7th graders raced around the classroom to see who could reach the finish line first with the correct amount of money. All this was part of their problem-solving workshop in math to test their mastery of percent operations. Students were required to spend some money, earn some money, and come home with the correct amount, right down to the penny. They teamed up to "order food" at Tony's Mexican Grill, "buy holiday gifts" from LL Bean, "withdraw savings" from the bank, and "sell" video games, all involving calculating percentages of taxes, tips, discounts, interest rates, and commissions along the way. A competitive spirit filled the room in the race to the finish, and it was fun to hear the ensuing math debates as one student corrected his teammate saying, "You just tipped $19 on a $23 meal!" or "You can't take the discount on the tax." Math really is all around us in everyday life, as 7th grade mathematicians discovered!

Berkeley Hall is deeply committed to promoting socioeconomic diversity in our school community. To that end, the school offers need-based grants to qualified students from kindergarten to 8th grade. Our financial aid application process is thorough and allows our Financial Aid Committee to get a clear picture of a family's circumstances. First, a family should look at all personal avenues for meeting costs. If all available resources including both parents' full-time employment are still not enough to meet tuition and fees, then the family may qualify for aid. We encourage returning families who feel they are in this situation to apply for financial aid for the 2017-18 school year. To find out how, click here. Deadlines are fast approaching.

Twelve students have entered the 7th Annual Space Foundation Art Contest in Colorado. Their mission is to support the work of NASA and nurture the next generations' interest in space science. Students worked during many, many lunch recesses to create their artworks on the theme, Space Through My Eyes.

Congratulations to all these artsy, space-loving Bobcats!

Students boiled red cabbage to extract the purple juice and used the juice as a pH indicator. They tested  a number of solutions with the juice, as well as with pH paper, to determine the acidity and basicity of each solution. The juice turned different colors according their pH. It almost looked like they were dyeingEaster Eggs, with so many different color solutions. Colors spanned from red through every color of the rainbow including shades of blue, green, yellow and purple. Although many acids are edible, students learn they should never taste chemicals in the lab to determine the identity of a substance.

Junior High students welcomed the Class of 2016 Alumni back on campus for the Annual Christmas Dance. Students had a chance to catch up with old friends and dance the night away with new ones. A big thank you to all the volunteers that made this special night possible for the students; your hard work is much appreciated.

The 7th graders enjoyed working in groups to create board games about the Roman and Byzantine empires called "The Empire Game." Students decided on a focus, discussed the design of the game board, brainstormed ideas, identified events, places, and people to include on the game board, divided game-making tasks, and shared the game with the rest of the class.

Here are some students' responses to the question, "How did making a board game deepen your understanding of the Roman and Byzantine empires?"

"We learned some subjects, the Roman and Byzantine Empires, while having fun."
"We had to write questions and answers based on our knowledge of the Roman and Byzantine Empires."
"While we were researching answers to questions, we found out more without even realizing it."
"If you didn't know the facts, you wouldn't be able to create the game."
"It helped deepen my understanding of which empire owned what."
"It made the facts sink into my head."
"It made learning fun, and by making it fun I enjoyed learning about it."
"I understand more what their day to day lives were like."
"It shows and lets me know how different and alike the two empires were."
"It shows how they progressed."
"It helped me understanding by teaching me the many different things that they have built, and what their lives were like all those years ago."
"Creating a board game about the Roman and Byzantine Empires deepened our understanding of the history of these empires because we learned and had fun at the same time. We also played the game many times which helped to get the information into our heads."

Our beautiful campus of 66 acres contains remote areas of undeveloped land where animals (like those pictured) make their homes or make tracks as they travel. On-campus, digital, infrared wildlife-cameras, triggered by heat and motion, capture their movements. The National Park Service shares images of local wildlife with us, which are the result of their study of animal movements in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Come to the BHS Diwali Festival on Friday, November 4 at 3:15pm in Hodges.

This Festival of Lights will include: Bollywood dancing and dance demonstrations, henna tatoos, Indian food, Diwali arts and crafts, and the sound and energy of Diwali. All are welcome! Come right after school at 3:15pm for a special 5-minute presentation: "What is Diwali?"

Come and enjoy fabulous Indian food, learn to dance Bollywood style, get a henna tattoo, make a special Diwali craft to take home, and experience the joy of Diwali. A big thank you goes to our Berkeley Hall Indian community for hosting this fabulous event and giving this gift to our community.

Also at this event, we hope that all will embrace the message of Diwali, being the light, and shine outward by giving back via iSparkel Inc., an organization which helps children in the slums of India. Because it drops down to 40 degrees in winter in Delhi, the PRI and INT Student Councils would like to invite people to donate warm winter items to iSparkle. Bring gloves, sweatshirts, jackets, etc. to the event and take them to the iSparkle table.

President and Founder of L.A. Kitchen Robert Eggers gave a special presentation to our ECD students as part of our Difference Makers Series. He explained the food chain cycle from the dirt in which seeds start to grow, to the no-waste food preparation, all the way to the compost pile that ends up as dirt. Students were captivated when asked to pass around fresh fruits and vegetables to feel and smell, while learning that nothing needs to be wasted when it comes to food. It was an educational and entertaining presentation. Thank you, Mr. Robert!

It was the last event of the day - the high jump competition. Students and adults gathered around the pit to watch the last two jumpers battle it out for first place. Before each of them jumped, a hush fell over the crowd... waited... waited... silent... watched... and then erupted with enthusiastic cheers when the bar was cleared. This happened over and over, both jumpers from Berkeley Hall congratulating each other when they made it and encouraging each other when they didn't. Until finally, one of the students cleared the height and the other one didn't. But honestly, our memory isn't about who won the event that day, but about the atmosphere of support shown by all who witnessed this remarkable demonstration of camaraderie and sportsmanship and teamwork. There's something truly glorious about moments like that - they lift the human spirit - and make us all feel connected.

Berkeley Hall hosted many schools for two full-days of track and field competition. Junior High and Intermediate students each had a full day of doing their best after weeks of practice during PE. Many parents came out to cheer them on and witness the grit and grace exhibited by all.

Our Berkeley Hall Alumni, Class of 2012, reunited at BHS on May 5th for their ‘Senior Send-Off.’ The students reminisced about their Berkeley Hall years with their former teachers, administrators, and staff, laughing at some memories, nostalgic about others, and happy to be back to their educational roots. A current student walking by was thrilled to recognize her buddy (BHS older classes pair up with younger classes for shared special activities) from four years ago. These bright, young alumni’s college plans include: Stanford University, University of Southern California, Evergreen State College in Washington, University of Delaware, University of Wisconsin, Belmont University, Mt. Saint Mary’s College, Gonzaga University, Santa Monica College, California Polytechnic State University at Pomona, University of Connecticut, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Berkeley Hall is so proud of these Alumni and warmly wish them a truly exciting new adventure as college students!

The Triple Lindy Slide is three huge colorful slides in one. Triple the slides means triple the fun. This huge triple slide keeps kids happy because there’s no waiting. Triple Lindy is a dry slide.

Our beautiful campus of 66 acres contains remote areas of undeveloped land where animals (like those pictured) make their homes or make tracks as they travel. Digital, infrared wildlife-cameras, triggered by heat and motion, capture their movements. Why? – because the National Park Service is conducting a study of animal movements in the area and shares the images with us.

The Mothers' Club each year sponsors several Cultural Arts Assemblies at Berkeley Hall. Today, we were transported to another time and place through the sounds of Salaamuna Ensemble - a group of master musicians who shared vocal and instrumental music from the Near and Middle East using many ancient instruments. Check out their sound in the video.

In the Bobcat Assembly led by two BHS Alums (current BHS 4th Grade Teacher Ashley Brown and her brother, BHS Science Teacher/Coach Woody Brown), they spoke about their wonderful experiences as students at Berkeley Hall and how those experiences have enriched their lives. Then they brought out a fellow classmate and alum and now, life-long friend, Kevin Katich (Class of 2004). Kevin first learned to play drums at BHS and came back to speak of his gratitude for that learning and to share his musical gift with our community. (Click headline to see video.)

"We launched our new website today!" said Director of Communications Lisa Taylor with a huge smile. "It's so exciting to have the website's functionality and look and feel be as cutting-edge as a Berkeley Hall education." The new custom design is clean and colorful and easy to navigate. Lisa said she'd love to hear people's feedback. Check it out at berkeleyhall.org. "This is just the beginning," said Lisa. "We're excited to add more photos and videos as we move forward and utilize the incredible flexibility of the design. Actually, check out the BHS Voices section when you scroll down on the Homepage. We feature parents, teachers, and students and plan to add more, including an alumni section." If there are any parents, alumni, or students out there who want to be featured, or if people have any questions regarding the site, please contact Director of Communications Lisa Taylor.