News
Madison Avenue art gallery walk (April 30, 2010)
On Saturday, May 15th, more than 50 galleries on Madison Avenue will join with the The Fund for Public Schools to provide free gallery talks to children and their famlies. Hosted by the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District, the Madison Avenue Gallery Walk features guided gallery tours led by public school art teachers, a series of talks by gallery curators and artists, exhibitions of student artwork, and family-friendly activities like a scavenger hunt – all free of charge and open to the public! For more information, including a printable map of participating galleries and program guide, please visit www.madisonavenuegallerywalk.com.
Diego Medino commissioned to create artwork (April 16, 2010)
Diego Medina, the MMS facilities manager, is a sculptor. He was recently selected to create a large-scale, permanent artwork for
a new public school in the Bronx, PS 177. The project, which is being commissioned and sponsored by the Public School Construction Authority and the City of New York, will be completed sometime in 2012. Diego says that he loves working at MMS and is very grateful to the whole MMS community.
Cetaphil for head lice (April 16, 2010)
A recent article in The New York Times reported that the mild cleanser, Cetaphil, can be used to treat head lice. A study in the journal, Pediatrics, found that a group of children with hard-to-treat head lice were able to eradicate their lice by coating their hair with Cetaphil, combing it, then blow-drying it until the Cetaphil hardened. They shampooed their hair eight hours later, and repeated the regime once a week for three weeks. The heated and dried Cetaphil created a “shrink-wrap” effect that suffocated the lice. The treatment can be started before bedtime, and a shampoo cap can be worn overnight to prevent flaking.
Baby News! (March 19, 2010)
MMS families are celebrating new babies this spring. Anna Kremer and Vladimir Parizhsky announced the birth of their third child, Peter Mark Parizhsky, on March 4. His older brothers are Gregory (Room C) and Michael (Room D). Thomas Barnes Owen, son of David and Edie Owen, was born on Feb. 25. His older brother, James, is in Room IB. Maya Stella Tsukada, daughter of Hidemi and Satoshi Tsukada, was born Feb. 23rd. Her older sister, Mahiro, is in IC. Also in February, Lia Océane William-Olsson Gilbert, daughter of Kajsa William-Olsson and Alan Gilbert, was born on the 17th. Kajsa reports that Esra, Room D, “is an incredibly sweet and proud big brother!” Other recent births include Amaury Bocqueraz, the second child of Christelle Denechaud and Francois Bocqueraz, born on Sept. 4; and Miriam (Mira) Anna Greenwald on Oct. 17. She is the sister of Isaac, Room D, and the daughter of Tatyana Trakht and David Greenwald.
MMS mom publishes cookbook of allergy-free desserts (March 17, 2010)
Elizabeth Gordon, mother of Colombe, Room C, has a new cookbook, Allergy-Free Desserts, (John Wiley & Sons). The founder and owner of Betsy & Claude Baking Company, a mail-order gluten-, dairy-, egg-, soy- and nut-free bakery, Gordon suffers from food allergies and so adapted favorite recipes for cookies, muffins, pies, cakes, and other desserts. You can read more about Gordon at her website, www.betsyand claude.com.
Former MMS dad known as The Millionaires’ Magician is featured in The New York Times (March 17, 2010)
Steve Cohen, the father of Alex Morishige, a former MMS student, was featured in article in The New York Times about his magic act. Cohen performs five magic shows every weekend at The Waldorf-Astoria. You can learn more about his performances from his website, http://www.chambermagic.com/.
Pack-A-Lunch for Chauntra nets more than $900 (March 5, 2010)
MMS raised $903.70 for the Central School for Tibetans in Chauntra, India, from the sale of muffins, donations of the cost of their MMS lunch, and other contributions. The school serves Tibetan refugees living in a remote area of northern India. Many of the students live at the school because their homes because travel is difficult. The school uses funds raised by MMS for clothing and school supplies. You can learn more about Chauntra at their website: http://www.cstchauntra.org/.
MMS students raise money to benefit Haiti (March 5)
The Upper Elementary raised $886.35 to benefit victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The students decided that half of the proceeds would go to Partners in Health, which has been operating in Haiti for more than 20 years, http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti, and that the other half would go to a Montessori school in Port-Au-Prince, La Casa Dei Bambini Montessori, www.aidhaitianquakekids.com.
The New York Times features Marty Hyman Photography (March 4, 2010)
The New York Times style section profiled Marty Hyman in the March 10 edition. Marty Hyman is among the top school photographers in the New York area, and has been the photographer for MMS for more than 20 years. To read the article, click on this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/fashion/04hyman.html?pagewanted=2&ref=fashion
Birth Announcements (Feb. 25, 2010)
Natisha Ettiene (Primary Room C) gave birth to a daughter, Serenity Autumn Ettiene-Lamonth, on Feb. 16. Natisha reports: “She is healthy, strong, and amazing!” Casey Keith, MMS learning specialist, announced the birth of James Garcia-Keith on Feb. 23. Mom Teresa is doing well, and older brother Matthew (Room D) and sister Amy are thrilled.
MMS welcomes new students (Jan. 7, 2010)
Please welcome the following new students to MMS: Vivienne Weinberg, Room B; Riley Wittman, sister of Mason, in Room C; Mali Lung, returning from Australia, Room D; Ryan Lung, Mali’s brother, Room IA. We are sorry to say goodbye to the following children who are moving to new schools: Mohan Jauhar, Jonah Gilliam, and Frederick Charbonnier.
Book Fair results: donations to library and classrooms and profit for MMS (Jan. 5, 2010)
Teresa Scala, chair of the Book Fair, announced today at the Parent Association meeting that $4,400 worth of books were donated to the library, and $2,400 worth of books were donated to classrooms through the MMS Book Fair. Additionally, the fair generated a $2,800 profit for MMS. Congratulations!
Renowned anthropologist visits Upper Elementary (Dec. 14, 2009)
William Harcourt-Smith, a research scientist in the division of paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History, gave a lecture to the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade on Friday about his research on early hominins, including Lucy, who lived in Africa more than 3 million years ago, and the so-called “hobbits,” miniature hominins who lived on a remote island of Indonesia more than 90,000 years ago. Harcourt-Smith was the author of a cover story in Nature earlier this year that showed how a detailed analysis of the foot of the “hobbits” revealed they moved more like Lucy than modern man.
Congratulations to the Zapata family (Dec. 10, 2009)
Gabriel Zapata, Room C, and Agustin, Room IC, are the proud brothers of baby Julian, born on November 23. Congratulation to parents, Carmen and Ignacio, and the whole family!
Upper Elementary to perform “Bye Bye Birdie” (Dec. 1, 2009)
Carla Steckman has announced that the Upper Elementary will perform the musical comedy, “Bye Bye Birdie,” in February. The plot centers on a rock star who attempts a publicity stunt that goes awry. It won the Tony Award in 1961 for best musical, and a revival is currently playing on Broadway.
MMS students raise more than $1,100 for Chauntra (Nov. 12, 2009)
Upper Elementary organized a bake sale on Nov. 12 to benefit the Central School for Tibetans in Chauntra, India. With baking help from Mary Walsh, Jennifer Chiu, Lauren Lee, and Mary Ellen Scullard, and packaging help from Jennifer Chiu and Maria Valor, the students wrapped brownies, snicker doodles and oatmeal raisin cookies, and sold them outside of the school. The bake sale raised $351. Meanwhile the students raffled the miniature MMS created by Susan Cotins and her children, Amelia, IB, and Ciaran, IIB. To the amazement of all, Amelia Cotins won the raffle! The raffled raised $798.
MMS students raise money for UNICEF (Nov. 12, 2009)
MMS students collected $1,191.20 for UNICEF during the Halloween holiday. The money raised for UNICEF supports efforts to provide medicine, nutrition, safe water, education, and emergency relief for children in 150 countries. Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF began in Philadelphia 59 years ago. American children have raised more than $144 million for the program.
Justin Smith performs in Peter and the Wolf (Nov. 12, 2009)
Justin Smith, the MMS strings teacher, is performing in a limited run of Peter and the Wolf at the New Victory Theater on 42nd Street through Nov. 29. Justin reports: “The piece is in two acts. The first act is an exciting new work, written to be a prequel to Peter and the Wolf. Like the original, it features ballet dancers and a narrator. The second act is the original work by Prokofiev. The production is first rate, and features a superb 14-piece orchestra. I’d love for lots of MMS students to see it!” Please follow the link below for more information: https://secure.newvictory.org/newvictory/tickets/production.aspx?PID=1521.
Meghan Rinehart Participates in New York Marathon (Nov. 4, 2009)
Meghan Rinehart, Primary Room A, was part of Team Achilles which assists marathon athletes with physical disabilities. Meghan ran 26.2 miles with Christian Alvarado holding on to her. Christian is blind, diabetic, and developmentally disabled, and he was determined to finish his 8th marathon! Meghan writes: “After a grueling 9 hours, we crossed the finish line with tears streaming down our faces and a new sense of determination in our hearts. Congratulations to Christian!”
News from Chauntra (Nov. 4, 2009)
Dhondrup Dorje, the principal of the Central School for Tibetans in Chauntra, India, writes to tell us that the school was able to make some wonderful purchases for the students thanks to the fundraising events organized by the MMS students last year. Every Chauntra student received one new item of clothing for the winter. The school bought 60 sweaters, 49 jackets, 24 new pairs of shoes, and 163 pairs of trousers.
Fourth grade visits Diego Medina’s sculpture (Oct. 30, 2009)
The fourth grade went to the Bronx zoo on Monday, and at the West Farms subway station on the Number 2 and 5 lines, they saw the sculpture by Diego Medina, the new MMS facilities manager. A photo of the sculpture can be seen in the Fall Messenger, sent to families on Oct. 30.
Kim Dykes honored (Oct. 30, 2009)
MMS children, faculty, and staff paid a surprise tribute to Miss Kim during the community gathering on Oct. 30. In a very well-kept secret, the children made books containing expressions of gratitude and love for Miss Kim, who has worked for MMS for 20 years. Vincent Gomez, Amelia Cotins, and Sydney Jackson presented the books. There was a slideshow retrospective of Miss Kim’s time at MMS, and everybody danced! A photo gallery from the event may be found in the Resources section.
H1N1 Vaccinations (Oct. 29, 2009)
MMS has sent consent forms to MMS families for the city’s H1N1 vaccination program. The vaccine will be offered at MMS if 50 consent forms are received by Nov. 3, 2009. The city offers both the HINI shot and the nasal spray at its sites, and the nurse who administers the vaccine makes a determination about the appropropriate delivery. For further information, visit the Centers for Disease Control website: www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu or www.cdc.gov/flu or www.flu.gov.
Congratulations to the Spinner Family (Oct. 22, 2009)
MMS trustee Stephanie Spinner, mother of Lily in Room A, gave birth to Charles Thomas Spinner (Charlie) on Oct. 15. Congratulations to Stephanie, Lily, and dad Peter.
Justin Smith at Carnegie Hall (Oct. 22, 2009)
Our MMS strings teacher, Justin Smith, performed with the American Theater Orchestra for the American premier of the musical, Kristina, on Sept. 23 and 24 at Carnegie Hall. The musical was created by the members of ABBA. Time magazine praised the performance for “some of the most rapturous melodies ever heard at Carnegie Hall.” To read more, go to http://www.time.com/arts/article/o,8599,1925955,00.html and http://www.kristinathemusical.com.