New, Additional CREW Focus Spotlights Service

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.