Knowing Henry

If you read no other posts on Knowing Henry

2009-12-05T11:47:00.010-05:00

With the winding down of this blog, I have gathered the bottom-line information, here. The posts listed below cut to the chase: the cold hard stats that prove that Henry outperforms, not just the rest of the district, not just charters, but the state overall. Need objective proof that your kids won't necessarily do better in a charter, or suburban, or even a high-priced charter school? It's all right here.

There are many more posts with useful information throughout Knowing Henry. Parent testimonials. Information about the art and music programs, sports, trips, and more.

(some of the posts contain external links to news reports that may no longer be active)

How do the academics compare to other schools?

What do the numbers say?

Still more good news from PSSA

Private school advantage disappears

Little evidence that charter schools perform better

Why do parents choose Henry if they can afford other schools?

Why they chose Henry

Do I live in the Henry catchment?

Henry school boundaries

What do people do about after school?

After school Summit's just a block away

Final meeting, December 7

2009-12-05T11:45:00.001-05:00

Monday, December 7

7:00 - 8:30 p.m., and begins on time
Special Guest: Henry Principal Caren Trantas

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 8 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

October 20 meeting to Know Henry

2009-10-14T21:29:00.001-04:00

Tuesday, October 20

7:00 - 8:30 p.m., and begins on time

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 8 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Sept. 30 meeting to Know Henry

2009-09-07T08:21:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, September 30

7:00 - 8:30 p.m., and begins on time

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 8 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Henry students on the farm

2009-06-20T08:30:00.003-04:00

Henry shares more than the intersection of Carpenter and Greene Streets with Weavers Way Coop. Henry students have had their fingers in the soil from the beginning of the Weavers Way From Program .

Report: little evidence that charter students perform better

2009-03-19T06:46:00.000-04:00

From this morning's Inquirer, a report from Rand saying, in part: "There is little evidence that charter school students in elementary grades perform better than students in traditional public schools..."

Read the news news release on the report, direct from Rand.

Download the full report, "Charter Schools in Eight States: Effects on Achievement, Attainment, Integration, and Competition," direct from Rand. (162 pages)

Or, just download the 13-page summary.

Henry Kindergarten mom's doing fine, and son is too!

2009-03-13T06:20:00.006-04:00

Well, I have navigated my way through a full 6 months as a parent of a kindergartner at C.W. Henry School, and I think it’s time I recorded some of my impressions.

We came to Henry School (transferring in, from out of the catchment area) without many other options. Our neighborhood school was not an acceptable choice for us. We had applied to several charter schools, and did not get in. As two self-employed parents with three young children, we were barely making ends meet, and we could not consider private schools. Some days I wished we could…. days when I heard other parents say things like, “well, we’ll be paying down loans till the end of our days, but you couldn’t ask for a better school for our child…” And there was always the nagging sense that we were being somehow selfish, not considering a second mortgage for our children’s education.

In the end, my upbringing won out. I was raised by two public-school employees, and I’ve always believed that the best way to help the public-school system is to send our children there, and to be actively involved.

We had sent our son to a co-operative part-time preschool. We worked in the classrooms, knew all of the other families personally,and came home for lunch each day. The leap to kindergarten felt immense. To send him into this giant building, close the door and not know anything that went on for 6 ½ hours… I was anxious. I worried over his clothes, his lunch, his homework assignments. But every day he seemed to come home excited and happy (tired, too!), from the full days of stimulation for his little brain.

As for our involvement, it has taken us a little while to get into the swing of things – I went to my first Home and School meeting last month, and we started volunteering in the classroom and the library a bit over the winter. It feels great to be in the school building during the day, feeling the energy of all the kids and teachers, learning how they spend their time.

Our son has learned a tremendous amount in these first 6 months of school, not all of it academic. They read, and write, and do basic math every day, and he loves these things. But the biggest thing he’s learned is independence. His kindergarten teacher taught them from the very beginning of the year to be self-reliant. They know how to pack and unpack their bags, button their coats, find their way to the lunchroom and the nurse’s office, and how to listen to the assignments she gives and follow them. She does not nag, chase, or hover over them. She has high expectations for their behavior, and the students meet them.

This lesson, of independence and responsibility, has carried over into the rest of his life. I now have a son who will disappear into his room for hours to read or play with Legos. He tries to solve problems himself. He learns things about the world and comes to tell me about them. He has become so much more mature, and capable, and confident, in such a short time.

My son loves Henry School, and feels that it’s his school. He loves being a “big kid” as he goes in every day. He loves his specialty classes – art, music, computer, gym, and library. He loves “choice time”, the free play time every day that the teacher gives them. The other kids in his class are wonderful little people. He is well cared for and loved at this school. What more could I ask for?

I have a few bits of advice for parents of incoming kindergartners this fall:

1. They’ll be fine. Really, really, really. And so will you.

2. Volunteer in the classroom if you can. Give them a few weeks to adjust, at first, but then ask the teacher when a good time would be to come in. It’s a great way to help, and to see first-hand just how fine they are.

3. Send notes (or pictures, etc.) in their lunchboxes. This can be very comforting to them, especially in the craziness of the lunchroom.

4. If possible, plan to stay for a little while after school each day to let the kids run around on the playground. After sitting and being on such good behavior all day, they need to burn off some energy.

Polaneczky, Daily News: Why not a public school parent for SRC slot?

2009-03-12T11:08:00.003-04:00

In today's Daily News, Ronnie Polaneczky makes the case for more qualified, parent membership on the School Reform Commission.

2009-03-12T07:01:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, March 25

7:00 - 8:30 p.m., and begins on time

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 7 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Philly schools superintendent on Radio Times

2009-03-04T18:53:00.002-05:00

Superintendent Dr. Arlene Ackerman, was on WHYY FM's Radio Times today, discussing her five-year strategic plan, "Imagine 2014."

Listen to the mp3.

The best education we can afford

2009-02-28T08:53:00.008-05:00

"We just want our child to have the best education we can afford." This is a common expression in our monthly meetings. Often, those parents are here because, after looking at private school tuition, they wonder if the product is worth the expense. In a neighborhood with a school like Henry, it's a valid question.

Philadelphia has a long tradition of strong independent/private schools. I don't dispute their quality: only the need for families in a neighborhood with a school like Henry to commit thousands of dollars a year for a result of debatable superiority. Are the academics that much better? Seems hard to believe when, for example, they use the same math curriculum. Or when the Henry kids regularly get into the only high school in the region ranked among U.S News and World Reports' list of America's Best High Schools.

So what makes for the best education we can afford, anyway? Is it how much we pay, or how much and what our kids learn? For my son, we could spend a lot more money, but if he's getting a lesser education than his friends in private school, it's pretty hard to tell.

See also: Private School Advantage Disappears.

Parents recruiting others, and it's not only at Henry

2009-02-25T13:06:00.007-05:00

In today's Inquirer, Monica Yant Kinney spotlights Cook-Wissahickon Elementary, in Roxborough, where students are achieving and parents are...what?...recruiting other parents? More proof that in some parts of the city, parents are finding that great education and great learning environments don't have to come at great cost.

Henry teachers at February meeting

2009-01-27T21:09:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, February 25
7:00 - 8:30 p.m., and begins on time

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information. Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 7 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Henry teachers will join us in February to answer your questions about the school. Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Henry Principal at January meeting

2009-01-07T22:14:00.001-05:00

Thursday, January 15

7:00 - 8:30 p.m., and begins on time

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 6 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Henry Principal, Caren Trantas, will join us in January to answer your questions about the school.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Sean Singetary, CW Henry alumnus

2008-12-31T10:45:00.004-05:00

Another famous Henry alumnus. Go Hawks! (Henry Hawks, that is.)

See Sean's profile, here.

December meeting: Dr. Lori Shorr, Philadelphia's Chief Education Officer

2008-12-02T20:07:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, December 16

7:00 - 8:30 p.m., and begins on time

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 6 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

This month, we'll be joined by Lori Shorr, public school parent and Philadelphia's Chief Education Officer.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

New blog chronicles Jenks

2008-11-09T06:47:00.007-05:00

I have long known that the reason many families don't send their kids to a great school like Henry is because they just don't know what happens in the school. J.S. Jenks, in Chestnut Hill, is another great public school in northwest Philadelphia - a school many families in that neighborhood would be very happy with, if only they made the effort to learn a little about it.

Thanks to a new blog, This Year at Jenks, by the parent of a Jenks kindergartner, will help.

Look carefully at those lollipops

2008-10-17T18:52:00.010-04:00

You like lollipops? I like lollipops. I like the colors. I like the flavors. Show me a place the sells lollipops, and I'll show you a place that knows what kids like. What kids need. What kids crave.

Schools know that kids like lollipops. More important: they know parents like their kids to have lollipops.

During open houses and tours, schools like to show their good sides, their cool stuff, their lollipops. The cool stuff that wows kids and parents. And let's be honest - some schools have some great lollipops.

But we can't live on lollipops, can we? Nope. We live on food. Real food. Protein, fruits, veggies, fiber, carbs. When it comes down to it, what makes a school successful is the education that happens there. You know - the meat (or tofu, if you prefer) and potatoes. Are kids learning? Are they learning what kids at other schools are learning? Are they on par, academically, with kids from other schools? Are they learning what they'll need for the next level of education? Are they prepared to move toward a life as successful adults?

So when it comes to looking at schools, savor the lollipops, but be sure to compare the main meal. If you forget what you're really looking for, you might end up surprised, just like Jemima and Jeremy Potts as they were lured by the Child Catcher's lollipops...

Fall meetings to learn about Henry

2008-09-12T06:52:00.003-04:00

Wednesday, September 24

Monday, October 27

Wednesday, November 19

Tuesday, December 16

all meetings run 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., and begin on time

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 6 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

summer playgroup for Henry Kindergarteners

2008-07-14T06:23:00.000-04:00

(sent in by Kelly Tannen)

A group of parents of students entering kindergarten at Henry in the fall have been organizing weekly playgroups to allow the kids to meet each other before school starts. Playgroups are held at Henry's kindergarten playground and are open to all children who will be entering kindergarten at Henry in September. This is a great opportunity for the kids to get to know their future classmates, for the parents to meet one another, and for the kids to get familiar with their new school. We would love to see the group grow over the summer and are planning to alternate between late afternoon and morning meeting times to accommodate different schedules. If you are interested in participating, please contact Kelly Tannen at kbtannen@hotmail.com for information on scheduling.

Why they chose Henry

2008-05-31T06:44:00.004-04:00

After another year of meeting with families considering school options for their children, we asked who's starting Henry in the fall. Here's a sampling of the responses: (responses edited to remove childrens' names and for brevity)

Have you decided to send your child/children to Henry this fall? Why or why not?

Yes. Henry is close (within walking distance), has adequate standardized test scores (actually more than adequate in comparison with other public schools and publicly-funded charters), improving diversity numbers, two nice outdoor play areas, an outstanding principal, and an active parents group. We also know at least four other families sending their children to kindergarten at Henry. Since we're in the catchment, it seemed silly not to give it a try.

Did you apply to Henry from another catchment area? If so, what happened?

No.

Can you provide other comments that might help us understand your decision or the landscape overall?

We also applied to Green Woods Charter (and drew a much-envied second place spot on their waitlist). However, after really looking at both Henry and Green Woods, we realized that Henry offered more of what we want for our child and, honestly, seems like a better overall fit when you look past the razzle-dazzle of that charter. I think two things contributed to that decision: 1) the "vibe" that we got from the administrators, teachers, and parents at both schools and 2) the fact that we know parents who are and who will be sending their kids there. Nothing is more frightening than the unknown and knowing that we're not in this alone makes Henry seem like the best decision for our family.
********************************************************

Hi Nancy- We are sending our daughter to Henry in September for kindergarten. We toured the school a few months ago and will register her before the end of the month. We live in West Mt. Airy and are happy that Henry is our neighborhood school. Although we have talked about other schools and spoken with friends about private school, we think it's important to support our public schools. My husband is an educator (9 years in the Phila school district, and this past year in Springfield Township in Montgomery County) and he's very comfortable with Henry.

During our visit, we saw that the students were engaged, focused on their work and also very excited for that evening's school play. The teachers were very friendly and open to answering questions. Overall, we are confident that our daughter will get a strong start at Henry and quite frankly we are not at all interested in paying $15,000 a year (or more) for private school when we have a solid neighborhood public school. Diversity is also very important to us, not just in terms of race, but also economics. We want our daughter to have friends and spend time with young people of various economic and racial backgrounds and we were concerned about a lack of such diversity at some of the private schools. Of course, we'll revisit our decision every year while our daughter is at Henry to determine if it's still a good fit for her (and us), but for now we're looking forward to September!
*****************************************************************

Hi Nancy – our daughter is enrolled at Henry for the fall. Key factors in our decision were location, cost, parent involvement, and more diversity than our neighborhood school. We also know about five families who are going there so that helped a lot.
*****************************************************************

Have you decided to send your child/children to Henry this fall? Why or why not?

Yes, we'll be sending our son to Henry this fall. We considered Henry our best public-school option because of the nice neighborhood, the warm vibes from the staff, the spacious kindergarten rooms, and the very-active parents organizations.

We are a family who would not consider going to our catchment-area school. If our son did not get into Henry I was going to have to consider home-schooling (not something I wanted to do!!), or going around begging at the private schools.

I really think Philadelphia needs to keep families like ours in the public schools and I wish it were an easier process. I think the advocacy work that you and Kevin are doing is fabulous!! I don't know if we'd be in this position without it.
************************************************

Hi,

Wanted to say that we really appreciated the meetings at your house, they were helpful, enjoyable and thought provoking. We live and work in Germantown and are very grateful to have Henry as an option.

We went about a month ago and got a tour of the school. It definitely fueled our desire to be a part of Henry and we are hopeful that it will happen! So Henry is our first choice plan for our son’s Kindergarten.
********************

Dear Nancy (and Kevin),

We wanted to thank you again for hosting the Henry meetings. It was very informative for us to attend, and it only further encouraged us to try and buy our first home within the catchment for Henry. The great news is, we did just that! We bought a house on the 500 block of Wellesley, which we are just thrilled about. So, even though we don't have kids yet, we certainly plan on it, and plan on being in that house for a long time. And when the time comes, our little ones will go to Henry!

"In the wilds of Germantown..."

2008-05-26T07:04:00.005-04:00

Preparing for Henry's centennial celebration, the Mt. Airy Times Express ran a lengthy article about Henry's past and present. Guest writer Sue Ann Rybak did a great job of capturing Henry's spirit.

Read HERE.

Six Henry students accepted by Masterman

2008-04-22T06:22:00.004-04:00

Six of Henry's fourth graders - 13 percent of the class - have been granted admission to Julia R. Masterman Middle School. According to Masterman staff during last October's parent information session, about 1,600 fourth graders apply from across the city for only 165 fifth grade slots at Masterman.

Masterman's middle school shows up at the top of the rankings for the PSSA, Pennsylvania's standardized testing system.

U.S. News and World Report ranked Masterman's high school at number 53 among the top 100 high schools in the nation.

April showers, PSSA flowers

2008-04-12T08:54:00.004-04:00

Ah, spring is in the air. The redbuds are blooming outside Henry. The middle school dragonboat team is getting ready to hit the Schuylkill. Students are back to assembling in the upper school yard at the start of the day. And the annual PSSA bookends the month.

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, or PSSA, is the standardized test that measure's compliance with state goals under the federal No Child Left Behind act. Say what you want about NCLB, standardized testing, and the unfairness of it all.

Through the PSSA, Henry students prove, year after year, that this school shines - not just above other city schools, but ahead of the curve for their peers across the state. Overall scores best both city and state averages. Break down by grade and demographic, and Henry floats above the norm.

Want details? Take a look at Henry's 2007/08 Academic Achievement Report. You'll see that Henry not only met the state goals for reading and math, last year, but is already at the higher mark for 2007/08 for math. (NCLB goals rise each year, meaning good schools like Henry have to keep getting even better.)

See previous posts about Henry's PSSA results, here.

Henry Knows Hockey

2008-04-08T06:51:00.004-04:00

Thanks to a generous grant from the Ed Snyder Youth Hockey Foundation, Henry's fourth graders spent two mornings a week, for three weeks, at the Wissahickon Skating Club, learning to ice skate and how to manage hockey equipment while staying upright - mostly.

April meeting to Know Henry

2008-04-08T06:28:00.004-04:00

Thursday, April 17, 2008
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 6 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Public or Private? The Chestnut Hill Local angle

2008-03-13T16:22:00.009-04:00

In this week's Chestnut Hill Local, reporter Kristin Pazulski delves into parents' thought process in choosing private vs. public school. Well, that's what it seems to say. It's really more about why parents choose private school without looking at their neighborhood public school.

And her big conclusion? "Much of a parent’s decision to choose private over public has to do with perception." Really? The Local did a great job of perpetuating the perception of a handful of Chestnut Hill parents who never looked inside a public school. Their perceptions are that their neighborhood school, Jenks, is "dangerous" and unclean, with a substandard curriculum.

The Local seemed unable to locate any parents whose kids attend Jenks, the neighborhood public school in Chestnut Hill. Perhaps that's because they found their sources, "In a series of interviews by the Local at various open house events at local private schools..." Had they made the effort - like maybe...I dunno...stood outside the school and talked to parents in the morning or afternoon...I'm sure they would have found that, like Henry families, parents who have kids at Jenks find it to be safe, educationally sound, and a nurturing environment.

No school is right for every kid or every family. Henry isn't, and in Chestnut Hill, Jenks isn't. The point is: parents can't make an informed decision about a school if they've never bothered to talk to parents who attend the school, or gone into the school to see what it's really like.

March 31, meet Henry enrichment teachers

2008-03-12T06:57:00.007-04:00

Monday, March 31, 2008

7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Henry enrichment teachers will join our March meetings to talk about their programs. Henry's full time Music and Gym teachers will join us. The music teacher, Ms. Paulino, uses keyboards, recorders, and yes, even voices to teach music and music appreciation. Paulino is the brain trust behind Henry's annual sell-out musicals. See these previous posts about Henry musical performances:

You Can't Handle Art, Part 2.

The Complications of Squanto.

Cafe Broadway a Hit.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 5 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Henry on KYW1060 news radio

2008-02-27T14:48:00.002-05:00

by KYW's Karin Phillips: (Posted to KYW1060.com Wednesday, 27 February 2008 12:38PM)

The Walnut Street Theatre and Peco, the electric utility, have joined together to present anti-bullying plays in Philadelphia schools.

"The Boy who Cried Bully" is an anti-bullying production in Philadelphia schools this week, performed by cast members of the Walnut Street Theatre and sponsored by Peco. On Wednesday, student at the CW Henry Elementary school in West Mount Airy got the anti-bullying message.

Cameron Kline is with Peco:

"It's a great program, the kids love it. It's fun and it's informational, and they do take away some good stuff. Safety is important in our communities, and that's the reason behind them."

Calla is a fourth grader at the Henry School:

"I think it's important for people to learn how to deal with bullies."

Another elementary school will see the play on Thursday, and another play will be performed in April for middle school students. Two thirds of America's middle-school students say they are being teased at least once a month.

Henry saw Cyrano before you did!

2008-02-26T19:03:00.005-05:00

Henry's fourth and fifth grade Gifted Support classes attended a pre-opening performance of the new opera, Cyrano, at the Academy of Music.

What did the students think? In their own words:

What we did to prepare for the play was read the opera and acted it out. We also learned some French. We ate crepes. We wrote about the characters’ feelings toward each other. What I think about the play was that it was very passionate. It talked about love and hatred. – GWS

To know more about the play, we watched the documentary of the Cyrano, the making. I thought they were very determined to do all that work, such as writing the script in la Français, and casting, etc. – AD

I loved the way they used characteristics in the opera. I could see their feelings, not just through the face expressions but through how the tempo of their voice went up and down. I could understand some of what they were saying without the subtitles, since I practiced some French while in class with Dr. Rubin. And I knew what the whole opera was about because I practiced the astonishing play in GS class and we read the script and played some of the characters. When I saw the real French, amazing, magnificent work of art, opera in person, it was just the way I imaged it, and when I say “I imagined it,” I mean it was AWESOME! - KJ

When preparing for Cyrano I was already excited. In second grade an opera group came to my school. Ever since I had liked opera. As soon as I heard of Cyrano I wanted to go immediately. First, we read the opera’s script. After each act we wrote answers to the questions we got with the script. Later, we learned a bit of French. Once the play started, we were sucked down into a romantic French story. Cyrano was brave, witty and poetic. While the scenery sucked you in, the music displayed and amplified the emotions. It was beautiful, and poetic. I loved it. – MG

I felt that for a week we were actually in France. French entertainment, French food, French language, French everything. The play was far more work than I expected. They had lighting, costumes, scenery, even fencing classes. Yet they did it so well – how they changed the background so fast seem almost like magic. The singing was great. Marian Pop’s loud booming voice and Evelyn Pollock’s soft but loud voice really balanced each other out. The makeup was also terrific. Turning Marian Pop into Cyrano must be very hard, but Cyrano looked just like I imagined. – GT

Nutter, Rendell announce Ackerman as Philly schools CEO

2008-02-19T14:59:00.001-05:00

"Mayor Nutter and Governor Rendell this afternoon officially announced the selection of Arlene Ackerman - a former San Francisco and Washington D.C. schools superintendent - as the new chief executive officer of the Philadelphia School District." - Inquirer

Read the full story HERE.

New CEO for Philly schools

2008-02-19T07:10:00.008-05:00

Arlene Ackerman is about to become the new CEO of the School District of Philadelphia. She spent six years as Superintendent of the San Francisco schools, a tenure which seems to have been both successfull for improving student achievement and controversial for battles with some school board members.

Big changes often cause controversy, especially when people who've grown comfortable in their roles are forced to start producing.

Today's News

Philadelphia Inquirer story

Daily News story

Other views on Ackerman

Educational Justice: blog entry by SF school board member

San Francisco Chronicle on Ackerman's resignation

Reason magazine's interview with Ackerman

Survey on school choice: results

2008-02-18T07:42:00.006-05:00

In October 2007, Henry school parents Nancy Peter, M.Ed., and Lisa Kleiner, J.D., M.S.S, surveyed families in the Mt. Airy community to understand how they choose elementary and middle schools. One hundred ninety-two people responded to the survey. The full report is posted on the West Mt. Airy Neighbors website.

The most significant discoveries were the factors in which Henry and non-Henry families rated their perceptions of the school.

• Henry families rated teacher quality as very good, while most non-Henry families thought it did not meet their needs.
• Henry families rated student safety between very good and good, while most non-Henry families thought it did not meet their needs.
• Henry families rated curriculum as good, while most non-Henry families thought it did not meet their needs.
• Henry families rated reinforces family values as good, while most non-Henry families thought this factor did not meet their needs.
• Henry families rated school building and grounds as good, while most non-Henry families thought it did not meet their needs.

Asked to rate the importance of 25 factors in terms of choosing an elementary or middle school, Henry families and non-Henry families responded with similar priorities. The top five factors (rated “extremely important") in choosing an elementary or middle school for all families were:

1) Teacher quality (66%)
2) Socioeconomic balance (61%)
3) Curriculum (51%)
4) Enrichment activities (47%)
5) Class size (44%)

Seventy-eight percent of Henry families rated the school overall as excellent or very good. The five features of Henry School that were most often rated excellent or very good by Henry families were:

1) Opportunities for parental involvement (90%)
2) Location (84%)
3) Principal (79%)
4) Teaching staff (74%)
5) High school prep (65%)

Many non-Henry families answered that they did not choose Henry because “Henry school did not meet our needs.” The top five characteristics of Henry School that these non-Henry families thought did not meet their needs were:

1) Class size (90%)
2) Grounds (68%)
3) Curriculum (64%)
4) High School Preparation (63%)
5) Reflects family values (55%)

The Henry families’ personal experiences indicated that teacher quality, student safety, curriculum, reinforcement of family values, and the school building and grounds were assets. In contrast, most non-Henry families thought these same factors did not meet their needs. We wonder if the problem is one of perception rather than of reality. Although we do not know how non-Henry families reached their conclusions, we speculate that a more direct or thorough understanding of Henry School might demonstrate that these perceived weaknesses are in fact tangible strengths.

The people who responded to the survey represented a somewhat more educated and affluent group than Philadelphia in general, but the Henry vs. non-Henry respondents were demographically similar.

• Seventy percent of families who responded lived in the West Mt. Airy Zip code (19119). Seventeen percent of families lived in Germantown (19144), and the remainder lived in other areas of northwest Philadelphia.
• Fifty-three percent of the families who responded did not live in the Henry School catchment area (meaning that Henry was not their neighborhood school).
• Sixty-five percent of children whose families responded to the survey were white. One-quarter were African American, and ten percent were biracial or multiracial. Non-Henry parents were more often white (60%) than Henry parents (50%).
• Ninety-one percent of families who responded had at least one household member with a college education or higher.
• The most common annual household income range reported was between $81,000 and $100,000.
• Fifty-nine percent of families had children who did not attend Henry School. Twenty-three parents had children who were too young to attend elementary school.

Public school mom, Nutter's chief education advisor

2008-01-30T09:08:00.001-05:00

Mayor Nutter has appointed Lori Schorr as his Chief Education Officer. Schorr's kids attended Jenks (in Chestnut Hill) and Central High School.

What does this mean for Henry? Only time will tell, but as I said before last May's primaries, it's time we have people with skin in the game making decisions about our public schools.

Henry 100

2008-01-23T06:54:00.000-05:00

2008 marks the 100th anniversary of C.W. Henry School's founding. Check out plans for a Centennial celebration, join the committee, find alumni, sign up for an e-newsletter, and more at

Henry 100.

C.W. Henry Memories

2008-01-12T06:45:00.000-05:00

(submitted by Henry alumna, Chelsea Badeau)

In 1992, my family moved from Barre, VT to the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA. I began 7th grade at C.W. Henry. It was quite a change for me. I went from an all-white classroom in Barre to being one of a handful of white students in my seventh grade class at Henry. Since my family is racially integrated, it wasn’t a complete culture shock, but it was quite different from what I had been used to in an educational setting up to that point in my life. I was so quiet my first month that I was named ‘Student of the Month.’

Fortunately, the students and teachers at Henry embraced me and there was no separation amongst the races. I also realized that the K-5 grades at Henry were much more integrated than the middle school. I learned that many students were sent to Masterman School or private schools after 5th grade.

I was given so many opportunities while attending Henry. I sung in Mr. Clark’s choir and I also sang in the all-city choir that met regularly at Girls’ High. I was in Mr. Clark and Mrs. Flood’s production of ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ I took typing class at Jenks School in Chestnut Hill and science shop class at Carver High School. I played flute and was in the jazz band. Mrs. Bach gave me many artistic opportunities, such as painting play scenery and entering city and state contests. I won an art scholarship for Saturday classes at Moore College of Art. I participated in MG (mentally gifted) classes and was taken to see the opera ‘The Magic Flute’ and to Phillies games.

I learned how to do a science project and my idea of a magnetic train won 2nd place in the citywide contest. I remember spending many hours with my mom and siblings working on our science project boards. I was taught how to write book reports and do research at the library. I remember reading to the children in the younger grades.

There were the weekly spelling bees with Mrs. Fletcher, science labs with Mrs. Green (who taught me how to be a mom—to an egg), math fundamentals and hallway advice sessions with Mr. Dobson, and gym classes with the ever-energetic Mrs. Cairone.

I remember when our whole class got in big trouble for a soft pretzel hallway fight (Henry had the best soft pretzels for 25 cents that I have ever had in my life) and getting sent to the principal’s office for giggling uncontrollably during an assembly in the auditorium. I remember begging to be allowed to stay in the library on blistery cold winter days during lunch period.

And of course there was play day every year and picture day. My house was crazy on picture day. I think there were eight of us Badeaus going to Henry when I was in 8th grade.

In 7th grade we went to college settlement camp and in 8th grade, we went to PEEC for a week. These trips were so much fun and it was great to be able to learn in an atmosphere outside of the classroom walls. It was also a chance for our class to really bond.

The teachers and the guidance counselor gave me a lot of support and advice on identifying my talents and figuring out which high school to attend after graduation.

Then there was graduation day, where we were awarded for all of the hard work we had put in during our time at Henry. I had broken my finger a week earlier during a softball game and I remember struggling to hold all of my trophies. That was a great day and a sad day. I was happy to have completed middle school, but I was nervous to leave the familiar halls of Henry and head to the unfamiliar halls of CAPA.

I cherish the time I spent at Henry. I learned so much during those two years and I made some amazing friends. Two of my closest friends today are women that I met in 7th grade at Henry.

Many of my siblings spent many more years at Henry than I did, and I have been attached to the school through their experiences since I graduated in 1994. In fact, I currently have three nieces attending the school.

Get to know Henry: winter and spring meeting dates

2008-01-08T07:04:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Monday, February 25, 2008

Monday, March 31, 2008

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 5 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

December 12, meet Henry's Principal

2007-12-07T06:17:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, December 12, 2008

7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Principal Caren Trantas will join our December meeting to talk about current happenings at the school, answer questions, etc.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 5 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Teaching diversity: 6ABC news story

2007-11-17T13:43:00.000-05:00

Henry kids learn about diveristy as told in this local news story. Text below, video on 6ABC.

Meet Teddy P. Brains: An Action News Special Report
By Lisa Thomas Laury

May 24, 2007 - Two video producers from the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia are using animation to tackle the subjects of racial diversity and stereotypes for an audience of children.

It's the main character in their video that the creators hope will help change perceptions and attitudes. He's an animated character of color in an intellectual environment. He's no brat, nor braggart. He is Teddy P. Brains -- a confident, curious, 3-D animated character, who just happens to be African-American.

He's valedictorian of his kindergarten class; An elfish erudite example of excellence, eager to express his effulgence in entomology and the eco-system.

The Brains behind Teddy P., are Joseph L. Lewis and Eugene Haynes. The idea for the project grew from their concern about the absence of diverse educational programming for children.

"We both had children and we wanted to find something that was reflective of the society we live in," said Lewis.

So Teddy P. Brains was born! While Lewis and Haynes weaved the educational elements into the story, students from local universities helped with the animation.

The fact that Teddy's middle initial, P, may indicate pea brain or small brain to some is really a double entendre.

"His actions are very counter to that, so the P really represents powerful, progressive," said Haynes.

The idea is to teach kids that they define who they are. Teddy P. Brains is definitely not a small thinker.

We showed the video to a kindergarten class at the CW Henry School in Mt. Airy. They quickly began interacting with the star character's theme song.

Teddy encourages children to ask questions and seek answers.

"We believe that any child's aspirations or their dreams first come from a comfort level of being able to ask a question about something that interests them," said Lewis.

What is also critical is that the video entertains and educates all children. Not one of the youngsters at the CW Henry School commented on Teddy P's color, but nearly all were eager to share their favorite part.

"When she was crawling on the floor and said could I have a little help here," said Jared Taylor.

"It was funny when he was blowing the whistle and the dog didn't even come to him," said Emma Linneman.

We didn't have time to show the kids the ending of the story, so I left them the DVD.

"The Adventures of Teddy P. Brains; Journey into the Rain Forest" can be found at Lewis and Haynes' website at www.teddypbrainstv.com and at Amazon.Com, Barnes and Noble or by calling this toll free number, 1-800-864-0076.

Video: "Hi, I'm Henry" on YouTube

2007-11-09T06:55:00.000-05:00

Parents, a teacher, the principal, the kids. In their own words.

Henry after fourth grade

2007-10-23T06:29:00.000-04:00

Special meeting for Henry fourth grade families
November 14, 7:00 p.m.
at the home of Nancy and Kevin Peter
526 Arbutus Street

A frequent question from people at Henry and beyond: What will you do after fourth grade?

The question is about Masterman. Well, not so much about Masterman as The Masterman Effect. Julia R. Masterman Middle School begins in fifth grade. It is The Top Performing Public School In The State. Masterman is so good that even private school families want to get their kids into Masterman! Yeah, really. Last year, Masterman received 1,400 applications for its 165 fifth grade opennings.

At Henry and many other public schools, many fourth grade families apply for Masterman. Some are accepted, most are not (remember: only 165 slots). What happens then is not really about Masterman, but about the perceptions and misperceptions regarding who goes to Masterman and who is left in the school. In short, the story goes like this: "All the smart kids go to Masterman, no smart kids are left in [fill in your school name here], so we have no choice but to take our kid out of [fill in your school name here] and go to private school or move to the suburbs."

Parents who currently have kids in Henry's upper grades will be on hand to talk about their experience, the curriculum, and thoughts about high school. Come with your questions, or just to listen.

R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Previous posts about Henry's upper grades here:

My only regret with Henry

Henry grads hit top schools

Survey about school choice

2007-10-23T06:16:00.001-04:00

What do people consider when choosing a school for their kids? Henry families want to know. Actually, we know: we've been there, too. But in a neighborhood with a great public school (Henry), many families do not look at Henry when running through the options. Nancy Peter and Lisa Kleiner designed the survey to dig deeper into the question, in the hope that responses will shed light on how Henry can bring more neighborhood families into the fold.

The survey is has closed. Thanks to everyone who responded. Stay tuned for findings.

Henry gets more teachers, smaller classes

2007-09-30T07:31:00.001-04:00

October 1, two additional teachers some to Henry to reduce class sizes, resulting in:

21 kids in the first grade classes
25 and 26 kids in the second grade classes
26 kids in the third grade classes
...and my son's fourth grade class with 21 as noted previously.

Additionally, most classes have student teachers, creating 11:1 and 13:1 ratios for more individual attention.

Same as it ever was

2007-09-24T07:20:00.001-04:00

We're into the third week of school. Henry's seen some changes over the summer: some big, some small.

Part of the fallout of the district's budget mess is that Henry has lost some staff support positions, including the Climate Manager, who worked with kids and teachers to maintain a civil environment in the school and on the school yard. We've lost a couple of aids, who helped out on the school yard and were a pair of right hands for the Principal. To listen to my son, however, these changes are hardly noticed at the kid level.

With a new system of "socialized recess" on the school yard, my son reports that recess is more manageable than before. The system lets kids choose what kind of activity they want to do during recess, then they get a colored wrist band that identifies them for a specific area of the school yard. Kids can't freely move from one area to the next without trading wrist bands with a kid from the other area - a system to keep the kids fairly distributed and more easily supervised for safety. So unlike last year, when the grade above him dominated the basketball hoops and new play equipment, my son and his classmates get fair time in the game (even though that same, older grade is still out there with them).

My son has a male teacher for the first time, this year. He has truly enjoyed his four female teachers, from Kindergarten through third grade, but he likes the idea of someone who may "get" him a little better than someone who was never a nine year-old boy. The teacher, Mr. Jackson, is also a marathon runner, trying to qualify this year for the prestigious Boston Marathon, so my son - no snail himself - also has a dual role model in his classroom. In addition to the big running goal, Mr. Jackson is a fun teacher - at least that's the current report. We also have a student teacher from St. Joseph's University - my son has had a student teacher every semester of his school life, from Kindergarten on.

We have 21 fourth graders in our classroom. Twenty-one! With the teacher and student-teacher, that's 10.5 kids per adult. Except when some kids leave the room for Gifted Support, or band, or remedial work, when the number of kids and student:teacher ratio gets even lighter. It's not like this throughout the school - we have classrooms that are right up at the limit of 30 kids for K - 3, and 33 for grades 4 - 8. And we are starting the year with some classrooms that are over the limit (which will be corrected in early October when the district moves teachers into schools that needs to reduce class sizes).

Since Kindergarten, our son's classes have been: 17 kids in Kindergarten, low 20's in first and second grade, 30 kids (right at the limit) in third grade, and currently 21 in forth grade. We've enjoyed a relative bubble of small class sizes, even through the district's trend of larger classes and the news reports of classes in some schools with 40 and more students.

If you ask our son about school, and we have, he'll tell you everything's pretty much the same as it ever was. He plays with his friends. He does his work. His teacher is nice. He gets his work done. As parents, dealing with some of the district's big issues can seem daunting. But when we remember that our son is still doing great in school, still enjoying school, still looking forward to going to school, feels appreciated and acknowledged by the adults in and around the school...we're reminded that the experience that really matters in all this is his, and it remains a great experience.

Fall meetings to learn about Henry School

2007-09-12T22:12:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, September 26

Monday, October 15

Monday, November 5

Wednesday, December 12

all meetings are 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for five years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Live, onstage at The Apollo

2007-06-08T07:09:00.000-04:00

(photo KP)

Henry third graders had an opportunity to perform onstate at The Apollo Theater, in Harlem, yesterday. The annual third grade trip to New York City took us to Sylvia's Soul Food restaraunt, in Harlem, for a fantastic lunch. Stop two was The Apollo.

After a less-than interesting - even to the star-struck adults - narrative of the current renovations to the venerable venue, the tour guide gave the kids a chance to step up in their own Amature Night at the Apollo. Several did and with great courage, brought the 1,500-seat auditorium to life (OK, it was just us and another school in the house, but the seats were all there).

Other than seeing the kids on that stage (and hoping they someday know how cool that is), we all got to touch the Tree of Hope, a remnant of a tree owned by Bill "Mr. Bojangles", Robinson. Performers at the Apollo rub the Tree, seeking luck, and hoping they perform well.

NOTE: piece of tree stump on the podium to the left of our star, onstage - that's it.

Henry schoolyard work begins...finally!

2007-06-08T06:55:00.000-04:00

(photo KP)

Work began last week on the upgrade (technically: downgrade) to Henry's playground. The $600,000 project, funded through the district's Campus Park Initiative, is scheduled to complete by the end of July. The project will:

1. Reduce the grade/slope of the main part of the upper school yard, making it flatter, easier for running and gym class, and easier for neighborhood kids to learn to ride bikes!

2. Create berms/hills along the inside of the fence, along Sedgwick and Greene streets. The berms will be grassy, with new trees and benches, for quiet, calm sitting and activities.

3. Create a ramp in the berm, from the gate at Sedgwick down to the grade of the newly-leveled main school yard.

Henry twins accomplished artists

2007-05-17T07:01:00.000-04:00

The Kleiner twins know that talent in art is something they share.

(submitted by Michael Kleiner)
Seven-year old Devra and Matthew of West Mt. Airy, first-graders at C.W. Henry School, each have received city-wide art awards. Henry art teacher Evelyn Bock recognized the talent and submitted their art work.

Devra received first place in the first-grade category of the Youth Art Month Exhibition Awards sponsored by Moore College of Art and Design. The competition was Moore’s way of celebrating National Youth Art Month in March. Three winners plus honorable mentions were honored in first-12th grades. The contest was judged by Moore BFA and post-baccalaureate Art Education students.

Devra received a certificate and a scholarship to Moore’s Young Artists Workshop, worth $400. Henry sixth-grader Eqyniah Dandy placed second and eighth-grader Duyen Nguyen placed third in their grade categories. Mela Kuieh, Autumn Mapp, Phuoc Nguyen (6th grade), Charnice Culmer, Yehwanda Goodwin and Troye Thomas (8th grade) were honorable mention selections.

Matthew was an honorable mention selection in the Kindergarten-3rd grade category in the Animals in Art Contest presented by the Woman’s Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in cooperation with the School District of Philadelphia Division of Art Education. The ceremony on May 8 was in honor of “Be Kind to Animals Week” May 6-12. Other categories were 4th-6th , 7th-9th and 10th-12th grades. Matthew was the only Henry student recognized. There were 500 entrants and 21 winners, said Janice Mininberg, Director of Humane Education for the Women’s Humane Society.

Joe Mead, legislative aid to City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds-Brown, read a “Be Kind to Animals Week” citation from City Council, and presented the awards along with Tessie Varthas, Lead Academic Coach for Art Education for the School District of Philadelphia, and Joel H. Hersh, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team (PA SART). Matthew received a certificate, sketch pad, colored pencils, water colors, oil pastels, lapel pin, and a coloring book, Chance, Davy, And The Hurricane, which was written for PA SART “to make the public aware of the proper items one should have in place for their pets in the event of an emergency.”

A Mayor for our schools

2007-05-16T06:40:00.000-04:00

Candidate Michael Nutter, with C.W. Henry kids after the first day of school, September, 2006. (photo KP)

Congratulations to Michael Nutter for winning the Democratic primary in the Mayor's race. As I explain in "Vote for our schools," and as everyone who was wowed by "the Olivia commercial" knows, Michael's daughter has been a public school kid throughout her education career. Michael knows what's Satisfactory and what Needs Improvement in our schools, and he has a realistic plan to keep our schools on the road to improvement.

Read Nutter's plan for public education.

Vote for our schools, May 15

2007-05-11T07:09:00.000-04:00

I have never been involved in political races, but I am this time around. The May 15 primary election stands to have lasting impact on Henry and Philadelphia's other public schools. Put the right people in office - people who have our public schools at the top of their agenda - and our schools will get the attention they deserve from our local elected officials. Send the wrong people to city hall, and our schools remain at the bottom of our city's priorities.

May 15, we have an opportunity to put Philadelphia’s public schools at the forefront of our city’s agenda. After five years of meetings in my living room, talking about my neighborhood school and our city’s public schools in general, I am convinced that people who have not committed to our public schools, who do not have “skin in the game,” are not in a position to really understand what’s at stake for families with children in our schools.

I know many excellent, dedicated teachers and administrators in our public schools - at Henry and beyond. They're doing the best they can with the resources and support they get. In Henry and some other schools, they're doing amazingly creative, effective work. In many of our city's schools, the resources (including personnel) just aren't there. Our dedicated professionals, who have the power to stem the tide of youth apathy and violence, deserve city leadership that is willing to work with them, to go to bat for them. We need someone with enough heart to make the big plays for our schools - how about the Aaron Rowan of local politics?

I believe the School District of Philadelphia is THE fundamental issue that our city, the Mayor and City Council must face: serve the district well and we greatly diminish unemployment, poverty, crime, etc.; serve the district poorly and we exacerbate these problems.

Three candidates in key races have kids in our public schools, right now. They know what it means to have a report card conference scheduled at 10:25 in the morning, to wonder what impact Paul Vallas’ departure may have on their children’s future, to wonder what a $100 million deficit may mean to their child’s daily life starting in September, and what a new Mayor and City Council member needs to do to put our schools at the top of our city’s agenda.

Michael Nutter for Mayor
No other mayoral candidate has a child in a Philadelphia public school.
Michael Nutter has a detailed, credible Education Plan, and a proven track record of working with Harrisburg to end labor disputes and to bring necessary funding into the city. As Chair of the Convention Center board of directors, Michael Nutter worked with the warring Convention Center unions, which were driving business out of town, and turned the mess into a well-functioning system that is now attracting top conventions back to Philadelphia. So adept was his leadership that the state is investing $700 million - that's real money folks - into expanding the Convention Center so Philly can meet the demands of the really big groups who want to come to America's Next Great City!

Michael Nutter spent two hours in my living room, the evening of opening day of school, last September, talking to parents from public and private schools, and listening to our thoughts. Here's how one parent remembers it:

"I keep going back to that meeting in September at your house when Michael walked in, sat down, took out his little notepad and said “I’m here to listen.” He didn’t come with bluster and say this is what we have to do. He genuinely listened, showed concern and took notes and echoed the same concerns we did as a public school parent."

Look for someone running up against the fence to make the big play for ethics reform, the smoking ban, and domestic partner benefits, and you'll find Michael Nutter's record stands up against Rowan's. That's the kind of playing we need for our schools, and Michael Nutter's the only guy in the Mayoral dugout who will do it.

Two Council-at-Large candidates have kids in our public schools:

Sharif Street for Council at Large
Yes, I know his father sold our schools to the lowest bidder, but I hope that people will not judge my son on my record. I have spent some time with Sharif and I am convinced that while he loves and honors his father as I do mine, he is his own man.

Andy Toy for Council at Large

I urge you to vote for these candidates on May 15, and to urge others to join us in putting our public schools at the top of our city’s agenda by voting for people who have kids in our schools. For them, our public schools aren't an issue to deal with. Our public schools are part of their lives, every day.

Polaneczky agrees: schools important criteria in May 15 primary

2007-05-11T07:08:00.000-04:00

Daily News columnist Ronnie Polaneczky, in her May 8 piece, Walking the walk on city schools, echoes the notion that only a Mayor, along with Councilmembers, with kids in our public schools can bring the urgency and perspective needed to lead the charge to lasting change in the school district.

Ronnie's kid is a public school kid, so she also knows what it's like to have a kid in one of the city's good public schools. She knows - as do the one Mayoral candidate and the two Council-at-Large candidates who have kids in our public schools - that every Philadelphia school is not failing, that every school is not dismal, that the neighborhood mythology does not tell the story of all of our schools.

Some candidates talk about how they will fix the city's schools. Others are already inside, helping teachers and administrators do it.

Henry middle schoolers win EPA award

2007-05-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Henry science teacher, Christine Jensen (right), and members of her Junior Environmental Corps at the award presentation at Riverbend Environmental Education Center, Gladwyne.

Schuylkill Partnership celebrates Drinking Water Week with awards to schools for protecting Schuylkill River

Release date: 05/08/2007

Contact Information: Roy Seneca (215) 814-5567

PHILADELPHIA (May 8, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized three Pennsylvania schools in the Schuylkill River Watershed today for developing environmental and educational projects that help to protect sources of drinking water.Each school was presented with a Schuylkill Action Network Source Water Protection award in celebration of National Drinking Water Week.

Schools receiving awards included:

* C.W. Henry Elementary School, Philadelphia

* Pennfield Middle School, Hatfield

* Temple University Ambler College, Ambler

“These schools have made valuable contributions to protect the Schuylkill River by incorporating environmentally sensitive property management practices and educational programs into their daily operations. This river is an important resource that provides drinking water for 1.5 million people,” said Donald S. Welsh, administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic region.

The awards were presented on behalf of the Schuylkill Action Network, which was formed in 2003 to create a team approach to cleaning up and protecting the Schuylkill River and its tributaries. Members include EPA, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Philadelphia Water Department, Delaware River Basin Commission; conservation districts, local, state and federal agencies, watershed organizations and other non-governmental organizations.

The C.W. Henry school was selected for its work on several water projects including a seventh grade water monitoring project at the nearby Wissahickon Creek. The Pennfield Middle school was recognized for a water monitoring project at three nearby streams and for hosting a water awareness night to educate the public about community water issues. Temple University Ambler College was recognized because its Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture developed several educational storm water management projects including a wetland rain garden and green roof.

Full press release here.

May 22 parent meeting cancelled

2007-05-07T09:05:00.000-04:00

The May 22 meeting at our house for potential new Henry families has been cancelled. We're happy to talk at any time about Henry - just can't fit in another meeting right now.

Henry girls take 2nd at Penn Relays

2007-04-28T07:22:00.000-04:00

The 4 x 100 realy team of Nadiera Hodge, Amber Hearns, Alisa Fornwald, and Torey Cardwell took second place, April 27, in the Philadelphia Girls 4 x 100 at the Penn Relays.

Begun in 1985, the Penn Relays claims to be the oldest, and largest, track and field event in the world for high school and college athletes. According to the relays' site:

"Through 112 editions of the meet, more athletes have run at the Penn Relays than at any single meet in the world. More spectators have watched the meet than any in the world except the Olympics and World Championships."

Outside the formal school events, during the 1-mile Kids Fun Run prelude to the Penn Relays, on April 22, one Henry third grader blew away the field of runners, up to 13 years old, by more than 30 seconds!

(Photo KP)

Bernard Hopkins: all that and more

2007-04-25T06:20:00.000-04:00

B-Hop came to school yesterday. He came to dedicate the great new playground area he funded in the lower school yard. He came to show appreciation for the great teachers who helped him through school - several of whom were on hand for the event. He came to show kids what it means to give back.

And he took some people to school along the way. In addition to the five-figure donation for the playground, Hopkins announced that he's also giving enough new computers to fill a lab. With TV cameras focused, Hopkins acknowledged that he's the first alumnus to make a significant contribution to the school, but he hopes others will join him. As we talked afterwards, he offered to call some of those others to encourage them to step into the ring with him. OK, not in the ring, but, well you know.

CEO Paul Vallas leaving district

2007-04-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Paul Vallas announced he is leaving as soon as the end of the school year. For replorts of previous encounters, see here:

My Dinner With Paul.

Paul Vallas Meets Prospective Henry Families.

March 14 meeting to get to know Henry

2007-02-22T06:57:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, March 14
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information. Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for five years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Teachers, alumni parents at Feb. 12 Henry meeting

2007-02-08T05:23:00.001-05:00

Monday, February 12
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers will attend the February Henry Group meting to discuss curriculum, classroom management, enrichment activities, and more. In addition, parents of Henry graduates will describe how Henry prepared their children for middle and high school, and for higher education.

Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for five years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you. Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Our friends thought we were crazy

2007-01-31T10:25:00.000-05:00

(submitted by Amy McGloughlin)

When we moved from University City to Mount Airy a year before our son’s kindergarten year, our friends thought we were crazy. The elementary school in University City is new, and is funded partially by the University of Pennsylvania. But, we were confident that the good things we heard about Henry school were true.

When January of 2006 rolled around, I started to panic. What if Henry was not a good place? What if it could not meet the academic rigors that my son required?

I started looking (a little late, I’ll admit) at the options. I visited private schools, charter schools, and cooperative schools. And I started to get discouraged. A cheap private school in the area was about $8,000, and sending our son there would mean I’d need to find a new and probably less flexible job. And the good charter schools had waiting lists a mile long. And, they weren’t especially close.

Here’s the other thing I discovered about some of these private and charter schools: their teachers were not very experienced. Sure, class sizes were good, but the teachers at these private and charter schools were fresh out of college or graduate school. Their classroom management skills were limited. If I sent my child to a private school, I’d be paying for a less experienced teaching staff. That seemed strange to me.

I went to visit Henry school. I emailed the principal, and received a reply within minutes. We toured the classrooms, and viewed the facilities. Principal Trantas answered my questions with patience and encouragement. What I discovered about the staff is that they have been teaching for years. They know how to run a classroom. They have experience that I could not get if I paid for my son’s education. And, I was encouraged by Principal Trantas to be part of the school community through volunteering in the classroom, and participating in the Home and School Association. After one short visit to Henry, I was convinced that this was the place for my son.

My husband and I sent our son to Henry, not only because we wanted to be part of the Mount Airy community in every possible way, but because it was the right place for him.

Winter/Spring meetings to get to Know Henry

2007-01-30T07:05:00.000-05:00

Monday, February 12

Wednesday, March 14

Wednesday, April 11

all meetings

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for five years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

My introduction to C.W. Henry

2007-01-30T06:57:00.001-05:00

(submitted by Lisa Kleiner)

My name is Lisa Kleiner. My husband Michael and I live in Mt. Airy (Houston School catchment area) with our boy/girl twins, who are in first grade at C.W. Henry. My introduction to the C.W. Henry School was a tour we took with Principal Caren Trantas a year before our children were to enter kindergarten. Knowing this was a Philadelphia public school, I expected to see children running wild, frequent violence, no books, an uncaring and/or overwhelmed staff, a crumbling facility, and a curriculum geared towards "slow" students. Needless to say, none of my prejudices turned out to be accurate. We rang the doorbell, and the door was opened by a smiling older student in a neat uniform. We were greeted very politely and directed to the office, where Mrs. Trantas introduced herself. She was very warm and welcoming but obviously a professional.

During our tour, I noticed that the main building was certainly very old, but the classrooms were brightly decorated. The hallways and classrooms were quiet and the children seemed to be enjoying themselves. There were plenty of text books and supplementary material in evidence. I felt the curriculum would probably be challenging to most students - it was certainly more advanced that what I learned in school. The kindergarten classrooms are housed in a newer, separate wing and included direct access to a separate playground with a tree house and climbing equipment and bathrooms and water fountains in each classroom.

We decided to apply for a transfer from the Houston district, and were very upset in the April before kindergarten started to learn that our daughter had been selected by the lottery, but our son would not. We immediately e-mailed Mrs. Trantas, and, although it was the Spring break, she answered us within 15 minutes. Luckily, our son was admitted to Henry also since the School District favors keeping siblings in the same school.

Our experience since then with the kindergarten and first grade has been very positive. The school staff, working together with the parents and teachers, have managed to solve every problem that has come up. For example, the first day of kindergarten there were 37 children in each of the two classes, instead of the 18-20 we had been expecting. Parents, teachers, and Mrs. Trantas worked together to create a third class on the second day so that the children would have a safe and manageable learning environment. A permanent, third teacher was hired within a couple of weeks and parents worked together to decorate the new classroom.

The curriculum, which is the same as is used in the suburban public schools, is very challenging and creative. Children who are working at a higher level are often sent to higher grades for particular subjects so they are not bored, and also can participate in the Gifted Support program. The teachers are truly interested in the welfare of their students and are very well qualified. I have also found that the overwhelming majority of the families share our middle class values and feel education is very important. My children may be exposed to values or behaviors we don't like, but they retain our values and have not become "tough" or "street-wise." Most of all, they love their school, the teachers, and the many friends they have made.

Test scores: a tale of two districts and charter schools too

2007-01-16T22:28:00.000-05:00

(submitted by Susan DeJarnatt)

Test scores get way too much emphasis these days. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) largely reduces school quality to test scores: a very limited way of looking at all that can make up a school community. But test scores are a fact of life in the NCLB era. It is interesting to compare Henry’s test scores with those of much praised suburban and charter schools.

Pennsylvania complies with the testing requirements of NCLB through the PSSA tests which are administered yearly to students in grades 5, 8, and 11 and, as of last year, 3. Students’ scores are ranked as Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic. NCLB requires that all students score at the Proficient level by the year 2014. Each state has to set benchmarks towards that goal and schools must make Adequate Yearly Progress towards the goal of 100% proficiency by hitting those benchmarks.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education website contains NCLB Report Cards for every traditional public and charter school in Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3, 5, 8 and 11 took the PSSAs in 2005-2006. Grades 5, 8, and 11 took the tests in 2004-2005. The NCLB Report Cards say how many students achieved Proficiency for these years. The Report Cards provide an overall score for the school, based on all of the students taking the test. They also provide a breakdown of the performance of students in the subgroups NCLB recognizes, including a breakdown by gender, ethnicity, students with Individual Education Plans and students labeled “economically disadvantaged.” The subgroup scores are listed only if there are at least 40 students in the subgroup at that school.

So how does Henry compare? Henry’s students matched or exceeded the Pennsylvania state averages for most of the grades and subgroups in both 2004-05 and 2005-06. The scores for black kids (NCLB term) are particularly striking. Henry’s black 8th graders beat the state math scores by 62% Proficient at Henry, compared to the state average of 33%. Their reading scores were also impressive: 72% Proficient, compared to the state average of 44%. Henry’s economically disadvantaged students exceeded the state averages in 5 out of 6 grade scores.

Henry’s data compare well to that of the 8 elementary and middle schools in the well-respected Lower Merion School District, too. Most of these schools lack sufficient numbers to have scores in the subgroups for economically disadvantaged and black students. The general scores for these schools are among the highest in the state, to be expected given they are also among the best-funded schools in the state. But Henry’s black students matched or exceeded the Lower Merion schools’ scores in 6 out of 8 categories in 2005-06, and in 4 out of 8 in 2004-05. Henry’s economically disadvantaged students exceeded the Lower Merion students in 6 out of 10 categories.

Finally, the biggest contrast is between Henry and the charter schools. I looked at the data for Christopher Columbus Charter School, Green Woods Charter School, Independence Charter School, KIPP Charter School, West Oak Lane Charter School, and Wissahickon Charter School. Henry’s overall and subgroup scores exceeded those from these charter schools in 67 out of 76 categories. Henry’s scores dominated those from Christopher Columbus and KIPP, completely surpassed those from West Oak Lane and Wissahickon, and closely matched those from Green Woods and Independence.

Test scores are only one aspect of a school. Henry has much, much more to offer than just test scores. But the success of Henry’s students on the tests is impressive and should be a source of confidence, not concern, about the school.

Learn about Henry December 18

2006-11-30T09:53:00.001-05:00

Monday, December 18

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for five years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Children are welcome. We'll provide a sitter, and ask $5 per child for the sitter. Please bring a small snack or beverage for kids and/or adults.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Henry principal tells all!

2006-11-16T07:09:00.000-05:00

Monday, November 20

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Principal Caren Trantas will join our November meeting to talk about current happenings at the school, answer questions, etc.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions?

Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 4 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Children are welcome: please let us know if you're planning to bring kids. We'll provide a sitter, and ask $5 per child for the sitter. Please bring a small snack or beverage for kids and/or adults.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Bank of America recognizes "living room activists"

2006-11-15T06:56:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Bank of America will recognize five groups as Local Heroes for working to improve their neighborhoods and the city. Thanks to nominations by Henry Principal Caren Trantas, West Mt. Airy Neighbors Executive Director Laura Siena, and long-time schools advocate (and Mt. Airy Baseball AA Championship Coach!) Kenny Holdsman, our work to promote Henry as a viable option for neighborhood families is among those being recognized.

Along with the recognition, Bank of America will make a $5,000 grant to a nonprofit of each Local Hero's choice. We are directing our grant to West Mt. Airy Neighbors, which will use the grant to further promote Henry to neighborhood families. Through the Mt. Airy Schools Committee, a joint project of WMAN and East Mt. Airy Neighbors, and ongoing work on its own, WMAN has long worked with area schools and neighbhors.

The reality here is that Nancy and I are merely the current and arguably most vocal proponents of Henry. We saw Henry as a good choice for our son because several of our friends already had their kids in the school and were having great experiences. Leslie Winder, who was there was a great voice from the inside, along with Greg Moore who later became H&S co-President, and John Carpenter, who was and continues to be an incredibly strong and reasoned voice in school discussions.

Going back a generation, neighborhood icons like Shelly Yanoff, the guiding power inside Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth...Shirley Melvin, who along with her Realtor father and twin sister, a'la Twin Realty, were early powers of WMAN...Dorothy Guy, who remains active in many important neighborhood issues...and less recognized but vital families like our neighbors the Blums, the Hills, the Ranieris, Nancy's folks...sent their kids to Henry, volunteered in the classrooms and advocated to their neighbors and elected officials, and worked with Henry's teachers and staff to make Henry the great school that it is.

Bernard Hopkins: CW Henry's most famous, generous alumnus?

2006-11-07T06:31:00.000-05:00

If you're not a fan of professional boxing, or a reader of sports headlines, you might not know Bernard Hopkins. However, if you're a fan of people who give back to the people and institutions that helped them along the way, you should know him. Hopkins is an alumnus of Henry, and he still keeps in touch with his old Gym teacher - Mrs. Cairone - who's still there and doesn't really look that old.

Hopkins claimed the Light Heavyweight Championship title last June, in Atlantic City. The bout capped his winning career in the ring, and earned him a great purse. He took part of his winnings and created a foundation to help kids, and he hasn't been slow about spreading the wealth around.

Earlier this fall, he announced a $60,000 grant to C.W. Henry School for a new playground area. Until now, only the Kindergarten play area has had equipment for climbing, swinging, etc. Now the older kids will have more than blacktop to keep them occupied during recess. That's good news for the non-football crowd.

The gift to Henry is just one recent example of Hopkin's generosity and mission. He's supported Boys and Girls Club in North Philly, lead tours of the Mural Arts Program's works in West Philly, and is working with Philly police to combat the "stop snitchin'" sentiment that lets criminal intimidate victims and witnesses.

So a world champion athlete and emerging philanthropist. Is Hopkins Henry's most famous and most generous alumnus? If you know someone who can take away that title, let me know!

Henry students, docents at Woodmere

2006-11-06T06:50:00.000-05:00

Woodmere Docents (photo KP)

Dr. Merri Rubin's third grade Gifted Support class hasn't been around school much, lately. Instead, they have been docents-in-training at Woodmere Art Museum, in Chestnut Hill. Working with Woodmere's education staff, each student selected a piece of art currently on display. Then, over the past month, each student learned about his or her piece, learning about the artist, medium, and the story behind the piece. For homework, the students created note cards, wrote poems or stories, and prepared a list of questions to ask an audience about the piece.

On November first, the GS students presented their works to the rest of the third grade, along with parents and teachers, and a handful of grandparents and museum visitors. The project, which included three visits to the museum, was a great complement to the field trips they have taken to the Philadelphia Museum of Art over the past three years, and to the in-school projects, where art teacher Evelyn Bock teaches about individual artists.

Learn about Henry: October 25

2006-09-28T11:31:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, October 25

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 4 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Children are welcome. We'll provide a sitter, and ask $5 per child for the sitter. Please bring a small snack or beverage for kids and/or adults.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Extreme Makeover: Schoolyard Version

2006-09-20T21:30:00.000-04:00

Upper school yard circa 2005 (KP)

Henry's upper school yard, at the intersection of Greene and Sedgwick, is about to get a makeover. Beginning in November: the schoolyard will be leveled (not completely so it will still shed rainwater), the main surface will have fresh asphalt, the edges will be bermed and seeded (grassy knolls don't scare us), and a ramped walk will extend from the upper gate at Sedgwick down to the tarmac.

Because of the heavy, daily traffic, the main area will still be asphalt. Most of the school community assembles there, every morning. Most recesses happen there. Mrs. Cairone's gym class uses the area frequently. So asphalt is the best surface for that multi-use traffic.

Bordering the main area on three sides will be grassy berms for sitting in comfort. There is talk of raising money to install more attractive fencing around the school yard. The school needs fencing to contain and protect students in the schoolyard, and both neighbors and school parents would like a more attractive fence.

Thanks to a lot of work by the Home and School, some neighbors, and the district, this project is funded entirely by the district and coordinated by the Philadelphia School Improvement Team, this project is a great example of parents, neighbors, the school, and the district collaborating to improve the school environment for the students and the neighborhood.

Stay tuned for updates.

Learn about Henry, Sept. 27

2006-09-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, September 27
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 4 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Children are welcome. We'll provide a sitter, and ask $5 per child for the sitter. Please bring a small snack or beverage for kids and/or adults.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Michael Nutter on Philly schools

2006-09-13T07:12:00.000-04:00

Michael Nutter, mayoral candidate, talks about public schools. (photo KP)

Thirty years late, I have found the answer. First, I should disclose that I stopped reading lyrics in album covers when they stopped making albums. Second, and more to the point, Van Halen's debut album included no lyrics in the album cover, leaving us all to stumble in the aural darkness. So it came as nothing less than Epiphany when, driving home from competing in my first Half-Ironman at Lake Nockamixon, and the classic rock station was airing "Runnin' With the Devil," that I finally, after all these years, including way too many years listening at volumes way too high, pulled the actual words from David Lee Roth's venerable chops. It's not "nolouducoreo;" it's "no love you'd call real." Wow. A little dehydration and exhaustion can do wonders to calm the mind and lead one to greater truths.

Which brings me to Michael Nutter. I didn't really know much about him until recently. I've read about his positions in the papers. The smoking ban - I like that. Ethics - I like that. Kicking the skateboarders out of Love Park (sorry: JFK Plaza) - well, I'm all for healthy, youthful rebellion, but not when it comes to destroying public spaces, so I came to like that one, too.

But I didn't know how to distinguish him from the handful of other presumed candidates who have been serving our city for years, each fighting in a slightly different field of battle to help our city. So when his campaign contacted us to set up a "get to know the candidate" kind of informal home meeting to talk about issues, we said: "Sure, as long as we can talk about Henry and Philadelphia's other public schools." No problem.

For an hour and a half in our living room, Michael Nutter sat with parents - most with kids in Henry or other public schools, some with kids in private schools - to talk about Philly's public schools. He asked a lot of questions, and he listened. He shared his own experiences and philosophy. He has a child in a Philadelphia public school. He has seen how good our schools can be, and he has experienced some of the issues that still need work.

So where is Michael Nutter on our schools? He pointed out a very interesting matter of calendar. The School Reform Commission's charter runs until 2009. CEO Paul Vallas' new contract extension expires at the same time. So what happens when that perfect storm hits in 2009? Does the state return the district to local control? Does the then-Governor extend state control? Does the then-Mayor stand up and claim our schools for our citizens?

Michael Nutter wants the schools back, to undo the arrangement that took away representation of our 200,000 students from our citizens and handed it to the rest of the state. Maybe it happens in 2009, maybe before. Either way, I like that position best of all.

Philly schools still improving

2006-08-01T06:28:00.000-04:00

As reported by Susan Snyder in Sunday's Inquirer, Philadelphia public schools are still posting improvements on the PSSA: Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.

Improvements last year came in:

Third grade reading and math

Eight grade reading

Eleventh grade reading and math

For all three grades, combined, the percentage of students scoring Advanced or Proficient from 2001/02 to 2005/06:

Increased from 19.5% to 41.8% in math

Increased from 23.9% to 39% in reading

Fifth grade posted a slight decrease in PSSA results, last year. Since 2001/02, Philly's fifth graders improved math results from 18.7% to 41.4%, and reading results from 20.8% to 31.7%.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education usually releases individual school results in September/October. Stay tuned to see how Henry fared.

She blinded me with science

2006-06-14T06:49:00.000-04:00

The George Washington Carver Science Fair is the city-wide science extravaganza that brings together students from throughout the public and parochial school systems in a cut-throat competition. We're not talking about baking soda volcanoes. More like Diet Coke and Mentos. This is real science, with controls, hypotheses, and yes...data. Winners at Carver progress to the Delaware Valley Science Fair.

Henry's science Teacher, Christine Jenson, has worked with parents and teachers over the past couple years to expand Henry's in-school science fair, the winners of which move on to the city-wide Carver Fair. All students in grades 3 through 8 are required to complete a project for the in-school fair.

For the city-wide fair held back in March, Henry 5th grader Lydia S. earned a second place standing in the Carver Fair, Physical Science division, for her project, "Shout Out or Oximagic." Honorable mentions came to Tara A. for "Electric Current," and to Angela D. for "Green Thumb Plant Food."

Then there's eighth grader Samantha T ., who walked away with first place in the middle school Consumer Science division with her outstanding project, "Detergent dilemma."

The Henry science fair also attracted close to 30 volunteer judges from throughout the area. Parents with backgrounds in science, along with folks otherwise unaffiliated with Henry, came into the school to judge the projects and talk to students about their projects.

Henry grads hit top schools

2006-06-12T07:01:00.000-04:00

With graduation season upon us, the big question often is: What's next? For better than 50% of Henry's 8th grade grads, the answer is "on to one of the city's top high schools!"

Thanks to Henry Guidance Counselor, Maxine Coker (herself a Henry alumna), the picture of where our grads go is nicely detailed.

In 2004 and 2005, 57 percent of Henry's 8th graders moved on to special admission high schools and high schools accepting city-wide admission.

The Special Admissions Schools accepting Henry grads include:

Bodine High School of International Studies

Carver High School of Engineering and Science

Central High School

High School for Creative and Performing Arts

Franklin Learning Center

Philadelphia High School for Girls

Saul Agricultural High School

The schools accepting city-wide admissions, including Henry grads, include:

Lankenau High School

As I learned last year, the kids who start young at Henry, and stay through eighth grade, tend to do the best, thanks to an academic career full of Henry support and environment. But many families send their kids to Henry, in later grades, to find the academic rigor to qualify for the city's better schools. To wit: My Only Regret With Henry

Folk Legend Benefits NW Philly Schools

2006-03-30T07:18:00.000-05:00

If little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff, did the other kids make fun of him?

If I'm leavin' on a jet plane, is it because you laugh at me?

When I'm 500 miles away from home, can I find some respect?

If I had a hammer, would I hit someone?

If this land is your land, will you let me in?

Don't think twice it's alright, the answer is blowin' in the wind.

If these lines make sense to you:
(a) you're a folkie,
(b) you live in Mt. Airy,
(c) you're a flower child,
(d) you're a child of a flower child, or
(e) all of the above.

If they don't make sense, then like me you may need to Google a guy named Peter Yarrow.

Or if even Google is to slow for your information acquiring needs: Peter Yarrow is the Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary. Yeah, that Peter. Who knew they had last names? (If you're still stumbling here, talk to anyone who fits items a - e, above.)

Peter, Paul and Mary are still at it. In fact, you can catch them at The Kimmel Center on June 3rd.

In his life away from the others, with a real social conscience and dedication to making the world a better place, Peter has created an organization, Operation Respect: Don't Laugh at Me. OR is a non-profit organization working to transform schools, camps and organizations focused on children and youth, into more compassionate, safe and respectful environments.

April 22, 4:00 p.m., Peter will perform in concert at Henry Houston School, showcasing many of the songs that made "Yarrow," along with "Travers" and "Stookey" (not to mention "Noel") superfluous around the world. Peter will also perform his own works, and focus on the message of Operation Respect: Don't Laugh at Me. Tickets for this concert are $5 for students, $10 for adults, and $100 for preferred seating and a bonus autographed copy of the Peter, Paul and Mary special edition CD, In these Times. Advanced ticket purchase is required: contact your northwest Philadelphia school for information.

After the Houston School concert, Peter will join folks at an intimate dinner and in-home concert in Mt. Airy. Tickets for this intimate affair range from $250 to $1,000, with benefits (based on ticket level) including signed copies of In These Times, boxed sets of PPM CDs, tickets to PPM's June 3 concert at The Kimmel Center, and dinner with Peter after the June 3 concert. For more information about the in-home dinner and concert, email: kbweinstein@comcast.net or kholdsma@smtp.aed.org.

Proceeds from both concerts will go into a fund at East Mt. Airy Neighbors to provide materials and training for teachers and schools to implement Operation Respect: Don't Laugh at Me in public and private schools throughout northwest Philadelphia.

Henry Group Meeting: K - 2 Teachers, Live and In Person!

2006-03-20T21:42:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, March 22

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Henry Teachers

(K - 2 versions only)

Live and in Person

Hear them Speak

Watch them Listen

Yes, it's true. We'll have teachers from Kindergarten, first, and second grades at the March Henry Group meeting. They'll be here to answer your questions, explain what really happens in school, and share their side of Henry.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 3 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you. Children are welcome. We'll provide a sitter, and ask $5 per child for the sitter. Please bring a small snack or beverage for kids and/or adults. Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

You Can't Handle Art! (part 2)

2006-03-15T20:50:00.000-05:00

Music in Motion (photo KP)

You want art? Performance art? Classical music? Benny Goodman? Original student-painted scenery? Original student- and teacher-created costumes?

March 14, Henry's Kindergarten, first, second, and third grades delivered art. Big time.

Set to music (which I'm sure I'm supposed to recognize and know the title, but hey, I'm from Oklahoma), subgroups of each class in Kindergarten and first grade wore costumes designed and created by themselves and their Energizer Bunny teachers, and danced to illustrate the animals portrayed in the music. Students dressed as turtles, kangaroos, swans, birds (above, in motion), fish, and elephants brought the music to life, as students from older grades recited poems to the same animal-theme.

The second graders sang songs in round and harmony while standing on newly purchased risers made possible through donations of parents and the Home and School Association.

The third graders, assisted by some older students, demonstrated American swing dancing. Not exactly Cab Calloway, but who is?

Henry's full-time music teacher, Ms. Paulino, taught the students how to interpret the mood and rhythm of the music, choreographed the movements, and produced the show.

Henry's full-time art teacher, Mrs. Bock, worked with students to create the scenery/backdrop (in photo).

Invited by the school, maybe 100 parents, grandparents, and pre-school sibs showed up for the 9:30 a.m. performance. Combined with the K - 3's that was enough to fill the additional seats brought in. Enough to pack the side aisles. Enough to cause some consternation about room capacity and fire code. Enough for the school to schedule a second performance later in the day.

White Mtn. to Mt. Airy by dog sled

2006-03-11T10:05:00.000-05:00

Iditarod Finish Line in summer (photo KP)

The Iditarod, "The Last Great Race," is underway in Alaska, pulling out of Galena this morning. In a couple of days, the racers will pull into White Mountain.

In June/July 2003, we spent a week in this small village, visiting our dear friend - WatershEd Silcox - former teacher from Radnor who cashed out, downsized, swayed by all those years listening to Johnny Horton songs, and moved to a village about as remote as you can get. Other than just around Nome, there are no roads on the Seward peninsula: travel is by bush plane, small boat, or in the winter...snowmobile or dog sled.

That's where the Iditarod comes in. The current route of the dog sled race runs through White Mountain, doubling for a couple of days the population of this village of 200. Not the route of the original "great race," when in 1925 a succession of dog teams and mushers raced across 700 miles of sub-arctic winter to deliver medicine to Nome to avert a diphtheria outbreak, but definitely within an easy musk ox sprint.

So what does this have to do with Henry? Well, on March 2, "Read Across America Day," I had the privilidge of reading to my son's second grade class. I read The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto. The easy-to-read account of that first run and the dog that became at least the most famous sled dog ever, is a fun story for kids, and a great tool for an adult to talk about the value of books in helping us understand far-away events in the real world.

Through pictures we took in White Mountain and Nome, my son and I shared our experiences in the landscape of Balto's run, and of the town he and the other dogs saved by getting the medicine through the wilderness in time.

In my previous field, I visited hundreds of classrooms...in South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland...and working with hundreds of classes of kids visiting nature centers where I worked. I've been in classrooms that were zoos. I've been in classrooms that were mayhem. I've been in classrooms that I couldn't wait to leave because of the kids' behavior.

Not this classroom. First, when we walked in at the beginning of school, each of the kids got busy putting away their coats & backpacks, handing in their homework, copying the evening's homework assignment from the blackboard. I wish my office were so efficient and task-oriented first thing in the morning!

Then, Mrs. Ryan gathered the kids on the rug for the next part of the morning ritual: news and updates. Not hers. Theirs. Each kid around the circle, in turn of course, got to give a brief update on something of interest to them. They each sat quietly, waiting their turn to report their news and listening to the others'. I mean really listening.

When she was ready for me to read, Mrs. Ryan asked the kids to find a place to sit where they wouldn't be tempted to talk to the person next to them. About half the kids moved to a new spot.

For the 30 minutes I read and talked with the kids, they were quiet, attentive, interactive, and very pleasant. Not that this was a surprise to me: I've known most of these kids for the past three years, and I know how well-behaved they are.

What surprises me, however, is when I hear parents, teachers, and administrators talk about kids in other schools. I wonder if those schools are in the same universe as Henry. They talk about unruly classrooms, disrespectful kids, ineffective teachers. None of these have been my experience at Henry.

After parents visit Henry for the first time, often after a Henry Group meeting, they often report with surprise how well-mannered the kids are. Opening doors for the parents. Saying "good morning," unprompted. Relatively quiet hallways. Focused classrooms. As one parent put it after her school tour, "They weren't swinging from the chandeliers." (Which is a ridiculous presumption anyway. Henry has no chandeliers.)

Thinking about the contrast between the kids we met in White Mountain and the kids we know at Henry School in Mt. Airy, I realize there are more similarities than contrasts. The 60-some kids of that remote village were welcoming, adopting our son as a new playmate for the week he was there. They were polite, open, and responsive to adults. And the rule of the summer was "let's go play!" Which was pretty easy in the 24-hour days around the summer solstice, just below the Arctic Circle.

Centennial meeting March 1

2006-02-22T22:00:00.000-05:00

C.W. Henry School's Centennial will run from fall 2006 though spring 2008, celebrating 100 years of excellence. The second meeting will be:

Wednesday, March 1

6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Big Blue Marble Books

551 Carpenter Lane

All current families, alumni, families of alumni, and interested community members are welcome to attend to hear about the initial plans (still in formation), or to volunteer to help.

Centennial defined
The original school building, closest to the corner of Carpenter Lane and Greene Street, was under construction from 1906 to 1908. The first students attended in 1908. Therefore, the Centennial will run 2006 through 2008.

Activities and Events
October 18: Charles Wolcott Henry Day
Beginning October 18, 2006, the school celebrates C.W. Henry Day to focus on the history of the school, the neighborhood, the state, and the country on the date of Charles W. Henry’s birth: October 18, 1852. Initial plans include bringing in local historians, re-enactors, etc., from local organizations such as the Johnson House, to help students and the community understand local life in the year of our school’s namesake’s birth.

Henry Reunion
In 2006 and 2007, the event will reconnect Henry with alumni and their parents/grandparents, and previous faculty/staff.

C.W. Henry Centennial Celebration…the big event
In Spring 2008, we host a major event. The Big Event. The culminating event of the centennial. The event will include the inaugural induction into the Charles Wolcott Henry Hall of Fame, which may include former students, faculty, staff, parents, and community members who: (a) since graduating, have become models of the values and excellence embraced by Henry School; (b) as previous or current faculty/staff, have gone to extraordinary measures for the students and/or parents of Henry; or (c) as parents or community members, have gone to extraordinary measures to improve Henry.

Committees
Centennial Steering Committee
The Centennial Committee establishes the overall themes, plans, activities and goals for the three-year centennial, with approval of the Home and School Association. This committee recruits and oversees the other committees, below. The steering committee comprises: Home and School President or co-Presidents, Principal, Alumni Chair, Centennial Celebration Committee Chair (to be appointed), Henry Day Chair (to be appointed), and the Steering Committee Chair.

Alumni Committee
The Alumni Committee locates and recruits Henry alumni to events and committees. Comprising alumni, this committee is the voice of Henry to past students. We’ll need a range of generations to effectively reach out to Henry’s wealth of alumni from 1908 to present.

Charles Wolcott Henry Day Committee
With the bulk of the work focused on 2006, this committee will work with current faculty/staff to schedule school-day and evening activities to celebrate the history of C.W. Henry: the man, his time, and the school that bears his name. After 2006, this committee will remain active but shouldn’t need to put as much time/energy after creating the event in 2006.

Henry History Committee
The History Committee works with faculty/staff, students, and community-based historical organizations to research and report the history of C.W. Henry – the man and the school – the community, students/alumni, faculty/staff, parents, etc., for use in school and centennial communications, public relations, and events. This committee produces articles for the school and for local newspapers, etc., beginning in Fall 2006.

Centennial Celebration Committee (big event in 2008)
The celebration committee focuses exclusively on the 2008 culminating event, including logistics, invitations, fundraising, etc.

Charles Wolcott Henry Hall of Fame Committee
The Hall of Fame Committee defines the criteria under which a former student, faculty/staff, or parent/community member may qualify for induction into the Hall. This committee selects the inaugural inductees, creates a book/booklet honoring the inductees, and a permanent wall display in the school with photos of the inductees. After 2008, this committee will induct one new person, annually.

Branding Committee
The Branding Committee will work with graphic artists and marketing professionals (to be recruited as volunteers, ideally from among Henry alumni), along with the Henry Art Teacher and students, to create an appropriate and effective Centennial logo, tag line, and description of the Centennial. These Branding materials will be used in printed materials (e.g., articles from the History Committee, invitations & ads for the events, newsletters, etc.). Branding materials will be ready by the end of school, in June 2006, for use throughout the Centennial, beginning with the inaugural C.W. Henry Day in October, 2006.

You want Art? You can't handle Art!

2006-02-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Barista with Henry Art-ista! (photo KP)

Well maybe you can't handle art, but Meg at High Point Cafe, right across the street from Henry, sure can. She's proudly hosting an exhibition of weaving from Henry sixth graders, thanks to Henry Art Teacher, Evelyn Bock, and Young Audiences of Eastern Pennsylvania artist in residence, Kathryn Pannepacker.

Henry Group meeting Feb. 23

2006-02-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

Thursday, February 23
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents, with kids ranging from Kindergarten to 4th grade, to learn about life in and around the school.
Come with questions, or just to listen.

We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 3 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Children are welcome. We'll provide a sitter, and ask $5 per child for the sitter. Please bring a small snack or beverage for kids and/or adults.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Next meeting:
Wednesday, March 22, special guest: to be announced.

Open House Feb. 15

2006-02-07T06:25:00.000-05:00

C. W. HENRY SCHOOL
OPEN HOUSE

February 15, 2006

9:00 - 10:30 a.m.

Come to this open house if you want to:

see how the school feels when it's full of kids
see classrooms (including Kindergarten) in action
meet the Principal and Teachers
learn about the curriculum
have a good excuse to drop by the High Point Cafe afterwards

For more information, contact the school office at
(215) 951-4006

private school advantage disappears

2006-01-28T15:42:00.000-05:00

Apples and oranges happen to be among my favorite things at the long end of the color spectrum, so I'm always happy when people analogize around them. As a Texan in Philadelphia, I've become adept at fitting square pegs into round holes. Through a career in the nonprofit world, I've even learned how to get blood from a stone. But make a statistically-based comparison between public and private school? Now that gift has long eluded me.

Along comes today's New York Times, which reports, in Public-School Students Score Well in Math in Large-Scale Government Study , the results of a study of public, charter, and private school students on a 2003 standardized test, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The researchers compared NEAP results of 340,000 students in fourth and eighth grades.

Not that I'm distrustful of the Times, but why read an article about the study when I can read the study? It's like reading a review of a movie but not seeing the movie. What if it's really good afterall?

So, direct from
Charter, Private, Public Schools and Academic Achievement: New Evidence from NAEP Mathematics Data,
by Christopher Lubienski and Sarah Theule Lubienski, at The University of Illinois:

(you ready for this?)

"Without controlling for student background differences, private schools scored higher than noncharter public schools, as would be expected. However, this study examines these patterns further, determining whether they are due simply to the fact that higher proportions of disadvantaged students are enrolled in public schools, and the extent to which the gaps persist after controlling for potential student- and school-level confounding variables, including measures of socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender, disability, limited English proficiency, and school location.

"Overall, the study demonstrates that demographic differences between students in public and private schools more than account for the relatively high raw scores of private schools. Indeed, after controlling for these differences, the presumably advantageous 'private school effect' disappears, and even reverses in most cases."

Explore the US Department of Ed's "Nation's Report Card.

C.W. Henry Centennial meeting Jan 25

2006-01-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

C.W. Henry School's Centennial will run from fall 2006 though spring 2008, celebrating 100 years of excellence. The inaugural meeting will be

Wednesday, January 25
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Lovett Library

(Germantown Avenue & Sedgwick)

All current families, alumni, families of alumni, and interested community members are welcome to attend to hear about the initial plans (still in formation), or to volunteer to help.

Centennial defined
The original school building, closest to the corner of Carpenter Lane and Greene Street, was under construction from 1906 to 1908. The first students attended in 1908. Therefore, the Centennial will run 2006 through 2008.

Activities and Events
October 18: Charles Wolcott Henry Day
Beginning October 18, 2006, the school celebrates C.W. Henry Day to focus on the history of the school, the neighborhood, the state, and the country on the date of Charles W. Henry’s birth: October 18, 1852. Initial plans include bringing in local historians, re-enactors, etc., from local organizations such as the Johnson House, to help students and the community understand local life in the year of our school’s namesake’s birth.

Henry Reunion
In 2006 and 2007, the event will reconnect Henry with alumni and their parents/grandparents, and previous faculty/staff.

C.W. Henry Centennial Celebration…the big event
In Spring 2008, we host a major event. The Big Event. The culminating event of the centennial. The event will include the inaugural induction into the Charles Wolcott Henry Hall of Fame, which may include former students, faculty, staff, parents, and community members who: (a) since graduating, have become models of the values and excellence embraced by Henry School; (b) as previous or current faculty/staff, have gone to extraordinary measures for the students and/or parents of Henry; or (c) as parents or community members, have gone to extraordinary measures to improve Henry.

Committees
Centennial Steering Committee
The Centennial Committee establishes the overall themes, plans, activities and goals for the three-year centennial, with approval of the Home and School Association. This committee recruits and oversees the other committees, below. The steering committee comprises: Home and School President or co-Presidents, Principal, Alumni Chair, Centennial Celebration Committee Chair (to be appointed), Henry Day Chair (to be appointed), and the Steering Committee Chair.

Alumni Committee
The Alumni Committee locates and recruits Henry alumni to events and committees. Comprising alumni, this committee is the voice of Henry to past students. We’ll need a range of generations to effectively reach out to Henry’s wealth of alumni from 1908 to present.

Charles Wolcott Henry Day Committee
With the bulk of the work focused on 2006, this committee will work with current faculty/staff to schedule school-day and evening activities to celebrate the history of C.W. Henry: the man, his time, and the school that bears his name. After 2006, this committee will remain active but shouldn’t need to put as much time/energy after creating the event in 2006.

Henry History Committee
The History Committee works with faculty/staff, students, and community-based historical organizations to research and report the history of C.W. Henry – the man and the school – the community, students/alumni, faculty/staff, parents, etc., for use in school and centennial communications, public relations, and events. This committee produces articles for the school and for local newspapers, etc., beginning in Fall 2006.

Centennial Celebration Committee (big event in 2008)
The celebration committee focuses exclusively on the 2008 culminating event, including logistics, invitations, fundraising, etc.

Charles Wolcott Henry Hall of Fame Committee
The Hall of Fame Committee defines the criteria under which a former student, faculty/staff, or parent/community member may qualify for induction into the Hall. This committee selects the inaugural inductees, creates a book/booklet honoring the inductees, and a permanent wall display in the school with photos of the inductees. After 2008, this committee will induct one new person, annually.

Branding Committee
The Branding Committee will work with graphic artists and marketing professionals (to be recruited as volunteers, ideally from among Henry alumni), along with the Henry Art Teacher and students, to create an appropriate and effective Centennial logo, tag line, and description of the Centennial. These Branding materials will be used in printed materials (e.g., articles from the History Committee, invitations & ads for the events, newsletters, etc.). Branding materials will be ready by the end of school, in June 2006, for use throughout the Centennial, beginning with the inaugural C.W. Henry Day in October, 2006.

Jan. 24 Henry Group meeting

2006-01-22T08:42:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, January 24

7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)? Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like? Unanswered concerns or questions? Join current Henry parents, with kids ranging from Kindergarten to 4th grade, to learn about life in and around the school.

Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 3 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Children are welcome. We'll provide a sitter, and ask $5 per child for the sitter. Please bring a small snack or beverage for kids and/or adults.

Meetings are at the home of Kevin and Nancy Peter, 526 Arbutus Street.

Improved state report site on NCLB

2006-01-22T08:06:00.000-05:00

The Pennsylvania Department of Education's web site now has interactive reports for public schools, showing status of No Child Left Behind benchmarks.The new NCLB report card includes graphs to more quickly see how a school is measuring up against the district and state targets.

Go to Henry's NCLB report card and explanations.

It all began at The Birth Center

2006-01-18T22:19:00.000-05:00

Weeks on end at the birthing class of the Bryn Mawr Birth Center, we got to know several couples also expecting soon, and also expecting to deliver with the assistance of midwives. The other most dynamic couple - she was a global buyer for a cool retailer and he an Ivy League Doctoral student in education - were a prominent fixture in the class. Time passed. Bellies bulged - I mean the soon-to-be-dads' sympathetic weight gains. Our son, due second, jumped the gun and in typical fashion claimed First-Born. Although at the six-month reunion theirs was the clearly leader in size.

Then we lost touch for three years, until a chance meeting at a Mt. Airy Schools Committee event, when we reconnected, but briefly. When we initiated our monthly meetings to explore educational options and Henry School, they were among the first families to attend. Their son attended Kindergarten and first grade at Henry, and their impact continues.

These days, father-Dr. Leif Gustavson is an Assistant Professor at Arcadia University, and responsible for Arcadia's involvement at Henry. For the past three years, Henry has benefited from Arcadia's Education students contributing as student teachers, volunteers, and project-students in our classrooms.

Our son participated in a creative project with Arcadia students last fall. He came home talking about the math and language challenges the Arcadia "teachers" presented, and how great these teachers were - although he did complain about not getting the treats he was missing in music class... When the project finished at the end of the fall semester, he brought home a journal filled with impressive illustrations and stories.

Arcadia's magazine,The Herald, highlights the Henry project in a recent issue.

In addition to Arcadia, our son has enjoyed student teachers from St. Joe's, and this year's Kindergarten has student teachers from the University of Pennsylvania.

Parental Engagement Town Meeting with Paul Vallas

2006-01-10T22:18:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, January 17
5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
School District of Philadelphia
440 North Broad Street

Join the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia for A Town Meeting to discuss ways Philadelphia parents are getting involved in their children's education - at home, in school and in the community. Hear what new research says. Learn what the School District of Philadelphia, and other public and private schools are doing. Share what works for you and your child.

Special guest speaker: Paul Vallas, CEO, School District of Philadelphia, who will be joined by educators and parents. Dinner will be provided. Childcare provided for children 3 years and older BUT you must pre-register.

RSVP no later than January 12th by calling 215-851-1718 or emailing event@gpuac.org.

This program is supported by a grant from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fund at The Philadelphia Foundation. Additional support from PECO, An Exelon Company, and Lincoln Benefits Group.

Regional Superintendent, Jan. 10

2006-01-08T13:12:00.000-05:00

Linda Grobman, regional superintendent of the Philadelphia School District, will speak at the annual joint meeting of East Mt. Airy Neighbors and

West Mt. Airy Neighbors:

Tuesday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Hagan Hall
Lutheran Theological Seminary, 7301 Germantown Avenue.

Ms. Grobman will discuss recent test score results, the plan to make Lankenau High School a feeder school for northwest elementary schools, and will answer questions from the audience. All are invited and encouraged to attend!

Henry Group winter meeting schedule

2006-01-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, January 24

Thursday, February 23

Wednesday, March 22

all meetings 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Email to R.S.V.P. or for more information.

Paul Vallas meets prospective Henry families

2005-12-16T06:47:00.000-05:00

Paul Vallas talking to interested parents (KP)

Philly schools CEO Paul Vallas met with 34 parents in our home, last night. I'll post a more complete discussion over the weekend. As might be expected, Mr. Vallas deals mostly with district-wide issues, so that's where he spoke. With him were Linda Grobman, regional Superintendent, and Caren Trantas, Henry Principal, to fill in Henry-specific details. Some highlights:

Vallas wants to turn more decision power over to schools with strong parent/community networks. For example, schools with strong school councils will have "broad latitude" in selecting new principals. Likewise, regional offices that "have their act together" will have more autonomy - the Northwest Region under Linda Grobman is an example of such a together region.
The Mastery Charter High School (originally High Tech High) folks are proposing additional Mastery schools, including at Pickett Middle School in Germtanown.
Vallas is working to restore foreign language classes in all high schools, eventually requiring Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, with school options for up to two other languages. Current budget constraints won't allow foreign language classes in all schools, but Vallas is encouraging language opportunities by funding less expensive after school clubs focusing on foreign languages.
Vallas is working to recruit more of the 10,000 annual graduates of Pennsylvania's colleges of education to serve as student teachers, interns, and full-fledged teachers into Philly schools. Part of this goal is to have such student teachers/interns/volunteers in every classroom, effectively cutting student-to-teacher ratios in half across the district.

Winter Concert Dec. 19

2005-12-14T06:27:00.000-05:00

Henry students will present a winter concert

Monday, December 19

7:00

C.W. Henry School Auditorium

Students from all grades will present vocal and musical works for the public. Come to see Henry's performing arts in action. Come to get to know the Henry family. Come to get inspired by excited young stars.

The complications of Squanto

2005-12-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

2nd graders in the Gifted Support program take a bow.

Squanto was a pretty simple guy when I was a second grader in a small Oklahoma town. He was a friendly Indian. He helped the Pilgrims. He taught them how to hunt and fish and plant crops. He was the guest of honor at the first Thanksgiving.

Over the past several weeks, as my son rehearsed his line for the GS play about Squanto and the first Thanksgiving, I realised that his Squanto was more complex than mine. Like Gilligan might be if we could see his life before the island. Squanto went willingly to England? He came home and had a wife and child? He was captured and sold into slavery? His wife and child died from small pox? Clearly, my son's view of Squanto, or Tisquantum, is more complete than mine was until now.

But his view of a lot of things is more complete than mine as a boy. Before the performance I attended, as the excited second graders waited for the autitorium to fill with seventh and eighth graders (a phenomenon unto itself), Mrs. Paulino, the music teacher and accompanyist/pianist for the play, kept the kids' energy focused by playing holiday tunes. As soon as she hit the intro chords to Jingle Bells, the kids came together to sing along. Then another song that makes me think of Christmas. And just as I was starting to wonder how she could get away with that, she pulled Dreidel, Dreidel out of her hat, and all the kids sang along with that, too.

Dr. Rubin, the Gifted Support teacher for all grades, inspired the kids to learn their parts, which they all did very well. Although she might have been overheard to say something like, "I'm getting too old for this," it was clear that she and her students had a lot of fun preparing for and presenting the play. Parent Kathy Romano designed the scenery and major props, and the students painted.

So back to those seventh and eighth graders. The cast was understandably nervous about performing in front of the big kids. After walking through groups of those big kids outside the school in the mornings, I was a bit curious to see how this would work. Once the students were seated, Mrs. Kluxen, an eighth grade teacher, paused to remind the audience, many of whom had attended Henry since Kindergarten, that Henry students are great audiences. She didn't threaten them. She didn't belabor the point. When the curtain came up, the auditorium full of pre- and early adolescents was indeed a great audience: quiet, laughing at the right time, and appropriately appreciative at the end. On the 19th, it will be the older kids on the stage, for the winter concert, and the second graders will get to return the favor.

Thriving around Henry

2005-12-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

Philadelphia Weekly's November 23 piece, Greene and Carpenter Lane Inc., explores the thriving business climate on Henry's doorstep.

Too bad author Cassidy Hartmann didn't have the presence of mind to step inside the school to talk to the many teachers who've seen the intersection's evolution over the decades, or to hear about the Weaver's Way Market Place program at Henry (which she only references obliquely), or to talk to neighborhood parents who have a more complete experience with the full range of neighborhood value of the intersection. Too bad Hartmann only talked to the folks outside the school, as if they are the sole forces behind important school projects like the school yard renovation. And too bad photographer Jeff Fusco turned his back on Henry - literally - as if the school is a stigma to the visual vibrancy of the intersection.

Where's the role of families and parents of 500-some kids in driving critical mass to the businesses? Or the 50-some faculty and staff loading up on caffeine, groceries, and dry cleaning on a daily basis since 1908? How about the free off-street parking taking pressure off the streets every weekend & evening, and all summer, easing the impact of the growing number of business on the near-by residents?

Schools like Henry, with constant flow of neighborhood families who invest in their community, are an asset to business - increasingly so with increasing proximity to the school. I'm looking forward to Hartmann's return to the intersection to complete the story.

Under the quiet surface

2005-12-04T09:44:00.000-05:00

William Clark had months-long gaps in his journal chronicling the journey of the Corps of Discovery that he co-led with Merriweather Lewis in the exploration of the Louisiana Purchase for Thomas Jefferson.

Oh, I know what you're saying:

"I served with Bill Clark. I knew Bill Clark. Bill Clark was a friend of mine. You're no Bill Clark."

With other projects, and even my day job, eating up time this fall, I haven't had much free time for Knowing Henry. My silence is not reflective of all that's been happening. To briefly recap:

More than 30 people from the neighborhood have volunteered to serve as Judges for the upcoming Henry Science Fair. Judges include parents and grandparents, in addition to local people who have no other connection to the school. Henry students in grades 4 - 8 are eligible to enter the city-wide Carver Science Fair, with winners there eligible for the Delaware Valley Science Fair and on up to the international big show.
The October Home and School meeting was a full house, there to hear from upper school teachers about the strengths of Henry's 5th through 8th grades. Several Henry alumni attended and gave rousing testimonials about their time at Henry and subsequent success at Girls High, Central, and other top city schools. Several teachers and parents, who are also Henry alums, gave their own testimonials. More than one parent commented that the meeting was more revival than a meeting.
The Mt. Airy Schools Committee held a focus group with Principals, parents, and community members representing Henry, Houston, Linglebach, Emlen, and Jenks schools, along with Lankenau High School. MASC is going through a change in leadership, and potentially direction, and called the meeting to get input to learn what's important. With no clear indication that MASC will change direction, the meeting at least illustrated great energy and interest in our community's schools.
Henry parent Kathy Romano, as part of her Art Education graduate program, is working with Henry Art Teacher, Evelyn Bock, on a special project, "Struggle." While students explore their own understanding of struggle and reflect on personal experience, they will simultaneously interpret art in small group discussions. While composing poetry and making art, students will also study artists who use struggle as a theme in their works. (this description entirely plagiarized from the December Henry newsletter).
The Winter Concert will be Monday, December 19, at 7:00 p.m. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!.

Paul Vallas @ Dec. 15 Henry Group meeting

2005-11-28T06:30:00.000-05:00

Paul Vallas, CEO of the School District of Philadelphia, will join the Henry Group meeting, December 15. As with all HG meetings, families considering sending their children to Henry are welcome. However, unlike any other HG meeting, pre-registration is required: SPACE IS LIMITED. A few spaces are still available for families considering Henry for their child/children.

Registration request: please include your name, child's/children's age(s), address, email, and phone.

Current Henry families and interested others, while appreciated, will be able to attend this meeting by invitation only.

My only regret with Henry

2005-11-07T19:39:00.000-05:00

(posted at the request of Charlie Cooper)

As I watched my two sons head out the door this morning to Central H.S., I thought again how fortune we are to have the educational opportunities we received at C.W. Henry. My oldest son Curtis, now a junior at Central, graduated Henry in '03. His brother Brendan, now a freshman at Central, graduated last year. My only regret with Henry is that we did not find the school sooner.

We were living in South Philly when the boys were in elementary school and were fortunate in having them attend Greenfield at 22nd and Chestnut. They were good years and the boys had good friends and competent, concerned teachers. For better or worse neither of my boys made the cut for Masterman. At that time in Greenfield there was no cohesive effort to keep the kids together and resist the pull to Masterman (though there had been several years before). Come fifth grade we were stunned by the change that happened to the learning environment at Greenfield. Despite the efforts of the teaching and administration staff, and of my wife and me, we grew concerned about how our son was reacting to the environment and decided to enroll him in a private Quaker school. His younger brother followed him there.

We bussed the boys an hour each way so they could go to school in the suburbs, where they could study diversity in an academic way, and where they could mature as students without me having to be as involved in their day-to-day studies and home work.

Three years later, after spending many, many thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours on the school bus, countless hours driving them around the region to visit school chums, and still in the trenches with them doing their homework, we exited.

Curtis was accepted into 8th grade at Henry. As a public school, it is free. He walked to school. He made new friends in the neighborhood. I am still in the trenches with him doing his homework, but that's me and that's my boys. I guess I really wouldn't have it any other way.

Entering 8th grade at a new school is no easy task. As a Caucasian family we had some concern about placing our son in a predominantly African-American school. That actually turned out to be an asset, not a liability. I cannot say enough about how welcoming the teaching staff, the administrative staff, and the students were to my son. We were so please at the experience that we brought his brother in next year as a 7th grader.

It has been a great experience. My two boys thrived in Henry. We give thanks for the education they received there and are now receiving in Central.

Thank you very much,
Charlie Cooper

Oct. 17 Henry group meeting

2005-10-15T06:28:00.000-04:00

Monday, October 17
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.

R.S.V.P., or for more information.

Looking into school options for your child(ren)?
Thinking about Henry, but want to know what it's really like?
Unanswered concerns or questions?

Join current Henry parents, with kids ranging from Kindergarten to 4th grade, to learn about life in and around the school. Come with questions, or just to listen. We've been hosting these meetings, monthly-ish during the school year, for 3 years. The meetings are a safe environment to ask questions, express concerns, share observations, and get to know people exploring the same issues as you.

Children are welcome. We'll provide a sitter, and ask $5 per child for the sitter.

Please bring a small snack or beverage for kids and/or adults.

Next meeting:

Thursday, November 17, special guest: Principal Caren Trantas.

Henry Science Fair

2005-10-13T20:47:00.000-04:00

This year, many Henry School students will participate in The Henry Science Fair. Science fairs encourage children to explore and understand their world beyond the classroom. Investigating science topics can increase science aptitude, foster appreciation for the scientific process, and cultivate future scientists in preparation for an increasingly complex society.

Kindergarten through third graders will design group projects in class with their teachers, to be showcased at Henry. Fourth and fifth graders can do voluntary individual projects. Sixth through eighth graders are required to create individual or group projects. Although these projects will be judged and graded, the true goal of the fair is to stimulate curiosity and sense of pride and accomplishment.

Fourth through eight grade winners of the Henry Science Fair will participate in Philadelphia’s George Washington Carver Science Fair. Created in 1979, the Carver Fair is the oldest urban science fair in the United States and is open to students from all Philadelphia public, parochial, private, charter, and home schools. All Carver Fair participants receive certificates, and winners receive prizes such as gold, silver, and bronze metals; special awards ranging from gift certificates to college scholarships; and a chance to participate in the Delaware Valley Science Fair and the International Science Fair. For more information, including a list of last year’s Henry winners, visit the Carver Science Fair website.

Henry welcomes volunteers to help with this year’s Science Fair. These opportunities include assisting with set-up the day before and day of the fairs, judging the older students’ projects, helping with community promotion, and similar tasks. For more information about the Henry Science Fair, please contact Principal Caren Trantas, Science Teacher Christine Jensen, or Parent Representative Nancy Peter.

Home Economics

2005-10-09T18:41:00.000-04:00

I've been struggling the past couple weeks with recent reports out of Wake County, North Carolina. Struggling, not because of what's going on down there, but because of some unasked and unanswered questions, and moreso because of the clumsy conclusions drawn by smart people who should look deeper. Struggling, also, because in North Carolina, as in Philadelphia and even Mt. Airy, "economics" is often confused with, and sometimes a code word for, race.

So here's what's going on. Wake County's county-wide school district, which includes urban Raleigh and surrounding suburbs, in 2000 set a goal to integrate its 120,000 students, not racially, but economically. Their operational goal: to limit the proportion of low-income students in any school to no more than 40 percent. The district uses family income levels and a legacy busing system to move kids all over the 832 square mile county - some kids take a near-one-hour bus trip to school - to achieve a balance of students from diverse family incomes, with the ultimate goal of raising achievement levels of the low-income students.

Why? The rationale used in Wake County, along with La Crosse, Wisconsin; St. Lucie County, Florida; San Francisco; and Cambridge, Massachusetts, locations also experimenting with economic integration in public schools, is, as one former Wake County school board member put it, "To avoid concentrations of low-achieving students."

Has it worked? According to the New York Times, Wake County reports 80 percent of black students in grades three through eight scored at grade level or above, last year, compared with only 40 percent a decade ago. (What are we measuring here: race, or family income?) The Times claims Hispanic students have made similar gains since the experiment began. I can live with those findings. I'm having a harder time with the next two conclusions.

Problem conclusion #1
The "and" statements that follow the praise of the positive effects on students from low-income families:

from a former Wake County school board member, as quoted in the Times: "...advantaged students are not hurt by it if you follow policies that avoid concentrating low-achieving students."
as penned by Richard Kahlenberg of The Century Foundation: "...low-income students do much better, and middle-class achievement does not suffer."
or from the Inquirer's Jane Eisner: "...the standardized test results of those poor kids [thanks to Ross Perot's ghost writing] - most of whom are black or Hispanic - have improved dramatically, and not at the expense of other students."

Not at the expense of other students? OK. If the only benefits of economically integrating schools are that students from low-income families do better in school and have better chances of getting into higher education and careers, that's good. Imagine a Philadelphia where twice as many kids from low-income families do well enough to graduate from high school. Not a bad outcome. That's even something the business community can - or should - get behind with real investment. But is that all you've got?

More complete conclusion #1
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Thomas Hylton, in his 1995 book, Save Our Land, Save Our Towns: A Plan for Pennsylvania, notes a critical advantage of economic integration to students from middle- and upper-income families:

reduced stereotyping between economic strata: kids from each income level get to know kids from the others, creating less mystery and more understanding. They get to know that some of "those poor kids" do great in school, that some of "those rich kids" don't.

Our experience at Henry is that our son is developing tremendous social competency. In class and on the playground, he spends 32.5 hours a week with kids spanning most of the economic spectrum. He learns and plays beside kids who may think he's "rich," and beside kids he definitely thinks are "rich." He learns and plays with kids who benefit from the free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch programs. He learns and plays beside kids of color whose families have much more money than his, and beside white kids whose families have less. He knows from his own genuine experience that race does not equal economics, or ability, or aspiration, or intelligence. That experience-based knowledge will serve our son throughout his life, enriching his formal and informal education, his career, his employers' productivity, and his community.

Problem conclusion #2
To believe Jane Eisner, replicating the Wake County success means transplanting urban kids to suburban schools. Although it is true that many Philadelphia neighborhoods are not economically diverse, others are. Additionally, although she fails to mention the strength of some Philadelphia schools, perhaps for the sake of a beyond-Philly readership, Ms. Eisner should know better: we have schools, like Henry, where economic integration is already reality, and where the results are similar to those reported by Wake County.

More complete conclusion #2
Henry's proportion of students from low-income families last year, according to the district website's profile of Henry, was 43.3 percent - very close to the 40 percent target of Wake County. Overall, the school was 86.3 percent African American, 11.1 percent white, and 2.6 percent Asian and Latino. Obviously, the majority of the students of color at Henry are not "those poor kids." Maybe that's part of the reason for Henry's consistently strong performance - a majority of the students come from middle-income families, which tend to have a history of higher educational attainment; greater ability to contribute time, expertise, and money to support the school; and social/professional networks that can effectively advocate for the school. (These attributes are similar to some of the "ten reasons why socioeconomic integration matters," from Kahlenberg, above.)

Concluding conclusion
Now in our fourth year of monthly meetings to recruit neighborhood families into Henry, my wife and I have found many of the advantages noted in the Wake County experience and in Richard Kahlenberg's analysis. Many the families who have entered Henry through the meetings (and who are predominately middle-income) have embraced active roles in the school, whether as an officer of the Home and School Association, member of the School Council, or less formal organizer of classroom and school-wide activities, they are bringing a variety of tangible and intangible resources into the school. Individually and in organized efforts, these families actively advocate for the school and its needs. Most importantly, our kids are doing great in a diverse learning environment.