Sadly, this may be my last newsletter update as a Harmony teacher. Last February I accepted a new position as the Technology Facilitator for the United Nations International School in Hanoi, Vietnam. There are two UN schools in the world, one in New York and the other in Hanoi. My job there will be to help middle and high school teachers learn to use technology better in their curricula, and I also hope to get training to become an International Baccalaureate History teacher. The job contract will be for two years, but right now I am planning on spending the next 2-8 years working at international schools overseas.

These past six years at Harmony have been incredible. I am proud to have been a part of such a talented community of educators, and privileged to have had the opportunity to work with such great students. Since I graduated from college in 2003, Bloomington has been a new home for me, and my biggest fear in leaving is that I may never find a job or a community that make me as happy as I am now. And yet for the past decade I have dreamt of teaching overseas. Last fall semester I felt that it was now or never. Right now I feel the sadness of this part of my life ending, but in a few months I know there will be the excitement of a new adventure. So if for any reason you end up in Vietnam, or Southeast Asia, over the next couple years, you know you have a place to stay.

I write this newsletter update from Washington D.C. where I have gathered with other Audubon fellows from around the country to report our TogetherGreen projects to the generous Toyota executives who funded us. It is inspiring to sit here and listen to the conservation work of the queen of the Gullah-Geechee nation, a climate-activist in New York City, a ship captain in Puget Sound, a lawyer representing communities near PCB-contaminated landfills in North Carolina, a fisherwoman from Rhode Island, and a wildlife biologist studying sea ice in the Bering Strait. Harmony’s new solar sculpture and native tree plantings are part of a national movement of creative, innovative, positive environmental impacts.

Congratulations to the many students, parents, alumni and friends, including Barb Bonchek, of Harmony that helped on these projects! Many thanks to parent Alex Jarvis of Solar Systems of Indiana and alumnus Wes Biddle of Atomic Electric worked very hard to install the photovoltaic system. Thanks also to parents Kevin Marzhal and Lee Deckard and those who gave good homes to our extra tree and shrub seedlings. Mostly, however, the praise belongs to the many, many students who helped: they dug the holes for the trees and the giant hole for the sculpture foundation, they planted over a hundred saplings and a garden of prairie flowers, they pounded stakes, they cut and painted steel, they destroyed some invasive honeysuckle, and they got excited about what they are doing to improve our environment.

Even with all these energy and habitat conservation efforts going on, we also finished up our academic classes with lots of good work. In Anatomy & Physiology, students finished studying the nervous system. Thanks to parent Heather Heerssen for dissecting a sheep brain with us! We watched some of the movie SuperSize Me to spark our study of the digestive system, gastric bypass surgery and nutrition. Finally, students applied all their knowledge from the semester in their dissection of rat specimens.

Ecology students conducted habitat surveys of our school grounds to document the baseline level of native and invasive species at Harmony. Thanks to the Target field trip grant, we visited the Exotic Feline Rescue Center to start our studies of animal behaviors. We followed that trip with a fascinating tour of the cowbird research aviaries at the IU Animal Behavior Farm. Lastly, students shared with each other different ecological issues they had researched.

The Energy scientists presented their own research on various renewable energy sources to each other, and also heard from parent Derrick Crecelius about electrical generators. They celebrated the end of the semester by running John and Lana’s car on the biodiesel they transformed from canola oil. These students have been so energized by their work on the solar panels this semester that they are continuing to work beyond the end of the class to submit another grant on our energy audit work earlier this year.

Geometry
We have ended our semester with learning the very basics of trigonometry. Before we got to trigonometry, every time I would mention the word there was a groan from the class. Once we started to study trig, most of the students found that trig was not as bad as they thought; there were a few students who ended up actually liking trigonometry.

Algebra I
We ended the semester learning the finer points of exponents. We did not get to study factoring as I had hoped. However, the beauty of teaching at a school like Harmony, I can start there with the same students at the beginning of the fall semester.
Algebra II
I forwent teaching about conic sections at the end of the semester. I felt that our students would benefit more from a short lesson on probability and counting principles. This class is ready for pre-calculus in the fall and with an intro to probability and counting principles, they are ready for finite mathematics in college.
Pre-Calculus
We finished with the law of sines, the law of cosines, and trigonometric addition formulas a little early. Since I did not have enough time to start another chapter, I taught a little physics. We used our newfound knowledge of trigonometry to learning about ballistics.

I have really enjoyed beginning four mornings each week with my students in Ninth Grade American English class. Their ten weekly test scores average ranges from 81 to 97%! They have demonstrated solid study skills and good retention with vocabulary enhancement, grammatical knowledge and language mechanics. This semester, they also had two series of writing assignments to help familiarize them with thoughtful and formal expectations of work turned in. For instance, Mary Flegler, my Community of Teachers mentee, introduced students to poetry by Wendell Berry and had them learn the format of a business letter to their state representative. All are ready to easily proceed next semester to Greek & Latin Roots class.

Greek & Latin Roots students excelled this semester with class scores from five challenging chapter tests averaging from 82 to 100%! Fantastic! The sophomores and juniors in this class ate up the material so fast and well and asked imaginative questions to keep things rolling. Many students from this class joined my Transitive Vampire exploration offering in April as we frolicked with prepositional phrases and bowed to subordinate clauses. These twelve classes were so much fun and I applaud the students who requested them and the dozen who took them for the sheer joy of learning how sentences work!

Students in Depth Psychology presented their research on luminaries such as Rogers, Laing, Beck and Satir. We finished the story of Parsifal and the search for the Holy Grail and pondered whether the Disney movie about a basketball-playing dog is derivative. We finished class with dream imagery from the alchemical progression of the colors black, white and red. World Today class with Sallyann was a special treat for me this semester and our keeping each other up to date with breaking and developing news stories from a variety of sources needs to be a curricular component for all.

May is always a month of many transitions in the high school. We gathered for the Junior Dinner, when our eleventh graders officially became Rising Seniors and shared their project ideas in public for the first time. The Seniors have begun to present the results of their projects to the whole high school. Their work will be on display at graduation on Saturday, May 25, when you are invited to join us in celebrating these amazing young people.

In the meantime, our classes have come to an end and students are discussing their work in conferences with their parents and teachers. Members of Western Civ and The American Century are completing their final projects – looking at the eras we have covered through the lens of everything from the philosophy and religion, to art, food and fashion. They have been exceptional classes and I thank the students for all they have taught me.

We went to St. Louis for our spring trip. We visited the City Museum, Laumeir Sculpture Park, The Arch, Forest Park and the Cahokia Mounds. Back home, Marty was busy finalizing the yearbook. This week, we have graduation presentations and our end of the year school picnic on Friday at Cascade’s Park.
During the last few weeks, our students had the opportunity to adopt a baby for anywhere from several hours to overnight. These babies can be programmed to cry at different intervals and intensity. Students had to figure out if the child needed to be fed, have a diaper change, be burped or simply wanted some love and care. The initial romanticized attraction soon was met with the harsh reality. Some of these “new parents” came back to school exhausted and ready to pass the baby on to the next person. Students also had the opportunity to try on empathy bellies. These simulate what it feels like to be seven month pregnant. Boys and girls were “pregnant” for 30 some minutes. We would like to thank Sheila Evans for her presentations on Healthy Relationships, Sexual/Dating Abuse, and Internet/Cell Phone Safety as well as Katherine Brown for organizing a GLBT panel to answer our students’ questions.

Many thanks to everyone who helped with our fundraisers (which considerably helped bring down the cost of our trip), all the parents who used their PIP hours to contribute to the school, and a special thanks to Melissa Larimer for being our PIP coordinator. Another big thanks to Zevon for joining us on our trip.

Middle school graduation will be on May 25th at 2:30 pm

It is hard to believe the school year is drawing to an end. The high energy in the middle school might be a clue along with the warmer weather, morels popping up and the blooming trees. It has been a joy working with this group and watching them grow academically, socially and emotionally.
-Ursina

Spring is upon us and the end of the year is just around the corner. Things have been active up in the 5th and 6th grade over the last month. With the birds and the bees chirping and buzzing away outside, we have just finished up our unit on “Human Sexuality” and our Life Skills theme on “Building Healthy Relationships.”Of course, the nature of sexuality will always draw giggles from the class at points, but there was excellent dialogue as well, which will hopefully have a positive effect on their futures. We would like the thank Shelia Evans from IU Health – Bloomington for her work with the students this spring.

The “Building Healthy Relationships” unit was popular among the class, and it addressed a range of topics that permeate our society, including gender myths and stereotypes, power and control vs. equality with regard to healthy and unhealthy relationships, sexual harassment vs. flirting, and sexual assault:… Thanks to Cierra and Middle Way House for their generosity in donating time and resources to our curriculum.

In class, our main focus has been finishing up the loose ends of the Graduation Project. The grads and their fifth grade partners have worked hard over the past three months collecting resources, doing research, completing community service and putting together a presentation on their topics. During the first week of May, our students will have presented their project to families, friends and classmates. If you see our grads around the building, say congratulations to them for their hard work and effort. The 2013 Sixth Grade Class is: Willow Aldrich-Photography, Jaylin Boone-Owls, Erica Chapman-Gymnastics, Jake Gordillo-Animal Abuse, Rights and Care, Mars Jarvis-Mexico, Ian McKean-Minecraft in the Classroom, Elijah Middleton-Marine Life, Mahala Mundy-Extreme Storms. Miki Murad-Figure Skating, Abel Patch-Paleontology, Zeca Santos-Lewis-Outdoor Survival , Elisabeth Siena (5th Grader doing Grad Project)-American Educational Equality and Reform and Duncan Thomspon-World War I and II.

This month, we will celebrate the end of the year with some cool field trips. On Thursday, May 16th we will took our annual trip to see the Indianapolis Indians play as part of the “Baseball in Education” program. Thanks to Al Jarvis and Sonya Burdeshaw for helping out with that. Our end of the year celebration will consist of two day trips the last week of school. We will be heading to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum on Thursday, May 23rd. On Friday, May 24th, we will head to the “Holler Hoppin” zip line in Brown County for an exciting day of flying through the trees.

On Thursday, May 2nd, our class played in the annual “Soccer Challenge” vs. the Middle School. We practiced a month or more on teamwork, skills and endurance. While observing them during this month and at the game, with a few exceptions, I saw a community of students working together for a common goal. They encouraged each other, supported each other and learned to play a role. The hard work and effort did not pay off in the game, as we got destroyed. However, it did pay off in the end and what I saw was a team of winners. During the entire time they were getting beat, they kept trying their hardest, working together, keeping their heads up and not complaining. It was the proud moment for both student and teacher. In life we learn to be good losers so that we can be gracious winners. What an inspiration!
As of this newsletter, I am 0-14-1 in my 15 years as a soccer coach at Harmony. It won’t go down in the record books for anything other than the most consecutive losses, but I am honored to have worked with the students in our class over the time here.

This was my last “Soccer Challenge,” as I have decided it is time for me to move on to other ventures. I would like to thank the Harmony community and those families and students that I have had the honor and privilege to get to know over the last third of my life. I would like to also thank Kathy for the amazing partner she has been for 15 years. Both inside and out of school, she has been there when I needed her the most. I know that the 5th and 6th grade will be in great hands when I leave due to her experience and wisdom. She will help her new partner ease into Harmony and find success with the children, I am sure of it. If you see me walking in town with my two year old son, Corwyn, next fall, please say hello. Thanks for a great 15 years Harmony! Kathy and I hope you have a wonderful summer!
-Scott

We are nearing the close of a wonderful year in the 3rd and 4h grade class! Here are some things students listed as the highlights of 2012/2013: capture the flag, reading groups, creating a field guide, surviving the end of the world, the saving the teachers project, learning to make power points, meeting new people, roller skating, memoirs, hockey, jumping in leaf piles, read aloud, social action day, the students winning the staff vs. students basketball game, the businesses project, searching for ghosts, comics class, solar panels, science experiments, zines, and poetry. And speaking of poetry, here is a poem by 3rd grader Eve Brooks:

Rain
the jailer is coming
the clashing and the clanging of the keys told me so
slam! click! the iron doors are locked
bang! clash! sizzle! the cook is making dinner, but not for me
I walk but hear the grumble of my stomach, and I fall
crash!
the jailer doesn’t care, never would the jailer care
I think about my family at home and I cry
drip! drop! plip! plop!
tears are a prison’s rain
tears are a prison’s rain
-Lana

As I write this I am looking forward to our last few weeks, full of fun trips and our special end-of-the-year events, like our overnight at school and our graduation potluck, when the 2nd graders each give a little graduation speech and the class sings for their families. We are visiting three commercial caves. When I taught with Michele Mattoon we used to do our cave unit every other year (for 18 years!). Now it’s been a while and I’m ready to enjoy the caves again and especially to see our kids’ reactions to that beautiful and mysterious world.

This is also a time to feel a little sad about saying good-bye to our second graders, most of whom we’ve been with day after day for a long time! It’s always a big adjustment.
We want to remind you all that it’s super important that your child continue to read over the summer, especially if their skills are tender, because they can easily lose ground if they stop regular practice. The public library has a summer reading program with lots of incentives. Check them out in person or on their website.

Wishing you all a lovely summer,
-Claudio

We are heading into the end of this wonderful year!! The K-6 class is busy planning our end of the year banquet. We have decided to have an “Alice In Wonderland” themed party. The kids are busy making posters, placemats, table decorations, and hanging things!!

We are also working on our “End of the Year” books. These books will contain memories of our year together. Each child will contribute a page to everybody else’s book.

We continue with our gardening work. We are done working at Hilltop Gardens and are so appreciative of the work we did with Lea Woodard. She taught so much about gardening. Now, we are heading into the summer with the idea that we will meet once a week during the summer to take care of our garden and enjoy the harvest!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching this wonderful class. We have had an amazing year. I have seen so much growth in each child. To think about where we were at the beginning of the year and what the kids have learned and how they are working together, makes me so happy. I am excited for the year to end, so we can begin again in the fall. The kids have already come up with their ideas about what we should learn about and things they really want to do.

Have a great summer. Thank you to all the individuals that have helped support this classroom and been a part of these children’s lives — parents, Harmony staff, Roc, Jessica, Lea, Barb, Lorien, Chelsey, Andrew, Lizzie, Gina, Gracia, and more. See you all next year!!!!
–Jen