On Monday, all staff members began their back-to-school work. There are just under 200 staff members, with teachers from the Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle,
and High School buildings. Our superintendent greeted the group and then the
Teachers Association led us in a team-building activity about being survivors
in a snowstorm. It was a fun way to get to know some new people, and my group
did well!
Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in professional development sessions
for the First Steps reading framework. While the information wasn’t entirely new,
the staff members who facilitated the training did a great job. I spent time
with the Spanish teachers and English Language Learners teachers, and left the
two-day training with some new Spanish vocabulary and phrases. I think I’ll have more
Spanish teachers here than I first guessed. Even the cab drivers are teaching
me, and I certainly have given them a few good laughs!
The students arrived on Thursday for a full day of school. I was a bit
surprised to find parents and students arriving very early in the morning, as
the campus is an “open” campus, though the buildings are not. The entire campus
is set behind a large wall, so you can’t really tell there is a school there
from the street view. This is intentional for security purposes. There are
guards and security along the gate and all parents, visitors, staff, etc. must
sign in there. The library media center, gymnasiums, swimming pool, and fields
are all for community use, which is why the campus is “open.” Classrooms open
to hallways that are outside rather than inside, similar to what I have seen in
many schools in China and Japan.
Students line up on the basketball courts, just like they do at Ivy
Hill. Because there is school security taking care of traffic, I was able to be
outside with the classes to greet students. Kids were running up to one another giving hugs and kisses, sharing stories of their (winter) break, with plenty of smiles to go around. I helped a few crying kids inside
each morning and spent the days visiting classrooms to introduce myself and
overseeing some of the lunchroom routines… we have some work to do there! The kids have been eager to introduce themselves to me, and usually greet me with a "hello" and a kiss on the cheek. And they call me "Miss Kristy," which is going to take some getting used to! They were amazed when I told them the kids at Ivy Hill called all teachers by their last names.
On the first day of school we had a whole-school assembly, where all new
staff and students were introduced. Mrs. Polito had suggested a book that I
read to the whole school called The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. The kids loved it and I enjoyed
reading it. I hope we can do some activities between both schools for
International Dot Day on September 15th. That would be fun!
I have to say, learning the students’ names here is going to be a bit
more of a challenge for me. There are more students at this school than at Ivy
Hill, but the names are a bit different than those of which I am familiar. We
have lots of kids named Sophia, Isabella, etc., but we also have so many other South American names that are new to me. I will be working hard to learn them
all by October! I met students who have lived in Peru for their entire lives, as well as those from Australian, New Zealand, England, Canada, India, Poland, Russia, Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia, Uruguay, Brazil, and the United States. Most of the kids introduced themselves by name and nationality, which I thought was pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone here, though I miss everyone in the US already!
I went to the mall to do some window shopping the other day after work, and was surprised to see Prada, Armani, Chanel, Zara, North Face, Lacoste, etc. stores lining the mall. There are many other US shops and restaurants here. I pass Chili's, T. G. I. Fridays, KFC, Burger King, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Domino's, Dunkin' Donuts, etc. daily. And for all you Apple lovers out there... Apple products are here, just twice as expensive and not quite as many available options as in the US. I must confess, I do still enjoy a Starbucks coffee at least once a week.
