September Newsletter
A September of Experiments and Results
Science Week
The curricular highlight of September was Science, and more specifically learning through experimentation. Two activities were the student’s favorites, and demonstrate key lessons for any science curriculum.
The first activity that kept students busy for two afternoons was making a Paper Maiche Volcano. Students began to understand how volcanoes are formed through reading the book, La Montaña del Fuego (The Mountain of Fire). Next the students constructed a model of a volcano. Once the volcano shell had dried, students mixed baking soda with vinegar in order to create an explosion. In the process they learned not only how to make things out of paper maiche, but also what it means for things to be basic or acidic, and how to predict future reactions between ingredients based on pH.
Open Windows exceeded its goal for the Matching Grant!
Open Windows is thrilled to share that we more than matched the $10,000. The over $11,000 in funds raised will support teacher’s salaries, day-to-day operations and our after-school activities curriculum. Thank you for making the Library a priority in your giving.
Congratulations to Open Window’s Scholarship Students
Open Windows is also thrilled this month to announce that four of our scholarship students are at the very top of their classes in their respective schools. One scholarship student, Astrid Mariela, carried the flag of Guatemala
during the independence day parade in the neighboring town of Ciudad Vieja.
Welcome to new team members
Open Windows would like to introduce a new addition to our teaching team, Roxana Ramos. She will be working closely with Lilian, our computer teacher, in order to offer computer courses to more children. With the addition of 10 computers to our center, we are thrilled to have Roxanna’s help with teaching. In addition, Roxana’s area of expertise is mathematics, and she has already begun leading afternoon math tutoring sessions
and math homework help for the students. She will continue to help us build Open Windows’ math curriculum.
October Preview: Academic and Activity
Themes include:
International week-of-the-child activities
Understanding the Universe
Wild Animals and their habitats
. . . and Music
students watching their volcano erupt