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We hope you have a great start to your school year!

Mix It Up

Sarah Ellyson, The American Overseas School of Rome
 
We all can remember the sensation of walking into the school cafeteria on first days of school with the greatest challenge being where to sit.   Naturally people gravitate to those whom they have a common culture, shared experiences and interests or with whom they have a common language.  For that reason, the cafeteria is frequently a place where social groups become most obvious.
 
As international educators, we may liken our school communities to mini United Nations, a sort of laboratory for inclusiveness where students from different cultures unite and all get along.  Much of that is true, but just as reading comprehension, math computation and critical thinking skills need lessons which are purposely planned and well modeled, there is the need to create opportunities for students who usually do not connect to find a common ground. 
 
Mix It Up was designed to do just that.  The idea is simple, dedicate a day where students sit and interact with those they normally do not.  

It can be as straightforward as lunch table seating charts or as elaborate as full day workshops and activities.  The one common thread should be to ensure that purposeful mixed groups of students engage with one another.  As our school does not have a scheduled advisory or pastoral care program, I found the Mix It Up Lunch at the start of each year gave new contacts and shared experiences for the students.  This then allowed for ease and familiarity to take hold throughout the year on school bus, field, stage, or simply within the hallways.
 
This year will mark the 13th annual Mix It Up Lunch and the date is set for October 28, 2014.  This means that there is still time to start a buzz within your school community and to engage colleagues, students and administrators in a dialogue about Mix It Up.  On-line documents and social media give a number of tips and framework to start the planning process (http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/get-started ).
 
In planning various types of Mix It Up events in both the high school and middle school setting, I have learned that there can be many successful models.  This past year we created a series of four lunches over the period of one month with specific tasks each week the student groups to complete.  The culmination of the lunch meetings was a school assembly where student groups presented a creative representation of their work together.   In other years, student discussion topics were linked to the environment, the school mission statement, current events within the community or simply getting to know something new about their tablemates.
 
I have found great success in having older students join the process as mentors to mingle through the groups, ask guiding questions and also document the activities in photo and video journalism.  This way the school community beyond the Middle School engages with and celebrates the event.  Click the following to read an article written by middle school students at AOSR about a Mix it Up event.  Article Link
 
Mix It Up is spearheaded though Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center (http://www.splcenter.org/what-we-do/teaching-tolerance).  Mix It Up works to embody social justice, inclusiveness and a greater understanding of others.  There are many resources and ideas available through the on-line sites (http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/what-is-mix) as well as an active string of like-minded social justice lesson plans and initiatives shared through social media and the Teaching Tolerance e-newsletter.
 
 
Sarah Ellyson (mscoordinator@aosr.org) is the Middle School Coordinator at The American Overseas School of Rome and shared her experiences of Mix It Up at the ELMLE Conference in 2009.
 

A Round-up of This summer's Google Drive, Apps, and Maps Updates     
                  by Richard Bryne- www.freetech4teachers.com


As the new school year begins many teachers and students may notice that some things have changed in Google Drive, Apps, and Maps over the summer. Here's a round-up of updates that occurred this summer.  Read More
Upcoming Events:
 
November 06 - 09:                
AMLE 2014 Annual Conference, Nashville, TN, USA

January 29 - 31:
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Call for Presenters:
 
As you ease into the new school year, we’d like for you to consider that you might present at ELMLE in Warsaw 2015.  Our theme this year is CREATE!  We want to explore the many ways our students can chose to create rather than consume information, products, ideas and much more.  We believe when students are allowed to create, great things follow.  Share your ideas, best practices and projects at ELMLE 2015.   

The call for presenters has been extended until September 11, 2014.  You will be notified of acceptance by 15th September 2014 and will need to also register for the full conference. Click here for more information.
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