by Angie Briceño | May 24, 2019
We have successfully completed the initiative to offer a workshop for parents! In the past couple of months, we have discussed different topics related to the arduous, constant and rewarding task that comes with being a parent.
We were able to prove, beyond any doubt, that there is no perfect recipe to address every aspect related to the growth and integral development of our children. We must take into account the fact that our children are constantly changing, growing and developing, which entails a constant commitment on behalf of parents to ensure that each child is guided and supported according to the circumstances in which they find themselves. Moreover, we should take into account their strengths, the challenges they face and the areas of growth that present themselves. We invite you to take this into account when supporting and guiding your children.
Although we discussed a variety of diverse strategies to implement throughout the course, parents share a unique bond with their children, allowing them to also intuitively decipher what their children need at a given time.
Remember that the very first learning and the foundations of the development of any human being, start at home! Therefore, parents play a fundamental role in the learning process of their children. We invite you to reflect on the role you as parents are playing at this point, both to congratulate yourself and to raise your awareness in the areas where you can improve the support and guidance you provide for your children.
There is a saying that goes: “I only know that I do not know anything.” I recall it often to make sure I constantly take up my responsibility to inquire and update my knowledge in order to enhance the way in which I influence the people whom I relate with. I invite you to continue to research and learn about the concerns that parents experience. And, remember, there is no perfect recipe! What works for one child, does not necessarily work with the other child. We are all unique and unrepeatable. Our differences enrich us!
An affectionate greeting and big thanks to all those who accompanied us during the course.
by Lural Ramirez | May 9, 2019
Over the course of this year I will be sharing with you reflections on our school’s core values. My article in March explored the first of five core school values, “Futuro Verde: Always connected, forever evolving”. Today, I will be sharing reflections on our second core school value.
Futuro Verde: Feeling safe and comfortable to be ourselves helps our learning to thrive
Student well-being is an essential component to the educational experience. When a student feels safe and comfortable throughout their day at school they are more able to access their learning and acquire and internalize new concepts and enduring understandings. School safety includes being free from physical, social and emotional harm and it is an integral aspect to school leadership and design. Student comfort should include the ability by all students to feel accepted and understood by their teachers and peers and to also have an internalization of the school procedures, traditions and routines and to come to expect consistently how the school environment will be. When these conditions are in place, students not only learn and grow, but they thrive!
At Futuro Verde we are fortunate to be situated in the middle of the countryside and jungle. We have secure campus infrastructure and because our students are encouraged to take risks and explore their natural environment they are well-equipped to keep themselves physically safe. Our commitment to active staff supervision during all structured and unstructured times of the day ensures that adults are present to guide, correct and encourage. Our strong social-emotional structure at school includes whole school commitment to mindfulness, reinforcement of our learner profile throughout all aspects of student life, democratic and reciprocal processes of student-teacher engagement, and restorative justice approaches to behavior management. Through our Peace Practices and multi-age learning with Buddy Classes, our students feel connected to one another, they come to deeply know each other and they learn to interact and engage with one another under a pretext of respect and understanding. Our staff are highly qualified and then are trained and supported regularly in their ongoing professional development needs. This school-wide, professional focus on calibration and collaboration among all Futuro Verde staff leads to the consistency and coordination that allows for a predictable and stable learning environment for all students.
This is why students who learn at Futuro Verde can be described as thriving in their learning environment and we are proud of our structures, the articulated support systems we have in place, and our prioritization of student well-being throughout all ages and stages of the educational process!
by Angie Briceño | May 8, 2019
There are only a few days left until Earth Day Charity Challenge ends!
The organizations have been inviting the participants to visit the different workplaces so that they may learn about what they do and how to help. Last week, the ASVO group was able to watch and participate in the release of sea turtles and learn about why some of the baby turtles did not hatch. They found out it can be important to place a roof to avoid further warming of the sand.
In the following days and weeks, the participants will be visiting and volunteering with the organizations they support.
Here are the amounts collected to date:
Refugio Romelia $96
Wild Sun Rescue Center $109
Casa del Árbol de Futuro Verde $26
Gatos de Futuro Verde $70
ASVO $532
CREMA $129
Remember, the groups to claim the top three spots by raising $ 1,000 can donate the following to their organization:
1st place $1000
2nd place $750
3rd place $500
You can help the groups reach their goal of $ 1,000 and thus support the organizations as they protect the environment and different species!
The rest of the money raised will be used to complete the amount for the construction of the Futuro Verde sports court.
Donate now!
by Lural Ramirez | May 7, 2019
Have you heard about Futuro Verde’s annual education conference held on our campus on the last Thursday and Friday of June each year? Attendees from years past can attest to how unifying the conference is with attendance by educators, community members, parents and students from around the peninsula, Costa Rica and the world.
This year’s conference is gearing up to be another great experience! Click on the link below to register and read the flyer below for details on the basics of registering and getting involved in this year’s conference! And, don’t forget! Our Call for Proposals is currently open for submissions. If you are an educator or community member with something to share in the area of bilingual, holistic or sustainable education, submit your proposal today!
Registration Form
Call for Proposal
by Alejandro Ramírez | May 6, 2019
Our competitive season is in full swing and there is no doubt that efforts in training are the key to success during competitions! Our athletes are training hard and making our institution proud! In Cross Country, 9 of our runners qualified for the regional event and in the regional event we had excellent results, managing to classify Leandro Salazar and Brittany Castrillo for the national final on May 13 and 14 in Nosara.
Our athletes are also dominating in mind games. On April 25, Chess Interregionals were held, attended by delegations from Nicoya, Lepanto, Cóbano and Santa Cruz. Among the most important results stand out the second place of Joaquín Ramírez, third place of Allison Elias Montoya and first place of our male category B team facing the host team of Lepanto in the final and defeating it in an exciting tiebreak game. Santiago Ramirez, Eco Jacob, Edgardo Salas and Jonathan Semyonov will represent our institution in the national final in Pérez Zeledón on May 27, 28 and 29.
In Swimming and Volleyball our athletes have not yet entered the competitive stage. However, they continue to work hard with a winner’s mentality week in week out because they know that medals are won in training and collected during race day.
Stay tuned for the final results of our competitive season, which, I assure you, look very promising!
by Noelia | May 5, 2019
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” is a phrase by Robert Collier that sums up the work we do at Futuro Verde in general and, more specifically, in the library perfectly.
From the moment the library was founded, firm goals and convictions were established that are reinforced day by day, regardless of the circumstances. We started out with a simple space with a closed bookcase and a collection of no more than 750 books. Today, we have more than 7,000 copies in accessible shelves, as well as two reading, study and teaching areas. Hence, we believe that every minute dedicated to the library has been worthwhile and has paid off.
With the aim of changing the perception that documentation centers have become tedious and lifeless places, the school administration, collaborators and library employees have taken on the task of converting this area into a comfortable and attractive hub, mainly for the students. Attempting, without a doubt, to draw them closer to the most important source of culture, information and knowledge: books. Through school investments, donations and various fundraising activities, we have managed to improve in 4 essential areas:
Increase the bibliographic volume of books in Spanish, English and French.
Bring library spaces to life.
Provide the necessary means for successful investigations.
Instill a love of reading from the smallest levels onwards.
This last point is, undoubtedly, one of the most important and the school decided to support it by hosting our first Annual Book Fair, held the same day as International Book Day on 22, 23 and 24 April.
Since we sold 70% of the books that we had purchased, recovered the money we had invested, and earned a profit in both money and books (since all the books that were not sold will be incorporated into the library), we are extremely proud to announce it was a huge success! Moreover, we feel great satisfaction knowing that many parents and students invested their money in books, which they are enjoying today.
For all of us involved in the preparation of our fair, it was gratifying to see the excitement and emotion on the face of each child, youngster, teacher and parent who came to the stand to admire or buy a book.
I would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the people involved and collaborators: Doris Madrigal, Mariel Urban, Jusneyling Marenco, Angie Briceño, Katie Chiaverini, Lural Ramírez, Evelyn Vargas, Joaquín Salas, Hannia Granados, Hellen Molina, Walter Mairena, Alannah Anglin and Khalida Lockheed, without your support and collaboration this wonderful week would not have been possible!
We also wish to thank the sponsors of our bingo:
- Chelo’s Pizza
- Farmacia Montecristo
- Transporzuma
- Repostería Doris Madrigal
- La Selva
- Maureen’s bracelets
- Piscina Torogoz
- Macondo Montezuma
- Santa Teresa Travels
