* Monday, September 18th, 3:00 pm: After-School Program starts
* Wednesday, September 20th, 2pm: Parent Information Day
* Wednesday, September 27th: NO SCHOOL (Professional Development)
* Sunday, October 1st: Parade
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Dear LIFE Community:
We are already back in full swing, and it is a joy seeing the children happy, respectful, and confident inside and outside the classroom. It's the type of multicultural collaboration and "freedom with order" that Robert Muller always considered an ideal learning environment.
I am proud to share with you some of the wonderful new developments at LIFE :
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First off, I'd like to briefly introduce our fantastic teaching staff for this year. Thanks to their hard work, professional skills, and enthusiasm we are able to continuously provide the highest quality of education this town has to offer. True to our philosophy, the teachers strive for our students to excel on all levels: academically, socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
Catlin McCracken (Kindergarten): In addition to classroom teaching in Washington State, Africa, and here at LIFE, Catlin has 12 years of experience working with children as a social worker and dance teacher. Her adventurous spirit has also lead her on extensive journeys through Africa, China, Brazil, Europe, and Central America. Based on best practices in early childhood education and in the spirit of "freedom with order" both Catlin and Nancy's students have several learning centers such as "Writing," "Dramatic Play," and "Math" to choose from each day. Don't forget to sign up for Catlin's Salsa lessons Tuesday night at LIFE!
Nancy Snyder (1st/2nd Grade): Nancy was born and raised in Philadelphia and received her degree in Early Childhood Education from Boston University while also teaching at the university's preschool. After working in Boston for three years, Nancy taught the next seven years in Washington, DC holding positions such as lead teacher and demonstration teacher, doing staff development training, and serving on the committee to compose the DC standards for kindergarten readiness. Nancy has traveled in Central America and studied Spanish in Costa Rica. Check out her students' graphs displayed in the Palapa!
George Nippo (3rd/4th Grade): George Nippo is returning to LIFE after a two year break in which he received a Masters Degree in Human Development and Family Studies while also working in the foreign student office at the University of Rhode Island. His undergraduate degrees are in Elementary Education and Spanish. George studied in Spain and Argentina and has traveled extensively throughout the Americas and parts of Europe. George's students are currently working on a thematic unit on "Community" and will be creating their own ideal communities based on their strenghts in multiple intelligences.
Courtney Ellis (5th/6th Homeroom; 5th-9th Math and Science): Courtney is originally from Reno, Nevada. She graduated from the University of Nevada's honor program with a specialized degree in Mathematics education. Courtney has worked in Peru, Croatia, and Northwestern India, but spent the last two years teaching Math at public high schools in Nevada and California. Her students are currently charting weather patterns and creating tornadoes in the classroom. Watch out! Courtney also has five years of experience coaching gymnastics and will be offering classes at LIFE.
Matt Tuoni (7-9th Homeroom; 5th-9th Language Arts and Social Studies): This is Matt's eighth year at LIFE teaching junior high school. Matt is an expert in Latin American Studies but also strives to make his classroom a window to the whole world through his thematic units. To enrich his students' understanding of early Central American civilizations, Matt also reads related fables and myths with his students and teaches them about the arts and crafts developed during this era. In addition to teaching, Matt has been the editor-in-chief of our student newspaper, as well as the chess and girls basketball coach.
Marta Chinchilla (Spanish Teacher and Technical Director): Marta has been working as an elementary teacher for the past fourteen years. She is also a trained social worker and is currently working on the thesis of her Masters Degree. As the liaison to the Ministry of Education, Marta ensures that we remain fully accredited each year. In addition, being part of several Guatemalan curriculum review committees, she also provides our teachers with professional development regarding the newest changes in the Guatemalan standards such as the new requirement for authentic assessment. Apart from her tremendous ability to turn grammar and vocabulary development into playful learning activities, she is a born story-teller. Children are often entranced as she vividly recounts ancient Guatemalan legends and myths.
Lisa Vandervalk (ESL, Literacy and Library Specialist, Wellness): Lisa has six years of bilingual teaching experience ranging from pre-school through fourth grade and started working in libraries when she was fourteen. Her expertise is in fostering language acquisition and teaching literacy skills to children of any age. Most of all, she wants her students to love reading as much as she does and will be organizing community events and programs to achieve this goal. Lisa will also be implementing LIFE's new Wellness curriculum based on the latest US standards, which blend physical fitness with social skills and health education. In addition to teaching at LIFE, Lisa volunteers in Panabaj to help children who were affected by last year's disaster.
Behind the scenes there are many more important people that make LIFE the wonderful place it is. To name just a few, do you know Lidia Churunel, Jim Cameron, Loida Eunice Minchez, Victor & Blanca Marroquin, Paul Dunn and Carlos Tzul? Find out how they are tirelessly supporting LIFE in our October Newsletter.
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Another exciting part of LIFE is our new After-School Program. Gymnastics, Karate, Art, and Music Performance are only a few of our many courses. The course offerings will vary every month, so please visit us or call us to get the newest list. Spaces are limited and the program is open to all children and adults of Panajachel, so sign up today!
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Finally, do your friends' children go to a school that follows the Guatemalan calendar? Tell them about our Vacation Program! We gladly enroll temporary students during the Guatemalan vacations to give them a taste of all the great things LIFE has to offer and immerse them in an English-speaking environment.