MS Principal, Kathy Christoph Reports on the Success of Intermester Week

Well, we're past the half-way mark of Intermester Week , and what a week it is already!! I am so impressed by the overall theme of each grade level and the interpretation of those themes into the various experiences and activities in which the children are participating. The creativity factor, the intellectual rigor, the level of relationships between students and teachers, and the problem-solving factors all are contributing significantly to a week that the children will remember as Touch-stone Experiences.

On Tuesday, I got to see the 6's in action with their emphasis on green ways to contribute to a local economy. Those math skills were being honed with the small group work on poverty, nutrition, and income levels. Today, the grade shifted focus a bit and took a look internally at themselves with the self-portrait experience which is part of their Identity unit. A special call-out to Lydia for her good work on this unit.

Today, I traveled to Chinatown with the 7's and was immersed in all things Chinese, and learned a few some really neat facts. We walked to the oldest building in New York City and stopped by the oldest cemetery in the city. Along the way, we got to visit the statue of Confucius and the arch honoring soldiers of Chinese ancestry. At the Chinese Cultural Center, the children honed their fine-motor skills in a Chinese calligraphy class and burned off many calories in a male- and female- fan dance. Interesting to note the gender differences!

Tomorrow, I'm going to join the 8's in their Poetry Day. It will be especially nice to see them in 4-Star Dress Over the past 2 days, our 8's have been having some really special opportunities. Art Department Chair, Gregg Emery, along with visual arts faculty, Caitlyn Young and Lydia Scrivanich, integrated American history with art history in preparation for their trip to the MET. Not content to take it easy, the emphasis on Service  Learning came through loud and clear with their trips to the Food Bank. The students found out that lots of labor is usually needed to help cure social ills.

I am so proud of our Middle School division. Tonight at the boys' Basketball game, many parents commented how much their children are enjoying the week. If their voices are representative of the DE Families as a whole, we are certainly hitting the mark!  As I have often said, We teach with Passion every day!