Have you ever listened to a podcast? We have! Seventh graders have just begun what will be a long-term speaking/audio project resulting in a podcast. Both Spanish classes and computer classes have joined forces to aid seventh grade in their venture. For their first step, students have had to identify and learn twenty common classroom items. Students are currently working on the mastery of the audio script, which they will be responsible for delivering via multiple sound files on the computer. What better way to learn the audio script? Practice! Practice! Practice! Seventh graders from both classes paired up last week to help each other and model their work for the class.

The seventh grade is embarking upon their ArtLink project. The goal of this experience is to use the international language of art to share what we value in our culture with a school in another country. Our partner school is in Ryazan, Russia, and we are hoping to receive similar pictures from them in December or January. We will use these pictures to supplement our study Russia and their culture. We may also have the opportunity to set up a video conference with our partner school, which will allow the students to see one another and ask more direct questions.

The student’s art work will also be submitted for evaluation by a panel of judges and may be selected to hang in an international art show which will open on May 17, 2012 at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT. Mark your calendars now!

The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders had their fall social at Nutmeg Bowl!  The night started out with pizza, followed by bowling and dancing which led to plenty of fun for all who attended.  The social is a great opportunity for kids in the various grades to mix and just have some good old fun!  With balls flying down the lane, kids dancing, and good times all around, it was definitely a great time.  A special thanks to the Unquowa Parents’ Association who organize this for our kids!  They certainly had a great time!

Have you ever realized how many famous people are Spanish-speakers? Once you start to think about it, you realize that there are more than you might have initially thought. Each student was charged with selecting a famous person who has either Spanish or Hispanic roots. The student, hiding behind a head shot of their celebrity, introduced him or herself to the class in Spanish stating basic facts (name, age, origin, profession). After listening, class members enjoyed asking questions about the celebrity.

Google doodles have become a worldwide phenomenon, with over 1,000 different versions created in the past decade. The doodles periodically replace the well-known Google logo on the search engine’s homepage on different holidays and events. The seventh graders looked at different examples of doodles over the years and discussed the elements that could be replaced while still preserving the identity of the logo. Some doodles kept the Google color-scheme, for example, while others kept the word but changed the overall feeling with color and pattern. The seventh graders each designed a doodle for Unquowa, incorporating imagery and themes related to our school. They started by drawing their logos by hand, and then they scanned them into the computer and finished them in Photoshop. Who knows? You might one day open your browser to find an Unquowa-themed doodle in place!!

Seventh grade loves Spanish!  As we start the year reviewing and calling forth knowledge from last year through notes, skits, and videos, we have also begun an “Amigotes y Amiguitos” project.  Once a week the seventh graders (amigotes - big buddies) team up with the kindergartners (amiguitos- little buddies).  To begin, we are studying the alphabet, learning new words, and practicing pronunciation.  As the seventh graders put their Spanish to the test to teach and mentor their amiguitos, they are perfecting their own pronunciation and foundation in the alphabet.   At the same time, they are developing their leadership and teaching skills while building the Unquowa community.

The seventh grade, in collaboration with English, have been studying Africa. We began with a review lesson on how to read physical and political maps and reintroduced climate, population density, precipitation and natural resource maps. In our study of North Africa we worked to create a timeline of events, beginning with the Ancient Egyptians and concluding with the independence movement of each country from their European controllers. Finally, students have researched and summarized last year’s political unrest in the countries of North Africa and the upcoming elections in several countries.

Seventh grade students participate in PE classes 5 days a week in addition to sports. Leadership is giving way to “captainships” and everyone is a candidate. Students fully understand the need for fitness warm-ups, sportsmanship and taking care of their bodies before and after sports. They participate in the Fairchester Athletic Association Independent School Sports League and they understand the need to prepare in PE class for competition.  Exercises include dynamic stretches, push-ups, chin-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks and various leg workouts. They complete a one mile run before soccer game play begins in the fall semester.

Among the many art forms that Bali is famous for, perhaps one of the most interesting is batik. Batik techniques have been practiced in Indonesia for over a thousand years, and today it is not only a way to decorate fabric for clothing and sarongs, but also a legitimate artistic medium. Originally the only colors used were indigo, brown, and white, which represented the major Hindu deities. The color palette has since expanded to include a vibrant rainbow of hues. Batik artists apply hot melted wax to a cloth to protect the fibers from colored dyes. The artist alternates between wax and dye until he has layered the cloth with all of his colors and patterns. The fabric is then dipped in a chemical and hot water bath to remove all traces of the wax and reveal the design. The seventh graders have been experimenting with batik techniques in class. We looked at many traditional Balinese paintings and fabric patterns for inspiration. The students are concurrently working on an actual batik on fabric and also a pattern study on paper. Images of the finished projects will be posted when they are complete!

The Summer 2011 issue of Pen & Paper, Unquowa’s Creative Arts Magazine, is published! You can find artwork, photography, poetry, and short stories created by the talented upper school students within its pages. Thanks to the hard work of student layout editors, this issue is beautiful. Thank you to all contributors and staff members for this wonderful display of Unquowa’s creative students. I look forward to seeing the future writing and artistic talents of fifth through eighth graders for the fall issue. Any upper school students interested in becoming staff members are welcome to join us this fall as well. Happy reading!

Summer 2011 Issue