Spotlight Magazine June -ENG

MAGAZINE

FESTIVAL OF JUNHO TEM LEARNINGOF FESTIVAL AND FESTAE LEARNING FESTA JUNINA JUNINA

COME VAMOS CELEBRAR A CELEBRATE APRENDIZAGEM! LEARNING!

1202 * ENUJ 5#

SPOTLIGHT

TRÊS ARTIGOS 3 ARTICLES ESCRITOS POR WRITEN BY NOSSOS OUR LEARNERS ESTUDANTES

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EDITORIAL

Celebrating Learning in June

CONCEPT WEBINAR Webinar Series about Academic Rigor at Escola Concept

CONCEPT CAST

Tune in to our Podcast channel

FESTIVAL OF LEARNING A sneak peek of the projects developed in the 1st semester

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INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR OF "VALENTES"

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FESTA JUNINA

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CONTENTS

6 8

Chat with Aryane Cararo, who wrote a book about refugees in Brazil

Arraiá in the Giving Tree Forest

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY A greener life starts at school

IN THE VOICE OF THE LEARNERS Check out two articles and one interview made by our students

PREVIOUS EDITIONS Get involved in our community through Spotlight Magazine

The end of our first semester is just around the corner and, as time goes by, we are getting closer to that exciting time of year when we get together for the Festival of Learning. This is when the discoveries and accomplishments of our learners come to life in the form of prototypes, presentations, campaigns, and all sorts of experiences for families and students to interact.

For the last few months, our learners evolved in a number of ways: they have developed academic and social skills and led creative and challenging projects.

Now, it’s time to celebrate them!

As we follow the journey of the book The Giving Tree,

by Shel Silverstein, and we compare ourselves to the tree, we realize that learning does not only mean gaining knowledge for one's own benefit. We truly flourish when we do something with what we learn and feel grateful for it.

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L AI R O TI D E In this SPOTLIGHT edition, we invite you to get inspired by some of the amazing projects our learners are working on for our 1st Festival of Learning of 2021.

Come with us, as we connect Global Events to a special Festa Junina that will foster kindness and cultural diversity.

And if you haven’t joined us for our Webinar and Podcast, get ready to take your Concept academic knowledge to the next level with our Leadership Team!

Let

’s

celebrate learning!

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ACADEMIC RIGOR

CONCEPT WEBINAR Last April, we started a new and exciting project in our school, specially planned for our entire family community. The Concept Webinar is a series of webinars focused on what Academic Rigor looks like in theory and practice at Escola Concept.

Every week, on Tuesdays at 5:15 p.m., until June 22nd, our teaching and learning leadership team will discuss topics that range from curriculum to assessment, giving the opportunity for families to learn more about the multiple academic aspects of our school.

Click below to access the recordings of previous meetings and get inspired to join us on the upcoming episodes!

What is Academic Rigor?

Data-driven Learning: How is feedback delivered at Escola Concept?

Learning the basics of MAP testing.

Interpreting MAP data Math Program: what is new with the learning of mathematics at Escola Concept?

Literacy: what is new with the literacy program at Escola Concept?

Learning about the Middle School/Pre-High School/High School

Next topics: Innovation Diploma.

Tuesday, June 8th, at 5:15 p.m.

Innovation Diploma: come learn more about this diploma and how it will enhance the High School curriculum.

Tuesday, June 15th, at 5:15 p.m.

Global Citizen Diploma (GCD): what is the GCD? How will the GCD enhance the portfolio of our learners?

Tuesday, June 22nd, at 5:15 p.m.

University preparation: how will Escola Concept prepare learners for the university of their choice?

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Concept

Tune in for our Concept CAST! Escola Concept's new podcast channel will hear every month from experts, educators, or families from our community to have them answering and reflecting on questions that have been raised by our own learners.

From small everyday life curiosities to big "essential questions": Let’s learn together!

Click to listen to our first episode, which featured an interview with positive psychology expert Carol Romano, talking about happiness.

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A sneak peek of the Festival of Learning

CELE BRATE The weeks before the Festival of Learning are exciting.

The enthusiasm inside learning spaces to finish posters, learners reaching out to the MakerSpace, where the prototypes are created, the butterflies in their stomach before the presentations, the learning process becoming concrete and visible to families!

We are glad to be back on campus so that we can have this feeling again, even with special attention to the safety protocols. The Festival of Learning, scheduled for Saturday, June 12th, will be virtual.The learning that has happened during the last quarter has been real and notable.

Let’s take a look at one project from each segment from the Escolas Concept - Ribeirão Preto, Salvador and São Paulo - so we can have an idea of what our learners are preparing to show us.

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Pre-K4A São Paulo A forest to play, without stepping on the beautiful plants of our garden Final project: the florestinha is a little forest with trails marked with pebbles, gravel, and flowers planted by the learners. The project was conceived by the class as a solution to a problem situation, in which children liked to go into areas of our garden that were not meant for playing and they ended up breaking the branches and leaves of the plants and bushes.

Main contents studied: the integrated project contemplated all the experience fields of Early Childhood Education. By expanding interpersonal relationships and cooperation among the group and with the surroundings, we worked on the field "The self, the other, and us".

By observing and choosing materials to transform the place, the field of "Space, times, quantities, transformations, and relationships" was explored. By making the forest an environment to create and retell stories, we had the field of "Listening, speaking, thinking, and imagining". The learners played, for example, with theffalo’s story. The project ends, but the little forest and its infinite field for imagination continue! spotlight - june 2021 | 09

Grade 3C São Paulo Prints made by the learners, profits to help fauna and flora Final project: a line of sustainable products, with prints designed by learners, called Traço com abraço.

Created to raise funds for the NGO Instituto Camila e Luiz Taliberti, the line will have items such as wallets and coin purses, for sale through a partnership with the Quero Dobra store. In order to create the sales campaign, learners made “professional” groups of marketing, design, finances, managing/ documentation, and technology.

Main contents studied: the trimester was focused on reading and writing, with emphasis on cursive writing development, which was the reason why learners engaged in drawing observation, which favored fine motor coordination. In Maths, the class revised and practiced mental calculus operations of addition and subtraction, which will be very useful now that they take care of the sales accounting of the Traço com abraço store. Science and Social Studies were behind the whole process, through investigations of animal classifications, comparison and contrast between the life cycle of plants and animals, and discussions about responsible consumption and production.

Click here to visit the virtual store 10 | spotlight - june 2021

Grade 9A São Paulo All students must study the concept of sustainable city: an idea taken to public audience Final product: a proposal submitted to São Paulo City Hall, through the public audience process in which the Goals Program 2021-2024 and the Multi-Year Plan 2022-2025 will be established. The learners propose the inclusion, as a mandatory topic in the Science curriculum of High and Middle School: Urban Geography and the discussion of the city models we want for our future.

They also materialized the idea of a city with planned infrastructure by building a 3D model in the MakerSpace/ FAB LAB.

Main contents studied: the idea of materializing the project was born of group’ reflexions in metacognition classes. In order to make this proposal, learners reviewed the textual genre “letter” and were concerned with both the formal language and the use of arguments of their ideas. The scale model was made in Art classes, and involved elements of mathematics, such as circumference and proportion. The project aimed to think about a sustainable city, a concept linked to Social and Natural Sciences, and Geography.

Check out here the proposal suggested by Grade 9 learners. spotlight - june 2021 | 11

Project Pre-K4 Escola Concept Salvador

The whole school involved in the campaign to encourage kindness, charity, and peace Final product: Pre-K4 learners organized an action through drive thru and encouraged the whole school to make donations. During this project, they also made a kindness calendar, which was also disseminated within the school. The project aimed to encourage kindness, thinking of others, and to cultivate the importance of charity, kindness, and peace to children from an early age.

Main contents studied: children are naturally curious about their world and, with a little bit of orientation and supervision, they can be creative, helping each other, celebrating themselves and the Earth. Because of their inquiring minds, children are excited to know why things are the way they are and will ask lots of questions about the environment surrounding them. Childhood is the moment to encourage and nourish the first interests about nature.

Check out: video about the campaign kindness calendar

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Grade 4 - Escola Concept Salvador

Learners interview NGO TETO’s volunteers and develop a crowdfunding campaign Final product: engaged with two school pillars, Sustainability, and Collaboration, other than the UN Global Goal 10, which talks about guaranteeing equal opportunities and reducing social inequalities, the learners are developing a website and a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to help a nearby poor community. On the website, you can access an interview with Carolina Batista (Commercial Manager of NGO TETO), Diogo Sodré (Principal of Madre de Deus State School), and Marina Brandão (Architect of NGO TETO), where they talk about social inequality and the importance of public policy actions and reducing inequalities to ensure the quality of life for disadvantaged people.

Main contents studied in the process: Through this project, students developed their understanding of the influence of socioeconomic, geographical, historical, and cultural factors on the way human beings live. In the discussion about equal opportunities, they focused on the issue of housing to answer and analyze relevant questions linked to the project such as: What types of houses exist in Brazil? Are the houses in Brazil different from the rest of the world?

Why do people live in different houses? Why do some people move around a lot?

Click here to access the site and collaborate with the campaign

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Grade 8 - Escola Concept Salvador

How can we build a society where giving is as important as receiving?

Final product: Grade 8 learners developed a Learning Kit with school supplies: an educational project development manual, masks, and hand sanitizers for students from public Middle Schools. The goal is to help students in vulnerable situations to maintain their studies during the pandemic, strengthening the UN's SDG #10: Reducing Inequalities.

Main contents studied: Society imposes a symbolic order on all its members: the way social life is collectively imagined and how, through it, they think of their vital relationships with nature and the universe. Through this process, how does the balance between giving and receiving work? Based on this question, the Grade 8 learners intend to understand the interpretation of the existing relationships between the processes of social construction of reality and the identification of human beings, based on a healthy exchange relationship. With this, to promote responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making at all levels.

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Grade 10 - High School Escola Concept Salvador

Teenagers retell children's stories so that they do not propagate "toxic ideals".

Final product: The learners developed a children's literary series for children from Pre-K4 to grade 1 (which are 4 to 6 years old) consisting of 4 classic books: Beauty and the Beast, The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty. They have created a character who walks through the stories questioning controversial points. The goal is to develop the critical capacity of the younger readers, strengthening the UN Sustainable Development Goal n°4: Quality Education.

Main contents studied: Children's stories are always loaded with values and elements that make up the culture in which they were created. But can this enchanted world also carry prejudices and "toxic ideals" to children? With this question, learners from the Grade 10 developed a project, where they interviewed writers, deepened their writing, expanded their argumentative capabilities, and demonstrated how much they have been maturing towards adulthood.

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Kindergarten - Ribeirão Preto

What makes someone a community hero?

Final product: In this project, the children wrote letters with messages and drawings for hospital workers on the front lines of Covid-19, built a city using recyclable items with places they usually go to, and even organized a solidarity campaign to collect clothes at school.

Main contents studied: During the project, students learned about current historical figures, such as Malala Yousafzai, and worked on different ideas to make their communities and the world better places. The theme of empathy allowed the learners to elaborate hypotheses, exercising the written language, through spontaneous writing, in addition to reporting important facts about their birth and growth, the history of their family and community.

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Grade 4 - Ribeirão Preto

What if we went back 10,000 years in time?

Final product: Learners created an exhibit to showcase their experiment on the phases of the moon and artifacts used 10,000 years ago to mark the passage of time. In this project, they learned about the History of Humanity, analyzing some important historical facts, such as Nomadism and the Agricultural Revolution.

Main Contents Studied: When researching about the different phases of prehistory, students understood about the influence of plantations and the development of tools and technologies. Contents of Mathematics (such as area, perimeter, angle and geometric shapes) and Science were intertwined in the study of the phases of the moon and the movement of the Earth.

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Grade 6 - Ribeirão Preto

How can Grade 6 learners explore sustainable cities and communities to encourage the use of mass and community transit for Ribeirão Preto?

Final product: Learners created an app group to gather information about buses, shared travel apps, and ride groups. The project aims to think of ways to make Ribeirão Preto a more sustainable city. This objective is aligned with Global Goal #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities.

During the entire project cycle, the Design Thinking methodology was used to understand, explore and materialize ideas to solve real problems in this context.

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Main Contents Studied: Students learned how the first cities emerged, the growth of the urban population, and the evolution of transport. In Portuguese, they produced informative and argumentative texts about the importance of sustainability in cities. In Mathematics, students learned about maps, displacements, and tilt angles with a focus on ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities.

INTERVIEW

A CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR OF VALENTES

By Maria Elisa Bonafim, Grade 3 Educator at Escola Concept São Paulo

Follow the chat with researcher Aryane Cararo, who wrote a book in honor of all women, men and children forced to leave their homes because of wars, conflicts, climate, and persecution.

Last year, based on the research and discoveries about different cultures and sustainability, my Grade 3 group showed an immense curiosity about some of the biggest problems on our planet: hunger, peace, and justice.

Through reflections on different countries and different livelihoods, we realized that people have different cultures and habits,as well as social conditions. Some live in a safe and comfortable way and many others do not. Some have access to education and many do not.

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With the pandemic, some of these issues were left open. Being all interconnected, we understand the importance of expanding the look to the other. In search of answers to questions such as "How can society help in the problem of hunger and peace?" and "Why do people need to flee their countries?". The group came up with the theme of immigration and refugees.

In our research stages and through the indication of a learner’s parents, we got at the book Valentes, by Aryane Cararo and Duda Porto de Souza.

The book was written, in an exquisite and careful way, with the main goal of helping the understanding of this complex topic. The authors gathered exciting life stories of people from more than fifteen different nationalities, who came to Brazil for different reasons, in search of a place where they could actually live.

Our group read some of the stories in the book, which yielded many discussions and excellent reflections.

The book helped the group to better understand some of the main conflicts that generated the migratory flow.

Before this meeting, I had the privilege of introducing her to all the stages of the project. It was a rich and meaningful exchange. Since then, my admiration for this author's work has only grown, as well as my interest in the theme of the refuge.

On June 20th, the world celebrates World Refugee Day. As a way to celebrate the date and the learner’s journey lived last year, I interviewed Aryane Cararo. I hope her words touch you the same way they touched me.

Good reading!

To finish the process with a flourish, we had the opportunity to meet, remotely, the author of the book, Aryane Cararo, who, in a clear, precise and motivating way, presented her book, spoke about her work and the theme. Then, she answered many questions raised by the group.

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WHAT WAS THE BEST EXPERIENCE THE BOOK PROVIDED YOU? It is difficult to say which is the best experience, but what I can say is that I am not the same person as before the book. These stories that we tell in Valentes transformed me because, in trying to put myself in the other's place, I looked at my own privileges. I realized how important it was to tell these stories. How much the other's story is ours too, how much the other is us as a society. And to meet these people... to give a face, a name to each one of these people. It was transformative!

WHERE DID THE INSPIRATION COME TO WRITE THE BOOK VALENTES?| Duda and I had already published the book EXTRAORDINÁRIAS, which brings stories of women, to the publisher Companhia das Letras. We were invited to write a book on the topic of refugees due to a demand, mainly from schools, for informative books that addressed the topic. The identification was complete. As a journalist, I had already had contact with the subject in very striking reports.

In my graduate studies in literary journalism, one of the jobs that inspired me the most was telling the story of Drágica, who fled the former Yugoslavia to Brazil.

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WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACED WHEN YOU WERE WRITING THE BOOK? There were many challenges ... To reach out to these people, I counted on the help of organizations that work with refugees. But access to them was only the beginning. It was challenging to get them to really tell their stories, because they were traumatized, afraid for their own lives, wanting to forget part of what they lived. When doing such work, you are constantly dealing with situations of disrespect for human rights, exploitation and vulnerability, and this has affected me a lot. I cried a lot during the execution of this work. It was a very emotional process! But it was rewarding. Writing this book was a turning point in my life, as my view of human rights is much more refined.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING ON THIS TOPIC WITH CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS? It is extremely important to work on this topic with children because it is a very urgent topic in the world, one of the greatest challenges that humanity will face in this century. The UN estimates that in 2050 we will have 1 billion people refugees for the climate.

Not to mention all the wars, all the conflicts that generate great human flows around the world. In addition, it is an important topic to raise awareness of the other.

HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE THE PROJECT WE DID TOGETHER WITH CONCEPT'S GRADE 3 LEARNERS? WHAT CALLED YOUR ATTENTION IN THE PROCESS? I found the project sensational, from beginning to end. Few schools qualify to work in this way with their students, and even more with so young students.

I think this is what caught my attention the most, as the theme of refuge and immigration are not worked with children. When it is worked, it is usually superficial. You did a whole project on that. You did an exceptional job of looking for me, researching, going after presenting to students a reality different from that received from didactic material. The school went much further and I think it has to be that way, we have to bring the school closer to the community.

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Children need to study topics that have a dialogue with their reality, and society has to participate more in the school. So the fact that you bring guests, bring a book, creative, original perspectives, made this project efficient and rich. You are to be congratulated!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO CHILDREN WHO STUDY THE TOPIC AND WISH TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, IN THE BEST MEANING OF THE WORD? My first advice is to say that we don't have to go far to make a difference. If everyone can make a difference in their surroundings, we will make a difference worldwide. So I think it's looking at the side, looking at your reality, your neighborhood, your city, the people you meet. Understand who they are, that they have a history. Always research and go after the stories that are told to us, do not believe everything. Know how to differentiate truth from fake news.

Look at all themes, not just this one, with curiosity, reflection and critical thinking.

When we are told that foreigners and / or refugees are going to take our places, our jobs, we must reflect: is this true?

Children have a fundamental role in telling what they learn to parents, friends, cousins, grandparents and uncles. We just need to spread the information, which is a treasure! No one is too small to make a difference.

When we are told that foreigners and / or refugees are going to take our places, our jobs, we must reflect: is this true?

Children have a fundamental role in telling what they learn to parents, friends, cousins, grandparents and uncles. We just need to spread the information, which is a treasure!

No one is too small to make a difference.

FESTA JUNINA

The month has arrived with Festa Junina feelings! We will hold a celebration for learners, within the protocols of health and safety.

By Larissa Vidal, Communications and Marketing at Escola Concept Salvador We celebrate the fact that we are back on campus to think about our festival, but we know that the situation is uncertain and it is not yet possible to have a big party for the whole community. Therefore, we plan to have an internal party, with popcorn, square dancing and "arrasta-pé", involving learners inside their bubbles, without crowds.

THE PARTY THEME Traditionally, Festa Junina is a harvest celebration and we are going to take advantage of this symbolism to add to the party other current themes that are internationally known in the month of June. We are talking about the Day of the Environment (June 5th), the Day of Sustainable Gastronomy (June 18th) and the Day of Refugees (June 22nd). In addition, the book The Giving Tree will be the inspiration for many of the dances, playing with the idea that the party takes place in the forest.

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THINK GREEN Sustainability is one of the pillars of the school, and it is related to most of the pedagogical proposals during the learning process. And this idea will also be present in the preparation and organization of our June 2021 party. The decoration of the school will be based on reusable items, decorated by our Art team together with the learners. Thinking green not only refers to the care for the environment, but it also highlights that we are part of a single ecosystem, and it is the responsibility of all of us to assume our role in this care.

BE KIND During the school year we were inspired by the books The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, and "Give and Take" by Adam Grant. We live in a world that is becoming more and more automatic, and as a result, we forget to care for others. Being kind, encouraging positive social interactions, and good deeds with others not only has physical benefits, such as increasing the production of the hormone oxytocin, which can help lower blood pressure and thus benefit cardiovascular health, but it also elevates mental health, wards off anxiety, and promotes self-esteem. This year, learners will participate in solidarity campaigns aligned with our pedagogical proposal and projects.

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LET'S CELEBRATE!

TO KEEP AS A SOUVENIR

During the month of June, learners will explore and learn about some cultural aspects related to the Festa Junina, preparing arts, music, dances, poems, and “cordel”, all connected with the June traditions. In the last days of the semester, we will prepare an internal party for learners from the same bubble to play and dance together (specific dates will be shared by the Reference Educator). On these days, children will be able to come to school dressed in traditional costumes and will have special snacks such as corn, popcorn and cornmeal cake.

Families will receive a video clip, with the best moments of the party! We are sure it will be a special moment!

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No one is too small to make a difference

Ariane Cararo, writer Check out an interview with her about the book Valentes and the project she developed in partnership with Escola Concept about refugees (page 20)

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY A

greener

life

starts

at

school

Learn how Concept follows the global movement that draws attention to World Environment Day, celebrated in June

By Analídia Ferri, Communications and Marketing Coordinator at Concept Ribeirão Preto

“Reimagine. Rebuild. Restore. This is our moment. We cannot go back in time. But we can grow trees, make our cities green, renovate our gardens, change our diets, and clean up rivers and hillsides. We are the generation that can make peace with nature”. It is with this motto and with these premises, World Environment Day is proposing a reflection on the date, traditionally celebrated on June 5th, since 1972.

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This is a call for our generation to be more active and bold with practical actions to restore Earth's ecosystems.

Themes related to the environment, climate change, preservation of endangered species, and the reduction of environmental impacts are present in children's routine. And they, curious and expansive by nature, want to investigate and get to know the place where they live, starting with school. Thus, learners' projects are interconnected with the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development and with our pillar of Sustainability too.

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To understand, in practice, how we have been developing projects related to sustainability and the environment, we interviewed Ronaldo Munenori Endo, known as Professor Kami, a biologist, Master in Education from Unesp and specialist in Environmental Education and Water Resources, from USP São Carlos. Leading proposals on sustainable technologies at Concept Ribeirão Preto, he tells us what he has been doing with children in green spaces and in the workshops he promotes at school.

How have you been doing this at Concept Ribeirão Preto, can you name the ongoing projects?

How can we arouse students' interest in actions and projects on sustainability and the environment?

The learner usually shows interest in actions and projects meaningful to him, that is, that have a direct relationship with his life, with the environment in which he lives, or with the experiences he has. At the same time, he wants to live in situations in which he is stimulated to curiosity and questioning, activities in which he needs to think or work to solve a problem or challenge.

I have been developing Sustainability, Arts and Science projects together with educators, to provide this hands-on experience connecting with learners’ projects.

With the children from Kindergarten, we develop an appreciation of outdoor experiences in the Exploration Garden, in the enchantment with the life of the vegetable garden, in experimenting with the flavors of vegetables and in curiosity about the plants and small insects that live there.

As for Lower School learners, we can mention the transplantation and planting preservation projects in our Seedling Nursery. We also care with the correction, nutrition, and protection of the soil microbiota in an agroecological vegetable garden, making the structure of tomato plants with bamboo, managing the earthworm and humus production, developing a homemade compass for astronomical studies and making blocks of papercrete (recycled paper and cement) for the construction of new beds. In all these projects, we are seeking active learning methodologies that value hands-on (within the Maker and Do It Yourself concept), experimentation for meaningful reflections and questions, and the construction of artifacts that directly impact the life of the student and the school community.

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What foods do we grow in our gardens and what types of gardens do we have at the school that supports, for example, projects and activities on clean and conscientious production?

We have cultivated vegetables, spices, medicinals, aromatics, and flowers.

More important than planting, is giving the student the pleasure of experimenting, the experience of feeling the flavors and smells, understanding the importance of caring for life and understanding their role in all of this. To support these experiences, we have prioritized gardens with agroecological principles, with the production and use of natural inputs (earthworm humus) and nutrient recycling (compost).

How can families contribute to having more sustainable habits in practice?

What tips are essential to get started?

The Agroecological Garden can be an excellent metaphor for our life and family: it demands that we have care and respect for even the smallest of beings. I usually think about the garden in a philosophical way, about how we establish relationships in family and society, how we can avoid waste and put into practice the detachment from everything that can harm us.

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DIY: Vegetable Garden and Composter In 2020, at Virtual Village, we launched an online project in order to ensure sustainability actions could continue, even though schools were closed. Then, Minutes to Transform was born, which featured several videos by Professor Kami, bringing sustainable tips and workshops to do at home. We leave the invitation here for those who want to learn how to create a vegetable garden at home or how to make a homemade composter.

How to create a garden at home How to make a homemade composter

ARTICLES

IN THE VOICE OF THE LEARNERS Editorial in which we share articles and textual productions of our students

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TAKE CARE OF YOUR BELLY EATING IN A HEALTHY WAY

BY FRANCISCO MARTINS MATOS GRADE 6, CONCEPT RIBEIRÃO PRETO

Since we celebrate Sustainable Gastronomy Day on June 18, today I'm going to talk a little bit about it. To get started, I want to explore what cooking means to me: family, food, time, love, care, etc.

There is an experiment to prove that this is true, try it in your house: put rice in two different pots, to one pot you only say praises, and to the other pot you are mean and say bad things. You will see that the "meaner" pot of rice gets darker, that's what can happen when you cook it. That's why many people say that you have to cook with your heart.

Sustainable gastronomy is in some ways a little different from what we know as "normal" food. It is about avoiding food waste, but not only that.

It also proposes the idea of cooking in a healthier and more sustainable way, for example by using less products with chemical additives, such as those found in industrialized and ultra-processed foods.

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Processed foods Many processed foods are bad for your health and even your heart. If we overeat these foods, we can even go to the hospital. For example, did you know that sausage has more than 50 ingredients? That is why it is recommended to eat sausage only once in a while!

Do you know how many ingredients are in ready-to-drink chocolate drinks? There are 14 ingredients or even more! This is very worrying, since most of its composition are elements such as: fats, sodium, sugars, etc. All this in just one little box! Now you understand why your parents call this kind of food "junk"!

Gastronomy After these various examples I have given, I imagine that your thinking about food has changed, at least a little. Of course, eating some unhealthy foods once in a while is okay, because even too much cabbage can be bad for you! So my tip is to go easy on all foods. Cook sustainably and with love!

Healthy foods You know when our parents tell us that "vegetables are good for you"?

Well, I bring here some evidence and reasons to believe your parents when they say that. According to my research, a very healthy and nutritious food is kale, which is rich in iron and vitamins. Kale may not appeal to some palates, but it doesn't hurt to try and eat it once in a while!

To deal with the prejudice against some healthy foods, imagine that you have a plant inside your belly. When you eat healthy, you are helping the plant to grow healthy. But when you eat processed and ultra-processed foods, you are letting your little plant weaken and die. So take care of your plant by eating healthy!

Of course, eating some unhealthy foods once in a while is okay, because even too much cabbage can be bad for you!

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LET'S FIND OUT WHAT'S NEW AT THE FESTIVAL OF LEARNING? GUILHERME FRAGOSO BRANDÃO, GRADE 6, CONCEPT RIBEIRÃO PRETO

On June 12, the first Festival of Learning of this year will take place.

This will be a time for students to present what they have developed during their projects, together with their classmates and educators.

Unfortunately, because of the pandemic we are dealing with, the event will happen virtually. For this to be possible, several people were very important in the organization of FoL (the acronym we adopted to abbreviate the name of the Festival of Learning). We talked to Enzo Brena, EdTech Coordinator, one of the main "characters" in this adaptation that made the Festival of Learning possible. We have also talked to Concept Ribeirão Preto’s Head of School, Fred Azevedo.

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2 questions to Enzo How was the idealization part of the virtual Festival of Learning?

The conception of FoL was an effort that involved the entire educational team of Escola Concept across all our campuses. We spent the whole last year thinking about how we could offer such a collective and festive experience in such a different virtual environment. With the hard work of professionals from all areas of the school, we were able to come up with a format that pleased everyone and privileged the experience and the protagonism of our students. Our central idea has always been to find a way to celebrate learning, but this time this celebration has to be online, not face-to-face.

How was the adaptation of FoL to the virtual space?

The adaptation of FoL to the virtual space was quite a challenge. Just because we have to hold the Festival of Learning in an online space does not mean that the event has to be boring and noninteractive. Perhaps this was our biggest challenge: how can we transition from an on campus celebration to the virtual space while maintaining its essence? We found on the website with the virtual showcase a model that allows us to achieve our goals and celebrate learning in a very positive way, so much so that we intend to keep it even when we can go back to face-to-face. This is because we have a record of the learning and we can visit the projects of all the classes from the three schools. We also had moments of exchange between the classes, which did not happen in the presencial format, since at the time of the event everyone was busy with their own presentations.

2 questions to Fred We also had the opportunity to talk to the Escola Concept Ribeirão Preto’s Head of School, Fred Azevedo. Check out below.

What can we expect from this upcoming Festival of Learning?

Once again we can expect a festival that celebrates learning with the presentation of various projects and sharing of the projects between the three Escolas Concept. During the week, we will have moments when students from all three schools can connect to talk about their projects. On Saturday, we will celebrate with all the families that are part of the Concept community, when they will be invited by their children's classes to participate in an experiment to understand what has been done.

What's "new" about this next event, compared to the last one?

The products and solutions developed by our students are increasingly connected to real problems. There are classes that recorded musical performances on campus, among other proposals that benefited from face-to-face contact, which was not possible in 2020. We have adapted the Festival to the virtual world in order to have experiences that are very close to what we would like if we could have them in person. For sure, all this effort will make this event special and unique. I hope that all the Concept community will enjoy our first Festival of Learning of 2021!

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ALLOW YOURSELF, MAKING MISTAKES IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY!

BY ANA BEATRIZ EPIPHANEO TERRA, GRADE 9, ESCOLA CONCEPT RIBEIRÃO PRETO

Do you know how your mindset can be a key point for you to be successful in everything you do? Well, mindset is a fundamental factor for our performance, our ability to evolve and adapt to change, through new learning.

Inexorably, we are challenged, and with challenge comes the need to learn.

Regardless of how you approach challenges, they exist and are much more valuable when we understand them using our "growth mindset". But what does this mean?

From everyday stimuli and actions, we generate new connections in our brain.

Whenever we learn something new, our neurons pick up the information and connect. The more we exercise that information, the connections become stronger, so it is more difficult to forget some of it, for example, routine actions.

On the other hand, it is precisely when we make a mistake, and face this moment of "struggle", trying to get it right, that the neuronal connections are strengthened. Did you understand why error is important? And now, are you ready to exercise your mind?

Individuals who approach situations with a growth mindset develop skills more easily, because they are not afraid of making errors. Fear is one of the biggest blocks to anything. With fear, we close ourselves off and don't try. Trying is also very important for success! So don't be afraid to make mistakes!

References: https://blog.fundace.org.br/2018/01/25/saiba-o-que-e-mindset/ https://fia.com.br/blog/mindset/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/click-herehappiness/201904/15-ways-build-growth-mindset https://www.geekie.com.br/blog/growth-mindset-educacao/ https://porvir.org/10-dicas-para-escrever-publicar-um-artigo-cientifico/

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