TIBS provides numerous scholarships and innovative teaching/training grants to deserving students and teachers each year.

TIBS 2019 eNewsletter, Fall Edition

Dear TIBS community, Welcome to the 2019 Fall eNewsletter.  We hope your 2019-2020 school year is going well. 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 features some special students from around the state. Our Spotlight on Schools section provides information about great action projects and teaching ideas. 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 Toronto, a report from Trevor Bergman on your service learning achievements from 2018-2019, 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. We wish all of you happy holidays and a restful winter break.   Best regards,  Karen Phillips, TIBS Executive Director Courtney Smith, TIBS Associate Executive Director

IN THIS EDITION

What We've Been Up To / What's Coming Up Recently Authorized Schools 2019/2020 Board Members Announcement Regarding the Global Conference Report from Trevor Bergman Spotlight on IB World Schools and Students Collaboration and Competition Other News, including an announcement about a job fair Information About a Scholarship Program Announcements Contact Us

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO / WHAT'S COMING UP

What We’ve Been Up To: Summer 2019 Workshops Dallas (June 11 & 12): 489 trained (PYP/MYP/DP) Austin (July 21-27): 1,102 trained (PYP/MYP/DP/Cont) San Antonio (July 29 & 30): 173 trained (PYP/MYP/DP/IB Education) Houston (August 1 & 2): 395 trained (PYP/MYP/DP) Round Rock (August 6 & 7): 72 trained (MYP Design & Arts) IB Global Conference—New Orleans, LA (July 18-21) Gifted/Talented Fall Conference—Baylor University (October 5) Fall Seminar—Austin (October 26): 143 attendees            DP Language B (overview)    Writing Rubrics in the MYP Assessment in the Enhanced PYP Longview District Workshop (November 15 & 16): 495 trained (PYP/MYP/CP) TAGT Annual Conference—San Antonio (December 4-6) What’s Coming Up: Central TX PYP Roundtable—Austin (February 1) TIBS Spring Meeting & Seminar—Dallas (Late Feb—dates TBA) Rice Spring IB Workshops—Houston (February 13-15) SXSWedu—Austin (March 9-12) TAGT Leadership Conference—Sugar Land (March 29-31) TIBS College Fair—Hurst (April 28)

RECENTLY AUTHORIZED SCHOOLS

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 . Dove Elementary (PYP)—Grapevine Huffman Elementary (PYP)—Plano Luther Burbank High School (MYP)—San Antonio Nolan Richardson Middle School (MYP)—El Paso

2019/2020 BOARD MEMBERS

Daniella Andrade Linda Buie Elizabeth Castro Stephanie Childress Margaret Davis Kelly McBride Katie Rhymes Rebeckah Tisdale Penny Tschirhart

Announcement Regarding the IB Global Conference

2019 IB Global Conference July 23-26, 2020 Toronto, Ontario, Canada “Generation IB: Poised for possible" As you probably know, Texas IB Schools is always a global sponsor of the annual conference. We would love to see our organization represented in Toronto by you and others from your school, if possible. Click here to register for the conference. The "early bird" special price is good through March 15, 2020. 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 . We look forward to seeing you in Toronto in July!

WE HELP TWO REPORT

Service Learning at its Best The saying goes that everything is bigger in Texas, and when it comes to Texas IB schools making a difference around the world, the saying could not be more true. During the 2018-19 school year, TIBS schools from across the state participated in the state-wide service-learning project by partnering with We Help Two to make twice the difference. The results are nothing short of amazing! Last school year, TIBS schools provided:  1 WASH project for a school campus in the developing world, giving the gift of clean water, sanitation and health 17 Clubfoot repairs for babies who will now be able to walk and run like everyone else 68 Legs for amputees who could only dream of walking again and are now walking to school and work  6,463 Pairs of donated socks throughout Texas communities to those who needed them most We thank you for your wonderful efforts and hard work that resulted in so many lives being changed. If you would like to participate during the spring semester, please contact Trevor Bergman at  trevor@wehelptwo.com  or visit  wehelptwo.com .  We at TIBS are so proud of the way students at IB schools are changing lives all over the world and here in Texas. Keep up the good work!

SPOTLIGHT ON IB STUDENTS

Janiyah Jacobs - a Vital Part of the Metrocrest Canned Food Drive at R.E. Good Elementary in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD  Janiyah Jacobs is an exceptional 5 th grader. Her passion for learning and acquiring knowledge knows no bounds. She is a PYP role model for all students at Good Elementary. She displays caring, open-mindedness, and commitment. Janiyah confidently helped lead the Metrocrest Canned Food Drive. She encouraged her classmates to donate food to Metrocrest that will be given to families who are in great need in our local area. She wrote and read announcements on the school news network, collected cans, analyzed and interpreted the data. Families will be blessed during this holiday season because of Janiyah Jacobs.    Submitted by Allison Elliott, PYP Coordinator, R. E. Good Elementary, Carrollton- Farmers Branch ISD

Sean McDowell - Outstanding Student at Rockwall-Heath High School Sean McDowell is a senior in the DP Programme at Rockwall-Heath High School. His interests include history, reading, and cooking. He enjoys researching topics of interest to broaden his cultural perspective. He loves to interact with his classmates and is known as a passionate, charismatic speaker in the group. He plans to study business in college next year.  Submitted by Penny Harris, DP Coordinator, Rockwall-Heath High School, Rockwall ISD

Tony Torres - Outstanding Student at Uplift Luna Preparatory Fourth graders at Uplift Luna Preparatory recently began "How We Express Ourselves" with the central idea, “People can create or manipulate messages to target specific audiences." This led to conversations about kindness in Ms. Melody Garcia’s class, which prompted student Tony Torres to act upon a local radio station project. Tony initiated a school-wide letter-writing campaign for U.S. military members stationed abroad during the holidays. When asked why he decided to get his school involved, he replied that he’s thankful for the sacrifice the soldiers make and wanted students to express themselves in different ways for the benefit of others. Submitted by Maria Pacailler, PYP Dean/Coordinator, and Brian Hills, Network PYP Coordinator, Uplift Luna Preparatory

Awty International Students Win Awards Four Awty International DP students competed in the Offshore Technology Conference Challenge in the spring of 2019. Earning a special award for their digital effects, Markus Isaacson, Jaden Wu, Lisa Meng and Tyler Nokleby continued their efforts this September at the Advanced Clean Energy Summit in Colorado. Invited and generously funded by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the group presented their innovative solution for supplying clean power to offshore oil platforms using the Bombora mWave. The group received yet another invitation to present their unique solution to the Chinese American Petroleum Association where they earned the “Young Scientists Achievement Award."  Submitted by Isabel Van Dyck, DP Coordinator, Awty International School

SPOTLIGHT ON IB WORLD SCHOOLS

Meal Packing Party Jefferson High School Saturday, November 2nd, our TJHS students joined True Vision Church (TVC) in the city of Kirby to participate in a Meal Packing Party! TVC had combined efforts with the Mission of Hope Haiti in order to contribute to the improvements of the catastrophic situation that still exists in Haiti. Our students along with other community members helped to achieve the goal of preparing and sending 30,000 meals to Haiti. It was revealed to us when we were there that these 30,000 meals would feed 80 children a meal every day for 365 days! It was my hope that our DP students who accompanied us recognized the IB learning outcome of the CAS requirements that states students must demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.  In addition, for the lower classmen who joined us, it was our hope that they would reflect on the awesome feeling of being a caring, principled, and balanced citizen by being of service to others. Submitted by Jennifer Love, DP Coordinator, Jefferson High School, San Antonio ISD

A Person's Life Story At Mason IB World School in Leander ISD, Mrs. Erickson’s Kindergarten students were inquiring into the central idea, “A person’s life (or story) is influenced by where and when they live.” The students engaged in an author study about Eric Carle. They learned that as a small child, he went on walks with his dad, which is where he developed his love of nature, consequently inspiring his writing and illustrations. The class worked together on their version of From Head to Toe , with many creative ideas and animals. The students then decided to be risk-takers and went through a three day process of painting pieces of paper to create the beautiful fish collage above. They are unique to each student’s personality! After the collages were made and shared, students reflected on the process of cutting and gluing the pieces into the fish shape. They also realized that teamwork was necessary, because students shared pieces of their paintings with others. The collages reflect their learning and working together as a team.   Submitted by Ashley Swindle, PYP Coordinator, Mason Elementary School, Leander ISD

How We Express Ourselves Third graders at Grandview Hills IB World School in Leander ISD prepare for their mini "How We Express Ourselves" exhibition. They rehearsed their presentations with 5th-grade students who provided feedback, giving both groups of students the opportunity to put their Approaches to Learning into action.   Submitted by Ashley Swindle, PYP Coordinator, Grandview Hills IB World School, Leander ISD

IDEA College Preparatory and Colegio Champagnat Student Exchange Program I DEA College Preparatory Donna participated in the first annual International Exchange Program with IB World School Colegio Champagnat from Lima, Peru. In October, IB students from Colegio Champagnat arrived in South Texas for a 10 day cultural and academic experience in Donna, Texas. They were hosted by IDEA Donna IB families and attended IB classes during their stay. Families built beautiful and genuine connections with their exchange student and their families. Students were able to share their perspective and IB experiences in their country. In June, IDEA Donna students will travel to Lima for the second part of the Exchange Program.  Submitted by Dikla Medina, Assistant Principal of Instruction, IDEA College Preparatory, Donna.

Day of Service At Imagine International Academy of North Texas, we have established an annual tradition of celebrating action with a school wide Day of Service.  Our entire K-12 campus participates in a variety of different ways. Our teachers collaborate to plan learning engagements and activities that help our students take action to serve others.  Many grade levels have long established traditions of supporting organizations like Meals on Wheels, the Veterans Administration Hospital, The Samaritan Inn, and Heifer International, just to name a few. It is our hope and goal that this day will inspire our students to continue to take action as they journey toward becoming global citizens who want to make a positive impact in the world. #involveddragons  First-graders assemble shelf-stable dry soup jars for Collin County Meals On Wheels in the photo.     Submitted by Kimberley Wood, PYP Coordinator, Imagine International School of North Texas

MYP Students Visit the Holocaust Museum MYP 1’s visit to the Holocaust Museum in Dallas is the ultimate activity in their interdisciplinary study of the genocide. Each subject area unpacks the global exploration from the context of identities and relationships that focuses on, “human nature and human dignity, moral reasoning and ethical judgment.” Science focuses on scientific ethics, language and literature on Number the Stars, and individuals and societies focus on democracy and totalitarianism. Teachers have structured a focused, multi-disciplinary summative task where students write a journal from the perspective of a Jewish child or the child of a high ranking Nazi official using Adobe Spark.    Submitted by Megan Capshaw, Harry Stone Montessori IB World School, Dallas ISD

A Tribute to Mr. Bill Marquis Our class inquiry into forces of many kinds led us to a video and an article about a man who inspired us about the force of history and its power to inform and ground people’s lives. Bill Marquis lovingly restored the buildings of his hometown, Stony, Texas, so that future generations could experience them. We acted by writing this song to pass on Mr. Marquis’ gift to us: The Golden Heart of Stony                             Dedicated to Mr. Bill Marquis Chorus: You can’t know the future if you don’t know the past. Build a perfect piece of paradise that will forever last. Let the buildings tell their stories with their rust and colored glass. It takes a heart of gold to save a town of stone. It takes a heart of gold. Work comes out of common sense, so give a hand to the peace man. Day by day he brings the past to the present. He has the biggest heart in the homeland. Loves telling stories but fixing is his specialty, is his specialty.    chorus Stony was a place of fame before the railroads came. Bill’s shop was a church that is so full of merch. He owns a corner store full of vintage tins and more. He’s got a lot of history saving the town of stone, saving the town of stone.  chorus Every important garden has to have a meteorite. The heavy old rock weighed over 80,000 pounds. The special meteorite is now living on the ground. The meteorite blends into the natural scenery, into the natural scenery.   chorus  There’s a unique fence designed with antique tools. Bill Marquis extracted ammonites to make his fence unique. He laid the ammonites in patterns, like flowers on the gate. It takes commitment to make a fence so special, to make a fence so special.  chorus Marquis refused to light the fuse on the last store in Stony. He changed the store until it looked good once more. He saved the last store in Stony; he fixed it up with tins and cans  And a barber chair and memories of clips of hair, memories of clips of hair.    chorus His collection is bigger than his profession. He’s a son of a man picked by general Patton as a top five marksman. He has a barber chair displayed that Clyde Barrow sat in every week. Without history there would be no him. There would be no him!  chorus We sent him the song, and received the response above. The work of a lif etime lives on! Submitted by Dottie Price, Fifth-grade teacher, River Oaks Middle School, Houston ISD

Cougar Plush Club (Nurturing Student Agency) In March, four boys (Adrian Rodriguez, Emmett Braziel, David De La Cruz, Blake Morey) formed a club and named it the Cougar Plush Club. They created this club because they noticed that some students were less fortunate than they were. Their mission was to donate plushies to children in need of comfort.  They collected donations throughout the month of April and promoted their drive by creating a flyer, announcing it on morning announcements, and telling others about it. They collected a little over 100 plushies to donate to the Children's Shelter to provide comfort to children that have been victims of domestic violence. Then the students delivered all of the plushies they collected. Their teacher, Mrs. Lizzeth Trejo, provided them with guidance and support throughout the entire process. She nurtured student agency with her students which is a key component of the IB program. The students were recognized at our IB cluster schools' meeting last month and have been nominated for the Breakfast of Champions award by their teacher. Submitted by Veronika Gutierrez, PYP Coordinator-Designate, Huppertz Elementary, San Antonio ISD

Second Graders Conduct Primary Source Interviews about Life in the Past Central Idea: Time and events shape the way people live. Students at Las Colinas Elementary were abuzz about getting to take a walking field trip to the nearby McArthur Hills Senior Center. Students created questions to ask the residents who volunteered to help with their research. When the students arrived, the residents were eager to share about what life was like when they were children. The students confidently asked questions and listened to answers the residents shared. It was a great learning experience for second grade students. Las Colinas Elementary is thankful to the McArthur Hills Senior Center for their willingness to host students for a most memorable, engaging learning experience that connected nicely to their unit of inquiry. https://www.seniorlifestyle.com/property/texas/macarthur-hills/   Submitted by Allison Elliott, PYP Coordinator, Las Colinas Elementary, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD

Woodlawn Academy's IB Showcase Woodlawn Academy's IB Showcase took place November 7th. The event portrayed student work from both of Woodlawn's Programmes – Primary Years and Middle Years. This student-led event allowed students the opportunity to speak on behalf of the work they conducted during their first unit this school year. As student efficacy is a key focus of our program this year, through their presentations, we put the power back in students hands and challenged them to take ownership and accountability of their learning. Submitted by Maxwell Ituah, PYP Coordinator, Woodlawn Academy, San Antonio ISD

COLLABORATION AND COMPETITION

IB Schools in Carrollton-Farmers Branch Connect to Give Back to the Global Community: Volunteered at Feed My Starving Children R.E. Good Elementary and Las Colinas Elementary, two Primary Years Programme schools in CFB-ISD, united and worked together to pack meals for those who are hungry. One evening after work teachers volunteered at Feed My Starving Children https://www.fmsc.org/   and packed 71 boxes of food, which equaled 15,336 meals. The food was then shipped to Columbia to be distributed to those in need by the Feed My Starving Children organization. By taking this simple action, 42 children will have food for an entire year. What a great way to bless others during the holiday season! Submitted by Allison Elliott, PYP Coordinator, Good Elementary and Las Colinas Elementary School, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD

All Win at 2nd Annual IB Bowl Burbank High School Takes IB Bowl Trophy The Second Annual International Baccalaureate Bowl (IB Bowl) was a battle on the football field and a buffet in the V.I.P. suite. The bowl pitted the two IB World High Schools of SAISD – the Luther Burbank Bulldogs and the Thomas Jefferson Mustangs - against each other for the IB Bowl Trophy and bragging rights for the year. Jefferson’s young team came on strong at the start with its players seeking redemption from last year’s loss. But it wasn’t enough to best Burbank’s mature talent. The Bulldogs took the game and the trophy with a score of 35 to 21. The game was also a celebration of Feeder Night, a tradition that brings together the students and faculty from all the schools that feed into Burbank and Jefferson. Each of the schools was recognized in a parade prior to the game. The schools also competed for multiple titles including best banner and most school spirit. “The game along with Feeder Night was a great opportunity to highlight the IB learning continuum established within the San Antonio Independent School District and give students and faculty a chance to show their school pride,” said Dr. Courtney Gober, assistant superintendent for International Baccalaureate Schools in SAISD. In the stands, the Texas Council for International Studies (TCIS) hosted a reception for campus and SAISD officials, board members, faculty and staff. They were treated to a buffet of Italian fare including salad, savory empanadas, pizza, garlic bread and cake. Submitted by Gina Vera, Special Projects Coordinator IB Schools, San Antonio ISD

OTHER NEWS

Experience Meridian: Mini Job Fair We invite you to join us on February 8 for a mini job fair where attendees will have the opportunity to learn what makes Meridian unique, as well as the benefits of teaching at a tuition-free public charter school that offers the full IB continuum for students in grades K-12. Attendees will also tour the campus with our principals and participate in mini interviews facilitated by Meridian's leadership (optional). Please bring your resume and join us to experience Meridian at our first mini job fair! Click  HERE  for more information. Submitted by Jessica Boese, Communication and Volunteer Coordinator, Meridian IB World School

Texas Council for International Studies Holds First Annual Conference The Texas Council for International Studies (TCIS) became a Senate Bill (SB) 1882 partner with eight IB schools in San Antonio I.S.D. As the SB1882 partner, TCIS manages and operates all eight schools, which include: Burbank High School, Jefferson High School, Harris Middle School, Fenwick Academy, Woodlawn Academy, Briscoe Elementary, Huppertz Elementary, and Woodlawn Hills Elementary. On September 18, TCIS held its first annual conference at Burbank High School. The two-day conference offered over 200 sessions and was attended by more than 650 administrators, teachers, custodians, office and cafeteria staff from the five IB World Schools and three IB Candidate Schools within the San Antonio Independent School District. Sessions focused on all aspects of the International Baccalaureate and the IB learning framework including everything from the IB basics and frequently asked questions to detailed explorations of the PYP, MYP and DP. The conference also offered sessions that addressed best practices in coaching, social/emotional learning, how to deliver great customer service in a school setting and sessions specific to heads of schools. "Educators and staff were provided multiple choice sessions for IB learning experiences as well as sessions demonstrating best practices for teaching and optimizing the learning environment. We educated all staff about IB including custodians and cafeteria workers and the response from our staff was overwhelmingly positive; they felt empowered with their new knowledge and level of understandings," said D'Les Herron, SAISD’s Leadership Instructional Senior Advisor.  “The conference not only offered many enriching sessions to our faculty and staff, it was a tremendous growth opportunity for our department,” said Dr. Courtney Gober, assistant superintendent for International Baccalaureate schools in SAISD. I am proud of the effort and partnership with TCIS. I expect us to build on what we have learned to make next year’s conference an even bigger success.” Submitted by Gina Vera, Special Projects Coordinator IB Schools, San Antonio ISD

Scholarship Opportunity

2020 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 2020 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. 12, 2020.     Davidson Fellows Scholarship –  www.DavidsonGifted.org/Fellows

ANNOUNCEMENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS: Spring Seminar will be in the Dallas area. Date TBA. Registration for TIBS Austin workshops (Session 1, July 12-15 and Session 2, July 15-18) 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 2020 will be on April 28, 2020 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! 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 23, 2019.

CONTACT US

We'd love to hear from you with any questions or concerns.   Karen Phillips , TIBS Executive Director Courtney Smith , TIBS Associate Executive Director I f you have feedback on the newsletter , please contact Judy Chapman .   To share your schools' stories, accomplishments, and projects, please email us at enewsletter@texasibshools.org .

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