multi cultural studies

Open the doors to our world…..and the first day of school

/ spotwin / Leave a comment

I am so pleased to know  have the first day of school over and under our belts.  A few wrinkles to iron out,  though all will be fine.  It has been a treat to see my many young friends after their summer vacations.  It has also been wonderful to meet our many new incoming students and their parents.  Not one student has uttered “I would rather be on vacation, still.”   Everyone seemed ready to come back and get back into their school routines.

During the 2008/2009 school year, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School will celebrate our  yearly theme in many forms throughout all divisions.  Open the doors to our world will encourage both faculty and students to look beyond our immediate borders to the world beyond, to understand our place within the global village.

Students who wish to delve deeper into this notion are encouraged to consult their school library for  information about  foreign countries.  We also offer two on line databases ( assessable from home as well as on campus) to aid in cultural research:  Culture grams and Maps101 are both valuable resources. Please consult the online database section of our school webpage for secure passwords.  In addition,  the Campus Center Library offers a number of multicultural fiction novels ( many with an accompanying AR test) for LS and IS children to enjoy.

Have YOU travelled to a foreign country?  If you have an ‘artifact’ from that culture,  we would love to display it in our Campus Center Library for others to appreciate.  It could be anything!  Please know that all items will be returned and stored in a safe manner.

Suggested items which you could bring to display:

  • a foreign food (what about maple syrup from Canada?)
  • a stuffed toy animal (what about a kangaroo from Austraila ?)
  • postcards or pictures
  • pamphlets from an attraction
  • a plastic replica of a famous building or structure ( perhaps a snow globe of a Torii Gate from Japan?)
  • a musical instrument (what about gourd rattles from West Africa?)
  • anything you can think of!


Please contact Mrs. Potwin for more information.