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."

Elmwood Franklin School will proudly welcome alumna Liz Lewin ’01 as the graduation speaker at the Class of 2017 commencement ceremony this June.

Liz re-joined the WKBW Channel 7 Eyewitness News team in June 2016 as a multimedia journalist/reporter. She had previously freelanced at the station before taking a job in Boston. Liz has a background in public speaking and in the past worked as a communication specialist in the City of Buffalo with the Mayor's Office of Communications.

A graduate of Elmwood Franklin School and Buffalo Seminary, Liz earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media Studies from Fordham University in New York City. Liz attended Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications where she studied broadcast journalism and is currently enrolled in the Multidisciplinary Studies program at Buffalo State College.

This morning, we celebrated our volunteers and all of their hard work and dedication. During the breakfast, we also recognized our Unsung Heroes. The Unsung Hero Award pays special honor to those who work tirelessly for our school without fanfare, fulfilling important roles but not always getting the recognition they deserve. This year we honored two such individuals.

Maggie Schultz has volunteered in the library at least once or twice a week, processing books and assisting students. Maggie is a warm-hearted and endearing volunteer and grandmother, who has worked often without recognition. Joan Good affectionately refers to her as “the library ninja.” She comes in and works quietly in the background, often unseen. Sometimes the only way we know that she has been in is by the HUGE stack of stamped and processed books on the carts ready to be shelved. Maggie’s devotion to the library and the students is inspiring, and we are so very thankful for her hard work and dedication.

Party on New Amsterdam, Auction 2017, was true to title in that it was a PARTY! Auction chairs Chad and Kimisha set the vision, but Stephanie Kroth made it a reality. She is energetic and passionate—a creative individual who is a true team player. Stephanie spent countless hours with her committee in her basement, gluing and drilling cardboard and wood and hula hoops and tinsel! She would share pictures throughout the year, but it wasn’t until she was 20 feet up on a cherry picker in the gym that we truly understood her awesomeness. Stephanie also volunteers as a member of the Parent Council Executive Committee and has been a lifelong Elmwood Franklin community member, graduating from here in 1990. We are honored to present the Unsung Hero award to Stephanie.
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We thank them both, and all our volunteers, for their many contributions—they are appreciated!

Instead of attending their regularly scheduled classes next week, sixth graders will work in teams to create Rube Goldberg machines. In preparation for this week-long STEAM project, the students participated in a series of team-building activities, including making a marble run, structures from straw, and a digital Rube Goldberg machine on their iPads. Through these activities, the students are learning to work together, build on each other’s strengths, and communicate effectively.​

Elmwood Franklin School students went Bald for Bucks to raise funds for Roswell Park Cancer Institute and show solidarity with all patients battling cancer. 43 students cut, shaved, or styled their hair and raised more than $17,000 for cutting-edge research and innovative patient-care programs! A big thanks to stylists Brendan and Rebecca from Chez Ann Salon and Lynn and Caitlyn from Diva Studio for volunteering their time and talents.

​Dear Elmwood Franklin Community,

I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Annie LoTempio as Elmwood Franklin's next Upper School Head, effective July 1, 2017. Annie will succeed Rosemarie Beres, who will retire this June after having served 40 years at EFS. The school conducted an extensive search for the position, interviewing many qualified national and local candidates. Annie rose to the top of the list very early and remained there. 

Annie comes to us with over 15 years of experience working in the field of education as a teacher and administrator. Annie currently serves as the Middle School Dean of Students at Nichols School, a position she has held since 2004. A Buffalo native, Annie received a Bachelor of Music from Fredonia, a Master's in Educational Psychology from UB, and an M.Ed. in Private School Leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Teacher's College, a part of Columbia University.

Annie's combination of experience, credentials, great respect for our school and its culture, even-keeled nature, professionalism, knowledge of the Buffalo landscape, superb recommendations, and overall passion for middle schoolers and their parents gives me great confidence that she is the perfect candidate to lead our Upper School. I look forward to working with Annie, Rosemarie Beres, and the rest of the faculty on the transition ahead. There will also be opportunities for parents to meet with Annie in the coming months.

As always, please contact me with any questions and join me in welcoming Annie to the EFS community.

Regards,

Andrew Deyell
Head of School