MercuryNews.Com – March 24, 2009: Congratulations to Kristina Bither, Gr. 12, for making the All-Mercury News Honorable Mention list for girls soccer. Read the full article.
CBS 60 Minutes – March 22, 2009: Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes filmed a segment on Mensa at last summer’s convention in Denver. Julian Wise, Gr. 10, appears about 4.5 minutes in to the segment.
sjsuspartans.com – March 18, 2009: Jason Martin ’07, son of Steve Martin, Harker’s executive chef, is mentioned in the game review post as starting off the two-game series with a three-run homer. Read the full article.
Gentry Magazine – Feb., 2009: Great feature with photos on the opening of Nichols Hall and promotion of the fashion show.
The librarians at Harker are striving to make the summer reading activity more fun and more flexible. We believe that leisure reading is one of life’s most engaging, relaxing and educational experiences.
Here is a list of changes in the summer reading program in Gr. 1-12:
In Gr. 1-8, students will still be required to read three books during the summer. Depending on the grade they are entering, there will be between zero to two specific titles they must read. The remaining books must be selected from the booklist for their grade.
In order to earn a reading pin, students must read five books this summer.
The five must include any required titles plus additional titles from the recommended book lists. This is a reduction of books required for a pin in the past. Please note that we are not reducing our standards. We wish to include more children in the pursuit of reading books for pleasure.
To provide a wider selection of books, the booklists will list authors, not titles. In the younger grades, these authors will be tied to names of series, as so many of the early readers are published in this manner. Students may read as many titles from one series as they like. In the older grades, authors will be associated with genres, such as fantasy and mystery. This will guide them towards books they enjoy. Students may read any book written by the author on their list. Parents might want to guide their children in selecting a title for his or her reading level, as authors write for different audiences.
In Gr. 9-12, the librarians have designed a program called ReCreate Reading. In addition to the reading required by the English department, a student’s leisure book can be the same title that will be discussed by several students or one that will be discussed in a multi-title group. Advisors will lead the discussions. Preparation for this program is in full swing and is generating a lot of excitement. More information will be on our Web site in early May.
I know I’ll be ordering more reading pins this summer and I shall be delighted
to do so.
Enid Davis, Library Director
P.S. Check out our new database BookBrowse for your leisure reading needs!
We are all members of the Harker community and it is important for us all to participate by helping to fund the myriad of programs that benefit all students. Did your child perform in the dance show? Play soccer for Harker? Participate in a lecture in one of our multimedia classrooms? Enjoy a class party? Check out a book from the library? These are just a few examples of student activities annual giving dollars fund.
This is the time of the year when we make our final push to secure the greatest percent of participation in this year’s annual giving campaign. Last year, 80 percent of parents made charitable contributions to the school and we are hoping to meet or exceed that level this year. Having a high percentage of participation puts us in the best possible position to receive foundation and corporate grants. These funding sources want to add value rather than replace stakeholders’ participation. In fact, last year our significant gain in parent participation was the reason we received a $250,000 grant.
We appeal to you to make your annual giving gift now for 2008-09 if you haven’t done so already. Your contribution will show your suppor t of our students and teachers, and you will help us improve our chances of receiving additional grants.
Please contact Melinda Gonzales, director of development, at melindag@harker.org with any questions.
Three product planners from Luidia, Inc., the San Carlos company that makes eBeam, an interactive classroom presentation software used at Harker, dropped by in mid-April to observe their product in use in order to make functional changes. They visited a number of classrooms in the US and LS to observe and talk to users, and held one-on-one interviews with teachers to gain feedback. As a result Harker has received new eBeam calibration tips from the company, which, presumably, will be rolled out to other eBeam customers.
Food safety has garnered media attention a lot in the past few years, especially with the recent salmonella outbreak in peanut butter. This reminds us to practice safe food handling at home and school. Some reminders include:
1) Wash hands and wrists for 20 seconds before eating or prepping food.
2) Use a thermometer to ensure proper cooking temperature.*
3) Defrost meat, poultry and fish in the refrigerator (vs. sitting out on the kitchen counter).
4) Use separate cutting boards for raw meat and veggies.
5) Place leftover foods in the fridge within two hours of removing from the stove or oven.
6) Store hot foods in shallow containers, allowing them to cool down a bit before placing them in the fridge (otherwise a big pot of chili will take 24 hours to get to proper temperature allowing bacteria to grow in the chili and causing the interior temperature of the fridge to rise).
Of course, sometimes germs can be our friends. Even our own intestines contain a generic E. coli that helps to digest our food. Foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, sourdough bread, cheese, buttermilk and yogurt contain bacteria or yeast. Sometimes you will note that yogurt may list “live cultures” on the container, usually referring to two bacteria: lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.
Recently the big marketing push has been probiotics. In simple terms probiotics are friendly bacteria similar to those found in our intestines. The idea goes back to good vs. evil, meaning our health may be related to how many good bacteria are in our intestines vs. bad bacteria. Although there is promising evidence that shows probiotics can help with diarrhea, much of the research has been conducted on animals. Prebiotics, foods that contain fiber, may also show up on grocery shelves. This is one of those times, though, when it is important to state “buyer, beware,” as products may be way ahead of the science. Fortunately the National Institute of Health is very interested in the topic and over time we will see what is truth and what is fiction. Eventually we may be able to identify what each bacterium does and how much is needed. Right now there is no label law for probiotics. This would be helpful as some research has shown that live bacteria in the amounts of 5 to 10 billion are needed for beneficial results. It is important to note that fruit and veggies have natural prebiotics and do promote healthy germs, while decreasing animal protein intake can decrease the bad bacteria in our intestines.
Even though research needs to continue, yogurt is still a great snack to enjoy, whether or not it contains live cultures. Select yogurt low in sugar and artificial ingredients. A great yogurt to enjoy is Greek-style yogurt. Make sure to select nonfat or lowfat yogurt. One brand, Fage, is zero percent fat and half a cup contains only 60 calories (and live cultures). It is very creamy and rich tasting. Kids may not like the sour taste but this is easy to mask with a little bit of honey and you can also add raisins. For a tasty dessert, bake blueberries or strawberries in the oven (add a little bit of sugar and mix). After the fruit bakes for about 10-15 minutes you’ll have a syrup-like mixture. Poor this over your Greek yogurt and enjoy.
*For proper temperature guides go to: http://aids.about.com/od/nutrition/a/foodtemp.htm
Winery owner and connoisseur Al Drewke hosted a memorable afternoon for ten lucky couples on March 21.
A featured auction sign-up at last fall’s Ye Olde Family Picnic, “the Roudon-Smith Tour is one of our most popular packages, and sells out in a hurry!” noted auction co-chair Becky Cox. Cox and her husband John were in attendance along with auction co-chair Lori Saxon and husband Ron, Kim and Pierre Pellissier, Pam Dickinson and John Near, Kathy and Steve Polzin, Jane and Butch Keller, Punita and Robert Bigler, Denise Broderson, Carol Underwood, Jianmei Piao and Haiping Jin.
The afternoon began outdoors with wine tasting and appetizer pairings.
Next came the tour, the history…and then the rain, which made for a cozy and memorable afternoon. Tasting and lunch continued indoors in the bottling room, which was a special treat, as were the souvenir bottles of Cabernet. The food was “amazing,” thanks to Harker’s own culinary staff, and the wine, “the best!”
“It was so much fun!” said long-time supporter and Harker Picnic auction enthusiast Kathy Polzin.
“Great people, great wine, great food! We’re all looking forward to signing up again next year!”
In April, members of our Parent Development Council enjoyed lunch on campus with their children. This luncheon has become an annual event where students and school administrators show their appreciation to the parent volunteers who help raise money for annual giving.
Parents of LS students grabbed their trays and learned about the intricacies of the school salad bar. MS parents sampled the wide array of lunchtime offerings with their children, and parents of US students enjoyed the AP Studio Ar t Show as part of their luncheon.
– Congratulations to Aarthi Ragupathy, application specialist for Harker, on the birth of her second daughter! Arshia was born March 11, weighing in at 6 lbs., 20 inches. All are doing well.
– Evan Barth, US math teacher, will be the US’s first dean of studies starting in the 2009-10 school year. Barth, who has been at Harker for nine years, will meet with all incoming US families to create and track a four-year academic plan. In addition, Barth will lead efforts on academic integrity education and conduct informational evenings for MS parents to acquaint them with the US curriculum. Barth has served on the Honor Council, is freshman class dean this year, and has served as both a head varsity girls soccer coach and an assistant varsity girls volleyball coach.
– Chris Daren, Winged Post advisor, received a Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Key award at a special luncheon in late March at Columbia University. Gold Key recipients are recognized for excellence in teaching journalism and in advising student publications. Only eight Gold Keys were awarded this year.
– MS music teacher Susan Nace performed with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus on April 19, singing songs inspired by poetry from e.e. cummings, as well as Or ff’s famous “Carmina Burana.”
– In March, MS English teacher Linda Felice participated in reviewing tests for the ERB (Educational Records Bureau), which provides assessment tests for many schools.
Reviewers came from all over the country. “It was extremely cool,” said Felice. Participants were reminded to keep all materials secure and confidential and found the process includes writing questions, reviewing them, field tests, statistical reviews and operational tests. The tests Felice reviewed will be the first tests offered online.
A good test question is clearly worded, grade-level appropriate and able to be answered correctly by students who have obtained the specific skill being measured, Felice was told. In addition, the question should assess comprehension of the skill, not the item, assess a range of achievement, offer only one correct answer and contain only plausible distractors, among other requirements.
Test items must avoid stereotypes or reference to specific geographical, ethnic, socio-economic, religious or gender data, among other things. When the reviewing star ted in earnest, “we logged on, said hello, and set right to work,” said Felice. “At the end of both days, we were all totally exhausted. It was very, very intense.”
Felice was happy about two things: having the opportunity to look behind the scenes at the creation process and seeing many of my own suggestions actually incorporated into the tests.
The process was rewarding to Felice on a classroom level, too. “I was pleased to learn … that the skills I am currently teaching my students will enable them to per form well on the ERBs. I am happy to know that, without changing anything, I am already preparing my students for these standardized tests they will be taking in the future.”
Ice skating came to Harker in late March to the delight of young and old. About 100 US students hit the rink and LS students came over for some fun, too. “There were tons of third graders at the upper school enjoying the rink before the high school kids had their social,” said teacher Elise Schwartz. “I sent out an email to all my classes and met up with several of my third graders at the rink. We had a blast skating together – the kids were really cute!”
The California Junior Classical League Convention came to Blackford in late March for a weekend of toga-clad competition. In the end, Harker students graced many top spots. US participants tied for first place overall and shared second place in the HS Advanced Certamen (Latin quiz bowl) category.
US students had many stand-out individual performances. Brandon Araki, Gr. 11, earned first in Vocabulary and second in Ancient Geography. Araki also took second in Certamen, as did classmates Monisha Dilip and Alex Han and senior Alex Hu. Han also finished first in Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations and Latin derivatives. Maggie Woods, Gr. 11, took first in Reading Comprehension and Pentathlon. Sophia Gilman, Gr. 12, finished second in Chess and fourth in Advanced Reading Comprehension, while Sohini Khan, Gr. 11, came in second in Advanced Grammar and fourth in Advanced Reading Comprehension.
At HS Level Three, Harker swept Sight-Reading Latin Prose with freshmen Prag Batra, Jessica Lin, Ramya Rangan earning first, second and third, respectively. Similarly, Rangan, Alexander Hsu, Gr. 9 and April Luo, Gr. 10, swept Advanced Reading Comprehension. Batra also earned third in Dramatic Interpretation of Poetry. Lin took first in Roman Daily Life and fourth in Roman History and Latin Derivatives. Rangan earned third in Dramatic Interpretation of Prose and fourth in Advanced Grammar, Phillip Oung, Gr. 9, placed second in Mythology while Christophe Pellissier, Gr. 9, placed third in Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations.
Eric Henshall, Gr. 9 and Daniel Nguyen, Gr. 12, took third and fourth places in High School Level One Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations, respectively.
The MS also had a very successful weekend, taking first place overall, second in the Scrapbook contest and third in MS Advanced Certamen. Oishi Banerjee, Gr. 7, was the big winner, earning first place in all individual categories: Arts, Academic and Combined. Banerjee placed first in Original Poetry and Advanced Daily Life, second in Advanced Latin Oratory, Dramatic Interpretation and Mythology, and third in That’s Entertainment and Modern Myth. Banerjee even placed in the high-school level Vocal contest, taking third. Her team, which included classmates Kevin Duraiswamy and Brian Tuan, placed third in the MS Advanced Team Certamen.
Jenny Chen, Gr. 8, took first in the Girls 400 and 100-meter track races, and tennis, tied for second Advanced Reading Comprehension and took second in Advanced Grammar.
Kevin Duraiswamy, Gr. 7, took first in the small models contest, won second in Advanced Reading Comprehension and Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations, and third in Advanced Latin Oratory.
Zina Jawadi, Gr. 7, earned first in Advanced Latin Oratory, second in MS 1 Sight Latin Reading, and third in the Girls 400 and 100-meter track races.
Eighth grader Suchita Nety’s team won first in the Open Certamen, second in the Greeting Cards and Advanced Pentathlon, and third in Advanced Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations. Madhuri Nori, Gr. 6, earned first in Dramatic Interpretation, third in Jewelry and MS 1 Reading Comprehension, and an Honorable Mention in MS 1 Mythology.
Ashvin Swaminathan, Gr. 8, took first in HS Level 2 Latin Oratory, MS Advanced Vocabulary and Advanced Grammar. His team also earned second in HS Level 2 Team Certamen with Gr. 8 teammates Pranav Sharma (winner of the MS Advanced Pentathlon and second in HS Level 2 Latin Oratory) and Richard Fan, who earned second and third spots in MS Advanced Ancient Geography and Advanced History, respectively.
Anika Ayyar, Gr. 7, won first in Dramatic Interpretation, third in the Team Certamen and Honorable Mentions in Daily Life and Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations.
Molly Wolfe, Gr. 8, took first in the essay contest, second in dance and third in Advanced Vocabulary.
Annirudh Ankola, Gr. 6, won first for Male Costume, second in Chess and third in Traditional Photography.
Angela Gu, Gr. 6, took first in MS Level 1 Mythology and Urvi Gupta, Gr. 7, placed first in Advanced Reading Comprehension. Her team took second in the Open Certamen.
In addition to taking second place in HS Level 2 Team Certamen with Swaminathan, Fan and Pranav Sharma, eighth grader Anuj Sharma (no relation) finished first in MS Advanced Mottoes, Quotes and Abbreviations.
Helena Huang, Gr. 7, took first in Piano and Rasika Raghavan, Gr. 6, placed first in Arts – Miscellaneous. Aadyot Bhatnagar, Gr. 6, earned first in Vocabulary and second in Derivatives. To add to his first place finish in Advanced Ancient Geography, Nik Datuashvilli, Gr. 8, took first in MS Open Certamen with teammates Suchita Nety, Gr. 8, and Nicky Semenza, Gr. 7.
In Multimedia, Simran Singh, Gr. 6, took second and an Honorable Mention in Level 1 Reading Comprehension. Seventh grader Allison Chang took second in Individual Scrapbook, while Michael Cheng, Gr. 8, was third in Advanced Grammar. Eighth graders Eric Zhang earned second in Advanced History, and Shannon Su received an Honorable Mention for Advanced Grammar. Other Honorable Mentions went to Richard Min, Gr. 7, for Advanced Mythology, Laura Pedrotti, Gr. 8, for Advanced Derivatives, Sahana Rangarajan, Gr. 6, for Level 1 Derivatives and Sahithya Prakash, Gr. 7 for Level 1 Reading Comprehension.