4th grade teachers Rick Petrini and Heidi Melville have set up math exploratory time in their classroom.  For example, the students might receive random Lego pieces and use those to demonstrate the math vocabulary they are learning in any way they choose.  See a Photo Gallery of some of their Lego math vocabulary that also displays the IB attributes of being knowledgeable, a thinker and a risk-taker.

Matt Melka, who teaches American History and World Geography in the Middle School, wants to help his students understand the ways technology is changing the world.  Thanks to the annual Hannah Joss Fellowship, Matt will be able to spend two weeks in Japan next summer to bring back insights for his classroom.

"It's a dream of mine to visit Japan," he said after the announcement of the award in a online meeting on Monday, Nov. 23.  "Japan is unique in that it has held on to its deep cultural roots, while also leading the world in technological advancements."  Matt will experience ancient temples and modern bullet trains during July 2021, exploring Tokyo, Hiroshima and other cities.  He'll even get to compare how Tokyo Disneyland differs from the Anaheim and Orlando parks -- a true study in globalization!

Other faculty and staff awards announced on Nov. 23 include:
> The Fred Gilbert Distinguished Teaching Award given to MS English teacher Brook Bassett, who was honored for her personalized approach to teaching and passion for her subject. 
> The Harvey W. Clarke Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Mark Rickard, the US Physical Education & Leadership teacher who also advises the ASB and coaches multiple sports. 
> The Jim Stecher Staff Excellence Award went to Technology Specialist Tony Shuler, who's work with teachers and their technology needs has been central to the success of Hybrid learning this fall. 

Congratulations, Dragons!

The 5th graders spent two days testing their popsicle stick bridge designs to see how much weight they could hold before breaking.  See YouTube videos (each just over 10 minutes long) of the First Day Bridges and the Second Day Bridges breaking in rather dramatic fashion!  And see photo galleries of the students with their bridges from the First Day and the Second Day.

An SGS senior has used the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme to explore a topic of particular interest to him -- vegetarian weight lifting!

EE Highlight: For his Extended Essay, senior Nico Morales wanted to test how a vegetarian diet affects his recovery time in an area of sports.  His research question is: Will a vegetarian diet improve recovery time during a weight lifting program?  In the time of COVID-19, he was able to find a subject matter that interested him and occupied his summer when he was missing summer basketball.  We can’t wait to read about his findings.  Remember the EEs live in our school library for our full diploma students from 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.  Please talk to Sara Smith or Elizabeth Tender if you want to read any of them.

CAS Project Highlight: Junior Alyssa Zhao is helping Qingqing Ji teach classes for her CAS project.  She is just starting this.  She says she "will create several lectures and activities for the SGS IB Chinese learners.  The purpose is to help them have a better understanding for Chinese and provide some useful tools, materials and additional help.”  When asked what new skills or skill levels she hopes to develop, she responded with "Public speaking, leadership, and event organizing ability."

CAS Experience Highlights: CAS experiences for all of our Upper School students (in the US and in China) this week included making “SGS obituaries and impact plans” (where students think about the things they have done and the things that they would like to do in their remaining time at SGS), having a weekly yoga meeting for mental health, participating on the Blood Drive Committee, annotating classical Chinese literature, skating, clearing yard waste, participating in a fellow IB student’s IA for Psychology class, playing tennis, creating a self-care menu, making letters and helping with Everlasting Envelopes, running in a 5K, learning the 4x4 cube, volunteering at LIVE House, practicing yoga, donating blood for the blood drive, teaching basic English to persons in China, and starting an Etsy shop.  

IB Question of the Week: How has the IB as an organization adapted its requirements for COVID-19?  The IB Organization is addressing the loss of instruction time through targeted removals and/or amendments of assessment components or submission requirements.  These adaptations aim to empower teachers to address each subject’s aims and objectives with flexibility and fairness in preparation for the May and November 2021 session.  Learn about all of the ways the IB is responding to the extraordinary challenges ahead at https://www.ibo.org/covid-19-support/  

IB Overview:  The Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum for grades 11-12 is made up of six subject groups and the DP core, comprising Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) and the Extended Essay (EE).  Please refer to our IB webpage and to the IB Resources page in PowerSchool Learning for detailed IB information.  

Three SGS seniors have used the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme to explore topics of particular interest to them -- Cryptography and 3D Printing!

EE Highlight:  Senior Jake Gliniak wrote his EE on the topic of Cryptology.  His research question is, "How does RSA encryption use math to secure information?"  RSA encryption is a system that solves what was once one of the biggest problems in cryptography: How can you send someone a coded message without having an opportunity to previously share the code with them?  More about RSA encryption (until you are able to read Jake’s EE) can be found here on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_(cryptosystem).

CAS Project Highlight:  COVID has created some challenges for students’ CAS projects.  We have students who wanted to do a basketball skills clinic or spearhead the 2nd Harvest Food Bank Drive, but have had to change their plans.  However, some students were able to stick with their plan.  This week we highlight Jake Gliniak, Alec Bunn and Tristan Krzyzanek.  Alec, Tristan, and Jake are creating 3D printed masks to help immune-compromised cancer patients stay safe when it's necessary for them to visit hospitals.  These seniors spent many hours designing and writing up the proposal, recruiting help and support, prototyping and improving the mask, manufacturing and assembling, and distributing the end product to cancer patients.  

Alec and Tristan coordinated the 3D printing, "however, finding strapping or sealant strips for the masks proved difficult due to extreme shortages in supply and limited access," the students wrote in their project proposal.  "We attempted to solve these issues through a number of unconventional solutions including: silicone caulk, elastic shoelaces, weather stripping, etc.  We settled on a combination of elastic shoelaces and weather stripping, which we felt provided the best seal, comfort, and ability to be sanitized."  Jake completed the assembly, with help from senior Sydney Bledsoe, and delivered the first nine prototypes to Summit Cancer Care in Spokane, where "the masks were a big hit."  Their goal is to supply 100 masks to local patients.

CAS Experiences Highlights: CAS experiences for all of our Upper School students (in the US and in China) this week included Everlasting Envelopes, painting pumpkins, pumpkin carving, Knowledge Bowl, National Novel writing Month, wiring letters to family members in Spanish, making signs for the blood drive, playing the ukulele, picking up branches and leaves, developing a Performance Management Chart (Tracking Tool) for Athletic Training, and painting poster for the food drive

IB Question of the Week:  How can you find other IB schools around the world?  Follow this link: https://www.ibo.org/programmes/find-an-ib-school/

IB Overview:  The Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum for grades 11-12 is made up of six subject groups and the DP core, comprising Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) and the Extended Essay (EE).  Please refer to our IB webpage and to the IB Resources page in PowerSchool Learning for detailed IB information.  

After researching the engineering of bridge designs, the 5th grade class tested the weight that their own popsicle stick bridges could carry before breaking.  See photos of the First Group, whose best bridge held 86 lbs., and of the Second Group, who had a bridge carry 112 lbs! 

The 2nd graders, dressed up for Halloween, read scary books to their classmates at home and to the preschoolers at Green Gables Learning Center.  This is part of their service project with the students of that nearby school.  See a Photo Gallery of them sharing their favorite stories with friends old and new who were viewing from their tablets.

SGS seniors have used the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme to explore two timely topics of particular interest to them -- the SGS Food Drive and National Elections.

EE Highlight:   In the time of our election, we thought we would highlight a research question that was at the center of an election… in India.  Senior Chaitanya Nalluri wrote his extended essay topic on Hindu Nationalism.  His research question is: How has the election of Narendra Modi caused a surge in Hindu nationalism and how has this affected religious minorities in India?  We can’t wait to read this Extended Essay once it’s complete!  (The school makes all EEs available for everyone to read.  These live in our library, so please talk to Sara Smith or Elizabeth Tender if you want to read any EEs written by our full diploma students from 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.)  

CAS Project Highlight: Senior Dana Mogensen and junior Beth Swartzwelder are running the annual 2nd Harvest food drive this year from November 2-20.  Grades 6-12 each have their own donation boxes with a competition between grades.  The Lower School will be collecting as one unit with bins inside ESAC.  Dana and Beth will be down at ESAC on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to meet parents and grab any donations from them.  These food donations go directly to local families that are unable to afford food.  In Spokane alone, 1 in 8 people, including 1 in 5 children, are food insecure.  “Saint George’s food drive is the biggest donation that 2nd Harvest gets from any organization,” according to Dana and Beth.  Families choosing to social distance can donate directly to 2nd Harvest at: https://2-harvest.org.  Every $1 donated equals 5 meals. 

IB Question of the Week:   What are IB subject briefs?  IB provides short, two-page summaries of many of their most popular subjects including an overview of the topics, a teaching hours distribution and a sample assessment question or two.  While not intended to provide a complete picture of the course, they do give some insight to the teaching philosophy and structure of both SL and HL versions of the course.  Complete subject guides for actual teaching of every course are available to authorized and candidate IB schools.  There are also many other resources available to IB Diploma course teachers; both online and in training sessions.  Here is a link to a page with the available Subject Briefs.

Got a question about the IB?  Send it to Elizabeth Tender and she'll answer it in a future IB Highlights.

IB Overview:  The Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum for grades 11-12 is made up of six subject groups and the DP core, comprising Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) and the Extended Essay (EE).  Please refer to our IB webpage and to the IB Resources page in PowerSchool Learning for detailed IB information.