Manhattan School for Children Newsletter September, 1999

Dear Families,

As I write to welcome our new families to our community and send a warm greeting to all our returning families, I want to share with you some of the exciting new initiatives we have put in place to build on our existing programs. As you walk around both the Lower and Upper Schools, I am sure you will see the evidence of the work that has been done since last spring.

Don't forget - Everybody Reads at Every Grade

Spend time every night with your family reading. When kids are just learning to read, read to them and read with them. When they can read themselves, read around them, read to them, read with them.

Make books and reading part of your daily plans. If you're having a hard time setting this up in your house, talk to your child's teachers for some helpful hints.

Read at Home & Consider Being a Reading Buddy Too!

Central to our work together at MSC is the idea that each of our students learns skills and receives all the material necessary to meet the highest educational standards. All of our teachers have worked together over the summer to refine the themes for each grade's core curriculum.

You can read an outline of these studies and how the material develops across the grades in this issue of the newsletter.

Our math and science curriculum has also been expanded. We have instituted the use of the SMART Process science curriculum and a school- wide Mathematics Sequence using the TERC program (two topics for up coming newsletter articles, I hope).

In the Arts, we have been accepted as a Lincoln Center Focus School for the Performance Arts. As a result our teachers participated in an immersion program over the summer to develop curriculum and process for the performance arts and all our children will be able to attend programs. We will continue to work with The Lucy Moses School in our Annenberg Arts Partnership and the Columbia University Eiffel Project within the Annenberg Challenge Grant. These program permit us to have our children in drama, music and art activities on a daily basis. Through the Project Arts Fund we are expanding our music and movement program, offering expanded instrumental training and ballroom dancing to the Upper School. Citywide Project Smart Funds will be used to support our technology program. Our classes will be very busy this year.

Over the years, our community has gone through times of celebration and times of conflict. While I believe we have more celebrations to have, at times, the criticisms and conflicts seem to get greater press. At those times, we have difficulty reaching out and trusting those who disagree with us or are critical. I think the problem lies in how we talk with each other and how we treat each other.

At the end of the Spring term work was finalized on three documents: An update of the MSC Handbook, the final draft of our Expectations for Learning, and the new Parent Volunteer Registration form. I want to thank all the members of our staff and the many parents for working and then copying and distributing them to all our families. These documents identify the principles that unit us, outline all our responsibilities and lay the foundation for how we might work together more effectively. We must work to develop empathy and trust. I want to move the discussion forward -- as a school we must answer the question: "How do we promote an atmosphere of good will and trust which will permit a productive rather than destructive dialogue?"

Please take time to read each of them and join the staff of MSC and myself in helping to create an ever-stronger school for our children. During the coming year we will spend time talking, as a community, about what makes a partnership work and what contributes to (and detracts from) a supportive collaboration. Our PTA and the Steering Committee provides the means by which every parent and staff member can participate in building MSC. I believe that we will be able use this discussion to help us better support our community, and maintain a strong and caring community.