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.
by Hileyn | May 1, 2022
This year, the International Book and Rights Day was celebrated at Futuro Verde by carrying out different activities for preschool, elementary and middle school. At this point, the celebration took place from April 18 to 25 and was attended by students, teachers and parents.
To begin with, the preschool students had the opportunity to receive a visit from parents during the library class, in which a Storytelling session was held. In this activity, parents were able to share stories and read stories to the student population. Some of the topics that the parents discussed with the students were the value of respect, friendship, good behavior and the importance of caring for the environment. In addition, the dynamic was accompanied by manual activities aimed at the students through which they were able to put into practice the learning acquired through the visit and the stories of the guests.
On the other hand, the primary school students took advantage of the library classes to learn about the creation of books, their parts and binding. In this sense, throughout the week, students from first to third grade had the space to create their own book; therefore, each student invented a story, created the cover of their book, added the pages, bound it and made the illustrations of their story. On the other hand, the fourth grade students divided into groups and researched various topics related to literature. The fifth grade students, in turn, studied the history of the book in the library class and made objects such as papyrus and parchment. Meanwhile, sixth grade students, in pairs, chose books about which there are films or audiovisual resources, each team made a comparison between the two materials and exhibited it in the library class.
For their part, the Information Science classes became a space for high school students to learn how to clean a book in different ways. In other words, the students learned how to do dry cleaning and aqueous cleaning of the paper. In this regard, students were given the opportunity to differentiate when a book can be washed with water and when it is better to clean it with other types of materials, such as an eraser and absorbent cotton. Thus, the students were able to perform both types of cleaning. In addition, the student population learned how to regulate the pH of the paper.
In sum, to culminate the week of celebration of the book and copyright day, a parade of literary characters was held among all the members of Futuro Verde. Therefore, students and teachers dressed up as their favorite literary characters, each grade had the space to parade with their costumes and the activity ended with the awarding of prizes for the best costumes among teachers and students. Thus, that day characters such as Socrates, Alice in Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and her stepsisters were seen in the corridors of the school.
by Futuro Verde | May 1, 2022
Este año, el día internacional del libro y los derechos se celebró en Futuro Verde mediante la realización de diferentes actividades para Preescolar, Primaria y Secundaria. En este punto, la celebración tuvo lugar del 18 al 25 de abril y contó con la participación de estudiantes, docentes y padres de familia.
Para empezar, los estudiantes de Preescolar tuvieron la oportunidad de recibir la visita de los padres y madres de familia durante la clase de biblioteca, en la cual se realizó un espacio de Storytelling. En esta actividad, los padres y madres de familia pudieron compartir historias y leer cuentos a la población estudiantil. Así las cosas, algunos de los temas que abordaron los padres de familia con los estudiantes fueron el valor del respeto, la amistad, el buen comportamiento y la importancia de cuidar el medio ambiente. Además, la dinámica estuvo acompañada de actividades manuales dirigidas al estudiantado mediante las cuales pudieron poner en práctica los aprendizajes adquiridos a través de la visita y las historias de los invitados.
Por otro lado, los estudiantes de Primaria aprovecharon las clases de biblioteca para aprender sobre la creación de libros, sus partes y el encuadernado. En este sentido, a lo largo de la semana, los estudiantes de primer a tercer grado tuvieron el espacio para crear su propio libro; por lo tanto, cada estudiante inventó una historia, creó la portada de su libro, agregó las páginas, lo encuadernó y realizó las ilustraciones de su historia. Por otro lado, los estudiantes de cuarto grado se dividieron en grupos e investigaron sobre diversos temas relacionados con literatura. A su vez, los estudiantes de quinto año, estudiaron en la clase de biblioteca la historia del libro y elaboraron objetos como el papiro y el pergamino. Mientras, los estudiantes de sexto, en parejas, escogieron libros de los cuales existen películas o recursos audiovisuales, cada equipo realizó una comparación entre ambos materiales y la expusieron en la clase de biblioteca.
Por su parte, las clases de Ciencias de la Información se convirtieron en un espacio para que los estudiantes de secundaria pudieran aprender a limpiar un libro de distintas maneras. Dicho de otra forma, el estudiantado aprendió a realizar una limpieza en seco y una limpieza acuosa del papel. A propósito de lo anterior, a los estudiantes se les brindó la oportunidad de diferenciar cuándo un libro se puede lavar con agua y en qué momento es mejor realizar una limpieza con otro tipo de materiales, como borrador y algodón. Así las cosas, el estudiantado pudo realizar ambos tipos de limpieza. Además, la población estudiantil aprendió a regular el pH del papel.
En suma, para culminar con la semana de celebración del día del libro y los derechos de autor, se realizó un desfile de personajes literarios entre todos los miembros de Futuro Verde. Por lo tanto, los estudiantes y profesores se disfrazaron de sus personajes literarios favoritos, cada grado tuvo el espacio para desfilar con sus disfraces y la actividad terminó con la entrega de premios para los mejores disfraces entre docentes y estudiantado. De ahí que ese día se vieron por los pasillos de la escuela a personajes como Sócrates, Alicia en el país de las maravillas, Caperucita roja, Cenicienta y sus hermanastras.
by Jennifer Middleton | Apr 30, 2022
With the help of our volunteers, we completed or made significant progress on the following projects:
Greywater and Rainwater Harvesting
Volunteers assisted with the digging of a banana circle and improvements to the drainage of water along our new dry creek. Grey water pvc pipes from handwashing sinks were rerouted underground to eliminate tripping hazards and irrigate the food forest. Lots of dirt was moved for this project, making it one of the most challenging projects of the day!
Food Forest Maintenance
Volunteers cleaned up the food forest, rebuilt the pathways, and reinforced the planter beds with tree trunks. The bananas and other plants were pruned and compost was added. In addition, volunteers also planted a variety of plants such as vetiver, turmeric, lemon grass and yuca.
Painting and General Cleanup
Volunteers on this project focused on painting the gates at the front of the school and staining all of the wood at the entry of the school. Volunteers also focused on general cleanup throughout the campus, removing trash and touching up green and white paint.
We look forward to hosting another Beautification event in May to focus on finishing the remaining projects such as building the compost bin, creating a fence for the school garden, and completing the rainwater infrastructure improvements.
A huge thanks to Green Wave for the donation of materials for our compost bin and providing permaculture expert Irene to assist in implementing the design principles on campus. Most importantly, thanks to the students, parents, teachers and staff who volunteered their time to make this event a success!
by Futuro Verde | Apr 30, 2022
Con la ayuda de nuestros voluntarios el pasado sábado, hemos completado o hecho progresos significativos en los siguientes proyectos:
Recogida de aguas grises y pluviales
Los voluntarios ayudaron a cavar un círculo de plátanos y a mejorar el drenaje del agua a lo largo de nuestro nuevo arroyo seco. Las tuberías de PVC de las aguas grises de los lavabos se redirigieron bajo tierra para eliminar los peligros de tropiezo y regar el bosque de alimentos. Para este proyecto se movió mucha tierra, por lo que fue uno de los proyectos más difíciles del día.
Mantenimiento del bosque de alimentos
Los voluntarios limpiaron el bosque de alimentos, reconstruyeron los caminos y reforzaron los parterres con troncos de árboles. Se podaron los plátanos y otras plantas y se añadió compost. Además, los voluntarios también plantaron una variedad de plantas como vetiver, cúrcuma, hierba de limón y yuca.
Pintura y limpieza general
Los voluntarios de este proyecto se centraron en pintar las puertas de la fachada de la escuela y en teñir toda la madera de la entrada de la escuela. Los voluntarios también se centraron en la limpieza general en todo el campus, la eliminación de la basura y el retoque de la pintura verde y blanca.
Esperamos organizar otro evento de embellecimiento en mayo para centrarnos en la finalización de los proyectos restantes, como la construcción del contenedor de compost, la creación de una valla para el jardín de la escuela, y la finalización de las mejoras de la infraestructura de agua de lluvia.
Un enorme agradecimiento a Green Wave por la donación de materiales para nuestro contenedor de compost y por proporcionar el tiempo a la experta en permacultura Irene para ayudar a implementar los principios de diseño en el campus. Y lo que es más importante, gracias a los estudiantes, padres, profesores y personal que han ofrecido su tiempo para que este evento fuera un éxito.
by Khalida Lockheed | Oct 20, 2021
Transitions
The transition to an International calendar has made the timing of the end of this school year and the beginning of the next school year feel odd. This is the time of year when, traditionally, we would be planning our end of the year activities, the closure of the school year coinciding with the closure of the calendar year. This year, however, we will be celebrating the culmination of primary school’s 6th graders on October 14th, but we won’t be celebrating the culmination and graduation of our 12th graders until the end of November, long after the next school year and the new IB cohort begins!
Looking Back
Our November 2021 IB cohort is preparing for their final exams and finishing up any last minute touches to their coursework which will finalize their time, not only as IB students, but Futuro Verde students. Some of this cohort have been Futuro Verde students since the school’s founding, 13 years ago! They are anxious and stressed, simultaneously looking ahead to their future plans and studies, while reflecting back on their time at Futuro Verde. They will be hosting our last Peace Practice of the year and of their student careers on October 7th. It will be an opportunity and a space for reflection.
Looking Ahead
Our May 2023 IB cohort is anxiously looking forward to beginning their journey as IB students. They have made their course selections and are enthusiastic to begin. Highlights for their upcoming year include Theory of Knowledge for all 11th graders, the new Psychology course, and exciting organized CAS experiences and retreats.
Finally, as with all transitions, changes, and new beginnings, we welcome Karol Madrigal to her new position as IB Coordinator and Curriculum Coordinator. With over 7 years of experience at Futuro Verde and currently working as the Curriculum Coordination at CINDEA, she is more than qualified to take on this new position. While our students will miss having her teach them in the classroom, she will now have the opportunity to positively impact students of all ages at Futuro Verde. As for myself, I will be continuing to assist with IB Coordination during the process of having our IB authorization verified during the 2022 and 2023 years and am delighted to be returning to teach Visual Arts at the secondary level.
During times of transition and change, life requires us to embody the IB Learner Profiles of being reflective while simultaneously being risk takers. The greatest growth happens on the trapeze of life when we let go of one trapeze and fly towards the next.
