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Chrysalis International, Creative & Sustainable School

Chrysalis International Green School

Chrysalis school is born from a need to provide our children with quality education, by bringing

together an international level school program as well as an educational project in tune with

our natural environment in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

By combining trililingual academic education, using nature as the main teaching tool, our vision

of an integrated Eco-conscious school is achieved. Chrysalis is a unique and innovative

educational center, committed to develop lasting sustainability, environmental awareness and

expression of creativity.

Pre-K & Elementary

Our Pre-K and Elementary programs run in five-week units focusing on cultural and environmental themes. Academic domains are taught in integrated lessons, projects, and experiential learning using applied literacy and mathematics skills.

Mixed age classrooms provide opportunities to develop social skills, strengthening each child’s ability to collaborate and function in diverse group dynamics.

Weekly engagement with our permaculture garden, as well as the jungle and marine environments available in Bocas, provide students with a grounded understanding and appreciation of the natural world and the need to protect it.

Cooking, art, dance, sports, and celebrations bring integrated awareness of world cultures, history and the joy of being a human being with a body and senses.

At least once a session the entire school ventures out to learn from one of our sustainability partners in Bocas to give student the experience of active engagement in environmental stewardship.

English, Spanish and French

The Chrysalis curriculum is taught in English and / or French but every aspect of our day is used to build a trilingual vocabulary as well as regular Spanish class to ensure conversation and grammatical skills in both languages.

Ensuring academic excellence

Our school program is taught by qualified and experienced teachers with credited degrees and certifications. Their passion for education and the environment create a rich learning opportunity with one-on-one attention to every aspect of a child’s academic and personal journey.

Our curriculum is offering students the quality of education that is essential for our children’s future.

Our Mission

Our mission is to help children grow into confident, knowledgeable and inspired individuals, giving them the foundation to be responsible and compassionate leaders of the future. Our priority is that our children will grow to be fulfilled, healthy, independent, honest and respectful to themselves, the Earth and others.

Our Pedagogy:

Eco-conscious Learning

Chrysalis school offers a unique and inspiring learning environment with a lush campus and curriculum focusing on alternative and progressive learning. We use teaching methods inspired by Montessori and the Forest school pedagogical methods.

Our natural environment and sustainable development are at the heart of our learning. Our school program is created to awaken ecological awareness in humanity; encouraging awareness for the benefit and future of our planet.

Engaging children through a progressive and integrated curriculum nurtures and develops

their authentic personality supported by assurance and encouragement.

Our study environment puts a strong priority on creative arts and environmental sustainability in harmony with autonomy and structure. Our teachers overcome challenges academically, socially and emotionally with openness and enthusiasm.

We aim to guide our children to become better students, thinkers and problem solvers. We encourage forward thinking and creativity in our teachers and students creating the space to explore, experiment and communicate with confidence.

Our Ethics

We feel a call to ethical educational principles and have developed a set of values as a community. These values apply to self-development, engaging and interacting with others in the surroundings and local community. Kids, teachers, staff and families are all encouraged to share and adopt these values.

• Ingenuity and community

• Empathy and Felicity

• Mindfulness and Consciousness

• Trust and Honesty

• Open to communication, transparency and Cooperation

• Be responsible and respectful of each one of us and commitments made.

• Environmental sustainability

Community Engagement

Our commitment to engaging children with the local community and environmental stewardship is facilitated through our partnership with twelve local non-profit associations. These partnerships offer our students the opportunity to get involved in humanitarian projects and the protection of flora and fauna.

Our partners in Bocas include Hope Spot, Caribbean Coral Restoration, Floating Doctors, Conscious Market, Papa Gato, Unidos por Bocas, Give and Surf, Planet Rehab, Sea Turtle Conservancy…

Our Campus

Located in the Big Creek area of Isla Colon, our beautiful grounds feature a biodynamic garden, sugarcane and multiple fruit trees. The school property backs up to jungle and we can access beaches and coral reefs by simply walking down the driveway.

Our new school building has expansive classrooms, a main hall for gathering and an upper deck for community events.

We want to spread among our students respect for the planet and our island, teaching them how to use resources consciously and responsibly.

We are a zero waste school using all modes of recycling, composting and creating “bottle bricks” which can be used for building projects in the future.

Chrysalis Community

We aim to be a participatory school; a group of families that come together and work together to achieve common goals. Parents participate by sharing their passions in activities or by accompanying our teachers in extra-curricular activities.

Building an amazing educational opportunity for our children is not enough. We are social beings and all stages of life thrive from strong community bonds, celebrations and friendship.

Chrysalis aims to be more than just a school; we want to be a community organization and center for connection, engagement, and building a better Bocas for us all.

Our calendar has many opportunities for volunteering, specialty classes, events, and many other exciting possibilities to create community for ourselves and our children.

Our specials thanks to the teaching staff for their pedagogy and for their brilliant management of the class, to the parents who trusted us, to the students for their smiles and all those who accompanied us on this adventure.

Emilie and David