Last week I talked about the aim to develop international minded people displaying the attributes of the learner profile. We do this by teaching them languages, math, science, social studies, technology and the arts through a transdisciplinary approach that connects their prior knowledge to interesting units that are related to global issues. Whether it is the big idea of “how we  are organized” (grades 1,3)” where we are in place and time” (grades 4,5), “who we are” (Pre-School, grade 2) or “how the world works” (Vorschule) students gain the knowledge of traditional subjects through engaging, challenging, global, interesting topics. They are actively involved in their learning through questioning, researching, thinking and communicating. Along the lines they learn important social and self management skills. The skills are what the students will apply throughout their lives. The big ideas are, what they will remember, because they can apply these to real life situations. This realization  becomes even more clear after watching  “ Are you smarter than a fifth grader” where very few contestants are able to answer questions correctly geared towards facts learned by first through fifth graders. On the other hand the PYP concepts of form, function, change, causation, connection, perspective, responsibility and reflection are what guides students in their learning whether it’s math, science, language or any other subject. Facts can change and are sometimes difficult to connect to real life. Concepts are universal, timeless and can be represented by different examples that share common attributes. This is knowledge that can be connected across subjects. And through these connections learning becomes meaningful. This is not to say that studying and stand alone subject components  have no room in the PYP. It is recognized that students need to know facts like grammar and spelling rules, math facts, but unless they are applied in real life context they don’t make much sense to the students. So the teachers need to find the balance when teaching skills through drills and when to use authentic application.

 

The New School Year

The first week of school started with a bang. After a cool summer a sweltering heat wave hit the school as we launched students back into the structured school day. During the first assembly our Head of School welcomed new students and teachers, reminded students of our last year's focus about the culture of respect - which will be the continuing focus of school life - and introduced the year of creativity.

In all of the classrooms the teachers focused on establishing essential agreements that will help guide the students through their daily classroom activities. These will be posted in each classroom and include the attitudes and attributes of the learner profile promoted in the IB Programs. The attitudes are "how we want students to act" (showing, respect, tolerance, appreciation, commitment, cooperation, confidence, empathy, enthusiasm, independence, creativity,  curiosity, integrity), the attributes of the learner profile show "what we want  students to become" (knowledgeable, balanced, responsible, reflective, inquirers, caring, principled, communicators, risk takers, thinkers).

The IB Learner Profile is an integral part of all three IB programs. It is the heart of international education through which we aim to develop international minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help create a better and more peaceful world. It is a high aim, but we believe that all our students will be playing an important role in the future and we want them to recognize  their responsibility towards a global community. You can contribute by reflecting on these same attributes at home.

 

Welcome Back to School

It is hard to believe that the new school year is already upon us. The staff has been busy getting the classrooms ready and preparing for the upcoming school year. New this year will be the introduction of the Middle Years Programme (MYP). The Middle School teachers have been busy working out the leading concepts of the program and planning to integrate them into their lessons

As for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) our focus this year will be on the transdisciplinary nature of the program. We will explore how best can we integrate all the essential elements of the PYP curriculum framework into all our subject teaching.

As a whole school our focus this year will shift from the attitude of respect to the attitude of creativity. During this week teachers spend one day exploring the aspects of creativity under the lenses of communication, visual arts, dramatic performances and problem solving. We explored questions like: What do we want to accomplish by the end of the school year? How are we going about reaching our goals? What will the impact be on the school community? How will we assess the progress and the final achievement? What will the evidence look like?

As a staff we are looking forward to see our brainstorming being put into action and for all of you to see an even more creative approach to the learning in our school.

I can speak for the whole administrative team when saying that we are really excited to see the International Baccalaureate (IB) programs unifying our school with a strong emphasize on international mindedness.

In the coming weeks I will elaborate on different components of the programs to help all of you gain a better understanding of how IB will prepare our students for the future.

 

The last unit of the school year is almost finished. The pre-school celebrated their unit on the four seasons with a big summer celebration. Parent and buddies were invited to travel in Vorschule as they closed the year with a unit on organizing travel. As part of their unit on time students in grade 2 reflected on a timeline on their favorite moments of the school year. Grade three finished with a science unit on magnetism and created magnetic games with game rules. Students worked in groups in grade four to display economic principles based on their IKEA visit. In grade five students researched different government systems as part of their “How we organize ourselves” unit. Once again students did an excellent job showing their knowledge in very creative ways. I am sure everybody is ready for the summer break!

Last week a parent asked me an interesting question worth pondering. Why does the IB require schools to inform the parents about the program? The key to this question lies in the belief that in order for students to flourish in their development and learning  it is best when students have established a relationship with the adults who play a role in their lives. The student is best served when the relationship between home and school are reciprocal and supportive. Therefore parents in the PYP classroom are welcomed as partners, with a clear role to play in supporting the school and their own children. For this they need to be involved and informed about what kind of learning is happening at school. This becomes especially important as school systems once  leading the world in education are finding themselves struggling to keep up with a world turning global. Knowledge today is expanding exponentially. Finding information once took us several trips to the library. It is now at our finger tips with the help of computer technology. IBO (International Bachelaureate Organization) identified these changes years ago and is therefore a leading force in education world wide. They recognized the importance of a focus on  transdisciplinary teaching where you connect  skills, attitudes and relevant knowledge across all subjects. By shifting the focus on conceptual understanding to address the globalization as well as placing international mindedness at the heart of the program the IBO tackles the need for change. The IBO strongly believes that the best prerequisite for excellent education and  a good partnership between school and home lies in parents understanding the importance of the shift in education and the goals of the PYP.

For those of you interested in educational changes please check out the link below involving Ken Robinson who is talking about education and creativity

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Children's Use of Technology

The impact of children's (over) use of technology at home provides educators and parents with a new variety of challenges. Research has shown a direct correspondence between over use of technology in children's sensory development as well as a disintegration of core values long ago associated to family and school life. As an IB school  we recognize the importance of core values and integrate it into our school life through a  set of clearly defined attitudes and attributes of the Learner Profile. This year we put a special focus on developing a culture of respect. Reflecting on the year we have seen the positive impact by observing the learning environment of our school. As a result of this, fewer issues have been brought to the attention of the administration. Interestingly though, most of the complaints made were about children sharing inappropriate information or materials that they have accessed at home, on television or via the internet, specifically via YouTube. Understanding that we live in a fast paced society there is a danger in replacing quality family time with allowing children unsupervised  access to the internet (they can access information in a matter of seconds), providing them with the latest video games (which are often very violent in nature), permitting them to watch movies containing inappropriate language, violence and or items of a sexual nature. One thing we have to remember is that children's sensory systems have not evolved biologically to keep up with today's frenzied nature of technology. In the classroom, teachers are struggling to keep up with the large variety of sensory and motor development in students. They also find it challenging to provide the balance between informing and shielding students from information some parents deem as appropriate, while others find it inappropriate. As we are moving into the 21st century there is a need for families to explore the impact technology has on their child and how to control exposure at home. Below is a link to a great article connecting these thoughts.

http://www.zoneinworkshops.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Summer2009-OTLine-Technology-overuse-on-child-sensory-development.pdf

 

Grade 5 Exhibition

"Sharing  the planet" was the transdisciplinary theme that all grade level classes concluded this week. There were many interesting presentations as students showed their summative assessment task in their classrooms. The highlight though was the exhibition hosted by the 5^th grade  students. In the final year of the PYP, students participate in a culminating activity project, the PYP exhibition. The exhibition represents a significant event in the life of a PYP student synthesizing the essential elements of the programme, sharing it with the school community. It is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the learner profile that have been developed throughout their engagement with the PYP. It is also the celebration as students move from the PYP  into the middle school program (MYP). During this unit the students choose their own central idea and explore the lines of inquiry based on topics of their choosing. They ranged anywhere from green technology, endangered animals, lack of education, pollution, peace and conflict, disasters and emergency to global infectious disease. At this point I would like to thank all the mentors (David Giesen, Joerg Matzeit, Luise Genzinger, Peter Metzger, Dominic Liechti, Maike Silver, Simone Harles and Kylie Whalen) for taking the time out of their busy schedule to support the students in this task and make this a community effort. I would also like to congratulate all the students and Frau Strasser for a terrific job putting on this event. Any parent who would still like to see the presentations is welcome to join the fifth grade in the gym at 11:05am tomorrow as they are hosting the Lexington Elementary School. Their 5^th grade students will observe our exhibition before they will lounge into theirs. This event truly shows of the strength of our school as well as the community involvement.

Job well done!

Earth Day

I am proud to wear my Earth Day badge "I give the Earth a hand. I pick up litter, care for tree, recycle what I can...".

To connect to the global celebration of Earth Day all the Elementary School classes are currently working on their units "Sharing the Planet". You might have noticed the Vorschüler caring for the school garden as part of their unit. First graders are exploring the effect environment has on aquatic life. Adaptation within habitats is the concept second graders are studying. The third grade students collect ideas about how we at the school can do a better job at recycling. Different ways to transform and conserve energy is inquired into by grade 4. And the fifth graders are working on their exhibition projects as they explore different topics along the line of equal opportunities and peace and conflict. On Earth day (April 22) the fourth and fifth graders will go an environmental cruise on the Bay were they learn more about ways to protect our local surroundings. All the other classes will do local action projects connected to their units. "...I'm an Earth Day helper each and every day. I take care of mother Earth in oh, so many ways."

Why should I send my child to a PYP school? What makes it a great  program? These are the questions I would like to explore today. A key to the success of the PYP is its focus on learning global concepts of international importance rather than local particulars. This allows for students to transfer their knowledge to any place in the world. In addition the components of the program ensure that the needs of the whole child are addressed as teachers collaborate to identify how and when they teach not only knowledge and concepts, but also skills and attitudes important for life long learners. But the program framework does not stop there. By asking the students after each unit to think and reflect on what they might do with what they have learned, the program promotes actions. In the past this included raising money for  earth quake victims in Haiti, as well as for building schools in Malawi and Pakistan. It prompted students to clean beaches, to bring food to the homeless, and to plant gardens in their back yards. The teachers apply inquiry strategies during interesting, engaging and challenging units involving the students and making them the center of their own learning. While students explore and research different units of inquiry, they learn to write pieces that inform, describe, persuade and entertain applying previously taught grammar and spelling in context rather than isolated. They learn to connect math concepts like space, shape, data handling and measurements in real life situations. Besides this they learn to integrate music, art, PE and technology into their studies of global ideas. Finally the success  of the program also lies in the value placed on continuing education. The teachers and the leadership team of the school collaborate as they continuously investigate new ways to strengthen learning in the school. This is what keeps this program constantly evolving and puts it in  the leading position for education world wide.

A big part of the success of the PYP in our school lies in the commitment of the school to provide continuing education, scheduled time to plan collaboratively and shared leadership. This year alone we send 10 teachers to PYP workshops, where they gained a deeper understanding of the programme and had the opportunity to collaborate, exchange thoughts and ideas with other IB World School educators. Last week four of our teachers had the chance to attend a roundtable discussion organized by CAWS (California Association of World Schools) exploring the meaning of International Mindedness in our curriculum. Everybody came back with new ideas which will be shared in our staff meetings. On top of this we have every week a scheduled time in which the grade level teams meet with me as the coordinator to plan for and reflect on the units of inquiry. Besides these organized meetings the administration tries to schedule free periods  throughout the week in which the homeroom teachers can use for collaborative planning. As another form of partnership teachers also visit each others classes, looking for new ideas and giving feedback on their observations. This is a very effective of continuing education and collaboration.  As for the leadership team Peter, Heike, Dominic and I work closely together to ensure continuity and quality throughout the programs. For the first time this year we also established heads of departments for English (MS Baring), Math (Frau Genzinger) and German (Herr Matzeit) who led the team of teachers in discussions regarding methodology, practices and objectives for the individual subjects. This shared leadership not only creates a positive environment for our working community, but also  models the culture of respect we set as a goal for the school year.

Today I want to focus on the shift that is happening in education to prepare students for the future. What are some of the challenges we are facing as educators? How are we tackling the issues? What is the support we need to do so? The biggest challenge we as a human race face these days is the exponential speed in which new knowledge is acquired and distributed. When we think about the fact that the knowledge university students gain in the field of science during their first year of college is mostly antiquated by the time they graduate, where does this leave us as educators and parents? How do we prepare the students for the future? What knowledge is important for all and how is it retainable? To address these issues there is a shift happening in education from factual learning to conceptual learning. Concepts are global, timeless and abstract and therefore applicable for life. So how do we make these concepts accessible for the students? To gain an understanding of these concepts teachers choose topics that are relevant, engaging and challenges for students, making references to the big idea behind it. For example as we are trying to teach the concepts of migration, challenges and opportunity, we choose some facts regarding the effects of the gold rush on settlements and daily life, combine these with the topic of westward bound and teach the big idea (concept) that human migration presents challenges and opportunities. This idea is global, timeless and abstract. Based on the topic the students are learning skills related to language learning -note taking, descriptive writing, spelling and grammar. By working out bigger ideas in different groups students are practicing the skills they will need in almost every workplace these days. Communication skills, problem solving skills, using each others strength, presenting the findings, and so on; all values not fostered when I went to school. Nevertheless they are essential as we are looking into the future.

To further underline my point this shift is beginning to happen in the United States. Colorado is currently the first State who rewrote entire standards based on concepts rather than facts. It is no wonder that the driving force behind these changes came from some of the educators from the longest established IB schools in the country.

And this leads me to my final question. What support do we need on our road to success? We need people who are knowledgeable about the challenges facing the new generation; people who provide a structure for children and young adults that allows them to learn from failure in order to succeed; people who support them, without doing the work for them and people who guide them with clear expectations and consequences. In short we need to see each other as a community doing our best to shape our students into becoming lifelong learners.

The fourth graders reflected on how they connected different art forms from pictures to poems, to dance, to sports, to 3D models to music. One of the highlights was probably one boy singing about a ski trip experience following the melody of "Amazing grace". What a risk taker! Good and bad influences was the topic for the third graders. They created different types of journals expressing their personal experiences. Tomorrow they will also present a rap impersonating influential people during the 6 period assembly. Second graders made connections between the impact of natural forces  on landforms and the people who live there. They not only showed their knowledge in writing on posters, but included creative elements like short skits, models and large displays. Showing that they are true IB students one group even designed a peer assessment tool to be filled out by the audience. What a balanced healthy lifestyle should look like, was shared by the first graders as they planed activities throughout the day. They mapped out a healthy breakfast, hygiene activities, meditation, physical activities, work sessions and others to ensure a good balance of the day. Vorschule presented an art exhibition showing their editions of Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Hundertwasser, Matisse, Warhol and others.   Café Zoe, our local coffee shop, even offered to share our students art work with the local community. We will let you know, as soon as the work will be displayed. In our Pre-School the students are just finishing a unit on caring for wild and domestic animals. Beside the animals already in the Pre-School this hands on unit was enriched by allowing students to care for abandoned kittens, watching a pony in their back yard, observing and holding a chinchilla, hamsters, dogs and other animals. Teachers set up an animal science lap, hospital, dress up area, shelter and pet store. I hope all of you had a chance to acknowledge and admire all the work your students and teachers put into our program. For myself I can only say, I wish there would have been a school like ours when I was a child!

Changes in AP

Action At Gais

In their last Unit of Inquiry students in grade 4 learned about different perspectives on beliefs and values. On one of their fieldtrips to the Islamic Center in Sunnyvale the students met Dian Alyan, who had lost over 40 members of her family in the Tsunami in 2004. In order to heal her own wounds and those of others she founded Givelight www.givelight.org an organization that provides orphanages for children in need. Our students where so touched by her story that they decided to take action themselves. Last Friday they brought in toys, books, baked goods... from their homes and organized a fleamarket earning more than $450. The money will sponsor the Darus Sunat Orphanage in Bangladesh. The fourth graders also solicited help from their first grade buddies to promote collaberation across the grade levels. Beside that it gave the first graders a hands on experience with selling and buying goods in order to help others.

This is an excellent example of how the education at our school is extending beyond the intellectual to include not only socially responsible attitudes but also thoughtful and appropriate action. Congratulations to all the grade 4 students for well thought out action that proved that we are in line with our mission statement of developing students who are  responsible learners and global thinkers.

 

The three little pigs come to GAIS

Most of you probably know the story of the three little pigs. The traditional story follows three pigs sent out into the world by their mother. Each of them builds a house to protect them from the hardships of the world, but along comes a big bad wolf. One by one, the wolf blows each house down until he comes to the last pig's house, which was built on a strong foundation of brick. The wolf is unable to even scuff the brick house and attempts to sneak in through the chimney. The pigs are ready for his entrance, placing a pot of boiling water in the fireplace. When the wolf leaps into the chimney, he lands in the pot and the pigs make a stew out of him.

With the help of their teachers Ina, Dagmar, Jutta and Birgit, our Vorschul-students decided to take another angle by ending of the story according to the IB values. As caring and empathetic little pigs they felt sorry for the bad, but hungry wolf. Rather than trapping and eating the wolf they communicated an offer through the window. Assuming that even a bad wolf is principled, they offered to share their food with the wolf, if he would promise not to eat them. After thinking it through the wolf decided to accept the offer and they all enjoyed a balanced meal (without pork) during a picnic outside the house. Later the wolf reflected on his and the pigs actions. He apologized to the pigs and they all lived happily ever after being caring global citizens making this world a better place.

Now what is a lesson to be learned from this? If we use the IB values to guide us through life we can discover peaceful actions that will provide us with solutions to be applied in every day situations. Promoting these values at home and in school supports our mission of fostering responsible learners and global thinkers.

 

 

End of Second Unit

At this point all the classes’ grade 1-5 are finishing their second unit. Parents had a chance to see the classrooms and the students work during the parent conferences and the open house. At the end of each unit we like to ask the students: “What will you do with the knowledge you gained?” As a school we encourage and hope that students will engage in appropriate action that demonstrate a sense of responsibility and respect for self, others and the environment in connection to their learning. During our end of the unit assembly Tuesday at 8:20 the grade 4 will demonstrate such action. Afterwards our Vorschule students will entertain us with the story of the three little pigs IB style.

 

Why are our teachers so special?

In our school the teachers are familiar with each child’s development and learning. They try to be responsive to each student’s needs and interests. They are aware of the cultural and social context in which the students live and learn. Our teachers spend hours preparing engaging and challenging lessons. In their role they facilitate connections between prior knowledge and the knowledge available through new experiences. During our open house you can look into all the different classrooms to see how each teacher provides a classroom environment in which student’s development and learning will flourish. The classrooms are dynamic learning environments rich with student inquiry through open ended questions gathered by the students and well designed learning activities that promote this type of learning. So next time you see your teacher show them your appreciation. They deserve it!

IB Learners

The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of our planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

The PYP believes that an internationally minded person is someone with the attributes and dispositions described in the Learner Profile. The ultimate goal of our program at GAIS is to support our students in developing this set of attributes and dispositions within themselves.

IB learners strive to be:

Inquirer: They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable: They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers: They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators: They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled: They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded: They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring: They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers: They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced: They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective: They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

 

Community of Learners

“Given that, in a school which is a community of learners, everyone is a learner, we as teachers must continue to learn, both about the content with which we are engaged and about our own practices.” - PYP handbook.

As part of on-going education several of our teachers have attended IB workshops in the past month. In these workshops the teachers had a chance to exchange experiences with teachers from around the world, learn more about how to put the IB philosophy and framework into praxis. Already we have seen new ideas being put into place in the classrooms. During our staff meetings the teachers share their “aha” moments with the rest of the teachers so that all of us continue being part of our community of learners.

Action in the PYP

During peace day grade 2 started a project called pennies for peace. Our students participate in collecting pennies to help the organization pay for building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. When one of our students, Eline Berenger, went to the bank to exchange part of her pocket money into pennies the Assistant Vice President  asked her what it was for. After explaining the project she was so impressed that she invited Eline to come back and explain the story to all the employees of the bank, so that they can begin a penny collection in a glass decorated by Eline. This is a wonderful example of how students in our school take their learning outside the classroom and make a difference in the community. Congratulations Eline, for being a caring IB student who is helping to create a better world!

Buddy System

One way of building a positive school culture is by engaging students in activities across the grade levels. This year we implemented a buddy system across the elementary school. Here are some activities the classes have been participating in since the beginning of the school year. During Peace Day grades 1 and 4 created beautiful mandalas and pinwheels together. They also buddied up on a scavenger hunt as first graders learned about their school. Some Vorschueler went into grade 3 to taste and rate some products the third graders made, as part of their summative assessment. The third graders in turn visited Vorschule where they got to play with the toys the Vorschueler created as part of their summative assessments. The younger students also had the opportunity to share their portfolios. The third graders helped them read all the texts included in the work. Grade 5 and grade 2 made use of some getting-to-know-each-other activities as grade 2 was learning about their identity. They also engaged in some buddy reading. While there is no set time for these activities the teachers collaborate in finding times and activities that make this exchange an educational experience that will enhance the positive development of our school community.

End of the first Unit

The first unit is coming to an end in each of the grades. Please check out the slideshow on the website (PYP) showing some impressions of what has been going on around school. This week most classes are busy presenting their summative assessment task. Students in grade 5 transformed themselves into inventors and explained how their discoveries influenced human evolution cross-culturally. Grade 4 students are putting on a play Friday lesson 1(4V) and 6(4M) in the gym, where they will demonstrate some of the challenges and opportunities human migration encountered in the history of California. In grade 3 students will advertise a product they created and talk about the distribution system, while viewers get to rate their satisfaction with the product. Grade 2 students will label a doll showing how they have developed a consciousness of identity. In grade 1 students will explain how people in a school develop relationships and structures that help them work together based on our school/ their classroom model. In Vorschule students will create their own toys from recycled material to use them for their purpose. And last but not least the Preschool students will talk to the teachers about their portfolio in which they collected work in connection with how children learn and relate to each other in a diverse classroom community. As you can see it has been a busy first few weeks for students and teachers alike. Thanks to all for the very positive collaboration to empower our students on their way to becoming responsible global citizens.

Peace Day

As part of developing our culture of respect we want to continue to develop a close school community. Besides assemblies throughout the year we have a few school wide activities planned, one of which was the celebration of the International Day of Peace on Monday. The Preschool introduced the concept of “you can’t say you can’t play” in form of a puppet show followed up with some art activities. During an extended lunch break the school teachers offered activities such as creating mandalas, pinwheels, cooperative games, face painting, creating a peace flag, chalk drawings, watching a short clip about the founding of peace day, making pennies for peace bags, singing songs, reading peace poetry/stories painting and drawing peaceful symbols. They also discussed the topic in class. One class created a peace sign puzzle, incorporating each attribute of the learner profile. It was great to see the enthusiasm and creativity of the students as well as the collaboration of all the teachers to make this event meaningful and fun. Special thanks to Claudia Gruber and Janet Roitsch for organizing the day.

 

School Culture

This school year one of our key goals is to promote a more clearly defined school culture based on the value of respect. We started the school year with a teacher workshop developing strategies to reach our goal. During our assembly on the first day we shared our vision with the students. The teachers worked with the students establishing clear guidelines in connection with the attributes of the learner profile and attitudes. As part of our culture our school will participate Monday for the third consecutive year in the celebration of the” International Day of Peace”. This is a global holiday (sponsored by the United Nations) when individuals, communities, nations and governments highlight efforts to end conflict and promote peace. The Pre-School teachers will use this day to introduce the attitude tolerance by establishing the rule “you can’t say, you can’t play”. In the classroom teachers will try to make links to their current Units and talk about the meaning of peace in our school. Frau Roitsch and Frau Gruber will be leading our team of teachers in an extended lunch break, where the teachers will offer activities for students to promote peace. We will also use this opportunity to launch our “Pennies for Peace” campaign. This is a non profit organization using collected pennies to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. For more information on the project ask your children or check out the following website. www.penniesforpeace.org/.

So get your pennies ready. May peace prevail on earth!

PYP Units in the classroom

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) has been of to a great start this school year. The teachers have been engaged in a lot of collaborative planning to ensure the students have exciting inquiry activities to help them understand their central ideas. The Pre-School and Grade 2 are working on discovering their role in the classroom and their identity under the transdisciplinary theme “Who we are”. Grades 1 and 3 are exploring the organization of our school and production systems under “How we organize ourselves”. California history and immigration is inquired into in grade 4, while grade 5 is looking into evolution under “Where we are in place and time”. And last but not least our Vorschul classes are exploring how people change natural resources to use them for their purpose under “How the world works”. Within these units the teachers work as facilitators to ensure all students are actively engaged in gaining further knowledge and conceptual understanding, display positive attitudes, are provided with opportunities to practice the transdisciplinary skills of research, thinking, self management, social and communication, and allow for them to take action so that they become active, compassionate and lifelong learners.

Culture of Respect

As you might know by now, one of our goals for this school year is to promote a culture of respect. To support this goal all teachers will place a special value on promoting the attributes of the learner profile. In the classroom you will find examples of how the teachers include this in the daily learning. Based on these values we also created a document the students will fill out if there are any issues on the playground or the classroom. They will talk/write about their action by describing what they did. Next they will reflect about which attributes of the learner profile they need to work on (reflective, principled, knowledgeable, risk-taker, balanced, open-minded, caring, inquirer, thinker or communicator) and lastly they will choose what they will do to make things right. This process will help them to reflect about their own actions and promote them becoming responsible citizens.

In order to share school wide responsibilities with the students, they have elected class representatives who will plan together with Herrn Biesel and Frau Mumme activities the student council will be engaged in throughout the school year. Both teachers will also introduce themselves in the lower grades and explain there role as student councilors.

The implementing a buddy system across the Elementary School is another way we want to promote a positive culture this year. We paired up the following classes: VS-Grade 3, Grade 1 and grade 4, grade 2 and grade 5. Over the next few weeks the teachers will continue to collaborate about how best and how often they will use the buddy system to ensure it is most effective. We are also encouraging the teachers to include the Pre-School in some of activities to promote a school wide unity. This might be by budding up during library time, doing a music performance, lunch buddies or other activities.

As you can see, we are of to great start into the school year.

Personal and Social Education (PSE)

One of the goals of this school year is to implement the curriculum component of Personal and Social Education (PSE) which is imbedded in our Unites of Inquiry (UOI). To start of on the right food we began with a school wide assembly under the motto of developing a culture of respect.

Soon you will find posters distributed throughout the school promoting the GAIS student responsibility towards respect for myself, others, learning and the environment. You might ask what does it mean to have respect for myself? We talked to the students about showing confidence, being creative by sharing their own ideas and being independent. These are just a few attitudes that will help them develop the attributes of the learner profile, in particular being a risk-taker and leading a balanced life. We also talked about showing respect to others and emphasized the use of appropriate language. Teachers talked in their classes about respect for learning and each class assigned lunch table duties to ensure we take better care of the environment around our school. This school year we will also ask any student walking by a piece of garbage to pick it up whether they dropped or not and we will encourage students to remind” litter bugs” about showing respect for the environment. So to all you community members who are using our school yard please model and remind students of our goal for a culture of respect. Another point of the assembly was the introduction of our new school behavior guideline which you will find in the parent handbook. Please take a minute and go over this with your child/ren. We ended the assembly with the sharing of students goals for the year and it was wonderful to hear them talk about recycling, including their classmates in games and other activities, not talking behind each other s back… . And the best part was that we could already observe these types of behavior around the school. What a great beginning to the school year 2009-1010.

End of Summer Info

Summer is winding down and it is time to welcome everybody back to school. This last week has been a busy week for our school staff. Teachers prepared their classroom, planned their lessons for the first few weeks of school and collaborated to establish some goals for the school year. A big component of this in service week was to explore the staff’s vision for a positive school culture. This included establishing roles and responsibilities for us as staff, for the students and for the parents. A key outcome of the debate was that foremost in order to provide an environment for an outstanding international, bilingual education, the adults in the community need to know, model and teach the values provided within the PYP framework. We need to show that we are open minded to different opinions and cultural differences. We need to demonstrate that we are knowledgeable, but still are being a risk-taker by inquiring into unknown territory. We need to display a balance between work and the personnel attention we give to the children. We need to model that we are responsible and respectful when we communicate with children as well as adults. We need to exhibit that we are principled and caring. We need to explain to the children what we are thinking and reflect on our experiences. If we as adults do all these things which are the attributes of the IB learner profile we will reach the goal stated in our mission to foster confident, creative and responsible learners and global thinkers.

As we are striving to fulfill this mission we are awaiting the International Baccalaureate Evaluation Team the beginning of March. They will examine the accomplishments of all the stakeholders of our IB World School. They will look at the administration in their leadership function. They will make sure our curriculum documents are up to their high standards. They will observe the teachers to see if they use inquiry based learning strategies that puts the students in the center of their education. They will watch and talk to the students to see if they demonstrate the attitudes associated with the IB learner profile and they will speak to parents to look at their commitment to an IB World School. So for this school year it is my mission to ensure that all entities of our school community are prepared to pass the evaluation with flying colors.

Guidelines on Behavior in Our School

These last few weeks the administration team has spent much time creating curriculum documents and policies in order to have clear guidelines on behavior in our school. We also increased the staffing during Grosse Pause (recess) to help observe the students' actions and behaviors. From a staff perspective, we are very proud of the way our students solve issues on the playground in a fair, respectful and independent way. As is normal for a group of children, there are a few instances where the students are unable to work out a problem by themselves. If you are interested in some of the techniques used in our school, please read on.

There are a number of strategies being used at GAIS to solve issues:

• Teachers on duty listen to both parties and support students in finding a solution. They may use the circle of choice in the middle of the playground.
• Students bring the issue to the attention of the homeroom teacher who will discuss it with part of or the whole class. The teacher may also use topic stories, cooperative games, attitude reflections, mapping problem solving strategies, journal writing and role play as part of in-class activities.
• Problem solving strategies are displayed in the classroom (The power of one) and can be used as a tool.
• Behavior reflection form is filled out (what led to the problem, what did I do, what could/should I have done instead).
• Should there be a consistent conflict that is not resolved between teachers and students, the administration team becomes involved (in general Heike Schmalstieg for the Preschool, Maike Silver for the Elementary School and Dominic Liechti for the Middle School). Once this happens we may engage in an intervention involving students, teachers and possibly parents in a behavior modification plan or impose school community service.

These are just some examples of what we do to ensure the IB values are carried out in our school. Given that the majority of students spend less than 25 percent of a 24-hour-day in school, the parents play a large role in supporting the school efforts. Talking to your children about what is going on with their friends and role modeling appropriate problem solving strategies are key to a student's well-being. Also, age-inappropriate television programs, movies, video games and unsupervised Internet use at home provide a major influence that is very difficult to counteract at school.

So here are a few suggestions for what you as parents can do, After all there is some truth to the African proverb "It takes a village to raise a child".

When you are at the school:

• Do not leave students unsupervised after school.
• If you observe inappropriate behavior during or after school of any student, please address this directly with them. If you feel the issue is unresolved, please bring the behavior to my attention.

When you are at home:

• Be aware of what your child is watching (TV/movies/video games).
• Ensure safe and appropriate Internet use at home.
• Be aware of what the students download and keep on electronic devices at home.
• Reinforce the IB values at home.

The IB values are presented below:

Attitudes	Learner Profile
Appreciation	Open-minded
Cooperation	Balanced
Creative	Reflective
Confident	Knowledgeable
Curious	Inquirer
Commitment	Risk-taker
Empathy	Caring
Enthusiasm	Principled
Respect	Communicator
Tolerance	Thinker
Independence
Integrity

Maike Silver

The PYP Portfolios

Portfolios are one way in which our school collects and stores evidence of students' progress and achievements. Teachers and students maintain a portfolio of work that demonstrates growth, thinking, creativity and reflection for both academic and social development over time.

Every student in Preschool to Grade 5 has a binder where they - sometimes with the help of the teacher - collect pieces of work relating to the Unit of Inquiry. A cover page is added to explain the focus areas of the unit. Depending on the age group you may find work on learner profile and attitudes, skills, art work, photos, written work, presentations, reflections (self, peer, teacher), a variety of assessments, field trip and research materials as well as evidence of the summative assessment.

Besides the Unit Portfolio we also maintain a Continuum Portfolio for each student. This portfolio will stay at school for the duration of the years spent in the PYP program and contains a collection of work from every unit taught. It includes a reflection by the student of why they chose each piece of work contained in the portfolio. The binder will be passed on to the next teacher until the end of Grade 5 and then sent home. The portfolio includes the self- evaluation of the learner profile filled out during the student-led conference. This year we will also ask students in Grade 1 and up to formulate a goal for the upcoming school year, which will be placed in the Continuum Portfolio to be discussed and reflected upon with the new homeroom teacher.

Another collection of work is presented to the parents by the students during the student-led conferences. In Grades 1-5 the required entries are as follows:

• a teacher-selected writing sample with all stages of the drafting process included
• a student-selected writing sample
• an assessment related to mathematics
• a completed Unit Portfolio
• student self-reflections on the learner profile and attitudes and themselves as learners
• teacher reflections on learner profile and attitudes and the student as a learner.

Depending on the teacher there may be other portfolios in the classroom that contain German, English, math, music, etc., materials and demonstrate progress over time.

If you have any questions regarding your child's portfolios please come and talk to me or your child's teacher.

What Is the Exhibition?

In the final year of the PYP (Grade 5), students participate in a culminating project, the PYP exhibition. This project requires that each student demonstrate engagement with all five elements of the program: knowledge, key concepts, transdisciplinary skills, attitudes and action.

In our school the exhibition took place under the transdisciplinary theme of “sharing the planet”. The students selected a central idea that warranted a detailed investigation into a significant topic: “People must cooperate to solve global problems”. After brainstorming a variety of global problems, each student picked a topic of their interest. These topics included endangered animals, pollution, global warming, child exploitation and the financial crisis. While these topics were very complex the students exhibited the ability to look at them in depth under the headings of the key concepts (form, function, change, perspective, connection, causation, reflection and responsibility) and bringing them to a level that they can understand and present.

They used social skills preparing the exhibition as a class. Thinking skills were applied by evaluating all the material they collected and choosing material for their presentation. Students presented possible actions they and others can take concerning the problems. They had to use their self-management skills by organizing their work and manage their time effectively with the help of a journal. Throughout the process they applied all communication skills and attitudes.

As a school we showed that we are truly a community of learners. The homeroom teacher provided students with assessment guidelines. Other teachers offered their services as mentors to help keep the students on track. Parents supported their students by discussing the issues, coming to the exhibition and providing us with feedback. Best of all, by doing this project, students proved that they are principled, thinkers, inquirers, knowledgeable, open-minded, risk takers, balanced, communicators, caring and reflective.

Congratulation fifth graders for a job well done!

Transdisciplinary Skill Development in the PYP

A key component of the PYP framework is the development of communication, research, thinking, self-management, and social skills. Components of each one of these skills are highlighted in every unit we teach and are taught in a transdisciplinary manner throughout the subjects.

To help you gain a little more insight in the complexity and the focus areas of each skill, I would like to break them up into small components and give you different examples every week.

Communication Skills

In a society where cooperative work and play are highly valued, communication skills need to be modeled, practiced and assessed constantly. Communication skills in the PYP are classified into the strand of listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, presenting as well as non-verbal communication.

Listening: Students need to learn to listen to directions, to information and to others. Being open-minded and respectful when one has different ideas and opinions needs to be practiced inside and outside the classroom. Learning to take turns in listening and speaking can be challenging, especially in conflict situations.

Speaking: In class, students practice speaking by giving oral reports to small and large groups, expressing ideas clearly and logically as well as by stating their opinions. You all have been invited to several presentations this year where you have seen students exhibit this skill.

Reading: In the classrooms you will find a large assortment of reading materials. Students read a variety of sources for information and pleasure, use comprehension strategies to make sense of the information in order to make inferences and draw conclusions. The Antolin program has been a great addition to support reading comprehension.

Writing: Throughout the day students work on writing to record information and observations, to take notes and paraphrase, writing summaries, reports and keeping journal records. They write to inform, to entertain and to persuade.

Viewing: Viewing is being explored by interpreting and analyzing visuals and multimedia, by understanding the ways in which images and language interact to convey ideas, values and beliefs and by making informed choices about personal viewing experiences. This is why the classroom set-up and the displays are such a valuable part of modern teaching.

Presenting: The component of presenting consists in creating visuals and multimedia for a range of purposes and audiences, communicating ideas through a variety of visuals and using appropriate technology for effective presentations and representations. You have probably seen those in form of posters, diagrams, book spines, mobiles, dioramas, power points…

Non-Verbal Communication: And last but not least there is non-verbal communication. Students learn to recognize the meaning of visual and kinesthetic communication, they learn to identify and create signs as well as to interpret and utilize symbols. These forms can be anything from signals to remind students of appropriate behavior; editing signs, non-verbal conflict indicators... Being aware of one’s own body language and recognizing it in others is a skill that can never be underestimated.

What Is IB?

There still seems to be a bit of confusion about what “IB” is. “IB” is a transdisciplinary international framework for all subjects that include knowledge, skills, attitudes, concepts and action synthesized in the learner profile; it is NOT the curriculum.

The knowledge is taught whenever possible in connection with the unit. In order to gain knowledge students need to develop skills, which sometimes need to be taught isolated, but can often be connected. Examples for this are reading comprehension tasks, writing tasks, measurements and graphing all in connection with the topic of study.

Attitudes and the learner profile are not taught isolated, but are ways to label/recognize what we do and frame the social emotional component of our curriculum. As we research we are inquirers, as we study health, we recognize the need to be balanced, as we play ball games we realize the need for cooperation and so on. The big concepts form the umbrella for all learning whether it is function of grammar, math functions or the function of communities.

And action is asking the question about what do we do with what we have learned, helping us to become responsible global citizens. Every teacher works on how to best match the curriculum components (which stem from a variety of state curricula, are reviewed on a regular basis and are not avariable) and align these transdisciplinary within the PYP framework. From here teachers must choose from a variety of materials and connect these with best teaching practices. Once a lesson is taught they reflect and assess the learning outcome in order to readjust the planning process. The constant cycle of planning, teaching and reflecting is what makes the IB one of the worlds most effective and prestigious curriculum frameworks.