Volume 7, Issue 1 - August 2010
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
B ILL P EARSON
Cold Weather – Warm Start
T
he weather may have been cold the first week of school, but our welcome
is most certainly warm. We are very pleased to welcome back all the
returning students and extend a very special greeting to all our new
students and parents. The start of every school year is always an exciting time and is
one of the many reasons why I really enjoy working at a school such as ISC.
We have a very dedicated and qualified team of teachers at ISC. Our goal is to
partner with our parents and students to provide each of our children the best
education possible. Working together as a team, we can make your child’s education
a positive, productive and enjoyable experience.
WECOME
NEW AND
RETURNING
ISC
FAMILIES!
New ECC &
Playground
Equipment
You will have
noted a number of
changes with our
facilities as you
entered our school.
Off to the left you
will see the grand
new Early
Childhood Center
that we expect to
open near the end
of September 2010.
We are excited to
have our youngest
students begin soon at this purpose built facility.
Beautiful new playground equipment has also been installed at the elementary
school with a special new rubberized surface beneath to help protect our students at
play. We know our younger students will get hours of enjoyment from this new
equipment. A big thank you goes to the Parent-Teacher-Association (PTA) for their
generous contribution towards completing this work. A third playground will be
completed as part of the new ECC building.
Increased Enrollment
We have had an increase in our enrollment with many new families moving to
Curitiba from other cities in Brazil as well as from throughout the world. We are also
happy to report numerous new families from Curitiba have enrolled their children in
ISC because they recognize the outstanding international education that we offer
students. They are also comfortable knowing that their children will earn the Brazilian
diploma and at the same time have the opportunity to earn the American and the
International Baccalaureate (IB) diplomas. We will be sharing more articles and
providing workshops throughout this school year to help educate our parents and
(Continued on page 2)
Inside this issue:
Online Calendar
2
Belmiro Castor
3
New ISC Faculty
4,5
5 R’s for Lifelong
Learning
6
PTA
7
Booster Club
7
Requests for Records
7
Carla Jacobs
8
Volume 7, Issue 1 - August 2010
Education Today, the World Tomorrow
(Superintendent’s Message continued from page 1)
students as to the value and importance of the IB diploma.
Another important reason for our Brazilian parents to have confidence in enrolling
their children in ISC is that all of our graduating students have had and will continue
to have excellent success when passing the vestibular examinations to gain entrance
into the Brazilian Universities of their choice. In fact, when I have the opportunity to
speak to the top officials at these universities, I am always confident to say that I
“guarantee” that any of our students who have earned the IB Diploma while at ISC,
will perform well above the average of other students enrolled and that with
reasonable effort by our IB students, they will perform in the top 25% of their class
while attending university.
Safety First - Pickup and Drop Off of Students
In order to provide a safe environment for the drop off and pickup of your children
each school day, we ask that you please carefully follow these instructions:
♦
♦
♦
♦
Drop off and pick up ONLY in the designated 6 places in front of the school Please do not ask your children to walk into the car parking area to meet you
as it is difficult for us to safely supervise our students. If you want to bring
them to your car, please park and come over to the covered area and escort
them to your car.
Pull as far forward as possible before stopping your car – As a courtesy to
others and in order to provide the maximum number of cars picking up or
dropping off children, please pull forward as far as possible.
Follow the directions of the security personnel – For obvious security and
discipline reasons it is very important to follow the directions of the school
security personnel or administration. This will ensure a safe and happy
environment for everyone.
Go around again if your children are not ready – Please do not wait for your
children in one of the 6 parking places or the bus parking area as this causes
traffic congestion. If your children are not ready when you pull through, the
procedure is to drive around again and wait in the line in the parking lot until
your children arrive.
We greatly appreciates your cooperation with these safety rules!
Faculty and Administration Focus for 2010-2011
There are 5 areas that the teachers and administrators are focusing on this year
to strengthen and document our curriculum and various instructional programs. They
are:
1. Atlas-Rubicon – This is a software tool that assists teachers with what we
call “mapping” our curriculum and documenting what is being taught at each
grade level. This gives us a map so that teachers and eventually parents will
be able to go online and see the content and sequence of the ISC curriculum
from the early childhood all the way up through grade 12. ISC began this
process last year and will continue to input data until all subject areas are
recorded, sometime near the end of the 2011-2012 school year.
2. International Baccalaureate – This is the program we call IB and has been
discussed and written about many times. There still is, however, a large
group of ISC stakeholders who do not understand the importance of this
program. This, combined with a lack of understanding and misconception
from the greater Curitiba population, indicates there is much that needs to be
done to educate our community about the importance and value of the IB
Diploma program. The school will be approaching this education on at least
two fronts, first to educate our current ISC stakeholders and second to
promote the IB in our marketing efforts in order to demonstrate why ISC is
special and what sets us apart from the other local schools.
3. MAP Testing – MAP stands for Measures of Academic Performance and is
an online assessment (testing) tool that the school uses to measure
academic growth in subject areas such as reading, language arts,
mathematics and, new this year, science. From these regular results, it is the
(Continued on page 3)
ISC Calendar
ISC’s calendar of
events for the coming
year can be accessed
online at:
www.trumba.com/
calendars/isc
You can also access
this link on the ISC web
page by selecting ISC
Calendar from the menu
options.
This is a very dynamic
online calendar that
allows you to select items
from the calendar to
download to your
personal calendars on
Yahoo, Outlook, Hotmail,
or ICal. If you do not use
one of these calendars,
you can choose to e-mail
the information to
yourself or download it to
your computer. You can
even choose to have an
event reminder e-mailed
to you prior to the event
or to receive notification if
an event is changed.
There are also several
printing options allowing
you to print daily, weekly,
or monthly calendars.
Please note that the
“subscribe to this
calendar” that appears on
the calendar title bar only
applies to organizations
or individuals who have
purchased the online
calendar.
This calendar is
updated as events are
added or changed so be
sure to bookmark it for
future reference!
In addition, an
automatic e-mail is sent
to you each Friday
morning with a notice of
all upcoming ISC events
for the next week. If you
are not receiving this email and would like to get
this weekly reminder,
please e-mail Anita
Pearson at:
[email protected]
m with your request. If
you would like to remove
your name from the email list, also please
2
notify Anita.
Volume 7, Issue 1 - August 2010
Education Today, the World Tomorrow
GUEST SPEAKER, DR. BELMIRO CASTOR
O PENING D AY
FOR
F ACULTY
T
he ISC faculty returned to school
on July 30 in preparation for the
start of the new school year.
Guest speaker for the opening event for
teachers was Dr. Belmiro Castor, currently a
Professor of Economics and Administration
at PUC-PR and formerly at UFPR. Castor is
also the author of the book, Brazil is not for
Amateurs, which has been published in both
Portuguese and English. He spoke to the
teachers about the challenges of living and
working in Brazil, the important role of
education in meeting those challenges, and
his optimism for Brazil’s future.
In addition to his teaching career, Dr.
Castor has also served the Secretary of
State of Education and the Secretary of State
for Planning for Paraná. His vision of
providing quality education for children in low
-economic areas, has enabled him to raise money for the construction and
administration of a state of the art school, João Paulo II, in Piraquara. ISC is
currently partnering with this school, and has provided used library books with several
ISC teachers volunteering to work with both the students and teachers at the newly
opened school. For more information about the school, visit this website:
joaopaulosegundo.org.br
Grades 1 to 12
Back to School
Night
Friday
(Superintendent’s Message continued from page 2)
intention of the school to have teachers and students working together to
analyze achievement and to set goals for obtaining even better results.
4. Community Survey – It is time once again to survey the ISC community in
an attempt to gain feedback as to how ISC is performing and in what areas
community members would like to see the school make improvements. We
will be using portions of the survey used three years ago but will also
enhance it with some new questions.
5. Technology and Sustainability – Overarching all of our efforts will be a
focus on technology and sustainability. Attention will be directed on how ISC
currently uses technology to promote effective student learning and what can
be done to further enhance the use of technology. We all know that the
improvements in the use of technology (hand-held computers, cellular
telephones, etc.) have developed tremendously over the past decade and will
continue to grow exponentially. In the area of sustainability, we will continue
to look for ways to make ISC a more sustainable campus as well as educate
our students about the importance of making our planet more sustainable for
the future. ISC needs to determine how and where it can be a leader in
these two important areas.
In closing, I would like to share that as the head of the International School of
Curitiba, I am very pleased that you have entrusted your precious children to us with
the dream and expectation that by completing their education at ISC they truly will be
global citizens and leaders committed to a life-long journey of academic and personal
excellence.
Kind regards,
August 13
6 pm
We encourage all
parents with students
in grades 1 to 12 to find
out more about the ISC
program and meet your
child/ren’s teachers!
Mark Your
Calendar!
ISC Family Day
Saturday
October 2
12 noon to 4 pm
Bill R. Pearson
ISC Superintendent
3
Volume 7, Issue 1 - August 2010
Education Today, the World Tomorrow
WELCOME NEW ISC FACULTY!
Bruce Leiper – Secondary School Principal
New ISC secondary principal, Bruce Leiper, brings a wealth of
international experience with him to ISC, having lived in Jakarta, Indonesia,
while working at the prestigious Jakarta International School (JIS) since
1990. During this time Mr. Leiper served as the middle school principal for 9
years and most recently, as the high school principal for 8 years. Prior to
his 17 years in Indonesia, Mr. Leiper served as a K-8 principal in California
with teaching experience in upper elementary to grade 12. Mr. Leiper
received his BA in Liberal Studies and MA in Education Administration from
California State University.
Raeann Leiper – Third Grade
Raeann Leiper is the new third grade teacher at ISC. Prior to her move
to Curitiba, Ms Leiper taught preschool for 4 years followed by 5 years
teaching elementary school in northern California and 17 years at the
Jakarta International School in Indonesia, where she also served as the elementary
science coordinator. She has a BA in Liberal Arts from California State University,
Sonoma, and elementary teaching credential from California State University,
Sacramento.
The Leiper’s home is in a small town on the Olympic Peninsula in
Washington State, where they have seven acres, a big vegetable garden
and a view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Vancouver Island in Canada.
Their son, Hal, lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he teaches high
school social studies.
Ms Leiper loves being outdoors and lists kayaking, gardening and
hiking as her hobbies. Mr. Leiper also enjoys the outdoors, with hiking,
construction, gardening, landscaping, sport and recreation, especially
kayaking topping his list of hobbies and interests that also includes reading
and writing .
After living in Asia and traveling in Europe and Australia, experiencing
South America was appealing to the Leipers. They decided that southern
Brazil sounded like an interesting adventure as well as a good place to live.
After on a short time in Curitiba, Ms Leiper is pleased with all the
laughter and good feelings that the people of Brazil like to share and is
looking forward to getting to know the people and the place. Mr. Leiper
indicates that his first impressions are excellent and he is very happy to
finally be here with an excellent start to their time in Curitiba.
Roseane Guimarães – Physical Education Teacher
Roseane Guimarães joins the ISC P.E. department and will be
teaching elementary and secondary P.E. Prior to coming to ISC, Ms
Guimarães taught at the Colégio Militar de Curitiba for two years. She has
a degree in Physical Education and a post-graduation degree in
Psychomotricity.
Ms Guimarães is single and loves cats. Her favorite hobbies are
swimming and reading and she is especially interested world travel.
Her first impressions of ISC are great and she indicates that she’s
really impressed with the school’s organization.
(Continued on page 5)
Snack and Lunch Menus
ISC lunch and snack menus can be found on the ISC website:
www.iscbrazil.com
From the options on the left hand side, select Restaurant.
aaaaaaaaaaa
4
Volume 7, Issue 1 - August 2010
Education Today, the World Tomorrow
(Continued from page 4)
Barbara Terrell – High School English
Barbara Terrell, who joined the high school faculty as a 9th, 10th, and IB
English teacher, brings more than 20 years of experience in teaching
English, Theatre, and Communications to ISC. Ms Terrell has a Bachelor of
Fine Arts and Masters degrees in Theatre, with a minor in English, plus
more than 25 graduate hours in Interpersonal and Public Communication.
Prior to her move to Curitiba, she taught in Nicaragua.
Originally from Texas, Curitiba is now home to Ms. Terrell and her two
cats, Cai and Darwin. Her hobbies and interests include traveling, reading,
acting, directing, singing, public speaking, writing, experience new cultures
and playing with her wonderful nine-year-old nephew, Vito, who Ms Terrell
states, “is the prince of my life.”
When asked why she chose to come to Curitiba, Ms Terrell lists the
following reasons:
♦ “I believe that education is a crucial factor in resolving world conflict,
and ISC offers a rigorous academic program in a nurturing
environment.
♦ Mr. and Ms. Pearson’s professionalism and vision combined with warmth won
me over at the hiring fair.
♦ My two brothers and my nephew live here.
♦ Not only does Brazil offer great mountains, beaches, and cities, but also
Brazilians love children and animals. Just thinking about the kind, creative, and
diverse people of this culture makes me smile.
♦ I need to practice my samba skills.”
In closing, Ms Terrell comments, “I love the parks, the food, the music, the
competence and friendliness of the ISC community and am so proud to be a resident
of the ‘most sustainable city in the world.’”
William J. Tolley – High School History
Also joining the high school faculty is History teacher, Mr. William
Tolley, teaching 9th and 10th grade History, IB World History and History of
the Americas. Prior to ISC, Mr. Tolley taught World History, Composition
and served as an Academic Counselor for nine years in South Korea. In
addition, he taught AP World History and Model United Nations for four
years in New York City at the Manhattan Center for Science and
Mathematics. Mr. Tolley received his Bachelor’s degree in History and
Middle Eastern Studies from Rutgers College, Rutgers University and his
Masters degree in Social Studies Education from Teachers College,
Columbia University.
Although his family is based in New Jersey, U.S.A., Mr. Tolley
considers the world his home! His hobbies and special interests include
traveling, hiking, walking, comparative literature and religions, humanism,
international activism, environmentalism, writing (haiku, senryu and
essays), poetry and lyrics translation, blogging, social networking, tinkering
with languages, eclectic assortments of music, and Seon (Korean Zen) Buddhist
philosophy.
When asked why he chose to come to Curitiba, Mr. Tolley indicates:
♦
“I had fully intended to move back to Asia when I met Bill and Anita Pearson
and was convinced to take the position at ISC rather than others in Asia.
Once the decision was made I was excited about adding another continent to
my list.
♦
I am fascinated by Brazil’s history and its global potential.
♦
Curitiba.”
Tolley’s first impressions of Curitiba: “A brilliant departure from New York City—
NYC can be exciting, but it can also be grueling. Curitiba’s greenness (meaning both
its abundant foliage and its commitment to sustainability) comprise a welcome
change. I am also intrigued by the subtle artistic nature of the city and the literature,
arts and music it has inspired. I am eager to learn as much about this as possible and
welcome any advice or suggestions.”
ISC WISHES YOU
ALL A VERY
WARM
WELCOME !
5
Volume 7, Issue 1 - August 2010
Education Today, the World Tomorrow
5 R’S FOR L IFELONG LEARNING
A
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
sk any elementary student what the 5 R’s are and you will likely hear
about important life skills which are being focused on each year at ISC.
The 5 R’s:
Reliable
Responsible
Respectful
Reflective
Ready
Don’t bug people, use the 5R’s!
In previous years, the 5 R’s had elementary students exploring the depths of the
ocean and reaching for the stars. This year they will be encountering bugs and birds!
This year’s theme will not only support the 5 R’s for student behavior, but will also
target making our students more aware of nature and making our planet more
sustainable for the future. We are hopeful that parents will take this opportunity to
reinforce this year’s sustainability theme by discussing the 5 R’s with your children
and reviewing the desired behaviors they represent:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
the Hummingbird represents being Ready (due to its speed),
the Grasshopper represents being Reflective (due to his yoga “lotus”
position),
the Spider represents Reliable (they can be relied on to build quality webs),
the Ladybug is for Respectful behavior (ever see a disrespectful lady bug?),
the Gralha Azul (Blue Jay) is for being Responsible, (since this bird is
responsible for propagating Araucaria trees).
As you can see, all of the animals are native to the state of
Paraná and contribute to balancing our fragile ecosystem.
Elementary students who demonstrate the 5 R’s Responsibility, Respect, Reliability, Reflection and Readiness - are
rewarded with reflective grasshoppers, reliable spiders, responsible
blue jays, ready hummingbirds, and respectful ladybugs to be
placed on the 5 R’s bulletin board in the elementary courtyard. By
the end of the year, the garden hanging on the wall outside the 2B
classroom will be teeming with bugs and birds!
School Wide Emphasis
The 5 R’s are an important aspect the ISC educational program
and have a school wide emphasis. As in past years, assemblies
and on-going reflection will also help students learn the 5 R’s and
the skills necessary to achieve the ISC Expectations for Student
Learning.
ISC students will be:
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
creative and critical thinkers and problem solvers
effective communicators
responsible and respectful
independent and life-long learners
culturally and globally aware
collaborative and cooperative
committed to creating quality work and striving for
excellence
able to apply knowledge and skills through enduring
understanding
The 5 R’s, in conjunction with our academic program, are the
ISC Expectations for Student learning in action.
6
Volume 7, Issue 1 - August 2010
Education Today, the World Tomorrow
INTRODUCING THE 2010-2011 PTA TEAM
President – Larissa Martins (Brazil)
Vice President: Anne Ribes (France)
Treasurer - Carmen Primo Terroba (Spain)
Secretary - Vanita Varma (India)
ECC Representative - Carolina Lacerda (Brazil)
Elementary Representative - Erika Kärcher (USA)
Middle School Representative - Marina Poggi (Brazil)
High School Representative - Tony Taboada (USA)
Our biggest PTA events are the Scholastic Book Sale, Halloween Party and
International Fair. We organize other events as part of Children’s Day, Teacher’s
Day, Secretary’s Day and Easter.
Each year we donate the funds we raise (from donations and events) to the
International School for specific needs or educational purposes.
In the 2009-2010 school year, the money rasied by the PTA was used to sponsor
the visit of story teller Marc Levitt and to purchase new playground equipment.
These great events and activities would not be possible without the support of the
staff, faculty and parents of ISC.
If you would like to help with any of these events please e-mail your name, email
address and phone number to the e-mail listed below. We will contact you during
event planning so you can let us know how you would like to help.
Thank you for all your support.
PTA Team
Any questions – contact Larissa at [email protected]
2010-2011 B OOSTER C LUB
T
he ISC Wildcat Booster Club is a
volunteer organization made up of
parents and faculty working to support ISC
athletics through fund raising and through
organizing and running ISC athletic events.
Typical Booster Club fund raising activities
include selling Booster Wildcat t-shirts, as
well as organizing and running the canteen
during tournaments and Family Day. The
Booster Club also assists with the
organization of tournaments held at ISC and
organizes ISC community events such as
Family Day.
If you would like to find out more about the Booster Club, you’re invited to
contact:
Eva Ekman - [email protected]
Sandra Villalobos - [email protected]
Anita Pearson - [email protected]
You don’t have to have a child participating in sports to be part of the
Booster Club!
Request of Official
Records and
Transcripts
In the event of
transfer to a new
school, application to
colleges and other
institutions or interest
in
taking
the
Vestibular,
school
records
must
be
requested at least 30
days in advance of
departure or due date.
The documents will be
issued upon an official
request from a parent.
Contact the Education
Secretary.
Eight (8) official
transcripts will be
provided
free
of
charge for current ISC
students applying to
colleges. Three (3)
official transcripts will
be
provided
for
students transferring
from ISC to another
school. There is a
charge of R$5,00 per
additional transcript
above these numbers
or for former students
requesting new sets of
transcripts for any
reason.
7
Education Today, The World Tomorrow
International School of Curitiba
Bill R. Pearson, Superintendent - Bruce Leiper, Secondary Principal - Paul Combs, Elementary Principal - Marisete Bolzani, Early Childhood Principal
Cláudia Lebiedziejewski, Brazilian Program Director - Joyce Pereira, IT Coordinator - Fábio Rocco, Tech Coordinator - Rebeca Heinerici, Business Manager
The Bulletin is published monthly by
the Communications Office of the
International School of Curitiba.
Inquiries should be addressed to:
Communications Office
International School of Curitiba
Av. Dr. Eugênio Bertolli, 3900
Santa Felicidade, Curitiba
82410-530
Phone: 55-41-3525-7400
Fax: 55-41-3525-7499
[email protected]
ISC PROFILE
ISC is a private, nonprofit, self-governed school that serves students and families from our local
and international community, and offers a U.S. based curriculum in English with American,
Brazilian and International Baccalaureate diplomas.
ISC MISSION
ISC prepares students to be global citizens and leaders committed to a life-long
journey of academic and personal excellence.
ISC Home Page
www.iscbrazil.com
ISC BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
EDUARDO SZAZI
President
LUIZ AUGUSTO
BRENNER ROSE
Vice President
BJÖRN EKMAN
Treasurer
LUIGI BLANK
Assistant Treasurer
NORIAKI YAMAMOTO
Secretary
NATALIE
ZIMMERMANBRANDÃO
Member at Large
BALTAZAR FRANCO
Member at Large
ANDREAS MOSEL
Member at Large
JOCHEN KÄRCHER
Member at Large
IN MEMORY OF CARLA
JACOBS
T
he ISC community was deeply
saddened to learn of Carla
Jacob’s death on July 7, 2010,
following a brief illness. Carla retired from
ISC in August of 2009, after working at ISC
for 15 years, beginning as a math and
technology teacher before accepting the
position of Business Manager. This past
year, Carla and her husband, Mario, divided
their time between Curitiba and Tacoma, in
Washington State, spending time with Carla’s
family and their two daughters, Kristen and
Jennifer, both ISC alumni.
Carla will be remembered for her
devotion and love for ISC and for providing
the fiscal leadership in the late 1990’s when
ISC embarked on the ambitious project of
building the current secondary and elementary campus. Even after taking on the role
of Business Manager, Carla remained active in the lives of the students at ISC, often
participating in the Knowledge Bowl practices and competitions. She touched the
lives of many at ISC over the years and will be greatly missed by those who knew her.
Her family may be reached by e-mailing Carla’s e-mail address:
[email protected]
8