by Katie Chiaverini | Feb 1, 2020
CREW is what Futuro Verde refers to as its advisory block of time with all groups of students. Students are divided into different crews based on their respective grade levels and assigned a CREW teacher each year. We call this special time, shared over the course of two lessons each week, as CREW based on the concept of a crew on a boat or ship and the notion that they are all on board and working collaboratively toward a joint goal. In Futuro Verde, we don’t have passengers, everyone is a member of a CREW. This foundational understanding helps support students in their sense of belonging, their development of empathy and in the strengthening of their sense of self and their connectedness to others.
CREW time happens a minimum of two times per week, once at the beginning of the week and once at the end of the week, and should be meaningfully planned just as for any other class. CREW students and teachers actively integrate their school planners into CREW time, making goals and reflecting on them directly in their planners.
This year we are excited to be adding some new additions to the CREW structure. We have purchased a curriculum resource called Tribes by Jeanne Gibbs which focuses on learning within a caring culture and building community to support the development of our CREW class time. Tribes strive to educate children and youth in a holistic manner as it emphasizes the developmental process of tribes as responsive education, a community of learners, a caring culture, human development and learning, and student-centered active learning. The Tribes philosophy will be implemented throughout the school day by all teachers and administration but strategically utilized in each CREW class in a structured way.
The development of the IB skills (self-management, social, thinking, communication, research, and reflection) will still be an integral part of the CREW time in addition to those proposed by Tribes (inclusion, community, and influence). CREW time continues to be a time where teachers and students collaborate on the planning of their yearly field trip, making sure to cover learning connections, communication, budget, a plan for fundraising and transportation. This year, we will be adding in another component, service and giving. Each CREW group will identify an issue that calls them to action and decide how they can make a positive change in regards to their chosen cause. This can include volunteering, petitions, campaigns or fundraising. Parents will be invited to join in as well! Service learning is very important for developing and strengthening empathy skills, which are vital for success and happiness. The service learning aspect of CREW, now starting in Pre K and beyond will be an important element in your child’s success in the MEP Community Project for 10th grade and the IB CAS projects in 11th and 12th grade. Service learning is a very important piece of the IB program and we would like to pave the way for our students and allow them to get the most out of their educational experience.
We are eager to be able to put these new improvements in place. Please talk to your child about what they are doing in their CREW class and stay up to date on all their fundraising efforts and service learning.
by Katie Chiaverini | Jan 6, 2020
All Futuro Verde students and families are cordially invited to join us at our Open House on February 10th from 12:30 to 3 pm. This is a great time to check out the recent updates on the school campus as well as meet new staff members. In the past, families were asked to bring all their school supplies but that is not necessary this year as all supplies were purchased with a portion of the matriculation fee. All of the teachers will be able to organize and label materials before students arrive, so exciting! Each student will receive their Futuro Verde School Planner on this date with their class schedule inside.
All students and families will get to personally meet their teachers and ask any questions, while also getting to know their classrooms for the 2020 school year. Futuro Verde school uniforms will be available for purchase as well. Please come and help us kick off the 2020 school year, we expect it to be an exciting one with lots of positive changes!
by Katie Chiaverini | Jan 6, 2020
Todos los estudiantes y familias de Futuro Verde están cordialmente invitados a nuestra tarde de Open House (puertas abiertas) el 10 de febrero de las 12:30 a las 3 pm. Aproveche su visita para contemplar las remodelaciones recientes al campus de la escuela y para conocer a los nuevos miembros del personal.
En el pasado, se pedía a las familias que trajeran todos sus útiles escolares, pero eso no es necesario este año ya que todos los útiles se compraron con una parte de la tarifa de matrícula. Todos los maestros podrán organizar y etiquetar los materiales antes de que lleguen los estudiantes, ¡tan emocionante! Asimismo, cada estudiante recibirá su Planificador Escolar Futuro Verde con el horario de clases ya incluido.
Los alumnos y las familias conocerán personalmente a sus maestros y podrán hacerles preguntas mientras ven su aula para el año escolar 2020. Los uniformes escolares de Futuro Verde también estarán a la venta. Venga y ayúdenos a comenzar el año escolar 2020, ¡esperamos que sea un año emocionante y ofrezca muchos cambios positivos!
by Katie Chiaverini | Oct 31, 2019
Futuro Verde is very excited to begin implementing a new curricular support which is a learning platform for math called IXL. The IXL program will be used by students across all the grades and can also be accessed online at home. With thousands of skills that match what we’re learning, as well as insights into student progress, IXL is a great resource to help your child excel.
The IXL math program is made up of four main components that are integrated throughout the program to better personalize learning for each and every student: Comprehensive Curriculum, Personalized Guidance, Actionable Analytics, and Continuous Diagnostic. The program provides over 8,000 skills to support grade level objectives and gives instant feedback to students on their work. Students find it very engaging and motivating as it provides incentives connected to student achievement. Another very important aspect is that the questions adapt as the student answers correctly or incorrectly to allow them success at the appropriate level.
There are many different ways that parents can support their children at home with the IXL program. Parents can encourage their children to visit the personalized “Recommendations wall” within IXL for helpful review or new challenges, as they are targeted specifically for each student! Parents can also sign in to their child’s account and click on Analytics to see what they’ve been working on and check their progress. With built in incentives and rewards, families can help celebrate student accomplishments when a new goal is reached.
On October 31, Futuro Verde provided a parent workshop on how to help support their children at home with the IXL program. We were so glad to have parents as learners and show an interest in their child’s academic growth. If any parents would like to know more about the IXL program or how to help their child at home but missed the workshop, feel free to email Katie@futuro-verde.org for more information.
by Katie Chiaverini | Oct 31, 2019
Futuro Verde está muy emocionado de comenzar a implementar un nuevo apoyo curricular que es un plataforma de aprendizaje para matemáticas llamada IXL. Todos los estudiantes usarán el programa IXL en todos los grados e incluso se puede ingresar en línea desde la casa. Al desarrollar miles de habilidades que coinciden con lo que estamos aprendiendo, así como compartir conocimientos sobre el progreso de los estudiantes, IXL es un gran recurso para que su hijo/a sobresalga.
El programa de matemáticas IXL está compuesto por cuatro componentes principales integrados para personalizar más el aprendizaje de cada estudiante: un plan de estudios integral, la orientación personalizada, el análisis práctico y el diagnóstico continuo. El programa proporciona más de 8,000 habilidades para apoyar los objetivos de nivel de grado y brinda retroalimentación instantánea a los estudiantes sobre su trabajo. Los estudiantes lo encuentran muy atractivo y motivador ya que proporciona incentivos relacionados con el rendimiento estudiantil. Otro aspecto muy importante es que las preguntas se adaptan a medida que el estudiante responde correcta o incorrectamente para permitirles tener éxito en el nivel apropiado.
Hay muchas maneras diferentes en las cuales los padres pueden apoyar a sus hijos en casa con el programa IXL. Los padres pueden alentar a sus hijos a visitar el “muro de recomendaciones” personalizado dentro de IXL para una revisión útil o nuevos desafíos, puesto que se dirigen específicamente a cada estudiante. Los padres también pueden iniciar sesión en la cuenta de su hijo y hacer clic en ´Analytics´ para ver en qué han estado trabajando y verificar su progreso. Con incentivos y recompensas incorporados, las familias pueden ayudar a celebrar los logros de los estudiantes cuando se alcanza una meta.
El 31 de octubre, Futuro Verde ofreció un taller para padres sobre cómo ayudar a sus hijos en casa con el programa IXL. Estábamos muy contentos al tener padres aprendices interesados en el crecimiento académico de sus hijos. En caso de que algún padre quisiera saber más sobre el programa IXL o sobre cómo ayudar a su hijo en casa, pero se perdió el taller, no dude en enviar un correo electrónico a Katie@futuro-verde.org para obtener más información.
