Sarah Shares Lower Elementary: In their own words Alum News
Greene Towne Parent Association Grandparents and Special Friends Day Kindergarten Class of 2024
THE KINDERGARTEN
As the final piece of the construction project of our new home, the new rooftop playdeck opened for play with love on Valentine’s Day 2024! The playspace is similar in design to the playdeck at 2121 Arch, but nearly four times as large, at 4,000 square feet.
The fenced-in playdeck features a climber playhouse with slide, two dome jungle gyms, playhouses, picnic tables, and a shade structure, plus open space. The playspace serves as an extension of the classroom, featuring equipment that can help children further develop their gross motor skills, pulling themselves up on the climber, or climbing on the dome jungle gyms. Children enjoy a unique view of the Philadelphia skyline, overlooking the train tracks, and first-hand view of passing planes and skyreaching cranes in the neighborhood.
The Montessori approach teaches the whole child, and movement is a big part of the method even in the classroom. In the months since the playdeck opening, children have enjoyed running, dancing, climbing, pretend cooking, sliding, and more. We celebrated Holi, thanks to Shivah’s mom Palak. Lower Elementary and Primary ADM students set up for eclipse watching, with special glasses and their homemade pinhole cameras and projector shields. We loved seeing other Center City folks also watching from their rooftops! During Earth Week, Greene Towne families helped re-establish our gardens on the roof, with planters throughout the space that children will tend to, resetting our worm composting, planting seeds and plants. And several classes have taken their lunch outdoors in nice weather.
Greene Towne teachers went to great lengths to get children outside with alternative plans during the prolonged construction, either taking a walk around the
block, using Coxe Park, or traveling to our former playdeck across the street. Now we are very happy to be able to provide playtime outside daily, and for full day students, twice or three times daily.
What you may not know is that installing a playground on a rooftop is not a simple task. The decking is elevated, installed on reinforced steel beams, requiring special engineering and care for heavy play equipment that is usually mounted in concrete on ground level, to be secured safely. A contractor flew in from Tennessee to install the climber and shade structure, and the installation was inspected by independent engineers as well as the Licenses and Inspections Department of Philadelphia.
How did we do it? Great contractors, yes. And, in large part thanks to the care, commitment, and expertise of Greene Towne Trustee and architect Stacey Storm, parent of George and Anna K`20. Stacey was a key leader of our construction project as a whole, and there’s not a challenge she can’t overcome! Thanks, too, to Jason Nusbaum, real estate developer and parent of Naomi (Lower El) and Miriam K`24, for his assistance and support. And last but not least, thanks to our entire community for your support and patience as we worked to complete this important project.
Let’s play!
SARAH SWEENEY-DENHAM Head of School
This year, five students stayed on at Greene Towne after Kindergarten to be the pioneering students in our Lower Elementary program! Led by teachers Shelby Feldman and Brandon Och, the Montessori Lower Elementary curriculum for 1st through 3rd grades differs from the Primary curriculum for 3 to 6-year-olds in many ways. There are more cross-curricular opportunities where content flows from one area to another with less isolation of the lesson. The inquiry-to-learning process is led by the students with focus on a purposeful, multi-step process that leads to a resulting outcome. Learning extends beyond the classroom with frequent learning experiences outside of school, known as “Going Out.” From errands such as grocery shopping for the weekly snack to weekly trips to museums and the library for research on current areas of study, our Lower El students’ worlds are expanding.
We asked the members of our inaugural Lower El community to share some of the ways in which Lower El differs from their years in Primary. In their own words, they shared the following.
We do more math, more geography, and science experiments. We write our hypotheses and what happened in our experiments. We do a lot of writing. Sometimes we write poems. We have work plans each week: two maths, one language, one science experiment, two “anything” boxes, one Just Right book, and handwriting practice every day. I finished my work plan this week; now I can do any work I want. I can read a book. I’ll do Stamp Game, it’s one of my favorite works. I did a poster about Martin Luther King. I was wondering about him. It was fun.
We buy food for snacks. Somebody writes the list. We read it and cross off the items. 1st grade is harder. The work is harder. The Stamp Game is harder because it’s bigger numbers. We do research. I have a research project I’m doing now. I’m researching the King Cobra because it’s one of my favorite animals. I get some facts from books. I want to know: Why do they have venom? Where do they hatch their eggs? How do King Cobras swim? We have Checkerboard work. It’s a math work we don’t have in Primary. It goes up to 100,000,000,000. It has 11 zeros!
Our journals are very different from Primary. We can read and write for our journals all by ourselves. We don’t need our teacher to tell us how to spell words. We have work plans. Every day we do handwriting practice and a Just Right book on the tablet. In our work plan we have one language work, two math works, one science experiment, and two works we can choose. It can be math or art. If we finish all of our work by Friday, we get a free day when we can do anything. I like to read when I have a free day. If we finish it too soon, we add something to our work plan.
Ishani Parikh:
We have pets. We get to take care of Hoagie, our snake, and Logan, the superworms who have turned into pupas and then beetles. The work is much harder! Stamp Game gets harder because we do harder problems like multiplication and division. There’s work I never saw before like Subtraction Strip Board. Now I’m doing Bead Houses. We add up to a number in a lot of different ways: 6 is 6+0, 0+6, 1+5, 5+1, 4+2, 2+4, 3+3. I did 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 10. I’ll do 8 next. Every work I do is getting easier and easier each time because I’m practicing. The more I do it, it gets easier.
“In Montessori Elementary, we bring the world to the child. Greene Towne is in the center of everything and the city becomes our classroom. We let the students drive the curriculum. They are the ones determining where to go next. I then figure out ways to incorporate what we want them to learn within that framework. It’s a very rewarding way to teach.”
—Shelby Feldman, Lower El Teacher
Veera Patel:
The work is different. We have the Bead Chains but we write the whole chain down and make a tower. That’s a lot of hard work! We do more writing. We do two pages of handwriting every day. We get to do a field trip every single Wednesday! We have jobs: arrival, menu, printer, laundry, taking care of Hoagie, our snake. We have a science journal. We do science experiments. We write our hypothesis – what we think will happen, and our observations – what’s happened in the experiment. My hypothesis is not always correct. So next time, I can do it a different way.
Congratulations to Greene Towners who recently welcomed new babies:
Alexandra Olsman K`96 and Zach Frankel K`94 on the birth of Asher Benjamin Frankel. Asher was born on July 16, 2023 weighing 6 lbs and 19 inches long.
Annie Douglas K`96, Evan Eisler, and current Greene Towner, Simon Eisler, on the birth of Nathan Eisler. Nathan was born on July 9, 2023, weighing 7 lbs, 7 oz and 20 inches long.
Katie and Gus McKenzie K`98 moved back to Philadelphia last summer, just in time to welcome Claire Southorn McKenzie on July 14, 2023 at 6 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches long.
Katie and Gus live in the Fairmount neighborhood and are enjoying the many family-friendly activities the city has to offer. As for the rest of the McKenzie clan, Mimi, Papa Mac, Uncle Jake K`96 and Tia Duda, Aunt Lydie K`00, and Aunt Addie K`03 are loving their new roles as grandparents, uncles, and aunts!
Congratulations to Greene Towners who recently got married:
Julia Rainer K`94 and Madeline Dietrich were married on May 27, 2023.
Madeline and Julia visited niece and 2nd generation Greene Towner, Ashwini Rainer K`23, at school last May.
This May, Greene Towne alums and alum parents gathered for lunch, reminiscing, and a tour of Greene Towne’s new home.
Simone Leapheart K`14, Bea Kaeli K`14, Oscar Kaeli K`12, Jason Sagle K`12; Front row, l to r: Wyatt Solinsky K`23, Alice Keys K`20, Addae Gyandoh K`23
Frank, Violet K`10, and Suzan Paiva
Marley Abramson attended Merion Elementary School for 1st grade and Bala Cynwyd Middle School. She is graduating from Harriton High School this spring where her favorite classes are Japanese, Latin, and physics. Marley’s extracurricular activities include the National Honor Society, Harriton Climbing Club, Anime Club (President), and Harriton Concert Choir. For her senior project Marley wrote and illustrated a comic book. Her volunteer activities include Boo at the Zoo and the Jewish Relief Agency. Marley has worked at the Narberth Movie Theater and Bits Bobs & Odd Jobs. Marley is heading to Indiana University in Bloomington, IN in the fall. Having first met at a Greene Towne Parent Social before the girls even started school, the Abramson family has stayed in close contact with and often vacations with the Ohta, the Cornejo, and the Trissel-Yanella families.
Karina Chan-van der Helm has attended Springside Chestnut Hill Academy since 1st grade and is graduating from SCH this spring. Her favorite subjects are engineering, math, and physics. She enjoys her extracurricular participation in robotics. Karina and her family see their Greene Towne friends all the time! Karina will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall where she is majoring in engineering.
Leah Cornejo has attended Germantown Friends School since 1st grade and is graduating from GFS this spring. Her favorite classes have been math and journalism. Leah has rowed for GFS all four years of high school with many of her fellow Greene Towne classmates. She was the executive editor of her school news magazine, an editor of the literary journal, a member of student council junior and senior years, and she participated in other clubs and activities such as the Latin American student organization. Leah works as a Covid testing lab technician at a homeless shelter in Philadelphia. In the summer, she works as a lifeguard. Leah is heading to the University of Chicago to focus her studies on biology and global health. Leah’s memories of Greene Towne include digging for worms on Earth Day, the Hundred Board, making sushi with Sarah Li’s mom, and the peace flower. Leah remains in touch with many of her Greene Towne friends. The family has many years of memories with their Prestas crew, including an annual camping trip with the Pavri, Attanasio, Yannella, and Chan-van der Helm families.
Maddie Daniel has attended Germantown Friends School since 1st grade and is graduating from GFS this spring. Her favorite classes are Applied Economics and Principles of Engineering. Maddie plays squash and lacrosse. For her senior projects she worked on a research project on pediatric spinal analysis with Greene Towne alum parent Feroze Mohammed. Maddie’s volunteer activities include Squash Smarts and serving as a peer writing advisor. In the summer, you may run into Maddie working at Playa Bowls in Stone Harbor. Maddie remembers singing the 7 Continents song. She’s heading to University of Virginia in the fall to study business.
George Gottlieb has thrived at and is graduating from the Bucks Learning Cooperative, a self-directed learning program that combines the most valuable parts of school—peers, classes, and mentors—with personalized attention and the freedom to choose what and how you learn. His favorite extracurriculars include racquetball, table tennis, and poker. George is excited to attend Penn State’s main campus in the fall where he will study criminology.
Oscar Kaeli attended Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School from 1st - 8th grades, and he is graduating from Central High School where he is co-captain of the varsity tennis team. Outside of school, Oscar has participated in the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia's Global Leadership Seminar and Global Scholar Programs at both Yale University and American University. Oscar fondly remembers the Pink Tower and Red Rods from Greene Towne. Over the years, the family has stayed in touch with several Class of 2012 families including the Sagle-Perkins and the Chan-van der Helms. Oscar is heading to Connecticut College in the fall.
Greene Towners down the shore, l to r: Peter Ohta, Philip “Quin” Yanella K`15, Rachel Cornejo K`15, Marley
Abramson K`12, Lucy Yanella K`12, Maddy Ohta K`12, and Leah Cornejo K’12.
Sarah Li has attended Germantown Friends School since 1st grade and is graduating from GFS this spring. She is very interested in literature and writing —a love that clearly started with her voracious reading that began during her time at Greene Towne. Sarah is the Editor in Chief of the GFS school magazine, Earthquake, and a co-leader of the school literary magazine, Polyphony. She has been involved with the theater department where she stage manages plays and musicals. Sarah is the oboe section leader for the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and is hoping to continue to play in college. She is heading to Princeton University in the fall.
Maddy Ohta attended The Philadelphia School from 1st-8th grades and is graduating from Germantown Friends School this spring. You can frequently find her rowing on the Schuylkill River with fellow Greene Towne alums Becca Rasmussen, Leah Cornejo, and Lucy Yanella. Maddy is colead of the GFS Asian Student Alliance with Sarah Li. She creates puzzles for the school magazine, Earthquake and she serves as an editor for the school yearbook. Maddy is looking forward to joining the community at Bowdoin College in the fall.
Jason Sagle attended Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School for 1st grade and he is graduating from Masterman High School where his favorite classes are history and music theory. Jason’s extracurricular activities include cross-country, indoor track, track and field, curling, golf, jazz band, and the school newspaper. Jason volunteers at the Open Hearts Cafe at Church of the Holy Trinity. He has participated in the WHYY summer media internship and Mic'd Up live music performance program at JG SkyHigh. Jason’s Greene Towne memories include singing songs with Mr. Och, taking care of baby chicks, practicing handbells, and meeting great friends. The family enjoys occasional gatherings with many former Greene Towne families: the Attanasios, the Cornejos, the Yanellas, the Chan-van der Helms, the Pavris, the Kaelis, the Simons, the Hoffbergs, and the Murrays. Jason is heading to the University of Toronto in the fall to focus on humanities studies.
Junaid Shafi attended The Philadelphia School for 1st and 2nd grades before his family moved to the Bay Area. Living near the Santa Cruz Mountains, Junaid developed a love for mountain biking and eventually became co-president of his school mountain biking club. As a car enthusiast, Junaid has attended Monterey car week every year and also started a car club at school. He played basketball, ran track and cross country for the duration of his high school years. He also interned with a local biomedical startup company for the last year. Junaid graduated from Pacific Collegiate School, a charter school in Santa Cruz, California in May. He’s very excited to return to Philadelphia in August where he’ll be majoring in biomedical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.
Owen Skidmore attended The Philadelphia School for 1st and 2nd grades and Penn Alexander School for 3rd through 8th grades. He’s graduating from the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts where he majors in orchestra with the upright bass. Owen’s extracurricular activities include Chess Club, Rock Climbing Club, and wrestling. Owen’s Greene Towne memories include settling disputes with the talking flower and fire drills with prop fire. He is heading to New York University in the fall.
Oscar Wolfe attended the Penn Alexander School from 1st through 8th grades. This spring, he's graduating from George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science where he is a member of the National Honor Society and the varsity baseball team. Last summer, Oscar worked as a mountain bike instructor in Northern Vermont. He is heading to Penn State in the fall to study business.
Lucy Yanella attended Germantown Friends School for 1st grade. This spring, Lucy is graduating from GFS where her favorite classes are art and biology and she rows for the crew team. Lucy volunteers at Cradles to Crayons where she serves as a teen leader and during the summer she works as a Miquon Camp counselor. Lucy will stay close to home next year as she attends Temple University. She remembers being head of school for the day at Greene Towne.
Leah Cornejo and Lucy Yanella at Jason Sagle’s performance.The Greene Towne Parent Association (GPA) serves to foster a sense of community and connection for our families and the school, provide impactful learning opportunities, and give back to our city through community service. All Greene Towne parents are encouraged to join and participate in any capacity. Here are some highlights from our 2023-2024 committees.
GPA CHAIRS
2023-2024: Julie Shuster & Amber Sweeney
The Community Service Committee hosts several service projects throughout the year. We started our year of service with a new event in conjunction with Greene Towne’s annual pajama day: a pop up pajama donation for Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit serving disadvantaged Philadelphia area children. With the “Wear a pair, bring a pair” theme, our community overflowed the donation bin with gently worn pajamas for children in C2C’s care. Greene Towne is now an official C2C drop off location available to anyone.
Our winter service events benefitted Turning Points for Children, a non-profit supporting children and providing family support systems. In December, we held our annual Toy and Book drive, providing holiday gifts for children. The new year started off with our annual MLK Day of Service “Birthday in a Box” event. Families gathered at Greene Towne to assemble boxes with all the fixings of a birthday party (cake mix, frosting, candles, balloons, a toy, coloring and reading books). Everyone got creative with the trimmings: wrapping paper, curly ribbons and stickered boxes galore!
This spring, we hosted a food drive for SHARE, a local non-profit addressing food insecurity. Kindergarten students practiced their reading skills and helped to organize and categorize the collection. Finally, along with the rain, April brought in Greene Towne’s Earth Day work day on our new roof deck where families helped put the green in Greene Towne! Families joined in to fill our planters with soil; plant flowers, herbs, and vegetables; and install bamboo arches for climbing plants. The children loved getting their hands dirty and felt accomplished in their stewardship of the school.
2023-2024 CHAIR: Liv Lee
2023-2024 COMMITTEE : Adam Hall, Nettie and Nick Cinquino, Belinda Huang, Christine Tome Geyelin, Carlene Williams-Poles
The Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee is a collective of parents that partners with Allison Wiedman, Greene Towne’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Coordinator. This year, the committee coordinated with Allison to create a list of titles to expand the Helena A. Grady Diversity Library. The library is a resource available to our entire school community: children, parents and teachers/staff. We also launched a call for recipes to populate a Greene Towne community cookbook named “Friends and Flavors” which will be developed and published in the months ahead.
2023-2024 CHAIR: Nahla Khalek
2023-2024 COMMITTEE: Wideleine Desarmes, Coral Edwards, Elizabeth Farwell, Rudo Mahomva, Chris Major, Dipti Pawaskar, Linsdi Scanlan, Su Ann Shupp
2024-2025 CHAIR: Nahla Khalek
2024-2025: Jenna Braunstein & Amber Sweeney
The Parent Education Committee is dedicated to providing quality educational sessions to Greene Towne parents and the larger community. Committee members planned a successful year of parent ed sessions on a variety of topics. We kicked off the year with a parent survey to gather information on preferred session times and topics. Throughout the year, the amazing Greene Towne faculty presented eight sessions focusing on Montessori principles and practices, from exploring the curriculum to transitioning from toddler to primary. Three additional sessions were facilitated by Greene Towne parents who shared their expertise with the community.
Blue, a short film and discussion about maternal/paternal mental health with filmmaker, Chelsea Hall
Shifting Gears From School to Summer: Empowering Parents with Transition Tools and Tips with Coral Edwards Picking Apart Picky Eating with nutritionist, Liv Lee
2023-2024 CHAIR: Kerry Stouffer
2023-2024 COMMITTEE: Coral Edwards, Chelsea Hall, Andy Luedders
GREENE TOWNE SUPPORT: Nicole Leapheart, Emily Bittner
2024-2025 CHAIR: Kerry Stouffer
The Social Committee endeavors to build a strong sense of community at Greene Towne by organizing events and activities for parents and families throughout the school year. The year began with weekly parent meet-ups at the Giant Market Terrace and throughout the year we hosted several parent happy hours. Each season our school community gathered for family events held at different outdoor venues across Philadelphia:
• Fall: Halloween-themed Walk at the Rail Park Social featuring costumes, treats, and pumpkin decorating
• Winter: Franklin Square Park Social with hot chocolate, coffee, popsicle stick snowflake crafts, and unlimited carousel rides
• Spring: Smith Memorial Playground Social and Bake Sale
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to Julie Shuster for her four year tenure leading the Parent Association. The GPA has grown and flourished under Julie’s leadership.
Every year, I choose a children’s book to give to our Kindergarten students to mark the achievement of completing the Montessori Primary program. Sometimes it’s a message I’d like for you to take with you. This year, I chose the book, Beneath, by Cori Doerrfeld.
In this story, a boy and his grandfather take a walk in the woods and end up learning more about themselves in the process. Finn is in a really bad mood and doesn’t want to talk about it. After some persuading, though, they agree to go for a hike. Throughout their forest walk, they see many different things: big, strong trees with networks of roots growing underneath, still water with schools of fish swimming below, and a bird with eggs nestled under her. When they pass fellow hikers, Finn realizes that people, just like the elements of nature, are more than they appear. Grandpa explains that sometimes beneath a person who seems like they won’t understand what you’re feeling, is someone feeling the exact same way. Kindergartners, at Greene Towne, you have learned so much. You have been leaders in tending to your classroom
33 Kindergartners
You’ll attend 14 schools next year
10 of you are returning to Greene Towne for Lower Elementary
14 of you started in the Toddler House
17 of you have younger siblings who will be at Greene Towne next year
7 of you have older siblings who were Greene Towne Ks before you
5 of you have been at Greene Towne for 5 years
3 of you had 4 years in Primary
1 of you is a 2nd generation Greene Towner!
communities. You have guided younger children in their learning. You have created connections and friendships, and learned how to navigate difficult challenges.
Growing as a thinker means being able to consider big concepts and know that there is more that you don’t know; that there is often something beneath what you can see. As you move into first grade, take with you the idea that if you are feeling confused or frustrated with someone, or something, or yourself, look deeper, and see if there’s a way to move forward knowing there may be more than what you see.
Congratulations! Today we celebrate you—who you are now, and who you are becoming. As you continue on your learning path, whether you are here at Greene Towne or at a new school, know that you’ll always have a warm home here and that our care for you is always beneath.
WARMLY,
Sarah Sweeney-Denham HEAD OF SCHOOL
In the weeks leading up to the end of the 2023-2024 school year, we spoke with the Kindergartners and asked them to tell us a few things about their experiences at Greene Towne: What they want people to know about Greene Towne, their favorite work, their greatest accomplishments, the best thing about being a Kindergartner, what they anticipate next year, and what they’ll remember. Here are excerpts from our conversations with them. Interviews have been abridged for space. To share more of the children’s words with you, we’ve substituted “GT” for Greene Towne, “K” for Kindergarten and Kindergartner, “FT” for Field Trips, and “LATW” for Lunch-Around-the-World. We hope you will enjoy the children’s reflections on their years at Greene Towne Montessori School.
We do our journals and sometimes we play word games. We try to come up with words that Ms. Anne is thinking of. We do art. We drawed on coffee filters and then we sprayed them with water. The colors changed and went into the other colors. After it was dry Ms. Diana made butterflies. In music we do games; it’s so fun. We play the ukulele. Favorite K work: Journals! I do a lot of work on them. You write sentences and other things. We write pictures. I write about things that I like to do. I got a huge tent; I wrote about it in my journal. Sometimes I draw planets and sometimes I do the World Map. Most challenging work: Sewing work. You put the string up and down through the holes. I did the Stamp Game. Ms. Anne gave me a lesson. I really like the Magnet work. You copy the picture. I like the library. It has so many books that I like. I like the Pink Tower and the Brown Stair. I build stuff with them. Favorite FT: Chinatown! It was fun. We went on a trolley; it’s like a bus-train. It has wheels and it goes underground. I had a smoothie. I saw them make long noodles. Me and my mom went to a store that had a lot of foods. After the last day of school I’ll be a first grader. I’ll remember Ms. Cara and Ms. Anne. Ms. Cara is having a baby.
There’s a lot of classrooms and a lot of works. We have a roofdeck; finally it’s finished! We play games. On being a K: We do harder work. I like to help the younger 1st and 2nd years. Favorite work: the Stamp Game. It’s a number work. Sometimes I take away, sometimes I add. I like math because I like writing numbers. I like the Multiplication Bead Bars. I do the Chains. I did the 6 Long Chain with Warren. It probably took like 10 days. It does take a long time. Most challenging work: Yellow Journal but I finally finished it! The Yellow Journal is letters and sentences and writing. I writed about how beavers make dams and people make different kinds of dams. The Red Journal is for stories. The Green Journal is sight words. The Purple Journal is also sight words that have the same last letter, like “cat” and “rat” and “mat.” They have to rhyme. Greatest accomplishment: the 6 Long Chain. That was pretty hard. Favorite FT: the library. We’re going today. My mom went last time. We read two books and then we pick out a book. Favorite LATW: Israel. The food was really good. Also the tea in England was really good. Before the end of the year I’ll do my number work. It takes a long time. Next year I’ll go to school with Talula and Bo. I’ll remember the roof deck.
I’d like to tell people about work. I like the number rods. I make different stuff with them. I build things like castles, cars, and bridges. Best thing about being a K: K time. Today we might cook. Yesterday I did the 8 Long Chain with Beckham; I helped him. Sometimes Ms. Anne gives us lessons. Favorite K work: the Chains. I’ve done the 1000 Chain, the 8 Chain, the 9 Chain, the 7 Chain, and the 6 Chain. The 1000 Chain is the hardest. I did it by myself; it took 6 days! Greatest accomplishment: The 8 Chain because I did it my first time. I did it with Warren. I felt good! I like to do the hardest map, it’s South America. Drawing it takes a really long time. First you trace the countries on paper. Then you color them with colored pencils. I use green and yellow and red and pink and orange and blue. When I’m finished I write my name and take it home. At home I show it to my mom and dad. I like art. I like making stuff like snowflakes and flowers. I painted skeletons and flowers and we do collage. Favorite FT: the library and the art exhibit. We saw paintings and drawings. Favorite LATW: I liked the tea and the scones. Before the end of the year: I want to do some new works. Next year I’m going to a new school. I’ll remember the 1000 Chain and the 100 Board. I’ll remember my friends.
I like being at GT because I learn new things. I learn multiplication. Best thing about being a K: We help the little persons in the class, like works that they need a lesson on. I gave Zadie a lesson on Table Washing work. Favorite K work: The Long Chains. I did all of them except the 7 Long Chain. I’m going to do it next. Greatest accomplishment: the Land, Water, and Air work. There’s a box with nothing in it, that’s air; another box with dirt, that’s land; and another with blue water, that’s water. You line the animals up where you think their habitat is. The dolphin lives in water. During K time we paint or go for a walk to see spring trees or we go to the library. Art is so fun! My favorite art was the tie dye butterflies. My favorite artist is José Quadalupe Posada. He’s a Mexican artist. We made skeletons. First we traced one side of the skeleton then we drew the other side and then we decorated them. We did it for Day of the Dead. Favorite FT: Chinatown. I watched someone make noodles and we had hello panda as a treat. Favorite LATW: South Korea, India, and Bangladesh, I liked everything! There was yummy noodles that I loved! Next year I’ll meet new friends and some GT friends will be there. I’ll remember all the work I did and everything I did. I’ll remember everyone at school. I think I’ll visit.
Today I’m drawing. It’s art. I like drawing. I like art. I like all the art: painting, collage, sculpture. Best thing about being a K: field trips! We went to PAFA. We looked at art and we talked about it. I remember two of the sculptures. One was made out of peacocks and red flowers and a tree. There was also a sculpture made out of clay. We saw the duck and a statue of a woman. We went to Reading Terminal Market. We looked for things. We ate pretzels. We went to the fire station. We went on the truck and we held the hose. It felt like a snake. My favorite work is the Metal Insets; you can make whatever you want. My favorite K work is the Moveable Alphabet; I make words. I’ll do some today. Music is fun! We sing songs. We play the ukulele. In math I like the Bead Chains. I did the 1000 Chain with Arya. And I like the 100 Board. When I’m finished I ask a friend to bring it with me to all the other classes. Greatest accomplishment: the 100 Board. I practiced it a lot. It’s a big square board and you put the little number squares on it in order. Sometimes we do it backwards, sometimes we do a spiral with the 100 in the middle. I’m leaving GT because we’re moving back to Belgium. Best thing about GT: my friends! I’ll remember all my friends. I’ll remember the necklace beading. I’ll remember the teachers.
I really like field trips! Favorite FT: the Rittenhouse Square Market. We walked. We picked out food. I loved the apple cider. On being a K: I like being the oldest one in my class and leading others. I showed James the Brown Stair and Pink Tower. Favorite K work: Metal Insets and Block work. I’m doing Metal Insets now. You pick out the shape you want then you trace the shape onto paper and then you draw your design and add a bunch of details. During K time we do music, art, writing, a lot of things. I write in my journal. Most challenging work: the 100 Board. You can do it backwards and mix up the numbers. I do chains too. I did the 1000 Chain and I did the 100 Chain. Greatest accomplishment: In art it was making the bird. Favorite art: We drew with markers and then we sprayed water and then you have a little art piece that you can take home. I take my artworks home and hang them all over the whole entire house. Before the end of the year: I hope to finish six 100 Boards before I go to 1st grade. I’ll do different patterns. My favorite LATW was when my mom came and we had vanilla scones. Next year I’m going to be at GT for 1st grade. I’ll remember that I’ve been working very well as a kindergartner. I’ll remember my friends. Jade, Miriam and Kevin will be in my class next year.
I like to go on the playdeck with my brother. On being a K: I get to do stuff that people that are younger can’t do. Sometimes the teacher taps Ks to help 1st and 2nd years. I like doing that. When I was younger I couldn’t do math because that’s for older kids. Now I can do writing. I like writing. I get to learn stuff that I don’t know so that I know what to write. Favorite K work: Snake work. I draw the snake and then I write their name on the bottom. I like maps. There’s different continents. I like to draw the continents and color them in. Sometimes I label them. When I’m finished we hang it up in the hallway for a little while then we take it home. During K time: Sometimes Mr. Patrick gives lessons. Yesterday we did a funny game. Greatest accomplishment: I match words to cards with pictures and then I write the word on the paper. Mr. Patrick gave me a lesson on it and now I’m doing it. Favorite FT: When my mom comes, that’s my favorite. Favorite LATW: Israel. My mom brought apples and honey. Julie brought something, too. I like art. We learned cool and warm colors. Before the end of the year: I want to do the 9 Long Chain or the 1000 Chain. Next year in 1st grade I’m going to a new school and my brother is going to stay at GT. I’ll get homework. I’ll remember my friends and all the work I did.
It’s a good school, it has good work. My mom came in to read a book about Black history. Best thing about being a K: We go on field trips, being the oldest in the class, and we get to do very cool stuff. On K time: We play games. Today we’re going to get donuts. It’s a special treat. We’re going to paint a kindergarten painting. My favorite work is the tricky puzzles. They’re different colors and you make a pattern with them. With one you follow a picture of what to make. I like tracing maps. I like to do the texture maps with sparkles. I’ve done N. America, Australia, and the World Map. I find the Long Bead Chains challenging. I did the Long 5 Chain with Miriam. It took three days. I did math in Juliette’s class. Me and Miriam visited and we had snack there. I have a journal. I like to draw pictures in it. Greatest accomplishment: the Chains. Favorite LATW: The lunch with cookies that had white icing. My favorite field trip was Reading Terminal. We ate hot pretzels and we did a scavenger hunt and we got some ginger. We had to look for the Eiffel Tower and Mr. Pig. Next year I am going to be in 1st grade on the 2nd floor. Miriam, Nyle, and Baron will be there, too. The classroom is cool. Hoagie will be there. I’ll remember Amaya and Salma. I’ll remember my teachers.
I did the 1000 Chain with Jonas and it took about three days and a half. Jonas left and I managed to do the 900s by myself. I was very surprised because I didn’t think I could do it by myself. Favorite work: It’s hard to say. I would say the colored Cylinder work. I match the colors and if I’m working with a friend we build something. The colors are red, yellow, orange, purple, blue and green. Most challenging work: I would say the 1000 Chain. It took a matter of days. Greatest accomplishment: the 1000 Chain! Before the end of the school year I will accomplish my work at school: subtraction, 9 Long Chain, 8 Long Chain, and 7 Long Chain. Right now I’m working on Parts of an Anaconda: spots, jaws, sensors. Favorite FT: Chinatown. We ate noodles; they were so yummy! We saw a waving kitty cat, a giant statue, and the Gate of Friendship. Favorite LATW: The one that my mom cooked for. She made isitshwala. It’s a stew and it’s my grandma’s favorite. It’s from Zimbabwe and Zambia. At K time we do a lot of things. We have dance parties. We write sight words. I write in my journal. Favorite art: collage. I liked how beautiful it was. I’ll remember when I first came to GT. I’ll remember the playdeck, accomplishing the 1000 Chain, my friends and Mr. Patrick, Mrs. Buonadonna, and Ms. Diana.
I like going to the playdeck and playing with my friends. I like when we go on field trips and my dad comes. Favorite FT: Chinatown. Me and my dad got to see the picture of the days of the week in Chinese. On being a K: I like to do maps and weave. I’ve done all the Maps. I did Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, S. America, and N. America. I also did some of the Biomaps. It has biomes: the desert, swamp, tree lands, forest, the Rocky Mountains, and the ocean. I did Asia, Africa, and N. America. During K time I like doing Word Families and I do the Bank work. It’s when you make up numbers like 1,111 and 3,333 and 6,135. You add them and I can subtract them, too. I like the 1000 Chain. I like to do it with Nyle and Tristan. I did it one time with Arya. I put the numbers on the chain: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100… Favorite art: the skeletons. I drawed squares, stars, and triangles all around the skeleton. Favorite LATW: South Korea. I also liked the apples and honey, it was Israel. Greatest accomplishment: the Maps! I kept practicing and practicing until I got good. You trace the continent puzzle onto paper. Then I color them in and sometimes I label them. Next year: My new school is near my house. I’ll ride my bike. I’ll remember that I did maps and my friends.
I like GT; it’s fun! I like the work. We have a guitar work. We used to have a LEGO work. Favorite work: the Teen Boards. I like reading the equation. First you find the equation and then you add it up. My first favorite work was LEGO and guitar work. Most challenging work: Stamp Game. It’s super duper fun! Greatest accomplishment: I worked hard on the Stamp Game. It’s hard for me to do it but I stayed with it and I’m proud. During K time we write in our journals. I like to write about me and my family. I like to write about my new house. I write about something then I write the picture. I did a picture of my new house. On being a K: I like going on the playdeck two times. I like the new playdeck. I like being the tallest in the class. I help the 1st years. Sometimes they drop their work and spill it. I like art. Before the end of the year I hope to finish the Stamp Game and I’ll do the S. America Map. Favorite FT: I liked it when we went to Chinatown because me and my mom bought some snacks. They were delicious! I saw a firetruck. I saw someone showing us how they make noodles. Favorite LATW: The pears. It was Hudson’s lunch. I also liked when we dipped the apple in honey. I’m staying here for 1st grade. It will be fun but also it will be hard. Some things will be the same. I’ll remember all my friends.
GT has lots of friends that are nice. We play, we have fun, we do work together, we help each other. Favorite work: play dough. I make games. I make a ball and a container and I try to throw the ball in. I like the 100 Board because I get to walk it around and show it to other people after we do it. I like drawing animals. I like to write stories about how they walk and what they sound like. On being a K: You get to do K time. We do ukulele and we do the K painting. Favorite K work: the Chains. The little kids can only do the short chains. Ks can do the 1000 Chain. Greatest accomplishment: cartwheels! I just learned how to do a cartwheel about ten days ago. Before the end of the year I’ll do the 100 Board again. I’ve done all the works. I like painting. We did a still life. I painted a lot of flowers. They’re pink and purple. They’re in a white vase. I didn’t need to paint that part because the paper is white. Favorite FT: Chinatown because we got to have soup there. It was good. I saw people make the dough. Favorite LATW: The cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches. It was when Lulu’s mom did it. Next year I’m going to school with Talula and Jonas and I’ll ride in the car with my sister, Mellie. We’ll play math games on the ipad. I’ll remember the 100 Board. I’ll remember Mr. Patrick and Mrs. Buonadonna.
We play on the playdeck. Favorite K work: Doing the 100 Board and the 1000 Chain. I did it with Eddie but I think one day I might do it by myself. I think the most challenging work is the 1000 Chain all by myself. I like to do lots of math. I love numbers! I like to do maps! I finished the N. America Map. I did the World Map. It has all the continents. Greatest accomplishment: I write in my journal. I wrote about my mom’s going to get a set of drums for me. I drew a picture of a set of drums. Best thing about being a K: writing in my journal. At K time we practice writing. Sometimes we do different things. Favorite art: There’s a big, big coffee filter, bigger than a normal coffee filter. We used color pastels to color as much as we could. You could leave some spaces. We sprayed water on it and it mixed the colors together. We put it in the drying rack. Favorite LATW: My mom’s, it was Korea. She made my favorite foods like kimbap, it’s kind of like sushi. It has cut up carrots and there’s rice. My mom has a kimbap roller. Favorite FT: the fire station. They put a cone out to pretend it was a fire and we sprayed the cone. We got to go inside the fire truck. I remember the art museum. We got to touch some art that was on the floor. Next year I’m staying here for 1st grade. I’m going to do reading.
I love the school because there are nice songs and we are a whole community. I love the school and I do not want to leave. Best thing about being a K: K time! That’s my favorite thing. Today I’m working on one of the things from my work plan, Moveable Alphabet. There are a bunch of little figures of things – fox, rug, bed – and there are letters. You spell out the name of the figure, for example f-o-x. Favorite work: Math is mostly my favorite. If I had to choose, I would choose adding. There’s Addition Strip Board, Bank Game, and Stamp Game. You can do lots of things with the Bank Game. Bank Game can sometimes be challenging. Greatest accomplishment: When I was 5-years-old there was a work where I listed all the 1s, 10s, 100s, and 1000s using the Bank Game materials. It’s called Bird’s Eye View because you put them in a tower. During K time it’s different every time. We learn new work. Favorite FT: PAFA. We used pieces of felt to make pictures. I made a house near a river. Favorite LATW: Korea. There was something like a meatball but with vegetables. Favorite art: I like all of the art classes. Before the end of the year: I have a work plan. I like the Maps; I’ll do more. Next year: Maybe we will work on dividing. I’ll remember my classroom because it’s so big. I’ll remember Mona.
It’s a really nice place. Everybody is so friendly. I love being in K. There’s a lot of cool works and fun stuff to do. Favorite work: One of the math works – Addition Stamp Game –that’s my favorite. It’s kind of like the Golden Bead material but it’s a work that you do on the table. You have different numbers: thousands, hundreds, tens and units. You look at your equation and you match the numbers to the equation and then count how many you have and then you write it down on a piece of paper. You can do division, subtraction, addition, and multiplication. I like to write in my journal. I usually write about stuff that’s coming up, stuff that already happened, stuff that might happen, stuff that you know is going to happen, or stuff that I do on the playdeck. The new playdeck is really cool! Favorite art: When we cut out big shapes like Matisee because Matisse is my favorite artist. We did a flower work too, like Clementine Hunter. Favorite LATW: I liked the teas and the scones. I really liked the cucumber sandwiches. My favorite FT was when we went to Reading Terminal Market because we were the only group to find the pickle. I’m excited about my new school. There’s a playground and you can play on it until you go in. I’ll remember my friends and how cool GT is and also the games we play.
Sometimes we do special games. Yesterday we did a game in the movement room. We had to walk to the end of the mat holding a ball between our heads. It was fun. Favorite K work: I like a lot of them. My favorite is the Australia Map. I did a lot of maps. Most challenging work: the 1000 Chain. I did it with Ziggy. I know how to count by 10s so I said the numbers and Ziggy would give me the number. I did up to 750 and then Ziggy did the rest. Greatest accomplishment: making a paper chain. It’s like the Bead Chain but it’s made with paper. I really worked hard on it. The first time it was so hard. The second day I finished it. I felt pretty proud. Favorite FT: PAFA. There was a story about a statue of a person that was turned into a duck. It was an interesting story. Favorite LATW: the scones. We also had isitshwala from Zimbabwe. My mom helped Ziggy’s mom. Talula’s mom made the sandwiches and Bo’s mom made the scones. Favorite art: We cut out bird shapes and we painted them. Before the end of the year I want to accomplish a really hard map that has a lot of pieces. Next year: I’ll see Eloise at recess. Sometimes we’ll see each other at lunch. I’ll remember all the artwork that I made and the playdeck. I’ll remember Maddie and Talula because we’re all going to the same school.
Best thing about being a K: I finished the 1000 Chain in one day. I felt happy. Favorite K work: multiplication. I do it with beads. It’s what I’m doing now. I like maps. I trace the country and paint it. And sometimes I label it with the names of the countries. I finished the United States Map today. It’s drying. I’ll label it after it’s dry. I’m going to take it home. During K time we have art and music. We do ukulele. In the classroom we sometimes do writing. Last week we learned about the clock. We learned how slowly the hands move. Greatest accomplishment: the World Map. It was the first map I did. When I finished it I was happy. It’s hanging up in the living room. I’ve done all the Long Chains from 1 to 10. The 1000 Chain took more than one day. I do the 1000 Chain a lot. The last time I did the 1000 Chain, I did it with Nyle. I did it with Tristan. I did the 8 Chain by myself. I like Bank work. I like subtracting. I do it with a friend. Favorite art: I like to cut paper and then paint. Favorite FT: Rittenhouse Farmers Market. I wish I could go again. We bought apples. The next day every K takes a turn and served the apples to the whole class. You eat the last piece. I’ll remember the play deck.
I do work. I do carrot work. You cut the carrots and then you serve everyone. I like that I can cut them and serving them is fun. I like pickle work, too. It’s the same. Most challenging work: the Chains. I’ve done all the Short Chains and all the Long Chains. The 9 Long Chain is the hardest. It goes up to 729. You label the chain with the numbers you count on the chain. The first number is 9, then 18, then 27, all the way to 729. When I finished it I felt good. Greatest accomplishment: This year it was the 3 Long Chain and then all the Chains. Today I did the 100 Board. Tristan helped show it. On being a K: I eat lunch with the other Ks. I do harder work like all the Long Chains. During K time: We usually start to do puzzle words or sight words. Favorite FT: We went to the fire station. We went on the trolley to Reading Terminal Market and we also went to a farmers market. Going to the fire station was my favorite. We could go inside the fire truck. Favorite LATW: Korea. I forget the foods but I remember it was my favorite. Favorite art: We paint and we collage. I like doing collage. I made a leaf. We used glue and paper. Before the end of the year I’ll do more Bank Game. I’ve done addition, subtraction and multiplication. Maybe next year I’ll do division. I’m staying at GT for 1st grade. It will be a little harder.
On being a K: You can do all the work 1st years cannot do. They don’t know how to do Short and Long Chains yet. I did the 9 Long Chain with Denver. It took a while. I like the Bank Game, it’s easy. You do 1000s, those are the big blocks; and 100s, those are flat; and the 10 bars have 10 beads; and the one beads are just beads. There’s a cup so they don’t roll everywhere on the rug. I do it with Jade or Denver. Favorite work: the 1000 Chain. Most challenging work: the 9 Long Chain. Greatest accomplishment: This year it was the 1000 Chain. When I finished it I felt accomplished. During K time we do different stuff every time. We get lessons on new K works. Mr. Patrick writes questions and we draw what he says. He wrote, “What do you like about the rain?” I wrote “Jumping in puddles.” and I drew myself jumping in puddles. We do art class and we do ukulele on Thursdays. Before the end of the year: I’ll finish my journal. My favorite FT was the one that I went with my mom. It was a scavenger hunt. Favorite art: Everything because it’s fun. We paint and draw. We do free time when we’re done with the lesson. Favorite LATW: all the LATW! Next year: I’m staying at GT for 1st grade. I’m going to be in Naomi’s class. We’ll work together. I’ll remember that I love doing works with Denver.
I like it here. I know it really well, it feels comfortable. I started when I was really young. I was a Toddler in Ms. Michelle’s and Ms. Dom’s class. Then I moved to Primary ADM. My favorite K work in my K binder is my journal! Before we writed what the Journal said to write. Now we can write about anything we want. You write something and then you draw a picture. Today I writed, “There was a little earthquake one day.” I drew a picture of me and Adya doing the 7 Long Chain. We were doing that when the earthquake happened. During K time: We’re building a castle with a ginormous forest. I’m working on the community garden. There are flowers and vegetables. I made a really cool tree house. Greatest accomplishment: I already did a lot of stuff. I readed a book to my teacher today. I already know how to read a little. Favorite FT: Chinatown. It was really fun because I got to spend time with a friend and go on buses. We saw real live crabs. And we saw a really scary sea animal. Favorite LATW: The one with cookies and also Israel. Before the end of the year I hope that I can accomplish spending time with friends and finish the chain that I’m doing. Next year I’m going to a new school. It’s going to be scary and then I’ll get used to it. I’ll remember that I like Greene Towne; all my friends are kind.
I’m going to stay at GT next year. There’s Bead work and a Number Roll. I’m doing it right now. I’m trying to get up to 1000. I’m on the 30s now. I like the Metal Insets. You trace the shape and you color it. There’s a flower and a house. Favorite work: Pink Tower. There’s a book with pictures of what you can do. Sometimes you mix it with the Brown Stair. During K time we do baking, we go to music and art. Sometimes we do art in our classroom. We do lots of stuff! Baking is my favorite. Greatest accomplishment: the 100 Board. I felt good and I showed it to my brother’s class. In art we learn about different artists then we do their art. Sometimes we have free time and we choose a work from the shelf. There are easels where you can paint whatever you want. Favorite FT: The art museum because it had birds on a tree. We saw a statue of a woman with bags. We saw a lot of paintings. Favorite LATW: The first one had a fruit I liked. Before the end of the year I want to finish the Number Roll. It’s going to take a long time. Next year I’ll be in 1st grade. The work will be harder. I’ll be with Samantha and Aaron and we’ll see Ishani, Veera, Sophie, Naomi, and Charlie. I’ll remember the Bead work. I hope I can do more Bead work. I’m going to remember my teachers, Merin, and Shayla.
I like GT because it encourages kids to learn and grow. I like doing things that are tricky and working on them for a long time and finishing them, like the 1000 Chain and the Bank Game. Best thing about being a K: field trips. I like Chinatown, Reading Terminal Market, and the Rittenhouse Square Market. Favorite K work: Journal. Sometimes I work on more than one journal page a day because I really like Journal. I write about anything I want to. Most challenging work: the 1000 Chain because it’s hard to count by ones. It’s easy to count by 10s. I do it with Leela, Jack and Ishani. Favorite LATW: Israel, Korea and Japan. Takumi’s mom did the Japanese part and my mom did the Korean part. My mom made a soup called tteokguk. In Korean tradition people turn one year older after finishing a whole bowl. Favorite art: the blue birds. Greatest accomplishment: finishing a Journal and a Book About Me. At K time: I’m working on a big cardboard project of a castle and a forest. We’re using recyclables. I’m looking forward to trying easy addition problems at my new school and to moving on to newer, harder things. I’m going to remember Stamp Game, Bank Game, and Addition Strip Board. I’ll remember Leela, Jack, Ms. Emily, Ms. Sarah Sweeney-Denham, Ms. Maggie, Ms. Amanda, and all my teachers.
I love Ms. Sara’s singing with the guitar. Best thing about being a K: doing my journal. Sometimes Ms. Jen tells us what to write and sometimes we write whatever we want. I write about things that happen. I wrote about the solar eclipse. I write about my birthday. I’m almost 6! I’m going to make cookies with my grandma and bring them to school. In my journal I write a story and then draw a picture. I like to do maps. I did a lot but I didn’t do Africa. Favorite K work: Multiplication Bead Bars. I’m making a book. I just have 9 and 10 to finish. I like to write and I like to draw. Greatest accomplishment: reading. I like to read about all the seasons: autumn, spring, summer, and winter. I read Extra Yarn. It’s about a girl who finds a box of yarn. During K time: I do something Ms. Jen shows us or we find a work for ourselves. Before the end of the year: I want to do Stamp Game. Sometimes I do minus, sometimes I do plus, sometimes I do multiplication. Favorite FT: Chinatown and the fire station. In Chinatown I liked what we ate. I love scallion pancakes. We see how they make noodles. Favorite LATW: Zimbabwe. I know the flag of Zimbabwe. I’ll do the Africa Map before the end of the year. Next year I’m going to school with my cousin. I will remember my teachers and all my friends.
It’s a fun school. I have lots of friends. Favorite work: I have a few. I like the Building Blocks, the Brown Stair and Pink Tower, the Playdough work, and the Color Matching work. The best thing about being a K is that you can do more work. It’s work you can’t do when you’re a 1st or 2nd year. When you’re a K you get a lesson and you do it. During K time we have ukulele or art. In class I do a special work like the Maps. Most challenging work: the Knobless Cylinders. You make towers. The blue ones don’t have much of a base; the smaller ones can wobble off. Favorite K work: the Maps! I like the texture maps because you glue colors on. There’s Continent Maps and there’s the United States of America. Greatest accomplishment: Knobbed Cylinders. Now that I’m a K I can do them all. I can do them by myself or with a friend. I like doing it by myself. I like the 100 Board and the Addition Strip Board. It’s like a writing work because you write the answer on a piece of paper. Favorite art: painting. Favorite FT: Chinatown. We got to see how they make noodles. We saw the Chinatown gate and the mural. Favorite LATW: India; I’m part indian. Before the end of the year: I’ll do the 1000 Chain. I want to finish a story about Mr. Patrick. Next year: I’ll go to school with Beatrice. I’ll remember everything!
The teachers are good. They give us lessons. I like when we come into school and we change our shoes. At our first K time we taped boxes together and painted them. I painted mine green and put white windows on it. I like when Mr. Patrick gives me a lesson at K time. Today I didn’t need a lesson, I just figured it out by myself. Yesterday at K time I made a calendar. I like math: addition, the 100 Board, and the Chains. I did the 1000 Chain. I did it with Denver. We didn’t get it right and we’ll do it again. I do the Maps. I like it because we get to trace and we get to put texture on it. I sometimes use little squares with different colors and we make glitter glue with glue and glitter. I have done Africa, N. America, and Asia. Greatest accomplishment: When I was younger I couldn’t do Bank Game. I can do it now. I like the big cubes. On being a K: I like the other Ks. Favorite art: Making the birds with Ms. Diana. We traced them and cut them out and we made a collage. Favorite FT: Reading Terminal Market. We got pretzels. Favorite LATW: England. We had scones. Before the end of the year I’ll do more crafts. At my new school I’ll get a job. There’s a weather checker and a day checker. I’m going to remember all of my K friends! I’ll remember Mr. Patrick and Mrs. Buonadonna and Mr. Patrick’s mints.
I love Ms. Anne. I love her smile. On being a K: You get to do more things like a journal. I like my journals. The first one was a Book About Me. My favorite journal was the Red Journal where you write stories. I like to write about my favorite things. During K time we do projects. The last one we did was the solar eclipse. The moon blocks the sun and forms a shadow on the Earth. Favorite work: I have a lot of them because there are so much works. The Bank which I’m doing now. It’s a work where you take away and sometimes you add. The Pink Tower; you build and sometimes you can do it with the Brown Stair. I do it with Noa. Greatest accomplishment: singing. I couldn’t sing as good as I can now. I took singing class at school. Favorite FT: the art museum. We made stuff with fabric. We couldn’t keep it so I asked my mom to take a picture so I could remember it. I looked at paintings and drawings. My favorite was a video of a queen and a princess. Favorite LATW: Israel. There was challah and a noodle thing and there was latkes. Favorite art: The one with Clementine Hunter. She lived to be 101 years old. We made a still life of flowers. Before the end of the year: I want to finish the 1000 Chain. Next year I’ll be here in 1st grade with Miriam. I’ll remember Ms. Anne, Noa, Merin, Ms. Cara, and Ms. Kionna.
It’s fun and exciting. The teachers are very nice and all the teachers like to have visitors. Ashwini and Kishore visited yesterday; they were Ks from before. On being a K: It’s fun. After circle you do your K work. There’s Calendar, Journal, Reading Log, and Yellow Book. Yellow book is math where you add up or exchange: Bank, Stamp Game, or Addition Strip Board. I’ve done all of them. In your journal you write stuff about what you did. You can draw a picture if you want. During K time: We do all kinds of fun activities. Sometimes we do art, we do music, we work on our castle. We got lots of recyclables and we’re building a castle. On art: You do a lot of crafts. Sometimes we look at a picture; it’s an art that we’re going to make. I like drawing and painting and using those rolly things to paint. Favorite FT: Chinatown. Favorite LATW: The one where Juliette’s mom came. She made a Korean soup which makes you older. It tasted good! Greatest accomplishment: reading. I read K books. Before the end of the year: I’m hoping to finish all my K work. Next year: I’ll go to a new school for 1st grade. They have a lot of grades, all the way to high school. I saw Logan and Isabella when I visited. I’ll remember all my friends, the teachers are good, and that GT has a lot of fun works.
I really like it and I like having my friends. Jonas lives really close to me and I see him at soccer. Best thing about K: going on field trips. Favorite FT: When I went to Chinatown. I got to get candy. I saw the Friendship Gate. Favorite K work: probably Journal. I write a lot of sentences and then I make a picture. I write about me and Jonas playing soccer and I made a picture of me and Jonas playing soccer. I really like maps but I don’t like maps that take a long time. I’ve done N. America and the United States Maps. It took me like five days to do it. I’ve done S. America and Baron did Asia next to me. I do the World Map a lot, probably 3 times. Most challenging work: Writing when it’s a long sentence. Short sentences are easy. Greatest accomplishment: Doing the Long 6 Chain yesterday. I did it by myself. It probably took me all morning. During K time I do ukulele and art. I like art. I like painting. I like ukulele. And Mr. Patrick picks a surprise. We melted crayons and we made our own crayons the shape of your name. I’m moving to Chicago. In two weeks I’ll be in Chicago to visit a new school. Next year I really want to go to LEGO club. I’ll remember I play with my friends a lot. The other thing I’m going to remember is that Mr. Patrick taught me a lot of things.
There’s a lot of math in my classroom. My favorite is the Dot Game. It’s an addition work. And the Snake Game; it’s also an addition work. You make a snake with the beads and when you get to 10 you trade it in for a black and white bead bar and a golden 10 bar. Math is probably my favorite. Greatest accomplishment: reading. I like the Bob books. Most challenging work: Even though I love it, it’s Snake Game. Best thing about being a K: Having peppermint tea at K time. It makes me feel peaceful. And we’re reading Charlotte’s Web. At K time we just finished adding the verb, it’s a red circle, to the black triangle, that’s the noun. Before the end of the year: I want to do the Number Roll. You write 1 to 1000; I’m on 340. It will take until the end of the year. My favorite FT was to Chinatown because I love Chinese food and I did like the noodles. And the art museum. I remember the duck story. Favorite LATW: Israel. I’ve had Israel food and I like it. Favorite art: the bird. It was a big chicken and we painted it. I’m excited about my new school. They have a workshop where we can build. I’m looking forward to the workshop. I’ll definitely remember our classroom and the whole 3rd floor, the movement room, and the art room. I’ll remember my whole class and my teachers.
I like the new playdeck. We play tag and we play bears. I like doing apple work and I like serving people. And we do pickle work. You cut the pickle with a knife and then you serve it. You say, “Would you like a pickle?” and someone says yes or no. Best thing about being a K: Working on new stuff, the alphabet, the 100 Board, I do maps and painting work, and we go to ukulele with Mr. Zack. Favorite K work: reading. When I was 3 I was saying sounds. When I was 4 I did sounds and was starting to read. Mrs. Brown was teaching me. Now I’m 5 and I like to read Pigeon Has To Go To School Most challenging work: You write words and it’s pretty hard. I did it when I was 4 with some help then I turned into a K and I do it by myself now. Greatest accomplishment: doing new work. I do all the chains. I’ve been practicing them. At K time we write in a journal. When I became a K Mrs. Brown gave me a notebook. You can write anything you want. Favorite art: The snowflakes because you paint it. I love doing crafts! Favorite FT: the fire station. I got to go in the fire truck and someone turned on the alarm. The fire guys let us try on the fire hats. Favorite LATW: The one with honey! My mom helped. I’ll remember the farmer’s market. I’ll remember all my friends in the class and Mrs. Brown and Ms. Sherri.
On being a K: I can do different work. Sometimes they’re easy, sometimes they’re hard. I’m doing a K work now. It’s Multiplication Bead Bars. I’m on number 4. After 4 I’ll do 5. It goes up to 9. I like to do my journal. We have a lot of journals. There’s one where you write a story and then draw a picture. That one’s my favorite. I write a different one every time. I wrote one with Samantha about Halloween. The picture was me and Samantha going around the neighborhood. Most challenging work: The one where you write words that start with the same sound. I like the 100 Board. After we finish it we show it to the other classes. I do it with Samantha or Merin. We take turns doing the pieces. We read Bob books. At K time we usually do our journals and sometimes we learn about nouns and verbs. I love the library! We’re going today with my mom. Favorite FT: the scavenger hunt at Reading Terminal. Favorite LATW: the first one – India and South Korea. I liked a lot of the food. Favorite Art: We got to make little hearts and we got to put food coloring in shaving cream and we stuck the hearts in it. Then we scraped off the shaving cream and the coloring was on the hearts. Next year I’m going to the school that my brother goes to. I’ll remember some of the work. I’ll remember Ms. Anne and my friends.
My favorite thing is probably the GT sign downstairs because green is one of my favorite colors and it’s all green. Favorite work: the 1000 Chain. I did it by myself. It took like two days. I did all the Chains. I’m doing a map right now; it’s the World Map. It has all the continents on Earth: Europe, Asia, Africa, N. America, S. America, Arctic regions, and Australia. Greatest accomplishment: I would say carrot work because I had trouble with the peeler. Now I can use the peeler. It felt good. During K time: We do word houses. We say words with sounds like “at” and “g” and “ee.” We draw K things that we do in our notebooks: flags and stories. Best thing about being a K: helping younger friends. We do hard work. Before the end of the year I’ll do the 1000 Chain again. My favorite LATW was the Asian pears; it was Korea. And those noodles; they were good! I think I like the pears better. I also liked the honey. Favorite FT: the scavenger hunt at Reading Terminal Market. We had to find vegetables, we tried to find a sign that lights up. We ate pretzels. My favorite art class is probably when we painted birds. My bird is blue. Next year: I’m excited to have new work. My favorite work there is LEGOs. It’s different than at GT. I’ll remember marble work, carrot work, and all my friends.
I really like the clay work. I’m doing it now and I’m making headphones. I also really like the Dot Game. There’s units, 10s, 100s, 200s. You put dots on a line and you put the extra dots on the 1,000. You count the rows of dots and put all the numbers together and it makes a bigger number. And Stamp Game. First you make a number with the tiles then you make another number then you squish the numbers together and it makes a new number. On being a K: I get to do K time. My favorite is baking. We usually make muffins. We have journals. One is to make stories. One is to write things. One is for sight words. I like to write about what holiday is coming up. Greatest accomplishment: the Clock Game. I couldn’t do it when I was younger and now I can. I feel good because it is really fun and it’s kind of hard. On art class: I liked the butterflies. In music I’m learning the ukulele. Favorite FT: Reading Terminal Market. Me and Aaron were partners. We had a scavenger hunt and we had to find everything. Favorite LATW: Korea/Japan. I liked the rice with edamame. Before the end of the year I want to do the Snake Game. It’s a math work. I never did it before. Next year I’m going to be in 1st grade at a new school. I’ll definitely remember Charlie; he’s my best friend and we’ll still have playdates.
Schools the Class of 2024 will attend next year:
Friends Select School
Germantown Friends School
Greene Towne Montessori Lower Elementary
Greenfield Elementary
The Haverford School
Jenks Elementary
Kosmos Elementary School, Belgium
Lexington, MA Elementary School
McCall Elementary
Meredith Elementary
Old St Mary’s School, Chicago, IL
The Philadelphia School
St. Peters School
Field Trips expand our kindergartners’ knowledge of their city:
Chinatown
Free Library of Philadelphia
Market Street Fire Station
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art
Reading Terminal Market
Rittenhouse Square Farmers Market
Kindergartners traveled far and wide for Lunch-Around-the-World:
Bangladesh
Great Britain
India
Israel
Japan
South Korea
Zimbabwe
Kindergartners were inspired by the following artists:
Lisa Congdon’s Folk Art
Marie Watt Weaving
Tracey English Collage
Clementine Hunter Still Lifes
Henri Matisse Cut-outs
Yayoi Kusama 3D
Alexander Girard Folk Art
Kindergartners served their community at school and around town:
Lemonade Stand Fundraiser
Reading to the Toddlers
SHARE Donations sorting
Street Tree Tending
THANK YOU TO OUR PARENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF FOR ENRICHING OUR KINDERGARTNERS’ YEAR WITH THESE ACTIVITIES.
55 N. 22nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
gtms.org
GIVING: gtms.org/giving
Congratulations to Greene Towne’s Kindergarten Class of 2012 on their accomplishments and their exciting plans for next year. Look inside to read what these Greene Towne alums have been up to since their Greene Towne days.
Join us! Each week children and their grown ups gather together to engage with each other and explore our specially designed Montessori environment with the guidance of a Montessori certified Infant-Toddler teacher. Friends enjoy open work time, snack, and circle time with songs and stories. While children explore, grown ups learn how to best support the children's curiosity, independence, and concentration. For more information, please visitgtms.org/montessoriandme
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