by Angie Briceño | Feb 24, 2020
Throughout the 2020 school year, you might notice some changes and improvements within our preschool department. We are starting off the school year with our two spacious, improved and cooler classrooms, where our youngest students can enjoy learning in each developmental area. The preschoolers will learn through movement-based and music activities, explore the texture area, observe, create, and develop their own ideas in the area of thinking and expand their love of reading in the areas of language and literature.
The teachers have worked hard, as they do every year, to make this year’s preschool department a learning experience each and every day. In each of these learning areas the children will develop skills that allow them to be lifelong learners: thinking skills, making connections between learning and life, exploration, observation, and more. The beauty of the process is that through learning histories, which teachers create by documenting the learning process through photos, videos, and observation, parents will be able to feel closer to their children’s learning.
We will also have teachers who are working with our youngest children at Futuro Verde to further strengthen students’ love of language and literature. We look forward to seeing you on Back to School Night so that you can explore these areas and more with your child in the preschool department!
by Noelia | Feb 23, 2020
At Futuro Verde we provide a holistic education that spans many important educational areas, and sports, recreation and physical education are no exception. We believe that sports activities promote an ideal student life environment for developing life skills. As in previous years, during this new school year we will continue to offer a wide variety of opportunities to our students and our community. Some of these include our second annual chess tournament which will be held in March. We will continue with our first annual swimming tournament which will be held in May. In the second trimester we will hold our traditional volleyball tournament and end our school year with the most anticipated event of the year, our fourth annual Futuro Verde Trail Fun Run 2020.
In addition to these sporting events, we will continue training student athletes to compete in the Ministry of Public Education’s Student Games. Specifically, we will be forming teams to participate in swimming, chess, cross-country, volleyball and beach volleyball.
As you can see we will have a full year of extracurricular activities for the students.
If you would like more information on how your student can join one of the competitive teams or if you would like to get involved as a coach or participant, don’t hesitate to write to me at directoratletico@futuro-verde.org
by Noelia | Feb 5, 2020
School will be starting very soon! To begin this new 2020 school year, we’re sharing some important reminders for the first month of school. Some things will stay the same as last year, while others will be changed this year to improve and perfect our performance and quality service for our Futuro Verde community.
Important Dates for the First Month of School
- February 10, 12.30 pm – 3 pm: Open House. An open-door event for all students and families at Futuro Verde; an opportunity to get the know the school, teachers, and staff that work and support students year-round.
- February 11: First day of classes for 1st through 12th grade. Preschool Department, gentle start: interviews with preschool students and families. Office staff at Futuro Verde will organize appointments for individual meetings with each family. During this appointment, families meet with the two preschool teachers in order to get to know each other, share important details about their students, and set goals for the year.
- February 12: Preschool Department, gentle start: interviews with preschool students and families. Office staff at Futuro Verde will organize appointments for individual meetings with each family. During this appointment, families meet with the two preschool teachers in order to get to know each other, share important details about their students, and set goals for the year.
- February 13: First day of school for Prepa (no school for pre-K or Kinder). Both teachers will work together on this day to get to know our preparatory students and help them adapt to their new role as older students in our preschool department.
- February 14: First day of classes for pre-K and Kinder (no classes for Prepa). It’s the little ones’ turn to have a day for themselves! Our two preschool teachers will work together on this day to get to know our Kinder and Pre-K students and help them feel comfortable as they start the school year.
- February 17: All students in the preschool department have their first day of classes together, from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
- March 4, 1pm – 5 pm: Back to School Night. See the detailed schedule of activities and workshops for Back to School Night here.
Futuro Verde Planners
Each year, Futuro Verde students receive a planner specially designed by our school in order to facilitate communication between parents and teachers. We strongly recommend that parents check their student’s planner every day to encourage smooth communication with teachers.
The planner also includes important information that helps families stay organized with school events and news, and contains resources that are worth reviewing each year:
- Schedule
- FV Directory
- Description of our Learning Community and Futuro Verde Values
- Academic Honesty
- Calendar
- Important Dates 2020
School Schedule
Futuro Verde’s class schedule is Monday through Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. It is recommended that students arrive 10 minutes before the start time so that they can settle into their classrooms and greet their classmates. That way, classes can begin on time at 8 am, without interruptions.
The departure time is 3 pm. No changes are expected for students who take school transportation since last year’s system worked well. However, some changes will be implemented for children who are picked up by their parents and/or relatives in private vehicles as our pick-up and drop-off lot has been remodeled. Please read the email about this topic for specific details.
by Khalida Lockheed | Feb 4, 2020
After the successful completion of our very first IB Generation in 2019, a new year ushers in a new group of IB candidates – our rising 11th graders! This diverse group of first-year diploma students, both old and new to Futuro Verde, joins our second-year diploma students to comprise our 2020 IB cohort. This year’s group comes well prepared for the challenges ahead, thankful for the advice and experience of our recent graduates, and enthusiastic for the preparation and growth the Diploma Program provides.
With this new IB generation comes a new IB coordinator!
While change can be uncomfortable, it inevitably also provides an opportunity for growth. I come to this position both delighted and enthusiastic for the fresh challenge and equally humble about my service to the students and the school. I am thankful for the continued support from our departing IB Coordinator, Stuart, and from the rest of the leadership team at Futuro Verde as I learn the ins and outs of this specialized position. I look forward to supporting our IB students to maximize their success, and to refining and continuing to grow the Futuro Verde IB program.
Other associated changes to our program include IB History taught by Karol Madrigal for our Group 3 offering, in place of Business Management. And, in addition, I will also be coordinating Diploma Program Extended Essay. However, for this self-directed research paper students will continue to choose the best suited Supervisor based on the subject matter for their Extended Essay. Finally, the focus at Futuro Verde, ultimately, remains preparation for higher education and success at the university level. For each student the individual pathway may look slightly different, and we offer several options within the IB framework. Successful completion of high school at FV is attainable for all our students!
by Angie Briceño | Feb 3, 2020
Picture: Elonce Paraná (2015). Youth “ambassadors” start the debate at the IV Uniting Goals Meeting. Taken from www.elonce.com
This year brings new experiences for high school students as two big opportunities for cultural and global learning are coming to Futuro Verde!
Model United Nations is a simulation in which students from diverse educational institutions represent diplomats from different UN member countries. Each participating student must study topics relevant to the country they represent, such as culture, economics, domestic and foreign policy, and general features of the society they represent. Students go through various stages before they can compete at the national or international level. These stages include preparation and sessions; the sessions stage may take place within the school, between schools, and eventually competing to reach the international level.
The Youth Ambassador Program is a program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in which interested students can apply for an exchange to the United States, where they participate in activities with other international students focused on topics such as interculturality, mutual respect between different countries and cultures, civility, community development, and others. Students who wish to apply to this program must go through a rigorous process with the U.S. Embassy. However, this process is well worth the effort because of the experience and learning that will benefit those who are selected. The program is a 3-week exchange for students between the ages of 15 and 18.
Once again, we encourage parents to encourage their children to take part in these great initiatives. We look forward to a fruitful 2020!
by Katie Chiaverini | Feb 1, 2020
CREW is what Futuro Verde refers to as its advisory block of time with all groups of students. Students are divided into different crews based on their respective grade levels and assigned a CREW teacher each year. We call this special time, shared over the course of two lessons each week, as CREW based on the concept of a crew on a boat or ship and the notion that they are all on board and working collaboratively toward a joint goal. In Futuro Verde, we don’t have passengers, everyone is a member of a CREW. This foundational understanding helps support students in their sense of belonging, their development of empathy and in the strengthening of their sense of self and their connectedness to others.
CREW time happens a minimum of two times per week, once at the beginning of the week and once at the end of the week, and should be meaningfully planned just as for any other class. CREW students and teachers actively integrate their school planners into CREW time, making goals and reflecting on them directly in their planners.
This year we are excited to be adding some new additions to the CREW structure. We have purchased a curriculum resource called Tribes by Jeanne Gibbs which focuses on learning within a caring culture and building community to support the development of our CREW class time. Tribes strive to educate children and youth in a holistic manner as it emphasizes the developmental process of tribes as responsive education, a community of learners, a caring culture, human development and learning, and student-centered active learning. The Tribes philosophy will be implemented throughout the school day by all teachers and administration but strategically utilized in each CREW class in a structured way.
The development of the IB skills (self-management, social, thinking, communication, research, and reflection) will still be an integral part of the CREW time in addition to those proposed by Tribes (inclusion, community, and influence). CREW time continues to be a time where teachers and students collaborate on the planning of their yearly field trip, making sure to cover learning connections, communication, budget, a plan for fundraising and transportation. This year, we will be adding in another component, service and giving. Each CREW group will identify an issue that calls them to action and decide how they can make a positive change in regards to their chosen cause. This can include volunteering, petitions, campaigns or fundraising. Parents will be invited to join in as well! Service learning is very important for developing and strengthening empathy skills, which are vital for success and happiness. The service learning aspect of CREW, now starting in Pre K and beyond will be an important element in your child’s success in the MEP Community Project for 10th grade and the IB CAS projects in 11th and 12th grade. Service learning is a very important piece of the IB program and we would like to pave the way for our students and allow them to get the most out of their educational experience.
We are eager to be able to put these new improvements in place. Please talk to your child about what they are doing in their CREW class and stay up to date on all their fundraising efforts and service learning.
