Dear Rochester Community:
This week is a very special one, considering that on the 6th of February, we are celebrating, 61 years of supporting Colombian Education, through the initial effort of the León Agustí family, back in 1959. Jorge León Forero, Isabel Agustí de León, Cecilia Agustí Pastor and Olga León, dreamed of a high quality bilingual education for Bogotá children and along with Jorge, Gladys and Patricia, Olga’s siblings, started along to fulfill this promise.
Since the beginning, they thought of high standards in Academics, mixed with Sports and Arts to offer an integral education that will foster emotional, social, cognitive, physical and spiritual health. Today, 61 years after this dream, we still believe that what they imagined and organized, continues to touch our students, staff and parents.
Their vision and mission was carried on along the years with many people that believed in them, supporting and working side by side. After Olga’s death in 1987, Patricia León, Daniel, Juan Pablo, Patricia and Iliana Aljure, committed to continue this enormous task, raising the bar for future generations to come.
Today, we have a Leed Gold school, in our commitment with a sustainability policy, where children are educated under the importance of protecting the planet in every sense. We have received numerous recognitions in the country and our President, Juan Pablo Aljure, is constantly invited to speak and alert Colombians about this crucial topic. We also provide our students with an education based on Real Life Competency Learning through our acronym THIS REAL, along with our Virtues Development Program, SHICKEL, which reminds them that knowledge requires thinking when speaking, listening, reading, writing, solving problems, cooperating and leading. Additionally, our Institutional Educational Project, based on Choice Theory, helps them understand the importance of quality relationships, as the basis of human evolution and the survival of our species.
Having this in mind, in the past decade we have evolved in our guiding statements, which keep us all on track to maintain high quality teaching and learning. Every three years we revise and make changes in our strategic plan, using the EFQM model, engaging the Executive Committee, the Educational Directors Team and the Academic Council, who study and propose new ideas in order to be aligned with the 21st Century Skills. Our latest strategic plan 2019-2022, was presented to the European Foundation for Quality Management, entity who gave us 4 stars in our commitment to excellence.
We would like to thank all our community, starting with Juan Pablo Aljure, our President, Alethia Bogoya, our Principal, teachers, administrators, infrastructure and food services, security, students and parents, for maintaining your spirit of trust and support with our Educational Project. WE ALL HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO REACH 61 YEARS OF HISTORY IN OUR COUNTRY. We feel grateful to you for believing, caring and walking beside us in this road to excellence in the education field.
Let’s all celebrate this 61 years, acknowledging our Guiding Statements and our Strategic Intent, which have been thought for the benefit and wellness of our dear community:
Guiding Statements
Institutional Purpose – Inspiring and educating students to take charge of their lives with the world in mind.
Highest Priority Goal – Every student feels safe, loved, learns all that is expected, and his / her parents perceive it that way.
Be Courteous –Be respectful and kind to others, following the Golden Rule “Treat others as you would like to be treated.”
Virtues Development Program – The school’s values (integrity, respect, hope, optimism, caring, faith, collaboration, and gratefulness) applied to everyday, form 7 virtues that guide the integration of the curricula. The virtues form an acronym called SHICKEL.
Our Strategic Intent is based on the three pillars:
Healthy and Sustainable Environment – Establish a leadership approach based on Choice Theory that is perceived as connecting, reliable, collaborative, responsible, sustainable and oriented towards quality.
Useful & Quality Learning for Life and the World – Be an international high-performing trilingual school (C1 in English and B2 in a third language between French and Portuguese), focused on excellence, using and applying knowledge.
Internal Responsibility towards Happiness and Success – Teachers, administrators, parents, and students use Choice Theory in their daily lives and apply professional self-evaluation methods that include the needs and wants of relevant others and the context to add quality to their lives and to the people around them.
Congratulations to all of you, because YOU make the school possible!
Iliana Aljure León Vice-Principal and Arts Director
Resumen: celebramos los 61 años de la fundación de nuestra Institución Educativa el 6 de febrero, recordando a las Fundadoras, Olga León, Isabel Agustí de León y Cecilia Agustí Pastor, quienes en 1959, soñaron con contribuir a la educación colombiana, a través de la creación de un colegio bilingüe. Posteriormente, Daniel Aljure, Patricia León y los tres hijos de Olga y Daniel, Patricia, Iliana y Juan Pablo, se vincularon para continuar aportando al Proyecto Educativo Institucional, el cual se fue fortaleciendo con los aportes del talento humano de la organización a través de los años. Hoy, tenemos un colegio Leed Gold, en nuestro compromiso con una política de sostenibilidad, donde los niños son educados bajo la importancia de proteger el planeta en todos los sentidos.
Hemos recibido numerosos reconocimientos en el país y nuestro presidente, Juan Pablo Aljure, es constantemente invitado a hablar y a alertar a los colombianos sobre este tema crucial. También brindamos a nuestros estudiantes una educación basada en el Aprendizaje de Competencias Útiles para la vida a través de nuestro acróstico LETRICAS, junto con nuestro Programa de Desarrollo de Virtudes, SACIAL, que les recuerda que el conocimiento requiere pensar al hablar, escuchar, leer, escribir, resolver problemas, cooperar y liderar.
Además, nuestro Proyecto Educativo Institucional, basado en la Teoría de la Elección, nos ayuda a comprender la importancia de las relaciones de calidad como la base de la evolución humana y la supervivencia de nuestra especie. En la última década hemos evolucionado en nuestra misión y visión, creando unos lineamientos orientadores que contemplan un propósito institucional, una meta de alta prioridad, la Regla de Oro para ser cortés y un Programa de Desarrollo de Virtudes, al igual que una Intención Estratégica basada en nuestros tres pilares: Ambiente Saludable y Sostenible, Aprendizaje Útil y de Calidad para la Vida y el Mundo y Responsabilidad Interior frente a la Felicidad y el Éxito.
Agradecemos a toda nuestra comunidad, comenzando con Juan Pablo Aljure, nuestro Presidente, Alethia Bogoya, nuestra Rectora, maestros, administradores, personal de apoyo de infraestructura y alimentos, seguridad, estudiantes y padres, por mantener su espíritu de confianza y apoyo con nuestro proyecto educativo.
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