“Windows on the World” (more commonly referred to as “Windows”), is an opportunity for Newman 4th graders to travel the world and see both ancient and modern civilizations with their classmates. This program is a component of the social studies curriculum each academic year. Students “travel” to nine different countries to learn about the history and culture of each. While “visiting” a country, students are able to taste foods native to that country and see how the local people live and dress.

Windows is a great experience for students to learn about the cultures of other countries. However, Windows is not just about studying various countries, but a time for students to develop skills needed to succeed in life. Windows is an experience that students remember and take with them through their Newman years. They learn how to take notes, make an outline, write a report on the computer, revise and edit their report, and correctly write a bibliography. Students then create visual aids to enhance their oral presentations. At the end of the Windows presentation, there is a cultural feast of native food prepared by students’ parents. Later, in class, they reflect on the unique cultures they experienced. Meanwhile, they have gained valuable skills that will help them become productive and successful members of our community.

In October Newman's Second Graders wrap up their study on culture by having a “Taste of Culture” celebration. For this event, posters that reflected the customs of each student's family decorated Aronson Hall. The students also prepared and brought in different foods that were native to their culture to share with each other.

Designed to encourage students to apply basic science skills, this event allows each student the opportunity to display his or her invention. The participants will identify a need or solve a problem by following the same steps and patent application procedures that an inventor would follow in patenting an invention.

In Lower School a favorite annual event is Customs and Celebrations Day, in which students share traditions specific to their families or heritage, or research customs from other cultures. Students in fourth grade researched customs associated with the holidays of Hanukah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, the Chinese New Year and Christmas in the U.S., Mexico and Germany. Fifth-grade language arts students studied the custom of the greeting card, which originated in the 1870s in Victorian England. Students made their own cards, dressed in Victorian costume and prepared and ate foods of the period, such as fig pudding, sausage and biscuits.