Beliefs In Action - Sustainable Futures

Developing Minds Developing Character

Developing Community Issue 02.

Sustainable Futures

To Educate for International Understanding

Grade 2 Students Inquire About Systems of a Community Grade 2 students have engaged in a valuable Unit of Inquiry where they research and learn how communities work - what are the systems in place to make a community function well?

“Students have learned about the different systems of a community such as the transport system and what are the consequences of such a system breaking down. This led to the children inquiring into, for example, medical care, education, news reporting and security.

The children learned so much and became risk takers and true inquirers.” - Melanie, Grade 2

expect was to receive an answer right away! They had the privilege to welcome Mayor Poppens to the ISA campus and ask questions about how he impacts the betterment of the collective.

Teacher

“If a traffic light system has broken down, it will be a problem. It would cause problems as people would not be able to get to their destinations and there might be crashes.” - Milo,

Grade 2 student

For their personal inquiries, students first wondered about professions and how individuals play a role in society. They learned about careers and had the opportunity to job-shadow professionals for a day to learn how to perform their roles. A group of students learned from our Facilities Team about how the school uses energy and even had the opportunity to tour ISA’s geothermal system, green roofs, and solar panels. Another group inquired about how to interview people, write news and design visuals from our Communications Department. Some students also worked with Pre-Kindergarten children as they

were teachers for a day! There were also students involved with the Nurses’ Station and Security Team to help protect and care for our community.

“I like interviewing people and being interviewed. So maybe I could learn how to share stories with the world! I wonder what it would be like if I was an actual news reporter!” - Monte, Grade 2 student

As they took a further look into their object of inquiry, they wondered how community leaders make decisions. For the first time in their lives, two students wrote an email.

But who to? The mayor of Amstelveen, Mayor Poppens! But what they didn’t

“Just like you have a student council, Amstelveen has a city council! Members of this council are elected by the citizens, and they make decisions about where to place budgets - schools, trees, and pollution. As a municipality, we have people who help us brainstorm how we can make roads cleaner, incentivise electric vehicles, and lower our energy expenses. We try to be more environmentally friendly and prevent more climate crises.” - Mayor Poppens Finally, students translated their ideas of what their communities would look like into physical maquettes. They displayed their creations in the foyer for all ISA families to appreciate.

ISA Families Raise Funds to Build a Library Fourteen years ago, the Green Team turned their passion for upcycling into a transformative project - uniting sustainability with a love for reading to support the charity “Room to Read”. It all began with a successful book sale featuring donations from our generous ISA families. Children's books were priced at 1 or 2 euros, and adult books at 3 euros, each purchase bringing smiles to a community of readers and marking the start of a meaningful journey.

Over the years, the funds raised by the ISA community have created a significant impact. The proceeds were used to contribute to the education of numerous children, provide essential teacher training and resources, and sponsor the printing of books in the home languages of the countries supported by Room to Read.

Five years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ISA 'Room to Read' group earmarked all proceeds from future book sales and donations for a special project: the construction of a vibrant library in Bangladesh stocked with Room to Read's captivating children's books. This initiative also included implementing a comprehensive literacy programme and providing resources and teacher training.

Thanks to the success of our recent book sales, the 'Room to Read' group was able to recently donate a total of €33,159.39 on behalf of the International School of Amsterdam and the construction of the library was made possible!

According to ISA’s belief in Developing Communities, we build sustainable futures. “We encourage our students,

families, and staff to support a variety of local and global service projects and eco-initiatives. ISA’s commitment to reaching out to others is deeply embedded in our culture: from supporting international disaster relief efforts to providing care to others less fortunate.

Our ‘green’ activities provide everyone at ISA with an opportunity to contribute to society and to our shared resources – from the Dutch polders to the Brazilian rainforests.”

The journey from passion to action has not only changed lives but is also creating a lasting legacy of learning, showcasing the power of commitment and community involvement.

Mark your calendars!

We are pleased to share that the book sale will be returning for the first time post-pandemic. We will be collecting books from Monday, 25 March to Friday, 5 April, 2024. The book sale will take place the week of 8-12 April, 2024.

Volunteers Would you like to be part of this dynamic action? Please contact Marta van der Meer-Telleman at mvandermeer@isa.nl

ISA Students Recognised in MUNISH Conference As one of Europe's largest Model United Nations conferences, the International School of the Hague’s annual MUNISH Conference has a prestigious reputation, providing hopeful MUN-ers from across Europe with the opportunity to hone their leadership, debate and communication skills on an international stage.

This year, 48 ISA students from grades 8-12 participated, joining over 1400 students from 48 schools in 14 countries. Our school was well represented; ISA students won 8 of the 16 "Best Delegate" awards.

Please join us in congratulating Johan Haeusler, Hyunmin Koo, Charlotte Burke, Matthew McCartney, Jessica Yu, Ananya Dewan, Adiv Enjeti, Perrine Auvinet on their achievement.

Additionally, three ISA students, Elle Chassin, Amelia Dorner and Alexander Boudier, acted as chairs and directed the debate as student officers in their respective committees. This success was only possible with the hard work and leadership of the ISA Student Executive Council.

Most importantly, our students thoroughly enjoyed their experience at the conference and were excellent ambassadors of the ISA community.

In recent years, the ISA MUN programme has gone from strength to strength. From representing ISA at conferences such as MUNISH at other schools to hosting our very own ISA MUN conference, students who join the programme consistently demonstrate and are commended for their leadership skills and ability to solve problems. As future leaders, these skills will serve our students well.

Upper School teacher and MUN advisor Sean Kelly expressed his pride in the group’s performance: “It was very satisfying to see our students in

action. They have put so much work into our MUN program, and they care very deeply about global issues. Our student leadership team deserves a lot of credit for helping the younger students develop their skill sets. Our success at MUNISH is a credit to the work these kids put in every week.

Our students are the leaders of the future, and I am very proud to work with them.”

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the conference for their success, representation of our school and embodiment of ISA values to contribute to a sustainable future.

ISA Collaborates with the Sheltersuit Foundation to Educate Students About Homelessness Students from Upper School French A recently had the opportunity to learn more about the reality of homelessness.

As part of their curriculum topic of social work and helping others, students had been reading a book in French narrated by a homeless girl. With the theme of friendship, students were able to relate to the narrator and realise that people who are affected by homelessness are just like us.

After reading the book, Anais Chartier, the French A teacher, wanted students to achieve an even deeper understanding and relate their learning to the real world outside of the classroom. So, she brought in Bas Nijsink, a representative from the Sheltersuit Foundation, an organisation which provides homeless people with sustainably produced products such as sleeping bags and jackets to keep them warm while sleeping on the streets.

Sheltersuit is a truly sustainable organisation. Not only does the Foundation use recycled and repurposed materials to make its products, but also creates employment opportunities for refugees and other vulnerable people, contributing to a fairer, more equitable and sustainable society.

Bas gave a presentation and engaged in meaningful conversation with students, allowing them to interact with the materials and Sheltersuit that he brought in. Students prepared questions to ask and were curious about how the Foundation is financed and what production challenges it faces. After the presentation and visit, students were tasked with writing an article in French about their learning experience.

Anais hoped that students would learn about the realities facing those living on the streets: “I hoped students would learn that it

is not easy to get out of homelessness and to put it into reality. I wanted them to understand that we are all lucky and to raise awareness of the challenges faced by homeless people.”

Through immersive learning experiences that link the curriculum to the real-world experiences of others, students are able to gain a deeper understanding, which will allow them to use their knowledge to support a more sustainable future.

ISA Hosts Conversation about Systematic Racism Grade 12 students engaged in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to talk about systematic racism with members of the King family. ISA had the pleasure to host Dr. Babs Onabanjo, President of the A. D. King Foundation, Alveda King, daughter of Mrs. Naomi King and Eddie Beal, grandson of Mrs. Naomi King.

The A.D. King Foundation is “a non-violent

conflict resolution entity formed to revolutionize the mindset, attitude and behavior that promote violence and war with non-violent principles, methods and direct actions.

The mission is to promote youth empowerment development and non-violent social change strategies as a way of life throughout the world. The goal is to build a beloved community with ‘Social Justice and Entrepreneurship’ as the center core.”

In a casual setting, the visitors had an open conversation with students about their reality in an international school community and shared their experiences and perspectives about historical reparation, systematic racism and conflict resolution.

Alveda King shared: “I look around this

room and I see quite a lot of different people here, as this is an international school. Science says we’re all the same, even if we look in so many different ways.

Race is a social construct. There’s only one race, the human race.”

When asked about the history of racism and how he interprets the progress that has been made, Eddie Beal said: “An

apology is just the start, but there are still problems that need to be addressed. The social justice movement has pioneered those changes in America, but all countries have problems with dominance in post-colonisation times. We laid the system in place for powerful change, now it is about empowering.”

Finally, Dr. Babs Onabanjo explained a bit about the non-violence principles. “The

mindset has to be reassessed. It all begins with self-reflection and coming to awareness. Darkness cannot take away darkness, only brightness can. It takes courage to examine yourself and what you want to accomplish.”

Students asked questions about the recent Black Lives Matter movement and how they can create impact locally and globally. They reflected together on how there is racism present in their settings but that they are agents of international understanding and unity in diversity.

We appreciate our visitors and their unique contribution to this invaluable discussion with students!

ISA CDLT Hosts LGBTQ+ For Educators Workshop Educators from around the world recently gathered in ISA’s dedicated professional development centre, the CDLT, to learn from Dr. Emily Meadows about the what, why, and how of LGBTQ+ safety, equity and belonging in schools.

Dr. Meadows is an LGBTQ+ consultant and author specialising in international schools and also teaches for the George Washington University graduate program in LGBT Health Policy and Practice. She believes in creating a non-judgemental, engaging environment while taking an intersectional approach that addresses both the why and the how of equity and belonging so that school communities can effectively affirm and support LGBTQ+ students, colleagues, and families.

International educators of all roles, gender identities and sexual orientations attended the two-day workshop, aiming to deepen understanding of LGBTQ+ concepts and language and build confidence in supporting LGBTQ+ students and other school community members. Participants took a deep dive into foundational knowledge about LGBTQ+ child development, vocabulary and key concepts, as well as a framework for considering decision-making. They also developed an individualized LGBTQ+ equity commitment plan which was specific to their role, context, and priorities within international education.

Among the attendees was ISA’s own Director, Dr. Carmody, who expressed her gratitude to Dr. Meadows: “At ISA,

One participant affirmed: “I thought this was an

extremely useful, helpful, challenging, and amazing workshop. I felt like it was very personalized for the students and populations with whom we work. I feel inspired and optimistic about bringing this back to my school.”

fostering a sense of belonging for our whole community is one of our key areas of focus. We believe that every member of our diverse community has the right to feel welcome, valued and supported, and we strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. I feel proud that ISA is continuing to further the conversation around inclusion and belonging, and I greatly enjoyed taking part in this workshop and learning more about LGBTQ+ concepts to better support the ISA Community.”