Dear Elmwood Franklin School Community,

My name is Parker and I am Head of School for the day! I declared today Pajama Day as most of you know. I began the day shaking every student's hand and some parents, too! The weather was snowy and it was fun. After two cups of hot chocolate, Mr. Deyell and I went to the morning assembly, where we learned about each class's service learning project. These included food drives, pull tab collecting, and a winter clothes drive. After that, we visited every classroom to see if the teachers needed anything. Most teachers wanted a BIG raise and I gave a few hugs, too. We had a wonderful lunch that I designed. It was pasta with marinara sauce, breadsticks, corn, chicken noodle soup and cherry Jello! 

Head of the School is a very complex job. It takes hard work and leadership. My advice is to work hard, choose fairly, and help other people.

Sincerely,

Parker, Class of 2023
Head for the Day

The Confucius Classroom at Elmwood Franklin School, dedicated to promoting closer cultural ties between students at EFS and their counterparts in China, was honored last night during a ceremony held in the Johnston Theatre. The Confucius Classroom celebration included student and teacher performances, a demonstration by Gold Summit Martial Arts Institute, a presentation by the UB Confucius Institute, and an authentic Chinese meal for attendees.

The Confucius Classroom program is administered by the UB Confucius Institute and offers annual funding, materials, and guest teachers from China to help schools build strong and sustainable Chinese language programs.

The Confucius Classroom at Elmwood Franklin School is a resource for children to study all aspects of Chinese life and is led by two guest teachers from China, who teach Mandarin language and culture to more than 40 students in Prep II through eighth grade.

Today, seventh grade art students led fourth graders on a tour of the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Our nationally recognized Junior Docent Program, spearheaded by art teacher Amy Hartman, brings EFS seventh graders into the Burchfield Penney to train and serve as skilled tour guides. Now in its seventh year, this partnership provides EFS seventh graders special training on the gallery’s mission, history, and collections, as well as how to research, interpret, and lead discourse about works of art.
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More than 140 seventh grade students have been trained as junior docents over the past seven years. Amy Hartman reflects on the program’s success, “Facilitating dialogue about a work of art requires these students to develop questions which engage both themselves and the tour participants in meaning making. Learning to ask big questions and engage in communication across generations builds life skills. The relationships built over multiple visits greatly impacts everyone involved in this wonderful program."