India Parent Magazine June

India Parent Magazine June

magazine India Parent Bridging Communit es Since 1994 www.indiaparentmagazine.org • May 15-June 14 2019

Opening May 30 Oakland Ballet Company’s

JANGALA fuses the centuries old tradition of bharatanatyam with contemporary ballet to present Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”.

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B ALLET AND B HARATANATYAM COME TOGETHER FOR THIS S PLENDID S HOWCASE The Oakland Ballet Presents The Jungle Boy in J ANGALA

This program is family-friendly, colorful, exciting, and certainly a must-attend event. Performances are: San Leandro: Wednesday, May 22, 7 pm San Leandro High School Performing Arts Center*Free for San Leandro residents Tickets available on a first-come-first- serve basis that evening Livermore: Tuesday, May 28, 7:30 pm Bankhead Theater, Livermore*$20-30 Tickets can be purchased at https://lvpac.org/event/oakland-ballet- company-jangala/ Oakland Thursday, May 30, 7:30 pm Friday, May 31, 7:30 pm Saturday, June 1, 3:00 pm Saturday, June 1, 7:30 pm Odell Johnson Performing Arts Center, Laney College, Oakland*$15-30 Tickets can be purchased at http://oak- landballet.org/wp/jangala/

by the poems of the Nobel Prize win- ning Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore and the Pulitzer Prize winning American poet Mary Oliver. Rabindranath Tagore was known and highly regarded for his sensitive, fresh and lyric verse while Mary Oliver was praised for poems that carefully observed the quietly mean- ingful moments of the natural world. Although of seemingly disparate back- grounds both poets shared a profound appreciation of nature as a source of spirituality. As with “Jangala” this new work will be performed to live Indian music. It will feature three of the women of Nava Dance Theater part- nered with three male dancers from Oakland Ballet. The Nava Dance artists will also present their own new piece showcasing their dancers in the classical style of bharatanatyam.

The story is a familiar one. It begins with one lost boy. The boy is adopted by a pack of wolves. He is then kidnapped by a band of mon- keys, rescued by his bear and panther friends, briefly cared for by a woman mourning the loss of her son and final- ly defeats the power hungry tiger that is determined to destroy him. Of course, the boy is Mowgli and the story is from Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”. While the story may be familiar, the Oakland Ballet Company’s presen- tation of this classic story is not. In a reimagining of the standard narrative, OBC Artistic Director Graham Lustig - in partnership with Nadhi Thekkek and Nava Dance Theater - has created an incredibly innovative new work blending classical south Indian dance and modern ballet to tell a story of longing, friendship and acceptance. Danced to an all-Indian musical score that includes classical ragas and bhangra, “Jangala” fuses the centuries old tradition of bharatanatyam with contemporary ballet. Drawing on the breath and the depth of Indian music plus the exquisite beauty of classical Indian dance “Jangala” is unlike any other performance of this well-known story. NavaDanceTheater- a bharatanatyam dance company based in San Francisco - uses this clas- sical Indian dance form as medium for artistic reflection and discovery. The dancers of Nava believe that this clas- sical form can be used to illuminate both traditional and contemporary themes. In addition to “Jangala” the artists of the Nava Dance Theater and the Oakland Ballet will be presenting a new work as part of this year’s pro- gram. This new work will be inspired

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Want your child to get into an Ivy League? Dr. Jiang seems to know how! The Ivy Advisor

Ph.D. from Ivy League school Columbia University. He served as a tenured full professor for twenty-six years until his retirement from San Jose State University at 2016. He also served as Dean of Faculty and Director of School of Management in San Jose State University. His biography has appeared since 1997 in Who's Who Among Asian Americans, Marquis Who's Who in America, Marquis Who's Who in Business and Finance and Marquis Who's Who in the World. Dr. William Jiang is trilingual: English, Chinese, and Spanish. and partner of The Ivy Advisor, an education consulting and college admissions counseling firm. Dr. William Jiang guided his son and daughter to Ivy League schools (son to Harvard and daughter to Cornell). He has also guided over a hundred stu- dents to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Stanford and ALL other elite colleges over the years. He, along with his wife who helps him with all administrative and admission work so as to let Dr. Jiang focus on his methods of teaching and consulting, runs The Ivy Advisor successfully making it the top such col- lege counseling and SAT prep institu- tion. Several parents who admit their children into the Ivy Advisor told IPM that they are extremely happy with the results and would also bring their sec- ond child for training under Dr. Jiang. WHY THE IVY ADVISOR Dr. William Jiang is the founder

Many students these days are both well-rounded and academic achievers with dreams of getting admission into a good college. You just have to visit a Lynbrook or a Monta Vista high school to observe this phenomenon first hand. These students crave a good col- lege to hone their skills and fuel the trajectory of their careers. Other students still research around, looking for the right guidance to help them advance to their goals. Both breeds of students need a com- mon guiding force to help them selec- tively and precisely carve out their future. That's where Dr. Jiang's Ivy Advisor comes in. By mentoring stu- dents and helping them follow a well- researched, unique path based on the student's academic passions, success at the Ivy Advisor seems almost unavoidable. W HAT STUDENTS AND PARENTS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT D R . J IANG (Actual names of the students have been changed to protect their privacy) Karen, U Chicago "Hi Dr. Jiang, Just wanted to say THANK YOU for everything! I found out I was accepted early to U Chicago earlier today and I could not thank you enough for all the help and guidance you've given me through this journey. Thank you for sup- porting me every step of the way! This is honestly such a dream come true, and I am so thankful and blessed for all your sup- port."

Joseph, SAT "Dear Dr. Jiang, I recently took the October SAT and scored a 1580, which I was really surprised about because I was just a sophomore. I think your summer class for the Advanced English reader real- ly helped me build my vocabulary and helped me with the writing section! Thank you so much for the fun class, and I hope to see you again in the future!" Sekhar, SAT "Hello Professor Jiang, Many years ago, I took your SAT class. I am writing this email to thank you for the great class I took many years ago. I am entering my final year at the University of Chicago and preparing for the GMAT exam. After all these years, I am using your SAT Handbook to study! The concepts in these books are definitely applicable to the GMAT and are presented in a clear and concise manner. I have never considered myself a good writer. However, the gram- mar you taught me stuck with me through- out college. My papers are much stronger because of the rules you taught me! I am also able to effectively edit the writing of my peers as well! Thank you, again, for the great SAT class. Looking back on my col- lege papers and looking forward to the GMAT, I realize how impactful your class has been beyond the SAT." MEET DR. WILLIAM JIANG Professor William Jiang possesses a rare depth and width of knowledge, having obtained four Master's degrees and one Ph.D. degree, including an M.Phil. (Master of Philosophy) and a

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"I feel every penny spent on Ivy Advisor is worth it. My first child got a very high SAT score and I am starting my second one here soon," gushed one parent. Dr. Jiang is especially well versed in English language

MAJOR SERVICES

•College Counseling Services: •Roadmaps for Middle & High school students •Summer Program Planning and Application

• Educational Package for 8th-12th grades • College Application Package for Seniors • Admission Essays Only

and literature. When he was a junior in college in China, he translated from English into Chinese four major English classic novels. The translated works were 1) To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), The Egoist (George Meredith), The Secret Sharer (Joseph Conrad), and The Efficiency Expert (Edgar Rice Burroughs). He also translated from English to Chinese at least fifty famous short stories by such well-known English U.S. authors, such as James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John Irwin, Susan Glaspell, etc. During his graduate school years in China, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Columbia University, he continued to produce over a dozen literary theoretical articles and critiques of classic poetry and novels. He has taught SAT, ACT, Advanced English, AP English Language and Composition, and AP English Literature and Composition for many years. Dr. Jiang has also served as College Board SAT Essay Reader, and is cur- rently a senior member of National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC). He regularly provides high school students with college counseling services, sum- mer program applications, and college application services.

IVY - ENGLISH CLASSES: • Classic Star English (4-5th grade) • Essential English (6-7th grade) • Advanced English (8-12th grade)

The Ivy Advisor's Dr. William Jiang has designed the Ivy English enhancement classes specifically for talented students with the following overall goals: • Enhance Skills in Reading, Writing, Grammar, and Vocabulary • Start Early in SAT/ACT, AP English and College Preparations • Develop Well-Rounded Knowledge about Humanities and Civilization • Heighten Capacity for Understanding and Enjoying Life Enrich Overall Educational Experience

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and helped them achieve their individual goals, whether they be earning a full score on standardized exams, getting A's in their classes at school, or being admitted into the college of their dreams. Being able to help students at such formative years of their lives truly puts a smile on our faces.

The class will consist of the following specific contents and learning objectives: • Vocabulary-building • Guided classic English reading: read classic novels and multiple classic stories • Learning to appreciate and analyze classic poems

STATISTICS

Please come stop by our office any time to check out our classrooms and services. Our staff is always willing to answer any and all questions you have; we provide guidance and assistance in nearly every step of the way - from when your child first enters middle school to when they graduate high school. We have been in the business for quite some time now and have established ourselves in the community, but we always welcome new faces. We are sure that your students will not be disappointed with the results they see after spending some time at our school.

• Guided and graded writing assignments in the form of book reports • Feedback on each writing assignment for each student STANDARDIZED TEST PREP - SAT/PSAT, SAT II, ACT, SSAT, and ISEE - AP English Language and AP Literature: 80% received 5's

in Lang; 90% received 5's in Lit - AP Calculus and AP Biology

All in all, Dr. Jiang is passionate about positively influencing the lives of these young adults and has been incredibly successful doing so. We, at The Ivy Advisor, have impacted hundreds of students' lives

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One on one with Norman Gershenz, Director, SaveNature.org, and co-founder, Insect Discovery Lab

SAVENATURE.ORG AND INSECT DISCOVERY LAB BRING ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY TO CHILDREN THROUGH FUN AND PARTICIPATION THIS SUMMER!

Insect Discovery Lab, an award win- ning, hands-on educational outreach program using insects to inspire kids to save wildlife in wild places. The goal of this portable lab is to nurture environmental literacy, creating a pop- ulation of young people whose approach to their environment reflects responsibility, stewardship and com- mitment. Today, the Insect Discovery Lab presents more than 800 programs a year, reaching more than 38,000 chil- dren annually. Bringing the lab into the classroom has allowed Norm to have direct influence in children's lives. In 2005 and 2006 he nurtured and nomi- nated a young medically challenged 10-year-old boy for the Young International Eco-Hero Award and the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. The boy won both awards, and in turn is working to inspire other children around the world.

Norman director SaveNature.org is the very embodi- ment of the spirit of preserving the nat- ural world. Over his 41-year career, he has shared his love of nature with nearly half a million young students, helping to ignite their own desires to become active stewards of the earth. Building on their enthusiasm, he has created multiple opportunities for them to put their activism to work. He has trained teachers and educational specialists to keep spreading the word, has taken his message to the airwaves and on the road to major news media, conservation organizations, and edu- cational institutions. Norm's signature impact is the ripple effect. From his post in San Francisco as co-founder and CEO of SaveNature.Org and co- founder of the Insect Discovery Lab, he has pushed out into the world an empowering, hopeful, but urgent mes- sage of agency to their young: the world is in your hands. In 1998, Norm co-founded the Gershenz,

One on one with Norman Gershenz, Director, SaveNature.org, and co-founder, Insect Discovery Lab. He talks about summer camps, birthday parties and the importance of reconnecting kids to outdoor explorations! "There is nothing like the Insect Discovery Lab - watching a young child have the opportunity to hold a Madagascar hissing cockroach or a giant African millipede changes their life forever." IPM: Can you please tell us your a little about the kind of birthday par- ties you conduct for youngsters? Norman Gershenz (NG): Our edu- cator brings "fun science" to the party! The Insect Discovery Lab is the most hands-on experience any birthday child (or family) can imagine - dark- ling beetles, eastern lubber grasshop- pers, giant African millipedes, Australian walking sticks and much more! We ask to limit the group to around 20 kids (we know there could be up to 20 adults present as well) so we present to both the children and the adults. NG: There is nothing like the Insect Discovery Lab - watching a young child have the opportunity to hold a Madagascar hissing cockroach or a giant African millipede changes their life forever. Also, we are the only group that links this "nature" experi- ence with actually saving nature in rainforest and coral reefs through SaveNature.Org's Adopt-An Acre and Adopt-A-Reef program. IPM: How do you think it's differ- ent from other such parties?

SaveNature.Org is creating schol- arship to Bay Area elementary schools, reaching students in grades K- 4 and their teachers from urban schools with scientific hands-on pre- sentations over the period of the school calendar year. Brief history of SaveNature.org Founded in 1988, SaveNature.Org focused its efforts on protecting threat- ened ecosystems and natural commu- nities through conservation programs, such as Adopt an Acre® and Reef®. While SaveNature's general focus is conservation, in 1998 SaveNature.Org restructured efforts to connect youth to nature by providing educational pro- grams that serves over 2,500 inner city youth and more than 30,000 students in the greater San Francisco Bay Area each year. SaveNature.Org has devel- oped one of the most successful educa- tional outreach programs for the greater San Francisco Bay Area com- munity, teaching and impacting more than half-million children since 1998; presenting more than 800 programs annually. Their goal is to provide a pathway for children to develop a con- fidence of belonging in relation to all things independent from turmoil at home or at school. Ultimately, building a foundation to ensure youth take responsibility for creating a positive change in their lives and in their com- munities. They have created three proven and dynamic hands-on classes to fos- ter enthusiasm about science and nature. These programs are part of their new Nature Academy. They are Owl Pellet Discovery, the art of Squid Science Dissection and EdibleEdVentures - linking the health of the planet to the health of a child. Nature Academy is fashioned after the Insect Discovery Lab, one of the most successful educational outreach pro- grams in the United States. To date, the Insect Discovery Lab has touched the lives of more than 521,044 children since 1998 with the Insect Discovery Lab's BugMobile®. Their goal is to grow the Nature Academy as we have the Insect Discovery Lab with commit- ment and passion.

mental stewards to save wildlife and wild places in nature. SaveNature.Org's mission is to link people to save wildlife and wild places through the purchase and pro- tection of habitat in nature. Its goal is to bring educational equality to those underserved in their community, increasing the opportunity for real and personal environmental stewardship for this generation and future genera- tions. Their educational outreach pro- grams provide a pathway for children to wonder and develop an anchor of belonging to their natural environ- ment. Ultimately building a founda- tion to ensure youth take responsibili- ty for creating a positive change in their lives, in their community, and, in the world. The cornerstone goal of all of their programs is to nurture environmental literacy and create a population of young people whose approach to their environment reflects responsibility, stewardship and commitment. Their program activities provide connec- tions and opportunities for youth to develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their community ecosystem. Through encounters with nature in the city and exposure to sci- ence as a hands-on process, students will be able to grow as leaders in their school and the community. New Programs SaveNature.org created three proven and dynamic hands-on classes to foster enthusiasm about science and nature. These programs are part of our new Nature Academy. They are Owl Pellet Discovery, the art of Squid Science Dissection and EdibleEdVentures - linking the health of the planet to the health of a child. Nature Academy is fashioned after the Insect Discovery Lab, one of the most successful educational outreach pro- grams in the United States. To date, the Insect Discovery Lab has touched the lives of more than 521,044 children since 1998 with the Insect Discovery Lab's BugMobile®. Our goal is to grow the Nature Academy as we have the Insect Discovery Lab with commit- ment and passion.

IPM: How many kids can you

cater at one time?

NG: Around 20, but we can accom-

modate up to 25.

IPM: Can you explain a little bit about method of education on insects if any? NG: We present about anatomy, warning coloration, camouflage, defense strategy, survival, biodiversity of insects, communication, general entomological knowledge, species identification, and Inspiration! IPM: What is the daily schedule for a child for summer programs if any? NG: We are available 7 days a week. IPM: How do you deal with chal- lenging kids? What is your disciplin- ing method? NG: We have educators with more than 20 years of experience in presen- tation and the classroom. We work with great respect and intention with children and adults. NG: We prefer a background in biology, drama and education. Every teacher/Insect Discovery Lab educa- tional specialist goes through rigorous training, shadowing, and evaluation before they present to the public. IPM: How is the ethnic mix in your camps/summer specials? Do you welcome all? NG: Absolutely! IPM: What kind of background do you expect from your teachers? IPM: Do you think a happy child can be expected from your camps? NG: As I mentioned, our hands-on experience changes the lives of chil- dren to have a deeper love for nature.

IPM: What is your message to our

readers?

NG: The Insect Discovery Lab pro- motes the importance of outdoor exploration and reconnects kids with nature creating a love and joy for the natural world and to become environ-

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The Music Place is all about making the music learning journey FUN!

Whereas the focus of most schools is to educate, ours is to inspire. Really! This is not just a cliché at he Music Place. It is our unique approach. How do we do it? Everyone knows that excellence requires hard work, but who knows how to get kids to work hard? We do! Our “Three steps toward excellence” philosophy underscores everything we do and boils down to 3-phases of learning: 1) Start with FUN, which leads to... We clearly define an educational philosophy that starts with fun !

We keep the fun going in the sum- mer too! In addition to 25-30 deeply

begin on one of the 5-step music learn- ing journey

We work with everyone of all abili- ties or disabilities! Not only do we welcome all cul- tures and religions, if your student happens to have special needs, we are proud to help! Free assessments help guide families toward special needs coaches who help kids learn music OR Board Certified music therapists whose more specialized care is often covered by insurance! We find the right teachers for the right place in the journey. Teachers are evaluated individual- ly and recommended accordingly. Although most teachers have a B.A. or higher, the more important issue at The Music Place is “Can this teacher engage the students in a positive stim- ulating way?” “Are they a phase 1, 2 or 3 teacher?” Remember! The goal is to make learning fun! Lessons when and where you want & Online Registration? We want it to be fun for you too! With dozens of locations (Gilroy to Sunnyvale) and 50 teachers, we help coordinate siblings together. Whichever is more fun! The major- ity of lessons at the Music Place are private (1-1), however small group music or dance classes are available from ages 6 months and average about 5-6 students. Try one free! Group or private lesson?

discounted music & dance camps, our favorite promotion during the summer is the discounted CLASS PASS. This allows a child or family to attend an unlimited number of group music or dance classes! The Music Place staff is committed to making music learning a wonderful part of growing up by approaching it without the intensity that pressures kids to do more than they are develop- mentally ready to do. If a child leaves a class and says “music is boring or too hard” then we have failed. When they leave with a greater love ignited in their hearts, then we have accom- plished our goal by giving them the keys to a lifetime of musical enjoy- ment.

2) Getting drawn into Hard Work, which leads to progress which leads to... 3) Growing passion and Excellence, which leads to a life time of enjoyment. Parents are encouraged to bring students to a fun (free!) individualized assessment where an Educational Specialist plays some games to help identify their learning style, musical aptitudes and readiness for instrumen- tal instruction. Parents then receive expert and individualized guidance regarding where their child might best We individualize the approach!

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