Welcome to Spaces and Moments: The Unquowa Blog Page
Something is always going on at Unquowa and this is the place to keep up with all the exciting happenings. Whether in the classroom, the makerspace, on stage, or at play, every space and every moment is a chance to discover, connect, learn, and have fun. Check here frequently for news, campus-wide events, and other highlights from around campus, all posted by our inspiring teachers!
The Shape of Things
Posted by Faith Barbuto
Our budding Pre-K mathematicians continued to work on shapes. We have been delving into complex shapes such as pentagons, hexagons and octagons. Counting and labeling sides was great number writing practice. Students have been making these shapes out of pipe cleaners and paper. Tying math into social studies we found examples of shapes on safety signs around the school both inside and out. In a math meets art activity, students used reusable stickers to copy shapes in some of our latest artist, Alexander Calder’s, artwork.
Sharing the Stories of Unsung Heroes Through Art and Writing
Posted by Krissy Ponden
The seventh grade recently shared the stories of Unsung Heroes, individuals who made a positive impact on the course of history, but were largely unrecognized during their lifetimes, at a special reception for family and friends. Students were tasked with selecting and interpreting one of these Unsung Hero’s stories through art. They were allowed to work in any media, and they conducted extensive research on their chosen hero. Students also wrote artist statements to accompany their artwork that discuss the Unsung Hero’s unique contribution, the student’s creative process and interpretation, the hero’s enduring legacy, and what each student learned from the process.
The students’ art and writing can be viewed in the online gallery. We hope that you are inspired by the students’ work as well as the legacies of these incredible individuals.
Language Learning Meets Real Life!
Posted by Thomas Iezin
Leaving the classroom to visit the Colombian restaurant Noches de Colombia, our 7th and 8th grade Spanish students didn’t just learn about Colombian culture, they experienced it firsthand. From traditional breakfast dishes like calentados to freshly baked favorites such as almojábanas, palitos de queso, and orejas, to fun drinks like limonada de cereza and limonada de coco, students explored new flavors while deepening their appreciation for the culture behind the language.
What made this field experience especially meaningful was the students’ commitment to using Spanish in real-world situations. They confidently placed their orders in Spanish and continued speaking the language throughout the entire experience. In fact, the immersion didn’t stop when they left the restaurant—on the bus ride, students were enthusiastically singing in Spanish and continuing conversations entirely in the language.
At one point, their dedication was so strong that even Mandarin students who shared the bus ride back from their field experience, jokingly expressed frustration—they couldn’t get their friends to switch out of Spanish! Moments like these highlight just how engaged and excited our students are about their language learning journey.
Fun Field Experience to G Mart
Posted by Carina Blackwell
Our Upper School Mandarin students recently participated in an immersive field experience to a local Asian market designed to extend classroom learning into an authentic, real world setting. Students completed a guided scavenger hunt that required them to locate specific ingredients and products needed to prepare dishes for an upcoming Food Taste event. While navigating the aisles, they practiced conversations in Mandarin by asking native speaking staff for help finding items and confirming product details, reinforcing vocabulary and functional language used in everyday shopping situations. 7th and 8th graders also selected a variety of authentic snacks sourced from across Asia. To encourage maximum language skills every student was tasked with speaking only Mandarin while shopping in the store.
This trip emphasized practical communication, cultural awareness, and confidence building. Students experienced firsthand how language functions in daily life, negotiated meaning in real interactions, and made culturally informed food choices. After they finished shopping and had a fun scavenger hunt, all the students enjoyed a cultural treat of bubble tea (zhēn zhū nǎi chá). We are grateful for the opportunity to offer students this meaningful cultural experience outside of the classroom. Their respectful engagement, curiosity and willingness to use Mandarin in authentic contexts exemplify our school motto- Unafraid Spirit.
Language Learning the Fun Way!
Posted by kellyyeh
Play! Play! Play! Learning a new language is exciting and fun!
In the Lower School Mandarin classroom, PreK students used face stickers to create animal faces. They had so much fun designing their own animals while learning vocabulary for different facial features.
Second graders played a game called “Draw My Little Monster.” Students drew a monster based on the teacher’s instructions. For example, they were given prompts such as, “The monster has five blue mouths” or “three small ears.”
Other grades used family member cards—similar to poker cards—to play a game. Students had to say sentences such as, “I have three older sisters,” in order to place their cards. The first student to get rid of all their cards won.
Every child loves to play. Learning a language through fun activities not only helps students build skills, but also keeps them interested and engaged. The Mandarin classroom atmosphere is lively, full of energy, and filled with fun!
Rot, Mold, and Magic: The Story of Pumpkin Rosie
Posted by Jennifer Do
This year, our kindergarten class embarked on a truly memorable science journey—one that started with a simple pumpkin in the fall and continued all the way through the seasons!
Back in October, we carved our classroom pumpkin and named it Pumpkin Rosie. We placed Pumpkin Rosie, guts and seeds and all, into a clear jar, sealed it tightly, and began a year-long observation experiment. The children made predictions about what might happen inside the jar over time—would the pumpkin stay the same, disappear, or turn into something new?
With our sealed jar, we were able to safely observe the changes up close throughout the year while keeping everything contained.
What We Observed Over Time
- Fall: We noticed moisture forming inside the jar and some fogging on the glass. After about 4 weeks, we observed, what the students described as, “cotton” growing on Rosie’s head.
- Winter: The children were fascinated by the different colors and textures appearing inside the jar, and in time we saw more visible mold growth and further decomposition.
- Late Winter: The pumpkin had mostly decomposed into a dark, soil-like material.
- Early Spring: Something amazing happened—pumpkin seeds inside the jar began to sprout! The students were so excited to discover new life growing from Pumpkin Rosie. Each day, the students checked to see if she had more babies! The babies grew so tall in the jar that we had to remove the top.
- This week: We carefully removed the seedlings and planted them into individual pots, so each child could take one home and continue observing and caring for their plant.
What We Learned
Through this long-term experiment, students explored important science concepts in a hands-on way:
- Decomposition: We learned how organic materials break down over time, even in a sealed environment.
- Life cycles: The children saw how a pumpkin changes from fresh to fully decomposed.
- Role of air and moisture: The sealed jar helped us think about what is needed for things to decompose.
- Observation skills: Students practiced being scientists by making predictions, noticing changes, and discussing their ideas.
