I have been thinking a lot about foreign languages lately.

We began teaching language in the Lower School six years ago. After considering the earlier introduction to language for a while, we began offering French to students in grades one through six.

A year later, we had our first contact with the Teacher Exchange Program in China and sponsored our first teacher from China. Since then we have offered Mandarin to students in the PreK and several grades beyond. This year we have Mandarin in PreK through third grade and French in grades four through six. What began as an informal program is now developing into a genuine curriculum that includes books and materials.

We are now thinking about the long-range implications of foreign language teaching at Garden School, meditating on what our long-term plan is going to be. Should Mandarin become the third language of grades four through six over the next few years? Should we offer Manadarin, French, and Spanish in the Upper School, beginning with grade seven? We have a lot of thinking to do in this area, but this is precisely the kind of educational issue that excites us the most.

Yesterday was a very special day here at Garden. A group of younger students organized a bake sale for the purpose of adopting endangered animals in threatened environments. Some of these students had asked Ms. Maisano about starting an animal rights club as well. Our first-, second-, and third-grade classes took the lead with the bake sale and then the rest of the school joined in by sponsoring a Jean Day fundraiser to support the Heiffer Project.

The money raised by the bake sale will go toward adopting an animal—a rhino for first grade, an elephant for second grade, and a gorilla for third grade—and

helping to maintain its life. The money from the Jean Day will be used to purchase a farm animal for a needy family in Africa, which will aid in making that family’s lives as farmers more productive and therefore more viable.

Children of all ages worked the bake sale table and I must tell you that it was really wonderful to see senior-class boys and girls working with the younger students. This is one of the treasures of our school—an ongoing school; older and younger students can have the experience of working together for a common cause.

Each aspect of yesterday’s project involved animals in different ways, and our students learned how people and animals have the power to improve each other’s situation. Let’s hope that our community takes away from this event a growing understanding that harmony between us and other species of the world is something that can not only be established locally but also have long-lasting and far-reaching effects.

Have a wonderful weekend, and let’s hope that the Sunday’s storm doesn’t affect Monday’s school day.

I am always amazed at the amount of thought and work our PTA puts into its projects. The Holiday Boutique, which ended last week, was a resounding success. The parent volunteers, led by Martha Palacio, converted Mr. Hale’s room into a boutique, a shop, that became the center of the school for a few days. Students, teachers, and parents were able to buy small gifts for loved ones and go through the process of shopping in a safe and cordial environment. The Holiday Boutique has been a part of the Garden experience for many years, going back beyond my seventeen years as Headmaster.

Congratulations to all of those involved in making this boutique a wonderful experience for the children and a successful fundraiser for the school.

RM

Our new Web site is now live, and we believe that it represents the beginning of a new chapter in the life of our school—one that looks forward to many new and exciting developments. The unveiling of Garden School’s new Web site was truly a collaborative effort between Garden administration and parents in the school, and judging from the results, the most successful kind of collaboration. Stay tuned as Garden’s site adds even more information and showcases very special moments occurring throughout the school.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to bringing this site to its reality:

Writing/Editorial: Karyn Slutsky, Richard Marotta, Joan Zinner, Lisa Sohmer, William Vogel

Photography: Ivette Mayo, Edward Ermler, Kim Cummings

Web Design: Neil DeMause, Eileen Mullin

Project Management: Karyn Slutsky, Mary Maisano

The administration gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following people: Jacqueline Quinn, Karen Vicente, Chris Chudnovsky, Orlaith Staunton, and Martha Palacio

Tonight there will be mountains of pasta served at Garden School as the seniors host their annual fundraiser for the Senior Prom at the St. Regis Hotel. Rumor has it that there may also be the singing of some show tunes by staff and students. Ciao.

This is my first blog post. I am looking forward to sharing thoughts about education, learning and life with all of you over the next few months (aka forever).