Recess is a way to burn off energy, but it is also a time to build relationships.
Students play, engage, interact and work together. Friendships are forged and there is time to just have fun and not worry about academics. Proving a social-emotional curriculum embedded into the school day is key to developing life-long skills students will use in their everyday life.
Recess ends after elementary school for many schools. In the era of assessment and accountability, schools look for ways to increase instructional time.
Art, music, gym, and other “non-core” classes become expendable. Because these subjects are not typically under the microscope of state testing, they may be on the chopping block.
So where does that leave recess? No one would argue the value of young children being able to run and play, but if we value movement and exercise in elementary school, why do we feel it’s no longer necessary in middle school?
Recess is an important part of our daily curriculum. We incorporate leadership, teamwork, and collaboration. When the expectation is let go and play, in a safe, structured, and closely supervised environment, kids can take time to just be themselves and let their minds rest while gaining fresh air and exercise.
At The Phoenix School, we set the foundation for educational success, a safe place for students to express their individuality, and developing skills that will serve them for the rest of their life.
The creative arts, leadership, and technology are fundamental to The Phoenix School curriculum. This year as we’ve moved to a Remote Learning Program, those skills are being tested and developing in a whole new way. One of our traditions, for the past 38 years, is to celebrate the coming of Spring through a traditional May Day performance. Learning the history, songs, and dances from the old English traditions not only builds skills, it brings joy. In a time when we need to spread joy, smiles, and laughter, we invite you to join us to celebrate the new growth and hope that Spring brings to us all.
We’re kicking off the new year with something big: an E-Waste Drive for companies and residents of Essex County.
Get rid of your old tech in a safe and environmentally conscious way! Whether you’re a company with last decade’s tech that’s in desperate need of an update, or a family home with stacks of old tech in your back closet, we’ve got you.
Join us at The Phoenix School at 89 Margin Street, Salem MA. Kick-off the new decade by cycling out your e-waste in a non-harmful way and welcoming the decade with a new and sustainable attitude!
The Phoenix School
89 Margin Street
Salem MA
01907
January 25th
Wild Picassos & Einsteins August 26-30, 2019 8:30 am-3:00 pm (extended day option 3pm-5pm) Ages 5 to 10 * $295 per week or $65 per day
Get out into the wild to find new ways to express art and science to become a young Picasso and Einstein! Paint, draw, engineer, explore, and utilize iPads for photography, videography, and iMovie cinematography. Gain inspiration by traveling to a variety of ecosystems, looking into nature’s illusions, investigating the art of camouflage, and discovering the science behind fishing and crabbing. Days will be spent at Winter Island, the Salem State Conservation Lands, and Forest River Park. Weather permitting, swimming will occur at Winter Island and Forest River Park. Register online today
Teen Leadership Program 11 – 14 year-olds Hours: 8:30 to 5:00 Fee: $125 per week
Offered both June and August (TLC program not offered during ROV Construction – August 19-23
The Teen Leadership Program (TLC) is for young people who are too young to have a job, but are interested in spending a week assisting our course teachers in the field, mentoring younger children, helping out with the activities for the day, supervising recess or play at the park. TLCs will be given special assignments by their directing teacher and be responsible for various odd jobs that make the course run smoothly. Interest in science, animals, inventing and building with art materials, and using technology (Mac based) to create presentations — a plus.
TLCs should have had previous experience working successfully with younger children, be able to work as a member of a team and have a basic understanding of how children learn through active exploration. 1-2 applicants will be accepted for each course.
Along with their Registration Form, interested TLC applicants should send a list of their experiences working with young children and a letter that explains their interest in the program. On your Registration Form rank the courses in order of preference and submit your application by June 1st. You will then be invited for an interview and further clarification of our expectations. Accepted applicants will meet with the course teacher before each session begins. They will work closely with course teachers and be given feedback on their performance. A final evaluation will be written that may be used as a recommendation for future summer employment with young children. Questions: Call The Phoenix School at 978-741-0870 or email [email protected]
The 2018/2019 year at The Phoenix School is wrapping up and summer is on the horizon. On Friday, May 1, the kids had their annual May Day performance in Old Town Hall, and are readying themselves for the upcoming All School End-of-Year Celebration and Graduation on June 12th at 6:00 pm at the Salem Five Community Room on Essex Street in Downtown Salem.
Up until then, the kids are finishing their projects for the year and have another educational Skype planned, this time with Dr. Arthur Kopelman, founder of the Coastal Research Education Society of Long Island, who has been monitoring the local whale and seal populations in New York’s Harbors for the last two decades.
Although the school year is winding down, the summer won’t be empty by any means. The Phoenix School is offering a wide variety of programming that will keep students engaged during the warm summer months
Fins, Wings, Paws, & Claws June 17-21, 2019 8:30 am-3:00 pm (extended day option 3pm-5pm) Ages 5 to 10 * $295 per week or $65 per day
Animals have amazing adaptations to help them survive and thrive. Investigate these features through examining the shapes and power of fins, the flying abilities of birds, the diverse abilities of animal legs and paws, and the power of claws. Take part in an animal adaptation auction, dissect a crab, and use microscopes to make new adaptation discoveries. Days will be spent at Winter Island, the Salem State Conservation Lands, and Forest River Park. Weather permitting, swimming will occur at Winter Island and Forest River Park. Register online today
Engineering Extremes June 24-28, 2019 8:30 am-3:00 pm (extended day option 3pm-5pm) Ages 5 to 10 * $295 per week or $65 per day
Design new structures that can withstand the extremes of mother nature. Use simulations to test your structure designs and their abilities to withstand earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Use the field of biomimicry to look at nature to see how plants and animals withstand the extremes. Design new ways to prevent forces like wind and water from affecting a local area. Days will be spent at Winter Island, the Salem State Conservation Lands, and Forest River Park. Weather permitting, swimming will occur at Winter Island and Forest River Park. Register online today
Magic: The Gathering August 12-16, 2019 Hours: 8:30am-3:00pm (extended day option 3pm-5pm) Ages 8 to 14 * $295 per week *plus ACTIVITY FEE: $25 for magic booster packs
Jump in to this amazing gaming experience with the collector’s card game Magic the Gathering (MTG). Combining mythologies and story lines inspired from many different cultures, MTG allows dreams and imagination to thrive in this card game. Students will learn new strategies and formats for playing Magic: the Gathering all while having a fun time and building cooperative and collaborative skills through playing the game. Magic: the Gathering is a collector’s card game. All students, from beginner to advanced, are encouraged to join our summer camp.
Shapes of Life August 19-23, 2019 8:30 am-3:00 pm (extended day option 3pm-5pm) Ages 5 to 10 * $295 per week or $65 per day
Special Teachers!Diana Norma Shafer (EEC Clearance, First Aid/CPR, 12+ years experience teaching in a Montessori setting, Ed.M Harvard Graduate School of Education, experienced Magic: the Gathering Club leader at Harborlight Montessori for grades 3-8). Dennis Shafer (First Aid/CPR, Experience teaching and playing Magic: the Gathering for over 25 years. Experience teaching ages 5 through college-level students). Register online today Inspect the bizarre, impressive, enchanting, purposeful, and beautiful shapes and sizes of plants and animals found locally and around the world. Look into the importance of antlers, barbels, frills, hairs, lures, and whiskers. Perform a plant dissection, use microscopes, use a seine net to catch living specimens, and realize the variety of shapes and sizes of living organisms while investigating how habitats connect to this diversity. Days will be spent at Winter Island, the Salem State Conservation Lands, and Lynn Woods. Weather permitting, swimming will occur at Winter Island. Register online today
ROV Construction August 19-23, 2019 8:30 am-3:00 pm (extended day option 3pm-5pm) Ages 10 to 14 * $350 per week
Design, create, build, and test a SeaPerch Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). Work as a team through the entire process from soldering circuits, putting together motors and blades, water-proofing electronics, experimenting with ROV shape, testing buoyancy, and perfecting ROV performance in the ocean through a series of fun and challenging scenarios. Days will be spent at The Phoenix School and Winter Island. Weather permitting, swimming will occur at Winter Island. Register online today
Wild Picassos & Einsteins August 26-30, 2019 8:30 am-3:00 pm (extended day option 3pm-5pm) Ages 5 to 10 * $295 per week or $65 per day
Get out into the wild to find new ways to express art and science to become a young Picasso and Einstein! Paint, draw, engineer, explore, and utilize iPads for photography, videography, and iMovie cinematography. Gain inspiration by traveling to a variety of ecosystems, looking into nature’s illusions, investigating the art of camouflage, and discovering the science behind fishing and crabbing. Days will be spent at Winter Island, the Salem State Conservation Lands, and Forest River Park. Weather permitting, swimming will occur at Winter Island and Forest River Park. Register online today
Teen Leadership Program 11 – 14 year-olds Hours: 8:30 to 5:00 Fee: $125 per week
Offered both June and August (TLC program not offered during ROV Construction – August 19-23
The Teen Leadership Program (TLC) is for young people who are too young to have a job, but are interested in spending a week assisting our course teachers in the field, mentoring younger children, helping out with the activities for the day, supervising recess or play at the park. TLCs will be given special assignments by their directing teacher and be responsible for various odd jobs that make the course run smoothly. Interest in science, animals, inventing and building with art materials, and using technology (Mac based) to create presentations — a plus.
TLCs should have had previous experience working successfully with younger children, be able to work as a member of a team and have a basic understanding of how children learn through active exploration. 1-2 applicants will be accepted for each course.
Along with their Registration Form, interested TLC applicants should send a list of their experiences working with young children and a letter that explains their interest in the program. On your Registration Form rank the courses in order of preference and submit your application by June 1st. You will then be invited for an interview and further clarification of our expectations. Accepted applicants will meet with the course teacher before each session begins. They will work closely with course teachers and be given feedback on their performance. A final evaluation will be written that may be used as a recommendation for future summer employment with young children. Questions: Call The Phoenix School at 978-741-0870 or email [email protected]
After much anticipation and hundreds of people asking: “When is the Friendship coming back?”, the beloved Friendship returned to Salem on Monday, April 22 to the cheers and excitement of everyone waiting for her on shore. The Phoenix School students were there to greet her in the less than perfect weather, holding up banners and singing songs about the historic ship.
The original Friendship was built in Salem, Massachusetts by Enos Briggs’s shipyard at Stage Point on the South River for owners Aaron Waite and Jerathmiel Pierce and was originally launched on the 28 May in 1797. During her illustrious career, the Friendship visited Batavia, India, China, South America, the Caribbean, England, Germany, the Mediterranean, and Russia before eventually returning to her home in Salem as a museum as part of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site.
The Phoenix School history is also intermingled with the Friendship’s recent history, as in the 1990s students from the School traveled as part of Essex County’s “Kids Build Friendship” to Washington D.C. to lobby alongside the National Park Service and Salem Partnership for funds to bring the Friendship to Salem. They were successful in their endeavors and were able to raise more than $1M, an amount which would eventually be matched by the state of Massachusetts.
To prepare for this, the kids at the time drew up business plans and partnered with local business leaders to help raise the funds they needed. Part of this was having local businesses put dedicated recycling bins out which the Phoenix School kids would collect, rinse out bottles and cans, and take them to recycling centers for money. As a result, the community raised $18,000 and the Friendship’s figurehead was dedicated to the students involved with this project. And in 2019, the current students of the Phoenix School were present to welcome their old friend home.
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What’s Coming Up for the Phoenix School
The Phoenix School is also excited for their upcoming May Day Performance and Grandfriend’s Day on Friday, May 3 where Phoenix students will perform traditional dances, maypole and all, and sing lovely songs to welcome Spring. Following the performance will be intergenerational activities and a luncheon, prepared by the students, as part of Grandfriend’s Day.
May Day has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries. It is associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility (of the soil, livestock, and people) and revelry with village fetes and community gatherings. One of the most significant of the traditions is the maypole, around which traditional dancers circle with ribbons.
The classroom was full of the hustle and bustle of children shuffling quickly through a makeshift security line. “Take off your shoes and your belt and put all of your personal belongings in the bin to go through the scanner,” one fifth grade student said to a third grader in line.
“Don’t forget to empty out all of your pockets,” he added as an afterthought. This past week, the students at the Phoenix School took off to the Everglades, and while the 6-8th graders took the actual physical trip to Florida, the Kindergarten through 5th graders created an imaginary journey where they would re-create every aspect of what it would be like to take such a trip. While the older kids were off exploring the mangroves of Southeastern Florida, the fifth graders at the Phoenix School were the ones left in charge.
It was up to them to design a trip that would get their fellow classmates (and flight passengers) to their final destination safely and securely. In doing so they were able to make use of the social, emotional, and leadership skills they’ve gained over the course of the year and incorporate it into a week of imaginary travel. While they were handling all the main details like flight paths and deciding which was the best route to take through the mangroves, the younger kids engaged with their environment by experiencing the imagined journey, taking notes on their findings, and doing research projects to prepare for the trip.
Throughout this process, they also engaged with fundamental learning techniques like writing, working with numbers, and logic, but in a way that allowed them to use their own personal learning style in real-life scenarios. Once all the students passed through security and took their seats aboard the plane of the imagination, the fifth-grade captains made announcements over a pretend loudspeaker. The screen in front of them played a Google Earth Flight Simulator depicting the view of the runway.
Boarding Pass for Phoenix Airlines Flight 406
“Welcome aboard flight 406 to Fort Lauderdale,” the first captain said.
“Please buckle your seatbelts for takeoff and make sure that all of your personal belongings are in an overhead bin or tucked under the seat in front of you,” the second captain said.
The plane started to take off in a wobbly fashion, causing the passengers to giggle uncontrollably.
“Please don’t worry, we are professionals at this,” the third captain explained with a laugh as the simulated plane rose higher into the air. “Let’s do a barrel roll!” Someone yelled from the back.
During the week, in addition to the imaginary travel, the students also pursued their own research projects about the flora and fauna of the area, including a creative writing piece where the students told a story from the perspective of an animal in the Everglades. The teachers also incorporated the thematic subject into their foundational studies, asking important mathematical questions like “How many Anhingas can an alligator eat in a day?” and “If an Alligator eats 3 Anhingas a day, how many Anhingas would they eat in a week?”
Although these questions may not be great for the development of the Anhingas, they are incredible for the development of the students, and of the course of the week of imaginary travel, they will have had an experience and stories to swap with the 6-8th graders returning from the real alligator alley with tales of their own. Stay tuned for next post when we share stories and photos of the older kids’ adventure to the Everglades.
