Events

IB Senior Visual Arts Exhibit

March 16 - April 13, 2023

Strings Festival

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Underwater Robotics Competition

Saturday, March 25, 2023

March 18 

Celebration of the World 

The school's biggest event of the year, the Celebration of the World (COTW), made a triumphant return after a 3-year hiatus! The event was jam-packed with an amazing parade showcasing the diverse cultures at Graded, mouth-watering cuisine from 25 countries, live music, kids' activities, exciting silent auctions and raffles, and endless fun for all ages. A huge thanks to the PTA and the hardworking volunteers who made the largest community event of the school year possible! 

March 13-17

Author Visit - Yamile Saied Méndez

Ms. Méndez engaged with students from grades 3-11 through intimate small-group presentations and lunches with the lower and middle school students. Her discussions centered on her personal journey towards becoming an award-winning author, including speaking about the collaboration and the revision process required to publish work. She also delved into the vital elements of storytelling and how they can be applied to a variety of art forms, from simple illustrations to full-length novels. It was an incredible opportunity for students to learn and to be inspired by an accomplished writer.

March 6-10 

Classroom Without Walls

Graded’s annual Classroom Without Walls (CWW) trips for Grades 6-11 offer students a chance to step out of their comfort zones. These outdoor education trips took them to stunning destinations in Brazil, providing them with a valuable opportunity to learn beyond the confines of the classroom. Through outdoor activities and experiential education, the students gained an understanding of their strength and resilience while building strong bonds with their peers and teacher chaperones.

March 3-5

Graded Model United Nations Conference

In March, Graded hosted a successful GMUN (Graded Model United Nations) conference for both middle and high school delegates. Over 150 brilliant young minds from local and international schools descended on our campus to debate, discuss and deliberate on some of the most pressing issues of our time. We were thrilled to welcome students from the International School of Panama, the International School of Curitiba, Avenues São Paulo, St. Nicholas Alphaville, and St. Nicholas Pinheiros. GMUN was also honored to receive Matthew Phillips, the United States Consul in São Paulo, as the guest speaker of the opening ceremony.

 March 1

Superintendent Speaker Series: AI in Education - Opportunities and Implications

This panel discussion on artificial intelligence in education discussed ways AI tools, like ChatGPT, can add value to the learning experience. Superintendent Richard Boerner moderated the panel that included faculty, administrators, and students along with Fabio Coelho, Google Brazil President, and Maren Lau, Meta Regional VP Latin America. Newer "generative AI" tools will shortly become ubiquitous in our daily lives, but Graded students will be prepared for an evolving world.

February 17

Carnaval Celebrations

The campus was alive with the vibrant energy of Brazil as students celebrated Carnaval at Graded. Lower school students were treated to an interactive musical performance, and middle school students competed in their house teams to showcase creative costumes and chants.  

February 7

Dr. Keith Miller International Innovation Leadership Award

This year, Superintendent Richard Boerner was the recipient of the Association for the Advancement of International Education's (AAIE) prestigious Dr. Keith Miller International Innovation Leadership Award. The award recognizes creative, impactful academic leadership and was awarded to Mr. Boerner for the work that Graded has undertaken to institutionalize deeper learning and emphasize metacognition.

February 7

Superintendent Speaker Series: Discerning Fact from Fiction in the Era of Misinformation

As part of the Superintendent Speaker Series, Graded Librarians Ms. Boerner, Ms. Mnguni, and Ms. Serafini presented Discerning Fact from Fiction in the Era of Misinformation. They shared with parents the various types of misinformation, how misinformation is designed to spread, and strategies for detecting it. Attendees left feeling empowered to navigate the murky waters of misinformation in the digital age and equipped with valuable insights to support their children in their fact-checking.

February 2-4

Graded Jazz Festival

For 2 1/2 days, Graded was abuzz with the sounds of jazz music as we hosted a spectacular event that offered specialized intensive jazz instruction and unforgettable performance experiences for upper school music students. Students also had the opportunity to work with some of Brazil’s most sought-after jazz musicians, including Bruno Soares (trumpet), Paulo Malheiros (trombone), Vitor Alcântara (saxophone), Edu Ribeiro (drums), Edinho Sant’anna (piano), Djalma Lima (guitar), and Sidiel Vieira (bass). 

December 14

Graded Reels Festival

The audiovisual work of middle and high school Digital Video, Film 1, and Multimedia Art students was showcased at the first-semester edition of the twice-yearly Graded Reels Festival. The audience snacked on delicious popcorn as the best music videos, films, and animations were awarded coveted prizes.
 

December 12 and 14

Final Music Performances 

In December, musicians in K3-G5 performed at the heartwarming annual Holiday Concerts to an audience of adoring parents. They sang and played the recorder, accompanied by a trio of professional musicians. 
 

December 8 and 12

Skellig

In December, middle school Graded theater students worked together to bring to life Skellig, an eerie, mystical story about a boy who discovers a strange, humanlike creature in his house. The performance, based on the award-winning children’s novel, was a success. 
 

December 2-3 

Final Four 

Big 8 and the International School Sports League (ISSL) are two sports tournaments that bring together some of the most competitive international schools in Brazil. This year, Graded had the immense honor of hosting the inaugural Final Four basketball and soccer championship, which pitted the top-placed teams from Big 8 and ISSL against each other. Teams from PASB, EABH, St. Paul’s, British Barra, EAB, EARJ, EAC, OLM, Chapel, and Nations converged on our campus from all around the country. The Graded girls’ soccer team came in first and the boys came in second; the girls’ basketball team won gold and the boys’ team won bronze. 

December 6

Dinner with Strangers

Meals have a magical way of bringing people together. In December, Graded parents stepped out of their comfort zones and into the homes of other Graded families to connect over the dinner table and forge new friendships. 
 

December 1-10

Upper School Visual Arts Exhibition 

After a semester of hard work,  middle and high school students were ready to present their artwork to an audience! Photographs, ceramics, sculptures, and other pieces of thought-provoking art were on display to be appreciated by friends, family, and other art aficionados. 
 

November 30

Design for Change

Sometimes Graded feels like a bubble, completely insulated from the outside world. Our service learning program provides students with the opportunity to venture beyond the walls of our school and engage with surrounding communities. This semester, a group of students (leaders in service-learning initiatives) was selected to participate in Graded’s prestigious Design for Change program. Throughout the semester, these students heard stories from social entrepreneurs and learned principles of design thinking, which they then applied to their own projects. In November, students pitched their ideas for addressing social issues they care deeply about in a more meaningful way. 

November 30 

SAAC JV/Varsity Swimming @ FDR (Lima, Peru)

Graded students participated in the competitive SAAC swimming competition held in Lima, Peru, at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt school. 

November 23 

SPHSL Soccer Finals 

After playing many games throughout the semester against other international schools, Graded’s girls’ and boys’ soccer teams both made it to the SPHSL finals!

November 22 

SPHSL Basketball Finals 

Throughout the semester, Graded’s girls’ and boys’ basketball teams have been competing against other international schools in the São Paulo High School League (SPHSL). Both Graded teams made it to the November 22 finals, and both teams won their games! Graded girls’ and boys’ basketball teams are the 2022 SPHSL champions!

November 19 

Thanksgiving 

On Saturday, November 19, the PTA hosted the long-awaited return of Graded Thanksgiving! Over 1600 Graded community members enjoyed fun activities, live music, raffles for prizes, holiday shopping, and the famous traditional Thanksgiving meal. Thank you to all of the volunteers and staff who made this event possible.

November 16-20 

SAAC 

On November 16, Graded’s boys’ and girls’ soccer teams flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to compete in the SAAC (South American Activities Conference) tournament at Lincoln School. After several intense days of competition, the girls placed third and the boys placed first. 

November 13-19 

Little 8 

Graded’s boys’ and girls’ JV basketball and soccer teams, and the JV cheer team, traveled to NR to compete in the Little 8 championship. Girls’ basketball came in seventh place and boys’ basketball came in sixth. Boys’ soccer came in fifth and girls’ soccer earned second place. The cheer team came in seventh for the cheer presentation and in second for sideline cheer. Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable event!
 

November 7-11 

Kindness Week 

From Monday to Friday, Graded celebrated Kindness Week. To inspire more kindness in the world, lower and upper school students engaged in several kindness challenges and activities, such as writing letters of gratitude and appreciation for others, playing with new friends, and giving someone a gift. 
 

November 5

Graded Scholars event

The Graded Scholars event celebrated new and past students in the Graded Scholar and Outreach programs. During the event, current students had the opportunity to ask scholar alumni questions about their experiences at Graded and their life after high school. After the Q&A session, all past and current students and their families were invited to a delicious Graded lunch. 
 

November 2-5 

NidoMUN 

24 students traveled to NidoMUN at International School Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile, a Model United Nations (MUN) conference with students from five other countries to discuss and debate critical issues facing our world. The Graded MUN team did astoundingly well and took the majority of the Best Delegate and Best Speaker placements, as well as several honorable mentions. 
 

November 2-5 

Soccer Big 8 

From November 2-November 5, Graded’s boys’ and girls’ soccer teams traveled to NR to compete in the Big 8 tournament. They did exceptionally well, and both the girls’ and boys’ team won first place.

October 30- November 2

Basketball and Cheer Big 8 

From October 30-November 2, Graded’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams, and Graded’s cheerleading squad, competed in the Big 8 tournament at Nosso Recanto (NR). The Eagles came home with an impressive array of medals. The cheer team earned the bronze; boys' basketball secured the silver; and girls' basketball brought home the gold!
 

October 31

Halloween

The entire Graded community participates in the annual Halloween celebration. Lower school parent volunteers decorated classrooms and students of all ages and faculty and staff dressed up in creative costumes for a Halloween parade and costume contests. 

October 29

Gradedpalooza

Graded’s Music Festival "Gradedpalooza" was held on Saturday, October 29. The concert series took place in different locations throughout the campus and featured performances from all middle and high school students in choir, band, and string.

October 27-28

High school production of Antigone

Graded Arts and the High School Theater Departmented proudly hosted the first theater production of the year—Antigone, an Athenian tragedy written by Sophocles. 

October 26

Young Alumni Brazilian Universities Panel

Young Graded alumni attending USP, ESPM, Insper, FAAP, Inteli, FGV, and Mackenzie met with Graded high school students to share their university experiences. It was wonderful to have our former students return to campus!

October 24-28

Wacky Week

Middle and high school students participated in a Wacky Week of thematic spirit days including Twin Day, Anything but a Backpack Day, World Cup Day, Decades Day, and more. 

October 24-25

Visiting Author Series: Muriel Johnson

Author and professional storyteller Muriel Johnson captivated and engaged lower school students with interactive tales from around the world, tailored to each age group. The Visiting Author Series is supported by the Graded Annual Fund.

October 19-23

SAAC Volleyball and Cross-Country in Chile

After a two-year hiatus, Graded Volleyball and Cross-Country teams traveled once again to compete in SAAC tournaments. This year our Eagles flew to International School Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile and brought home four team medals and two individual medals. 

October 17-21

PTA Teacher Appreciation Week

Dia dos Professores (Teacher's Day) is commemorated on October 15 in Brazil. In honor of this special day, Graded's PTA hosts this teacher-centered week-long event to celebrate and thank our hardworking teachers.

September 9

Brazilian Independence Day Celebration

The Graded community dressed in yellow, green, blue, and white to celebrate 7 de Setembro (Brazilian Independence Day). This year, we honored the 100th anniversary of the 1922 Modern Art Week with an art exhibition featuring paintings and drawings by prominent Brazilian artists.

September 6

College Fair

During this year's first college fair, we will welcome 20 universities from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Qatar during high school FLEX (11:20 am - 12:00 pm) and lunch (12:00 - 12:40 pm). The OCC will previously meet with students in each grade level to prepare them for the event. The visiting colleges and universities are Concordia University (Canada), Denison University (USA), University of Denver (USA), Elon University (USA), George Mason University (USA), Hult International Business School (USA, UK, UAE, China), Lynn University (USA), Indiana University Bloomington (USA), Macalester College (USA), Marist College (USA, Italy), Northwestern University in Qatar (Qatar), Otis College of Art & Design (USA), Pennsylvania State University (USA), Pepperdine University (USA), Sarah Lawrence College (USA), Savannah College of Art & Design (USA, France), Smith College (USA), Syracuse University (USA), and University of Tampa (USA). 

September 5 and 6

Intercultural Competency: Reframing Diversity to Drive Inclusion and Belonging with Dr. Derrick Gay

Dr. Derrick Gay consults with domestic and international organizations on issues of intercultural competency, global citizenship, diversity, and inclusion. Over the past 23 years, he has worked with more than 600 organizations from a variety of industries to enhance DEI capacity; increase inclusiveness and engagement; recruit, employ, and retain top talent; and design strategies to maximize business objectives. Dr. Gay will speak at Graded about Intercultural Competency: Reframing Diversity to Drive Inclusion and Belonging. The audience will:

• Learn about the Intercultural Competency Model.
• Cultivate common language around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Engage in exercises to learn more about your own world view, while identifying other viewpoints and perspectives.
• Learn strategies to help reconcile divergent viewpoints while aligning with common school values and mission.

All parents and faculty members are welcome to join us in the Black Box Theater (in the Lemann-Tully Arts Center, Floor 2) on Monday, September 5, from 8:30 am to 10:30 am and/or Tuesday, September 6, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. (RSVP link will be sent via email.)

August 24

PTA Parent Breakfast

The Graded PTA is excited to welcome new families to the Graded community and help to make them feel at home. The PTA will hold a Parent Breakfast in the Student Center from 8:30 to 10:00 am to celebrate the start of the year and formally welcome the new Graded Eagles. The event will also provide a wonderful opportunity to hear from the PTA and learn about ways in which parents can volunteer throughout the year.

August 20-21

Peer Group Connection (PGC) Leader Retreat

PGC is year-long leadership development program that prepares seniors to create a nurturing environment for incoming freshmen and ease the transition from middle to high school. PGC leaders gathered on campus for a weekend-long retreat to learn and practice some of the skills and strategies they will use throughout the year and have fun with team-building activities.

August 11

Harvard Krokodiloes Workshop and Concert

Harvard University's oldest a capella group, the Harvard Krokodiloes, visited Graded's campus as part of their world tour. This group of undergraduate students has recorded 31 albums and sings songs from the Great American Songbook as well as more traditional music. The Krokodiloes led a workshop for junior and senior choir students, teaching them the fundamentals of a capella singing. They then performed a fun and energetic show in front of a large crowd of students, parents, faculty, and staff.

August 5

New Student Orientation 

We welcomed 198 new students to the Graded community during New Student Orientation. Students in lower, middle, and high school, along with their parents, had the opportunity to learn about the school's divisions, tour the campus, and meet their new teachers.

June 14

Grade 5 Moving On Ceremony

Grade 5 students were recognized for demonstrating a number of values throughout their time in lower school, including kindness, perseverance, and intellectual curiosity. Parents, teachers, and friends were in the audience to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2029.

June 13

Grade 8 Moving On Ceremony

Our grade 8 students have reached a significant milestone: they have completed middle school and are about to embark on a new journey in high school. Class of 2026, congratulations on your outstanding achievements!

June 13

Lower School Talent Show

The Lower School Talent Show kicked off the last week of school on a very high note! Students danced, played songs on the piano, sang, performed magic tricks, and even competed against the clock to solve a Rubik's cube. Bravo! 

June 10

Graded Reels Audiovisual Festival

High School Film 1 and 2 students and Multimedia Art students showcased their documentaries, short films, and animations to family, friends, and other members of the Graded community. Congratulations to all participants! Special kudos go to the directors, producers, and actors of Mush and Remind for winning the Best Documentary and Short Fiction Awards and to Thayna, recipient of the Multimedia Award for Best Animation.

June 3

Vivas Palavras

Graded unveiled the 16th edition of Vivas Palavras, a collection of student work written in Portuguese and Spanish. Students in grades 4 through 12 wrote about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. They expressed themselves in playful, critical, and emotional ways through poems, short stories, and illustrations.

June 2

Graded Outreach Program Graduation

Students from Graded's Outreach Program celebrated their achievements in an intimate graduation ceremony. The seven Outreach students spent the last two years attending English classes at Graded and taking part in extracurricular activities to adapt to the school's environment. Some of the participants were then selected to join Graded's incoming grade 7 class as full-time scholarship students.

May 28

Graduation

A beautiful commencement ceremony was held on Saturday, May 28, at 1:00 pm in the Athletics Center. Student and faculty speakers inspired the crowd, and a quintet of senior vocalists and instrumentalists provided a musical interlude. All of our graduates earned an American Diploma. Eighty-four graduated with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and 64 with IB, American, and Brazilian Diplomas. One by one, the Graded seniors crossed the stage and became proud Graded alumni. 

May 23-27

Senior Week

During their last week as high school students, the Class of 2022 participated in Senior Week, a week of activities and festivities culminating in a graduation ceremony. From Monday, May 23 to Friday, May 27, seniors attended counseling sessions; Graduation rehearsals; an alumni panel; a pool party; a quiz night; the traditional Bell Ceremony and Parade, during which students wore crazy hats of their choice; and the Awards Ceremony, at which individual students were recognized for their outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements. 

May 23

Athletics Banquet

The athletics banquet, held in the Student Center, was a great way to end a successful season of Graded Athletics. Athletes, parents, and coaches gathered to celebrate all the hard work poured into practices and games throughout the year. It was also the night to honor individual athletics achievements with awards, including the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the Coaches’ Awards, the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, male and female Athletes of the Year, and the David Tully Award. The event included JV and varsity athletes from swimming, tennis, track & field, cheerleading, soccer, basketball, and volleyball. 

May 14

Eagles Day

On Saturday, May 14, Graded celebrated Eagles Day. The event brought the entire Graded community together again for the first time since the pandemic forced Graded to shut its doors in 2020. Eagles Day included activities like rock climbing and pick-up basketball, and attendees participated in raffles, played on inflatables, and ate a lot of ice cream. Graded students and parents alike were especially thrilled to meet Baldy, the newly-named eagle mascot. 

May 9-13

Visiting Author: Victoria Jamieson

In May, Graded welcomed Newbury Honor award-winning graphic novelist Victoria Jamieson. Victoria talked to students in grades 3-8 about her career as a writer and illustrator, revealed where her book ideas and characters come from, and led a guided drawing activity. Students also had the opportunity to ask her questions and get their books autographed. 

May 1-7

Little 8

On May 1, the Graded Junior Varsity (JV) cheerleading squad and the JV boys’ and girls’ basketball teams traveled to NR to compete in the Little 8 tournament, which lasted until May 4. The boys finished in fifth place and the girls came in seventh. From May 4-7, the JV boys’ and girls’ soccer and volleyball teams participated in the tournament at NR. The girls’ red volleyball team came in sixth place and the girls’ white volleyball team came in eighth; the boys’ Red volleyball team finished in sixth place and the boys’ White volleyball team came in eighth. The boys’ soccer team won third place, and the girls’ soccer team were champions. All athletic teams performed very well, and the athletes had a wonderful time. 

February-May

SPHSL

Graded’s soccer and basketball teams participated in the Sao Paulo High School League (SPHSL), playing against other international schools in the city. After an incredible season, the girls’ and boys’ varsity and junior varsity soccer teams were named SPHSL champions. The basketball teams also did extremely well, with the varsity boys’ team coming in second place and the girls’ coming in third. Neither junior varsity basketball team made the playoffs. 

April 28

Grade 3 Celebration of Poetry

At the start of the grade 3 poetry unit, teachers surveyed students, asking them, "What type of feedback would most impact your work?" Students answered, "Parent feedback." As a result, third-graders welcomed parents to yesterday's "Celebration of Poetry" event to showcase their anthologies. During the session, parents were given a metacognition tool to give their children feedback. After reading students' poems, they used the TAG feedback approach to (T)ell them something great, (A)sk a question, and (G)ive a suggestion about their work.

April 27-29

CWW Trips

In April, upper school students went on the much-anticipated Classroom Without Walls (CWW) trips to several destinations in southeast Brazil, including Parque dos Sonhos, in Socorro; Voador, in the Municipality of Atibaia; PETAR State Park; Itatiaia National Park; Cananéia and Ilha do Cardoso; and Saco do Mamanguá, in Paraty. These trips are a long-standing tradition at Graded and have once again proven to be meaningful, fun, and educational. 

April 20-24

Basketball SAAC 2022

Graded’s boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams traveled to Curitiba to participate in the South American Activities Conference (SAAC) hosted by the International School of Curitiba. Once again, both teams were incredibly successful, and, mere days after returning from Big 8 with two medals, they earned two more: The basketball boys came in first place, and the basketball girls came in third. 

April 17-23

Big 8

From April 17-20, Graded’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams, accompanied by the Graded cheerleading squad, competed in the highly anticipated Big 8 tournament at NR. Both teams did exceptionally well, with the boys winning first place and the girls coming in second in their respective competitions. Subsequently, from April 20-23, NR hosted the soccer and volleyball Big 8 tournaments. Once again, Graded athletes put on a great show. The volleyball boys came in fifth, and the volleyball girls placed fourth; both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams made it to the finals and won the championship games. 

March 31

Strings Festival:
“Graded Orchestra Plays Rock”

This year’s Strings Festival was a huge success! High school orchestra students performed rock classics, including Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Nite," Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now," and Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

March 24-26

2022 AMISA Educators' Conference

In March, Graded hosted 400+ educators from 32 international schools across 12 nations for the AMISA Educators’ Conference, “The Science of Learning: Educating Hearts & Minds.” Participants came together to explore the intersection between cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology, and social-emotional wellbeing. Keynote speakers included author and Professor of Educational Leadership Doug Fischer, Diversity and Inclusion Strategist Derrick Gay, and Graded Superintendent Richard Boerner. 

March 22

Office of College Counseling (OCC) Reception for grade 9-11 parents

The Office of College Counseling (OCC) hosted a wine-and-cheese reception for grade 9-11 parents. Counselors provided attendees with tips on navigating high school, maximizing school breaks, and preparing for standardized testing. Parents also had the opportunity to meet incoming college counselor Trevor Rusert.

March 23

2022 IB Visual Arts Senior Exhibition

The senior art students hosted an opening reception for the IB Visual Arts Exhibit to personally present their incredible artwork to the public. Both the reception and exhibit were a resounding success.

March 14-16

Visiting Author and Illustrator:
Tad Hills 

Award-winning author and illustrator Tad Hills visited campus and gave interactive presentations about storytelling to students in Pre-primary through grade 2. Tad Hills is most well-known as the creator of the Duck & Goose series, which tells the story of two unlikely feathered friends. 

February 24

Carnaval Parade

Middle school students spent the week learning to sing Carnaval songs, practicing dance moves, and designing costumes to represent their house teams in the Carnaval parade. The parade also included a guest samba music performance by the Graded Orchestra.