2012_03_09 Bulletin

The American International School of Rotterdam

SHARK 09.03.12

Bulletin...

From the Interim Director and Elementary Principal

“AISR was at its very best” was of many compliments said about yesterdayʼs AISR Science Evening. It was an event that was enjoyed by young and old alike. Many thanks to Dr. Markham, Ms. Heinonen and all the students who helped with a very informative and fun evening.

We are pleased to announce that AISR is considering starting a specialist Summer Language Academy. This would be the first time that we would offer such a program and needless to say, we are very excited about the prospect. Before such an endeavor can begin, we need to explore the AISR community’s response to such a summer program.

Ms. Amber McCartney, who is coordinating the research, will be sending out a short survey to all our families asking how many of them would be interested in participating in the program. I will keep you up to date with future developments.

Following up on last weekend’s very exciting NECIS tournament, here is a report from some of the coaches: SUCCESS BOOKED AT NECIS MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT HOSTED BY AISR “Last weekend AISR hosted 9 NECIS schools (Northwest European Council of International Schools) from 5 countries at AISR and Sporthall Schenkel.

450 participants, 30 officials and lots of parent help made the tournament an exciting and successful event. The dance social Saturday evening not only was great fun with dance and music but the students got to see themselves play on the big screen. Video coverage of the games was taken earlier in the day by Nikita Sozonov.

It was a great event that will be repeated next year in March.

AISR games went well...

U12 Boys- report from Coach Bennett As coach of the U12 Boys Basketball team, it was good to see my players enthusiastically participate in the sport of basketball- a game they love! However, because we lacked experience and players, we were met with many challenges. Nonetheless, as a team, my players were able to meet some of the goals we set at the beginning of the season by playing as a team and learning the fundamentals of the game. One of the things I am most proud of my players for, is the fact that they displayed good sportsmanship on the basketball court at all time. It was evident that they had fun every time they hit the court, no matter how difficult the game was for them. The highlight of the season was seeing how motivated and excited the team was when they won their first game of the season in the N.E.C.I.S. tournament.

U12 Girls (+ 2 boys)- report from Mr. Gutierrez season was filled with lots of learning and fun. Each player came away with a better understanding of the sport of basketball, its rules and the offensive and defensive skills of their position(s).

The team ended the season with a 7th place finish in the NECIS tournament. They displayed great resilience and sportsmanship every time they stepped foot on the court, win or lose. The squad was composed of a great group of student-athletes. They will always be remembered for their great effort, hard work and smiles.

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The American International School of Rotterdam

SHARK 09.03.12

Bulletin...

U14 Girls, although not winning any games did play their hearts out and in the end won the Most Sporting Team Award.

A great sporting and spirited attitude U14 Boys - Report from Coach Zeilstra The team took 3rd place in the tournament, WOW!, winning the games we thought we had no chance to win. It was a fighting hard to the last minute mentality that got us so far. We even won games vs The Hague and Dusseldorf, who in the end took 1st and 2nd place. Most noticeable games were the defeat of ASH by 2 points, something that rarely occurs with a school 5 times AISR size. Then the come from 10 point behind win over Amsterdam, to win by 10 points, which was the exact amount we needed to play for top 3 spots on Sunday. The Sunday win, and our last game of the season, vs Dusseldorf, will go down in history. With Seong Huk not able to play due an injury, our best shooter was missing. Then in the first quarter, Joseph, our tallest player got injured. With only 6 guys left we fought like the Sharks we call ourselves. Nico fouls out and we are left with 5 guys. Then with 2 minutes to go, Alex , who played the game of his life, fouls out and we are forced to play with 4 guys. No matter because with the sharp shooting and ball handling of Jaret, who also played his best game of the season, we won by 10.

Much praise also goes to our little guys Matt and Daniel who grabbed rebounds, passed and moved the ball well.

Without Joseph and Alex, Hyun Gyun also needs credit for his smart play and hard work under the basket. It was a total effort that ended the season BIGGER than anyone could imagine. A 12-6 win/loss record and 3rd in NECIS is quite an accomplishment”. ~

New Directors Visit Please don’t forget that the new Director, Mr. Neal Dilk and his family will be visiting the school between March 26 and March 30. He would very much like to meet some of our parent community in an informal setting. In order to do this, there will be a Coffee afternoon, between 2:00 and 3:00 in the cafeteria on Monday March 26.

Everyone is invited to attend. This will be a lovely opportunity to meet Neal, his wife and two children.

• The end of the 3rd. Quarter is Friday March 16. Report Cards will be posted home on Friday March 23. ~ This week, I am also sending you something to read about Math. “Do you speak math with your kids? Many of us feel completely comfortable talking about letters, words and sentences with our children—reading to them at night, helping them decode their own books, noting messages on street signs and billboards.

But speaking to them about numbers, fractions, and decimals? Not so much. And yet studies show that “number talk” at home is a key predictor of young children’s achievement in math once they get to school. Now a new study provides evidence that gender is part of the equation: Parents speak to their daughters about numbers far less than their sons.

The report, published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology, drew on a collection of recordings of mothers talking to their toddlers, aged 20 to 27 months. Alicia Chang, a researcher at the University of Delaware, and two coauthors determined that mothers spoke to boys about number concepts twice as often as they spoke to girls.

Children this age are rapidly building their vocabularies, Chang notes, and helping them become familiar with number words can promote their interest in math later on.

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The American International School of Rotterdam

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That was made clear in another study, published in Developmental Psychology in 2010, which also used recordings of parents talking to their children to gauge how often number words were used (the kids in this study were between the ages of 14 and 30 months). Psychologist Susan Levine of the University of Chicago and her coauthors found huge variation among the families studied: Some children were hearing their parents speak only about two dozen number words a week, while others were hearing such words about 1,800 times weekly.

The frequency of number talk in the children’s homes had a big impact on how well the youngsters understood basic mathematical concepts such as the cardinal number principle, which holds that the last number reached when counting a set of objects determines the size of the set (“One, two, three—three apples in the bowl!”). A subsequent study by Levine found that the kind of number talk that most strongly predicted later knowledge of numbers involved counting or labeling sets of objects that are right there in front of parent and child–especially large sets, containing between four and ten objects.

Though it may not come naturally at first, parents can develop the habit of talking about numbers as often as they talk about letters and words. Some simple ways to work numbers into the conversation: I. II. III. IV.

Note numbers on signs when you’re walking or driving with children: speed limits and exit numbers, building addresses, sale prices in store windows.

Ask children to count how many toys they’re playing with, how many books they’ve pulled out to read, or how many pieces of food are on their plate.

Use numbers when you refer to time, dates, and temperatures: how many hours and minutes until bedtime, how many weeks and days until a holiday, the high and low the weatherman predicts for that day.

With older children, math can become a part of talking about sports, science, history, video games, or whatever else they’re interested in.

With practice, parents and children alike will find that math makes a very satisfying second language”.

Have a lovely weekend,

Anne-Marie Blitz a.blitz@aisr.nl

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The American International School of Rotterdam

SHARK 09.03.12

Bulletin...

From the Secondary Principal and Curriculum Director Thank you to AISR families for attending our First Annual Science Night yesterday. With over 100 people and a multitude of experiments, students and parents alike were busy "Exploring Our World" and the Science that occurs in everyday life. Congratulations and thank you to Nina Markham and Sanna Heinonen for their incredible efforts to make this evening such a tremendous success. See you next year!

Shark Success Congratulations to our Middle School basketball teams for their recent efforts at NECIS. Our U12 and U14 teams were in fine Shark form and demonstrated true Shark spirit on the courts. Our U14 Boys came away with a second place finish and are to be commended for their individual and team prowess on the courts. A special thank you to Rob Zeilstra and Jennifer Lancaster for organizing NECIS at AISR this year - well done to all.

AISR MAP Reports All families with students in Kindergarten-Grade 12 will be receiving our AISR MAP report over the next few days.

Please read the information inside carefully to understand more about MAP testing at AISR and about your child's growth.

The AISR Homework Club Thank you for your interest and feedback on the homework club letter sent out last month. We are moving ahead and will start our very own AISR Homework Club, commencing on Monday, the19th of March, 2012.

Goal of the Homework Club The AISR Homework Club is a structured time and space for students at AISR to independently set and accomplish homework goals. Students develop a habit of planning for and completing their homework assignments to a high standard. Homework Club supervisors assure that the students are on track to accomplishing their homework goals.

They can help students prioritize their work and/or organize their agendas. The Homework Club is not a tutoring session. Supervisors are not necessarily experts in specific subjects and don’t have a detailed insight into students’ assignments and projects. It is the students’ responsibility to come to the club with an agenda that includes all assignments and any materials that are required to complete the assignments. AISR CAS students will also be available at the homework club to support with content-specific work.

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The American International School of Rotterdam

SHARK 09.03.12

Bulletin...

As I mentioned last week, I will be sharing some food for thought about the current trends in education with regards to ELearning during the month of March. There is much discussion and debate about the role of technology in education and this is an issue schools around the world are facing more and more. The excerpts come from Bridget McCrea and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Trend # 2 - Learning from a Distance: An Upswing in Online Instruction The days when online classes were geared either to remedial learners or students who wanted to work ahead of their regular classes could be numbered. Interest in online learning has grown significantly in popularity over the past few years among students, educators, parents, and policymakers. In fact, Project Tomorrow reports that 39 percent more administrators and five times as many parents would incorporate online classes into their vision for the ultimate school. "This strong interest in leveraging the power of online learning through self-study online courses, teacher-led online classes, as well as blended/ hybrid learning environments," Evans said, "has translated into more online learning experiences than ever before for middle and high school students." Expect to see more of those educational experiences routed to the Web in 2012 as administrators (who are using online learning for their own professional development), teachers, and students warm up even more to the idea of the out-of-classroom learning experiences.

Please don't hesitate to contact me at anytime for further information or if you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached at a.lipp@aisr.nl or by calling the school at extension 316.

Enjoy the weekend, Regards,

Alison Lipp a.lipp@aisr.nl

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