Middle School Newsletter November 2020
October, a month where we shared different academic, recreational and educational activities. Thank you all for your participation in the different events such as celebration of the day of the dead – Halloween (photo), literary coffee (photos), tripartite interviews, evaluations.
Through the artistic representations of the MS and HS students last October 30th we were able to reflect on how we live death nowadays and how important it is to remember and honor our ancestors.
Through of images, the students of the photography club managed to capture what the day of the dead represents.
The students from 8th grade and ‘Club Acuarela’, together with Miss Nadia Soto represent through a digital postcard the altar ‘The pieces of life’.
Academic
CAMBRIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL CERTIFICATIONS
In order to improve the quality of the education of our students in the management of the English language, from this school year 2020 – 2021 and on, they will work with new materials (Prepare student book and work book) produced and endorsed by Cambridge Assessment English, an institution responsible for Cambridge exams.
- The two books per exam approach provides students with the perfect balance between exam practice and general English.
- The ‘Life Skills’ sections help students develop competencies that they will need in real life, such as teamwork, decision-making, social responsibility, creativity, and public speaking skills.
- Interesting articles and videos activate students’ curiosity about the world: shopping in London, the Paralympic Games, team sports in Canada, British TV and many other topics are covered, exposing students to a wide selection of cultural experiences.
- Selected words and phrases are carefully aligned with each level of the CEFR and receive special attention in specific vocabulary sections. Additional vocabulary allows students to take their English further, reflecting the actual use of English. https://www.cambridge.es/catalogo/examenes/cursos/prepare2
These books are a support material to prepare them step by step. They help them develop the skills necessary for the language dominance in terms of reading, writing and listening; as well as enriching their vocabulary with new words. In addition, it helps integrating the intensive preparation in the Cambridge Certification.
These certifications are recognized worldwide, as they get attached to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
All this gives them security, the opportunity to be admitted to the best universities, increases their possibility of academic mobility in addition to the fact that their certifications are for life.
MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME (MYP)
A project in which we have worked at Colegio Celta for several years and of which I am proud to be a part is ‘Model United Nations’ (MUN), in which groups of students are formed who assume leadership roles as ambassadors and representatives who participate in debates where current global issues are addressed. This experience provides our students with communication, thinking, self-management, teamwork and negotiation skills.
According to the IB World Magazine each year more than 400,000 students from primary education to university participate in this type of conference.
In recent days, October 15th to 17th, the boys of Middle and High School participated in a conference, strengthening their skills by being in the shoes of today’s leaders. Congratulations to all for your work and effort.
These kinds of events transcend beyond communication and classroom skills, for example, Ayah Elwannas, MYP student at Dwight School Dubai in UAE created and taught a MUN unit at her school, this as part of her Personal Project creating didactic sequences to strengthen the agency of the students. Do you remember what we wrote about in the previous publication of the Personal Project?
Our IB students around the world work every day to generate that knowledge and meaningful learning. The latter is just one example that what our students learn go further, and the attributes and approaches to learning that they experience transform them.
Psycopedagogy
ADOLESCENCE OR RED FLAGS? | Psic. Paola Llop Hernández
Hello Celtic community, today I want to share with you preventive information about depression in adolescents, I have the firm belief that information is our best protection and weapon that allows us to identify if our teenager go through a bad time.
The first important aspect is knowing your teenager, it’s a stage in which generally (not in all cases), the teenager decreases his/her communication and they share a bit about their daily life. We have a very important source of information, their behavior. Which we can know by observing their tastes, hygiene habits, friends, temperament, attitudes, etc. The knowledge of your teeanger becomes vital, because by knowing his/her actions, you will be able to notice if there is a change in his/her behavior that speaks of depressive traits.
We share with you a table in which you can find the ‘common’ or ‘expected’ characteristics in adolescence and the symptoms of alarm behaviors. It is important to always take into account three aspects, the intensity, duration and frequency, of the behaviors mentioned below.
| ADOLESCENCE STAGE | RED FLAG |
| Increased tiredness | Sleeping less than usual, sleeping excessively, complaints about unrefreshing sleep or dreams with a sad or even suicidal theme. |
| Increased appetite | Excessive increase or drastic decrease in appetite and weight. |
| Apathy in some areas, while still enjoying what he/she likes to do. | Loss of interest in activities he/she used to enjoy. |
| Main interest in the social area (parties, meetings) | Social isolation, little contact with friends. |
| Mood swings linked to a motive. | Mood swings for no apparent reason, frequent crying, complaints about bad luck or how bad certain aspects of their life are going for him/her. |
| Poor school performance due to distraction, little interest, but no doubt of ability. «They feel powerful.» | Poor school performance. Low motivation, negative thoughts about their future, and low expectations of himself/herself |
| Motivated to know the world, for the future and their independence. | Negative comments about himself/herself, aspects of their life, or the future. These verbalizations can be used to express their feelings or emotions, as well as give us clues about their self-concept and self-esteem. |
| Existentialist questions, what am I doing here? What is my meaning in life? | Suicidal thoughts «My family would be better off without me», «I want to die.» |
What can we do if we detect some ‘alarm’ behavior?
- Offer an environment of trust, affection and communication. It will help make the young person feel that they have a source of support.
- Keep communication open.
- Talk, share concerns and accept feelings. There are people who do not talk about their feelings if they are not asked directly. This requires finding an opportune moment and having enough confidence.
- Do not judge or lecture. It is not appropriate to say phrases like ‘you don’t have to be like this’, ‘you have everything in life’ etc.
- Trust your instincts. If the adolescent tells you «nothing is wrong, everything is fine and there is no cause for the depressed mood», but it is not convincing, it is best to talk to other people around them (brother, teacher or friend) who may be support for the teenager.
- If you think there is a risk of suicide, you should put it in the hands of professionals.
If you identify some of the mentioned characteristics, do not hesitate to approach the department of psychopedagogy for further guidance and teamwork.
Bibliography: Gallego M. (2018), “Depresión adolescente: Guía completa para entenderla”. Recuperado el 14 de octubre desde https://blog.cognifit.com/es/depresion-en-adolescentes/
Student life
It’s been almost seven months after we had to lockdown at home without warning, changing our dynamics at home, personal and professional routines; transforming the dining room into a classroom, office and patio for children’s playtime. We can look back and realize the things that have gone well and also those that we could improve. Without a doubt down time or recreation time is necessary in our lives; but … what happens when this down time has taken of every moment of our day?
Without being something planned, the routine that we had before the arrival of COVID-19, endowed our days with order and structure. Now having so many responsibilities, less time and doing everything in the same space; It’s been difficult to have order and more if we have not considered having a structure or a routine.
Today we will talk about Order’s habit and why it is so important in our daily lives. We can have order on the physical plane, that is, the arrangement of the room, the work space, the home common areas. We can also have order on the behavioral plane, that is, we are able to follow a schedule, fulfill responsibilities in a timely manner, without postponing things for later.
Habits formation depends in perseverance, discipline, and will. How would I like my children to behave in a specific situation? How would I expect my daughters to grow up? If independence and autonomy were part of your answers, then the basis for achieving them is Order.
When is the right time to achieve a habit? The answer is: today is the right time. It is never too late to work on children’s habits. Small details count, and they count a lot. If children are able to make bed every day, put shoes in their place, pick up their clothes, etc., which are their responsibilities at home; they will be able to fulfill their school and professional responsibilities later on.
Part of the training that we are working on in the School is Self-Management skills; which is the ability to achieve self-regulation and the development of independence and autonomy in the school environment.
Suggestions:
- Have and follow a schedule.
- Have a workspace.
- Verify the material is complete.
- Have good lighting and a ventilated space.
- Have water and a snack nearby; this way you will avoid getting distracted frequently.
- Identify time thieves (cell phone, video games, etc.).
Information of interest
- Hábitos saludables en época de pandemia https://www.comunidad.madrid/servicios/salud/habitos-saludables-epoca-pandemia
- Importancia del cuidado personal: por qué los padres de familia necesitan tiempo para energizarse https://www.healthychildren.org/Spanish/family-life/family-dynamics/Paginas/Importance-of-Self-Care.aspx
- Educación contra el coronavirus: 10 tareas de la rutina diaria https://www.unicef.es/educa/blog/10-tareas-rutina-diaria-familia
EDITORIAL
- Mónica Antuna (Dirección Middle School
- Ma. Del Pilar Mones (Coordinadora Académica)
- Alicia Silva (Coordinadora PAI)
- Paola Llop (Departamento de Psicopedagogía)
- Carlos Zermeño (Coordinación de Actividades Estudiantiles)