In early April, Gr. 6 students used their school laptops to work on experiments that they designed themselves. “This is the first year that the sixth grade has had laptop computers and they are an amazing resource for learning science by doing science,” said Daniel Sommer, who, along with colleague Ben Morgensen, is running the activities in their science classes. “The students have already completed seven computer-based labs this year, but this week they got to ask a scientific question and design an experiment to test their own hypothesis,” said Sommer.
“My students probably completed 30-plus different experiments today related to heat, heat transfer, magnetism, density, temperature of a chemical reaction, and basic physical proper ties of matter,” he added. “This was a great culminating activity for ever ything students have learned about experimental design, especially identifying their experimental variable and controlling variables.”
“It also gave them an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use the Logger Lite data collection software we have been using this year,” said Sommer. ”I am sure ‘design your own experiment’ week will be a highlight of the sixth grade science curriculum for many years to come.”
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.
Bucknall received a special visit from author Debbie Yamada on March 18. Yamada is the author of “Striking it Rich: Treasures From Gold Mountain,” a historical fiction piece about the life of Chinese miners during the gold rush. The visit coincided with lessons about the Gold Rush in Gr. 3 and Gr. 4 history classes.
San Jose Taiko returned with their high-energy Japanese style drumming to the MS gym in early April. The group last performed at Harker in 2005. On this visit, students enjoyed the deep rhythms only a big drum can provide and learned the history behind the ritual performances as well.
The Gr. 3 class took a trip to the Oakland Museum on Feb. 18 as a special addendum to their lessons about California history. “The museum has always had a terrific California history display which brought history alive for the students,” said history teacher Howard Saltzman.
Students viewed exhibits containing information about the Native American population in California, the mission system and the California gold rush. “I had quite a few students running up to me saying that the docents showed them artifacts and talked about what we had been learning in the classroom,” Saltzman noted.
Gr. 3 science teacher Tamara Kley-Contini also had the students spend some time at the museum’s natural history section.
Saltzman said the museum will be closed for approximately a year to complete renovations that have been ongoing for the previous two years. “We will all look forward to the completion of this renovation project,” Saltzman said.
Asked about knowledge, Gr. 3 students had some diverse opinions!
Vanessa Tyagi defined knowledge as, “The smartness you have. You get it by studying and going to school.”
Albert Drewke also says that knowledge is a good thing to have. “It helps you learn and helps you grow up into big strong people that know a lot.”
Victor Shin added, “I use knowledge to help me study.”
Raveena Panja concurred, and further explained how one obtains knowledge. “Knowledge is something that’s in your brain. You get it by studying and doing lots of homework, and from your parents. Anybody you know can give you lots of knowledge. It’s a good thing to have because then you can think better!”
Kevin Xu reflected on the purpose of having knowledge. “I think knowledge is important because it educates people for the future. You get it from school, parents and sometimes summer camps.”
Krishna Bheda said that knowledge is, “What you know in your brain and you get it by going to school, by learning math and language arts and science and history. And when you go to college you take tests and when you get out of school you know a lot of stuff. When someone asks you something you’re supposed to know, you can tell it to them.”
Mateusz Kranz sees value in knowledge. “Knowledge is good because it helps you be a teacher when you want to grow up and be a teacher. I don’t know what I want to be but knowledge helps me now. I know when to get to class on time and it helps me when I’m studying.”
St. Patrick’s Day was a fun-filled day for LS students, who got to share in the cheer with free dress. All over campus, students wore green clothing, hats, face paint and other celebratory decorations.
Kindergarten teacher Gerry-louise Robinson’s homeroom students made special houses in which to house their personal leprechauns, which were actually photos of the students sticking their faces through a leprechaun cut-out.
The kids also heard Irish-themed stories such as “Jamie O’Rourke & the Big Potato,” “Finn & the Fairy of Tara” and “The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day.”
Colleen Lindsay, who also teaches kindergarten, had her homeroom students bring in various types of green gifts such as candy, coins and stickers. The night before St. Patrick’s Day, the kids made “leprechaun catchers” and set them out around campus, which by the next day had been pilfered of their “gold.”
Swimmer Andrew Chin, Gr. 12, was honored on his very own Senior Night in early April for his great participation on Harker’s swim team. Chin, who will swim at the University of Pennsylvania next year, has shown dedication to the sport, and Harker honors his contribution, as well as all other senior athletes this year.
Gr. 3 English teacher Elise Schwartz’ homeroom students were treated to a special Easter celebration on April 10. Upon entering the classroom, the students learned that the conniving Easter Bunny Sneaky Pete had stashed various types of eggs throughout the room. Students were promptly dispatched to ferret out one type of each egg and discover the treats hidden inside. A list of clues was provided that hinted at the contents of each egg. For instance, an egg with a funny face would contain a pencil grip, and the student would be led to the egg with the clue, “Get a grip on your life with a funny face egg.” Because each student only got one of each type of egg, every student was assured to get the same number of eggs and prizes.
To sweeten the morning, donuts and juice were also served after the kids had finished their hunt.
Harker students took five prizes in the 2009 Primary Math World Contest Team Tryouts. Cindy Liu, Gr. 6, David Zhu, Gr. 4 and Shaya Zarkesh, Gr. 3, all took first place in their grades; Aneesh Samineni, Gr. 4, took third place in his grade; and Rachel Wu, Gr. 6, took fourth place in her grade. Zhu, Wu and Liu all finished in the top 10 percent and have been invited to a 12-week training course to prepare them for the next level. “I especially would like to commend David Zhu who is the first fourth grader ever ranked in the top 10 (he was actually tied for first) in the history of this contest for the past five years,” said Ewa Garg of MathEdge, which hosted the event. “Given the highly competitive nature and difficulty of this contest, these students have my deepest congratulations!”