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Newsletter
May 2014
IB Candidate School
We have been accepted as an IB candidate school!
Del Mar Academy is a candidate school* for the Diploma Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy-a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Del Mar Academy believes is important for our students.

*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its three academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), or the Diploma Programme (and in addition the IB Career-related Certificate). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted.

 

For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit http://www.ibo.org

 
Talent Show
Let the Good Times Roll
Every year at the Del Mar Academy Talent Show we can observe the gifted people we have around our community. On March 28, our time machine took us on a journey back in time to meet with many artists from different decades. We had more than 30 presentations, including dancing, horse riding, singing, magic tricks, instrumental music, and comedy acts.
 
We are honored by the students' participation and family members' contributions of sharing their artistic skills. Also, to our dear staff and coaches, without your guidance and your patience, this show would not have looked as professional as it did.

To the audience: we adore you. Your smiles, your laughs, and your applause helped our performers to gain more confidence and give their best. Finally, a giant thank you to the committee; you worked in front and behind the scenes, and we saw the results in the organization and the smooth transition between acts.
 
We want to express a huge thank you for your hard work, devoted support of the arts, and passion for embracing this community through the DMA Annual Talent Show. We are grateful to all of you. 
Music School for Nosara
Del Mar students and parents help create an art mural
Del Mar Academy Middle School students assisted the Surfing Nosara Foundation to create
a mosaic wall for Nosara's branch of the national system of music education (SINEM). Under the direction of Art instructor Juan Carlos Saldana, the students shifted their 2-week art class off campus and to the location in downtown Nosara to create a mosaic wall that will host the Nosara SINEM Music program in the near future.
Reinvent
Environmental Drawing Contest
For the 6th consecutive year, the Environmental Committee coordinated the drawing contest with the environmental theme for the year: Reinvent. Children drew pictures reinventing a world without trash or simply reinventing ways to reuse things, instead of discarding them. The winner of this year�s drawing for our school t-shirt is Ella Ford. Her picture was chosen through a school-wide vote. The environmental committee chose the drawing of our Upper Elementary student Celeste Chalmers for our Eco-Bag.  
 
"Kids around the world are wishing to make a change. This is your chance". Kaiya Burnam. Age 10.
 
ECO-BAGS and -T-SHIRTS for  SALE 
Environmental Committee
 
ECO-BAGS: Bag art designed by Celeste Chalmers, logo by Juan Carlos Saldana, bags
printed and donated by ReuseThisBag.com (the Lober family). Proceeds benefits the 
DMA Environmental Committee's effort to create a plant nursery in support of the 
BarriGuiones Reforestation Program.

T-SHIRTS: Students will be able to use the t-shirts as their school uniform. Please 
pre-order your t-shirt with Silvia at the office. We are looking for different brands. 
They will cost between $10 and $15.

 

 
Monthly Environmental Audits
Guardians of Nature
Del Mar Lower Elementary Students conduct a a monthly school-wide environmental audit. They check on things like water leaks, proper separation of recyclable materials, proper use of electric appliances, etc. We hope to create a very strong tool to be able to share it with all the schools in the area. At DMA, students are empowered to lead! 
 
Learning and Enjoying Our Back Yard
Lower Elementary Field Trip 
To end the second trimester, lower elementary students took an exciting field trip along the ecology trail. To integrate physical education into the fieldtrip, Ms.Gina accompanied the group and led them in various exercises on the way. The hike was lead by Mr. Felipe, the ecology teacher, who knows the trail well. The students worked very hard to walk in silence during the 45-minute hike to observe and listen to the calls of many different birds. They had the opportunity to view these different species of birds through a telescope, which took a lot of patience as they all waited for a turn to see. In addition, the students were able to apply their knowledge of seeds as they collected and talked about different types along the trail. The trail was recently changed, making the hike longer then expected. However, the students kept a positive attitude and enjoyed the adventure.  

 

  

After the field trip, the students wrote about their experience. Comments were very positive,
and many shared that they did not want it to end. We hope that during the next trimester we have the opportunity to repeat this wonderful experience with other educational field trips.
News from our Classroom
Upper Elementary 
Field Trip to Rio Monta�a
UE students visited Rio Montana in March. We learned about aspects of sustainability
on a working farm. Students were able to milk a cow and one hour later eat the
cheese that was made from the milk! We learned how the horses are trained and about the
hard work of running a ranch.

UE Cookbook
Upper Elementary is in the process of completing an online cookbook for our daily
snacks. We have many delicious and healthy recipes to share.

Geography
We have been studying the differences and similarities among the continents. We are
investigating geographical features and how they were formed. We are learning to
locate rivers, bays, mountain ranges, gulfs, archipelagos, lakes, and islands
around the world. We will be researching individual countries and having a cultural
presentation with a celebration of food, traditional costumes, maps, and country
information later in this trimester.

Animals in Captivity vs. Animals in the Wild
Upper Elementary students studied life span comparisons of animals in the wild as
opposed to animals in captivity. For example, would a circus elephant live longer
than an elephant living in the jungles of Africa? We researched individual animals
such as monkeys, tigers, dolphins, dogs, orca whales, and lions. We read the book
Christian the Lion, about a lion cub who was purchased at Harrod's department store
and later released into the wild. We also watched the youtube video showing the
reunion of the lion's former owners one year later, as the lion came from the jungle
and embraced his old friends. We completed this study with a debate, stating facts
and opinions, about the pros and cons of keeping animals in zoos and exhibits.
Fundrasing Gala
Scholarship Foundation 
On March 22, the scholarship foundation hosted a gala at DMA with fantastic entertainment by Dise�o Coste�a from Nicoya and a live auction to raise funds for the Scholarship Foundation. We would like to thank the following families and businesses for the donation of food for the event: Salads by Jenna and Shelly, La Luna, Robin's Ice Cream, Beach Dog Cafe, Desserts by June, and the Gilded Iguana. Also, a big thanks to Super Nosara who donated the rental of ALL of the chairs and tables and Nova Development for helping with the set up.

Over 100 people attended, and we raised more money than in any previous years! We are very excited to announce that we also received a matching grant from the Guanacaste Community Foundation for part of the money raised!

We had auction items/donations from over 40 individuals and businesses from both
Nosara and outside of the country.  These individuals and businesses are listed on our Fundaci�n Para Las Becas Facebook page  (Click here for link)  as well as on our informational pamphlet.

Applications for new scholarships for next year are being accepted through April 30.  
Financial Update
Budget Presentation for Parents and Staff
Del Mar Academy's accountant, Elena Gonzalez Atkinson, made two presentations for parents on March 19th and March 20th and a presentation for staff on April 24th. The presentation included information on the 2012-2013 budget (closed) and the current 2013-2014 school budget. The aim of this meeting was to increase transparency and understanding of DMA's financial operations.

If you were not able to attend the meetings and you are interested in learning more about our school budget, please contact our principal Jason. If there is enough interest we will organize a last presentation before the end of the school year. 
Art Program
Upper Elementary and Middle School
We'd like to highlight a couple of projects from art class. Upper Elementary and Middle School students prepared small and medium art work using acrylic on canvas and wood. Our goal is to assemble a gallery and auction the student�s work to purchase special art materials for our workshops. Middle school students are also developing objects using synthetic clay. They will soon present their work in an art display.
DMA Dancers
Del Mar Students Perform in Recital
DMA students and other children from Nosara performed in a dance recital on March 23.  DMA musical theatre and movement teachers Amber Ryan and Meagen Walsh and special guest teacher Margaret Hilton, worked with a group of children over a 10-week period to prepare for the "Kids In Motion 2nd Annual Recital". Dancers performed ballet, jazz and hip-hop routines, while acrobats demonstrated various tricks from handstands to aerials. With over 100 family members and friends in the crowd, the performers showcased 10 routines with charisma and grace. The group is now getting ready for their next adventure, a dance competition in San Jose, on May 30.  Best of luck to the dancers. 
Santa Cruz Invitational
Manta Raya Swim Club
In February, 17 of our swimmers took to the water and competed in the annual Santa Cruz swim meet. For some of our students, this was their first swim competition, and some of our younger swimmers made their personal best times. 

 he races included, butterfly, freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and of course the relay team events. Every member of the swim team took home a medal. More importantly, they took home team spirit and wonderful memories.
 
 
New Buildings
High School Expansion
We are very excited to announce that the new buildings for our Middle School Program are in the final stage of construction. The first new building was completed in January and hosts our 7th and 8th classrooms as well as our art and music classes. The new building will host our 9th grade students in September 2014. 
 
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~ Knowledge, Ethics, Creativity, Ecology, Leadership ~