Singapore American School Newsflash, February 2006

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NewsFlash

Volume 8, Issue 6-05/06 - February 2006

A Singapore American School community service publication

MICA (P) 234/08/2005

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C I S E S N I CE S

EXPLORATION OF SPACE

VISIT BY Mr Hussein El-Lessy, SAS Alumnus

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News Flash Contents

In This Issue

Robert Gross Superintentend of Schools

Mark Boyer Asst. Superintendent Curriculum and Instruction

Rhonda Norris Asst. Superintendent Business

David Hoss Principal Primary School

Marian DeGroot Principal Intermediate School

Robert Godley Principal Middle School

Paul Chmelik Principal High School

We welcome input from the community associated with Singapore American School MARCH NEWSFLASH Deadline: February 27, 2006 Publication Date: March 13, 2006 APRIL NEWSFLASH Deadline: April 7, 2006 Publication Date: April 24, 2006 Email Community News Input to bgribbon@sas.edu.sg Email Trading Post Input to trade@sas.edu.sg Trading Post advertising is restricted to non-commercial items only from SAS students, parents and staff

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Calendar Highlights 50th Anniversary Boosters Club IASAS Basketball Schedule Libraries at SAS Knowledge Masters Special Events PTA Language and Culture Music Music Festival Week Music and Culture Student Classroom Special Events Community Service Holiday Music Concerts Search Institute Survey Results Chinese New Year Celebrations

Are You Receiving What’s Happening at SAS? We are sending all parents and guardians a regular weekly What’s Happening at SAS newsletter by email.

If you have not been receiving the weekly email it probably means that we do not have your correct email address. Send us an email at communications@sas. edu.sg to let us know that you have not been hearing from us. We can add one or both parents emails to our distribution. The weekly What’s Happening at SAS will also be posted on the website at http://www.sas.edu.sg NEWSFLASH is published monthly by the Communications Office of the Singapore American School. It is distributed free of charge to the parents, faculty members and organizations served by the school.

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Singapore American School 40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547 Tel: 6360-6303 SAS Website: http://www.sas.edu.sg Editor: Beth Gribbon Assistant: Joey Lew

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Calendar Highlights

February 2006 3 4 5 6

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That Dance Thing (8th Grade) 7:30pm – 9:30pm (American Club, Colonial Room) That Dance Thing (6th Grade) 6:00pm – 8:00pm (American Club, Colonial Room) Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm Early Childhood Center Parent Coffee 8:30am (ECC) IS Parent Coffee 8:15am – 9:15am (5th Grade Grouproom, I311) MS Parent Coffee 10:00am (M301) Financial Aid for US Citizens – Junior Parents 7:00pm (H301) Alternate Dress Day IASAS Basketball in Singapore IASAS Rugby/Touch Rugby in Taipei IASAS Swimming in Jakarta IASAS Tennis in Kuala Lumpur That Dance Thing (7th Grade) 6:30pm – 8:30pm (American Club, Colonial Room) That Dance Thing (8th Grade) 7:30pm – 9:30pm (American Club, Colonial Room) IS Variety Show 7:00pm (Elementary Theater) That Dance Thing (6th Grade) 6:00pm – 8:00pm (American Club, Colonial Room) Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm HS PTA Coffee 10:00am (H301) PS/IS/MS Holiday Alternate Dress Day PS Valentine’s Day Parties 1:30pm Booster Club Meeting 9:30am (H301) IASAS Math Test (Auditorium)

Badminton/Softball/Track & Field/Development Tennis Seasons Begin 16 Interim Semester HS Presentation Evening 7:15pm – 8:15pm 17 No School For Grades 6 – 8 Parent/Teacher Conferences Grades 6 – 8 HS 2nd Season Sports Awards Night 7:00pm (Auditorium/Drama Theater/Theater Studio/Strings Room) 19 Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm 19-25 IS/MS/HS MUSICAL FESTIVAL 20-24 Celebrating Our Alumni Series: The Written Word 21 Celebrating our Alumni Series: Session with Siddharth Mohandas 3:15pm – 4:15pm (H301) 22 Alternate Dress Day Selecting Colleges for Students with Special Needs 7:00pm (H301) Booster Bake Sale 23 Celebrating our Alumni Series: Session with Brittani Sonnenberg 3:15pm – 4:15pm (H301) MS/HS Strings Concert (Auditorium) 7:00pm 24 IS/MS/HS Choir Concert 7:00pm (Auditorium) 2nd Semester New PS Student Photo Day 24-25 HS SEAMC Math Competition in Hong Kong 25 IS/HS Band Concert 7:00pm (Auditorium) 26 Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm 27 Students’ Early Dismissal 12:45pm No PM Preschool AM Preschool & Pre-K in session 28 8th Grade Parents Registration Information 7:00pm (Elementary Theater)

March 2006 1 2-3 2-5 3 4 5 6

Book Launch, Singapore Eagles 6:30pm – 8:00pm (American Club) HS Cultural Convention Previews 3:30pm - 6:00pm (Auditorium) HS Bintan Service Trip HS AP Fees Due MS Semester 2 Activity Night HS Badminton/Climbing/Softball Exchanges in Singapore Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm IS Parent Coffee 8:15am – 9:15am (5th Grade Grouproom, I311) MS Parent Coffee 10:00am (M301) HS Cultural Convention Previews 3:30pm – 6:00pm (Auditorium)

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Alternate Dress Day IASAS Art/Music in Taipei IASAS Dance/Drama/Debate/Forensics in Bangkok That Dance Thing (7th Grade) 6:30pm - 8:30pm (American Club - Colonial Room) That Dance Thing (8th Grade) 7:30pm - 9:30pm (American Club - Colonial Room) That Dance Thing (6th Grade) 6:00-8:00pm (American Club, Colonial Room) Campus Mosquito Fogging 5:00pm – 7:00pm HS PTA Parent Coffee 10:00am (H301) MS Pi Day

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50th Anniversary 50th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony and Anniversary Closing Ceremony The 50th Anniversary Committee of SAS is looking for a volunteers interested in helping plan the Commemoration Ceremony on April 11 and/or the Closing Ceremony on April 13.

This is your chance to be involved in celebrating our school. Committees will work in the following areas: Commemoration Ceremony Committee • Planning campus tours for arriving guests, alumni and dignitaries (tours to be given by SAS students) • Campus decorations, welcome banners and signage • Program of events for the Ceremony from 11:00am to 12:00pm • Program of events for the Memory Garden Dedication 12:30pm • Reception for alumni and parents in the MS Library 1:00pm-2:00pm • Luncheon for dignitaries 1:00pm2:00pm • Publicity Anniversary Closing Ceremony Committee • Entertainment for the BBQ • Planning grand parade of alumni, students and faculty • Program of events for the Closing Ceremony • General details and marshalling of crowds • Publicity • Decorations Committees will begin working in February. If you are interested in being actively involved in these two exciting and once-in-a-lifetime events, please email smurray@sas.edu.sg.

Changes in Schedules and Events for the Celebrating Our Alumni Series Regretfully, SAS IS THE WRITTEN WORD: Writers, Journalists and Thinkers, originally scheduled for Tuesday, February 21st, has been rescheduled due to publishing delays for Singapore’s Eagles: The Singapore American School 1956 – 2006. Instead a series of events will be held for the alumni authors scheduled for that evening.

SAS alumni and authors Brit Sonnenberg (Class of 1999) and Siddharth Mohandas (Class of 1996) will visit the school as planned to work with SAS students during the week of February 20 – 24. Open sessions for the community will be held on Tuesday, February 21 for Mr. Mohandas and on Thursday, February 23 for Ms. Sonnenberg in H301 from 3:15pm to 4:15pm.

The book launch for Singapore’s Eagles: The Singapore American School 1956 – 2006 will take place on Wednesday, March 1st at the American Club from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. The author, SAS faculty member and SAS alumnus, Jim Baker, will make a brief presentation that evening. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

If you have purchased tickets for the February 21st event, please contact the Erin at the Development Office at 6360-6329.

SAS IS MUSIC: An Evening with Inbal Meggido, has been changed to Tuesday, April 11. As previously planned, the event will still be held at Victoria Concert Hall at 7:00 pm and will feature the music faculty at SAS performing with Ms. Meggido.

If you have reserved tickets for this event and are unable to attend due to the change of date, please contact the Development Office to arrange for reimbursement. Tickets already issued for the 12th will be valid at the April 11th performance. If you have not yet purchased tickets and would like to attend the performance, please contact the Development Office.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by these changes and look forward to seeing many of you at these exciting events featuring our alumni.

From the Development Director

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ou never know what will grab the interest of a child. This week I have had the privilege of accompanying SAS alumnus Hussein El-Lessy as he visited the school in the capacity of guest educator in science. Mr. ElLessy has had a varied career path but most notably has worked for Boeing and NASA for the past five years. It has been an education for me to watch the impact his visit and shared knowledge about space and the space program has had on our students.

Surprisingly, some of it is not in the areas I had imagined. While we are all fascinated by the space films and the insiders trivia he has shared with us, younger students in particular are gripped by the concept that this man is an alumnus: he actually went to the same school they are attending. One can almost see them working through the possibilities open to them as they meet someone “no different” from themselves who has been part of the amazing launches and missions which we have all read about. Watching a high school afternoon session, I noticed a student writing down the name of a university where certain research was being performed. Would this young man look further at the school and perhaps attend it? Who knows, but it would be an interesting outcome of this alumni visit.

I saw a fourth grader sit in rapt attention through an afternoon presentation geared towards high school students and his questions were good! Another student confessed to me that, while she “hadn’t thought she would like this,” she had learned something. Those grainy, old NASA films of early launches may be a memory to many of us but it is living and, often, unexplored, history to our children.

When we invited Mr. El-Lessy to visit our school I expected him to speak to science classes in the areas of physics, relativity and quantum mechanics, but I had no idea that his knowledge would extend to environmental sciences, biotechnology and chemistry.

The further extension into history and the social sciences has underlined the multidisciplinary benefits of his visit.

It has been said many times that Singapore American School’s strength lies in the people who study, teach and live in the community. This is true both when one is present in the school and afterward, as a continuing part of one’s life. The experience of being a student at SAS becomes a part of your child’s being from the first class to the end of his life. In this anniversary year our school is further enriched by the contributions of visiting alumni. As they arrive on our campus throughout the year we are proud to welcome them as members of the SAS family.

Susan Murray Development Director

NewsFlash February 2006

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Booster Club Wishes You a

Happy Valentines Day

Valentine Ideas at Booster Come on in and take a look!

Feb 6 selling boxes of Valentine sweetheart candy for $1.50

County Fair - February 18

Valentine Cards Available!!!

The Booster Booth will be open February 18 during County Fair from 10:45am to 4:00pm.

SAS Basketball IASAS February 9-11 February 22 Booster Bake Sale 9:30am in the high school cafe Each item cost $1.

If you would like to donate baked goods (cookies, rice krispie treats, brownie are favorites) for the bake sale, please individually wrap the items (i.e. two cookies in a zip lock bag or two brownies in saran wrap, etc) and deliver to the Booster Booth or High School ofďŹ ce by 9:00am.

Questions contact Anne Stocking at 9062-4788.

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NewsFlash February 2006

February 9 and 10 Booster Booth open until 5:00pm February 11 Boosters (special events) will man a table in the high school gym, selling Booster design items 11:00am - 5:00pm February 11 Boosters will hold a bake sale in the high school cafe 11:00am -1:00pm VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO HELP MAN THE IASAS BOOSTER BOOTH AS WELL AS THE COACHES HOSPITALITY ROOM. PLEASE CONTACT BOOSTER CLUB TO SIGN UP.

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IASAS Basketball SINGAPORE AMERICAN SCHOOL

IASAS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 2006 GIRLS Home

BOYS Visitor

Home Time

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10TH, 2006 Time

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH, 2006 Time

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comfy chairs, cool books and online access – the libraries at sas –

The FIRST in a series of articles about the libraries at SAS

By Primary School Librarian, Kirk Palmer

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ots of cool books. Comfy chairs. Get to pick out a book and read it at night. Smelly stickers. Getting neat animal books. Star Wars books.

Those are just a few of the answers from Kindergartners, First and Second Graders when asked what comes to mind when someone asks them about the Primary Library.

the constantly changing media centers. The SAS curriculum review cycle is often the impetus for the librarians who are regularly updating and enhancing not only the book collection, but the periodicals, audio and video software, and the technical software such as online databases.

Therefore all of the collections are evolving, expanding and growing almost daily.

Each division’s library has been developed to be the most appropriate for the main users both in collection and physical facilities. If we take a look at all four libraries there are some pretty amazing resources available. Did you know: • there are over 120,000 total items between the four divisional libraries “The mission of the li• every student in the brary media program is PS and IS divisions to ensure that students visits the library at and staff are effective usleast once a week ers of ideas and informa• the HS library has tion. This mission is acover 1600 patrons complished by: visit the library daily • by providing intellec• there are over 5000 tual and physical acitems in the Televicess to materials in all sion Distribution formats Center (TDC) for • by providing instrucclassroom use and tion to foster compeFrom Left-Top (Clockwise): PS Library, IS Library, HS Library, over 4000 titles tence and stimulate MS Library through the United interest in reading, Streaming database viewing, and using infor• there are over 250 mation and ideas periodicals available • by working with other educabetween the four litors to design learning stratebraries gies to meet the needs of individual students.

-- Information Power: Guidelines for School • the four libraries maintain a periodical collections of current and back issues for up to three years Library, Media Programs (1988) p. 1 • each library houses special collections of interest ▪ HS Modern Language Mini-Library Using the above as a guiding mission statement written by ▪ HS School Archive Collection the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a ▪ HS Career/College Mini-Library division of the American Library Association, Singapore ▪ MS Community Library American School libraries set goals and develop plans for ▪ MS Audiobook Collection what is done in all four libraries.

▪ IS Mandarin Language Children’s Library ▪ PS Award Winning Children’s Collection The SAS libraries are central to the curricula and programs ▪ PS Read-along Sets for Parent checkout in all four divisions for their collection, services and loca▪ PS, IS, MS, HS Professional Collections tion within the division. Providing services and materials for students and teachers is the prime objective. In each • every library patron has access to all four library databases (Online Public Access Catalogs—OPAC) division the libraries are located in the building in such a through the SAS website way to facilitate easy access. When the Early Childhood Center was being planned it was decided that library access • every library patron can log into the database (Destiny) and find out what books they have checked out; IS, MS, for our youngest library patrons was important enough to and HS users can place holds and reserves on books include a satellite library of the Primary Library.

• every library patron can log into Destiny and create a list of books they want to check out and save that list With total annual budgets of over $450,000, the four division libraries represent a significant portion of the operat- • library patrons from first through twelfth grade are given instruction on how to use the database ing budget. This shows a strong commitment by the SAS Board of Governors to support learning activities through • library patrons from grades one through twelve should Whether you are into the comfy chairs or cool books, the SAS libraries hold a huge variety of resources for library patrons. Abundant resources, professional staff, growing and changing collections would be a few of the thoughts that might come to mind of older library patrons.

NewsFlash February 2006

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be able to instruct their parents on how to use Destiny library patrons have access to over twelve online databases besides Destiny (OPAC) parents of SAS students are entitled to check out books from any SAS library SAS has four well qualified and experience librarians with a total of 105 years as a teacher/counselor and in libraries (50 years in education other than in a library and 55 years in libraries) the librarians actively seek speakers such as authors, illustrators, historians, journalists and others to visit SAS and speak to our students and teachers the four libraries are supported annually through the PTA with funds for collection enhancement, visiting authors and more all libraries enjoy the support of parent volunteers and are always looking for more help all libraries are open at 7:30 a.m. (PS closes at 4:00 p.m. daily; IS closes 4:00 p.m. M & F, 4:30 T – Th; MS closes 4:30 p.m. daily, HS closes 6:00 p.m. daily) the librarians meet regularly to collaborate with teachers to plan, develop and get feedback on what they can do to provide support to classroom activities the librarians welcome suggestions and ideas from all patrons on titles of print and software items to be added to the current collections some librarians use costumes and entertaining characters to participate in various school programs the librarians participate in a variety of other school activities besides the regular library program such as: Reader’s Theater; Math Olympiad; Classroom Without Walls; Interim Semester; writing, directing and producing plays and more libraries are important stops on all tours of the campus for Education Ministers, prospective enrollees, visiting teachers, grandparents, and friends studies in the U.S. have shown repeatedly that professional librarians in school libraries positively impact standardized test scores

Libraries are more than books, more than a quiet place to catch up on the news. They are places that are central to learning and growing. Each SAS librarian is always evaluating and reevaluating all aspects of the collection; the program; and library services to optimize what are offered. It is important to remember that our libraries are here first to provide support for students and teachers in classrooms.

With extensive resources and services available, SAS offers its patrons a broad range of information and opportunities to access in variety of formats fiction and nonfiction materials.

All members of the SAS community are invited to take advantage of these resources. Parents are invited to stop by any library and make sure their names are listed in the library database; get a login and password; browse and checkout.

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NewsFlash February 2006

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Knowledge Masters

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nowledge Masters is a challenging, academic competition in which teams of students compete internationally without leaving their own schools. The KMO began in 1983 with 72 schools and it now annually attracts up to 4,000 schools and 60,000 participants from the U.S. and several other countries.

The 2006 grade 5 Knowledge Masters team prepared for their competition on Monday January 23, 2006 by practicing every day the previous week during lunch and after school on that Friday. KMO coaches, Anne 2006 Grade 5 Knowledge Masters Team Backus and Jennifer Koltutsky, helped students prepare to compete against students from other International schools as well as schools in the U.S. All 5th grade students interested in participating are welcome, making the SAS approach very different from many other schools. In most cases, teams are selective and practice for many weeks prior to the competition.

The 2006 grade 6 Knowledge Masters team practices as a group regularly during the school year. Peggy Smith acts as the advisor to this lunch time activity. The team met after school on Wednesday, January 25, for their ďŹ rst competition. The 6th grade team is a smaller group of dedicated members, but all 6th graders are welcome to join the team which meets every Thursday from 1:00pm to 1:30pm in room M308.

SAS has traditionally done very well in the competition, scoring in the top ten percent of the approximately 300 schools entering the competition. The scores for this year were not ďŹ nalized as of the printing of this article.

Congratulations to all the students that participated in the January Knowledge Masters competition. The 5th grade students participating are Chelsea Lin, Matthew Ooi, Tara Sivaskaudan, Rohan 2006 Grade 6 Knowledge Masters Team Desai, Piyush Talwar, Sky Lalwani, Tanvi Ahuja, Ratan Kaushal, Naina Mullick, Arushi Carlra, Sylvia Shim, Laila Zaidi, Sarah Choo, Niloofar Farzaneh, Derek Wang, Nicole Wu and Alex Briskman. The 6th students participating are Wang Ki Chung, Seung Joon Sung, Ted Bang, Karel Putri Abdi and Jimmy Yoon.

The next Knowledge Masters competition will be held in March. All 5th and 6th grade students are welcome to participate and should contact Mrs. Backus or Mrs. Koltutsky in the 5th grade or Mrs. Smith in the 6th grade for more information.

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Special Events

TeachIT 2005

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AS offers many staff development opportunities throughout the year. In many instances teachers used their weekend time to take advantage of these offerings. This year, 200 Singapore international school teachers participated in TeachIT 2005. The conference was held on November 12th at Singapore American School, under the direction of Ed Gilbreath, Director of Instructional Technology, and the SAS IT department.

Graham Perkins, Special Consultant from the School of Technology for the Arts at Republic Polytechnic provided a stimulating welcomed address. Attendees then had the opportunity to choose from 32 exciting workshops provided by educators from participating schools. Examples of workshop topics include An Introduction to Robotics Using Lego Robolab, Digital Portfolios and Beginner Photoshop Elements 3. Several vendors supported the conference by providing hands-on demonstrations and prizes for attendees.

Plans are currently underway for TeachIT 2006.

From Left: Hae Soo (Grace) Chang, Nanae Fukuda, James Simon Maliki, Michael Sean Palomaki, Kristine E. Tolentino, Hyun Seop Won, Manami Yano

December Graduation

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very year a small number of high school students graduate from SAS in December rather that at the end of the school year in June. The main rationale for granting a December graduation diploma include the December departure of the family from Singapore and the entry into a university system (typically a system outside of North America) that begins their school year in January, Febuary or March. This year, friends and families of seven seniors gathered in the Drama Theater on Friday, December 16 for their graduation from SAS. The ceremony included remarks by High School Principal, Paul Chmelik and by friends of each graduate.

Superintendent, Bob Gross, presented the graduating students with their diplomas.

From the PTA President

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et me start this month’s note with wishes for a Happy New Year and hope that everyone had a relaxing and joyful holiday break. Let me also say Gong Xi Fa Cai, to those who celebrate the Chinese New Year, including those of us who celebrate while living here in Singapore.

On January 20th we held our first mid-year “Newcomer Coffee” in the PTA Office.

If you are new to SAS, we hope that you were able to join us to find out more about the SAS PTA organization and to continue to increase your connections within the local community. If you were unable to attend the Newcomer Coffee, please be sure to stop by Are you new to SAS? the PTA Sales window or High School Booster Stop by the PTA Sales Booth to pick up your PTA “Welcome Packet”.

Office or the Booster Booth You will receive a complimentary copy of the SAS PTA Directory and a to receive your Welcome SAS school calendar.

Packet and find out about With a school as large as SAS, it is sometimes easy to feel lost in the crowd.

If you ever have a question that we can potentially help you answer, please contact anyone on the PTA Board or Welcoming Committee and we will do our best to help you find an answer. We are always here to assist in any way we can and to hopefully help you adjust to your new community. Our contact information is listed within the PTA section of the SAS website at http://www.sas.edu.sg.

the school and PTA. If you have any questions, please call Michelle Suchyta (6732-7572 or 9010-3557) or e-mail her at suchyta@singnet.com.sg.

By the time this Newsflash is distributed, we will have held our annual Wine Tasting Dinner and Silent Auction.

This event was held on February 4th at the Regent Hotel. Kris Gibson and her dedicated team worked diligently to put on a fabulous evening. I would like to thank Kris for her efforts in arranging this event, along with Phil DeFord and Mr. Tan Ying Hsien who supported us with their wine expertise and Mae Anderson (PTA Fundraising Chair) who provided the fabulous selection of items auctioned on that evening.

We now turn our efforts to PTA’s largest annual fundraiser and the single event in which the entire school comes together to enjoy a day of fun for the whole family. Get ready to Shake, Rattle and Roll at this year’s County Fair to be held on Saturday, February 18th. Ladies put on your poodle skirt, men slick back your hair and come to relive the 50’s. Who knows you may even see Elvis strolling around campus. It is the one family day that you should not miss. Preparations for this day began in September. We promise you a fun filled day with food, games, rides, vendor booths, entertainment, a Used Book Sale, Silent Auction and much more. For those of you who want the double benefit of cleaning out some book space in your home and helping the PTA, it is not too late to donate your used books. Our goal is to have over 15,000 books for everyone to choose from at the Fair. If you have books to donate, you can drop them off at the PTA Office anytime.

As with any large event, we always need volunteers to make the day a success. For those of you not yet involved, we can use help in preparing decorations and setting up for the Fair. If you have an hour or two that you can spare on that day selling tickets, helping to run a game booth, selling used books, or keeping cool and getting a work out by selling cold drinks and many more opportunities, we would greatly appreciate your help. Please contact Tracy Perez Menendez at tracymenendez@yahoo.com our County Fair Chairperson and she will be more than happy to find something that you can do to help.

February is an unusually busy month for PTA as we hold two of our major fundraisers. We hope to be able to see most of you at one or both of these events. As mentioned earlier, SAS is a big school and we want to do our best to include everyone and make them feel welcome within the SAS community. As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Susan Fay PTA President NewsFlash February 2006

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Language and Culture

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Earth From Above

By Christina Popowski Photos by Laurence Patrick

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f you found yourself on Orchard Road recently between Wheelock Place and the Forum you probably could not have avoided the crowds of people admiring the stunning photos of the Earth From Above photo exhibit. French aerial photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand began working on this project over 10 years ago and since 1996 has received funding from UNESCO to continue with it. According to his website the Earth From Above project was born from his dream for “a general survey of the state of the Earth at the eve of the 21st century” and in order to give the general public literally a bird’s eye view of the “current alarming ecological evolutions” which Earth is undergoing.

Mr. Bertrand is a well-known, highly respected and world renowned specialist in aerial photography who also happens to be French. When the Earth From Above exhibit arrived in Singapore in late October, the French Teacher Association of Singapore organized an interactive visit of the 100 or so photos in the exhibit for students studying French at educational institutions in Singapore.

One evening in early December, students met their French teachers at the Coffee Bean in front of Borders where the exhibit began. There they were handed a questionnaire (en français bien sûr), about the exhibit. Students studied the photos for details or in some cases read the explanation of the photo in order to answer the questions. After answering the questions, the students met a team of French teachers at the Coffee Bean at the Forum who collected the questionnaires and then graded them while students were treated to refreshments and tasty Coffee Bean snacks. Students who answered all or most of the questions correctly had the opportunity to win some nice prizes, compliments of the French Embassy. Five SAS students went home that evening with a copy of the rather expensive Earth From Above coffee table book. Others went home with prizes such as French DVDs and French/English dictionaries. The generous prizes were sponsored by the French Embassy.

The event was well attended by students from several schools in Singapore. Approximately 160 students partook in the activity including 90 students from SAS. Many of the students had already visited the exhibit on their own or had intentions to do so. Students agreed that Orchard Road was an excellent venue for this exhibit and the fact that it was free made the exhibit even more appealing. Many of the photos contain sights which one might consider quite ordinary. However what draws the viewer to the pictures is the fact that all of the photos were shot from a helicopter creating a much more dramatic effect.

Some students were particularly moved by the photos of the Twin Towers, tanks in Iraq, and a village destroyed by the tsunami in Southeast Asia last year. However many of the photos were taken in places that are not as well known because they receive little to no media exposure. “The exposition showed me sights I didn’t even know existed” said sophomore Alexandra Gilchrist, yet this is the main point of the Earth From Above project. Through his stunning photos Mr. Bertrand hopes to convey a very serious message: environmental issues face people from all walks of life and no country or continent is left untouched.

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Music Swiss Strings - SAS String Students Accepted into A.M.I.S. International Honors Orchestra

By Stephen Bonnette

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eneva’s Collège du Léman will once again play host to the 17th Annual International Honors Orchestra during the second week of February. The festival will be under the organizational “umbrella” of the Association for Music in International Schools (A.M.I.S.) for the first time since the festival’s inception in 1988.

Fourteen of our talented High School string students will rendezvous with equally gifted international students from schools throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia to form an ensemble of the highest caliber.

Students digitally recorded a rigorous audition consisting of several scales and orchestral excerpts. The finished product was then burned onto a CD (thank you to Mr. Paul Koebnick for his tech. support on this project) and mailed to London where it received a “blind” review by an impartial audition committee. Places in this prestigious group are highly sought after and the incredible result we received via email in early November is a real “feather in the cap” for our Music Department and for the entire SAS community.

The following students have accepted a chair and will participate in the 2006 Senior International Honors Orchestra. Violin: Ms. Catherine Koh, Ms. Sabrina Chang, Ms. Joanna Tu, Ms. Maya Shanker, Mr. Brian Leung, Mr. Danny Wen, Mr. John Kwack. Viola: Miss Helen Knight,Ms. Celine Yeh, Mr. Jae Won Hur, Mr. Steve Kim. Cello: Ms. Natasha Liou, Ms. Su Ji Shin, Mr. Jason Tsai.

Congratulations to all of them and a big thank you to their parents for supporting an opportunity of a lifetime!

High School Deputy Principal Appointed After an extensive search for a new High School Deputy Principal, Doug Neihart has been selected and will join SAS for the 2006-07 school year. Doug comes from Laurel, Montana where he has served as high school principal for six years. Prior to that, Doug was head of school at Yellowstone Academy, a K-12 school in Billings, Montana. He is a former school counselor and school psychologist with 18 years experience in education. Doug’s special interests include school culture, talent development, and organizational efficiency. Doug earned a Masters Degree (M.A.) in school counseling and an Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) in school psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. Doug is married to Maureen, a licensed clinical child psychologist. They share a passion for backpacking, hiking, and travel.

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Music Music Festival Week

By Steve Bonnette, HS Performing Arts-Strings Faculty and Department Chair

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he SAS Music Department’s vision for its students’ musical education includes providing experiences that are both enriching and inspirational. The Artist-in-Residence aspect of the 13th annual “Music Festival Week” has evolved into an integral part of our program and is something for which we are very proud and extremely grateful. This year’s festival, dedicated to the 50 Year Anniversary of SAS, will be the second year featuring our new format which covers all three musical disciplines in the same week. Last year was a huge success - benefiting nearly 1,000 student-musicians in Strings, Choir and Band! Students in Grades 5-12 were touched at both an intellectual and emotional level by three world-class educators. This year’s cast of clinicians is equally as impressive as you will discover by reading their bios - so mark your calendars and don’t miss these three amazing events!

String Concert Choir Concert Band Concert

Thursday, February 23 Friday, February 24 Saturday, February 25

All shows will be in the SAS Auditorium beginning at 7:00pm – Admission is free!

Shuichi Komiyama Mr. Shuichi Komiyama is currently the conductor of the Mahidol Wind Symphony, Mahidol Jazz Big Band and the head of saxophone studies at Mahidol University, College of Music. He is currently the Director of Ensembles and has a seat on the Academic Affairs Committee and was the head of the organizing committee for 2004 Asia International Saxophone Conference.

An Emmy nominated composer and conductor. Mr. Komiyama has conducted the Bohslav Martinu Philharmonic (Czech), Zelaina Chamber Orchestra (Slovakia), the Slovak State Sinfonietta and the Moravia Music Academy Orchestra (Czech), the West Coast Symphony Orchestra (CA), Los Angeles Contemporary Ensemble, the Mahidol Symphony (Bangkok), UCLA Philharmonia, USC Chamber Orchestra, and the Singapore Secondary Wind Bands to name a few.

As a jazz musician, he has performed or collaborated with Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Palmieri, Les Hooper, John Pattitucci, Mike Mossman, Gerald Wilson, Gordon Goodwin, Eric Merienthal, Dave Koz, Grant Guissman and Kenny Burrell. In addition, he has spent much time in Los Angeles recording for film and television and has produced or performed on seven compact discs. Mr. Komiyama is also a professional flutist.

As composer, Mr. Komiyama has premiered three commissioned orchestral works for orchestra, one piano concerto (received 1st Prize at the American Composers & Arrangers Guild), two feature film scores and has received recognition from the Golden Globe Awards and the Emmy Awards for excellence in music composition. He has also written countless competitive music arrangements for secondary school marching bands and for DCI. Most recently (2001), he has been the director of the Brooklyn Music & Band Academy in New York City.

In the field of music education, Mr. Komiyama has taught for the past twenty years in various arenas as Lincoln Music Center, Idyllwild Arts Academy (CA), The Orchestra of St. Luke’s (NY), C.W. Post College (NY), Fullerton College (CA), and is currently an Artist in Residence for New York Schools through a New York arts foundation (BOCES). During each summer, Mr. Komiyama travels to Maui, Hawaii to direct the Maui Music Camp for 4 weeks and conducts the Hawaii Invitational Symphonic Band. The Maui Invitational Band Festival brings select musicians from New York, California, Utah, Canada, Kansas as well as from Asian countries.

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Music Z. Randall Stroope Z. Randall Stroope is widely known as a conductor, lecturer, and composer.

He is the Artistic Director of summer music festivals in Europe, and frequently conducts in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Washington National Cathedral and other well-known venues in the United States. Choral groups under his direction have taken 35 national tours and 15 international tours, including China, Japan, Russia, Sweden, the Baltics, Finland, central Europe, England, Canada and South Africa. He is constantly sought after as a lecturer and guest conductor, headlining summer ACDA conventions in 12 states and conducting 20 All-State choirs. He was honored in the University of Nebraska system as a Distinguished Professor for Reasearch and Creative Activity in 2000 and 2003.

The state music educators voted him “Outstanding Choral Director of the Year” for 2000.

In 1987, Dr. Stroope graduated from Arizona State University with a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting. This followed several years of high school teaching in the Cherry Creek District in the Denver, Colorado area. He also holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dr.Stroope has been Professor of Music at the University of Nebraska for the past 18 years. He has published 70 musical works, and has sold over a million and a half copies of music. He was the ACDA Raymond Brock commissioned composer for 2004, and his commission “We Beheld Once Again the Stars” was performed at all of the ACDA Regional Conventions in 2004. Of his twelve recorded compact discs, two are of his own music, titled Passages I & II: The Choral Music of Z. Randall Stroope.

Graham Abbott Sydney-born Graham Abbott is a graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium and was a fulltime high school Music and English teacher from 1980 to 1984. In 1985 he was awarded the ABC / Willem van Otterloo Conducting Scholarship and made his professional orchestral debut with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in 1987. Since then he has been a frequent guest conductor with all six Symphony Australia network orchestras. Whilst his repertoire in orchestral, choral and operatic fields spans almost every conceivable period and style (totaling more than 650 works), Graham Abbott is most respected as a conductor of, and enthusiast for, the music of Handel.

A respected teacher, Graham is often involved in educational projects throughout Australia, and he has undertaken similar work in the UK as well. He conducted Camerata Australia, under the auspices of Youth Music Australia (now Australian Youth Orchestras), in concerts in Sydney and Jakarta in 1992, and conducted at National Music Camp in 1991 and 1995. Graham has had many years’ experience as a pre-concert speaker for the Adelaide and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras. He has developed a reputation as an engaging and entertaining educator, capable of opening the world of music to the untrained music lover. He has taught modules for teachers, community-based musicians and high school students in the Symphony Australia Conductor Training program since 2002 and is highly sought-after as a conducting teacher and workshop director.

Since the beginning of 2003 Graham has been producer and presenter of “Keys To Music” on ABC Classic FM, a program heard every week across Australia, as well as internationally on Radio Australia and the internet (http://www.abc.net.au/classic/keys). He is regarded as one of Australia’s pre-eminent communicators on music, a feature which, when combined with his conducting expertise, makes him a unique member of Australia’s arts and education world.

Music and Culture

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The Strings and Jazz Band in Bintan

By Sidharth Shanker - Grade 8

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n December 2nd and 3rd, 70 students from the Middle School Strings and Jazz Band left for Bintan to exchange a show of talent with the SMA Nerasi Tanjung Pinang School. Although we only stayed in Bintan for under 24 hours, we managed to have an amazing cross-cultural experience, sharing with the students at the Indonesian school a taste of Western music and coming back home to Singapore with a better understanding of Indonesian culture.

After arriving in Bintan, both the band and the strings managed to fit in one rehearsal the night before the concert. As we rehearsed in a hot room which echoed, we had a taste of what things could be like as a traveling professional musician. Learning to deal with these conditions has helped us appreciate our own music facilities more as well. At the school itself, we were told power outages were quite commonplace, so at any given point during the concert, the Jazz Band could suddenly lose its bass and piano parts. Luckily, this did not occur. However, the power was only sufficient for the amplifiers, and the whole 2-hour concert was given without A/C! The concert involved speeches by local dignitaries and school staff.

There were performances by Indonesian dancers and singers with vibrant colors and swaying movements, followed by a selection of songs by SAS strings. A rousing performance by Jazz Band concluded the concert.

Living in Singapore, most of us have a pretty good idea of what Indonesian culture is, but listening to the gamelan orchestra and watching the students at the school play their instruments and dance strengthened our understanding and knowledge of how Indonesian music sounds and feels.

We all returned to Singapore with a satisfied feeling that we had opened windows into western culture for the teenagers at the SMA Nerasi Tanjung Pinang School, with a better understanding of Indonesian culture, and with a better feel for how professional musicians travel and play. This experience will inspire many to continue to pursue music for the rest of their lives.

Balinese Cultural Exchange

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iddle School Advanced Strings students will perform in a joint concert with visiting musicians and dancers from Bali on Wednesday, February 15 in the Auditorium at SAS. This event is a part of a series of workshops and performances in Singapore to raise awareness for orphans in Bali. A troupe made up entirely of orphans will be performing traditional Balinese dance and gamelan music. Following the performance by the Balinese children, Middle School Advanced Strings student will perform a short concert. The evening will begin at 7:00pm. All are welcome and admission is free.

Student Classroom Special Events

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Spanish Books

By Greg Reynen, Middle School Spanish Teacher

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n December, two SAS teachers combined efforts to allow middle and primary students to learn together. Michelle Morton’s first grade class made room for Greg Reynen’s eighth grade Spanish students. The Spanish students spent several class periods creating “big books” in Spanish that were either adaptations of existing books or were drummed up by the students’ own creativity. Once completed, Reynen’s class made the trek to the primary school ready to read and teach some Spanish to the first graders.

interactions!

The first graders were very excited to listen to and see the big books, as well as interact with the big kids. The eighth graders read their books and asked questions about the stories while the first graders listened and answered the questions. In the end, the eighth graders likely learned more about first graders than the first graders learned about Spanish, but both groups had a lot of fun.

The teachers had fun too and hope to orchestrate more

Math Games

By Kathy Cullen, 4th Grade Teacher Making the connection between what students are learning in the classroom and everyday life is important. Students have hours of experience playing games so what better way to show their understanding of mathematical concepts than to make a game! Integrating math and students’ prior experience help kids relate mathematics to the “real world.” Their world.

Kathy Cullen’s 4th grade students set out to show their understanding of multiplication and division by creating a game. Each student in the class designed their own math game with a unique game-board, rules, questions, and an answer key. Some had decks of cards; some had whistles; some had dice, or handmade markers. What they all had was math, numbers and thinking! Games like, Crystal Wars, Mathopoly, Oliver’s Triwizard Tournament, Brain Math and Space Math, have been loads of fun for all the students. With this wide variety of topics, students are eager to play each other’s games while enhancing their understanding of these important math concepts. They also invite students from other 4th grade classes to join the fun. Math, in this room, is definitely becoming the favorite!

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Community Service Leprosy Home

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very Friday afternoon after school, a group of dedicated high school students board a bus at SAS and go to the Leprosy Home.

The students spend time visiting with the elderly residents and serve them a special meal, paid for with funds raised by third grade students. Although the residents are all cured, the stigma of being a “leper” remains, and SAS students are the group in Singapore with the longest history of visiting their Home regularly.

One Friday in December, a group of eighty 3rd grade students met the high school students at the Leprosy Home for their weekly visit. The 3rd graders had earned over $14,000 by doing chores at home and having a sponsored run.

With the funds they had raised, the 3rd graders were able to give hong bao packets to all the residents of the home. During the visit they sang Christmas songs and distributed cards to the residents.

Then, sadly, it was time to leave. Emily Dwyer, one of the 3rd grade students who visited the Leprosy Home that afternoon, shared her experience in a letter to her family and friends. “When we left, we were waving our hands out the window of the bus, and I saw one man from the home smiling and shaking both fists high into the air, like he had just won a big, long race!” Emily went on to explain, “There were 60 people who live in the home, and about 6 of them could speak with us in English. One man who was sitting in his wheelchair next to me became a leper when he was 5 years old and was sent to this home. He is now 87 years old, and has not seen his family all of that time. That is 82 years without seeing his family. I think his name was Hanlobo. There were no children in the home, because thankfully, scientists have now found ways to treat the disease.” Thankfully too, there are SAS student with the dedication and compassion to continue to visit the Leprosy Home residents, week after week, year after year.

SAS Students Donate S$10,000 for Hurricane Katrina Relief Habitat for Humanity – Operation Home Delivery

From left: (SAS faculty and students) Roopa Dewan, Kim Hartung, Paul Chmelik, Kristen Liu, David Lee, Michael Cox, Kelly Murphy and Insha Subaiah and (National Director for Habitat for Humanity, Singapore) Terry Ng

One of several donations made by SAS to victims of Hurricane Katrina, S$10,000 was donated to Habitat for Humanity’s Operation Home Delivery. Funds were raised on a school-wide basis and coordinated by the High School Service Council. Significant contributions toward that amount (S$2,800) came from SAS sixth grader students through their sale of Habitat for Humanity wrist bracelets. Habitat for Humanity’s Operation Home Delivery was one of three beneficiaries of the Hurricane Katrina fund-raising project. As noted in a letter sent to SAS families in December, the other recipients of donations totaling over $38,000 were St. Bernard Parish School Board in Chalmette, Louisiana and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty against Animals (ASPCA). In December, SAS students presented a check to Mr. Terry Ng, the National Director for Habitat for Humanity, Singapore.

Holiday Music Concerts

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ingapore American School choir, band and orchestra students performed in a series of concerts in November and December showcasing their talent and hard work during the ďŹ rst semester. Beginning in grade 5, students have the opportunity to participate in choir, band or orchestra.

The music program at SAS begins in primary school and is supported with a specialized faculty and outstanding practice and performance facilities. If you have not had a chance to attend a concert here at SAS, you will want to join us later in the year for one of the many upcoming music events. Not to be missed is the Music Festival Week, February 20–25. Read more on page 18.

From the High School

Search Institute Survey Results Presented

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he recent January 9th Faculty In-Service Day featured a morning presentation by Search Institute consultant Jim Conway. Mr. Conway offered the results of the Search Institute-developed survey given to all high school students this past September. He spoke to all high school faculty members for about 90-minutes and later that day participated in a discussion with Bob Gross and the division principals. He offered both statistical data as well as his opinions on how to best interpret the survey results.

At the heart of the Search Institute philosophy is the researchbased belief that young people develop into healthy, productive adults when they have support and positive encouragement from a combination of family, school and community. In brief, we all have an impact on the young people around us. Singapore American School contacted Search Institute with the hope that its survey would assist us to better understand the positive and negative developmental factors impacting SAS students. This desire was in turn precipitated by the school’s on-going efforts to foster character education at SAS. The survey, specifically named the Search Institute Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors, seeks feedback on 40 “Developmental Assets” that the Institute believes are critical to the emotional and physical health of young people. These assets are divided into 20 internal and 20 external assets. Internal assets refer to “a young person’s own commitments, values, and competencies,” and external assets “are positive development experiences that surround youth with empowerment, boundaries and expectations, and opportunities for constructive use of time.”

The report indicated that 953 high school students took the survey with only 25 surveys being eliminated due to inconsistent responses, missing data or unrealistic responses. The tests were taken anonymously and no specific individual information was provided. Mr. Conway emphasized to both faculty and administration that developing positive assets is a process that builds over time and that positive relationships are a key in their healthy growth.

He went on to say that any effort to expand young peoples’ assets is most productive when individual adults make a commitment to foster them in youth rather than generating any specific program.

School personnel were highly engaged by the specifics of the survey, some of which were expected – 79% of our students reported being motivated to do well in school – and some of which were not expected – 14% of young people perceived that adults in the community value youth.

Parents will have an opportunity to view the results of the survey and to participate in a question and answer session on the evening of Thursday, March 2nd. This Parent Forum will begin at 7:00 p.m.; the venue will be announced at a later date. We also plan to discuss the survey results in further detail with faculty and staff and to share the results with students in a similar forum as that offered to parents. Via these discussions, we hope to not only inform people about the survey results but also gain important feedback from a variety of community members. Be sure to look for updated Parent Forum information, including its specific location, via NewsFlash.

Whatever our opinion about the results of the survey, we are confident our common goal is the health and welfare of our students. We believe the Search Institute Survey information offers us an excellent opportunity to reflect on how we can make progress on this goal.

Paul Chmelik High School Principal David Norcott Deputy High School Principal 26

NewsFlash February 2006

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!

Happy Chinese New Year Students from the Early Childhood Center, Primary School and Intermediate School celebrated Chinese New Year with parades and the traditional Lion Dance.

NewsFlash February 2006

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The Anniversary Tribune February 2006

Singapore American School

SAS IS THE WRITTEN WORD! Writers, Journalists and Thinkers

Making the World Safe for DEmocracy?

Democracy Promotion and American Foreign Policy.

An Author’s Perspective

Brittani Sonnenberg graduated from Harvard University in 2004 with an English Honors Degree Siddharth Mohandas is a and a Mandarin Chinese doctoral candidate in Citation. Ms. Sonnenberg Government at Harvard University. He has worked previously as an Associate Editor at is the holder of multiple Foreign Affairs magazine and has interned as a awards in short story speechwriter for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi writing and has also Annan. Siddharth has written for multiple worked extensively as a publications, including Newsweek, the travel writer based in Shanghai and Cambodia. She Christian Science Monitor, and The American is currently studying for her Master of Fine Arts at the Prospect. He holds an A.B. summa cum laude University of Michigan. Brittani was born in from Harvard University and an M. Phil with Hamburg, Germany, and grew up in Philadelphia, distinction from Cambridge University, both in London, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Shanghai, and international relations. He attended the Singapore. She graduated from Singapore American Singapore American School from kindergarten School in 1999. through twelfth grade.

Please join us for an informative and thought Brittani Sonnenberg will be speaking to students and provoking session with Siddharth Mohandas parents on Thursday, February 23, 3:15-4:15PM Tuesday, February 21, 3:15-4:15PM RM H301 RM H301

Singapore’s Eagles: The Singapore American School 1956-2006 Singapore American School Faculty member and long-term member of the SAS Community, Jim Baker, launches his newest book, “Singapore’s Eagles: The Singapore American School 1956-2006”, a history of the school from it’s inception to today. In addition to his career at Singapore American School, Jim is also a prominent social commentator, public intellectual, political activist, legendary track coach, and author of critically acclaimed history texts Crossroads on Malaysia and Singapore, and the long-awaited Eagle in the Lion City, a magisterial account of the American experience in Singapore.

The Book Launch will take place Wednesday, March 1, at the American Club from 6:30-8PM. The event is free for Members of the Singapore American School Community and American Club members and $15 for non-members/guests. Reservations are required. Call the Singapore American School Development Office at 6360-6329 for reservations. Refreshments at 6:30PM. The talk begins at 7PM followed by a book sale and signing.