MARCH 2009 (VOL. 15, NO. 6)
M O N T H L Y
N E W S L E T T E R
inside Harker Speaker Series: Photographer Rick Smolan.......4
T H E
H A R K E R
S C H O O L
In January, the entire Gr. 6 class got the chance to interact with their Tamagawa buddies in real time using video teleconferencing. Using what they had learned in class, the students engaged in a questionand-answer session on various environmental science topics.
Book Review Opportunity.........7 Triple Championships for Basketball...............................9 Jump Rope Team Wows Assembly...............................12
“The students are paired up with a Tamagawa buddy in the fall. They e-mail this buddy throughout the year to discuss environmental issues as well as to get to know one another,” said Jennifer Abraham, director of global education. “The students created lists of questions here at school. However, they did not know what question they would be asked at the videoconference.” continued on pg. 16
Science Students Examine Own DNA..............................15 Entrepreneurs Do Well at First Competition............................17 Inserts in this issue: n Capital Giving Supplement n H&S Connection (K–Gr. 8 only)
Harker-Japan Videoconferences Exciting and Fun Videoconferences between kindergartners and their opposites at the Tamagawa School took place in late January in homerooms. Students wore their dress uniforms, green and black, with sweaters, for the events. Timing was tight to synchronize with Japanese time and limited seating allowed only for parents to attend, “to do everything we can to ensure that our kindergarten children can direct their full focus and attention on the videoconference,” said Sarah Leonard, primary division head. The conferences are part of the global education program, and students from all primary grades interact with their peers at the Japanese sister school throughout the year.
events
CO
F R O M
Real Time Environmental Q and A with Tamagawa Buddies and Sixth Grade
NC E RT
The first conference went well, with 22 Harker and 31 Tamagawa students participating. “We had the children give a tour of our classroom, show the process for making a pizza and sing songs in Japanese and English,”
An Evening of Jazz
continued on pg. 13
Jazz Band Concert
Fri., March 20, 2009
ACE Club Learns About Globalization with Food
7:30–9:30 p.m. Blackford Theater To purchase tickets e-mail tickets@harker.org
Presents Rick Smolan, photojournalist & author
March 12, 7 p.m. Nichols Hall
See pages 2 and 4 for details.
Globe – ONT Design
A
est. 1893 • K-12 college prep
In early Januar y, MS students in the Academic and Cultural Exchange (ACE) Club learned about the concept of globalization by enjoying a chocolate fondue par ty. Students discussed how the production and expor t of various food items by multiple countries allowed them to enjoy such a chocolaty feast. “From Swiss fondue and American strawberries, to Ivor y Coast’s cacao beans and Ecuador’s bananas, I hope the students better understand the concept of globalization,” said Jennifer Abraham, director of global education. Patricia White, MS histor y teacher, noted that the ACE Club students reflected Harker’s globalization as a collection of students from all around the world. To sum up her thoughts on the event, Gabriela Gupta, Gr. 6, exclaimed, “Globalization is yummy!”