What Does it Mean to Belong

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From our friends at German International School:

At the GIS Middle School, experiential learning is a major focus of students’ educational experience throughout the year, and a big part of what makes GIS a place where students can learn and grow with support and acceptance.

Experiential learning is a philosophy that sees students actively engage in projects and activities connecting theories to real-world experiences. Students learn from mistakes and successes and develop skills to last a lifetime.

In September, grades 5-7 tackled an experiential learning day focused on “belonging.” Fifth graders wrote something kind about each of their classmates, with each student receiving their stack of notes and a group discussion about each other’s gifts, described as rays of sunshine.
This was converted into a group art project where all the rays were glued on to a sun for a beautiful piece of art for their school community. In 6th grade, a group art project involved making a fence mural spelling out the word “belonging,”.

Seventh graders joined their grade 6 peers later in the day to focus on “building community,” reading the book Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman, about a diverse community coming together to build and grow a garden together. The group also made a long list of ways they could “fill each other’s buckets,” an exercise designed to focus on lifting each other up and centering kindness.

The GIS Middle School launched in fall 2023 at the GIS campus on Brigadoon Court in Beaverton with a focus on expanding the IB World School’s established reputation of being an international school of language learning and student-focused education.

Find out more at the upcoming Open House on November 3, at 10 am. RSVP at www.gspdx.org/visit

PDX Parent Staff
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