Spotted in the library: two – count’em – two wonderful authors talking about their craft to Speyer students! Yes, Speyer welcomed authors Gordon Korman and Stephanie Calmanson as part of a large overview to discuss the writing process and the life of a writer with multiple grades! Click to read how they in-Speyered our students!
Read MoreSpeyer launched its first-ever celebration of Brain Awareness Week! Taking part in the global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research, different subject teachers came together in a collaborative effort to engage students to explore ways the brain processes information, how we can improve self-regulation, and and how exercise and mindful breathing play an important role in brain development.
Read MoreWhat was it like for immigrants coming to America at the turn of the century? What happened at Ellis Island? How did new immigrants live in our city in the late 1800s? Our second graders have been exploring these questions and more during their Immigration at the Turn of the Century unit. To further their study, they traveled to the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side and “time-traveled” during a dramatic role-playing exercise at school!
Read MoreBefore heading off to Spring Break, the entire Kindergarten welcomed one and all to their Agents of Change Library, transforming the area outside of their classrooms into an interactive and informative collection about their Agents of Change.
Read MoreIt’s an explosion of creativity on the Boulevard, featuring art from our youngest students. Led by art teacher Ms. Keener, our Kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders explored a variety of African American artists to celebrate Black History Month!
Read MoreA living museum featuring Manhatta and the people that first lived on this island: the Lenape. An interdisciplinary Literary Lollapalooza that explored all aspects of bringing a book from the brainstorming phase to a completed manuscript (and more). A cross-curricular celebration sharing discoveries about how and why the United States transitioned from loyal British subjects to revolutionaries and finally to the founders of a new nation. Parents of first, second and third graders were treated to all of these culminating events, showcasing these grades’ first semester unit of studies!
Read MoreSpotted on the Boulevard: Grandfriends!!! Yes, before we all scattered for Thanksgiving weekend, our Kindergarten and first grade students welcomed their Grandfriends to Speyer for a fun-filled morning!
Read MoreDid you know that research shows there is a 92% increase in happiness when you practice gratitude each day? This cool fact was discussed at the recent Lower School Assembly, when all of our lower school students gathered to chat about the theme of this season – gratitude – and how to maintain that focus all year long!
Read MoreWhat do you get when you take delicious breads and yummy spreads, add some cultural heritage, and mix it all together? Why, Speyer’s annual Breads and Spreads extravaganza! Yes, Kindergarten students and their families were asked to bring a bread and/or spread that is special to their family to share with the community. They welcomed their families to Speyer…as well as author Todd Parr!
Read MoreWe can enumerate a multitude of ways that NYC is amazing, yet our city is more than just the metropolis in which we live – it’s also an extension of Speyer’s classrooms. It’s been Field-trip-palooza these past few weeks, with treks to Central Park, apple farms, museums, and more!
Read MoreSpotted on the Boulevard: true masterpieces. Once again, Speyer was the home of a Teacher’s Discovery Traveling Exhibit. Last year, we welcomed the works of Picasso, and this year, we had the fortune to view fascinating paintings from “the father of surrealism" the Spanish painter, Salvador Dali!
Read More“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”
That quote from Oscar Wilde was the theme of the first Lower School Assembly, and it’s the important message Speyer’s new Head of Lower School Ms. Behradnia wanted to share with our students to kick off the school year. Ms. Behradnia and the Lower School faculty used the picture book Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles to illuminate this message, as the book’s central theme is being proud of who you are. At the end of the book, Edward the Emu discovers that “being an Emu may be the best thing after all," and, at Speyer, we want our students to look forward to coming to school knowing that “being themselves is the best thing after all.”
Read MoreSpotted on the Boulevard during orientation: Lower School faculty writing words in circles.
Perhaps a little odd, but it was all part of their first Lower Division Meeting! To kick off the new school year, they examined and explored Simon Sinek's TED Talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action!
Read MoreIn recent months, Speyer's Math-letes competed in not one, not two, but THREE competitions on the city, state, and national levels. When you take Speyer students and add to that teamwork plus math skills, we all know that equals some impressive results!
Read MoreChess is the sport of kings...and queens and rooks, but after the US Chess K-12 National Championships, we think chess is the sport of Dragons! Speyer Chess headed south to Orlando and rocked it out against schools with three to five times as many students!
Read MoreSpotted on the Boulevard: our tallest students huddled with our smallest! Yes, Speyer's second annual CCT Coding Buddies kicked off this week!
Read More
