Crossroads December 2011

MICA (P) 088/08/2011

A Singapore American School community service publication

December 2011

Volume 14, Issue 2-11/12

Highlights

In This Issue: A Focus on Technology Page 11

Page 18

Page 34

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Bali Discovery

A Spectacular Cross-Country Season

Invasion of the Nodes Jim Diebley MS Tech Instruction Specialist

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ver the summer, the middle school technology education classroom was extensively renovated.

A materials storage area was added while existing built-in furniture was removed. The classroom arrangement was re-oriented and desktop computers were replaced with a classroom set of laptops.

The search was on to find replacement chairs or chair and table combinations that were comfortable, movable, and possibly collapsible or stackable. We contacted several local vendors, and a few sample

chairs were brought in to let middle school students “kick the tires” and provide their feedback.

Traditional, off-the-shelf office furniture didn’t appear to meet our needs so we began brainstorming table solutions that met our small, flexible group criteria. We looked around the school for custom-made furniture examples. During the research process, we stumbled upon a cool new chair and table combination called the node that is made by Steelcase, a USA-based company.

Continued on page 4

Editor’s Note

Contents

The Impact of Technology

Regular Features

Tamara Black Assoc. Dir. of Communications

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wo empty tin cans and a length of string. Back in the day, my friends and I were pretty pleased when we could actually communicate from one end of a taut line to the other. Long distance was an option limited by the length of our string and the reception could be spotty, but nonetheless we made the most of our homemade technology.

Times sure have changed. Now, to talk with those same friends I use a smartphone, Facebook, or Skype. Distance is no longer an issue, even from opposite sides of the world. However, the substance of our conversations hasn’t really changed. We still begin our chats in much the same way we did as children with some variation of, “Hi! What are you doing?” We then move on to more important topics such as what we had for dinner or how much we enjoyed a recent episode of our favorite comedy. Of course, now we download the shows from iTunes rather than adjusting the rabbit ear antennae on the television set.

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From the Superintendent’s Office

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PTA News

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Booster Club News

Highlights 5

The Global Achievement Gap

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The Google Classroom

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The iPad Buzz

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Video Conferencing with Grandparents

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Mentoring Cambodian Educators

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Winning the Gold

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Happy Birthday to IASAS

Just as years ago I couldn’t have imagined the impact that technology would have on my daily life, I have no idea how technology will change the world for my daughter. She’s an avid and voracious user of social media as a way to stay in touch with friends and family in Singapore, in the United States, and in countries in between. Rather than calling her friends (or her mom or dad) she prefers to send texts or Facebook messages. And to her, Google is a verb rather than an online destination.

Crossroads is published bi-monthly during the academic year by the communications team in the advancement office of Singapore American School. It is distributed free of charge to the parents, faculty members, and organizations served by the school. We welcome input from the community associated with Singapore American School.

One thing I know for certain is that the technology my middle-schooler uses to stay connected will continue to evolve and change. While she will need a basic set of skills to use these tools effectively, it’s not really about the technology. More important to her future success will be her ability to think critically and creatively about how to access and process information to solve problems, and the flexibility to adapt to an ever-changing technological landscape.

Contacts

In this month’s Crossroads, we share stories about the positive impact that technology is having on the educational experience of students at SAS. We focus on how it can deepen and enhance the learning process by supporting our curricular goals, and how it can provide our teachers with ways to effectively reach different types of learners to make learning more meaningful.

Singapore American School 40 Woodlands Street 41, Singapore 738547 Tel: 6360-6303 www.sas.edu.sg

After all, that’s what it’s all about—preparing our students for the future by developing those skills and qualities that will allow them to achieve their dreams.

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General Inquiries and Comments communications@sas.edu.sg Crossroads Submissions Tamara Black, tblack@sas.edu.sg

Deadline for Crossroads submissions is the first of the month prior to the proposed month of publication.

Singapore American School CPE Registration Number: 196400340R Registration Period: 22 June 2011 to 21 June 2017 Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Crossroads is printed on 100% recycled paper.

From the Superintendent’s Office

Skills for Success in the 21st Century Brent Mutsch, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

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t Singapore American School, we begin with the goal in mind as we go about creating meaningful and engaging learning experiences for students. That goal, characterized by our desired student learning outcomes, guides our academic programs at each school division. We strive to develop students with exemplary character who are able to work independently and collaboratively. We know it’s crucial for our students to become critical and creative thinkers.

It’s important that our students learn to be engaged and responsible citizens as well as effective communicators.

we realize that in an ever-evolving world that is becoming increasingly technology intensive, our job is not to teach technology, but rather to empower students to acquire, develop, and hone the skills necessary to use technology in ways that will improve their capacity to model and successfully apply the desired student learner outcomes.

The curriculum that supports these outcomes changes and evolves in response to research and to the demands of the world in which our students will find themselves in the future. However, the goal of the curriculum remains firmly focused on developing 21st century skills in our students.

With an eye toward the future, we embrace the effective leveraging of technology among our students and staff to create meaningful and purposeful learning experiences. We work to understand the latest innovations, and to understand how they might positively impact the quality of the experiences made available to our students. We believe that sustained, focused professional development is the most effective way to build teacher capacity in many areas, including the use of technology.

From podcasting and blogging to creating wikis and incorporating iPads into their classrooms, our teachers are becoming increasingly able to use and apply technology to create authentic learning experiences for students.

Our students, most of whom fit the digital native description, are enthusiastic about using technology to stay connected as evidenced most recently during the IASAS 30th anniversary events. Students’ live streaming video website, Facebook status updates, Twitter feed, and Flickr photostream engaged people around the world with real time information and data on the many successes associated with the IASAS tournament.

Dr. Mutsch visits with middle school students in Mr. Diebley’s classroom that was recently outfitted with node chairs.

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With an eye toward the future, we embrace the effective leveraging of technology among our students and staff to create meaningful and purposeful learning experiences.

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Predicting what those skills will be requires prognostication that few (if any) possess. Only ten years ago, how many of us could have dreamed up the career of blogger? Social media strategist? User experience analyst or website content manager? While at the core of these careers are a knowledge base, skill set, and depth of understanding specific to technology, in order to be successful in these relatively new positions one must also exhibit those desired learning outcomes that we strive to develop in all students.

One definition of technology is the practical application of knowledge so that something entirely new can be done, or so that something can be done in a new way. At SAS

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according to the color of the chair or the location of the chair. Almost all of the students said by the color. The overall positive learning atmosphere the chairs have created in the classroom far outweighs the small distractions that the moveable chairs and tables have created. Steelcase nodes will most likely be invading more SAS classrooms in the future.

What Do the Students Think?

Invasion of the Nodes continued from front cover

These chairs weren’t just any chairs. They were designed by the prestigious design company IDEO, and they are used by several top design schools in the USA including the Institute of Design at Stanford. A small advertisement for Steelcase coincidently appeared at that same time in the Today newspaper announcing that Steelcase was opening operations here in Singapore. We called Steelcase Singapore and they promptly delivered a sample chair for the students to try. Once the chairs arrived in my room they were an instant hit with students. Students really wanted the nodes, and the cost was comparable to purchasing off-the-shelf chairs and custom tables.

What is so special about the nodes?

They are colorful. They swivel. They move. They enable easy collaboration. The chairs and desktops are integrated into the nodes, and they can move around.

Because of this mobility, they lend themselves very well to activities where collaboration is essential.

nn I like the chairs so much because we are able to go anywhere we want without standing or moving. It is even comfortable.

I wish I had these at home. That would have been so fun. Tech ed is the best. nn These chairs are so entertaining; it makes it easier to move around while having fun.

It makes Mr. Diebley’s room the best. nn These chairs are awesome. You have the freedom to roll anywhere. Also they are easier to organize. nn I really love the chairs. They are very convenient, special, and fun. They also add loads of color to the room which makes the classroom even less boring. nn Fun! They help us group together to discuss. nn These chairs are really cool. You can choose your favorite color chair and you’ll even be able to roll around the classroom. nn These chairs are very fun to swing around in. You can move from place to place without getting up from your seat.

Right when you get in the class you get to choose a color of a chair to sit on.

The chairs are also made out of a particular type of plastic which has an element of flexibility so students can shift their posture, unlike the hard rigid plastic of typical school chairs. Students can swivel their chairs to view the whiteboard, the screen in a presentation type format, or move quickly and easily into a small or large group arrangement without leaving their nodes.

nn The chairs are so fun and it’s really easy to move around and we can go to where the teacher is. They make learning here more fun.

Teachers must have classroom hardware and arrangements that enable lessons to be truly collaborative.

My students really love the chairs and in many cases shared their excitement with their parents. Now, I often hear SAS parents say, “Are you the Middle School teacher with the cool colorful chairs?” Or, “I want to come back to school and sit in your colorful new chairs.”

nn The chairs are epic, awesome, and the best I’ve ever seen. Compared to any other class I’ve been in, these are the best. These chairs should be in every class but since they’re not, I’m just glad that I am in this one. We have an easier time getting together and we don’t have to move with that much effort.

Periodically, students and teachers from around the Middle School stop by the room just to sit in the chairs and check them out. In an informal survey with kids, I asked students if they picked their seats in my room

nn The chairs are the most interesting chairs I have ever seen. They are colorful, and they are movable and fun to use.

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Technology

The Global Achievement Gap Darin Fahrney High School Deputy Principal

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n alignment with the Singapore American School (SAS) mission of providing an exemplary American educational experience with an international perspective, the High School division continues to think critically about what our students need be successful in their learning. All High School teachers recently read Tony Wagner’s book, The Global Achievement Gap. The text has served as a catalyst within our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to discuss how to best use technology to advance 21st century learning.

Harvard professor and educator Tony Wagner begins the book with a bold statement. He contends, “Our schools are not failing. Rather they are obsolete—even the ones that score the best on standardized tests.”

Wagner’s book presents a call to action for changing our schools from organizations that promote completion of tasks to organizations that value problem solving, processing, interpreting, and creating. Wagner argues that the current nature of our schools perpetuates a dynamic that will create a global achievement gap for our students, a gap in which emerging global economic competitors will begin to gain the upper hand on businesses and communities in the United States.

21st Century Survival Skills Wagner documents the educational shift that must occur to prepare our students to function in a world with access to an enormous amount of readily available information.

After significant research in classrooms and through extensive interviews with successful business leaders, Wagner identifies seven survival skills that our students must develop to effectively compete on a global scale and close the achievement gap. These survival skills include: ●● Critical thinking and problem solving ●● Collaboration across networks and leading by influence ●● Agility and adaptability ●● Initiative and entrepreneurism ●● Effective oral and written communication ●● Accessing and analyzing information ●● Curiosity and imagination Unintended Consequences of High Stakes Tests Wagner cautions that the American focus on high stakes tests as a means to close the gap between the middle class and lower class in the United States has drawn attention away from the other, equally pressing educational deficiency, namely the global achievement gap. Wagner emphasizes that the focus on tests has narrowed American curricula to exclude other vital

educational offerings that are the very courses that foster the problem solving and creative skills needed in the 21st century. At the same time, competing nations such as Singapore, China, and India are broadening their curricula to emphasize 21st century skills.

Wagner recommends revamping teacher and administrator preparation, creating curriculum that focuses on competencies versus content coverage, 21st century skill-focused testing, and collaboration amongst teachers. In addition, he calls for schools and parents to reframe their relationship from being dictators of learning to facilitators of learning. This approach allows for student voice, choice, and creative pursuits.

Differently Motivated Students We must also understand how our current students learn and are motivated. Wagner calls young people today “differently motivated.” They have grown up in a completely digital environment and function under conditions that require continuous partial attention. In other words, they are accustomed to constant multi-tasking.

This constant media barrage has impacted the way some students learn. New learning styles are emerging associated with multimedia connections, discovery learning, and learning by creating.

Students no longer desire to be isolated passive consumers of information but seek to be interactive producers and consumers of information. Wagner contends that students find school boring because it has not kept up with the engaging technologies available to them outside the schoolhouse gate.

21st Century Exemplary Schools Finally, Wagner reviews the merits of three schools that excel at the infusion of 21st century survival skills into their classrooms. These schools were found to be exemplary in three specific areas: learning and assessment focus, student motivation, and school accountability and teacher development.

Tony Wagner leaves us with a starting point for courageous conversations about how to improve all schools, both low and high performing. He encourages school communities to consider this statement: I thought I knew what students needed to learn and what a good school looks like—because I was a student once and I went to school, and it worked for me. But times have changed. And maybe students today need something different. I wonder what it is?

We hope you, too, consider what that something different is for our students at SAS. We look forward to partnering with you as we work to prepare our students for life and careers in the 21st century.

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Life Beyond the Three Rs Ken Schunk Primary School Deputy Principal

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he rigor that matters most for the twentyfirst century is demonstrated mastery of the core competencies for work, citizenship, and lifelong learning. Studying academic content is the means of developing competencies instead of being the goal, as it has been traditionally. In today’s world, it’s no longer how much you know that matters; it’s what you can do with what you know.

These are the words of Tony Wagner, currently the Innovation Education Fellow at the Harvard Technology & Entrepreneurship Center and co-director of the Change Leadership Group (CLG) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. An initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CLG is a knowledgedevelopment and capacity-building organization focused on helping teams become effective change leaders in school and district improvement. Having worked for more than 35 years in the field of school improvement, Wagner is a frequent keynote speaker and a widely published author on education and society, including The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—And What We Can do About It.

Last spring, David Hoss (Primary School principal), Geri Johnson (Primary School deputy principal and ECC director), Ken Schunk (Primary School deputy principal), Dr. Tim Stuart (High School principal), and Mark Boyer (assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction) attended a lecture by Tony Wagner in Singapore that aligned with the heart and soul of the mission and desired learning outcomes at SAS. Wagner and his colleagues have given lots of thought to defining the skills that today’s students will need in the 21st century. Wagner listened to those in the business world describe the abilities they are looking for when they hire, and married their thoughts to what other forward thinkers have described as essential 21st century skills.

While buoyed by the match between the SAS mission and what Wagner believes are essential skills that all students need, we realized his list isn’t unique compared to what others have come up with. Where Wagner becomes more provocative is in his insistence that schools need to adapt and change now to find effective ways to deliver these skills. For example, he cited statistics on the meager number of high schools and U.S. universities that teach any specific course on entrepreneurship. Together with a Harvard colleague who is a documentary filmmaker, Wagner has set out to find pockets where the change has started. He showed us films on the Finland educational system and a high school in Texas where each student’s entire senior year is spent on a collaborative project

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that attaches them to a business in the community. The businesses engage students in research, require them to work as a part of a team to create a project that has application in the real world, and expect students to participate in a final presentation that earns them a grade.

When we debriefed after Tony Wagner’s presentation, we felt encouraged by the actions SAS has been taking for a number of years to ensure that our instruction and activities equip students with the skills they need to be prepared for life after school ends. In the ECC and Primary School we have had world class professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and administrators that directly address the implementation of all Wagner’s critical skills through instruction.

Experts in their fields have joined us on campus to address topics such as creative and imaginative play, how to foster and assess it, how to most effectively search for quality information, the best ways to develop reading, writing and presentation skills, and how to recognize and develop leadership potential.

We have a Preschool through Grade 12 presentation rubric that is used to give students specific feedback that systematically builds the confidence and skills needed to speak in front of others. We adopted the six traits writing program and made writing a number one priority within our literacy instruction. We brought Columbia University instructors on campus for three days to put our teachers on the cutting edge of best practices in literacy instruction. We work with a math curriculum that fosters critical thinking to find multiple paths to a final solution.

We opened a science lab so children have an environment that encourages curiosity and wonder while teaching them the scientific method. The idea of giving back and what it means to be involved in service to others is thriving at SAS and helps children identify and respond to real world events and situations. Technology use is entwined throughout all of this, and we continue to look for ways that technology can further enhance learning.

The above is not an exhaustive list of all that has been done to prepare students with 21st century skills, but it illustrates how SAS—through a commitment to continuous improvement—accesses and takes advantage of current information in order to adapt instruction to an ever-changing world.

Underpinning all of this is a collective belief that every child needs to be nurtured, motivated, and supported during the early school experiences if we are going to truly produce lifelong learners who believe in themselves, dream big, become successful, and contribute in a global community.

Technology

The Google Classroom Anthony Selley MS Tech Instruction Specialist

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his class is so short, why can’t it be longer?” I began hearing comments such as this from my students during the second week of school. That’s when I knew that we had made a huge leap forward in creating an environment where students wanted to not only spend time, but also spend time working. It was about the same time that any lingering doubts I had about what a creative learning environment should look like vanished. If major corporations like Google, Pixar, and LucasArts were shaping their work places to inspire creativity, encourage collaboration, and take the work out of, well, work, why couldn’t (or rather why shouldn’t) we?

Getting from a traditional-looking computer room to something that looks more at home in our Primary School took a lot of work behind the scenes. The process began in September last year when Mike Pelletier, the Middle School IT coordinator, strolled in to my room one day and simply said, “We should Google this room.” No explanation was necessary.

From the outset we were committed to shaping a learning space in which the focus was on the students and the learning rather than on the teacher. If we had one over-riding goal it was to create an environment where students wanted to be, where they wanted to learn, and where they were happy. Everything else was and remains secondary. Alan November visited SAS not long after we began planning, and his visit ratified our goal with the message, “What skills do we want students to have as we prepare them to live in a world not yet invisaged and how do we do it?”

To that end we wanted a space that caters to how students really work and learn, and I believe we now have one.

So out with the desktops and in with the laptops. Out with the school desks and in with group desks, tables, and coffee tables. Out with the drab color, and in with a rainbow palatte bright enough to attract student attention.

Out with the chairs and in with the stools, the sofas, the armchairs, and the beanbags. All pieces were chosen to give variety in color and a seated learning space the student chooses. For the record, the beanbags are probably one of the best places to see students comfortably learning with laptops used as they were intended: on laps.

When asked, only recently, if I think the new room design has achieved its goal, I could only relate a recent incident as an example of a resounding yes. In one of my Grade 7 classes, the students had been spending a few weeks engaged in creating a major stop motion animation.

This was an individual piece of work and they were all nearly finished when one student asked if they could abandon their work to date and start something new.

I was a little surprised because the student in question had already devoted many hours to assembling the various components to produce a really polished piece of work. When I asked why, his simple response was, “I want to try and make my animation 3D. I found a great tutorial online that shows me how to do it, and I really want to give it a go.” My simple response was, “Go for it.” I had to laugh when he sheepishly asked, “Will my grade suffer if I fail at it?”

I assured him that the risk would be rewarded and that I, too, was now feeling inspired by what I saw as a great challenge. What I think made this example of studentinspired creativity even more inspiring is that three other students likewise abandoned their projects to work as a team. They taught each other the hows, inspired each other with the what, and eagerly sought answers to problems and learning simply because they wanted to know.

When asked if I think the Google classroom works, my answer is that if I use my students as the measure with which to assess, then the answer is a resounding yes.

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The Power of Technology

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believe that the power of technology lies in its ability to connect people and communities, to inspire creativity and expression, and to provide access to more information than was ever imagined with a single click. Technology has become completely woven into the fabric of society. As someone who has lived through the explosion and proliferation of technology, I am still amazed at the power that we all have at our finger tips.

Then I watch my 5 and 7 year olds swipe the screen to navigate an iPad, search for new locations on Google earth, snap photos and instantly see the results, google questions that they need an answer to, and consider that for them this is the way it has always been.

As the saying goes, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” As a parent and an educator I also believe that it is absolutely essential that we start at an early age at home and at school teaching children how to be responsible, thoughtful, critical users of technology and media. While this may seem obvious it’s not always easy to do. The rate at which kids consume media and the constant change of technologies and trends can be

Jason Cone Director of Educational Technology

overwhelming. There are many great resources available online but there is one that stands out among them, www.commonsensemedia.org. Common Sense Media provides advice, research, reviews, and tools for parents, teachers, and schools on all forms of media: internet, apps, movies, TV, music, games, and books. It’s a great starting point for parents and families to work together to find positive and productive approaches to navigating the digital world that we live in and kids thrive in.

Being a part of a thriving school community like SAS also provides tremendous resources and opportunities that we can all be in engaged in. Maintaining a strong school-home partnership is essential for the success and well-being of our kids. As technology becomes more woven into the educational landscape to empower student learning, we must continue to work together to help kids make the right choices and to become responsible digital citizens. SAS will continue to provide community learning opportunities related to digital citizenship and other topics through parent coffees, guest speaker series, and other organized events.

Blogging From Young to Older Keith Ferrell IS Tech Integration Specialist

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s educators, we are constantly coming up with new ideas to integrate into our classrooms that will ultimately result in increased student learning, and hopefully, enhanced enjoyment and engagement. Here in the Intermediate School, students and teachers from various classes have been blogging for the past two years. It has been a learning experience for everyone involved and so much has been gained from the journey. If you are uncertain of the concept of blogging, a blog is basically a website that is frequently updated with information, events, photos, videos, and multimedia.

Student Blogs For our student bloggers, the reasons for blogging are numerous. Blogs are a place to showcase school work and projects they have completed. Students blog to improve their writing and share their written pieces with a larger audience. They use blogs as a form of online communication and collaboration, where they can read and leave comments. Blogging is also a way to develop their digital footprints in a very positive way.

Ed Tech Ideas My professional blog, www.edtechideas.com, is a place where I highlight useful web tools for students, teachers, and parents that I use in the computer lab. I discover the resources from professional journals and blogs that come daily to my RSS reader, as well as

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those shared from members of my personal learning community. I began the blog two years ago as a way to reflect on learning experiences that were happening in my classroom, as well as a way to organize and share the many educational resources and tools that I have found essential to student learning in the 21st century.

Lifelong Learning When I first began blogging, I became more reflective about the projects and activities I was doing in the classroom. At the beginning, I had only one person who subscribed. Over time, the readership grew, but I’ve found that the amount of subscribers makes little difference. It’s the idea that your voice is out there and it has a home. Blogging is a way for continuous written improvements, a place for deeper reflection and a way to communicate, collaborate, and share ideas that will prepare them for a life of unending learning and growth.

Technology

Crayons, Markers, and iPads Lisa Wan Kindergarten Teacher

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he first day of school is always exciting for kids.

The first day of school for kindergarten students is even more exciting because for many of them it is their very first day of school at Singapore American School. But this year, the first day of school was off the charts for our kindergartners because not only did they get to use new crayons and markers but they also got to use new iPads. Truth be told, our kindergarten students were not the only ones excited about having iPads in the classroom; the teachers were equally excited.

Our kindergartners were fearless.

They were not apprehensive and looked forward to using the new technology. Seeing these little guys all excited about learning with new technology brought home the message loud and clear that technology is here to stay.

As teachers, how can we deny these students when they are so keen about learning through technology? So, in roll the iPads, and the teachers do what all learners do. We dive in and experiment and find ways to use the iPads to engage our students in learning. And guess what? We found the iPad an invaluable tool.

The use of iPads in the classroom serves as a great tool for differentiated instruction. During literacy centers the iPad is used for individualized writing activites.

During our literacy block one group uses ABC Pocket Phonics to review letters taught during circle time while another group uses Doodle Buddy stretching words for beginning, middle, and end sounds. And a third group uses Little Spellers to write simple sentences through manipulation of high frequency words.

In the middle of our literacy block you can hear students making the “bbbb” sound over

and over, stretching the word bat for beginning, middle, and end sounds. You see pumping fists and twinkling eyes when students receive immediate positive reinforcement for correct spelling of words. The use of this new technology for learning has been great for our kindergartners because it is tactile, visually engaging, and provides immediate feedback. It hooks the students onto the topic being taught.

Managing the iPads has been a learning curve for teachers. Simple things like getting students to look and listen to the teacher when they have the iPads in front of them can be a challenge as the students find the device a novelty. As the novelty wears off, the iPad as a teaching tool will become more evident.

For starters it is mobile. Guided reading sessions with the iPad can be conducted anywhere in the classroom. Students are not limited to desktops located near walls. It

is easy to access for children at the kindergarten level. They do not need to navigate the keyboard and wrestle with logging on. Ask any kindergarten teacher the nightmare of teaching little five-year-olds to type control, alt, and delete at the same time. Then click on the big blue E followed by clicking on links before finally reaching the right website. I have often heard it equates to pulling teeth. Now with the iPads, kindergartners just need to swipe and tap on the appropriate app.

By no means is technology or the iPad here to replace the fundamentals of reading and writing in a kindergarten classroom. But it is here to stay, and it is here to make learning the fundamentals of reading and writing much more interesting and engaging.

Happy and eager students make happy and eager teachers. This is what kindergarten is all about.

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The iPad Buzz Robin Pearson PS Technology Teacher

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he 2011–12 school year at Singapore American School began like any other. In the primary division, students were fresh-faced and keen to begin learning. Teachers were all prepared and ready to deliver their lessons.

However, in the primary school, a revolution in the way teachers teach and students learn was about to begin. The buzz word was iPads.

For this launch year, iPads have been integrated into the classes across kindergarten to grade two. The goal during this research and development period is to plan and create lessons whereby the iPad can be a tool that assists and enhances learning.

As a technology teacher, part of my role is to assist teachers in the process of integrating iPads into the primary classroom. I recall the excitement one day as I walked down to Ms. Scott’s kindergarten class to begin an introductory iPad lesson. A bunch of kindergartners ran over to me shouting out, “Angry Birds, you’ve got Angry Birds.” To them, this was not an iPad; it was Angry Birds.

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Embedded in this comment from a group of five year olds was our first lesson in presenting iPads to primary students; this all-in-one technological wonder would be used for one thing and one thing only at school—as a learning tool.

Teachers in the primary school are now realizing that as educators, we have just begun to scratch the surface of the power of this tool.

First, the iPad is very accessible.

Primary students only have to swipe the slide bar without any need to log in using complicated user names or passwords. With a range of applications, kindergartners can begin to practice their letters using Alphabet board. Second graders can create their own diaries using iDiary, inserting pictures or photos to bring their writing to life. Digital storytelling can be done from kindergarten to second grade using apps such as Storyrobe or iMovie. Imagine all those amazing stories waiting to be told by our young learners.

Leading up to United Nations Day, I shared the Maps application in

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technology class connecting my iPad to the interactive white board. We were able to travel via Maps from Singapore to Sydney, over to London and across to New York and even go to street view. Such a simple activity truly brought the world outside into the classroom.

From math to modern languages, the iPad clearly has a strong role to play as an essential learning tool in the class of the 21st century.

Working with one of the Chinese teachers, we created an iMovie of first grade students focusing on their favorite color. The teacher commented recently whenever she reviews the language learned, she reminds the students of the iMovie they created and instantly the students recall the question and answer in Chinese. Such is the power of technology in class and its ability to motivate young learners.

The journey of integrating technology more fully into the primary classroom brings with it many opportunities and challenges.

It is truly an exciting time for teachers and students.

Technology

iUse iPads @ i218

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asked my fourth grade class what kept them engaged well past dismissal. I wondered what harnessed their curiosity and focus.

Fourth graders put it simply. “It’s easier.” With the 1:1 iPad pilot project we have information at our fingertips with instant dictionaries, calculators, encyclopedias, and videos. Nothing needs to be scanned or uploaded in tedious cable-connecting, multi-step, time-wasting efforts. When editing our writing, it is not confusing or messy. My students still learn how to ask the right questions and where to seek the best answers. However, less time is spent shifting through desks or shelves for information that is now found with the swipe of a finger.

If you have ever laid your fingers on an iPad, you know the power hidden in an instant touch. And, “it’s real.” Each student’s work is purposeful and permanent because it is on a blog, YouTube, Youblisher, or

Laura Arleth Grade 4 Teacher

ShowMe. Their efforts are authentic when published for an online audience of like-minded learners.

From a teacher’s perspective, learning with or without technology is about the means just as much as it is about the end. The means include differentiated student practice strategies and the end is the assessment of the learning outcomes.

With an iPad in the hands of each student, our class is gifted with diverse tools (otherwise known as apps) that accommodate the needs of nearly everyone. Some students express themselves best with pencil and paper, some prefer typing, and others use DragonSpeak to turn voice recording into text. Mathboard minimizes timed-test stress and QuickVoice allows us to listen to our thinking or read alouds. With iPads, differentiation strategies are almost unlimited and easily accessible.

In the end it’s about genuine learning. Assessing only the desired learning outcomes cannot measure the real difference in student growth after a year with iPads. In just two months, thinking skills, creativity, independence, problem solving, curiosity, and confidence are the areas where I observe significant improvements. Developing these skills is the real benefit to having authentic tools such as iPads in students’ hands.

Follow Our QR Codes Meet everyone in i218.

Follow our progress and project through our blog posts.

An example of one student’s final assessment project for our rain forest unit of study.

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Technology

Video Conferencing with Grandparents Susan Sedro IS Tech Coordinator

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he front lights are dimmed. A ringing sound hushes the children. They clutch their notes and stare eagerly at the screen. A child is smilingly expectantly into the web camera. As the ring stops her grandparent suddenly appears on the screen. The Skype call has begun.

SAS third graders learn about the history of technology through a unit titled Test of Time in which an increasing number of classes use video conferencing to interview grandparents. Originally this unit’s main methodology was gleaning information from books. As computers have become more available, it was expanded to include more web resources. The ease of using video conferencing tools such as Skype has taken learning to new heights.

Grandparents bring a wealth of firsthand knowledge to interviews. Students are fascinated to learn about life before cell phones, which included such mysterious inventions as switchboards and party lines. They try to imagine a time before iPods, video games, and televisions. As Grade 3 teacher Rebecca Madden explains, “We study six categories of inventions— communication, health and safety, tools, food, travel, and convenience. Grandparents bring expert knowledge of some of these categories that I know very little about. For example, this year we had a grandfather join our class who is a practicing Ob/Gyn. He was able to share so much about the advances in medicine, and lasers in particular. The kids were fascinated.”

Part of the unit involves creating time lines. The grandparents help the children to better understand when developments took place. One grandparent, when asked if she had been around with the gladiators, explained that since the gladiators were around 2,000 years ago and she was only 60 years old, the answer was no.

Some grandparents spend extra time preparing for the interview so they can share special areas of interest.

Through the use of a darkened room, a flashlight, a tape player, and his collection of early instruments, one grandfather held a class spellbound for 60 minutes as he took them on a journey through the history of music.

Especially enlightening have been the interviews with grandparents who grew up in developing countries. The stories of their struggles for food, clean water, education, and access to medical care help students develop cultural understanding and global awareness. Teachers will draw on this new learning later in the year as their students learn about basic needs and developing countries.

The grandparents give generously of their time and knowledge, and we are glad to discover that they find

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the experience rewarding as well. As Robin Balshaw, a Grade 3 teacher on leave this year explained, “One of my favorite things is after Skype calls I would often receive email from grandparents expressing their enjoyment and appreciation in being able to spend time in their grandchildren’s classes. Even though they were often in another country or across the world, they felt connected and included.”

Given the success of these video conferences, teachers will be looking for other ways to make use of these generous, knowledgeable grandparent volunteers.

This activity fits well with the second strand in the SAS K-12 Technology Framework that states: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: nn interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media; nn communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats; nn develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures; nn contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

Skype Safety Make certain your Skype software is set up with safety in mind. nn On a PC, go to Tools > Options > Privacy nn On a Mac, go to Preferences > Privacy Change all the settings from Anyone to Contacts so that random strangers cannot contact you. It is also important to keep your Skype software up-to-date.

The Skype software will tell you when a major update is available. You can also check the settings. nn On a PC, go to the Help menu > check for updates nn On a Mac, go to the Skype menu > check for updates The Skype website also warns you to be wary of email pretending to be from Skype saying a security update is available. Skype says they will never do that.

Technology

Evolving. Expanding. Educating.

Jay Atwood HS Tech Coordinator

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his school year has gotten off to a great start in the High School as we have continued moving forward with integrating technology into classrooms and the daily life of our students, faculty, and staff. The Engaged Learning initiative has continued to evolve as teachers are using more technology in their classes. We expect this as the program ages, but another change was that 70% of our HS teachers switched to MacBook Pro laptops at the end of last year. This created a slight learning curve for us, but overall the feedback has been very good.

Through funding from the PTA, we have a cart of iPads that has led to new learning opportunities.

Our physics classes have reworked a traditional lab analyzing trajectory using video analysis software on the iPads. Chemistry classes have investigated the periodic table using fantastic software developed for the iPad. PE teachers now give instant feedback to students on their movement and performance using iPad cameras. There are a lot of exciting activities happening with iPads as we continue to see how mobile technology can best be used in the school.

Having hardware and software available for use is just one part of the puzzle that we are putting together.

Teaching teachers and students how to use the technology is a much more vital factor in ensuring success beyond just having access. The Technology Help Center is the hub and we have expanded our services to support the High School. We are providing learning opportunities for teachers on our Online Tech Help Center website (hs6911.sas.edu.sg). Here we not only have tips and training information, but also highlight classroom activities that are making good use of technology.

Teachers can keep up with training events, Twitter feeds, and blog postings shared by the Tech Help Center. Our Techie Tuesday training sessions, Tech Bites student presentations at lunch, and both Mac and iPad Users Groups are providing teachers with extra support.

This summer we renovated the Tech Help Center to include a Help Desk area run by our Digital Frontiers (DF) service club. DF members are on call to answer questions, do basic computer troubleshooting, and to work on projects. We are very proud of the recent work that the DF team did developing and running the IASAS 30th anniversary website for first season sports (iasas.sasclubs.com). Seniors Cian Leow, Oliver Kim, and David Lee led the project with help from about 20 DF members. Their hard work was appreciated by more than 8,100 site visitors from 69 countries.

It was fantastic work and they made us proud.

Every day we see brilliant uses of technology in the classroom. Spanish and French classes are using Skype to develop their language skills. AP stats classes are using questionpress.com for instant formative assessment and discussing their understanding of statistical concepts.

English classes are back-channeling during class so students can share their ideas and ask questions. We are also continuing to expand our use of GoogleApps with all students having official Gmail accounts and teachers transitioning over for their school mail as well.

GoogleDocs is being used for sharing documents and collaborating across the school. SAS is a busy place and we are excited by all of the great teaching and learning going on that takes advantage of technology. We look forward to seeing what happens next. It’s all good stuff.

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Technology

A Center for Learning Kathy Brundage Library Media Specialist

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hat does an effective learning-focused library look like? When you enter, you can see that it is more than just a place to find and check out materials. It’s a vibrant environment filled with student-centered learning, and the knowledge that is gained is constructed by the students.

This dynamic environment doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s a combination of understanding the learning needs of our students, curriculum objectives, knowledge of our school culture, and a very passionate staff.

Perhaps it’s time to change our name from Library Media Center to Center for Learning. It’s where learning happens. It’s the hub of the school. The shift is from viewing the library as a place to collect and memorize factual information to a place where the library teacher collaborates with the classroom teacher.

Together, they design inquiry-based instruction with essential questions that are connected to solving realworld complex issues. We must engage students in problem-solving, teach them strategies for evaluating resources, and use reflection to enhance learning.

In 2007, the American Association of School Librarians introduced the following four standards for the 21st century learner:

nn Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge; nn Draw conclusions, make informed decisions,

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apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge; nn Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of a democratic society; nn Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

Where does technology fit in this landscape? Everywhere.

The digital tools are increasing our ability to make real world connections. That is, we can learn in real-time using multiple devices. On any given day, you can find students working at computers, iPads, laptops, using Skype, reading e-books on various multimedia platforms, etc. At the same time, reading for pleasure, searching for information for personal learning, book clubs, and sharing great books with others is happening. Book talks, information literacy, and literature appreciation sessions take place daily.

Parent volunteers add so much value to this learning environment. They help maintain the collection, work with students during book selection, and even tell stories.

As we prepare our students for the future, we should rethink our views and values regarding the need for libraries. The tools we use to read and learn may change, but the need to read and learn will not. That’s why libraries are even more relevant and important for our 21st century learners. The Singapore American School philosophy embraces this understanding. Our libraries are transforming into learning centers where technology teachers, librarians, literacy coaches, and other specialists can collaborate and be outstanding learning designers.

Distance Learning and Service Kristin Skill Grade 12 Student

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he Bintan Club has been donating computers, conducting service projects, and leading English language activities for children at local schools in Batam and Bintan, Indonesia for several years. It has been a very successful process. A few years ago we created an online school called Friendship International School (FIS) that continued teaching English to the students online over the course of the year.

This past November, we decided to redirect our program toward an orphanage of 40 teens between the ages of 13 and 17. Our goal was to donate computers and set up an online connection so that we could continue to correspond with them on a regular basis. However, when we arrived and saw the living conditions, we quickly changed our initial focus. Their rooms were atrocious.

There was one mattress to every six kids. They took turns using the mattress while the others slept on the bare floor with only a thin, old sheet. The walls were stained with old water marks, mildewed, and what paint remained was peeling off. The one bathroom was literally a hole in the wall, and their library consisted of just a few books.

After witnessing such conditions, we decided to change our approach and focus on the necessities instead of bringing in computers. We used the money that we had saved from several fundraisers for technology needs and instead used it to buy mattresses, sheets, pillows, and pillow cases for the each of the kids. The remaining money was used to buy food which was also in low supply. We were shocked to learn that all 40 teens were fed on about S$5.00 per day. Our donations supplied them with enough funds to purchase several weeks of food and replace several necessary food items.

happy to finally have nice rooms. Over the next two trips, we painted the prayer room, hosted all the students for a full day at Loola Resort, and did additional training toward the further development of activities in our online school. Special Skype accounts were created so that we could conduct video-based distance learning sessions two to three times each week. During these sessions we work with small groups and some individuals to help improve their English reading and speaking skills.

Here at home in Singapore, the club answered a request to create and set up a networked student lab with an additional four office machines for the Day Spring Residential Treatment Center. This center is the first residential center for abused teenage girls in Singapore.

On March 26, the club was presented with a letter of appreciation by S R Nathan, President of the Republic of Singapore.

Our future plans include continued tech support for the Day Spring Home, expanding the online service school opportunities for the orphans, and continued service trips and cultural exchanges with our new friends in Bintan.

Special thanks to the PTA for the book donations, SAS IT department for support in the donation of expired technology systems, and several parents for monetary donations to purchase flooring and extra food for the orphanage.

We returned to the orphanage a few weeks later, and this time we brought four computers, web cams, sports equipment, books, and money to purchase paint supplies and internet service for one year. The kids were excited to see us return with our donation of basketballs, soccer balls, and badminton equipment as well as a pile of books. While several SAS students installed the computers, web cams, network wires, modem, internet connection, and taught children how to operate the computers and make the right account connections, others were busy painting dorm rooms.

Many of the orphans joined in and helped in the painting process. Both SAS and the Indonesian students worked together to complete the room painting project. Upon completion the girls were ecstatic. A parent donation allowed the additional purchase of new floor covering for all the rooms. The old flooring was ripped and in many areas was just bare broken and splintered wood.

They really appreciated our help and support, and were

A Bintan Club representative received a letter of appreciation from S R Nathan, President of the Republic of Singapore.

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Mentoring Cambodian Educators Kaye Bach Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

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uring four days in September, Caring for Cambodia (CFC) sponsored a training visit to Singapore for nine Cambodian administrators and four teachers. The objective of this training was for the administrators to visit international schools of excellence in Singapore, and the teachers to observe interactive classrooms. The administrator group toured Tanglin Trust School, Chatsworth School, and SAS during their time in Singapore. They were also coached during a Saturday workshop led by SAS administrators Dr. Tim Stuart, Marc L’Heureux, and JohnEric Advento.

Caring for Cambodia is committed to an extensive teacher training program in Siem Reap, and SAS faculty members from all levels of our school are actively involved in training teachers there. In the past we have had groups of teachers from CFC schools observe at SAS. This, however, was the first time a workshop has been held for administrators, and more specifically for representatives from the Department of Education.

We hope that the learning experience they have had in Singapore will be shared with other administrators who are in positions of influence in Siem Reap.

The teacher representatives involved in this training observed SAS teachers in classrooms in PS, MS and HS. They also attended a one day workshop learning about relevant resources and games that could be played in classes in Cambodia. Administrators in this delegation from Cambodia were representatives from the Department of Education in Siem Reap and principals and deputy principals from Caring for Cambodia schools. The visitors were selected for their commitment to education in Cambodia, and their desire to better themselves within their profession.

Dr. Tim Stuart shared how important it is to have a clear vision in education, and presented his own vision to the group. Marc L’Heureux and JohnEric Advento then provided practical ways to create vision statements. This was new learning for many of the participants, and it was obvious that it challenged their thinking. The seed has been sown and follow-up work will be done in future trainings in Siem Reap.

Mrs. Barbara Procida and Mrs. Pat Liew hosted Mrs. Sam Savath, a grade one teacher from one of the CFC schools in Siem Reap. Mrs. Savath had previously worked with Mrs. Procida and Mrs. Liew during teacher training workshops in Siem Reap. They had identified her as one of our shining stars in the CFC schools. Mrs. Sam Savuth observed in Mrs. Procida’s classroom and was in awe of such resources as Promethean boards and television monitors. With encouragement and support she was soon sharing lessons with the second grade class. The

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children were able to share in some unique Cambodian cultural experiences, and got a better insight into what classrooms in Cambodia look like. It became very clear to our SAS students how extremely fortunate they are.

The CFC Education Committee led by former middle school teacher Gina Ruddock hosted three teachers from CFC middle schools. On day one of this teacher training, the CFC teachers observed SAS high school and middle school teachers using interactive teaching techniques in their classrooms. On the second day the education committee led this team in practical aspects of interactive classrooms. These teachers worked to make resources they could take back with them to their schools in Siem Reap.

Caring for Cambodia is deeply grateful to SAS administrators Dr. Tim Stuart, Marc L’Heureux and JohnEric Advento for sharing their educational expertise, their vision, and understandings of school management.

CFC is also appreciative of the support given to these visitors during their time at SAS. The bonds between SAS and CFC were strengthened over this time, and our trainings are reaching out to higher, more influential areas of education in Cambodia.

Together we really can make a difference.

United Nations Day in Third Grade Gail Hanagan Grade 3 Teacher

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n Tuesday, October 25 the SAS third grade community celebrated United Nations Day. The assembly was kicked off by a fabulous flag parade representing 42 countries and was met with enthusiastic cheers from the audience that included all 13 third grade classes as well as parents and guests.

The assembly presented by the classes of Mrs. Hanagan, Ms. Madden, and Mrs. Walker included information about the founding and purpose of the United Nations with a particular focus on the role the UN has in regard to children in need from around the world. The children from the classes mentioned performed vignettes about the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) that helps children in need in our world. For example, they provide vitamin A to eliminate night blindness, build water pumps for clean water to keep villagers healthy, and provide schools in places where many children spend most of their day working.

In addition, students shared the Rights of the Child.

The beautifully presented songs had important messages of caring for others and peace on earth.

The assembly ended with the point that whoever we are, wherever we live, a smile carries a universal

message. On that note, the presenting classes on stage invited the audience to join them in singing, “Everybody Smiles in the Same Language.”

Following the assembly, all parents and students from our SAS third grade community were treated to an awesome variety of international dishes prepared by parents from all classes. Showing and sharing our diversity made UN Day 2011 memorable for all.

See back cover for more photos

SACAC Counselling offers psychological and counselling for a broad range of issues including adjustment, anxiety, depression, child/adolescent issues, parenting and relationship issues.

Upcoming SACAC Workshops on December 2011

Intercultural Skills for Global Business!

This one day workshop will provide practical tools to enhance communication and cultural competence when living and working with people who come from different perspectives and value systems. The discussion will not only explore national culture, but also generational, gender, organisational, and business unit cultures. Culture shapes people’s values, attitudes and beliefs and guides their behaviours at work. It is this deep culture which can lead to misunderstandings, different goals, ways of working and sometimes simply frustration. This session will address the skills of understanding and navigating cultures different than our own, learning more effective ways to interact in diverse work environments, as well as providing additional tools and guides for strengthening your ability to work in various country markets. For more a more detailed agenda please contact SACAC at 6733-9249 or admin@sacac.sg .

Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm Cost: $450 GST Inclusive Venue: The American Club Atrium Room Facilitator: Penny Morris-Hardee, Intercultural Consultant & Global Leadership Trainer For more information or to register for a workshop contact SACAC Counselling on 6733-9249 or via email at admin@sacac.sg. Payment is to be made at the SACAC Counselling office, American Club, 10 Claymore Hill prior to the workshop commencing. Payment can be made by cash, check, or NETS.

10 Claymore Hill, Singapore 229573 Tel: 6733 9249

E-mail: admin@sacac.sg Web: www.sacac.sg

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Bali Discovery Virginia A. Sheridan HS Journalism Teacher

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r. Brown is alive and well and living in Dausa, East Bali. His wooden hut at the edge of a rice field has a clear view of the sacred Mount Agung, though most days he prefers the sight of a generous helping of greens and his dark-eyed female companions.

Mr. Brown is a bull named for Edd Brown, the Primary School technology teacher who died in a car crash in November 2011. The animal was donated to Side by Side Organic Farm by family and friends of the 17-year SAS educator.

Amy Ferguson, Middle School cooking teacher, facilitated the bovine donation. “My husband [Mike, first grade teacher] and I came to SAS with Edd and his wife, so I wanted to do something in his memory that would directly help others,” said Ferguson, who had been helping Side by Side sell their sand-filled geckos and snakes at the Middle School nonprofit sales.

“When I heard that the farm desperately needed a bull to help with the rice harvest, I knew this would be the perfect ‘retirement’ present for Edd,” she added.

A gift that keeps giving, Mr. Brown the bull has already contributed offspring and fertilizer, both useful products in maintaining the small enterprise that allows villagers to sustain their traditional,

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agrarian lifestyle and support their families without having to sell their land to hotel developers.

“Can we feed Mr. Brown?” asked my daughters Sabine (grade 5) and Delaney (grade 4) about ten times a day during our farmstay at Side by Side. The bull certainly got beefier during those four days in October as the girls were eager to spend as much time as possible with the namesake of their beloved teacher.

Side by Side is a real, working farm with modest accommodations for visitors. A nearly three-hour drive from the airport, it is well off the tourist trail.

No souvenir-hawkers here, only real Balinese living a real village life—working in the fields, washing in the communal bathhouse, preparing offerings for the spirit houses. We arrived at Side by Side in the evening, crossing dirt paths lit by fireflies and flashlight, and

were greeted with glasses of mango juice fresh-blended from farm-grown fruit. We slept in a traditional openair bale (a raised wooden platform), but with the added visitor “luxuries” of a mattress and mosquito net. We were lulled to sleep by a symphony of insects and the distant sounds of the gamelan from the local temple.

Our days were filled with nothing and everything.

We fished in the pond beneath the bale—and caught a few nibbles for dinner. We fed the pigs and cows, collected eggs, followed Ketut as he pointed out the various vegetable plantings and fruit trees, read books, wrote letters, took long walks along dusty paths. And we ate tasty, organic meals, produced solely from the farm, three times a day. Everything was so beautifully presented on palm leaf plates that my girls became surprisingly adventurous eaters.

The farm has hosted more ambitious groups who helped build such structures as the stone shower and the prawn ponds as service projects. But since every dollar spent at the farm is fed back into the cooperative and its connected projects (such as the geckos sold at SAS, which support a group of marginalized women), just paying the modest farmstay fees is beneficial. The girls, though, decided that they also wanted to donate a pig.

En route to the pig farm we trekked across newly planted rice fields, jumped over irrigation streams and darted around noisy chickens running wildly through the open fields. A wizened woman in a faded batik sarong and t-shirt negotiated a price with Ketut while Sabine and Delaney debated names. After the energetic, ear-splitting battle to get the chosen piggie into the rice sack for “easy” carriage, everyone agreed on the name Lee-ar, the Balinese word for wild.

The girls were thrilled to know that their allowance savings could actually buy something alive that would help their new farmer friends, even though they really wanted to take Lee-ar home as a souvenir. They also saw that their gently used clothing and stuffed animal discards were truly valuable to village children who had no such luxuries. And they were able to compare the basic classrooms of the Dausa village school to their resource-rich learning centers at SAS. We walked the few kilometers to the 10-room school building as the students did—on the raised ridges of earth between the rice fields. Delaney lost her balance and arrived at the school with one muddy sandal. The school children, dressed in their best festival clothes in honor of the New Moon celebration, were too fascinated

by Delaney’s blonde hair to notice her disheveled state.

I was invited to teach basic English lessons at the Dausa school. Dripping sweat from the hike and the fanfree classrooms, I led the classes through renditions of “If You’re Happy (and you know it) Clap Your

Hands,” “Old McDonald’s Farm” and “The Weather Song.” We all laughed at the various interpretations of animal sounds and the absurdity of singing “it’s snowing outside” in an equatorial country. Thanks to a generous donation by David Hoss, Primary School principal, I was able to present each classroom with copies of For Pete’s Sake and Manny the Monarch, books he co-authored. We also distributed pens to each student, and my girls were shocked at how excited they were to receive a simple writing instrument.

I confess that we spent our last day in Bali at a tourist resort. The girls certainly enjoyed the meandering pools and the air-conditioning, but they immediately realized that it was fake in comparison to their farmstay. And the highlight of their stay? Feeding Mr. Brown and Lee-ar.

For more information on Side by Side Organic farm, visit their website at http://sites.google. com/site/sidebysidefarmorg/. For information regarding pig, bull, fruit tree and rice field plot donations—meaningful holiday gifts—contact Amy Ferguson at aferguson@sas.edu.sg.

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PTA Becky Moseley PTA Vice President

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here is always something happening at SAS. Much of the time, PTA is a part of the action.

In the few short months since school started, there have been the Welcome Coffees, Carpet Auction, Pumpkin Patch and Sales, Food Fest, and Book Fair. As the vice president of PTA, I see firsthand how much work goes into each of these events. We have some incredibly dedicated volunteers at SAS. I would like to extend a big thank you to Joany Perrotta for organizing the Pumpkin Patch, and Mika Parekh and Jackie Lewis for all their work on the Pumpkin Sales, especially with the High School clubs. All of the pumpkins were kindly donated to PTA by APL and shipped from the United States.

I also want to thank Kim Hamby for chairing the Food Fest. With more than a dozen country booths, the High School club booths, theme basket raffle, and a vendor fair, Food Fest is a huge undertaking.

Kim and her team of volunteers put on a great fair.

Like a lot of you, I came to Singapore intending to stay a year or two. This is my seventh year at SAS, with six as a PTA board member. My first year, I volunteered in PTA Sales as a way to meet people. I then volunteered to help with Book Fair. I had so much fun I chaired the event for the next three years. Still one of my favorite events, this year’s Book Fair took place in November. Thanks to Kim Rowe and Deb Christian for chairing this event.

As vice president, one of my duties is to oversee fund spending, including scholarships. Already this fall,

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the PTA has awarded three Interim scholarships.

These scholarships are awarded to deserving High School students to pay for their Interim Semester trips. This is just one way in which PTA can enhance the students’ experiences at SAS. In December, PTA organizes the class holiday parties.

With visits from Santa Claus, these are always a big hit with the younger crowd and a great send-off for vacation. While we are off campus for the long holiday vacation, PTA volunteers are still working.

We are preparing for the second half of the year.

In January, we will have a Welcome Coffee for the new families. Then on January 28, PTA will put on our Gala Dinner Dance. This year it will be at the Marriot Hotel.

Always fun, the Gala is an evening of food, wine, and music. There will be a silent auction with great offerings.

Tickets are already on sale in the PTA Office. If you would like to get involved or want more information, contact Garima Lalwani at garima.lalwani@gmail.com or Hanis Hussey at hanisussey2000@yahoo.com, the Gala co-chairs.

A few weeks later, on February 25, PTA will put on our biggest event of the year. The County Fair chair Jodie Stone, stone.jodie@ymail.com, is already organizing her team of volunteers. The fair takes place over much of the campus, with games, rides, food booths, vendor fair, and a silent auction. Please contact Jodie to volunteer.

With so much going on, PTA looks forward to working with you to help build a wonderful community for all of our children.

PTA

While most of Singapore was experiencing the usual tropical environment, autumn arrived in the Woodlands thanks to the generous support of APL. Continuing a twelve year tradition, APL purchased and shipped a 40 foot container full of American pumpkins and gourds to SAS. With the help of APL employee, Mr. Victor Cheah, and members of the SAS administration, Dr. Brent Mutsch, Dr. Tim Stuart and Mr. Darin Fahrney, high school students and other SAS volunteers unloaded and cleaned hundreds of pumpkins which were stored in the PTA office and moved mini-pumpkins and gourds to the kindergarten group room for the much anticipated pumpkin patch.

A group of talented parent volunteers, led by Joany Perrotta, transformed the kindergarten group room into a festive Scooby Doo themed pumpkin patch. For several days, students from pre-school through second grade visited the Pumpkin Patch where they were treated to delightful interactive story-telling sessions by volunteer parents, faculty and administrators. Each child also got to pick their own mini-pumpkin or gourd to take home.

On Saturday, October 22nd, another group of dedicated high school students arrived at the PTA office at 7am to move the pumpkins to the Middle School fountain area where the much anticipated pumpkin sale would take place. Within an hour, the students, with the help of an amazing facilities staff, turned the Middle School fountain area into a picture worthy autumn scene. By 9am, parents and children were lined up to begin their search for the perfect pumpkin. Kasie and Reagan Widdow, children of APL's Chief Executive Ron Widdow, joined Dr. Mutsch in cutting the ribbon to officially begin the pumpkin sale. Also joining in the festivities was Michael Zampa, APL Vice President for Corporate Affairs.

The Pumpkin Sale proceeds are donated in full to the SAS High School service clubs, some of which work with Singapore charities.

Many thanks go to the PTA parent volunteers, faculty, administration, high school student volunteers, security and maintenance staff, who helped make this year's Pumpkin Patch a huge success. A special note of gratitude goes to APL for their continued support and generosity. We thank them for making this treasured tradition possible at SAS. Submitted by Jackie Lewis & Mika Parekh - High School PTA Reps

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SAS PTA

Gala Dinner Dance Join us for an evening filled with great friends, food and music. Bid on fabulous Silent & Live Auction items. Prepare yourself as we take you ‘Around the World in Ten Sips’.

Get ready to dance the night away!

January 28, 2012 Singapore Marriott Hotel S$180- per person Fund raising to support and sponsor scholarships, visiting authors, artists and musicians, curriculum projects at SAS. Tickets on Sale now at PTA Office & Booster Booth.

Thank you for your support!

Garima Lalwani & Hanis Hussey PTA GDD Co-Chairs

poster.indd 1

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10/23/11 5:22 PM

PTA

SAS PTA Gala Dinner and Dance Garima Lalwani PTA GDD Co-Chair

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have never been to the SAS PTA Gala event.

What is it like?” I heard this several times when I told people that I was involved with the GDD (or Gala Dinner and Dance) this year. This surprised me. I had attended the event several times. It was a chance to get dressed up and have a nice evening out with friends while supporting the school.

We had been lucky. When we moved here, we stayed at a serviced apartment. There were several other families in the service apartment that had kids at SAS. This gave us a natural bond and soon we were hanging out together attending events like the PTA Gala. Over the years many of these people moved from Singapore and other friends were interested in attending the Gala. In a place like Singapore that is small yet has so much going on, it is easy for people to fall in to a pattern of what they do.

Spouses travel and it becomes hard to commit to events.

My husband and I decided that we were going to attend for the next event whether we had a group or not. That year we met parents that we never would have a chance to meet otherwise. If you have kids in one section of the school, like the Middle School, it is not often that you have a chance to meet parents from Primary, Intermediate, or the High School. PTA Gala offers such an opportunity. If you have never been to a PTA Gala event here is a brief of what to expect.

The evening starts with people arriving in tuxes and suits, long dresses, and cocktail dresses. You check in with your ticket and a waiter soon approaches with drinks of wine, beer, and soft drink. Now is the time to mingle with old friends and meet new people. It is a time to say hello to those who may not be at your table while enjoying a drink and browsing through all the silent auction items on display. There is a bid sheet next to each item and you can write your bid on there. Get your bid in early in case you do not get a chance to go back.

The silent auction ends, bid sheets are taken away and the doors to the ballroom are thrown open. Everyone looks to find their seats and introduce themselves to others at the table. Wines are poured and there is an expectant buzz in the air. Welcome speeches commence and the first course soon arrives.

As the evening progresses a four course meal is served with wine pairings. In between each course a variety of activities are held. One that I always enjoyed was the wine related game. You do not have to be a connoisseur to participate. It is fun to see everyone get into the spirit of friendly competition.

This friendly competitiveness continues when the live auction starts. Stunning carpets, expensive wines, and amazing holiday packages are auctioned off. We have ended up with a carpet in our living room from one such fun evening out. With the food done, dessert and coffee are served and the music starts. Time to kick off the heels and bring your dance moves to the floor.

At the end of the evening, we may leave with or without a silent auction item or a raffle basket or even a carpet but we always leave with a big smile knowing we have acquired a few new friends.

In case you have never been to an SAS PTA Gala, the next Gala Dinner and Dance will be hosted on January 28 at the Marriott Hotel. Tickets are $180 per person and are on sale at the Booster Booth in the High School and the PTA Office. See you at the Gala.

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Winning the Gold Virginia A. Sheridan HS Journalism Teacher

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ongratulations to the staff of Islander 2011 for earning a Gold Medalist critique rating from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). The SAS high school yearbook earned 956 out of a potential 1,000 points and was awarded high honors in the verbal and visual categories.

A 16-member student staff, led by editor-in-chief McKenzie Finchum (now in her first year of university), created the book as part of a threecredit high school elective course.

Adviser Tate Sonnack, an SAS alum and former Islander editor, taught the class and managed the book’s production process. He notes that students additionally worked after school, on weekends, and during holidays to complete all the layouts, writing, photo-editing, informationgathering, and organizing required to complete the 456-page annual.

“McKenzie worked so much she ended up in the hospital for the final deadline,” said Sonnack.

“We had to pry the computer out of her hands to get her to sleep.”

The critiquing judge was particularly enthusiastic about the unique, square, die-cut cover, the lively faculty section, and the authentic student writing. “Your school is astounding. I learned so much about it from spending time there in your book,” wrote the CSPA judge. “It really makes me want to teach there.

Your book is top notch and shows the global aspects of your school.”

Seven of the 2011 Islander staff members are enrolled again in yearbook class and determined to meet the photo-journalistic criteria required to earn another Gold Medalist rating. “I looked up to McKenzie and learned so much from her last year. She worked every day on the yearbook, put her heart and soul into it. Ultimately, that’s why we won the award,” said current editorin-chief, Lia Quijano, whose passion for design is already influencing the look of the 2012 book.

The Columbia Scholastic Press Association, founded in 1925, is affiliated with the Columbia University School of Journalism.

The annual Medalist critique service is a teaching tool to provide yearbook staffs with professional feedback. Since 1999, when the Islander was first submitted for CSPA critiquing, the book has rated Gold Medalist nine times. The 2004 yearbook additionally earned a Gold Crown presented to the top one percent of yearbooks scored.

An Author’s Visit and Beyond Kathryn Cullen Grade 4 Teacher

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uthor of Someone Else’s Garden, Dipika Rai, visited SAS in the 2010–11 school year. Students, teachers, and parents participated in her Writer’s Workshop and had an opportunity to hear her literary adventure from traveler to banker to journalist to first time novelist. Ms. Rai shared her story of becoming an author and led exercises for writers to develop their own characters and story lines that sunny afternoon in April.

Some wanted to hear more, however, so teachers from the Singapore

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American School invited Dipika to dinner to discuss her book and a writer’s life even further. Nine teachers from SAS and the Overseas Family School met to discuss Someone Else’s Garden with the author as a follow up to her visit on campus. The ten of us enjoyed an Indian feast and further discussion about the significance of the theme of her book, “Why water someone else’s garden?”

Read the book. You may need further discussion too.

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Teachers from SAS and OFS come together to discuss Someone Else’s Garden with author Dipika Rai.

Off and Running Sheri Helmueller Boy Scout Troop 07 Coordinator

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oy Scout Troop 07 has not wasted any time getting going this year. Among other things, our scouts have already been on two campouts, performed the opening flag ceremony for the American football season, and joined in the international efforts of a coastal cleanup. Would you like to know more? It’s best described from the point of view of several of our scout members, so read on to find out what we’ve been up to.

Pasir Ris

By Jack T., 2nd Class Scout, Troop 07 and Grade 7 student I am Jack T., a Boy Scout with Troop 07. I have been a Boy Scout for two years and am presently a Second Class rank. The best part of scouting is the camping trips to various places around Southeast Asia.

The troop went on a campout to Pasir Ris on the first weekend in September. We all had a really good time.

I was the cook for our dinner on Saturday night. It was the first time that I was in charge of cooking for my patrol. I wanted to make tacos in a bag, but could not find small bags of Doritos in Singapore. So instead we had to make tacos with Doritos and use our mess kits to mix them up. I used ground beef that was frozen, cooked it in water so it didn’t burn and then added black beans and let everything heat up. We then put the chips, meat and bean mixture, cheese, lettuce and taco sauce in our mess kits to mix it up. It was really good. For dessert I made cooked apples with butter and a sugar mixture. They were also really good and a lot of people from outside our patrol wanted to try them and asked for the recipe. I really enjoyed being the cook and I hope I get to do it again soon on another campout.

I also really liked the playground at the campsite. It had a big structure made of tight ropes. It looked like the Eiffel Tower and you had to climb up it. There was also a big zip line, slides, and rope courses. There were a lot of opportunities to get requirements checked off during the weekend so we had fun and got a lot of work done.

The Mess Among the Mangroves

By Jacob H., 1st Class Scout, Troop 07 and Grade 7 student When I walked up to the mangroves the mess took my breath away. We were starting our job of cleaning up the mangroves and beach behind the tile factory in Singapore with the International Coastal Cleanup Organization.

A few of the other boys from Boy Scout Troop 07, including myself, were going to clean up the beaches.

For the past twenty years, groups like ours have been cleaning up beaches all over the world. There were

so many different items to be found and picked up along the mangroves, I couldn’t keep track of them.

There were glass bottles and jars, plastic pieces, boots, and even computer parts. Each piece of garbage was thrown away in a dump after being recorded.

We were super muddy, hot, sweaty, and tired when we were done, but I was glad I chose to do it. After we finished cleaning up we sat down in a big circle and shared the information we had collected on our recording sheets we got before we started cleaning. In the end it felt really good to do such a great thing for the community. This is just one of the many activities that we in Troop 07 have done that makes us feel good.

In addition to the campout and coastal cleanup, Troop 07 Scouts have dined at the US Ambassador’s home, marched with the US Marine Corps Color Guard in a flag ceremony, received numerous awards at their Court of Honor, toured a US aircraft carrier, as well as volunteered their time at the ICS Carnival and the SAS Food Fest.

If you would like to become a member of our highly active Boy Scout Troop, please join us for one of our weekly meetings. We meet on Tuesdays at Singapore American School, H301, from 6:15–7:30 p.m. You can also contact our publicity chair, Sheri Helmueller, at tykotoms@hotmail.com, or visit us at our website at www.bsatroop07.com. We look forward to sharing our scouting adventures with you and our community.

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Romeo and Juliet in Narrative Dance Alistair Chew, Grade 12 Student Carrie Dwyer, Grade 11 Student

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he High School Dance Club has performed many types of shows in recent years. However, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was the first narrative dance show since the arrival of the current dance teacher, Tracy van der Linden, in 2005.

“It’s great that we had the opportunity to play characters and be more than just dancers. I got to act and perform as a servant, ghost, and even a person from Mantua. It was so different from being in a regular showcase where we don’t have to portray different characters,” said senior dancer Dacia Goh. Much like a drama production, Romeo and Juliet was separated into scenes and each dance performance class member performed as a specific character from Shakespeare’s iconic love story. The fourteen dance performance students also choreographed and worked along with Ms. Van der Linden to put together a show unlike ones done in the past.

As the participating dancers have not been a part of this type of production at SAS, it was a new experience for all. “In contrast to our previous dance shows, being a part of Romeo and Juliet brought a sense of unity to our cast,” said sophomore Jackie Benfield who portrayed the role of Benvolio. As the presidents of the High School Dance Club and the National Dance Association Honor Society, we found that it was a unique experience to perform in,

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choreograph, and help produce this show. We had the great opportunity to be more hands-on in this type of production, not only dancing and choreographing but also being able to portray characters and put the show together. Along with this, we had the challenging task of ensuring the show flowed as a whole and not several individual pieces.

One distinctive feature in producing our show was the task of creating unique movement that directly mirrored Shakespeare’s text, without miming or producing literal and gestural movement. Sophomore dance performance student Alex Koncki, who played the role of Nurse, said, “Choreographing to Shakespeare’s written word has been an interesting challenge because you have to interpret the words without using gestures.”

Being a part of a show like this has pushed our comfort levels not only as dancers, but has fostered a close sense of unity within the dance performance students and full cast members. The show was a great way to interest the SAS community due to its cross-curricular nature. Because all ninth-grade students at SAS read Romeo and Juliet, not only was the production exciting and interesting to watch, but brought new life to this classic love story through the language of dance.

I Feel Fine Jeff Devens, Ph.D. High School Psychologist

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his wasn’t the first time Kelly* and I had visited. Over the course of the past year we met on several occasions to discuss the inner turmoil encompassing her world, much of it centering on feelings of identity and self-worth. In order to better understand what she was feeling I asked her to write out a series of one-word bullet points to the phrase: “I feel…” Here’s what she noted in order: I feel…unimportant, lost, mistaken, unprepared, misunderstood, hidden, anti-social, tired, regretful, betrayed, unreliable, misread, selfish, masochistic, cynical, never good enough, embarrassed, not needed, fine…

I feel fine. This familiar refrain employed by teens is designed both to keep parts of their lives hidden, and as a stalling tactic as they attempt to make sense of their emotional world. Teens are primarily emotional thinkers and use the filter of feelings to process the world around them. They often speak in cryptic fashion, requiring adults to interpret or predict what it is they are thinking. Unfortunately, this often results in the interrogation method being employed in hopes of uncovering what is really going on. This, however, only leads to further frustration as teens feel their parents and adults don’t really understand what they are going through. What’s a parent to do?

While not knowing specifically what’s happening with your teen, you can validate his or her feelings. Validating feelings doesn’t mean you agree with them. Heck, at this point, you don’t even know what’s going on. When you validate another’s feelings in effect you are saying, “Whatever it is you’re feeling I am sorry you are going through it.” By doing this you provide an invitation for them to talk about what’s going on. The starting point for these conversations begins with the acknowledgement of their emotions. In my work with teens in crisis this is the majority of “what I do.” It’s the validation of their feelings that opens the door for them to talk about underlying issues. Invariably, the question of “right emotional response vs. wrong emotional response” comes about, but not until they know that I have taken the time to empathize with what they are feeling. Let me add, parents, if you are phony about validation your kids will see through this and view what you are doing as patronizing, which it is, and close down. Much of the time teens simply want to know that someone else empathizes with what they are experiencing.

you’re frustrated by this. I am too. But you were the one who made the choice knowing full well what the consequence would be ahead of time. I, too, would be frustrated and upset, but I don’t own this.”) … and walk away. Our tendency is to want to continue to dialogue about what they should do differently so that this doesn’t happen in the future. Folks, this is not the time for a treatise. In most cases they know full what they did was in violation of the agreed upon rule. What is needed is a cooling off period for both them and you. I am almost certain if you move down the road of trying to help them understand the “error of their ways” this will backfire and something you say will become the issue instead of what they have chosen to do. At this point, you will have lost momentum for helping them deal with ownership for both their choices and their resulting feelings. If their emotional response is out of sync with the situation there will be time to address this, but save this for later.

It may be helpful to know that when kids experience emotional pain they are usually clustered into four broad categories: social relationships, parenting issues, academic progress, and performance issues (i.e., athletic, artistic, etc.) The next time you ask your teen, “How was your day?” and they respond with “Fine,” yet their emotional state suggests otherwise, consider this an invitation to actively empathize and validate. * The student comments were shared with permission from Kelly (not her real name). Her hope is that parents will find them helpful as they interact with their own children. Great kid.

But what about those situations when their feelings aren’t valid? For example, when they have violated a rule and are angry at you for following through with what you said you would do. What’s a parent to do in this situation? Validate their feelings (i.e., “I can tell

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Booster Club Julie Jackson Booster Club Vice President

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or the past three years, my family and I have been in Singapore and at SAS. Two and a half years ago, I began volunteering for the High School Eagles Booster Club. At that time, I volunteered to be the Booster Booth manager scheduling the volunteers who work in the booth.

A year and a half ago I became Vice President of Boosters, overseeing the workings of the Booth in all aspects.

School supplies, HS uniform polo shirts and PE uniforms are sold in the Booth, as well as Singapore American School spirit items such as t-shirts, beach towels, blankets, seat cushions, coffee mugs, a fabulous cookbook and many more fun SAS items. Sometimes surprise items, like candy from the US, are sold. It is worth coming by to see all the great items in stock for your students or for gifts.

A wonderful hard-working group of parent volunteers makes it possible to keep the Booster Booth open on all HS school days. We have 60 volunteers who work a half day every two weeks. About 60 more parents are on the substitute list eagerly waiting to volunteer in a permanent position or substitute when needed.

These parents help the HS students choose the correct uniform size or the exact notebook a teacher requires for a class. We all love interacting with our HS students.

IASAS 30th Anniversary Event hank you for an incredible IASAS event.

Booster parents welcomed visiting families, BBQ’d each day, sold spirit items at the field, filled coolers to hydrate visiting teams, supplied amazing baked goods for the coaches hospitality room and cheered on all of our athletes... it wouldn’t have been the same without your help..

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Many diligent volunteer hands ensure we have stock to sell. The Booster Booth is a small retail store. We have a team of three moms who design items and interact with vendors all over the world to bring in our SAS spirit items. Another team of moms order uniforms and ensure all sizes are in stock. One parent manages and keeps our 100+ volunteers organized and trained.

Another organizes all our outside-the-booth sales events including IASAS, Food Fest, and County Fair.

Why do we do all this? To spy on our HS students?

To keep up with what is happening in HS? To know when those college applications need to be filled out?

To know when our students should take the SAT? The real reason we donate our time is to raise money for our SAS athletic programs and the visual and performing arts groups. Also, we give out senior awards and Interim scholarships, host the Senior Luncheon, as well as help the students clubs with their needs.We do all of this for our students and children at SAS, and we all love our job and helping out where we can.

If you have a High School student and want to be a Booster Club volunteer, please ask us how you can join in. We have a place for you.

Julie Jackson Booster Club Vice President

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Bake Sale Success.

huge thank you goes out to all the high school parents for making our first Booster Bake sale a huge success. This was made possible only because of your willingness to provide food and volunteering to sell.

A special thank you to our Korean parents for their contribution.

- Garima Lalwani

Next Booster Club “Like” us and keep up-to-date on the great things that are happening at the High School.

Find us at:

SAS Eagles Booster Club

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Bake Sale December 7 9am to noon High School Cafeteria Featuring Indian Food & Western Desserts

IS Marathon Club

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he annual IS Marathon Club was a great success this year with more than 300 participants. Our runners persisted with a mile per day throughout the month of September in order to achieve their 26 miles overall.

That’s a total of 41.6km, the distance of an actual marathon.

Most Marathon Club members met before school to join the elementary PE teachers and run from Gym D, around the High School track twice, and back to Gym D. Some students took on the challenge at home with enthusiastic family members. Many

Jasper Lawrence IS Physical Education Teacher

parents really enjoyed the experience of running with their children and plan to continue running together, which is great to hear.

The students took on the responsibility of keeping track of their miles on a calendar, and parents monitored their progress by signing off on the miles at the end of each week. Keeping track of their own miles was a great way for the participants to be motivated to achieve their goal of 26 miles.

Two hundred and nineteen students completed the challenge. We

congratulate them and are proud of their enthusiasm and determination.

Our Marathon Club finishers proudly wore their specially designed t-shirts and received certificates at the award presentation ceremony on October 21.

There are now many more enthusiastic runners out there who wish to keep running every day. They will be rewarded with very healthy bodies. Well done, Marathon Clubbers. You promoted both individual and family fitness.

IASAS: Live and Streaming

By Oliver Kim President, Digital Frontiers

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rom October 20 to 22, more than 300 athletes from the six IASAS schools arrived at SAS, ready to compete in boys and girls soccer, volleyball, and crosscountry tournaments. This threesport event, the first of its kind for IASAS, was held in celebration of the association’s 30th anniversary.

Ms. Mimi Molchan, the SAS Athletics Director, wanted to do something unique in recognition of this important occasion. She

arranged with Octoshape, a media firm that specializes in internet video streaming, to stream selected sports events. Digital Frontiers, the high school technology club, was tasked with building the website to house these streams and providing live scores to accompany the video.

Digital Frontiers officers Cian Leow and David Lee coded the live-scoring system from the ground-up; Cian built a system to instantly push live scores across the internet, while

David designed the pages. Over the three days of IASAS, club members were present at all the soccer and volleyball games, logging scores for viewers across the world to see.

Indeed, viewers did watch from around the world, hailing from as far away as Sweden and Namibia.

Over the three days, the site logged more than 6,000 unique visitors and over 150,000 page views. By all measures, Digital Frontiers’ efforts were a resounding success.

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Season closes with two double golds for ISB, SAS

SAS seniors Jack McCabe and Alex Schindele spike the ball during a game against JIS. Both Eagle teams took home the gold for volleyball with a block from McCabe being the winning point during the boys’ game.

Photo by SAS Photography Club.

This article is excerpted from The EYE, a student-written and edited high school newspaper that is produced by the journalism students of Mark Clemens.

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By Ed Khoo, Grade 12 Student With every championship game comes a polarity of emotion—from the numbing excitement of victory to the crestfallen woe of defeat—and on Oct. 22, both moods resonated among each IASAS team.

Starting the first of three championships, the cross country finals—spanning 2.7 kilometer around the SAS campus—saw the persistence and drive of both boys and girls teams.

The JIS boys team earned gold followed by SAS and ISM. Sealing their lead with the race in Bedok, the SAS girls placed first with ISB in second and JIS with bronze.

The High School gym held the volleyball finals for both the boys and girls matches. A block from SAS’s middle hitter, senior Jack McCabe, guided the Eagles to a well-deserved gold. Taking the third set into additional points and ensuring a thrilling match, ISKL ended with silver and TAS with third.

Following in the boy’s footsteps, the SAS girls finished with gold in three straight sets, ISB arrived in second and JIS in third, coming back from two sets down against TAS. Closing the night on the fields, the soccer finals kept crowds cheering with its adrenalin and suspense conjured from the balanced skillsets of both teams. Ultimately it was ISB who took gold from SAS, the reigning champion, in a goal during extra time that resulted with both team’s crowds storming the field. ISM came third, stealing bronze from JIS, in a 3-2 victory.

ISB girls took gold in the last match of the tournament, with an early first goal against the ISM defense followed by another in the same half—making it a 2-0 victory. The SAS Lady Eagles earned bronze in a muddy match against JIS. With the final whistle blown, goal scored, ball spiked and stretch sprinted, the 30th IASAS came to an end.

“With all the spirit and the sports together in one place, it’s really different from the other IASASes,” JIS’s Dinesh Ganesan said. “There is a lot of passion on the field and on the courts, and a lot of support… a lot more support than normal. We were a bit disappointed in our loss but we were proud in the end.”

Happy Birthday to IASAS Mimi Molchan Athletics & Activities Director

Happy 30th Birthday to the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asia Schools, otherwise known fondly to many as IASAS. The small group of educators that gathered together to create IASAS in the early 80s would never have imagined that thirty years later they would see 396 athletes and 87 coaches gather together to compete on one campus to celebrate this very special occasion.

Well, that was exactly what happened at Singapore American School on October 20–22. It truly was a magical and memorable experience for everyone who attended. Our teams did extremely well. In the six sporting events they came away with three golds, two silvers, and one bronze medal. Great job, Eagles. What

really was special to us here in the activities office was how everyone came together with their own efforts to make the three days a success. Students, faculty, parents, and the community rose to the occasion to showcase SAS and share what we had to offer to all our guests.

We can all be extremely proud to be part of this fine institution. We certainly are. Have you ever sat down and completed a 1,000 piece puzzle? That is the best way for us to describe what took place for everything to fit together so precisely. Thank you very much for caring and being so willing to be one of the puzzle pieces. This birthday celebration would not have been so successful without you.

Varsity Girls Volleyball Jill Friend HS Girls Volleyball Coach

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ASAS champions. The varsity girls volleyball team was comprised of an incredible group of 14 young women who trained and played hard five times a week from the first week of school until the final game of the IASAS championships on October 22, in front of a loud and energized home crowd. 2011 gold medal team members were: Tess Nelligan (Fr), Rachel Wallace (Fr), Allena Ferguson (So), Tayla Marsh (Jr), Larissa Schot (Jr), Jessica Hartman (Jr), Alex McConaghy (Jr), Megan Cosgrove (Jr), Maggie Abeles (Jr), Amanda Zakowich (Sr), Amy Yuan (Sr), Isabella Shaulis (Sr), and captains Monica Scieszka (Sr) and Katy Kaestner (Sr).

From the very beginning of the season I knew I had a special team to coach, not only because of the obvious high level of volleyball skill and work ethic displayed during practices but because of the laughter and genuine respect each of the players showed toward one another. As the season continued, the bond between teammates only became stronger and we became a very close-knit “volleyball family.”

Halfway through the season we traveled to Kuala Lumpur and won a tournament hosting teams from Bangkok to Jakarta. The IASAS championship showed an extremely competitive girls volleyball tournament, and every game played required skill, determination, and desire. The team finished first after round robin play and played a hard fought game against Taipei in the semi-final. The final against Manila was exciting, with Monica Scieszka and Katy Kaestner captaining and leading the game in kills. Tess Nelligan was consistent in defense and attack and all three of these players were named to the all-tournament team.

Gratifying for a coach is to see your team work together and support one another through the ups and downs of a very emotional game like volleyball, and to have the desire to win. I am so proud to say that my team truly shone during the final. And it wasn’t just the starting six players who got us there; every member had a crucial part in getting the team to the final.

As captain Monica Szieszka wrote to the team following the tournament, “I’m so proud of every girl on this team.

We went out there and took care of business and did it with class. There is no other group of girls that I would have wanted to spend my last year of volleyball with...

I’m going to miss every day, practice, and moment so much. Make sure to treasure the memories of these past days because there will never be an IASAS quite like that ever again. We all truly left it all on the court and I hope that you guys, like me, have no regrets and were left with no thoughts of ‘Oh I should’ve, I could’ve’.... because now we are champions.” I feel so blessed and so proud to have been with this group of amazing young women this year.

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Boys Soccer Heartbreaker Tim Zitur HS Head Boys Soccer Coach

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n August, SAS had over 80 boys soccer players trying out for three teams: varsity, varsity reserve, and junior varsity. By the end, SAS had put their best 16 available young men to the task of winning gold in front of their home crowd at the IASAS championships.

In round robin play, things went well with SAS having given up only one goal, which was a penalty, in five games. The defense, led by co-captain Owen Sperling, was looking tough and the goalkeeping superb. Harry Lewis filled the nets and kept almost everything out, giving up just the one penalty but having saved another. This left SAS with the most points and home field advantage for the final.

In the final, SAS took on ISB (International School of Bangkok), a team they had tied twice before in the season—once in the exchange in September and once in the round robin play. It was time for the Eagles to clean that up and get the win. The final was exciting, with both teams having many fans to cheer. Play was back and forth, with SAS getting a few more chances than ISB in the first half, but the half ended scoreless.

At the start of the second half, SAS put a sore Mateo Villagas at forward. He had hurt his ribs in an earlier game, but was able to fight some of the pain to play.

Early in the second half, he scored from a long throw in to make it SAS 1-0. The fans were going crazy.

Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, ISB’s gifted left defender made a marvelous run through three of our

Mateo Villegas scores in the final to put SAS up 1-0 in the second half. defenders and scored a great goal on his own. We were back to being tied. SAS had a little more of the play for the rest of regulation, but couldn’t score.

In sudden death overtime, SAS forward Andrew Milne was so close to getting the game winner on a breakaway, with the ball just getting out of his reach.

This lead to new energy in ISB and they had two excellent chances. One was a shot off the crossbar, and the next was a point blank shot that Lewis pushed over the bar. It was truly exciting and the fans were getting a real treat. Then disaster struck for the Eagles. An ISB forward broke to the corner and made a terrific cross to the oncoming forward in front of goal, where Lewis had no chance. Game and season were over for the mighty, mighty Eagles.

The coaching staff would like to thank the players and fans for an incredible season. Both displayed incredible sportsmanship and presented SAS as terrific hosts. This is one of the nicest groups of young men that the coaching staff has been associated with.

Photo Club Captures IASAS Action Nikita Jacob Grade 11 Student

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n October the SAS High School Photo Club documented the biggest athletic event of the year, a celebration of 30 years of excellence in athletic and extracurricular tournaments and conventions with six international schools in Southeast Asia: the 30th anniversary of IASAS. SAS hosted cross-country, volleyball, and soccer from October 20–22 and housed thousands of athletes and coaches. For the three days of the tournament, the campus was alive with excitement and energy that the student photographers documented.

Dedicated club members rushed to the photo room after every class to sign up to cover the various events and reserve a DSLR camera. Club photographers made sure every game, whether an SAS event or

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not, was covered. After each event, the photos were edited and uploaded to the Photo Club’s Flickr site, which was linked to the official IASAS website.

Over 1,400 pictures were uploaded to the site and viewed by students, parents, and faculty from the participating schools. By the end of the tournament the club’s Flickr site had logged over 20,000 views.

The Photo Club is also sponsoring a school-wide IASAS Photo Contest that will give students an opportunity to showcase their best sports and spirit photos from the event and hopefully win a prize. SAS alumni and Thompson-Reuters News Agency’s chief photo editor Michael Fiala has volunteered to choose the winning photos.

IASAS Girls Soccer

Don Adams HS Girls Soccer Coach

the final. SAS came out pumped and had all the possession, but the bearcats made things difficult in the final third. Then, against the run of play, ISM scored on a brilliant free kick and the Eagles had their backs to the wall. With 10 minutes to play, Sydney headed in Forgeron’s free kick and the Eagles pressed frantically for winner in the closing minutes and a much deserved result, but it was not to be. ISM managed just one shot all game, but that proved to be the difference. It’s a cruel game sometimes, and this was a painful example. SAS–1, ISM–1

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ith soccer, volleyball, and cross-country teams all here for the 30th anniversary of IASAS, the amount of energy on campus was almost palpable. This was to be the biggest IASAS ever and a huge celebration of 30 years of competition.

First Day The Eagles took the field for the opening game of the tournament and quickly announced their ambitious intentions. SAS was all over the Tiger defense pressuring in the early going, and it was leading scorer, Sydney Lay, beating the keeper on a breakaway nine minutes in that opened accounts. This was followed by a number of clear chances before Daryn Forgeron made it two with a shot from 20 meters out. After the break it was all Eagles, as Vritti Sethi slotted home in the 39th minute, followed soon after by Rachel Kim, Paola Hoffer, Alicia Elms and Sydney. By the final whistle the Eagles had scored seven times— four of the goals by freshmen—and announced to all that they were contenders. SAS–7, TAS–0 The afternoon match was with longtime rivals JIS. The Dragons had lost their opener and were desperate for a win. The Eagles started brightly earning a penalty in the opening 10 minutes, but the JIS keeper made a good save. As the match wore on it became a physical battle fought at midfield with neither team making

much headway. Much credit to the Eagle backline of Alicia Elms, Rin Okumura, Kat Hyslop and Holly Lesser for containing JIS and denying them any clear chances.

It was a free kick in the second half that decided it, but in the final analysis, SAS’s passing game broke down and they just didn’t create enough opportunities up front.

SAS–0, JIS–1 Second Day SAS needed to bounce back against ISB to stay in contention. The panthers were well organized, good in the air, and tough to breakdown.

The Eagles midfield battled bravely for the ball, but it was ISB that created the chances. Keeper Chris Schindele was outstanding in goal making save after save to keep SAS in the match, and a draw looked possible, but with 10 minutes to play the panthers got their goal. Still the Eagles came close to an equalizer in the dying minutes when Rachel Kim turned her marker inside out before releasing a cross to the far post that Hoffer put into the side netting.

Soon after the Eagles conceded a breakaway and the match was over.

SAS–0, ISB–2 With two losses the Eagles needed results in other matches to go their way to still have a chance, and Bangkok’s last minute goal to beat JIS gave them that hope. If the Eagles could beat ISM by a two goal margin, they were outside favorites to go to

Third Day Out of the running, the Eagles took the field against ISKL on Saturday morning. The backline, led by Lily Devins, made KL’s progress across midfield nearly impossible.

It was all SAS as they turned on the brilliance, moving the ball around the pitch and creating chances. Once again, Sydney got things going with a curling shot from 20 meters out that found the top right corner. And Rachel Kim’s volley in the second half was spectacular and certainly the goal of the tournament.

SAS–2, ISKL–0 Consolation Game Pitted against JIS in the consolation match, the Eagles had something to prove. Changing to a 4-5-1 formation, SAS simply dominated in midfield. Stephanie Slaven put the Eagles ahead finishing off Sydney’s cross midway through the half, and Sydney added her own after the break to bring her tally to 19 for the season.

Kudos to the defensive backline of Alicia Elms, Lily Devins, Rin Okumura, Wendy Sung-Clarke and Holly Lesser; they were invincible.

SAS–2, JIS–0 The Eagles had hoped for more than the bronze, but a few mistakes and some bad luck were their undoing.

Still, they played with pride and courage throughout the three days and finished on a strong note. It’s a very young squad and there is much to look forward to next season.

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A Spectacular Cross-Country Season Solange Majewski Grade 12 Student

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ross-country. The sport that is all other sports’ punishment: suicides being warm-up, running laps being work out, and running some more being the cool down. Yet, for the SAS girls team the cross-country season was far from punishment. It was an enjoyment. For twelve girls this season this was reality for ten weeks, five days a week, two hours a day. That’s a total of more than 100 hours of running.

Throughout the season, every Tuesday and Thursday the battle against the monkeys would begin. From MacRitchie Reservoir to Bukit Batok, the crosscountry team would set out for runs. The weekly trips to various places helped runners build their endurance and strength while running, and the work paid off during the exchange at Jakarta International School.

On September 17, 2011, a group of ten girls consisting of Ruby Hohensee, Solange Majewska, MargretAnne Smith, Karen Routhier, Sarah Hoffmann, Sophia Eristoff, Katie Blackman, Danni Shanel, Christina Yoh, and Ananya Subrahmani were selected to race a 5K against JIS and ISKL at the Jakarta exchange. The girls managed to grasp first place.

With all three first season sports for the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS) being

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Crossroads SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

hosted at SAS at the end of October to celebrate the 30th IASAS anniversary, the excitement built among the team. The runners had a home court advantage, if one may call running a court. Seven girls represented SAS in the IASAS tournament: Ruby Hohensee, Solange Majewska, Margret-Anne Smith, Karen Routhier, Danni Shanel, Ananya Subrahmani, and Sophia Eristoff. On October 21, the girls 5km race took place at Bukit Batok Reservoir. Despite the grueling heat and humidity, the girls managed to clutch first place, with four out of the top five runners being from SAS. The second day of IASAS, the timed relay race around the school campus took place. After every minute of the start time, a new set of runners would begin the course. Fortunately for the runners, the commencement of the 2.7km time trial relay was held after all other activities, games, and events had been paused. This allowed safety for the runners, and focus and excitement for the spectators.

Without a doubt this season’s girls cross-country team was one-of-a-kind thanks to the guidance of two special coaches, Mr. Ian Coppell and Mr. Paul Terrile. With them, we ran through the rain, we ran our hardest, and we ran to our limit. Even with the sweltering blisters burning through the skin of our feet, we never gave up.

Boys Cross-Country Daniel Bourgeois Grade 12 Student

Burton of International School of Manila. By the hill, Michael had kept his lead followed by Gary and Bryce.

After them, a host of Jakarta International School athletes had managed to use each other to come from behind— eventually taking the fourth through eigth positions.

Because of their performance, JIS got 30 points to SAS’s 38 points—the first time that JIS has ever beat us in a 5k and the first time in seven years that another team has beaten us at IASAS. But despite that, Michael James, Bryce McConville, Dan Bourgeois, and Doug Waterston beat their previous times on this course by over 15 seconds.

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his year’s 5km race was held in Bedok resovoir.

We were familliar with the course from the two ACSIS races. Made up of gravel and pavement, the course is relatively flat with the exception of one hill just past half way. Even though we were familiar with the course, we had no home field advantage because the spectators can only see the start and the finish of the race.

We went into the start of the race confident that we would do well. The race started off fast with Bryce McConville, Michael James, and Peter Hunt of SAS sharing the lead with Gary Huang of Taipei American School and Chase

Nevertheless, we were determined to prove ourselves in the next days 2.7km time trial race. The volleyball and soccer games were put on hold so that the players and spectators could come out and watch us.

About half of the race could be seen from the grand stand and the noise was fantastic. Senior Peter Hunt redeemed himself with the second fastest time. We beat Jakarta Internation School by thirty seconds and every other time by more than three minutes.

Since the 5km holds precedence over the time trial, we got silver. And besides a memorable 30 years IASAS, we also got to enjoy a great season and saw a lot of new faces come out. For now, we leave the only non-senior on our IASAS team, Andrew Lydens, hopeful that he can take back gold next year.

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UN Day in Third Grade Read more about United Nations Day in Third Grade on page 17.