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Here Come the Spring Events!
Join Us As the New City Community Celebrates the Earth,
Solidarity, Science, and the Diversity of American Culture
The next few months will present us with numerous opportunities to share in the essence of the New City School’s mission. In this newsletter you will find details for up-coming events that celebrate the earth, worker’s rights, student science, and a celebration of the Américas. If you have been waiting all year for the right time to get involved then this is it. Talk to your student’s teachers for ways you can help, or just come and share in the following celebrations.
This coming Friday, April 18th the children will be celebrating Earth Day with a parade at 10:00. The students have been working hard to create banners, posters, and slogans that celebrate the earth and encourage others to honor the environment. Later that same day, the celebration continues with a fire-dancing performance by Sirena Serpentina at the Long Beach Blvd. campus. You won’t want to miss this special event, rooted in the ancient rhythms of the earth, Sirena Serpentia’s performers will keep you on the edge of your seat. People have not stopped raving about last year’s performance. (see p. 8 for details)
Next week, on April 24th, brings a visit from Julie Chavez, the activist granddaughter of Cesar Chavez. Ms. Chavez will be here to answer questions from the students as they begin a course of study and celebration of worker’s rights that will culminate in a Worker’s Rights Assembly on the afternoon of May 2.
April 25th brings an opportunity for La Tierra students to demonstrate their mad-scientific skills at the district-wide Science Fair. (See Brenda for more details). And that same night, the teachers of Pine Avenue will be creating a special evening to celebrate families and FUNdraise for upcoming fieldtrips. (see this page for details)
Also, ahead in May are several workshop opportunities for parents. Ted and Tami will be continuing with their problem solving workshops on May 14th and the New City signature Taller de Padres days are coming. First, on May 7, is the Fortaleza de Mama, a workshop celebrating the strength of mothers, and then on May 21, everybody’s favorite day, Papas en Piyamas, a special day for children to celebrate dads (and of course all-day-pajama-wearing.)Finally, mark your calendars because on May 17 it will be time once again to celebrate Noche de las Américas. This year’s focus is on American-Caribbean culture, so this fabulous evening will reflect the exotic and colorful food, dance, and excitement of the Caribbean.
Don’t miss these wonderful opportunities to share in the on-going excitement and development of our school’s community.
--See you there!
New City Family Spotlight
The Hawk-Jensen Family
Welcome to a new feature of the New City Noticias, the Family Spotlight. Each month we will get to know more about a family in our community, where they come from, how they got here, and what being at New City means to them. This month learn all about the family of Helena Hawk-Jensen—our devoted and lovely school crossing guard.
Tell us the names of the members of your family and about your children here at New City School.
We are the Hawk-Jensen Family! Sequoyah, Cheyennena, Troy & Helena! Yes, my husband’s name is really Troy! Sequoyah (8 yrs-old) is in El Mar in Jose’s homeroom, and my daughter Cheyennena (5 yrs old) is also in El Mar in Claudia’s homeroom. We named our son Sequoyah, after a Cherokee man in the history of mankind who invented a complete alphabet, without being able to read or write any other language. Not only was he a great man of letters, but he was also instrumental in advising the Cherokees in a path of wisdom and tolerance. My daughter’s name, Cheyennena, means “Woman of The People” in the Cheyenne Tribe.
Where do you live now?
We live in walking distance from our NSC. Sometimes when I am home I can hear my children playing outside during lunch-time! I can tell it’s my children’s squeals and laughter. My mother use to tell me that as a kid I was the loudest one when I played outside with 10-15 other kids. Ironic huh!
Where did you live before coming to Long Beach?
My husband Troy was raised in Orange County. He is Cherokee and Spanish! I was born in Rio De Janeiro Brazil. I lived in Los Angeles and I was raised in North Hollywood. We decided to live in Long Beach because Long Beach is so diverse.
How did you learn about NCS and what made you send your kids here?
I heard about the NCS from my son’s pre-school teacher Ms. Alicia. I was concerned about my son’s education in a traditional school. Not that I am knocking traditional schools, but I wanted something different for my children. When Ms. Alicia told me a little more about NCS, and what the school had to offer and it’s curriculum, I was hooked! To me what also stood out about NCS was that the curriculum was taught in both English and Spanish. I am so grateful for this school. Thank you Ted, Stephanie, all the Teachers, aides and of course the parents! Thank You!!!!
What does your family do on weekends?
On weekends we try to be active in the community. We go to Powwows, visit friends, we go to our temple, or we just kick back and hang out. It depends. There is always something going on. We try to be open to what the weekends have to bring us.
What languages do you speak at home?
At home I speak Portuguese and English. We dabble with very few Cherokee words. It’s a process.
What’s your family’s favorite meal?
We love to eat pretty much anything. Because of my culture, we eat lots of black beans, white rice.
When you, Helena, are not ensuring that NCS kids are safe every morning at drop-off, what are you doing? What does your husband do?
I am self-employed. Before that, I worked for the cable company for 10 years as a Cash Auditor. My husband is an Assistant Manager at a tow company.
Tell us something we don’t know about your family that might be interesting?
Although we live in a fast paced society, my husband and I teach our children about our old traditions of our cultures
New City Art Auction at Portfolio Cafe
Coming Together in the Name of Art
Thank you to all in the NCPS family—students, teachers, friends and loved ones—who supported our schools’ budding artists at the March 8 Annual Student Art Auction. We are very proud of our students’ hard work and creativity. We would also like to thank owner Kerstin Kansteiner of the Portfolio Coffeehouse in Midtown Long Beach, who has donated exhibition space for the popular New City School venue for eight years in a row.
During the event, music teacher, Gabby, and teacher’s assistant, Juan, picked up their guitars and led students in a wonderful vocal performance while Portfolio baristas served up delicious caffeine concoctions, kid drinkables and pastries. Each student’s bio was displayed, including a portrait photo and a few fun facts about his/her favorite art medium and hobby.
We’re proud that our young artists were privileged to display their mixed media artistic expressions, including pastels, paintings and collages, at a location that also serves as a fine art exhibition venue for emerging West Coast artists.
For those who haven’t yet “finalized” their student artwork bids, checks can be made out to New City Public Schools and turned in to Daisy at the Pine Ave. campus or Mari at the Long Beach Blvd. campus. Calendars featuring colorful student art from the auction are also available for purchase.
Your support is greatly appreciated. Congratulations to the bright young artists of NCPS!
--Kim Lachance Shandrow
Really, How Odd?
US Educators Learn What the New City School Already Knows
U.S. EDUCATORS SEEK LESSONS FROM SCANDINAVIA
HIGH-SCORING NATIONS ON AN INTERNATIONAL EXAM SAY SUCCESS STEMS FROM AUTONOMY, PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
Excerpted from eSchool News --March 3, 2008 by Meris Stansbury
A delegation led by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) recently toured Scandinavia in search of answers for how students in that region of the world were able to score so high on a recent international test of math and science skills. They found that educators in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark all cited autonomy, project-based learning, and nationwide broadband internet access as keys to their success.
What the CoSN delegation didn’t find in those nations were competitive grading, standardized testing, and top-down accountability—all staples of the American education system.
As CoSN officials explained during a webcast held Feb. 27, the delegation traveled to Helsinki, Stockholm, and Copenhagen to talk with the ministries of education in each country and exchange ideas with local business and school leaders.
The group’s goal was to learn how these countries are approaching education, reaching students, involving teachers, and implementing policy. Specifically, CoSN wanted to see how strategic investment in information and communications technology (ICT) was affecting education in the region.
In all three countries, students start formal schooling at age seven after participating in extensive early-childhood and preschool programs focused on self-reflection and social behavior, rather than academic content. By focusing on self-reflection, students learn to become responsible for their own education, delegates said.
Barbara Stein, manager of external partnerships and advocacy for the National Education Association, said Scandinavian countries “encourage philosophical thought at a very young age. … Grading doesn’t happen until the high-school level, because they believe grading takes the fun out of learning. They want to inspire continuous learning.”
In fact, educators and policy makers in all three countries view accountability and assessment far differently than in the United States, delegates said. In contrast to the focus on quantitative measures and standardized testing found in No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Scandinavian officials rely on a system that produces highly competent teachers who use their professional expertise to work with each student and develop individualized learning plans.
“My teacher” and “the teacher” are terms of respect, not only when used by the students, but also by the school leader or headmaster. The teacher is most often viewed as a mentor, someone who has both knowledge and wisdom to impart and plays a key role in preparing students for adulthood.
In Finland, for instance, teaching is one of the most highly venerated professions in the country—and only one in eight applicants to teacher-education programs are accepted. All teachers there have a master’s degree.
Unlike in the United States, which has taken the opposite approach, Scandinavian countries have established national curriculum standards but have set fairly broad mandates, letting authority trickle down as close to the classroom as possible. Local school officials have the flexibility to provide education services according to their students’ unique needs and interests, as long as the basic policy framework is followed.
Therefore, teachers are extremely autonomous in their work. So are students. For example, internet-content filtering in the three countries is based largely on a philosophy of student responsibility. Internet filters rarely exist on school computers, other than for protection from viruses or spam. As a school librarian in Copenhagen said, “The students understand that the computers are here for learning.”
Julie Walker, executive director of the American Association of School Librarians, said these countries see students as having “the filter in their heads.”
Walker also noted that while “the U.S. holds teachers accountable for teaching, here they hold the students accountable for learning.”
One school that delegates visited in Copenhagen, Katrinedalsskolen, has students become independent learners working across curricular areas. Students stay with one teacher or mentor from grades one through nine, moving freely about the building—which is centered around the school library, or “pedagogical center.”
In the Danish system, the notion of grading is a foreign concept, with competitive grading postponed until high school. Students are judged in relation to their own growth, rather than that of others, and they are continuously evaluated. Teachers also write individual learning plans for each student after these evaluations.
Project-based learning begins in the first grade, and teachers work with students to structure their learning through a process described by one educator as “dialogue and trust.” Assessment is achieved primarily through a dialogue with each student, as is communication with parents about their child’s progress.
Exams tend to be limited as exit criteria to grade nine, along with a project-based assignment that requires students to plan, research, present, and create around a broad theme.
Finland, which does not use standardized exams, reformed its educational system in the 1990s to remove the European school inspectorate system of accountability. According to Walker, “Students use progressive inquiry and are educated through questions and problem solving.”
The change occurred because teachers felt the system stifled them and hindered creativity in the classroom.
One school in Helsinki, Aurinkolahti School, believes that learning should let children “have fun and know the joy of life.” Educational technology is used to create a community of learners who build knowledge together.
Julie Chavez to Visit New City School
By Armando Munoz
La Tierra Teacher
We are very fortunate to have Julie Chavez Rodriguez come to our school. New City School prides itself bringing the outside world into the lives of our students. We feel that is necessary to have access to the people, places and things that we learn in the classroom everyday. Through these experiences our students make those connections that allow them to better understand the world around them.
One of the great pleasures this year that we will receive is having a very special speaker come to NCS. This person comes from a particular lineage that has historic significance to our community. Julie Chavez Rodriguez has generously agreed to visit our site and share her experiences with our students.
Although many have associated her with her famous grandfather, Cesar Chavez, we believe that it would be a disservice to her to simply state the most obvious. Julie, in her own right, has made a name for herself, much like her father, by becoming an activist for the people.
Building on an already impressive family history, she has had many accomplishments in her own life. She has been devoting her time helping students in various programs such as the Cesar Chavez Foundation’s National Youth Leadership Initiative. Graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Latin American Studies, Julie Chavez has been determined to continue the legacy that her grandfather left behind. She has been continuing a family tradition of helping the United Farm Workers with voter registration and helping to develop community empowerment programs.
We are very excited to have her come to our school and share some of her experiences. We can only hope to make the very most of this opportunity and learn as much as we can from her.
Julie Chavez will be visiting New City School on the afternoon of April 24th.
