June 27th, 2023 - When all is said and done...

Tomorrow is the WHS grad rehearsal and Wednesday is graduation. Anyway you spin it, this has been a year of significant learning. 

Whether we were always conscious of it or not, our participation in the International Baccaleaureate program provided plenty of opportunities for us to stretch our understanding of the world through the lenses of art, science, humanities, language and literature. 

As importantly, our treatment of one another shows us who we are right now and informs who we become. Philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti describes true education as "the understanding of oneself, for it is within each one of us that the whole of existence is gathered”(17).

It's a tall order to be  a risk-taker, a thinker, and a communicator, and to be knowledgeable, principled, open-minded, caring, balanced, and reflective. But the pursuit is worthwhile. As they say, #goals.

To the class of 2023, congratulations on your graduation! Follow your <3. 

-- Ms. Amiro 

(Krishnamurti, J. Education and the Significance of Life. Harper, 1953. Print.)

Peace, 

Ms. Amiro (aka Señora Amiro) 

Kristen Amiro

​IB Coordinator and Teacher (Spanish and English)
Woodlawn High School
31 Woodlawn Rd. Dartmouth NS B2W 2R7

April 17th, 2023 - Spring into exam mode 

Classes are almost done for Year 2 students and final exams are around the corner. Students around the world will be writing exams from May 2-18th.  

On April 25, Year 2 students have a mandatory meeting at lunch in 229 to review exam procedures, receive schedules with specific times for our school, as well as receive usernames and PIN so they can access their marks in July. 

Peace, 

Ms. Amiro (aka Señora Amiro) 

Kristen Amiro

​IB Coordinator and Teacher (Spanish and English)
Woodlawn High School
31 Woodlawn Rd. Dartmouth NS B2W 2R7

March 9th, 2023 -- The End of the Extended Essay Era

Today the Year 2 DP students celebrated the completion, supervision, and upload of their Extended Essays. They showed gratitude to their EE teacher supervisors with a luncheon, and handwritten thank you notes. 

Wayne was a welcoming host, Mia kept the energy high with her fancy cold brew, and Grace held down the fort. A good time was had by all. 

Peace, 

Ms. Amiro (aka Señora Amiro) 

Kristen Amiro

​IB Coordinator and Teacher (Spanish and English)
Woodlawn High School
31 Woodlawn Rd. Dartmouth NS B2W 2R7

April 3rd, 2023

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.”-- William Shakespeare, Sonnet 98

With three months until the summer, we can call this the home stretch for the Class of 2023. For IB Year 2 students, almost two years of learning culminates with the assessments in May, taking place around the world. In the coming weeks, Year 2s will review their learning and study for exams. The IB exam season will be done by May 18th at the latest, then we can look forward to wrapping up CAS, and celebrating with a DP graduation. After that, Year 2s get a nice break. 

Years 1s have been chugging along, working away at their courses and making decisions for next year. Many students have been engaging in creative, active and service learning and keeping notes in Managebac to develop their online portfolios. If they haven't yet, Year 1s should be planning for their CAS projects, and seek advice and support as needed. 

Peace, 

Ms. Amiro (aka Señora Amiro) 

Kristen Amiro

​IB Coordinator and Teacher (Spanish and English)
Woodlawn High School
31 Woodlawn Rd. Dartmouth NS B2W 2R7

February 1st, 2023

Congratulations to students on completing the January exam season! 

Last month was a flurry of assessments for IB students -- papers, projects, and exams, as expected, but on January 17th, Ms. Allen and her students made the library and halls of WHS into an art gallery. Students from Art 10-12, and IB Art showcased their work and invited families and community to visit on an otherwise dreary Tuesday evening. The varied artwork was at times powerful, haunting, comical, sad, beautiful, always thought-provoking. It showed the students' talent, and commitment to the understanding of the meaning of art.  

There will be more time for creativity this month as the Year 2s get their turn to make fused glass art at the Hfx Regional Arts studio in CHHS. 

In terms of activty and service in these wintry weeks ahead, students are encouraged to dress for the weather and enjoy the outdoors. A classic winter service can be shoveling someone's driveway. 

Some active winter fun in Nova Scotia could be skating, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, or hiking around our beautiful parks. If it's too chilly, there's always indoor fitness at a gym, or maybe there's a program of interest through HRM Recreation (https://www.halifax.ca/parks-recreation/programs-activities) & (https://www.halifax.ca/parks-recreation/programs-activities/recreation-centres-your-community/adventure-earth-centres/winter-programs). 

Here's wishing you an engaging start to the second half of the school year!   

Peace, 

Ms. Amiro (aka Señora Amiro) 

Kristen Amiro

​IB Coordinator and Teacher (Spanish and English)
Woodlawn High School
31 Woodlawn Rd. Dartmouth NS B2W 2R7

January 2023 -- Happy New Year! 

The study season -- 

January is an intense month for students and teachers as we prepare for the major assessments in the coming weeks. It's important for students to tie up loose ends in terms of coursework and set time aside for focused study. 

For students, there are some tips for studying in the slideshow above, and you should also get some information from each class about the best ways to prepare for exams or other assessments. 

The exam schedule is posted on the WHS website. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WsmqCtwm55KcsRUw6C0Mdl5a_4Og7TvY/view) 

Although January can be difficult, the IB Learner attributes that you will develop are especially these: 

• Knowledgeable -- Learning concepts and content

• Thinkers -- Connecting concepts and content

• Communicators -- Expressing understanding 

• Principled -- Maintaining academic integrity 

• Open-minded -- Learning from challenges

• Caring -- Supporting one another and being kind to yourself

• Risk-takers -- Setting your goals high 

• Balanced -- Managing your time for success and wellbeing

• Reflective -- Digesting all that learning -- maybe we should save that one for February! 

For extra academic inspiration, here is a link to an article about a former WHS IB students -- a graduate of 2009.(https://medicine.dal.ca/news/2023/01/05/changing_the_face_of_healthcare.html)

Peace, 

Ms. Amiro (aka Señora Amiro) 

Kristen Amiro

​IB Coordinator and Teacher (Spanish and English)
Woodlawn High School
31 Woodlawn Rd. Dartmouth NS B2W 2R7

December 2022 -- Welcome to Woodlawn IB!

Welcome to the first post of this IB@WHS blog! 

As we prepare for the holiday break, it's time to reflect on the wonderful  ways in which we have worked together to make the IB experience meaningful. We have had plenty of opportunities to evolve and surprise ourselves with our capacity to learn and grow.  

It’s been a great pleasure to get to know IB students and their families in class, at the online meetings, on parent-teacher night, and at the special events that round out the academic experiences. 

The IB program’s goals are to develop learners that exhibit the following ten attributes. Look for them in the rest of this blog!

• Inquirers

• Knowledgeable

• Thinkers

• Communicators

• Principled

• Open-minded

• Caring

• Risk-takers

• Balanced

• Reflective

To the Year 2s, you’re in the most challenging semester of the IB Diploma program and day after day, you’re making progress. Keep at it! – you’ll be graduating before you know it! TOK, CAS and EE are wrapping up and when you take some time to look back on how far you’ve come, be proud of your work. Through it you’ve gained valuable skills and experience as an Inquirer, a Thinker, and a Communicator. This is what IB is all about. Students around the world are in the same boat as you and these traits will enrich your life in the present and the future.

To the Year 1s, your enthusiasm is infectious and you’re showing an Open-Mindedness essential to the IB Diploma Program. You bring your own perspectives to the classroom and learn with and from each other. In the coming semester, consider how you’ll work on developing your skills as an Inquirer. Think about how you can dig deeper into the subject matter of your courses and follow your curiosity and desire to learn.

To the Pre-IBs students, consider the Knowledge you’ve gained in your pre-IB courses and think about learning experiences that are engaging, and those that are preparing you for the rest of your high school career. Do you need support or advice? Reach out to students in the program, me (Ms. Amiro, Room 214 or the IB Office in the library), IB teachers, and guidance counselors  to get a good sense of how you can make the most of IB.

Some CAS highlights: 

• Drama games (lead by Mr. Zinck from Hfx Regional Arts)

• CASternoon (Caringly lead by Micaela & Grace)

• Glass fusion workshop (lead by Ms. Ouelette from Hfx Regional Arts)

• Holiday potluck and handmade gifts (Caringly lead by Julia)

• Shout out to Mia and Lillian as Caring peers, supporting CAS activities for peers! 

• Big ups to Aidan for getting peer tutoring off the ground and to the other tutors for their Principled actions in making access to education more just!

Have a fantastic holiday break! Set yourself up for an enriching new year! 

Peace, 

Ms. Amiro (aka Señora Amiro aka Amrio) 

Kristen Amiro

​IB Coordinator and Teacher (Spanish and English)
Woodlawn High School
31 Woodlawn Rd. Dartmouth NS B2W 2R7