World International School Torino
WINS Newsletter SY 21/22 | Term 1
This Issue
EY....................................................pg. 2 PYP.................................................pg. 4 MYP&DP.......................................pg. 6 Whole School Initiatives...........pg. 10
Term 1 at WINS
Dear families, Here we are at the first appointment with our newsletter, which this year will come out at the end of each term to show and tell you what is going on within our community. First of all, I would like to welcome all our returning and new families, coming from Italy and abroad. This year our community is made of 28 different nations: a mix of cultures, languages and traditions for a real international experience for our students. The first term has been full of initiatives, both academic and nonacademic. A partial reduction in infections from Covid-19 has allowed us to restart initiatives that we had to suspend last year, such as extracurricular activities and field-trips. The enthusiasm that has accompanied us in these first months has led us to launch new projects that have involved our entire community. Among these, there is our new sustainability commette, aimed at raising awareness on the importance of good practices for the environment and actions to contrast climate change.
MYP students were also involved in numerous activities aimed at developing their ATL skills and broadening their cultural horizons through the music, drama, sports and MUN clubs on Friday afternoon, the PHSE lessons, the first GEMS event, and the Beyond Education program, which led them to interact with students from all over the world. These are just a few examples of what you will find in the school newsletter: a termly appointment to discover what is going on in our community and how, together with you, we accompany your children in their learning journey. Therefore, thanks to all the families for their support and to the teachers, the pillar of our school, who dedicate themselves every day with passion and commitment to the education and growth of each student. The preparations for the Christmas show are underway right now. I therefore take this opportunity to wish you happy holidays, with you beloved ones, to start again with renewed enthusiasm in 2022. We are looking forward to meeting you on the 17th of December. Best regards, Giulia Mazzocchi School Manager
Sustainability
The first term at WINS had a strong focus towards sustainability, with several events seeking to raise awareness about the importance of climate change within the school community. Starting with participation in the worldwide Fridays for Future initiative, all WINS students and staff took part in a climate march, prompting the creation of posters and chants to spark important conversations within the classrooms. The march was a catalyst for many other initiatives such as the riverbank cleanup field trip and Swap Don't Shop, which allowed the students to further their involvement and develop their knowledge about climate change and the protection of our planet. A significant achievement towards building a more sustainable school environment was the transition away from plastic cutlery in the canteen, an achievement which, however small, represents the commitment to reducing our plastic waste and being more conscious of our impact on the world that we share.
EY: Nursery-PreK Music Wall
All About Me
Nursery-PreK discovered the brand new music wall that we've created with the help of parents bringing materials that we could reuse for this purpose. The music wall is an initiative to create a new outdoor space for the students to use as part of their learning and development.
The students, as part of their unit "all about me" did an activity in which they tasted different fruits. This allowed them to identify different flavours recognised by our sense of taste, while also thinking about their likes and dislikes.
Also for our unit "All about me", we discovered our sense of touch through a sensory experiment.
Thank You!
Our class received some toys from Miss Mazzocchi, so we wanted to do something kind and made a piece of art to say thank you.
As our end of Unit activity, we created ourselves with different materials and tried to express who we are with pictures.
EY: Kindergarten Music Wall
Halloween
The Kindergarten students spent lots of time out in the garden exploring and adding to the music wall created with donations from parents and staff members.
The students had their special Halloween celebration day filled with activities. They celebrated through a variety of centres within the classroom, as well as through scavenger hunts around the school, getting to show off their spooky costumes!
PYP Parco Archeologico del Lago Pistono: G3-4 In September, Grades 3 and 4 attended a field trip to the Archaeological Park of the Pistono Lake as an introduction to the unit "ancient civilizations". They explored how people lived 6500 years ago: what they ate, what they wore, what tools they used and what kinds of homes they built. Students will learn how to mix pigments and decorate fabrics the way prehistoric men did.
Museo del Cinema: G2
As part of the unit "performing arts", Grade 2 attended the Cinema Museum. In this field trip students were able to explore the history of the moving image through a guided visit entitled “From the shadow theater to the Lumiere brothers”. They experienced shadow and mirror techniques used in early entertainment involving the moving image. They also learned about the origins of animated cartoons and of cinema itself.
PYP Museo Egizio: G3-4 Continuing the unit on ancient civilisations, students from Grades 3 and 4 had the opportunity to visit the world-renowned Egyptian museum. The visit allowed them to make connections between what they are studying in class and real artifacts from ancient Egyptians.
Building Parachutes: T-G1
For the unit on transportation, Transition and Grade 1 joined together to learn about how parachutes work, and the different elements that we need to think about when trying to build our own model. Students learned about the different forces involved when using a parachute, and were then split into groups and encouraged to try out lots of different materials to create their parachute. It was wonderful to see the very different directions that each student pursued in the creation of their model. Everyone showed great excitement for the testing stage, where we saw their model parachutes at work in the playground.
MYP & DP Salone del Libro: G6-10 The Salone del Libro of Turin is one of the most important international exhibitions on books. Students from Grade 6 to Grade 10 had the opportunity to attend talks by renowned authors and visit stalls by publishing houses, resulting in a display of diverse genres and wide-ranging topics. The event is all about the celebration of books and the promotion of reading. Grade 6 attended a talk about climate change, and together with Grade 7, a talk about resistance in a World War II context. Grades 7 and 8 had the chance to listen to Giuseppe Festa talk about his most recent work of fiction aimed at their age group. The students had the wonderful opportunity to ask questions directly to the author about two of his books that they had read during Italian class. Grade 8 attended a talk by Roberto Piumini who spoke of renowned Italian Neoclassic poet Ugo Foscolo. Grades 9 and 10 attended two talks: one on the topic of economics and the global market, and another on dystopian literature for teens. Many students took initiative and asked questions on the topics of sustainability, investments and entrepreneurship.
Museo del Risorgimento: G8 As preparation for the Terza Media examination, students were able to learn about the Italian Risorgimento until the Great War from experts and primary sources.
MYP & DP #CuoriConnessi On, October 19, Grade 8, 9 and 10 students had the opportunity to participate in the #cuoriconnessi initiative organized by the Polizia di Stato to raise awareness among teenagers on the topics of cyberbullying and network security. During the meeting, some of our students had the opportunity to participate in the livestream and ask questions related to the issues addressed, to discuss and reflect on the correct and conscious use of the web.
10 days of keeping their classroom neat and tidy!
Peace Poster Contest In November, grade 6-8 students took part in the International Peace Poster Contest organized by the Lions Club. The theme of the year was 'we are all connected' and the promoters are trying their best to organize an exhibition in a beautiful location...we will keep you updated!
Celebrating Small Victories: G8 Throughout this term, grade 8 has shown the importance of celebrating the small victories and achievements.
Diana (grade 8) helps Grade 7 students to prepare their project on Dyslexia.
Special find during the riverbank cleanup.
MYP & DP Scholarship Award
School Career Counseling Service
Our students Gaia Briatore, Sara Napolitano and Zahran Vergero have been awarded with three 2years scholarship to attend the Diploma Programme of the International Baccalaureate®. Congrats to our students!
We present our School Career Counseling Service, in partnership with Valdo Academics. In line with the IB DP requirements, WINS will offer their students a customised service to support and guide their further studies orientation, and the consequent application to the selected university.
PSHE Classes
On a rotational basis, our MYP students are involved in the PSHE Education Programme of Study, a UK programme that covers themes such relationships, sex education and health, economic wellbeing and careers, setting out suggested content for each key stage.
Beyond Education Our Grade 8-10 students have been introduced to the Beyond Education initiative to develop 21st century competencies such as leadership, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, digital literacy, and teamwork. In this first term our Grade 9 and 10 students have joined the first programme – Be Confident – to develop their self-awareness. They are learning to work in a team with students from all over the world, managing their time and tasks to win different challenges.
MYP & DP Afternoon Clubs Every week our MYP students are involved in cocurricular activities aimed at developing interdisciplinary skills and enriching their education path: Drama, music, sports and MUN (Model United Nations) are their challenges for this year!
Music club The objectives of the MYP music club is to maintain students’ progress of their music skills throughout the academic year. Also, it aims to bring theoretical music knowledge into practice as an extension of the music curriculum.
Drama club Our drama club aims to teach students the basic concepts of theatre. Games are meant to explore acting and stage directing, but our main activities lead towards the preparation and production of a short musical show. Through improvisation and rehearsal, students learn what it means to act and react, to move on stage, to use their voice effectively and put themselves in the shoes of another person. There are several other benefits that come from joining the drama club: students practice empathy and learn to work together, they exercise their use of language, their memory, and their problem solving skills, they build confidence and develop emotional intelligence.
Model United Nations The MUN club engages students in debates regarding policy, with students taking the roles of delegates from countries in the UN. These simulations develop the students confidence in public speaking, and their ability to find solutions in a collaborative way.
Whole School Initiatives Curriculum Presentations
Extracurricular Activities
What a great start in September! At the beginning of the school year, we held the curriculum orientation and get-together meetings to let our families find out more about the philosophy, terminology, and implementation of the PYP, MYP and DP at WINS. It was also a great opportunity to gather with other families for an aperitif.
This year our students had the opportunity to join again the extra-curricular activities! Tennis, baksetball, drama, swimming, judo, horse riding, piano: new opportunities to socialise, develop new skills and nurture their talents.
PTA Coffee Morning Our PTA invited all the newcomers to a Coffee Morning at the beginning of the school year. They enjoyed getting to know each other and receive tips and suggestions to better settle down in a new city and in our school.
Whole School Initiatives Fridays for Future
Riverbank Cleanup: G1-12
In September, everyone in the WINS community took part in the global strike Fridays for Future to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change. The initiative seeks to highlight student voices in the fight for a sustainable future. Each class participated by creating posters and chants that were presented to the entire school, followed by a march around the school grounds. The event within WINS sparked important conversations among students of all ages about why it is important to protect our environment, and what we can all do as individuals and as a community to help fight climate change. Student voices are increasingly important in highlighting the consequences of the changing climate on future generations. From our littlest activists in Transition to the graduating students in Grade 12, a huge congratulations for the enthusiasm and support for this important cause.
At the end of September, the whole school gathered to do something concrete for the protection of the planet and our territory, by going to the banks of the Po to clean up its beaches. The field trip was organised in conjunction with Rachel's Learning Centre, and had a dual aim: to actively help to clean the Po's beaches, and to provide new data on the state of the river in order to aid the development of solutions in keeping it clean and preventing trash from reaching the ocean. The trip resulted in the collection of 56 large bags of waste, which was sorted between plastic and general waste and given to the Municipality of Cimenasco (TO) for proper disposal.
Whole School Initiatives Swap Don't Shop In October, the sustainability committee organised, with the help of Grade 12 students, a swap market. Focusing on the concept of reUse, the aim was to encourage students to swap clothes rather than buy new ones. The students that took part brought in an old item of clothing for the chance to choose something else at the school-wide market, which was led by the grade 12 students. The initiative was a huge success, with students of all ages getting involved and finding some "new" clothes to take home as a great alternative to buying something new.
Swap t Marke
Halloween The end of a busy month was marked by the schoolwide Halloween celebration, in which students and teachers from all grades participated by dressing up and taking part in a school-wide parade to show off their creative costumes. Within the PYP, students had a day packed with Halloween games and activities that took them all over the school for some spooky fun. MYP and DP students participated in competitions for the best costume, as well as the best (and scariest) designs for their classroom doors.
Whole School Initiatives WINS Foundation Today more than ever it is our duty to contribute to the laying of the foundations for a better and more sustainable society, made up of responsible, knowledgeable, and international-minded citizens. In line with this mission, last July we launched the activities of the WINS Onlus Foundation, led by the President D.ssa Giorgia Garola. The WINS Foundation has several objectives and courses of action: A charity objective, through the provision of money, goods or services to support people in need; An objective of education, professional development, and action against educational poverty The organization of cultural, artistic, or recreational activities of social interest; The dissemination of the culture of volunteering; The organization of educational guidance and prevention of early school leaving. In line with these objectives, the WINS Foundation has already launched some initiatives aimed at supporting talent and dedication in young people. During a special event on the 25th of November , we awarded 3 two-year scholarships to attend the Diploma Programme of the International Baccalaureate® in the school year 2021/2022. During the event, the Foundation has also organized a charity auction, curated by Sant’Agostino Casa d’Aste, where we collected 5.600€. The proceeds from the charity auction will be donated to two local institutions - Filarmonica Teatro Regio Torino and AIL Torino - to support young talents.
Duke of Edinburgh Award The Duke of Edinburgh programme kicked off! The DofE assessor Tim Deighton came to meet our students and welcome them in this new adventure of their life.
Whole School Initiatives New WINS Accreditations AFEC: Starting from the school year 21/22, we are proud to announce that WINS is the first AFEC school in Italy and a member of the international schools’ network accredited by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) In accordance with the IB®, AFEC certification allows the school to welcome engaged studentathletes, providing them with flexible IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) timetables that ensure the balance between the demanding sports schedules and academic achievements.
Cambridge and Trinity: Also as of this school year, WINS is an official Cambridge and Trinity preparation center. WINS prepares its students for the Cambridge English Exams within its academic offer, providing in-depth teaching support to develop their language skills step by step. We also prepare students for the whole range of English language exams of Trinity College London®, that cover every stage of learning, from beginner, to advanced. Furthermore, WINS is the only authorised Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing centre within the Piedmont region: a global mark of excellence for university recruitment around the world.