Traversing Cultural Barriers within OLL’s Classrooms
Bienvenidos a nuestro programa escolar de español! Devoted to promoting cultural fluency among a diverse student body, OLL is beyond excited to introduce its first comprehensive Spanish Program. As many of our students are native Spanish speakers, this addition to the regular school curriculum gives them the opportunity to investigate and exercise their mother-tongue through an academic lens; accordingly, it valorizes the fact that they speak
Spanish at home.

Revelation characterized most class discussions on the first day as several native speakers publicly addressed their peers in Spanish for the first time. Although conversations between
classmates in Spanish are overheard in the hallways, many Latino students only use their first language at home. OLL’s Spanish program designates academic time for exploring Spanish and in doing so, stimulates conversations on the students’ cultural experiences with the Spanish language. Recent class activities focused on refining Spanish reading and writing skills through discussion, written reflections, and peer editing of various news articles and personal memoirs. Other activities include computerized grammar games and reading comprehension.

Additionally, OLL’s Spanish program exposes non-native speaking students to the possibility of language acquisition through informal interaction. Non-native speakers are often surprised by their ability to recognize and translate English into Spanish in class; a direct result of growing up in a predominantly Latino community. Whether ultimately merging the scholastic and familial realms they’ve navigated separately for years or finally “owning” the foreign language of their home community, students at OLL are actively celebrating unity in diversity.

7th graders read Donde Viven Los Monstruos (Where the Wild Things Are) to pre-K students.

The Proof is in the Pudding: student-created works exemplify the importance of literacy

Attention all aspiring authors, avid readers and book lovers: faculty and students at Our Lady of Lourdes are experiencing the power of literacy! Connie Nugent and the Patrons Program are supporting an important relationship between Principal Cathy Hufnagel and the Cooke Center’s literacy Coach Elizabeth Carr. Since 2005, this partnership has promoted a school culture rooted in a love of reading and writing plus a commitment to ongoing professional development.

In addition to helping shape OLL’s literacy curriculum, the Cooke Center has stimulated many exciting school-wide activities. Most notable are the published literary works of last year’s two first grade classes! Both groups developed original storybooks gleaned from a Leo Lionni author study. To demonstrate the connection between literacy and art, OLL’s art teacher, Annie Palomino, taught the students about illustration. Studying Lionni as well as author Eric Carle, the students focused on the author’s collage techniques, particularly Lionni’s stamping of repeated patterns and his use of tissue paper.

All these activities translated into the first graders’ books; The Frog and Raccoon, a narrative exploring an unlikely friendship between a diurnal and nocturnal animal, New York City Chihuahua, a modern day fable exploring the importance of compassion. Not wanting to be outdone by their peers, the kindergarten and second grades creatively synthesized their own author study units by performing dramatic adaptations of their favorite stories. Encouraged by the Cooke Center Literacy Coach to promote personal interaction between her new readers and their text, Mrs. Velazquez and her kindergarteners staged a dramatic presentation of Eric Carle’s work for the first and second grades. The students used the general plot but wrote their own lines summarizing and interpreting its main points. The school’s aspiring authors and illustrators now plan to sell their works at local book fairs!

                                             
                  1st graders added a timeless literary masterpiece to OLL’s library.

New York Hall of Science Brings Stargazing to OLL

Through the New York Hall of Science, many OLL students have turned into environmentally conscious inventors and inquisitive scientists. One needs only to peer into the science lab during a session with NYHoS Science Coach Jasmine Maldonado to observe their enthusiasm. Maldonado used models, demonstrations and outreach projects to enhance her students’ appreciation for science.

Throughout the fall, she taught a unit on astronomy in preparation for an exciting first-time event at OLL. Maldonado introduced Starlab, an interactive inflatable planetarium, to all students in grades 5 through 8 at the end of October. Powered solely by an industrial fan, this igloo-shaped planetarium transported students from their urban classrooms into the solar system. There, they witnessed, touched and experienced planets and constellations otherwise obstructed by the City’s light pollution. They were able to physically trace the constellations they researched online upon entering this intergalactic realm. Penelope Kastaridis, an eighth graders, describes the NYHoS and Starlab project as follows:

“Ms. Jasmine makes our science projects happen by giving us the appropriate materials to make our vision clearer. Starlalb allowed me to see the constellations that inspired the Greek
mythology I researched beforehand. Seeing the constellations shoot across the ceiling made the material real and that much easier to understand.”

The NYHoS Science coach promotes scientific inquiry and experimental interaction among teachers through professional development sessions. Maldonado empowers teachers to stimulate “inquiry-based learning” in their classrooms by teaching lessons that motivate students to take ownership of their learning via independent experimentation. Mrs. Pablo, OLL’s science teacher, describes the NYHoS’ accordingly: “Ms. Jasmine and I directly consult on the integration of all disciplines through science. This unification of subjects empowers my students to grasp their science lessons and retain them for the State exam. The NYHoS directly contributes to their high scores in the science component.”

Many thanks to OLL’s friends at Credit Suisse and school Patrons Christopher Santana and Josiah Rotenberg for providing our teachers and students with their wonderful NYHoS Coach.
                                        
4th graders are excited to begin their intergalactic journey with Ms. Jasmine and Starlab.