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5 Reasons to Love BASIS Independent Fremont’s Primary Program!

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BASIS Independent Fremont’s Primary School is a magical place in a child’s life. It’s a place where young minds start to blossom, friendships are forged, and a love for learning begins to take root. While every stage of education has its unique charm, there’s something particularly special about those early years in primary school. In this blog post, we’ll explore five reasons why primary school is a place to cherish and love.

#1: Learning to Learn

Learning to learn, or metacognition, is a crucial skill because it empowers students to adapt to a rapidly changing world. It is crucial that schools not just impart knowledge but teach young people how to efficiently acquire new knowledge. BASIS Independent Fremont does this by fostering critical thinking and problem-solving abilities so that students can regulate their own learning processes. This self-ownership of their own education builds student confidence in their ability and yields the empowerment needed to navigate an information-rich world and make informed decisions

#2: Growth in Character

Learning to learn, or metacognition, is a crucial skill because it empowers students to adapt to a rapidly changing world. It is crucial that schools not just impart knowledge but teach young people how to efficiently acquire new knowledge. BASIS Independent Fremont does this by fostering critical thinking and problem-solving abilities so that students can regulate their own learning processes. This self-ownership of their own education builds student confidence in their ability and yields the empowerment needed to navigate an information-rich world and make informed decisions.

#3: Encouragement and Support

BASIS Independent Fremont’s primary school teachers and staff understand the importance of fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment where every student feels valued and encouraged to succeed. All people are different, and children are no exception. We understand that students have evolving needs and offer the guidance and support they need to overcome challenges. These early experiences can shape a child’s attitude toward education and personal growth for years to come.

#4: Joy in Exploration

One of the most compelling reasons to love BASIS Independent Fremont’s Primary Program is the sheer joy of exploring so many subject areas. Young children are naturally curious, and our primary program provides them with a safe and stimulating environment to explore their interests. From discovering the wonders of engineering to diving into captivating world cultures, every day is an opportunity for students to expand their horizons. Young people may land anywhere in their lives, and you never know what they’re going to love. It is vital that students explore as much as they can in the early years, where knowledge becomes an exciting adventure.

#5: Milestones and Memories

BASIS Independent Fremont’s primary school experience is filled with memorable milestones and events that children and parents treasure forever. From the wonder of International Day to the hard-won glory of the Bumblebee Games, each year brings its own set of unforgettable moments. Field trips, student performances, and special assemblies create cherished memories that leave a lasting impression on young minds. These experiences not only make BASIS Independent Fremont’s Primary Program enjoyable but also help children grow and develop into well-rounded individuals.

Primary school is a time of wonder, discovery, and personal growth. BASIS Independent Fremont is a place where the foundation for a lifetime of learning and personal development is laid. From the first day, when the seeds of the love of learning are planted, there are countless reasons to love primary school. It is a magical time in a child’s life, filled with moments that shape their future and create lasting memories. So, let’s celebrate and cherish the primary school years as a precious chapter in our educational journey.

Learn more about BASIS Independent Fremont’s Primary Program here. 

BASIS Independent Fremont is a grades TK-12 private school based in Fremont, California, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum.

The Story Behind the Elements: Unveiling the Origins of Our Grade Level Names

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BASIS Curriculum Schools have always associated their classes with elements from the periodic table. At BASIS Independent Silicon Valley Lower, we have thoughtfully organized our grade bands into distinct elemental characteristics to provide a structured and inclusive educational experience for each student that creates a sense of belonging and pride. Our chosen elements include transition metals, the lightest elements, alkaline earth metals, alkali metals, expensive transition metals, and radioactive elements created in California. Each grade level has unique characteristics, and we assign them diverse and meaningful names to reflect their individuality.


Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten 

Starting with our youngest students, Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten are represented by the transition metals on the periodic table. These four sections include zinc (Zn) for Transitional Kindergarten, with copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), and nickel (Ni) representing Kindergarten. Transition metals are also great conductors of heat and electricity. TK and K represent an academic time where students can absorb a vast amount of information while simultaneously learning how to be BASIS Independent students.

Kindergarten Cobalt (KCo) heading back to class after lunch with their Early Learning Teacher, Ms. Ocampo

Grade 1 

The lightest gasses on the periodic table represent Grade 1: hydrogen (H), helium (He), and neon (Ne). Two elements are members of the noble gas family, which represent elements that function independently. However, with the advances in modern science, we now know that is not the case. While hydrogen is not a noble gas like helium or neon, it represents a compound that quickly pairs with carbon compounds that make up all life on Earth. Even though all three of these elements are not a member of the same family, they represent two essential characteristics to students within Grade 1; making social connections while simultaneously practicing independence.

Grade 1 Hydrogen (1H) starting their new book Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary in their Humanities class


Grade 2 

Grade 2 consists of alkaline earth metals, including calcium (Ca), radium (Ra), and barium (Ba). These three elements all have the characteristic of being basic rather than acidic. Metaphorically, this basic quality represents the solidification of academic foundations, which is very characteristic of Grade 2 within our program.

Grade 2 Calcium (2Ca) performing River Child at their Spring Musical Performance

Grade 3 

Our Grade 3 goes by potassium (K), lithium (Li), and sodium (Na), also known as alkali metals. These types of metals are all known for their ability to react with water forming alkalis that neutralize acids. Grade 3 is a time of combining academic and social knowledge to gain more independence as a learner.

Grade 3 Lithium (3Li) enjoying their Mindful Mandala Drawing exercise in their Connections class

Grade 4 

Grade 4 consists of the “precious” transition metals; platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh). These three metals are also known as platinum group metals because they share similar characteristics and are considered rare. Grade 4 embodies a rich academic foundation ready for the second most amount of independence within our school. These students get many opportunities to let their academic and social skills shine. This is the last year they will have a Learning Expert Teacher (LET) to guide them, and they gradually become ready to take on a self-reliant scholarly role.

Grade 4 Palladium (4Pd) showing off their Bobcat pride in their matching sweatshirts

Grade 5 

Lastly, Grade 5 consists of the radioactive elements created in California, including berkelium (Bk), californium (Cf), and lawrencium (Lr). These three elements fall within the transuranic element group, also known as man-made elements. Grade 5 features the shortest time of complete academic independence within our lower school campus, much like the short life of most radioactive elements. These three elements were also created within our state, giving our BASIS Independent Silicon Valley Lower students a connection to the state of their education.

Grade 5 Californium (5Cf) engaging in group work on their laptops

Element assignment per class is used within all of the BASIS Independent Schools. However, the specific elements we selected represent our campus to show what we cherish within our BE A LINK value system. Our Bobcats have truly embraced the connection between academia and self-identity, creating a remarkable synergy that fuels their growth and success. They have come to understand that their unique talents, passions, and experiences are not separate from their academic pursuits, but rather integral elements that shape their learning journey here at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley Lower. 

The Communication Journal: How our Students Use Their CJ to Be Successful

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Helping students manage their time and schoolwork effectively is core to the BASIS Curriculum. One of our most important tools in developing students with life-long habits of self-direction and disciplined, critical enquiry is the Communication Journal (CJ).

At first glance, it’s an analog daily planner. In practice, it’s the epicenter of our students’ educational experience, a record of their wins, their losses, and most importantly, their areas for improvement. During the school day, we focus on building the student-teacher relationship. The CJ is critical in helping families feel involved in their child’s education at the end of the day. It is the first daily touch-point between teachers and parents and acts as a discussion started at home between students and their families.

The CJ is central to our curricular philosophy not to post homework or grades online, or remove students from conversations about their own education. It is the tool that makes this philosophy a powerful growth opportunity for students to own their own academic and intellectual progress.

Over time, after successful usage of the CJ has been proven, students can expect to have more independent ownership of their CJ, and less and less oversight by their teachers and parents. Our goal is to start strong and while they are building their habits, have consistent daily checks. But as the years move on, we train students to become more independent, and less dependent on others for their own academic responsibilities.

TK – K Communication Journal

Even our youngest students have their own CJs to record their work and have their parents sign each evening. For TK, their teachers are writing their notes, but in K that all changes and students are expected to record their own CJ notes each morning.

Students in Kindergarten recording their CJ notes for the day

Grades 1 – 3 Communication Journal

Unlike students in TK and K who primarily stay in their classroom throughout the day, students beginning in Grade 1 travel from classroom to classroom for each subject. The expectation of a CJ note from each Subject Expert Teacher (SET) begins in Grade 1 and continues on through high school. Students in Grades 1 – 3 receive assistance recording their CJ notes from their Learning Expert Teachers (LET) who will often give out stamps or stickers for a job well done!

A Grade 2 student’s CJ notes for the week

Grades 4 – 5 Communication Journal

For students in Grades 4 and 5, the use of the CJ is now a daily habit. Though our Grade 4 students still have their LET to help them, in Grade 5 the responsibility rests solely on the student. Students who have been with us throughout their elementary years know its power in keeping them accountable for their education, and even new students can appreciate this tool for helping them keep their upcoming assignments and assessments organized on a daily basis.

A student in Grade 4 sits right down to record their CJ note for Science even before class begins

Grades 6 – 8 Communication Journal

In middle school, we start to see more and more students not needing their parent signature every night. There are fewer CJ checks happening in the classroom and at home depending on the student. But, at the first sign of disorganization, the first step expressed by their Dean of Students, one of their SETs, or their parents is always the same, “Let’s look at your CJ.”

A Grade 8 student shows off their well-organized CJ with their friend

Grades 9 – 12 Communication Journal

In high school, the CJ is perfected. Not only are students rarely needing their parents to sign their CJ, but they are now using it as their own tool to organize their after-school activities. Many high school students will write reminders for things to print at home, office hours to attend, and even their clubs in their CJ. The goal of being organized, thinking ahead, and ready for each day has been achieved.

Grade 9 students CJ showing its use for not only their classes, but also their after-school enrichment activities

Unsurprisingly, our Alumni often cite the use of the CJ as one of the most helpful habits learned from our program. Many use their own tools of organization with their electronic devices now, but every year we have a few seniors who ask us for an extra CJ before they leave us.

BASIS Independent Silicon Valley is a TK – Grade 12 private school, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with advanced STEM offerings. Considering joining the Bobcat community? To join our interest list for the next school year and receive admissions updates and more, please click here. 

Celebrating Science at BASIS Independent Fremont

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Science is more than a subject in school. It is more than a career path. Science is a way of thinking, an analytical process-driven way of looking at the world. Science is a worldview fixed upon progress, intellectual humility, and evolving knowledge. This month, the students of BASIS Independent Fremont flexed their science muscles at the BIF Science Fair and STEM Fest. With hundreds of parents in attendance, students from kindergarten to grade 5 showcased projects spanning many branches of science.

Science education teaches children how to think critically and logically, encouraging them to use evidence and reason to form conclusions. This skill is essential in all areas of life, not just science. Above, a team of grade 1 scientists explore how colors form by examining the absorption of liquids.

Science education provides children with the foundational knowledge and skills needed to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. These fields are in high demand and offer many opportunities for growth and advancement. Above, kindergarten teacher Mr. Jordan questions students during their presentation about microorganisms.

Science education helps children become informed and responsible citizens, enabling them to make informed decisions about their health, the environment, and other important issues that affect their lives. Above, grade 5 student Daphne eliminates waste by storing ketchup in Boba capsules instead of single-use plastic packets.

The parent-led STEM Fest on the weekend followed Friday’s Science Fair. Hundreds of students, parents, and community members came together for the expo to celebrate science education. The extracurricular accomplishments of students were on display as students learned about a breadth of topics, from building artificial ear drums to exploring robotics.

Together, the 2023 Science Fair and STEM Fest brought science to the forefront of the conversation!

The Magic Behind BIF’s Operations Team

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Behind every stunning Broadway performance or Nascar photo finish, there is a team dedicated to navigating obstacles and pushing their common vision toward realization or beyond to even greater heights. At BASIS Independent Fremont, that group is our Operations Team. From tightening the literal nuts and bolts of the school to safeguarding the health of our community, the Operations department is our figurative “man behind the curtain,” creating moments of magic for students and staff every day. We sat down with the Lower School Operations team to pull the curtain back and hear, in their own words, how this magic is made.

At the helm, Associate Head of Operations, Mr. Hinkel-Lipsker, breaks down the range of this diverse and instrumental team.

“The Operations department makes up all the parts of the school that are not primarily academically focused: the Front Office, the Facilities and cleaning crew, the Health Coordinator, technology coordination, after-school care, lunch delivery, and finances. We are also the HR department for the school, tasked with identifying and retaining world-class staff members. As the head of these teams, I like to think I constantly have my finger on the pulse of the school from all angles.”

From our students’ first moments stepping onto campus to their final waves at dismissal, Operations Team members are a constant thread throughout their day. Ms. Allen and Mx. Ansel comprise our Front Office team. 

“When students and parents arrive in the morning, the Front Office is often their first stop at the school. We know waking up early and getting to school is tough sometimes, so we take pride in providing warmth and welcome to our students as they start their days,” Ms. Allen explains.

Mx. Ansel elaborates further, “Students love to stop by the Front Office for all sorts of reasons. Our team is the liaison between students and families while the kids are in school. We like to act as a home base of sorts, where students can gather dropped-off items or grab a fresh mask to wear. They’ll drop in to snag a water bottle if they’ve forgotten theirs at home. Our favorite moments are during quiet times when students drop in just to say hello or share a new joke they heard.”

At the end of the school day, students have many options depending on their academic needs, schedules, and interests.

“It is the job of the Front Office to make sure that students safely arrive at their proper location at the end of each day. This is a meticulous and ever-changing task in which we take great pride. We work hard to make sure that when a family member arrives at school, their student is exactly where they are expected to be.”

Whether our students’ attention is focused on an after-school club, upcoming STEM Festival, or drama performance, our Operations Coordinator, Ms. Michelle is there to ensure staff and students are ready for special projects and events and that their classroom supplies are well-maintained. Any time there is a class party, a new engineering project, or a classroom resource needed, she oversees the logistics to ensure the materials are ready and waiting for our students.

“When teachers request manipulatives or other classroom resources, I order and deliver the materials to the classrooms. When I see the faces of the kids light up when they catch a glimpse at their new project or activity, I get to feel a little bit like Santa Claus every week! The most exciting time is Term Project Week. The school commits a lot of resources into making this week really special and engaging for the kids, and I get to be at the center of it all.”

During the last week of the academic year, Term Projects Week, students exchange their typically structured day for a week-long interdisciplinary project developed entirely by our teaching staff based on student interests.

Just as our spiraling curriculum evolves based on advancement and student interest, so do our campus’ facility demands. Ms. Christy, our Technology Coordinator, ensures students’ and staff members’ technological needs are not just met but surpassed.

“I always look for opportunities to incorporate the newest technological advancements into our classrooms. Living in the heart of Silicon Valley, we have the best access to the newest systems. Our students are very technology-focused, and I love seeing their excitement when they see a piece of new technology. It’s a passion we share!”

“My department oversees the security of students and staff when they interact with the internet and computers, and I take pride in constantly updating and upgrading our systems to ensure the highest level of safety for our students.”

Similarly, Facilities Manager, Mr. Thorpe, tells us, “safety is always the number one priority for all departments, but especially for the Facilities team. When our community was returning to school from quarantine due to COVID-19, there was a lot of work to be done to physically prepare our students for distancing while on campus. Countless hours of planning and execution went into creating partitions, new floor plans for travel between classrooms, and of course, a rigorous daily cleaning protocol which included hydroelectric spraying.”

“All the work involved was 100% worth it because, in the end, we got to see students back in the classroom and enjoying each other’s company once again.”

As Health Coordinator, one of Mr. Nate’s roles is to communicate with the county about all COVID-19 concerns.

“Limiting the spread of COVID-19 in our school and community has been a huge task, and I am proud to get to manage the safety of our students, parents, and staff in this way.”

Mr. Nate explains, “I have a great role in our school where students see me as someone that helps them fix things and will stop to ask for help for issues beyond medical assistance. Being someone that our students can trust is very special, and I want all of our kids to know that the Health Office is a safe space.”

Mr. Hinkel-Lipsker sums it up nicely. “Our community teamed up to fight against COVID-19. We went through so many policy changes, sometimes with very little notice, but our staff, students, and families were all on the same side of “Team Safety.” Through all the hybrid schedules, distance learning, and flexibility, we were able to come back to school in the safest way possible and have grown so much more since then. I am so proud of all of us for making it to this point together as a team.”

To learn more about the Primary Program at BASIS Independent Fremont’s Lower School, click here.

BASIS Independent Fremont is a grades TK-12 private school based in Fremont, California, providing students an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum.

2022-2023 Student Accomplishments

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Though many things about fall 2022 were unfamiliar, our students continued to shine through clubs and contests that were held in person and virtually. Here, we highlight our students’ accomplishments from the first part of the 2022-2023 school year. Congratulations, Red-Tailed Hawks!

STEM

Nation’s Top Teens in STEM
Chelsea H. ’24, a Buteo Scholar, was named one of “16 Under 16 in STEM” by The74, a news site covering education, and became one of the nation’s top teens in STEM. 
Click the link to read the news.

STEM Day by Hexagon US Federal 
Alina A. ’26, Grace A. ’26, and TJ Z. ’25 participated in a STEM Day event hosted by Hexagon US Federal in November and competed in a contest to share how they think Hexagon US Federal technology can address the challenges of the future.

Scholarship 

National Merit Scholarship
Seven Seniors- Robert D. ’23, Spencer A. F. ’23, Cavan B. G O ’23, Arthur H. ’23, Aneesh V. ’23, Robert W. ’23, and Raleigh C. W ’23 were named Finalists in the 2023 Competition for National Merit Scholarship awards.  

Volunteer

President’s Volunteer Service Award
A letter from the White House. Fiona X. ’24 received a gold medal and certificate from the President’s Volunteer Service Award Program. The gold medal for young adults (16-21) is the highest award for the program and is eligible only for volunteers with more than 250 hours of service within the last 12 months. 

Math

Mathcounts Team
Twelve selected mathletes from the mathcounts team attended the NOVA chapter competition.  Our school won 2nd place in this super competitive chapter.  

The top 25% of students from the selected mathletes of the chapter are recognized.
Congratulations to:
 
Rebecca C. ’27, 4th place
Ian W. ’27, 5th place
Chloe G. ’27, 18th place
Sophia W. ’27, 23rd place
Anna W. ’27, 24th place
Tang T. ’27, 26th place
Delia A. ’28, 32nd place

American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 10/12 
We have several students that have qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Exam, (AIME)  after receiving exceptionally high grades on the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 10/12. These students are listed below. Anna W. ’27 also scored in the top 1% nationwide during the AMC on10/12. We hosted the AIME at BASIS this month.

Students who received a Certificate of Achievement for being an 8th grader scoring above a 90 and Acceptance to the AIME:
–    Chloe G. ’27
–    Anna W. ’27 (Also received Honor Roll for scoring in the top 1% Nationwide)
–    Ian W. ’27
Acceptance of the AIME:
–    Adithya P. ’26
–    Enxiang “Gabe” Z. ’26
–    Chelsea H. ’24


Mathleague 
Congratulations to Owen H. ’30 and Jude B. ’31 participated in the qualifying round of Mathleague, and both have made it to the next level. They will be participating in the State Rounds in May. 

Quiz Bowl

Middle School Invitational Quiz Bowl Tournament
Our MS Quiz Bowl Teams participated in the Burleigh Manor Middle School Invitational Quiz Bowl Tournament on 11/5/2022. Our school has one team that qualified for the 2023 Middle School National Championship Tournament (MSNCT). Justin Y. ’27 was ranked No. 1 and Mohan P. ’27 was ranked No. 3 among MS players in the preliminary rounds of the tournament.

BIM HS Quiz Bowl Team
On December 3rd, the BIM High School Quiz Bowl team triumphed at the VCU Winter Quiz Bowl Tournament. The team of Caden Z. ’25, Cavan G. ’23, and Phoenix D. ’25 won the tournament. This is the first time a BIM Quiz Bowl team has won a state-wide, varsity level tournament. Three of our players were recognized as individual All-Stars. In the novice division, James F. ’26 came in 3rd, and in the upper division, Henry P. ’25 came in 7th, and Cavan G. ’23 finished in 1st place and was the 3rd highest scoring player in VCU’s 15 years hosting state-wide tournaments. Our teams’ results have qualified them for 3 national Quiz Bowl tournaments to be held in the spring. The members of each team were:
-Caden Z. ’25, Cavan G. ’23, Phoenix D. ’25
-Henry P. ’25, Raleigh W ’23, Ram T. ’23
-Aarya V. ’26, Brandon D. ’26, James F. ’26, Jiashu Z. ’25.

Longfellow Academic Tournament To Endallwars (LATTE)
Our Middle School Quiz Bowl team won 3rd place at the 2023 Longfellow Academic Tournament To Endallwars (LATTE) on Saturday, February 11, 2023. The team had the following students: Delia A. ’28, Colin S. ’28, Mohan P. ’27, Richik P. ’27, Kameron L. ’27, and Brayden B. ’27. 

Science Olympiad

Fairfax Invitational Tournament
Our entire High School Science Olympiad Team proudly represented BIM in the recent (01/07) Fairfax Invitational Tournament which included high schools from MD/DC and all of VA.  It was particularly exciting to go against BASIS DC. This is the inaugural year of BIM having a competitive, full high school team. The top 5 placements were recognized and medaled:

1st place in Scrambler (engineering): Team Caden Z. & Phoenix D. ’25
1st place in Detector Building (engineering): Team Caden Z. & Phoenix D. ’25
4th place in Anatomy Physiology Team: Veer B. & Orien L. ’25
5th place in Chem Lab Team: Fiona X. ’24 & Hera L. ’26

2023 Science Olympiad at Virginia Tech Invitational (Division B)
Our school’s Science Olympiad Division B team ranked number 5 among many strong teams across the country.
We’d like to congratulate the following teams who got recognized in the award ceremony.

In 1st place:
Disease Detective: Grace Y. ’27 and Justin Y. ’27
Fast Facts: Rebecca C. ’27 and Sophia W. ’27

In 2nd place:
Anatomy and Physiology: Rebecca C. ’27 and Grace Y. ’27
Forestry: Sophia W. ’27 and Grace Y. ’27
Road Scholar: Rebecca C. ’27 and Ian W. ’27

In 3rd place:
Crave the Wave: Ian W. ’27 and Ellie Z. ’28
Green Generation: Lillian S. ’27 and Grace Y. ’27

In 4th place:
Solar System: Sophia W. ’27 and Justin Y. ’27

In 5th place:
Meteorology: Zain M. ’28 and Sophia W. ’27

Sports

Fencing

Tahiyah H. ’27 won 7th place in woman’s foil Division 2 and 6th place in Junior women’s foil, 5th place in cadet women’s foil at the American Challenge; Tahiyah H. ’27 was awarded the bronze medal at the Super Youth National Competition of the Rockies for youth 14 women’s foil;  3rd place at the National Super Youth Challenge in Cadet Women’s Foil; 3rd place for Junior Women’s Foil at the Nova Knights Regional Youth Competition; 1st  place in both Junior and Cadet Women’s foil at RYC River City Rumble. She also won 2nd place in the Y14 women’s foil! 

Sahar H. ’31 won 2nd place in the youth 10 women’s foil and 2nd place in the NoVA Knights youth 12, women’s foil, and regional youth competition. 




Fairfax Challenge Fall RYC/RJCC & Y8 (Non-Regional)
Andrew Y. ’32 participated and won 1st place with the GOLD medal in Mixed Y8 Sabre in a fencing tournament (Fairfax Challenge Fall RYC/RJCC & Y8 (Non-Regional))!

Cobra Challenge SYC/RCC/Y8
Andrew Y. ’32 and Aiden L. ’33 won the silver medal and the bronze medal respectively for men’s Y8 saber at the Cobra Challenge SYC/RCC/Y8.

Apex Regional Fencing Tournament 
Ifechi O. ‘31 won the gold medal at the Apex Regional Fencing Tournament for Youth 10 Women Epee in Apex, North Carolina. 



Karate
King of the Hill 
Aaryasinh V. ‘26 won 1st place 🥇 in King of the Hill, a Karate Tournament in the DMV area.


Shooting
Shooting XIII CAT Championships Lima 2022
Suman S. ‘23 was in Lima, Peru competing at the Championship of the Americas (CAT Games) in women’s 10-meter Air Pistol, which is an Olympic event. Suman won first place in both individual and group events and secured a quota position for Team USA for the 2024 Olympics. 

Dance
National Solo Dance Final (U.S. Figure Skating)
Evelyn Z. ‘28 won 1st place in the National Solo Dance Final! (Bronze Solo Pattern Dance) and a silver medal in the Juvenile Solo Combined Dance. 

Art

Scholastic Art Awards 
Chelsea H. ’24 received 3 Honorable Mentions, 1 silver key, and 4 Gold keys.

The titles of Chelsea’s awarded works:

A Silkworm Pseudo-science Drawing & Illustration Mclean Honorable- Mention
Urban Flight Painting Honorable- Mention
Seafloor Mixed Media Honorable- Mention
Asian Express Grand Design-  Silver Key
Fracking And Fractures Drawing & Illustration- Gold Key
Metamorphosis Drawing & Illustration- Gold Key
Brainstorming Roots To Scientific Fruits Mixed Media- Gold Key
Jiaozi Drawing & Illustration-  Gold Key

Piano
The NVMTA Bach Baroque Competition and Festival
Fiona X. ‘24 participated in the Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association (NVMTA) annual Bach-Baroque festival at Columbia Baptist Church, Falls Church VA, and got selected for the second round audition for her piano performance.  

All second round performers, whether or not they are chosen to play in the Honors Recital, will be recognized at the Honors Recital. A select number of students from the second round will be chosen to perform in the Honors Recital on Saturday, February 25 at 2:00 pm at Columbia Baptist Church.

The NVMTA Bach Baroque Competition and Festival is an annual event that celebrates the music of Johann Sebastian Bach as well as many other Baroque composers. Only exceptional performers are selected to 2nd round out of dozens of seasoned performers.

Foreign Language

State Latin Convention
Grade 7 Latin students won the State Latin Convention.

Chinese National CLASS Essay Contest 
Back in September and October, our grades 8-12 Mandarin students wrote essays to participate in a national-level Chinese Essay Contest: the 19th National CLASS (Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools) Essay Contest, an opportunity brought to them by the high school Mandarin teacher, Ms. Li. Although everyone in the High School Mandarin program submitted an essay, our school could only submit 10 students’ essays. These 10 students were identified as the top 10 at the school level after a thorough evaluation. Students were tasked to craft an original, 2-page essay in Chinese in response to their respective prompts. They worked tirelessly on their essays to compete against other K-12 students around the USA in three categories: Regular, Immersion, or Heritage. Essays were evaluated by a committee of judges. The committee recognized our students’ essays were exceptionally strong!

This month, we were notified that several of our students have won awards! Awards include Gold, Silver, and Honorable Mention.
Gold Award:
Kingston Z. ‘27
Yilin Z. ‘27
Joel C. ’26
Sophia J. ‘26
Angela J. ‘26
Michelle Y. ‘26
Silver Award:
Jessica D. ‘25
Fiona X. ‘24

2022 National Chinese EXPO of Student Works  
In December, our Grade 11 Mandarin students participated in the 2022 National Chinese EXPO of Student Works with their video submission of the shadow show: “Nian’s Story.” The 11th-grade students worked extremely hard on this project. They started this project last school year and worked on it this year for the 2023 Lunar New Year Celebration. Students created and drew their own puppets, and backgrounds, and even wrote an original script telling the story of Nian and Xi. It is an important story of why red is such an important color in Chinese culture. This past January, “Nian’s story” won an award for their entry in the 2022 National Chinese EXPO of student Works (NCESW).
 
Congratulations to:
Haasini A. ‘24
Devin P. ‘24
Justin L. ‘24
Logan S. ‘24
Fiona X. ‘24

Debate Club

Debate Regular-Season Tournament

The team of Rebecca C. ’27 and Chloe G. ’27 went undefeated and took first place in the novice divisions. The teams of freshman Sophia J. ’26, Angela J. ’26, Ben R. ’26, and junior Paulina H. 24 went undefeated in the junior varsity division and took 3rd and 4th places.

The team of Xinyu Y.  ’27 and Grace Y. ’27 went undefeated and took 2nd place out of 66 entries in the Novice division, and the team of Ben R. ’26 and Paulina H. ’24 went 3-1 and took 6th place in the Varsity division in their second tournament of the season.

Our debate team participated in its final regular-season tournament of the year. The team of Juniors Shaun J. ’24 and Chelsea H. ’24  went 4-0 and earned first place in the varsity division.

Well done, Red-Tailed Hawks! 

A Day in the Life: Grade 3 with Aditya H., Class of 2032

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Our Day in the Life series for this school year continues in Grade 3 with Aditya, Class of 2032!

Grade 3 students travel from classroom to classroom with their Learning Expert Teacher (LET). They have six classes a day, five with their Subject Expert Teachers (SET), a mid-morning and mid-afternoon recess, along with their lunch and recess time. Their first class of the day begins at 8:15 AM and their last class ends at 3:50 PM.

Aditya begins his day with his first class, READ. His LET, Ms. Jayapal, leads this class every day. This class teaches students to develop their social and emotional skills through direct instruction, collaboration, and practical application of social-emotional skills. In today’s lesson, Aditya participated in a dialogue about books he and his classmates were reading. The group wrote down interesting facts from the book discussion in their Communication Journal and reflected on the main takeaways from these stories. Although this class is only twenty minutes long, it plays an important role in getting his mind warmed up for the rest of the school day.

Aditya reviewing his communications journal in preparation for the day

After his warmup, Aditya heads to Music with SET Ms. Zhang. He has Music once a week for 85 minutes. Aditya has all his Fine Arts courses – Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Music, and Engineering & Technology – four times a week. This course is designed to provide essential experiences in the five conceptual areas of music: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and expression. Ms. Zhang focused on rhythm and expression in today’s class and had a fun Lunar New Year lesson plan ready.

Students participated in singing the Happy Lunar New Year song in both Mandarin and English and they even had the chance to do a solo song greeting in Mandarin. When asked who would like to participate in the greeting, Aditya was one of the first to volunteer. He did an exceptional job singing, “Xīn Nián Kuài Lè Tù Nián Dà Jí” which translates to Happy New Year of the Rabbit.

Subject Expert Teacher, Ms. Zhang, instructs Aditya on Lunar New Year Greeting in Mandarin

Aditya heads for a quick break to grab a snack. He has a 10-minute morning recess every day.

After recess, Aditya has Mandarin class with SET Ms. Han. Grade 3 students have Mandarin class every day for 40 minutes. This course is designed to help our primary students learn Mandarin through lessons that are rich in oral language, interactive, and project-based. There are two Mandarin classes that we offer, Heritage and Non-Heritage. Since Aditya is new to learning Mandarin, he is in the Non-Heritage Mandarin class.

In Aditya’s Non-Heritage Mandarin class, communication skills are organized by themes. The theme of the class was learning about the history of the Lunar New Year and the importance of traditions. With the instruction of Ms. Han, the class created mini Chinese lanterns out of yellow and red pipe cleaners. Aditya was thrilled with the outcome.

Aditya with his Lunar New Year lantern made out of crafting pipe cleaners

Next, Aditya heads to the field for his Physical Education & Sports class with his SET Mr. Butler. Aditya has PE every day for 40 minutes. This class aims to build students’ mind, body, and character through physical activity. Students will learn the importance of good sportsmanship and respect for other participants as they learn mechanics for a variety of sports. Aditya and his classmates played volleyball and learned that each player had to work together to accomplish their goals for the win.

Action shot of Aditya and classmates playing volleyball on the field

After working up a sweat in PE, Aditya heads for lunch. Grade 3 students eat their lunch in the multipurpose room before heading outside for recess. Today’s lunch was mac n’ cheese with veggies and apple sauce from our hot lunch provider. Students can bring their own lunch or purchase one from our provider, My Green Lunch. The lunch period is 40 minutes long.

Aditya’s lunchtime in the MPR before heading for recess

After lunch, Aditya makes his way to his SET Ms. Moran’s classroom for Math & Science. These subjects are taught together in an integrated 85-minute block five times a week and teach students number sense and operations, measurement, patterns, and data analysis. The class also covers essential science topics, including science as a process, life science, physical science, and earth and space science.

Ms. Moran had her students work on fractions that included a variety of formatted questions. Aditya quickly went into problem-solving mode and worked with his classmates to find the answers. He informed his teacher that he highly favored the fraction questions that were associated with a geological map.

Subject Expert Teacher, Ms. Moran, and Aditya discussing the geographical math problem in his fraction packet

After Math & Science, Aditya takes a quick 10-minute afternoon recess. During this time, he hung out with his friends and ate a snack.

Aditya and his friends at recess

For his last class of the day, Aditya has Humanities with SET Mr. Rees. This class is also taught in an 85-minute block five times a week and strengthens students’ critical thinking skills through reading fiction and nonfiction texts. Through novel studies, they deepen their understanding of critical comprehension and vocabulary skills, making them more effective readers.

Aditya learned about possessive nouns and the proper way to use them. Mr. Rees had the class come up with sentences containing possessive nouns and the students collaborated to find the correct way to write them.

Aditya waiting with his hand raised to contribute his answer to the class

There is one special class that Aditya didn’t have this day, but does have once a week, Connections. This course will ask students to use hands-on approaches to create unique solutions to scenario-based problems and make connections across the curriculum, which requires the utilization of knowledge and skills taught in their other classes. The course is designed to increase interpersonal skills, build critical thinking skills, and allow students to showcase and refine their creative minds. Connections is taught by his LET Ms. Jayapal and is an 85-minute course.

Thank you to Aditya and his family for allowing us to document his Day in the Life!

BASIS Independent Silicon Valley is a TK – Grade 12 private school, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with advanced STEM offerings. Considering joining the Bobcat community?

A Day in the Life: Grade 1 with Jake X., Class of 2034

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Our Day in the Life series for this school year begins in Grade 1 with Jake, Class of 2034!

Grade 1 students travel from classroom to classroom with their Learning Expert Teacher (LET). They have six classes a day with their Subject Expert Teachers (SET), a mid-morning and mid-afternoon recess, along with their lunch and recess time. Their first class of the day begins at 8:15 AM and their last class ends at 3:50 PM.

Jake begins his day with his first class, READ. His LET, Ms.JX READ Palacio, leads this class every day. This class teaches students to develop their social and emotional skills through direct instruction, collaboration, and practical application of social-emotional skills. Today’s lesson was on “Noticing Feelings”. The students practiced recognizing emotions others might be feeling such as sad, happy, scared, and confused by how the characters look or how they are acting. They also had a group discussion on how they can help classmates who are having a bad day. There were lots of good ideas shared such as, “You can give them a high five!”, “You can tell them their day is going to get better!” and “You can smile at them and say ‘Good Morning!’ so that their morning turns good!”

Jake then heads to the playground for a quick break. He has a 10-minute morning recess every day.

After recess, Jake has Engineering and Technology with SET Ms. Bhatnagar. Grade 1 students have a fine arts class every day for 85 minutes. This class encourages students to be hands-on problem solvers. They will learn about the various types of engineering, ideologies, and concepts using the Engineering Design Process.

Jake and his classmate present their invention to the class

Next, Jake heads to his SET Dr. Singh’s classroom for Math and Science. These subjects are taught together in an integrated 85-minute block five times a week. At this level, Dr. Singh is teaching students number sense and operations, measurement, patterns, and data analysis. She also explores essential science topics, including science as a process, life science, physical science, and earth and space science.

Dr. Singh and Ms. Palacio walk around the room checking seat work

After Math and Science comes lunch! Grade 1 students eat their lunch in our multipurpose room before heading outside to the field for recess. Their lunch period is 40 minutes long.

After lunch, Jake and his classmates head to the basketball court for Physical Education with SET Mr. Haberlach. Jake has PE every day. This class focuses on specific skills including locomotor skills, stability skills, and manipulative skills. Mr. Haberlach always has them start with warm-ups before beginning their sport for the day.

Students stretch and warm up their bodies before beginning their PE Class

Next is Mandarin class with SET Ms. Ju! We offer Heritage and Non-Heritage Mandarin classes. Jake lived in China before moving to California and is a proficient speaker of Mandarin. In his Heritage Mandarin class that he has every day, students are working on recognizing basic Chinese characters and building a solid foundation of correct character writing. They practice shared and guided reading on a daily basis, and have differentiated small groups that are designed to meet a student’s personalized goals.

Ms. Ju leads the class in Chinese character drills

After Mandarin, Jake then heads to the field for a quick afternoon break. He has a 10-minute afternoon recess every day.

For his last class of the day, Jake has Humanities with SET Ms. Balakkrishnon. This is another class taught in an 85-minute block five times a week. This class teaches students to develop the foundational tools for reading and writing, which include reading comprehension strategies, vocabulary enrichment, phonics, and grammar skills. In addition, students begin to compare historical events, connect those events with their geographic locations, and compare aspects of various forms of government to start to gain a more complete perspective of the world in which we live.

Thank you to Jake and his family for allowing us to document his Day in the Life!

BASIS Independent Silicon Valley is a TK – Grade 12 private school, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with advanced STEM offerings.