Eagles,

"We are our choices, as philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre says: "an individual chooses and makes himself." Our choices determine our identity." Alsadir.

I recently came across a powerful thought: "Many things in life aren't within our control, but how we react to them is." It got me thinking about the lessons we're passing on to the young souls around us.

It's easy to point fingers, make excuses, or hang onto the negative. But what if we showed our students a different way? Imagine if we taught them to notice the many choices they encounter during the day, as opposed to fixating on the issues, inequities, and misfortunes that the life of a young person may bring.

Let us lead by example. When they see us taking responsibility, chatting openly about our feelings, and celebrating even the tiniest of victories, they'll pick up on it. When faced with challenges, remind them that it's okay to let go of things or thoughts that don't serve them well. Teach them that letting go isn't about being weak; it's about recognizing their worth.

Alsadir, Layla. "We Are Our Choices: The consequences of being severed from your True Self." The Yale Review. [25 July 2022]. https://yalereview.org/article/alsadir-true-self-choice. Accessed [10/29/23].

Students in 5th grade learn how oceanic organic material formed into fossil fuels using cereal.

Kinder students practiced their Approaches to Learning observation skills by engaging in this experiment.

First they decorated lima beans as ghosts. Teachers filled jars with water and dipped the beans. They then combined baking soda and vinegar. Students observed the interaction between baking soda and vinegar and how the bubbles carried up the lima beans to the top.

MYP students designed their own airplanes after researching for ideas on most effective paper airplane design. They tested out and measured the distance their design traveled.

Kinder students practiced their Approaches to Learning: Thinking skills by predicting what would happen if they mixed backing soda and vinegar.

Thank you for your support during our Recycling Competition. So far, Woodlawn Academy has recycled a total of 1780.25 pounds! Although we are not in the first 7 places, we know that our teachers, students, and families taking action is making a positive impact on our earth. Thank you for your support and keep 'em coming!

Students in 5th expanded on their brainstorming by writing a persuasive essay to about why their change campaign necessitates action. They included research to support their position and proposed solutions for their readers. 5th grade students used their Approaches to Learning: research skills by ensuring they properly cited their sources using MLA format. As an IB school, we value academic integrity and are supporting students to ethically approach research!

Congratulation to all of the student scholars that participated in the 2023-2024 Spanish Spelling Bee! Congratulations to the Spanish Spelling Coaches: Ms. Francese & Ms. Colorado who helped prepare students for this exciting event.

Our winners were as follows:

Elementary (PYP)

1st Zayla

Middle School (MYP)

1st Evelyn

2nd Maria

3rd Andres

This week students celebrated National Red Ribbon Week by dressing up! They also had the opportunity to hear about the negative affects that drugs and alcohol can have on your body and overall health.

Students will walk around the school featuring their costumes. Parents & families can park or stand across the street to view our students walk by. Please stay clear of the sidewalk around the school as this will be where students walk around. We will begin at about 2:00pm.

Woodlawn Academy is an authorized IB World School offering the Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme. In 2019, we became an SAISD In-District Charter School with Texas Council forInternational Studies, (TCIS) as our managing partner.Through this partnership, we receive additional funding.

Are you interested in participating in a school event as a volunteer. Perhaps support PTO with teacher appreciation events, join your child on a field trip, or help out in a Field Day? You will need a background check through SAISD process. The process can take a few weeks to complete, don't miss out on an opportunity of volunteering because the background check wasn't in on time.

SAISD Volunteer App-Garden

Website: https://schools.saisd.net/page/175.homepage/
Location: 1717 West Magnolia Avenue, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: (210) 438-6560
Facebook: facebook.com/SAISDWoodlawnAcademy
Twitter: @IB_Woodlawn