ISF's Newsletter - Winter Edition 2018

eISF

The Newsletter of the International School of Florence

Happy New Year January 2018 - Winter Edition

HEAD OF SCHOOL MESSAGE Dear Parents, The start of the new year is traditionally a time of looking back, taking stock, and looking forward to renewed intentions. At ISF, we are doing the same as we reach the one year mark in our 2017-2020 Strategic Plan (http://www.isfitaly.org/strategicplan/) work. The Strategic Plan, the result of feedback from all constituents of our community, is what guides us on our path of consolidation and improvement as we move into the future.

In addition, ISF is at a mid-point in our accreditation cycle. ISF is accredited by two external agencies, the Council of International Schools and the U.S. Middle States Association. These two respected educational organizations provide standards for schools in many areas to ensure good practice and growth are constantly in place.

This is where your input is vital to us! In the next few weeks, all parents will be receiving a Community Survey based on the CIS/MSA standards for international schools. The survey asks your opinion about a wide variety of topics related to your child’s education and school life in general. With the results of the survey, we will review our Strategic Plan to ensure that we continue to respond to your feedback in order to provide the best education for your children. I look forward to a high level of participation in the survey on your part, and therefore ask that you look out for the communication ‘ISF Community Survey’ towards the end of the month. Feedback is what helps our children reach their potential, and the same goes for our school!

Wishing you a joyful start to 2018!

Debra Williams Head of School

From the School Board

Dear ISF Parents, The Board of Directors would like to thank the Parent Association for the efforts made to support the school throughout the year. The events have been fun and well organised although we think the major achievement has been the strengthening of the community spirit and the sense that we are even more part of ISF. The challenge of finding a new Head of School is a great example where the parent community played an important role with very active involvement. Thank you all for helping make this process such a success.

We look forward to seeing you at our ‘Winter Forum’ in February to discuss the important challenges of 2018 and beyond. We do hope you will be able to join us.

Meanwhile let us again thank you for your participation and help in 2017. We wish everyone a very Happy New Year. Very best wishes, the Board of Directors

Are you following us? facebook.com/isf.florence - facebook.com/isf.alumni - instagram.com/isf_florence - flickr.com/photos/isf-florence

UNIVERSITY VISITS AUTUMN 2017 ISF has hosted several university visits since September. We kicked off with a visit from the University of Cambridge and King’s College, London. Rachel Lister and Paul Teulon gave us a detailed introduction to applying to study in the UK, as well as information about their own institutions.

Next was a visit from six distinguished universities in the US: Princeton, Columbia, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Duke and Georgetown. They took over the Aula Magna and the Terrace for an evening. We had talks from the representative about what is distinctive about each institution, as well as some tips about how to apply to highly selective universities.

Other universities that have visited include: American (in Washington DC), Goldsmith’s, Roehampton and the New College of the Humanities (all in London). A representative from NYU gave a workshop on writing college essays; and we were also lucky enough to have a visit from the US State Department counseling rep, who saw interested students individually.

Planned for later this year or next are visits from a consortium of UK universities, a group of Dutch Universities and the European Consortium.

IB MOCK EXAMS - EXTENDED ESSAY BBQ
 Our 12th grade students just finalized 7 days of mock exams and seem to be coping quite well. The mocks simulate the “real� exams in May and show students where they stand at the moment, allowing them to assess and understand their progress to date. This is essential information for students (and their parents) as they develop and refine their knowledge and skills in the upcoming months. The mock exams are also an important opportunity for students to get used to the official exam conditions and procedures, ensuring that these sometimes overwhelming formalities are not in any way intimidating or unfamiliar in May. In November, the Seniors enjoyed the traditional Extended Essay BBQ, prepared by teachers and parents. A fun moment to cherish together and a welcome break to the studies of their final year.

GRADE 11 - THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE A Journey In The Past - Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Visit We learn from books and school, but we also learn from living and feeling.

As a part of our IB Theory of Knowledge curriculum, we as 11th graders had the opportunity to visit the city of Munich, Germany. Our field trip was divided into three main activities, each of which was different but still connected to the others; they all helped us comprehend concepts of great importance as well as stimulated our thinking skills.

The first of the three activities was a visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in the city of Dachau. Here, two engaging guides introduced the different areas, buildings and monuments that we saw during the tour. It was quite cold that day. This made us reflect on how painful it must have been for the prisoners to stay outside all day, in even worse weather conditions than we experienced, while only wearing thin jackets and pants. “How did they manage to survive?�, we all asked ourselves. We also watched a video which showed original clips from the camp during the times of war and explained how the prisoners lived their days. This helped us realize how we could never, and probably will never, understand how difficult and excruciating this experience was for the thousands of victims, because we have not lived it and it therefore seems inconceivable to us. Later on, the guide explained some methods that the SS used to punish their prisoners; they were so horrible and dehumanizing that we could not avoid wondering how these people were able to keep going. We also tried to think what we would have done in their position, and most of us came to the conclusion that we would never have been able to survive.

Another aspect we found strange, and somehow ironic, was the presence of a prison within the camp with more than twenty cells, as if the camp were not enough of a prison or a punishment itself.

Here, the guide explained to us that victims were kept in extremely cold and dark cells, with little food and water, for days; and that the role of the SS was, in this case, to encourage prisoners to commit suicide, if their will to live was not gone already.

The last stop before our tour ended was at a collection of monuments, positioned near the Appelplatz, where the SS did their daily roll call each morning. The monument that impressed us the most was the one representing black corpses stuck and trapped in barbed wire. They were extremely thin and their bodies were twisted into inhuman postures, reflecting the prisoners’ conditions in the camp. This made us really feel the weight of the place we were in, and its atrocity.

The visit at the camp enriched us – yes, enriched us! – in an indescribable way. Learning about the Holocaust by this experience was totally different and far more powerful than reading about it in books and articles. The air was heavy, laden with the weight of the past events. We felt this on our skin and we saw it in each other’s faces. We were all sad, angry, shocked, but also ashamed of ourselves for how we frequently complain about everything that goes on in our lives, without ever considering those who suffer more than us. We understood that it is important to realize how lucky we are.

The second part of our trip was a guided tour of the city of Munich, which explored many of the places and buildings that were, in one way or another, connected to Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. We learned many interesting facts, not only about the city, but also about Hitler himself, as well as his ideas – for example, his thoughts about “proper” art.

The third activity of our trip was a visit to the Pinakothek Der Moderne, a beautiful museum of modern and contemporary art, where we saw paintings and sculptures and tried to evaluate if they should be considered “degenerate” art or not, as in the Nazi era.

Our field trip to Dachau and Munich was absolutely unforgettable. It wasn’t only a cultural enrichment, it was an emotional journey. As a whole class, we were able to experience emotions and insights like never before. Our visit vastly enhanced our understanding of different critical aspects of being human, and our imagination played a crucial role in our learning about the subjects of art, history and ethics.

By Arianna De Meo and Niccolo' Bagnoli. Pictures by Beatrice Berni.

LA CLASSE SCOMPOSTA - DIDATTICA PER COMPETENZE Approccio didattico ideato dalla Professoressa Dianora Bardi

L’obiettivo di questo nuovo approccio alla didattica è la formazione dello studente competente, definito come “colui che assomiglia a se stesso”. Ci sono modi diversi di imparare ed ogni studente deve scoprire il proprio al di là di quelle che sono le procedure standard (come la lezione frontale) spesso utili e a volte necessarie, ma che rischiano di non lasciare spazio allo studente sempre potenzialmente creativo. Da qui l’esigenza di modificare anche lo spazio fisico in cui si impara, lasciando agli studenti la libertà (nei limiti del possibile) di organizzare l’aula spostando i banchi e le sedie a seconda delle loro esigenze, creando spazi condivisi che invitino alla collaborazione libera fra ragazzi.

Un altro obiettivo di questa metodologia didattica è portare i ragazzi ad avere un atteggiamento propositivo di fronte alle difficoltà. Per tanto diviene importante che imparino a riflettere per trarre insegnamenti dai propri errori, a cercare alternative confrontandosi con gli altri e a rendersi conto di quando diviene necessario chiedere aiuto. In questa ottica durante il percorso sono previsti dei momenti di riflessione personale e collettiva in cui si scambiano esperienze positive e ci si confronta sui momenti di difficoltà, non solo relativamente ai contenuti, ma anche alle procedure adottate. Nel percorso verrà poi preso in considerazione non soltanto quello che uno studente sa, “ma anche e soprattutto ciò che sa fare con quello che sa” e gli verrà chiesto di utilizzare le conoscenze acquisite in modo propositivo e creativo.

Una delle caratteristiche più evidenti di questo percorso è che gli studenti hanno più libertà: di movimento, di aggregazione, nella gestione del tempo, nell’uso della tecnologia, ed è importante che imparino a gestirla in modo costruttivo. Questa stessa libertà di autogestirsi diviene parte integrale del percorso di crescita dello studente e richiede senso di responsabilità e chiare regole condivise.

Sara Chiaravalli e Maddalena Nicoletti, Italian Language and Literature

GROUP 4 PROJECT Grade 11 students work hard on an interdisciplinary science project on the theme of water. Each group has students from each science subject working collaboratively on an experiment of their own design.

They present a report based on their research. This is a compulsory component of the IB science programme.

CAS - ANGELI PER UN GIORNO Last Sunday I participated in the Angeli per un Giorno Day, and I have to admit, I have never experienced anything more fulfilling than this. I arrived at the UCI cinema at 9am, where we met our kids and watched a movie together. The kids really enjoyed this year’s’movie: Paddington, and we all had a blast, getting a chance to know our children, and spending some time contributing to this great cause: making our children happy by giving them a memorable day.

After the movie, we took our kids to their private buses, assuring them that we would meet again at the Oratorio Don Bosco, our next destination. When we got there, we looked for our children and the very tiring day actually started! My little girl, Viola, wanted to go outside, where we got a chance to play together, go on the swing and have a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it started raining, but the staff members had already organized indoors activities for us.

We all had lunch together, getting the opportunity to rest for a minute before the afternoon. Viola loved makeup, therefore I showed her YouTube videos which she really enjoyed and then wanted to try some of the “looks” on me. So, after eating, we took some makeup and she started experimenting. It was really fun seeing her mix all the eyeshadows together to create a singular and exclusive shade of colors, from pink to blue, from mattes, to glitters… everything was on my eyes! Then she got a purple cream eyeshadow and decided to draw circles on my cheeks. As soon as she was done, she looked so proud of her masterpiece that, even though my face was total chaos and I looked like a very weird clown, I took pictures and tried to make her feel special.

Then the firefighters arrived and gave some demonstrations, but because Viola wasn’t very interested, she decided to draw and color princesses. She drew hearts, stars and crowns on three pieces of paper, inside these symbols, she wrote ,“Ti voglio tanto bene Francesca”. As soon as she told me that they were for me, I almost started crying, as I am very sensitive to these causes, but I just limited myself to hugging her.

At 4:30pm we all attended Mass; that was really challenging as Viola did not feel excited about going there, but after promising her she could watch an unlimited amount of makeup videos on my phone after it, she accepted the deal. Everything was fine until her lucky charm, which she had carried with her all day, broke, and she started crying. I tried looking for the missing pieces but I couldn’t find them, and I felt really unhappy as I did not want to let her down. Thankfully her sadness didn't last long as I tried putting all the pieces together again, making her regain the initial smile she had.

Around 5 pm we had a snack, panettone, pandoro and hot chocolate, which she really enjoyed.

Then, her favorite part came: the distribution of the gifts. As soon as I gave her a bracelet set, she hugged me so tight and looked thrilled, as she was already trying to put one together. Then, the challenging situation arrived. It was time to let her go. This made me both extremely happy, but also extremely sad. While at the beginning of the day, she didn’t look as enthusiastic, she told me, “I love you so so so much, please don’t let me go”, and she kept repeating it, which made me understand that she had really had a fun day, but looking her into the eyes and reassuring her

destroyed me completely. Before having to say goodbye, she handed me her lucky charm and told me, “Please take it, hang it on the tree and think of me”. I don’t know how I actually managed not to start crying in that exact second but I tried keeping a smile on my face, hugged her, gave her a kiss, and let her go. As soon as I was sure she couldn’t see me anymore, I exploded, letting go of all the feelings I had felt that day, and the ones I had experienced in the last seconds, starting to cry.

Thankfully Ms. Yiannakis was there to comfort me, and in that moment I understood that I was having this reaction because I really had given everything I had to this child.

Angeli per un Giorno is not just a CAS Experience, it’s not something you do because you have to do it in order to earn a CAS Experience, it’s something that you participate in because you want to. You choose to dedicate all your time to another human being, exchanging feelings and making memories together. You choose to wake up early to make sure you get there on time, giving up your Sunday morning lie-in for someone. Angeli per un Giorno helps you realize what you have, how extraordinarily lucky you are to wake up in your bed, in your room, in your house, to attend this school, to have a family who loves you, who takes care of you, to have someone who you know you can rely on, to have all of the things you desire, to be born with an unlimited amount of opportunities.

All things these kids do not have. By Francesca Cetta, Grade 11

C A S - CREATIVITY ACTIVITY SERVICE CAS and PreCAS students assisted Angeli del Bello to clean up the Giardini di Mariti.




TEDx Youth @ ISF On November 25th, ISF proudly hosted its third TEDxYouth@ISF talk. We were able to ask Sebastian Arora, organizer of the event and 11th Grader, a few questions: Could you please give us a brief summary to describe the event?

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a non-profit speaking platform which is devoted to sharing "ideas worth spreading" with the world via recorded talks, which are given live, in front of an audience. TEDxYouth@ISF is the same concept, but independently organized (by ISF volunteers) and oriented towards the ISF community - especially the youth.

What is your involvement and what does it take to prepare this event?

Mr. John Pitonzo flew to Brooklyn, NY to obtain a license which, by TED rules, allowed us to have an audience greater than 100 people. On behalf of the entire TEDx Team, I must thank Mr. Pitonzo for being so committed and generous as to go out of his way to obtain the "100+ license" which was crucial to the event. As for my role: it requires a drive to go outside your comfort zone, 100% commitment from start to end and a passion for ideas. In practical terms, this means knowing about every aspect of the event - marketing, sponsors, working with Student Council volunteers, photographers, speaker training and curation, venue booking, etc.

ISF is the first Tuscan school to be holding the TedX event. Kindly share your experience.

When I first heard that our previous organizer, Michael Chen, was not able to lead the event for the upcoming years, I knew that ISF could not lose such an inspiring and thought-provoking event - so I became organizer. It's been a busy time for all of the team, but we are all thankful for the experience of being able to share ISF's ideas to the local and global community.

As a student speaker, how does one prepare for the talk?

All confirmed speakers prepare the same way: as soon as you are selected, practice, practice, practice!

Having been a TEDx speaker myself, I can be sure to tell all the speakers that a good script + bad delivery = bad Talk. TEDx Talks should be informative and professional, but must also be down-toearth and have a human side to it - hence TEDx Talk, NOT a TEDx Speech.

How did the theme come up?

The theme is meant to portray a symbol of sorts, which is of relevance either locally or globally. All around the world, there are events sparked by division, hatred and separation. We're grateful that ISF provides us a home where diverse communities are united, so we wanted to bring this spirit to the global stage by bridging the gaps which we see today in society.

What advice would you give to any future speaker, student or adult, for next year?

"I want to participate, but I don't know what to talk about." This is probably what most people think when they consider being a speaker at TEDxYouth@ISF. I always say the same thing: do you know how many ideas you come up with in 24 hours, let alone a week, a month, a year? Choose one idea which you feel interested in, angry about or excited about, that contains a message which you think others should hear about and come talk to us! We simply want to hear your idea and we will work with you to make a great TEDx Talk.

Is there anyone in particular you would like to thank?

Once again, all the TEDx Team is very grateful for Mr. Pitonzo's generosity in obtaining the license.

Thank you to the international speakers who flew in from the U.K. to share their ideas with us. A very grateful thank you to Ms. Williams, Ms. Stanton, Ms. Bruckner, Dean Bogner, Mr. Landolfa, Atharva Torne, the High School Student Council and to everyone who contributed to the event.

ISF BOOKFLOOD - JOLABOKAFLOD Families gathered in the JS library in early December for JOLABOKAFLOD. The Book Flood, a tradition originating from Iceland, invites families to spend Christmas Eve reading new books while enjoying chocolate. ISF families enjoyed reading holiday books together and making bookmarks, while snacking on hot chocolate and treats. It's a tradition we are sure to continue!

FAMILY AUTUMN HALLOWEEN BAZAAR The Autumn Bazaar was a great success, thanks to the sunshine ‌ and more importantly the presence of so many members of the ISF community who contributed in different ways! Pouring drinks, painting faces, preparing and serving food, grilling hot dogs (360 hot dogs with buns were consumed!), donating uniforms, buying pumpkins, setting up gazebos, coming along with friends and family and cheering on the parent, student and teacher soccer matches – thank you for supporting this great ISF community event!

AUTUMN FAMILY BAZAAR DONAZIONI Il ricavato dell’Autumn Family Bazaar e la solidarietà natalizia delle famiglie di ISF hanno sostenuto la Comunità Amore e Libertà Onlus (www.amlib.org). Dal 1988 la Comunità Amore e Libertà Onlus opera in Italia a Firenze e nella Repubblica Democratica del Congo per dare futuro e speranza a tanti bambini. Li accoglie, li fa studiare, con l'affetto e il calore di una famiglia, seguendoli per tutta la vita.

La Comunità Amore e Libertà è un’associazione senza scopo di lucro nata a Firenze dalla sensibilità di Don Matteo Galloni, suo presidente e fondatore insieme a Francesca Termanini. Attorno a lui, nel tempo, sono gravitati gli entusiasmi di volontari e collaboratori direttamente coinvolti in iniziative di solidarietà desiderose di stringere in un abbraccio familiare i bambini, i giovani e gli adulti che si trovano a far fronte da soli a condizioni socio-economiche disagiate.

Dal 1988 Amlib provvede a colmare la loro solitudine, accogliendoli nella sua famiglia e coinvolgendoli in progetti concreti che ne stimolino l’autonomia, favorendone l’inserimento attivo nella società. Obiettivo dell’associazione è provvedere non solo a fornire un sostegno immediato, ma anche un supporto duraturo nel tempo, che coltivi la crescita di bambini sereni e famiglie solide. È in quest’ottica che la Onlus ha dato vita alle attività della Casa Madre di Firenze, della Comunità di Accoglienza per Minori e del Centro Socio-educativo, estendendo il suo apporto alla Repubblica Democratica del Congo. Anche in questa terra flagellata da povertà estrema, la Missione Amore e Libertà ha promosso operazioni di sostegno a distanza, alfabetizzazione collettiva, accoglienza di minori e adulti bisognosi e inclusione sociale, riuscendo nell’impresa di avviare un’azienda agricola.

Tutte le iniziative dell’associazione pongono al centro la Famiglia, riconoscendogli un valore fondamentale nella vita individuale e sociale e sono orientate a stimolare lo sviluppo culturale di bambini, coppie e nuclei familiari, ispirando in loro i valori di Amore e Libertà, offrendo opportunità di emancipazione, restituendo valore al ruolo genitoriale e dignità ai malati indigenti facendosi carico di sostenere cure mediche che altrimenti non potrebbero permettersi.

Parte fondamentale dell’impegno della Comunità Amore e Libertà, inoltre, è fare da megafono alle esigenze dei più deboli, sensibilizzando l’opinione pubblica con eventi e campagne informative e di raccolta fondi. La comunità è nata sotto la protezione di Maria Madre dell’Amore e della Libertà, a cui è dedicata la sede, che dal 2000, dopo lunghe ricerche e sacrifici, accoglie bambini e ragazzi bisognosi.

Da allora l’immagine di Maria Madre del bell’Amore è diventata il simbolo della nostra famiglia.

Ragazzi che vivono nella casa famiglia: Joele 1 anno, James 1 anno e mezzo, Stefano 5 anni, Alessandro 6 anni, Sara 7 anni, Andrea 7 anni, Leonardo 9 anni, Gianluca 11 anni, Lorenzo 11 anni, Deborah 15 anni, Alessia 15 anni, Inva 16 anni, Francesco 17 anni, Lucy 19 anni, Kekka 20 anni, Emmanuel 21 anni, Michel 21 anni, Estance 25 anni, Sarah 25 anni, Lucia 32 anni

THANKSGIVING This Thanksgiving, the International School of Florence organized a collection of food and school supplies for the Comunità di Sant’Egidio. The collection involved the organization of students and the involvement the school’s community, including students, parents and staff. The Comunità di Sant’Egidio is an organization that provides meals for homeless people on the streets of Florence, and runs a school for the children of refugees. Laura Paccini, a representative of the Comunità collected the donations from ISF, and spoke to the students, thanking them for their generosity, and explaining briefly how their donations would be used.

Being the person in charge of this project, I’ve realized how important it is to be involved in ones community and society, although we don't constantly see homeless people on the streets, we need to be aware of the fact these homeless people are still present in our community. Organizing this collection has improved the situation of the homeless people in the city of Florence; furthermore it has made the community of ISF thankful for what we have and has made us become more involved in our society.

Emily Blackstone, Grade 12

‘Gentilissimi tutti, vorrei ringraziare a nome di tutta la Comunita' la raccolta di cibo e di cartoleria fatta in occasione del Thanksgiving. Il cibo e' stato distribuito alle famiglie bisognose che visitiamo in citta' che sono circa una quarantina, molti bambini mangiano solo bene alla mensa di scuola. Molti di loro sono venuti al pranzo il giorno di Natale, 25 dicembre che si è svolto nella Basilica di San Lorenzo a Firenze. Alla festa del 21 Dicembre 2017 Babbo Natale ha portato regali ma anche materiale di cartoleria molto gradito a chi non puo' comprarselo e molto utile per la scuola. Ringraziando tutti auguri buon anno nuovo 2018. Laura Pacini, Comunita’ di Sant’Egidio'

SINGING EXPERIENCE WITH FAMOUS ITALIAN SINGER NOEMI On October 26th, our Junior School music teacher Tanja Kustrin received a phone call from Noemi’s producer, asking her to collaborate in a new song of Noemi with her children’s choir. They had four days to prepare the “small singing birds” for the audio recording in a famous studio close to Siena. Miss Tanja wanted to share this great experience not only with her choir Clara Harmonia, but also with the children from our school: Margherita Peri, Gaia Maria Poli, Elsa Ciampolini, Demetria Antonia Coujango-Zini, Opheliah Fratini, Fatima Haidar, Giulia Monti, Margherita Nicoletti, Leonorè Quagliotti, Viola Palmarini, Elena Sofia Uzielli and Sara Marabelli.

On October 30th, after snacks and recess time, much rehearsing of the words, the melody and the rhythm, they were ready for recording. Of course, it doesn’t happen every day to be singing in a real studio, with microphones and headphones, for one hour and 10 minutes of complete concentration and giving your best. The recording staff was very kind and full of compliments for how good and disciplined the students were.

Once the song was recorded, we received a big surprise: the producer told us that he had just spoken to the director of the video clip and that he wanted to include the children’s choir in the video!!!

Everyone was thrilled about this fantastic experience, as the video would be recorded in the theatre of la Reggia di Caserta. The Royal Palace of Caserta is a former royal residence in southern Italy, constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples. It is one of the largest palaces erected in Europe during the 18th century and the largest royal residence in the world. In 1997, the palace was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Can you imagine being invited to a palace to record a video? There was not even a doubt if we would accept or not! The children’s choir suddenly stood on the stage of the theater of the Royal Palace and, guided by Miss Tanja Kustrin, recorded different scenes with Noemi and many actors dressed in beautiful 18th century clothing.

It was hard to imagine the outcome of the different puzzles into the final video, available since December 1st.

The title of the song is “I miei rimedi”, and the video has already had 1,080,035 views.

Find out for yourself if you like it, but surely for the students, this was a unique experience, which they will remember for all their lives! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kaBsvzT7SE

I S F’S A L U M N I C O R N E R

February 28 - HS STUDENT CAREER DAY March 15 - IB VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION April 14 - ISF’S GOT TALENT May 5 - SPRING GALA JUNE 1 - FIELD DAY