Santa Fe School for the Arts & Sciences February Newsletter 2012 ...

8th GradeThe 8th grade students have been busy preparing for the demands of the high school applicationprocess. As part of the 8th grade program each year, students are given assistance as they apply to awide range of high schools. This support includes; helping them prepare their applications, after schooltutoring, high school admissions essay writing support, learning how to approach teachers forrecommendations, and hours of practice for admissions interviews, auditions, and portfoliopresentations. Our students are encouraged to shadow at every high school to which they are applying.We have noticed that our students are now presenting themselves with confidence and poise!This weekend marked the end of a two month application process and we are proud to say that so far,all of our students have been accepted to the schools of their choice. In past years our students havehad an almost 100% track record of getting accepted into the school of their choice. The onlyexception has been the New Mexico School for the Arts where 99% of our students who applied havebeen accepted. This weekend marked the end of interviews and auditions and all of our 8 th graders canbreathe a big sigh of relief.The 8th grade students are also in process of beginning their career mentorships. Each of our 8thgrade students has the opportunity to mentor with an expert in a career field of their choice. Followinga career exploration unit, the students spend approx. 2 hours a week learning about a career of theirchoice. The students learn many invaluable skills about the world of work, in addition to improvingtheir public speaking and interview skills.Our 8th grade students are currently mentoring an epidemiologist (Chad Smelser), a PE teacher atChaparral (Dave Tolen), a published writer ( Pamela Christie), an accomplished artist (AlexandraEldridge), an FBI agent (Karen Green), a professional jazz musician and teacher (Chris Ishee), aprofessional prop design artist (Bryce Perrin), the head of the costume design department at theOpera (Emilee McVey), a professional Kenyan long distance track athlete (Aron Rono), a criminaldefense lawyer (Tom Clark), an architect (Marci Riskin), a therapeutic horseback trainer (CarlosCaceres), a journalist with Generation Next (Sandra Martinez), a pastry chef at the Treehouse PastryShop and Cafe (Maria Elena Bustamante-Bernal) and veterinarian Linda Drummond at Sangre deCristo Veterinary Clinic. We are deeply grateful to these wonderful mentors who volunteer for thisprogram. Our students are very excited and enthusiastic about working with their mentors. We are stilllooking for a graphic designer and a web designer for two of our students.Studies have shown that the most successful young people come from environments where there is amutual reinforcement between school, parents and community activities. The most significant factorhas often been identified as a special person in the life of a young person who took the time andinterest to share an important part of their life with them. In New Mexico, there are few institutions orprograms that allow and encourage young people to be actual contributors to the world around them,and honor those contributions. Young people need ways to explore, discover and develop theirinterests, skills, and talents and they need to be recognized for their accomplishments. This program isalso a wonderful way for students to explore the world of work and become a part of the communitythat surrounds them.

STARGAZERSIt is now February, and now that the play is done, the Stargazers are getting back into their daily routine. The classis gearing up to study communities of the past, and recently spent some time in an ―Expedition Talk.‖ The studentswere reviewing what they had learned about communities to date, and considering what they will be learning aboutin the next few months.Our guiding question from the fall was: What is a community?Here are some student answers:Cyrus-A community is a group of people who help each other.Christopher-Communities are also a place with hotels and airports, so you can also travel!Uma- It‘s where people help each other and they gather up to make a work . . .Stella-They might like make clothes so then you won‘t freeze in winter or something like that.Lola- They make shelters so you don‘t get too cold, like if you have clothes, but don‘t have any extra protection,you should have shelter.Tom Pete- There‘s special people in a community that help people, like a fireman, a police, and lawyers,sometimes.Mushegh- A community is like, people help each other, like they do architecture, places where people do meetingsof their work, and stuff like that.Ian- It‘s where they keep each other safe.Adilene- (and they need) food . . .Jan-(Communities have people) helping each other get things, people help each other build.Devi-(Communities have) schools . . .Cyrus- At holidays, they have community things, like Fourth of July, and they have a break. One community I ama member of is Aldea.Sharif- (I‘m a member of) Chile Line Road- it‘s my neighborhood.Irene-(I‘m a member of) Santa FeTom Pete- (You can be a member of) like your house, your family. . .Lola- . . . North AmericaLilia- (Communities need) healthcare.Mushegh-I‘m kinda part Argentina . . .Jan- me, Holland . . .Ian- (Communities need) a hospital . . .Stella- I‘m a member of U.S.A.The discussion then turned to communities in the past and here are a few excerpts from that conversation:.What is history? How were communities different in the past?Kian- (History is) the past . . . a long time ago.Sharif- Past communities and communities of today. . weren‘t the same, like when Martin Luther King was aroundthey didn‘t treat people equally, and now they treat people equally. The laws were different.Devi- They milked their cows and got milk instead of going to the store and buying their milk . . .Aila- They used to make their own blankets.Brisa- They used to shear their sheep instead of buying wool in the store.Irene- They didn‘t have cars, they had wagons.

Unicorn UpdateThe Unicorns had a great time being froglets in our play Honk. During the month before the play we introduced ashort Learning Expedition on ‗Inclusion.‘ During this expedition, the children learned about how we can all bedifferent and yet somehow still be the same. They learned about Ugly in the play and saw how he was treated badlyjust because he was different.The Unicorns were asked, “If you met Honk, what would you say to him?”Sofia: ―It‘s okay, I love you for being different. I‘d be your friend. I love you still.‖Gyurmay: ―Are you sad? You‘re not ugly!‖Alakwa: ―Why are you so sad?‖Ugly: ―Because the other ducks were kicking me and stuff.‖Alakwa: ―Would you like me to sing you a song?‖Greg: ―What‘s wrong? You‘re not ugly!‖Tomas: ―If I were a froglet and I saw Honk, I would say, I wouldn‘t call you ugly.‖Asha: ―Honk, you are going to be so happy because someone is going to love you.‖The Unicorns were asked about their favorite part of being in the play, and they said….Abi: ―My favorite part was when I was squatting because it didn‘t hurt my legs.‖Gredel: ―My favorite part was when they opened the curtain.‖Vincent: ―My favorite part was when we kicked.‖Hazel: ―My favorite part was singing and watching the geese.‖Sofia: ―My favorite part was singing in the frog play. I was feeling kind of wonderful when I was singing. It makesme feel better.‖Rose: ―My favorite part was singing for my parents.‖Greg: ―My favorite part was walking off stage when I stood up. I liked watching the play.‖Gyurmay: ―My favorite part was when, you know you‘re going to have a ball!!‖ (he sang)Isa: ―My favorite part was when I sang by myself.‖Lily: ―My favorite part was being in the play being a frog.‖Cole: ―My favorite part was singing and dancing, when we are doing the kicks.‖Tiger: ―My favorite part was singing the frog part. My favorite of the dancing was…was…just dancing!‖Malachi: ―My favorite part was (starts singing)Out there …someone‘s going to love you!!!‖Tomas: ―My favorite part was being a froglet. I liked singing about the froglet song.‖Clayton: ―My favorite part was saying, ribbit, ribbit!‖Jameson: ―My favorite part was sitting on the lily pad and I liked looking at the people.‖Coriandra: ―My favorite part was was playing my part. I liked when I was singing.‖Alakwa: ― …when the frogs came out and then sing a song to Ugly.‖Isaac: ―My favorite part was eating snack.‖

We hope to have all of our Honk play pictures online or on a dvd this week!The dvd of the play is now ready in the office.

Our Unicorns are hooked on books! We have built our own Unicorn Library, created entirely by our very ownstudents. With paper, pencils and their own imagination, many of our students have written their own stories andproudly read them to the class during rest time. Reading books during free play has become a very popular activityand the Unicorns have begun to show a true love for stories and books. We asked Sophia what her favorite thing todo at school was and her response was, ―I LOVE reading!‖ We are all so excited to be reading!―Reading makes you feel good because…you can imagine you are a brave princess or a scary dragon….you canlearn about cool places and people…you can travel to far away places.‖—Todd Parker, Author of ―Reading MakesYou Feel Good‖Vincent and Tiger reading a book together during free-play.They love to find hidden pictures inside the pictures. Lily, Abi, and Sofia reading books during free-play.Gredel enjoying reading a book, one of her favoritefree-play activities!Asha and Chaya reading books to Coriandra; the Kindergarteners aretaking on a leadership role and reading to younger students almost daily.UNICORN QUOTESSofia: I ate a fly in the car! I was pretending to be a spider…so I ate a fly, but really, it was just a mint. But I ate it!Chaya shared how she was going to Africa this summer and Gredel said, “You’re going to afterschool?”Tomas told Aurora he goes to another school and when she asked the name, he said “Albuquerque School for the Artsand Dinosaurs!”The kids were outside exploring “Big Foot” prints and someone asked, “who is Big Foot?”….Lily responded, “Big Foot is aperson who is like bigger than a hippopotamus.”Some of our most favorite Unicorn words are:“Lasterday” (for yesterday)“Ouncement!” (for Announcement)and “Awowa has W’s in her name!!”

Middle School Math7th Grade Algebra: The students continue to absorb math like a sponge. They are eager, enthusiastic andjoyful mathematicians, and I am very proud of them. Here are a couple questions they answered recently involvingSystems of Equations:1) 2 Pokemon decks and 8 Magic decks cost $60. 3 Pokemon decks and 4 Magic decks cost $50. How much does eachitem cost? (I'd probably keep cost in dollars here)2) Bella has been hiding the fact that she is almost a millionaire. Why...just yesterday someone saw that she had 11coins!!! Some of them were dimes and some were quarters. If all of the coins total $2.00 (a small fortune for sure...),how many of each coin does she have?Can you parents set up a systematic approach to solving these questions? Give it a try and look for the answers at thebottom of this newsletter! Have fun!8th Grade Algebra: The students have been tackling Quadratic equations and their parabolic graphs. And theyhave been learning real-life applications to these concepts. Here are a couple recent problem we solved:1) The height above water level of a curved arch support for a bridge can be modeled by:f(x) = -0.005x 2 + 0.75x + 0.9where x is the distance in feet from where the arch support enters the water. Can a sailboat that is 24 feet tall passunder the bridge?2) Tilcara shoots an arrow from a distance of 4 feet above the ground. The height in feet above the ground of Tilcara'sarrow after it is shot can be modeled by y = -16t 2 + 63t + 4.a) What is the maximum height of the arrow? b) Can the arrow pass over a tree that is 68 feet tall?Can you parents find the Vertex showing the maximum height of the parabolas? Give it a try and look for the answers atthe bottom of this newsletter! Have fun!SAVE THESE DATES!Middle School MusicalFriday, April 27 6:30 pmSaturday, April 28 th 2:00 pmThere will be a few younger students in this show and wehope everyone in the school will attend one of these shows!

Greetings from Underhill HallDear SFSAS Families, Faculty, Staff and Volunteers,For those of you who don’t know me, I am Perli and last month I started as the school’s Executive Director.This is our family’s fourth year at the school. My son Tom Pete is a 2 nd grader Stargazer and my daughter Isa isa Unicorn Kindergartener.My first month on the job has been a whirlwind, but I am grateful that I still do one of my favorite tasks: takingprospective parents and donors on tours of the school. It’s an hour of inspiration and replenishment that I wishevery parent had a chance to experience.During every tour, I relive the very first tour I took at the school as a prospective parent. In those days, BrianDineen gave the tours. It was a sunny February morning, the snow from the previous day had left the parkinglot a sloshy brown mess. I got a little lost because there weren’t any signs - the Centaurs had yet to make them.Back then, Todd was teaching in Barcelona and Matt was in Underhill, because Willow Hall was still a dreamthat parent volunteers were working hard to bring into reality. There was no sports field, and the campus plazawas full of cars.But what the school lacked in aesthetics it made up a hundredfold in what mattered to me. A lot has changedsince my first tour, but what matters remains the same. What I saw then and what I see now is this:I see kids who are happy and excited to be at school. I see classrooms filled with arms shooting up into the airlike bottle rockets, kids popping up out of their seats to do a math problem on the board, and hands clapping insupport of a friend’s job well done. I see students forging strong relationships with each other and with theirteachers. I see what they mean when experts say relationships are the bedrock of a vibrant academicenvironment. I see how kids connect to real world issues and how this propels them toward excellence. I seehow we are cultivating citizens and not simply consumers.At school events and meetings, I see a dynamic and engaged community of parents, teachers, and staff whoreport a strong feeling of belonging here, but there is always room to grow. So I’m inviting you to monthlyCoffee Mornings in Underhill. All parents, staff and faculty who aren’t teaching during this time, includingpart-time and after school instructors, are welcome. It will be a time to get to know each other better and sharenews, concerns and insights. I hope to see you there!My door is open to you, literally, telephonically and digitally. Come by Underhill or catch me in the parking lotand pull me aside. You can reach me at 438-9799 or via email at sfsasendowment@gmail.com. I am sorry tosay I don’t know all of you well, but I would like the opportunity to do so.With gratitude, PerliSidebar:Coffee Mornings in Underhill8:10 to 10 a.m.Friday, Feb 24, Thursday, March 8, Tuesday, April 3, Wednesday, May 8, Monday, June 4* Underhill is the two-story building that borders our main parking lot.

Middle School ScienceThe middle school science classes have been visiting regularly the Santa Fe River (from school, ten minutessouth-west on Airport Road/Paseo Real) to collect water quality data. The students work in groups to performscientific tests and procedures with materials generously supplied by River Source and New Mexico Game andFish.The Benthic Entomologists collect benthic macroinvertebrates (in other words, bugs that live in the water) andidentify them. The Geophysicists collect data about the temperature, pH, TDS (total dissolved solids), andturbidity (cloudiness) of the water. The Analytical Chemists measure the nutrient levels in the water (too littlenutrients is dangerous, but too much of something like phosphorus or nitrates is also a sign of an unhealthyecosystem). The Riparian Geologists collect data about groundwater levels (the water underground) and soilquality using wells recently installed by Wild Earth Guardians. The Hydrologists measure stream flow, which is theamount of water flowing through the river each second. Last but not least, the Lotic Ecologists test the water'sdissolved oxygen levels (which tells them how much water there is for fish and insects in the water to breathe) andstudy the algae in the water. Our kids love this scientific work so much that a group of them requested to continuetheir work during community service on Fridays, calling themselves, ―The River Warriors.‖The work these students are doing is important. Their data is uploaded to an online database shared bypolicymakers, scientists, and other groups across the state. PNM recently gave our school $2000 to support theriver project, which will be used to expand the lab- and fieldwork the students do.The middle school science classes have also been learning about beavers and the integral role they play inestablishing wetland ecosystems. As part of their research, the students have visited the beaver habitat on the SantaFe River by the airport to see what other species benefit from the habitat that beavers create. Also, each studentcreated a miniature beaver habitat, and that project helped students understand the complexity of the environmentthat beavers create as well as the hard work that beavers do to maintain their homes.Middle School Expedition & the “Hooked on Books” Literacy Campaign UpdateOur middle school is currently investigating world and US culture, geography, literature and historythrough our expedition ‗Be the Change.‘ Throughout this expedition we are asking, ―Can one personmake a difference? Can one person change the world?‖This expedition is inspired by the work of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., along withmany other people who have made a difference in the world, including Craig Keilburger, EllenJohnson Sirleaf and Nobel Peace Prize Laureates from all over the world. Students are in the midst ofcomparing and contrasting the nonviolent movements of India (Independence Campaign) andAmerica (Civil Rights Movement) and have begun to explore the relationship between King's teachingson nonviolence and those of Mohandas K. Gandhi. We are learning about the Children‘s March andthe Freedom Riders and how young people helped turn the tide of discrimination in our country. We

have speakers from Uganda coming next week to share about their youth movement which helpedimprove life for thousands of children there and earlier in the year we met with a young man fromLiberia whose work with the Everyday Gandhis made a big difference in his country. The students arestudying Martin Luther King‘s ‗I have a Dream‘ speech and are reading texts such as To Kill AMockingbird and Buddha Boy.Our middle school students have been inspired by young people who have made a difference in theworld and many of our students have been helping to create and run the Hooked on Books campaign.Teens from over 10 different schools, including our own, volunteer every other Saturday with ourYouth United service group to create contests and judge entries. Youth United has made PSA‘s onYou Tube and participated in a TV ad for Hooked on Books filmed by the Mayor‘s office. Ourstudents were on hand at a recent city council meeting when the Mayor declared 2012 the Year of theBook. We have received 340 entries for the first two contests from 23 different schools and ourstudents are feeling empowered. They truly hope to change the dreary graduation rate and literacyranking here in New Mexico. They are working hard to empower kids to take charge of their owneducation and use positive peer pressure to get their friends reading and writing. Check out ourwebsite: www.nmallianceforliteracy.orgWe now have free Hooked on Bookshelves at Arroyo Chamiso Pediatric Clinic, the southside DMVand the County WIC Health Office near the train park. Businesses have begun stepping forward tosponsor these bookshelves and make donations to our campaign. The kids will be recording radio adsthis week thanks to a generous grant from Hutton Broadcasting. Most of the Hooked on Books worktakes place afterschool and on the weekends and is optional for our middle school students. Ourmiddle school and Badger students are also really enjoying their literacy tutoring at Cesar ChavezElementary School.In Expeditionary Learning schools, community outreach and service is considered an integral part ofevery learning expedition. Sharing what you have learned is one of the best ways to cement learningand empower students. Our middle school students are becoming excellent public speakers andadvocates for positive change in our community. They are so proud when they are recognized by localchildren who call out, ―She‘s with Hooked on Books!‖ Our current contests ask children to write asong, rap or poem about a book they love and for older kids, we have a Hunger Games contest whichwill award an all expense paid trip to the Hunger Games Premiere in Los Angeles! You can bet lots ofkids are picking up that book this month! Our own students may also enter these contests, althoughthey are not competing against the rest of the city. Luckily, most of our students are already hooked onbooks and it is heartwarming to see them sharing their love of books with others. Thank you so muchto everyone who has been offering help and donating books- we are making a difference!Acequia Madre ATC Sweeney Santa Clara Pueblo

School Wish ListFor Into the Woods:-Old foam mattress pads or old couch cushions- any Foam cushions or Foam rubber – any size 2‖,3‖ or 4‖ thick-a golden pair of shoes, size 7-8-a long, long, very long blond wig (for Rapunzel)-a golden egg-old fashioned hunters outfits-a cow costume-a small harpFor the Stargazer Class: 2 drawer file cabinetFAMILY ENTERTAINMENT! Enjoy lively Irish dance at the Belisama Irish dance show, "Rhythmof Fire", Friday and Saturday March 16 and 17 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 18 at 2:30 p.m.James A. Little Theater. Tickets available from Sofia, Camille, or Chloe (Badgers) or Emma and Merit(Middle School).Santa Fe Youth Symphony presents the 6th AnnualSpotlight on YouthSaturday, February, 25, 20127 pm, Scottish Rite TempleTickets available at the door or by calling 467-3770.$15/adults, $5 for 11-16, and free for 10 and under.This benefit concert will feature outstanding, talented youth from northern New Mexico who will performselections from Broadway and Bach, and jazz to pop, including two of our 8 th graders,Brass Burapa and Chris Polhamus!DOODLE CONTEST: Doogle 4 Google is looking for submissions! The Doodle 4 Googlecontest invites K-12 students to express their creativity, using the Google logo as their canvas. Thewinner of Doodle 4 Google will see their doodle on the Google homepage on May 18th, 2012.They will also win a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for their school.Then, in June 2012, the State Finalists will have their doodles exhibited at the Georgia O'KeeffeMuseum Education Annex, Google's New Mexico representative, for all of Santa Fe and NewMexico to see. "It's great to have this recognition, but even better to offer the opportunity foryouth in our communities to participate in an exceptionally fun and inspiring program," said Jackie

M, Director of Education and Public Programs at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. "Over the years,doodles have become one of the most beloved parts of Google, marking worldwide events,anniversaries, and holidays. The Museum is so proud to be involved in this event." Deadline forsubmissions is March 23. http://www.google.com/doodle4google/Check out Macaroni Kids for more community events for kids! http://santafe.macaronikid.com/CAN RECYCLINGKeep bringing your cans to the can recycling container in the Unigazer parkinglot. Last year our school won $1000 for the best can recycling school in the stateper capita. Help us do it again! We are also still collecting used ink cartridgesand cell phones. Thank you for recycling!Algebra Answers:7th grade:Algebra Answers:8th grade:1) Pokemon decks cost $10 each. Magic decks cost $5 each.2) Bella has 6 quarters and 5 dimes.1) The vertex of the curved arch support lies 75 feet from where the arch support enters the water.When you substitute that into the formula for "x", you will find that the height of the vertex is 29 feet.Thus, a sailboat that is 24 feet tall can pass under the bridge!2) The vertex of Tilcara's arrow (meaning the maximum height of the arrow) occurred 1.96875 secondsafter it left the bow. When you substitute that into the formula for "t", you will find that the maximumheight of the arrow is 64.4 feet. Thus the arrow cannot pass over a tree that is 68 feet tall!