From the Dean's Desk
"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." -William Blake
The school year has many wonderful cycles – back to school excitement, gearing up for the holidays, all the activities of spring, etc. The days and weeks after the holidays are a fantastic time in which to learn, teach and enjoy! Returning renewed and refreshed from break, our school community is bustling and happy as we pass the mid-point of the year. This is also the time of year when we begin planning for the 2017-2018 school year. Please watch for re-enrollment information later this month, and important calendar dates will be released soon. In the meantime, as always, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, and have a great month!
Kathleen Hanlon, EdD
Lower School Dean
Wyoming Seminary
khanlon@wyomingseminary.org
(570) 718-6600 | |
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| Winter weather reminders
It's chilly outside! Please remind your early childhood and primary children to wear hats and gloves or mittens and a winter coat for outside recess. You may even want to encourage your child to keep an extra hat and pair of gloves in his/her locker. Remember: unless the weather is inclement, we try to go outside for recess every day.
Also, please remember if we have a delay due to inclement weather, it is an automatic dress-down day for all students at the Lower School.
| Spring 2017 ERB Assessment Test dates for grades 3-7
ERB assessment tests will be administered in March/April. All Lower School students in grades 3 through 7 will be taking the ERB tests online.
* Third and fourth grade dates: Wednesday, March 29; Thursday, March 30; Monday, April 3; and Tuesday, April 4, 8:30-10:30 a.m. * Fifth through seventh grade dates: Wednesday, April 19; Thursday, April 20; Monday, April 24; and Tuesday, April 25, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
Students may bring a water bottle and a small, healthy snack on their designated testing days. Water bottles or snacks will not be provided. We will be administering the CTP version of the ERB Program. CTP is an assessment of students attending schools that aspire to higher standards. The test covers reading, vocabulary, writing, mathematics, verbal and quantitative reasoning. The data collected from these tests help to inform you as well as our school about student performance in key areas of school achievement.
The purpose of the test is to determine what a student knows and can do at the time of testing. It helps to identify a student's strengths and weaknesses in achievement as well as helps teachers make decisions about their curriculum and instruction. Therefore, no test preparation is required.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kris McCarthy, ERB testing coordinator, at kmccarthy@wyomingseminary.org. You may also check out this site for more information. | From the Athletics Department
Wyoming Seminary Lower School is looking for a couple of coaches for the fifth and sixth grade and seventh and eighth grade girls' lacrosse team for the spring 2017 season. If you know anyone that would be interested, please have them send an email to Paul Burg at pburg@wyomingseminary.org or pass on their contact information, and he will be happy to reach out to them. | The Scoop from STEM
January is a busy month for STEM! The Maslow STEM School is excited about two events in January:
STEM Saturday: Beyond the Hour of Code
Lower School January 21 • 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. • Details >
STEM Lecture Series: STEM in the Ancient World by Justin Naylor
Upper School, Stettler Learning Resource Center. January 25 • 7:00 p.m. • Details >
Accolades are due to our Lower School Science Olympiad Team. Students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades won several medals in the recent Rustin Invitational Tournament. Zahra C. and Bridget T. took second place in Disease Detectives, Gabe L. and Christina K. took seventh place in Bottle Rockets, Gabe L. and Robert B. took eighth place in Road Scholar and Mya P. and Cassidy R. took 10th place in Bio Blitz.
Learn more about STEM activities >
John R. Eidam, Jr. '90 Director, Louis Maslow STEM School | Visitation Day scheduled for February
The February 20 Visitation Day is almost here! If you know of a student and family who would benefit from a Sem education, please share our website with them. | January-February Performing Arts
The Wyoming Seminary Civic Orchestra will present a program featuring music of Brahms, Beethoven and Webern on Sunday, January 22 at 8:00 p.m. in the Kirby Center for Creative Arts. Music Director Rick Hoffenberg will lead the musicians in a performance of Brahms' Symphony No. 4. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information call 570-270-2192.
The Wyoming Seminary Music Department will present a Student Recital on Tuesday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kirby Center for Creative Arts. The program will feature Sem students performing a variety of classical and jazz works. The recital is free and open to the public. For more information call 570-270-2192.
Sem Presents! "Peter Rabbit Tales," a new and original production by the Enchantment Theater Company of Philadelphia of the classic Beatrix Potter stories, on Monday, January 23, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. in the Kirby Center for Creative Arts. Using life-sized puppets, fantastic costumes, masks, mime, magic, dance and music, Enchantment Theater tells the story of Peter Rabbit and his family members. Tickets are $5 and are available at the door and online. For more information call 570-270-2192. PLEASE NOTE: Children in grades pre-kindergarten through fourth grade will see this performance at 10:00 a.m. on Monday.
Sem Presents! "Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana," a flamenco dance company, in a brilliant performance of music and dance on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kirby Center for Creative Arts. This passionate performance will feature dance influences from Gypsy, Judaic, Arabic, Spanish and Latino cultures. Tickets are $10 and are available at the door and online. For more information call 570-270-2192. | Especially for parents…
The Wyoming Seminary Parents Association is sponsoring the screening of the thought-provoking documentary "Race to Nowhere" on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the KCCA. Faculty and parents of both the Upper School and Lower School are encouraged to attend. The documentary is intended to create dialogue about the cultural shifts pushing students to achieve, often at the expense of their well-being. For more information call 570-270-2192. | Primary Division News
Pre-kindergarten: The pre-kindergarten students have been continuing their study of penguins and recently enjoyed a visit from Curtis, a black-footed penguin that lives at the Lehigh Valley Zoo. While his handlers described his habitat, food and common activities, Curtis walked around on a table and allowed everyone to take a good look and ask questions. The children then learned how oil spills can harm wildlife, dipped feathers in oil and then cleaned them using Dawn dish detergent and water. Read more from the Times Leader >
Fourth-grade: From Benjamin Franklin to Taylor Swift, fourth-graders wrote biographies of famous Pennsylvanians. During the month of December, the students selected a Pennsylvanian to research on present to the class. This project concluded their social studies unit on their home state of Pennsylvania. During January and February, fourth grade students will be very busy creating projects for the State and Science Fair, conducting a Metric Field Day and rehearsing for their upcoming production of "School House Rock." Don't forget our upcoming events: "School House Rock" and State and Science Fair, Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 9:20 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. in the Amato Auditorium ("School House Rock") and the Sordoni Library.
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