In this post...
- MYP Visit: Being a Risk-Taker
- PHE Curriculum
- Things To Do in our Community
MYP Visit: Being a Risk-Taker
We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.
In Chapel this month, we are exploring the Learner Profile attribute "Risk Taker," as defined by the IB (above). For the IB, it's less about escaping one's comfort zone and more about how we prepare for unknown space, untested limits, or undefined boundaries. Put another way, being a Risk-Taker is about knowing what to do when you don't know what to do. Over the last two days, we hosted three educators of very different backgrounds who serve as our MYP Verification Visiting Team. Their task: verify that we are doing what we said we were doing in our application, document that we are continuing to make progress in implementing the spirit and the structure of the MYP, and provide feedback on the things we're doing well and where we still need to work. For us as a Middle School Team, the Verification Visit has been an exercise in Risk Taking - preparing (for several years!), exploring and implementing new ideas and strategies, and facing the uncertainty that comes with welcoming educators whose fresh eyes might both celebrate and criticize our work.
The Visiting Team met with groups of faculty, administrators, a small group of parents, and a handful of Trustees, and our students were on call to give tours, get our guests from meeting place to meeting place, and to talk about their experience. At the end of the first day, our guests (not surprisingly) were eager to comment on how impressed they were by our students. That certainly made us proud! They also acknowledged that our application, the binders and binders (and bytes and bytes) of documentation we supplied them, and the conversations they had already had with teachers demonstrated the hard work that we continued to put into this process. We won't receive any formal feedback or update on the status of our candidacy until the summer, but for now the acknowledgement of the many gifts of our students and the talent and hard work of our faculty have made it all worth the risk.
PHE Curriculum
As part of our physical and health education program and ongoing commitment to prevention and wellness, we have invited prevention specialists from FCD Prevention Works to join our community and speak to our 8th grade students on April 17th during their PHE class. A part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, FCD is a non-profit organization that provides substance abuse prevention education for schools. Since 1976, they have taught over a million students of all ages. Their mission is to:
- Encourage and support the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years
- Empower young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug use
- Teach students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance abuse and to intervene appropriately
- Educate students, parents, teachers, and administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs
- Promote awareness of drug addiction, including alcoholism, as a progressive, chronic, and often fatal disease
- Provide educational communities with the guidance and training necessary to implement comprehensive, effective approaches to substance abuse prevention
FCD prevention specialists are highly trained professionals who have achieved long-term recovery from alcohol or other drug addictions. This unique perspective enhances the credibility of their message and provides students with role models for happy, healthy, drug-free living
The FCD prevention specialist will present a parent workshop on April 17th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. In the library to offer support and guidance in helping your children enjoy a drug-free adolescence. Some of the topics to be addressed include:
- Effective ways to communicate with your child about drugs and drug use
- Up-to-date facts about current drug use and trends
- What to say about your own experiences with alcohol and/or drug experimentation
- How to spot early warning signs of trouble and effective ways to respond.
This program presents a perfect opportunity for discussing alcohol and other drug-related issues with your children. Parental involvement is crucial to our efforts to reduce the risks teenagers face. We want our students to hear from both school and home that we are concerned about alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by adolescents, and that we are committed to keeping our children safe.
To Do in our Community...
- Looking for a family volunteer opportunity? Join “Pitch In For Parks” on Saturday, March 11, from 10:00am-12:00pm at Spanaway Park. See this flyer for more information.
- Looking for ways to explore Tacoma and Seattle? Stay up to date with the events calendar on The Tacoma Weekly and Visit Seattle.
