PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
October 2, 2015
This week PBA returned to our yearly swimming program today at the Lions Pool in Oakland. We will continue swimming
there on the following dates: 10/16, 10/30, 11/6, and 11/20. If the weather curtails our swim days then we will reschedule in the
spring. Oakland Parks & Recreation Department have been great to work with in scheduling our school!
Swimming at the Lions Pool, Dimond Park, Oakland
Many of our faculty members this week have taken ill, including our front office Assistant to the Head of School, Heidi
Svendsgaard. We’ve been extremely short of hands to deal with basic office phone/email answering, hence the wait time you
may have experienced. There are many variations of cold viruses out there. Take care.
Wonderful activities have been going on this past week in the classrooms at PBA. I’d like to again thank all past and present
parents for making the backyard gardens a reality.
4th Grade (Natasha Bach):
We begin every day with a Journal prompt to encourage putting our thoughts onto paper in a free flowing, creative style. In
Math we have been working on multiples and factors. Our focus now is on multiplication and division using up to 3 digit
numbers. Students are creating their own timeline poster to organize all of the early settlers and expeditions of California in
Social Studies. We studied words with an “oo” sound in Spelling this week. We are actively practicing our spelling in fun
ways; we wrote them on the sidewalk in chalk, typed them on the computer, formed letters with our bodies, and sometimes we
even use sign language. We are currently doing a class read aloud of the book My Side of the Mountain.
Fourth graders continue enhancing our spelling and reading by using the Wordly Wise Vocab lessons.
We are augmenting our Science Activities by using 3 of the 5 garden beds. After completing our own garden design using
measurements and conversions onto graph paper, we planted some winter vegetables in one bed. We planted carrots, two types
of lettuce, and onions. In a separate bed we will be planting flowers; Cosmos, Nasturtium, and Orange and Mikado California
Poppies. Fourth grade also started seedling in our classroom for the final garden bed which we much add soil and prepare for
our soon to be pumpkins, broccoli, and cabbage. Yummy!
1
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
This past week I worked with students on the final stage of the Diorama Project. Since completing the dioramas on Tuesday,
students have been working on the writing portion of this project—a short essay on their native tribe. Next week students will be
presenting their projects to the 4th grade students and exhibiting their work in the hallway (Samples below—join us to see ALL
of the boys’ work. Details forthcoming.) In Math, we have been working on a series of multi-step word problems. Next week
we will be doing a cumulative review of chapters 1 & 2. For English, we are practicing parts of speech to strengthen students’
writing and grammar skills. This will continue into next week before we focus on our third set of Wordly Wise vocabulary.
Spanish (Megan Cole):
This week
5th: verbs, adjectives and nouns: gender and quantity agreement, 3 phrase construction with article, noun and adjective. Went
over student phrases, lecture on missing homework. Classroom and school vocab,
6th: Spanish video on adjectives and descriptions, reviewed first few chapters in textbook covering -ar verbs, adjectives,
classroom and school vocab, subject pronouns, food, -er, -ir verbs, Ir, Jugar, Ser, places, family and pastimes, verbal drills with
Jugar, Tener.
7th: read about cultural holidays in Spanish speaking countries, started chapter one: vocab: pastimes and food. Completed
vocab sheets for chapter one.
2
8th (Spanish): reviewed stem changing verbs, reviewed test on telling time, days, months, seasons. Reviewed chapter four
vocab: food, places.
Next week
5th (Spanish): lesson on articles, practice phrases with Gustar (how to say I like, you like and he/she likes) getting them set up
for Yo Soy project!
6th (Spanish): question answers verbal exercises, review physical descriptions, restaurant vocab, restaurant critic, the verb
Venir, telling time, Estar, start chapter 6A
7th (Spanish): the verb Ser, Telehistoria, Spanish songs from singers: Juanes & Shakira, review Gustar.
8th (Spanish): Telehistoria, food and places. Start chapter Five: house rooms and furniture, Ser Verses Estar, Ordinal numbers,
Ecuador.
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
In 7th grade Latin, the boys have been memorizing present tense verb endings and 1st/2nd declension noun endings and
practicing translating full sentences for the first time. They have each chosen a Roman emperor whom they presented on last
week and will be working with for the rest of the year. I have been trying to play many Latin noun/verb games to help offset the
tedium of straight memorization; and because these games help the boys increase their speed of translation. For example, last
week we played "Latin basketball" in the yard; where teams competed to compose and translate Latin sentences and earned "free
throws" for correct answers. Last class, we played "noun ending Olympics"-- a relay game based on distinguishing between 1st
and 2nd declension noun endings in order to prepare for their quiz this Monday on 2nd declension noun declination. After next
week the amount of memorization the boys will be having to do should be slowing down, and we will be moving into practicing
translation from context/developing the "cognitive flexibility" necessary to read Latin-- e.g. working with words that could mean
two different things, and learning about Latin word order/rhetorical devices.
In 8th grade Latin, the boys recently had their first quiz on new, non-review 3rd declension adjectives; and they did excellently
on this difficult material. As a reward, this Friday we played "Cardtamen"; a Latin version of the card game Apples-to-Apples.
This game allowed them to practice looking up/declining unfamiliar nouns, and also introduced them to 2nd conjugation verbs
for the first time; as a good segue-way into what they will be starting next week. The boys have also each been assigned a Latin
author; whom they presented on and will be working with in mini Roman cultural assignments throughout the year. We have
also been drilling both old and new vocabulary through a computer-based, in-class jeopardy game that I created. I will put this
game on the internet ASAP, so that boys who may need further review of Latin 1 will be able to play it at home. Finally, in
addition to Latin grammar we spent much of this week discussing Roman cultural institutions that are tested on the National
Latin Exam. The boys had many perceptive things to say, for example, about the differences between chattel slavery in the
Americas vs. slavery in the Roman world; and the way poetry was thought about in the Roman world vs. in contemporary
America. Several of the boys expressed special interest in haikus during this discussion; so next week we will be composing our
own Latin haikus using the 3rd declension i-stem nouns and 2nd declension verbs that will be the focus of next week's new
material.
English (Richard Grabi):
After only a month of school, the boys are starting to get it. Thinking is hard! And thinking about topics that have no easy
solutions (or sometimes any solution), even harder. The stories we have been reading and writing about have raised many
interesting questions:
3
7& 8th (English)
“I Just Kept on Smiling” by Simon Burt
Is shame a “natural” and/or “universal” feeling, or is shame taught? How is shame connected to expectations? What are the
differences between shame and guilt? Is shame inherently a bad thing? Could we live in a society where shame did not exist?
Are objects just objects, serving a practical purpose, or do they also have symbolic meanings? How do we decipher the symbolic
meanings of objects and the power they have over us?
“The White Circle” by John Bell Clayton
Why do human beings desire to own things? By what right can someone own something? How does the desire, or is it need (?),
to own things bring one into conflict with those who want to own the same thing? When is pride a productive feeling, and when
or how does it become destructive? How does one find balance between the two forms of pride?
6th (English)
“Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing
How do you change yourself without risking yourself, or sacrificing a part of yourself? How does one weigh the risks and
rewards of an action whose consequences will change the person doing the weighing?
The boys might not solve the world’s problems, but learning to decipher what the problems are, by asking revealing questions, is
an important part of their moral and intellectual development. Even more important than asking the right questions, and figuring
out what the problem is, is being able to communicate one’s findings (to a larger audience) through the art of writing. This week,
the boys finished (or will finish) their first essays. I encourage you to look over their work and talk to them about it. I give them
copious notes/comments about their writing (all on Google docs!). These comments are not only meant to help them think more
deeply about the stories (and further the dialogue we began in class), but also their approach to writing about the stories. Writing
an analytical, persuasive essay is not an easy task but, with practice, it will get easier!
6th Math (Leo Janisse):
This week we finished our lesson on Cornell note taking and from here on out students will be taking these notes at home.
Starting this weekend and into next week, we will explore how to create flashcards from these notes to help study for the
upcoming test.
A lot of class time this week was spent figuring out how to tackle word problems that require students to incorporate multiple
layers of knowledge from the chapter. By using pictures and deciphering exactly what the question is asking, students learned
how to make these problems manageable.
Next week we will take the test and begin work on the next chapter, which includes negative numbers and the number line. We
will also be doing more project and activity based learning as we have covered the basics of how to take Cornell notes.
Math (Kevin Fox):
In seventh and eighth grade math, we’ve gotten off to a quick start. The boys are working hard and I’m pushing them with
pacing and thought-provoking problems, especially ones involving the “real world”. Simultaneous to the new material, we’re
plugging holes in number concepts and operations. In eighth grade, we’re finishing up with some equation solving for one
variable, and will go next to simultaneously solving two-variable systems of equations. In seventh grade, we’re finishing up a
probability unit, where we’ve been looking variations in systems such as cards, dice, and license plates, with independent and
dependent events. We’re doing binomial expansion using Pascal’s Triangle to figure out the probability of outcomes with
combinations of binary events, such as the probability of a number of boys vs girls in multi-child households, or the chances of
particular outcomes when flipping a number of coins (one is easy of course, try six!). Next we’ll be doing polygon constructions
and patterns, which will be a nice change of scenery from abstract to more visual material
4
Science (Leo Janisse):
4th (Science):
This week students tested the pH of our garden bed soils. They created a soil solution and checked the pH using pH paper.
They then observed the color change in the paper, and matched it with the corresponding pH number, determining that our soil
has a pH of 8.0 and is slightly alkaline.
Students planted a mystery bean that they will tend for and observe as it grows. When it begins to develop leaves and flowers,
students will determine what type of bean they have grown specifically.
Lastly, students learned the first principle of permaculture: to observe and interact. We will continue this activity next week,
going into the garden and making observations. Students will create a Haiku poem based on their observations.
5th (Science):
This week students determined the pH of our garden bed soil using household ingredients. They created a lab report and made a
hypothesis based on what type of soil they believe we have. Students exposed the soil to vinegar and baking soda, and observed
the reactions that took place. They recorded their results, and many determined that we have slightly alkaline soil, falling in the
range of 7.5 to 8.5.
Students then examined the nutrients that are available at different pH
levels, to determine if our soil will support plant growth. They will
continue to work on the lab report for this experiment over the weekend.
Lastly, students were introduced to the first principle of permaculture: to
observe and interact. We talked about the ways in which we have
already demonstrated this principle, and then we went into the garden
and silently observed. Afterwards, students shared their observations
with the group. We will continue our exploration of this first principle
next week as we again go into the garden to observe, and then create a
Haiku poem about their observations. Upcoming activities include
observing our garden bed plant growth and planting more seasonal
vegetables if need be.
6th (Science):
This week students continued on their path towards mastery of Cornell style notes as we went over how to decipher what is
important to include in notes. We will be finishing up our in class note taking unit this week, and venturing into more project
and experiment based learning in the coming weeks. Next week, we will be going over how to create note cards from these
notes to use for studying.
Students also went on a google earth scavenger hunt, typing in specific coordinates down to the degree, minute and second, and
then observing where they were taken. Students had a blast finding some of the wackier satellite images google has taken, and if
you are curious, ask them to show you the wild water buffalo herd or evidence of the emergence of what is called a
“mapvertisement”.
Next week we will be prepping for a test, and also beginning the next unit, full of experiments, on rocks!
5
7th (Science):
This week students finished their in class Cornell note taking unit and will be completing their notes at home from now on. Next
week we will explore how to create flash cards from their notes to help study for the upcoming test.
Students also began work on the “A cell is like…” activity, where they will describe how the structure of a cell is similar to
something like a baseball stadium or amusement park. This activity will reinforce the complicated structure of a cell and their
functions in a creative and fun activity. Students will continue work on this activity over the next week.
8th (Science):
This week students finished up their in-class introduction to Cornell style note-taking. From here, they will be completing their
notes at home. Next week, we will explore how to create flashcards from these notes to help study for the upcoming test.
Students also started a mini-lab where they calculate their average speed. In groups, they measured a specific distance and timed
either their runs, walks or skips. With three trials taken, students will next determine their average speed over all three trials, and
next week, will determine their acceleration.
History (Michael Kwett):
This week the sixth grade has been studying ancient Mesopotamia. Analyzing Ziggurats and Hammurabi’s Code, we have had
extensive class discussions on the functions of religion for early civilization. Students have identified religion’s juridical role,
imposing laws and moral codes, providing symbolic justice where real justice is impossible, and informing which laws are
passed and which punishments are enforced by governments. Students have also observed its explanatory role for early societies,
explaining why things are the way they are in the physical world. We’ve discussed how a state religion might give a society’s
members a sense of security that allows them to take risks and survive unstable historical circumstances, as well as a shared
sense of identity that promotes working together, and a sense of righteousness that provides a leg up in territorial disputes
against other tribes. In addition to our discussion of religion, students have been introduced to the basics of rhetoric, and
performed a close reading of excerpts from Hammurabi’s Code, identifying whether, and where, Hammurabi makes an appeal to
reason (logos), authority (ethos), and emotion (pathos).
In seventh grade, we are wrapping up our unit on the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and students have been putting
finishing touches on their three-page research paper in preparation for the debates next week. I’ve been reading and commenting
on each student’s essay via Google Drive, and have given mini-lessons on MLA formatting, thesis sentence writing,
counterarguments, and words to avoid in academic writing (“good,” “bad,” “I think,” etc.). We also discussed the recent events
6
in Oregon, analyzed the President’s speech on the matter, discussed the history of the idea of the “body politic,” and reviewed
some basics of how laws are passed in the capital.
In eighth grade study hall, which the students affectionately call “Mr. Kwett Tuesday,” I proctored an exam-poem by John
Ashbery called “100 Multiple-Choice Questions” and held a discussion on whether it is in fact a poem, and if so, whether it’s a
good one, and what it might be saying about the act of reading and interpreting poetry and the relationship between literature and
hard science.
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
This week we have two exciting things going on. First, we began our speedball tournament which is the first of many
tournaments we will have in PE this year. Speedball is a mixture of football, soccer, and basketball. The boys are engaged and
having a blast. Today the boys created their own plays and strategies for the tourney. We spent the previous week learning the
rules and skills necessary to play.
I’ve also introduced weekly calisthenics for the boys to keep track of their strength.
The second exciting thing for this week is the beginning of swimming. During our swimming sessions I will be teaching water
safety and basic stroke technique. I am a lifelong swimmer and look forward to this time spent in the pool.
Important Dates for Next Week:
October 6th: the boys are performing at Thornhill Elementary during the afternoon hours. Our faculty will be spending that
time working with me on our developing Academic Curricular Maps.
October 8: 9:30 am Parent Tour for families interested in attending PBA
October 9 / October 12: No school or EDP for the boys. Enjoy the Columbus Day weekend!
7
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
October 8, 2015
A short academic week: the boys were off campus on Tuesday, singing at Thornhill Elementary School. Academic
faculty worked the rest of the afternoon on our ongoing Curriculum Map. The idea here is to articulate what we are
all teaching per month. We also are listing the activities involved with specific units, the skill-sets covered in such
teaching and how we assess our students.
Don’t forget the first 7th & 8th grade EBISA-school sponsored DANCE: Friday, October 16, 7 pm – 9 pm at Prospect
Sierra School, 960 Avis Drive, El Cerrito, CA 94609. Megan Cole and Sal Trento will be chaperoning this dance.
Please insure that your boy gets there on time and that you pick him up a few minutes after 9 pm.
REMEMBER: No classes tomorrow, Friday October 9th in celebration of the long Columbus Day weekend.
Academic Faculty will be working both on/off campus on their Curriculum Maps. (No school on Monday, October
12th as well).
4th Grade (Natasha Bach):
Fourth graders have been focused this week on products and quotients using two digit and three digit numbers and
will begin using four digit numbers. In our garden we have been comparing the speed of germination when we plant
indoors versus outdoors. In our comparison the seeds germinated faster on the windowsill. The boys had fun
discussing that plants grow better if you play music, talk to them and even sing to them! Each week we focus on a
composer and this week we enjoyed the music of French composer Jean Phillipe Rameau.
In our studies of California, we learned about life on the missions in the early 1800s. We learned about the uses of
olives in lamps (oil), medicine, and cooking. We also learned that the Indians died from many diseases brought over
8
by the Spanish, in addition, the growth of the missions were devastating to the population of Indians as well as to their
culture. Our Spelling words this week are all “ar” words. The Spelling test will be on October 16th. We are nearing
the end of our class read along book by Jean Craighead George entitled My Side of the Mountain, the boys are loving
this book and always eager to find out what Sam is doing next.
We decided to do a little sharing this week of our musical talents for each other. On Thursday, the boys played their
trumpets and guitar and I played piano and sang for them.
9
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
This week 5th grade students practiced their final diorama presentations before presenting to the 4th grade class, Ms.
Bach, and Mr. Trento. Students worked very hard to prepare their speeches and did an amazing job. They presented
with confidence and wowed the audience with their knowledge of Native American culture.
Next week in History we will begin learning about European explorers. In English, we wrapped up our unit on Parts
of Speech. Next week we will continue to learn and practice new vocabulary words. In Math, we are doing a
cumulative review of chapters 1 & 2, as we will soon be moving into chapter 3.
Grade 5 Diorama Presentations
Spanish (Megan Cole):
5th: practice greetings, phrases, basic conversation starters. More board work: expanding our sentences, Yo Soy
Project.
6th: share restaurant critique, start chapter 6A: house & furniture, text readings, paragraph writings.
7th: vocab: pastimes and food, stem verbs sheet, Mana, Telehistoria, Spanish lab
8th: Telehistoria questions, culture on markets, Spain & Chile, lesson review
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
In 7th grade Latin, the boys had their second quiz; which they will be receiving back on Monday and the majority of
boys did excellently on. In preparation for that quiz, the boys have been playing "Noun Ending Bingo," which
challenges them to distinguish between 1st and 2nd declension noun endings. They have also been working on
10
prepositional phrases; adding words like ex, de, sub, con etc. to nouns-- and I have been showing them how much
learning these prepositions can aid them in figuring out the meaning of English vocabulary words that derive from
Latin (particularly because they tell me that they have also been doing word etymologies in English class).
In 8th grade Latin, the boys have begun a unit on Latin poetry (by popular request). This week they wrote their own
Latin haikus, and are in the process of finishing them for homework. As part of this unit, Mr. Gabri will be
performing a Catullus poem he read in his one-man show for the Latin class next week, and we will be talking about
the oral performance of poetry in the Roman world. To get them acquainted with Catullus, we read an amusing
Catullus poem on Wednesday (about a man whose armpits smell like a goat) and I challenged them to translate
another Catullus poem in pairs. For those students for whom this felt too challenging, I also brought in the option of
translating a Latin comic strip and Latin story about SF Giant player Brian Wilson. Beforehand, we practiced reciting
these works aloud to gain further confidence with pronunciation and meter; meter especially being something we will
work more on next week.
English (Richard Grabi):
It is easy to miss the obvious sometimes. It only took me a month to realize that my English class had no dictionaries!
Anyway, I quickly dealt with this oversight by ordering a class set. Dictionaries are wonderful teaching/learning tools.
One of my goals this year was to infuse the boys with a passion for words. There is, to my mind, no better way to do
this than to show the boys how things, like the meaning of a story, the relation between friends and/or lovers, even our
understanding of ourselves and the world, can turn on a word. The power of language--the power we give it and the
power it gives us--is not to be taken lightly.
Hopefully, these hulking dictionaries will, on a symbolic level, remind them of the weight that our insubstantial words
carry. I will also be using these dictionaries to teach the boys about etymology, prefixes, suffixes and roots, and the
history of the English language!
Math (Kevin Fox):
In seventh grade math we had our probability test early in the week. We moved on to some geometry, making regular polygons
using central angles. The boys are giving the protractors a good workout. They’ll be learning the process for calculating the
vertex angles of regular polygons of any number of sides, and they’ll learn how to construct them freehand.
In eighth grade, we had a test on solving equations, using inverse operations and isolating the desired variable to solve. We’ll
be using those skills all year and we start to create and graph linear and quadratic equations. Thursday we started learning the
processes for solving systems of equations, finding number solutions for two equations that use the same two variables. We’ve
started with the substitution method and will practice that before moving on to the linear combination/cancellation method to
find the unique pair of numbers that work for both equations.
11
th
8 grade math class
Science / Math (Leo Janisse):
4th Grade Science
This week, students continued their work on the first principle of Permaculture: to observe and interact. They quietly
walked around the garden and made 5 observations in their composition notebooks.
Afterwards, they tended to their mystery beans, making sure they were watered. For homework, they will be working
on a Haiku poem based on their observations made in the garden. Next week, students will get a chance to learn how
to safely use a microscope and see what a plant leaf looks like close up!
5th Grade Science
During our only meeting this week, students created their mystery bean chart in their composition notebooks where
they will observe the mystery beans growth over time, using their data collected to help identify the bean species later
on in the year.
Next, students went quietly into the garden and made 5 observations about the garden in their notebooks. After that,
they sat by a plant of their choosing and spent time drawing what they saw. Once finished with the drawing, students
created 1-3 Haiku poems on the same sheet about their observations, appreciations they had for the plant, and any
hopes they had for the future of the plant.
Next week students will learn how to safely use a microscope and get a chance to see what a plant leaf looks like up
close!
6th Grade Science
12
This week, students learned how to create flash cards from their Cornell notes to help study for their upcoming test.
Many times students are told to study but not given tools for how to, and throughout the year, I will be giving students
similar tools for studying that they can then choose to use after this year or not.
Students also shared awe inspiring encounters they have had with nature as we begin our next unit on the formation of
the natural landscape. We also looked at some rock and mineral samples, making observations about their
compositions and then guessing what types of rocks or minerals they were. Lastly, students completed their chapter
one test!
Next week, students will do a mini lab on differences between mountain formations as well as examining certain
minerals and going through the process of identifying them.
7th Grade Science
This week in Science, students continued work on their “A cell is like a…” analogy projects. They are choosing a
system, such as a ball park, amusement park or ranch, and then creating analogies, from their chosen system, for the
different parts of an animal cell. They will continue to work on this project throughout next week at home.
Students also learned how to create flash cards from their Cornell notes. This section of the course targets Executive
Functioning skills, often not covered in depth in schools, where students learn how to organize the information they
are learning, an essential first step towards understanding the concepts. They can then easily process and study this
information.
On Thursday, students began a lab looking at an onion cell and their own cheek cells under a microscope. They then
recorded what they saw in the microscope and began identifying the parts of the cell that were clearly visible.
Students also began a mini lab in which they covered half of a leaf in the garden with tin foil, made guesses as to what
will happen to the covered leaf, and next week they will remove the tin foil and see what chloroplast has done, or not
done.
Next week we will have a test, continue work on the cell analogies project, and take a look under the microscope to
begin identifying the different stages of development for a cell.
8th Science
13
This week students finished calculating their average speeds from the data collected outside last week. We also
covered how to create flash cards from the Cornell notes students have taken. This was an awkward and at times
frustrating experience for students, as is the case when learning something completely new.
This learning process is aimed at giving students Executive Functioning skills, which are often not addressed in
school, but rather, left to the student. This is a method of organizing the information they are exploring, which then
makes studying the material a much more straight forward process.
Students also began a lab on measuring the acceleration of a car going down a ramp. They took two different time
measurements, and next week we will go over the calculation for acceleration.
Next week students will also be taking a test, and also exploring vertical force and friction in separate labs.
6th Grade Math
The majority of this week was dedicated to preparing for the chapter test. Students created flash cards from their
Cornell notes, and in class we worked through examples of the more different questions that they would encounter on
the test. Students developed strategies for deciphering word problems, first underlining important information and
what the question is asking. Then, creating pictures or organizing the information all in one place and lastly, working
through the problem.
Next week we will begin exploring negative numbers, and the rules associated with them when adding, subtracting,
multiplying, and dividing.
History (Michael Kwett):
This week in sixth grade history, we’ve begun reading (annotating, performing, and discussing) The Epic of
Gilgamesh, making links with what we’ve learned so far about ancient societies and the way Gilgamesh depicts the
borders between nature and civilization.
In seventh grade history, we held debates about the fall of the Western Roman Empire and began our next unit on
early Islamic societies. We’ve discussed the basics of Muslim teachings as well as the geopolitical divisions that exist
today within the Muslim world.
I have also been hard at work updating the school’s computers and network systems.
14
Mr. Kwett’s classroom wall
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
This week in PE we finished the regular season of our speedball tournament. Next Thursday will be the final games
for this exciting event. All of the boys played hard and tried their best. I saw great teamwork and communication.
Also we did a push-up and sit-up test on Monday. The boys recorded their results into their binders. It seemed like
the boys enjoyed doing this.
We will continue swimming next Friday! Please make sure your boy has his swim gear!
Art: (Greg Newton):
Students in the art class were assigned to create an image or images using words associated with that image or
images. Each student is given three class sessions to complete all assignments. Once completed they were assigned to
perform a similar task using dots. A few examples of the latter is on display.
Stay Creative!
Some Dates for Next Week:
•
•
•
•
•
Monday, October 12: Columbus Day (No school)
Wednesday, October 14: EBISA Annual School Fair at Scottish Rites Temple, 6 pm – 8 pm (Heidi & Sal
will be promoting PBA!)
Friday, October 16: EBISA Symposium at Holy Names University (Sal will be representing PBA)
Friday, October 16: 7th & 8th grade DANCE, hosted by Prospect Sierra School, 960 Avis Drive, El Cerrito,
CA 94530, 7 pm – 9 pm. Megan Cole & Sal will be chaperoning this first event.
Sunday, October 18: OPEN HOUSE for families interested in PBA, 2 – 4 PM
15
16
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
October 16, 2015
Hi Everyone,
Another great week in paradise! The 8th graders had two school visits this week: Bishop O’Dowd and Dunn High School (Los
Olivos, CA) It is important to have a variety of good information to make an informed, post-PBA high school choice.
And, our swim class continued this Friday at Lions Pool. A fun time was had by all!
Student of the Week
PBA has a charming custom whereby each week the faculty votes on a boy who has exhibited academic and music improvement
as well as showing outstanding behavior towards his peers/teachers.
The boy gets to wear a cool orange tee-shirt to identify him as such.
Calin Hurley, Sivan Faruqui & Skyler Dale.
Past winners this semester were:
Student of the current week: Becket Erickson
As one who hails from high-altitude Boulder, Colorado, it is always a treat to see oranges growing in the region. I always smile
each morning when I see a new cluster of low hanging fruit dangling from our very own tree!
Orange tree near PBA entrance
4th Grade (Natasha Bach):
We begin everyday with a Journal prompt to encourage putting our thoughts onto paper in a free flowing creative style.
17
In Math we have been working on multiples and factors. Our focus now is on multiplication and division using up to 3
digit numbers.
Students are creating their own timeline poster to organize all of the early settlers and expeditions of California in Social
Studies.
We studied words with an oo sound in Spelling this week. We are actively practicing our spelling in fun ways; we wrote
them on the sidewalk in chalk, typed them on the computer, formed letters with our bodies, and sometimes we even use
sign language. We are currently doing a class read aloud of the book My Side of the Mountain.
Fourth graders continue to enhance our spelling and reading using the Wordly Wise Vocab Lessons.
In order to augment our Science, since we only see Mr. Leo for 30 minutes each week, we have 3 of the 5 garden
beds. After completing our own garden design using measurements and conversions onto graph paper, we just planted
some winter vegetables in one bed. We planted carrots, two types of lettuce, and onions. In a separate bed we will be
planting flowers; Cosmos, Nasturtium, and Orange and Mikado California Poppies. Fourth grade also started seedling
in our classroom for the final garden bed which we much add soil and prepare for our soon to be pumpkins, broccoli,
and cabbage.
th
Grade (Victoria Fry):
This week in 5th grade students learned about the 5 themes of geography and worked in groups to research each theme.
They completed fun activities with their groups to better understand how geographers use these themes in every day life.
In Math we wrapped up chapters 1 & 2 in preparation for the test, and next week we will be moving onto fractions. In
English students learned their third set of worldly wise vocabulary words and continued developing their stories for
creative writing. Students are working hard to bring their stories to life, inspired by our recent reading of Indian in The
Cupboard.
Spanish (Megan Cole):
5th: board work practice for "Yo Soy Project", classroom and school vocabulary, learning how to conjugate
verbs! Subject pronouns, ar verbs, Hay
6th: house vocabulary, colors, Ideal House project, expansive readings exercises to expand our vocabulary, speaking
and sentences structure
7th: past times & food vocabulary, practice ser & gustar in sentences, lesson one reviews, start lesson two: people and
descriptions, Telehistoria, articles.
8th: Dia de Los Muertos project, house & furniture Vocabulary, ser verses estar comparisons, ordinal numbers,
Ecuador culture
18
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
In 8th grade Latin, we have begun our poetry unit. On Wednesday, Mr. Gabri came in and orally performed some poems
of the Latin poet Catullus; and talked about his process of choosing between English translations of the Latin for his one
man show. We discussed the importance of not taking Catullus' (seemingly highly personal, emotional, 1st person)
poetic persona at face value but rather, as a consciously constructed poetic device used to comment on larger political
events.
On Friday, the boys then performed their own Latin poems they had written over the week (which will continue on
Monday). The boys' poems were impressive both in terms of their Latin grammar and the creativity of topics chosen-everything from their love of nature to how drinking tea makes one need to urinate. We also discussed all the uses of the
ablative (there are dozens) that we learned so far, and incorporated these uses into their poems.
English (Richard Grabi):
We had some wonderful discussions in English class this week. The 6th graders read a story called “My Greatest
Ambition,” about a young boy who wants to become a comic-strip artist. The boy eventually, and somewhat
inexplicably, gives up his ambition, which prompted us to question the nature of ambition in its relation to other societal
factors. What role do others play in the career path we choose? What role does luck or fortune play? And how does our
personal outlook (or character) affect the lengths we will go to accomplish our goals?
The 7th graders read a satire (“Harrison Bergeron,” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.) about a society in the future that tries to make
everyone “equal”; not just legally but in every which way. From metal weights that weigh you down to mandatory
earphones that blast loud noises into your ear, no one is allowed to feel too good or too smart about him or herself in the
year 2081. The boys liked the story and our subsequent discussions so much, that they asked me if we can adapt it for
the stage.
The 8th graders read a historical fiction (by Stephen Vincent Benét) called “The Captives.” This haunting story, about a
Scottish soldier/adventurer who falls in love with a white settler who has lived most of her life among Indians who took
her captive, raises all kinds of interesting questions about identity politics, the fear of “others” or “the other,” the nature
of human attraction and revulsion, and the phenomenon of ambivalence. Benét, an extremely gifted writer who won the
Pulitzer Prize, uses the word “yet” (with great effect) to convey the narrator’s ambivalence and uncertainty throughout
the story:
“Yet I still keep thinking of my changeling. Aye, even had all things been otherwise, I could not have brought
her back tamed, to be a lady of Auchairn. And yet, she had nations in her eyes.”
Math (Kevin Fox):
Both seventh and eighth graders had an arithmetic quiz in math this week. Mr. Kwett and I are starting to notice patterns
across both grades in arithmetic skills weaknesses, namely with negative numbers and canceling, and we’re addressing
those with extra attention, practice, and explanation.
Seventh graders have been exploring properties of regular polygons. Today they’ll get a take-home problem set to
construct regular polygons armed only with a protractor, a ruler, and one formula. They’ll have no other homework, and
it is possible to get the shapes very precise, so in addition to the math involved, it’s a lesson in persistence, precision,
and time management.
In eighth grade we’ve been working on the “substitution” method for solving systems of two equations with two
variables. Today we’re moving on to the linear combination/cancelation method for solving the same kinds of problems.
19
There always seems to be strong feelings amongst students that one method is better than the other, so we’ll see what
this year’s eighth graders think once they get familiar with the second option.
Science / 6th Math (Leo Janisse):
4th Grade Science
This week students continued their observations of their mystery bean by taking measurements of growth and observing
the leaf structure so far. They are recording this weekly with the goal of compiling their observations to help with
determining what species of bean they have growing.
In our current unit we are exploring the first principle of permaculture which is to observe and interact. This week
students observed a plant at the micro level, using light microscopes to see what a plant cell looks likes. After our
microscope tutorial, students drew what they saw in the microscope at three different magnifications. They compared a
plant leaf with a plant stem, and were able to identify parts of both. Students also completed a drawing of what the
inside of a plant cell looks like, labeling the nucleus, cell wall etc.
Next week we will be continuing our bean observations as well as doing an experiment on Stromata and Transpiration.
5th Grade Science
This week, students turned in their Haiku Garden Pictures and presented them in front of the class. Afterwards, we took
our observation and interaction unit to the micro level, looking at a plant cell through a light microscope. Students first
watched a Bill Nye video on plants, and then created a drawing of what a plant cell looks like, labeling the major
organelles. They then listened to the “Cell Rap” song and finally, after a microscope tutorial, got to see what a plant leaf
and stem look like. They drew what they saw at three different magnifications, noting the different parts of the plant
such as the nucleus.
At the end of the day, students got a chance to hold and check in with Chuck Norris who is doing great! Next week, we
will continue this unit by looking at how Stromata and Transpiration work in a leaf.
Holding Chuck Norris in the Science Lab!
20
6th Grade Math
This week students began their unit on dividing fractions. They were introduced to a new form of note taking called
Fryar notes which we will continue to use during some class periods.
The highlight of the week was our dividing fractions using blocks activity. Groups of three were in charge of working
together to create visual representations of a fraction division problem.
As the class moves forward, we will be spending more times doing group games and interactive problem work. Next
week we will be covering multiplying and dividing decimals.
6th Grade Earth Science
This week students got back their Chapter 1 tests, and began their next unit on rocks and the composition of the inside of
Earth. Students were given several photographs of mountains, and were in charge of identifying specific parts of the
mountain’s features that revealed how it was created. They observed the glacial destruction of Yosemite Valley, Mt.
Lassen’s explosion from within an uplifted mountain range, Mt. Shasta’s isolated volcanic formation and Mt. Whitney’s
clear line of uplift. They observed the rock makeup of each mountain to determine whether they were volcanoes or just
mountains.
Friday, students were introduced to our next lesson involving how to identify minerals and rocks. Next week, we will be
using a dichotomous key to identify certain minerals as well as memorizing both the rock and mineral songs!
7th Grade Science
This week students took their first test, explored the effect of sunlight on plant color, and began work on cellular
respiration. Student’s also finished their “A cell is like…” presentations and presented them to the class. The remaining
students will be presented next week. So far, they have all been very creative and well thought out.
Next week we will be exploring the root of an onion to help understand the process of mitosis in plant and animal
cells. Students have also come to a consensus that they would like to take notes in class instead of at home now that
they have shown an understanding of the Cornell note taking style, so from now on, we will be having lecture style note
taking once or twice a week, with labs/experiments to help reinforce concepts afterwards.
8th Grade Science
This week students created a time and position table from their acceleration experiment from last week. They also
learned how to calculate the acceleration of their toy cars. On Wednesday, they took their first test and were then
introduced to their next chapter about Newton’s Law. We watched a sports science video relating the running backs
movement to unbalanced forces and inertia. Next week, we will be doing a series of experiments that demonstrate
Newton’s First Law.
History (Michael Kwett):
In sixth grade history, we are reading, discussing, and annotating The Epic of Gilgamesh, relating it to Mesopotamian
history and what we know about the beginning of civilization.
In seventh grade history, we are continuing our study of Islam, watching and discussing a Frontline documentary,
reviewing the principles and key terms of the Muslim faith, and reflecting on the Western perception of the Islamic
world as well as the historical forces that have shaped Islamic extremism.
Art (Greg Newton):
On Tuesday the 7th and 8th graders applied their final artistic touches to assignments 1 and 2 (images created
from words/ images created from dots). Meanwhile, other students worked on symmetry via various shapes
drawn with a pencil and ruler first before being repeated freehand. The objective was to further develop eye
and hand coordination.
21
On Thursday the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders were encouraged to indulge in this challenge as well. However,
unlike the 7th and 8th graders, the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders were asked to demonstrate their understanding of
symmetry by drawing and cutting out bats, bats that had identical patterns on both the left and right side.
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
This week we finished up our Speedball Tournament in each of the classes. Everybody played well and showed great
sportsmanship.
We celebrated with a doughnut awards ceremony where everybody got an award and accomplishments were
recognized.
Also, we went swimming again today. We are focusing on developing an efficient freestyle stroke with proper breathing
technique.
Important Dates:
•
•
Sunday, October 18, 2 pm, OPEN HOUSE for all families interested in attending PBA
End of First Quarter is Thursday, October 29.
Playing cards at lunch
22
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
October 24, 2015
Good Morning Everyone,
The weather held out and we continue to enjoy good, outdoor work at PBA: some classes were held in the front yard, while
others took to the plant beds to work.
Parks & Recreation had a slight mix-up with PBA’s swim schedule this Friday. We will work it out over the next few weeks.
Student of the Week: Congratulations to Max Ruiz!
PBA’s Annual Halloween Party is set for Friday, October 30th (1:18 – 3:00 PM). For those new to the school, here’s how
it works:
•
•
•
•
Boys bring costumes to school. At 1:18 PM they change into their finest. Everyone regroups into theater.
A team of teachers/staff judge boys in costume as each grade goes on stage. Several categories.
Boys also display their decorated pumpkins to all!
Treats outside on picnic tables!
I invite EVERYONE to join us in the theater for a fun time. And do feel free to wear YOUR costume as well.
th
New carpet installation courtesy of Board Chair, Spencer Fulweiler
4 Grade (Natasha Bach):
Unfortunately, this past weekend, the squirrels had fun digging up our new seedling and seeds. So Mr. Leo and the boys are
now working to design a way to protect our garden from the animals in our neighborhood. We will replant our seeds and
germinate them in the window since we realized they germinate quickly in the window.
23
Science Teacher, Mr. Leo and the boys are putting up fences around the plant-beds—we’ve had the neighborhood squirrel and friends
nibbling at the boy’s handiwork!
In math we are implementing our sums, differences, quotients, and products in real life word problems. In spelling we focus on
“or” sounding words. We practice our spelling words in fun and creative ways, this week we worked with a partner to develop a
secret code (like Morris Code) and wrote out our words in code. We finished our class read-along My Side of the Mountain. It
was a surprising ending, none of our predictions were correct. All of the boys agreed it was an excellent book and they would
recommend it to others to read. The author used an abundance of wonderful and colorful adjectives. A truly wonderful book
about courage, bravery, growing up, heroism, resourcefulness and survival.
We began researching our famous Californians for our Living Museum. After collecting facts we will work on compiling a
bibliography to show our facts are credible. We will practice our typing skills by assembling our facts into Google Docs. We
continue to learn about California Missions and Rancheros in Social Studies. We learned about bartering and trading in our
California history so we had a bartering day. Students brought things from home to barter with each other. Our composer of the
week was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We watched video clips of the “Papageno” duet and the famous “Queen of the Night”
aria.
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
This week in Math we focused on Fractions. Students were introduced to fractions in 4th grade, and we reviewed adding and
subtracting unlike fractions in class. Students worked individually and in partners to work through problems in their textbooks
and workbooks.
In English we learned types of sentences and practiced writing and identifying simple, compound, complex, and compound
complex sentences. We also reviewed Wordly Wise 3 vocabulary words and created visual flip books to study. For their visual
flip books, students created small books for each vocal word - complete with definitions and a picture or symbol to remember
the word.
In History students continued learning about the five themes of geography and presented their themes to the class. We also
began learning Capital Cities of the United States.
Spanish (Megan Cole):
24
5th: Yo Soy presentations! Please look for these posted in the hallways at the end of October. We will finish the week learning
about El Dia de Los Muertos!
6th: Ideal House project presentations! Play Spanish jeopardy, more practice with House vocabulary & sentences. We will
finish the week learning about El Dia de Los Muertos!
7th: Paragraph readings & writings, Tex mex culture, end of chapter review on adjectives, people vocabulary & basic
grammar. We will finish the week learning about El Dia de Los Muertos!
8th: Telehistoria, more practice with house vocabulary, practice with ordinal numbers. We will finish the week learning
about Dia de Los Muertos!
English (Richard Grabi):
This week, students in all grades got a lesson in the history of the English language. From the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain
to the spread of Christianity (and with it Latin), to the Viking invasion and (finally) the Norman invasion, we left no invasion
unturned.
By the end of the lesson, students finally understood why English is such a rich and complex language, and why we often have
five ways of saying the same thing! Of course, I’m only kidding about the last part. In fact, the second part of the lesson, which
involved students completing a series of exercises using their new dictionaries, addressed the problem of labeling words as
synonyms. Students were asked to find the difference (or differences) between words that are often treated as the same, or nearly
the same: such as copious and ample, curious and inquisitive, fair and impartial, meaning and significance, riddle and enigma,
timely and opportune, sudden and abrupt, etc.
The intent of the exercise was to get students to see the subtle differences between words, and the shades of meaning that are
imparted (whether consciously or unconsciously) through our (or an author’s) use of them. Other exercises helped students
familiarize themselves with the dictionary by seeing what kinds of information can (and can’t) be found there; including, but not
limited to, variant spellings of words, pronunciation guides, plural endings, status label (i.e., formal, informal, slang),
geographical labels, etymology (which now makes sense to them, thanks to the lesson on the history of the English language)
and idiomatic expressions. All in all, students had a wonderful time learning about all the information they can find in their
dictionaries!
Science (Leo Janisse):
4th Grade Science
This week students got a chance to explore why leaves are green and why they change color in the fall. In this hands on activity,
students mashed up 3 green leaves, soaked them in rubbing alcohol, and then used near boiling water to heat up their
concoction. After 30 minutes, students placed a blotter paper in their mixture and watched as their mixture bled onto the paper.
Students were introduced to the concept of how chlorophyll production creates the green color in leaves, and how once the fall
comes, that production decreases, giving rise to the other colors which are always present in the leaf, but are overshadowed most
of the spring and summer months by chlorophyll.
Next week students will examine their blotted paper, make observations and finish the conclusion portion of this lab. They will
also continue their observations and measurements of their mystery bean.
5th Grade Science
25
On Tuesday, we reviewed the different parts of a plant cell from last week and how they get their food and water. Afterwards,
we had our final Haiku Garden poem reading. We continued our garden observations, this time looking for issues that were
occurring that we needed to address. One was that the squirrels were burying their nuts for the winter in the garden bed, and
two, that most of our new growth is occurring not on the edges we created, but rather in the “gutters”.
With these observations, students began to set up the beds for their chicken wire cages which will be fully assembled next week
in order to deter the squirrels. Next week, we will also begin planting starts that we can then plant on the edges and begin
observing how edge growth compares to the “gutter” growth.
Wednesday, with the fourth grade, students got a chance to see how all colors are present in leaves at all times, and the green is
dominant because of chlorophyll. Next week, they will examine their blotter papers to see how many different colors they see.
6th Grade Math
This week students were introduced to the concepts of dividing fractions, decimals, and multiplying decimals. We did this by
first, creating a specific strategy for each type of problem, with steps on how to solve the problem. Then, the white boards go
out and students work on practice problems individually, keeping track of their correct scores as we go along.
We also brushed up on some concepts that Mr. Fox recommended all students below seventh grade master before coming into
his math courses. This included cross cancellation of fractions, which fit in nicely with where we were at currently, as well as
how to make a whole number a fraction to easily multiply with another fraction.
Next week, we will continue our brushing up on necessary concepts, use the white boards as much as possible as this helps with
student engagement, and begin exploring real world situations where multiplying and dividing fractions come into play.
6th Grade Earth Science
This week students used a dichotomous key to identify certain minerals. They got a chance to check the streak of a mineral and
also how it reacts in HCL. Seeing how a mineral could cause such a visible chemical reaction helped students understand just
what these minerals are made of.
Students were then introduced to the rock cycle through an activity where they became a rock in the cycle, rolling a die to see
where and why they were going next. For homework, students will be creating a colorful and creative comic strip explaining
their 12 step journey.
Students were also introduced to the makeup of Earth’s interior Friday, which we will continue to explore next week as well as
begin to create flashcards in preparation for the upcoming test.
7th Grade Science
This week, students presented their “A cell is like..:” projects for the class. They got a chance to learn what goes into creating an
engaging presentation while connecting what they learned about cells to something they are interested in such as football teams
and ranching.
Students also got their first taste of an in class lecture, where they took notes on what was presented and then created a summary
and test questions based on that information. This process went very well as all students were engaged throughout the lecture,
asking clarifying questions and staying focused throughout.
Later in the week, students were given their Mitosis project, which consists of either creating a comic strip, story, or song about
the different stages of mitosis. Many students were confused as to why they were doing art in science class, and science in art
class (they are drawing the human skull). I let them know that one of our goals as educators is to connect all of their classes
together, and realize that they do not have to be mutually exclusive. For this project, students will have to have a mastery of the
content in order to then create an artistic piece about it.
Lastly, students began preparation for their mitosis lab by scoring and placing their onions in water to get new root
growth. Once we have new roots, we will use them to look at mitosis in action under the microscope. We will continue
26
observing the onions next week as we are waiting for a key ingredient to be delivered on November 2nd. We will also be
continuing work in class on the comic strips/songs, and then get into the levels of organization within an organism.
8th Grade Science
This week students completed their experiments demonstrating Newton’s First Law, going from station to station creating
hypothesis’ about what they believe would happen, then making observations as to what actually did happen and then
connecting their observations to how they demonstrated Newton’s First Law. This was a fun, challenging and eye-opening
series of experiments that helped solidify the concepts introduced in the first lesson of Chapter 2.
Students also were exposed to their first in class lecture on forces and friction. This is how we will be covering material from
chapters from now on, as they have the Cornell style notes on their tool belts and will no longer be required to take notes at
home, but rather just read through the lesson and be prepared to answer questions on the spot in class. The goal here is to get
students ready for High School and College level classes where they will at times need to come in and maintain focus throughout
the class period as they get down the information presented to them in an organized fashion that they can then come back to
prior to testing.
Next week, we will be doing experiments demonstrating the different types of friction, and also having our lecture on Newton’s
Second and Third Laws.
Can you identify these veggies—without asking your 4th or 5th grader ? J
History (Michael Kwett):
This week in Ancient History, students finished reading and annotating The Epic of Gilgamesh. Next week we will return to the
textbook, cementing the connections between the text and its historical context, and I’ll introduce a writing project that asks
students to identify and analyze these connections.
In Medieval History we are continuing our study of early Islamic societies, from Abu Bakr’s expansion of Muslim rule across
the Middle East, Northern Africa and Spain, to the Byzantine, Safavid, Mughal, and Ottoman Empires, to the sectarian violence
of today. Students grouped in pairs to research and present on each empire, and discussed the causes of the Shia/Sunni divide,
the political, cultural and military advantages of policies of religious tolerance, and the economic and intellectual superiority of
the Middle East during the Middle Ages.
Art (Greg Newton):
This week the 7th and 8th graders worked on drawing a skull from either the front or side view freehand. Diagrams (one
dimensional models) were given to help achieve what some students described as an impossible goal or an assignment better
suited for science. "This is not a science class", said one student. Others argued that this assignment had nothing to do with art,
but agree that art can be anything.
27
My hope is that as time passes a correlation will be made between this activity and ones that follow like drawing self portraits,
the human anatomy, and the world in general which is no greater than the sum of its parts. The skull is connected to the neck
bone...part of a song I learned as a kid.
The 4th and 5th graders finished their bats. By this I mean that they glued them down on construction paper, added color,
scenery, and basically their own personal touches. Those who finished were given those "one dimensional models" (skulls) to
draw and their smiles said it all. Happy Halloween! More work will be displayed soon!
Important Dates:
•
•
•
•
Tuesday, October 27. Visit from Dave Lazo, Admissions Director at College Preparatory School, Oakland.
Tuesday, October 27, Crepevine Fundraiser, 2 – 8 pm, 1600 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley. Bring in flyer and 50% of
your meal will be donated to PBA!
Thursday, October 29th, End of Quarter Marking Period
Halloween Party: Friday, October 30, 1:18 – 3 pm, theater area: wear your costume!
28
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
October 30,2015
We had another great week at PBA. The boys continued to exhibit superb behavior with our many visitors to our school.
Several families have stopped by, some shadowing students to determine if PBA is the right fit.
Our long-time bookkeeper, Heli Roiha’s last day was this past Monday. As Heli nicely articulated in her email to the PBA
community, she is leaving a wonderfully detailed accounting system at PBA to focus on her other clients.
Heli Roiha speaking at our weekly Town Meeting.
Student of the Week: Congratulations to Arthur Pecceu!
We had our annual Halloween bash this past Friday. A spooky time was had by all!
4th Grade (Natasha Bach):
29
This was a fun week. We focused on monster stories from around the world, we looked at the world map and
discovered each country’s geography. Then the boys created their own monster based on the geography of that
country and wrote a brief description of its powers or unique characteristics. On Friday, we used scary story cards to
select the setting, characters, and items which would appear in the story. We made some foam pumpkin faces and
were inspired by the portrait “The Scream” by Edvard Munch to blow paint our own personal “Scream” art.
In math, we finished up chapter three using multiplication, division, and real-world word problems. We continue to
research our Famous Californians, now working to organize our facts into chronological order. We began our next
read aloud, “The Hatchet” which has an emotionally gripping first chapter, which follows our scary theme of the
week.
We practiced writing thank you notes for the office staff here at PBA. First we brainstormed the helpful and good
qualities of each person and then composed our notes. Mr. Trento was so impressed he followed us back to do a
Halloween inspired science experiment with the boys combining two liquids. The boys gave their predictions of what
would happen and then watched in amazement as it foamed and grew and grew…became hot and then hardened
into… Styrofoam! We also made our own potion of Witches Brew and made scientific observations of the:
1 teaspoon of Bone Dust
½ teaspoon of Fairy Dust
¼ cup of Goblin Drool
and 2 drops of Snake Venom
We capped off our week celebrating with the whole school in a costume contest!
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
This week in Math we continued working with fractions, mixed numbers, division expressions and decimals. Students
engaged in fun and educational interactive math games online to practice these concepts.
In English, we reviewed the four different types of sentences and wrote spooky, Halloween-themed sentences to
prepare for the quiz. We also began identifying parts of sentences to gain a better understanding of these particular
elements; subject, verb, direct / indirect object.
In creative writing, students continued working on their stories and began moving into the editing stage of this
process. For our weekly project hour, we continued our living museum project; where each student is researching the
life of an influential historical figure. Students are quickly becoming experts! In History, we have returned to the
textbook to learn about early explorers and the expansion of trade in the middle ages. We are also practicing the 50
states and capital cities.
30
Spanish (Megan Cole):
Next week:
5th: Kids will make their own sugar skull in celebration of Dia de Los Muertos. We will learn about Hay and how to structure
sentence to say "there is/are" and how to construct questions "Is/Are there?". School vocabulary will be introduced.
6th: Kids will make their own sugar skull in celebration of el Día de Los Muertos. Clothing and shopping vocabulary will be
introduced. More practice with the present tense of regular verbs.
7th: We will watch the 8th grade presentations of el Día de Los Muertos. People and characteristics vocabulary. Go over
vocabulary quiz.
8th: El Dia de Los Muertos presentations! Introduce party and events vocabulary.
Spanish Presentations!
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
In 7th grade Latin, the boys have been working on declining adjectives and noun-adjective agreement; as well as strengthening
their Latin prose composition skills. We have just started reading an abridged version of the Latin epic poem The Aeneid in their
textbook, and talking a bit about mythology surrounding the foundation of Rome. We will spend most of next week on this topic
as well. We have also been working on giving the syntax of Latin phrases- that is, not just recognizing that a word in their
reading is the ablative case; but being able to explain *what use* of the ablative it is in context. We also spent time reviewing for
their adjective quiz on Monday.
In 8th grade Latin, we have been reading an abridged Latin version of the story of Dido, mythological queen of Carthage. We
are particularly focusing on recognizing the new case usages we have learned (abl. of separation, specification) in the reading.
The boys also took their Chapter 15 vocabulary quiz this week; which the majority performed excellently on. This Friday, in the
31
Halloween spirit, I taught them about Roman curse tablets. These were lead witchcraft tablets that Romans inscribed with
formulaic Latin phrases in order to ask the gods for vengeance against a suspected thief or personal enemy. We then copied these
phrases to make our own Latin curse tablets; and did dramatic readings of them to further strengthen Latin oral skills.
English (Richard Grabi):
In the spirit of Halloween, and all things spooky, sneaky and crawly, we began reading the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The
7th and 8th graders are reading “The Tell-Tale Heart,” narrated by a madman who kills an old man because of…well, any number
of reasons, including the old man’s “vulture eye.” Part of the mystery is figuring out why he did it. But the biggest mystery, and
this is where Poe ingeniously connects the thought process of a “madman” to our own more quotidian thoughts, is whether or
not any reason we find for what he does (and, in turn, what we do on a day-to-day basis) will be sufficient. Is there perhaps an
irrational element to every rational thought? Conversely, is there an element of rationality to the most irrational musings? What
could be darker, scarier or more disconcerting than a thought like this? Poe was a master!
“It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but, once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was
none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had
no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over
it.”
Meanwhile, the 6th graders read Poe’s “Raven.” I cannot tell you what a pleasure it has been reading the poem with the boys.
They are full of insights, and continuously challenge me (and each other) to see the poem in a new light. I can honestly say, our
discussions have been at a high school level, if not higher.
And the notes they take. Wow! The poem, for all its popularity, is extremely dense and complex. But we have unpacked it, bit by
bit, and the results (i.e., the boys’ interpretations) are beautiful and moving. The poem largely deals with the themes of
mourning, loss, decay, regret, forgetting and the memories that haunt us till our last breath. Yeah, it’s heavy stuff, but Poe
presents it to us in such a palatable manner (in the form of a melodic, indelible poem) that we can imbibe it and accept it as
easily as a cold glass of water on a hot summer’s day!
But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—
Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before—
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said “Nevermore.”
Math (Kevin Fox):
7th math:
The boys took another arithmetic quiz, which zeroed in on some of the weaknesses we’ve identified and have been practicing
with our daily problems. The boys had the highest average of the year so far on this arithmetic quiz.
32
We finished our unit on area and the Pythagorean Theorem. The boys have been finding the area of various shapes, including
compound shapes, combinations of triangles (where they often had to find the height using the Pythagorean Theorem),
rectangles, trapezoids, regular polygons, and circles.
We’re moving next to shapes in a coordinate plane, where we’ll be learning about planar transformations such as rotations,
reflections, and scalar transformations. We’ll also be putting the coordinates of shapes into matrices and discovering by which
2x2 matrices we can multiply to create transformations.
8th math:
The boys took another arithmetic quiz, which zeroed in on some of the weaknesses we’ve identified and have been practicing
with our daily problems. The boys had the highest average of the year so far on this arithmetic quiz.
This week we had a test on how to solve two simultaneous linear equations with two variables (finding the unique pair of
numbers that works for both equations) using both the substitution method, and the elimination/cancellation/linear combination
method. Next we’re going to work on turning words into equations to solve problems with both one and two variables. Word
problems make the algebra more functional, to help answer the usual question of “how is this useful?”. The algebra is training
their minds to solve puzzles, but we’ll also see how it can be applied to "real-world" problems.
Science (Leo Janisse):
4th Grade Science
This week, students checked their mystery beans, drawing pictures of them, recording their height and growth and writing 3
observations. Before this, they used their observation skills to design a new home for Chuck Norris, PBA’s Leopard Gecko
mascot. In order to do this, they investigated how to care for a Leopard Gecko, focusing on their diet, original habitat, sleep
cycle and temperature needs. From this information, they designed a home for Chuck Norris which we will begin creating next
week.
We will also continue our bean mystery investigation, looking at different leaf structures of various beans, and trying to create a
list of potential qualifiers, while also learning how leaf structure can help identify plant species.
5th Grade Science
On Tuesday, students investigated how to properly care for our Leopard Gecko, Chuck Norris. Each student was in charge of
one specific area of care, such as the temperature gradient Chuck needs, the amount of sunlight per day and how that changes
throughout the year, his diet, home cleaning regiments, and his origin. During this research, students learned of Chuck’s
original, wild, habitat in the regions of Pakistan and North India, and how that influences how we care for Chuck. Each student
presented their findings to the class, playing the role of the teacher as the rest of students took notes in their science notebooks.
The next day, students used the information they gathered from the previous day to design a home for Chuck where he can live a
healthy lifestyle. Their designs will now be combined to create a plush home for Chuck next week. Students also continued
their garden observations as well as their mystery bean observations. Next week, we will explore how leaf structure can help
determine a plant species and try to create a list of possible beans.
6th Grade Math
This week, we took a step back for the first two days to review concepts that are essential to their success next year that were not
in the curriculum for the rest of this year. This included subtracting negative numbers and decimals specifically, and also how to
cross cancel. Mastering these skills will help students as we move through this year and especially moving into seventh grade
math.
After our review, we explored how to tackle a multi-step real world word problem involving fractions. These questions require
a mastery of our work with adding, multiplying and dividing fractions and also the ability to break a problem into separate steps,
first underlining important information, then creating a labeled visual representation of this information, and finally determining
33
what the questions is asking. We will continue practicing these problems next week, as well begin preparing for the test next
week by making flash cards and completing the chapter review.
6th Grade Earth Science
This week, students completed their rock cycle comic strips, an amazing collection of creative and colorful descriptions of the
rock cycle from their own perspective, as if they were the rock themselves. Students were also introduced to the composition of
the Earth’s interior through a lecture accompanied by a catchy song and explanation of the process of convection beneath our
feet. Afterwards, students began creating proportional slices of the Earth’s interior, revisiting our previous work of creating
functional ratios from our map making unit.
Students were also introduced to a new homework policy. If they complete their homework as a class for an entire week, they
will be rewarded with an ice cream treat at the end of the week. This challenge will then build on itself, as the next level will be
two weeks straight having homework completed everyday in both subjects. If students do not complete their homework on time,
and do not have a note of excuse, they will be joining me during the lunch period to finish it. This is designed to encourage
students to finish their work on time and also to make sure students are reinforcing ideas learned in class right after learning
them, instead of completing a missing assignment two weeks after learning the material, at which time they will have possibly
forgotten the material and are also in the middle of learning new material.
Next week, students will finish their interior slice, and combine them all together to make one, giant, cross section of Earth’s
interior. We will also begin studying and preparing for the chapter test next week.
7th Grade Science
This week, student’s continued work on their mitosis project, submitting rough drafts and then having a one on one session with
me to expand and add more detail to the individual steps of mitosis in relation to their story. These were very successful
sessions, as students realized that this project is not about getting it completed as fast as possible, but rather, creating an idea, and
then revising that idea to make it stronger.
Students also had a lecture on the organization of cells within a multicellular organism, exploring the wonders of stem cells
and how single cells differentiate to create tissues, organs, organ systems and finally organisms.
Next week students will finalize their projects, present them to the class and begin preparation for the chapter test. Students
were also introduced to a new policy for this coming quarter. If any student does not have homework completed the day it is
due, and do not have a note excusing them, they will be joining me at lunch to complete the assignment. The goal is to
encourage students to get their work done on time, and if it is not, to get the assignment completed immediately as it is essential
to reinforce concepts learned in previous days.
8th Grade Science
This week students explored the relationship between friction and force in a lab experiment where they measured how many
Newton’s were required to pull a wooden block with a smooth side and a sandpaper side. They examined how kinetic energy
and static energy differ as well as how surface area affects friction and force. Students also had a lecture on Newton’s Second
Law of Motion and began putting the equation f=ma to use.
Next week, we will finish our lecture on Newton’s Second and Third Law’s of Motion as well as begin preparing for the chapter
test next week. Students were also introduced to a new policy regarding missing work. If they get through a whole week where
everyone turns in their homework on time, they will get an ice cream surprise at the end. Once completed, the challenge will get
progressively more difficult as it turns to two weeks in a row and then three. The goal is to encourage students to get their work
done on time, as this has been an issue throughout the first quarter. If a student does not have their homework or a note of
excuse, they will be joining me at lunch to complete the assignment. Completing the assignment by the due date is an essential
part of the learning process as this helps to reinforce the concepts introduced in class.
34
History (Michael Kwett):
In sixth grade history, we have finished up our unit on Mesopotamia by creating an index of The Epic of Gilgamesh that locates
key concepts and inventions from Mesopotamian history within the text. Students are learning how to read literature as a
historical document, and are realizing how fiction can often tell us more about the characteristics of a given society than can
secondary sources. Students also took an exam on the history of the Fertile Crescent and completed a creative mini-project of
their choice—an advertisement, an opinion piece, or a short essay—exploring how inventions from the Near East kickstarted the
development of civilizations throughout the region.
In seventh grade history, we completed our unit on Islamic history with a written exam. Students graded themselves (subject to
my revisions) based on a far-reaching class discussion of the answers. We’ve continued our discussions of recent events in the
Middle East, including the rise of Islamism, sectarian violence, and the relationship between religion and politics in the Muslim
world.
Art (Greg Newton):
Greetings! Pumpkins were the primary focus in art this week. Some were painted, colored, taped, and out fitted with
feathers. Others were personified---given arms, eyes and sometimes three eyes, large bulging eyes. This activity was
part of a pumpkin decorating competition sponsored by PBA, a competition made possible because of a generous
donation from one our parents. Thank You!! Pumpkinstien rise
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
This week we continued swimming. I am noticing tremendous improvement in the freestyle strike. On the last day of swimming
the skills we learn will be tested! One length freestyle with proper breathing, kicking, body position, and head position. For the
very beginners the test will be at the appropriate level.
Also, we have started our second core sports unit: Soccer! This unit will include learning the basic skills of soccer, practicing
the skills in various activities, and finally a tournament!
35
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
November 6, 2015
The boys had another fabulous singing gig at Crestmont School.
Loading up for a singing gig
On the road…again J
Student of the Week: Congratulations to Charlie Baker-Armenta
4th Grade (Natasha Bach):
In addition to studying the redwoods in both social studies and vocab, our story about a boy who lived in the wilderness
inspired our fourth grade field trip to the Redwood Regional Park. We hiked down to discover more about the trees and
the natural habitat.
Example of a Ladybug swarm seen by 4th graders during their fabulous Tuesday morning hike! Ladybugs swarm because they hibernate
in clusters. When one finds a suitable place (like a branch, leaf, etc.) it releases a pheromone that attracts thousands more!
A big thank you to Melissa Glickman for chaperoning and for sharing her keen eye and knowledge with the boys. Our
new class read along Hatchet is very intense and exciting. In chapter one the main character is in a plane
crash. Moment by moment the author’s use of descriptive words has us on the edge of our seats. He uses a lot of
repetition of words to help us really feel the intensity of what is happening.
36
In math we have now moved into a chapter which focusses on interpreting charts and graphs. In history we are
completing chapter 4 about California ranchos. We have learned many Spanish terms and designed our own brand
using our initials. Our garden is slow growing with the cooler weather but it is exciting to see our carrots thriving. We
are well on our way to completing our cursive handwriting book. Speaking of well on our way, we also set goals for our
behavior and are almost to our second goal which will earn time to learn about and listen to movie theme music.
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
This week in Math we continued to practice adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers. The boys are
currently using their knowledge to solve real-world problems in their Math workbooks, in preparation for next week’s
quiz.
In History, we are learning about the voyages of early explorers and their search for new trade routes. The boys learned
about the Caravel ship, which was built in the 1400s and used by many explorers. The boys carefully observed diagrams
of these ships and then drew their own using fine-tip ink pens. After completing their detailed drawings, the boys used a
tea-staining technique to give their drawings an aged feel. We will be displaying the drawings next week.
Rough drafts
In English, we are identifying parts of a sentence while learning new Worldly Wise vocabulary. Students are also learning
to correct run-on sentences. The boys are hard at work finishing their stories for creative writing and we have now
moved into the editing stage of this process. The boys are doing self-editing as well as peer-editing. We are continuing the
Living Museum Project and this week the boys will begin writing their speeches from the perspective of their chosen
person.
Spanish (Megan Cole):
We had a fun week of making sugar skulls and Día de Los Muertos presentations! (See attached pictures)
5th: More practice with "Hay", introduce -er & -ir verb conjugations, Spanish jeopardy with verb conjugations, more
sentences expansion!
6th: More practice with Tener, study for quiz. More home & furniture vocabulary will be introduced. Expanding our
sentences.
7th: People and characteristics vocabulary, review Tener & present tense verb conjugations. Lots of writing &
speaking in Spanish this week! Spanish listening lab.
37
8th: Quiz on Unit five, Lesson one. Introduce party and events vocabulary, Spanish listening lab, some culture on
Ecuador.
Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) presentation
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
In 7th grade Latin the boys further reviewed noun-adjective agreement-- moving on to more advanced cases where noun
and adjective endings don't match, but simply agree in gender. To this end, the boys created and then played their own
adjective relay game where teams competed to hold up the correct adjective endings for given nouns; creating these relay
cards themselves by hand also helped them review noun endings from last month. The boys also started memorizing
forms of the irregular verb "sum" (to be) and we talked further about why the most common/important verbs in many
languages are irregular-- because they arose earliest before the linguistic system had time to regularize. To this end, we
will also be working a bit on Latin words that will help them with Spanish (and vice versa) next week.
In 8th grade Latin the boys had their 3rd conjugation present tense verb mini-quiz-- for which the boys' class average
ended up being the highest so far! We also moved on to conjugating these new types of verbs in the future and imperfect
tenses; which the boys will have another mini-quiz on next Wednesday. In order to review for this next quiz, on
Friday we played "VINCO" (the Latin version of bingo) which held the boys responsible for both generating (in the
creation of vinco cards) and recognizing (in playing the actual vinco game) 3rd conjugation verb forms.
(the pictures below are the 7th grade playing adjective relay, and the 8th grade creating "vinco" game cards)
38
English (Richard Grabi):
This week, students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade English worked with prefixes. Although they might be prefixed out, it is good
for them: like vitamins. Learning and memorizing Latin and Greek prefixes, along with Latin and Greek roots, will go a
long way in helping them become stronger readers and test-takers. In addition to working on prefixes, students in
6th grade finished up some loose ends with Poe’s “Raven.” In response to the interpretative question, “Why does the
raven’s repletion of the word “nevermore” agitate the narrator and send him into a frenzy?” one of the students replied,
“Because hell is better than nothing!” Out of the mouth of babes. Half of all existential philosophy can be summarized by
that statement.
Meanwhile, the 8th graders in Humanities worked on a performance that we are tentatively planning dealing with the
early settlers of America. The piece is called “Voices from Early America,” and we are hoping to perform it before
Thanksgiving. The idea for the piece gained footing in history class, when we were reading many firsthand accounts by
early explorers, settlers and indigenous peoples. The idea behind the work is to use theater to get the students to
understand how everyone (from Christopher Columbus to Jonathan Edwards) has a point of view (even if we don’t
always agree with it), and wants to justify it. The important thing is to understand why they have that point of view. It is
a difficult piece to pull off, but hopefully we will have something to present--even in unfinished form.
Math (Kevin Fox):
In seventh grade math, the boys got their area and Pythagorean Theorem tests back earlier in the week. After that, we
brought out our friend the coordinate plane to look at transformations. We’re graphing regular and irregular shapes,
and the boys learned about reflections, rotations, translation, and scalar transformations on a plane. They’ve been
getting practice on these operations this week, and next week we’ll be learning how to put coordinates into matrices, then
how to multiply matrices, finding which 2x2 matrices we can use to generate coordinates that correspond to the
transformations above. As we continue to shore up our arithmetic skills, we’ve been focusing on cross-canceling when
multiplying and dividing fractions, and different scenarios one can have when working with negative numbers.
In eighth grade math, the boys got their 2 equations/2 variables tests back, where a number of boys got perfect scores.
Now that we know how to solve a variety of problems, either with one or two variables, we’ve started looking at word
problems, and how to turn sentences into equations by defining variables and looking for key words and phrases such as
“of” and “as much as”. Since we weren't solving these yet, it did occur to the class that you can zoom out and define
variables that are vague but very helpful, such as “Let a = the correct answer. My final answer is a.” We have a good
time in class even though the material is very abstract and challenging.
As we continue to shore up our arithmetic skills, we’ve been focusing on cross-canceling when multiplying and dividing
fractions, and different scenarios one can have when working with negative numbers.
39
Science (Leo Janisse):
4th Grade Science
This week I was out sick for the fourth grade science class but they were fortunate enough to have Mr. Trento fill
in for that period. After any class that Mr. Trento substitutes for, students are always wide eyed and eager to
learn.
Next week we will get back to our work in the garden, exploring the effects that so called “weeds” have on yield.
We will see how they can be both beneficial and harmful, and students will get their hands dirty while learning
how to properly pull a “weed”.
5th Grade Science
On Tuesday, we explored how scientists are able to determine what our world was like millions of years ago and
how plate tectonics have morphed the ground we stand on. We watched a video in the series “Future is Wild”,
where scientists use their knowledge of the past to construct possible scenarios 5 million to 100 million years in
the future.
Next week we will continue to fix up Chuck Norris’ home and explore the effects of so called “weeds” on our
garden yield.
6th Grade Math
This week, students were challenged with multi step real world word problems and we learned how to create
fraction bars to help decode and solve these problems. Students were very engaged throughout this process,
going to work on their white boards and staying focused throughout the period. They did a great job of meeting
their goal of completing homework on time and will be studying over the long weekend to prepare for the test
next week.
After the test next week, we will begin exploring the idea of ratios and how we can use them to solve certain
problems. We will get our algebra tiles out as well as other objects to help students’ visual this concept.
6th Grade Earth Science
This week, students completed their scaled Earth Interior replica and were very proud of their final result. It
was a great activity that helped reinforce the makeup of our Earth’s interior while also providing students with
an opportunity to complete a goal as a class. This sense of accomplishment provided a nice boost in confidence
for the whole class and a realization that they can accomplish great things as a team. Students also began
preparing for their upcoming test next week by making flashcards and will continue to use them to study this
weekend.
40
Next week after the test, we will begin exploring forms of energy and how they can transfer from one place to
another.
7th Grade Science
This week, students finally explored the process of mitosis in their onion roots that had been growing for the past
week. It was perfect timing as the onions were really starting to fill the room with their aroma. They first cut a
slice from their onion root, placed it on their slides and added their Aceto-Carmine DNA stain. Afterwards, they
heated their slide up over alcohol lamps and finally placed a cover slip firmly on top.
Their results were mixed, and many had a tough time seeing the DNA within the cell. After discussing as a class
the possible causes of this, we concluded that the Aceto-Carmine did not stain the cell enough, and we will apply
more stain to each slide and let it sit overnight to see if that helps. Students had a blast during the process and
learned a valuable lesson that at times experiments to not come out exactly as planned. We will check back in
next week.
Students will also be finishing up their Mitosis projects next week as well as studying and taking the chapter test.
This has been a dense chapter filled with a lot of brand new concepts, but the class is starting to display a mastery
over the content due to the multitude of different angles we have taken to explore the concepts. Next week we will
also begin work on our next chapter, reproduction in organisms.
8th Grade Science
This week students explored Newton’s second and third law, doing practice problems every class period related
to force, mass and acceleration. We reviewed the laws everyday and got to see how all three laws apply to
football in a series of Science in Sports videos. Students also began studying for their test next week by making
flashcards, and will continue to review them this weekend.
Next week students will take the test and begin our next chapter on density and buoyancy, calculating density and
exploring why it is they float when they go swimming on Fridays.
History (Michael Kwett):
This week in Ancient History, students studied the geography of Ancient Egypt, learned how to use different types of
maps (interrupted and mercator projections), and explored how geographic barriers can unify or isolate neighboring
civilizations. We discussed how the Nile served as the source of the Egyptian religion as well as the source of its
prosperity. After reading a version of the Egyptian myth of Osiris’s discovery of agriculture, students identified the
myths of different societies, the functions those myths served, the formal aspects of a story that makes it qualify as a
myth, and the competing definitions of the term—either a kind of “true fiction,” or a baleful misconception. Each student
then came up with their own definition of myth and analyzed what formal aspects of the story of Osiris made it qualify as
one. We also did some test review and came up with test-taking strategies to help them in the coming quarter.
In Medieval History, we began studying the period in China beginning with the Period of Disunion and continuing
through the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. We studied the inventions that made medieval China prosperous, from
gunpowder to new agricultural techniques to paper and moveable type. We also began studying Confucianism,
Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism, and the ways these philosophical and religious traditions influenced Chinese society
and government, from the idea of filial piety to the bureaucratic system of scholar-officials and the emphasis
on ren (concern for others) and li (appropriate behavior). Students also reviewed their tests from the end of last quarter
and we discussed strategies for successfully tackling short answer questions. They will have a 72-hour-long civil service
examination on the material next Thursday through Saturday.
41
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
This week in PE we continued with our soccer unit. The Boys are practicing passing, trapping, shooting, getting open,
and dribbling. We played few different practice games to work on these skills.
Also, in swimming we are winding down the unit. I have to say: the Boys have shown tremendous growth as a whole in
freestyle. There is really an exceptionally high level of freestyle skill that has developed over this unit. I have attached a
video of some of the work we did today.
Have a great weekend!
Important Dates :
--Monday, November 9: NO SCHOOL, Veteran’s Day
--Friday, November 13, Parent-Teacher Conferences: 7:30 AM – 6 PM; check Signup Genius
--Friday, November 13, Grade 7 & 8 Dance at Ecole Bilungue Internacional, 7 – 9 M, 410 Alcatraz Avenue, Oakland,
California 94609
--Sunday, November 15, OPEN HOUSE: 2 – 3:30 PM for new families interested in PBA
The Artistic Director at work J
Behind the scenes at PBA
42
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
November 13, 2015
Wednesday was exciting! We were graced with a fantastic performance by our 4th Grader, Fabrizio, his Dad and band for an
astonishing Mariachi event!
And, through the tireless work of our own Jonathon Hampton, Mr. Willie Brown and his daughter Susan stopped by our humble
school for a visit. Over the years, Mr. Brown’s foundation has been very kind to PBA. Mr. Brown served over 30 years in the
California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its speaker, and later served as the 41st mayor of San Francisco, the first
African American to do so. Under the current California term-limits law, no Speaker of the California State Assembly will be
permitted to have a longer tenure than Brown's. The San Francisco Chronicle called Brown “one of San Francisco’s most
notable mayors” who had “celebrity beyond the city’s boundaries.”
Willie Brown speaks to our PBA students; Kevin Fox, Willi Brown, Susan Brown and Jonathon Hampton
Student of the Week: The PBA faculty held off this week to give our next boy a full week of accolades.
4th Grade (Natasha Bach):
43
Our focus in Math this week is on tables and charts. We complete computations in order to finalize the table and then answer
questions regarding the columns, rows and intersections. We polled the 5th graders and created our own Excel spreadsheet table
of our favorite colors, continuing to master rows and columns. Our main concentration is on completing our Living Museum
speeches.
We worked to change our facts into the first person and looked for gaps in information alongside little known facts. In cursive
we are learning how to connect letters. We did a quick lesson on the sense of touch and touch receptors in our hands , fingertips,
and arms.
We had an enjoyable opportunity to learn about Mariachi music thanks to Cedric Elevancini! It featured our very own Mariachi
singer, Fabrizio and his teacher Maestro Abigail Torres!
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
This week in English students continued to identify parts of sentences and reviewed their Wordly Wise vocabulary words. In
Creative Writing, students are finishing their imaginative stories and editing each others work. They are giving thoughtful
suggestions and constructive feedback to strengthen their writing.
44
For the Living Museum Project, students are now turning their research findings into a final speech, which they will soon
memorize and present. In History, students are continuing to learn about the early explorers, voyages and important trade routes.
We identified these routes and locations on a map to help students visualize where these explorations took place. In Math,
students are continuing to work with fractions and mixed numbers as we move into chapter 4.
Spanish (Megan Cole):
We had a short week! 5th grade worked on questions and answer responses, -er & -ir verb conjugations were introduced and
we played Spanish jeopardy! Talking & writing about home life and chores with the 6th graders (expanding their sentences to
at least six words each sentence). I was very impressed with their sentences and ability to create grammatically correct
expanded sentences! 7th & 8th had Spanish listening lab, Ecuador culture, vocabulary & readings.
Next week:
5th: More practice with sentences with Hay and school vocabulary. Asking and answering questions with verb conjugations.
Video on school vocabulary.
6th: Questions and answer response with vocabulary & regular verbs, plus Hay, tener, and ir. Kids write about their chores at
home, who does what in family.
7th: Unit two lesson one quiz. Start classroom Vocabulary and the verbs Estar with emotions. Prepositions. Mexico culture.
8th: Quiz unit five, lesson one, Ser verses estar, practice question and answer responses, introduce party and events
vocabulary
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
In 7th grade Latin, after finally learning all forms of 1st-2nd declension adjectives, we are working with them in full sentences
and learning their three main uses in Latin-- attributive, predicate, and substantive. The boys took their quiz on adjectives
Wednesday, and were also introduced to the new vocabulary that they will spend next week memorizing and
declining/conjugating. Now that the boys have finished their adjective unit, they know how to form all three main parts of
speech in Latin (nouns, verb, and adjectives) and thus we will be able to read REAL Latin passages (as opposed to working with
textbook paragraphs that are abridged) for the first time in this next coming week. Our first reading will be a collection of
surviving Roman graffiti from Pompeii; where the boys will practice recognizing spelling/grammatical errors (since this graffiti
was often written by lower-status ancient Romans without a formal knowledge of written Latin!).
In 8th grade Latin, the boys took their quiz on forming the future and imperfect tenses of 3rd conjugation verbs-- thus they now
know how to form the entire present system of these verbs. Now that they are becoming familiar with all four conjugations of
verbs, we will be able to practice reading more advanced material with a dictionary next week-- particularly Vergil's epic poem
The Aeneid. In preparation for that, on Wednesday I introduced the boys to the Latin poetic meter that the Aeneid is written in-Dactylic Hexameter. This week, the boys were briefly introduced to the basic building blocks of these meter (long and short
vowels, and the units "dactyls" and "spondees"). Next week, we will be working more on how to actually scan this meter. We
also talked about the central importance of meter for Latin poetry and how it defines genre. In contrast to modern poetry, where
poems can be in all types of verse, in Latin poetry the rules were very strict about what meter to use for what genre of poetry.
For example, an epic poem *must* be written in dactylic hexameter; while love poetry was generally written in elegaic couplet.
We also talked about the definition of an epic poem, and how the Roman definition of an "epic" was quite a bit narrower/specific
than the way we use "epic" today.
English (Richard Gabri):
This week, students in 6th grade read and discussed William Saroyan’s “Gaston,” about a young girl forced to choose between
her father (with his carefree ways and way of life in Paris) and her mother (with her rigid ways and hectic life in New York).
45
But the story is about a lot more than that. It is about moments/opportunities in life (whether missed or taken advantage of) that
determine the course of a life. It is about the inability to say things we wish we could say (to strangers or familiars) but are too
afraid to say, for fear of being judged, rejected and/or misunderstood. And, most importantly, it is about the price of “home,” or
how our character (our likes, dislikes, and how we view and respond to the world) is influenced by the home we grow up in. The
boys discussed (and wrote about) all of these topics in great detail, all the while enjoying a wonderful story by a masterful
storyteller.
The 8th graders continued to work on their performance project in history. Things are coming along nicely, if slowly. The boys
are almost done memorizing their parts and we have collected most of the props we will need. Of course, there is still much
rehearsing to do, and there is also the little matter of choosing a performance date. Throughout the process, the boys have been
learning acting/performance techniques and theory. I’ve almost gotten them all to stop fidgeting nervously and articulating every
syllable clearly, but that’s just for beginners. There is a lot more to theater than being seen and heard, though that’s a start.
Theater is all about conflict (whether we’re talking comedy or tragedy), but it is very difficult to find and stage that conflict
when you’re the only person on stage (or doing a monologue). And that’s the challenge the boys are facing right now. Very
difficult. Will they succeed? Will they “fail”? Don’t worry, failure isn’t a bad thing. Tune in to find out…
The 7th graders really want to do some satire. I mean, they really want to do some satire! I feel like I’m teaching a bunch of
young Voltaires, or they’re teaching me—teaching me, that is, to see the world through a satirical lens, where all is human folly
and comedy! Will have more on this next week.
Math (Kevin Fox):
7th math
We spent the short week working on matrix multiplication, putting coordinates of shapes into matrices, and multiplying those by
2x2 matrices that create planar transformations such as rotations and reflections. The boys have a collection of eight useful
matrices on their “blue sheets” in the back of their binder. Also, as always, we’re practicing our arithmetic weaknesses in our
daily two problems.
8th math
We spent the short week practicing putting words into equations, finding key words, and just as importantly, unnecessary words,
in the sentences. Being able to do word problems gives the algebra a more practical and “real” feel to it. Also, as always, we’re
practicing our arithmetic weaknesses in our daily two problems.
Science (Leo Janisse):
46
4th Grade Science
This week, students explored the effects of weeds on our garden beds. They learned how they can be both beneficial and
harmful. Afterwards, students joined the fifth graders as they removed all the weeds from the garden beds. They did this in two
teams, and prizes will be given next week to the team with the most weeds collected with roots fully intact as well as a prize for
the longest weed collected. Students also got a chance to eat the fruits (or vegetables) of their labor as we harvested a radish. It
was spicy and delicious, and students learned that radish leaves are also very nutritional and should be eaten as well. This falls
in line with our permaculture unit as students learn to use every part of our yield.
Next week, students will make their observations and plant their mystery beans in the garden bed, leading them up a trellis.
Students will learn why beans need a trellis type structure, as well as the basics of plant identification so that they can begin to
explore exactly what type of bean they have growing.
5th Grade Science
This week students explored how weeds can be both beneficial and harmful to our garden. They were given instructions on how
to properly remove a weed so that it does not grow back and then they split into two teams. The goal was to pull as many weeds
as possible with their roots intact. Prizes will be given to the team with the most intact weeds as well as the team that collects
the longest weed. After we count, students will add the weeds to our compost bin in order to begin creating compost that we can
then return to the garden. This will be an ongoing project.
Students also got a chance to taste their hard work in the form of a radish. They were delighted to know that the root is not the
only part of the plant that is beneficial to us, but that the leaves are also packed with great nutrients. Next week we will explore
what nutrients exactly are in the radish leaf and why it is important to use all parts of the plant once harvested.
We will also plant our mystery beans in the garden beds and explore why they need a trellis like structure to grow. We will also
learn the basics of plant identification so that eventually, students can determine the exact type of bean they are growing.
5th Grade Science class after a period of hands-on weeding!
6th Grade Science
In this short week, students were completely engaged in our Jeopardy style review game prior to the test Thursday. It was great
to see every student focused and invested in their team's success, which ultimately led to their individual success on the test.
After the test, students began reading our next lesson on thermal energy and heat.
Next week we will have a lecture on the first lesson in this chapter, as well as explore hands on the relationship between mass
and speed of an object, and the kinetic energy it possesses.
7th Grade Science
In our short week, students played the Jeopardy style review game in preparation for their test Thursday. This went very well as
students were engaged and invested in their team's success, which ultimately led to their individual success on the test. Students
47
also explored why our mitosis onion cell lab did not turn out as planned and finished their lab write up for this activity. Students
got a class period to continue work on their projects which will be due next Tuesday.
We also began reading the next chapter which we will have a lecture on next week, the sexual reproduction of organisms. One
hands on activity associated with this chapter will include plant propagation.
8th Science
In this short week, students created and reviewed their flashcards. They also participated in the Jeopardy review game prior to
their test. We did not have enough time Thursday to complete the test, and will finish it up on Monday. The game was great
because every student was engaged and invested in their team succeeding, which will hopefully lead to individual success on the
test.
Next week, we will begin our next chapter on density and buoyancy. We will figure out how to measure a solid next week in a
hands on activity.
6th Grade Math
This week we continued to review the tricky real world multi step word problems in preparation for the Thursday test by using
our white boards and dry erase pens, as well as occasionally having students play the role of teacher as they explain problems
step by step in front of the class.
Next week we will begin exploring ratios and how they can be found in our day to day lives.
History (Michael Kwett):
Ancient History this week has been all about geography, both natural and man-made. We looked at different forms of maps,
from Buckminister Fuller's Dymaxion map to Bernard Cahill's Butterfly map and other forms of interrupted maps. We discussed
the arbitrariness of placing the Northern Hemisphere on the top of conventional maps and of placing the Prime Meridian through
London. We also discussed the arbitrariness of language, pronunciation and spelling, and the idea that no single language or
dialect has a better hold on truth than any other--but that, rather, each language is uniquely suited to conveying the objects and
ideas that make up life in that part of the world. Finally, we discussed the arbitrariness of time, and how Egyptians divided the
year into three seasons (Emergence, Harvest, and Inundation) rather than our four. We studied the construction of pyramids and
enjoyed a brief guest lecture from Mr. Trento, who shared his experience travelling to Egypt and seeing the pyramids:
We also began a group project where students write a commercial advertising life in either the Nile region or the Tigris and
Euphrates region.
In Medieval History, we finished up our unit on China, continuing our discussion of the five dynasties and two interdynastic
periods from the Han to the Ming. Students viewed paintings that depicted Imperial examinations and others that demonstrated
48
the influence of Buddhism on Chinese life. Students played hisketball (which combines review questions from the unit we're
covering, teamwork, and hand-eye coordination) and finished off the week with a short essay test on the material.
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
This short week we only had one session of PE. We reviewed our community agreements using real world examples to explain
each one.
Then we played a soccer lead up game called 'World Cup soccer' in which there are four teams in a soccer game and teams get
eliminated one at a time. Next week we will continue soccer and have one day of 'thanksgiving football' before the break.
Important Dates :
--Friday, November 13, Grade 7 & 8 Dance at Ecole Bilungue Internacional, 7 – 9 M, 410 Alcatraz Avenue, Oakland,
California 94609
--Sunday, November 15, OPEN HOUSE: 2 – 3:30 PM for new families interested in PBA
49
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
November 20, 2015
Today was the last swim session for the season. We start up again in 2016. Details once we get the OK from Oakland Parks &
Recreation.
Student of the Week: Congratulations to Nathaniel Ashley
Don’t forget: tonight is MOVIE NIGHT at PBA!
4th Grade (Natasha Bach):
This week the boys reached their goal for outstanding behavior and focus during work time. The goal they set for themselves
was to listen to movie theme music. Our regularly scheduled composer Verdi was bumped into the “on deck” position for next
week replaced by theme music from Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Rocky, and
so many more. It was an inspiring week of music.
Line graphs were our main focus in math. Learning how to read them as well as create them with data. Fourth graders also
measured distances on maps in social studies. We began learning about the California Gold Rush.
In addition to our spelling and vocab work we began working on grammar, sentences, fragments, questions, commands, subjects
and predicates. Accompanying our Hatchet chapters this week, we learned about Gary Paulsen’s life. We did a nature walk to
collect leaves for a chalk leaf rubbing art project.
Finally, we continued our study of our five senses with an M&M’s and Reeses pieces blind taste test with our noses unable to
assist our mouth.
Self portraits from Ms. Bach’s classroom
Leaf drawings
50
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
It was a busy week in 5th grade! Students made great progress with their Living Museum Projects and began writing &
memorizing their speeches.
In Creative Writing, students continued to peer-edit each other’s work and finished their stories, which they each read aloud
during class. We are now beginning our Fairytales unit; where students will compare and contrast two fairytales before writing
their own. Eventually students will turn their unique fairytales into books complete with illustrations.
In English, students learned about the 4 types of paragraphs: narrative, descriptive, expository and persuasive. Students learned
how to write an outline before writing their final paragraphs. They paired up and edited their partners’ paragraphs, giving
constructive feedback and helpful suggestions. We also started reading our new book; Tuck Everlasting – a beautiful tale written
in the 1970s.
In History, we are learning about the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. In Math, we are wrapping up chapter 4 –
multiplying and dividing fractions and mixed numbers.
Spanish (Megan Cole):
5th grade enjoyed story reading in Spanish, a game of jeopardy (conjugating verbs in the present tense) and creating their own
question answer responses in Spanish. 6th grade practiced verb conjugations, writing and wrote about family chores in
Spanish! The 7th graders practiced reading and also asking and answering questions to their classmates in
Spanish. Prepositions were also introduced. The 8th graders did some reading in Spanish and got introduced to several irregular
verbs in the present tense.
Next week:
5th: Verbs packet: answering affirmative and negative questions in complete Spanish sentences.
6th: Story reading in spanish, study for quiz on vocab and verbs.
7th: Mexico culture, verbal questions & sentences with prepositions. Review Ir. Study for quiz on ir and estar, vocab.
8th: Introduce and practice Irregular present verbs and packet. Expressions with Hay que.
English / History (Richard Gabri):
Students in 6th grade began reading “The Mysteries of the Cabala,” by Isaac Bashevis Singer. The story is about two young boys
living in Warsaw (during the early 1900s) whose friendship comes to an abrupt and mysterious end. But could there be a
mystical (or maybe magical) explanation for what happens? “What does it all mean?” the story seems to ask. Are ordinary,
everyday happenings as banal as they seem, or is there something extraordinary about them, even if not everyone can see it?
These are the questions that our young protagonist, the son of a rabbi, ostensibly grapples with in the story. But, as he eventually
realizes, the mysteries of the external world (including the Cabala) are nothing when compared to the mysterious workings of the
human heart.
Students in 7th grade finally got the satire out of their system by staging a lunchtime skit. Bare Bottoms Productions finally put
on its first show, “Accidents Will Happen,” and it was a job well done. One of the keys to comedy, as the boys learned, is
repetition. As Henri Bergeson wrote in his study of all things humorous, repetition of gestures and movements can remind us of
the "crust of the mechanical placed upon the living." Hence, juxtaposing the living and the mechanical often elicits laughter. To
this end, the boys were asked to repeat the same words, gestures, movements and sounds throughout their skit. With each
repetition, normal, ordinary actions and occurrences became more and more ridiculous and funny. The boys will eventually
apply what they learned through this process to their ambitious adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron.”
Students in 8th grade worked on their history performance project, which they will be performing on November 24, 2:15
p.m. We will also have a dress rehearsal on Monday (November 23rd),4:00 p.m. Parents may attend the actual show or the dress
rehearsal, whichever is more convenient. The boys are finally feeling more comfortable performing their monologues. In theater,
51
you have to live with your character for a while before you start to understand him or her. But the process of understanding
never ends, because there are always new discoveries to be made. The goal is to tell an interesting, compelling story while
creating memorable moments: moments of poignancy, humor, reflection and insight. Like a singer, the actor has to learn to hit
the right notes at the right moment, his notes being the words he uses. Learning to figure out what those notes are (when all you
see are words on a page) and how to say or “sing” them, is what the boys are learning. It is not easy, but once they learn the
process it will be another skill in their arsenal of artistic skills and abilities, along with writing and music (which they have a
head start in).
Math (Kevin Fox):
In seventh grade math, the boys took their test on planar transformations, where they needed to create shapes them rotate, flip,
and move them, sometimes by doing matrix multiplication. On Thursday, we reviewed place value, as a prelude to having them
set aside everything they know about counting so we could introduce counting in other bases. We’re starting with base 5
(pretend you have only one hand!), and we looked a bit at bases 2 and 16. As the boys get more familiar with thinking about
different bases, they’ll be able to convert back and forth, into and out of base 10. They’ll learn to add, subtract, and multiply in
multiple bases, and we’ll see how the internet uses hexadecimal numbers to represent all RGB screen colors.
In 8th grade math for homework, the boys have been continuing to practice defining variables, creating equations, and solving
them. In class we’ve been working together on mixture problems, making charts for problems where, for example, you have two
solutions with different proportions of acid/water/sugar, and you need to combine them to get a different proportion. They’ll see
a lot of questions about diluting acid, selling adult vs child tickets at an event, making alloys, and mixing peanuts and pecans in
different proportions. Algebra books seem to like mixed nut problems. The boys have a test Monday on creating and solving
equations.
Both 7th and 8th grades were given a letter pattern puzzle this week. This stumped a lot of the boys. See if you can find the next
two letters!: J F M A M J J. If you give up, ask one of the boys!
Science (Leo Knudtson):
4th Grade Science
This week, in response to feedback from the parent teacher student conferences, we explored what makes a rocket fly,
specifically how chemical reactions create pressure, which is then released, propelling the rocket in the opposite direction.
Students were introduced to Newton’s Third Law as they examined how adding an antacid tablet to water creates a chemical
reaction where carbon dioxide is released. They then saw how this gas, when released in a contained film canister, created
pressure that was released as the cap popped off. The result was a rocket!
52
Students chose a question they wished to answer, such as, how does the tablet size affect the time it takes for the cap to pop off.
After the question, they created an hypothesis, followed by listing the variables and the constants in their experiment. Next they
listed the materials and procedures and created a data table to record their observations and data related to their initial question.
Next class, we will work on compiling their work into a word document to be turned in.
5th Grade Science
This week students were presented with the question how to rockets fly? They explored this process on a miniature scale, using
a film canister, antacid tablets and water. First, they were introduced to the idea that when the tablet and water mix, a chemical
reaction occurs giving off carbon dioxide. When this reaction occurs in a contained film canister, the gas creates so much
pressure that the pop shoots off. Next students were introduced to Newton’s Third Law, where there is an action followed by an
equal and opposite reaction. This is seen as the pressure builds in the canister, causing it to pop off in one direction. That same
force is then applied to the canister in the opposite direction, propelling the canister high into the air.
Mr. Leo’s Science class in action!
The first day, students had varying degrees of success. On the second day, we figured out was the problem was and all students
had a successful launch. The second time around, students were to pick one of four questions they would try to answer using
constants and variables. They created a hypothesis, a list of materials and procedures and finally a data table. They then went
out and recorded their results. Next week, we will work on putting their data and information into a lab report.
6th Grade Science
This week, students were introduced to forms of energy and how they transfer. We looked at how an object moving has kinetic
energy, and an object in suspension has gravitational potential energy. Students explored these concepts in a lab where they
discovered the relationship between gravitational potential energy and the height at which the object was released from as well
as its mass. They used their math skills in determining the GPE by multiplying the height times the mass times the force of
gravity.
Students were also introduced to how energy is transferred and the concept of work in scientific terms. We looked at the largest
wave ever surfed and realized how water waves do not carry matter, they simply move through it. We also saw how sound
waves create back and forth movement by looking at a video of a musician who showed sound waves moving on a plate on top
53
of his speaker. In our short week next week, we will get into temperature, thermal energy and heat. Students also received their
tests whose corrections will be due next Tuesday.
7th Grade Science
This week students had a gallery walk, showing off their mitosis comics. Afterwards, each student got feedback from the class
and at the end the group who created a video displayed it for the class. They also received feedback for next time. The rest of
the week was spent diving into the process of Meiosis and how it differs from Mitosis. These concepts are very challenging to
grasp since they happen at a level we cannot see with the naked eye, but students did a great job this week focusing and
participating in discussion. We then looked at the role Meiosis plays in plant reproduction as well as learning the full process of
plant reproduction. Students dissected a morning glory flower and labeled and taped the parts in their notebooks. They also
received their test corrections which will be due next Tuesday.
Next week we will explored how asexual reproduction works in plants and animals in a lecture session.
8th Science
This week, students finished their tests and got them back later in the week. The test corrections will be due next Wednesday. I
will be in my room at lunch Monday and Tuesday if students have any uncertainties about their corrections. After the next, we
began our unit on density and buoyancy, exploring why Archimedes ran through the streets naked shouting “Eureka!”. Students
were presented with the question of why boats float, specifically container ships made of dense metals that normally would sink.
Students got a chance to come up and teach the class, and through this process were more engaged and eventually were all on the
same page of understanding.
Next week, we will begin a challenge to create a boat out of given materials with awards given to the one that can hold to most
weight as well as the tallest.
6th Grade Math
This week students got their tests back. The corrections will be due next Wednesday and I will be in my room at lunch for those
with any uncertainties related to their corrections. This week, students were introduced to the concept of ratios. We first did a
hands on experiment relating the number of made basketball shots to the number of shots total. After this, we pulled the algebra
blocks out and learned how to create model blocks to represent the ratios. Afterwards, we had two strategy sessions learning
how to deal with ratio word problems where there are more than two ratios as well as before and after ratios.
We will continue work on the ratio word problems next week and get ready for the test!
History (Michael Kwett):
This week in sixth grade history, students performed their advertisements for life in either the Nile River Valley or in the river
valley of the Tigris and Euphrates. The project helped students understand the geographic differences between Egypt and
Mesopotamia, and more broadly, how geography deeply affects the societies situated within it. Students also began work on a
second group project. Each group will construct a pyramid that they will use to present information about the Early, Middle or
Late Kingdoms of ancient Egypt. I am working closely with students as they practice how to collaborate thoughtfully and
productively, make collective decisions, and divide tasks efficiently while maintaining close communication with their peers.
In seventh grade, we are studying Japan from the first Ainu settlers to the 19th century. Students have been learning about the
geography of Japan, cultural borrowing between Japan, China and Korea, and the Samurai code of bushido, among other topics.
We have been discussing the concept of nationalism, and how nations frequently develop or unify in reaction to foreign threats.
We have also been discussing how the Japanese governmental system, in which emperors serve as figureheads while shoguns
make all important decisions, illuminates a common feature of all governments: leadership must exercise a symbolic as well as a
practical function. Some governmental systems divide these roles between a cultural figure (emperor, queen, etc.) and a
bureaucratic one (prime minister, legislature, etc.). Other countries bestow all functions upon one person (such as U.S. president)
who is chosen based on their ability to fulfill both roles, often to the detriment of one or the other. Next week, we will look at
excerpts from Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Japanese folk tales and relate them to what we have learned about Japanese
history, culture, and government.
54
Art (Margaret Niles):
Margaret Niles, our new art teacher began working with the boys this past Tuesday. A full range of projects, paintings, sculpture
and more are planned during this great afternoon session.
Art teacher Margaret Niles introducing a water color and drawing project to the boys.
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
This week was a great full week of PE. We played World Cup soccer and steal the bacon soccer.
We had our last swim session and played water polo.
On Monday we begin a Thanksgiving Football tradition at PBA—bring your foam #1 hands!!
55
Brothers at play
Important Dates:
Monday, November 23, 2-3:45 pm: First Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Football Game. Join us at Mosswood Park (3612
Webster St—on West MacArthur Boulevard between Webster Street and Broadway). Rumor has it we may have a
pseudo-tailgate party as well at the park! J Parents may pick up their boys at the park but MUST check in with Coach
Thompson prior to leaving. The rest of the crew will walk back to PBA for dismissal/pick up.
Tuesday, November 24: Voices from Early America—2:16 pm, Theater, Mr. Grabi’s students put on a performance.
Wednesday 25: Half Day School (25 – 27th). 12 Noon Dismissal. No EDP. Thanksgiving Holiday.
Due to next week’s short teaching schedule a new Academic Weekly will not be published L
Advance Conference date schedules (I will be listing this again over the ensuing weeks):
Parent Teacher Student Conferences will now be over a two day period. A revised calendar is attached.
For February:
February 4, Thursday: 4 – 6 pm (Session #1)
February 5, Friday:
7:30 am – 4 pm (Session #2) No School or EDP
For April:
April 14, Thursday: 4 – 6 pm (Session #1)
April 15, Friday:
7:30 am – 4 pm (Session #2) No School or EDP
56
In the hallway outside of English class—something we all could profit from.
Gateways….
57
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
December 4, 2015
From our pre-holiday week: a few photos of our first annual Pre-Thanksgiving Football Game!
Feasting & Remnants: Thanks to all the parents who provided treats for the boys!
58
On Tuesday, Pacific Boychoir performed holiday favorites with the Dick Bright Orchestra and pop sensation, Andy
Grammer. At 555 California Avenue, San Francisco.
It was a fabulous evening of great music and good cheer.
Pre-performance set up
59
Sharing the stage with Andy Grammer (hit singles: Keep Your Head Up and Fine by Me )
The boys are off to China! We wish them a wonderful concert venue in that ancient land. On Wednesday evening several
television stations stopped by to interview/film Artistic Director, Kevin Fox, some of the boys and to cover our practice
session. Very cool!
60
As Nam Kwok, KTSF reporter said to me: “I’ve never heard anything so beautiful. These boys are fantastic!”
Safe journey to all!
On Thursday, December 3, 5:30 pm the lads were off to the Montclair Holiday Stroll.
On Friday, December 4, PBA performed at the annual Emeryville Holiday Tree Lighting, Community Parade and Winter
Wonderland gig.
On Saturday, December 5, 6:00 pm. Hear the boys sing at the Piedmont Avenue Tree Lighting.
Student of the Week: Congratulations to Milo Mohr
4th Grade (Natascha Bach):
Fourth graders completed their research projects on famous Californians this morning by presenting their speeches at our PBA
Living Museum. The boys in grades 4 and 5 did a wonderful job and appreciated all the family and friends who came to hear
their speeches! In social studies this week, we learned more about the California gold rush and designed posters to persuade
people to travel with us by land or sea to search for gold!
We had a mini celebration because we made it to the end of the alphabet in cursive, becoming masters at the letter z! In math,
was have been completing a cumulative review of chapters 1-4. We finished reading Hatchet. Gary Paulsen is a powerful
author. His style of writing kept us always wondering. The book was action packed and Brian was finally rescued! We don’t
want to give away the story but we would highly recommend this book! Warning – it is slightly scary and gross at times! Ms.
Bach definitely got chills!
AND…
Congratulations to Natascha Bach, Victoria Fry and the combined 4th & 5th grade classes for a marvelous morning of the Living
Museum: each boy rigorously studied a famous historical figure, then dressed up in period clothing. Staged in our Theater, the
boys were “robots” whereby visitors pressed a green button on the figure’s hand. Then, miraculously, the robot came to life and
explained their life’s work. This was an engaging performance by all. I am honored to be in the presence of such insanely
talented teachers and rather astonishing students. A few of the robots in action:
61
62
4th graders working with prehistoric Native American pestles—stones used to crush/grind foods. These are actual artifacts from the
Russian River Valley north of Healdsburg in the collection of Mr. Trento. Mr. Trento will soon bring in ancient stone bowls so the boys
can recreate Native American foodstuffs—and then we’ll have a food feast!
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
This week in 5th grade students worked hard to rehearse for Friday's Living Museum. We practiced reciting the speeches every
day and gathered materials for costumes. The boys wowed parents and students alike with their incredible performances. In
History, we have been learning about the early settlers and first United States colonies. We held multiple class discussions to
reflect on this important time in our nation. In English, students are continuing to read Tuck Everlasting; accompanied by daily
reflective reading questions and whole-group discussions. In Creative Writing, students are in the early stages of developing
their own Fairytales by first establishing the five literary elements of their stories. In Math we are wrapping up our Fractions unit
by working through a cumulative review of chapters 3 & 4. Next week we will be moving onto Algebra. It has been a busy but
productive week in the 5th grade classroom!
Spanish (Megan Cole):
This week the 5th graders enjoyed working in their verb packets, answering affirmative and negative questions in complete
Spanish sentences! The 6th graders studied for a re-take quiz on vocab, using articles nouns and adjectives. Also making these
phrases plural. 7th graders practiced more verbal questions & answers. We also reviewed the verb Ir which means "to go". 8th
graders practiced current chapter vocabulary and the irregular present tense verb conjugations.
Next Week:
5th: We will practice verbal question and answer responses. We will also start the next chapter on food. The verb Ser will be
introduced.
6th; We will practice verbal question and answer responses, kids will take quiz re-takes, Cantaclara reading in Spanish and
answer questions in complete Spanish sentences.
7th: We will practice questions and answer verbal drills with the verb Ir (to go), Telehistoria and culture readings and
questions. Study for a school vocabulary quiz on prepositions and the verbs Ir and Estar.
8th: Expressions with Hay que. More practice with irregular verbs & Introduce commands. Drills on party and event
vocabulary.
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
(Our wonderful Ms. Echeverria has been out all week with the flu. Hopefully she will be healthy and ready to engage our boys
by next week).
63
English / History (Richard Gabri):
Students in 6th grade finished discussing and writing about “The Mysteries of the Cabala.” Despite being one of the more
difficult stories we have read (or maybe because it:), the class really enjoyed it. The students’ responses to the story were subtle
and nuanced. For example, in response to the question of why the narrator says, “but some pride ordered me not to hesitate,”
students correctly pointed out that the adjective “some” suggests that the narrator is unsure about the cause and/or source of his
pride. This, in turn, lead students to conclude that the narrator, who desperately wants to solve the riddles of the Cabala (and
hence the world), is, ironically enough, becoming a mystery to himself. During another discussion activity students were asked,
“Why does the exchange of stories separate the boys rather than draw them closer together?” Below are some of their responses:
“I think the stories cause curiosity and envy, making both boys wonder if they are meant to be good friends, or if they were just
feeding off the other’s fantasies to make themselves feel better about themselves.”
“The boys, by telling these stories, start to realize how much of themselves they don’t know. They didn’t think at the start of the
story that they didn’t know each other or themselves.”
“The boys tried to outdo each other with their stories, until the narrator made up something Mendel could not match or beat. This
exchange of words made them learn new things about themselves. After they share the stories, the narrator realizes that he
doesn’t know himself or Mendel.”
It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve read a story or a poem, there is always something new to see and discover. The 7th
graders reminded me of this truth during our discussion of Poe’s “Raven.” They argued that the narrator of the poem is
inconsolable not just because the raven won’t (or can’t) tell him if his beloved exists in some afterlife, but because without that
knowledge he can’t take his own life to be with her. If she was in Hades or Hell, for instance, he might be able to join her.
According to this reading, the “nepenthe” the narrator wants to drink to “forget” his miseries is actually poison!
Last week, before the break, the 8th graders finally staged their history project: “Voices from Early America.” The show certainly
had memorable moments. And in theater (just as in life) sometimes that’s all you can ask for. Part vaudeville, part historical
drama, and part circus the play was more of a sketch than a finished, polished product. If we had more time, we would use that
first performance to gauge what worked, what didn’t, and why. Then we would decide which direction we wanted to take the
show, in order to make it a more compelling piece. Below is a copy of the program, which gives a brief description of the project
along with cast and crew information:
VOICES FROM EARLY AMERICA
(A SKETCH)
Before Europeans discovered America for themselves, American Indians lived and flourished throughout both North and South
America for more than 20,000 years. Then came the colonizers and settlers, changing life forever on the continent. According to
the French writer Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur, “In this great American asylum, the poor of Europe have by some
means met together…to what purpose should they ask one another what countrymen they are? Alas, two thirds of them had no
country. Can a wretch who wanders about, who works and starves, whose life is a continual scene of sore affliction or pinching
penury; can that man call England or any other kingdom his country? He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient
prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced.” This is the story of those early settlers,
as well as those they enslaved, conquered and killed.
This theatrical exploration of early American voices grew out of our readings and discussions on the same topic. We were
moved and affected by these early voices (which can be sad, funny, beautiful, stimulating, disturbing, violent and edifying) and
wanted to share our interpretations of them with you. The silent portion of this program is in homage to those whose voices have
not survived.
Dramatis Personae
(In order of appearance)
64
Narrator—Max Ruiz
Christopher Columbus (Explorer) 1451-1506—Milo Mohr
William Penn (English Quaker, founder of Pennsylvania) 1644-1718—Sasha Kourjanski
William Bradford (Pilgrim leader of Plymouth Colony) 1590-1657—Owen Liquori
Olaudah Equiano (African slave) 1745-1797—Eric Getreuer
Canasatego (Indian leader) 1684-1750—Jameson Wang
Benjamin Franklin (American statesman, inventor, and diplomat) 1706-1790—Tristan Friet
Jonathan Edwards (American cleric and theologian) 1703-1758—Jared Dale and Skyler Dale
Silent History of America
Conquistador, French colonizer, British colonizer, American Revolutionary— Jeroen Breneman
Native American #1-- Skyler Wilde
Native American #2-- Josiah Raffel-Smith
Crew
Lighting and Music—Quinn Freidenburg
Stage Manager—Ocean Milan
Costumes and Props—Jeroen Breneman, Josiah Raffel-Smith, Skyler Wilde
Songs from Early America
An Invitation To North America
First verse
Come all you bold Brittons, wherever you be
I would have you draw near and listen to me
The times they get hard-er in England everyday
It is much better living in North America
The Trappan’d Maiden (or the Distressed Damsel)
First verse
Give ear unto a maid
That lately was betrayed
And sent into Virginny, O
In brief I shall declare,
What I have suffered there,
When that I was weary, weary, weary, O.
Thanks to everyone (including teachers, parents and administrators) who made this performance possible. A special thanks to
Piedmont Rep for the lighting, and to Jeroen Breneman for going above and beyond the call of duty in getting us everything we
asked for.
65
Math (Kevin Fox):
In 7th grade math we continued to tinker with different bases, converting numbers that aren’t in base 10, and also converting
base 10 numbers into other bases. It takes a lot of practice. The boys did some addition in base five, carrying 1’s once you get to
five in a digit column. We finished the week with our sixth arithmetic quiz of the year.
In eighth grade math we starting working on graphing linear equations. We've started with slope-intercept form, and to get the
boys used to how changing the slope vs changing the intercept gives you a different line, we played Simon Says, aka linear
equation calisthenics. The boys close their eyes and have to use their arms to make the lines, such as “Simon says y equals 2x
minus 1.” We’ll also start to introduce inequalities in our graphing. We finished the week with our sixth arithmetic quiz of the
year.
Science (Leo Knudtson):
History (Michael Kwett):
This week in Ancient History, sixth graders have been finishing their group projects researching the Old, Middle and New
Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt. I have been working closely with them for the past few weeks on this project, and am very
impressed with the work they have done. It’s been a good team-building exercise for them, and a good way for them to practice
academic writing in a manner that keeps them from getting isolated or overwhelmed and that encourages them to learn from
each other’s writing styles. In the background, we have also been studying Ancient Nubia and Kush and their relations with
Egypt. We discussed how in the past, when economic growth stood at virtually 0% for millennia, conquering other civilizations
was the easiest way to increase one’s prosperity. So, we have been looking at Nubia and Kush as examples of the relation
between war and economic prosperity. Next week, we’ll finish this brief unit and begin studying Ancient India.
66
In Medieval History, seventh graders have been studying the early civilizations of Western Africa. We’ve discussed how
countries are currently divided on the African continent largely along colonial lines, and how these borders have intensified
ethnic conflict in the region. We also had a long conversation about what we mean by “advanced society,” and how important it
is to recognize how complex and sophisticated early societies were—particularly in Africa, which often exists in our imagination
as a “primitive” land lacking any complexity or history whatsoever. Next week, we will turn to the empires of Ghana and Mali to
prove once and for all that these stereotypes are unfounded.
Beginning third quarter, I will be taking over 8th grade US History for Mr. Gabri, and he will be converting 6th, 7th and 8th
grade study hall into an extra English class with a focus on theater, writing and test taking. We believe this will be a win-win for
students: by consolidating middle school history classes to one teacher, I will be able to provide better continuity with concepts
discussed and skills developed between sixth, seventh and eight grades.
Meanwhile, Mr. Gabri will be able to use the extra class time to work on longer writing projects, put on performances with the
boys, including Shakespeare in the spring, and teach test-taking skills without taking away valuable time from the rest of the
English curriculum.
In US History, students will read the textbook in relation to primary and secondary sources that represent conflicting viewpoints
about history. I am taking this route because American history is so strongly contested, and because these divisions can go a long
way in helping us understand American politics today. As with last year’s seventh grade class, I’ll place an emphasis on close
reading and essay writing skills, but this won’t come at the expense of the more traditional study of key events.
In order to better cover the curriculum, the 8th grade will aim to complete their culture fair projects—which are covering a wide
range of topics from the French Revolution to Soviet Russia and beyond—at the end of second quarter in mid-January. Rather
than seeking to convey everything about a certain country, these projects will present a detailed and specific analysis of how
culture affected certain political and historical events, and vice versa. In the process, students will arrive at a broader
understanding of what culture means, and why it is so important to historical study. After this is done, we will (hopefully) have
five periods a week available for an in-depth study of American History from the Revolution to the Civil War.
I am very excited to be able to work more closely with the eighth grade, and Mr. Gabri is equally excited for the opportunity to
teach more of what he loves teaching.
We have discussed this change with Mr. Trento and he has our full support.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this course change.
Art (Margaret Niles):
The new art program is just taking off! Students this week were involved with an introductory project. I like to start off with a
project in which everyone, no matter his level of experience or confidence with art, will have a successful experience. In this
case, each result is unique, interesting and holds a hidden word. The boys learned a technique to create a symmetrical name
design. This project involves several steps and builds on drawing skills, while providing space for each student to express
himself through color and shading choices.
As the new art teacher, I wanted to introduce myself and tell you all how excited I am to be here. I actually have experience
working with musical students specifically through teaching art at SF Boys Chorus summer program and working at San
Domenico School in Marin. I love the creativity and sensitivity these students bring-their artistry is a pleasure to be around and I
hope to nurture their appreciation and affinity for the visual arts, while making connections within a well-rounded educational
program, which includes enjoyment as natural element. I’m looking forward to meeting you. By the way, we’re also collecting
all manner of clean non-breakable containers and tins for paint water, pencils and miscellaneous supplies.
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
67
This week we continued soccer. We scrimmaged in order to prepare for our soccer tourney and then had an unexpected rain day!
We all love rain days because that means "ga ga ball!"
This is a game we play inside and students absolutely love it. He objective is to hit other people's feet with a dodge ball and stay
in the arena the longest. I missed getting a picture but next time I will make sure to!
Now that the group is gone to China we have to put soccer on hold and we will play other popular games and activities based on
group size while they are gone.
Important Dates:
Our Assistant to the Head, Heidi Svendsgaard will be off campus having some medical tests on Thursday, Friday and
Monday, December 10,11, and 14. We will provide coverage in her absence.
On Saturday, December 5, 6:00 pm. Hear the boys sing at the Piedmont Avenue Tree Lighting.
Friday, December 11, 8:00 pm Pacific Boychoir presents its 16th annual Harmonies of the Season at the First
Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley. Be there!
Sunday, December 13, 2 pm. Family Holiday Celebration: St. Augustine Catholic Church. 400 Alcatraz Avenue
Oakland, California (Tickets at Door)
68
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
December 11, 2015
The concert at First Congregational Church in Berkeley on Friday night was an astonishing success. The boys were at their best with the
brass ensemble adding an ethereal dimension to the choir. A hearty thanks to all the hard work and effort put into this production by all
present and past PBA boys.
Major kudos to Artistic Director, Kevin Fox, who continues to amaze and delight all who hear his magic. And of course, we thank
Jonathon Hampton for his Day School work with the Junior Varsity Troubadors, Julie Hoerl, and Matt Bridges for scheduling, setting up
and generally insuring that the infrastructure works at each of these impressive concerts.
Finally, PBA thanks all parents and friends for helping at this wonderful holiday tradition.
And, we all anxious to hear details of the Choir’s trip to China!
69
The boys singing at the Piedmont Avenue Tree Lighting last Saturday night
This week we held a series of mini-lessons called “Manly Arts” where we showed the boys how to do a number of
wonderful thing like:
•
•
•
•
How to iron a shirt
How to groom properly
How to bake
How to make ornaments
How to iron a concert shirt!
How to make a delicious apple turnover!
Student of the Week: Congratulations to Ben Ruiz!
70
4th Grade (Natascha Bach):
In math this week we learned about finding the Median, Mode, Range, and Averages of a Data set. Implementing and
reinforcing our skills of organizing numbers in order from least to greatest, addition, subtraction, division as well as reading and
interpreting information presented on line plots.
Mr. Trento shared with us some ancient mortar and pestles. It was fascinating to see tools used by tribes to prepare food, so we
crushed some soaked almonds, diced some dates, added some delicious shredded coconut and chia seeds to make some protein
energy snacks.
In Language arts we are using plural forms of words and still working to combine sentences with simple conjunctions. We also
used mnemonics devices and sign language to study and reinforce our spelling words. Fourth grade did a special lesson on teeth
learning the names, positions, and number of each type of incisor, canine, premolar, and molars. We then learned about the
inside of our teeth; what is underneath the enamel that we see.
The boys enjoyed a week of “Manly Arts” activities presented by the staff and faculty! Fourth graders are very excited for the
holiday concerts this weekend
The boys hard at work crushing/grinding almonds in ancient mortars (bowls) for a wonderful energy treat!
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
This week in 5th grade students wrapped up several units in Math, History and English. In Math, we finished our review with
Fractions and began a new chapter: Algebra. Students are learning how to solve algebraic equations by using inverse operations.
In English, we finished reading Tuck Everlasting and now students are writing detailed book reports. 5th graders learned how to
create outlines-- which really helps them to map out their ideas and structure their reports before moving into the writing stage.
In History, we completed a cumulative review of the Spanish conquests and early settlers. Students will continue learning about
the establishment of the first colonies next week, and when we return from Winter Break. Students' drawings of the caravel ships
have now been titled and mounted in our classroom to create a beautiful mural.
71
Spanish (Megan Cole):
This week:
5th: The boys completed one set of their questions and answer verb responses. I'm very impressed with their ability to form
complete Spanish questions and answering them in complete Spanish sentences! We also started the next chapter on food. 6th
graders practiced verbal question and answer responses, kids took quiz re-takes. We practiced current household vocabulary &
reviewed the verb Ir. 7th & 8th graders: with most of the boys in China, we just worked on the current chapter Vocab and
grammar (irregular verbs). Practicing & reviewing.
Next week:
5th: The verb ser will be introduced.
Most of the week will be spent working on our menu projects.
6th: Cantaclara reading in Spanish and answer questions in complete Spanish sentences. More board sentences work. End of
chapter review.
7th: We will practice questions and answer verbal drills with the verb Ir (to go), Telehistoria and culture readings and
questions. Study for a school vocabulary quiz on prepositions and the verbs Ir and Estar.
8th: Expressions with Hay que. More practice with irregular verbs & Introduce commands. Drills on party and event
vocabulary.
English / History (Richard Gabri):
“His bare feet were wise and silent.”
John Steinbeck
The boys in class this week went on the journey of a lifetime. That journey took place right in our English classroom at PBA, but
it took me and the boys to places (in our minds) that few (if any) have traveled to. It all began when I saw a collection of
Steinbeck’s The Red Pony collecting dust in a corner of the auditorium where books, and sometimes teachers, like to hide.
72
I was looking for something “easy” to teach, something that the boys going to China (regardless of grade level) could whip out
and read with little effort, and something the boys in class would also enjoy. I had not read The Red Pony but had seen it on
reading lists that included other coming-of-age stories. You know the type. Boy gets pony. Boy loses pony. Boy learns life
lessons. Boy grows up and/or matures.
But with this little book, Steinbeck had something more in mind--something much bigger and more profound. After having spent
the past couple of days discussing The Red Pony with the boys, and poring over it like a cabalist, I can say with confidence that
it is a masterpiece of the highest order. This little book, about the adventures of a “little boy” (Jody) growing up on a ranch near
Salinas, lays bare the human condition without missing the tiniest detail.
At its core is the question, “what is man?” I say “man” not to be politically insensitive, but because the stories are mostly about
men--the only female characters are Jody’s mother and a mare that has to be killed (or sacrificed) so that Jody can have his colt-and a boy who is learning how to become a “man,” and more importantly what it means to be a “man,” from the men around
him--i.e., his father, Billy Buck (the ranch-hand), his grandfather, and a mysterious old man named Gitano whose only purpose
in visiting the ranch is to die there). Below are some of the life lessons the boys and I learned:
Gifts (like love) come at a price.
The gift of life is also the gift of death.
Promises can only be fulfilled (or kept) by breaking other promises.
Family, or those that are supposed to love and accept you unconditionally, are also often those you can least afford to be
yourself with.
You can’t be a “man” without also pretending to be one.
You don’t “have” feelings, feelings happen to you.
The desire to name the nameless comes at the cost of losing the desire.
You can’t destroy someone’s belief, only the believer.
Nobody ever really “grows up,” they just grow old and die.
Interpretation destroys the “truth” it is meant to reveal.
We’ll have more interpretations of the novel next week J
Science (Leo Knudtson):
4th Grade Science
This week, students kept up with their garden and bean observations and they are almost to the point where we can begin our
identification process. In addition, students were introduced to our next unit where we will look at Global Warming, or Climate
73
Change. Students participated in a discussion about the causes of our current warming period, and the role that we play as
humans in this warming.
Next week, we will explore how the greenhouse effect works by creating our own mini atmospheres and observing the effects on
temperature that certain molecules have.
5th Grade Science
This week we took a pause from our bean mystery identification in order to give them a little more time to flower. In place, we
began our next unit in which we will explore the causes and effects of Global Warming, or Climate Change. Students engaged
in a round table discussion about why this warming period in our history is different than those we have observed in the last
800,000 years. We then explored how the greenhouse effect works, and how our planet naturally emits carbon dioxide into the
environment. The effects were are starting to see today involve our emission of carbon dioxide. Students proposed some
brilliant ideas on how to address this problem, and we created conservation wheels provided by the EPA, which will help to
show us what we can do to decrease our individual carbon dioxide production.
Next week, we will finish our wheels and discuss what we can do specifically to lower our carbon dioxide emissions. Also, we
will be creating a mini atmosphere to explore certain molecules effect on the temperature of a contained space.
6th Grade Science
This week, students took a look at the history of how our continents have come to be where they are. They looked at the work of
Alfred Wegener and his proposal of the theory of continental drift. They also looked at how his ideas were met with heavy
criticism from the “fixist” group of scientists who were stuck on the theory of land bridges to explain Wegener’s findings. In
comes Harry Hess and his use of sonar to help map the ocean seafloor. In conclusion, students performed a data lab where they
calculated the speed of continental spreading based on the observations of polarity reversal in the seafloor. The math involved
coincided perfectly with the math we are covering in math class currently, so students were able to see how these two subjects
do have cross over.
Next week, we will explore where the crust goes once it spreads out and the process that takes place below our feet that allow
this to happen.
7th Grade Science
This week students dove in head first to the history of genetics. Through lecture and a series of videos, students explored
Mendel’s meticulous experiments with peas and the theories he developed about how genes are passed on through generations.
Students then got practice on how a Punnett square works as well as a pedigree tree. In our last meeting, we explored the idea of
genetic determinism and how the environment and the choices we make can change our DNA. We will continue with the
method of Heart Coherence to give our cells quantum nutrients.
Next week, we will begin an activity where students will show a family of creatures phenotypes based on their genotypes.
8th Science
This week, in our small group we got into the history of the atom. We first looked at how the theory of an atom was not
exclusively a western discovery, but how Canada developed his theory of the anus (atom) independently, but at the same time, as
Democritus. We then followed the lineage of atomic theory through Dalton, to Thompson, then to his student Rutherford, and
finally the spectral work of Niels Bohr. In our last class, we were introduced to one of the greatest achievements of all time,
Mendeleev’s Periodic Table.
Next week we will create our own, three dimensional periodic tables that will help to unify the similarities within elements in the
table.
6th Grade Math
74
This week we continued our group work, finishing up group tests from last week and beginning our new chapter on rates. The
carry over from ratios provided an easy entry into the concept, and students developed different strategies to solve rate problems.
Next week we will be preparing for and taking the test on rates, as well as work on test corrections prior to the new test from our
last unit on ratios. Students have successfully turned in homework in both science and math for 2 days in a row, needing just
three more to achieve their goal, and their prize of Fenton’s ice cream.
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
This week we had ga-ga ball during PE while the other Boys were in China.
Next week we will get back to Soccer and begin our tournament now that the entire school is present!
Have a great weekend!
Important Dates:
Our Assistant to the Head, Heidi Svendsgaard will be off campus having some medical tests on Monday, December 14.
We will provide coverage in her absence.
Sunday, December 13, 2 pm. Family Holiday Celebration: St. Augustine Catholic Church. 400 Alcatraz Avenue
Oakland, California (Tickets at Door)
Friday, December 18: School is closed for the Holiday Season; No EDP. School resumes Monday, January 4th, 2016.
Enjoy the season!
75
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
January 8, 2016
Welcome back everyone! We had a fabulous entry 2016 week at school.
Getting ready to sing at Joaquin Miller Elementary School
Student of the Week: Congratulations to Arthur Bowling-Dyer
4th Grade (Natascha Bach):
In fourth grade we set class goals at the beginning of the year and this week we reached our third goal for great behavior and
focus during class. The reward...looking at and learning about crystals, rocks, and minerals!
It was a great first week back and the boys were very focused! We set some New Year’s Resolutions and practiced our
Handwriting, Grammar, and Spelling. In Spelling we learned about possessive plurals. In Grammar we learned how to correct
run-on sentences.
The boys' math skills continue to be strong. We wrapped up Chapter five with a test today.
In Social Studies we continue with our fun-filled Gold Rush focus. Using the facts of the Gold Rush, we practiced how to listen
and take notes on what we heard. Our main goal was to organize the facts we heard in the correct category. The boys will be
presenting some of their Gold Rush activities to the after school singers and parents next week.
76
4th Grade boys examining rocks/crystals
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
Samples of rocks/crystals brought in by Ms. Bach
It was a busy first week back in 5th grade! We kicked off the week by discussing new years resolutions - how can we make
positive changes this year? How can be our best selves in the classroom? In Math, we worked on balancing equations and
inequalities as part of our Algebra unit. We then moved into our new unit: Area of a Triangle. We learned new formulas and
practiced them in the textbook and workbook. In English, we learned about verb tense including past, future and present. We
also read Mark Twain's The Celebrated Jumping Frog, and discussed story elements along with possible themes. We began to
practice a new set of Wordly Wise vocabulary words. In Creative Writing, students are finishing their Fairytales and practicing
their illustrations using storyboards. In History, we started learning about the New England colonies, Middle colonies and
Southern colonies. Students began their Colonies research project, where each individual student chooses a colony to research
and create a travel brochure for. The travel brochure will include important information about the colonies' economy, population,
location and culture. The students will have two weeks to complete this creative and educational project.
Spanish (Megan Cole):
This week:
5th: We did verbal questions and answers in Spanish, started menu project. Draft due Monday!
6th: Dar, estar, ir verbal question and answer drills, talking about chores, questions and answers in Spanish. Conversation,
translation and vocabualry worksheets.
8th: We watched commands videos and practiced commands, Spanish listening lab. We did online practice on commands and
started another worksheet.
7th: The boys took their unit quiz, had Spanish listening lab & completed the Telehistoria reading. Started Spanish final
review on vocabulary, regular verb conjugations and Ser verses Estar.
Next Week:
5th: We will continue working on our menu projects! This consists of all meals, drinks, side dishes & deserts in Spanish!
6th: We will go over our 7 page writing & vocabulary packets on home vocabulary. We will start paragraph translations and
start new vocabulary on shopping terms.
7th & 8th: We will spend all week studying and preparing for the final exam.
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
77
In 7th grade Latin, the boys learned more forms of the irregular verb "sum"--they will be quizzed on this next week. I spent
Wednesday introducing the boys to the National Latin Exam--a fun exam upcoming in March that can earn them medals and
eventually college scholarships. We worked on the culture/mythology section of the NLE; as well as identifying different places
(Gallia, Ostia, Brundisium, etc) on maps. For Martin Luther King Jr day, we will also be beginning a unit on classics and
African-American and Caribbean literature--especially focusing on Omeros (an epic poem by Derek Walcott that reimagines
Greco-Roman mythology in the context of the African diaspora).
In 8th grade Latin, the boys covered their last major unit before their final--demonstrative pronouns/adjectives. We discussed the
subtle semantic differences between the three major demonstratives (hic, ille, and is). The boys have quite a lot of memorization
to do, since these pronouns have a total of 36 different forms when they decline! We also began preparing for the National Latin
Exam, which they will take in March. We covered the geographical portion of the NLE, as well as part of the history portion. In
the course of this preparation, we focused on the history of the Roman monarchy and how it ended/turned into a republic-- as
well as branches of Roman republican government such as the consuls, senate, and tribunes.
English (Richard Gabri):
Students have really enjoyed reading and discussing The Red Pony. Many students have chosen to write on the novel, while a
few have chosen to write about other texts we read in class. One of the most interesting and exciting discussions we had, in
relation to the The Red Pony, was regarding the topic of time. Steinbeck plays with the concept of linear, directional time by
composing chapters that are chronologically ambiguous and discontinuous. Chapters one and three are the only chapters in the
book that follow each other in a straightforward, chronological manner, while chapters two and four can take place at anytime.
They can precede the events of chapters one and three, fall in between those events, or come after them. But these are not the
only possibilities. In fact, the boys came up with a total of nine different possibilities/theories on how to organize or think about
the chapters. They were so excited to share their ideas that they literally took over the class and forced me to play the part of
student (please see photos). And now I’ll share some of the more memorable theories the students came up with:
1) Jody exists in parallel universes and goes through very different sets of experiences in each one. That is why at the
beginning of each chapter Jody is described as a “little boy,” and also why he never seems to truly grow up or mature. In
this way, Steinbeck reveals the randomness of life and the part that chance plays in shaping the trajectory of a person’s
life.
2) The chapters can be organized differently in order to show that a person’s life (after a tragic event) can go in many
directions, depending on how that person responds to the tragedy. For instance, the events of chapter one can lead to the
events of chapter two, three or four, where each chapter represents a different outcome/response to the tragedy at the end
of chapter one.
3) Another student tried to show that the chapters (though out of order) can be chronologically ordered based on the
seasons (and change of seasons) that Steinbeck describes in each chapter. Ordering the chapters in this way will in turn
lead to a totally different interpretation of the story.
4) Meanwhile, another student argued that each chapter pairs Jody with a different male role model to show how Jody (the
forever “little boy”) has the potential to become like any of them, depending on the choices he makes (and the ones that
are made for him) in life.
5) Lastly, a student studying these different theories, about how the novel could be organized and what the discontinuity
could mean, suggested that despite these differences (in chronology and meaning) there was a thread that held all the
disparate pieces together. According to this student, the green wooden water tub and the perpetually green grass beneath
it (which represent life), and the cypress tree (which represents death), are the only “universal constants” (his words, not
mine) in the novel, and therefore appear in each chapter. Things are born, and then they die. What comes before and
after is only a mystery, not to mention “the chapters” in between.
All of these possibilities (in their own way) suggest a coming of age story that never happens, but only gives us possibilities for
what could happen…
78
Math (Kevin Fox):
I love using color in math. I think we don’t use enough colors in the world, and I think people respond and progress more
quickly to things such as collections or instructions or musical score markings when they’re in color. In math it’s really easy to
slip into graphite-and-paper colors all the time, but this week we had a lot of color in 7th and 8th grade math. You may know
that the boys’ daily arithmetic problems are always done on orange paper (the class starts faster when they can find their starting
sheet faster), and they keep important formulas on blue sheets in the back of their class binders.
In 7th grade math this week, the boys finished up their color projects. They created RGB (red-green-blue) numbers in base 16,
what is used for all colors on the internet, guessed what color the RGB numbers would give them, punched their results into a
simple html page they created, and we loaded those into a browser to see if they got their conversions and/or guesses right. We
also had our seventh arithmetic quiz and have started a new unit on rate and ratio.
In 8th grade math we reviewed our slope-intercept basics with the ever-popular “Simon Says” game, an elimination game using
closed eyes and arms to roughly represent the graphs of equations. Then we moved on to linear inequalities, where the lines can
be dotted or solid, and the boys use colored pencils to shade the regions defined by the <, ≤, ≥, or > signs. We finished the week
with systems of inequalities, where the boys used OR or AND statements with two or three linear inequalities to find the union
or intersection (combination or overlap) of the shaded areas defined by the equations.
Science (Leo Knudtson):
4th Grade Science
This week, students continued to record their garden observations, as well as measure and observe their now
transplanted mystery beans. The beans are doing well, with a student made lattice for climbing. They should start
flowering in the next few weeks.
Afterwards, students explored the forces of El Nino and El Nina through a series of videos and discussion. They
learned how this process occurs in the Pacific Ocean, as well as the difficulty weather broadcasters have in predicting
the weather more than 2 days out.
79
Next week, we will continue our unit on weather patterns, further exploring how to measure the weather so that we
can make educated guesses on future weather patterns.
5th Grade Science
This week, we transitioned from our unit on global warming to begin taking a closer look at global weather and
climate processes. First, we listed on the board what we already knew about the water cycle. Students had a solid
background on this topic, giving us an opportunity to delve into more specific processes like transpiration. Through
discussion and a series of videos, students were provided all background knowledge for our activity.
In our group activity, students were given roles, such as tree, water molecule, and ocean. In the theatre, students
silently listened to a story about the water cycle, as the trees took on their best tree pose, and the water molecules
floated around the group depending on where we were in the story. The goal was to offer kinesthetic learners an
opportunity to act out the water cycle themselves.
The next day, students made their garden and mystery bean observations, and then we took a look at why it is raining
so much right now, and why professional newscasters are referring to the Godzilla El Nino. Through a series of
videos and discussions, we explored where the name El Nino comes from, how it works, and why the weather in
general is so hard to predict, getting our first introduction to chaos theory. After our El Nino session, students created
water cycle wheels to help reinforce the different stages and how they work.
Next week we will be continuing our weather/climate unit, looking at how we can measure the weather, and in turn
make predictions, and if it is sunny enough, finish up our greenhouse gas experiment.
6th Grade Science
This week was all about plate tectonics and specifically convection currents. Students were able to see first-hand how
convection currents work by heating a Pyrex dish with vegetable oil and chilli flakes with a small candle in the middle
underneath. As the oil heated, the chili flakes were pushed away from the center of the dish, and as they cooled, they
dove to the bottom. Once on the bottom, they cycled back to the center, were heated, and rose to the top again.
Students were also introduced to the Heart Coherence method of meditation. This is a specific type of meditation
designed to act as a tool for students to use when they are stressed out, or overwhelmed by negative feelings. This is
designed to help students get out of a negative place so they can be their best selves. The process involves focusing
on your breath, slowing it down, and then accessing a memory or person in your life who you appreciate or love or
who shows you love. The idea is to feel that positive feeling this person or event gives you, which can in turn push
the negative feelings out.
We also took a quiz covering the material from our last chapter on plate tectonics, and next week we will be preparing
for finals and looking out how plate boundaries affect our State of California.
7th Grade Science
This week students finished their monsters they created using Punnett squares. Students also got a chance to explore
their similarities and differences in terms of inherited traits such as the widow's peak and big toe size. The most
exciting part of this experiment was the PTC taste test. Students were given a PTC strip to place on their tongues,
which determines if they have the gene to taste this extremely bitter chemical.
The results compared almost precisely to the world wide average, where 75% of that class could taste it, while 25%
could not. We then went into why having this trait could be advantageous in nature, and why nearly 100% of Native
Americans such as the once local Ohlone possess this gene. We also went into how only slightly tasting the bitterness
indicates a heterozygous gene, while a super strong bitter taste most likely indicates a homozygous gene.
80
Students also took a quiz on this last chapter, and next week we will begin to prepare for finals as well as begin our
next unit on Evolution.
8th Science
This week, we continued our current unit on the periodic table. We explored our previous knowledge by first
thinking about what we know about an atom, the different parts and how we identify them. Then students shared
what they thought about with partners. Afterwards, students shared what they discussed with the entire class. This
method, called think-pair-share, is designed to give students the opportunity to talk and engage with their peers, and
then sharing in front of the class what they discussed. I have noticed this method works well to reduce shout outs
during class as students get the chance to use their voices and express themselves.
After our discussion, students watched a series of videos, and then created an atomic model for several different
elements, understanding what’s happen when a proton, neutron, and electron are either added or removed. The class
culminated in an activity designed for our kinesthetic learners, where students formed groups of 4-5, and then were
required to silently model different elements atomic structure. This was a hilarious, lively activity and students
channeled their inner actor as they silently became electrons, protons and neutrons. One neutron was very somber,
while his counterpart, the proton, had a beaming smile. The electrons were running in random patterns around the
nucleus.
6th Grade Math
This week we reviewed our work on unit rates from before break. In teams of two, students worked together to solve
Warrior themed problems related to rates. Students were also given a practice test very similar to the actual test that
they completed in groups, and individually at home. On Thursday, we had our group test, and students were hard at
work, communicating with each other the best way to attack the problem, and moving on once everyone got it.
This method helps students practice communication skills, patience, and also reinforces that they can do great work
together. It was very impressive to see every group in conversation and passionate about the work they were doing.
After some bumps and frustrations, groups took a huge sigh of relief, exhausted but also understanding of the fact that
they had just solved a few very challenging multi step problems as a team.
Next week we will begin our next unit on percents, as well as begin to introduce our upcoming project where students
will create a song based on a topic covered so far this year.
History (Michael Kwett):
This week in Ancient History, the sixth graders have been studying the language groups and religions of early India. We spent
the first two days reviewing India’s geography and life in its early cities, which we studied before winter break. We have also
continued work on the Egyptian pyramids. One group has finished theirs, complete with sarcophagi. Finally, we turned back to
early Indian history with the story of Ashoka, an Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty. After witnessing a bloody invasion that
allegedly killed 100,000, Ashoka converted to Buddhism and transformed from a violent ruler to a proponent of ahimsa, or nonviolence. Students wrote about a turning point in their lives, and each boy shared their story with the class.
In seventh grade history, we are beginning our unit on early American cultures—the Olmec, the Maya, the Aztec, and the Inca.
Continuing our focus question for the semester (What is a successful civilization?), we came up with a long list of possible ways
for measuring the success of a civilization. Students are beginning to understand just how difficult it is to measure this, and as a
result, to say definitively that one civilization is better or more successful than another. We’ll continue working on this question,
which will form the foundation of their midterm prompt at the end of this month
81
6th Grade boys working on an Egyptian project!
Art (Margaret Niles):
Hello Families! It’s great to be back after the break & I hope that you all had a wonderful time over the holidays. This week 7th
and 8th graders have started to make optical illusions in art. They are learning techniques to create an image that appears to pop
off the page.
4th, 5th and 6th graders have just begun creating identity collages with words and images. The students began with some reflective
writing about themselves, which was followed by carefully choosing six self-representational words. These words will later be
combined with pictures and each student will design a composition that expresses his interests and individuality.
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
Dear Families,
This first week back we are continuing our soccer tournament. It will culminate with a championship day and donut prizes as
always!
Next up is the much anticipated football unit! I look forward to this every year and we all know the Boys do as well!
See you around the school!
Important Dates Oveview:
Parent Tours: Tuesday, January 12 & Thursday, January 14. 10:30 am – 12:00 noon—Please tell you friends / neighbors
to stop by!
January 15, 19, 20, 21: 7th & 8th Finals
82
Monday, January 18: Martin Luther King Day, No School, No EDP
Tuesday, January 19, 6:30pm – 8 pm PBA Open House for Prospective Parents—Tell your friends / neighbors to see our
school in action!
January 21: End of 2nd Grading Quarter
Friday, January 22: Faculty Work Day, No School, No EDP
Joaquin Miller Elementary School singing performance
83
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
January 29, 2016
Robert Buckner, Jamila Buckner’s husband and father of
6th grader Robert, passed away.
Please keep the family in your prayers.
1
Student of the Week: Congratulations to Ryan Wang!
4th Grade (Natascha Bach):
Fourth grade studied fractions this week and used real world applications. In social studies, we learned
about vigilantes and squatters during 1848-1850. We continued to learn how to proof read for mistakes in
letters and envelopes. We weeded the garden this week and have been fascinated by the growth of
our lettuce and carrots. The "fresh out of the garden" taste is one the boys are really proud to enjoy. Our
latest short story was all about people being able to change for the better.
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
This week in 5th grade students practiced ratio in Math, learned how to diagram sentences in English, and
wrapped up the Colonies unit in History. Diagramming sentences is proving to be a great way for students
to better understand how each part of a sentence serves a purpose and a function. After wrapping up our
unit on the early Colonies, students are now learning about European Rivalries in North America. In
Creative Writing, students are in the process of illustrating their imaginative fairytales to create unique
and colorful literary works of Art.
Spanish (Megan Cole):
5th: We started the next chapter vocabulary on hobbies and places! The boys practiced more sentences
with the verb Ser. Next week we will continue to expand our sentences. We will practice more
conjugations!
6th: The boys will took their chapter quiz on house vocabulary and chores. We went through our
completed translation packets. We practiced vocabulary, sentence building. Next week we will complete
the Telehistoria reading, Spanish listening lab and a quiz retake will be offered.
7th: The boys got to make and eat guacamole! We also went on a field trip to Gordos Taqueria where
the boys ordered a complete meal in Spanish! We went over their final exam and addressed all
questions. Next week will read about Puerto Rican and el Salvadoran cuisine. More question and answer
drills with Spanish vocabulary. If time permits, we will start the next chapter on family members and
Spanish listening lab.
8th: The boys got to make guacamole! We went over the final exam and addressed all questions. We
started the next chapter on sports. Next week we will continue to drill on sports vocabulary and review
stem changing verbs. We will we will read the Telehistoria and the boys will have Spanish listening lab
Feasting on fresh, student-made guacamole & lunch at the taqueria
2
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
In 7th grade Latin, the boys learned how to conjugate and use Latin's perfect tense this week; a unit that
will continue into next week as we then learn the pluperfect and future perfect tenses. The boys also
solidified their knowledge of the passive voice; and learned a new grammatical construction often used
with passive verbs (the ablative of personal agent). This somewhat dry material was livened up by the
boys using perfect tense verbs to create their own flagitatio. The flagitatio was a Roman social practice of
bringing attention to social wrongs on the part of neighbors by banging pots and pans and making
pronouncements outside someone's home. I introduced the boys to the anthropological concept of a
shame culture vs. guilt culture (the former being a society in which moral standards are enacted by
public, external shaming; the latter one in which morals are enacted by training a wrongdoer to feel
private, internal guilt). After talking about how the flagitatio exemplified Rome as a "shame culture," the
boys honed their Latin composition skills (and had a lot of fun) creating and performing (pots/pans and
all!) a flagitatio concerning the importance of being quiet in the hallways for Ms. Fry's 5th grade.
In 8th grade Latin, the boys had their first vocabulary test of the new quarter and learned about 1st and
2nd person personal pronouns. We discussed how personal pronouns can also be used reflexively in
Latin, and how/when to make that distinction. We also learned and memorized new sets of possessive
adjectives (mine, yours, theirs). We also continued our review of cultural topics that will appear on the
national Latin exam-- particularly Roman republican history. As a reward for the great amount of
memorization the boys were tasked with this week, on Friday I allowed the boys a "choose your own
topic" class where I allowed them totally free reign to choose what aspects of the ancient world they
wanted to learn about from me. I was impressed at the interesting subjects they spontaneously requested-Roman plebians, Roman music, and Roman gambling.
English / History (Richard Gabri):
As many of you know, it has been a goal of mine to emphasize writing (especially longer essays) this
year. Writing is an extremely important part of the English curriculum. It is a means to many ends, for
good writing is a requirement in most fields and professions (including the sciences). I was reminded of
this fact (as if I needed any reminding) by the high school recommendation forms I was asked to fill out
this month. The forms usually contain quick, fill in the bubble type questions, and questions that require
longer written responses. Some schools only asked about a student’s writing abilities (in these written
response questions), while others had writing at the top of the list, in their written response section.
Ironically, when you visit these schools, they hardly ever mention writing when talking about their
wonderful academic programs. And yet, they all want to enroll good writers--at least according to their
questionnaires. Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on how you look at it), the only way to become
a better writer is by practicing writing. All this takes time, patience and care. With that said, I wanted to
share some excerpts--that I found particularly moving--from a few student essays:
Here is a 6th grader writing about loss, in Edgar Allan Poe’s Raven:
Something else in this poem is how strange it is that the narrator loves Lenore, yet he is trying to forget
her. This may be because we are made to move on, and forget troubling moments. The narrator may be
attempting to do this in his own way, only it is not working and he may be forgetting things he wants to
remember, and remembering things he wants to forget. The Raven’s entrance in all of this could represent
a part of the narrator who refuses to let go, but by doing so forces remembrance upon the narrator that he
does not want.
Here is another 6th grader talking about the representation of masculinity, in Steinbeck’s The Red Pony.
But sometimes these male characters try to act mature, manly and courageous so that they can cover up
their soft or sad feelings. They try to act to cover up how they are feeling because to the men in this story,
showing that they are sad or shy is not manly and if they wanted to be the man of the house, especially in
Carl Tiflin’s case they had to never feel sad or disheartened. Carl Tiflin is not fond of acting, at least on 3
the surface, yet at the same time Carl Tiflin acts a lot.
Here is an 8th grader talking about the concept of “westering,” in Steinbeck’s The Red Pony.
“Westering” (another word for “Manifest Destiny”) was a popular term used to describe the urge shown
by trailblazers and pilgrims to travel west. The main cause of this ‘hunger’ the travelers had, is
unexplained in “The Red Pony,” but in the history of this country it was a statement by the pilgrims that
they had the right to travel coast to coast, as a freedom they deserved for colonizing America, the new
found land. “The Red Pony” describes “Westering” as human beings continuing movement to have
purpose in life, to feed their growing beastly hunger to move forward. Jody’s grandfather was the leader
of the moving beast and explains the real purpose was not getting to the West but the process and the
never-ending struggle to move forward and progress. Jody’s grandfather views “Manifest Destiny” as
gone and in the past, which is not the true beauty of “westering.” The novel, as a whole views
“Westering” as a cause, a continuing drive by mankind to thrive and move forward in the shadow of the
beast.
Here is an 8th grader talking about the problem of time, in Stenbeck’s The Red Pony.
I believe that Steinbeck put the chapters out of order because of Gabilan’s death. After a traumatic
experience, for some, time loses meaning. Not only do they lose track of it, and aren’t able to tell how
much time is passing, but they also lose track of time that has already passed. Steinbeck, who was writing
this story during the time that his mother was dying, may have been conveying his own feeling through
this story. I believe that Jody, traumatized by the death of his pony and losing faith in his only role model,
Billy Buck, who failed to save the pony, can no longer remember which events in his life come when, and
therefore remembers the chapters out of order. Another reason that Steinbeck may have put the chapters
out of order is because time may have not meant much to Jody in the first place. Each chapter is just
another episode in this little boy’s life, and he thinks of them as just that, not chronological events.
Math (Kevin Fox):
The 8th graders worked on factoring strategies this week, using the extra academic periods to plow
through the first couple types: Greatest Common Monomial Factor, and Difference of Squares. We
finished the week working on identifying and manipulating Perfect Square Trinomials, while introducing
the standard form of a quadratic equation. The boys also took their final arithmetic quiz of the semester.
Eighth grade pushed even farther into factoring strategies, moving on from greatest common monomial
factors and difference of squares, to perfect square trinomials and factorable trinomials that aren't perfect
squares. We worked on trinomials of different sorts where a=1 and where a≠1 in the form ax^2+bx+c. We
took a detour a bit to see how factoring helps make solving equations simple, when you set the equation
to zero, provided you figure out how to factor it! It’s tough stuff, and there is some educated guessing
involved. That the expressions can be prime is always an option, but it’s sometimes hard to know when
you’ve exhausted all possibilities, so the boys have in their class glossary a checklist process to attack
factoring problems.
In 7th grade math, the boys saw all sorts of ratio and rate problems, from unit conversions to scale maps
to similar figures. They got their highest average of the year on this week's arithmetic quiz.
Seventh grade took their ratio/rate test Monday, then moved on to scientific notation. The boys learned
about the usual conversions of big numbers into scientific notation, but also worked on the distinction
4
between negative numbers in the scientific notation format, as opposed to negative exponents. The boys
have done some converting back and forth, but also multiplying, dividing, adding, and subtracting
numbers in scientific notation. Mr. Kwett even unearthed the classic 1977 video that I think/hope every
American kid has seen at one point, “Powers of Ten”, you know, the one that zooms in and out from the
molecules a person’s hand out to beyond our galaxy. Towards the end of the week we started extending
the scientific notation concepts to simplifying algebraic fractions with exponents.
Science / 6th Math (Leo Knudtson):
4th Grade Science
This week, students continued their garden observations, measuring their mystery bean growth
while also getting a chance to taste some freshly picked butter lettuce that they helped to grow!
Students also were introduced to how clouds are formed, a topic they will go into further detail in
next year. They saw the creation of a cloud inside a jar as a match was released into a jar of hot
water, then covered with a bag of ice. As the temperatures mingled, a cloud was formed thanks
to the particles released by the match. Next week, we will continue our garden observations and
have our first double period of the year!
5th Grade Science
This week, students finished up our unit on clouds by going outside and recording a cloud type
that they found in the sky. They listed the properties of this cloud, drew a picture, and then made
predictions about what that specific clouds presence means. They managed to predict this
Friday’s rain due to the high presence of cirrus clouds.
Students were then introduced to the carrier of these clouds, the wind! We learned how wind is
created and identified global wind patterns through a mesmerizing and interactive new mapping
program which you can find here http://earth.nullschool.net.
On Wednesday, students made their garden observations, got a taste of some home grown butter
lettuce and then we delved into how tornadoes are formed. Next week we will continue this
tornado/wind unit by making our own wind gauges.
5
6th Grade Science
This week students explored the different types of earthquakes, what type is produced at each
plate boundary and they learned what the strongest of them all are and why they are the
strongest.
Afterwards, we say how seismic waves work through two demonstrations. The first with a
slinky modeling S and P-waves. Then I had students become atoms in a solid and liquid. They
saw the direction and effect a P--wave has on a solid as well as an S-wave. They then saw how
an S-wave cannot travel through liquids but a P-wave can.
We finished the week looking at how to measure earthquakes which we will continue into next
week as well as learning about earthquake safety.
7th Grade Science
This week students began their next unit on evolution. Through a series of videos, lecture and
demonstrations, students came to an understanding of the process of natural selection and the
often misunderstood idea of adaptation.
Students also participated in a game of telephone evolution style. Seeing the degree to which
adaptations occur over generations as the initial phrase either did not change, changed a little or
had a giant change.
Next week we will continue our unit on evolution through lectures, videos and a few
demonstrations, one of which the boys’ sweet teeth are eagerly anticipating.
8th Science
This week, we finished our chapter on types of bonds through a series of lectures, videos and
demonstrations. Students created presentations in groups on our metallic bonding lesson, using
demonstrations along with visuals to help teach their assigned content. All presentation were
fabulous, and students gained a level of mastery over their assigned one, while also taking notes
on other groups presentations.
Students were also challenged with modeling different types of bonds using gumdrops and
toothpicks. They were challenged to draw a Lewis Dot structure for each molecule/compound
and they had to identify the type of bond that was formed.
Next week we will continue our unit on chemistry and dive deeper into the properties of the
periodic table.
6th Grade Math
This week we continued our units on percents, taking notes and then doing practice problems.
Students would first reference their notebook if they were having difficulty, then their teammate
and finally myself. This process took a few days for students to get used to, but by Friday, all
students were able to complete their assigned practice problems with either the help of their
notebook or their partner.
6
Next week we will continue our work on percents, getting into how percent change works as
well as preparing for the upcoming percents test.
Art (Margaret Niles):
Seventh and Eighth graders are finishing up their optical illusions, which you are invited to come see up
in the hallways at the end of next week. Meanwhile, fourth, fifth and sixth graders are completing their
identity collages. Since we meet only once a week for 45 minutes, each project ends up being drawn out
over 3-4 weeks. I am looking forward to introducing new materials and projects in February that include
scratchboard and possibly weaving for the younger grades.
Meanwhile, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth graders are quickly catching on to their new project. It was nice to see
the boys sharing materials and helping each other as they wove their colorful creations.
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
This week we continue with the Football Unit. Students are learning skills such as getting open, throwing,
and catching.
Also, we have started learning strategy for gameplay and recently learned about the "route tree" which
shows the different running lines in football all in one graphic.
Students are learning a lot about football and having a blast!
7
Important Dates Oveview:
Report Cards coming next week
Conference Dates: Please use Sign-Up Genius to schedule such.
Thursday, February 4, 4 – 6 pm
Friday, February 5, 7:30 – 4 pm
Get ready for the Auction: New and interesting things to bid on!
1001 thanks to all the refrigerator offers! The Glickmans were kind enough to donate/deliver one to our kitchen!
8
A break in the rain: gorgeous sunny days!
9
PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
215 Ridgeway Avenue
Oakland, CA 94611
Tel: 510-652-4722
www.pacificboychoir.org
ACADEMIC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
SALVATORE M. TRENTO
February 5, 2016
Student of the Week: Congratulations to J.D. Dale!
A few weeks ago PBA suffered a major rain-lake leading up to the front office steps. Rumor has it some
of the lads spotted sharks and rubber duckies swimming about
We ordered a new batch of wood
chips to help absorb some of the future rain downpours. Kudos to the boys for helping to spread out the
dumped pile!
4th Grade (Natascha Bach):
This week the fourth graders had tests in math, spelling and social studies. In math, we now are
completing a two-chapter cumulative review before doing a mid-year review and test. We are learning
about the transcontinental railroad, stagecoaches and all the modern technologies for travel and
communication between 1850 and 1920. We learned that it took two weeks for Californians to hear
Lincoln’s first speech as president. The speech was delivered by the fastest method, which at that time
was the Pony Express. In 1861, the wires were set across the country to begin using telegraph, which
enabled messages to then be transmitted within hours.
Alongside our focus on becoming better writers, we started a new class read-a-loud entitles Shiloh by
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. We have been weeding the garden and pulled out some beautiful and flavor
filled radishes. Our lettuce and carrots and broccoli are thriving with all of the rain.
1
5th Grade (Victoria Fry):
It was a busy week in 5th grade! In Math, we are reviewing as a class for next week's mid-year test by
practicing concepts on Khan Academy in addition to the workbook. In English, students are continuing to
learn how to diagram sentences, and we began our third novel of the year - A Wrinkle in Time. Each class
students thoughtfully answer guided questions about the text in preparation for our reading discussions.
Students learn how to make important connections in the text, cite quotes to support their answers, and
use clues to predict what might happen next. In Creative Writing, students are in the final stage of
illustrating their Fairytales, and their completed books will be on display in the coming weeks. In History,
students are learning about early Spanish settlements in North America and working in groups to create
pictorial timelines, where they illustrate important events from this time period.
Spanish (Megan Cole):
5th: We went over places vocabulary. The boys practiced more sentences with the verb Ser and learned
the conjugation of IR (to go). We learned how to form complete questions and answers to ask and
respond where someone is going, as well as what someone is going to do. We had story time in
Spanish! Next week we will learn the verb Tener (to have) and practice question, as were responses in
Spanish.
6th: We studied for the chapter quiz retake and watched a video on clothing in Spanish. We completed
the Telehistoria reading and comprehension questions. The boys had Spanish listening lab. Quiz
retake. Next week we will continue to practice sentences structure and clothing/shopping vocabulary.
7th: We read about Puerto Rican, Tex Mex and el Salvadoran cuisine. We practiced more question and
answer drills with Spanish food vocabulary. The boys had Spanish listening lab. Quiz on page
159. Repaso review pages 160-161 Next week: Quiz on lesson one, Unit 3. We will start the next
chapter on family members, numbers & possessive adjectives and read the Telehistoria.
8th: We read the Telehistoria and practiced irregular verb conjugation for chocolate treats. The boys had
Spanish listening lab. We read a reading on Sports, answered questions in Spanish and discussed sports
in Spanish! A Spanish wordsearch on words related to sports in Spanish for homework.
2
Latin (Stefani Echeverria):
In 7th grade Latin, the boys continued their unit on the perfect system with the introduction of two new
tenses-- the pluperfect and future perfect. We also worked more on understanding the 4 principal parts of
Latin verbs, and what each one is used for, in preparation for the boys' next unit on the perfect passive
voice. We have also designated each Friday from now until March 11th the "National Latin exam review
class"; where the boys review cultural topics and grammatical constructions that appear particularly often
on the National Latin Exam that they will take in March. This exam is a national 45 minute, 30 question
standardized test that tests knowledge of Latin grammar, reading comprehension, and cultural knowledge.
The exam has multiple levels that the boys will progress through over the years; and the opportunity to
win bronze, silver, and gold medals (and ultimately college scholarships!). In addition, it is a fun way for
the boys to cover the basics of Greco-Roman mythology and taps into the competitive spirit so many of
them have in class!
In 8th grade Latin, the boys were introduced to relative pronouns (who/which/whom, etc). This is an
important and conceptually challenging topic for the boys, since relative pronouns in Latin work quite
differently to those in English. It also requires memorizing 35 new forms! In order to make sure the boys
could really grasp this unit from the beginning, we spent the first half of the week looking at multiple
English examples of the concepts. This is one of the things that is so great about Latin; it really forces one
to look closely and truly understand one's own language and grammatical system in addition to Latin's.
The boys also took their first vocabulary quiz of the new quarter, and we have now designated Fridays as
the day we work on preparing for the National Latin Exam (which they will take on March 11th). As I
wrote above, this exam is a national 45 minute, 30 question standardized test that tests knowledge of
Latin grammar, reading comprehension, and cultural knowledge. The exam has multiple levels that the
boys will progress through over the years; and the opportunity to win bronze, silver, and gold medals (and
ultimately college scholarships!). In addition, it is a fun way for the boys to cover the basics of GrecoRoman mythology and taps into the competitive spirit so many of them have in class!
English (Richard Gabri):
This week we began reading Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. I’ll be saying a lot more about the play in
the coming weeks. Today I want to discuss my approach to teaching Shakespeare, which is (in a word)
holistic. What do I mean by this? Well, not only are students taught how to read and understand the text
but they also learn about Elizabethan History, theatrical conventions, Shakespeare’s life (or as much as
we know about his life), and how to perform his text on stage. This week, for instance, between reading
scenes from the play, discussing what they mean and what they might look like on stage, students were
taught how to scan Shakespeare’s verse. They learned about iambic pentameter, and applied what they
learned to a prologue from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Students expertly scanned the prologue,
marking stressed and unstressed syllables (I really think their musical training and/or ear helps them with
this), while noting anomalies and accounting for them. Understanding how the iambic works is extremely
important, not just because it is a great poetic invention worth studying, but also because by varying the
theme (or breaking the “ta Da, ta Da” pattern of the iambic) Shakespeare gives subtle clues, to actor and
director alike, about the emotional/mental state of a character and/or the feelings informing his/her
3
speech. Taken together, these variations to the pattern of the iambic not only create the emotional content
of the play but they also produce the musicality of Shakespeare’s transcendent verse. Take for instance
the line, “From ancient grudge, break to new mutiny,” from the prologue to Romeo and Juliet. The
stressed syllables are underlined, according to the iambic pattern, but Shakespeare has inserted a word
that is normally stressed, i.e., “break,” in an unaccented or unstressed slot. In turn, the actor/student must
learn to syncopate the verse in order to really make it “sing.” The word “break,” when stressed, literally
breaks the pattern of the iambic and aurally conveys the idea of new mutiny breaking forth from an
“ancient grudge” by jarring the listener: “From ancient grudge, break to new mutiny.” At least that’s how
we interpreted it, for just as with music, there is no single or correct way to make Shakespeare’s text sing!
Math (Kevin Fox):
In seventh grade math, we finished up our scientific notation unit, working with all operations, and also
extending the concepts to exponents in algebraic expressions. They have their test this coming Monday.
Early in the week, we had our ninth arithmetic quiz of the year, and the class average was about 8.7 of
12.
In 8th grade, we continued to work on factoring different binomials and trinomials. Mostly, we focused
on factoring perfect square trinomials and factorable non-perfect square trinomials. With these, it is
sometimes are hard to see which numbers go into your parentheses, but thanks to Sasha and his mom, the
class has an extra way to approach these problems. These problems take practice, so once we get some
more practice, we’ll have our factoring test.
Early in the week, we had our ninth arithmetic quiz of the year, and the class average was about 8.3 of
12.
4
Science (Leo Knudtson):
4th Grade Science
This week, students continued their garden observations as well as their mystery bean observations.
Students made some very astute observations about certain holes in our garden plants. They ended up
finding the culprits, hungry caterpillars, and transplanted them far away from the garden.
Afterwards, we continued their work in homework on crystals. We looked at some examples of different
crystal structures, understanding how they form and the different patterns they form which determine
their shape. Next, we went into the kitchen and dissolved sugar in hot water, then placing that sugar into
cups with strings. Next class, we will observe the crystal formations that occurred, and also get a chance
to eat our creations!
5th Grade Science
This week, students embarked on the challenging task of creating an anemometer, first understanding how
they are used, why and who uses them. This was a complicated process that proved very frustrating at the
start. As the class went on something very special happened. Those that were frustrated got help, and
kept going. By the end of class, most everyone had successfully created a functioning anemometer, and
the feeling of satisfaction was great. After they were complete, many students set their creations up in the
garden for later observations and even began to measure the amount of revolutions in 10 seconds, from
which they could determine the wind speed.
Next week we will get back into the garden and check on our mystery beans, as well as begin our next
unit on plate tectonics and volcanoes!
6th Grade Science
This week students continued our work with note taking, this time covering how earthquakes are
measured and located. This was a challenging section of this current unit, but by the end students were
able to identify the complex method of observing earthquake magnitude called the Moment Magnitude
Scale.
Students were also given a challenging activity to locate the epicenter of an earthquake given three
separate seismogram readings and a P and S wave distance graph. They did this using the method of
triangulation, utilizing compasses and rulers to locate the epicenter of a most surprising earthquake zone
in the United States.
7th Grade Science
This week students continued their unit on evolution, taking cornell style notes as well as participating in
two hands on activities that helped to shed light on the process of evolution and Darwin’s Theory of
Natural Selection.
The first activity involved students selecting different types of candy and chocolate from a large dish. As
the dish went around, certain species nearly disappeared, while others maintained their population
numbers. We looked at the features that caused certain species to nearly go extinct as well as the candies
(licorice) that were very fit.
The second activity involved students being equipped with either their hand as a beak, or a stick as their
beak. They were given a “stomach” which was a small cup, and had 30 seconds to “eat” the array of
marbles, steel and wooden balls and ping pong balls. At the end of each “generation” students silently
lined up in order of most prey consumed. Those at the end of the line “died”, but were rebirthed as the
children of those at the front of the line and inherit their beaks. By the end of two rounds only one stick
5
beak was left, and we looked at the other traits this stick beak had such as tenacity and quickness that
allowed it to survive with such a disadvantage.
Next week we will be looking out how evolution has been supported through the fossil record, getting to
look at different types of fossils and constructing out past environments based upon their features.
8th Science
This week, we concluded our unit on types of bonds by beginning an experiment on crystal structures.
We dissolved borax into boiling water, then dangled a pipe cleaner that students shaped to their desire.
The problem is understanding crystal growth. By storing the crystal solution in the refrigerator as well as
one indoors, we will try to uncover which temperature creates the most crystal growth. Students are
working towards creating a lab report which will be a work in progress as observations continue into next
week.
Next week we will also have a quiz on the material covered in our last chapter and begin to move to our
next unit on thermal energy.
6th Grade Math
This week we finished the dense chapter on percents and began the review process. Again, students
worked in pairs with boards to demonstrate an understanding of the material and talk me through each
step. We also reviewed on Friday by singing the raps and songs associated with this chapter. It was a
blast.
Next week we will be reviewing for the upcoming test, and taking a pretest which we will go over
together before the big test. After percents we will be moving into the exciting land of algebraic
equations!
6
History (Michael Kwett):
This has been an exciting week, in part because we had our first 8th grade US History class, in part
because the Iowa caucuses have provided students extra inspiration to understand the political process and
where it came from, and in part because I got to speak with parents and see how students were doing from
their perspective. It was also the first week of Math Club, which meets Wednesdays at lunch in my
classroom, and is a place for students to get extra math help, work on homework, and study for the Math
Counts competition at UC Berkeley on February 20th. We had a great turnout for the first week.
In sixth grade, we announced and began work on our new project, the Great Wall of Knowledge about
China, in which students will write Three Glorious Paragraphs about a chosen topic from a chosen
dynasty from the region now known as China. These next few weeks will be writing-intensive. Now that
most of the students have finished reading the chapter and studying the material, we are ready to work on
craft—research, writing, and argument. I’m giving students three weeks to construct what I hope will be
the best paragraphs they have yet written. They will do this work via Google Docs so that I can provide
real-time feedback. We also hosted a caucus between Shi Huangdi, King You, and Wu Di.
Representatives from each candidate stood in opposite corners of the room and tried to persuade
undecideds to vote for their candidate for Emperor. Lastly, students brainstormed and wrote arguments
for the upcoming debate between Confucianism, Legalism, and Han ideas.
In seventh grade, we had a very short week due to the class schedule. Students were introduced to
European geography and the social structure known as feudalism. Students asked questions about the
continent’s geography and we went over some of the key dates of European history, including when
different present-day countries were founded. We also read excerpts from a 17th-century German
novel Simplicissimus, a best-selling novel at the time and a sort of counterpart to Don Quixote, telling
about the humorous travels of a young German antihero between a monk-like, medieval existence and the
gruesome civil wars of early modern Europe. Students will have an opportunity to do a close reading of
excerpts from the novel in relation to European history for their final essay of the year.
In eighth grade, I began the semester with a lesson on the history of dividing political groups between
“left” and “right,” which dates back to the French Revolution and the seating arrangement in the EstatesGeneral, the old legislative assembly of the French government. At the time of the revolution in 1789, the
assembly was summoned for the first time in over 150 years to decide the direction France would take.
On the left sat those who supported the Revolution, and on the right sat the monarchistes. When the King
tried to shut down the assembly by barricading the building, the Estates-General met in a nearby tennis
court, where they gave the “Tennis Court Oath” not to cease meeting until they had created a new
constitution. The American political system adopted this dichotomy, and while political parties often
7
switch sides over time, the general characteristics of the “left” and the “right” remain. For our second day,
students took a reading quiz on Chapter 4 (which, like all RQ’s going forward, will need a parent
signature) and began work on Chapter 5 by taking notes on the vocabulary and historical people in the
section. Over the weekend, they will read all of Chapter 5 (except the Constitution) so that we can quickly
get up to speed and begin discussing the basic structure of US government.
Art (Margaret Niles):
This week in art Seventh and Eighth graders are beginning to learn about mandalas and their tradition in
different cultures, in particular in Buddhist art. They are starting to use drawing compasses and rulers to
create their own design that will incorporate balance and symmetry.
Who knew that weaving could be so much fun? Fourth, Fifth and Sixth graders are having a great time
with their projects, which involves making choices about colors and design elements while also learning
to control the materials. Based on their first results, I think we are on to something here.
Physical Education (Scott Thompson):
We this week we continued with the football unit.
Students learned about the different passing routes and created 3 of their own for the upcoming
tournament.
This week and most of next we will be scrimmaging in our teams and finalizing the game plan for the
tournament.
Students are excited to begin!
Important Dates Oveview:
On Monday, February 8th, at 6 pm there is a wake for Jamila Buckner’s husband, Robert Buckner
at C.P. Bannon Mortuary, 6800 International Blvd, Oakland.
On Tuesday, February 9, services for services for Robert Buckner will be at 11 am at Allen Temple
Baptist Church, 8501 International Blvd, Oakland.
Thursday, February 11th, 10:30 am – 12 noon PARENT TOUR for inquiring families
8
Parent Sue Getreur forwarded me this wonderful opportunity:
FREE ART DESIGN CLASSES ON SATURDAYS!
The Youth Design Academy
When: Saturdays March12-April 30
Time: 10am-2pm
Where: California College of the Arts, Oakland
to sign up go to https://goo.gl/Te4Gwb
9