Category: Education

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“Into the Wilderness” Vacation Bible School

VBS Flyer without tear offsSt. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave., is hosting a Vacation Bible School from Monday, July 13 through Wednesday, July 15, from 10 AM until 1 PM. Sponsored by Keep the Faith in Frankford and the Yardley United Methodist Church Youth Group, we are able to enroll 30 children (4-9 years old) and 6 “counselors” (10 years – 13 years) to help assist in this program.

Our theme is “Into the Wilderness” and the children will learn about God’s covenant with the 12 tribes of Israel! Lunch is included and we will learn Bible stories and have activities that are filled with fun!

You must register for this program. For more information, please call Pat Smiley, 215.520.5616 or email me at patsmiley@keepthefaithinfrankford.org

You can download a registration form here. Completed forms may be returned to St. Mark’s Church office or calling Pat Smiley.

 

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Northwood Academy Charter School Update

At Northwood Academy Charter School, students are gaining knowledge well beyond their textbooks. Northwood Academy Charter School, which has been part of the Frankford community for 10 years, is offering programs such as Service Learning and Classroom Champions in addition to traditional subjects. These programs give students opportunities to expand their knowledge and sense of community. The focus of this year’s Service Learning projects is West Africa. Each classroom plays a specific role in developing a plan to help others. This will be accomplished through public service announcements to raise awareness of the plight of many in West Africa, providing hygiene and school kits as well as care package items that will be sent to those in need in West Africa.

Ramatoulaye Sow (drums), Khayir Golphin and Markeida Genece (basket).

Ramatoulaye Sow (drums), Khayir Golphin and Markeida Genece (basket).

In their classrooms, students are creating water experiments to show the difference between filtered and unfiltered water, along with items such as drums and African games to show cultural pieces. Students had the unique privilege of interviewing and making food with several community members from West Africa. There is even a kente cloth after school club.   Inside the school, an African village exhibit is being constructed with a miniature home, clay masks (via a Claymobile visit), interlocking map and more. This hands-on experience provides students the opportunity to actively participate in their learning.

The idea of being an upstanding, empathetic citizen is instilled in all the students through service trips with local organizations such as Cradles to Crayons, and the Cancer Treatment Center of America. Many students still comment on their experiences years after their occurrence.

Kiersten Davis, a 6th grade student remembers her experience of going to the Cancer Treatment Center back in 2013…”I felt good about myself because I had helped someone else that day by singing them a song. I wanted to make the people feel better while they were dealing with a difficult situation”

The Classroom Champions program partners Northwood students with an Olympic athlete. This partnership allows students to communicate directly with their athlete via Skype sessions and other correspondence. The message students get from the athlete is that they need to work towards their goals while learning learn life lessons on overcoming obstacles. These inspirational messages are delivered with groundbreaking projects such as helping to add beacons to a course for a paralympian Lex Gillette to use to improve his training. The students see their traditional lessons come alive in real- life scenarios. As if this wasn’t enough Northwood Academy offers Ballroom Dancing with Dancing Classrooms Philly, Character Education, overnight teambuilding activities at Camp Onas, visits from scientists, police officers, community workers, and more. By the time students leave Northwood Academy they have a wealth of knowledge and experiences that textbooks simply can’t teach. It is the goal of Northwood Academy to send forth citizens that contribute, care, and are lifelong learners.

Northwood Academy is always open to new ways in which our students can be part of the community. If you have any suggestions please contact Amy Kelly, the school’s Community Coordinator at akelly@northwoodcs.org.

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Outdoor Classroom at Frankford Friends is on Track for October Opening

The Frankford Friends School (FFS) planned outdoor classroom on the site of the Central Methodist Church building is moving ahead as planned we learned at a public meeting held on May 5th.  The purpose of the meeting was to inform the public about the results of the soil study of the site at 1515 Orthodox Street which was done by Duffield Associates.

When the church was demolished, a layer of fill was brought in to level off the lot.  The top 12 inches of the soil was tested and found to contain benzo(a)pyrene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene.  These are contaminants often found in fill in the city.  They can be found in engine oil, ash, exhaust, burned charcoal, etc. In high enough concentrations they can do unpleasant things to the human body.  Additional risk information at these links: benzo(a)pyrene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene

The levels found exceed what is permitted under the Statewide Health Standards for residential use but not for non residential use.  However schools are considered residential properties in Pennsylvania for this purpose and must comply with the residential standards.

Because the site will not be continuously occupied like a residence, Duffield did a site specific risk assessment to see what the exposures might be for the way this lot will actually be used.

They assumed exposure for 220 days per year for 8 hours each day which is far above what the actual use will be.  Using the EPA risk modeling program and assuming the maximum concentrations of the contaminants from the samples taken, they found that under those assumptions there is no unacceptable cancer risk.

Duffield recommended that the school incorporate the EPA’s best management practices for urban gardens:

  • Top dress the garden area with clean material.
  • Mulch walkways and other areas to reduce dusk.
  • Build raised beds for growing food crops.
  • Do not use certain type of treated lumber for raised beds.
  • Consider growing ornamental plants instead of food crops.

FFS intends to follow these recommendations.

With luck there should be a grand opening sometime this October.

 

 

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Colgate and Shoprite Celebrate This Year’s “RECYCLED PLAYGROUND CHALLENGE”

Beginning now through June 13, schools in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut and Maryland have a chance to win a new playground made completely of recycled material.

To be eligible, the schools must participate in the Oral Care Brigade™, a free recycling program run by Colgate and TerraCycle. Schools will earn one ‘Playground Credit’ for each shipment of empty toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, and floss containers sent to TerraCycle.  Schools can earn additional Playground Credits by voting online at www.terracycle.com/colgateshopriteplayground. Last year’s winner was BelovED Community Charter School in Jersey City, New Jersey with a total of 178,303 Playground Credits earned.

“Colgate is committed to contributing to our communities and respecting the environment,” said Justin Skala, President, North America and Global Sustainability, Colgate-Palmolive. “Programs like the Colgate® Oral Care Brigade™ and Recycled Playground Challenge offer us an innovative way to reinforce these commitments and for consumers to positively impact the environment by repurposing their Colgate® oral care products.”

This year’s school with the most Playground Credits will be announced as the winner by July 15 and the grand prize playground will be installed during the 2015/2016 back-to-school season. The first and second runner-up schools, as well as six honorable mention participants, will be awarded various upcycled prizes and ShopRite® gift cards.

In addition to donating gift cards for the runner-up schools, ShopRite is also encouraging community participation in the contest with displays throughout its stores.

“Partnering with Colgate and TerraCycle in this contest is a great way to engage ShopRite customers in our commitment to caring for the community,” said Christine Magyarits, ShopRite Community Relations Manager. “Not only did last year’s contest help us to encourage the community to recycle and preserve the environment, but it also brought so many smiles to children’s faces. We are excited to be bringing the Challenge back to our communities this year and look forward to meeting this year’s winner.”

“The benefits of this program are two-fold,” said TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. “Colgate and ShopRite made an important commitment to sustainability by partnering with TerraCycle, and for the second year in a row, they chose to take it a step further with a donation that will create a lasting impact for a deserving community.”

For instructions on how to participate in the Recycled Playground Challenge, please visit www.terracycle.com/colgateshopriteplayground or your local ShopRite retailer.

To learn more about the Colgate® Oral Care Brigade™ program and to sign up, please visit www.terracycle.com/colgate.

Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. Colgate-Palmolive sells its products in over 200 countries and territories around the world under such internationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Protex, Sorriso, Kolynos, elmex, Tom’s of Maine, Sanex, Ajax, Axion, Soupline, and Suavitel, as well as Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet. For more information about Colgate-Palmolive’s global business, visit the Company’s website at www.colgatepalmolive.com. To learn more about Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®, Colgate’s global oral health education program, please visit www.colgatebsbf.com.

ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States.  With more than 250 ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves more than six million customers each week.  A long-time supporter of key community efforts, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite has donated $37 million to 1,700 worthy charities and food banks since the program began in 1999.  As a title sponsor of the LPGA’s ShopRite Classic, ShopRite has raised more than $27 million for local organizations, hospitals and community groups. Progressive Grocer named ShopRite its 2011 Retailer of the Year and Supermarket News awarded ShopRite its 2011 Retail Excellence Award.  For more information, please visit www.ShopRite.com.

Founded in 2001, TerraCycle, Inc., is the world’s leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, ranging from used chip bags to coffee capsules to cigarette butts.  The waste is collected through free, national, brand-funded platforms called “Brigades,” as well as various consumer and government-funded models.  The collected waste is reused, upcycled or recycled into a variety of affordable, sustainable consumer products and industrial applications.  Each year, across 21 countries, TerraCycle collects and repurposes billions of pieces of waste, donating millions of dollars to schools and charities in the process. TerraCycle is the subject of a new half-hour comedy, ‘Human Resources,’ on Pivot TV. Season two airs August 2015. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in our recycling programs, please visit www.terracycle.com.