Our Form VI 2021 students, who received their IB Diploma Programme results in early January, have once again exceeded the world average score and obtained an impressive 32.7 points average per student, with 40% of the promotion gaining a remarkable score of 35 points and above.
With such brilliant results, many students will be given the opportunity to continue their studies at the best universities both in Peru -where they can gain covalidations- or abroad, where the diploma acts as an academic passport. As part of all the skills and knowledge our students obtained during this challenging programme, they have also developed outstanding study abilities and valuable life skills that they will take with them into the next chapter of their lives.
On Tuesday, December 7, 2021, our school had the honor of presenting the International Baccalaureate Music Diploma Programme Recital, which took place virtually.
In this concert, 11 students from Form V and Form VI (first and second year of the Diploma Program) participated, who performed challenging pieces from the academic repertoire such as “Nocturno” by Frederic Chopin, the Cuban bolero “Contigo a la distancia”, and other compositions of their own authorship.
We would like to highlight the top technical level and musical mastery demonstrated by each of our students, as a result of their commitment and dedication to learning music, which has involved many hours of practice and rehearsal. For this, we congratulate them and express our gratitude for having given us the opportunity to enjoy the best of their musical ability.
During the last semester of the year, Pre-Kinder students worked diligently to complete a gallery of their creative artworks to showcase their creative artworks to showcase their talent and skills. They acquired knowledge as they inquired about different artists and art techniques to complete their works of art, they showed their open-mindedness to different ideas and took risks as they worked independently and collaboratively with their peers. They were also reflectives communicators as they confidently shared their art work with their families, teachers and friends. Congratulations Pre-Kinder students, we are very proud of you!
Our Form IV students presented their personal projects, as part of the culmination of the MYP (Middle Years Programme) of the International Baccalaureate. The exhibition was held on our school campus on Wednesday, November 17, respecting the allowed capacity and the biosafety measures of our institution.
A total of 75 students presented their works, which were framed in 10 categories, among which stood out: art / drama / photography and fashion; development of a new product; ethical and social problems; social service; food and nutrition; science and technology.
We have worked very hard in the past few months to get to this long awaited moment. We thank all the members of the Newton community for their patience, support and collaboration to develop and implement all the protocols and procedures necessary for this voluntary return to semi-presential.
To celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Peru's Proclamation of Independence on July 28th, a few weeks ago we invited our students to design a new version of the Newton logo that captures the identity and culture of Peru and its people. We received many entries and today we are very pleased to announce the winners of this competition.
6th Grade Benjamin Angulo took first place, while Form II's Jadhira Jaramillo and Form I's Micaela Hawie received second and third place respectively. These are the logos created by them. As you can see, some other interesting designs also received an honorable mention.
We would like to congratulate Arantza Cruzado and Camila Zignaigo of Form III who won first and second place respectively in the British Schools of Peru Short Story Competition. We feel especially proud of this achievement as it is the first time in many years that one school has won the top two prizes.
Arantza and Camila used many of the writing techniques learnt in their English course to write two compelling stories of the supernatural genre. Intrigue and suspense mount as the central messages are unfolded: appreciate every moment of life before it is too late and things are not always what they seem when you finally return home.
Congratulations to both on their very creative use of the English language!
Thirteen of our students participated in the LAHC Schools International Chess Tournament organized by Wingate School of Mexico. Altair, Markham, Fleming, Hiram Bingham, Victoria School, Lancaster School and Craighouse School also participated in the event held on June 10th. Among 112 participants, our chess players achieved third place in the U-10 category; second place in the U-12 category; and first and second place in the U-14 category. Way to go, boys!
Miss Hayley and her 4th Grade pupils have created a dynamic to practice during break times between classes. They shared their creation with the YouTube channel UJU Videos, who produced a video for their “Brain Break” section that illustrates all this dynamic.
Without a doubt, it is a great initiative from our students, who seek to inspire their peers and our whole Newton community to keep a balance between the use of technology and our day to day life. When taking your active break, please consider this video. Not only will you have fun, but you will also have a different break time.
In recent years, different researches have shown evidence that preschool education significantly benefits the development of a child on a neurological, emotional, social and cognitive levels.
Neuroscience has proven that during the first years of life is when the brain reaches its maximum plasticity, which allows neurons to organize and establish connections between them at an unrepeatable speed.
The emotional and physical health, social skills, and cognitive/language skills that emerge in the early years are important prerequisites for success in school and later in the workplace and community.
In the classroom, children are exposed to a wide variety of learning experiences that gradually allow them to understand the importance of respecting others, sharing, listening with empathy, waiting their turn, and becoming increasingly independent. Basic life skills that will allow them to develop properly in the future.
The sensory activities that take place in a preschool are fundamental in integral development, since they contribute to the construction of the channels through which children receive information from the environment that surrounds them, thus forming the basis for intellectual and perceptual development. Therefore, it is important to expose children to activities that allow them to explore through their senses.
At just 19 years old, Santiago Bustamante, a former student of Newton College, is drawing the attention of young Latin American students thanks to his undertaking "Dream Uni", a project that is committed to democratizing access to the best universities in the world.
Santiago developed the “Dream Uni” platform, which to date has supported at least 300 students from countries such as Mexico, Colombia and Peru, among others in the region. “Dream Uni” helps young people to strengthen their skills to enter the best institutions of higher education, either through academic or sports scholarships.
Santiago was recently interviewed by Forbes Magazine Colombia. During the conversation with journalist Kevin Bohórquez, he explained where his initiative came from, what it consists of and how he intends to help other young Latin Americans who seek to enter universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, MIT, Princeton, among others.
We invite you to read the full interview here.
Our NewMUN 2021 annual conference took place on April 24th and 25th, and 160 students and teachers from different invited schools in Lima participated in this conference. It was a wonderful experience in which our 23 delegates, from 6th Grade to Form V, put their organizational skills to the test to carry out an event of this magnitude virtually.
Some of the issues under debate were the measures to be taken for the post-pandemic economic relaunch and the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The novelty for this edition of NewMUN was the creation of a committee for newcomers, which received excellent comments for the dedication and patience that the committee leaders showed with the new delegates, whom they motivated throughout the two days of debate.
We thank Mr. Vincent Ringenberg, Head of the Political, Press, and Information Section of the European Union Delegation in Peru, for giving the opening speech at the inaugural ceremony of this important event. We are sure that our delegation will continue to strive and demonstrate its level of preparation and professionalism at the next MUN conferences throughout this year.
In a board game, players roll dice and move their tokens around a board, but when young children play a number-based board game, something exciting happens they experience magnitude in a hands-on, concrete way:
Different studies have shown how this number sense, the intuitive appreciation of how many numbers represent and how they are ordered, predicts long-term achievement in mathematics. So, why not pick up a board game tonight?
“Happy Tummies” is a programme of OLI Foundation, which aims to raise funds to feed through sub kitchens thousands of Peruvians living in extreme poverty in Villa Maria del Triunfo.
To implement their kitchens and to bring this help to more people, the Oli Club invites you to participate in the “Hands to the Pot” campaign, a project that focuses on the collection of kitchen utensils that will be used in the preparation of the food. You can bring your donations until May 15th to Calle Los Álamos 595, San Isidro, from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm, or drop them off at the school (Gate # 4, behind the Sports Centre).
Technology is a tool that allows students to access information and find solutions, thus taking on challenges that transcend subjects. Through the different types of electronic devices, students explore and expand their questions and inquiries, generating endless opportunities to expand their curiosity beyond the classroom.
Technology makes it possible to communicate and share knowledge. In the case of our Early Years pupils, a clear example is the use of the new Seesaw platform, which fosters a learning community where everyone can share what they inquire and discover, and where we all learn from everyone.
Our 6th Grade students will be working with English-speaking storytellers from around the world as the English Department has invited ‘Dream on Productions’ to bring the magic of storytelling into their Zoom classes. This activity will enrich students’ learning experiences during their second unit “Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends”.
The interactive workshops will help to develop students' language, creativity and imagination in addition to exploring key techniques for telling an engaging story. Students will be exposed to new cultural influences whilst developing their skills to write and create their own children’s stories in English class.
Do you know why World Language Day is celebrated on April 23? This celebration is a tribute to the genius of Spanish letters, Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. This date is the anniversary of his death and coincides with the date of the death of the most prestigious English playwright and poet, William Shakespeare. Another curious historical coincidence is the fact that the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, a renowned Peruvian writer and historian, also died on April 23, 1616.
On this date, we celebrate the life and work of these authors and seek to highlight the importance of language as a heritage of our cultural identity
It has been shown that the regular practice of exercise favors the secretion of chemical substances that stimulate and control neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons, and that it causes small structural changes in the brain, improving memory and associated mental processes.
For this reason, using games and movement is the ideal formula to improve mental abilities and influence motivation and predisposition to learning. In this respect, merging learning with movement is not only legal and possible, but it is presented as the most natural and biologically appropriate path for the human being.
Due to the new temporary modality of virtual classes, parents have become active agents in the teaching process of their children, since they must now accompany them closely and permanently in their learning, which can sometimes be a challenge.
Therefore, it is important to stop for a moment and reflect on what is the most effective way to accompany our children, so that we help them to strengthen their autonomy and independence. Here are some recommendations to take into account during this period of time.
There is strong evidence worldwide that regular physical activity boosts academic performance. In a study that we will share with the Newton community soon, we have confirmed that this relationship also happens within our school.
This analysis considered 608 average grades between 2015-2019, in students from 1st Grade (PYP1) to Form VI (DP2). Some of the findings indicate that 81% of the students with average grades between 18 and 20 carry out sports activities at school; and that the greatest decrease in average grades coincides with the time of lowest participation in sports between 5th Grade (PYP5) to Form I (MYP2).
As every year, in the first week of November 2020 our violin, guitar and cello students took the rigorous London College of Music exam. LCM is a British institution specializing in music and theater, part of the University of West London, which offers a wide range of international certifications.
Despite the circumstances, the distance training and the technological challenges they had to overcome, our students kept their motivation and desire to do their best. The results obtained, the quality of interpretation and the comments from the jury show us that their effort was not in vain: 16 obtained “Distinction” and 3 obtained “Merit”. Congratulations to the young musicians, their parents and teachers!
This year, our graduating Form VI 2020 students, who gained the bilingual diploma, have been accepted in some of the best universities around the world, including New York University (USA and Abu Dhabi campus), the University of Toronto, Amsterdam University, Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD), and the University of Manchester, among others, to follow a range of interesting careers such as Public Policy, Fashion Marketing and International Business.
They are inquiring, knowledgeable young people who are truly motivated to succeed. Good luck, Newtonians!
Agency is the power to take meaningful and voluntary action which develops from early childhood, when children discover and establish connections with themselves and with others around them.
In the Primary Years Programme, agency is a key element for learning, because throughout the programme the students strengthen their confidence in their abilities when achieving set goals, and acquire a sense of community and awareness regarding the opinion and needs of others. Agency provides a space to learn, think and experiment within a community, as students contribute, participate and act with autonomy and responsibility towards their surroundings.
Daniela Mata, from our 30th Promotion, completed the Diploma in 2018 and has been accepted onto the extremely challenging University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute Dual Bachelor’s Degree programme. This programme is designed to allow a student entering the JI undergraduate programme to earn two Bachelor of Science degrees from different academic areas. She is going to pursue her studies majoring in Aerospace Engineering programme.
Congratulations to Daniela for demonstrating the academic and life skills necessary to secure the double degree placing.
In a world where comfort is the prevailing choice, intense physical activity provides a unique opportunity to test our capacity for endurance. Physical exertion teaches us to accept uncomfortable situations and to continue even when the brain tells you to stop. In addition to these valuable lessons in mental toughness, exercise reduces the risk of depression in healthy people. In people diagnosed with depression or anxiety, it has been shown that it can improve their clinical condition effectively.
Conclusion: Regular exercise positively influences our moods and is associated with better mental health.
During the unit "How We Express Ourselves", our PreKinder students inquired into the ways in which we express our ideas and feelings. They were inspired by the work of artists from around the world and used different techniques to express their own ideas.
To celebrate their learning, teachers prepared an art exhibition using the variety of pieces of art pupils created and last week, PreKinder parents were invited to visit their child’s virtual Art Gallery. Now, we would like to extend this invitation to all the Newton Community, by clicking here to access the different Art Exhibitions. We hope you enjoy them!
Our Lower School Theatre Department is pleased to invite you to the online premier of the play “Snow Bright” in our newest Newtonflix streaming platform. This play, written and produced by the Lower School Theatre Club pupils, is an adaptation of the classic tale Snow White, adjusted to current times, where the coveted virtue is not beauty but intelligence and talent.
You may access the three chapters that make up this beautiful artistic work by entering the Newtonflix platform, logging with your Newton parents account (@parents.newton.pe).
Currently, when young kids are still restricted to go out, the emotional well-being of our children plays an important role not only in their mood and regulation of emotions, but also in learning.
For this reason, the Early Years Department of Psychopedagogy has prepared this article to explain the role of emotions in their learning.
Who does not like music? Music definitely has a great impact on our feelings. As the lyrics of a famous song by Abba recorded in 1977 say "Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing, thanks for all the joy they're bringing...".
On November 22nd, Musician's Day is celebrated and for this reason, our Music Department has prepared a virtual concert with the participation of all the musical groups of the school, where you will be able to appreciate the result of students’ hard work and dedication during this year of virtual learning. We hope you enjoy their musical talents in this beautiful video.
This year our Form IV students have exceeded themselves with their Personal Projects. Here you will see the wide range of topics which they are passionate about, which they carefully researched, which motivated them to produce a virtual play, create a solar tracking panel, portray veganism through art. Listen to the process they used for organizing their ideas into a well structured project. We are very proud of the students' creativity, reflections and communication skills. You may read here what the viewers think of their projects.
On Saturday 7th and Saturday 14th November our Chess Team participated in the Online Chess Tournament "Newton College 2020." In this event, carried out through the Lichess platform, 46 students from Hiram Bingham, St. Georges, Markham, and of course Newton College participated. Our students from both Lower and Upper School obtained first place in the category "Teams", while in the category "Individual" our representatives obtained second place. Congratulations to all the students who participated and to their chess coach, Mr. Elliot Serrano.
With the help of some peers, Camila Garcia -one of our Form VI IB Year 2 students- coordindated, edited and produced a classical version of the song "7 Rings" by Ariana Grande, which you can see in this video. When asked about the inspiration behind the project, she said "the idea for this project starts because of the difficult situation we are experiencing, in which we are more vulnerable to stress and frustration. For this reason, I decided to create videos of different songs played by students from both Lower and Upper school in order to break their routines and to prevent them from losing the spirit of collaboration that characterizes music students”.
Physical activity not only allows us to be fit and healthy, it can also have positive effects on our mind and the way we feel emotionally. To better explain how exercise can help us calm our minds, the Physical Education Department invites you to read this article.
Our Music Department organized a musical meeting between Casa Blanca, a renowned music academy in Huancayo, and a group of Newton College students for the production of a video performing the song "Contigo Perú". The objective of this project is to motivate the union among Peruvians through music, giving a message of hope and courage in these difficult times that we are facing. This is the final product of this project, we hope you enjoy it!
Last week our 5th Grade students “packed their bags” and visited the Three Regions of Peru from their homes. They had several immersive cultural experiences, including learning how to make ceviche during a live class with chef Rafael Piqueras, taking a guided tour of Machu Picchu, participating in a hands on workshop on quipus, and hearing stories from different communities like Chincha and the Ashaninkas.
We would like to thank all the community members who were involved in the organization of this incredible trip for our 5th Graders. We will have a full report on the trip soon.
The inquiries in the Primary Years Programme are based on aspects common to all human beings, which are relevant to everyone who is part of the learning community (teachers, students and family).
Therefore, members of this community play an important role in the inquiry process. In this case specifically, parents and other family members can support the children's inquiries in this way.
Newton College officially has its own news website, Newston! Two Form IV students, Abril Bulos and Amanda Bacherer with the support of Ms Kitson-Evans and 9 peers (Alessandra Diaz, Alvaro Miranda, Arnav Sahoo, Gianella Espinoza, Jose Manuel Chavez, Micaela Alomia, Natalia Sansour, Stefano Zolla and Valentina Lyon) have started this project with the mission of engagingly and concisely informing Upper School students about current and major news related to different subjects. Newston has over 40 outstanding students from Form I to Form IV divided into 8 different teams. We invite you to click here to see the amazing work of these students.
Our Model United Nation (MUN) delegation has recently participated in the "Let's MUN" conference (Aug 16th) in which five schools participated with beginner delegates. This conference was overviewed by Newton College and Form IV student, Renzo Ugarte, as part of his MYP Personal Project. Newton students won three delegate awards. Newton College also participated in the Markham MUN conference last weekend. Our students prepared thoroughly, demonstrating commitment and leadership, and seven students won commendation and awards. We are very proud of them!
Inquiry fuels curiosity and promotes enthusiasm for learning. Effective inquiry encourages students to think, question, and expand on their ideas; It invites them to reflect and take action. Through inquiry, students develop and practice the skills of the approaches to learning and the attributes of the IB learner profile.
When initial curiosity raises new questions, inquiry extends students' learning. That is why the inquiry question is key in this process, since students take an active role in their own learning, collecting data, constructing meaning, and sharing information on a topic of their interest.
This semester we will be reinforcing in Lower School the importance of the school values through "The Monday Message" initiative. We will share short videos with students each Monday and will encourage them to demonstrate our values in fun and creative ways. Students will have weekly opportunities to share their reflections by participating in a range of FlipGrid activities. Please motivate your children to participate in these short but important activities at home in order to reinforce the school values. You can see our first Monday Message here.
World Game Day was celebrated on May 28th. Playing games is considered an important activity for children throughout their early childhood, since children not only have fun or entertainment, but also strengthen their cognitive skills. Do you know the influence of games in the personality and development of your children? We invite you to learn more here.
In his book “Sapiens”, historian and writer Yuval Noah Harari predicts that the student of 2050 will need “the ability to deal with change. to preserve mental balance in unfamiliar situations… to invent new ideas and products… to reinvent (oneself) again and again.” COVID-19 seems to have proven Mr. Harari right.
Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills –thinking, research, self-management, social and communication– are developed intentionally through our teaching, assessments and interactions with students. Please study these skills and reinforce them in your children at every opportunity.
Some of us understand E-Learning in different ways, but is the concept we have about it correct? Víctor Torres, Head of Technology at the school, explains in this video what E-learning methodology really is.
We have designed a completely new programme for our Early Years pupils, based on the natural curiosity of children and on the inquiry-based approach of our International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. Classes will be divided into smaller groups of five children and each group will be taught by two teachers. Our new programme places fewer demands on the adult carer at home, and allows children to advance at their own pace.
We are confident that your and your children will find this new programme stimulating and fun and it will enhance the sense of belonging to the school which will become your child's second home for the next 12 to 15 years.
