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Randolph School Encourages Students To Engage With Community

WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. -- The learning experience at Randolph School in Wappingers Falls includes providing opportunities for students to actively engage with members of the community.

Randolph students during a sing-a-long at Elant.

Randolph students during a sing-a-long at Elant.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Randolph School's 7-year-old Jude Williams sings with seniors at Elant.

Randolph School's 7-year-old Jude Williams sings with seniors at Elant.

Photo Credit: Skip Pearlman

Recently, Randolph's students from kindergarten through fifth grade visited the Elant senior housing facility in Beacon.

Students ages 5 through 11gathered with the elders of the outer community in song. Nestled between cozy arm and wheelchairs, the children sang a few school favorites like "Yuki", "My Favorite Things," "Over the River and Through the Wood," "If I Had a Hammer," "Lean on Me" and "This Land is Your Land" for and with their older friends.

In return, the attending seniors treated the students to their special serenading rendition of "Let Me Call You Sweetheart," leaving all the vocalists feeling warm, happy and satisfied, according to a release from Randolph School.

“I really like when they sang that song to us,” said 8-year old Lauren Antonucci, “because I never heard that song before!”

According to Randolph’s second/third-grade teacher, Goldy Safirstein, “Children at Randolph learn in mixed-age groups. They’re used to being around a wide variety of people and tend to exhibit a natural sense of comfort in environments where other children might feel shy. Coming to the senior home seemed like a good fit for us, and it was!”

Randolph School teachers combine their knowledge of child development and learning goals with students’ interests to craft a dynamic and engaging curriculum that encourages the growth of higher level critical thinking skills, the release said.

Information and materials are presented in a challenging, relevant and open-ended way. The teachers' progressive, hands-on approach to learning incorporates multi-age groupings, a commitment to diversity, a passion for the arts and the natural environment and an emphasis on making meaningful connections with the  community.

Their mission is to encourage the development of a lifelong love of learning in every child, according to the release.

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