Anne Baldisseri 校长回顾圣保罗爱文校区走过的第一个五年

今天，当我回顾我们共同旅程的最初五年时，我为已发生的变革感到无比自豪。我们知道，在踏上教育之旅时，我们不仅需要一支技艺精湛的船员队伍，还需要一艘足以承载我们梦想的坚固船只。但就像一艘帆船在下水前要在船坞中经历改造一样，爱文的学校建筑也要具备我们的学生茁壮成长所需的温暖和有爱的环境。如今，我们的校园已经演变成了学生的另一家园，不断孕育和滋养着他们的梦想。

带着毅力和决心，团队的每个人都投身到了圣保罗爱文校区的辛勤筹备工作中——与未来的学生和家庭建立联系，聘请充满热情的教育者，组建我们的第一批航海家和工程师，准备迎接未知的风浪。为了确保我们的每个船员都认同我们的愿景和使命，我们的教师和员工选拔过程是严谨而苛刻的。一个又一个面试之后，我们最终组建了一支世界一流的教育团队，这是由一群背景各异却又志同道合的成员共同组成的队伍。

然而，就像一艘新帆船的船员可能遭遇挑战一样，我们一开始也碰到了很多现实的问题。在我们试图满足来自 100 所不同学校的 750 名有着不同经历、习惯、文化、期望和目标的新生的需求时，我们碰到过厕所任性，施工尘土阻碍视线等五花八门的问题。还有在那些空调不配合的日子里，我们或是热得出汗或是冷得发抖。

我童年的很多时间都是在参加帆船竞赛中度过的。我清楚地记得每个周末等待新的比赛开始时的紧张和期待，知道新的挑战将会出现在我面前，希望自己能有克服这些未知挑战的韧劲和决心。几十年后，我们在爱文圣保罗校区的最初几天、几周、几个月，甚至几年所面临的挑战，马上让我想到了变幻莫测的风向和其他不可预知的因素所带来的航行不确定性。看着我们的团队成功驾驭多重挑战，看着他们规划的航线引领我们走到今天，我都深深地感觉到我们在进行一场教育远航。

与精通地图和航海图的船员一样，我们的教师也总在不断改进我们的课程。在爱文世界元素的框架激励下，我们的教师能够通过跨学科项目构建灵活、丰富的学习单元，培养探究心态，使我们的学生能够借助好奇心和求知欲的风力航行。在这个教育航程的核心，我们认识到培养价值观的重要性。爱文社群包括学生在内的所有成员，都以协作、善学、担当、敏思、应变和无畏为自己的行为导向。我们相信，我们的学生不仅应该在学术上表现出色，还应该成为能够理解和解决全球问题的具有世界智慧的领导者。我们鼓励他们善良、富有同理心和怜悯心，致力于营造一个欢迎、安全和尊重的校园文化。

2020 年，我们遭遇了一场前所未有的风暴，也就是全球疫情。就像一个船员依靠罗盘一样，我们也需要迅速调整，并在这汹涌的大海中找到新的方向。当巴西和全世界都陷入疫情的不确定性之中时，我们握住舵柄，将我们的船驶向线上学习的彼岸。我们的船员不懈合作，确保我们的学生能够获得与实体课堂同样的支持和关怀。家长和教师成为了至关重要的灯塔，共同努力为孩子们在家中提供有利的学习环境。即使在我们面临汹涌的潮水和猛烈的海浪时，我们的社群凝聚力依然没有丝毫动摇。

随着疫情的消退，我们看到前方的海水逐渐平静下来。我们从这个充满挑战的时期中走出来，并比以往任何时候都更加坚定。我们发现了新的力量，并拥抱了更强的创新精神。我们意识到，我们学校的精神不局限于物理空间，而是驻留在我们敬业的社群成员的心灵和大脑中。带着从经验中斩获的自信和智慧，我们齐心协力，继续航行，随时准备化挑战为机遇。

尽管纽约校区是我们的旗舰校区，但圣保罗校区作为爱文全球生态系统的第二个校区，在过去的五年里也贡献了许多独特创新，其中一些已在多个爱文校区实施。以下是少数几个例子：

• Embark：在每学年和学期开始之前的职业培训
• IMPACT：教师发展职业生涯的独特方式
• ALLI：爱文语言学习密集课程，为 6 至 9 年级的学生提供精通英语的机会，为爱文圣保罗校区的常规课程做准备
• 阅读节：一个让所有社群成员聚到一起并分享他们对阅读和写作的热情的机会
• NSTI：新思维学院，专门为来自巴西各地的教育者举办的会议
• LEAP：教职员工和学生为邻近的 Jardim
• Panorama 社区的孩子提供教育机会
  奖学金计划：加强社会和环境组织与爱文之间的联系

我代表爱文社群诚挚地邀请您加入这次不可思议的教育旅程。我们期待在课堂内外激发和培育您孩子的潜能，并继续朝着卓越和创新的新地平线航行。让我们共同扬帆起航！

Nonetheless, we encountered practical challenges similar to those that the crew of a newly-constructed sailing boat might face–all while accommodating 750 new students hailing from 100 different schools, each with unique experiences, approaches, cultures, expectations and goals. There were moments when the toilets refused to cooperate, and the dust from construction work clouded our paths. The air conditioning presented its share of issues, making some days uncomfortably hot and others distinctly chilly.

I spent a good part of my childhood sailing competitively. I remember waiting, weekend after weekend, for the start of a new race, my heart filled with anticipation, knowing that new challenges would come my way, and hoping that I would meet these unknown challenges with resilience and determination. Fast forward several decades, and I immediately likened the challenges we faced in the first few days, weeks, months and even years of Avenues São Paulo to the unpredictability of the winds and other unforeseeable factors that can disrupt a voyage.  As I’ve seen our community successfully navigate multiple challenges, charting a course to where we are today, the metaphor has continued to hold.

Much like accomplished sailors studying maps and charts, our faculty has continuously worked on refining our curriculum. Motivated by our Avenues World Elements, our teachers are able to build flexible and dynamic learning paths, through interdisciplinary projects that help foster an inquiry mindset, empowering our students to harness the winds of curiosity and intellectual exploration. At the heart of our voyage, we recognize the importance of nurturing values. All members of our community, including our students, are driven by the valued behaviors of collaboration, resourcefulness, learning, accountability, adaptability and courage. We all believe that our students should not only excel academically but should also be empowered to develop into world-wise leaders uniquely equipped to understand and solve global-scale problems. We encourage them to be kind, empathetic, and compassionate, fostering a culture of welcome, safety and respect.

In 2020, we encountered an unprecedented storm in the form of the global pandemic. Much like a sailor relying on a compass, we needed to adapt swiftly and find new paths through these turbulent waters. As Brazil, along with the rest of the world, grappled with the uncertainties of the pandemic, we took the helm and steered our ship towards online learning. Our crew collaborated tirelessly to ensure that our students received the same level of care and attention they would in a physical classroom. Parents and teachers became essential beacons and lighthouses, working together to provide a supportive and conducive learning environment from the comfort of their homes. Even as we faced rough waters and rip tides during these times, our sense of community did not waver.

As the pandemic subsided and we saw calmer waters ahead, we emerged from this challenging period stronger than ever. We discovered new strengths and embraced an even stronger spirit of innovation. We realized that the spirit of our school is not confined to a physical space but rather resides in the hearts and minds of our dedicated community crewmates. Together, we continue to sail, ready to see challenges as opportunities, strong in the confidence and wisdom gained from our experiences.

While the New York campus served as our flagship, our São Paulo campus, the second in Avenues’ global ecosystem, developed many innovations in the last five years. Some of these have been implemented across the Avenues ecosystem. Here are but a few:

• Embark: a period of professional learning before the start of every academic year and semester.
• IMPACT:  a unique way for teachers to build their careers.
• Avenues Language Learning Intensive (ALLI): a program that provides students in grades 6–9 with an opportunity to master English as a second language in preparation for regular classes at Avenues São Paulo.
• READ festival: an opportunity for the community to come together to share our love for reading and writing.
• The New School of Thought Institute (NSTI):  a conference for educators across Brazil.
• LEAP: faculty, staff and students making educational opportunities accessible to children in the neighboring Jardim Panorama community.
• The Fellowship program: building stronger connections between social and environmental impact institutions and Avenues.

To our community, I extend a heartfelt invitation to join us on this incredible educational journey. We look forward to igniting and nurturing your child's potential in the classroom and beyond, and to continue to sail, as a community, towards new horizons of excellence and innovation. Bon voyage!