Dragon Dispatches: From Flamenco to John D. Rockefeller on Trial, here are our Dragons’ Adventures in February!

Speyer Chess Dominates at New York State Scholastic Chess Championships!

TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS...AND MORE! Speyer’s Chess Team stunned the competition at the New York State Scholastic Chess Championship last weekend — once again proving we are a Dragon powerhouse!

Our K-1 and K-8 teams clinched first place and the NY State Champion titles in their divisions, while our K-3 and K-5 teams also flashed some excellence with second and third place finishes, respectively! And there is even more great news: in their divisions, our K-1U400 team placed sixth, our K-3U800 team placed eighth, and our K-5U1000 team tied for second! AMAZING!

And that isn’t it! Our Dragons were shining bright individually as well! Leon Y. tied for fifth in the K-1 division, while Ian S. tied for second and Abigail Z. tied for ninth in the K-5 division! In the K-8 division, Lev S. and Isaac S. tied for third and Sam N. tied for ninth! Meanwhile, Komei O. tied for third in the K-8 U1300 division. To add to the amazing individual results, Kanysh S. nabbed the second place U800 class prize in the K-1 division, Rigdol L. grabbed the second place unrated class prize in the K-1U400 division, Kai Y. earned the first place U1200 class prize in the K-3 division, and Idan Z. nabbed the first place U1600 class prize in the K-8 division! HUZZAH!

Our Speyer chess players made us proud once again — not just for their skills on the board, but for the way they value teamwork, determination, school pride, and camaraderie even more than the trophies they win. A huge shout-out to our amazing chess parents and our truly extraordinary chess coaches! GO DRAGONS!

First Graders Become Historical Time Travelers…Complete with Time Travel Helmets!

Recently, our First Grade students dove into imaginative inquiry when they were tasked to design and create time travel helmets using various crafting materials. Through this creative project, students imagined traveling back to learn about people and places from long ago.

To construct their helmets, they brainstormed what a historical explorer would need to time travel…and the list was endless. From temperature gauges to language translators, from lightbulbs to power buttons, our students were so creative. They sketched out a plan and then brought their ideas to life by securing materials all over their hats. The students also reimagined the use of traditional craft items such as pom poms, pipe cleaners and tin foil — straws became a water source and cotton balls transformed into a power button!

This hands-on project blends creativity, history, and curiosity, helping our first graders deepen their understanding of the past while engaging in meaningful and imaginative ways their time travel helmet can guide their learning!

Spotted on the Boulevard: Fourth Grade's Taíno Mini Museum!

Our fourth graders kicked off their study on the Columbian Exchange by learning about the Taíno, the indigenous group Columbus first encountered in the Caribbean. As part of their unit, students conducted a mini research project by choosing a topic they were interested in knowing more about — think Taíno housing, food and arming, religion and beliefs, social structure, language, and more! To complete their research, they read articles and watched videos about their chosen topic and recorded their findings in a notebook.

Our fourth graders then decided what medium would best convey what they had learned. Our Dragons used their creativity to display their research on posters, flashcards, dioramas, board games, and more — one student made a miniature version of the Taíno game of batey but modified it to be a single player. To accompany their projects, students wrote a short blurb explaining their research. It was then time for their mini museum to open! Fourth graders were able to see their classmates' projects and leave compliments, and faculty and staff also stopped by to see the wonderful creations.

The entire grade finished with a celebration including Taíno music and taste-testing native Caribbean crops: cassava chips and guava juice! It was a huge hit!

Spotted by Speyer's Science Labs: a 3-D periodic table created by our Fourth Grade scientists! 

Yes, our students have been studying the periodic table, as well as learning about atoms, atomic structure, and how atoms interact with each other. Each Dragon was assigned an element, which they researched using books, websites, and the periodic table itself. They then wrote about what they learned, presenting their findings in a multi-paragraph report and selected a few 3-D objects to represent their element in their box – we spotted bright pipe-cleaners representing neon lights, a model magic spacecraft showing a use for titanium, foil "jewelry" representing silver, and a real microchip illustrating how silicon is used! This fantastic interactive periodic table of elements was then put on display for the whole school to enjoy! Way to go, Fourth Grade scientists!

Spotted in our First Grade classroom: lots of spots…101 spots as a matter of fact! 

A tradition for the past few years, our First Grade Dragons celebrated the 101st day of school this week! Yes, they celebrate this day since they are in first grade and also to differentiate it from the 100th day of school they celebrate in Kindergarten.

As a lead up to this special celebration, they begin on the first day of school counting the school days, discussing place value, number sense, grouping, and so on to get to 101. To make it extra-special, everyone dressed up in black and white or like a dalmatian and enjoyed activities such as asking "What will I look like when I'm 101 years old?", "If I had 101 Dalmatians, I would…", and "If I had 101 of ______, I would ______!" They also brought in 101 items of anything they wanted, which they shared with each other via a gallery walk.

This day, wrapped in creativity and joy, highlights they've become 101 days smarter, stronger, kinder, and wiser!

Eighth Grade Travels to City Center for the 25th Flamenco Festival!

Our Eighth Grade Spanish students had the exciting opportunity to attend the 25th Flamenco Festival at City Center! Students saw performances by festival director Manuel Liñán, Olivier Award winner Eva Yerbabuena, member of multigenerational flamenco family El Farru, and rising star Juan Tomás de la Molía. 

Before attending the festival, students learned about the history and origins of flamenco. Students studied the development of this powerful art form in southern Spain through the cultural influences of Roma (Gitano), Andalusian, and Moorish traditions. They also explored the role of the abanico (fan), discovering the traditional “language of the fan.”

Witnessing live performances helps connect language and cultural studies students are learning in the classroom in an impactful and memorable way! 

What do you get when you roll a tennis ball, bounce it off three walls, and then hit a cup?

The study of geometric isometries! Our Eighth Grade Dragons were investigating fun consequences from reflecting points across lines. Given a pre-image (in this case, a cup), students found the image of the cup by reflecting it across a line (a wall of desks). Using painter’s tape, they drew line segments from the starting point to the reflected image of the reflected cup.

Our Dragons rolled the ball along the line segment, bouncing off the wall, hitting the cup. After reflecting the reflection and drawing a line segment to the new image, the ball bounced twice before hitting the cup. This process can be iterated over and over again, creating some cool trick shots!

The students' favorite part? Laughing at Mr. Blackman when he couldn’t roll the ball very well!

John D. Rockefeller takes the stand!

Our Sixth Grade Humanities classroom was turned into a courtroom! This wasn’t any trial in any courtroom; this was a trial in the Court of Ethics. The charges? John D. Rockefeller lived an unethical life, brought forward by plaintiff Ida Tarbell.

Our sixth graders are studying the United States during the age of expansion, specifically examining the life and impact of John D. Rockefeller and the rise of Standard Oil. Every student played a role in the case: from the prosecution team to courtroom artists, and witnesses to journalists.

The verdict? That depends on who you ask. From the ethicist: he lived his life in a moral grey area. How you view him depends on your ethical priorities – if you value fair business practices, Rockefeller lived an unethical life. If you value utilitarianism and philanthropy, he lived an ethical one!

Kudos to all of our sixth graders and a huge shout-out to our Humanities teachers Mr. Thoren and Mr. Coen for bringing this cool project to the curriculum!