Principal Meg

Happy Last Day!

2011-06-28T05:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Lab Families,

Thank you for a great school year. I hope that everyone has a safe, relaxing and happy summer. Below is the letter I wrote to all of our students in our yearbook. I think that it captures the spirit of the year.

Spring 2011

Dear Lab Students

Thank you for a wonderful year. Middle School is a dynamic time – one in which you grow and change so much. It is amazing to reflect on how much happens over the course of a single school year, let alone how much you can experience over the span of three years. From the time that you enter as 6th grader to the time that you step-up to 9th grade you are deciding who you wish to become. You are exploring interests, ideas and passions. You are building relationships with your peers and faculty. You are faced with significant success and challenges. You are beginning to understand what the values of Academic Rigor, Diversity & Pluralism, Collaboration and Compassion truly mean and finding ways to put them into action. You are becoming a Labbie.

8th graders, it is with a heavy heart that I begin to say goodbye. Each of you has brought something to our Lab School family – you have made it a richer place to learn and grow. I still remember welcoming you on your first day of 6th grade. The three years seem to have gone so quickly. Thank you for committing to the work of our school. You helped to build out athletics, afterschool and clubs. You pushed yourselves academically and have grown into remarkable young women and men. You will be missed tremendously.

7th graders – you are the loudest and silliest of all the classes. You are also the most surprising. I was humbled by the way you came together after the passing of your classmate. Your love, maturity and care came through when our school family needed it the most. Next year you will be the leaders of our school – I know that you will once again rise to the challenge.

6th graders, this year was filled with newness for each of you. New school, new teachers, new friends, new expectations, new commute… You embraced each one of these as on opportunity to learn and grow. You have a spirit of curiosity and add so much to our school.

Thank you to Mrs. Smith and the yearbook staff. I am excited to say that the middle school yearbook has become a tradition at Lab. This book captures the best that our school is and highlights the central values of our community.

I am often asked why I love leading a middle school so much. I cannot think of any other place with such infinite possibilities. Thank you for nourishing the dreamer in all of us. You make me realize all that is possible.

Best wishes for a safe and wonderful summer.

Love
Meg
Megan Adams, Principal NYC Lab Middle School

April

2011-04-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Lab School Families,

April has arrived! As I was standing outside this morning greeting students a parent wished me luck today. I thought to myself why would this mom be wishing me luck and then I realized that it was dreaded April Fool's Day. Next to Halloween and the last day of school, April Fool's Day has the most potential for silliness and mayhem in a middle school. So far the best I've seen was 1st period when 8th graders decided to return to their 7th grade homeroom. It certainly did make me do a double-take.

The 8th graders are coming to completion on their mural project. For the past month Ms. Rinna's art classes have been working with an organization called Groundswell to produce a mural on the 4th floor of our building. The mural's design was a collaborative effort - incorporating ideas from students in two homerooms. The theme of the mural is Diversity and depicts many elements of our school community and culture...including a six foot long alligator and portrait of Jabu. It has brought so much to the space and will leave a lasting mark on our school.

The 7th graders are in the midst of a food unit in Spanish class. They have each been assigned to write a Spanish recipe that will be compiled into a Spanish Cookbook. This book will be published and sold at the Taste event in June. A food unit wouldn't be complete without a food day too. The students will be cooking their recipes and sharing the food with their classmates and teachers.

The Gay Straight Alliance is getting ready for their assembly next Tuesday. The GSA was a new group to come to Lab MS last year. With the help of Mr. Mosher and Ms. Whelan it has grown to become one of the most active student groups at Lab. Tuesday will be the first ever assembly put on by the GSA. I am excited to be starting a new tradition at Lab School.

Spring sports are also in full swing. Our spring season includes Track and Field, Softball, Baseball and Cheerleading. It is certain to be a great season for all our gator athletes.

The Auction is tonight. This year's theme is April in Paris. This is a wonderful event that Lab MS and HS put on annually. It allows the Parents' Associations to raise money for the two schools and is also a nice moment to come together as a community. I hope to see many of you there.

I will close with three calendar reminders. 3rd Quarter ends Friday, April 8th. Report cards will be BACKPACKED home this quarter (due to Spring Break) on Friday, April 15th. Spring Break is April 18th - April 26th. Students will return to school on Wednesday, April 27th. Finally, the state ELA and Math exams are fast approaching. The ELA exam with be May 3rd and 4th and the Mathe exam will be May 11th and May 12th. There will be more information to follow regarding testing.

Warmest,
Meg

S'mores and Stroop Test

2011-03-11T05:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Lab School Families

Yesterday was the annual Black Alliance assembly. It was a beautiful show with signing, dancing tributes and social action. The Black Alliance is a student group that is open to all Lab Middle School students. One of the things that the club has been active in this year is a social action project involving getting rid of the n-word in popular culture. Earlier this year the group had a speaker come in to explain the origins of the n-word and its long term impact on race in society. The group did a teach-in yesterday around their learning and then passed around a petition for students to sign asking rap stars and singers to take it out of their lyrics. This petition is an example of authentic action related to student learning and student passion. I am so proud of my Black Alliance student leaders. Thank you to Ms. McCormick and Ms. Marilyn - the faculty advisors to the club.

In 7th grade science students are studying body systems. Ms. Bhatt's classes have just started the nervous system. When I was in class on Tuesday we all took the Stroop test. It is a cognitive test to test color and word recognition. I have included a link from NOVA so you all can try it as well http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/exposure/stroopintro.html. It is not as easy as you think - I promise :) This activity helped students start exploring and asking questions about how their brain works. It was a wonderful introduction to the unit.

Earlier this week I found myself surrounded by 200 6th graders and about 400 cupcakes in the cafeteria. Monday was the culminating event in the Cupcake Wars mathematical cooking challenge. The student have been working on a math project for the past two weeks. Over the weekend groups were each asked to bake cupcakes - the final product of the project. During math class students presented their projects and children sampled cupcakes to pick a class winner. The top cupcake in each homeroom was then tasted by me and the other judges. Now I love cupcakes but after the second one I was on a sugar high...and after the fourth one I was starting to feel a little sick. By the sixth one we were all only able to take a little nibble. In the end 606's cupcake - the S'mores cupcake won. The remaining few hundred cupcakes were eaten by our hungry sixth graders and hungry faculty. Thank you for all the families who lent their kitchens for this math project.

Spring is almost here. Remember that it is daylight savings time this weekend and we spring forward on Sunday. Set your clocks accordingly so we all get to school on time Monday morning.

Warmly,
Meg

Rejoice

2011-03-04T05:02:00.001-08:00

Dear Lab School Families,

I tried to write this blog many times over the course of this week. It is hard to capture all that has been felt and experienced by our school family. Death is a hard, if not an impossible thing to understand - especially the death of a child. It was hard to say goodbye to our dear friend Jabu. Through all of this sadness I have been so moved by the work of our children and our faculty.

Monday began on a somber note. Students gathered in homerooms to be told of Jabu's passing. Teachers then led students in reflection and remembrance. Students wrote, talked and created art in honor of their classmate. Throughout the day a makeshift memorial tribute was formed for Jabu outside of the seventh grade classrooms - a bulletin board filled with notes, cards and pictures, a collection of flowers filled a large bucket and a remembrance paper chain was made.

During 7th period the entire 7th grade made a banner in memory of Jabu. A sheet of butcher paper was rolled all the way down the 7th grade hallway. Students gathered to share messages of love and comfort with Jabu's family. Students wrote notes, painted hearts, shared memories and stories. The banner was given to Jabu's family at Monday night's memorial service.

The day ended in celebration and appreciation. Students were all asked to write about someone that they appreciated. The students were then invited to share their appreciations in a 7th grade-wide assembly in the Cafeteria. Students shared all sorts of appreciations. Some humorous - "thank you for sharing your grapes with me everyday at lunch". Some more serious - "thank you for always cheering me up when I am feeling low". And some directed towards Jabu. Having students reflect in this way was an important way to the end the day.

Jabu will be remembered as a dancer, an actor, an author, a comedian, a friend to all...a kind and generous young man. I learned on Monday that the name Jabulani is Zulu for rejoice. I could not think of a more fitting name for this young man. He always brought such joy and happiness to our Lab School family.

My thoughts and prayers continue to be with Jabu's friends and family as we all mourn his loss.

I find that times of sadness and struggle are also moments where I become most thankful. The week started in sadness and ended with significant blessing. The most amazing part about being an educator is that children are remarkable - they constantly amaze and inspire a belief in what is possible. My first students (from when I was a teacher both here and in the Delta) are seniors. Today I learned of the first college offer. This may seem commonplace - of little significance. But for the one who taught them so much, who held their struggle as her own and who believed in what is possible it means the world. I am reminded that I am a teacher and I am blessed to be one.

Warmest,
Meg

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-11T05:58:00.001-08:00

Dear Lab School Families,

Last night we held the Lunar New Year celebration. It was an amazing event - put on by Lab MS and Lab HS parents' associations. Thank you to Cecilia Leong for all of her work in taking this event on! This was the first ever joint Lunar New Year banquet and it was so amazing to see our community gather. We filled the entire banquet hall at Grand Harmony. There were performances from middle and high school students, community members and a traditional Lion Dance. There was also lots and lots of food for all of us to share. I sincerely hope that we have started a tradition and we will be able to celebrate together for many years to come.

I just returned for Mr. Mosher's 7th grade visual arts class. With the new semester comes a new set of arts classes for our 6th and 7th grade students. 706 was working on identity collages. They were in the process of reconstructing their work based on a significant element depicted in the initial work. There was a nice workshop atmosphere in the classroom. Students were giving feedback to their peers - holding a place of expertise, just like their teacher.

Yesterday I went to 803's and 804's publishing party. Ms. Riina (art teacher) ans Ms. Woodbury (humanities) developed a interdisciplinary book-making project. The students based their personal books off of the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Each student did a series of their own emulations based on the book. The work was deeply personal and I was impressed.

Thank you to all of those who joined us this past weekend to help with admissions day. We had a record number of applicants come and test at our school. Our faculty has been busily grading the assessments all week. After this is finished we will review and rank all of our applications.

We will be mailing (via USPS) 2nd quarter report cards today. Today we will also be mailing home the Specialized High School letters (to 8th grade families). Please note, we will not be giving any SHS results over the phone - I do not even have that information. The envelopes come prepackaged and sealed. We simply put postage on them and put them in the mail. If you have not received a letter (and you DID take the SHS test) by Thursday, February 17th please let me know.

One additional reminder, Parent-Teacher conferences are next Wednesday and Thursday. Evening conferences are on Wednesday, February 16th 5:00-7:30 and afternoon conferences are Thursday, February 17th 12:00-2:30. I look forward to seeing everyone next week.

Warmest,
Meg

Chair Design

2011-02-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Lab School Families,

It was nice to see so many of you brave the icey-snowy, cold rain to come listen to my State of the School presentation on Wednesday. I am adding one slide to the presentation (a list of relevant websites) and then I will have it posted to our website. All of the information discussed on Wednesday can be found there.

Wednesday was also the Knoll Chair Design reception and viewing. This was the culminating event for the 8th grade design unit. Ms. Riina (the 8th grade art teacher) began this year with a design project. Students were placed in design teams and they were charged with the task of creating a chair design. Through a rather serendipitous connection Knoll partnered in the project. They took three chair designs and built them into real chairs. The three designs each have their own aesthetic, function and appeal. Two are circular in shape. One looks like pac-man - yellow and black with magnetic speakers affixed for listening to music. The other circular one is very colorful with primary colored tubing coming out the sides. It is a complete cylinder - allowing someone to wrap their whole body inside. The last chair is a series of boxes connected in such a way that there are seven different places to sit. The box chair is the biggest of the three - over six feet high and six feet wide. All of the chairs will remain on display at the Knoll showroom for the next few weeks. They will eventually be moved over to our school. Finding a place to put them is certainly going to be a challenge : ) The event was a highlight for me. I was so proud of our students and happy that our Chelsea community takes a role in enriching our work. Thank you Knoll for being in partnership with us.

The Lego Robotics team also received some exciting news this week. The team did so well in the last competition that they have qualified for the city-wide event at the Javits Center. The Lab team took the award for collaboration. I was so proud - but indeed not surprised.

This weekend will be a busy one for our school community. The Middle School Math Team is gearing up to compete in sectionals tomorrow. This is the first competition that the team will be competing in (beyond the school). The have been practicing and working so hard. We all wish them the best of luck. Lab School's admissions test day is also tomorrow. Students, staff and parents will also be here volunteering to help the day run smoothly. We have over 850 students coming to test at our school. Thank you in advance for your support.

The winter seems to be dragging on a bit. Luckily the groundhog has predicted an early spring. I am sure that I am not the only one who is thankful for this! Until then, please make sure your students bring the proper winter weather gear (coats, hats, mittens, boots...etc).

Warmest,
Meg

Happy (Belated) Snow Day

2011-01-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Lab School Families,

I am just winding down from a very spirited pep rally. We had the Gator Pep Squad perform a few numbers, heard from some of our student clubs about upcoming events and had a homeroom hula hoop contest. It was a fun time and it is always nice to see that much school spirit. It reminds me of how happy and proud I am to be a Labbie.

I sat in 701's humanities class today as the students were completing the revision phase of their Crucible monologue project. Students in 7th grade just completed reading Arthur Miller's play The Crucible and are all writing "unheard monologues" from the point of view of one of the characters. As Ms. Morrow explained, revision is not like editing...students were challenged to give honest, reflective feedback on their classmates work. Peer Revision is an important step in the writing process because it allows students to receive feedback on their writing and also challenges them to reflect on others.

801 and 802 are completing a solar energy unit in Earth Science. Lab School has been working in partnership with the Solar One organization. Students were able to learn about solar energy and build solar powered cars as a culminating activity. This partnership is part of a larger unit on energy that Ms. Cortes and Mr. Skinner are teaching.

Next Wednesday, February 2nd (Groundhog Day), I will be presenting the annual State of the School address in the auditorium. We will be starting at 8:15. I will also be posting the power point presentation on the website after the meeting.

Next Saturday, February 5th we will be holding our annual admissions day for prospective (5th grade) Labbies. We will be testing a record number of kids - more than ever before. Over 850 families ranked Lab School as one of their top two choices for a middle school. We are excited by the enthusiastic response and thank everyone for their hard work during the tour season. This high number is no doubt a reflection of that work.

I hope everyone enjoyed the unexpected snow day yesterday...I heard that many congregated in Central Park to celebrate.

The first home game for the girls basketball team is about to start so I must sign-off here.

Warmest,

Meg

A Spotlight on Lab After School

2011-01-14T04:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Lab School Families

Our aftershool programs have been getting quite busy. The Lego Robotics team (new this year) will be going to compete on Sunday at the district level competition. Every Friday the Lego team has gathered to design, build and program a set of robots with Ms. Dwyer. This year's theme is biotechnology. The robots are trained to perform different biotechnological tasks that might once day be used by doctors. Among the items there is a robotic syringe (no real needle of course). The team must also present research on their topic to the judges. Interestingly the part that gets the most points in the competition is that of collaboration. A skill that our younger ones are still growing in. In all of my time at Lab I have never walked to a room had no idea what was going on...until I joined the Lego Robotics team last Friday. They have advanced for beyond my personal scientific understandings. Best of luck to the team and Ms. Dwyer. Thank you also to all of the parents who have supported this team's work.

The yearbook staff is also working hard to finish 2009-2010 yearbook and send it to print. The Middle School yearbook was new last year. In its second year the staff has grown and excitement has built. Each homeroom was charged with the task of designing their own class page in an effort to create schoolwide involvement. Ms. Smith is their fearless advisor - working LONG hours to bring the project to completion.

The Middle School Math Team is preparing for their citywide competition that is fast approaching. There were so many mathletes this year that the coaches - Ms. Feurtado and Mr. Evans had to put the team into two rooms. Yesterday was the math competition to determine the final team that will be representing Lab School. The Middle School Math Team represents healthy competition. There is a team spirit and each member has a drive to become better.

The Writers Group seems to keep expanding each week. New this year, the group meets weekly to explore different styles and techniques of creative writing. They are working to publish an anthology in the spring. The group is led by two of our wonderful 6th grade humanities teachers - Ms. Mazarakis and Ms. Zittel. The group was their idea, stemming from the writing that they currently do in their class. I was excited to add this group to our offerings and impressed by how popular it has become.

If there is money to be made, the stock market kids know how to do it. Last year one of our teams made the most "money" in the city. We are hoping for a repeat this year. The stock market school program is a national program. It integrates math skills with a deep understanding of the stock market. If you need any stock tips you should report to room 405 at 3:15. Our Labbies seem to fair better than anyone 401K's.

The Media:Power club is an evolution of last year's animation club. Mr. Mosher meets with his team of artists every week to talk about advertising, media and messaging. They have been charged with the task of creating values messaging for our school community and are working as consultants to different student groups.

Drama is moving into it's next phase of work. The club has spent the fall semester building their own production through playwriting. They will be producing their own show in late spring. Every element of their work is driven by the students. Everything becomes a moment of learning. In many ways this is much harder for their advisors Ms. Sherman and Ms. Smith. Last year they wrote and produced a beautiful show about what they learned in kindergarten. Who knows what they'll come up with next.

Winter sports are also making Lab a busy place after 3pm. We currently have five sports - basketball, golf, table, tennis, pep squad and winter conditioning (running). We will be celebrating these at the pep rally Friday, January 28th.

A reminder, there is no school Monday, January 17th for MLK day.

Warmly,
Meg

Happy New Year

2011-01-06T05:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Lab School Families,

Welcome Back! I hope that everyone had a wonderful winter break and a happy time with loved ones. I traveled to Omaha to spend some time with my own family - I missed the epic snowstorm completely. It was nice to have time to relax but after a couple of days I started to really miss our kids.

It was a busy last couple of weeks to 2010.

In 6th grade humanities students completed their Mesopotamia research projects and conducted presentations to teach their fellow classmates. In one class I learned all about the evolution of the wheel and other inventions that came from this civilization. It was wonderful to see the students take on an expert role and become the teachers.

In 801 and 802 students are completing their Native American unit. Right before the break students finished reading Sherman Alexie's book Diary of a Part-Time Indian. They studied present day issues in the context of historical events. I was lucky enough to be a guest speaker for the classes -sharing my own experiences of traveling to Indian Reservations in South Dakota and my visit to the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre. Students are now working on a social action project related to these issues. We hope to share some of the students' work in an upcoming Gator Gab issue.

In 7th grade humanities students are reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible. They are using the play to understand the Salem witch trials and what was occurring in American history during this time. The play is challenging for our students - it is a good struggle and students are really taking to the story. I have found over the years that students connect well with the characters. Many of the themes explored in the text are issues that our students also grapple with.

The chair designs are almost complete. Thanks to a collaborative partnership between Ms. Riina's 8th grade artists and Knoll Design firm. The firm took three chair models and built them to life-size chairs. There will be reception and showing in early February. There will be much more information to come about this collaboration. Thank you to our 8th grade father Jeff Jaffe for helping to set this up.

The winter sports season is in full swing. Our sports offerings include - Table Tennis, Basketball, Winter Running Conditioning, Golf and Pep Squad. Our basketball teams have already played some incredible games and we are looking forward to seeing even more from our gators. Students and families are encouraged to come to the basketball games.

Also a gentle reminder - it is winter. Everyday I am seeing many students not coming to school with proper cold weather gear (hats, gloves, coats, etc). Please remind your children to dress appropriately for the weather. If you need help purchasing these items for your child please let Ms. Marilyn or I know. We are able to secure these items.

Wishing everyone a year filled with goodness and joy.

Warmly, Meg

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Lab School Families

Wow, it's been a busy November and it's hard to believe that it is already Thanksgiving Break.

Today in 7th grade humanities students participated in a publishing coffee house celebration. Each student was invited to share their original writing with their fellow classmates. It was wonderful to hear all of the work the students had written. We definitely have some talented writers in our 7th grade.

Our classrooms are starting to look a little different as we add a new piece of technology to them. Through a City Council Reso A grant we were able to purchase ENO boards for 8 of our classrooms. ENO boards are a type of "smart board" technology. This is the first installment of these types of boards. We will be purchasing more through Taste of Lab fundraising proceeds and other grants. We are working to have all classrooms outfitted by May 2012.

Construction is underway on our school building. Construction begins everyday at 3:30 pm (as to not disrupt instructional time). The contractors are working to replace the entire facade and all of the windows. This is a long-term project. We are meeting with SCA (School Construction Authority) twice a month. I will be sure to continue to give updates.

We've also been in the midst of middle school tour season. Thank you to all of the parents that have helped with the welcoming efforts. I also want to recognize our fabulous 8th grade tour guides who are doing a wonderful job answering questions and leading groups around the school.

Before I too head off for Thanksgiving I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you. I feel blessed to be leading our school. I am lucky to be surrounded by such caring faculty, thoughtful students and engaged parents. I love my work and thankful for each of you - my lab family.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a safe a relaxing holiday.

Warmly,

Meg

The Water Cycle and Other Explorations

2010-10-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Lab Middle School Families,

In PE students have started their fitness unit. Each year we are required to administer the FitnessGram to all of our students. This is city-wide assessment that measures a student's level of physical fitness. Elements of endurance, flexibility and strength are monitored through a series of fitness tests. The information from these test is compiled into a data report that will go home in the spring. It is important that we all recognize the links between academic progress and healthy, active children. This starts in building habits of a healthy life-style both at home and school.
Here is an interesting article from the NYTimes from earlier this year.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/phys-ed-can-exercise-make-kids-smarter/

This week the entire school also participated in the SIGMA math contest. It is a national math program that our school is involved with. The SIGMA is a fun way for students to engage in math competition. The exams are not pure computation but rather the exams have students tackle complex questions and employ problem-solving strategies. We are able to compare how our students perform in relation to other middle schoolers at the city, state and national level. The highest scoring students have their names listed next to the classroom doors. These tests have no weight on students' grades it is meant to be fun and challenging.

The 6th graders are completing the water unit in science class. Over the past couple days I have watched students bring in all sorts of models depicting the water cycle. Students have created books, dioramas, charts and posters to tell the story of the water drop. This is the first major science project students complete in middle school - it was wonderful to see such a variety of projects. All of the classes will be taking a special trip on the water cycle in the coming weeks.

On Wednesday the 6th graders went bowling at Chelsea Piers. The kids had wonderful time being silly, bowling and meeting new friends - all with Justin Bieber playing in the background. I couldn't think of a better time. Thank you to all of the parents who volunteered to chaperon!

More "thank you's" are in order for the parents that helped organize/run photo day on Tuesday. To get 600 students and their teacher to all of have pictures taken is a pretty amazing. Thank you also to the parents who chaperoned 7th and 8th grade trips this week. We had something special almost everyday - all which we relied on parents for.

It's almost middle school tour season. The 8th graders were all invited to apply to be tour guides. We had nearly 100 students write essays about why they wanted to help with this year's process. I loved reading the essays - they were quite beautiful. It was extremely hard making the selections. It is an honor to represent the school and the process is quite rigorous. The tour guides will be announced early next week. 6th and 7th graders will be invited to apply in their 8th grade year.

Halloween
As we approach Halloween I find it necessary to underscore some specific policies that Lab and the DoE have in place. Students are allowed to wear costumes as long as they are appropriate and do not interfere with instruction. Students may not wear masks or carry anything that may resemble a weapon (fake or otherwise). If a teacher or staff member feels that a child is not appropriately dressed we will be addressing the issue with a phone call home and outfit change. Not following these policies may also lead to further disciplinary action.

On Friday, October 29th we will be escorting students to the subway and buses. We will expect them to go straight there. There will be no hanging out in Kelly Park or on the streets. I do not expect any issues around safety this is just a precaution that we have in place every Halloween. Please help us with this by reviewing with your child where you expect them to go afterschool.

Unlike elementary school, we do not do any Halloween parties, etc. Students should expect a normal school day and come Lab accordingly.

The annual SpookFest celebration is coming up. The event will be held next Friday, October 29th at 6 pm. Students are invited to dress-up in their costumes and come enjoy a fun-filled Halloween celebration. There will be food, movies, games and a costume contest. We will need parents to help run the event and chaperon.

Have a wonderful weekend - it's nearing the peak of color for fall foliage.

Warmly,
Meg

Go Gators - Fall Pep Rally

2010-10-18T16:53:00.001-07:00

Dear Lab School Families,

It was such a busy week at Lab that Friday's blog is being posted on Monday night...oops :)

The ultimate highlight of the week for me was of course our school's fall pep rally. If you've ever wondered what controlled chaos looks like you should stop in to see a middle school pep rally. The event started with all 18 homerooms and nearly 600 students dressed in green parading into the gym. Then there was dancing. It was a sight to see that many children all dancing in nearly complete synchronization . Their movements seemed almost instinctual - like every 12 year old knows how to Cha-Cha Slide...some of our teachers also seemed to know it too. I have included a link to for those that might not know what this dance is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZv62ShoStY

The dance music raised the noise and excitement of the pep rally to an all new high. From there it was time to celebrate Lab School - we honored all of the teams, student organizations and after school activities. Finally, to close the celebration we were led by our pep squad in a Lab School cheer. Miraculously this was all done in 38 min. We will have two more pep rallies this year - one in winter and one in spring.

The pep rally reminded me what I love about our Labbies and what it means to be a middle schooler. Their hearts seemed so full of school pride - I know mine was.

Last week I also made my way to see both our boys and girls play soccer against Anderson. I was so proud of both teams - they played some pretty intense soccer and represented our school well. This week I am hoping to see Flag Football and Volleyball. I am also looking forward to our first Cross Country race in a couple of weeks.

On Saturday night Ms. Dwyer (8th grade earth science) took a group of her students up to the star gazing event in Sheep's Meadow - Central Park. Armature astronomers from all over gathered with their fancy telescopes to see what could be seen in a city sky. The Parents' Association bought Lab School a telescope that we were able to add to the bunch. The moons of Jupiter, rings of Saturn and many stars were seen that night. Ms. Dwyer will be sure to let her students know when she is going star gazing again.

Tomorrow is Photo Day - please remind your students to dress nicely. These photos will be used in the yearbook and forever commemorate their middle school years.

We also have a number of field trips coming up this week - please check the Lab School calendar on SchoolHub for more information.

Warmly,
Meg

Capture the Flag

2010-10-08T06:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Lab School Families,

It was great to see so many of you at Curriculum Night last night. The my highlight of my evening was seeing 702 and 706 parents playing a heated game of Capture the Flag. Your children would never believe it : ) The purpose of the night was to get a good sense of what your child will be learning this year and to finally meet your teachers. I know that my faculty enjoyed meeting you. In November we will be holding an Open School Week and Parent/Teacher Conferences. These are both great opportunities to get to know Lab even better.

In 7th grade science students are learning about the cell. This unit will serve as the basis for a year-long study of life science. The teachers are working towards an end of unit project where students will be making cellular models.

In 8th grade visual arts students in the midst of a design unit that will be linked to a field trip to the MoMA later this month. Ms. Rinna used a learning styles inventory and at the beginning of the year to create design teams. Students are placed in heterogeneous groups. Students are exploring fundamental design concepts while developing a chair.

It must be fall because Cross Country started this week. The students build up to a five mile road race (in December). Last year was the first year of the sport and has become amazingly popular. Our coaches partner with the Young Runners organization (part of the New York Road Runners). It is a wonderful program and adds tremendously to our full year of running.
There are also soccer, volleyball AND flag football games also next week. Please check-in with your coach or child for me details.

Our fall Pep Rally is next week - Friday, October 15th. Please remind your students to wear their best Gator Green. We will be celebrating all of the fall sports and after school clubs. Our newly formed pep squad will also be leading us in some school-wide cheers. It should be a lot of fun.

Next Friday is also the DDR party - for us non tweens, DDR is Dance Dance Revolution. It is an interactive video game where students use a mat to make dance moves. Last year the DDR party was a tremendous success. We are hoping many of your students will choose to attend.

With the season changing I have noticed that students are not coming to school with the proper amount of warm clothing. Please remind your child to bring a coat or jacket. The days are getting cooler and I am seeing many children without coats at lunchtime. If you are unable to afford to buy a coat please let me know and the school can help get you one.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,
Meg

Go Gators - Soccer, Progress Report News and Upcoming Events

2010-09-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Lab School Families

Quite a rainy day - or really a rainy week here. It is with great anticipation and worry that I think of our field trips for tomorrow. Half of our school will be out of the building on outdoor field trips (the entire 7th grade and half the 8th grade). I am hoping that these storms will clear in time for these activities. Please send your children prepared for both "regular" school and the field trip tomorrow. The joy of Autumn in New York : )

Lab AfterSchool started this week. Record numbers of students piled into the different courses. It was great to see such high student involvement. The first few weeks is meant to be a trial period for students to explore the courses and decide which one(s) most interest them. Please help your child choose courses that they are interested in.

The fall sports season is picking up pace. Last our soccer teams played their first games against a middle school up in East Harlem. Our girls had their first win in a game that was 3-1. The boys' game was close...but in the final moments the other team scored a goal. The final score was 0-1. A truly great start to the season.

I wanted to be the first to share some wonderful news. Lab Middle School earned an A on the 2009-2010 Progress Report. We have earned an A for a number of years now. The difference this year is that the city raised the standard of what constitutes each letter score. The number of schools receiving an A this year (compared to year's past) dropped by over 50%. The score is encouraging but also reminds us that there is always room to grow and become even better. This year we will continue to work hard - working to meet even more rigorous academic and community goals.

I consider this a community-wide achievement. Thank you for all of your hard work in helping us meet this goal. Parental involvement is a key factor in student achievement and well-being. A parent guide Progress Report Overview will be backpacked home tomorrow. This guide gives families a breakdown of the score and explains the different components. It also discusses the progress of the Progress Report and shows the city-wide breakdown for Middle and Elementary schools. It is important to note (for parents with high schoolers) that the high school progress report is on a different timeline and has yet to be released. The report and overview will be posted on our school's website. I am including a link to that and further DoE resources below.

www.nyclabschool.net

http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/tools/report/default.htm

We have two parent events coming up next week.

On Tuesday, October 5th the guidance faculty and I will be hosting High School Information meetings for CURRENT 8th GRADE families. Our guidance faculty will review the process for High School admissions and answer all of your questions. There will be two meetings - 8:30 -9:30 and 5:00 - 6:00. They will both be in the auditorium. This is for 8th grade families only - the process changes each year and it is not that useful for 6th and 7th grade families to attend. 7th Grade families will have an Introduction to the High School Process in June.

On Thursday, October 7th we will be holding Curriculum Night (followed by a Parents' Association Meeting). Curriculum Night starts at 5 pm and the PA meeting will start around 6:30. The Curriculum Night is an excellent opportunity to be a middle schooler again. You will get to meet your child's teachers, see old friends and make new ones during passing periods and learn about what's to come this year. More information will be backpacked home about the night. I hope to see everyone there.

Warmly,
Meg

Happy Fall

2010-09-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Lab School Families

As Week Two comes to a close students (and teachers) seem to be settling nicely into the routine. I find it always takes a few weeks for children to get adjusted to school.

Our 6th graders are finally finding their way around the building - they have mastered the fourth floor, located the library and are able to get to gym class. You may laugh but I can tell you from personal experience that this building can be very confusing for newcomers.

Our 7th and 8th graders are experiencing the change in homework load and complexity of assignments. Middle School is only three years - in that time we must change students from being elementary schoolers to high schoolers. Each year the work will become much more challenging, much more demanding and challenge the students to push their own understanding. To support this challenge Lab has designed a number of structures and interventions for student learning. Next week Academic Study Groups will be starting for 7th and 8th grade students (6th grade will start one week later). Letters will be backpacked home on Monday and letters will also be mailed to families. Teachers built the groups based on student need. The groups are fluid and will change throughout the school year. Parents should contact their child's homeroom teacher or guidance counselor if they have question.

Success in school also relies on you and what your child is doing at home. I included this is a lesson that was shared in the NYTimes blog http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/learn-your-lesson-using-effective-study-strategies/. I found it incredibly interesting and thought that much of this could be applied at home. There are also other links to some great resources that you might be interested in as parents.

We had a wonderful turn-out to the Inclusion Information Night on Tuesday. It was great to see so many of you there. I loved hearing the students' and teachers' reflections about our Collaborative Team Teaching program - it was also great to have so many parents share their own experiences. This is annual event at lab School. We feel that it is important to share information about our inclusion program because it is central to our work. We also find that there are lots of questions from gened parents whose children are in these classes. If you were unable to make the night and have questions please let me know.

Sports try-outs started yesterday with Flag Football. Pleas make sure that your student has the appropriate paperwork so that are eligible. Please contact the coach or Mr. Jessup (our Athletic Director) if you have any questions. Our Lab Afterschool Programs will be starting next week. There is information on the website and a flyer is being backpacked home today.
Signing off for now...I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Warmly, Meg

Happy First (full) Week

2010-09-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

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

Welcome Back!

2010-09-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year. I am incredibly excited - we have a great year to look forward to. Before I talk about the day I wanted to remind folks of some upcoming meetings. Next week I will be hosting a series of Meet and Greets for parents. 6th grade families are invited to the meeting on Tuesday, September 14th at 8:15. 7th and 8th grade families are invited to a meeting on Wednesday, September 15th at 8:15. Both meetings will be in the library on the 2nd floor. On Thursday, September 16th the Parents' Association will be holding their first meeting of the year. It will be at 6pm in the cafeteria. The topic will be sports and afterschool. September is a busy month at Lab School. For a complete list of meetings please check-out the school calendar on our website at www.nyclabschool.net.

The first day back is always one of mixed emotions for me. I feel nervous for our youngest ones. You can spot a 6th grader from a mile away. Eyes - WIDE...a little confused, apprehensive, reserved and unsure. Walking toward the gym this morning I thought I had missed our new 6th grade class because it was so quite. To my surprise I found almost 200 children gathered around their homeroom signs silent. I thought, this is the quietest these children will ever be in the next three years.

This peace was quite a contrast to the excitement in the front of the building. The 7th and 8th grade scene was one of sheer joy. Friends reuniting - yelling, laughing, hugging. You would think they haven't seen each other in years. It made me so happy because there was such love among the children - they were greeting like family.

Middle School is a dynamic time. The students go through so much change over the course of the three years. I notice this change most at the beginning of the year. It was exciting to see this 8th grade class so differently than I remember only two Septembers before. And our 7th graders - taking on a new level of prestige because they are now no longer the youngest.

Our 7th and 8th grade students went though a pretty normal school day. Homeroom time was spent doing introductions and reviewing rules. Teachers used class time to review the syllabus and handout textbooks - even some homework.

The 6th graders had a modified day. Students spent a lot of time in homeroom participating in teambuilding activities and get-to-know-you games. They also took a tour of the school and had a grade-wide assembly where they were introduced to school personnel . On Monday they will begin to have their normal schedule. Our teachers understand that 6th grade is a challenging transition year. They build a lot into the curriculum over the next month to help students feel ready for middle school.

I was quite pleased with the 1st day of school. All of your students behaved beautifully - let's hope that continues : )

Please check your child's backpack. There are lots of materials for you to read.

Next week is our first full week and we have a lot happening. We will be holding sports information sessions for our fall season. The Beacon Afterschool program will also be starting.

As we transition into a new school year please make sure you have established a good routine for your child. It is always a little hard to transition between summer and the school year :)

I have included some links below for articles about helping students transition. Please also feel free to contact our guidance department if you need advice or support.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/back_to_school.html
http://parentingtweens.suite101.com/article.cfm/starting_middle_school
http://www.education.com/reference/article/quick-tips-preparing-middle-school/
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_15746600

Have a restful and happy weekend.

Warmly,
Meg

Happy Spring

2010-03-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring!

I just returned from a series of humanities classroom walk-thrus. The 6th graders have moved to Ancient Egypt. Students are currently studying the poem Adoration of the Disk. The students are applying skills of poetry writing, Readers' Theater and annotation to study and perform the poem. In Mr. Galasso's 7th grade class students are working on a persuasive essay. Today I was able to participate in a peer editing session. It was wonderful to hear feedback between students. Writer to writer, students were reading work and giving critique in a concrete and supportive way. In Mr. Adler's 8th grade class students were exploring concepts on the New Deal through a political paintings. There was an interesting discussion about the "forgotten" groups in the New Deal - women and minorities. The 8th graders were my first Labbies. Each time I am in their classes I am amazed by how thoughtful and grown they've become.

In related news, the 8th grade team has decided on the 8th grade class trip. The students will be going camping upstate next month (and another group in May). 8th graders were given permission slips yesterday - parents, please ask your children for these. We will need parents to help. Please be in contact with your student's homeroom teacher.

Today is a busy one for Lab School we are are holding the Black Alliance assembly. This in an annual event organized by the Black Alliance Club (a student organization at our school). The assembly is a lively event including dance, signing, readings and other forms of artistic expression. The assembly includes students from all grade levels and is completely designed/organized by BAC student leaders. This student involvement is what excites me the most. Students were responsible for all of the planning and organization - a major task for 14 year olds! Thank you to Ms. Marilyn and Ms. McCormick - the advisers for this event and the BAC.

I am excited to announce our spring sports line-up. As part of a year-long initiative to build our sport program we are adding two sports to our spring season - softball and baseball. These two new sports will be running alongside our popular Lab Runs Track and Field program. Informational sessions about these sports were held last week during lunch. Students should speak directly with the coaches if they have any questions about paperwork, schedules, try-outs, etc. Thank you to the Parents' Association for their generosity in supporting our athletics program.

Spring Break is just around the corner. School will be closed from Monday, March 29th to Tuesday, April 6th. School will resume session on Wednesday, April 7th. Lab MS will be doing some spring cleaning and office moving over the break. We are establishing one central administrative office on the first floor. Marilyn Coston (our parent coordinator) and our two school aides (who work with attendance, patrols and other administrative tasks) will relocate to room 111. You can't miss the bright green paint (LMS colors) and the gators. The Principal's Office will remain on the 4th floor (room 422). On a related note, I am looking for some brave parents who are interested in helping paint gators and other Labbie spirit in our new office. Please let me know if you'd like to help.

Over the is past month Lab has held a number of events that relied heavily on community support. Thank you to all the families who helped with our admissions day on March 6th. We tested over 700 students all in one day. I received positive feedback from several perspective families - all noting their positive interactions Lab parents. The auction on March 12th was also a brilliant success. It was wonderful to see so many of you there. Thank you to those who worked so hard behind the scenes. A special "shout-out" for Sarah Kimbell and Linda Ortega for chairing.

I hope that this email finds everyone well. I love when it becomes Spring - we seem to come out of hibernation and rediscover all that our city has to offer. I hope everyone has taken some time for exploration and rediscovery.

Wishing you warmth and goodness in this new season.

Meg

Glee

2010-02-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

A shorter blog for a shortened week...
It was great to see everyone after our snow day yesterday. The unprecedented early announcement caused the school to erupt into a state of glee on Tuesday. I was reminded of my own childhood in Omaha - we would wake up at 5:00 am to watch as the news reports of school cancellations came in. The shared experience of Tuesday afternoon was much more exciting. I hope that yesterday was filled with sledding, snowmen and fort building - it was for me :)

On Tuesday I gave the annual State of the School address to the Lab School parent community. There is a power point that accompanies my presentation. I will make sure that the power point document is posted on the school's website. In the State of the School I discussed the school's data, academic program, co-curriculars, facilities and the five-year strategic plan. Please check-out the presentation and accompanying data documents. I am happy to answer any questions that folks might have.

On Monday, I attended the 8th grade Symposium of the Arts for 803 and 804 - a celebration of humanities studied here at Lab School: including visual art, history and language. There were student readings and a gallery walk filled with student created books. I was incredibly proud of our 8th grade Labbies - their work was creative, well-researched and thoughtful. The other four homerooms will be holding similar events throughout the week.

I am including a fascinating article about math - and how we learn about numbers. I hope that folks enjoy it as much as I have (thanks Ms. Kim for sending to to me). http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/from-fish-to-infinity/

Next week is the Mid Winter recess and there will be no school. The week we come back is a busy one with Parent/Teacher conferences. Information about Parent/Teacher conferences will be posted on SchoolHub (as well as backpacked home). I look forward to seeing everyone then.

Warmly,

Meg

Happy Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T05:30:00.001-08:00

Welcome to second semester - February 1st marked the halfway point in our school-year. It seems to be going to so quickly. I will be giving a State of the School address next Tuesday, February 9th at 8:15 a.m. in conjunction with the monthly Parents' Association meeting. I look forward to seeing all of you there.

Monday morning I found myself contemplating the deepest of questions with our youngest Labbies (one that I am sure many of us ask ourselves) - How does one know when they've become an adult? The 6th graders in Ms. Smith's and Ms. Zittel's are exploring the theme of "Coming of Age" while reading the novel The Red Pony. The write-in question allowed students to relate this theme to their own lives. The share-out erupted into a lively discussion of what defined adulthood. Students suggested that it was related to caring for yourself (doing laundry, cooking, etc). Others talked about having a job and being able to pay for things. There were also certain rites of passage that were named as pivotal to adulthood. Sadly, there was no resolution...no defining moment to when adulthood starts : ) The "Coming of Age" theme is also being explored by our 7th graders in Ms. McLaughlin's and Mr. Goldberg's literature circles.

We have started a nonfiction book club at lunch. A collection of 6th and 7th grade students are currently reading Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow. It is a graphic nonfiction book about the Jim Crow laws and baseball. The book club is part of a grant that Lab School was awarded last spring. Thank you to Ms. Lageoles, Ms. Eydlin and Mr. Goldberg for organizing the program. The goal of the book club is to get students interested (and practicing) reading nonfiction texts. Related to reading, I was sent a great article by a parent about the importance of our students reading for pleasure - folks should check it out.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/757917--literacy-is-not-enough-if-content-is-mental-junk-food

Thank you to the Parents' Association and the families that helped make the movie night on Friday a wonderful event. Lab School's Food and Greening committee showed Super Size Me as part of an effort to get students to think more about healthy eating. We even got every single child to eat carrots - I consider this a brilliant success. This committee is doing some remarkable work - if you are interested in joining please let the PA know.

The Lab School Table Tennis Team had their first match yesterday. I am so excited to see such enthusiasm for our newest sport. Thanks to Ms. Riina and her team for all of their hard work.

Report cards will be mailed home (rather than backpacked) on Friday. Families should expect to receive them in their mailboxes by early/mid next week. Please contact Marilyn Coston if you have any questions.

Happy Groundhog Day - I'm wishing for an early spring.

Warmly,

Meg

A Week in Review

2010-01-25T05:29:00.000-08:00

At the end of a very busy week I found myself in the auditorium lobby watching the Science Olympiad team test their Trebuchets (I have included a link for those that may be a bit confused

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet). Ours were not quite that big but certainly imaginative! It was amazing to see so many different designs all testing out the same physics principles. Today the students had to calibrate their instruments. A huge thank you to Ms. Gatti and all of the parents there to help. The students did so well. I promise that many pictures were taken :)

Yesterday I was in a 7th grade science classroom to learn how the digestive system works. Our science department is interested in kinesthetic techniques for student learning - this lesson used movement to teach into the digestive process. Students were placed in small groups and asked to "story" the process through action. Groups were given time to think about and practice what each step would look like if it were acted out and then put it in order. The group presentations were incredible - one student played the "food" while the rest of the students in the group worked collaboratively as the different organs found within the digestive system (i.e. what happens to the food when it gets to the stomach, etc). Watching it made me feel pretty sorry for the PB&J sandwhich I had just eaten for lunch. Beyond learning, students were active, joyful, collaborative and creative in their work. It was a sight to see.

I was also able to sit in on a 7th grade math class where students are exploring algebraic patterns. Students each were given a fictional business and then asked to chart the profits of the business. Students are practicing data collection and analysis while trying to find the patterns between the numbers. It was wonderful to see those "light bulb moments" when students discovered the pattern in the data. This unit is a hard one because it introduces them to much more abstract ways of thinking.

In other news, Ms. Cortes (7th grade science) has too many trout and is looking for an additional tank. 7th grade parents may remember that Lab School was the site for the fertilization process. This allowed us to start with more eggs than normal. Usually by this time in the process many fish have died; however, our "school" seems to be going strong at OVER 200... If anyone has a tank (20 or 40 gallon) that they would like to lend through the spring please let us know. Ms. Cortes, the 7th graders and the fish would all appreciate it.

Congratulations to the Invisible Children (http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php) student organization. Over the past few months the student led group developed an informational campaign to raise awareness for Ugandan child soldiers. They also implemented a massive book drive - gathering over 400 books to be used by the organization. These young Labbies are realizing and living the second half of our mission "Acting bravely in our world". With the book drive complete, the students are now turning their attention to Haiti.

A final note...
A striking thing was realized by the Lab School community today - it's January (and therefore winter). As I was standing outside today before school, I had at least a dozen Labbies comment that it is cold outside. The first eleven times I thought (said), "gee, yes it is". By the twelfth child I realized - it's winter of course it's cold outside. At lunch a similar thing occurred. I was sitting in Kelly Park watching as our little ones ran around - coats unzipped, no hats, no gloves, etc. I went up to one 7th grader and asked, "aren't you cold". His response, "no Meg...it's because I'm Finnish". There is a point to these stories...it is cold, it is winter, it is January and students need to dress accordingly. I will continue to remind your students at school if everyone can also make sure they're coming from home dressed appropriately. It seems that global warming has gotten the best of us and we've forgotten how to dress in January.

Warmly,
Meg

Events of the Past Week

2010-01-19T05:34:00.000-08:00

News of the earthquake in Haiti last week made me pause and consider once again how blessed we all are. The PA has posted information on SchoolHub about how families can donate and support the Haitian people. Money is what is most needed right now - please check-out the website to learn about the various organizations that are accepting donations. Natural disasters of this magnitude have an impact on all of us. The Department of Education has provided a number of materials that parents can use in helping their children cope with these events. I will have these resources posted on SchoolHub. We also have a wonderful guidance department on-site to provide ongoing support.

School Related News...
Every Wednesday at lunchtime room 424 becomes a lesson in civic engagement - it's the time when Lab's Student Government Organization (SGO) meets. I took a break from my normal lunchtime routine in Kelly Park to meet with the Events/Fundraising committee at the last meeting. The students are planning a school-wide dance that might be Valentine's Day themed if they get it organized in time : ) In planning the dance, the students are responsible for all the components (i.e. they must fill-out the correct paperwork, organize the chaperons, plan the budget...etc). The process of planning and execution provides practice for many real world skills. I witnessed a heated debate about the price of the dance tickets - should the tickets cost $5.00 with food as an additional fee or should the ticket be $7.00 with a food ticket included (there were of course several other variations). It was exciting to watch the students replicate the same collaborative interactions that they have been practicing constantly in their academic classes. I have no doubt the dance will be a blast but what's more important is how much these students are learning in leadership.

All of our 6th graders are currently reading John Steinbeck's The Red Pony in humanities. For those that have not read the book (and some who may not of read it since middle school), it is a series of short stories about a boy who grows-up on a ranch. The stories are beautiful and at times incredibly sad. Right now the students are practicing developing high-level discussion questions using the text. I was able to hear some thoughtful conversation in both Ms. Mazarakis's and Ms. Licht's homeroom classes. If you have a 6th grader be sure to ask them what they think of the book.

The table tennis team has gotten off to a great start. Ms. Rinna and the team practice in the space in front of the auditorium many afternoons if you want to see them in action. This is a new sport for Lab MS and I am really excited by the response. Go Gators!

I want to provide a point of clarification for a memo sent home last week. The school was required to distribute a memo about District 2 not making Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for the past school year. AYP is a measure defined by the state in conjunction with No Child Left Behind legislation. The memo referred to the overall progress of District 2. Lab MS did make AYP last year - meeting the progress metrics set by the state. I will be sharing more about our school's data at State of the School presentation in February. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Late last week I learned of our school's mid-year budget cut. Lab MS lost $94,200.00 in this current round of cuts. This amount is far above the publicized city-wide 1% cut that most schools experienced. This cut is indeed frustrating for our school community. This news is not intended to cause alarm. I am sharing this news because it is important for our school community to know how these cuts have impacted our school. All academic programs and extra-curricular programs (athletics, after school and clubs) will remain intact. The budget cut will not result in the loss of teaching faculty or other school personnel. We are able to maintain our current academic programs in part because proactive budgeting and cost-cutting measures taken throughout the school-year. The extra-curriculars are solely dependent on the fundraising efforts of the Parents' Association and the generous spirit of our school community. I am truly grateful for your continued support. In the coming week I will be sharing more about the budget. We have two main priorities moving forward - continuing to provide the best educational experience for our students and ensuring that we do not start next year with a budget deficit (a challenge many schools are facing). I am certain that we will be able to achieve both of these goals.

It is time for lunch - I am off to Kelly Park.

Warmly,
Meg

Your Future Seems Bright and Other Tales from the Hallways of Lab

2010-01-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

801 is working on the future tense in Spanish class. Ms. Ordonez has created a group project where students develop different fortune telling devices and then write future fortunes to share with one another. The groups are are all creating their own devices - the magic eight ball, tarot cards, fortune cookies, fortune dice...and the list goes on. Beyond the creativity, students are challenged to practice grammar skills (sentence construction and conjugation) along with vocabulary. It was a fun project to see the start of. I am not sure if I want to tempt fate and have an 8th grader tell my fortune :)

This morning I sat alongside 602 as they started their fractions unit. Today the students spent time making fractions strips. This is a project that takes a tremendous amount of thought and precision. They will use these manipulatives throughout the unit. There was so much learned through the "construction process" - observations about patterns of fractions, representation of fractions, values of fractions, etc. It was wonderful to participate in such a kinesthetic activity early on a Monday morning.

We have added one more offering to our winter athletics program. There will be a Lab Runs Winter Conditioning/Training program. This is open to students who participated in the fall Lab Runs XC and/or the 7th and 8th graders who participated in Lab Runs Track and Field last spring. Students will be training together (mostly indoors) once a week and will be invited to participate in a couple of road races this winter. Running in the road races will take additional training and commitment outside the once a week practice. This program is great for runners not already in another winter sport that want to remain active and condition for the spring track season. There will be an informational meeting for students on January 12th at 12:15 in the auditorium. The winter running program would not of been possible without the hard work and enthusiasm of our team - students, coaches and parents. I love running and I am proud to say that we have a full school-year of running at Lab - this has been a dream for so many Labbies.

In related sports news, the girls' basketball team beat Clinton by nearly 20 points in last Thursday's game. Our gators looked impressive on the court. The defense was strong - allowing very few points and the offense scored a number of 3 pointers. The team this year is led by some talented 8th graders that are wonderful models of sportsmanship. It was also great to see such a great turnout of students, faculty and parents to cheer on our gators.

I hope that this finds everyone well.

Warmly,
Meg

Welcome 2010

2010-01-05T05:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome Back Lab Families!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful winter break and a great start to the new year. I spent much of my time snowbound in Omaha, NE. It was nice to relax with family but I found myself longing for Lab after only my third day on break. The energy and noise of 600 middle schoolers was missing from my life. It was exciting to see everyone yesterday - our school seems to be in such high spirits.

It has been a busy start to 2010. Yesterday I watched presentations by Ms. Licht's 6th graders on ancient Mesopotamia. The presentations were the culminating projects to the unit. Each group was responsible for researching and creating a presentation on a specific topic about Mesopotamia. During my time in the classroom I learned about Mesopotamian architecture through a study of ziggurats. I also learned about the Code of Hammurabi through a game show called "Guess the Punishment". It was a lively and original experience. The most important part of the project was how student driven the process was. Students practiced skills of writing, researching, planning, presentation and collaboration. I am so proud of our 6th graders (all of whom worked on these projects).

Monday was also our monthly full-staff meeting. Yesterday we began the process of developing a 5-year strategic plan for the our school. The work started with brainstorming in six key areas: Instructional Technology, Communications and Operations, Student Support Services and Intervention, Curriculum and Instruction, Climate and Culture, and Staff Development and Support. It was an exciting and productive conversation to have. My leadership cabinet and I will use these brainstorms ("where we are at" and "where we want to go") to start the framework for these plans. The School Leadership Team is also working on this process - looking specifically at Instructional Technology. There is so much to do and I will certainly be soliciting help from families as we move forward in this project.

It is shaping up to be a very busy winter sports season. We currently have three sports representing our Gator Pride. Both the girls and boys basketball teams have gotten off to a great start. The teams are playing in a challenging league against many tough opponents. Basketball has been a long tradition at Lab Middle School - it was wonderful to see our gym bleachers filled with Labbies. We also introduced two new sports to this season. Our golf team started just before the break. We are running the sport in collaboration with a program called First Tee - the program helps us secure (and afford) space at Chelsea Piers. We are lucky to be part of such a great partnership and I am thankful to our golf coach Mr. Skinner for building this relationship. We are also starting a Table Tennis team. Ms. Rinna will be holding an informational session next week - all interested students (not already in a winter sport) are invited to join. The team will be playing against other middle schools in Lower Manhattan. The growth of our sports and after school programs is one of the things that most excites me about our school. These programs help students make a connection to each other, to our faculty and to our school. They have helped to make Lab a richer and more fulfilling place.

First period is coming to a close and I am off to see some science classrooms.

Warmly,

Meg

XC, Debates and Ivy Leaves

2009-11-16T07:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made my way up to The Bronx to watch our gators run in the second Cross Country (XC) meet of the season at Van Cortlandt Park. This is the first year Lab School XC - it exciting to see how well our team is doing. The 1.2 mile was the perfect challenge for our young runners. A lap around the bandstand area and then path continued back deep into the woods. As a spectator I was not able to see what our runners faced but I was told harrowing stories of the mud and multiple hills. This race was much harder than our first and is great practice for the 5K in December. It was great to see so many families there to cheer on our Labbies.

Van Cortlandt Park (and a portion of the course that our students ran) is one of the most famous XC courses in the country. Each year there is a HS meet that involves students from across the country. It is also rated one of the most challenging XC courses. Kids (and adults) have been running races there since the early 1900's. We were in good company yesterday.

This week is a busy week for a school. It is Open School Week, Parent-Teacher Conferences and MS Tour Season. I have already gotten to see some of you and I look forward to seeing many more in the coming days.

This morning I was able to sneak into a few classrooms. 803 was having a "Big Chair Debate" in Humanities class with Ms. Woodburry. The students were debating the best way to be an activist (through literature, newspaper, rallies, revolution). The debate was a wonderful example of a student centered (and directed) lesson. The debate became very fiery and passionate - showing me that they have thought a lot about these topics.

703 is working on the Ivy lab with Ms. Cortes in Science. The students are given two ivy leaves to grow and monitor over the course of several weeks. One of the leaves is placed in a cup of water and the other is subjected to another variable of the small group's choosing. These variables ranged from soda to honey. Every few days the students make scientific observations on their Ivy leaves - measuring its length, mass and visual appearance. I love this lab because it challenges students to apply multiple steps of the scientific process in authentic ways. It also expects a high level of skill and diligence in data collection. It is great to see students take such pride in their work.

Our next Parent Book Club meeting is Monday, November 23rd at 5:30 pm. We will be discussing the first three parts of Last Child in the Woods. It was great to see so many of you at the first meeting (and hopefully even more will join for our second). The group had a thoughtful conversation about their own childhood experiences in nature. We also discussed how nature connects to other aspects of healthy living. To end today's blog I am going to give each of you a a little homework (from the last book group). Take 5-10 min to reflect and write about your first childhood experiences in nature (consider how these experiences have shaped you). Share your reflections with your children.

Warmly,

Meg

Second Quarter

2009-11-09T06:17:00.001-08:00

Congratulations everyone - we have made it to second quarter. It is hard to believe how quickly this is year going. Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up next Monday and Tuesday ( a memo was backpacked home and info is posted on the school's website). Report cards will also be distributed next Monday, November 16th. Please call Marilyn Coston at 212-691-6119 ext 1091 if you have any questions.

This past weekend reminded me of why I love New York so much. On Sunday I headed for a run in Central Park. It was the perfect day - warmish, clear, the leaves hundreds of colors and people everywhere. Kids active and playing outside. More than anything I was struck by how easy it is to discover nature and participate in physical activity within our own city (when we choose to do so). The run reminded me of the topics discussed in our first book selection for our parent book group.

Our first book, Last Child in the Woods explores what parents can do to help children experience nature. I hope that many of you are able to come to our first book club meeting. There is no need to read the book in advance of the first meeting (again, this is meant to be low-stress and commitment :) I have included two articles to start our conversation.

The first is an article Nicholas Kristof who writes directly about experiences in nature and Louv's book http://bit.ly/natureDeficit

The second article is about the role of experience in improving students' schema (specifically experience on a farm). A Moo-Moo Here, and Better Test Scores Later

I hope that others will be able to see the connection between health, farming, nature and nutrition. I think that a lot of great things will come out of our first book discussion and I am looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday, November 12th at 5:30. We will be meeting in the library (on the 2nd floor).

Soccer and Flag Football seasons are winding down. Last Thursday I was lucky enough to watch both teams play on their fields along the East River. I am so proud of what our student athletes have accomplished this season - I am impressed by their character, sportsmanship and dedication. Athletics has brought out the best in our young Labbies. The playoff season for Flag Football starts today - Go Gators!

As one season comes to an end another begins. Basketball tryouts are starting for both girls and boys. Cross Country - Lab Runs Far also has two more meets this season (one this Sunday).

The great Egg Drop contest is starting to take shape with the Science Olympiad team. Ms. Gatti's room was a blur of laughter, play, foam and cardboard on Friday afternoon. Students were divided into teams - each designing their own special "egg protection" capsule. The goal of course is to protect the egg when dropped from very high. The contraptions were incredibly creative - perhaps the funniest was the chicken w/ feathers and all (a play on what is found inside). There was some debate about how well chickens could actually fly.
This is the first year that Lab has done the program. Ms. Gatti has done a wonderful job recruiting kids to join the team It was wonderful to see so many moms there helping out as well. If you are interested in volunteering please let Ms. Gatti know.

Much more to report but need to sign-off for now...

Warmly,
Meg

It's Already November

2009-11-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

A school with no children is how I find myself today - a perfect moment to catch -up on the last few weeks. It has been a busy time at Lab School. We held our first ever Lab MS pep rally on October 24th. It was an amazing event that brought me back to my own childhood. One of my goals for this year was to improve school culture (and school spirit). The pep rally was a perfect moment for our children to celebrate each other and our school. Each fall sports team (Cross Country, Soccer and Flag Football) and our Lab After school Programs (Science Olympiad, Freewrite, MS Math Team, Animation After school and Drama Club) made beautiful banners and were introduced to the school. We were also led in a school-wide cheer...

Everybody Stand Up
Gators Get Together
When I Say 1-2-3
You Say L-A-B

There was a lot of green, a lot of cheering and some beautiful music from 702. It brought tears (of happiness) to my eyes. I was so proud of our students and our little school.

Then this past Friday Lab celebrated Halloween in style. It started with the 8th grade annual room decorating contest. Every year the 8th grade students decorate their homerooms (which are judged by a collection of faculty members. This year Ms. Kim and 804 won with their scary Prom Night theme - it was quite the sight. We also held out fist annual Spookfest (sponsored by the Parents' Association - and the special hard work of Stacey Zausner). It was a wonderful event for the whole family. Kids came in costume and we watched Beetlejuice - an all time favorite Halloween Movie.

It is hard to believe that the first quarter is almost over - that we have been in school for nearly two months. It certainly has gone fast. This year I have found that one of my favorite moments everyday is when I spend lunch duty outside with our 7th and 8th graders. It is always a delight to be able to interact with students in a different context. I am often reminded how young our students really are. In Kelly Park kids are engrossed in play - tag, make-believe, laughter, the jungle gym and ball sports. Nothing is "too cool" during this time - you would never believe that they are middle schoolers. This is a side of our children that I realize parents rarely get to see at this age.

Folks always wonder how we spend our faculty conference days. Today we are working on the final components of our school-wide goal setting initiative. Our Goal Setting system will challenge students to develop individualized goals and action plans to work towards these goals. Students will be goal setting in each subject area.

Lastly, I wanted to remind everyone about our parent book group. Throughout the school year we will be reading three books. The first is called Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Our first meeting will be in the library on November 12th from 5:30 -7:00. There is no need to read the book in advance of our first meeting. I will be writing more about this book on my next blog post.

I hope this finds everyone well. Go Vote!

Yours,
Meg

Reports on the Week

2009-10-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

Today's blog may seem a bit fragmented - so much has happened over the past week that I am dying to share (note - this blog is excerpts of a the week :)

Friday afternoon I made may way up to the north central portion of Central Park (a part that I have never been to before). There were fields and fields of young ones playing soccer. Our gators just happened to be all the way on the other end. It was wonderful to see both the girls and boys play - and to see so many parents and classmates along for support. I say this constantly, it is so important that children are able to explore their interests and passions - to have opportunities and outlets for expression. It is my hope that Sports, Lab AfterSchool and Clubs are meeting this need.

On the club front - the application to form a club has been created by the SGO (student government organization). Any student that is interested in forming a club should fill-out the form and submit it to my office for approval. This week SGO has already received three club applications. It is important to note that this is all a learning process for our children. Yes it would be much more efficient (and much easier) to do this all as adults but then so much would be lost in the process of learning how. I was reminded of that today as I sat in the first SGO meeting at lunch. Led by one of our fearless 8th graders the group spent the period brainstorming ideas for the school and then building committees. I was so proud to see the future leaders of our world in action at Lab.

I also snuck into a 7th grade music class yesterday. Mr. Schwartz was playing an electric guitar over his head as the students learned new notes to a rock song. They are practicing for an upcoming performance at our school's first ever pep rally. It was a mixture of loudness, passion and tune that only a music teacher could love or recogize. It was brilliant. I can't wait to hear what they play for the entire school.

Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the year - Curriculum Night. I see this night as a moment to bring our larger school family together to see old friends and welcome new ones. I hope that the night provides a taste of what it's like to be a middle schooler here.

I must go but before I do I also want to do a quick plug for a book group I'm starting. The flyer is posted on SchoolHub and will also be handed out. Our first book is Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. It is a wonderful book that explores the importance of nature in the development of a child. I promise to blog more about this (I have some great accompanying articles to send out as well).

All for now...

Warmly, Meg

Beginnings

2009-10-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

What a busy end (to last week) and start (to this week)...sorry I have not gotten on sooner! The flag football team played their first game on Friday night. I love sports - but I must admit that football is one of my favorites. Since coming to Lab it has been a dream of mine to start a football team. Standing on makeshift football field on the banks of the East River I couldn't of been happier - or prouder of our Gators. It was so great to see our teams play and to spend time with parents and siblings. Good luck to the team and coaches playing the game. And a tremendous thank you to the PA and Y-water (our sponsor) for making this dream a reality. This week I am headed to a soccer game (I will be sure to report out :) )

I am looking for pictures - please send them my way. I am working on a way to post on a secure site so we can honor and celebrate all that our labbies are doing.

The Guidance Department and I hosted High School information meetings today for 8th grade families. We had a pretty good turnout - it was so nice to see everyone. If folks missed the meeting and would like information they should email Jeanine Mastrangelo. Ms. Mastrangelo has also created a HS info email exchange for 8th grade families. The handout (with dates and deadlines) distributed at the meeting will also be backpacked home tomorrow. I know that the HS admissions process can be very stressful. I promise that Lab staff and faulty are here to support you in this process. Please let us know what we can do to help.

Next week is our annual Curriculum Night on Thursday, October 15th. This is a great opportunity to experience what it's like to be a Lab Middle Schooler. Parents will get a chance to meet their student's teachers, see the classrooms and meet other parents (during "passing periods"). More information will be coming home this week. I hope to see you all there.

I am going to sign-off for now. I am hopeful that more parents will subscribe to my blog (please spread the word).

Warmly, Meg

DDR and other events...

2009-10-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon Lab School held the first ever Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) dance party as a welcome mixer for our 6th grade students. For those less hip than our middle schoolers and don't know what this is (me included) DDR is a game involving a series of dance moves projected onto a screen. The players are to replicate the moves by hopping on parts of a large "DDR" pad on the floor. Trust me, it is harder than it looks. Along with the DDR competion, students also limboed, "danced" and ate lots and lots of ice cream. The event was a highlight of my week. It is always a treat to get to interact with students in contexts other than the classroom. I was able to see a crazy, creative and loving side to the 6th grade class - our newest Labbies. The event would not of happened with out the hard work of Ms. Feurtado and Mr. Evans (who organized the event), the PA for helping buy ice cream and donate prizes and all of the teachers and parents that offered to help chaperon. I took nearly 50 pictures and will be certain to share them soon.

On Tuesday I hosted our annual Inclusion Information night. Parents of both inclusion and general ed students gathered in the library to learn about Lab's Collaborative Team Teaching (CTT) program and meet some of our faculty. The highlight of the evening was hearing our students share their experiences with CTT. The CTT program is central to our school's values and cornerstone to our work - I must admit the students said it much better. Their words almost brought tears (happy ones) to my eyes.

I am off to Lunch Duty with the 6th graders. Hopefully there will be one more blog update before this short week ends.

Warmly,
Meg

Happy Week Three

2009-09-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

As week three comes to a close I am struck by how wonderful it is to work your students. My goal this week was to get into all the remaining classrooms (those that I hadn't seen last week) and sit-in with all of the homerooms. The first goal was met - the second proved to be a bit of a logistical challenge :) In any case I was able to spend a lot of time learning alongside your children. They are remarkable, brilliant young people. I always wish that parents could see what we as educators get to see everyday- you too would be impressed.

So what did I "learn" this week...
I learned about water (and the water system in our city), how Morning Girl got her name, what the probability of drawing a six is in a deck of cards, what and artist IS to a collection of 8th graders, what's so special about anecdotes, how to do OAI, how to make a graph from a frequency table, what America means from poets and songwriters, why The Watsons Go to Birmingham is the "best book ever"...the list goes on and on.

The classroom wasn't the only site for for learning. Two of our fall sports also started this week - Soccer and Flag Football. I made it out the yard for a little bit of tryouts (yes I do have pictures for those that are interested). It was exciting to see so many students eager to participate in sports. It is a dream of mine to establish an athletics program that is spirited and extensive enough to allow entry points for all types of athletes. Athletics are not only important for a student's own development - having sports teams are important for the culture and pride we have for our school. My goal is that we have at least 1/3 of our students participating in at least one sport over the course of the school year. Related, there was an interesting article in last weekend's New York Times Magazine about intelligence, development and physical activity. I encourage everyone to check it out.

There was also excitement on the fourth floor after school. As I was walking down the hallway on Tuesday I saw a line of children connecting room 429 and room 409 - each with a chair in hand. I stood in the hallway for moment watching as the line kept going (more and more students walking out of 429 with a chair). This continued for nearly 5 min. It was the math team setting a whole new record in members - 51. After all of the students filtered in I stuck my head into 409 to see a sea of children busily solving math problems. Thank you Ms. Feurtado and Mr. Evans (the math team coaches) for making math cool.

I am about to sign-off because there is much to do in preparation for the sixth grade dance this afternoon. Thank you to all of the families who are helping to organize a mixer for our littlest ones. The halls have been buzzing all week about this event. I promise there will be a schoolwide dance later in the school year (in case your 7th or 8th graders are asking).

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend - I can't think of much that I love more than autumn in the city.

Warmly, Meg

Welcome to Principal Meg Blog

2009-09-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Lab School Families...welcome to my blog.

I must admit that the concept of blogging is something that is entirely new to me. Everyday I see and experience moments that I want parents to know about - things that are not important enough to formalize in a note home but lend a glimpse into what it means to be a Labbie (in semi real-time).

More than anything I hope the blog gives answers when your children are less than forthcoming. The question, "What did you do in school today?" can finally be answered in words other than "nothing".This blog is an attempt to share those random moments of learning and joy.

The blog will not replace our website. SchoolHub will remain the primary way that the school and Parents' Association communicates with families. Ideally I will be doing blog updates 1-2 times a week. Join if you'd like (please disregard otherwise).

Warmly,
Meg