Portfolio Middle School Teacher Jordan Creenaune also moonlights with the New York Session Symphony. Here he excels at both Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” on violin and a discussion of democracy on voting day. #middleschool #teacherstyle #teacherlife #teachersfollowteachers

Portfolio upper elementary students are making their own films using the magic of the green screen and digital editing. As part of our Heroes Unit, students are writing, storyboarding and directing their own stories of heroism. Stay tuned for our December film premiere!

Are fidgets distracting toys, or valid learning tools that can help students focus under the right conditions? If fidgets are going to enter the classroom, here are some best practices many teachers employ. #fidgets #learning #elementaryeducation #sensory #teacher

Portfolio students are learning to create realistic portraits this fall as part of our Heroes Unit. Here's a little bit of their work, along with some timeless tips for drawing accurate faces with good proportions.

Middle Schoolers learned about long exposure photography by creating light paintings. They took 5 second photos to create intentional blur, and LED flashlights to draw shapes. Try this at home if you have a camera that controls shutter speed and let us know how it went!

Upper Elementary and Middle School had a great field trip to the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. We are just starting our Heroes Unit, in which students will collaborate to make a movie about heroism. We learned about animation, silent film, live broadcast, and more!

We always start elementary lunch at Portfolio with our special chant. It helps ground us, reminds us of the spirit of kindness we want to bring to our lunch sessions, and helps students of different ages and class groups to get on the same page.

Every September Portfolio students and teachers brainstorm names for each age group as a form of community building. Our 2023 names are locked and we are eager to share them with you!

At Portfolio School, students help brainstorm names for their classes every September. We cut out the different words they suggested and tried to find a way to combine everyone's ideas. It's always an interesting challenge. Stay tuned to find out which fun names we land on!

K/1 students were challenged to build structurally sound chairs for their favorite stuffed animals using only floppy chipboard and tape. They used strong engineering shapes like cylinders and triangular trusses to create platforms that could hold under the weight of many blocks.

Amanda Grutza teaches Computational Thinking, Middle School Homeroom, and Afterschool Robotics at Portfolio School. On top of all that, she's active in the @girlscouts, creates amazing taco-making robots for the @makerfaire and can operate large-scale farm machines if needed!

Crafting great classroom stations and spaces is a classic fall ritual for teachers. As we look forward to the start of school next week, 3 Portfolio educators share favorite new innovations they are creating in their rooms.

3D Printing is a newer technology, and clay is an ancient one, but they work so well together! Our Design and Making Teacher David recently visited @AndersonRanch where some incredible craftspeople combine Computer Aided Design and classic hands-on techniques.

Portfolio Kindergarten Teacher Laura Young is an expert quilter in the summer, working from the woods of Michigan. A quilt is a challenging, time-intensive project that benefits from the stamina and energy of a parent or great teacher. #crafts #teachersfollowteachers #craft

Portfolio 1st and 2nd graders learning about electronics built a Moon-themed board game and created a TV commercial to advertise it. As your game piece moves around the board, it completes different circuits, activating lights, motors and speakers. #makerspace #throwbackthursday

Boat making, like all forms of design, can be frustrating! We build version one, and it sinks, so we build version 2 and it. goes in circles. But real inventors laugh, sigh and move forward. #stemeducation #designthinking #makerspace #boatmaking #mechanicalengineering

RT @LCCollaborative: Insights abound in our latest 3-part collaboration with @portfolioK12! peek into how Portfolio School designs for a #L….

Back in fall 2020, Portfolio students had to learn odd new routines around masks and cleanliness. So we did our best to turn it into a project where students could experience some agency and creativity. Kids made their own faceshields, and made a 90's style commercial for them!

Portfolio Teachers have interesting passions and a little time off in the summer to pursue them. Our Design and Making Teacher David continues to make during the summer, perhaps in a less elementary school style. #makersgonnamake #designthinking #teachersfollowteachers