PRIMARY-SCHOOL
LORI BOBAK
Primary School principal / Academy Director
l.bobak@cchs.edu.do
Welcome to the CCHS Primary School! The CCHS Primary Program is truly committed to living our school mission: To provide a student-centered environment based on high expectations that actively promotes leadership, wisdom, and integrity by fostering creative, critical thinkers who are life-long learners, caring human beings and responsible global citizens. Our Primary School academic program requires students to excel beyond understanding content, including mathematics, English Language Arts, science, Spanish Language Arts, social studies, Sociales as well as art, music, physical education, and Makerspace classes.
Each student is afforded the opportunity to apply these learned concepts and skills within real world situations through project based learning structure and makers centered learning. We encourage all learners to become effective, efficient, and ethical thinkers. Students’ development of communication and technology skills are critical aspects of the CCHS learning process.
Our young learners express their thoughts and ideas to others through our dynamic learning structure. These life skills, combined with our academic rigor, promote learning that is holistic and allows students to develop into tomorrow’s leaders by being exposed to many views and ideas. Character education and social emotional wellness are at the forefront of all learning. Through our counseling department, our character education program, including student safety units, and peace table structure within our classrooms, provide the foundations and development of CCHS students into kind, empathetic and compassionate individuals. Problem solving strategies, personal safety, and respecting others enable students to be equipped to deal with daily life situations and advocate for themselves even at young ages.
The primary students celebrate the 32+ nationalities we have within our CCHS community at our weekly school-wide flag ceremonies. Our ongoing celebrations of life, learning, and love resonate throughout our campus and beyond. We encourage you to explore our website and visit the examples and images of student learning we have captured. We welcome you with open arms to experience the CCHS difference!
In Unity,
Dr. Lori A. Bobak
Biography
I was born and raised in the United States. I spent my early years in Rochester, New York, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and then settled in Chicago, Illinois prior to moving to the Dominican Republic in 2014. I have been a school administrator for the past decade and served as a primary through high school teacher for many years before entering into administrative roles. Some of the different roles I have had in the field of education include: K-8 Science specialist/teacher, mathematics and science coach, middle college teacher of various courses, and college professor of Sociology. Additionally, I continued my education and moved into district wide coaching roles with Chicago Public Schools in the areas of science and mathematics, as well as the Director of Mathematics and Science in a large school district in Chicago. I completed my Bachelors of Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago in Sociology, my Master’s Degree in Secondary Education at Loyola University, Chicago and my Doctoral work at University at Illinois at Chicago in Urban School Leadership.
The core of my work has been working with diverse communities and students. My passion for making connections and seeking ways to show others their full potential drives my ambition in the field of education. I am always seeking new and innovative ways to keep myself and others curious and growing. My love of learning, fueled by my love of adventure, exploration, and travel led me to this wonderful international community I now call home. As a staff member and mother of a CCHS student and graduate I am proud to say I am a MARLIN through and through!
Curriculum Overview
Our Primary program is focused on guiding students to construct their own understandings of the world around them. Our purpose is to provide opportunities for today’s learners to be tomorrow’s leaders. The core standards used to guide our practices include the Common Core State Standards in mathematics and English Language Arts, Next Generation Science Standards in the area of science, AERO Standards in the area of social studies, and the Ministry of Education Standards in Spanish Language Arts and Sociales.
During the primary years, we work on constructing the foundation content and skills necessary to navigate through a learning program based on high expectations. Infused within the curriculum are opportunities to begin developing a heightened sense of responsibility, collaboration, leadership, problem solving and effective communication. As these skills evolve throughout the Primary years, it provides a firm foundation to move forward as critical thinkers and creative learners. Our commitment to Maker-Centered learning enables students to explore & then create while finding solutions that are effective, efficient, ethical and beautiful. We incorporate an integrated curriculum approach that supports our Project Based Learning structure This “nontraditional” program is rooted in structured outcomes, but allows students to meet these expectations in a much more meaningful way, connected to real world ideas and innovation.