Microsoft Word - KZV Newsletter - February-new

KZV Armenian School, SF, CA © 2008

Issue # 6

Special Points of Interest:

• WASC Accreditation: The Accrediting

Commission will be

visiting our school on

March 9, 10 and 11 of

this year… • Jean Piaget’s Stages of Development: When parents or teachers push a child before the appropriate developmental level is reached..

Editorial Board Adina Haun, Editor and Trends in Education Yeprem Mehranian, Administration Speaks Tutu Heinonen, News Around the School Garine Panossian, Armenian Corner Hasmik Mehranian, Layout/Publisher

Every three to six years,

KZV Armenian School must renew its accreditation with

the Western Association of Schools and Colleges

(WASC). The process

entails three main components, including: (1)

the defining of Expected Schoolwide Learning

Results (ESLRS); (2) Schoolwide interdisciplinary

dialogue based on the

collection and analysis of evidence, and (3) the

development and

Administration SpeaksAdministration SpeaksAdministration SpeaksAdministration Speaks KZV’S WASC ACCREDITATION

SELF-STUDY By Siran Nahabedian WASC Coordinator

Jean Piaget, a Swiss

biologist and psychologist, developed breakthrough

findings in the field of the

implementation of a

schoolwide action plan.

The Accrediting

Commission will be visiting our school on March 9, 10

and 11 of this year and in preparation for that visit,

we have compiled our data, completed our

document and are working

on a few finishing touches. The anchor of our self-

study is called the “ESLRS” which define what each

student should know,

understand, and able to do

upon exit from our school. ESLRS equip all students

with the knowledge, competencies, and

orientations needed for

success. ESLRS also enable teachers to implement lesson

plans/programs that maximize learning success

for all students.

KZV’s ESLRS have been

posted in all classrooms and the office. They were also

mailed to all parents at the end of our last school year.

If you would like more

information about the accreditation process, or

have questions about our ESLRS, please feel free to

contact me by email at

[email protected].

cognitive development of

children in the 1960’s. His research insights have

been of immeasurable

benefit to parents and teachers—and ultimately

all children—who interact with children. Prior to

Piaget’s work, educators/parents could

not readily explain how

some children could grasp a simple (to adults)

concept, while others would struggle. Children

were incorrectly labeled as

slow, difficult, or uninterested. Piaget

demonstrated that the

child’s ability to grasp certain ideas relates to

his/her level of cognitive

development, which naturally changes as the

child matures. When parents or teachers push

a child before the

appropriate developmental level is

reached, the result will most likely be frustration

for both the child and the adults. The consequences

of inappropriate

expectations can have lifelong repercussions for

the individual.

Cont. on page 8

Trends in Education Trends in Education Trends in Education Trends in Education JEAN PIAGET’S STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT By Adina Haun

February Page 2 of 13

Clear blue skies, several feet of

glittering white snow blanketing everything in view, and three

thousand feet high, majestic looking, peaks jutting up all around

us. We are in Yosemite Valley,

Camp Curry to be exact. It has been snowing for days and we

have arrived in a winter wonderland! The students are

excited to finally be able to touch,

taste, and play in the snow. The sixth grade trip to Yosemite could

not have begun any better. We had been looking forward

to the Yosemite trip all year long, listening attentively to this year’s

seventh graders telling us about

their Yosemite trip experiences from last year, planning, asking

hundred’s of questions, projecting and dreaming. Weeks before the

trip we began to check the weather

up there regularly and shopping for appropriate clothing and gear. As a

teacher I received many questions about bears from worried students

6th Grade Yosemite Trip By Tutu Heinonen

and tried to answer them

accordingly. The biggest question though was the one about the

Spider Caves. Spider Caves had taken on an almost mystical realm

after talking to the seventh graders,

and would become one of the definite high lights of the trip.

After about seven hours in the car we arrived at Camp Curry around

five o’clock in the afternoon and

were delightedly surprised to know that we were one of the few lucky

ones to be given real, wood, cabins to sleep in. This meant that we did

not have to worry about having food and other odorous objects in

our cabins and did not have to put

them away into bear lockers. The children were very relieved. After

settling into our warm and cozy new homes and changing into

weather appropriate clothing, it was

about 25 degrees Fahrenheit outside, we went to dinner. Lunch

and dinner every day were served in the Camp Curry dining hall with

other schools attending the same Yosemite Institute program as

we. We found out that the eight

grade of one of our neighboring schools, Brandeis Hillel, was also

at Camp Curry, with a slightly larger group of about 64

students. After dinner it was time to attend an evening program on

bats. We learned many new facts

about bats and our previous misconceptions about these

important and quite cute little creatures were put to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, after the

evening program we were all very tired and retired into our

comfy lairs for a good nights rest.

Cont. on next page

News from Around the School:News from Around the School:News from Around the School:News from Around the School: KZV Open House

We are inviting you to the KZV Open House,

which will take place on Thursday, March 26th. Please join us to

• Learn about our strong academics,

experienced faculty and staff; • Meet our community of parents, staff and

students;

• Tour Northern California’s ONLY Armenian-

American Day School.

Parents will be invited to spend the day on campus to learn about our school, talk to our teachers, and have lunch with our students. See you then!

Yosemite National Park


The next day we woke up to a beautiful sunny day.

We met our very own Yosemite Institute instructor Naomi and after introductions we were all given parts of

the day’s lunch to carry. On the program was a long hike, about five miles, and because of the newly fallen

snow we had to break trail, which meant that we made

the path by tromping down the snow. This was hard work for the people up front and naturally much easier

for the ones at the back of the line. Therefore, we took turns being in the front and high fived the person for a

job well done when they tired. During the hike we entertained ourselves with riddles and songs and learned

about the surrounding ecology. Lunch was eaten in a

circle of tromped down snow and food items were passed around in a democratic manner. At the end of the

hiking day we stopped at a river bank called The Beach where we wrote in our journals reflecting upon our day

spent in nature. After journaling the students had some

well deserved time for snow ball fights and building a snow man. After dinner we attended the renowned bear

lecture by Ranger Dave. Day three of our trip was the most exciting day. It

was the Spider Caves day. After breakfast we hiked up to Yosemite Falls where we had lunch and after eating we

headed to Spider Caves. On our way to Yosemite Falls

we had stopped in preparation for the cave. We did the human knot and worked on untangling it practicing our

co-operation and communications skills, skills that are

essential when in the Spider Caves. We had to rely on the communication skills of the person in front of us in

the dark cave and pass on the instructions to the person behind us. Because of the pitch black and very

tight conditions of the cave Naomi decided to light a

couple of tea candles in order to calm some of the students’ minds. When we all got to the center cavern

we sat in a circle sharing our experience and what this first time spelunking had taught us all. We were all very

proud of ourselves for getting through the Spider Caves and some of the students wanted to do it again.

After the Spider Caves we all went ice skating in a

beautiful rink surrounded by the magnificent mountain peaks of Yosemite Valley. And after dinner it was time

for the closing activity held in a yurt. We sat in a circle the only source of light coming from a couple of tea

candles and played an altered version of the game

“Celebrity”, concentrating on people and places we had met and seen during our days in the Yosemite Valley,

which the kids loved (note to self: Use this game in the classroom based on a currently studied unit). In closing

Naomi read us a beautiful children’s book about hope and dreams and the appreciation of the natural world

surrounding us.

The last day had arrived too soon. Our final activity took us to the Nature Center a 15 minute walk from our cabins. We had the place all to our selves guided by

Naomi and her never ending knowledge about the

nature and animals of Yosemite Valley. The students were very taken by the center and did not want to leave

when the time came. We were all very sad to leave Yosemite and thought that the time spent in this

amazing valley was too brief. The experience we had

we will carry with us forever and the lessons learned we will remember in everyday life and coming together as a

group, a much more tighter group, has made us all better human beings.

News from Around the SchoolNews from Around the SchoolNews from Around the SchoolNews from Around the School: : : : continued

6th Grade Yosemite Trip

6th Grade in Yosemite

6th Grade After Exiting Spider Caves


On January 17th 2009, our 8th grade class embarked upon an unprecedented journey to Washington DC to

witness the historic inauguration of our nation’s first

African-American President. Our students were busy during the 2008 General Election, deconstructing the

messages presented by each candidate in speeches made to the public. While our 8th graders may not have

been able to vote in this election, they were personally invested in the process and educated on local issues on

California’s statewide ballot. The 8th grader’s education

of the American electoral process, the cornerstone of our democracy, ended with their culminating trip to

Washington DC. They were not only witnesses to history, but privileged to take part in it!

The following are excerpts from reflections written by our students:

“As an Armenian, I understand the possible challenges

one would face coming from a different culture, so this inspires me to achieve my goals in life…Hopefully he

has and will continue to inspire others like he has inspired me.” - Laleh Tchaparian

“As I walked at 3am, in the freezing cold, I looked

around. There were all types of people: Asian, Mexican, African-Americans. All of us were walking side

by side. Years back people that were a different race from “whites” were not even allowed to walk side by

side. I stood there in the 2 ½ million person crowd

experiencing a historical moment; when all men truly became equal” - Rosie Aristakessian


8th Grade Washington DC Trip


“Barack Obama showed everyone that even

though you are the African-American 1st generation son of an immigrant, you can still

accomplish any dream you want. He shows

people that it doesn’t matter what the color of your skin is and all that matters is that you

have the will to become someone in your life” Garin Derounian


“Obama is what the peaceful protests of Martin Luther King Jr. have produced…It’s a shame that all those who

fought for equal rights cannot see what has happened.

As the first black President, he will open the minds of many to truly accepting equality… Now that Obama has

been elected President the world will see a brighter day.” – Garen Kantarci

“Barack Obama didn’t succeed by opening his wallet. He had to use his brain to

accomplish all that he has achieved. It wasn’t easy for him; not all doors were

open. He had to get through it with hard work and dedication. I think this part of his

past represents many living in this country.

Just as many of our parents came to America with nothing, so did his. His success

awakens people around this country, showing us all that everything is possible.

You can be anything you want, from doctor, lawyer and now President. All it takes is

hard work and dedication. The color of your

skin or the religion you believe in will never interfere with where you can get in this life;

not in this country” Raisa Galustian



Krouzian Zekarian Vasbouragan Armenian School Middle School Mrs. Kostanian

Congratulations 6th, 7th and 8th grade students for your commendable efforts in this year’s Science Fair. All the

teachers, students, parents and guests enjoyed seeing

your projects and talking with you on Science Fair night. I had some excellent comments on how well our

students presented their projects. You should all consider yourselves winners!

A very special thank you goes to all our judges for taking the time from their work and families to do a job that

can be difficult.

Also, a special thank you to our parents for their

enthusiasm and support.

First Place: Julie Avetisyan 7th Grade Second Place: Lori Zadoorian 6th Grade

Third Place: Sevan Nahabedian 7th Grade Fourth Place: Krikor Andonian 7th Grade

Honorable Mention: Sixth Grade Marina Kananova

Seventh Grade Tamar Deirmendjian Eighth Grade Raisa Galustyan,

Garen Kantarci

The KZV educational community would like to thank Ms. Nahabedian, KZV WASC Coordinator, and Mr. Orr, KZV 5th

grade teacher, for the painstaking work and the sustained diligence with which they have prepared the necessary documents and fine tuned the needed procedures for our school’s WASC 2009 re-accreditation process.

Respectfully, KZV Administration


From my first day of school at three years

old to my last day at fourteen, KZV was

home away from home. My classmates were my sisters and brothers and my

teachers were my second parents. On my first day of school, I walked confidently

into the Pre-K classroom and got a kiss right on the lips. What a welcome! At

KZV I made lifelong friendships and

precious memories. Some of my favorite moments during my years at KZV include

our Yosemite and Washington trips. Both trips were my first weeks away from

home. Although we made memories every

day, the class trips allowed us even greater opportunities to bond. When we

came back from Yosemite I remember feeling closer to my friends than ever

before. For the first eleven years of my life, KZV was all I knew. I spent more

time there than at home. I cannot find many words to describe my experience

there, except that I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to make such

longlasting friendships and memories.

After graduating, I continued my

education at Mercy High School Burlingame. I loved it more than I ever

thought I would and would recommend

it to all females graduating from KZV. I graduated in 2008 and moved on to

Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. It is now my second semester at St Mary’s. I

am working hard in the nursing program and I also work in the residence life

office at St Mary’s. When I am not at

school I enjoy spending time with my niece and watching my favorite shows

with my family. What can I say! Nursing students do not have much time for

hobbies!

My experience in Ms. Haun’s Second

Grade class was incredible. I went there to help them learn but I found myself

learning from them also. They are all wonderful children, each with their

own unique qualities that I noticed right away. Their enthusiasm to

learn made me even more

enthusiastic to teach them. In my one month with the students, I

already watched many of them flourish in their reading and

handwriting. I am confident that they will grow up to be brilliant and

helpful citizens. I absolutely look

forward to volunteering at KZV in the future.

As I mentioned before, I plan on

being an RN in a children's hospital or

in a pediatric unit. I want to focus primarily on working with terminally

ill children. Although my ECE class did not motivate me to teach in a

classroom, it brought new ideas into my plans for the future. I want to

use my experience in early childhood

education to offer terminally ill children the opportunity to learn.

Although they can not sit in a classroom to learn, I want to give

them the opportunity to learn about

any topic they may have never thought they would be able to learn

about.

Alumni NewsAlumni NewsAlumni NewsAlumni News: : : :

Taleen Bilemdjian

I attended KZV for eleven years, from

pre-k until 8th grade, the class of 2004.

Below, in summary, are Piaget’s stages of

cognitive development:

Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to 2 years

This stage is governed by sensations. Reflex activity evolves from simple

repetitive behavior to imitative behavior.

Problem solving is through trial and error mainly, with the child eventually

developing a sense of “cause and effect” (when I turn the cup over, the water falls

out.) Children exhibit tremendous curiosity, loving new experiences. They

begin to see themselves as different from

their environment; understanding that an object continues to exist even when out

of sight. Use of language and representational thought begin at the end

of this period.

Preoperational Stage: 2-7 Years

Children at this stage are egocentric, seeing the world from their own

Trends in EducationTrends in EducationTrends in EducationTrends in Education continued: JEAN PIAGET’S STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT objects. They understand

conservation—for example, the same

amount of water is in an 8oz. cup as in an 8 oz. bowl. Thinking is not

abstract, as problems are solved in a concrete, systematic way. Reasoning

is mainly inductive, or generalizations form from a set of facts. During this

stage, children become less self-

centered as they develop a greater capacity for empathy for the

viewpoints of others.

Formal Operations Stage: 11-15

Years The key words for this stage are

adaptability and flexibility, as children utilize abstract thinking and symbols.

They are able to do logical problem solving, making hypotheses and

testing them. They can imagine the

viewpoints of others, while considering what might be as well as

what is. (Hockenberry—2005)

perspective only and not seeing any reason to understand another’s point of

view (this stage can last a very long time! Ed. note). Preoperational thinking is

concrete and tangible, with little to no

ability to make deductions or generalizations. Thinking relates primarily

to direct experience. There is a dramatic increase in the use of language to

represent objects in the environment. They can begin to delve into problems of

time, weight, length and size. Toward the

end of this stage their reasoning is increasingly intuitive (the sun wakes up

when I do), and transductive, that is because two events occur together they

cause each other.

Concrete Operations Stage: 7-11

Years At this stage thinking is more logical and

coherent, as children are able to classify, sort, order, and organize facts and


Adina Haun’s introductory

article on Piaget calls for some

general commentary on

theories of learning. Much has

been said about how children

and adolescents learn and

therefore need to be taught.

Teachers, parents,

administrators, and

educational experts continue

to remain at gridlocks when it

comes to agreeing on the

provision of effective and

meaningful educational

experiences to learners. The

disagreements are pervasive,

to the point where even such

terms as effectiveness and

meaningfulness, as I have

used them in the above, could

be construed to mean different

things, the first, a measure of

an end result, and the second,

a process. It is important that

we seek to clarify some of this

confusion. As we do, we will be

able to better understand why

and what it is teachers try to

do in their classrooms, and

accordingly, to help our

children by following up on this

work at home.

Unfortunately, the attempt to

label children as slow or fast

learners, bright or average,

and as uninterested or curious,

as mentioned by Ms. Haun,

prevails. This is a sign that

considerable segments of the

mainstream educational

culture continue to remain

oblivious to the

groundbreaking work done by

such theoreticians and

educators as Piaget, Dewey,

and Vygotsky in challenging

quantified conceptualizations

of how development and

learning occur. The sustained

Trends in Trends in Trends in Trends in Education:Education:Education:Education: Comments on Development and LearningBy Dr. Yeprem Mehranian

among others, by B.F. Skinner.

Behaviorism looks at

development and learning as

determined by outside factors,

in this case by measured doses

of teacher-induced stimuli and

student-produced response.

This is a very different

conception from the one

proposed by Piaget in which

psychological and social

development are seen as

internal factors that evolve in

direct response to the

relationships growing children

are able to establish with their

own life experiences. Not all of

Piaget’s concepts of learning

have been lost to the

educational mainstream,

however. The two ideas of

child-centered education and

developmentally appropriate

teaching and learning are good

examples of how some of

these concepts have found

their way into the everyday

vocabulary and practices of

teachers and parents. Both

ideas attest to how knowledge

is not externally deduced by

children, but instead, and in

simultaneity with the process

of its own acquisition,

constructed by them.

Cont. on next page

rise in the importance of

standardized testing, as the

prime measure of what

children know or have learned,

is directly responsible for much

of this type of labeling. The

temptation to cater to

standardized testing ideology

pushes educators toward

excessive reliance on teaching

methods that favor drill and

practice approaches, rote

memorization, and repetition of

teacher provided correct

responses. The classrooms that

are run by the proponents of

these methods, classified by

some under the rubric of

didactic approach, privilege the

academics over experiential

learning and play.

Interestingly, the

implementation of didactic

methodologies—characterized

as they are by teacher-directed

concepts of curriculum—in

early childhood education

settings where they are

disguised as play further

complicates the conundrum of

what it means to learn and to

teach. Furthermore, the

didactic approach requires pat

answers because performing

successfully in standardized

tests requires it. Standardized

tests tend not only to

overemphasize the educational

significance of measuring

quantifiable student skills, but

are also prone, albeit implicitly,

to reduce various aspects of

the developmental process,

cognitive, affective, and moral

to a single measurable

quantity.

Standardized testing itself is

supported by what is generally

known as the behaviorist

theory of learning, advanced,

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

Page 10 of 13

We are called to give

credence to Piaget’s theory

of age appropriate learning

when observing the ways in

which a four year old boy

tackles a drill and practice

worksheet assignment.

While each of the four

quarters of this worksheet

offers him a different

opportunity to count up to

six—the target number—our

imagination is triggered to

learn about the marvelously

unpredictable series of

actions with which he

transgresses the intended

objectives of the

assignment. The sequence

Trends in Education: Trends in Education: Trends in Education: Trends in Education: continued Comments on Development and Learning

Back Page Story Headline

he changes his arrangements,

six more circles, instead of

the three necessary, to reach

the desired total. Finally, to

top it all off, when his teacher

pauses on the lower left

quarter and asks him in

confidence to identify the

number six, he inadvertently

responds by uttering the word

nine!

(Parts of this article have

been based on an article titled

Developmentally appropriate

practice in kindergarten:

factors shaping teacher

beliefs and practice. Journal

of Research in Childhood

Education, Parker, Audra;

Neuharth-Pritchett, Stacy,

September 22, 2006)

of events moves as

follows. In the upper left

quarter of the worksheet

the child adds two circles

to the image of six

buttons—arranged in two

columns of threes—one to

each column. Next,

moving clockwise, inside

the upper right quarter,

the child gets the “right”

answer mainly by virtue of

being able to follow his

teacher’s instructions.

With the next two

quarters, however, as the

teacher looks away, in

each instance he adds, as

Hello, parents! February proved to be one of our best

months yet!

First, we’d like to welcome a new student to our class, Aram

Kilijian. Welcome, Aram! Aram is joining us in Yellow group. If you’re

keeping count, that makes six of us

in Yellow Group! We started the month out

right with, what else? A Pajama Party! We each got to wear our

pajamas and bring to school our favorite stuffed animal. Nap time

was extra nice on this day!

This month brought three wonderful birthdays. We first

celebrated Alysa Bezdjian’s fifth birthday and got to play musical

chairs! Next came Taline Balian’s

fourth birthday and thanks to her

parents, we now have a new CD

player! It was also Michael Kazaryants’s fourth birthday and

we had a great day! Happy birthday to all of you!

And, of course, we

celebrated Valentine’s Day! It was so much fun to exchange goody

bags that we made for one another. Our room mothers

surprised us with Valentine’s Day

balloons and we danced a freeze dance while holding our balloons!

February also brings us the celebration of “Vartanantz”.

The Blue and Red groups sang songs and recited poems in honor

of St. Vartan.

A few weeks ago, we had a surprise inspection from the

State of California, Health and Human Services Agency. We are

happy to report that Mr. Tony Ng,

the licensing evaluator, was very

impressed with our Pre-K.

This month, we have been focusing on math and

science. In our study of

conceptual physics, we have been learning about buoyancy

and what sorts of things float or sink. We have also been

working on understanding colors

– the mixing of, addition, and subtraction. We call it our “color

lab” and it is as much fun as it sounds!

And, finally, on the very last school day in February, Dr.

Edward Siyahian, DDS., came to

talk to us about oral hygiene and about a dentist’s job. We

each received our very own toothbrushes and a tube of

toothpaste. We loved our visit –

thank you Dr. Siyahian! For such a short month,

we sure packed in a lot of activities and lessons. Though it

will be very difficult to do, we hope to make March even

better!


Pre-K News Knarik Shahijanian, Pre-K Director


Armenian Corner:Armenian Corner:Armenian Corner:Armenian Corner:

Page 12 of 13

Armenian Corner: Armenian Corner: Armenian Corner: Armenian Corner: continued


KZV Armenian SchoolKZV Armenian SchoolKZV Armenian SchoolKZV Armenian School

825 Brotherhood Way

San Francisco, CA 94132 PHONE: (415) 586-8686 FAX: (415) 586-8686 E-MAIL: [email protected]

We’re on the Web!

See us at:

www.kzv.org

Editorial Board Notes:

The KZV Newsletter editorial board received a lengthy and constructive letter from one of our parents, Ms. Alayan. We deeply appreciate her comments and suggestions, and have incorporated some of her excellent ideas

in this month’s edition and will continue to explore others in the coming months. We welcome all letters from interested parties in our KZV community.

Update: the University of California recently announced that the institution will no longer require SAT tests in

subject areas as part of the application process as they were poor predictors of academic success. This trend on

the part of other esteemed colleges and universities was the focus of the article in the September newsletter.

When I was a student, the

Teachers’ Lounge was a mystery; what was so intriguing that they

would always be in there, what did

they talk about, what was in the fridge? Those questions are no

longer a mystery for me, for I have stepped into the realm of the

Teachers’ Lounge. Never would I

have thought, after graduating in 2000, that I’d be back to substitute

teach. To make things more ironic, I was stepping in for a teacher who

taught me over 15 years ago, Mrs. Nahabedian. I would be stepping

in to take over her 4th graders, and

have the pleasure of teaching the Kindergarten class English

language. Having taken over Mrs.

Nahabedian’s classes for two

weeks, it does not surprise me that our teachers had to get

away, even for just 5 minutes.

Teaching is no joke. I want to say I’ve always respected my

teachers, not for what they do per se, but for simply being

older, an authoritative figure. I hadn’t even begun my second

week and I was telling Mrs.

Panossian that I plan to pay my kids’ teachers double their

salary. Needless to say, I think I learned more from my students

than they learned from me. I

learned that I’m not cut out to be a teacher, temporarily, most

definitely, but to be able to boast a 10, 20, 28 year career

teaching at K.Z.V., no way Jose. The teachers we have at this

school are different, special,

crazy almost. There are no incentives, there are no

tenures, there are no 401Ks. What’s left is a group of

dedicated educators who strive

to get the material across and engrained in our minds. I

always joke and say that I need to be having kids now to

populate the school, but

realistically, all I can do for now is be ready to substitute for the

next 6 months until I begin my journey of becoming an

attorney.

Alumni News: Alumni News: Alumni News: Alumni News: continued

Renia Boudaghian

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