Issue #2 |  March 27, 2020
Hello to GHS families,

How wonderful to see many of you at today's first all-school sing from afar! As much as I am adjusting to my life on zoom these days I am beyond grateful that we have the ability to see one another and connect. Our teachers and staff have been exceptional partners during this rapid time of change. They are digging into daily work and thinking strategically about the future, identifying what is working well and what may need to change over time. Your partnership has been invaluable and just what I would expect from Greene Hill families.

Current city restrictions might mean that some families are faced with economic uncertainty. In this unpredictable time we don't want any GHS family to worry about being able to continue an education at Greene Hill. If this applies to your family, please contact our Business Manager Sarah Frederick at [email protected] so that we can look into how we may be able to help with questions about tuition. Resources for emergency services are listed at the end of this newsletter and I also encourage anyone who may need assistance with daily needs to reach out to the school at this newly created email address [email protected]. To the best of the school's ability, GHS is committed to helping families that are experiencing significant financial hardship.

I want to share another video with you this week. Lower School director Jaime Quackenbush and I spent some time this morning talking about the challenges - and opportunities - of working from home.

Be well and stay in touch-








Goings on around the School (for fish)

GHS may be engaged in distance learning but our students are engaged with each other, collaborating on work and sharing as a group. 

Middle Schoolers worked on a math project called School For Fish using perimeter and data planning to make a floor plan for a school for fish.  Then they shared their work withe each other. Check out their floor plans HERE and HERE.
School for Fish from Hadas

ArtsLab is going strong, too. Distance learning lends itself to some excellent multi-age projects.  Siblings Marcus and Chloe are making Upcycled Sculptures from materials found around the house. Check out Miki's google page for directions and inspiration.



The 4s are active every day and have been continuing with their learning. One project this week was to keep a weather journal helping them connect with the outside world and to concentrate on close observations and changes in the world around them.  The warm weather probably made all of us long for swimming weather!
4s weather journal

Writing Workshop is an important part of the day in Lower School classrooms. Jason, the 7s co-teacher, gave the 7s a humorous writing prompt ("What if a chair began to yell in the library?") and students responded with detailed stories. Seesaw, the digital platform used by the 7s, allows teachers to continue to give comments and encouragement to individual students.

Writing workshop 7s

Colin's 9s started the day with Inspirational Morning Work - a great way to connect with each other and to create a sense of connection and motivation that will last all day. 

9s inspirational morning 9s inspirational morning 9s inspirational morning 9s inspirational morning

A New All-School Sing

Today's first ever distance learning Sing was great fun and we are glad that so many families were able to join us as we sang old favorites together. Greene Hill is a strong and vibrant community and these events bring us together, continue traditions and cement memories - even if we make them digitally. Kudos and thanks to Aidan and everyone else who made this possible.


Upcoming Events

Spring Recess (from April 9-20) will happen as originally planned so we can all refresh and enjoy a change of pace.  

Please watch this section of Progressions for upcoming remote community events. Greene Hill's tradition of potlucks and parent gatherings will be migrating online soon.


Resources for Parents and Families

Greene Hill School is curating a list of resources to share with parents and families as we navigate these challenging times. Should you find a particular resource helpful, please feel free to share it with us (email Rachael) so we can include it in our next list.

Mental Health Resources for Parents
  • The Child Mind Institute has resources for parents listed HERE
  • More Than 6,000 Mental Health Professionals Have Signed Up to Provide Free Online Mental Health Services - New Yorkers Can Call 1-844-863-9314 to Schedule an Appointment. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has resources HERE.
  • FREE ZOOM PARENT SUPPORT group for parents. Whine and wine. BYOB!  Wednesday nights at 7pm. Starts March 25th (Offered by Metropolitan Therapy Associates and Sheri Perlman, OT, LCSW Please rsvp: [email protected])


If you need emergency food assistance, call the Emergency Food Hotline at (866) 888-8777 or 311 to find a local pantry or kitchen.  There are no income limits or other eligibility requirements for emergency food.

This is the link to access the GetFoodNYC service (to provide food for coronavirus (COVID-19) vulnerable and food-insecure New Yorkers not currently served through existing food delivery programs.