by Noelia | Dec 27, 2016
16th of January – FV offices open to the public
18-20th of January – IB* retreat for Board of Directors and new IB* staff in preparation for FV’s verification visit
23rd of January – First day for FV new teachers
24th of January – First day of professional development for all FV teachers
31st of January – Open House, 1:00-3:00 pm
1st of February – First day of school for all FV students
*Centro Educativo Futuro Verde is a candidate school* for the Diploma Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy- a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Centro Educativo Futuro Verde believes is important for our students.
Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.
by Lural Ramirez | Dec 14, 2016
As we enter the new year, the administrative team at Futuro Verde sends a heartfelt appreciation to all parents who were able to confirm their child’s registration for the 2017 school year! We look forward to an excellent year ahead; full of learning, fun and growth for your child. We appreciate the confidence you place in us and the opportunity to work with your child each and every day!
If you have not yet paid your child’s registration fee, we urge you to do so as soon as possible! Prompt payment of new school year registration supports the Futuro Verde staff in confidently planning for the new school year and gives your family peace of mind that your child has a spot saved in their respective grade level. Did you know that our projected enrollment for 2017 shows full classes in multiple primary grade levels and only a few spots left in each secondary and preschool class? Wait lists already have the first students in queue, hopeful for a spot to open in our full grade levels. Make sure your child has their spot secured by confirming registration via payment of the annual registration fee and completion of the online registration form!
If you have any concerns or questions regarding registration for your child or need support from Futuro Verde’s finance department, please contact our staff via email at: finanzas@futuro-verde.org or come meet with us in person when our offices open for the new school year on January 16, 2017!
Futuro Verde
Inspiration. Dedication. Innovation.
by Stuart Millar, IB coordinator | Dec 14, 2016
Some of us are filled with excitement at the thought of school vacation with our children and are full of ideas to entertain them, while others are less thrilled at the prospect. Just because they are on vacation doesn’t mean work and the demands of life can be put on pause. After all, the summer is the busiest time of the year on the Peninsula as tourists flock to the area. “I’m bored!” might be something we will hear more than once. As parents or guardians is that something we should rush to fix?
A large amount of research indicates that we should not immediately try and fix our children’s problem when they say they are bored. A BBC article recommended that children be allowed to get bored so that they can start to explore their own creativity, their imagination, and find their own motivation to fix their problem. The article quoted Dr. Belton, an expert on the impact of emotions on behavior and learning. He believes that boredom can feel uncomfortable for children, but that it is good for them to learn to deal with being uncomfortable. With so much technology at our disposal children are developing the need, an addiction, to be constantly stimulated and entertained.
“Find something to do!” might not be the most constructive thing for you to say while our children are first learning how to deal with their perceived problem of being bored. One idea, that has had good results in our family, is to brainstorm and make a list of all the things that could happen during the vacation and then put it in a visible spot.
- As you make the list with them, show them how to think of things to do. Reflect on fun things they have done in the past and could maybe do again.
- You might already have some big activities or travel planned, but don’t forget to add in the simple things too.
- Make sure some of the ideas are easy for your children to do alone.
- Some ideas might take some planning to come to fruition. Involve your children in that planning. “Can you write a list so we don’t forget what to take for lunch on the beach?”
- Remember that vacation can be a time when our children take a backward slide with reading, math, and language acquisition. Remind them that they won’t want to return to school and feel behind. Add in opportunities to read, write and use their new language in authentic situations.
- Learning doesn’t just happen at school. With a varied list of ideas, learning can take place all the time. On the day your child plans to bake cookies they will be reading a recipe, checking they have what they need, writing a shopping list, following instructions, learning through trial and error, and doing science!
- Make sure screen time or electronics are not the automatic go-to.
- Keep adding to the list as new ideas come up.
“I’m bored” can become a bit of a habit for children. Our normal response might come from a place of frustration. Remember it is ok for our kids to be bored sometimes, and that with some gentle redirection and some new tools they should start being able to cope with that uncomfortable feeling of not being entertained all the time and be quicker to discover new things to do.
References and further reading:
Richardson, Hannah. “Children Should Be Allowed to Get Bored, Expert Says.” BBC News. 22 Mar. 2013. http://www.bbc.com/news/education-21895704
Rosenthal, Lisa. “Stop Summer Brain Drain | Parenting.” Parenting. 11 Mar. 2016. http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/stop-brain-drain/
by Lural Ramirez | Dec 3, 2016
Those familiar with Futuro Verde know that we are a community of professionals committed to on-going self-reflection and with a strong desire for continual school improvement. As we look toward the 2017 school year, I am excited to announce some incredible curricular improvements to come:
- Our whole-school 50-50 Spanish/English immersion program’s additional language component (currently French) makes a groundbreaking transition! Following the advice of current research and experts in the field of language acquisition, Futuro Verde will now provide a new course to all preschool and primary students called “Comparative Language Study”. This class will replace the current French lesson students receive in the primary grades. The reason for this change is responsiveness by Futuro Verde to new research that shows that one of the highest leverage investments in our young language learners is direct instruction and support “bridging” across all of their languages. Students will work with Futuro Verde’s language specialist and polygot, Debbie Bruylant, as the main teacher and will receive additional input and support from Futuro Verde’s new classical languages teacher, Futuro Verde’s new secondary French teacher, FV classroom specialists and even from me, the school director! The focus of the class will be students exploring all their languages within a context of: communication, culture, connections, comparisons and community. The goal is to foster young learners with strong metacognitive and metalinguistic skills, irrespective of their home language(s) and current proficiency in Spanish or English. This is a very exciting and innovative addition to our curricular offerings!
- Speaking of Classical Languages, I am proud to announce that Futuro Verde secondary students in 7th-9th grade will now have the option of choosing between French or Classical Languages (Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic) as their additional language! Did you know that Futuro Verde’s music teacher, Oscar Leal Mendez, is also an accomplished scholar of classical languages? Students can now learn all about these classical languages by choosing to take the Classical Languages tract, starting this coming 2017 school year. French or Classical Languages- what will your middle years student choose?
- Speaking of our music teacher, Oscar Leal Mendez, Futuro Verde is proud to announce that we are finally able to increase music instruction at all grade levels in 2017! More music is music to our ears here at Futuro Verde!
- We are also proud to announce that next school year our primary students will have 2 arts classes a week from our new full time Arts teacher! So exciting, so inspiring- so much to learn and explore!
These are only a snapshot of the curricular improvements to come! Please make sure to schedule our end of the year whole-school celebration- Respect, hArmony, Peace (RAP), to be held on December 13th, into your personal calendar. Beautiful student presentations are not to be missed from 3:00-5:00 pm. Potluck dinner to follow! We hope to see you there!
by David Brookshire, MPH/ School Counselor & Special Education Case Manager | Dec 1, 2016
As we enter the holiday season, bidding farewell to one year and welcoming another, we inevitably begin a period of transition. Kids transition from school to home before moving on again to the new school year. This is also, of course, a transition for adults as well. By incorporating some of the concepts that have been discussed in previous newsletter articles this year, we all can enjoy our time together with family and friends as we get ready to enter a new phase.
- Create balance.
By giving proactive, positive attention and opportunities for choice, we can empower our children to be engaged as they enter a holiday time and the beginning of a new year. Predictibility can also help to set the tone when kids know what to expect as routines change. This helps everyone to feel relaxed and at ease.
- Be mindful.
With awareness, we can participate in any situation in a healthy and meaningful way. Allowing quiet time is a great we to give our bodies and brains a well-deserved break. This, of course can provide many neurological benefits and is a great we to reset or set the day off in a positive way while reducing stress and setting intention.
- Embrace compassion.
Compassion for self and others involves treating others the way you want to be treated while also treating yourself the caring way you treat others. This allows for an encouraging and supportive environment where everyone can thrive and be comfortable. When children embody this trait they are confident, kind, and courageous.
- Practice Gratitude.
Intentionally choosing to express gratitude on a regular basis literally rewires your brain for optimism, well-being, and life satisfaction. When children and adults make this practice a habit, there is less space for fear and stress neurologically which spills out into the real world as we go through our daily lives. This is especially the case during times of transition which can sometimes be uncertain and stressful. Choosing to take inventory and recognize the positive aspects of our lives doesn’t necessarily mean the negative aspects aren’t present. It simply gives us the power to guide our focus. Kids love making lists of things they appreciate and can teach us well how far the effects of gratitude can reach.
A few simple ideas can have a big impact during times and change and set the stage for a rewarding and fun experience.
by Stuart Millar, IB coordinator | Dec 1, 2016
At the beginning of November, Santa Fe in New Mexico was taken over by La Cosecha Dual Language Conference. More than 2,500 educators, researchers, and advocates for dual language education gathered to attend a number of talks, workshops, and social events to learn and share their expertise. Futuro Verde was selected to present at this prestigious event, with Lural Ramirez, Eileen Walschmidt, and Stuart Millar delivering a presentation titled, “Futuro Verde – Research and Teacher Education Opportunities.”
This was a valuable opportunity for Futuro Verde in many different ways. Conferences such as these keep us current, giving us access to the latest research and new teaching methods that will directly benefit our teachers and students. Also, La Cosecha gave us an opportunity to promote our school and the work we do so that educators from other countries and schools can also learn and grow in some way from our experiences, successes, and challenges. Collaboration and working in groups is something we believe in for our students to be successful in class and for our teachers to be able to offer the best learning experience. This was our opportunity to collaborate on a much bigger scale. By inviting researchers and educators to come to Futuro Verde we can: bring experts to our school; perhaps answer some big questions we have about our dual language program and how to advance it further; and contribute to the research and knowledge of others, impacting teachers and students globally and in the future.
There were numerous sessions available to the attendees. Stuart particularly enjoyed “Comparative literature: a path to enhance biliteracy and intercultural awareness” to learn more ways to connect our English and Spanish literacy classes, while Lural was inspired by a presentation on translanguaging to mold and design a future additional language course at Futuro Verde.
La Cosecha also provided us with a valuable opportunity to have a meeting with Dr. Kathy Escamilla, the keynote speaker for our BHS conference in 2017. We cannot wait to hear what this pioneer in the field of biliteracy has to tell us, and we know after our meeting that it will certainly be entertaining as well as hugely informative!
