by Angie Briceño | Oct 15, 2021
We are starting the new academic year and our second year of transition to the international calendar. We congratulate all families and students on successfully concluding this short and fast-paced academic year and thank you deeply for your commitment to Futuro Verde.
We celebrate this new year with the reinstatement of music classes for preschool through 10th grade. We offer a new and exciting arts program. In addition to the reinstatement of music, we continue with art classes, and we will be including a theater class in elementary and theater and dance in middle school.
Having a strong Arts program as part of the school curriculum benefits the overall development of any individual. Some of those benefits may include:
- Increases self-esteem
- Boosts creativity
- Improves communication
- Encounter different sensory experiences that help the human being from a young age to develop other cognitive abilities, among others.
In the middle years (7°-9° grade) we have included new electives where students can choose between Robotics, Personal Project and Community Project. These last two are what the IB calls ¨MYP (Middle Year Programs) Projects¨.
MYP projects are student-centered and age-appropriate and allow students to engage in hands-on explorations through a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection. MYP projects help students develop the attributes of the IB learner profile; offer students a significant opportunity to demonstrate the learning focus skills developed through the MYP; and foster independent, lifelong learners.
The community project focuses on community and service, encouraging students to contribute to the community welfare through their service project. The personal project offers students the opportunity to undertake independent, age-appropriate exploration in an area of their interest. (International Baccalaureate Organization 4).
We are very excited that our 7th-9th graders will be able to explore these two options ,or Robotics, and broaden their educational experience.
Last but not least, we have added swimming lessons through 6th grade, so students from Pk to 6th grade will be enjoying this wonderful sport.
A warm welcome to the 2021-2022 school year and second year of transition! See you back on November 5th!
References:
International Baccalaureate Organization. Community Project Guide. International Baccalaureate Organization, 2021. United Kingdom International Baccalaureate Organization. Personal Project Guide. International Baccalaureate Organization, 2021. United Kingdom
by Javier Sánchez Cáceres | Oct 7, 2021
On August 3, our twelfth grade students, accompanied by the principal Angie, teacher Javier and teacher Adriana, participated in an unforgettable experience full of adventure, challenges, laughter and above all, meaningful learning.
Crossing obstacles by holding on to ropes while maintaining balance, climbing a wall with concentration and canopy jumping at full speed were the main activities that the students were part of. One of the values that we can rescue the most during this experience was to see how support and teamwork stood out, achieving not only to bond the group, but also to enjoy extreme activities in a healthy way.
The group also had time to relax in the swimming pool, enjoy the beautiful scenery of the place, walk in a maze full of natural beauties, have delicious breakfast and lunch, and to finish, a cup of coffee accompanied by homemade sweet bread.
Thanks to this experience, our students were able to relax and enjoy in order to recharge their energy and determination for their last months of study in our institution.
“Look deeply into nature and then you will understand everything better.”
Albert Einstein
by Noelia | Aug 12, 2021
The process for getting a scholarship is carried out by the Social Worker, Verónica Peréz. She is the person in charge of receiving the scholarship applications and forms, collecting and analyzing the information, and making phone calls to the families, or home visits, if necessary, in order to interview the families and answer any questions they might have. At the end of the process, the Social Worker delivers a complete report on each family and also her recommendations of percentages for each one.
For the 2021 academic year we established three different percentages: 30%, 50% and 70%.
Below the 2021 scholarship process:
- Analyzing scholarship application´s process and established criteria:
- Submission of the completed application is mandatory and necessary for the application in order for it to be considered.
- Stages of analysis and study of the cases:
- 1st stage: analysis of the application
- 2nd stage: case review
- Once the analysis is complete, the social worker will provide her recommendations to the Futuro Verde administration. Decisions will be communicated to the families who have participated in the process.
- Families who have been approved for the scholarship must sign the corresponding contract.
2021-2022 Scholarship Program Important Dates:
- Scholarship application period: June 14 – July 16, 2021
- Review period for completed scholarship applications and discount requests: July 19 – August 13, 2021
- Announcement of scholarships and discounts: week of August 16, 2021
- Pre-registration period for students with scholarship or discount granted: August 23 to September 3, 2021
Reasons for denial or withdrawal of a scholarship or discount:
- Student or family misbehavior.
- Poor academic performance.
- Delays in payments without maintaining communication with the finance department.
- The execution of any serious misconduct stipulated in the internal regulations of the institution.
This year scholarships will be awarded to:
- Preschool
- Second Grade
- Seventh Grade
- Eighth Grade
- Ninth Grade
Remember that the scholarship program is an annual program, so the scholarship or discount granted applies for one academic year only.
This process will be carried out every year for all those families who wish to apply and also meet the requirements for a scholarship or discount.
by Noelia | Aug 4, 2021
As you may know, the IB learning community profile is guided by certain principles, principles that all Futuro Verde students embrace, giving an opportunity for each student to explore themselves, get to know themselves, and grow in a more holistic way.
One of my favorite ones is “Knowledgeable”, because as you may have heard: “knowledge is power”.
For many reasons (lack of information, fear, taboos, social opinions, etc.), women have had a hard time approaching the complete knowledge of menstruation. Without realizing it, we are giving away a super power we have: to ovulate! Yes, ovulation and all that implies. In fact my menstrual cycle teacher (yes, I have a teacher about this subject) says that the cycle should be called “ovulatory cycle” and not menstrual cycle, and I completely agree.
The cycle involves a coordinated and important movement of hormones throughout the month and ovulation is our official “tracker” of whether everything is going right or something is wrong (again, yes! Ovulation). It is so important for our health that Dr. Lara Briden devoted an entire book to explain why it should be considered our fifth vital sign.
That is why it is essential that girls begin to learn, before their menarche (their first menstruation), the whole experience of the menstrual cycle. They must learn how to read and record all the information that the menstrual cycle can give them.
Knowing themselves and the processes of their body and hormones will help them take care of their health in a more comprehensive way. They will also be able to detect health problems, eat according to the stage they are in, among many other things they can do with this information.
I told you, we have a super power!
During the menstruation workshops that I will be teaching to the fourth, fifth and sixth grade girls, we will learn about the complete experience of the cycle. We will learn the name of all the body parts involved and we will also be able to understand what happens from a creative and energetic level at each stage (and any other concept related to it). I must admit that I am very excited! Getting to know myself at this level has changed my life and my perception about myself, now it’s our student´s turn!
by Stephanie Nuñez Jiménez | Aug 4, 2021
Here in Preschool it should come as no surprise that our priority is…FUN!
Yes, we are responsible for our student’s first experience of what school is and yes, we take that responsibility very seriously.
Yes, our students learn about the structure of school and what the expectations are for their behavior.
Yes, our students are learning how to socialize with other students, how to form friendships and how to resolve conflicts.
Yes, our students are engaged in a rigorous academic program where they are obtaining the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and critical thinking that they will require to succeed in future grades.
BUT… our philosophy of instruction is based on PLAY. Multiple studies over decades of research have shown that all students, but especially those 6 and under, learn most effectively when they are enjoying the learning process. In our classroom, we ensure that our instruction is play based by providing a variety of activities for our students to choose from during center time, allowing our students autonomy over their learning. We build up our skills to work on whole group projects, and go on journeys of investigation as a class. We allow the students to explore the concepts of each unit, taking into account a variety of learning styles: auditory, visual, reading and kinesthetic.
We are honored to be charged with the facilitation of an engaged and enjoyable relationship with learning for our littlest school citizens. We thank you for reading and leave you with one suggestion ….go outside and PLAY!
by Angie Briceño | May 18, 2021
We have reached the end of the first semester of the year of transition to the international calendar and the students have made a great effort despite the difficulties of the bimodality that has occurred on different occasions.
We are aware of the difficult times that our community and the country have been going through during these months and that they have been challenging for students, that is why we want to communicate the importance of attending the parent-teacher conferences that will be held virtually this coming June 9th and 10th. During the parent-teacher conferences you will be able to learn more about the performance of your child. . It is important to be prepared and take into consideration some aspects for these conferences:
- It is a two-way conversation that focuses on the student’s academic performance and emotional development. The conversation should inform the parent of how the student is doing in class and how the student can improve. Make sure you bring questions you can ask the teachers to learn more about your child’s classroom performance and emotional development.
- Just like you, as a parent, the teachers at Futuro Verde also want your child to succeed, that is why during the conferences you will be able to discuss possible areas of growth both academically and in their overall development. It is important for you to be ready to ask questions about how you can support your child at home as well as how you can support your child at school, and together be able to come up with an action plan.
- If you are still not sure about the Futuro Verde´s assessment in your child’s grade, now is a good time to ask about it.
- Share with teachers information about your child, what is your child good at, the areas your child needs more support, areas in which your child is passionate about, and areas your child may not be that interested.
After teacher conferences, the appropriate follow-up is very important:
- Take notes on all the information you received during the conference. What will the teachers be doing to support the student and what will you be doing at home to support your child.
- You can talk to the teachers during the conference and schedule a meeting some time after the parent-teacher conference to follow up on the action plan.
- Remember that parent-teacher conferences are about your child, so be sure to tell them! Tell them what you learned and how they will receive support from both school and home. Ask what he or she thinks about the plan and about the suggestions.
We hope to see you all at the parent-teacher conferences on June 9 and 10 to share with teachers and stay informed. Invitations for the virtual conferences will be sent out closer to the conference dates. Do not miss them!
