Teacher Margaret's "View From My Window" - April 7th

Today we did what was once a very ordinary thing for school children -1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade students headed off on a field trip to the Philadelphia Zoo. We are continuing to adapt and build on how we operate as a school community today. Everyone wore masks on the buses, chaperones introduced themselves to parents they haven’t had a chance to meet in person up to now, umbrellas and raincoats were in evidence, and student excitement was palpable. 

As we come out of the current phase of the pandemic, we are better than before;  we have practiced working together for the good of our own children AND for their learning community. Our embracing of our diversity as a strength was in evidence yesterday during Meeting for Worship. Out of our silent worship, our Muslim students each stood and shared a bit about Ramadan and what it means to them, their families, and our community. Then Jasmine,  an 8th-grade student, shared our first query of the month, “As a student who has been here for 8 years, the Westfield Friends School community is peaceful. We gather at meeting not just for silence but we gather here as a community to come with our thoughts and gather how we feel and to share it and welcome people to your thoughts. We must strive to create a community where everyone can bring their authentic self.  How do we help each other to live with integrity and contribute that integrity to the life of our school?" 

Poetry month is here. Today I will give out 15 popsicles (or candy for those who are fasting) to students who successfully recited a poem to an unsuspecting teacher. Poems by Robert Frost, Amanda Gorman, Shel Silverstein, and original poems have been memorized and shared. As a part of their cross-disciplinary work on All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team, 6th-grade students will write poetic responses to what they are learning.  7th-grade students are considering the poetry of stars as a part of their language arts and science explorations of Neil Degrasse’s book Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry. They are looking forward to their performances in the 7th, 5th, and 3rd-grade poetry slam later this month. 

We have two community-wide social events on the horizon. I hope you will join me for both. Saturday morning, April 30th is our annual Pancake Breakfast hosted by the Parents and Guardians Council. Saturday evening, May 14th is our spring fundraiser and community celebration, A Taste of our Towns. We have a great lineup of restaurants and sponsors. Our students' artwork will be on display throughout the building. The auction is taking shape with several wonderful items donated by caring community members. There is still time to donate an item for the auction or to sponsor the event.  Thank you to everyone helping to make these events welcoming and successful.

In peace,

Margaret

More photos from the Trip to the Zoo!