by Stephanie Smith | Aug 6, 2018
It didn’t take long to make the decision. The forest fires were out of control in Southern California; 2017 turned out to be the most destructive year on record. The day I walked our son, Django, to his school in Venice, the sky was eerily yellow, almost apocalyptic. Ash fell like snow into my scalding latte. News of another mass shooting. The inevitable insane tweets of a madman followed. The air was thick with contaminants of all kinds.
It seemed like the perfect time for a change. France or Spain perhaps? We’d travelled extensively around Europe and could imagine ourselves living there. Dreaming up Django’s perfect future school – a mix of Waldorf, Forest and multi-lingual education, we began our search. My husband, Gary, was in between jobs and had started a consulting gig. I was in the midst of financing post-production for my documentary so as long as there was internet, we figured a digital nomadic lifestyle could work. Then a friend mentioned Costa Rica. It was never on our list of countries to visit, let alone live.
Two months later, our apartment packed up, we found ourselves Costa Rica-bound on an unexpected adventure. As it turned out, Futuro Verde was the school of our dreams – at least on paper.
With a couple of weeks to get settled before the first day of term, the reality of living in an actual jungle had not quite sunk in. I hate to use clichés, but there was no question we were fish out of the water. The first night in the little village of Panica, we lay awake under the sheets, terror-stricken by the sounds of a demon-like creature, bellowing ever closer to the pitch-black bedroom. No-one had warned us that power outage were the norm. Having just recovered from the fright of a scorpion scuttling by our feet at dinner time, these urbanites were truly panicked. Or only the adults, should I say, as Django was in his element, relishing every bit of the drama. Discovering that those supernatural sounds came from the sheepish howler monkey was a great relief.
It’s no exaggeration that we were immediately spellbound after the first week of school. Observing Django’s excitement in his new environment surrounded by nature, was nothing short of joyous. Futuro Verde was beyond anything we had imagined and a place that fueled this 7-year-old’s imagination. Intricate accounts of a cat world under the assembly stage; lizard rescue missions from the magical Banyans; eating mangoes straight from the trees during recess – dinner time stories were endless.
Although it took longer than expected to settle in due to the setbacks of a labyrinthine banking and postal system, finding places to work and live with good internet coverage, appalling and dusty road conditions, which made us feel like bit players in a Mad Max movie, it was all worthwhile for an extraordinary educational experience for our son. The jungle has provided us a new way of seeing and a deep appreciation of the natural environment.
by Angie Briceño | Aug 3, 2018
Year after year, we continually improve our grant application process at Futuro Verde. This year for the first time, this process was carried out by a professional social worker, Mariela Quirós Meza, who was in charge of receiving the scholarship packages and forms, collecting and analyzing the information, paying home visits, and conducting interviews with families to remove doubts. At the end of the process, the social worker delivers a complete report containing recommendations.
For the 2019 school year, we established three different percentages after analyzing the financial scope of the John Dolan Scholarship Fund: 30%, 50% and 70%.
The 2018 scholarship process involved the following:
- Interview and hiring of a professional in the area of Social Work.
- Period of scholarship and document submissions from June 18 to July 16.
- Case analysis by the social worker and home visits from June 18 to July 16.
- Report deliveries to families from July 17 to July 20.
We remind you that the scholarship program is an annual condition, so the scholarship or discount awarded lasts only one school year. This process will be repeated every year for all families who wish to participate and meet the requirements for a scholarship or discount.
We invite you to participate in the scholarship process for the 2020 school year starting in June 2019.
by Futuro Verde | Aug 2, 2018
Many countries celebrate Mother’s Day, usually with dinner, gifts and flowers. In Costa Rica, this celebration takes extraordinary dimensions. Mothers are honored with a big party full of delicious typical foods, handwritten cards by their children, music, gifts and, of course, lots of love and joy.
Mother’s Day in Costa Rica is celebrated every year on August 15th. While there are several versions of how this tradition began, all agree that the official date was in 1932, when a decree was issued marking this day as a holiday and stipulating its celebration in schools, institutions and nursing homes, as well as in every Costa Rican home.
We surveyed our students about what they like most about their mothers. The vast majority responded without hesitation:
- “That she always takes care of me and worries about me”
- “That she cooks the most delicious meals”
- “That she always supports me and gives me the best advice”
Mothers would give anything for their children, they cook, wash, iron, are counselors, judges, drivers, trainers, nurses, administrators, and so much more.
To all Mothers, whether by nature or choice, woman or man, who assume this role 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and whom silently and without realizing vowed to protect their child from the moment it was born. To you, Happy Mother’s Day!
by Futuro Verde | Jul 27, 2018
Futuro Verde teaches students to appreciate their surroundings and to make the best of jungle life! This school year a committee of teachers and students have been tasked with the challenge of organizing a chaperoned, formal school dance, called prom, for our eldest high school students (9th -11th graders). This formal dance will start a new school tradition of a formal dance to be held toward the end of each school year. The prom committee has worked all year to make this event a success and raise the funds needed by October, in time for the prom in November. The efforts so far have been focused on fundraising money to buy the food, drinks, and to pay for the DJ and also have focused on organizing the logistics of the event. This year’s prom will be especially important because our school is celebrating its 10th anniversary! Holding a formal dance is a special way of commemorating this exciting anniversary.
For those of you unfamiliar with the American tradition of prom, it is a magical night and a part of many high school traditions around the world. We want our school to join in this tradition as a way of creating lasting memories for our high school students. As the dance is a chaperoned event, it is a safe and fun way to socialize, dance and create lasting high school memories!
We would appreciate any and all support we can get for our prom. There will be a couple of activities held to support our fundraising goals. The first event our committee is holding is a Date Night to be held in two locations, Cobano and Mal Pais, on August 17th. This initial fundraiser is a great way for dads to celebrate moms after Mother’s Day, with a romantic night out together while your kids are cared for by responsible high school students and adult chaperones.
Thank you for your support and see you at Date Night on August 17th!
by Irene Jover | Jul 26, 2018
I would like to take this opportunity to greet you and explain what will be happening in our music classes during this second half of the school year. First of all, I would like to share with you that you have exceeded my expectations! The FV community is excellent and I have felt right at home from the start. The students are willing and able to continue learning and we will try to make the transition to a new teacher as smooth and subtle as possible.
Broadly speaking, the methodology we will be applying in music class is active, flexible and, where possible, individualized and based on games and experiments, especially in preschool and primary.
We seek to develop musical sensitivity and awaken students’ interest in music from an early age. Preschool and primary students will learn some of the basic elements of music such as rhythm and melody using various methodologies (Kodaly, Willems, Orff, for instance). In all of the sessions we will try to combine and cover song, movement, rhythm, creation, and introduction to small percussion.
Primary students will continue to experience music in an active way and once they begin to internalize it, we will also introduce some more theoretical concepts.
In the middle years, the subject will be divided more clearly into several blocks: Music Theory and Practice (Solfeo and History of Music), Composition and Musical Creation (introduction to creation and musical notation softwares) and Band Music. We will continue focusing on the students´ interests and experimentation, leaving ample room for improvisation and creativity.
The two years of the Diploma Program are the culmination of musical studies at the school and will involve working on aspects of composition, interpretation and critical analysis of music, exposing students to the shapes, styles and functions of music in different historical and sociocultural contexts.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, I would love to hear from you!
by Katie Chiaverini | Jul 23, 2018
Mark your calendars, student-led conferences are coming up on September 10, 2018. Please plan on having your child present to lead the conference. Student-led conferences are an integral part of the Futuro Verde culture and have many different benefits for both parents and students alike.
As parents, your role in the conference is to listen to your child as they explain their successes, growths, reflections, and goals for the future. Then, it is also important for you to give your child feedback on areas of growth that you have seen and wish that you would like to see them accomplish.
The student’s role is to be able to express their own growth within the learning process through work samples, reflections, and goal setting. We expect students to share their information in an organized manner, be good communicators, and be able to answer your questions as they arise to better explain their learning.
Different from parent-teacher conferences, the teacher’s role is mainly to help facilitate the conference, with the student as the leader. Teachers will guide students through the reflection process as they prepare to share their learning in this specific format. Because they play a more passive role in this type of conference, you might find that the teacher will facilitate several student-led conferences at once.
At Futuro Verde, we strive for our students to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, independent, and reflective. Research shows that student-led conferences are one way to actively engage students in the learning process and provide them opportunities to develop the aforementioned traits. Student-led conferences also allow parents to play a more active role in their child’s education by offering the time and space to share learning and ask clarifying questions. Futuro Verde welcomes all families to take part in this special day to share glows and grows of each and every student.
