October 2023 IB Connection

October 4th (4pm-6pm): Hispanic Heritage Night Event

October 5th: High School Fair @ Northwest Middle School

October 9th: Indigenous Peoples' Day - NO SCHOOL

October 11th: High School Admissions Test @ Locke for all 8th graders

October 20th: 1st QUARTER ENDS

October 26th (12pm-3pm + 4pm-6pm): Parent-Teacher Conferences

October 27th: School Improvement Day - NO SCHOOL for STUDENTS

October 31st: Halloween

When we set out to create goals for improving teaching and learning at Locke School, we ultimately focus on the same outcome: increasing student achievement. This is evidenced from their performance on formative, interim, and summative assessments, both in classes and at the district/state level. In addition to this, we also want our students to become life-long learners with a relentless desire to pursue their inquiries and interests, and feeling motivated to do it of their own volition.

Learner agency, according to the IB, is about giving students the power to make meaningful decisions about their learning. It's about fostering independence, self-awareness, and a sense of ownership over their educational journey. This means students actively shape their learning paths, set goals, and reflect on their progress. At its core, learner agency is about giving young people a voice and a choice in what and how they learn, and defining success on their own terms.

To begin increasing your own student's learner agency, ask them questions about their goals, interests, ways they learn best, ideas they have for demonstrating their learning, and reflections on their current learning. This is a great entry point to get them thinking about their own agency and how to exercise it at school.

Throughout our IB newsletters during the 2023-2024 school year, we will highlight some of the key elements of learner agency and strategies for families on how to support this work outside of the classroom and beyond.

In our 8th grade math unit, "Rigid Transformations," students are developing their own rules through investigating interior angles in a triangle. See students in action cutting out the angels and lining them up in a straight line to prove their rule works!

Reading buddies has officially kicked off this month, an initiative geared to promoting a love of reading and increasing reading confidence between older and younger students at Locke. Reading buddies enhances communication skills, a vital aspect of the IB learner profile as well as allows for seamless integration of reading across subjects, promoting transdisciplinary learning.

Anti-bullying week this year ended with Mix-It-Up Day, a lunch-time event to encourage students to connect and engage with their peers from different classrooms, promoting friendship and understanding. Participating in mix-it-up day is a great example of our IB students practicing the learner profile traits of caring, communicator, and open-minded.

On 10/2, our 8th graders had the opportunity to visit Steinmetz, our IB MYP Partner School, to learn more about what the school has to offer as they begin their high school application process. The weather was absolutely perfect for enjoying time on Steinmetz' campus. Facilitated by Steinmetz' IB DP & JROTC students, our 8th graders were guided through a field day, with team building games and other team sports. They were also treated to glimpses into different program offerings at Steinmetz, including JROTC, IB, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math). The visit ended with enjoying lunch outside. We are grateful for the hospitality of the students and staff at Steinmetz and look forward to our continued partnership as IB world schools and proud Northwest-side neighborhood schools!

In our 8th grade science unit, "Inquiring Scientists," students are synthesizing their knowledge of experimental design and applying it directly to their own individual science projects. This a great opportunity for students to pursue their own individual scientific inquiries and to practice important research skills.

As a part of our kindergarten 'Who We Are' Unit, classes are exploring the diverse cultures found within their classroom. From Jordan to Ukraine to Mexico, they've 'visited' many amazing places. Through each exploration. After they learn about the history, culture and people of each place, the students contribute their own experience of their culture at home. After learning about the customs and traditions of Mexico, they ended their learning by breaking open a Mexican piñata, a celebratory practice for children in Mexico and now for many around the world.

In 8th grade Civics, students were tasked with researching Hispanics in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month who made a positive contribution to society. Students were required to identify their contributions and IB learner profiles. Lastly, students were tasked in drawing a picture of the person they researched

As part of the first grade unit, Who We Are, students learned about how to have balance physically, mentally, and socially. As part of learning about their physical health, they learned about nutrition, did a lunchroom tour with our lunch manager, Angela, and completed a top chef challenge. See photos below

The pre-k students in room 147 have been exploring the line of inquiry related to characteristics of ourselves and others. Students explored loose parts and created faces using different circle shaped loose parts. Also students identified what the best part of them was. We connected it to the identifying similarities and differences.

Second grade students, as part of their Who We Are unit, are learning about their classroom, school, and local communities. The are also inquiring about the different roles within these communities. Classrooms went on school tours to learn about different roles around the school, and were able to ask questions about different job duties.

Being internationally minded at our IB school means understanding that we're all connected globally. It's about caring for others worldwide and realizing how everything is linked. This mindset encourages us to appreciate different cultures, value diversity, and work together for positive change.

Being international-minded is something that involves developing empathy through our head, hearts, and hands:

From your head, it entails embracing a broad and inclusive worldview. This involves critically thinking about global issues, understanding interconnectedness, and seeking out diverse sources of knowledge. It also means being open to new ideas and perspectives, and continuously expanding your own cultural competency.

From your heart, it means cultivating empathy and respect for the perspectives and experiences of people from around the world. It's about recognizing our shared humanity and valuing the richness that comes from our differences.

From your hands, it involves taking tangible actions to engage with different cultures. This could be through participating in cultural exchange programs, volunteering in diverse communities, or actively seeking out opportunities for cross-cultural experiences.

We will highlight ways that students and families can build student's capacity for international-mindedness, as well as the ways our teachers are facilitating learning experiences that enable this important IB philosophy!