Gr. 1 students spent nearly two weeks in March collecting money and necessities for the animals in the care of the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. More than $92 and 30 bags of goods such as pet food were gathered from March 16 to 27, which were stored in the Bucknall gym lobby alongside pictures of the Gr. 1 students and their pets. The donation was made just in time for the Human Society’s move to its new home in Milpitas.
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
Anne Kolker, MS, RD
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.
Grandparents…Shape our World
May 8, 2009
Bucknall Campus
Grandparents’ Day at The Harker School is a long-standing tradition. This is a day when students on the Bucknall campus have an opportunity to welcome grandparents or special grand friends to visit the school for a memorable afternoon in their honor.
Invitations for Grandparents’ Day were mailed in late March, so hopefully if you registered your grandparent or special grand friend they have received the invitation. Please make sure they RSVP to Denise Hayashi (deniseh@harker.org) if they plan on attending. Thank you!
Grandparents’ Day chairs this year are Kathy Richmond, Grace Thompson and Allison Vaughan.
– 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.”
Tags: Featured StoryOver fifty Harker MS students received awards at the National Latin Exam this year, including 11 gold medals and two per fect papers. The exam was taken by more than 135,000 students from the U.S. and 11 foreign countries.
Introduction to Latin (Gr. 6 except where noted): Outstanding Achievement: Ben Montrym (per fect paper), Aadyot Bhatnagar, Tiara Bhatacharya, Sahana Rangarajan, Madhuri Nori, Simran Singh, Angela Gu, Christopher Sund, Gr. 8, Jackelyn Shen, Lydia Werthen, Gr. 8, Maya Nandakumar; Achievement: Divyahans Gupta, Eric Holt, Reena Sandhu, Neel Bedekar, Rasika Raghavan, Annirudh Ankola, Sahithya Prakash, Gr. 7
Latin I (Gr. 7 except where noted): Gold/Summa Cum Laude – Oishi Banerjee, Kevin Duraiswamy, Helena Huang, Pranav Batra; Silver/Maxima Cum Laude – Saachi Jain, Brian Tuan, Richard Min, Sarika Bajaj, Arthur Shau, Connie Li, Anika Ayyar; Magna Cum Laude – Andrew Wang, Shenel Ekici, Urvi Gupta, Nikhil Dilip; Cum Laude – Tiffany Chu, Allison Chang, Piyush Prasad Gr. 8, Charles Manchester, Simon Orr, Gr. 8
Latin 2 (Gr. 8): Gold/Summa Cum Laude – Pranav Sharma (per fect paper for the third year), Ashvin Swaminathan, Anuj Sharma, Jenny Chen, Niharika Bedekar, Shannon Su, Michael Cheng; Silver/Maxima Cum Laude – Richard Fan, Suchita Nety, Jonathan Cho, Nikhil Baradwaj, Rahul Desirazu, Eric Zhang, Sean Fernandes, Ravi Tadinada; Magna Cum Laude – Nisha Bhikha; Cum Laude – Jacob Hoffman, Laura Pedrotti
Tags: LanguagesIn late March, several bags of toiletries were donated to the Gloria Travis Shelter for Women and Children. MS history teacher Pat White organized the donation with 11 of her Gr. 7 advisory students. The students collected items such as toothpaste, soap, shampoo and other items that were acquired by students, faculty and staff during the holiday break.
White’s advisor y helped sort and bag the items, three full shopping bags of which were donated during the week of March 30. The donation project continues throughout the year, and White expects that another donation will be made before the summer break.
The Harker Orchestra, led by director Chris Florio, traveled to New York in early April to compete in the National Orchestra Cup at Lincoln Center’s newly renovated Alice Tully Hall (see Harker News, Nov., 2008, page 1), where they earned a prestigious award and had a stellar time!
“Our students had a spectacular performance that truly captivated the judges and audience,” said Florio. “Although we were not awarded grand champions, we were given the festival staff award (the Forte Award), which is ‘awarded for positive attitude and best exemplifying the spirit of America and performance excellence.’ The festival staff stated that this award is very close to their hearts and not one that is given out lightly.”
Florio noted that another panel judge, who just happens to be a Saratoga High School graduate, “congratulated our orchestra on how high our performance level has become in such a short period of existence as an upper school. He was also very impressed that a high school orchestra could handle our difficult repertoire at such a high level.” Congrats to the 60+ members of the orchestra for an outstanding performance!
Tags: Performing Arts, toppaThe Gr. 8 trek to China was once again a gratifying and memorable experience for all involved.
After arriving in Shanghai, students had the opportunity to explore the city, see the sights, sample local eateries and of course, shop. On Monday morning, the students went to Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School (SWFLMS), whose own students treated them to a singing of their national anthem and school song. Harker students then got to learn about Chinese opera and play various instruments in the school’s Chinese music class.
The next day, students observed lessons and picked up a few more phrases to add to their Mandarin repertoire. They also got to view some fabulous artifacts and works of art at the Shanghai Museum, and some even made attempts to barter with the locals!
Tuesday’s real treat, however, was an acrobatic show that wowed those in attendance. “From hoops and trapeze to trampolines and motorcycles it was definitely a feast for the eyes!” said Jennifer Abraham, global education director.
The following day, the Harker group got to watch the SWFLMS students do their morning exercises. “It was quite a sight to see with hundreds of kids quickly, yet quietly, exiting the school and lining up on the sports field,” Abraham said.
More class observations followed, with some Harker students sitting in on an English class session. “The kids have commented on several differences between our two schools,” Abraham noted. “The two things that apparently stand out the most are that the teachers change classrooms, and not the students, and that they have a full 10 minutes between classes.”
Later that day, some students learned how to sing in Chinese during one of the language classes. “Surprisingly,” Abraham said, “the boys really got into singing!”
On Thursday, the group visited Zhujiajiao, an ancient water town famous for its boat-filled canals and centuries-old bridges built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. During their stay, the students bought fish to let free in the river along with a wish, and took a boat ride through the town’s canals.
Friday kicked off with a visit to the Wahaha bottled drinks factory. From there, it was off to the Six Harmonies Pagoda, originally constructed more than 1,000 years ago. “The kids raced to the top of the pagoda where they were able to take pictures of the West Lake below,” Abraham said. The group continued to a tea plantation to sample and buy various types of tea, in addition to learning about the process of making tea leaves. After a quick visit to the Chinese Medicine Museum, the tired group headed home.
To celebrate their final day with the Shanghai students, the SWFLMS threw a farewell party that included singing, dancing, heartfelt speeches and poetry.
The group began the following week in Beijing, with a visit to the famous Temple of Heaven. “Walking to the Temple was very entertaining!” Abraham reported. “We stopped to watch people dancing, with a few of our students giving it a try. We followed a long corridor passing older people playing cards, talking and generally just enjoying themselves.”
Afterward, the group visited a family living in Beijing’s “hutongs,” narrow streets and alleys lined with courtyard homes. “We all packed into their living room and, through a translator, spent the next half hour asking all sorts of questions,” Abraham recalled. “The kids had great questions ranging from the one-child policy to experiencing the Cultural Revolution to Chinese perception of Americans. The man was very honest and interesting to talk to.”
As they left the hutongs on rickshaws, the drivers decided to have a little fun and race one another. “It was a sight to see, with 12 rickshaws racing through the very narrow alleys,” said Abraham. “We all had a good laugh and lots of fun.”
The next two days yielded more amazing sights. Students visited the Great Wall of China and took in the fabulous views offered by the ancient fortification. They then took toboggans to the foot of the mountain, where they picked up some souvenirs before heading back to the city. The following day included a visit to Tiananmen Square and the Chinese imperial palace, also known as the Forbidden City.
The group wound up their trip to Beijing with a brief visit to the Summer Palace before returning to prepare for the trip home.
Tags: Global Education