Dragon Passport

At CREC Academy of International Studies, building a strong, supportive school community takes all of us. 💚

That’s why your voice matters!

Our Culture & Climate Survey gives families the opportunity to share honest feedback about what’s working well and where we can grow. Your input helps us:

Strengthen communication between home and school
Improve student experiences and support systems
Ensure every student feels safe, valued, and included
Continue growing as an IB school community

When parents share their perspectives, we’re able to make informed decisions that positively impact our students, staff, and families. Your feedback directly shapes the environment our children learn in every day.

📲 Please take a few minutes to complete the survey.
Simply scan the QR code or click the link to share your input. All responses are anonymous.

Thank you for partnering with us to cultivate a positive culture where every Dragon can thrive! 🐉

Click Here to take the Survey!

We are looking forward to connecting with our families during our upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences! This is an important opportunity to discuss student progress, celebrate growth, and partner together to support continued success.

🗓 March 11
🕦 11:45 AM – 3:25 PM

🗓 March 12
🕦 11:45 AM – 6:30 PM

We can’t wait to see you and continue strengthening the home-school connection that helps our students thrive!

Parent Teacher Conference Sign-Up

We are excited to invite you to our Diploma Programme (DP) Art Exhibit taking place during Parent-Teacher Conferences on March 12th!

Our senior students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (DP) will proudly showcase their culminating artwork — pieces that reflect months of inquiry, experimentation, reflection, and creative growth. These works will soon be sent off for official IB grading, making this a very special milestone in their academic journey.

The exhibit highlights not only our students’ technical skill, but also their ability to think critically, explore global themes, and express meaningful personal perspectives — all hallmarks of an IB education.

We encourage families to stop by, celebrate our talented seniors, and experience the powerful stories told through their art. Your support means so much as they prepare to submit their portfolios for assessment!

🖌️ Date: March 12th
🕒 Time: During Conferences
📍 Location: Student Entrance

Come celebrate creativity, dedication, and the incredible work of our DP artists!

To celebrate the completion of two murals at the Academy of International Studies, 6-12, families will have the opportunity to meet the artist, muralist Sophie Groenstein. Sophie will be onsite (upstairs between the 7th and 6th grade wing) to share her process and hold a Q&A opportunity with families.

About Sophie:

Sophie Groenstein is a professional muralist and illustrator creating feminine, community-driven artwork rooted in identity and place. Her work explores womanhood, nature, and emotional presence through vibrant color, expressive figures, and a sense of warmth that feels both intimate and unapologetic. Working across large-scale murals and illustrations, Sophie is known for creating visuals that invite people to feel seen, transforming public spaces into environments that celebrate individuality, softness, and strength through a shared experience. Her murals live where people gather, grounding each piece in research, storytelling, and the spirit of the location.

🖌️ Date: March 12th

🕒 Time: 4:00-5:00PM

📍 Location: F/H Alcove

If you missed our text, call and email yesterday, sign up today! With the uncertainty of school closures, text messaging is the easiest and fastest way for the school to communicate with you. Receive text messages from the school for immediate access to what is going on!

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2025-26 CREC DISTRICT CALENDAR

CALENDARIO DEL DISTRITO DE CREC 2025-26

Students in Señorita Claudio’s class put their IB skills into practice by creating delicious Latin-inspired smoothie drinks for our amazing staff. As part of the inquiry, students read and followed their recipes in Spanish, strengthening communication skills while applying their language knowledge in a real-world context.

From tropical fruit combinations to rich, creamy milk-based flavors, every smoothie was crafted with care, collaboration, and creativity. Students then personally delivered their creations to staff throughout the building — sharing smiles, gratitude, and a taste of culture along the way.

This activity highlighted key IB Learner Profile traits:
🔎 Inquirers – Investigating flavors and recipes in another language
💬 Communicators – Following instructions and explaining their process
🤝 Principled & Caring – Showing respect and appreciation for staff
🔁 Reflective – Thinking about what worked well and how to improve
🌍 Open-Minded – Exploring cultural flavors and traditions

We love seeing our students bring together language learning, culture, and community action in such a meaningful (and tasty!) way!

Our students put their thinking caps on as they explored the power of wind through hands-on design and experimentation! Using everyday school supplies — pencils, paper, paperclips, and more — students engineered their very own wind-powered cars.

After building their creations, it was race time! Students tested their designs, observed how the wind impacted movement, and then reflected on what worked well and what didn’t. Through discussion and redesign, they analyzed how structure, weight, and shape influenced speed and direction.

This engaging activity brought out so many IB Learner Profile traits:
🔎 Inquirers – Asking questions and investigating how wind creates motion
🧠 Thinkers – Designing solutions and problem-solving when challenges arose
💬 Communicators – Explaining their design choices and race results
🔁 Reflective – Discussing improvements and learning from trial and error
⚖️ Balanced – Combining creativity with scientific reasoning

We love seeing our students take risks, collaborate, and turn simple materials into innovative solutions. That’s IB learning in action!

Students in grades 6–10 have been exploring identity, culture, and self-expression through powerful artistic inspiration from renowned artists of color.

Drawing from the bold, expressive work of Bisa Butler, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Kimmy Cantrell, students created original pieces that reflect their own perspectives while studying the techniques, cultural influences, and themes present in these artists’ work. Learning about artists of color allowed students to see diverse representation in the art world and understand how lived experiences shape creative expression.

A special group project featured students collaboratively recreating Butler’s portrait of Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement. Through this meaningful piece, students explored advocacy, resilience, and the power of art as social commentary. The collaboration highlighted teamwork, attention to detail, and a deep appreciation for art as a vehicle for elevating important voices.

In Design class, students created Fragmented Identity Masks inspired by Cantrell’s distinctive ceramic style. These expressive masks encouraged students to examine the many layers of identity, using bold color, shape, and abstraction to represent different facets of who they are.

We are incredibly proud of our young artists for engaging deeply with the work of influential artists of color and for using their creativity to reflect culture, identity, and social awareness. Their artwork demonstrates both strong artistic skill and thoughtful inquiry!

What an unforgettable week celebrating our incredible senior student-athletes! 💙

We kicked things off with the Lady Jets / International Dragons Senior Night held at Aerospace. It was a special evening honoring our very own Dragon, Nique B., for her dedication, leadership, and commitment to the game. To make the celebration even sweeter, the Lady Jets secured a big WIN to close out the night!

The excitement continued as our Dragons celebrated Senior Night with an impressive victory over HMTCA. From heartfelt pre-game recognitions to the final buzzer, the energy in the gym was unmatched — and finishing with a WIN was the perfect way to honor our seniors’ lasting impact on the program.

We are so proud of all of our seniors. Your leadership, resilience, and Dragon pride have left a legacy on and off the court! 💙

MARCH - Reflective

For the month of March, we are focusing on being reflective learners. As reflective learners, we “thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.”

When reviewing or talking about performance with your student (whether academic, athletic, artistic, or anything else), use the “Think-Reflect-Grow” model:

Think What am I doing? What are others around me doing? Am I helping myself grow and learn?
Reflect: What went well? What should I do in the same ways? What needs to change? What help do I need?
Grow: How can making those changes help me to become my best self? What’s my overall goal?

Consistent Attendance Matters!

Spring is here, and we’re moving full steam through the second half of the school year! March is a great time for students to refocus, work on new goals and make the most of every day at school. One of the most important habits that drives success? Consistent attendance.

Being present in school helps students stay connected with lessons, participate in class, and build strong relationships with teachers and peers. Even a few missed days can create gaps in learning and make it harder to keep up.

For high school families:
Students who have missed more than 12 classes could be at risk of losing credit. To support students, counselors will be meeting with families to review attendance, discuss options, and create plans for success.

Thank you for partnering with us to make every school day count. Let’s keep the momentum going and finish the year strong—together! 💪🎓

As a reminder:

The school day is from 7:30-2:05.

Scholars missing school for 3 cores or more will be considered absent for the day.
Absences for more than 20 minutes from a class is considered an absence. Time will be noted in PowerSchool.
Attendance matters for all classes so if a scholar can only attend 1 or 2 cores for an excused reason, we highly recommend they do.

Please remind your child of the importance of waking up early and being in school daily. If you need support and resources please contact Ms. Gibson at sgibson@crec.org or their school counselor (listed below).