General Director
We wish to extend a very happy holiday wish to all of you and hope both your Christmas and New Year were spent harmoniously with your friends and family. We have had a very successful first semester and look forward to a highly successful year in 2018.
A special thanks to the Parent Society for their efforts in fundraising for the new shading over the playground area beside the library. It is being installed during the holidays and should be ready for use on the first day back to classes on January 8th. We will send pictures in an email during the first week back.
We will be receiving two new members to our school team in January. First, we would like to welcome Danielle Crowell, who is a teacher in training from Southwest Minnesota State University. She will be doing an 11 week practicum at our school from January to April and will spend 6 weeks in 10th grade under the tutelage of Mr Toby Williams and 5 weeks in 2nd grade with Gabriela Romo. We want to thank the Fregoso Jimenez family for hosting Danielle in their home during her stay. A special thanks to all the families who offered to host her.
As well it is our pleasure to introduce you to Emily Lagattolla who is arriving this January. Ms Lagattolla is an American citizen who is trained in the IB and has taught in Mexico previously.
Ms Lagattolla will be joining the English and Math department to assist in alleviating some of the workload from our High School Principal Mr Santiago Leal and our Math Coordinator Mr. Carlos Cortez. She will be teaching Math to the 9th grade groups as well as one of the 10th grade groups and co-teaching with Mr Leal in 11th grade.
We have organized both 7th grade groups into advanced and intermediate English groups and MsLagattolla will take the advanced group while Ms Huicochea will provide the intermediate classes.
Did you know some of the unique aspects of our school?
We have 23 nationalities represented in our school.
We are celebrating 34 years of offering the top educational services in Los Cabos. We were the first private school, the first bilingual school and the first IB/SACS advanced school in BCS.
We are one of 111 IB World schools in Mexico and are the only one in Baja Califorina Sur.
We one of only 33 SACS advanced Accredited schools in Mexico and the only one in Baja California.
We have a current enrollment of 419 students, the most in the history of the school.
Since the 2012 2013 school year we have organized joint school improvement projects between the School, the School Board, the Parent Society and the Student Council. We have expanded an improved the cafeteria, built a playground, built a three-room library, constructed the roofing over the soccer field and built new play areas in the Kindergarten.
Our next joint project is an Art center that will begin with fundraising starting this school year. The space between Kindergarten and Elementary has been destined for this art center and phase one is a multi use indoor auditorium for use as a music/black box theater room, a conference room for meetings and workshops, a testing center for formal exams and an indoor recreational space during rainy days. Phase two will include art and computer labs. We will be giving you more details after the school board receives the 3 competing bids in January.
Happy Holidays everyone.
Kindergarten
Here’s a breakdown of these past month’s events
The Day of the Dead was an event where our children brought flowers, candy, candy skulls, fruit for decoration and helped us to set up the Altar of the Dead dedicated to “Frida Kahlo”. Several of our students dressed like little Fridas and there were Catrinas and skeletons too.
The parents had the opportunity to attend a workshop on the “Profile Attributes” of our International Baccalaureate program with our PYP Program Coordinator, teacher and workshop teacher Ma. Inés Mayaudón. Here we share comments made by participating parents:
• I really like that the school gives us information about what they teach our children, apart from the fact that it was dynamic. It helps us complement education at home.
Blanca Cardín mom of Roberto León K2
• I loved being able to listen to the experiences and, above all, to know the system that makes up the IB, because it confirms, what I want and expect from Colegio El Camino School
Laura García, mother of Laila Hernández K1
•Excellent! I had the opportunity to learn more about teaching methods and be able to interact.
Horacio Chávez father of Horacio Chávez K2
• I appreciate the information and the topics are very relative. This will help me with the kids.
Jill McGill Bella’s mom K3
Our little ones also enjoyed a modern dance performance with the presence of the theater “pa’la calle” and the dance “La Serpiente” and they danced happily to the rhythm of the music, afterwards they had their shared lunch to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Results for the CPAA Evaluation from October were provided to parents.
We started with the Huerto (orchard) Project; our little ones were excited to plant their little seeds and they are already growing! We have tomato, lettuce, basil, cilantro, parsley, cucumber, squash, watermelon, radishes, and many more. Soon we can make some delicious salad to share among all.
Kinder 2 students made toys out of recyclable materials as a part of their “Who we are” IB Unit of Inquiry. This unit’s central idea was “Fun and play encourage the development of people” and they shared it with their fellow students.
Students from Kinder 3 performed the dance “La piña” and “Los viejitos” as part of their IB Unit of inquiry closing “ Other cultures are part of my life”
We had a great time with family and friends at our Christmas festival with the theme “Christmas around the world” where our students took us on a tour including Germany, Russia, China and of course Mexico.
We conclude this last semester and the 2017 Year wishing you all happy holidays and a great 2018!
We will see you January 8th for back to school and to enjoy some “Rosca de Reyes”.
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Elementary
On October 31st we celebrated Halloween with the traditional parade in the basketball court. Students, teachers and parents had a great time and took many photos.
Our students were very enthusiastic participating in the elaboration of Day of the Dead Altars; in this activity the sixth grade students obtained the group prize with more characterization details. Many congratulations!
During the week of December 11th to the 18th LEXIUM, CPAA and MAP results were given out. For Parents who were not able to collect them, they will be put into the folders with the report cards delivered on January 9th.
The Day of Kings is celebrated on January 6th every year around the world in commemoration of the Three Kings, who came from the East took a trip for the birth of Jesus and were guided by a star. As we all know, the kings were called Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar; and they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh as gifts. However, nowadays it is celebrated in different ways around the world.
The celebration of the day of Three Kings is undoubtedly one of the most important in Mexico. In many states of the republic it can be even bigger than Christmas and for that reason there are many traditions that we all know: children ask for gifts from the kings, parades are made in the city, the traditional “Rosca” is eaten (usually with hot chocolate), among others. What many do not know is that although not as big as in Mexico, in Germany the day of Three Kings is also celebrated. This is an official holiday in this country. In addition you can also find a similar bread or “Rosca” called Dreikönigskuchen. We invite you to discover more details regarding the celebration the Day of the Kings in Mexico and Germany.
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Primary Years Programme IB PYP
Skill Development In School
The PYP prepares students to be active, solidary and to adopt a learning attitude during their life, which demonstrates self-respect and respects to others, and allows them to be able to participate in the world around them.
The programme’s objective is to help students develop skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to stand out not only in school but also in their personal growth.
What are the skills of the learning profile?
1. Thinking skills
– Promotes learning ideas, facts and vocabulary
– Understand what you have learnt
– Make decisions on relevant matters
– Put small ideas together to form a bigger idea
2. Communication skills
– Listen to instructions
– Express our ideas clearly
– Read multiple topics
– Write our ideas in a log
– Take notes
– Present information to others
– Use non verbal languages
3. Social Skills
– Share responsibilities
– Respect others
– Cooperate with others
– Solve conflicts
– Take group decisions
– Be the leader and follower
4. Self-control skills
– Make good decisions
– Use small and large muscles in our body
– Plan our activities
– Use our time wisely
– Make healthy choices
– Follow the rules
5. Inquiry skills
– Come up with good questions
– Observe using all senses
– Plan things out
– Collect data and information
– Organize information
– Present your report
Parents also attended our IB workshops and here are some of their thoughts:
– I learnt about different subjects and how they interact
– What you learn in school will be a tool in every day life
– I reinforced my understanding of skill development
– The IB has several programs that develop thinking and compassion
Thank you parents for your support!
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Diploma Programme IB DP
Through its programs the International Baccalaureate develops young people in terms of academic excellence and with the same requirement for personal development. This is why at Colegio El Camino, we strive to meet the standards to develop these good practices.
The teachers of the DP, had an official Category 3 workshop “in situ” ( on site) of the IB of Monography (Extended Essay) This was organized to obtain better results in this core subject and to have almost all the personnel trained in the DP. The first results in terms of commitment and knowledge of the IB, subject and system are being achieved and we hope that the grades obtained in the May 2018 call will also be very positive.
A great academic effort was achieved during the last two weeks of classes in December, especially in grades 11 and 12. After their semester exams a special schedule was organized in which the teachers voluntarily donated their time to develop subjects within their own subjects, and to maintain the requirements and development of the Diploma Program.
The IB also recognizes that students need these types of opportunities for personal training and to achieve different perspectives from the attributes of the Learner Profile like being Good Communicators and Balanced individuals. It is for this reason that these days of special hours and academic demands culminated in an integration and de-stress activity. Teachers and students were able to share and get to know each other in a unique way.
May this holiday break allow all of you to recharge and especially for the 12th graders to undertake the last stage in taking the exams of May 2018.
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Psychology
This month we will address the subject of boundaries, rules and agreements. But, why are these so important in the education of children? This is a simple question when you spend quality time with your children and can understand their needs.
– Children need a solid structure and an adequate behavior role model to follow
– Children need boundaries to protect themselves from danger and risks, they need to learn, for example, that if they get their hand too close to the fire it will burn or that jumping from a high structure they will get hurt
– Children need to know how far they can go in their behavior because otherwise they could become passive and apathetic children
Here is some advice on how to establish regulations and boundaries
1. Establish boundaries since their first year. In this case we are talking about little boundaries like if you are up there you will fall, or if you touch this or that you’ll break it. The baby needs lo learn and identify more than NO
2. We have to be coherent and consistent. If we tell the child the consequence of his or her action but are condescending, the child will end up not respecting us. The consequence must be adapted to the behavior
3. Firmness: the tone of voice and the seriousness with which we speak is fundamental when setting limits. We must show we are serious and patient, and avoid screaming at them but still showing certainty.
4. Avoid saying: ‘because I say so and period’. The explanations should be concise and clear; this way, children can develop internal values of behavior. Example: collect your toys as it’s dinnertime
5. Request with a direct indication what you need. When we educate in negative: the word ‘no’ becomes so repetitive, that the little ones generate a kind of immunity and it does not have any effect
6. Giving out specific orders and make clear what you expect, simply saying “behave” or “you have to be good” does not provide any benefit
7. Control your emotions and self-regulate. This allows the child to learn to speak calmly, firmly and safely. Screaming only causes the child to act violently and scream back
Children who always pay close attention to detail assimilate each gesture or word. If we do not follow rules, are disrespectful or undisciplined, they will replicate our behavior. The child often swears not because of the meaning it has, but because of the reaction it causes
Library
Interview with Jack Buckley Knatchbull-Hugessen, 7th Grade
I took the task of getting to know our frequent library users a bit more, know about their thoughts, how is
it that they became readers and how books influence their way of thinking and the way they see the world.
Jack Buckley showed a great deal of interest when I asked him to share a bit of his time to talk about his passion for books.
Jack has been a Camino Student since Nursery and he hopes to graduate from High School here at Camino because he loves his school.
His first book ever was “Winnie the Pooh” he remembers with a big smile when his mom purchased the book. Jack was 4 or 5 years old and the love of the book is what sparked his interest in books to the point of reading every day for hours at a time.
He then took a break of 18 months until the Harry Potter series of books came out and he started reading again and got back on track.
When asked about his top 5 favorite books he quickly replied “Gone” from the Gone series, which is without a doubt his number one favorite book so far. Second on the list comes “Artemis Fowl” which is a bit short but still interesting. He quickly turns around and says, “There it is” as he points toward a shelf where the “Harry Potter and the goblet of fire” sits as he comments, “this is a highly creative and competitive story that is hard to find in other books”. Another series that Jack has read and recommends fully is “Warriors” Jack thinks that this series is innovative; he has not found other story line where the main characters are cats.
Finally Jack proceeds to show us the book “Ender’s Game” which he holds in the photo below. This is one of the many books Jack has checked out from the library to take home and enjoy. He says this book was so interesting that he read it in only three days, but he read it again and again in the following three weeks, claiming that the storyline is a wonderful story with complex ideas.
At the end of the interview I asked Jack to give us his opinion about the recent changes in the school library, and his words were: “I like them, now I have hundreds of books that I love, books to learn, and my favorites that I mentioned are here in the library, except for GONE. The library is the only place where I can borrow books that are not destroyed, because although I have a library in my house with about 99 books, I do not have them sorted, some I’ve forgotten in airplanes, cars and those that I take from the library home, we take good care of them to return them.”
When I thanked him for his availability, I commented my surprise to know more about his personality, the way of expressing himself despite his young age and without hesitation Jack said “Reading has helped me to expand my vocabulary and I do not think that someone who is twelve years old could have a wide vocabulary if they are not readers, reading definitely gives me a more educated view of the world and its problems and also the good in it, and I must value what I have “.
Thank you Jack for your beautiful anecdotes. In the following months we will be sharing more experiences of other library visitors and do not forget that this reading center is yours, take care of it and support it so that the empty book shelves are soon full of bibliographic material for the whole school community.
Also want to thank immensely the people who took time out of their schedules to donate books to our library, contributing to the growth of Camino’s Library.
Galbraith Family
Student Elías Torres Torres from 10th Grade B
Weighter Gastelum Family
October’s Readers
Every day there are more reasons to grab a book and start reading. Reading not only has cognitive benefits, it also improves vocabulary, develops creativity and imagination and improves the use of language. Now a new benefit has been added: develop social skills.
An investigation that lasted ten years and that gave life to the program “Voices of Reading”, created in the United States, discovered that the habit of reading allows children to develop interpersonal skills such as facing conflictive situations, having more facility to express themselves, converse with their peers and overcome their shyness.” (Aula Mágica Blog).
This space is intended to congratulate and encourage the students of Colegio El Camino to continue with the habit of reading, which every day brings rewards at a personal level. Therefore, the following students are worthy of recognition and during the month they were the most frequent library users, requesting bibliographic material to read at home.
1. Sidari Huxley Alexandre 3rd Grade with a total of seven books.
– The mad, mad, mad treasure hunt
– The secret garden
– The clone wars
– The magic flute
– Brother and sister
– Crash course
– The wind raiders of taloraan
2. Azcola Ruelas Itati 4th Grade with five books
3. Cadoret Cervantes Dulce Sofia 4th Grade with four books
I want to thank on behalf of El Camino for their support and generous donations the following families and students:
– Weighter-Gastélum Family – student Benjamin Gastélum 12th Grade
– Cecilia Ávalos and Arq. Jacinto Ávalos
– Moncada Family
– Zoe Ávila Maya 1st Grade A
– Jonathan Sánchez Ramírez 7th Grade A
– Ari Segura 7th Grade B
November’s Readers
The most requested book by high school students during this month was: “ATADOS A UNA ESTRELLA”, a touching story that in addition to becoming the favorite of several students, they also read it to their mothers and nannies when they borrowed it to take it home, comments that the same readers shared with me with great enthusiasm.
“She is just a capricious girl who wants to be sick to keep my mom always by her side,” thought Adelita angrily of her younger sister, Lucero, during the time when jealousy had her trapped and did not allow her to open her eyes to discover the wonderful being that lived inside that weak little body.
Tied to a star narrates, without concessions and with realism, the imbalances suffered by the family of Adelita with the birth of her sister, a girl with Down syndrome.
Lucero came to her home to change all things, to revolutionize the feelings of each member of her family and to give them, without intending to, a lesson of tenderness, of humanism and, above all, of love. Of a love that marked them forever.
Congratulations to these 4th grades students for their tie on reading the most books in the month of November, total of 13 books read.
García Cota, Mariana
The mouse island marathon
Shipwreck on the pirate islands
Wedding crasher
Attack of the bandit cats
Geronimo stilton, secret agent
Down and out down under
A cheese-colored camper
Valley of the giant skeletons
Paws off, cheddarface
I´m too fond of my fur!
The wild, wild west
Smile
The christmas toy factory
García Bareño Nabyenka, Valentina
Valley of the giant skeletons
The wild, wild west
It´s halloween, you fraidy mouse!
The search for sunken treasure
Red pizzas for a blue count
Attack of the bandit cats
Shipwreck on the pirate islands
A fabumouse vacation for geronimo
All because of a cup of coffee
The christmas toy factory
I´m too fond of my fur!
Valentine´s day disaster
A cheese-colored camper
In second place another tie with 1st Grade students with a total of 11 books read
Ángel Manuel Barrón Camarena
Rae Silverstein Peyton
In third place with a total of 9 books read
Itati Azcona Ruelas
And finally our recognition for her effort to 1st Grade student
Alizda Foulkes Cota
CAS Programme
INTERCAS Chile Article
“The objective is to offer the opportunity to participate in this event to approximately 300 students and teachers, to work on different projects: environmental care, analysis of river water, maintenance of bio-gas plants, tracking, painting camping ceilings with native birds, among other projects inserted in all the communes of the Region”.
This took place in the beautiful region of Los Lagos, in the city of Osorno, anchored in southern Chile. The host school was the German Institute of Osorno.
Participants in this event: Aritzi Baños, María Fátima Díaz, Ivette Torres and Louise Hartman.
… We started to build and raise the structure and for my part I had never worked with wood. I acquired new skills in work and handling of tools and in it was incredible to work with such good people of different nationalities. I appreciate so many beautiful opportunities that opened my mind to many things, for me, my core was Mexico and I knew I would study in Mexico City, now I say: “There are many countries that I deserve to know”. The program far exceeded my expectations and I will never finish thanking the people I met and everything I experienced.
Testimony: María Fátima Díaz Bustos 11th grade
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Technology
Why give a mobile device to a child as a present?
Children’s first contact with mobile devices is almost always related to games. Through these tools, children can strengthen their abilities to solve problems, handle equipment with their hands and develop their cognitive ability.
The use of such devices at an early age helps children relate to texts and readings much faster. Digital reading is a largely used tool in school.
Having knowledge of Internet and mobile data from a young age, allows children to be more informed about their environment. Of course, the parents must closely control this Internet connection, so that the tool does not become a problem.
Take into account that the ideal age is after 9 years old for a child to have contact with a device such as a cell phone, tablet, etc. The best thing is that you start with a low-end one and improve quality according to the child’s capacities.
Do not saturate the child with devices, they become bored or may develop an addiction.
Control each step of the way since the early stages:
– When using mobile devices talk and go through the process with them
– Establish a time of use; restricted use of devices at an early stage is best for children. It is recommended to set up a schedule and the most important is to follow that schedule.
– It is recommended for smaller children only have 30 minute access maximum per day and for children 9 to teens 17 not more than 2 hours on any device.