November 2023 IB Connection

• November 1st and November 3rd - Quarter 1 Awards
• November 10th - No School: Veteran's Day
• November 17th - Q2 Progress Report Distribution
  
• November 20th-24th - No School: Thanksgiving Break

As we continue our focus this year on increasing learner agency, it's important to we consider the role that adults (parents, caretakers, teachers, and other community members) play in helping children and young adults feel seen, heard, and valued. How can we build connections that help our young learners grow and thrive?

The Developmental Relationships Framework, created by The Search Institute, a group specializing in youth development and equity, includes 5 key elements with 20 actions to promote student agency. When young people experience these relationships in their families, schools, programs, and communities, they are more likely to be resilient in the face of challenges and to grow up thriving.

See the framework infographic below and consider some of the ways that you can engage with your child using the actions listed.

Students are applying transformations to their "dream apartment" buildings. Attached is a copy of a blueprint that uses a key transformation: reflections. In order for us to better understand discriminatory housing practices in the city of Chicago, students reflected on how their design could impact certain areas of the city and for what audience their design is for.

5th graders did agamographs, an artform that is designed to create an optical allusion depending on which angle the viewer is situated, to compare and contrast how they see themselves and how others see them.

Mr. Galassini from Ag (Agricultural) Careers came to present to the 8th graders the array of careers within the Illinois agricultural field.

Ms. Beers' class (106) conducted research and created biography pennants to celebrate individuals for Hispanic Heritage Month. They learned about each individual's life, accomplishments, and ways to describe them using character traits.

Students took a field trip to Lincoln Park Zoo to participate in a workshop to practice skills in gathering data and the scientific method. Students made observations on animal habits in the exhibits and drew hypotheses from this evidence.

This visit to the Brookfield Zoo was connected to the students' "Who We Are" unit. At the zoo they inquired about the adaptations that animals have to adjust to their environment.

Students in C147 AM & PM worked alongside their families to create a slide with pictures and information about the history and background of their name.

Students were tasked with creating an image of themselves that represents their interests & who they are. Students then needed to write a reflection piece identifying what kind of person, citizen and IB learner profile that they most embody.

This month, reading buddies have continued with theme books to promote positive culture, climate, and community between our older and younger students.

The field trip to the Chicago Botanical Gardens served as a living extension of our study of the novel Seedfolks, which focuses on the power of individuals coming together to cultivate a sense of community and growth. The Botanical Gardens provided our students with a tangible experience of this theme.

Much like the characters in the novel, our 6th graders observed the diverse array of plants, each with its own unique story and contribution to the larger ecosystem. This firsthand encounter reinforced the idea that every individual, much like every plant, plays a crucial role in the greater community.

In Room C150, students collaborated on an ofrenda, a display put up during Día De Los Muertos in many Mexican traditions, to celebrate loved ones who have passed.

Infographics are provided courtesy of ThinkIB.Net