Angie Briceño, Author at Futuro Verde

Evaluation of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program

by Angie Briceño | Jun 7, 2022

At the end of the 2017 school year, Futuro Verde received its certification as an International Baccalaureate World School. The International Baccalaureate Organization evaluates schools that acquire this certification every five years. It has been five years since our certification and for some months now we have been working on preparing for the evaluation by the International Baccalaureate Organization.

But, what does the IB Diploma Program evaluation process for schools around the world consist of?

According to the International Baccalaureate Organization, the primary objective of IB program evaluation is to help schools continually develop their capacity to implement IB programs in order to have a greater effect on student outcomes through the development of teaching and leadership practices (2).

The evaluation of the Diploma Program in the school engages the school in a process of reflection that allows us to understand which aspects of the program are being developed effectively and which need further development. This reflection is done in conjunction with students, families, the board of directors, teachers and staff members who are directly involved in the implementation of the program.

The evaluation consists of three distinct parts:

The preliminary review, where the school reviews and updates the information that was provided at the beginning of the certification process. This section includes a survey of parents with children who are attending, have attended or will attend the Diploma Program the following school year.
A process of self-evaluation, collaboration and reflection in which different stakeholders participate and where families and students are invited to participate in the process.
Finally, a visit to the school, which in our case will take place on April 19, 20 and 21, 2023.

Once this evaluation process is completed, the IB Organization provides the school’s leadership team with the findings of the process and recommendations for the school.

For those families and students directly involved in the evaluation process, a form will be sent to them so that they can collaborate with the reflection process.

Field Trips for 2022

by Angie Briceño | May 1, 2022

During this school year with the opening of more activities and lowering of restrictions it was possible to include some field trips in some grades as an initiative of the teachers. Students participated in field trips to the farm, open water drumming, a sporting event in Hermosa Valley, hiking in Cabo Blanco and a day in Isla Tortuga.

Upcoming 11th grade students under their IB CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) program will be visiting the Mangrove Organization in San Ysidro with a group of students from Summit High School in North Carolina where they will be participating and learning about dome building and visiting an edible plant garden and learning about the processes.

On Friday, May 27th the high school students will be visiting the Paquera fire station to culminate with the unit on community service. After previously under the transdisciplinary theme of how we express ourselves they were able to study the different jobs in the community, how they communicate with each other and how they benefit us.

Additionally and to culminate the year with the tours, the 11th grade students as part of their CAS program and the 10th grade students as part of their Social Studies program will be visiting the National Theater on June 8th to attend the Anne Frank play as part of the “Once Upon a Time” program for schools.

Field trips enrich and broaden the curriculum, strengthen observation skills by immersing students in sensory activities, increase students’ knowledge of a particular subject, and broaden students’ awareness of their own community and surroundings. It is important to view these field trips as case studies or specific areas where the teacher can make the most of the topics or content seen in the classroom and make real connections that allow students to engage in more meaningful learning.

For the 2022-2023 school year, we expect all groups to have tours again and we will be reporting more on this during the 2022-2023 Open House afternoon.

¡Nuestra escuela está creciendo!

by Angie Briceño | Jan 5, 2022

Este año escolar 2021-2022 hemos visto un gran crecimiento y cambio en nuestra comunidad educativa.

Nos sentimos orgullosos y muy honrados de que hayan escogido nuestra comunidad educativa para sus hijos (as). Es por esto que siempre buscamos lo mejor para ellos (as).

Este año hemos invertido en nuevas aulas para secundaria, de manera que poco a poco empezamos a dividir secundaria de primaria y preescolar para que cada ciclo pueda disfrutar de su espacio.

Además hemos dividido los grupos de preparatoria a tercer grado en A y B para asegurar tener una población estudiantil en cada uno de 15 estudiantes y máximo 18 y poder asegurar una atención más diferenciada, y reduciendo así los grupos de 25 a 18 estudiantes por aula.

El crecimiento en Futuro Verde no se da únicamente en las clases y construcciones, sino también en el área curricular.

Este año incluimos las clases de Proyectos Personal y Comunal de 7° a 9° y los estudiantes las disfrutan mucho. Han iniciado proyectos como torneos de volley ball, creación de bolsas para regalar a negocios creadas a partir de ropa reciclada, recetarios basados en platillos de la herencia cultural, aprender más acerca del cuidado de las mascotas y compartir ese conocimiento y mucho más. Estos cursos ayudan a los estudiantes a desarrollar los atributos del perfil del estudiante de Bachillerato Internacional como lo son el ser: audaces, indagadores, informados e instruidos, pensadores, buenos comunicadores, íntegros, de mente abierta, solidarios, equilibrados y reflexivos. Adicionalmente, es una excelente oportunidad para explorar nuevos intereses y llegar con más preparación a los cursos de Pre-CAS y CAS en los grados de 10° y 11° respectivamente.

En el departamento de preescolar y primaria, seguimos trabajando en alinear todo contenido al Programa de los Años Primarios en Bachillerato Internacional. Este año implementamos una pizarra comunal en donde las profesoras de primaria podrán compartir los trabajos realizados en clase y trabajos que están alineados con el tema transdisciplinario del mes. Teniendo así cuatro temas transdisciplinarios este año:

Quienes somos
Cómo funciona el mundo
Cómo nos expresamos
Donde nos encontramos en el tiempo y en el espacio.

Por último, iniciamos este año con las nuevas clases en el área artística y la expansión en el área deportiva. El arte, baile, música, expresión y teatro le aporta a nuestros estudiantes un desarrollo del conocimiento el cual les ayuda a potenciar sus habilidades y es tan importante como cualquier otra asignatura de la escuela o colegio. Tenemos la dicha de tener profesores en las artes y el área deportiva que son altamente calificados y que apoyan a los estudiantes a descubrir sus potencialidades.

El curso lectivo 2021-2022 es un año corto pero lleno de nuevas oportunidades para nuestros estudiantes.

Our school is growing!

by Angie Briceño | Jan 5, 2022

This 2021-2022 school year we have seen tremendous growth and change in our educational community.

We feel very honored and proud that you have chosen our educational community for your children. Because of this, we always seek the best for them.

This year we have invested in new classrooms for our secondary classes, so that little by little we begin to divide secondary students from primary and preschool. This way each student body can enjoy their own designated space.

In addition, we have divided the high school to third grade classes into two groups, A and B, to ensure a student population of 15 students each and a maximum of 18 students per classroom at a time. This ensures more differentiated attention, thus reducing the groups from 25 to 18 students per class.

Growth in Futuro Verde is not only in classes and buildings, but also in the extracurricular area.

This year we are including ‘Personal and Community Project’ classes for grades 7-9 and the students are really enjoying them. Some of the projects they have started are; volleyball tournaments, creating bags made from recycled clothing to give to business, cookbooks based on cultural dishes related to heritage, learning more about caring for pets and sharing that knowledge with others, plus much more. These courses help students develop the attributes of the International Baccalaureate student profile such as being: bold, inquisitive, informed, educated, well-rounded, open-minded, supportive, balanced, reflective, excellent communicators, and profound thinkers. Additionally, these courses are excellent opportunities for students to explore new interests and arrive more prepared for the Pre-CAS and CAS courses in the 10th and 11th grades, respectively.

In the preschool and primary department, we continue to work on aligning all content to the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. This year we implemented a communal blackboard where primary teachers can share the work done in class along with work that is aligned with the transdisciplinary theme of the month. Thus having four transdisciplinary themes this year:

‘Who we are’
‘How the world works’
‘How we express ourselves’
‘Where we are in time and space’.

Lastly, we started this year with new courses in the artistic area as well as expansion in the athletics area. Art, dance, music, expression and theater give our students a development of knowledge which helps them enhance their skills which is as important as any other subject in school or college. We are fortunate to have teachers in the arts and athletics who are highly qualified and support students in discovering their potential.

The 2021-2022 school year is a short year but filled with new opportunities for our students!

Welcome to the New Academic Year 2021-2022!

by Angie Briceño | Oct 15, 2021

We are starting the new academic year and our second year of transition to the international calendar. We congratulate all families and students on successfully concluding this short and fast-paced academic year and thank you deeply for your commitment to Futuro Verde.

We celebrate this new year with the reinstatement of music classes for preschool through 10th grade. We offer a new and exciting arts program. In addition to the reinstatement of music, we continue with art classes, and we will be including a theater class in elementary and theater and dance in middle school.

Having a strong Arts program as part of the school curriculum benefits the overall development of any individual. Some of those benefits may include:

Increases self-esteem
Boosts creativity
Improves communication
Encounter different sensory experiences that help the human being from a young age to develop other cognitive abilities, among others.

In the middle years (7°-9° grade) we have included new electives where students can choose between Robotics, Personal Project and Community Project. These last two are what the IB calls ¨MYP (Middle Year Programs) Projects¨.

MYP projects are student-centered and age-appropriate and allow students to engage in hands-on explorations through a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection. MYP projects help students develop the attributes of the IB learner profile; offer students a significant opportunity to demonstrate the learning focus skills developed through the MYP; and foster independent, lifelong learners.

The community project focuses on community and service, encouraging students to contribute to the community welfare through their service project. The personal project offers students the opportunity to undertake independent, age-appropriate exploration in an area of their interest. (International Baccalaureate Organization 4).

We are very excited that our 7th-9th graders will be able to explore these two options ,or Robotics, and broaden their educational experience.

Last but not least, we have added swimming lessons through 6th grade, so students from Pk to 6th grade will be enjoying this wonderful sport.

A warm welcome to the 2021-2022 school year and second year of transition! See you back on November 5th!

References:

International Baccalaureate Organization. Community Project Guide. International Baccalaureate Organization, 2021. United Kingdom International Baccalaureate Organization. Personal Project Guide. International Baccalaureate Organization, 2021. United Kingdom

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