We love a good party. From the beautiful homecoming celebration at the Cérémonie d'Ouverture on the first day of school to the annual all-campus Intentional Day of Peace festivities, we have a lot to celebrate. The 2024-2025 school year is off to a great start. In case you blinked, here are the highlights from our first month of school.

Cérémonie d'Ouverture

The Opening Ceremonies August 21 officially launched us into the 2024-2025 academic year. This annual gathering is a celebration of community. After summer holiday, the energy is excited and hopeful as we gather together as families, students, faculty, and staff. 

This year’s festivities included opening remarks by 8th Grade Head of School Award Recipient, Bryan Wabo, the 8th-grade ringing of the bell ceremony, and the inaugural performance of the Dragon Chorale of the new school song composed by Dr. Juliana Stoughton. 

 

Lower Primary Students Sorted Into Dragon Houses

Students in Lower Primary were wrapped into a favorite ISDenver tradition. For the first time ever, students in first and second grade were officially sorted into a Dragon House.  (Yes, a bit like Harry Potter, except with no sorting hat, and derived well before Harry, Ron, and Hermione ever stepped foot on Hogwarts, from the British system). The House system originally started in our Middle School and was introduced to Upper Primary students last school year.

Shenlong, Typhon, Zu and Wyvern are the four Dragon Houses with the goal of building community, offering students leadership opportunities, and bringing a welcomed opportunity for fun. 

The Dragon is the ISDenver mascot, a mythical being recognized as a symbol in many cultures.  The four Dragon Houses are derived from characteristics and likenesses of dragons from:

• Shenlong: China
• Typhon: Greece
•  Zu: Mesopotamia
• Wyvern: United Kingdom

Popsicle Playdate!

Perhaps the cutest of our signature celebrations is the Dragon Parent Association hosted Popsicle Playdate for all Early Childhood Education students and their families. This year’s playdate on August 28 featured popsicles from local favorite, Denver Pops, and a lot of fun had by all. (We are so grateful for all of our older students who waited patiently for their popsicles and allowed our littlest learners to enjoy this special event!)

6th Graders Bond in Idaho Springs

The 6th-grade cohort whisked off campus for a Rocky Mountain adventure. This first “Classroom without Walls” trip of the year, allows all 6th-grade students and faculty to coalesce as a cohort. With about ⅓ of the 6th-grade class brand new to ISDenver every year and other students coming from specific language programs in Primary School, this trip allows every student to bond. “By the end of the 6th-grade trip, it is impossible to tell who has been at ISDenver since age three and who is brand new to the school., “ Middle School Director, Katie Williams shared.

Athletics

Fall Athletics are in full swing. You can cheer on Boys Soccer, Girls Volleyball, Co-ed Cross Country, and Co-Ed Tennis and Pickleball. Check out the upcoming schedule each week in E-News.

Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Zhōngqiū jié (中秋节), is one of China's most important holidays.

I’m proud of how our students learned about the Chinese Moon Festival. I hope they remember the importance of family and togetherness. The festival teaches us, ‘The moon is brightest when we are together.’ I hope this reminds them of the joy in sharing and celebrating with others.

K2 Chinese Teacher, Dan Han

During the Moon Festival lesson, K2 students in the Chinese Program learned about the history and traditions of the festival. They listened to the story "The Origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival" and explored how families celebrate the holiday. During the festival, it is customary for families to drink tea, eat mooncakes, make paper lanterns, and watch the moon together. Students playdough to create their own mooncakes, made paper lanterns and learned a Moon song. This lesson was part of our unit on cultural celebrations, helping students understand traditions. This activity also connects to our PYP unit "Who We Are."

Hispanic Heritage Month 

Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month is celebrated Sept 15 - October 15. Although Hispanic Heritage month is the official government designation, we believe that this celebration recognizes and honors the importance of the contributions of all Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States, with ancestors from Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain, Central, and South America. We have many projects happening throughout the month on our social media and in the classrooms, including Teresa and Daniela (from Argentina)  telling ECE students how they prepare Matte, a traditional hot tea, and Jaqueline explaining how the same tea is consumed cold in Brazil. Dr. Holly Freeman, our librarian, recorded four different videos for social media, recommending books that are available at our library for each division and highlighting various aspects of Hispanic and Latino Culture. Many families volunteered in the classrooms, sharing their traditions like pinatas from Mexico and crafts from Panama. 

International Day of Peace

Every September, our entire student body gathers together in observance of the International Day of Peace. This year ISDenver observed the International Day of Peace on Friday, September 20th, with a variety of activities including: planting Pinwheels for Peace created by every student from K1 - Grade 8, a new Peace Pole painted with our Dragon House colors of red, yellow, green, and blue, and with words showing how we will show ways to cultivate peace (the 2024 theme). The words painted on the Peace Pole are: Kindness & Connecting, Caring & Valuing, Respect & Appreciating, and Love & Gratitude.

If you think the first month of school was great, just wait! The second month promises to be even better! Our 5th graders are getting ready to leave on their two-week international trips to Taiwan, France, and Spain, 3rd graders are taking their first overnight trip to the mountains, and our Harvest Festival and Giving Day are right around the corner.