Dec

7

Community Garden Grant Awarded!

December 7, 2009 | | 2 Comments

I am thrilled to announce that the community garden grant has been awarded to Central Elementary from IB ARMS (Rocky Mountain Association of IB World Schools) in the amount of $650!  So exciting!

Spread the word!

We will be putting together a “Habitat Team” (i.e. garden committee) for all and anyone who wants to be a part of this sometime in the new year!

“There should be a garden attached

where they (students) may feast their

eyes on trees, flowers, and plants…

Where they always hope to hear and

see something new.”

Comenius, The Great Didactic 1632

Nov

9

Flags, Art, and Display Case!

November 9, 2009 | | 1 Comment

If you haven’t walked the halls of Central Elementary recently, I’d highly encourage you to schedule a little field trip! 

WOW. 

We currently have 20+ international flags hanging (a total of 60 WILL be hung, eventually).  They are gorgeous.  And as I sit here in the IB office and type this, kids are BUZZING outside in the hallway… “COOL!”  “Look at that one!”  “ohhh….look at Bolivia’s!” 

WAY cool. 

A special thanks for our custodial staff who stayed late on Friday to hang them!  And to Jim (and the snow day!)…he was able to purchase them from home during our snow day! 

In addition to the flags, we have the most amazing art display up by the stairs leading up to the old building.  Angela Beloian (Central parent) is the artist…and I can not rave enough.  It changes the entire “feel” of the building…as if we have our very own art studio housed in our school.  It’s fanstatic!  Not only are the pieces GORGEOUS, but they are made using recycled materials (great link to our 3rd grade Unit of Inquiry:  Reduce, Reuse, Recyle).  WAY cool! 

Last of all….Christina Stamper (Spanish/GT), Shelley Saxton (Art), and I (Kinder/IB Coord) combined all of our Day of the Dead materials to create a Day of the Dead display in the display case by the first grade classrooms (down the hall from the cafeteria).  It’s extremely colorful and adds a fun international focus! 

The first grade team has volunteered to take over the display case next…using it for their Celebrations Around the World that they will launch in December. 

We are gearing up for our visit by our IB consultant this Thursday and Friday.  We are excited for the feedback and the opportunity to ask questions. 

LOTS going on within these walls.  If only walls could talk….

Like I said, it’s BUZZING here today….thought you might like to know! 

(p.s. Photos SOON!)

Oct

6

Do you have a country of special interest?

October 6, 2009 | | 1 Comment

Christina Stamper (the new GT/IB Spanish teacher) and I are going to pull together our collections for The Day of the Dead (El Dia de los Muertes), celebrated widely in Mexico and some of Latin America, and put up a display in the glass display cases near the first grade classrooms. 

We’re hoping to spark an on-going display of various countries around the world…add a little “international” flare to our beautiful historic building! 

Do you have a special tie to a specific country? 

I’d love to work with parents in our community on creating different international displays for our display case (p.s. it locks!). 

We’ll be putting up the El Dia de los Muertes display mid-October and will be leaving it up until mid-November! 

At that time, I’d love to put something new up…leave it up for a month or so, and then have a new display.

Please let me know if this peaks your interest.  And if you think of someone who might be intertested in this, have them talk to me!  (send them a link to the blog, or share my e-mail address).

I’m anxious to give Central a bit of an “International Make-over.”

Sep

21

Garden Update!

September 21, 2009 | | Leave a Comment

We are making progress with the school-wide garden!  Can I hear a virtual “hip, hip, hurray!”?  Jim (Hecocks) and I met with the district grounds mananger and were basically given the two (green) thumbs up!  There is a perfect plot to the south of the old building where the old building and the new addition meet that is currently a plot full of weeds.  We will be making improvements right from the get-go!  It already has a water source (drip irrigation that can be controlled by a clock indoors) and an outside faucet as well.  Obviously details still need to be hashed out… we’re looking to lauch this project in the spring….but I think we’re making some excellent progress!  The proposal is written…just need to finish the budget.  Shelley Saxton found a great book by Alice Waters called The Edible Schoolyard along with a great website:

http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/

There are SO many resources on-line for school gardening. 

Eventually we’ll be looking to set up a committee…so start thinking about if and how you’d like to be involved! 

Exciting! 

I truly believe this will be a GREAT community builder for our whole school and some real ACTION projects can be imbedded so super easily…

Oh, and there’s a little corner perfect for composting!  (hint! hint! Third Grade and their Reduce, Reuse, Recycle unit of inquiry!)

Seriously.  It’s going to be great!

Sep

14

Acronym Confusion

September 14, 2009 | | Leave a Comment

My apologies to any parents reading this blog who received the IB newsletter on Friday and were unclear on the acronyms I used.  I got some feedback this a.m. in my box in the office and I wanted to clear that up right away via the blog and will do so again in October’s newsletter!

Thanks for making me aware that not everyone out there has been living and breathing this new addition to our school!  :)

PYP= Primary Years Programme (the elementary version of IB)

IB= International Baccalaureate

UOI= Unit of Inquiry (what we teach in the classroom, each grade level will be teaching 4 Units of Inquiry this year)

POI= Program of Inquiry (all the units of inquiry for the whole school) We call the “Quilt” hanging across from the main office the POI Quilt. 

Hmmmm….anything else?  I’m sure there is!  But that’s at least an intro to the acronym madness of the “IB PYP”  :)  

Thanks….and again, I’m sorry!

Sep

11

Grant Proposal (Potential) for a School Garden

September 11, 2009 | | 5 Comments

Last week I attended the Rocky Mountain Regional IB meeting in Denver.  I found out that there is some grant money available through the association for IB schools.  I e-mailed the staff for ideas and input.  One idea that came forward was from Mindi McDonald (new 4th grade teacher).  Mindi has a MA in sustainable education and we chatted about the idea of a school-wide garden.  I have always LOVED the idea of a school-wide garden, but I’m no dummy.  I can’t even keep my mums alive in my classroom!  In order to take on a project like this, A LOT is involved.   I just joined the National Gardening Association as they have some excellent resources on school gardens.  I printed out an 8 page (ouch!) checklist for starting a school garden… and I have a few people looking for local experts and hobbyists who would like to be involved.   The potential is outstanding for a project like this.  There are so many cross-curricular connections that could be made…from literature to science…IB Inquiry Units….community action…the list is endless. 

Of course, on the top of the “to-do” list is to consider funding.  From my initial research, it looks like a garden could cost anywhere from $300 to $16,000.  In writing this proposal (which is due Nov. 6th), I’d like to have a solid idea of what we are asking for and why.  That is where you come in to play!  We obviously need community support (volunteers!) to make this happen.  I know there are a lot of YOU who know a lot more about gardening that moi.  Sooo….

Can we chat?  Share ideas?  Enthusiasm? 

My door is open!  Or the blog is ready for comments!  Oh, and while we’re at, my phone can ring and e-mail inbox can fill, too!

The budget would likely include:

  • expenses related to locating it (making water reach the garden, clearning land, tilling the first year)
  • soil test kit and amendments
  • organic material to improve soil, compost
  • tools
  • means of watering
  • materials for raised beds, if using
  • seeds, starts, plants
  • supports
  • protections, fencing, row covers
  • fertilizers
  • pest controls, if using
  • instructional materials, field guides, books
  • expertise
  • material for walkways
  • cold frames, green house
  • mulch
  • containers
  • labor

Whew!  IF funded, the money would become available mid-January.  So, this would likely be a spring-time project (and then some….).  Are you an expert?  A pro-gardener?  A grant-writer?  A parent who wants to give a high five?  We want to hear from you!

Sep

3

This just in!

September 3, 2009 | | 2 Comments

You can now subsribe to this blog by entering your e-mail in the “subscribe” box off to the left! 

If you’d like to be notified by e-mail when a new post is up, please subscribe by e-mail!

Aug

21

Hello Central’s IB Community!

August 21, 2009 | | 1 Comment

We are excited to announce that in early June, after submitting Application A to IB Americas, we were officially granted candidate status!  This is an exciting step in our journey to become an IB World School!  Central is now in Candidate Phase I (next year being Candidate Phase II).  We have been assigned a consultant from IB Americas to work with us as we continue our implementation during candidate status.  We will be meeting and working with our consultant in late fall of this year.  We now have access to what is referred to as IB Americas’ On-line Curriculum Centre, a wealth of resources and forums for networking with other IB schools.  During the 2009-2010 school year, each grade level will write and teach an additional two Units of Inquiry (next year two more) for a total of six Units of Inquiry per grade level.  If you haven’t already had a chance to see our Program of Inquiry “Quilt” hanging across from the office, please stop in and take a look!  Our hope is that this quilt will keep our community informed and in the loop.  In addition we have a new “Action Board” on the bulletin board by the main office - more on this soon in an upcoming IB PYP Newsletter!  We look forward to an exciting year ahead as we enter this important phase in the IB implementation process.  

 

Bridget Shaughnessy

IB PYP Coordinator

Aug

21

Why Blog?

August 21, 2009 | | Leave a Comment

While a website allows (important!) static information to be shared by a vast audience, blogging opens the doors to dialogue. 

At Central, we want you to feel like you have the forum to ask questions and dialogue about the IB program. 

Please feel free to post comments and let me/us know what it is that you are hoping to see…either via this blog or the PTO IB updates or the Central Elementary website (IB Links). 

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to work together to create an even stronger school/home connection! 

Go IB! 

Bridget Shaughnessy

IB PYP Coordinator

“office hours” 12 p.m.-3 p.m.

My office is the old conference room across from the office!