find. Whether it is an erupting hot spring or a herd of bison, Yellowstone sightseeing is sure to be a jaw dropping experience. During my time in Yellowstone, we did some engaging activities as well. My family did a lot of hiking, long, steep hikes and short, casual ones too. We went swimming in cold rivers that fed into hot springs, providing the perfect conditions for a relaxing swim. In addition to individual sports, we went on group safaris with experts who helped us identify wildlife and work our cameras. From sitting and watching the earth’s natural features to climbing on them, Yellowstone had it all.
One of the highlights of the park for many people was spending time with family from the other side of the country. One of the greatest things about Yellowstone was that there was something for everyone, even if you are a screaming, baby cousin or a tired grandparent. The family shared meals at cafeterias and dining halls. We taught, played, lost and won board games with one another other. Even if Yellowstone turned out to not be an exciting and awesome place, we still would have had a good time be just being with each other. In conclusion, my time in Yellowstone National Park was unforgettable, and I hope I can return again someday. Julia Carrigan is an 8th grade student this year and has attended FSMH since PreK. In her free time she likes to play board games, read books and write poetry. She maintains a blog at juliasworld.info.
Welcome to the Board!
Our newest board members tell us why they decided to serve.
New Board Member: Kathi Stetser When asked to describe what FSMH means to me, my mind always goes back to our first day visiting the school as a family. My husband Brian and I were trying to decide where to send our daughter Carina for kindergarten and had been attending open houses and tours. Our first visit to FSMH was truly life-changing and we have never looked back! As Brian and I worked our way up the grades that first day, talking to each classroom and special subject teacher, we heard each and every time the care and respect that the teachers have for the children and for each other. We learned how within the rigorous academic instruction, the Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship are seamlessly woven to nurture and grow our children into kind and compassionate critical thinkers and productive citizens of our vast and diverse planet. As our daughter progressed from kindergarten through 5th grade, we became much more familiar with the teachers, staff and other families and this school truly feels like home to all of us. We have watched Carina and her classmates grow into wonderful young people who truly care about one another, their school community and others in the wider world. The value of a Quaker education can be seen in these children every single day and I cannot wait to see what comes next for them! Because of our journey with the school and Carina’s education, we have become Quaker and do our best to live our lives in a way that gives back to our community and promotes equality, kindness and peace. When approached by a fellow board member regarding possibly joining the FSMH Board of Trustees, I could only think of the phrase we often share with Carina when facing new challenges, “If not me, then who?” I was honored that members of the current board felt I had gifts that would be of use to the school and was eager to learn more. I was so pleased when I was accepted to serve. I look forward to upholding the core values of the school while working together with the other board members and Teacher Beth to support the teachers and staff in their efforts.
New Board Member: Joe Moczydlowski I am honored to join the Board of Trustees. I feel that Friends School Mullica Hill has done so much for our children, who have only been here for a short period of time. It is the least that I can do to try to give back. My wife Kelly and I have three children attending FSMH this Fall. Henry is in Pre K 1, our daughter Jordan is in Kindergarten and Joe is in First grade. From the first day that we took a tour of the school we were blown away by the passion that the teachers and faculty had for the school community. There was a true sense of family. We knew that FSMH was a place that we could see our children growing up in. I hope that by joining the board I can contribute to the FSMH community in the present and for many years into the future. I have been self-employed for all of my adult life. I feel that I can contribute some of the knowledge that I have learned in my years as a retail and online store owner. I am sure it will be a rewarding experience being part of the board.
One School, One Book: A Study of Japan May Peace Prevail On Earth By Teacher Diane Driessen Love to Hiroshima Love to Nagasaki May Peace be in Hiroshima May Peace be in Nagasaki May Peace Prevail On Earth Friends School Mullica Hill students in grades four through eight designed and created artwork related to this year’s Peace Pals International Art Exhibition and Awards theme of “Love to Hiroshima & Love to Nagasaki.” As you can imagine, the ideas and responses to this theme were as diverse and unique as our student population. Some students chose to communicate the theme with common symbols: peace signs, flags of the world, doves or the holding of hands. Others included aspects of the natural world they saw as representing peace: birds, trees, rainbows, mountains and sunsets. One design constraint placed on each student was the inclusion of the words, “May Peace Prevail on Earth.” Again, variety and originality came to the forefront as students chose a font that best conveyed their ideas. Each student carefully and skillfully rendered their final drawing in colored pencil and marker.
The 2015 Peace Pals theme recognizes the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and this held a special connection for students at FSMH. Through the reading of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr students gained insight into the impact of the nuclear bombings on Japan. Their reading of the book was part of our One School, One Book multicultural study. The school wide community also engaged in a celebration of the richness and depth of Japanese culture by holding a festival for “Children’s Day” – complete with a tea ceremony, koinobori, carp kites and a kamishibai storytelling. The students’ knowledge and interest in Japan is reflected in the imagery used to depict the theme. Included in their drawings are representations of kimonos, temples, peach blossoms, bamboo, origami cranes, Japanese calligraphy, anime cartoons and other aspects of Japanese culture and geography. In art class connections to other curricula are often brought to the forefront but at Friends School the topic of peace is brought into every aspect of school and community life. Drawing about peace seems to be another way for students to express their personal views and ideas. As of this writing the student artwork to be a part of the 2015 Peace Pals Art Exhibit has yet to be announced. We have our fingers crossed! More information can be found at: http:// wppspeacepals.org/arts-awards/
Summer Adventures
We asked for pictures of your summer adventures and you delivered!
Carina uniting ancient cultures at the beach in Wildwood Crest.
Isabella and her dad, Jeff, taking a jet ski ride in the Gulf of Mexico on Father’s Day. Arley, Asa and Savannah on the ferry bound to Martha’s Vineyard.
Carina and Tylar at Longwood Gardens.
Isabella and her brother Luca sneaking up on a bird on a beach in Clearwater.
Carina attending a rock concert in Newark.
Evangeline has been surfing all summer in Wildwood Crest. This Surfer Girl learned at age 3 by her oldest brother, Alex (FSMH class of ‘14).
Trey and Chase visiting Castillo de San Marcos in the oldest city in America, St. Augustine, Florida.
Marissa attended Veterinary Camp at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Mississippi.
Luke, Piper and Holly enjoying the Fourth of July with their Spanish exchange student from Barcelona. Marissa at Veterinary Camp in Mississippi.
Trey and Chase visiting Castillo de San Marcos in the oldest city in America, St. Augustine, Florida.
Lydia at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ.
The Karpowicz Family (Eric FSMH Class of 2009, Emily 足Class of 2017) went to Williamsburg, Virginia in June and spent some scorching HOT days in Busch Gardens Amusement Park riding roller coasters.
Neah and Tyler enjoying the beautiful waves of Maracas Beach, Trinidad.
Neah and Tyler enjoying the beautiful waves of Maracas Beach, Trinidad.
Neah and Tyler enjoying the beautiful waves of Maracas Beach, Trinidad.
Gavin caught a barracuda while on vacation in Bermuda.
Lydia at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh, PA.
Olivia, Mia, Julia and Kassie with American Little League Baseball superstar Mo’ne Davis.
Nicholas at the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) held at Westtown Friends.
Take the Road Less Traveled By Talia Kramer
The following is a speech from our 8th grade graduation by our alumni speaker, Talia Kramer. This year she starts at Rice University to study physics. William Penn, a great Quaker and philosopher, once said “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness or abilities that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” This saying is the paradigm of what I learned as a student at Friends School. I find that knowledge can be taught more comfortably than character. Yet at Friends School, one is not independent of the other. Intelligence becomes fruitless if not taught with the same intensity as integrity and compassion. T. Peter was never content to simply show us a country on a map in a geography lesson. He would always draw us in to the unique characteristics of the place, and of the people that lived there. We learned that the world is a vast labyrinth of people and places that are all exciting and important in their own way. Meanwhile, T. Jason taught us about the valuable resources in nature that we need to preserve, and that we helped maintain while examining the intertidal pools at Wallops Island, or by cleaning our own beautiful campus. Every scholastic topic was intertwined with a lesson about stewardship. The unique thing about a Friends School experience is that students here learn how to be valuable community members. This principle is what will galvanize each and every one of these graduates into successful futures. When I began high school, I had one teacher who was essential to defining my future. Mrs. Crawford taught freshman English and Grammar. But she taught us so much more than that. She was full of a vibrancy that excited every student into giving his or her full effort in class. It was not uncommon to have her jump out of her seat to enact a scene from Antigone.
Or to pull out her feathered hat when reading for the character of Romeo. Her passion for stimulating bright new minds was tangible. Unfortunately, she passed away a year after I had the pleasure to learn from her, but it was clear that she had affected countless people in her life. Letters poured in from old students of hers describing her as an exuberant, eccentric, brilliant teacher and friend. The way she lived her life inspired others to put every ounce of effort into everything they do. I encourage the Class of 2015 to live like she did: Find your passion, pursue it, and share the joy you get with others. Throughout high school, I chose to join countless clubs and teams in an effort to find my calling. Through Yearbook club I found a love of journalism. Doing musicals and plays I discovered a joy for performing and making others laugh. But it was through doing the more unusual activities that I found my passions. I joined my school’s student/faculty judiciary which opened me up to the world of law that I chose to delve into by taking Government classes and forming my own political action club. By taking the dreaded AP Physics class, I found out that I love to solve problems. Thus I hope to embark on a long career of using law to solve problems and fix the world. This will all begin in just a few short weeks at my future alma mater, Rice University in Houston, TX, a city I have never been to, where I will be majoring in Physics. So my advice to you all is: when you find what you love to do, figure out how to make it your future. In High School, there will be many paths leading to success. Likewise, there will be opportunities that can hinder a student’s career. The important thing is to recognize the moments that can make or break you. I urge you all to take the road less traveled: Go out for the frisbee team. Join the beekeeping club. Volunteer at the animal shelter. Don’t float on water, swim on it. Forge your own paths and identities while maintaining the strong Quaker values of SPICES: Simplicity, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. These traits are what will separate you from the masses. These are what will make you successful human beings. You have all gained invaluable experiences and friends here. Congratulations and good luck to the class of 2015.
Upcoming Events 09/01 - Ice Cream Social (PreK-1st), 6:30pm 09/01 - New Family Orientation (all grades), 7:30pm 09/08 - Back to School Picnic (all grades), 5:00pm 09/09 - Opening Day! 09/15 - School Photo Day (all grades), all day 09/24 - Back to School Night (middle school), 7:00pm
09/29 - Back to School Night (lower school), 7:00pm 10/08 - High School Night (middle school), 7:00pm 10/10 - Fall Festival (all grades), 10:00am 10/15 - World’s Fair (middle school), 7:00pm 10/28 - UN Day (middle school), 9:00am 10/29 - PreK Halloween, 11:30am 10/30 - Halloween parade, 2:30pm