Digital Chapel issue 55 by Chapel School

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DIGITAL CHAPEL Issue #55 | Feb 2019

YOUNG TROJANS

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FRENCH LANGUAGE FIELD WORK

STEPHEN M. KING VISIT

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IB: NEW BSS CURRICULUM

NEWCOMERS

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CHAPEL’S BEST UNDER 40

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YOUNG TROJANS Program increases team sports offerings in ES Beginning February 4, 3rd to 6th grade ES students can practice team sports daily through the Young Trojans program. A single fee allows a student’s participation in different sports - basketball, volleyball, soccer and cheerleading - from 3:20 4:20 pm. In order to make it happen, Chapel has hired 8 new teachers to train students and to act as Junior Varsity and Varsity coaches. According to sports director and program creator, Bruno Pereira, Young Trojans has three main goals: increasing the offering of team sports to ES students, having 3rd to 6th graders practice sports they will compete in HS and keep families together, and reinforcing Chapel’s tradition of having a sense of community. ‘It is a sort of bridge which aims to prepare ES students to HS sports life’, states Mr. Pereira. ‘We believe it is of uttermost importance to plant a little seed in students’ souls so they learn how to enjoy sports and physical activities while fostering healthy habits, well-being and full development of their emotional intelligence’, he adds. Young Trojan enrolment can be done online at any time through this weblink. Classes continue until June 6 and the enrolled students can participate in several sports. There are male, female and mixed teams of a different sport offered daily. Only two weeks after its start, 139 students enrolled for the program. ‘I have great expectations, I hope families participate even more in school activities and that the program motivates students to represent Chapel in friendly matches, festivals and sports tournaments’, states Mr. Pereira.

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FRENCH LANGUAGE FIELD WORK French language students visit a refugee gastronomic project Aiming at deepening the discussion of IB-related issues, such as social relationships, the sharing of our planet and cultural diversity, fifteen French language students from 9th to 12th grades visited the Open Taste Project, which allows refugees to share their cultures through gastronomy. The project, created by Joanna Ibrahim, provides a physical space and marketing so that immigrant chefs can cook for guests and generate income. Students were chaperoned by French teacher Ms. Ana Inglesi and Mr. Erick Santana, the Head of Modern Languages. The Congolese chef, Evodie Kanyeba Mwepu, who has been in Brazil for three years, cooked typical food from Congo for the group. While she cooked, Evodie talked to small groups and answered questions, mentioned the differences between both countries, shared her views on Brazil and described the cultural shock she suffered after leaving her home country. ‘The visit added to the study we did on political, economical and social issues which immigrants, especially the French-speaking ones, need to deal with in today’s world’, explains Ms. Inglesi. The group had the opportunity to talk to Joanna Ibrahim as well, who highlighted the Brazilian welcome to immigrants, but also her suffering when she first arrived here. According to Ms. Inglesi, the conversation turned into empathy from the students, who could realize the importance of tolerance towards refugees. ‘It was an enriching experience because it led to the reflection of how we deal with differences and how others see us. Besides that, it was important to notice that there are many immigrants in São Paulo and that the contact and sharing of experiences is important for the development of international-mindedness and the concept that we share our planet, which are some of the IB goals’, concludes Ms. Ana Inglesi.

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STEPHEN MICHAEL KING VISIT Australian author and illustrator visits Chapel A hearing loss at 9 years of age was responsible for tracing award winning author and illustrator Australian Stephen Michael King’s fate. When facing difficulties at school the world renowned author was motivated by his parents and teacher to look for different ways of expressing himself to understand the world. This is how he dove into the universe of reading, writing and especially drawing. King has published 45 books of his own and illustrated more than a hundred others. Last November, he was in Brazil on invitation from Brinque-Book Publishing, and he visited Chapel to chat with ES students and have a crayon illustration session. ‘ES teachers and students read some books illustrated by Stephen M. King before his visit on November 12’, explains head librarian Fernanda Caires, the event planner. The author was very excited on the day of the visit and answered all questions students asked him and also drew some characters for them, so that students could follow how he develops his drawings. 'Students were fascinated by him, because he was an author of illustrated books: he not only writes, but also draws his works and he is a goodhumored, cheerful person who took advantage of his limitations to find a way of self expression that made him famous worldwide', comments Ms. Caries. Chapel’s library owns 29 titles by the author and illustrator in Portuguese and in English. Some highlights are: Some highlights are: The Man Who Loved Boxes, Never Ever Before, My Dad is a Giraffe, Mutt Dog, and Where Does Thursday Go?

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IB: NEW BSS CURRICULUM Chapel hosts national IB curriculum review meeting

On November 29 and 30, 2018, Chapel hosted the closing meeting of the Brazilian Social Studies (BSS) curriculum review project. The process started in 2016 for the International Baccalaureate review of the History and Geography curricula so Brazilian international schools would be aligned with the Base Nacional Comum Curricular. ‘IB provides autonomy to schools to reformulate their curriculum. Chapel participated in all five meetings over the last two years, being the host of the first and the last ones’, clarifies Erico Padilha, head of the BSS department. He explains teachers from international schools from all over Brazil discussed the content and teaching/assessment strategies of each subject (History and Geography) in two separate groups. ‘The final document, with the result of everyone’s work, was sent to the IB and will be the baseline for the program’s assessments from 2020 on’, informs Mr. Padilha.

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Ms. Laís Almeida and Mr. Vinícius Carmello joined the Geography group in the meeting and appreciated the effort put by the team into using the same parameters adopted by History to organize its syllabus. 'We focused on a student-centered Geography syllabus, taking its peculiarities into consideration', Ms. Almeida points out. Mr. Vinícius Carmello adds: ‘It is very important that teachers focus on the specific content they master so students are benefited, given that one of the greatest challenges of international schools is to cover the whole BSS syllabus within the time we have available’. Mr. Érico Padilha reminds us that at Chapel, the time allocation for BSS is greater than other international schools, an important advantage for students who apply for Brazilian universities. ‘The Brazilian Program at Chapel is very well-established. All departments have the same privilege’, he comments. He explains teachers were supposed to not only determine the BSS syllabus, but also ‘to define skills to be developed by students so they can grasp the content and become able to make connections and analysis, one of IB’s main goals’.

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NEWCOMERS Challenges and learning Mariana Battistini | HS Humanities and TOK teacher The new HS TOK teacher has a degree and a Masters in Philosophy by Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC) and an unusual reason why she decided to follow the teaching career: ‘Despite starting college to become a teacher, during my masters I felt the “researcher solitude”, what made me search for a profession not connected to teaching’, tells Mariana Battistini. This is the reason why, after completing her masters degree, she started studying Law at Universidade de São Paulo. Nevertheless, when she became an intern in a law firm, the philosopher was sure the right career for her was teaching. Even so, she continues studying and she will get her degree in two years. ‘I have noticed that studying Law makes me a more complete teacher. Besides, I bring many law topics to the classroom, allowing students to extend their horizons on several philosophical issues’, comments Ms. Battistini. Ms. Battistini taught philosophy and sociology for 7 years in private Brazilian schools in São Paulo and states that working at Chapel is not only a challenge, but also a wonderful learning experience: ‘Even though Chapel is very different from what I was used to, I received a warm welcome and I feel very happy. We have a lot of work to do, but, at the same time, we receive a lot of support. I believe the support I have received will lead me to be successful here’. She adds: ‘Students are great!’. When out of the classroom, Ms. Battistini focuses on her wedding, scheduled in September. She also enjoys her free time with her fiance by traveling, going out with friends and watching opera performances, which she loves. The last play enjoyed by the couple was ‘The Barber of Seville’ at Theatro Municipal, in São Paulo.

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CHAPEL’S BEST UNDER 40: Rafael Cheng, 29 anos. Where he lives: São Paulo, SP. Years enrolled at Chapel: Kindergarten to 10th grade (1992-2005) What is your academic background? I have a degree in Psychology by Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP) and I am currently in a masters program at Programa de Psicologia Clínica do Instituto de Psicologia at USP. I will finish the program the next semester. Briefly describe your professional life. I am a clinical psychologist and I currently see children, teenagers and adults in my office. I follow the Jungian approach, and that means I use a symbolic approach to understand the human being and the world. My office is close to Chapel, at Rua Verbo Divino - Chácara Santo Antônio. Your greatest goal in life is: I want to develop my existencial, emotional and spiritual life the best possible way. Easier said than done! (laughs) Tell us your best memory from Chapel. I have great memories from Chapel. I have good memories of the annual school trips. But, without a doubt, my best memories are from the championships I won with the school. I remember all the Little 6, Little 8 and Big 4 tournaments I participated in as if it were yesterday. I used to play soccer and indoor soccer. We celebrated many victories back then. How did Chapel influence your life? Chapel provided me with a solid foundation. It not only gave a strong academic background, but also contributed to my critical thinking, ethical and moral development. I still have many friends who studied with me back then. They are not my flesh and blood, but they are part of my family.. DIGITAL CHAPEL #55

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DIGITAL CHAPEL is a Chapel School publication. All rights reserved. R. Vigário João de Pontes, 537. - Chácara Flora - CEP 04748-000 São Paulo - SP - Brazil Phone: +55 11 5521-7763 - www.chapelschool.com Articles: Paula Veneroso and Chapel team - Translation: Chapel School Photos: Chapel files - Design: Otávio Garcia

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