John Street School students in grades pre-K through sixth grade enjoyed the festive multicultural show, “Mistletunes,” performed by the Squeaky Clean Band on Dec. 17.

The music group, led by singers Suzanne Smithline and Glenn Manion, discussed the multiple holidays and traditions often observed in December, including Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa. The students clapped and sang along to energetic renditions of classic holiday tunes, including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “The Dreidel Song” and “Feliz Navidad.” They also learned the seven principles of Kwanzaa, reciting them in Swahili.

Date Added: 12/19/2024

John Street School fifth graders were tasked with coding their Piper computers to recreate the lights and sounds of a siren on Nov. 21.

Last month, the fourth grade classes built the Piper computers – designed to be put together like a wooden puzzle – from scratch during their lessons with districtwide STEAM teacher Melissa Geiger. Now, during their lessons with districtwide coding teacher Julia Caizzo, the fifth graders are utilizing the computers to learn coding basics.

During their most recent lesson, the students were tasked with using the Piper computers and PiperCode to simulate a siren. Working in pairs, they built circuits with red and blue lights and wrote code with sounds to recreate their own version of a police car siren.

Districtwide, students engage in STEAM lessons with Ms. Geiger and coding lessons with Ms. Caizzo. The teachers spend approximately one month at each building, rotating throughout the school year.

The “Getting to Know You” program at John Street School pairs students across fourth grade and is run by the social worker and psychologist.

Date Added: 11/4/2024

To celebrate the Halloween season and inspire students to get creative, John Street School hosted its annual Literary Character Pumpkin display.

Students of all grade levels were invited to transform a small or medium-sized pumpkin into a famous literary character from a book or play, such as Clifford, Harry Potter and Coraline. To incorporate a writing component, the students were asked to write a brief explanation of why they chose their particular character. Using paint, permanent markers, googly eyes and other arts supplies, the students’ pumpkin characters came to life.

The pumpkins will be on display in the school’s main lobby through Nov. 4.

Date Added: 10/31/2024

Date Added: 10/22/2024