Happy First (full) Week

Congratulations on completing the first full week fo school - it has been quite a busy one! Thank you to all of the families that were able to come out to our Parent Coffees and Parents' Association Meeting. It was great to meet new parents and see old friends. Thank you to the Parents' Association Executive Board for running these events.



This week I started my classroom walk-thrus. I try to be in all of our classrooms as frequently as possible. I consider myself a teacher first and foremost and the classroom is where I feel most at home. Classroom are the best way to understand what is going on at Lab. I am able to observe teaching practice, student learning and larger school trends. They are also the highlight of my day. Sitting next to an 8th grader in a Math lesson is what I find most fulfilling in my work as as a principal.



In 6th grade Spanish students are learning how to say Hola, me llamo.. and ¿Cómo estás? Foreign language is a challenging subject for students because it forces them to take risks in trying something that many have never done before. Ms. Clavijo had the students break into small groups to practice these exchanges before moving speaking in front of the entire class. Our 6th graders are doing a lot of get-to-know-you (and get-to-know Lab) activities in their classes. In humanities class students are learning about our school values and what they mean in the context of our work as middle schoolers. They created posters in groups illustrating these values and are doing a gallery walk to explain them to their classmates.



Ms. Isaacson's 7th grade Humanities classroom was engaged with a study of figurative language when I sat in yesterday. The students were doing a close reading of the segment of The House on Mango Street. Students were given a passage and asked to find sentences that most exhibited these literary techniques. What started off as a simple literacy lesson evolved into a beautiful discussion around words - word choice and meaning. It was great hear such thoughtful conversation. When I went into 701's math class they were working on bar graphs using data they collected from fellow students. Ms. Feurtado was teaching into the concepts of data presentation and analysis.

Our American Studies (8th grade Humanities) classes are starting a unit on slavery. 801 and 802 were doing a close reading of a segment of Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglas. Yesterday they discussed the topic of dehumanization using a graphic organizer. They will be continuing with this text throughout the unit. The other four sections are also studying the same topics. Earth Science is starting with a season study. Students were assigned to interview a family member about how why seasons happen. A seemingly simple concept has such myth and misunderstanding around it. It is always funny to hear what parents remember from their 8th grade science. 8th grade parents -study up before you're interviewed :)

Our sports program is in full-swing. We had informational sessions for 4 of our 5 sports this week (with pep squad next week). Each of the meetings had 60+ students attend. I was excited to see such enthusiasm in representing Gator Green. Charles Jessup is our Athletic Director (cjessup@schools.nyc.gov) Please contact him if you have any questions related to sports.


I'll end this blog with my favorite student story from this week. Yesterday morning I escorted a new 6th grader upstairs for first period. She was late and very upset about it : ( As we were in the elevator I asked how the first couple of days of school had been for her. She said that at first it was a little scary but she was feeling more comfortable now. I said to her that my first day her was pretty scary too. Her response, "wait, you're a student her too". I laughed for a moment and reintroduced myself as I walked her to Humanities class. After I thought this 6th grader was right - I am a student (or at least a learner) here too. In a school that's what we all become.



I hope that everyone has a restful weekend. Fall has almost arrived to the city and it is suppose to be beautiful.



Warmly,

Meg