Missoula International School
MESSENGER
Fall/Winter 2015
Launching Lives Through Language & Discovery
In Pursuit of a Tagline Describing MIS in 6 Words or Less
F
h
or the past 18 months, members of the MIS Marketing/Communications Committee have been working on coming up with a tagline for MIS. It’s been a tall order considering all of the factors we needed to keep in mind. We wanted it to define not only who we are, but where we’re going. We wanted it to incorporate what we felt like were important parts of our personality, but not be cumbersome in length. We wanted it to differentiate us from other schools, both locally and nationally—what makes us different? And we wanted it to have longevity. We got lots of feedback. We heard from parents at the annual meetings. We tested messages on teachers. And we got feedback from our middle school students. We went back to the drawing board numerous times, hired a writer (for a song, as he liked our mission), and ended up with three taglines that worked… ok.
Launching Lives Through Language & Discovery MIS Offers...
From there, members of the MARCOM Committee met at Julie Lennox’s house one afternoon for a change of scenery, and to hash over the taglines. We knew from parent surveys that what ranks at the top is the fact that MIS is a language immersion school, and that it’s important to parents that MIS is giving their children a “boost” in life through language. Parents also gave us the feedback that it’s important that our curriculum is inquiry-based. So boiling those three sentiments down, MIS’s new tagline will be…(drum roll please...) “Launching Lives through Language and Discovery.” We hope it resonates with you as much as it did for all of us. Members of the 2015/2016 Marketing/Communications Committee: Susan Beck Lucy Beighle Laura Bovard Rob Fleming Jason Kiely Julie Lennox Bethany O’Connell Stephen Siegel Gabe Silverman
2
continued on page 3...
Missoula International School MESSENGER• Fall/Winter 2015
• IN THIS ISSUE •
2
4
5
7
In Pursuit of a Tagline Describing MIS in 6 Words or Less 20th Anniversary Celebrating 20 Years In Our Community Board Update: New Site Secured IB Corner Recent News of Language & Discovery
10
Student Poetry Students Write on MLK Jr. Did you know? The MIS Messenger is online, with links to news and videos. Visit www.mismt.org/publications
Board of Trustees 2015/2016 Norm Williamson President Rob Fleming Past President Emily Richardson Vice President Doug Webber Treasurer Jason Kiely Secretary
Ray Aten Susan Beck Betsy Maier Jennifer Marrow Shane Reely David Rosulek Mary Surber Mike Vetter
Julie Osborn PA Council Representative
Missoula International School inspires principled global citizens and lifelong learners through a challenging bilingual education from preschool to eighth grade.
Administration
Front cover: Students in the 6th grade Math/Science classes spent the fall exploring laws of gravity, buoyant forces and pressure. Above: 8th grade science students enjoyed exploring sublimation: an interesting change in states from solid to gas.
Julie Lennox, Head of School Jeff Kessler, Assistant Head of School Laura Bovard, Director of Admissions & Marketing Gary Cram, Director of Finance Ben Super, Director of Operations Sabine Sriraman, Administrative Assistant Bethany O’Connell, Director of Development
MIS Offers...
3
h
20th Anniversary
Celebrating 20 Years In Our Community
The Jakob family enjoys seeing photos from the MIS archives at the Back to School Night anniversary celebration.
MIS joined the Griz for the UM Homecoming Parade this fall.
MIS students celebrated the 20th Anniversary at GDay for Grandparents and Grandfriends on October 9th.
h
In 2015, MIS looks to the future while building on the strength of its past.
h
Missoula International School honors Day of the Dead and celebrates 20 years of inspiring kids in the cultural arts.
Julie Lennox, Head of School, at the Carousel Birthday Party for MIS in early December.
4
Board Update: New Site Secured MIS is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with the
news that we have secured a site where we can pursue our dream of building a permanent home for MIS. After much negotiation, Board President, Norm Williamson signed a purchase sale agreement for a property at 800 South Third West - currently the site of the HIVE and formerly the ProBuild site. This site has all of the features that our community identified as important for our new home. It is a little over 4 acres and provides ample room to build a cutting edge educational facility, with plenty of green space and engaging outdoor play areas. The site is right in the center of the McCormick Park neighborhood, has easy access to biking and walking corridors and trails, is close to the Downtown and University areas while also being tucked away into an established neighborhood where our students can feel safe and at home. This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to build the best school building Montana has ever seen! The Board views this project as an opportunity to build community
Norm Williamson, Board President, signing historic documents to secure the future home of MIS in November.
partnerships that will not only enhance the role of MIS within the greater Missoula community, but will leverage these partnerships to make the cost of the project not rest solely on the shoulders of current and future MIS parents. The cost of building this new facility will include diverse revenue streams, but will not rely on future tuition increases to fund the project. These streams may include capital campaign, community partnerships, tax credits, and other revenue opportunities that will keep the operating costs of the new facility close to the same percentage of current facilities operating cost. As we reach out to our closest friends, we are already receiving generous pledges of support for the project. We feel confident and grateful that our community is excited to see this project succeed. We will be reaching out to everyone in the MIS community to help.
Sincerely,
Rob Fleming, Past President, on behalf of the MIS Board of Trustees
5
Facilities Design Through the design process, parents, students, and teachers identified a few key elements that will help to shape the physical design and the educational environment of our totally unique future school building.
View from above the property at 800 S. 3rd Street showing the future greenway the city is planning where the railroad and smaller bike trail exists currently.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the facilities design process.
Learning Spaces Where Kids Can Grow...
6
The IB Corner:
Recent News of Language & Discovery
h
Teachers Develop IB Unit of Inquiry on Indigineous Cultures
I
t started with a professional development opportunity. Lynn Hudorovich and Patricia Cano, 2/3 Multiage teachers, participated in an IB workshop in Missoula called, Indigenous Ways of Knowing last spring. “We collaborated in this workshop with the facilitator who runs a Nahuatl (Aztec) immersion school in Los Angeles,” says Patricia. “Together, we created an IB unit of inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme of Who We Are in Place and Time. The students have already had many amazing experiences inquiring into Native American traditions, values and origins.”
The 2/3 Multiage field trip to the People’s Center in Pablo engaged students with many opportunities for hands on learning about Salish culture and traditions. Maya, Aztec, and Inca Cultures Explored by 4/5 Multiage
WATCH THIS! MIS 2/3 Multiage students enjoy a traditional call and response drum circle at the People’s Center in Pablo, MT.
What is Sound?
4/5 Multiage students presented their information about the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas in December. Students demonstrated independence as they worked on this first inquiry project, which serves as preparation for the upcoming PYP Exhibition presentations. Watch their videos here!
The 2/3 Multiage classes completed a unit of inquiry about sound this fall -how it is produced, its qualities and how different sounds make us feel. There was a parade of guest musicians demonstrating their instruments-including drums, piano, harp, handbells, chimes, violins and a baritone.
7
Caperuza Roja
For ten consecutive years, MIS and the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) have united to perform plays in Spanish. MIS debuted this year’s play (La Caperuza Roja) back in 2008. This year, it returned to the MCT stage and thoroughly entertained all in attendance. Teaching Inquiry is Hands On
MIS teachers use their professional development opportunities to provide training workshops for one another. By attempting to make the best possible pin ball machine, or “hacking” their notebooks with lights, teachers document the process of inquiry from a student’s perspective.
Celebrations Around the World
Responsabilidad
Karim Del Pozo, middle school teacher, shares with the K/1 Multiage classes some of the celebrations and holiday traditions of Peru.
Preschool students explore a unit of inquiry on family and responsibilities and share housework together in the classroom.
Students Take Action For the Community
W
ay to go MIS students! Middle school student advisory organized a “Cozy and Clean” toiletry drive for the Poverello Center. Students counted over 1096 items. The 6th graders organized, counted, and sorted the donations. They spent a morning at the Poverello Center, organizing and stocking the items and cooking lunch for some of the residents.
Head of School Reading Corner
Students enjoy a good book with Julie Lennox, Head of School, and her reading coach named Rizzo.
8
The IB Corner:
Recent News of Language & Discovery Academic Research Skills Taught in Humanities
Students Connect as Reading Buddies
Students in the 7th Grade Spanish Humanities class completed research articles on Africa and compiled them into a digital newspaper. READ THEM ALL HERE!
To strengthen school peer relationships and provide mentoring opportunities, MIS students are regularly paired with younger students for reading time with reading buddies.
Fun in Familias
MIS students get together in regular assemblies as multiage familias and participate in group activities and share ideas, such as their hopes and dreams for a positive playground, or why they feel thankful. The familias build community among the MIS students and teachers and gives students the opportunity to demonstrate the IB Learner Profile.
9
h
Exploration on China Connects IB Schools
As part of their study of ancient China, 7th graders connect via Facetime with the Shu Ren International School in Berkeley, California.The students at this IB Chinese immersion school are also studying one of the same units.
Student Poetry
h
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - MLK, Jr. Our lips are our cage, Holding our voices behind bars. Fingers point, guns fire, But we remain locked. Walls crumble, bombs sound, We remain locked. Inequality prances around leaving marks where she stood, the key begins to turn. Voices spread, signs fly, Will they change their minds? Children scream, men cheer, As the bodies begin to fall. Curtains open, rose colored glasses torn off. Words are all we have. Dana Webber, 8th grade
Caged Tiger Soul Ignorance is lazy, satisfied with the small, grimy window that lets him see the trashcan but not the park to which it belongs satisfied with not knowing if the flowers have bloomed this May or if that family of sparrows is still chirping outside his window Cowardice shuts out the world leaning back on the couch closing his eyes turning up the music refusing to see what is right in front of him scattered to-go containers stacks of unpaid bills piles of dirty clothes Indecision watches opportunities fly past standing on two choices speeding in opposite directions two subways heading towards different stations and Indecision heading to neither
Two students on “Hero Day” during Spirit Week who came to school as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Silence, the girl that stands, off to one side as her friends sneer at two women holding hands Silence, the girl that watches, suffocated as a friend is shoved against a wall Silence, friend to Ignorance Cowardice Indecision Silence, the girl that will never make a difference Silence, the girl who’s tiger soul is caged in a snake's whisper Georgia Walker-Keleher, 7th grade
10
MIS Launches Lives Through Language and Discovery
Together, we support the whole journey. MIS sparks a desire for learning and discovery that lasts a lifetime. It is evident in MIS students and alumni. MIS relies on support from MIS families, together with tuition income, to provide the spark we need to realize the whole journey. Your donations support: • Our wonderful and dedicated faculty & staff • Access to classroom technology & innovative educational opportunities • The school’s commitment to diversity through financial aid Join us with YOUR donation to support MIS today!
“I have worked hard, I have been fortunate, I have been blessed. Am I ever going to use my life’s resources for a greater purpose than for the education of my grandchildren?” ~MIS grandparent
SAVE THE DATE! Friday, June 3, 2016 All School End of Year Performance & 8th Grade Graduation The Missoula International School (MIS), a nonprofit, independent preschool through eighth grade school, offers unique and challenging 21st century educational opportunities for students in the greater Missoula area. The school provides an inquiry based learning environment as the flagship Primary Years Program (PYP) International Baccalaureate (IB) World School in the Northwest and a full Spanish language immersion environment.
A direct gift to MIS is tax-deductible! CLICK HERE TO DONATE! Visit: www.mismt.org/support MIS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with the tax EIN #81-0501614. THANK YOU!
Missoula International School 1100 Harrison Street Missoula, MT 59802 406.542.9924 www.mismt.org