v Canterbury Elementary SchoolHave you ever heard of Flat Stanley, the beloved character in the novel? Well, 1st graders made their own Flat Stanleys and families shared an address of willing participants to show

Stanley around their hometown. It sure was fun receiving emails, postcards, and letters “from Stanley” sharing the experiences that were had because of what that area was known for. Our stu-dents learned so much about geography and map skills through such a heartwarming unit.

Another fun lesson was using iPhones and Google Maps, along with compasses, to find a secret treasure hidden in the school! Mr. Dooner’s students loved it!

In 4th grade, we are making many connections between Ohio is American and Ready Gen. Teachers are using picture provocations and rotating students in teams to look at the pictures and ask questions. Inquiry through the artifacts has been amazing! Teachers enjoy listening to the discussions and then the class comes back together to continue the probing. The students connected the activity to the story “The Longest Night” in Ready Gen and have a better understanding of the word “sacred” as an example.

v Fairfax Elementary SchoolThere are so many amazing things hap-pening at Fairfax! Teachers and students alike have been digging deeper into what it means to be internationally-minded as we prepare for our IB Verification visit on January 29-30. We are looking at the attributes of the IB Learner Profile and how they support our learning and fu-ture success.

• Kindergarteners are being inquirers and communicators by exploring family culture and traditions and sharing with their peers. • After investigating the needs of living things, 1st graders showed their knowledge when building terrariums for pill bugs by collecting materials from the Fairfax grounds. • Second grade has spent the past few weeks learning about themselves as individuals as well as those around us who make a positive impact on our lives. They took risks and shared personal characteristics and interests about them-selves and practiced being open-minded when lis-tening to the personal stories of others. • Third grade dove into a unit on self expres-sion before winter break. The unit, How We Ex-press Ourselves, gave the students an opportuni-ty to connect classroom content to creative arts. Students had to be thinkers when learning about artists and reflecting on how an artist’s personal stories impacted their work. Wait until you see the self portraits that came out of this unit! • Fourth grade is gearing up for an IB unit on conflict and compromise. Fairfax 4th grad-ers are going to demonstrate being balanced as they learn about Ohio history to prepare them as they begin working on presentations for the “Ohio History Day Contest” (ode.gov). As they begin these group projects, history isn’t the only thing they will be learning. They will be developing self-management, social, communication, research, and thinking skills as they work in small groups towards a common goal. • Fifth graders are taking learning to a new level at Fairfax. Their knowledge is being test-ed as they have been showing how much they care about the younger students in our school by teaching the 1st graders about day and night as well as food chains. Not only are they being principled and taking responsibility for their own learning but they are supporting the learning of their younger peers at the same time.

JANUARY 2018For more information, visit CHUH.org

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE & STEM NEWSLETTERCleveland Heights-University Heights City School District

Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District2155 Miramar Boulevard • University Heights, OH 44118 • (216) 371-7171 • www.CHUH.org • @CHUHSchools

Boulevard Elementary & Gearity PDS

Capstone TimeAt the end of the second trimester, Boule-vard and Gearity students will be present-ing capstone projects. Capstone presen-tations are the culmination of learning for the trimester. The STEM schools are adopting this format as a way for students to share with their peers, families, and the community the learning that has taken place for the entire trimester.

Presentations are transdisciplinary (in-clusive of all discipline areas of learning). The power of these presentations are that students are in charge of synthesizing their learning from each trimester. Presenta-tions will include slideshows, experiment summaries, hands-on activities, and demonstrations of learning. Teachers and students work throughout the trimester to strengthen their knowledge of the skills learned; the capstone is a great celebration of learning.

Community and parents are invited to come and view presentations at Boulevard on Tuesday, March 6, from 9:00-9:30 a.m. and at Gearity on Friday, March 9, from 9:00-9:30 a.m.

Energy BikeCH-UH Energy Coach Ditte Wolin brought the energy bike to Boulevard and Gearity. All 4th grade students had an opportunity to experiment with the energy bike. Stu-dents had to work hard to pedal the bike in order to make the lights light up. The bike shows how energy can be transferred from human energy to energy that will power light bulbs. This was a perfect way for students to get a hands-on experience with the transfer of energy (a 4th grade standard). Thank you to Ditte for sharing this experience with us!

Take Home Design ChallengesEach month, all of the students in both STEM buildings are given a STEM Take Home Design Challenge. The challenge is usually something that is timely and perti-nent to the students. In October, the design challenge was to build a house that could withstand a hurricane. We were lucky enough to have Gearity parent, Shannon Osborne, come and speak to our students to share her experience of building hur-ricane proof houses in Fiji. Our February Take Home Design Challenge is focused on the Olympics. Take Home Design Challenges are displayed throughout the buildings each month.

v Roxboro Elementary SchoolThis month’s focus is on grades 1 and 4. First graders “traveled the world” in their Where We are in Place and Time unit and were treated to special guests sharing their cultures, traditions, and heritage.

The unit kicked off with our own country of USA and then with our sister-schools in Beijing, China and Liberia, Africa. They then “traveled” to Australia and learned what an

island is. Our guests joined us throughout the weeks of inquiry and taught about many places; some of which included:

Philippines - A dad brought in coins to look at, wore typ-ical linen shirt.Scotland - A dad came in and played the bagpipes, wearing the attire, kids got ‘wands’ denoting different family colors.Kazakhstan - We saw part of ‘Eagle Huntress’ movie and learned about nomads.Holland - Chocolate and cookies passed out.South Africa - Learned about the Zulu clan; connected clan colors to Scotland colors.Israel - Participated in a Hanukkah activity.

Most families used a powerpoint to show photos and maps. Students made suitcases with a map and filled out a postcard about something they learned for each place. We used a passport, too, as we traveled the world. We connected to how things are the same/different from the past, how needs are met in other places vs. here. The teachers showed videos of schools in other places, too. These lessons were an easy way to engage them in thinking about these things. We read The Secret School by Avi and showed pictures of things men-tioned from the 1920s. We also went to Hale Farm.

Fourth graders covered cultures, too, in their unit of Where We are in Place and Time, but their focus was on Native Americans and how their cultures were compressed by the heavy hand of the Americans and the movement from place to place. The human spirit is resil-ient, though, and students learned that your culture, values, and beliefs travel with you and are kept alive through perseverance and determination.

SAVE THE DATE: February 26-27, 2018 - IB evaluation visit. Please let Mrs. Garcar know if you would like to be part of the interview on the Feb. 26 at 2:30 p.m.

v Heights Middle SchoolColonization has been the main topic in 8th grade in Individuals and Societies. Stu-dents were able to choose one of the orig-inal 13 colonies and research what made that space unique and favorable. A variety of projects were completed from slogans and competitions to Google Slides and pre-sentations. Students loved the learning and were actively engaged in the process.

Our AVID students recently completed an IB unit called College Bound. Students from No-ble Elementary and members of the community came to gallery walk the final projects and were treated to presentations by the 8th graders. The 8th graders visited Noble earlier in the unit to work on organization techniques.

Students in the 8th grade Science/Design class participated in structure building and tested their designs with a shake table. Students were able to plan, build, test, and redesign their structures. The term FAIL took on a new meaning: F”irst Attempt in Learning” and grit was shown by our student engineers!

JANUARY 2018For more information, visit CHUH.org

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE & STEM NEWSLETTERCleveland Heights-University Heights City School District

Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District2155 Miramar Boulevard • University Heights, OH 44118 • (216) 371-7171 • www.CHUH.org • @CHUHSchools

What Is IB? The International Baccalaureate® (IB) offers a continuum of international edu-cation. The programmes encourage both personal and academic achievement, chal-lenging students to excel in their studies and in their personal development.

In order to teach IB programmes, schools must be authorized. Every school autho-rized to offer IB programmes is known as an IB World School.

v Primary Years Program The PYP prepares students to become active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in the world around them. It focuses on the development of the whole child.

v Middle Years ProgramA challenging framework that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world, the MYP is inclusive by design; students of all interests and academic abilities can benefit from their participation.

v Authorized SchoolsCanterbury ElementaryRoxboro ElementaryMonticello MiddleRoxboro Middle

v Candidate SchoolFairfax Elementary

What Is STEM?STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM students are engaged in designing solutions to chal-lenges throughout the year, encouraging problem-solving skills across all subjects. Students learn by doing, and the solutions they design are one of the tools we use to assess students’ understanding of key concepts. STEM students are groomed to be successful risk-takers and independent thinkers.