EAGLE TRACTS
CORNERSTONE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY
Students learn best when their learning experiences have context and are connected to their lives and their experience of the world that they live in. Using global contexts, MYP students develop an understanding of their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet through developmentally appropriate explorations.
THE PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME (PYP) THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
On March 16, 2020, we had to close the physical gates of our school following a directive from the President of the Republic of Ghana due to the pandemic. We never imagined an interruption of school under such circumstance where we had to physically distance from each other for such a period of time. Our team was faced with the challenge of swiftly adapting to the situation and ensuring a continuation of learning and teaching under the uncertain circumstances. Inspired by the courage of the Eagle, our mascot, we thought to keep soaring against all odds.
Some members of our school community and other like-minded educators/schools have named Cornerstone International Academy as the first to begin remote learning in Ghana after the emergency closure of all schools, having begun on Wednesday March 18, 2020.
As an institution dedicated to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme vision of developing inquiring, caring and knowledgeable young students, we were, as a matter of necessity, bound to maintain the integrity of the IB PYP during the remote learning. We acknowledge that remote learning, synchronous and asynchronous, in practice cannot completely replace face to face / physical school for primary aged students considering the socio-psychological and mental wellbeing of children. Parents as well as the school faced genuine difficulties in ensuring a seamless transmission of lessons over the internet and with adequate support at home.
Guided by the experience gathered, support from the International Baccalaureate and recommended international best practices, the pedagogical team employed other innovative ways of running an inquiry based virtual class. To support the social development of students and touching base with our core values as a school, virtual early morning assemblies were carried out. Students sang with joy the school’s anthem, displayed creative themed performances under selected IB Learner Profile attributes, and also reflected on thoughtful quotes for the day.
In the virtual homerooms, learning and teaching was enhanced with activities that took learning beyond the boundaries of the named class. Some homerooms embarked on Google expeditions and utilized augmented realities. Students celebrated their learning in various ways through formative and summative assessment tasks. Participating in a whole school commemoration of the United Nations (UN) Day was one of the many ways we stayed socially connected with the rest of the world though we were physically distant. The launch of the twenty one (21) days fitness challenge by our PE team was heavily patronized by students while at home. Our goal for launching the fitness challenge was to support the physical and mental wellbeing of our students.
In the face of the emerging challenges associated with remote learning, we worked closely with students and parents in order to stay true to the spirit of inquiry. Our parents showed their unqualified support towards the school as we navigated remote learning through a pandemic that had changed our usual way of operation. Parent engagements such as PYP Orientation, PYP Sharing, ManageBac Orientation/Support and Parent-Teacher Conference were organized and attended virtually by our parents. We felt a true spirit of partnership and support from our parents as they worked with us in promoting student learning against all odds.
As the year draws to a close, we wish to invite parents and students to reflect on our learning and the actions we must take to contribute to a better and more peaceful world. We believe that every action matter, thus, no action is too small to make a difference. We are very proud of the learning experiences shared with our students and the partnership our parents offered. We look forward to a new year free from Covid 19 or any pandemic, full of joy, love and a lot more to be thankful for.
We truly cannot wait to have with us, our young, action oriented, and inquiring minds who bring color and beauty to our lives on campus – our students.
Have a splendid end of year, celebrate while observing the recommended health protocols and we shall surely meet again next year!
Sincerely,
Mr. William Gyamfi
Primary Years Program (PYP) Coordinator
- Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.
- Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
- A shark is the only known fish that can blink with both eyes.
- The longest one-syllable words in the English language are "scraunched" and "strengthed." Some suggest that "squirreled" could be included, but squirrel is intended to be pronounced as two syllables (squir-rel) according to most dictionaries. "Screeched" and "strengths" are two other long one-syllable words, but they only have 9 letters.
- "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
- Almonds are a member of the peach family.
- There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
- A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
- An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
- Most people fall asleep in seven minutes.
Recreation of Edvard Munch's Scream. Acting by Myles Sesi Kosi, MYP1
Mona Lisa painting by Iman Binta Ahmad, MYP 1
Recreation of Edvard Munch's Scream. Acting by Sedem Agbozo, MYP1
MY DECEMBER DIARIES
What a year it’s been! Time literally flew, and with it, the weeks and months with some pandemic in between. A new month has arrived and soon a new year will, so I grin. For eleven months and from a far distance, I watched December hold her reindeers but it just seemed she could not tarry any longer, so with or without my welcome, December finally knocked on my door. After exchanging our usual pleasantries, I asked December what observations she had made of the events that had transpired on earth during her waiting period. For what seemed like a few minutes but forever, December looked up pondering. I was growing impatient but I soon remembered what she had said to me the year before–“wonder is retained by wise pondering.” I kept my composure after recalling her quote, and after 12 minutes and 31 seconds, December finally managed a few words;
”John, so much time has passed since I last visited the face of the earth and for as long as I have existed, I have always believed that no man is an island. This year, that belief was once again validated as the coronavirus pandemic exposed the interdependence between countries. I saw the pandemic claim so many precious lives and that broke my heart but I also felt joy in seeing families spend a lot more time together, and with some nations reaching out to help and serve others. I was then reminded that there is still some good in the worst of humanity.” As I listened with curiosity, I recalled what December herself had told me during her previous visit a year ago–“a person’s most useful asset is not a head full of knowledge, but an ear ready to listen, and a heart full of love and willing to bring the greatest happiness to others." I grinned as I played back her words in my mind. December went on, “as you’re already aware, I bring yuletide to people around the world but this year’s celebration will be a little different.” Do you mean a virtual Christmas? I asked. As typical of December, she paused for a few minutes before uttering these words; “well, I really wish people could physically come together to celebrate big nights just like your school, C.I.A., did last year but with the virus still hanging around and cases rising, I am not sure it will be prudent to have big gatherings and I hope you and your students will understand.” Alright, I drawled.
“I know your folks will be coming over for Christmas so kindly let me dispense a few guidelines to make your celebration safe,” December said. I swiftly grabbed my pen and diary just in time to catch the words as they fell from December’s lips.
- If you finally decide to get together with people from different households, keep your guest list short.
- Avoid greeting anyone with physical contacts i.e. hugs, handshakes, etc.
- Have everyone wear their masks when they are not eating.
- Stay six (6) feet apart from people in other households at all times, even at mealtime.
- Wash your hands often.
- Consider appointing one person to place food on everyone’s plate, so people do not touch shared utensils.
- Consider an alcohol-free event, so guests will have the right mindset to make safe decisions about COVID-19.
- This pandemic has brought about hardships, and with your substance, it would be fulfilling to reach out to people in need.
I nodded in agreement, and now it was late in the evening—bedtime—so I closed my diary. I know December is going to hang around until the 31st day when I would finally bid her farewell but as she always does, she will return with yet another enthralling observation of the next season.
John Teye,
Media Studies Center
GET IN TOUCH
Email: correspondence@mail.cia.edu.gh
Website: https://www.cia.edu.gh
Location: No.2. Harare Street, Off Mensah Wood Avenue, East Legon, Accra-Ghana
Phone: 0265055439 0202068221
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cia.pyp.5/
Twitter: @CIA_Ghana