by Angie Briceño | Mar 27, 2020
As of today we have been in online learning for a few weeks now, which as everyone knows is necessary due to the difficult situation the world is currently in. However, we want to take this moment to congratulate all teachers, parents, but especially students who have maintained such an excellent attitude through this transition. None of this would be possible without the positive and energetic attitude that students have shown in response to this emergency.
Futuro Verde was able to quickly mobilize all of this online learning thanks to the constant training that teachers and administrative staff have received. We’ve had the opportunity to be part of an organization called Principal’s Training Center (PTC), an international organization that specializes in training, coaching, and sharing tools and guidelines with schools around the globe. Thanks to this connection we have been able to respond quickly to an emergency like this one. We have experienced a supportive environment where we receive resources that are being implemented in other schools in Costa Rica and around the world.
The resources and guidelines that we have implemented are adapted for online learning; that is, we have adequate rubrics and assignments, and have implemented tools so that the educational process of the students is not affected. Teachers are adopting and using these tools. Both parents and teachers will be receiving technology tips that will help continue this process. We invite both students and parents to take the initiative and use these tools to connect with classroom teachers.
Despite the difficulty we have encountered in switching to online learning, it brings certain benefits that will stay with our students for a lifetime: the development of skills such as self-discipline, patience, effort, and time management.
by Khalida Lockheed | Mar 25, 2020
It has become a tradition in June for Futuro Verde students (and oftentimes staff) to wow audiences with a variety of talents in our annual Futuro Verde’s Got Talent Show – and this year will be no different! Plans are still underway to gather together to celebrate the Literary, Musical, and Visual Arts on June 12th for an arts extravaganza!
Normally, we would be announcing dates for auditions and groups of students would begin the process of practicing dance moves or songs. This year, however, is not turning out to be exactly normal. No matter! Bored at home in quarantine? Use the time to work on an artwork to display, or practice a musical or dance number to perform, write a short story or poem to submit. You can collaborate virtually with friends, too, using Hangouts, FaceTime, WhatsApp, etc. And, you have the time now!
We hope to conduct auditions in late April after we return to in-person classes and will update you as we have the specific information. In the meantime, practice those moves, work on that story, create that masterpiece, and wonder to yourself: “What will the teachers do this year?” Hmmm….
by Angie Briceño | Feb 28, 2020
As many of you have already heard, the year 2020 marks the beginning of our new Model United Nations Club as one of our extracurricular activities. We have already successfully completed the process of admitting students to the club and are very excited to announce the various activities we are organizing, as well as the conferences we will be participating in throughout the school year.
Here are some important dates regarding the Model U.N. Club:
- During the months of April and May we will be collaborating with SEK International School in San Jose with the goal of having informative training sessions for our MUN Club students.
- We will collaborate with La Paz Community School, a school in the Guanacaste area to conduct training sessions.
- On August 29th and 30th, we will be attending the first inter-school conference at the East MUN Conference, where students from Model U.N. clubs across the country are participating.
- On September 25th, 26th and 27th we will be attending the national CRIMUN conference in San Jose.
- Our last event will be participating and collaborating with the Model United Nations Club at United World Colleges (UWC).
It is very inspiring that our participating students can be part of this great opportunity. Not only will they develop skills throughout the learning process such as formal writing skills, public speaking, and debate, among others, but they will also be able to get to know new places and make new friends.
by Lural Ramirez | Feb 27, 2020
Every year at Futuro Verde brings with it new and exciting progress in our facilities and campus development. The 2020 school year investments have brought us three new elementary school classrooms and an addition on our current administration building along with a remodel of our current administration facilities. All of these new learning and work spaces are beautiful!
Some features of our new classroom construction include:
Our light construction approach- metal framing and half walls keep the construction light and the open spaces allow for optimal air flow, natural light, and connection to the surrounding jungle!
The decision to raise the base of our buildings above the ground is consistent with our permaculture commitments and allows for uninterrupted flow of rain water beneath the buildings during the rainy season.
Classrooms are much larger than the previous spaces and this large space allows teachers and students to have ample and flexible learning spaces, with table and floor space used for different pedagogical approaches and needs.
A set of new bathrooms are adjacent to the 4th grade classroom and their strategic location places new bathrooms right in the middle of the elementary wing of our school, conveniently located for all elementary aged students.
Features within the administrative building addition and remodel:
- A large, dedicated library space for secondary and another for primary and preschool.
- A new computer lab with space for 25 desktop computers.
- A dedicated testing and conference room, fully enclosed, air conditioned and ready to support in class assessment times as well as student national FARO and international IB exams. When not used for assessment, the conference room will be used for board meetings, community organization and cooperation efforts and teacher meetings.
- A dedicated counseling space for our school psychologist to be able to attend to the social and emotional needs of our students.
- Additional bathrooms for students to access on the south end of the campus and during recess times especially.
- Multiple offices for our amazing specials teachers, leadership team, coordinators and finance department.
As you can see, our campus continues to expand and grow to meet the needs of our diverse community. We are thrilled to have our new buildings, to have access to comfortable and inviting learning and work spaces meant to inspire a love for learning, and we are forever grateful to our families for their commitment to our school and to our donors for their willingness to give toward our expansion efforts and facilities development! Thank you!
by Angie Briceño | Feb 26, 2020
What is CREW?
CREW is a special time when students in each grade meet with their CREW teacher to do various activities in order to develop empathy, a sense of belonging, and a connection with others. At Futuro Verde, we don’t have passengers, we are all members of a CREW. This special time happens twice a week: on Mondays during the first hour of school and on Fridays during the last hour of school.
During CREW time students from pre-k to 12th grade plan the details of their annual field trip: the destination, budget, fundraising plan, transportation, etc.
It is important to remember that the students are in charge of raising funds for their field trips. This activity brings them together and brings the focus away from any socio-economic differences of the students, while also making it easy on parents’ pockets.
In addition, this year each CREW group will choose a cause that they identify with and want to work on to create positive change.
How can you help?
Throughout the year, each CREW group will organize activities to raise money for their field trip and the cause they have chosen to support. Some of the fundraising activities include: school sodas (selling food), toy sales, bake sales, no-uniform day passes for students, raffles, movie nights, and other clever fundraisers invented by our students!
If you would like to help with our students’ CREW efforts, send a little extra money with your student so that he or she can enjoy the tasty snacks students sell at our soda (restaurant/ kiosk). We will have soda every day during the month of March except: March 2, 3, 5 and 30.
Students may also participate in the no-uniform day if they buy a ticket for ₡500. In March, we will have the following non-uniform days:
- March 13, to benefit 7th grade
- March 27, to benefit 9th grade
- March 30, to benefit 3rd grade
by Khalida Lockheed | Feb 25, 2020
At Futuro Verde, being an IB school means teaching students to think independently, encouraging engagement with local issues in a global context, and valuing both personal and academic achievement. While our IB Diploma Program students may take a several pathways to graduation, all Futuro Verde students benefit from being an IB World School.
Research shows that the IB Diploma Program stands out for factors such as university preparedness, enrollment and achievement, academic persistence, critical thinking, and higher education outcomes. According to a study from 2013, IB high school graduates from the USA were 2 times more likely to attend and ultimately graduate from a four year university than the average US national graduate. The most notable reason that IB Diploma Program graduates persist at university and ultimately graduate at higher rates than non-IB graduates is their preparation for juggling university coursework. Most notably, the areas of time management, study skills and writing (think Extended Essay!) were highlighted by university students who had graduated with the IBDP as being the most helpful.
On the whole, research shows that the IB DP graduates outperform non IB graduates from across all advanced high school programs worldwide, be it A levels or AP. Part of the reason for this is the integrated nature of the curriculum, with the Core (Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay, and CAS) requiring critical thinking, research experience, time management, and civic mindedness. Another part is the academic rigor. In a global study of a comparison between the mathematics course offerings of the DP and five other advanced qualifications from around the world, researchers found that “IB’s further mathematics HL was determined to be the most cognitively demanding course of the curriculums examined.” Further evidence of the academic rigor may be deduced from a study conducted in the USA this year which showed that average SAT scores among IB students, as compared to their non-IB peers, were over 100 points higher!
Finally, in summary of the value of the IB Diploma for university attendance rates, university selectiveness, and university performance, research finds that:
Former DP students in the United States (US) are significantly more likely to attend a ‘selective’ or ‘highly selective’ institution compared to the average US college-goer.
In the UK, they are more than twice as likely attend a top 20 university than the average A level student.
Minority and low income IB students from Chicago Public Schools were shown to go on to university at significantly higher rates than a matched control group of their non-IB peers of similar academic ability.
Feedback collected from a wide range of IB graduates suggests that IB students have an easier time adjusting to university studies.
Surveys of university and college admissions staff in the US, the European Union (EU) and Australia show that these professionals are both familiar with the programme and hold it in very high esteem compared to other qualifications.
An analysis of the recognition policies of the top universities in the US reveals that most of these institutions grant credit or advanced standing for high performance in DP courses.
http://www.ibo.org/research
