Teams and Clubs

Student Placement

The change of grade, teacher and classmates causes a little bit of anxiety in everyone. This short article is a brief explanation of our student allocation process and should help our families understand how PAS POA mixes the groups of students each year.

There are schools who separate the grade levels by gender, boys in one group, and girls in the other group. There are schools who allocate students by “Honor students”, “Average students” and “Special Needs students”. There are even schools that do not separate the groups each year and the students remain in the same group from admissions to graduation. At PAS POA we take the division of the groups very seriously. Our mission is to nurture confidence to embrace change and the change of grade level, teachers, classrooms and the opportunity to interact with different friends is vital in this process.

We always aim to have two heterogeneous and balanced groups in each grade level. When mixing and dividing the two groups, we take into account the ratio of girls and boys, international and local, special needs, talented, EAL, PAL, behavior, friendship, and other relationship-related topics. At the end of every school year, the teachers and counselors ask each student to list five friends. From this list of five names, we promise at least one friend to be in the classroom together. When the new year begins, school counselors are present and helping the students during the adaptation period and throughout the year. The multiple meetings and planning help us in preparing students to navigate changes, help them to make new friends, and instills in them that the notion to be open minded and interact with different people will make them better learners, thinkers and citizens. Funny enough, many of these same thinking modes apply to our hiring process, which is just as rigorous, if not more, as our process in student groupings.

Clubs and Extra Curricular Activities

With the goal of presenting students with challenges and concepts to broaden global perspectives as well as support the development of skills and dispositions required for them to achieve their fullest potential and pursue their interests, we provide additional extra-curricular activities opportunities. We support student leadership, service and academics through a wide variety of activities such as Student Council (STUCO), student clubs, sports teams and competitions, visual and theater arts and service learning programs. Pan American encourages students to participate beyond the core programs to expand their own interests and abilities. Please find below the descriptions of some of these opportunities.

Math Club

• Math Club is a fun and innovative club that students from G6 to G12 of Pan American School of Porto Alegre can participate in. Students in the Math Club learn and refine problem solving strategies, apply their previous knowledge from school to unfamiliar problems and also meet new people from different grades to further develop teamwork skills.

MUN

• Model United Nations (MUN) is an academic simulation of the United Nations meetings. The purpose is to make our students understand what is happening around the world. Also it educates them about current topics which are being discussed on the United Nations agenda. In our school this club is an extracurricular activity in which students role-play as diplomats representing a nation inside of one committee. At this moment, students will be challenged to perform many of the IB Learner Profile skills. First students explore their research skills to better understand the situation of the country they represent. Second they prepare a speech to defend the country’s position. Third they have to support this position practicing critical thinking and communication skills

• All HS students who meet the eligibility criteria may participate in the Brazil Model United Nations. BRAMUN is an event where international schools from Brazil and abroad meet to simulate a United Nations conference. Traditionally it takes place at a resort in Bahia and is scheduled in March.

NHS

• The National Honor Society (NHS) is an organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to recognize those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since its beginning in 1921. Students eligible for NHS membership need to be in G10 - G12 and achieve a minimum grade average of 6.0. The NHS students meet on a weekly basis where they plan service learning projects and participate in a variety of projects to help our local community.

NJHS

• The National Junior Honor Society is an organization established to recognize outstanding middle level students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. These characteristics have been associated with membership in the organization since its beginning in 1929. Students eligible for NHS membership need to be in G7 - G9 and achieve a minimum grade average of 6.0. The NJHS students meet on a weekly basis where they plan service learning projects and participate in a variety of projects to help our local community.

School Teams: Huskies, raised by wolves!

The Huskies represent PAS POA in local, national and international sports events. All students are welcome to participate in the school teams’ practices and activities, regardless of their sports performance.

Extra-curricular Activity Travel Eligibility Criteria - Please click on the link to access the most current version of the eligibility criteria.

ISSL

• All HS students who meet the eligibility criteria may participate in the International Schools Sports League (ISSL). The ISSL is a league that congregates international schools aiming to gather them

• in sports competitions. Such competitions provide a favorable environment for human development as well as youth interaction and the ISSL educational ideals reach the highest standards. All students enrolled in international schools are eligible for participation as long as they have adequate school performance and behavior. We highlight the fact that the school, with the initiative of participating in such an event, has the goal to enrich the educational process of all students.

• The ISLL tournament takes place twice a year: Semester 1 - Boys and Girls Soccer and Basketball; Semester 2 - Boys and Girls Volleyball, Boys Futsal and Girls Soccer.

Friendship Festival

• All MS and HS who are 13 years old or younger who meet the eligibility criteria may participate in the Friendship Festival, regardless their sportive performance. The Festival features Basketball, Volleyball and Soccer games as main events as well as other parallel contests such as: tennis, table-soccer and table-tennis. Additionally students may participate in the talent show and in the cultural treasure hunt.

• Traditionally, both ISSL tournaments and the Friendship Festival take place at “Nosso Recanto” (NR) in Sapucaí Mirim – São Paulo. This is a suitable place for such events which features soccer fields, courts, pools, dorms, cafeteria, among other venues. You can find more information on the website (www.nr.com.br).

After School Program

• Our school offers a diversity of extracurricular activities every semester. At the beginning of each semester the information about the After School Program (ASP) will be made available to all parents through the ASP website with the different options we are offering for you and your child to choose from. To learn more about our After School Program, please check the After School Parent Handbook or contact asp@panamerican.com.br .

Field Trips and Classroom Without Walls

• Field trips are school-planned activities that enrich the curriculum and are designed to enhance, motivate and support learning by providing first hand experiences that can make learning more meaningful. We strongly encourage all students to attend field trips planned by the teachers.

• Secondary students participate in annual Classroom Without Walls trip led by the Brazilian Studies department.