What’s Happening
From September’s opening day to June’s closing ceremonies, we document and share events from all over our campus in an attempt to continuously communicate all the diverse goings-on at The Unquowa School. From school-wide events, assemblies, visiting presenters and other highlights from around campus, here’s a sample of what’s happening…
Bear Breaths!
Posted by Faith Barbuto
Our story this month was Goldilocks and The Three Bears so naturally our science focus turned to bears. We studied bears in winter and learned the term hibernation. It is a perfect time to weave in some mindfulness practices as we were introduced the practice of bear breaths. It is an amazing effective way to calm down quickly, even for grown-ups if you want to give it a try. You simply breath in deeply and hold for 3 counts, then exhale as you count to 3. To provide a concrete representation for the children we made our own bears and winter caves. The adorable bears were created by painting each child’s foot with brown paint. Once dry, details such as ears and eyes were added. Next I laminated the bears to make them more sturdy. The 3-D caves were made of paper bags and students added decorations of snow and symbols of trees. We practiced placing the bears in their caves while doing our breathing technique. The are eager to take them home and use them as a tangible way to destress!
Impactful Portraits
Posted by Krissy Ponden
The Memory Project is one of the most impactful and important projects that 8th graders do in visual arts. This year, our 5th participating in the project, we were given photos of 25 children in Cameroon who are living with the violence that has erupted in their country because of the ongoing Anglophone Crisis or Cameroonian Civil War. In addition to their portraits, this year the children also were asked to describe themselves in three words and what they wanted to be in the future. The qualities they chose were things such as “intelligent, hardworking, and determined,” and many dreamed of a future in healthcare or teaching. This information added to our understanding of these children and helped us paint a rich picture of their lives, both actually and theoretically. The Memory Project asks students to paint portraits of children who are living in challenging situations around the world as a way to spread kindness through art. Painting a portrait is an intimate process, and my students cultivate a connection to their subject over a period of several weeks of deep observation. It is a gift for the recipients, but also for my students to feel empathy and learn how to humanize communities that are frequently reduced to a news story or an unimaginable number. We take the time to learn about their struggles, but also the richness of their culture. It is truly an authentic learning experience for everyone. After the portraits are delivered to the children, The Memory Project sends us a video compilation of the children’s reactions to these personal gifts. The huge smiles on their faces makes the challenge of portrait painting worth it. We look forward to seeing this year’s video and participating in the project again next year.
Making Waves in 4th Grade!
Posted by Carlene Gordon
Fourth graders are discovering the many forms of energy including sound energy. Of course, we cannot see sound waves so we decided to make one that we can! Students were tasked with working together with the given materials to make a sound wave to demonstrate how energy travels. They assembled duct tape, skewers and the class favorite, gummy bears, to create one long sound wave. Observations were soon made on how the amount of energy in a wave determines frequency and wavelength. Equally impressive during this class activity, was how our fourth grade scientists were able to effectively manage themselves and work together to accomplish a task. With intentionally minimal teacher direction, our fourth grade scientists, quickly assembled themselves and got right to work in their own break-out groups and then came together for the final construction. Great job fourth grade!
Floating with the Music
Posted by Megan Kirk
Recently in PreK we talked alot about how music can make us feel. We listened to classical music that had a very soothing and floating feel. Using the scarves, students were able to show what they felt as the music was playing. After we described how it made us feel. The students really loved how the scarves could float – just like the music!
Virtual Tour – “Estamos bien”
Posted by Rebeca Espinosa
Students in 7th grade virtually enjoyed the Estamos Bien – La Trienal 20/21 exhibit at Museo del Barrio, which debuted in summer 2020. Students discovered the artistic landscape of Latinx, Caribbean, and Latin American cultures by experiencing virtual tours to unique creations. The 7th graders had the opportunity to interact and reflect on each creation.
According to the Museo El Barrio website, Estamos Bien – La Trienal 20/21 exhibit is the museum’s first national large-scale survey of Latinx contemporary art featuring more than 40 artists from the United States and Puerto Rico. The (S) Files exhibitions served as an inspiration and platform for emerging Latino and Latin American artists from the New York metropolitan region. The triennial borrows its title, Estamos Bien, from the artist Cándida Alvarez, a former member of El Museo’s curatorial team in the 1970s. “Her painting Estoy Bien (2017) takes its title from the resilient and obliquely sarcastic response to the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico”. All the creations presented during the virtual tour addresses race and identity problematics, “gentrification and displacement, climate change, and the particular effects of the global pandemic on Latinx and other BIPOC populations” (www.elmuseo.org)
A Visit to the Library During our Research!
Posted by Trésor Kayumba
5th Grade scholars took a trip to the Fairfield Woods Library and were excited to take their research further by experiencing the process of finding resources using library databases. Our scholars learned about the various resources the library has for furthering their learning as well as recreational activities. The trip revitalized their enthusiasm for the library and reflecting on their experience, one student exclaimed “I was glad to be there and see all the book options.”
Librarian Ms. Stephanie reflects on her time with us also, “I’m so glad I got to spend my morning with the Unquowa 5th graders! We had a great discussion about research techniques and all the resources the library has to offer – books, audiobooks, digital resources, and more. Students shared with me the frustration about searching the web for their research, so we discussed the pitfalls and money-grabbing methods of sites like Google. Also, some of us went outside and read this month’s Storywalk, We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. We change our Storywalk titles every month or two – so be sure to take a walk around the building the next time you visit us. I look forward to seeing you and your families at the library – be sure to stop in and say hi! Especially if you are a big Harry Potter fan… My office is bursting with HP things to see.”
We are eternally grateful to Ms. Stefanie because she did not hesitate to host us and was incredibly helpful to our class. We look forward to a partnership in which she will be a resource for us. In the meantime, please enjoy her presentation along with Fairfield Woods “Best of” booklists. Click here for: LIBRARY PRESENTATION. Click here for: FAIRFIELD LIBRARY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
