General Director
Dear Camino Parents and regards to official school COMMUNICATION
As you may know we are accredited with the educational quality standards organization SACS AdvancED. www.advanc-ed.org . They are an external organization from the United States that evaluates both US and international schools quality. We are only one of 23 schools in Mexico to have achieved the lofty status of accreditation with their organization.
We use satisfaction surveys from Advanced to get feedback from all stakeholders in our community and our last survey indicated that the NUMBER ONE CONCERN from our community was to have more effective and timely reporting on student progress.
After a rigorous process of evaluation of different strategies, SCHOOLOGY was chosen among the variety of different learning management systems available to address the number one concern you the community shared with us.
SCHOOLOGY gives you the parent and your child 24 hour access to grades, homework, communication with teachers and announcements. You no longer have to wait for the report card to see how your child is doing! You can consult every single subject your child has in and see a detailed breakdown of grades for homework, classwork, tests, participation and projects.
We invite you to communicate with your child`s teacher regarding any concerns or just to congratulate them on their ongoing progress reporting!
You can also consult all the school policies on Schoology. Just check the calendar on Schoology and you can click on the link.
If you have still not accessed Schoology please do the following;
- You received your user name and password on paper either at the back to school meeting or through a memo sent home with your child in September.
- Ask your child to open their account and show you his or her account
- Write to your section coordinator or our Information Technology Coordinator Fernando Gonzalez for your user name and password
- Consult the bilingual SCHOOLOGY sign in guide through this link.
Kindergarten
We want to give a warm welcome to the new Camino Families, who have joined our school this year. Marrón Molina, Martínez Alonso, Ortiz Uribe, Recasess Agudelo, Adame Olvera, Cano Mendez, Chavez Gutierrez, Doss, Koch Leach, Ortiz Urias, Osuna Roa, Sanchez Ortiz, Silverstein, Zetune Carranza, Contreras Sondon, Esquivel Rivera, González Liceaga, Grahn Snider, Luna Arambula, Ramírez Ramirez, Vargas Allec, Aresu Fancsali, Bustamante Aguilar, Diaz Rivera Bost and Medina Ontiveros. El Camino hopes that you all can quickly integrate with families from your grades as well as the whole community. Welcome Everyone!
Going to school for the first time or going back after vacation is stressful for both parents and children. It 
means getting used to or going back to the same routines, schedules, homework’s, lunch, etc.
As parents, it is always important to encourage our children to spend time apart from us and teach them to not be afraid. Separation is a part of life and it should be embraced accordingly. Here are some tips for parents:
- Good Bye: Start saying good-bye from home, with hugs, kisses and positive messages. It´s a proven fact that children receive 7 negative messages before arriving to school. This generates discomfort for the child and may make them to not want to go to school. Taking this into consideration we suggest you start saying good-bye from home as it will be less difficult than if you do it at the gate of the school.
- Being on time: It is important for each child to see his or her parents when leaving the classroom, as he or she do not have a notion of time. Every child wants to see is his/her parents. When a child comes out and does not see them it generates fear and anxiety.
- Getting them involved: like setting up the uniform for the next day, choosing what shoes to wear, socks, tidying up their back pack, making lunch, etc. This way there will not be an excuse for being late in the mornings and it will encourage them to want to learn something new everyday.
Encourage your children to develop their capacities, set up goals for the day or week and enjoy continuous family activities.
Happy Birthday!
Owen Cameron
Emilia Tovar
Zoe Adame
Ryan Silverstein
Leonardo Grahn
Mikael Martinez
Silvana Arce
Nicolas Villagomez
Elementary
Students from 1st grade closed their inquiry unit entitled: Well being and Healthy Lifestyle
- During presentations, students explained the benefits of a healthy lifestyle; they elaborated a
menu for a full day of meals including which food needed to be removed from their diet. - First Bimester are being written from October 3rd to the 13th.
- We would also like to remind you that CPAA assessments for 1st and 2nd grade will be taking place from October 14th to the 20th and MAP assessments for 3rd to 6th grades from the 21st to the 27th. It is important that students do not miss a day of class during this period since we are trying to get a full assessment for analysis and execute a plan to reinforce the areas of opportunity for each student.
- Monday, October 31st students will participate in a Halloween costume parade at 10:35 in the Basketball court. Students who do not wish to participate in the parade will have to be in full uniform for that day.
- Report Cards from the 1st Bimester will be given to students to take home on October 24th.
Happy Birthday!
Elías Sánchez Jiménez
Ari Renata Vázquez Avilés
Samantha Alardet Contla
Noah Sebastián Sparrow Zaldívar
Leonardo Borrego Mugge
Alina Marie Abadiano Fisher
Adriel Ávila Maya
Romina Matla Velázquez
Felipe Maldonado Cerdera
Vanessa Alardet Contla
Joshua Obed Roberto Robledo Leyva
Gabriel Arian Takinami
Ariana Joan Hernández
Karime Elías Félix
Paula Manuela Arredondo
Regina Guerrero Verboonen
Daniel Emiliano Rodríguez Escamilla
Aurora Regina Romo Maldonado
Astrid Karina Garnica Gómez
Dafne Karina Garnica Gómez
Riley Jack Atkerson Aldaba
Marcos Claro Huitrón
Sofía De La Peña Taboada
Ari Segura Rady
Jesús Rogelio Pimentel Flores
Fernando Santino Azcona Ruelas
David Gregg Adame Olvera
AddisonAnnmarie Koch
Elías Santiago Ortiz López
Jack Buckley Knatchbull Hugessen
Igden Sánchez Camacho
IB PYP Primary Years Programme
Is PYP a program or methodology?
One of the most frequent questions among members of the educational community is to understand the nature and the educational approach that promotes PYP. The first thing to be clear is that the PYP is not an educational program, but a learning methodology that starts with what children know and can do in order to consolidate learning already present or build new understandings that take into account each individual´s experiences.
The PYP is a methodological approach that maintains four specific principles:
1. Inquiry
2. Transdisciplinary in practice
3. International Mindedness
4. Constructivism
To speak of inquiry into the methodological approach of the PYP is to be 
aware that students learn beyond the questions posed by the teacher during learning experiences. Inquiry is a natural process where students can observe, touch, build, question, make connections and reach new understandings.
Inquiry promotes the active participation of students from play and dialogue. Inquiry involves encouragement and reflection, that makes both teachers and 
students active agents of learning.
Colegio El Camino focuses to ensure that the inquiry process is developed in the classroom, and what was learned by teachers in the IB inquiry workshop training in August has been included in planning. This workshop was held in collaboration with two experienced, international PYP workshop leaders/teachers. Thanks to María Inés Mayaudón 
from Venezuela and Liliana Morales from Mexico, who led our teachers through the process of reflection on the subject of inquiry and how to develop it in the classroom.
Here we share some images of the experience experienced by our teachers.
IB DP Diploma Programme Middle and High School
Welcome to the 2016-2017 School Year, the year of consolidation!
Our second generation! We warmly encourage you as you set your goals for the Diploma Program.
It is with great enthusiasm that we prepare for this 2016-2017 school year. Along with our middle and high school students we are equipped with a professional and specialized team in all the Diploma Program subjects.
In Group 1 we have our International Teacher, Mr. Ricardo Fumachi, from Peru. He is an expert in Spanish for Group 1 Higher Level (HL). Ricardo will be guiding the process for Literature for our Diploma Candidates in 11th and 12th grades. While in middle school the Literature-language Spanish process will be instructed by Ms. Gabriela Castillo. We wish the best to Gabriela in her second year in the Pre-IB 10th grade.
In Group 1 higher and standard levels for English we have Ms Rebecca Gómez from the United States who is much appreciated and well known in our community. She will be leading her second set of candidates in the English Language and Literature courses. Working along with her is Dr. Theresa Ramsey, also from the United States, who is guiding the middle school students. Dr. Ramsey is also offering Japanese lessons as one of the Elective Classes. We wish the best to both teachers!
In Group 3, society and individuals at Higher Level (HL) we have the guidance of Néstor Galindo from Colombia. Along with Mr. Galindo in the Humanities courses is Mr. Fredy Toledo who will be guiding our 11th and 12th grade candidates in the Business and Management courses.
In Science Group 4 is Mrs. Carolina Ortega who has demonstrated very good results in training our candidates in science. We are offering the possibility of registering Biology at standard level and for an IB school transfer candidate from in Spain we are offering Biology at Higher Level. This year Grade 11 begins with the option of a chemistry course in English with Mrs. Katherine Darnell, who has been with us since last year and has accepted the honor of offering this course in the IB.
In Group 5 we offer Mathematics and Mathematical Studies. Standard level Math Studies are offered by Mrs. Marusya Dimitrova. In Mathematics at standard level will be our coordinator Walter Nagles.
The core of the Diploma Programme that includes Theory of Knowledge, CAS and the extended essay, which prepares our students for success in the Diploma. A reminder, that the three components are evaluated by a performance matrix in which a candidate can earn up to three additional points to the subject specific points. The CAS program is headed by Mrs. Cecilia Montes, a Peruvian with an extensive and successful experience in leading students in Creativity, Activity and Service programs.
Individual case studies will be in handled by the IB Coordinator. In the Theory of Knowledge course, we will continue with the support of Mr. Walter Nagles and for 11th Grade the course will be offered by Mr. Heath Sparrow, our General Director.
Middle School, heirs of a tradition of excellence
A special welcome to our 7th graders who become a part of the Middle and High School community and to our new students from different parts of Mexico and the world!
The Laboratory, a learning place for life
“Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity and is the torch which illuminates the world. Science is the soul of the prosperity of nations and the source of all progress.”
-Louis Pasteur
Experimentation is a key process in the teaching of any new knowledge, and science is no exception as it provides students with a number of unique abilities and skills. The school lab is the place to do this as well as strengthen learning objectives related to conceptual knowledge that promote reasoning abilities like critical and creative thinking, and the development of attitudes of open-mindedness and objectivity.
We have just begun the School Year and already students are excited about doing work in the lab. Students can be seen marching in great haste one by one garbbed in their lab coats, making them feel like real scientists, researchers and knowledge inquirers.
At Colegio El Camino we understand the importance of lab practices and their role in our students learning and comprehension. This past September
Miss Katherine prepared a fun learning experience with her Flubber lab practice. Besides having a sticky experience, students learned different concepts of measurement.
You cannot talk about progress in science without the microscope. Miss Carolina who is an expert in this subject, started to teach the correct use of this invaluable scientific instrument.
Health care and disease prevention can also be learned in a school laboratory. This month students learned to locate their pulse, and measure blood pressure under the guide of Professor Gabriel.
During lab practices with Mr. Pimentel students learned the concepts of speed and also started to construct series of circuits.
Great teachers, a laboratory fully equipped and above all enthusiastic students are the key in making Colegio El Camino the best educational institution in the region.
Counseling
We are continuously progressing in the area of Career and College counselling. Our students success is ensured by both the choices of their future professions and about the educational institutions where they will continue their university studies. We are negotiating more agreements with post high school institutions for the benefit of students from 10th grade and 11th grades, as well as visits to the groups of 12th graders.
So far this school year we have received both national international universities and who have come to inform students about their academic programs and admissions tests so that they may have a greater number of options to choose from.
These are the Universities that have visited us.
- Education First (EF) – Academic programs during summer and year round abroad.
- Swiss Education Group – Tourism, Lodging , and Culinary arts in Switzerland with world wide exchanges.
- Cetys University – Tijuana, Ensenada and Mexicali campuses.
- Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara (UAG)
- Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM)
- Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM)
- Universidad de Las Américas Puebla – (UDLAP)
- Universidad del Valle de México – (UVM)
- Universidad Anáhuac
We will soon have more Universities that will continue to visit us during October and November.
Psychology
Inclusion in the IB Concept
How many times do we mention the word inclusion? Yet often one does not stop and think that it is the key to teaching and learning.
IB programs encourage students across the world to adopt an active attitude about learning throughout their lives in order to be compassionate and understand that other people even with differences can also be right.
Inclusion is achieved through a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, support and troubleshooting throughout the entire school community.
The terms “inclusion” and “inclusive education” refers to a broad meaning that covers diversity of students and minority groups.
“In the center of international education 3 IB students are 19 years old with their own learning styles, strengths and challenges. Students of all ages bring to school only and shared values, knowledge and experiences of the world combinations, and their place in this” (What is the IB education, 2015, page 3)
Please visit this link from the IB World to understand more about inclusion.
Library
School Library, A Reading Center
As the library opens its doors for the 2016-2017 school year, a set of challenges opens as well that includes the conviction that in this place there are stories, tales, novels and essays that you can read, analyze and enjoy; landscapes, rivers, lakes, countries, and cities to explore and sometimes even remember because you once traveled there.
All of the above is within your reach through reading books at the library on a daily basis. Whenever you wish you can also take books home and of course return them in time to demonstrate your sense of responsibility.
It is also important to remember that the library is a common space for reading and research thus we should be respectful to the people around us.
In these images you can see how our students have increased their reading habits. We encourage everyone to visit us.
“I think the only books able to influence us are those for which we are prepared, whose ideas have been able to penetrate deeper within us than we ourselves have been able”.
– Edward Morgan Foster
CAS Program
CAS Creativity, Activity and Service
Camino students committed to their community
CAS International Baccalaureate program: It is a learning experience in which students play new roles that involve real consequences. It is accompanied by a process of permanent reflection. CAS is done every week during the two-year International Baccalaureate, having the goal to achieve seven objectives of learning.
Although the CAS project alone does not guarantee learning,
the most significant experience of CAS is to share time with others. This is a process of mutual benefit as these projects should be rewarding and enriching for all who are involved. In addition to promoting self-esteem and self-confidence CAS educates sensitivity and seeks a real commitment from each participant.
CAS is a deep and transformative experience of great importance for each student´s lives.
CAS Reflection
Initiation journey in CAS
On this day I learned what CAS really means. CAS is to put ones self in the shoes of others, understand 
what they are going through and their reality. It is also to understand the needs of others. CAS teaches you to see the world in a different perspective. It makes you passionate to be able to help others and meet new members of your community.
CAS helps gives you a sense of solidarity. This activity helped me a lot because it helped me to share with my classmates. I cannot wait to spend more time with members of the community, especially children. I am positive it will be a great experience.
When you are introduced to CAS it changes your mind set from the moment of introduction. (at least that´s what happened to me) It´s like changing the old chip for a new one, that will provide confidence to embrace changes and challenges that will enrich your life and the lives of others.
I realized the importance of team work and how critical it is to prepare and organize one self with anticipation.
– Gracia Perches, 11th Grad