Greenfield Home and School

MLK DAY OF SERVICE at GREENFIELD

Nearly 170 people dedicated their day off, took a vacation day or a day unpaid to participate in this year's MLK Day of Service at Greenfield. Herculean tasks of the day included:

Potluck and Kids Crew: The most daunting task of the day! There were 90 children cared for, fed, and kept busy ensuring that parents could work without constant interruption.  Special thanks to the 8th graders who helped out

Gym beautification – A new green stripe and banners to enhance team spirit!   The gym now looks like a place that says Greenfield cares about its kids!

Beautification of Ms. Finkle's Room: This is now a uniquely beautiful space at Greenfield, graced with an original “awesome” mural.

Sprucing up of the Chestnut Street Vestibule: This area is now sparkling clean, and it also tells our community "this school is a place we care about"!

2nd Floor Bathroom Beautification: Students were included in art development and parents spent hours of a holiday weekend in a school bathroom! I hope the children can remember the amount of care that went into making the facility nicer for them, and they will take good care of it.

Mr. Carbone's Classroom Repairs and Cleaning:  Some plumbing repairs, elbow grease, and the silencing of the chairs.

Auditorium Vestibule: Extreme makeover, Greenfield Edition. Parents shared resources, talents and technical know-how to get professional results for an important project to complement the auditorium renovation.

Decorative Paint for Elevator Cab: What was once a dingy little space, is now a bright garden scene thanks to stenciling artistry!

Paint Kitchen: This project brought some much needed attention to the kitchen!

Library: A team pitched in to help Ms. Shields with her endless work to maintain and organize our library.

Again a heartfelt thanks to all participants for pitching in above and beyond the normal call of duty, and for being an instrumental part of the Greenfield community that I am so very proud to call my village too.  

-- Lisa Criniti-Ciervo, MLK Day organizer

UPENN STUDENTS DISCUSS TOLERANCE WITH GREENFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOLERS. As part of a new collaboration between Greenfield School and the Greenfield Intercultural Center (GIC) at UPenn, a group of seven students and two faculty came to Greenfield to discuss tolerance and interfaith dialogue.

FOURTH GRADERS TOUR PARIS, SHANGHAI & VIENNA... A musical tour, that is, as they enjoyed the glorious music of composer George Gershwin's 'American in Paris', Chinese composer Tan Dun's 'Eroica', and Beethoven's 3rd symphony at a special performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra. 

SPOTLIGHT ON DRAMA CLUB: As the school day ends, a group of students race from every corner of the building and burst into the auditorium at breakneck speed: 15 impossibly energetic youngsters, ages six through eight, scuttling across the hardwood stage. Club leader Dani Lencioni calmly steps to the front of the pack and, as if yielding a magic wand, utters one word: “neutralize.” All fifteen sets of hands clap twice and the room falls silent. So begins every Tuesday session of the ASAP Drama Club at Albert M. Greenfield School. read more

GREENFIELD TEACHES ITS STUDENTS LIFE LESSONS. At Greenfield Elementary School, students are learning more than reading, writing and arithmetic. They are also learning what a green community looks like, how to calculate discounts and how to write biographies — lessons that show how their education relates to everyday life.

“My teachers do an amazing job in terms of how they engage kids,” said Principal Daniel Lazar. “They are encouraged to go above the core curriculum to teach kids at a higher level and to make [learning] interesting so that [students] are putting forth more effort.”  Read full article

CRAZY FOR KIM-BAP! Greenfield first graders recently learned how to roll Korean rice rolls, or "kim-bap", during one of the many parent-led demonstrations that occur throughout Greenfield on any given day. After discussing Korean culture, these Greenfield gourmands rolled up their sleeves, donned sanitary gloves, and expertly wrapped turkey, egg, radish and carrots into sheets of savory toasted seaweed. Immediately after, they gobbled the fruits of their labor. Parents interested in visiting a class to share a skill or interest with students are welcome. Contact H&S about how to make your 45-minute class visit fun and productive!

GREENFIELDERS TAKE SAFETY SERIOUSLY, and nowhere is this more evident than the school's vigorous School Safety program. Starting in 4th grade, students with excellent attendance and academic records volunteer to serve on the Safety Patrol. You can't miss this energetic crew, sporting their neon yellow safety belts while helping pedestrians at intersections, or simply holding the doors open during the morning rush. Safeties are proud of their newfound responsibilities, and while they don't give out tickets, their presence provides yet another layer of security, that sense of community, that makes Greenfield great.

BUY SCHOLASTIC = FREE BOOKS. Did you know that for every dollar you spend on your Scholastic book order means more free books for your child's classroom? Here's first grade teacher Ms. Brumberg, minutes after opening the box of free books that her students received thanks to a recent order. Thanks to all orders placed, the bookworms of Rm. 214 will enjoy the newest exploits of "Flat Stanley," "Bad Kitty," and many more beloved literary characters. Why pay more at a bookstore when you can 'Go Scholastic'? Thanks for your continued support, Greenfield families!

Greenfield Glee sings Gaga in the Square The Greenfield Glee Club entertained a packed audience one sunny morning during the annual Rittenhouse Square Flower Festival. Sporting orange Glee Club shirts and gripping their song sheets, these students, ranging from sixth to eighth grade, wowed the flower with a medley of tunes ranging from Journey ("Don't Stop Believing") to Rihanna to Gaga, with music teacher Rachel Repanchek encouraging audience members to sing along.