Bear Buddies Create Community @ CIC By Dr. Kramer

SPRING 2015
the
CHRONICLE
Bear Buddies Create
Community @ CIC
By Dr. Kramer
Community is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a feeling of
fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests,
and goals.” This feeling is exactly what students and teachers are
cultivating between elementary and secondary school students through
activities called Bear Buddies.
Bear Buddies is in its second year of existence. Elementary classrooms are
paired with secondary school Advisory groups. For example, Grade 10 is
paired with Grade 1, while seniors (Grade 12) have been paired with
Nursery and Pre-K students. This year Bear Buddies are meeting on a
regular basis, once a month for 25 minutes. The groups focus on various
activities to strengthen a sense of community.
During the last Bear Buddy activity on February 27, Ms. Lisbet’s Grade 8
paired with Ms. Sandra’s third grade buddies. The Grade 8 students
created a parody of “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. The Grade 8 students
changed the focus of the words to have an environmental theme. These
same students created work sheets to help the Grade 3 students learn the
vocabulary terms from the song. Meanwhile, Mr. Jones, Mr. Walsh, and
Ms. Barrett’s advisees worked with Ms. Karina’s Grade 2 students focusing
on teambuilding games. While the time of the interaction is fairly short,
the quality of the collaboration is impressive. Bear Buddies encourages
students across the grade levels to do exactly what Merriam-Webster
defined as “community” --by developing a sense of fellowship!
Children are the priority.
Change is the Reality.
Collaboration is the Strategy.”-Judith Billings
CIC Upcoming
Events
14 April
Innovation Fair for
Grades 4-9 (see article
for more information)
14 April
STUCO Talent Show
20-24 April
Green Week: Get in touch
with your Environment
04 May
IB Diploma Exams
Begin
31 May
High School Graduation:
Class of 2015
1 June
5th Grade Promotion
2 June
Kinder Promotion
3 June
8th Grade Promotion
Colegio Internacional de Caracas: The CHRONICLE
Spring 2015
Working for the community
By Carlos Matheus
This semester Grade Ten piloted a design unit
for the International Baccalaureate
Organization. The students who took part in
this project were Michelle Fernández,
Alejandro Mavarez , Miguel Berroteran,
and Musab Mahmud. They had to develop
their individual projects in order to
collaborate with the daycare centre for
children and the orphanage of San Edmundo in
Las Minas. CIC has a long history of working with San
“It's not how much we give but
Edmundo.
how much love we put into giving.”
Inspired by the needs of the centre, the students proposed to
create a webpage with the aim of raising funds; to design a board game
to teach math to the young children; to develop a hygiene campaign in
order to teach good habits with respect to washing hands; and to
instruct the centre staff about how to make a hand sanitizer, as well as
introducing a healthy recipe that uses ingredients available at the
centre.
― Mother Teresa
The students, Ray Jones, and myself visited San Edmundo at the
beginning of the project in order to determine the needs of the
centre. We are going to visit San Edmundo again in order to present
the products of the student projects.
The Study of Buildings in Pre-Kindergarten
By Miss Gaby Planchart
The past couple of weeks, our Pre-Kindergarten students worked on “The Buildings”
study from our new curriculum called The Creative Curriculum for Preschool. During
this investigation, our students learned about different types of buildings, how they are
constructed, what goes on inside them, and what equipment is used during their
construction. Our students were very curious about how the buildings vary in
size, shape, materials, color, and location. Through this unit, students reinforced
many basic concepts taught at this level.
To finalize our unit, our students did a final project in which they had to
construct their own building using recycled materials. With help from home, our
students were able to create amazing buildings and houses using different
materials such as egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, straws, wrappers, yogurt cups,
popsicle sticks, and other materials. The projects are displayed in the Library for
everyone to enjoy!
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Colegio Internacional de Caracas: The CHRONICLE
Spring 2015
New Secondary School Principal will visit CIC on April 10!
By Carmen Sweeting
Joshua (Josh) Centra will be joining Colegio
Internacional de Caracas for the 2015- 2016
school year as the Secondary School Principal.
Josh is originally from South Dakota, USA. He
has been a Theory of Knowledge teacher in the
IB Diploma Program, a School Counselor,
and a Principal. Josh’s international posts
include Zagreb, Croatia; Kingston, Jamaica;
and, most recently, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
Josh will visit CIC on April 10 and will be
meeting with Board members, parents,
students, and faculty in order to make a
smooth transition into CIC next August 2015.
CIC looks forward to having Josh as part of the
CIC family.
Sports season 3 starting!
In April, we will be participating in the VANAS Season 3 tournament: Soccer for HS boys. This
event will be held in Valencia, from the 23rd to the 25th of April.
The boys will be practicing 3 times per week with a new coach, Mr. Alison Guerrero,
who has had many years of experience working with this age group.
We wish the boys and their new coach all the success in the
world!
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Colegio Internacional de Caracas: The CHRONICLE
NEW FACES IN THE
CIC COMMUNITY
Spring 2015
Larisa Shelt
New Grade 5 Teacher
Ulises Toro New Head of Operations
I come from industry as an industrial engineer with specialization in
productivity. My background is in logistics and project management. I have
received training in planning and inventory management, warehouse
organization, logistics, coaching, leadership, and quality systems.
In private practice, I am a consultant in the area of security and health. Here
in Venezuela I serve as liaison for organizations such as LOPCYMAT, and
COVENIN. I work for the improvement of company logistics by doing
audits of products; organizing the distribution, storage, and shipment of
goods; and applying performance indicators to measure the processes and
productivity in each area.
Here at CIC my business approach is this: Each person needs to do his job to the best of his
ability. If we all do our part, the things that need to get done will get done.
My staff and I will be very happy to help you with any request put to the General Services Department
related to maintenance, industrial security, and logistics.
On a personal basis I am grateful and honored to be part of the CIC family. My team and I are very happy
to help you in concerns related to operations.
Stephen Schuler New Grade 5 Teacher
I have been teaching in various places around the world for
twenty-five years now. Prior to coming to CIC I was a teacher
and an Assistant Principal at Narmer American College in
Cairo, Egypt, for ten years. I have also spent time teaching in
Ukraine, Thailand, Taiwan, and the Northern Mariana Islands,
as well as at various schools in the United States.
I enjoy teaching for many reasons but mainly enjoy watching the
growth children make over the course of a school year. I am
anticipating having a lot of fun with the fourth graders as well
fostering their academic growth. I am looking forward to having
a great end to the school year!
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Colegio Internacional de Caracas: The CHRONICLE
Spring 2015
Mathematics Trivia
The Mathematics Department invites you to enter a contest
relating to mathematics trivia. There will be a winner in three
categories: middle school, high school, and adults. Answer as
many questions as you can and then turn in your answers to
Ms. Green or Ms. Hunter with your name and your category.
Keep your sources of information in case there is a question
about the accuracy of any of your answers. We hope that you
will enjoy finding the answers to the quiz! The prize will be a
Bear-Boo-Yah, and the deadline for the answers is to be
turned on or before May 15.
1. Name four famous mathematicians.
2. Name a theorem or mathematical idea that is named after a
person.
3. List two mathematical ideas that originated outside of
Western Europe.
4. Name two women mathematicians.
CAS Integration
By Onalis Velasquez
Once again CAS Integration Projects with
the kids from San Edmundo Day Care have
been really successful. As part of the CAS
program, the CIC Senior class created and
put into practice the activities they planned
with a view to integrating the three CAS
components (Creativity, Action and
Service) along with CIC Citizenship
objectives.
5. Name a Venezuelan mathematician.
6. Name two non-Western mathematicians.
7. Name a theorem or mathematical idea that is incorrectly
named after a person.
8. Name a living mathematician and the branch of mathematics
the person is involved in.
9. Name the mathematician who invented the first calculating
machine in 1645.
10. Name one of the unsolved
Millennium Prize Problems.
The activities designed by our students will
remain in the kids' memories
forever! Whenever they go to their science
class, they will remember Christian and
Kevin. If the teacher talks about recycling,
they can give good examples based on what
Ariana told them. If they feel bad when
they are older, they now know that their
blood pressure needs to be checked, as Sai
Zhung and Sai Lyon instructed them. To
discover the arts and music they had two
excellent examples with Armando and
Johan on the drums made with cans and
those fabulous sticks. Finally they found
their beautiful voices by singing with
Miguel and Ernesto with good pitch and
register.
I am really pleased to have worked with the
CAS Integration Project for the last five
years!
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Colegio Internacional de Caracas: The CHRONICLE
Spring 2015
CIC Band Camp
By Glenn Tomassi
The activity Band Camp organized by
Professor Glenn Tomassi on Saturday,
February 7, 2015, was a total success!
Our students participated with other
schools such as Escuela Campo Alegre,
Colegio Emil Friedman, Escuela de
Artes Integradas Jorge Serrano, and
Banda de Conciertos del Hatillo in a full
day of instrumental workshops offered by
specialists from the most prestigious
conservatories and orchestras of Venezuela. Our musicians had the
opportunity to interact with other musicians and share experiences:
they all worked together to prepare a concert that was performed at
the end of the day.
Music can change the world
because it can change people.
-Bono
The band had 64 musicians participating and performing. This
activity proves that with dedication, passion, and hard work, all is
possible. Parents from other schools were very grateful that CIC
organized this excellent activity and are already looking forward to
the next one next year.
Innovation Fair 2015: April 14
th
You are cordially invited to attend this wonderful display of experiment results and innovations,
Tuesday, April 14, between 1:00 and 3:00 pm in the gymnasium.
VOLUNTEER JUDGES NEEDED. Parents, especially (but not necessarily)
those with scientific backgrounds or experience with science-type fairs, who
would be interested in helping teachers and students judge the projects, are
asked to contact Mrs. Symes or Mr. Wilkinson soon. Volunteer judges will
be assigned to judge about a half dozen projects in one age group, in a grade
level other than the grade of any of their children. Judge orientation will
begin late morning on the day of the fair and lunch will be provided. Judging
will take place between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm. We can be reached at
[email protected] and [email protected] Thanks!
We hope you make some time to stop by and look around to see what all of
the students have been innovating these past four months.
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Colegio Internacional de Caracas: The CHRONICLE
Spring 2015
Bailoterapia afternoon: Control
de las Emociones Workshop
by Sandra Campos
The CSSL, Comite de Seguridad y Salud Laboral, at school
composed by Glenn Tommassi, Judith Ortiz, Sandra
Campos, Marianela Leandro, Claret Padron, and Militza
Carima has been working diligently for the past year-and-ahalf to comply with the INSAPSEL demands upon health and
safety regulations at CIC.
In this short time, the committee has managed to make the
school a safer place in many ways by reducing hazardous
situations and potential labor accidents that could threaten a
worker. Additionally, the committee has offered the
employees a recreational/informational event led by Alcides
Rojas on January 5. The CIC workers, staff, and faculty were
delighted to participate in a bailoterapia when school
resumed after the Christmas holiday. Most recently, some
faculty, staff, and workers participated in the” Manejo
Inteligente de mis Emociones para ser Feliz” workshop led
by Mario Viloria Coronado.
The aim of this eight-hour workshop was to provide
attendees with effective strategies to be a more productive
worker and happier human being. In order to ensure that
participants received adequate training from INSAPSEL, they
attended an eight sessions of training at INCES over the
period of two months. Above all, the CSSL wants CIC to
comply with all laws and regulations stated under the
LOPCYMAT law and to be one of the pioneer schools in
Caracas to model by example.
CIC GREEN WEEK
Sponsored by the CIC Green Team
The CIC Green Team is putting on a
Green Week from April 20-24. Here is
the proposed schedule of activities.
MONDAY: Secondary Eco-games
TUESDAY: Secondary Found Art
Challenge: Bear Claw (Best Bear Claw
wins Reminder Bands)
WEDNESDAY: Found Art Fashion
Show/Guest Speaker on Permaculture
THURSDAY: Environmental Poetry &
Short Stories (Sponsored by the
Language Department)
FRIDAY: Recycled Flowers Bear Buddy
Activity/Tree Planting with Grade Ten
and their Bear Buddy
How can you help support:
Bring egg cartons, styrofoam plates and
straws for the Recycled Flower Bear
Buddy Activity (Advisory with most
flowers created wins Green Team
Reminder Bands)
First 30 students to show using a reusable water bottle will receive a Green
Team Reminder Band
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