This is the fourth article in a four-part series on Progressive education at St. Francis School. By Jennifer Griffith, Lower School Director One day in March, kindergartner Lily Armour brought her favorite book to school. Lily was very excited to share the book with classmates and her teacher, Annette Rudd. The book, a children’s version of a biography about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, suddenly became a social studies lesson for the day. According to Lily, “It was National Women’s Day and I wanted to share it with the class.” After reading Lily’s book to her class, Annette took this teachable moment and shared it with her fellow kindergarten teacher, Larry Elder. They led conversations with both of their classes about the Supreme Court, the racial makeup of the Court, the gender makeup of the Court, and how both have changed over time. They also discussed how this important topic relates to our school’s focus on DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging). Students made powerful connections to what they had learned during Black History Month and Women’s History Month. To hear the questions the students posed and to see how interested they were in these topics demonstrates a true love of learning, something that we all value in the St. Francis School community.  Student voice and interest guides what happens every day in the Lower School. As a Progressive school, we believe in cultivating classrooms where discussion and questioning thrive, learning is active and experiential, and students take ownership of their education. Not only was Lily’s book a catalyst for an [...]

As a fundraiser for their service learning project, the 7th graders are hosting a movie night on Friday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m. on the Goshen Campus. All proceeds will be donated to Alley Cat Advocates, a local non-kill organization that traps cats, spays or neuters them, and then releases them safely. We will be playing the movie Zootopia (PG) and all are welcome to attend! Lower School students need to be accompanied by an adult. Middle School students may be dropped off without an adult. Concessions will be sold at the event. Admission is $5 or one of the following items: Purina One adult cat food (chicken flavor) Purina One kitten cat food Wet food for adults and kittens Clay non-clumping litter (unscented) Puppy pads Plastic rolls for lining racks  Purina Fancy Feast Fish & Shrimp Feast Flaked (this flavor specifically for "bait food") Paper towels Toilet paper Kitchen-size trash bags See you there, Wyverns!

Faith Murphy guided students on an engaging, student-centered project that integrated the arts, literacy, speaking, listening, film editing, collaboration, and community! Over an 8-week period, Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten worked to create their own live action versions of popular story books. On Monday, March 21, 2022, the movies premiered in our theatre. The students dressed up like movie stars, walked a red carpet, and sat in a VIP section while their 8th grade fans came to view the outcomes of this creative learning process. After the premiere, the 8th grade students got to “mingle with the stars” and take selfies with them. It was so wonderful to see the youngest and oldest Goshen Campus students bonding at this event! Now that the films have premiered to an exclusive audience, we are proud to release them to the community for a “same day release.” 

Art to Remember is here! Art to Remember is the Fine Arts Department's fundraiser that allows you to purchase items personalized with your child(ren)'s artwork. This is a great gift idea for a loved one, perfect for Mother’s Day or any occasion!   This week your child(ren) brought home a personalized order form to walk you through the online ordering process. The deadline to order is Friday, March 11. Your order code may be shared with other family members who can place orders too! Mail-in orders are also an option. Products will ship to the School the week of April 18. If your child has other pieces of artwork of interest, they may be uploaded and available for purchase via the website at www.arttoremember.com. Proceeds from this program help support our visiting artist program to connect your children tothe greater arts community, broaden their view of the world, and expand their creativity. Thank you in advance for your continued support. If you have any questions or misplaced your order code, please contact Judy Riendeau.

This is the first article in a four-part series on Progressive education at St. Francis School. By Zak Cohen, Middle School Director John Dewey is widely considered to be the father of Progressive education – the educational philosophy that we, at St. Francis School, all subscribe to and benefit from. But, what is Progressive education? Well, interestingly, even John Dewey didn’t have a perfectly succinct definition of it. He understood that each school community iterates and implements the Progressive model in its own way. It is only by virtue of these contextual interpretations that schools could transform the larger ideals of the movement into a successful practice. Progressive education was never meant to be defined – not in some uniformed sense of the word anyway – but rather is meant to be understood as a framework that inspires and challenges us to question the familiar structures of a traditional, standardized model of school by placing the changing needs of learners at the center of our decision-making. And these needs seem to be changing at an ever-accelerating pace.   For the first time in history, the information level outside of school is higher than the information level inside of school. With a tiny device in our pockets, we are all empowered to decide where, when, and how to meet our unique learning needs and passions. Moreover, projections around life expectancy tell us that sooner rather than later, humans will regularly live to 115 years old. Consider that if even an additional 20 of those 35 years are spent in the workforce, [...]