Elementary School

Elyane Ruel ES Principal

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REPORT

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT • Further restructuring the planning of curricular units through a concept-based approach

• The assessment and reporting committee, in consultation with a parent group, rewrote the PYP assessment and reporting policy and timeline, resulting in more time spent monitoring and documenting learning, and less time on reporting on learning.

Also, there is a shift away from performance-based reporting and towards more progress-based reporting

• Developed a shared understanding of pedagogy that supports social-emotional learning, such as morning meetings, calm transitions, consistent language

• Launched parent workshops on socialemotional learning as a focus in all academic areas and throughout the school day

• Launched a new connection with the

Chinese parent community by offering parent workshops about the PYP in Mandarin.

• Adopted a new math curriculum and supporting resource

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING • Many teachers participated in a coaching cycle with the PYP coordinator and/ or math coach • Whole section focus on social-emotional learning, and the practices and pedagogy that support it

• Teachers and TAs participated in professional learning communities around such topics as number talks, literacy conferencing, creativity, and documenting play and learning.

• Intentional and responsive training for teaching assistants in such areas as conceptual learning, providing responsive support and classroom management

STUDENT LEADERSHIP • Grade 5 student hosts planned, coordinated and hosted Elementary assemblies on a weekly

basis. These student leaders communicated with all ES faculty, coordinated the different items and celebrations of learning, and then scripted the 40 minute assemblies. They presented them on the stage and ensured they were upbeat, fun and engaging!

• Student Service

Leaders interviewed many members of our community and presented their interviews in assemblies, introducing many staff to the student body. Their aim was to ensure that we greeted people by name and got to know each other. These videos often included translations into or from

Romanian, and provided a lovely, inclusive tone to our gatherings.

TECHNOLOGY/ MAKER SPACE • Familiarity and comfort with 1:1 devices and applications such as

Seesaw and Google

Classroom

• More than 30 Tech

Mentors in the student leadership program, developing their passion for technology while helping others in their classroom and beyond

• Code Week, organized and led by the ES Tech

Mentors • Exponential growth of technology and content creation skills during the Distance Learning

Program for students and teachers alike

• Expansion of the

Makerspace resources and remodeling of the space

• Additional lunch time sessions added to the makerspace schedule and access to space expanded to grades 1 and 2

LIBRARY • 24,903 books checked out, over 800 new books

COUNSELING • Facilitated Circle of

Security parenting program

• Hosted screening of the documentary, “Angst” for parents and students

• Supported teachers in the further growth of the social emotional program

LEARNING SUPPORT • Supported 46 students across G1 - 5 with accessing the curriculum.

• Coordinated internal LS professional learning opportunities to explore current LS systems and begin to map out the future direction of LS at AISB.

EXTENDED SUPPORT • 94 students from grades 1-5 participated in small pull-out groups for extended learning

• Nine 5th grade students produced and published the 2nd ever ES Literary

Magazine, and the 1st ever online

• Fourth AISB Math Olympiad Team

EAL • 68 students received direct support during the language rotation blocks

• EAL team facilitated a number of parent workshops

• Developed an online language proficiency assessment to inform language placement for incoming students

MOTHER TONGUE PROGRAM • Restructured the program to allow for more Mother

Tongue lessons during the school day schedule

• More than 60 students in the Mother Tongue

Program

PHYSICAL EDUCATION • New gymnastics and climbing equipment was installed in the auxiliary gym. This enhanced the PE experience for all PYP students.

• Playground football games were reorganized to ensure maximum participation.

• PE Ambassadors assisted with the new playground set up and offered support with looking after the equipment.

MUSIC • Further enhanced the cross-curricular links (i.e.integrated math unit connecting fractions to note values for grade 4 students)

• Designed and implemented a new ukulele program for upper elementary students

• Put on a successful musical with grade 4 & 5 students and winter performances

ART • Pioneered a virtual art gallery for distance learning online assembly

• Further enhanced the cross-curricular links (i.e

Aesthetics of Architecture

Unit: Geometry Through

Two Lenses, Integrated with Grade 2 Properties of Matter UoI with The

Properties of Clay,

Changes UoI )

ROMANIAN • Refined the rubrics for the writing units in grades 3-5 and for oral expression for kindergarten to grade 2.

• Created a new unit in

Grade 5 called Cultural

Identity and Global

Citizenship and linked it to our Bucharest: a case study unit.

FRENCH/SPANISH • Integrated aspects of concept-based approach in the curriculum

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES • The co-curricular department continued modeling our CCA mission statement as the foundation for the 2019-20 school year encompassing all opportunities which our department creates for AISB students. We also started drafting a new mission statement to be used in the upcoming years.

• The CCA framework consisted of three, 10week long seasons aligned between all divisions of the school.

• The activities included: ES

Camp-Out, Football, Living

Sports Library, Fencing,

Cross Country, Basketball. • The Spring Season CCAs were organized online via

Zoom and Google Sites.

The following choices for

CCAs were consistently on offer during distance learning: karate, lines & pattern drawing (studentlead), basketball ballhandling, gymnastics & fitness, zumba kids dance.

• There were a total of nineteen (19) external specialists/coaches used in the ES CCA program in 2019-20, six (6 of which were AISB parents).

• Thirteen (13) CCAs were year-long commitments.

• Central Ideas continued being introduced for each co-curricular activity as purposeful learning descriptors available to students and families via the activity presentation prior to the registration periods.

Elyane Ruel ES Principal

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students from grades 1-5 participated in small pull-out groups for extended learning

New gymnastics and climbing equipment was installed in the auxiliary gym