Last Request of 2008

After last Friday's final meeting, I have two requests that would need some action from you. Actually, you've already heard about both of them.

1. Sample texts
Before the end of this year, we need to have the packet of sample texts of 7th through 2nd Polimodal. Some of the teams have already turned them in, but some haven't yet. If you haven't, please send them to the school before Wednesday next week. Thank you!

In case you don't remember, this is about your selecting six or seven texts from your Global Studies units and/or extracts from the literary works your students have read. When I asked you to turn them in there were only two students interested in taking the entrance examination. Since then we've been (fortunately!!) flooded with interviews with prospective students. As a result there will be two instances for admission exams in February: first on the 10 or 11 -dates for 'previos'- and then again on the date for the regular February exam. We already have candidates for all levels, 7th through 2nd Polimodal, except 1st Polimodal. Around February 3, Ines or Negri will confirm and let you know the number of students.

Let me remind you of the procedure we've agreed on for the oral component of the exam. As we are not expecting admission candidates to read all of the books and thematic units, a week before the exam date, they get the packet of 6 or 7 texts that you've selected. Students will prepare them at home. Once they've passed the written part of the exam, for the oral, they must bring with them the set of texts. From the packet you will select one of them and you will give the student an extra text that they do not know -which should be of about the same length and complexity as the ones in the packet. With BOTH texts they should be given at least twenty-minute preparation time ("capilla"), after which they will start the oral exam: for each text, they should give a short speech discussing the main ideas, and after that you should have a brief discussion with the candidate about it. The idea is to see how they manage to read, understand, present an oral summary, and discuss a text of the type they will find in their Global Studies or Literature class. Therefore (IMPORTANT) please remember to bring at least two extra texts for the oral exam.

2. Your end-of-year reflection
Now that we've started to get that warm and exciting feeling of vacation, it's a good time to reflect on how our year went. I gave you the personal goals you submitted at the beginning of the year so that you could reflect on how many and up to what extent you've accomplished them -and maybe make suggestions to yourself about aspects of your practice that you'd like to revisit next year when you think of your goals for 2009. This kind of reflection really strengthens your focus and awareness of your personal efforts to remain on the cutting edge of our profession. I've already started writing my own! So, I'll be looking forward to receiving your pieces via email.


Wrap-up
On a different note, even if there was no chance for me to present the Department's self-evaluation of 2008 yesterday, I'm anyway determined to use the material you've submitted (your personal and team production for the curriculum of the school) to show it to the owners and authorities and to think of possible projects for 2009.

Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your solid and superior work throughout this year. It is always with pride that I express my pleasure to be surrounded by a team that shows such professional acuity and dedication.

As you begin to enjoy your much deserved and anticipated vacation, may the spirit of the holiday season fill you with joy, peace and hope.

End of Year Evaluation and Dpt Meeting

Evaluation
As we approach term finals week, I wanted to remind everyone of what we agreed at the beginning of the year regarding our students assessment:

At the end of the last term (trimestral o cuatrimestral), i.e. NOW:
Language: is not comprehensive (no-integral), i.e. contents should be evaluated by means of unit tests.
Global Studies: is comprehensive, i.e. the final exam should include all of the contents covered in the last term (trimestre/cuatrimestre)

December:
Language is comprehensive, i.e. the test should be a holistic assessment of the level students should have reached by the end of the year.
Global Studies: Students sit for term tests, i.e. they should be evaluated based on the contents of the term(s) they failed.

February:
Both Language and Global Studies exams are comprehensive, i.e. they include the contents of the whole year.

If for any reason, you gave the wrong message to your students, please make sure you clarify and set the record straight when you see them for the term final exam this coming week. Thank you!

Department Meeting
On Tuesday December 2nd at 11am, we'll be having one of our last Dept meetings, if not 'the' last one. So far, this is the agenda:

0. Announcements

1. Wrap-up of this academic year: Assessment of achievements by level

2. Provide book list 2009

2. Plans and projects for 2009

3. Summer reading

4. Election of a 3rd Polimodal student for the 2008 English Program Excellence Award

5. Toast!!

If you see there's some important point missing in our agenda, please let me know! :)

Exams: What to submit

After consultation with some Department members, we agreed that all you'd have to submit to me in the next few days is the November Comprehensive Exam (Integral) of Global Studies. It should be submitted to me a week before the exam date. Also, at a later date in November, you'll be asked to prepare and submit the December and February final exams of both Language and Global Studies. Let me know if you have any doubts.

The reading passage packet of each level still needs to be presented at the due date already specified - November 17. Thank you! :)

Final Exams and Sample Reading Passages

Pursuant to our meeting with Andrea, Filomena and Diana, let's take the following action pertaining the administration of final exams of both Global Studies (comprehensive) and Language (supposedly not comprehensive):

1. Please, agree among team members on the preparation of the different parts of the final for both GS and Language, and make the usual three (3) different sets for the November, December, and February instances. Turn them in to me for proofreading a week in advance to the set date of the exam. If there's no need for correction, I'll place the order for xeroxing at school. Please, indicate the number of copies you need. That being the case, once you turn in the exam to me, you're practically done. If no corrections are necessary, all you have to do is show up to administer it on the date of the exam itself.

2. Please, prepare a set of six sample reading passages from your Global Studies / Literature class for the purposes of prospective students taking the oral section of the entrance examination. The passages could be full articles from any of your units, section of longer articles, extracts from a novel, short story, or play you've read this year, or one long or two/three shorter poems. In general the length of the text should be about a page of text (longer if pics are included). If you have any doubt, please leave a comment - the clarification for you may be useful for everyone. These sample texts should be submitted to me by Monday November 17. Thank you.

The Argentinian

diaguitas, mapuches, tobas
quilmes in the heartland
swept aside by spanish adelantados
then came mestizos and criollos
the gauchos of the pampas
decades later, europe reduced to rubble
down came more gallegos and italians
and the jews and some nazis too
all along paraguayans, chileans and bolivians
crossed the border in pursuit of their dream
here today we're all Argentinian mix

it's 2008 and we still wonder
where our true identity lies
we're not a melting pot
perhaps a rich multicolor multitasty
tossed salad with no dressing
yet spicy, repicante

it's soccer, tango, chacarera
milongas, gatos, las tinellis
piazzola, los susanos, cumbia villera
borges, sabato, cortazar
mate, dulce de leche y empanadas
un che, y un vos keep our spanish alive
and we, english teachers, a strange breed
struggle hard to understand
and make sense of it all

(Just wanted to share a poem I wrote in today's session of Literature in ELT: Developing Intercultural Awareness and Having Fun. The assignment was to write something about the Argentinians, after reading a poem called 'The British' by Benjamin Zephaniah. As I couldn't share it there today, I thought of doing so with you. Hope you like it. We'll talk about this session after long weekend. Enjoy your break!! :)

Work done easily

When the atmosphere is conducive to learning, every activity seems appropriate and effective. Last Tuesday October 7, Paula's and Omar's 7th graders read and talked about jokes in one session, and discussed the use of technology and did group work to complete the worksheets for Silas Marner in the second English block of the day. The fact that the group consists only of eighteen kids no doubt helps immensely. Yet, the teachers encouraged the students' active participation and the impression was that four straight hours of English was light and productive. The sense of purpose was strong, and both classes went by smoothly.

9th Year Black Beauty Worksheets

Last Tuesday, Sept 30, I visited Norita's and Sofia's 9th Year class. They were both working on chapter 9 of Black Beauty. After observing whole class discussion, pair and group work, and discussion of current issues related to the plot of the novel, I kept thinking of the backbone of their class: their material. This team, the above mentioned plus Silvia G., developed a complete guide for the reading of the novel. I kept thinking that the fact that they had this material allowed them to structure their class around it so that students could have focused discussions about different aspects of the chapter, do pair and group work, and share their views with the whole group. The importance of material development is apparent here. The preparation of these worksheets must have been time consuming. However, after they were done, planning each lesson is immensely facilitated.

Monday Oct 6 meeting

This is just a reminder that Monday we have this meeting that had been postponed. As per Alina’s and Janine’s suggestion, we should renew our request for a salary increase. Among the many reasons, they said, is the amount of grading and preparation every week.
I suggested that in order to strengthen our request we present:
a) ALL of the material we’ve produced in the last year –yes, that includes part of 2007, or all of it if you want, and of course mainly this year. Consider class material to teach Literature, or any unit of global studies, quizzes, tests, etc.
b) See if you can get a folder or two of good and neat students where your work with them is clearly seen – especially grading of class work, homework, tests and quizzes, etc.

Please, bring this material to the meeting. If for any reason you can’t attend, please send it with a colleague so that we can speak for you. Enjoy your weekend! :)

Puppet show in 8th grade!

Yesterday I observed a puppet show extravaganza presented by Alina's 8th graders based on a chapter of The Island. The kids brought lots of props and you could tell how the activity had compelled their imagination. This kind of activity really taps on their creative reservoir and motivates them to give a different kind of life to the story they've been reading.

I'd like to stress the importance of taking risks when dealing with a literary text. In the implementation of the idea, the kids found different unexpected challenges, such as building the appropriate setting -they used cardboard boxes- and constructing the character figures -they used tin soldiers, little plastic dolls, added miniature ships and even included weather changes that had an impact on the plot. They had prepared the script in class together and had to agree on who was which character for the performance. There were, of course, some aspects that Alina and I discussed could be improved on a subsequent presentation, such as rehearsal sessions, a bigger setting already made that would allow them to focus on the characters and action instead. We also talked about the idea of preparing a full text performance that could be presented to younger students.

Above and beyond the difficulties encountered, I appreciate Alina's willingness to take risks with creative projects for the class. It made me think that once we implement an idea, we come across different challenges that need our attention. Meanwhile, both our students and we have learned quite a bit in the process. Without taking risks, we hardly ever reach a breakthrough in our practice.

No meeting Monday!

Today, Filomena asked if we could put off our meeting with her, Diana and Andrea till next Monday, Oct 6. So, I hope you can all change your calendar and fit in the rescheduled meeting. Thank you!

Soy un maestro

Soy un maestro.Nací en el instante en que surgió una pregunta de la boca de un adolescente.He sido muchas personas en muchos lugares.Soy Sócrates animando a los jóvenes de Atenas a descubrir nuevas ideas a través de las preguntas. Soy Anne Sullivan horadando los secretos del universo para ponerlos en la mano extendida de Helen Keller. Soy Aesop y Hans Christian Andersen revelando la verdad por medio de innumerables narraciones.Soy Marva Collins peleando por el derecho de todos los niños a la educación. Soy Mary McCleod Bethune edificando una gran universidad para mi pueblo, usando cajones vacíos de naranjas como pupitres. Soy Bel Kaufman luchando para ir en contra de la corriente.Los nombres de quienes practicaron mi profesión han ganado el reconocimiento de la humanidad... Booker T. Washington, Buda, Confusio, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Leo Buscaglia, Moisés y Jesús.Soy también aquellos cuyos nombres y rostros se han olvidado hace mucho tiempo, pero cuyas lecciones y carácter se recordarán siempre en los logros de sus alumnos.He llorado de alegría en las bodas de los antiguos alumnos, he reído con regocijo en el nacimiento de sus hijos, y he permanecido con la cabeza inclinada por el dolor y la confusión en las tumbas cavadas demasiado pronto para cuerpos demasiado jóvenes.En el transcurso de un día se me ha pedido ser actor, amigo, enfermero y médico, entrenador, hallador de objetos perdidos, prestamista, chofer de taxi, psicólogo, padre sustituto, vendedor, político y defensor de la fe.Dejando a un lado los mapas, planos, fórmulas, verbos, historias y libros, no he tenido en realidad nada qué enseñar porque mis estudiantes han aprendido por sí mismos, y sé que se necesita el mundo entero para decirte quién eres.Soy una paradoja. Hablo más alto cuando escucho más. Mis más grandes regalos son lo que quiero recibir, agradecidamente, de mis alumnos.La riqueza material no es una de mis metas, pero soy un buscador de tesoros de tiempo completo, en mi búsqueda de nuevas oportunidades para que mis estudiantes puedan usar sus talentos, en mi constante búsqueda de esos talentos que a veces yacen enterrados en la autoderrota.Soy el más afortunado de todos quienes trabajan.A un médico se le permite traer una vida en un momento mágico. A mí se me permite que esa vida renazca día a a día con nuevas preguntas, ideas y amistades.Un arquitecto sabe que si construye con cuidado, su estructura puede permanecer por siglos. Un maestro sabe que si construye con amor y verdad, lo que construya durará para siempre.Soy un guerrero que batalla diariamente contra la presión de los amigos, de la negatividad, del temor, de la conformidad, de los prejuicios, de la ignorancia y de la apatía. Pero tengo grandes aliados: la inteligencia, la curiosidad, un espíritu crítico, la individualidad, la creatividad, la fe, el amor y la risa. Todos ellos me ayudan a levantar mi bandera con su apoyo insuperable.¿Y a quién tengo que agradecer esta maravillosa vida que tengo la suerte de experimentar? A sus padres porque me han concedido el gran honor de confiarme su mayor contribución a la eternidad: sus hijos. Y a uds mis estudiantes que me permiten vivir un diario sentido de redención a través de nuestro contacto en la clase.Y gracias a esta profesión tengo un pasado rico en recuerdos. Tengo un presente desafiante lleno de aventuras y entretenimiento, porque se me permite emplear mis días en el futuro.Soy un maestro... y doy gracias a Dios por eso todos los días.

Adaptación de las palabras de John W. Schlatter en:
http://www.angelfire.com/az2/yaz2000/hd/maestro.html

Minutes Meeting Sept 16

Members present: Sofía, Graciela, Norita, Janine, Alina, Cecilia, Silvia G, Omar, Silvia I, Pimpa Excused: Paula
Absent: Carolina

Announcements:
Books: Cecilia told us that she got the Activate Series (three levels) from Longman’s rep. We agreed that we would keep the books in the office for a week or two before anyone teaching those levels takes them for classroom use as extra-material.
Teacher’s day ceremony: Carlos thanked the 1st Polimodal team for taking care of the ceremony last Thursday Sept 11. They said there had been some criticism of improvisation from the Administration because the text to be read by the MC was not ready. Carlos reminded everyone he had been sick the whole week and had not had a chance to put it together. Still, at home he did search on the web and sent the text for the speech which they informed everyone liked. We agreed we would put more attention to the organization of ceremonies in the future.
Congratulations: Carlos congratulated Cecilia on her presentation about "The Use of NICT in the EFL Classroom" at the Primeras Jornadas de Actualización en el Uso de la Lengua Inglesa organized by the UNT CELALEI last August 21-23.

Needs
Carlos informed that upon the concern expressed earlier that day about the lack of good cassette and CD players, Mercedes and Filomena authorized the Department to purchase two units that respond to our needs. Cecilia and Alina agreed they would get together soon to get them.

Alina expressed concern about the lack of available times for her class to use the Computer Lab. She requested a schedule be set so that she can have access to it once every 2 or 3 weeks.

Silvia expressed the same type of concern about the availability of the library. Since 8th graders use it at the same time 9th graders sometimes do so too, it was agreed that since the latter only need it every so often, they would communicate the 8th grade team a week in advance so that alternative arrangements can be made.

Professional Development

- Eleven members of the Department attended the UNT Jornadas mentioned above. Five of them are working on the written evaluation for accreditation.

- Apart from her CELALEI presentation, from May to mid July, Cecilia was part of the program "Del Pizarrón al Monitor: la funcion tutorial en los entornos virtuales de aprendizaje", an online course for teachers sponsored by UNT. She also took the graduate course "Analisis del discurso de los aprendientes a proposito de la lectura" taught by PhD Mark Souchon.

- Omar attended the talk on evaluation given by Miguel Angel Santos Guerra at Tulio school on Monday, Sept 15.

- Carlos attended the presentation of the Department of Psychology on their Tutoring System last August 22. He will also be giving a professional development training session at IES Lola Mora on the use of blogs in the classroom.

- Silvia I. and Pimpa will be attending this year’s FAAPI in Santiago del Estero from September 18-20.

More opportunities

Carlos announced that the UNT Formación Docente Department is going to publish its annual magazine and has invited people to submit articles. It would be great to put our work on paper and publish it in this prestigious journal. Further details about length and deadlines will be given in the Dpt blog.

FCE/IB News
Carlos informed that the note for parents with information about FCE payment is posted on the Dept blog. Grace, Silvia G., and Cecilia asked whether the note could be adapted for those students who are not entirely prepared but could take the exam if they work really hard. Also, another note could be drafted to send parents of kids who want to take the exam even though they are really not ready in their preparation to pass it. We agreed that for the latter group, the same letter could be sent, but the parents of these kids will be called by the teacher in charge of the language class.
This year’s 2nd Polimodal students that pass the FCE will be added to the A2 group next year. These kids are likely to sign up for the A2 Standard Level, whereas the group that started A2 this year in 2nd Polimodal will be able to take the A2 Higher Level exam.

Class visits
Due to his fewer hours for coordination, Carlos announced that instead of formal class observation, he will informally visit classes for a few minutes, especially on Tuesday mornings and whenever else he can be around. So, he may just pop over and visit your class any time to help you continue to do your excellent job.

Meeting with Diana, Filomena and Andrea
Carlos reminded Dpt members that on Monday Sept 29 at noon the Department will meet with the afore mentioned to discuss a mid-year evaluation of our performance and our plans for next academic year.
Carlos mentioned he’s been updating the Department’s Portfolio. If he has the time, he’ll try to finish it for this meeting. He thanked Norita for using her well-organized personal files to rescue our Department mission statement. Carlos has revised it and is sharing it for your comments for further amendment.

Curriculum ongoing evaluation
The 7th Year team informed that their groups have been working really well. Students are responsible and work hard. Discipline is good, maybe due to this year’s smaller groups (18sts). Carlos asked this team if they could make a list of books this class has read. We want to keep track and make sure we keep the momentum going later on in their HS experience.
After this, there was a discussion about how to deal with the language textbook with only four hours a week. Some teachers expressed concern about the poor level of some of the kids all along the curriculum. We agreed we would use the same textbook for two years so that there’s no pressure of using the whole book in one year –an impossible task at this point. We’ll be able to assess the progress of the last curricular changes eventually. The proposal is we find ways to tackle error patterns and work on not allowing gross mistakes go unnoticed in class conversation. Carlos asked everyone to make a copy of the students written production in this year’s final exam (composition, essay, etc.) so that we can assess their progress and spot patterns of error. He also stressed the importance of our continued use of pair and group work in every class, monitoring the exclusive use of English at all times, and not letting gross language errors go uncorrected with covert error correction techniques.

FCE letter for parents

(Fecha)

Estimados Padres:
Nos es grato contactarlos para informarles que su hijo/a se encuentra en condiciones de iniciar la preparación intensiva para tomar el examen First Certificate Examination (FCE) de la Universidad de Cambridge, el cual tendrá lugar en diciembre próximo y cuyo costo es de u$s130. El pago del derecho de examen se debe completar hasta el 10 de octubre en la oficina de Administración del Colegio (Las Acacias 83).
Es importante destacar que se espera de los alumnos candidatos al examen una actitud responsable y comprometida durante los próximos meses, ya que se les asignarán tareas extras para profundizar y afianzar contenidos. Al inscribirse damos por sentado un acuerdo tácito con respecto al nivel de compromiso necesario para pasar con éxito este desafío.
Aprovechamos la ocasión para saludarles muy atte.

Prof. _________________________
Colegio San Patricio

Notificados:

Alumno/a ………………………………………………………..………………………

Fima y Aclaración Padre o Madre ……………………………………………………………

HAPPY TEACHER ' S DAY!!!!!

I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY!!!!

This video is only 10 minutes of a wonderful movie: "The Ron Clark Story". We saw the trailler in the UNT congress last month. The moment I saw it I fell in love with it. These 10 minutes represent the story of our lives!!!. Even though our students are different, they do suffer the same frustrations and anguish. Sometimes it is hard to feel empathy, but I truly believe this value is the answer to so may problems in the world today.

I invite you to embrace these rules suggested in the film:

1. We are a family

2. Respect others and YOURSELF!

3. TO ME, YOU ARE PERFECT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-OwqrcUlGM

Ps. you can borrow the film from the school library

enjoy your day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alina

No meeting tomorrow!

As a voiceless coordinator I'm not likely to do a good job tomorrow. I have this problem once or twice every year and know that it'll take a couple of days to get better. So we'll need to reschedule our meeting for next week. The only thing is that we are in charge of the acto del Dia del Maestro - I don't even know when, what time, and what forma it is! If you know, or find out tomorrow, and have any good ideas, please let's use this blog to share them!
Thank you and sorry about tomorrow!

Department Meeting!

On Thursday, September 4, we'll be meeting at 12:30pm, to discuss several issues as we face the last third of the year (yay!). I look forward to seeing you all!

Agenda

1. Congratulations, Cecilia!
2. Update on Professional Development
3. Further opportunities: publications
4. FCE News
5. IB News
6. Class visits
7. Evaluation of courses
8. Needs and concerns
9. Acto Teacher's Day

If I'm missing any important point, please let me know! See you there!

Well this is it!! today is our last day, the clock is ticking, everybody has put everything away, silence.....riiiiiiiiiiing and we go.."Winter's here, winter time, it's a vacation!!" in the HSM2 way!!
well dear workers of the chalk&board, it's our time to relax and do all the stuff we have been procrastinating for so long: that messy wardrobe, the appointment with the doc, taking up indoor cylcing, taking kids to the circus, going window shopping, paying a visit to the hair dresser's, start knitting the most fashionable sweater, taking the kids for a ride, making a romantic dinner to the king of the house, ....and the list goes on and on.
So just before slamming the door and throwing the bunch of papers into that awful drawer that is always reminding you there is a tone of checking awaiting, I want you to take your time and enjoy this video. It will also help you when things go a little wild with your kids around all day long. This is my gift to you all.

HAVE A NICE TRIP!!! (II)

Have a nice stay in the States and do not worry about our boat because it does not have cracks and would not even spring any leaks in the meantime. All of us will keep not the boat but the CARGO moving! Good Luck! Godspeed!!!
Omar

HAVE A NICE TRIP!!!

Good luck, Charlie, on your trip! Hope you have a great time. We´ll be anxioulsy awaiting your return, knowing you´ll bring back news, more work for us all, new ideas and lots of energy! Meanwhile, we´ll keep the boat afloat.....Keep in touch!
Janine

Sense of pride

In less than a year I have experienced many unforgettable things related to my teaching practice. The most important of them has been the fact of being part of a challenging team that taught me how to improve professionally and personally as interacting with such incredible personalities has made me feel proud to be among great professionals. Now that my head is at ease, many good memories that I have lived since I started working with such exigent team came to my mind and the only thing that I can tell you for that is thank you. Thank you all for giving me the possibility of grabbing such good memories and for those that surely will come later. And thank you all for letting me grow, as I said, professionally and personally; and the endless support that makes me carry on and face adverse conditions. Now the only thing that I can feel is an absolute sense of pride. Thank you team for being part of YOU!
Omar

What it Takes to Work as a Team

Hi everybody and THANK YOU for all your honest support!!!
I want to share this video with you. I got it yesterday from a course on virtual tutoring I´m doing and I just thought of YOU, and especially the team I worked with for LolaM presentation.

I´m afraid it´s not English... neither Spanish, but Portuguese. I actually surfed on the whole YouTube site (or so I think) and this time, there's no English version... Maybe Omar can teach me how to write the English subtitles ;) It even looks like "suitable" for re-editing with our pics, don´t you think?

Anyway, enjoy the music, the overall message and always bear in mind that I feel THIS team is unique and we ought to take advantage of our virtues (which are so many) and help each other overcome our limitations (which just make us "Human").

Cecilia

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over The Rainbow lyrics LyricsMode.com

It's not easy to be us!!

Hey you all thanks for the support!! I agree with you Janine, once again I am so proud of being part of this team and so happy to have worked with this team of 4 masters, magicians, aces,prodigies... heroes searching 4 an impossible dream?there are not enough adjectives to describe you all. You are the best and they could see that we made a whole world of difference. Let me tell you this was so stressful, demanding and awesome at the same time that I can only say that the ones who were part of this can really understand the feeling of accomplishment and extreme happiness when the lights go out and we hear the crowd clapping and congratulating us for our good work. I will certainly look forward to embracing more of these feelings and hope next time more of you are aboard! hey team, mission accomplished!! let us enjoy the compliments cause we truly deserve them!!
PS: By the way, to whoever may concern: I'm still waiting for the spa boucher!!!!!
Alina ;)
June 7, 2008 8:20 PM

Lola Mora presentation

Once again........WE´RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!!!!!!!!

I think I speak for all when I say that as a group, we push each other to strive ahead, to "risk" going out, where we normally, alone, would not. Thank you all for helping ME do this! Charlie, your support is felt, appreciated and always present. Thank you......and guys..... We DO rock!!!!!!

Way to Go, Team!

I've just walked across the street from Hotel del Jardín, still humming the Graduation Song that finished the SanPa English Dept gang's presentation of Technology with a Humanistic Touch that closed the day's session. I can't stress enough how impressed I was. Hey, Janine, Adela, Cecilia, Alina and Omar... YOU ROCK!

You smoothly presented tons of material showing the result of your work with student-produced texts, podcasts, blogs, movies, trailers, photo stories... etc with such poise and honesty that different ideas came to my mind, like...

Cecilia, it's amazing how you've gotten hooked on podcasting, explored it, adopted it, and, on the way, pushed the school to update their equipment with mikes. Looks like a nice new area for further exploration (and future presentations!).

Alina, while you showed the use of blogs, you also related your versatility and insight with a in-depth comparison/contrast between Lost and The Lord of the Flies. Oh, and the opening clip made by your students about 'Heroes' was truly compelling and thought-provoking.

Adela, your work with younger kids using tech shows this is not something for highschoolers only. You've shown an array of possibilities applied to sixth graders, which the audience appreciated rewarding your kids' movie clip with a heart-felt applause.

Janine, what am I doing teaching A2? You should take over right away! I was really moved by the podcast of Keats' poem. I liked your honesty showing amazing tech products AND that you're still learning! That must have made an impression on several in the audience.

Omar, master! You spoke calmly and presented your material almost business-like to a captive audience whose oohs and aahs showed how surprised they were. You showed your true passion for what you do, and also helped everyone see that it only takes a determined teacher to do so much and that it can happen in public schools as well, not just in a school where the students' socioeconomic background makes it easier to use tech.

This was the only presentation in the whole evening that inspired four or five rounds of applause while it was still going on. And that was because you showed not just a long list of activities but rather the result of the work reflected on your students' production.

Thank you for such a pristine display of professionalism. I feel so proud of working with you!

Do U O me?

Only the teachers listed below have turned in their personal goals for this year. If you haven't, please make sure you do so at your earliest convenience and no later than Friday May 16.

Thank you Pimpa, Carolina, Norita, Omar and Silvia G.

Minutes of Department Meeting May 8

Members present: Silvia Inochea, Omar, Silvia Granado, Norita Grace, Sofía, Cecilia, Alina, Carlos
Excused: Pimpa, Paula

Agenda:
1. News
2. Group progress report
3. Designing Global Studies Comprehensive Tests (Integrales)
4. Project Lola Mora Congress

1. News

• Carlos welcomed Silvia Inochea on board. Silvia will be a substitute teacher in 8th grade until the end of the year.
• Janine left 8th grade to teach the A2 class in 3rd Polimodal.
• Carlos announced he has less hours for coordination now - only 12 - so Department members were asked to let him know whenever they need his help.
• There will be UNT students of Practicum doing their student teaching at SP's only in EGB3. The first student has already started observing Alina's 8th grade.

2. Group progress report

• Omar said the 7th grade team is working very well with this year's group, much better than last year. Students in general have very good reading comprehension skills. The fact that there are only 18 students per group helps immensely.
• Alina said the 8th grade is quite a challenge this year. A group of boys tend to have an attitude, play 'cool' with the teacher, try to mislead the class into wasting time. She said that the team has met and agreed on some guidelines to follow consistently. They will try to form a bond with them differently from other years. She finds the units on bullying and eating habits especially helpful. She is also using the blog to enhance interpersonal relationships.
• Sofía, Norita and Silvia agreed that they're working well in general. Sofía reported that teaching her Language group is a challenge of sorts. A few kids in the group find it extremely hard to grasp the grammar points at FCE level, and, like her teammates, the pace is rather slow. On the other hand, she said that the Global Studies classes are going smoothly. Also, the SSR sessions are much easier to carry out. Students show they are already trained in doing so and less time is wasted to get ready and start reading.
• Silvia said that the 1st Polimodal groups are hard working, and are so far doing well.
• Grace and Cecilia agreed that teaching 2nd Polimodal without the better students who are taking the A2 class poses a different challenge. She says that unlike other years, it's become quite difficult for students to use English in class. Some of them just refuse to do so with each other in class.
• Norita said that at times she feels she has to push her 3rd Polimodal students a lot. They don't seem to be motivated - which by the way is shown in the number of them that have signed up to sit the IB exam.
• Carlos reported that work with the A2 group is going well. The group is highly motivated even though not all of them are quick to do written work. They have a very positive attitude and get easily involved in the reading of the novel and in class discussions.

3. Designing Global Studies Comprehensive Tests (Integrales)

We agreed that the Global Studies Comps would have at least the following four sections:

• Reading comprehension: this could be a passage from a novel or short story read in class, or any other type of text that is thematically related to the literary texts.
• Vocab work: this could include random vocab exercises based on items covered in class, or it could be embedded in the reading comprehension exercises as the IB exams propose.
• Theme related exercise(s): this section could be a chart with theme-episode-comment columns, or any other of the sort.
• Writing section: the topic could be any kind of creative task in which students will need to show their understanding of the literary or journalistic texts.

4. Project Lola Mora Congress

Our school lecturers are working hard selecting and designing the activities they will present in this event. The team includes Omar, Alina, Janine, Adela, and Cecilia. If necessary they will ask for our cooperation in trying out new activities or giving feedback on the experience.

MISSING YOU ALREADY!!!!

TO MY DEAR FRIEND JANINE,
we`ve been together as team mates for more than a decade, I can`t believe you are not around at our "Mosnters inc." in 8th grade!!!!. We`ve been through so many thingssssssssss, I will miss you and your sound advice.
Hey Charlie, hope you treat her well!!!! LOL=)
But I know you love changes and challenges, I know this is a fantastic opportunity for you, and I`m really happy for you. Enjoy it, I know you will make a world of difference. gggggooood 4 u!!!
I dedicate this song to U, take it as a present . when I first listened to it , I knew we would feel identified with it. enjoy it!!!

Anything but ordinary

Sometimes I get so weird

I even freak myself out

I laugh myself to sleep

It's my lullaby

Sometimes I drive so fast

Just to feel the danger

I wanna scream

It makes me feel alive

Is it enough to love?

Is it enough to breathe?

Somebody rip my heart out

And leave me here to bleed

Is it enough to die?

Somebody save my life

I'd rather be anything but ordinary please

To walk within the lines

Would make my life so boring

I want to know that I Have been to the extreme

So knock me off my feet

Come on now give it to me

Anything to make me feel alive

Is it enough to love?

Is it enough to breathe?

Somebody rip my heart out

And leave me here to bleed

Is it enough to die?

Somebody save my life

I'd rather be anything but ordinary please.

I'd rather be anything but ordinary please.

Let down your defences

Use no common sense

If you look you will see that this world is a beautiful

accident, turibulent, succulent opulent permanent,no way

I wanna taste it

Don't wanna waste it away

Sometimes I get so weird

I even freak myself out

I laugh myself to sleep

It's my lullaby

Is it enough? Is it enough?

Is it enough to breathe?

Somebody rip my heart out

And leave me here to bleed

Is it enough to die?

Somebody save my life

I'd rather be anything but ordinary please

Is it enough? Is it enough to die?

Somebody save my life

I'd rather be anything but ordinary please.oh

I'd rather be anything but ordinary please.

by Avril Lavigne

if you feel like watching the video clip and listening to the song, click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mecTS_j43II

Janine, congratulations on Priscilla's graduation...so happy for you.

A new professional on the block!

Priscila Morcos has just graduated!

Congratulations to her and the proud Mom!

Jornadas Lola Mora

We have submitted our proposal to present at these Jornadas. Finally the team members are: Omar Reinoso, Janine Cook, Alina Teran, Cecilia Galvan, and Adela Tineo.

They count on our support to complete their presentation at the usual level of excellence!

Time to MEET again and Personal Objectives

We need to have a Department Meeting soon. Last year Thursday at noon was a good option for most of you. If you agree to keep it that way, we should have our meeting on Thursday May 8 at 12:45. If this is a problem for you please leave a comment here and we'll see if another day can be proposed to everyone. If I don't hear from you, our meeting date and time is already set. Please, let's pass the word to those that do not get online often. I'll post the Agenda here in the next week or so.

Meanwhile, please, have your written statement of personal objectives ready for our meeting.

Thank you! :)

Congratulations DAD!!!

Omar is the proud father of Facundo who was born yesterday!

Hillyard in Tucuman

(Click on pic to enlarge)

Six-Word Memoirs: The Legend

From Smith Magazine:
Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Last year, SMITH Magazine re-ignited the recountre by asking our readers for their own six-word memoirs. They sent in short life stories in droves, from the bittersweet (“Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends”) and poignant (“I still make coffee for two”) to the inspirational (“Business school? Bah! Pop music? Hurrah”) and hilarious (“I like big butts, can’t lie”).
http://smithmag.net/sixwords/
Here's my invitation to all of you to publish your six-word story. Click comment and write it. I'll soon be doing it in my A2 class - but I thought you'd like the idea too! And you can also publish it (them) at the Smith Magazine website mentioned above. I already have a couple of my own but I'll wait for yours first! :) Go for it!!

Title and abstract

As it becomes difficult to get a substantial group of us together on short advance notice, below please find the title and abstract I propose for the June Jornadas of IES Lola Mora. Please read carefully and write a comment including: a) any suggestion to amend, add, or subtract from the abstract or title; b) in what capacity you'd like to contribute, i.e. as a presenter, provider of material, development of new or follow-up project without presenting, etc. If I see no comment, I assume you have no interest in participating in any way. I'd like to get your feedback as late as Sunday pm. Also, if you'd like to present, please email me your CV at calizar@arnet.com.ar
We expect to present a 90-minute plenary workshop. I look forward to hearing from you!

Title: Technology with a Humanistic Touch
Abstract: Much is said about the use of technology, and often we use it in our classroom for the sake of adding variety and motivating students. We propose we add a humanistic dimension to its use so that it allows for students’ growth on a personal level both linguistically and emotionally. Participants will have exposure and get involved in activities designed around the use of the internet, blogs, email, podcasts, video, film making, digital photography, and slideshows that promote self-expression, creativity, and a close connection with their inner selves and their environment.

Meeting for Presenters

On Thursday at 11am, there will be a meeting to discuss our presentation at the IES Lola Mora Jornadas in June. As the abstract is due next week, we should agree on the format and content of our offer. We've so far talked about putting together sample activities from all of the FAAPI workshops last year and present them under a general concept. I've proposed something like: "using technology with a humanistic touch." We could use this or any other idea that may come up at the meeting. SO, if you're interested in participating in this follow-up project, come to the meeting Thursday. Attending is, of course, optional. See you there!

Call For Abstracts

Prof. Stella Caramuti de Garlati asked that we submit the title and an abstract of a presentation we may want to make at the Lola Mora Jornadas on the first week of June. She said we could present a workshop of 90 minutes or a demonstration of 20. If you'd like to discuss it with me I'll be at school tomorrow Tuesday am, Wednesday pm, and Thursday am. My feeling is we should prepare some kind of followup presentation to the ones we made at last year's FAAPI -not exactly the same material as many people coming to these jornadas from the Northwest of the country also attended FAAPI. We need to have the above mentioned documents apart from our CV by Monday March 17, i.e. one week from now!

Convocatoria para Tutores

Below please find the announcement sent via email by Prof. Adriana Barrionuevo. Should you be interested, let me know and I'll forward you the form you're supposed to fill out.

CONVOCATORIA

En el marco del convenio firmado entre el Ministerio de Educación y el British Council Argentina "“CAPACITACION PARA DOCENTES DE INGLES DE 2º CICLO DE ESCUELAS PRIMARIAS PÚBLICAS DE GESTIÓN ESTATAL”, se realizará una selección de Tutores que trabajarán on-line colaborando con la capacitación que ofrece el Ministerio de Educación de Tucumán y el British Council Argentina.
Los interesados en cubrir los cargos de tutores que serán subsidiados por el British Council deberán llenar un formulario que pueden bajar de la página web del Ministerio de Educación: www.educaciontuc.gov.ar o de la página web del British Council Argentina: www.britishcouncil.org.ar.
Por consultas mandar mail a la siguiente dirección: mingles@educaciontuc.gov.ar; colocando "Tutors on-line" en el Asunto del mail.
La convocatoria se realizará desde el 05 de marzo hasta el 18 de marzo del corriente año.
Una vez que los aspirantes sean seleccionados, los mismos serán capacitados gratuitamente por un especialista convocado por el British Council los días 27 y 28 de marzo.
La Capacitación Docente en Metodología comenzará en el mes de mayo y finalizará en el mes de Octubre del presente año.

REQUISITOS PARA ASPIRANTES A TUTORES

1) Poseer título de Profesor de Inglés otorgado por Universidades o Institutos Superiores de Formación Docente.
2) Estar preferentemente desempeñándose como Profesor/a en carreras de formación docente o tener experiencia en capacitación docente (no excluyente).
3) Tener 5 ó más años de experiencia como docente de Inglés en Establecimientos Educativos Públicos de Gestión Estatal.
4) Tener conocimientos de Computación.
5) Disponer de 4 horas semanales para asistir a tutoriados on-line.
6) Disponer de 1 día por mes para encuentros presenciales con tutoriados, capacitadores, miembros del British Council y del Ministerio de Educación.

The Icing on the Cake!

I just got the FCE results from Anglo this afternoon and I think we may have gotten the best results ever! These are some of the first conclusions from the grade reports:

• Out of 23 students, only one didn't pass (Gustavo Pak), and everyone else did!
• The best part is that seven students passed with a grade of C; ten with a grade of B; and five with an A!
• One of the 23 took the CAE: Anton Trolleberg (passed with a B)
• The students who got an A were: María Paula Seoane, Ana Belén Rivera Romero, Valentina Pastore, Elizabeth Chaila, and Graziana Caruso. Elizabeth's was the best performance scoring within the 'exceptional' range -the highest in all five papers.
• Unfortunately I don't know who's 1st and who's in 2nd Polimodal, but you, their teachers, will know.

So, CONGRATULATIONS to the teams of 1st and 2nd Polimodal!!! And of course, everyone else who ever taught these kids and contributed to their excellence!

We're off to a promising 2008! :)

VaLeNtiNe's DaY ChUcKle

My Next Life

I want to live my next life backwards!

You start out dead and get that out of the way right off the bat.

Then, you wake up in a nursing home feeling better every day.

When you are kicked out of the home for being too healthy, you spend

Several years enjoying your retirement and collecting benefit checks.

When you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years or so, getting younger every day until pretty soon

You're too young to work.

So then, you go to high school: play sports, date, drink, and party.

As you get even younger, you become a kid again.

You go to elementary school, play, and have no responsibilities.

In a few years, you become a baby

and everyone runs themselves ragged keeping you happy.

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury,

spa-like conditions: central heating, room service on tap.

Until finally... you finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments; love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O, no, it is an ever-fixèd mark,

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wand'ring bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare

No Workshop Yet

Welcome back everyone! Probably like you, I'm still coming to terms with the idea that soon there will be no more staying in bed late in the morning, or leisure reading or siesta any time of day. However, I am looking forward to seeing you all!
As most of you will be coming to school for 'consultas' tomorrow Monday 11 and Tuesday 12, I just wanted to let you know that I'm not likely to be at school either day as I have no 'consultas' this year! Also, the most important news is that until further notice there will be no IB writing workshop this month. Announced as a possibility in December, it will not take place until I am fully prepared for it as I would like to and as you, my most qualified audience, truly deserve. Do not worry much about it, there is no crisis or any problem at all. I'll fill you in with more information in person whenever I see you at school, or via blog if it's necessary or urgent. Of course, if you'd like to talk before that, just give me a call.
Meanwhile, I'll be meeting with Edith sometime this week to discuss a couple of curriculum changes in 5th and 6th grade. Eventually I might invite the 7th Year team and whoever else would like to come for a 6th-7th Year teachers meeting. The details will be arranged with Edith and I'll let you know right away.
I hope you had a great summer and are fully revitalized for this new beginning... Talk to you soon!

Check this out!

Convocatoria para docentes y traductores de Inglés

EAFS Programas Interculturales informa que está abierta la convocatoria para docentes del Nivel Primario y Medio, traductores o intérpretes de Inglés, para postularse a tres becas parciales, con el objetivo de insertarse en una comunidad educativa norteamericana por un período de seis meses. La convocatoria está dirigida a docentes de todas las disciplinas y/o traductores o intérpretes de inglés. Quienes estén interesados en participar deberán enviar sus datos personales y currículum vitae por correo electrónico a: argentina@afs.org Los postulantes deberán acreditar experiencia laboral, buen manejo del idioma inglés y tener más de 21 años de edad. El plazo de recepción vence el 22 de febrero. Para más información, deben consultar telefónicamente al 0800-288-2237 (opción 1), de lunes a viernes de 9 a 16.

Aparecido en El Tribuno, Febrero 6 de 2008

Hope someone goes for it!!! :)

IB News

I´m so happy with the IB results!!!! Congratulations to the all the teachers in charge of A2 class, and of course to our "Boss" Charlie. The students passed the exam getting 5 and 6!!! Gorgeous!! Fantastic!!!
Nori and Ceci, we also did a great job, all our little mosnters passed, well...not all of them were monsters but we pulled (slashed, dragged) them till the end, and we got really mad. They all passed!! Wow!!
Please, when we come back DON´T SHOW HAPPINESS, if so, we will get LESS HOURS!!! I mean less than 4.
That seems to be the logic of the owners, the more you give, the less you get.
Caroline (One of Charlie´s angel, the dark one)