Newsletter // December 2022

From the 2nd to the 4th of December, delegates from 7th - 9th grades represented our school at the Model United Nations Conference at the American School of Valencia (VALMUN). Here is what they have to say about their experience:

"I learned that there’s so much more to research than clicking on the first link. I also learned that public speaking is extremely different than presenting in class, because no matter how much we practiced in class I still found it hard to talk during the meeting. Also, thinking on the spot to create resolutions was a fun way to keep your mind on the spot, and whether you like it or not you have to speak during the event."

-Raqeem V.

"This experience was fun because I learned a lot of new vocabulary that now lets me express myself more clearly and elegantly. It also taught me not to be frightened of speaking in front of the other delegates during the speeches since everyone feels the same way you do, the anxiety and all, but in general, they are all extremely kind and you don't have to feel scared."

-Michelle A.

"Model UN is relevant because it gives you an interesting perspective on how the world works and how all these resolutions you hear about in the UN are passed."

- Naysha N.

"I think that participating in the model un is relevant to my life as it helps me keep up with global and political matters that are happening in the modern world."

- Zayan K.

"After doing all that research and hard work, finally getting to Valencia, and getting to speak and debate confidently."

- Kendra A.

"The most rewarding part of the experience was that I learnt so many new skills and made a lot of new friends from all over the world that were very fun to interact with. Also, I found it pleasing when the teachers were genuinely happy about our performances and always supporting us when we were nervous."

- Raqeem V.

On Friday, December 16, Elementary students welcomed their sibling and parents and the leadership team to the Unit 2 ‘’How We Express Ourselves’’ Showcase. To share their learning, lower elementary students staged three performances. They began with a theater piece – the Bremen Town Musicians. Each student then had the chance to show off their puppet-show skills, with simultaneous performances of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. To conclude their part of the showcase, they performed a local Catalan Christmas song to request turrons from the Caga Tio.

At the end of any unit or semester, students in all grade levels are asked to reflect on, share or demonstrate their learning. Assessment is an integral part of education as it determines whether or not learning goals are being met, but not all assessments need to be the same. 
 

Traditionally, assessments are thought to be exams that test a student's knowledge.  "Especially in high school, exams are useful because students need be prepare for what's to come, because in college they will take exams regularly," explained Mr. Rios. 

For demonstrating different kinds of learning such as skills, creativity, and a deeper understanding of the topic, a single exam doesn't fit the purpose. Teachers might choose to give an alternative style assessment that allows our students to show their learning in different ways. Sometimes
 

an assessment can even come in two parts. In Dr. Boerkamps' Science class, 8th graders did a musical instrument project. "Since it is a STEM project, it included a hands-on engineering and technology part," described Dr. Boerkamps. "The students also took a test about sound waves before the presentation of their instruments."

In Mr. Gaudin's middle school English classes, students prepared play about novels they read this semester. The 6th grade class did the play Romeo and Juliet, the 7th graders did The Three Musketeers, and the 8th graders did Alice in Wonderland. 

Each class prepared scripts, set design and costumes.  Parents were invited to be in the audience for the presenation of the plays. "I am so grateful to have seen so many parents at the performances," said Mr. Gaudin. "Parent support for these activities is so appreciated."

"In all, it was a wonderful experience for all the students, and a great opportunity for us to gel as a team and express ourselves the beauty of drama," continued Mr. Gaudin. 

This kind of assessment let's students of all language levels demonstrate their creativity, writing and speaking skills to the best of their ability. They can show how well they understood the literature they read.

Assessment in Elementary school has been in development this year, and teachers are focusing on gathering evidence of learning to work toward the goal of becoming an assessment-capable learning community.

This year, the team decided to focus on two activities to help lead to this outcome: highlighting the process of learning over the product of learning and increasing student use of the language of assessment.

To address the importance of process over product, the team chose three aspects that are included in each unit of inquiry – learning portfolios, wall displays, and the student showcase.

They then developed a rubric to determine how each of these aspects can be used to highlight the learning process. This rubric will be used to self-assess and reflect at the end of each unit of inquiry before creating goals for the following unit.

The team followed a similar process when considering student use of the language of assessment. For the upcoming semester, some of their goals include explicitly linking student work in learning portfolios to the inquiry cycle and continuing to model effective ‘’feedback’’ to help students gain confidence using this skill in formal and informal feedback settings.

- Ms. Hopkins
IB PYP Coordinator