Dear Merici Community:
The dynamism of a school like ours makes every day a great adventure.
On today’s edition, I’d like to share a status of important projects that are in progress today and whose impacts are already being perceived in our community:
- Finally, after the pandemic, we are returning to the Exchanges with MIT. In January 2023, we will be hosting two students with a very high academic (and human) profile who will be working with teachers and students on very diverse projects. We have already had virtual meetings to get to know them and set up the three-week agenda. We thank the Merici host families, (López de Silanes Torres and Reyes Quintero) who have generously offered to host them and share with them our cultural and family richness.
- In the D’labs we are working with Hacedores, a company dedicated to supporting maker spaces and we have started with the purchase of materials, which include among others, a laser cutter, a cutting plotter, another 3D printer, a band saw, a miter saw, a belt and disc sander and 4 mannequins. All this will help us to expand the possibilities of creation in each area of the D’Labs. In December, during the holidays, we plan to start with the physical remodeling in order to demarcate the different areas and as well as strengthen security, electrical wiring and environment. We would like to thank all those who have been involved in the development of the D’Labs, in particular Fausto Acuña, who has participated in the creative and development part, and Javier Figueroa Carral, in the project supervision.
- We are working hand in hand with Follett Learning to enrich our library in every way and focus it on the demands of the times we live in today. The renovation is in three lines: Environment, Organisation and Cataloguing and in the expansion of the library’s collection. Under the responsibility of our new librarian, (Mimi- as she is already known in the school), our library has a new order and atmosphere. We will have new software for rapid cataloging and book control, as well as an increase in our collection. There are also 5 new MAC computers in the library. We will soon be launching a campaign for those who would like to support one of the lines of development of our library. We also thank Javier Figueroa and María José Mendoza for their work and supervision.
As members of NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), we have access to a wealth of resources for educational development. In particular, there is one podcast that we have found to be extremely relevant to the times we are living in and we encourage you to take the time to listen to it. The podcast, “How to support students’ healthy habits in a digital world”, is recorded by Dr. Shimi Kang, a psychiatrist noted for her research in neuroscience and its connections to innovation, leadership and well-being. The podcast eloquently differentiates between toxic and healthy use of technology, how we can help or hinder the processes of human development and wellness, and how to achieve a balance. In minute 19 she talks about the three C’s of healthy technology (that which favours creativity, connection and self-care) and in minute 26 she talks about the warning signs around its use. The whole post-cast is valuable. Her research is accompanied by evidence that exists today on the reduction of gray matter in the brain in very young children, as well as on the behavioral and clinical phenomena that we are experiencing today in the face of technology abuse and addiction.
With affectionate greetings, I look forward to seeing you personally very soon during the Christmas festivities.
Alfonso García Williams,
Head of School.
