Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

IN THIS ISSUE IB Coordinator's Notes

by Eleanor Burns IB Coordinator THS

Page 2

MYP WORLD

by Kelsey Barnes MYP Coordinator

Page 3

IB /MYP 5 YR EVALUATION

Page 3

Personal Projects

Page 4

Parent Meeting Night

by Parent Groups

Page 5

Parent Groups Update

by IB Co-spokespersons

Page 6

Student check in

Page 7

Annual Picnic

Page 8

Parent/Teacher Night

Page 9

Spanish Parents Group

Page 10

Resumen del IBPG

Pagina 12

Por el Grupo de Padres de IB

Helpful Links

Page 16

Upcoming Events

Page 17

More Picnic Pictures

Page 18

From Annual Picnic

IB Coordinator: Eleanor Burns

[email protected]

MYP Coordinator: Kelsey Barnes

[email protected]

Spokesperson: Brian Schoeni

[email protected]

Spokesperson: Dollis Wright

[email protected]

Volunteer coordinator: Lisa Hollister

[email protected]

PTSO Vice president: Eva Tejada

[email protected]

Treasurer: Nicole Kofoed

[email protected]

Hospitality: Stacey Wylie & Ruth Reuter

[email protected]

Newsletter: Karla Olivas

[email protected]

“Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.” Hunter S. Thompson Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 1

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

IB COORDINATOR’S NOTES by Eleanor Burns IB Coordinator THS

Dear IB Parents and Families: It was great to see so many of you at the Back to School Picnic and Back to School Night. I look forward to talking with you at our Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday October 8th from 5pm to 8pm. IB has sent us feedback on our Self Study (part of our five year review) and we have received numerous commendations. I am currently compiling commendations and recommendations and will make this available to all stakeholders in the next few weeks. This year we have introduced standing meetings for our junior and senior classes so that students may have the opportunity to ask questions or bring up concerns. This meeting time will also be used to disseminate information. All class meetings will be during extensions to avoid pulling students from academic classes. On October 5th during fifth hour (lunch) extensions DP students and staff will be competing in a Salsa Challenge. We will post pictures on our Face Book page (IB Programme at Thornton High School). I am confident that my famous Irish Salsa will be a strong contender in the spicy category! With autumn on us, seniors should be well on their way to completing their Extended Essays (EE), the first of many IB components for them this year. Thanks to Mrs. McCloskey and all EE Supervisors for providing so much support to our students over the summer and as they finalize their EE. IB Exam Registration will start in October: Diploma Candidates (seniors) will be registering in the first two weeks of October, Anticipated Candidates (juniors) mid-October and Course Candidates towards the end of October. Wishing everyone a happy and safe Homecoming. Thanks to our Diploma teachers for declaring this a “Homework Light Week” and a “Homework Free Weekend”. Sláinte,

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 2

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

MYP WORLD (Middle Years Program) by Kelsey Barnes MYP Coordinator

It has been a busy and wonderful start to the school year. One focus for this year is to integrate the IB Learner Profile into all aspects of THS life. We will have one of the ten IB Learner Profile traits as a focus each month of the school year. The trait for Septembers is CARING. When students, faculty or staff see another member of our building showing empathy, compassion or respect for another they can nominate that person for CARING and put the form in the bin in the main office. We will recognize nominated individuals throughout the month. Teachers are also developing ways to integrate the IB Learner Profile into their classrooms. We have one core who are having students reflect and evaluate the main character in their choice reading book according to the traits in the IB Learner Profile. IB MYP 5 YEAR EVALUATION Last year a great deal of effort and energy was put into completing the IB MYP Self-Study. The Selfstudy, our internal program evaluation which included information from all stakeholders, including parents, was submitted June 1, 2015. Thank you to those who assisted with input and feedback. We are currently preparing for the IB MYP Site Visit which will occur at THS and our partner school on October 26-28. We will be hosting three IB MYP Evaluators who will have reviewed our Self-Study and during their time at THS will meet with all the stakeholders to ask questions and experience IB MYP at THS. Any parent(s) who would be interested in sharing their experiences and the experiences of their student(s) with IB MYP at THS during the Site Visit please let me know. More details will be provided at the parent’s group meeting on September 17.

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 3

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

PERSONAL PROJECT Personal Projects are underway and quite a few students started work over the summer. This means they are right on track for a successful completion! Ms. Lenna Mabbutt and I presented an intro to the project to all 9th graders at the end of last year. Students were to choose their supervisor and develop ideas for their topic before they left for the summer. We went into the sophomore class meeting earlier this week and reminded students that they should be working on their Personal Project. We have held lunch meetings for students to check in about details from last spring and have a time and space to ask any questions they had. We will be going into each core to share a timeline of steps and check-ins which will assist students through the rest of their Personal Project. The Personal Project Due Date is Friday February 26, 2016. All 10th grade students should be aware of the details of the project within the next two weeks. All students will be uploading information regarding their goal, inquiry question, project specifications and supervisor on Managebac. Please take the time to ask your sophomore student as to the status of their project and please let us know if you or your student has any questions. All students will be presenting their Personal Project on Wednesday March 30th. We would love to have parents volunteer to evaluate projects! If you are interested please let me know, and I will be sharing more details about evaluation during future parent’s group meetings. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, comments, etc. Kelsey Barnes MYP Coordinator 720 972-4847 [email protected]

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

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Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

PARENT MEETING NIGHT

Thursday, September 17th 6:00 - 7:00 pm Topic: "The IB/MYP Programs - Everything you wanted to know but didn't know who to ask"  Information on Personal Projects  Upcoming October MYP/IB 5 Year Evaluation ---- Staff will be present to answer your questions .-----

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 5

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

PARENT GROUPS UPDATE Partnering Together to Meet This Year's Challenges by: Brian Schoeni & Dollis Wright IB Co-Spokespersons We have been back in school for almost a month now, and it feels like it has been at least 3 months with everything that the IB Parents Group (IBPG) and the Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO) has been involved in. We have accomplished a lot so far, but most importantly we have had fun doing it. So, let's re-cap what has been accomplished and what we have learned so far with words and pictures.

Winners of Student, Parent, Staff Obstacle Challenge

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 6

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Student Check In  Accomplishments o Special thanks to Eva Tejada for donating a new "Parents Group" sign o Parents, Staff and IB student representatives spoke to over 1000 students and their parents over the three day Thornton Student check-in. o Information on "What is IB" and "The Benefits of IB Classes" was shared o Special thanks to our student who assisted in the following manner: 



IB Information to Parents and Students 

Jackie Cheung



Marcus Espinoza,



Malina Schoeni,



Kathryn Wright

Volunteer Recruitment 

Kiana Rodriguez,



Erin Reuter

 Lessons Learned/Ideas o Parents and students could benefit from a short introduction to "What is IB" and "The Benefits of taking IB classes" o Providing check in on two evenings and one morning would be more practical for parents schedule, instead of two mornings and one evening.

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 7

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Annual Picnic  Accomplishments o We had a lot of good food! 

Thank you to everyone who participated

o We had a lot of fun! 

Thank you to the Parents, Staff, and Students who participated in our group obstacle course. Special thanks to Mrs. Frazier and Vice Principal Martin for participating and to Mrs. Ralison, Mrs. Burns, and Mrs. Barnes for contributing to the school trivia questions.



Thanks to Blaise Strong and Kathryn Wright for organizing the Parent/Student Kick Ball game.

 Lessons Learned/Ideas o Parents, Teachers, and Students can have a lot of fun when they partner to work on challenges together! o Vice-Principal Martin is a pretty fast runner. o Ms. Frazier attacks difficult problems with ingenuity (i.e. blowing up balloons and gloves) o There is nothing like Institutional Memory. Special thanks to David Rodenbaugh whose wisdom and insights were invaluable to helping make this year's picnic a success.

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 8

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Parent /Teacher Night  Accomplishments o Recruited a few more parents as volunteers o Special thanks to Dr. Kilduff for spear heading the set up of the Parent Groups Table o Gathered information on how to increase the involvement of Thornton Parents.

 Lessons Learned/Ideas o Consider having IB students volunteer for CAS hours, as guides for parents. o Consider having guides that speak Spanish to help parents.

Meeting with Administration, IB and MYP Coordinators  Accomplishments o Discussed and proposed various plans for how the IB Parents Group can be an effective support for the IB program and its students.

 Lessons Learned/Ideas o Develop a 5-7 minute video that presents "What is IB" and "The Benefits of taking IB classes" o Consider

enhancing

the

high

school

night

presentations with student presentations and a focus on "The Value of an Education at Thornton." o Consider various avenues by which Rubrics and IB information can be made easily accessible to students. o Consider creating a Question and Answer summary of IB Class meetings with IB Coordinator. To be made accessible to all students.

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 9

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Other Winners of Student, Parent, Staff Obstacle Challenge

Spanish Parents Group  Accomplishments o English Language Classes for Parents & Students 

Classes are offered on Monday and Wednesday nights from 5:30 to 7:00 pm by Staff volunteers. The first class had over 40 parents show up for an evening full of laughter and comfortable learning.



Special thanks to the five Staff members that volunteer their time and energy to head up this valuable endeavor and resource for our parents (Linda Symak, Terri Lane, Anna Borodina, Virginia D'orazio, and Blake Unis.)

o Spanish Parent Meeting 

Special thanks to Eva Tejada for doing an amazing job of coordinating and executing the first meeting to help parents who speak spanish navigate the school system.

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 10

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/



Parents prioritized potential classes that will empower them to partner in the success of their child's education. (i.e. understanding and using Infinite Campus).

 Lessons Learned/Ideas o Discussions on how to blend these two groups to be a part of the IB and PTSO, and not separate entities. We have a lot planned for the remainder of the school year. We hope that you will take the opportunity to join us as we work together as partners with our Students, Parents, and Staff to increase the success of the IB Program at Thornton, and have fun doing it !

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 11

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Juntos Podemos Hacerle Frente a los Desafíos de este Año Resumen del IBPG (Grupo de Padres de IB)

Ya casi hemos terminado nuestro primer mes escolar y ya se siente como si han sido 3 meses con todo lo acontecido en el IBPG (Grupo de Padres de IB) y el PTSO (Organización Estudiantil de Padres y Maestros). Esto es lo que hemos logrado hasta ahora: Check-In de Estudiantes • Logros

o Gracias a Eva Tejada por la donación de un nuevo rótulo diciendo “Parents Group” o Los representantes de padres, personal y de estudiantes de IB que hablaron con mas de 1000 estudiantes y sus padres durante los 3 días de check-in estudiantil en Thornton High School. o Compartimos la información sobre “Qué es IB?” y “Los beneficios de las clases IB” o Agradecimiento especial a los estudiantes que asistieron de la siguiente manera: ▪



Distribución de información de IB a los padres y estudiantes

 Jackie Cheung  Marcus Espinoza,  Molina Schoeni,  Kathryn Wright  Reclutamiento de voluntarios estudiantiles y de padres de familia  Kiana Rodriguez,  Erin Reuter Lecciones aprendidas e ideas para el futuro o Los padres y estudiantes beneficiarían de una corta introducción en la materia de “Qué es IB?” y “Los beneficios de las clases IB”. Padres e hijos podrían entonces determinar, de manera mas informada, involucrarse en lo que se refiere al IB. o Proveer un Check-in por 2 noches y una mañana para que sea mas práctico para los padres en términos de su horario (esto en vez de hacerlo 2 mañanas y una noche).

Picnic Anual  Logros o Había en abundancia comida muy deliciosa!  Gracias a todos los que participaron! o Nos divertimos mucho!  Un agradecimiento a los padres, al personal y a los estudiantes que participaron en nuestra pista de obstáculos. Un agradecimiento especial a Mrs. Frazier y Vice Principal Martin por su participación y a Mrs. Ralison, Mrs. Burns y Mrs. Barnes por sus contribuciones de preguntas de trivialidades acerca de la escuela. Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

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Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/





Gracias a Blaise Strong y Kathryn Wright por organizar el partido de Kick Ball entre los padres y estudiantes. Lecciones aprendidas e ideas para el futuro o Los padres, maestros, y estudiantes pueden divertirse en grande cuando trabajan en conjunto para superar dificultades. o Vice-Principal Martin corre muy rápido. o Ms. Frazier es muy ingeniosa al atacar los problemas que se presentan (por ejemplo: cuando se inflaron los globos y los guantes) o No hay nada mejor que la Memoria Institucional. Se le da un agradecimiento especial a David Rodenbaugh por su sabiduría y sus intuiciones eran invaluables para hacer el picnic de este año un éxito.

Noche de Padres y Maestros  Logros o Reclutamos mas voluntarios entre los padres o Gracias al Dr. Kilduff por dirigir la instalación de la Mesa para Parent Groups o Obtuvimos información para involucrar a mas de los padres de familia en Thornton  Lecciones aprendidas e ideas para el futuro o Consideremos pedirles a los estudiantes IB que sean voluntarios para las horas CAS, como guías para los padres. o Consideremos tener guías que hablen en Español para ayudar a los padres que solo hablan este idioma. Reunión de la Administración y Coordinadores de IB y MYP  Logros o Discutimos varias proposiciones de cómo el Grupo de Padres IB puede ser un apoyo efectivo para el programa de IB y sus estudiantes. 

Lecciones aprendidas e ideas para el futuro o Desarrollar un video de 5-7 minutes que tenga una presentación sobre “Qué es IB?” y “Los beneficios de las clases IB”. o Consideremos mejorar las presentaciones de la noche de high school (high school night) con presentaciones estudiantiles que se enfoquen en “El valor de una Educación en Thornton”. o Consideremos varias avenidas por las cuales"La Tabla de Información de IB" puede ser accesible a los estudiantes. o Consideremos crear un "Compendio de Preguntas y Respuestas de las Clases de IB" con el coordinador de IB. Todos los estudiantes deben tener acceso a esta información.

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

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Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Grupo de Padres que Hablan Español  Logros o Clases de Inglés para Padres y Estudiantes  Las clases se ofrecen las noches de lunes y miércoles de 5:30pm – 7:00pm por el personal voluntario. En la primera clase asistieron 40 padres para una noche llena de carcajadas y un aprendizaje muy cómodo.  Un especial agradecimiento a los 5 miembros del personal que dieron de su tiempo y energías para dirigir este esfuerzo valioso y en crear un recurso para nuestros padres de familia. (Linda Symak, Terri Lane, Anna Borodina, Virginia D'orazio, and Blake Unis.) o Reunión de padres en Español  Se le da un agradecimiento especial a Eva Tejada quien hizo un excelente trabajo al coordinar y ejecutar la primera reunión para ayudarles a los padres que hablan Español aprender la navegación del sistema escolar.  Los padres tuvieron la oportunidad de priorizar las clases para darle el apoyo necesario que ayude al éxito en la educación de sus hijos. (Por ejemplo: entender el uso de Infinite Campus)  Lecciones aprendidas e ideas para el futuro o Discutimos como podríamos combinar los dos grupos para que sean parte del IB y PTSO – y así no ser entidades separadas. Reunión IB/PTSO  Jueves 17 de septiembre de 6:00 a 7:00 pm  El Tema sera "Programas de IB/MYP – todo lo que usted desea saber pero no sabía a quién preguntarle"  Personal de la escuela estará disponible para responder sus preguntas Tenemos mucho planeado para el resto del año escolar. Esperamos que usted tenga la oportunidad de unirse a nuestro esfuerzo para que trabajemos juntos con nuestros estudiantes, padres, y personal para incrementar el éxito del programa de IB en Thornton High School y divertirnos haciéndolo!

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 14

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Parent/Student Kick Ball Game

HELPFUL LINKS www.thorntonhigh. org Thornton High’s web site. Includes link to IBPG newsletter and IB program news.

Don’t forget Community Service! Use these websites to get extra information and forms. For Freshmen and Sophomores: http://thorntonh.adams12.org/academics/ib/myp.html

Juniors and Seniors – CAS hours. https://sites.google.com/a/adams12.org/the-land-of-cas/

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

If you need general IB information: www.ibo.org/

Be sure to sign into Facebook and locate the THS IB page (IB Programme at Thornton High School) and LIKE it. That way you will automatically receive any information and updates on all things THS IB related! Here is a direct link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/IB-Programme-atThornton-HighSchool/383761235125004?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

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Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Parent/Student Kick Ball Game

UPCOMING EVENTS Additional information/events on THS main web page: http://www.thorntonhigh.org

Thornton High School

Sep. 15

Sr. IB Parents Night 6:00 pm

Sep.17

IBPG/PTSO Meeting 6:00pm

Sep.21

Homecoming Week

Sep.23

Powder Puff

Sep.24

Financial Aid Night 6:00pm-8:00pm

Sep.25

Homecoming Game

Oct.5

Senior IB exam Registration for 2 weeks

Oct.8

Parent Teacher conferences 5:00-8:00 pm

Oct. 15

IBPG/PTSO Meeting 6:00pm

Oct. 16 Oct. 19

Quarter 1 Ends Junior IB exam Registration for 2 weeks

Oct. 24

ACT

Oct. 29

All About IB Info Night

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

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Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

MORE PICNIC PICTURES

Thornton Trivia Challenge

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

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Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

Page 18

Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

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Thornton High School IB NEWS September 2015 Volume 2 Issue 1 http://www.thsibparentsgroup.org/ http://ib.adams12.org/

Thornton High School

9351 N Washington

Thornton, CO 80229

720-972-4800

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