TIBS provides numerous scholarships and innovative teaching/training grants to deserving students and teachers each year.
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TIBS 2018 eNewsletter,
Fall Edition
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Dear TIBS community,
Welcome to the 2018 Fall eNewsletter.
We hope your 2018-2019 school year is off to a good start.
We know you are looking forward to the upcoming winter holiday break, as you are all deserving of some rest and recreation.
This edition of the newsletter includes information about great action projects in our Spotlight on Schools section. We are always impressed by the good things that are happening on our IB World School campuses. In addition, the newsletter also contains information about the Global Conference in New Orleans, an announcement about an advanced degree opportunity, and a celebration of how many socks you purchased in November, as well as a few other things.
We are grateful for your continued support, and we truly appreciate your efforts to provide the students in your schools with the best possible educational opportunities. Don't forget to keep us updated with your stories, photos, and videos! Send them any time, as it will be time for the Spring eNewsletter before we know it.
Best regards,
Karen Phillips, TIBS Executive Director
Courtney Smith, TIBS Associate Executive Director
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- What We've Been Up To / What's Coming Up
- Recently Authorized Schools
- 2018/2019 Board Members
- Announcement Regarding the Global Conference
- Report from the Seminar and Coordinators Meeting in November
- Spotlight on IB World Schools and Students
- Innovative Grant Responses
- Information Regarding an Advanced Degree Opportunity
- Information About a Scholarship Program
- Announcements
- Contact Us
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What We’ve Been Up To:
Dallas (June12-13): 513 trained (PYP/MYP/DP/Cont)
Austin (July 15-21): 1,079 trained (PYP/MYP/DP/Cont)
Houston (August 9-10): 489 trained (PYP/MYP/DP/Cont)
- IB Global Conference—San Diego, CA (July 26-29)
- Gifted/Talented Fall Conference—Baylor University (October 27)
- Fall Seminar—Austin (November 3): 144 attendees
Diploma: Self Study Process/Programme Evaluation Questionnaire
MYP Programme Standards & amp; Practices + Evaluation & amp;Verification Visits
Exploring the enhanced PYP (part 2)
- TAGT Annual Conference—Ft. Worth (November 28-30)
What’s Coming Up:
- Central TX PYP Roundtable—Austin (January 26)
- TIBS Spring Meeting & Seminar—Houston (Dates TBA)
- Rice Winter & Spring IB Workshops—Houston (February 7-9 & March 14-16)
- SXSWedu—Austin (March 4-7)
- TAGT Leadership Conference—Georgetown (April 14-16)
- TIBS College Fair—Hurst (April 16)
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Congratulations to our newly authorized schools in Texas!
We understand the level of commitment involved in just getting authorized, and we are very proud of all of your hard work. If you are not on this list and have been authorized, please
let us know
.
- Cockrell Hill Elementary (PYP)—DeSoto
- Daniel Ortiz Middle School (MYP)—Houston
- Heights High School (CP)—Houston
- Hillcrest High School (DP)—Dallas
- Joel C. Harris Middle School (MYP)—San Antonio
- Lincoln Middle School (MYP)—El Paso
- Morehead Middle School (MYP)—El Paso
- Preston Hollow Elementary (PYP)—Dallas
- Uplift Grand Preparatory (PYP/MYP/DP)—Grand Prairie
- Uplift Hampton Preparatory (DP)—Dallas
- Uplift Heights Preparatory (DP)—Dallas
- Uplift Infinity Preparatory (DP)—Irving
- Uplift Meridian Preparatory (PYP)—Fort Worth
- Uplift Mighty Preparatory (DP/PYP)—Fort Worth
- Uplift Triumph Preparatory (PYP)—Dallas
- Uplift Williams Preparatory (DP)—Dallas
- William B. Lipscomb Elementary (PYP)—Dallas
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Linda Buie
Stephanie Childress
Margaret Davis
Rick Fernandez
Angela Hall-Hector
Kelly McBride
Katie Rhymes
Rebeckah Tisdale
Penny Tschirhart
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The IB community will be gathering in New Orleans, USA, from 18–21 July 2019 for a global conference centered around the theme “Generation IB”.
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As you probably know, Texas IB Schools is always a global sponsor of the annual conference, but this year, TIBS is also part of the host committee along with the IB schools in Louisiana. We would love to see our organization represented in New Orleans by you and others from your school, if possible. Click
here
to register for the conference. The "early bird" special price is good through January 31.
Because we know what amazing educational activities go on in your schools and classrooms, we would like to encourage you to present a breakout session during the conference as well
.
These 75-minute sessions are the heart and soul of the conference. They provide the chance to share with your IB peers from across the globe about ways to better meet the needs of your students - an innovative way of teaching and learning, a scholarly analysis, or an inspirational story. We are particularly interested in best practice sessions in one or more of IB's four programmes, and sessions on educational leadership within the IB context. To submit a proposal, follow this
link
.
Finally, as a part of the host committee, Texas IB Schools will be asked to provide some art work to be on display during the conference. We will provide information at a later date regarding medium, themes, etc., but again, we would love to show off the good things that we know are happening in your schools. Stay tuned for the details.
We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans in July!
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You Bought Lots of Socks!
Thanks to the attendees at our Saturday Seminar and coordinator meetings in November, along with a little help from TIBS, We Help Two was able to provide limbs for two youngsters. Way to go!
Patient #1 Shakira (Congo)
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been embroiled in civil war for many years. Many have died in battle, and the fields have been neglected so that many more are starving. Life is tough there. So, what do you do if you happen to be born into a war zone like that? You run – if you can. But little 11-year-old Shakira was unable to do even that. She was born with a deformed leg that immobilized her.
But Shakira was taken to a clinic in Uganda, a partner of We Help Two. They performed the necessary surgery and then fitted her with a prosthetic leg. She is mobile now and able to pursue a better life for herself.
Patient #2 John (Kenya)
John Nakadu is 16. He lives in Narok, Kenya among the towering Maasai people. John was playing soccer with his friends when he fell and broke his leg. Not a big deal except that the health care worker that treated him was careless. John’s bone eventually became infected, and the leg had to be removed. In this case, the treatment was worse than the disease, but there was nothing he could do about it. In fact, it felt like there was nothing he could do about anything. A young man with one leg is pretty limited.
But We Help Two and a partner clinic intervened. They provided a new prosthetic limb for John and the training on how to use it. And he is back at it - busy perfecting his corner kicks.
Thanks again for your generosity in purchasing socks. Thanks to you, two children have a chance for a better life.
Documents from the DP Coordinator Session
Below are links to three documents provided by Kim Kamin that will help you as you advise students on their college selections:
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Action Project at River Oaks Elementary School
4th and 5
th
grade students at River Oaks Elementary in Houston ISD raised money to buy a prosthetic leg for a child and to make a monetary donation to a charity of their choice. The ROE students did this by partnering with the organization We Help Two to sell packs of socks at school and online. The kids raised almost $3,000 and were able to provide one leg to an amputee and make a substantial monetary donation to the Veteran’s organization, Camp Hope!
Submitted by Jana Bomersbach, PYP Coordinator, River Oaks Elementary, Houston ISD
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Design Night of Kinetic Wonder at Meridian School
T
he Design Department at Meridian School of Round Rock, TX held their first "Design Night of Kinetic Wonder" community event in October. This evening highlighted a variety of projects and design elements that exemplify this important MYP subject. Middle school students showed off 40
Whirligigs
, 40
Mobiles
, and over 100
Wind Chimes
built using various materials. High school students designed and sold commemorative t-shirts that students screen printed and delivered in the week after the event. The evening began with a welcome presentation, followed by time for parents, students, and community members to tour and interact with the projects, and closed with the MYP coordinator presenting how assessment criteria in all MYP subjects relate to the Design Cycle. It was a great night, and we look forward to growing these events at Meridian!
Submitted by Katy Garbus, MYP Coordinator, Meridian World School, Round Rock
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Hutchinson Middle School Celebrates
Dia de los Muertos
in an Interdisciplinary Manner
Since 2012, Hutchinson photography students have participated in an elaborate photoshoot during their study of the
Dia de los Muertos
holiday and cultural celebration.
Over the last 6 years, several other content areas of instruction have been integrated, promoting the interdisciplinary component of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme.
Hutchinson became an International Baccalaureate Middle Years World school in 2016. The vision of J.T. Hutchinson as an IB Middle Years World school is to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through multicultural understanding, international mindedness, and respect. Teachers work to design integrated multidisciplinary units of study during their IB PLC periods each day. An IB unit of study has many moving parts that take a great deal of planning and collaboration on the part of our teachers.
Throughout the
Dia de los Muertos
unit of study, technical theatre students researched the holiday, created designs for face painting, painted the designs on one another, and served as models for the photoshoots.
Photography students created the backdrops and settings for the photographs they produced. Two Hutchinson photography students have been awarded National Scholastic medals as a result of this project since 2012. All of the Hutchinson visual arts students had artwork on display at the TTU ICC on November 2nd for Lubbock’s annual First Friday Art Trail. Hutchinson Spanish classes contributed to the project by making
ofrendas.
An
ofrenda
is a collection of objects placed on an altar during the
Dia de los Muertos
celebration to honor someone who has died.
Ofrendas
, lovingly created by students, were also on display.
The Hutchinson Junior Historian members served as docents, as they assisted visitors of all ages in decorating sugar skulls that they produced for the event. Theater students were on hand for free face painting!
On Friday November 2nd, Hutchinson hosted a
Dia de los Muertos Day,
to wrap up the celebration during school followed by a kick off celebration that evening. Students dressed in traditional
day of the dead
costumes, painted their faces, and wore flowers in their hair. We would like to thank the LHS Mariachi group for providing entertainment on this day during our three lunches!
Submitted by Toby Klameth, MYP Coordinator, Hutchinson Middle School, Lubbock ISD.
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Magellan Makers
The Magellan International School in Austin is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its i.lab for Design + Making, a collaborative learning space that empowers students to tinker, explore, and create with the powerful ideas and tools of the Maker Movement.
This constructionist learning lab, commonly referred to to as a “makerspace,” has been a catalyst for innovation across our campus. From working with digital fabrication technologies like laser cutting and 3D printing, to managing complex projects via the Agile framework, Magellan students have been developing a high degree of agency, while also leading with empathy.
Click on the arrow below to watch the short video. The excitement in palpable.
Submitted by Patrick Benfield, Innovative Director, Magellan International School, Austin
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International Peace Day
The International School of Texas commemorated International Peace Day on September 21 with a whole host of exciting events. We were lucky enough to be joined by the founder of Peace One Day, Jeremy Gilley, by Skype, who spoke to us from London, about setting up this annual global event and answered questions that we had.
We also officially opened our new Story Walk; this was an action project led by our Head Boy and Head Girl, which involved building reading boards along our school trails so children can now read a book as they walk through nature. Another student took action by organizing a dance party for students. Finally, we ended the day with a whole community soccer game, 'One Day, One Goal," showing that we can all come together, in peace, through sport.
Submitted by Eleanor Mitchell, PYP Coordinator and Deputy Head, International School of Texas, Lakeway
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Woodlawn Academy Staff and Teachers Visit Food Bank
The staff and teachers of Woodlawn Academy started the 2018-19 school year with a visit to the San Antonio Food Bank. The group spent their first morning back on contract volunteering at the local non-profit which educates and provides assistance to more than 58,000 individuals each week through their programs and services.
“This is important to our IB (International Baccalaureate) campus,” said Karen Rose, principal. “The whole purpose of the IB is to think globally, act locally. So, the first day back, I want my teachers to get into that mindset. There is no better way to do that than to get out into our community and act locally.”
Woodlawn offers the IB Middle Years Programme and the Primary Years Programme. All Middle Years students are required to present a community service-based project at the end of the year.
“We are looking at a global problem like hunger and approaching it with local action in our community,” said Elizabeth Castro, Woodlawn IB Primary Year Program coordinator. “This is important for our teachers since action is a big part of the curriculum. Sometimes we get stuck in our classrooms, and we think of the textbooks and the regular day-to-day classroom activities, but this helps us see that our schools are part of a bigger community and that what we do has a great impact on our community, not just our school.”
The Woodlawn educators sorted through hundreds of boxes of donations and separated the items into a variety of different categories so the items could be distributed to families in need.
“I am excited to help the community and also come together as the Woodlawn family,” said Adriana Gold, a 5th-grade teacher. “I think this is a great way to start a new year. Being a part of today and being able to experience this in person, I think we are better prepared to help our students when it comes to their end-of-year exhibition.”
Submitted by Elizabeth Castro, PYP Coordinator, Woodlawn Academy, San Antonio ISD.
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Kramer's Garden Becomes a Certified Wildlife Habitat
Arthur Kramer IB World School’s garden has been deemed a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. It provides the four basic habitat elements for wildlife to thrive: food, water, cover and places to raise young. Because of the school’s planning, landscaping and sustainable gardening all year long, wildlife finds quality habitats throughout the garden. Students enjoy observing the bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and other organisms while working in the vegetable beds.
The garden is also home to a registered Little Free Library. Harrison Ward, the son of one of our teachers, Jennifer Ward, chose this garden for his Scout Project. Walkways were built, garden areas were weeded, a plum tree was planted, and Little Free Library was built. This library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges.
Submitted by Kim West, PYP Coordinator, and Cathy Southwick, Garden Teacher, Kramer World School,
Dallas ISD
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Empty
Bowls and
Food
Bank
Help
The Third-Grade students at Brighter Horizons Academy are studying the unit “Who We Are." The central idea is (
The acts of individuals shape the community
). As part of their summative assessment, students are hosting an Empty Bowl event for the first time at BHA. Students created bowls out of clay and painted them to help raise money. This is a community outreach project, and the proceeds will go to North Texas Food Bank and to a refugee food pantry. As an IB PYP Candidate School, our students want to go further and connect globally. They will also hold a silent auction during the event and send all proceeds to a country fighting hunger.
The remaining BHA students wanted to all be part of this community service project and ACT. Our Pre-K- 5
th
grade students took action and decided to collect food items for a local food pantry. The food pantry distributes food to the hungry refugees in the Dallas community. Each grade level made a connection to their unit of inquiry. The project was so rewarding that our students want to continue the drive and provide additional items that the community needs throughout the year.
Submitted by Nadia Elatrash, PYP Coordinator-Designate, Brighter Horizons, Academy (IB Candidate School), Garland
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Golden Bob and Grace
IB and Montessori philosophies share the same goal of educating the whole child beyond academics. This is expressed through the Learner Profile Traits (LPT’s) and Grace and Courtesy lessons in Montessori. Harry Stone actively promotes the daily expression of these philosophies.
The Golden Bob awards recognize MYP students who have exhibited the character trait for that week’s highlighted LPT’s. Students receive a personalized write up of their LPT’s expression and have their picture taken with the coveted Golden Bob.
The Montessori philosophy of Grace and Courtesy is acknowledged through weekly nominations of elementary students who have exhibited grace and courtesy. Their pictures are taken with the heart of kindness and placed on a bulletin board beside the MYP student nominees.
Students love the attention, and every MYP student who completes the program is guaranteed to win at
least one
Golden Bob in his/her three-year term.
Submitted by Megan Capshaw, MYP Coordinator, Harry Stone Montessori, Dallas ISD
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2018 TIBS Innovative Grant- DP Chemistry IA- Category 3 Conference
Being able to attend the Category 3-Chemistry Internal Assessment conference in Los Angeles was helpful and informative. The session leader, Maria, was very knowledgeable and gave all of us great pointers and tips when helping our students to navigate the IA process. It was nice to see that I wasn’t alone in wanting to help my students be more successful at developing and writing a Chemistry IA. Though the conference was information overload, I feel better this go-around with IAs than I did my first year teaching DP Chemistry.
Thanks, Joy, for your reflection on the TIBS grant you were awarded.
Submitted by Joy Higgins, MYP and DP Chemistry teacher, Meridian World School, Round Rock.
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Uplift Education Local Roundtable Evaluation: DP Academy
In Spring 2018, Uplift Education hit a milestone in its IB journey with 9 successful IB Diploma Programme authorizations. This accomplishment has resulted in 10 full IB continuum programs that serve nearly 4,000 high school scholars (18,000 scholars K-12) in underserved North Texas communities. In anticipation for the inaugural launch of 9 new DP programs, Uplift Education designed DP Academy, an intensive “DP bootcamp” to onboard teachers to their new IB course. Uplift Education’s first DP Academy took place June 14-15, 2018, immediately following the DFW TIBS Summer training. The dates were intentionally timed such that teachers had a chance to apply the learning from their IB workshops to begin designing their syllabus and course materials for the upcoming school year.
This bootcamp was a joint effort between Uplift’s centralized Teaching and Learning Team and campus administrators. On Day 1, teachers met in their subject groups to do a deep dive into their subject guides, aims and objectives, assessments, and the Programme Resource Centre. On Day 2, teachers met with their campus teams to focus on unit planning, TOK connections, and building a campus internal assessment calendar. The outcome from this initiative was that teachers would have solid drafts of their first quarter unit plans and assessments by the start of the school year.
Our first DP Academy was attended by nearly 80 teachers representing 9 DP subjects, plus 3 DP core components. The response from both teachers and leaders was overwhelmingly positive, as it fostered a high level of engagement and investment in DP that carried into the start of the school year. 6 weeks into the school year, a feedback survey was sent to attendees to measure the impact of the program.
Teacher Reflections:
- 85% of teachers felt that the subject-specific curriculum information was valuable in helping them prepare for teaching DP in the 18-19 SY.
- “It really helped getting time to work on our assessments in the presence of each other. It was also helpful to learn how my colleagues were going to implement their classes. It was also helpful getting the opportunity to look closer at the IB assessments.”
- “Reviewing what each assessment looked like and learning the logistics of the external assessments was informative and helped me understand the end goal. I feel I have a better handle on how I need to deliver instruction and assess scholars throughout the course.”
- “I was able to gain valuable knowledge that I was able to utilize with planning.
Leader Reflections:
- 100% of campus leaders felt DP Academy resulted in their teachers being more intellectually prepared for teaching a DP course in 18-19.
- 100% of campus leaders wanted DP Academy to be offered again in the summer of 19-20 SY.
- “DP Academy is a very creative solution to the problem of planning time for teachers. I'd love to see more support of this nature, time for teachers to plan and do what they do best.
- “New teacher "boot camp" would be tremendous help for those starting their first year as DP teachers.”
- “It may be that eventually, DP Academy looks different for new to DP teachers than for returning teachers. However, I think this is an INCREDIBLY important training time for teachers.
Submitted by Sophia Kwong, IB Programming Director, Uplift Education
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Master of Education in Advanced Teaching Degree
To increase the amount of highly skilled teachers across the world, the University of the People (UoPeople) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) have launched a tuition-free, online Master of Education (M.Ed.) program.
The curriculum reflects the IB’s approaches to teaching and learning so the program will also meet the needs of IB World Schools who are looking to recruit teachers familiar with IB pedagogy. The M.Ed. program will produce a new generation of globally-minded educators with an in-depth knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment to support student-directed inquiry, interdisciplinary learning, intercultural competence, and critical thinking.
The Master of Education is a graduate-level program designed to train students for dynamic careers in education, childcare, and community leadership. The program’s approach is that teaching is a learner-centered endeavor, and that effective teachers are skilled professionals who foster inclusive and inquiring learning environments. Program participants will learn to create such environments through a multi-disciplinary approach, including human development, teaching and learning theory, behavior management, and assessment of learning, preparing them for careers in public and private schools, community colleges, and other educational settings.
Graduates of the M.Ed. program are required to complete a minimum of 13 courses, which is equivalent to 39 credits.
To read the announcement from IB regarding this partnership, click
here.
Click
here
for the website of the University of the People.
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2019 Davidson Fellows $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 Scholarships
The Davidson Institute for Talent Development offers high-achieving young people across the country the opportunity to be named a 2019
Davidson Fellow
, an honor accompanied by a $50,000, $25,000 or $10,000 scholarship in recognition of a significant piece of work in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Music, Literature, Philosophy or Outside the Box. Applicants must submit an original piece of work that is recognized as significant by experts in the field and that has the potential to make a positive contribution to society. The scholarship may be used at any accredited college or university.
The deadline to apply is Feb. 13, 2019.
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Spring Seminar will be in Houston. Date TBA.
- Registration for TIBS Austin workshops (Session 1, July 21-24 and Session 2, July 24-27) will open on February 1st on the TIBS website. Remember: the IB organization and Kent State University have partnered to offer graduate credit for PYP, MYP, and DP training. Click here to find out more!
- IB College Fair 2019 will be on April 16, 2019 at the Hurst Conference Center. Student registration, as well as university registration, is now open on the TIBS website. Over seventy colleges and universities from across Texas, the US, and several other countries have already registered. With four months left until until the fair, we expect our largest number of colleges ever. DP coordinators, please plan to bring your students. It should be a great day!
- The Student World Conference that TIBS is planning in conjunction with SMU has been moved from summer of 2019 to Summer of 2020. More details will follow.
GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS:
- TIBS offers $1,000 scholarships to six graduating diploma candidates enrolled in its member schools. Click here to apply.
- TIBS offers teachers from its member schools six innovative teaching grants of $1000 each. Click here to apply.
- TIBS offers grants to its member schools to host IB roundtables in their geographic areas. Click here to apply.
Deadline for all the applications is December 17, 2018.
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We'd love to hear from you with any questions or concerns.
I
f you have feedback on the newsletter
, please contact
Judy Chapman
.
To share your schools' stories, accomplishments, and projects, please email us at
[email protected]
.
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