Dear TIBS Community,

Welcome to the 2023 Fall eNewsletter. 

We hope that your 2023-24 school year is going well. We continue to recognize the difficulty of implementing the IB standards and practices in all of the programmes. We applaud your dedication and hard work to provide what is needed for every individual student. What a monumental task! We salute you!

We enjoyed seeing some of you in Georgetown in early November. We know you are looking forward to the upcoming winter holiday break, as you are all in need of a well-deserved rest.

This edition of the newsletter includes a wonderful student spotlight, in addition to information about roundtables for PYP and MYP. You will also find several articles sharing great ideas that are working in other schools. We hope you will find the ideas helpful.

Thanks to those of you who made the time to share articles for our eNewsletter. We are grateful for your continued support, and we truly appreciate your efforts to provide the students in your schools with the best possible educational opportunities in spite of the difficulties involved. Don't forget to keep us updated with your stories, photos, and videos! Send them any time, as it will be time for the Spring eNewsletter before we know it.

We wish all of you happy holidays and a restful winter break.



Best regards, 

Karen Phillips, TIBS Executive Director

Courtney Smith, TIBS Associate Executive Director

• What We've Been Up To / What's Coming Up
• Recently Authorized Schools
• 2023/2024 Board Members
• College Fair Update
• Student Spotlight
• Information for the PYP and MYP Roundtable
• Success Stories from our Schools
• Announcements
• Contact Us

What We’ve Been Up To:

Summer IB Workshops

DFW (June 8 & 9): 284 trained

McAllen (June 12 & 13): 81 trained

Austin (July 24-29): 870 trained

Houston (August 2 & 3): 308 trained

Longview (August 7 & 8): 205 trained

TAGT—Dallas (November 29-December 1)

What’s Coming Up:

TIBS Spring Meeting —Virtual (March 1)

TAGT Leadership Conference—Houston (March 24-26)

TIBS College Fair—Hurst (April 2)

TIBS Austin Workshops (July 21-27)

IB Global Conference—Washington DC (July 25-28)

Congratulations to our newly authorized schools in Texas! We understand the level of commitment involved in just getting authorized, and we are very proud of all of your hard work. If you are not on this list and have been authorized, please let us know.

• Bramlette STEAM Academy (PYP)—Longview
• Clarence W. Bailey Elementary (PYP)—Longview
• East Texas Montessori Prep Academy (PYP)—Longview
• Foster Middle School (MYP)—Longview
• Imagine Lone Star International Academy (PYP)—Plano
• Longview High School (MYP)—Longview
• Temple Emanu-El, ECEC (PYP)—Dallas  

Seby Meloni (At Large)--Houston ISD

Penny Tschirhart (At Large)--San Antonio ISD

Anthony Watson (At Large)--Round Rock ISD

Katie Biela (DP)--Uplift Education

​Erin McKee (DP)--San Antonio ISD

Toby Klameth (MYP)--Lubbock ISD

Jennifer Love (MYP)--San Antonio ISD

Elizabeth Hall (PYP)--Round Rock ISD

Ashley Swindle (PYP)--International School ofTexas (Austin)

College Fair 2024 will be an in-person event. It will be held on April 2nd at the Hurst Conference Center. Registration for students will begin on February 16th. Look for email with more details about student registration.

The virtual college fair will continue in 2024. The fair is available to IB students and at www.texasibcollegefair.com .

IB Global Conference

Join the IB community at the Global Conference of 2024, held in Washington D. C. on 25 – 28 July.



Details to follow

Socks for School

For the past 4 years, We Help Two has sponsored 65 students in Uganda to attend boarding school, get new uniforms, and cover part of their teachers' salaries, all through the sale of crazy socks!  

Thanks to TIBS (and everyone who has purchased socks at our events), Eric will be able to attend school next year! He is grateful, as going to school allows him to pursue his dream of being a doctor.

TIBS has been a big part of helping raise students out of poverty and giving them a future through education.

This year we still have 28 students left to sponsor, and we need your help!

(105 packs of socks sold = 1 student sponsored)

We have so many new socks this year, including fuzzy socks! 

What's new! 

• Our PenPal program: Your students can correspond with the student they are sponsoring. (Meet the students HERE)
• The Donation Pack: People who don't want socks but still want to support your cause can purchase a pack of socks that will be sent to your school for local donation.
• For every pack sold, you will also receive a pair of socks for local donation. 

Here is how your students can participate this year. 

• Socks for School (Sponsor a child to attend school in Uganda) 
• Own Cause (Raise funds for the cause of your choice, including your school) 
• Best of Both (Raise funds for your school and a student and split the profit at the end) 

Get Started Today! 

If you would like more information or sign up please contact Trevor Bergman at trevor@wehelptwo.com.

https://www.wehelptwo.com

Meet David Munoz-Matta

David Munoz-Matta is a senior in the IB Program at Lamar Academy, in McAllen, TX. David was born in Mexico and immigrated to the US with his mother. David knew early in his academic career that he wanted to immerse himself in an environment that challenged him and enriched his learning experiences. This led David to the IB Program at Lamar Academy. As a junior, David decided that he would utilize his summer as an opportunity to sharpen his leadership potential and applied to several programs including the Bezos Scholars Program (BSP). A major focus of the BSP application asks high school juniors to identify a challenge in their communities and discuss how they would effect change that targets that challenge. David immediately knew that he wanted to focus on financial literacy for teens. By observation, experience, and in his work with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, David noted that poverty is a prevalent concern in the Rio Grande Valley.

This past spring David received the news that he was a member of the 2023 BSP cohort consisting of 13 US and 4 South African scholars. In the last five months the cohort has received training and mentorship from BSP staff and their partners. This included a trip to Aspen, Colorado, to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival where David and other BSP scholars met with world thinkers and leaders who challenged them to explore ways they can shape their communities in positive ways.

David returned to the Rio Grande Valley motivated and ready to develop his project, Dinero Di$cussions, which will be a regional event, led by students, that will educate teens in the foundations of financial literacy. The event is being organized by the school club David founded this past August, FLARE (Financial Literacy and Advancement for RGV Equity) has been hard at work, meeting weekly to create a successful event scheduled for April of 2024.

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_HfXSkSXk

Submitted by Rachelle Downey, DP Coordinator, Lamar Academy, McAllen ISD

PYP and MYP Roundtable Opportunity

Calling all IB educators!

We invite you to join us in San Antonio at Jefferson High School on February 24, 2024 for a South Central Texas PYP and MYP Roundtable Fiesta!

Register early for a chance to win a prize!

Register Here

Want to present the amazing work you're doing? Submit a proposal below.

Submit Proposal Here

Questions? You can contact the following individuals:

Veronika Mendoza - vgutierrez4@saisd.net

Cari Richter - crichter1@saisd.net

Jennifer Love -- jlove1@saisd.net

Thank you!

Submitted by Veronika Mendoza, MYP Coordinator, Harris Middle School,

San Antonio ISD

Creating Learning Communities

Fifth graders at Chandler Oaks Elementary School in Round Rock showcased PYP Exhibition to the community on Thursday, November 16th. Over 200 people from around the state of Texas visited and heard presentations about a variety of issues. Students shared research and data about an issue they were passionate about and shared action to help improve the issue. 

“It was a memorable and enjoyable experience. I enjoyed learning more about my topic and working with my team,” said Poorna Naveen, a 5th-grade student. Katie Stewart, another 5th-grade student added, “I love working with my teammates and learned a lot about our 2 topics. I enjoyed sharing this with others.

Submitted by Elizabeth Hall, PYP Coordinator, Chandler Oaks Elementary School,

Round Rock ISD

TOK Know-Vember

Shari Garza, the TOK teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, sponsored a TOK emphasis for all students considering the IB programme. She called the activity Know-Vember, and it included several contests for students. She shared instructions for TOK Bingo and a slide presentation that teachers could personalize for their subject matter. She also shared a link to Critical Thinking Skills Activities.

Student contests included:

• Answering a question with blackout poetry
• Answering a question through art
• Creating a 3-minute video about Theory of Knowledge or Critical Thinking Skills and why we need them

All entries were judged on creativity, responding to the knowledge question (if applicable), and originality of the entry. Two of the winners are pictured here.

Submitted by Jennifer Love, MYP Coordinator, Jefferson High School,

San Antonio ISD

Happenings at Grandview Hills

The PYP Exhibition encourages our Grandview Hills students to inquire, explore, and take action on real-world issues. This year, our fifth-grade students have been participating in a Community Action Speaker Series to help them gain a deeper understanding of community issues and inspire them to proactively engage with those who are making a difference. 

Our Community Action Speaker Series has featured individuals from diverse backgrounds: community leaders, entrepreneurs, students, teachers, and change-makers, whose work directly impacted the local community. Pictured are just a few of the amazing speakers that we had come in and share. Among these speakers was a current parent gearing up to run for a local government position. Her mission? To make a meaningful impact by addressing the challenges faced by Austin’s homeless population. Another speaker was our very own counselor. Her mission? To help foster the large number of cats in local animal shelters. Over the course a few years, she has fostered nearly fifty cats and is an advocate for animals that need help finding a home. The last speaker pictured is the director of Foster Village Houston. Her mission? To help bring this non-profit to life with her sister and help foster families in the Houston area. These speakers shared their experiences, challenges, and success, providing invaluable insights for our fifth graders. This series aimed not just to inform but to inspire and ignite a sense of possibility among students.

       The integration of the Community Action Speaker Series has allowed for our students to not only see the importance of creating change within their community, but how this change can also help shape the way we influence change at a global level.

Submitted by Erin Carroll, PYP Coordinator, Grandview Hills Elementary School, Leander ISD

City Council Activity Leads to

School Garden

Third Grade students at Windsor Park Elementary IB World School in Corpus Christi ISD conducted an inquiry into how citizens have rights and responsibilities that may lead to change in communities. Students researched both positive and negative perspectives of community gardens. After learning about community gardens and the impact they have on communities, students prepared speeches either for or against the idea of the City of Corpus Christi funding community gardens. 

The students then presented their speeches to the “City Council” made up of third graders who were elected to their positions by their fellow students. During the mock council meeting, the City Council asked clarifying questions of the student speakers and then voted on the issue of funding the gardens. In the end, two out of three councils voted to provide funds to create community gardens. 

This learning experience helped students to have a better understanding of how citizens can impact their communities through the right of freedom of speech and the responsibility to learn about issues that affect their communities. The students are going to further put their learning into action by planting a school garden in the spring semester.

Submitted by Rachel Beavers, PYP Coordinator, Windsor Park Elementary School, Corpus Christi ISD

Language Acquisition at Westlake Academy

Bonjour! ¡Hola! 

At Westlake Academy, students in the Primary Years Programme (PYP) have the opportunity to start learning Spanish at a very young age. When they progress to the Middle Years Programme (MYP), they encounter a new challenge: during Grade 6 students delve into the study of two languages, Spanish and French.  

Open-mindedness and communication skills form the core of this class. When asked what skills you gain through the G6 language acquisition classes, current and past 6th graders stated that beyond communication skills, the class enabled them to persevere in learning an unfamiliar subject, in other words, being risk-takers. It also offers them another perspective on the world.

This class provides an opportunity for students to identify which language they feel more comfortable with and wish to pursue throughout their academic journey as International Baccalaureate scholars. Every spring, 6th graders are tasked with choosing the language they will continue with through the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Program (DP). While a majority of students select Spanish (our proximity to Central America and South America plays a role here), French remains a strong option for students who want to venture into the Francophone world. 

Students enjoy discovering new vocabulary and grammar concepts while also gaining insights into Spanish and French culture through various projects. As Akosua Agyeman stated, “Through Mrs. Thébault’s language acquisition, I have learned that language learning is very important as it offers new ways to collaborate with others and learn about different cultures. Learning both French and Spanish helped me better understand the world around me.” Mateo Briseño added, “G6 Language acquisition helped me better understand the importance of making connections with others.” 

When asked about memorable experiences, students shared that they enjoyed projects like the papel picado when they commemorated Dia de los Muertos in Mexico, Crepes Day to celebrate Mardi Gras in February, and creating 3D maps of either French or Spanish countries to learn about symbolism. Many of these projects are intertwined with other disciplines such as design or even math. For example, in the winter of 2022, students made crepes, while applying their math skills in converting metric measurements to American standards. Creativity is a central component of the class, empowering students to explore and learn more. 

Past 6th graders shared that to be successful in Grade 6, students should practice reading, speaking, writing, and listening at least three times a week. Akosua added, “When I started Spanish, I wasn’t that good at it, but I kept trying and eventually excelled in Spanish. Also, another piece of advice is to start with writing short simple sentences because when you write longer, fancier sentences, you make more mistakes.” What Akosua won’t tell you is that although she excelled in Spanish, she is now taking French in Grade 7 as she aspires to have an international career when she grows up. 

Submitted by Ingrid Thebault, MYP and DP French and Spanish Teacher, and Sarah Stack, MYP Coordinator, Westlake Academy

Where We Are in Place and Time

homes and journeys, migrations of humankind

As part of their Where We Are in Place and Time unit focusing on the concept of movement, fourth-grade learners at Pinkerton Elementary immersed themselves in a migration simulation where they worked in groups as family units to face challenges and opportunities that helped determine whether or not they wished to migrate to a new land or continue to endure and stay in their homeland. (There might even be an incentive to remain). Each group took on the role of a family unit facing challenges and/or opportunities in their assigned scenario. Learners researched and discussed the implications of their situation on their family's daily life, decision-making process, and possible outcomes. This activity encouraged critical thinking, empathy, and understanding of the complex factors involved in societal movement and Earth changes. 

Participating in this experience allowed learners to see migration from a different perspective as they had to endure the pressure and stresses of making decisions that could be life-changing for a family.

 Learning Experiences:

● Teachers provided a background scenario for each group that gave family details, housing, income, growth opportunities in their current living situation, and challenges faced in their area. Learners had to consider elements, such as how much money their family has, job opportunities, how safe their environment is, whether or not they can vote, etc… in order to make decisions for their family.

●   Learners utilized their research skills to learn more about their home country to become familiar with the area where they live, so they could make more informed decisions.

●   Learners were also given roadblocks, which could include a challenge or opportunity they might face (forest fire burned crops, a landslide/earthquake destroyed their home, a job promotion, etc…). These roadblocks provided opportunities for learners to utilize critical thinking skills, as well as communication skills within their family unit.

Submitted by Marni Ward, PYP Coordinator, and Meredith Schaff, Instructional Coach, Pinkerton Elementary School, Coppell ISD

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Spring Coordinator/Administrator meeting will be on March 1st. It will be virtual. More information to follow.

• Registration for TIBS Austin workshops (Session 1, July 21-24 and Session 2, July 24-27) will open on February 1st on the TIBS website. Sessions will be in person. Remember: the IB organization and Kent State University have partnered to offer graduate credit for PYP, MYP, and DP training. Click here to find out more!

Texas IB Schools (TIBS) ww.texasibschools.org