by Alejandro Ramírez | Dec 3, 2019
As usual at Futuro Verde, the 2019 school year was full of sports and recreational achievements. From circuit to national levels, our students proudly represented our colors and demonstrated that everyone’s effort and perseverance are the basis of athletic success.
Both in team sports, such as volleyball, and in individual sports, such as swimming, chess and cross country, our institution´s name has been very well represented by our athletes. Among the highlights are two of our students reaching cross country nationals, where they had an outstanding participation, and nine students qualifying for swimming nationals, where they won gold, silver and bronze medals. For the first time in our history, we also managed to classify a team to the national chess tournament, with our team achieving an honorable fifth place.
The competitive season of the Ministry of Public Education is over. However, this does not mean that opportunities for our students and families to get involved in sports activities have come to an end. We will be closing the school year with our annual trail run during which all our students run all parents and community members are invited to participate. Futuro Verde Trail Fun Run 2019 will be on December 13, save the date! Come and enjoy exercising your body in the company of the entire Futuro Verde community.
If you have any questions or would like to get involved in the Trail Fun Run 2019 race, do not hesitate to contact me at alejandro@futuro-verde.org
by Noelia | Dec 3, 2019
The end of the year is always a busy time for everyone and school life at Futuro Verde is no exception. The end of the 2019 school year comes loaded with many fun activities and important family events, so we wanted to make sure you wouldn´t miss anything by sharing the dates with you today!
- December 6th, 8 am – 3 pm: Sustainable Solutions Fair, preschool to 10th grade students share their innovative projects and ideas on how to best protect our environment and how to live a healthy life making sustainability part of our daily lives.
- December 9th, 7 am – 3 pm: Professional development – no school.
- December 11th: RAP (schedule to be confirmed): the end of the year event that brings together our diverse school population with dance, music, theatre, lyrical poetry and much, much more.
- December 13th, and 14th: The Mousetrapp, a fabulous play adapted and produced by the students.
- December 13th, 8 am – 1.30 pm: Futuro Verde Trail Fun Run – on the last day of school we hold our traditional Futuro Verde Trail Fun Run race, a fun event for the whole family. Sign up here! School release time is at 1.30 pm.
- December 16th and 17th, 8 am – 5 pm: Parent-Teacher Conferences – no school.
- December 18th, 4 – 6 pm: 6th grade graduation ceremony.
- December 19th, 4 – 6 pm: 12th grade graduation ceremony – 1st FV IB generation.
2019 Holiday Giving Campaign
The holidays are a time to reflect, share and give! Our annual donation campaign, Holiday Giving Campaign, benefiting our community´s families in need has begun! From November 28th to December 6th, bring your used clothes for all ages that remain in good condition and new or barely used toys to Futuro Verde. Do not wrap the items and deposit them in the corresponding boxes before Friday, December 6th! Let’s contribute to a happy holiday season for everyone!
We look forward to your presence to celebrate the end of a great year together!
by Lural Ramirez | Dec 3, 2019
Every school community celebrates school level graduations in unique ways and Futuro Verde’s traditions are a perfect match for our singular and proud school community! At Futuro Verde, and after extensive polling of our entire school community during our 10th year anniversary school year, we came upon our permanent graduation traditions. We have been intentional in the development of these traditions as an opportunity to define the Futuro Verde experience and include consistent ceremonies from year to year that are filled with meaning and depth.
I share with you details on the Futuro Verde graduation traditions:
High School Graduation
Futuro Verde 12th graders culminate a rigorous 2-year diploma program full of learning, unforgettable experiences and preparation for their independent lives ahead. The final two weeks of school for 12th graders has them: finishing final exams, attending their final Prom and then climbing mount Chirripó (the tallest peak in Costa Rica)! As graduation rolls around at the end of the school year, our 12th graders join us at an off-site location for an evening designed to acknowledge their efforts, celebrate their successes and send them off into the world prepared for the opportunities and challenges that await them. 12th grade graduation is a formal event and students wear formal attire, caps, gowns and sashes. The ceremony includes speeches from meaningful adults in the students’ lives and ceremonial aspects allusive to this special occasion, including an event photographer.
Elementary School Graduation
Following successful completion of 6th grade at Futuro Verde students have their first formal graduation ceremony at Futuro Verde! The event is held yearly on the Futuro Verde main stage. Students wear semi formal attire and don caps, gowns and sashes for the event. Futuro Verde’s student body president welcomes students to secondary school with a meaningful rock ceremony, students receive a bounty of well wishes prepared especially for them by family, friends and teachers, parents escort their children to the stage and student diplomas are presented to them in a custom designed Futuro Verde diploma holder. A photographer is on site to capture special moments from the event as well.
Grade Levels with Special Activities, but no Formal Graduation Ceremony
In Costa Rica, some schools also celebrate graduation from Prepa and 9th grade. At Futuro Verde, our school community was clear in not wanting to adopt and continue with this tradition and graduation ceremonies for Prepa and 9th grades have not been held since 2017. As an international school with lofty goals for our students, it is customary to celebrate the completion of primary and secondary school only and for the second year in a row we will follow this important tradition.
Prepa and 9th grade do not have formal graduation ceremonies at Futuro Verde, although per Costa Rican Ministry of Education (MEP) expectations students do receive a diploma during parent-teacher conferences at the end of the year in 9th grade and during a class party for Prepa at the end of the year.
A highlight for students in Prepa and 9th grade is the tradition of a joint artistic performance during our end of the year RAP: Respeto, Amor, Paz celebration. This spectacle is not to be missed!
As you can see, graduation traditions are well thought out and meaningful aspects of school life at Futuro Verde! If your child is graduating this year- congratulations! If your child is heading toward a graduating year soon, I hope this article has helped explain our processes and traditions.
by Katie Chiaverini | Oct 31, 2019
Futuro Verde is very excited to begin implementing a new curricular support which is a learning platform for math called IXL. The IXL program will be used by students across all the grades and can also be accessed online at home. With thousands of skills that match what we’re learning, as well as insights into student progress, IXL is a great resource to help your child excel.
The IXL math program is made up of four main components that are integrated throughout the program to better personalize learning for each and every student: Comprehensive Curriculum, Personalized Guidance, Actionable Analytics, and Continuous Diagnostic. The program provides over 8,000 skills to support grade level objectives and gives instant feedback to students on their work. Students find it very engaging and motivating as it provides incentives connected to student achievement. Another very important aspect is that the questions adapt as the student answers correctly or incorrectly to allow them success at the appropriate level.
There are many different ways that parents can support their children at home with the IXL program. Parents can encourage their children to visit the personalized “Recommendations wall” within IXL for helpful review or new challenges, as they are targeted specifically for each student! Parents can also sign in to their child’s account and click on Analytics to see what they’ve been working on and check their progress. With built in incentives and rewards, families can help celebrate student accomplishments when a new goal is reached.
On October 31, Futuro Verde provided a parent workshop on how to help support their children at home with the IXL program. We were so glad to have parents as learners and show an interest in their child’s academic growth. If any parents would like to know more about the IXL program or how to help their child at home but missed the workshop, feel free to email Katie@futuro-verde.org for more information.
by Angie Briceño | Oct 30, 2019
We are nearing the end of the school year and this also means that some fantastic celebrations for Middle and High School students are coming up!
In 2015 and again in 2018, high school students had a magical and unforgettable night together filled with dance, a fire show, and an amazing time all dressed up with their friends.
Prom is an anticipated event by all, and it is not only attending it that makes it so appealing and exciting, yet also being able to participate in its organization and production! That is why this year, we have 2 dance committees made up of students, parents and teachers taking care of all the logistics.
Two committees?
Yes, there are two committees this year! One prom committee with 9th to 11th grade students and another, consisting of students from 6th to 8th grade, organizing the first Middle School Dance at Futuro Verde.
Both committees have the task of carrying out all the event logistics such as music, food, venue, dance theme, date, price, activities and much more. Everyone is working hard so that both dances are successful and fun. Below you will find detailed information regarding both proms:
PROM for students from 9th to 12th:
Theme: An Arabian Night
Date: November 23rd
Time: 6:00 to 11:00 pm
Place: Quebrada State, Las Delicias
Admission: only for students from 9th to 12th and their companions (from 15 to 19 years old)
Admission price: 8,000 colones before November 1st, 10,000 colones after November 1st
Dress Code: Semi-formal
Middle School Dance from 6th to 8th grade:
Theme: Tropical Spring Fling
Date: November 9th
Time: 6:00 to 9:00 pm
Place: Futuro Verde
Admission: Only for 6th to 8th grade Futuro Verde students
Admission price: 1000 colones
Dress Code: Semi-formal
We hope to continue with these important student traditions which develop excellent life skills such as organization, planning, communication, oracy and creativity, conflict resolution and teamwork. Encourage your children to be part of the 2020 dance committees!
Stay tuned for more activities on our Instagram and Facebook channels!
by Rico Reolon | Oct 30, 2019
The Futuro Verde educational project has always been a labor of love for our board members! Having been on the board from the beginning and having overseen all of the construction, remodeling and development projects our school has taken on, I can attest to the hard work and concerted effort facilities development has been at our small, community school.
The positive news is that our facilities continue to improve each year and this has been the product of the support of school families, generous external donors and the careful planning and quick initiative of Futuro Verde leadership team and board members looking to act quickly and in favor of ongoing development, growth and improvement.
Some highlights from our governing body and from my tenure as board president include:
Overcoming Development Setbacks- From a lack of funding, to a lack of consistent governmental support, to the delay of planned projects in order to address urgent needs, our development has not been a continual line of success. But, through it all, I am proud to say that our board of directors has worked together to problem solve, address urgent issues and to work diligently toward the best facilities we can achieve at any given time.
Strategic Plan- I am proud to say that our board has followed a strategic plan for years now. This plan has focused the board’s efforts and ensured that we continue to seek development of our student population and facilities with intention and drive. A new, full day board retreat scheduled for November 9th will have us reviewing and updating our current strategic plan.
Leadership and Guidance- The board of directors takes its responsibility of leadership and governance seriously and this includes a sustained focus on the support and counsel of our fantastic school leadership team as they strive to ensure that our programs develop in a measured way that matches our ability to improve and build new and needed facilities. The positive relationship we have sustained with the school leadership team has allowed for courageous conversations and collegial interactions in which the well-being of our students and our school stay at the forefront of our decision-making.
Septic System Process- One of our most recent achievements has been a major improvement to our septic system, which will improve our waste water management school wide. We are proud to be collaborating with Ecotanks in the installation of a system that fully treats our waste water and releases into the environment waste that is 100% potable (although Futuro Verde will use this water only for watering purposes, not for drinking). As our student population grows and our facilities multiply, adequate waste water treatment has become a pressing and urgent need we are thrilled to have solved at this time.
Future projects:
As many of you know there are many projects yet to come:
- construction of our multi-use sports court
- construction of new, permanent classrooms to replace our remaining temporary buildings
- remodeling and expansion of our administrative building
- completion of our staff parking lot and remodel of our visitor lot to make arrival and dismissal safer and more efficient
