GARRETTFORD GOOD NEWS

Garrettford was fortunate to have several guest readers treat the children to story time during Read Across America Week The students always enjoy being surprsed by our "Mystery Readers" each year.. We also celebrated the week with theme days. Monday was "Make it a cozy Monday" and students were asked to wear comfy clothes and bring a stuffed animal to read with. Tuesday's theme was "Reading makes us smile" day and students wore clothes with smiley faces. On Wednesday we were "Wild about reading" and wore clothing with animals or animal prints on them. Thursday was "Read my shirt" day. Students and staff were asked to wear shirts with words on them. Friday was "Reading gives us school spirit" day and we dressed in our Royal spirit wear. All the activities made the week fun and exciting.

We also sponsored a "Dress like your favorite literary character" day and the staff especially did not disappoint. A few of the students also came to school dressed as characters. Ths event was a great way to build excitement for our annual Literacy Festival which was held on the evening of March 11th. The attendance was remarkable and all the families seemed to enjoy themselves as they learned more about the many literacy tools Garrettford offers, met local authors and also went home with free books.

Miss Garvey,, our Speech and Language teacher, once again held a special literacy themed event for our students this month. Each year for the past several years, she purchases paperback books for the bucket buck store. The books can be bought for only 5 bucket bucks. When a student buys a book, they also get to choose a small stuffie to read with and a raffle ticket for one of six gift baskets Miss Garvey also has donated. This event has spread excitement about reading for all of our students. Thank you to Miss Garvey for this wonderful effort, which shows her love and support of the Garrettford students.

The Annual Literacy Night offered a variety of activities for students and families to increase fluency. One station was the Young Author's room. Students were given the opportunity to write a story, comic strip or poem. There was also a fluency station for first and second grade students to find words hidden around the room and then put them together to form sentences. Students in grades 3 through 5 read short passages and then tried to shoot a basket. There were also stops to apply for a Delaware County library card, make a book character mask, and get a snack. Two local authors, Dr. Marcus Wright and Ms. Imani Tyler, were on site to share their books and talk with the students. Both authors are also Garrettford parents.

To celebrate Black History Month, there was also a door decorating contest, which featured famous Black role models. Families in attendance toured the building and then voted for the most impressive classroom door. The students also played a Blooket game in which they answered questions about famous Black Americans we’ve studied throughout February. Thanks to the Home and School Association, every child also got to select free books to take home.

Our fifth grade students were able to go to the Museum of the American Revolution to experience their in-gallery exhibit "Through Their Eyes." This exhibit invites the students to explore the major causes and events leading up to the American Revolution through the eyes of the citizens who lived during that time.. As they explored, the trained museum staff challenged the students to consider such questions as "Who are the people of the Revolution and how did they become Revolutionaries?" They also explored what it was like to live during the Revoluiton and were asked to identify what kind of nation the Revolution created. The students enjoyed the trip and learned a lot about this important time in our hisory. Special thanks to Mrs. Possenti for applying for a grant for free admission to the museum.

We were fortunate to have a magic show performed by Mr. Derrick Lee and it was awesome! Mr. Lee flawlessly performed a variety of tricks and delivered his act in an engaging, comedic way. The students were so attentive and really enjoyed the show. Mrs. Kennedy remarked that she didn't know whether to take pictures of Mr. Lee or the students' expressions as he performed his magic! Some students were feeling in their ears to see if they had coins in them because Mr. Lee was magically getting many coins from one student's ear!!! The students also enjoyed getting the opportunity to pet Mr. Lee's bunny, Cotton. He got the teachers involved too and everyone had smiles on their faces and joy in their heart.

Hayden Buxton, Austin Kroeger, and Dahlia Garica were chosen for the PMEA 5/6 Band Fest. They have been working super hard on their instruments and this is quite an honor for them to be selected. They spent the day at Drexel Hill Middle School preparing several pieces for a concert they performed at Drexel Hill that night. The Band Fest includes 110 of the top 5th and 6th grade instrumentalists in Delaware County. Congratulations!

Three students from Garrettford Elementary School had the opportunity to participate in the Elementary Chorus Fest at Springton Lake Middle School this past weekend, where they worked with a guest conductor and sang with students from 41 other elementary schools in the area! Congratulations to Carter Scales,, Nailah Greaves and Cora White!

Garrettford Elementary School

3830 Garrett Road

Drexel Hill, PA 19026

Principal Allen Brydges

Assistant Principal Kelly Mantzaridis

(610) 626-9168