The Owl 3/15/23
5th Grade Capstone Study Abroad Update!
Our Spanish and Chinese Track 5th graders are off on their Capstone Study Abroad trips, and are having a wonderful time! Both are enjoying Week 1 going to school, making friends, and exploring their host cities.
Spanish Track
Spanish track students have been going to Harmony School, an IB school in Saltillo. They’ve all gotten a taste of their very first French classes! They’ve also been introduced to the “pleasure” of conjugation tables, which are not typically taught in immersion (or single-language) environments. Students have also:
– Learned some local and national history of the Museo de la Revolución Mexicana
(Museum of the Mexican Revolution), which included exploring the tunnels beneath the museum where soldiers hid
– Translated and negotiated almost everything on behalf of the English-speaking chaperones
– Eaten way too much Mexican candy
– Gazed in awe at the Catedral Saltillo
– Enjoyed the hotel swimming pool
– Learned of the regions fauna and flora at the Museo del Desierto (Museum of the Desert)
– Played many, many rounds of futbol
– Been feted at a fancy party hosted in their honor by a local school family!
Chinese Track
Chinese track students have been going to the Taipei Kuei Shan School in Taipei City. (Fun fact: a current parent on the trip, Veronica, attended the school when she was young!) They all got assigned a “buddy” at school, and have been enjoying their new friends!
Students have also:
– Learned about the intersection of Taiwanese and Japanese history and culture at the Beitou Museum and Hot Springs
– Explored just a teeny slice of 8000 years of Chinese culture – including the relocation of the pre-revolutionary Chinese central government to Taipei – at the National Palace Museum and the burial site of Chiang Kai-Shek
– Roamed the hills of the beautiful Yangmingshan National Park
– Wandered the traditional fabric and medicine markets
– Gazed at the expansive Shifen Waterfall
– Enjoyed some boba tea. And then enjoyed some more boba tea. And then enjoyed some more boba tea!
– Investigated the variety of the regions’ religious traditions by exploring the Wenwu Temple, Tse En Pagoda, and Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple
– Learned about native culture at Aboriginal Taiwanese Village
– Indulged in some luxurious spa pedicures and massages!
– Channeled the spirit of our beloved ISP mascot by playing at an owl-themed playground!
Japanese Track
The Japanese track heads to Tokyo on Saturday!
We will be sharing photos and videos of the Capstone Study Abroad trips over the next few weeks. Have a great time, 5th graders!
ISP Spanish Track Teacher Holds Teacher Training in Ecuador
ISP Spanish track teacher Paola Gagliardo, seventh from left in bottom row, with her teacher-students!
One of our Spanish track teachers, Paola Gagliardo, was recently invited to Ecuador to train teachers! Here is a message from Paola about her experience:
“Everything started with a book. Four years ago, I came across Kimberly Mitchell’s book, Experience Inquiry. During this time, I have translated this book into Spanish “La experiencia de la indagación” and shared the learning I gained from it.
For the last two weeks, I have collaborated with outstanding educators from twenty schools at La Salle, committed to transforming education in my beloved country, Ecuador. It has been a unique and fulfilling experience to contribute to a better future.”
We are proud of you, Paola!
Green Corner: 5th Grade Exhibition Topics
Gardening with Priscilla
ISP students are heading back into the garden soon! And there they will meet up with Priscilla Lane, alumni parent and ISP’s garden champion and volunteer instructor for about 20 years! Each year, working in the garden with Priscilla once a week and experiencing the connections with their classroom learning is a highlight for ISP students. Students begin their work each spring and when they return to school in the fall, they harvest the fruits that have grown all summer.
In the next few weeks, PreK students will plant Scarlet Runner Beans and Kindergarteners and third graders will plant a variety of vegetables. In the fall, when those same students have moved up to the next grade, they will harvest as LowK, First, and Fourth graders. Throughout their time in the garden, students will learn about plant life cycles, flowers and pollinators, other ‘bugs’ both prey and predator, mapping, soil and water use and conservation, regeneration and more! ISP is so fortunate to have such a robust school garden program thanks to Priscilla’s many years of dedication!
ISP to host Mason Bees!
ISP will host and hatch its own little mason bee family this Spring! Mason bees, also known as orchard bees, are friendly little bees who like to nest in holes, log crevices, or clay soil chambers. Unlike many other types of bees, Mason Bees tend not to sting because they are not a social bee and do not have a hive or a queen to protect. This makes them great for pollinating school and family gardens! 🙂
ISP will install a few mason bee houses on an area outside of the Hilltop garden fence, along with a mix of seeds for pollinator-supporting flowers. Expect the flowers to be blooming and the bees hatched before the end of the school year. so classes can go out to see and learn about them. Photos to come!
Thanks for everyone’s continued work on these projects!