The American School Foundation of Guadalajara, A.C. www.asfg.mx INNOVATIONS 2012-2013 October

Nuestra obligación es informarte, la tuya enterarte. Por favor lee tus correos y ayúdanos a salvar árboles. ASFG GREEN

Keep Reading!by Derek Chase with help from Jose Pablo Rueda, Nicole McCann, Itzel Rodriguez, and Francesca Cornero of the Honors Literary Magazine class “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” Dr. Seuss’s words rang true this year, as the ASFG high school’s new summer reading program took us to more dynamic and inclusive places.

Instead of being assigned a Spanish book for Spanish class and an English book for English class, this summer a list of titles proposed by the faculty, the administration and the student council offered twelve distinct options for the entire high school community. Students, teachers and administrators all had a choice of books to read over the summer.As the school year began, a new day was created to allow the entire high school to meet in mixed groups to appreciate and discuss these novels and histories, biographies and autobiographies, analyses and case studies. We are still moving towards a future in which all of our students can share the thrill of discovery great books can give, so we can all think… as I turn off the lights and start to try to fall asleep, I realize I want to keep reading....

NJHS: Leading By Exampleby Gabriela Silva

After three years of being the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) adviser, I can say that I’ve been a witness to the five standards that characterize the NJHS: scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and character. I’ve been especially touched by the students’ caring attitude towards the people we visit at Casa Hogar Bienaventurados. These people have cerebral palsy, and most can’t verbally communicate, eat on

their own, or walk. Helping them is a challenge, and students are usually shy and doubtful during the first few visits.

The NJHS members, however, have risen to the occasion and have taken care of them in the kindest way.

They feed them and play with them, brush their teeth, accompany them to the park, and have begun to understand their non-verbal responses. They understand what a gentle nudge, an eye roll, or a half-smile means. I’ve been amazed to see how the initial shock in their eyes has turned to understanding, patience, and love. I am looking forward to seeing how this year’s NJHS works with this community. I am positive they will once again lead by example and make a difference in their surroundings.

Calendario ASOMEX 2012-2013

Estamos muy emocionados por el inicio de las actividades deportivas co-curriculares; ¿sabías que el 38% de nuestros estudiantes se quedan a practicar alguna(s) de las ocho actividades deportivas que se ofrecen después de clases? Sin duda esta es una gran oportunidad para complementar la vida académica y ampliar los intereses y aptitudes de nuestros estudiantes. Si estás interesado en formar parte de los WARRIORS, acércate a la oficina de deportes y pregunta por nuestros programas deportivos; además de participar en convivencias y competencias locales, nuestros estudiantes tienen la oportunidad de participar en eventos deportivos organizados por la Asociación de Escuelas Americanas en México (ASOMEX). Durante este ciclo escolar seremos anfitriones de dos eventos deportivos, los cuales se llevarán a cabo de forma simultánea; en esta ocasión seremos los organizadores del voleibol en todas las categorías y futbol soccer en la categoría juvenil A, en ambas ramas.

New Horizonsby Serena Rowe I am proud to be the new band director at ASFG. This year we are focusing on creating a community of band scholars ready to learn and perform at the highest of levels. We will be performing popular and traditional pieces, bringing both familiar and new music to the students.

A community that shares a passion for music is vital to a successful program. Students will be spending time together before and after school as well as during class, so friendships will form, strengthening our program. The rapport formed in band will last a lifetime. Our band program here at ASFG is a FAMILY; it’s never just a class!

Learning music takes patience on the part of the student as well as the parent.

It takes time for students to learn and perfect new songs on their instruments. Each student learns at a different pace. Be patient. When the pieces start to fall into place, both students and parents will be pleased.

Private lessons and mentoring programs will be offered as well, helping all interested students achieve success. In the coming years, our family of students will grow into true musicians!

Student Led Forums (Generation Meetings)by Nathanael Parson

With hesitation in her voice she leaned back in her chair and said, "I want to be a generation leader, but what does it mean?"

I smiled and said, "I'm so excited for you. You're going to love it! Being a generation leader means that you will gather ideas and concerns from students in your grade level. You’ll prioritize those topics for a forum style meeting. During these meetings, you and your student co-leader

will guide the group towards expressing, processing, and sometimes resolving important concerns. And when conflicts arise that can't be remedied you can send those problems to the student council or the administration for support."

I told her that the beauty of being a generation leader is promoting balanced and productive conversations about important issues for students.

She responded, "Ok that sounds good mister, but what if my classmates laugh and make fun of me?" I answered, "In the beginning it will take time for students to understand how a forum works and take it seriously. They may be nervous about the unknown. Your teachers will be there to support you, and soon the laughing will disappear." As she got up to leave I said, "Why not give it a shot and see what positive results will come?".

Japanese and South Korean Educationby Bekki Strong, Teacher in 2-20

Over the past few years, ASFG has been blessed with an increase of students from around the world, especially South Korea and Japan. These families bring new cultures for our teachers, students, and families to learn about and embrace. As an ASFG community, we are lucky enough to be exposed to new languages, foods, and customs. But there is always more we can learn. This year the elementary teachers attended a workshop to learn about Japanese and South Korean education, names, superstitions, customs, and history. We discussed how every student is different, no matter where his or her family comes from. It follows that all Japanese children will not be the same, nor will all Korean children. This gave our teachers a jump-start to the school year and prepared them to better understand their students. Each teacher received a booklet of information as well.

Our hope in elementary is to continue to learn and grow with our changing community. What a wonderful opportunity for us all here at ASFG.

fundador de Intagono, agencia de marketing digital en Guadalajara y actualmente ayuda a nuestra Asociación de Exalumnos a modernizarse mediante el uso de las redes sociales, para llegar cada vez a más exalumnos en todo el mundo.

Ana Yoli estudió diseño de modas aquí en Guadalajara y tiene 29 años. Ella brinda su apoyo con ideas nuevas y creativas para atraer a las nuevas generaciones. Ana Yoli dice: “... cuando me invitaron a formar parte de la asociación, para mí fue un gran honor, siempre le he tenido mucho

amor al American School”. Ana Yoli volvió al ASFG como Teacher Assistant en la sección de primaria.

La llegada de José Enrique y Ana Yoli revigoriza la Asociación de Exalumnos.

¡Gracias a los dos por su compromiso y generosidad con el ASFG!

Asociación de Ex Alumnos ASFG

Nuevos Integrantes

La Asociación de Exalumnos da la bienvenida a dos de sus más jóvenes integrantes: Ana Yolanda Terán y José Enrique Chacón, ambos de la generación 2002.

José Enrique tiene 28 años, estudió Marketing y Administración de Operaciones en la Universidad de Washington, en St. Louis, Missouri, es socio

Fecha

25 - 30 enero

25 - 30 enero

7 - 12 febrero

7 - 12 febrero

28 feb - 4 marzo

14 - 18 marzo

19 - 23 abril

Deporte

Voleibol

Futbol Soccer

Basquetbol

Futbol Soccer

Futbol Soccer

Futbol Soccer

Basquetbol

Categorías

Todas

Juvenil “A”

Infantil y Juvenil “A”

Juvenil “C”

Juvenil “B”

Infantil

Juvenil “B” y “C”

Anfitrión

ASFG

ASFG

CAP (Puebla)

CAP (Puebla)

JFK (Querétaro)

EAP (Pachuca)

ASF (México D.F.)

FechaFecha DeporteDeporte CategoríasCategorías AnfitriónAnfitrión

Printed on Recycled Paper Impreso en Papel Reciclado ASFG GREEN

Class Meetings:A Forum for Young Childrenby Gloria Jimenez, EC Psychologist “How do we solve the problem?” This is a question commonly asked in early childhood where teachers don’t solve children’s problems, but instead encourage them to come up with their own solutions. When presented with the question of what to do with our new science fountain, three-to-five year olds were quick to offer ideas, which then became the group’s “agreements.” Ideas included “no wetting our friends,” “no breaking the fountain,” and “getting wet only if we’re wearing bathing suits.” Children were challenged by the teacher to think about whether each idea would work. After coming to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be a good idea to remove the pebbles inset in the fountain, one student remarked, “if the men [who built it] come and see [the missing pebbles], they will feel sad.” This boy, though often fidgety and distracted, was engaged in the class meeting and made contributions like this one, which demonstrated profound thought and empathy. Class meetings that provide a safe, secure space for expressing concerns and finding solutions are empowering for our young students.

New Ways to Learnby Brian Zink

As a classroom teacher, I taught 8th graders US history for four years and 7th graders world history for one year. Having a passion for technology, I taught my students how to use the latest tools to learn about US history in new ways. That same passion has led to a new opportunity for me to help the entire ASFG community use technology to maximize learning and to open up whole new worlds for our students. My new role as Technology Integration Specialist (aka, the local tech geek) is an exciting one because teachers and students at all levels are itching to use the latest

technology. My classroom has expanded beyond a single generation of middle school students to a much larger population. I’m working with grades 7-12 to encourage the seamless integration of laptops as one more tool to enhance the student learning experience. I have already spent entire days back in the classroom working alongside teachers to introduce new tools that complement the content objectives. Projects have included working with new presentation tools, video production, and establishing collaboration with other schools. I have also been working behind the scenes to help the laptop teachers understand the power of the GoogleApps suite and introducing other web based tools that will help teachers embrace technology in their classroom. Our campus is ripe with tools to take learning experiences beyond the four walls of a traditional classroom, and I’m excited to help teachers and students embrace the technology to make that a reality.

Nuevo programa de lecturapor Iliana Fernández

En la actualidad - y en gran medida como resultado de las recomendaciones que la OCDE ha hecho a sus países afiliados - ha surgido una creciente preocupación por mejorar los niveles de lectura de los alumnos de educación básica. En México, la Secretaría de Educación Pública ha establecido estándares nacionales de habilidad lectora y se han impulsado las bibliotecas escolares.En el ASFG, la lectura ha ocupado, desde hace mucho tiempo, un lugar muy

importante dentro de los programas de estudio tanto en inglés como en español. Nuestro propósito es que los alumnos desarrollen el hábito de la lectura y adquieran las competencias necesarias para que, a través de ella, sigan aprendiendo durante toda su vida. Una de las más recientes acciones que el Programa Mexicano ha realizado para cumplir con este propósito fue la adopción del libro Competencias Lectoras. Los maestros han recibido capacitación en la metodología a seguir para brindar a los alumnos la oportunidad de desarrollar de manera sistemática sus habilidades de comprensión literal, interpretativa y argumentativa. El programa incluye evaluaciones de diagnóstico inicial, intermedio y final; los resultados se emplearán para determinar el avance en la comprensión lectora de nuestros alumnos. Les seguiremos informando de nuestros logros e innovaciones.

What exactly is ASAP?by Tabetha Valencia, ASAP Teacher

ASAP is an academic program that supports the needs of international students. Not only do we teach students English; we help them to adjust socially and emotionally to their new environment. Although the majority of the students are from Asia, lately we have been welcoming more students from Europe to our ASFG community.

Our job is to assist our students in reaching their academic potential and the English proficiency goals that we set. Our ultimate goal is to graduate our students from ASAP and integrate them into a regular classroom setting for the entirety of the day.

The Upper Library’sNew Look by Virginia T. Morgan

The Upper Library space was redesigned this past summer. The majority of PC workstations were removed because of the augmented laptop program. The timing was perfect for a remodel.The goal of the change was two-fold: to

create an “Information Commons,” and also to make the fiction collection available at all times. Libraries in the past were places for students to access print collections, but resources are increasingly becoming electronic.

The 21st century library should be common space for students to access and work with digital collections. Learners in the 21st century are also social learners, and therefore they need social -- collaborative -- spaces to learn.

The retro-fitted library has two “laptop commons” areas, a collaborative teaching space, and plenty of comfy couches for reading. The newly renamed “Reference Room” (formerly known as the Fiction Room) is a great space for quiet studies.Moving the English fiction upstairs has made the school’s most heavily used books available at all times -- even when there are after-school meetings. Stay tuned for more improvements, because this redesign is not complete!More information on the Information Commons is available at: http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/commons-20-library-spaces-designed-collaborative-learning

Explorando nuestrafuente de cienciasLaura Solorzano, maestra de pre-kinder Uno de los mayores placeres que tiene un niño es el poder explorar con agua, y la

fuente que tenemos en el patio de juegos del kínder es una gran oportunidad para hacerlo. Los niños esperan a que el agua caiga, empiece la magia, y el agua sale sorprendiéndolos. Cae por un camino y empieza a rodar el molino, la tina se va llenando y baja por un canal hasta llegar a su destino final y antes de desaparecer se despide en forma de remolino. Los niños observan, tocan y experimentan.

Sofi: “¿Cómo le hicieron para que saliera así?”Eliseo: “Aquí adentro hay tuberías, se

atraviesan y después mandan el agua a la ciudad de México y por todo el mundo. Esa agua es de los ríos.”Pablo: “¿Por qué flotan estos?” jugando con unos platitos.Lolis: “Porque hay agua y en el agua se puede flotar.”Por medio de experiencias como ésta, los niños desarrollan la capacidad de observar, de cuestionarse el cómo y el por qué de las cosas, de reflexionar y elaborar conceptos e inferencias para darle sentido al mundo que los rodea.

New Science Programfor Elementary SchoolBy Nacho Salazar, science instructor in ES

This is a science materials adoption year at ASFG, and the elementary section has acquired a new Macmillan/McGraw Hill science program which promotes the development of extraordinary skills through inquiry-based activities.

Students are first guided through the lesson in the classroom. Then, in the science lab, they have the opportunity to explore through hands-on experiments. The program allows us to discuss the theme, make predictions and observations, and then draw conclusions from the experiment. While the students

perform the experiment, they also record pertinent information in their science journals. The new science materials offer a rich list of vocabulary words that build students’ scientific vocabulary.

Along with the new science program, the school has acquired other great materials. These are super resources that allow our students to measure, classify, and record each science activity.

This is a great science program. It connects to language arts, literature, math, technology, and social studies. Children in the elementary school at ASFG are truly involved. It isn’t any wonder that our ASFG students are confident and motivated scientists.