A Global Partnership Initiative of the Jesuit Schools Network
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Dear Global Companions:
“Serving Christ’s mission today means paying special attention to its global context. This context requires us to act as a universal body with a universal mission, realizing at the same time the radical diversity of our situations. It is as a worldwide community – and, simultaneously, as a network of local communities – that we seek to serve others across the world. Our mission of faith and justice, dialogue of religions and cultures has acquired dimensions that no longer allow us to conceive of the world as composed of separate entities; we must see it as a unified whole in which we depend upon one another. Globalization, technology, and environmental concerns have challenged our traditional boundaries and have enhanced our awareness that we bear a common responsibility for the welfare of the entire world and its development in a sustainable and living-giving way.” (GC35 D. 2 #20)
How true these words are today! This special issue of Hemispheres is dedicated to celebrating how you, o
ur Jesuit Schools Network of educators, are boldly collaborating with each other. Both locally and globally, you are sharing your plans, your joys and your trials in these unprecedented days. Thank you to all who have contributed. May you and your communities stay healthy and well.
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"To act as a universal body with a universal mission"
GC35, D.2 #20
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Catharine Steffens
Director of Global Partnerships
Jesuit Schools Network
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On our (virtual) campuses...
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The Power of Story
A Global Initiative
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Love and hope will prevail during this time of Pandemic. The wisdom of God teaches us that we are not powerless. We have the power to choose joy. But how? Through the
power of story.
As educators, we have the opportunity to
“journey with the youth”
like never before through an open door created by the very situation that seems to have flipped our world into a tailspin. Let us grab a hold of this opportunity by empowering our youth in such a way that will connect them globally through the power of their own stories. By sharing their stories as they go through this journey, they are drawn into conversation with each other through the windows of their worlds in their own voices very much in the same way that Ignatius travelled with his companions on the “camino.”
Imagine this as a historical moment that can be told through the lenses of our own students all over the world as they will be the stakeholders and authors of these uncertain times. Let us allow them to be heard, not just now, but for years to come. To participate in the epic opportunity to lift every voice, a unique page has been set up by
Educate Magis
. There you will find out how you can get your students involved in this wonderful and unique project. We have already collected stories from students in
Ireland
,
Spain
, and different states in the United States including
Alaska
,
California
, and
Washington
. Be a part of this dream and let us help our youth: “
Go Forth and Set the World on Fire!”
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During a virtual, end of year teaching evaluation and growth meeting,
Jason Miller
shared this lesson with me as one of his “lights” during these past weeks on online teaching. He and the other AP Environmental Science teacher,
Erin Miller
(no relation) had covered all the material for the revised AP Environmental Science test. As passionate Ignatian scientists, they felt it was the perfect time to have students engage their academic experience with the
Universal Apostolic Preferences
of
Walking with the Excluded
and
Care for our Common Home
. They reached out to
Alan Mensel
in Religious Studies to develop this cross-curriculum unit blending science with social justice.
An asynchronous extended eLearning project that we plan to modify for the classroom when we can all be together again. Find the lesson on
Educate Magis or here in
PDF.
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Elective C: Catholic Social Teaching Online
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For educators currently teaching Elective C: Living as a Disciple of Jesus Christ in Society from the USCCB's Doctrinal Framework Curriculum, Education for Justice (EFJ) has created
a guide that maps EFJ
online resources to standards from the curriculum for the end of the semester. Our hope is that these resources can assist in the transition to a digital classroom by providing easy to share assignments with students. Contact
Brenna Davis for more information.
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Spanish teachers have been recommending this video to keep students (and faculty) moving!
Quédate en Casa by Ariel de Cuba.
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Engineering Class Goes Virtual
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Yesterday at
Loyola School
, Science and Math Teacher,
Mark Howell
led "
absolutely the best virtual class
" according to his students. The goal was for students to see how weak a simple Beam Bridge is, then to add suspension cables to show how much more structural integrity it has. Adaptations were made to what the students had at home: 7 drinking straws (some used pencils or skewers), masking tape (some used electrical, packaging or scotch tape), dental floss or thread (some used headphone cables or any cord they could find), 4 large paper clips (some used binder clips or small pieces of metal they could find), paper cup (some used a water bottle or a plastic cup), pennies or metal washers (some used any weight they had around the house).
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Tag your photos with
#JSNGlobal
and SHARE your global journeys in & out of the classroom.
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Messages of Hope ~ Magis Americas
As the #COVIDー19 pandemic forces millions around the world to
#SocialDistance, it's easy to forget the hope and joy of everyday life. Magis Americas asks:
What is your #MessageofHope? Tag
@magisamericas and let us know using the hashtag
#MyMessageofHope!
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Spiritual Exercises in a Self Guided Reflection
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The current COVID-19 Lockdown has simultaneously produced a dangerous combination for many: more down-time and increased agitation. Why not channel those realities into some guided prayer combined with old-fashioned, quality entertainment? Here is an
easy-to-use guided reflection through the movements of the Spiritual Exercises
that prompts prayer through popular film. Guided self-reflection, conversation with God, and checking out a new (or old!) film…what better way to retreat from social interaction than by intentional interaction with God? He probably won’t even steal your popcorn!
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Bellarmine Prep Opens its Doors to Help Tacoma Men's Shelter
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COVID-19 is worsening inequality among many communities. But even from home, we can show solidarity with vulnerable communities. Learn what the Jesuit network is doing and how you and your students can help. ~
MegAnne Liebsch
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Educate Magis shares a compilation of resources that have been submitted by educators from different parts of the world, and also officially launches the new and improved Classroom Materials page.
Stay healthy! – Resources for the Soul
. This is a compilation of encouraging and creative initiatives, videos, reflections and prayers that can help us to take care of our minds, to stay grounded and to pray and reflect to raise our spirits.
The
new and improved Classroom Materials page
in here! Although we are in a wide range of contexts, we share the same Ignatian Charism and Pedagogy. We invite you to share and use these Classroom Materials as a support for online teaching. Let’s build a Library of Classroom Materials together to support each other as a global community!
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Virtual Global Citizenship Initiatives
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In these times of confinement, virtual relations and home-work have gained a special place in our lives. During the past weeks, two FLACSI (
the Jesuit schools network of Latin America) Virtual Meetings for Students took place for two of the Global Citizenship projects promoted by this network: 1) Youth for Hospitality, as a response to the forced migration situation, and 2) Integral Ecology and the care for the Amazon.
1) The first one was on March 19th, where 20 students from 4 countries discussed with José Cabrera from the
Ignatian Solidarity Network
how youth actions can make a positive impact on forced migration in their local contexts. We share with you the
article where you can find the whole video and some highlights!
For students who couldn't connect, and with the support of Educate Magis, we set up a site where students, from their homes, can watch and comment on the different topics of the Virtual Meeting. Through this new site students who couldn't connect can continue to be part of the discussion.
2) The second Meeting was on March 26th, and we had Silvia Gómez and Tatiana Céspedes from
Greenpeace
talking to 30 students about the importance of the Amazon for the planet, recognizing its interconnections and allowing each student to identify “their own Amazons”. You can watch the video and find out more about this project
here
.
Today, Virtual Meetings are an easy and effective way to connect students from schools and countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, and all around the world!
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Some Lightness and Virtual Connecting
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A Stay-at-home rendition of "One Day More"
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The Jesuit Schools Network promotes the educational ministry of the Society of Jesus in service to the Catholic Church by strengthening Jesuit schools for the mission of Jesus Christ.
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