K is for Kearny

Kearny and Geo Kids

2009-09-11T09:49:00.009-04:00

Last year our Kearny kids participated in the program established within our partnership with the Wagner Free Institute of Science. What a cool place!

Click to visit.

From the Wagner website here is some information on the program: Geo Kids is a partnership between the Wagner Free Institute of Science and four local schools: Meade Elementary School, Kearny Academics Plus, Reynolds Elementary School and Gesu School. It was founded in 1992 on the belief that children have a natural curiosity about many topics in the earth and life sciences and that study of these subjects at an early age can be an effective vehicle for increasing student interest in science as well as learning in general. The program brings authentic science learning to hundreds of elementary students each year. Led by Institute Children’s Educators, GeoKids classes participate in yearlong natural science units that are hands-on and content rich. In 2002, the Institute began a partnership with the Biology Department at Saint Joseph’s University to enhance and expand the GeoKids program. Funded by a GK-12 grant from the National Science Foundation, the GeoKids LINKS collaboration brings undergraduate and graduate students in biology and environmental science into GeoKids classes to help develop and implement curriculum. Additionally, Saint Joseph’s professors are part of the LINKS team, contributing to the development and delivery of real-life science experiences for GeoKids classes. The partnership has enabled the Wagner to bring the program to many more students each year. In 2005, the National Science Foundation awarded the GeoKids LINKS program a five-year renewal to continue this successful collaboration.

Last year, Action News Channel 6 visited the Wagner for the Geo Kids end of the year Scavenger Hunt Party. Kearny children are featured prominently in the newscast. Here is a link from Action News Channel 6 from this newscast.

President Bush must have heard about Kearny...

2009-01-09T14:03:00.010-05:00

...because he came to visit!

Yesterday our school was THE place to be in town.

President Bush along with his wife, Laura Bush, and many other dignitaries, (lots of important people that care about education), came to see what we do at Kearny. The children behaved amazingly well. They wore their school uniforms with pride, they had to go through scanners on their way into the building, and then they stayed in their classrooms the entire morning.

The president visited some of the classes. He answered some questions the children posed. Some questions were really funny: How many bathrooms in the White House or where did he and Mrs. Bush get married?.

NO! Not our Ms. Bush, his Mrs. Laura Bush!

President Bush collected letters the children wrote and then gave a speech in our auditorium. The auditorium looked beautiful! In fact, the entire school looked beautiful. We really need to thank our Kearny crew who worked so hard to make everything spic and span.

So much more happened but we'll let some of the students tell us more.

Here is what Kenae wrote:

President Bush came to our school and gave a very influential speech. I could relate to what he was saying as it related to No Child Left Behind. During his speech he said that teachers should determine where children should be placed according to their reading level. He also said that testing is very important in finding out students' reading levels, and in areas where they are struggling.

President Bush thanked Dr. Ackerman for taking a stand and supporting the idea of No Child Left Behind. He also thanked Ms. Spagnola, all of the skilled teachers that teach us, and the students for coming down to hear his speech.

By
Kenae Willoughby
7th Grade Rm 305

2008-12-24T05:14:00.003-05:00

Mrs. O'Brien's and Mrs. Ginsburg's Kindergarten classes took a trip to

The Wagner Free Institute of Science of Philadelphia.

They read books about what it takes to be a scientist,
and how animals prepare for winter.

They also got to be scientists, carefully observing specimens such as
a squirrel hide (very soft), a feather and a Monarch butterfly.

It was interesting and fun,
(even if the old building was a little creepy).

We all want to go back!

SUPERHEROES

2008-12-22T21:56:00.007-05:00

Can you identify these superheroes??

You may have seen us in the hallways...

We are part of the Superhero league known as ...

"Ms. Malkowski's Magnificent Seven"!

8th Grade Graduation Committee

2008-12-09T07:36:00.001-05:00

Here is some information from the 8th grade graduation committee:

With the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving and soon after Christmas, the graduation committee has been diligently working to reduce the 8th grade dues. With the success of the Candy Apply sale, the elimination of the Graduation Pictures from the budget, and a sale on the caps & gowns, the dues were reduced! The original price of $145 has been reduced to $111. It is very important to support all of the Home & School fundraising activities.

During an assembly with all 8th grade students, the details of the graduation activities, which included the dues, were presented. Since there will be changes, there will be another assembly in January to present any updates.

Calling all DJ’s! The committee is currently looking for a DJ for the 8th grade Valentine’s Day dance. Please forward the names of any DJs to the committee.

We are sure that there are graduation activities not yet mentioned. Please feel free to bring them to the forefront through one of the committee members.

Anyone interested in joining the committee, please feel free to sign up. New members are welcome.

IMPORTANT DATES!!

2008-12-09T07:27:00.005-05:00

Here is a list of important dates for the month of December. Please mark your calendar.

December 11th: deadline for our Candy Fundraiser

December 15th: Kearny School Choir will perform at the Bourse at noon

December 16-17th: Book Sale at school

December 19th: Holiday Concert @9AM

See you there...

CANDY SALE!! Deadline coming up...

2008-12-09T07:12:00.004-05:00

This Thursday, December 11th, is the deadline for our Candysale Fundraiser. Please give this effort a last push. All students who participate in the sale will receive something special packed in with their order and there will be a gift for the three highest sellers.
If you need a form, please see Ms. MacGruther or Orna Willis (of Home & School).

What's been going on?

2008-11-16T07:43:00.007-05:00

The holiday season is always a busy time and with report cards coming up soon, the students are probably studying, doing homework, writing essays, solving math problems, all day long... OK, part of the day. Home and School has had some great fund raisers and more are on the way. We continue having card-making workshops, the next one coming up on Wednesday, Nov. 19th @ 12:15 PM, right after school. Because the previous two workshops have been so productive and behavior has been at it's best, Ms. Spagnola has agreed to let us have this one at the school. We will meet in room 207 @12:15. Students must sign up with Ms. MacGruther in advance to be allowed to participate. Let's make sure not to disappoint Ms. Spagnola and have this be the best workshop ever!

The cheesecakes will be distributed this week. Thank you Sue White for taking this fund raiser on.

This week the students will get a catalog and order forms for THE CANDY SALE. Please remember to look through the catalog and do some of your holiday shopping with sweets for your loved ones.

We have some nice prizes for the students with the highest sales. Look for the forms in your child's school bag. Let's make this a huge success.

The last Home and School meeting was very productive. You will find the minutes on the right side column. We look forward to seeing more and more parents at our future meetings.

Check back with us regularly. Lots more information to come.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

WHAT A SUCCESS!

2008-10-27T09:16:00.002-04:00

We had a blast at the first Holiday Card-Making Event.

Next one on November 5th, @3PM at the Northern Liberties Community Center. We could use some adult volunteers. If you are able to come, please send us a comment at the bottom of this entry. Thanks!

HOLIDAY CARD-MAKING WORKSHOP

2008-10-10T16:17:00.005-04:00

You can download this flyer on the right hand column. Please pass the word around.

Attention
Kearny 6th, 7th and 8th grade
creative students

We need your creativity for the most fun FUNdraiser
of the year!

PARTICIPATE IN A

Holiday
Card-Making
Workshop

Then help sell the cards in order to raise for lots of great activities at Kearny.

WHEN? Wednesday, October 22nd 12:00-3:00
(this is a 1/2 day at school so you can make it for sure!)
WHERE? At the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association
700 N. Third (corner of Third & Fairmount)
** we will meet at 11:50 at the Fairmount entrance to Kearny
and walk over together)
WHAT TO BRING? Most importantly lots of creativity,
ideas and excellent behavior.

Home and School FIRST MEETING!

2008-09-30T09:36:00.003-04:00

Come get involved! Together we can give our kids a wonderful school year and color their experiences with bright, happy and rich hues.

Thursday, October 2nd, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
at the Kearny School Cybrary.

We'll wait to see you there...

Back to School Night

2008-09-25T20:08:00.004-04:00

This is my third back to school night, and even though I'm in Kearny often during the week, there's something about this night that is still special. I'm half convinced that I'm a student again. . . I'll get in trouble for whispering and I don't have my homework done! Perhaps it's the effect of sitting at my child's seat in the classroom – or maybe it's because of the sickly lighting in the auditorium, which makes everyone look like a zombie. Whatever it is, back to school night makes my heart race.

Despite my nervousness, it was a great opportunity to visit our school. I enjoy seeing all the teachers together and love hearing the older kids enthusiastically cheer for their own teacher. One of my favorite things about Kearny school is that the kids really seem to like each other and their teachers. There were a lot of hugs and happy faces last night, and that tells me that a whole lot of people are doing things right. I was a kid who hated school. But my kid loves her school, and her friends seem to agree. So hurrah for Back to School – and hurrah that I won't feel this way again until report card conferences!

Janet Finegar

TEACHER WISHLIST

2008-09-24T08:59:00.003-04:00

Faculty and Staff have compiled a list of items that they need for their classrooms. If you see an item on the list that you can provide, simply bring the item to the Office or to the Home and School office during posted office hours.

All donations to Kearny Elementary are tax deductible. Home and School can provide receipts for tax purposes.

The list can be downloaded by clicking on Faculty/Staff Wish List on the right hand column.

My 8th Grade Experience so far...

2008-09-23T09:14:00.003-04:00

So far my expectations of the 8th grade year have been what I thought they would be. My teachers have been preparing me for selecting the high school of my choice.

My class has been visited by Science Leadership Academy, Parkway Center City, and Constitution High School. Within the next week, will have High School for Business & Technology, Dobbins, Saul Agriculture, and Academy at Palumbo visiting our school.

I expect to get quite a bit of information from the High School Expo to be held on September 26th, 27th, and 28th at Temple University’s Liacouras Center.

I will be working very hard in my classes to achieve my goal of A’s, so I may get into the school of my choice which is Central High School. I look forward to keeping you updated on our 8th grade experience.

Patrick

School Uniforms - a mother's point of view.

2008-09-22T22:20:00.003-04:00

I looked at my sweet daughter the other day and realized that she grew a good bit more over the summer than I'd realized. Her school uniforms still fit -- that is to say, she happily puts them on and doesn't complain about them being too tight -- but those skirts have passed being stylishly short and are now approaching indecent. For the third year in a row, I've found myself needing school uniform clothes at the "wrong" time of year, when they're not easily available in stores. Obviously, I shouldn't be trying to offer advice! But I have learned a few things because of my stupidity:

1) Uniforms are available in lots of stores – during the summer. Jo-Mar and Forman Mills have pretty good selections, as do Target and Wal-Mart. But somewhere in the week before I decide to go shopping, they run out of stock, usually on the small sizes first. But! There are several sites on-line where you can order uniform clothes year-round. They range from frenchtoast.com and oldnavy.com, with fairly reasonable prices, to more expensive (but some natural-fiber) options at landsend.com or gap.com.

2) For our family, there's no point in trying to buy "quality" uniforms that will last for more than a year, because what she'll wear changes. For two years, skorts were absolutely out. This year, they're her favorite. So we go for cheap.

3) Uniform clothes are not made of cotton unless you want to pay the highest possible price for them. If you're determined to have natural fibers, you have to be creative. There are clothes that are acceptably "dark blue and light blue" that aren't on the uniform racks, and they're usually higher-quality and better fabric. I've found sleeveless dresses that worked fine as jumpers. My most creative find – women's-size tank tops work as jumpers for little girls. Yoga pants are also a comfy option.

4) Light blue shirts are everywhere, and t-shirts are a lot more comfortable for the kids than the button-up shirts that are sold as "uniform." Plus, they're cheaper and wear better. Sadly, plain navy blue is not everywhere, so finding bottoms is much harder. I understand it's even worse for the boys, who don't even have the skirt/jumper options. Sorry, boys.

5) Keep an eye out for possible uniform clothes at all times. I am not a savvy shopper, but I've learned to glance through the girl's section at any store I'm in, just to see if there's something, preferably on sale, that could work for school.

6) There's no such thing as too many dark blue socks. For some reason, those are the only ones that disappear in the wash, and they are not easy to find in stores. Stock up when you see them!

If you have other suggestions, please add them on. Yes, I just ordered several new skirts for Helen, but I'm sure to need more in a few months!

Janet

BACK 2 SCHOOL NIGHT!

2008-09-19T19:58:00.005-04:00

Tuesday night (September 23rd), is Back to School night at Kearny between 6PM - 8PM. It is bound to be a great evening with important information about the school year. We will all visit our kids ' classroom, meet the teachers, see some wonderful student work on the hallway walls.

Please make sure to order your child's T-shirt on Tuesday evening. These are new this year, with a bold Kearny logo that boasts our Academics Plus status. You will be able to order both short and long sleeve

Remember: these T-shirts are mandatory for gym.

Home and School will have a table with parent volunteers there to take your membership forms and dues. Home and School is such an important part of our children's success at school. We want to give our kids every opportunity and for that we need to have active parents in our organization.

"Our" organization, yes! It belongs to all of us and it is for our kids. Become a member and a volunteer.

Half Day Today!

2008-09-17T06:53:00.001-04:00

Half-day: Kindergarten pickup at 11:45, grades 7-8 dismissed at 11:45, Grades 1-6 dismissed at 12 noon

Look at our first day...

2008-09-12T07:12:00.008-04:00

This is Ms. Ginsburg giving us our name tags...

and here is Mrs. O'Brien handing out our name tags (we are Alpha Bears!)...

Here are some of our new schoolbags!

We were fine but our parents were a bit emotional... aren't they cute?

We can't wait for our second day.

See you all on Friday!

Today was the first day for kindergarteners!

2008-09-11T20:56:00.004-04:00

Today was the first day for kindergarteners!

Even more than the first day of school for all the other kids, today felt like a new beginning. The kindergarteners are so small and so NEW – they were babies as they got in line this morning, but by afternoon pickup, they will be schoolchildren. Everyone wanted to see the new students and get a look at the parents sending their babies off for the first time. Even the older kids like to look at the little ones and remember their own first days, however long ago it was.

New parents and new kids – welcome to Kearny! It's a good place to be. Parents, be reassured: Ms. Ginsburg and Ms. O'Brien took good care of your babies today. They started to learn how to stand in line, how to sit on the rug with their legs crossed, and where the bathroom is. The first and second graders watched out for them at lunch and recess. Nearly every child will have had someone speak sternly to them today (“Pay attention!”) at some point. Every child will have had someone smile at them and welcome them to school. They'll be back to you this afternoon older and wiser. This afternoon you'll get to see the room when you pick them up. Tomorrow will be easier.

Welcome, kindergarteners.

-- Janet Finegar
Parent of a second grader

H&S Membership Form

2008-09-08T21:29:00.000-04:00

Kearney H&S Membership Application[1]-2 - Upload a Document to Scribd

T-Shirt Order Form

2008-09-08T21:25:00.001-04:00

Kearny T-shirt order form - Upload a Document to Scribd

IMPORTANT NEWS!

2008-09-07T09:27:00.004-04:00

September 2008
Dear Kearny Parents and Guardians:
To our new students and families we’d like to say welcome to General Philip Kearny Elementary School, and to our returning students and families, welcome back. Throughout the year your child’s teacher, our school administration and the Home and School Association will be sending home important papers via “backpack express” so be sure to check your child’s backpack everyday so that you don’t miss any of the communications. Also, we will keep the Kearny community informed of on-going activities and events through our Home and School Newsletter, the Home & School Bulletin board (located across from the auditorium), email up-dates and our new Kearny blog – www.kiskearny.blogspot.com. If you would like to receive Home & School emails, please contact Sue White, secretary of the Home and School: suewhitbee@verizon.net

We are also writing, at this time, to encourage you to join Kearny Home and School Association. Our Association is an important asset to our school and is part of what makes Kearny unique among public schools in Philadelphia. Our school provides your child with as many opportunities as it can. The Home and School Association actively participates in fundraising throughout the school year which includes bake sales, school shirt sales, Book Fair, flea markets, and dress down days. Kearny Elementary brings diverse arts and cultural experiences to our children every year. A great deal of our funds are spent on supplying buses so the children can go on school sponsored trips including the Philadelphia Zoo, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Franklin Institute, as well as many others. Kearny also has a unique partnership with the Wagner Free Institute of Science, GeoKids and St. Joseph’s University and due to these partnership, we are able to bring a number of terrific programs to our students.

Your membership dollars are a crucial source of funds for the many programs and activities that we provide to our students. With a minimum contribution of just $5 Home and School membership should be affordable for just about every family at our school, but, if you can, we ask you to please consider increasing your contribution. We hope you will return the membership form with your check made payable to Kearny Home and School Association as soon as possible. Whether you can contribute $5, $25, or more, every family is an important member of the Kearny community.

And, while your financial contributions are important, so is your gift of time and energy. Please volunteer at an event and/or spend time in your child’s classroom. Kearny is a great school. But we all need to do our part to help make Kearny the best school it can be. Parent involvement can make the difference. Let’s all take pride in our school. We hope that as parents, guardians, and caregivers we can all give a little of ourselves to support our children’s education.

Thanking you in advance.

Sincerely,

Kearny Home and School Association

A Word from our Principal:

2008-09-04T20:28:00.002-04:00

Welcome back to school. I am so excited as the new school year begins. All of our students looked fabulous the 1st day of school with their nice, new crisp uniforms. This year we have a new Regional Superintendent, Michael Silverman and a new Superintendent, Dr. Arlene Ackerman. Dr. Ackerman has a new initiative that focuses on 5 Core Beliefs. During this school year, the Kearny Staff will follow these beliefs. They are:

Children come first

Parents are our partners

Victory is in the classroom and facilitated by a strong instructional leader

Leadership and accountability are the key to success

It takes the engagement of the entire community to ensure the success of it public schools

Also. I am so excited about the direction our Home & School is taking. We have a new and dynamic team that is moving to make our Home & School Association a topnotch organization. Please feel free to join this dynamic group in helping the students and staff at Kearny School. Also, our goal this year is to continue to achieve academic success and make our Annual Yearly Progress in the PSSA for the 6th year!!

Impressions from a 2nd Grader

2008-09-02T17:24:00.002-04:00

Appreciation Breakfast

2008-09-02T04:25:00.001-04:00

A great big "THANK YOU!" to all the teachers and staff at Kearny Elementary School!