Communitas Dec 2013 by SCIS

Shanghai Community International Schools & Hangzhou International School

December 2013

Diversity at SCIS-HIS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURES Superintendent’s Letter Administrator’s Letter Curriculum: What is World Languages? Theme: United Nations Day Host Culture

03 04 06-07 20-23 30

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

COMMUNITY

Hangzhou Pudong Hongqiao

Community Educational Insights Student Spotlight The Librarians Corner PAFA Meet The Teacher Alumni Page Alumni Spotlight Partner

Cover Photo: Features SCIS-Hongqiao campus students during UN Day, taken by Ms. MunYee Choo, Marketing Manager. Communitas is the official magazine for the Shanghai Community International School 2 Hangzhou International School. Please contact us at: jpaulson@scischina.org and

08-09 10-14 15-19, 24

25-27, 35 28 29 31 32-33 34 36 37 38

SUPERINTENDENT ‘S LETTER

Dear SCIS-HIS Community and Friends, Since 1996, our SCIS-HIS community has grown from the 69 lower school and 9 middle school students at our SCIS-Changning campus to over 2,400 students from over 60 nationalities at our five campuses in Shanghai and Hangzhou. Now in the eighteenth year since our beginnings as one of the first international schools in the region, SCIS-HIS schools continue to provide access to educational excellence within the most diverse of school communities. We are not surprised when students, parents, and faculty comment that SCIS and HIS schools are the most diverse environments they have experienced. The reason why is because this is an intentional characteristic we have developed for our schools over these years. As a fundamental aspect of school vision, we believe in the value of diversity in learning. In this edition of Communitas, I invite you to enjoy the rich colors and unique spirit of the SCIS-HIS community as we are “celebrating diversity.” It is truly an exceptional experience to be a part of such a diverse center for learning. While research supports that biodiversity is fundamental for healthy ecological systems, so do studies support that diverse student populations promote learning skills and concepts that can be applied in a more interconnected global community. Our international schools provide a unique opportunity for students to explore within a safe and supportive environment where they learn tolerance, compassion, communication, appreciation, and cooperation. In this endeavor, we welcome students whose language background or prior schooling system is different than ours. By including more students with varying backgrounds, skills, talents, and needs, we strengthen the learning experience and opportunities for all. We fundamentally believe that preparing students for an ever-shrinking global community of tomorrow requires helping them today to develop soft-skills, diplomacy and intercultural understandings that our global society and workplaces will need. Our schools offer a challenging, engaging, and robust program with great care and individualized support to the most dynamic and diverse student population in our cities. Our students and parents know this, but for those who have not had a chance to see this for themselves, we invite you to come see and experience diversity and excellence in action. Without question, no one does it better!

Jeffry R. Stubbs Superintendent of Schools

HONGQIAO LEASE TO BE RENEWED

With the exception of the land and buildings of the Pudong I campus, which SCIS owns, all of our other campuses are leased from China’s Ministry of Education. For our main Hongqiao campus, our current lease runs through June 2015, with an option to extend an additional ten years (through June 2025). Our Business Office received official notification from the Changning Ministry of Education last school year that the Hongqiao lease extension has been confirmed, with details to be negotiated. Other campus leases still have considerable time remaining under existing lease agreements, and all of them are also contain extension clauses which we can exercise. 3

ADMINISTRATOR’S LETTER

Meet the Technology Team

e are indeed honored to have a strong, supportive professional team of technologists who work hard behind the scenes to keep our systems and technology tools working. It is only when a problem occurs that we turn to them for a solution—A SOLUTION THAT WE NEED NOW! Our technology “problem solving” team is made up of five technology coordinators, seven technology assistant’s, six system wide specialists, one webmaster, one full time technology integration specialist, and a director of technology. MEET THE TECH LEADERS:

Rambo (PD LS)

Jack (PD US)

Diego (HIS)

The right hand of the tech coordinator – our assistants really go out of their way to fix problems. They work directly with students and teachers. They deliver laptops, solve tech support requests, manage software and hardware issues. They do all this quickly and happily as they teach users how to resolve their issues and own new skills. MEET THE SYSTEM SPECIALISTS:

Left to right: John Wishart, Nick Togneri (Pudong LS), Paulo Valenca (Pudong US), Allyn Miller (Hongqiao ECE), Jerry Tang (System Supervisor) Chris McAnally (Hongqiao Main), Dan Rooth (Hangzhou). All tech coordinators are technology integration specialists who work to varying levels with students and teachers on their campuses. As every teacher is a teacher of English, every teacher is a tech integrator, to some degree. MEET OUR TECH INTEGRATION SPECIALIST: “Mr. Fred” Mondine works specifically with the HQ main campus grade 2-5 students and teachers to integrate technology into the curriculum. Our lower school has computer labs on each campus where students have experienced VoiceThread for collaborative assignments, Google Earth to view 3D maps and virtually toured the new city of Pudong, to name a few activities recently. Our technology team supports education by providing effective technology solutions for students and teachers. We value service, integrity and leadership. We are committed to improving technology services. MEET THE TECH ASSISTANTS:

Left to right: Lee (Assistant System Supervisor), Jerry Tang (System Supervisor), Candy Cao (Systems Programmer), May Zhang (Database Specialist), Ken Zhou (IT support), Exile Ji (Network Specialist). Even though these technologists are based in Hongqiao main, they maintain and support all schools: 2 in Pudong, 2 in Hongqiao and Hangzhou International School. Very often these people work together on single projects as they are often interconnected. Big projects currently being deployed and finessed are: WiFi hardware and standard SSIDs to enable ease of laptop movement between schools. MS Office 365 as an online and offline office tool solution for email, file sharing, calendars. Filewave is a client management system we can use to update software on school laptops, this will mean that laptops could be setup for next year without having to be collected. MEET THE WEBMASTER: Tony Wang is in charge of our external website www.scis-his.org He also writes many web based applications to streamline school activities such as “DragonGate” which is used by prospective parents in the admission process, and the ASA afterschool activities signup in our PowerSchool portal. He works closely with admissions and system support with data integration. He knows PHP, Objective-C, SQL, and Javascript. We look forward to supporting and improving all aspects of technology at SCIS-HIS. Your concerns, thoughts, and interactions have helped improve our systems and community. If you have any questions or ideas please contact me dot@scischina.org.

Ray (HQ main) Ivan (HQ main) Peter (HQ main) Joe (HQ ECE)

By JOHN WISHART Director of Technology

Laptop for departing families: Families who are unfortunately leaving our community may opt to pay a non-return fee and keep the laptop. If this is something you are planning please email dot@scischina.org

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Time for Re-enrollment! SCIS-HIS Parents, Re-enrollment for the 2014-15 academic year is just around the corner. Parents will only have the option to re-enroll their children through PowerSchool. We encourage parents to participate in early reâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;enrollment of their children through PowerSchool because of its ease and efficiency. If you are unsure of your username and password, or have forgotten it, please contact your campus secretary for assistance (Please see the list below for your reference). The early re-enrollment period for PowerSchool will begin on Monday, January 20th. We anticipate full classes at many grade levels and wish to ensure all of our current families have first priority. Please let the admissions office know if we can assist you in any way through the re-enrollment process. We look forward to your continued support and involvement in our school community and hope to welcome your family for yet another successful school year. Hongqiao ECE Campus: (Nursery-Grade 1) Name

Job Title

Ext

Maggie Yang

School Secretary/Admissions

Maggie_yang@scischina.org

7004

Hongqiao Main Campus: (Grades 2-12) Name

Job Title

Ext

Alice Dai Kinny Wang

Lower School (Grade 2-Grade 5)

adai@scischina.org kwang@scischina.org

5131 5133

Sunny Jiang Lisa Ni

Middle School (Grade 6- Grade 8)

sjiang@scischina.org lni@scischina.org

3153 3155

Sarah Jin

High School (Grade 9-Grade 12)

lni@scischina.org

3103

Pudong Campus: Lower School Campus (Nursery-Grade 5) / Upper School Campus: (Grade 6-Grade 12) Name

Job Title

Ext

Joanna Zhou

Lower School Secretary (Nursery-Grade 5)

jzhou@scischina.org

6776

Jelly Lin

Upper School Secretary (Grade 6- Grade 12)

jling@scischina.org

6015

Hangzhou International School: Nursery-Grade 12 Name

Job Title

Ext

Kerri Lang

School Secretary/Admissions

kliang@scischina.org

86-571-8669-0045

The SCIS-HIS Admissions Team

CURRICULUM FEATURE

What is

WORLD Languages?

The Poster that Traveled the World

y first year teaching in a public school in Nevada, U.S.A., I purchased a poster to decorate my classroom. I chose it because it was made of various beautiful and colorful butterflies on a black background, and most importantly because it said at the top: ”Diversity creates dimension in our world.” As a French teacher and as a foreigner in the States, I probably wanted to prove a point. Year after year while teaching in quite mono-cultural public schools, I continued to laminate my poster, which was becoming more and more tattered. After a few years in Nevada my husband and our son relocated to Hawaii to teach for an international boarding school where diversity was of the essence, with students from all corners of the world. I realized that the poster was no longer needed. Later in my career, as we continued to move, I decided that my statement didn’t need to be reinforced anymore. I realized that in fact, my students were so diverse and so immersed in internationalism that by osmosis “diversity” was becoming a natural part of their upbringing. During our first interview with SCIS, I remember vividly stipulating how important diversity was for us

as we were searching for a “true international school” to work in and raise our son. Well, now that I have the opportunity to teach French here, I can say that we are lucky to be working at the Hongqiao campus of SCIS. This is by far the most diverse international school I have ever taught at. When looking only at my Novice High School class, I can count 12 different nationalities. Diversity is a word that our students body understands and when teaching a foreign language it is a very important part of our curriculum. From Novice level to IB, our students understand the need to embrace diversity within cultures while focusing equally on their differences and similarities. When I asked my students to use their creative mind to think about an acrostic that represents the meaning of the word “Diversité” in French and “Diversity” in English, this is what they wrote, and it clearly illustrates how confident and connected they are in the global environment. By LAURE KRUGER Hongqiao Campus High School French and IB French Teacher

CURRICULUM FEATURE

Exploring the World Through French and Spanish

ne of the many wonderful aspects of learning a language is the opportunity to discover the rich diversity of countries and cultures around the globe. In Middle School World Languages not only do we teach the skills for communication in a foreign language, we also encourage our students to discover the traditions, customs and values of others. Our aim is to foster a curiosity and life-long passion for language and travel. This semester has seen our students embark on a study voyage around the Francophone and Hispanic worlds, with each student researching one of the respective regions countries and presenting their findings to the class. Paris has also been at the heart of our Middle School French curriculum. Whether it’s been discovering its world-famous tourist attractions (Novice 1), its famous chateaux (Novice 2) or its Métro system and its musicians (Intermediate), the French city of love has never been far from our thoughts. In Spanish class, celebrations of Mexican traditions started with

a reenactment of “El grito de Dolores” (The cry of Dolores) to mark “El Día de la Independencia Mexicana”(The Mexican Day of Independence). Throughout the ghostly month of November the Novice students continued their research by creating posters and “Calaveras” (Decorated Skulls) for “El Día de los Muertos” (The Day of the Dead), whilst the Intermediate students enjoyed “La Noche de Brujas” (Halloween) with spooky stories, songs and a game of “Ponle la nariz a la calabaza” (Put the nose on the pumpkin). This month we look forward to learning about the winter festivities in France and Spain and we would like to wish you all a very... • Merry Christmas • ¡Feliz Navidad! • Joyeux Noël! By JULIET FARMER Hongqiao Campus Middle School French and Spanish Teacher 7

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS

What Neuroscience has to say about music ‘Musical training may have important impacts on the brain,’ states a recent article* in The Journal of Neuroscience. We have long been aware of the mathematical benefits associated with learning music, but over the past few years evidence has mounted to show that being good with a beat leads to improved language skills including speaking and reading. Young children who can tap out a rhythm hold a distinct advantage since languages are also rhythm-based. In fact, research** published in November showed that learning music for a few years as children led to improved brain responses to sound as people aged, inferring they could hear better, for longer. As parents, we want our children to experience music classes for all the positive benefits we’ve ever been told about. But what do the children think about music classes? I thought I’d interview some of our youngest students to find out. The following comments come from Hangzhou students in Pre-K to Grade 1.

I will leave you with a profound comment from Yannis, Music is shoes. I’ll admit I’m not sure where that statement leaves us. Music doesn’t have to make sense or hold the same meaning for everyone, but there’s no doubt that it is an integral part of our being whether it is logical or not. Sometimes, the biggest reason we ‘do’ music is because it’s an incredible amount of fun! * Adam Tierney and Nina Kraus. The Ability to Move to a Beat Is Linked to the Consistency of Neural Responses to Sound. The Journal of Neuroscience, September 18, 2013 33(38) ** T. White-Schwoch, K. W. Carr, S. Anderson, D. L. Strait, N. Kraus. Older Adults Benefit from Music Training Early in Life: Biological Evidence for Long-Term Training-Driven Plasticity. Journal of Neuroscience, 2013; 33 (45): 17667 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2560-13.2013

By ELIZABETH HAH HIS Lower School Music Teacher What do you like about music? I like playing instruments, drums are my favorite… and piano… and violin (Juan Ma & Sara). Singing makes me feel happy (Raaghav)… I like cool songs… amazing songs… like the big kids sing (Max & Andy) … I like to spell words in a song (Anne Sophie). I like rock and roll (Archie)… I like fairy music (Irene)… I like stomping music (Oscar). Do you like being on stage? I’m too shy but when the class is there I can enjoy it (Gina)… I’m not shy, definitely not me (Kaushal). I feel happy on stage… and tall (Zoe & Kaira). My mom and dad are too shy to go on stage, but they love to go to my performances – they don’t want me to be shy (Enrique). Mom likes to see me on stage because she loves me (Darcy). My mom will look at me and she will be very happy and I’m gonna sing like Superman (Arsha). 8

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS

THE DIVERSITY OF SPORT realizations is the wealth of sport opportunities available to students and, even more so, the enthusiasm of students to grab those opportunities. There are future hoodies developing their sick skateboarding skills, future University procrastinators finetuning their Frisbee hammer throws, and future “new” peers and employees creating pathways for new friendships.

olleyball, soccer, cricket, salibandy … what’s that? I’ll guess I’ll find out … ultimate Frisbee, table tennis, croquet, swimming, touch rugby and so many more. I could fill this space alone listing the diverse range of sports offered at Hangzhou International School. A truth across all of the SCIS schools I’m sure. As a new teacher in this community, one of my most pleasing

I’ve always loved sports not just for the fun of it or the health benefits, but also for the rewarding resource to making new friends and building self-confidence. Moreover, the research supporting the importance of sport and exercise to academic success is also too great to list here. The Renaissance Man not only threw but also ran, thought, caught, dodged, swam, strategized, tacked, kicked and jumped. It’s the diversity of lessons sport teaches that is of greatest importance. Team work, communication skills, positivity, camaraderie, goal setting, winning, losing, determination for determination’s sake, the satisfaction of trying and the reward of participation. I see the wonderful values sport builds in all of the students at HIS and I know they are getting daily practice strengthening these values thanks to the wonderful diversity of sports available to them. By JEREMY MAHER HIS Grade 4 Teacher

Ms. Wong on Sharing her Passion for Dance

ver the past six years at HIS I have had the pleasure of sharing my passion for dance across the grades. I have taught different styles of dance to different grade levels for After School Activities (ASA’s), ranging from ballet for Kindergarteners’ to Dance Team for upper school students. Additionally, I have thoroughly enjoyed assisting the music and drama teachers for their yearly musicals. During Q1 and Q2 this year I have had the pleasure of working with upper school girls for a Dance Team ASA and working with multiple music teachers for their musical shows. One of my more interesting tasks was putting on a dance ‘step show’ clinic for the Varsity Basketball team in order to teach the importance of coordination in sports and teamwork, which was a fun and a unique exercise for the team. However, dancing and movement does not always have to be in the form of a formal ASA or musical. It is useful in the classroom as well. For our kinesthetic learners, it helps create a more visual and physical way of learning. It can be as simple as pretending to

be a seed and growing into a flower if you are studying plants, or more complicated as creating a dance/skit for an assembly piece. Being an ECE teacher myself, I notice the class remembers concepts when learning through movement and dance/songs. Regardless of the task, movement and dance are useful tools in learning and as a sport across grade levels. By LAURA WONG HIS Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pudong hosts the IB.â&#x20AC;?

Our Pudong Upper School Campus hosted a weekend long IB workshop from November 29th-December 1st covering the latest concepts in education. Over 600 participants flew in from all over the world to share in this learning opportunity.

PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

In Awe of the The Winter Arts Performance and Exhibition

find it humorous that each and every time that I watch the annual Winter Arts Concert and Exhibition I am struck with the same feelingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;complete awe. Each year I wonder how the band, choir, and dance performances, as well as the display of artwork, could possibly get any better. Nonetheless, the following year we are never let down. This year was no different; nothing short of impressive. It takes a massive commitment to execute a concert with large groups of performing adolescents. All contributing members must be on the same page. This is not an easy task. However, the teachers and students sure made it look this way. The caliber of the performances was commendable while coupled with a fun and festive holiday atmosphere. The students sang, danced, and played their way into winter break. During intermission, parents had the opportunity to roam through the extensive art gallery that serves as the lobby to our state of the art theatre. The room was adorned with art pieces created by the students from grades six through twelve. It was entertaining to see the variety of ways that students expressed

themselves utilizing an array of mediums. Works ranged from light-hearted and fun to seriously expressed emotion all the way to just plain whacky and bizarre. Parents were delighted to meander through the maze of color and texture. What truly makes the evening delightful is not the innately talented students. The true joy comes from seeing the students on stage who are defeating their fears and taking appropriate risks in front of hundreds of spectators. The artâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evening is a celebration for those students that learn the benefit of seeing their hard work throughout the semester come to fruition. Ultimately, all students grow a great deal from their experience and display of hard work. Considering that nearly every one of the Upper School students was involved in the evening in some capacity, the Winter Arts Performance and Exhibition is truly an invaluable event. By TY SMEINS Pudong Campus Middle School Principal & Upper School CAS Coordinator

PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

Pudong Lower School

Winter Performance

“Snow Biz” 12

PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

PUDONG LOWER SCHOOL LIBRARY DAY

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

SCIS Welcomes the NFL New England Patriot Cheerleaders!

n October, our SCIS Dragon Cheerleaders got an â&#x20AC;&#x153;NFL experienceâ&#x20AC;? to remember. The New England Patriot cheerleaders came to our SCIS Hongqiao campus and held a cheer clinic for our girls. These NFL cheerleaders worked with our teams in a one day clinic in which they taught cheers, dances, and stunts. They also focused on teambuilding with our Dragons. By the end of the clinic, our Dragon cheerleaders from both Hongqiao and Pudong campuses performed for the SCIS community of fans. The Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School teams each got incredible insight from a professional NFL cheerleader.

As the cheerleading teams learned some new, fun, innovative skills from the professionals, this clinic helped continue to raise the standard of excellence for our cheer teams. Our cheerleading teams pride themselves in not only learning new skills and executing impressive dances and stunts, but in building a sense of community and spirit in our SCIS family. As we welcomed our guests, we were proud to celebrate the hard work of our own Dragon cheerleaders! It was an amazing experience for everyone involved! Are you proud to be a Dragon? YES WE ARE! By JULIE ARNOLD Hongqiao Campus HS IB Psychology Teacher 15

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

SCIS Hongqiao Junior Girl Scouts Receive Bronze Award O n any given Friday afternoon you might see groups of girls in blue, brown, green vests or tan sashes running around the SCIS campus. They might be analyzing the energy efficiency of the school, planting flowers, singing, or doing crafts. Last year a group of 5th graders spent their Fridays working on a leadership adventure program called â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Bronze Award.â&#x20AC;? The girls spent an entire school year coming up with a project, selling cookies to raise money for the project, and learning how to knit. Each girl was required to put in 20 hours of work to finish the project. The Girls troop project was called Knitting Scarves for the Needy Elderly Chinese Residents. Part of the project requirements was to enlist leadership assistance from women to help them complete their goal. They chose to work with Maureen McDonnell from Deloitte Services, LP., Dianne Watt one of their teachers, and a group of women from the Shanghai Knitting Club. Ms. McDonnell came to school and taught the girls how to knit, followed this up with multiple meetings with the women from the Shanghai Knitting Club, and many playground knitting sessions with Ms. Watt.

Each girl completed a scarf for an elderly Chinese resident. They visited the home as an entire troop with parents, Ms. Watt, and Mrs. Stubbs. The 4th grade girls performed songs and the 5th grade girls spoke to the residents in Mandarin and told them about themselves and their project. This was the first year in the history of the SCIS Girl Scouts troops that SCIS participated in the High School Girl Scout Awards program. It was a huge commitment from the girls, their parents, and the teaching community.

Congratulations go to the girls that participated in the project: Ariadne Liberakis-Lara, Chloe Conway, Christine Cho, Hanae Bonhomme, Jin Jin Van Heesewijk, Joy Xue, Melanie Cheung, Natalia Stubbs, Natalie Hill, Olivia Gil de Bernabe, Reese Johnson, Sebi Lee, Shayla Cass, and Anissa Khalid. These girls received their Bronze pins, patches, and a certificate of achievement at an Awards Banquet at the end of May in front of parents and the entire Shanghai Girl Scout community. It was an enormous honor that they achieved this goal as a group and as individuals. SCIS Hongqiao has four troops of girl scouts. Daisies that meet at the ECE, Brownies made up of 2nd and 3rd grade girls, Juniors comprised of 4th and 5th graders, and Cadettes for the girls that are in 6th grade and above. Girl Scouts teaches girls about the environment and nature, but it also teaches the girls to be strong, empowered, and self sufficient. When you see a girl scout at school be sure to encourage her, it is not just a club for fun it is a group to encourage them to achieve new goals. By GWEN MARTIN

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

meet Sindri S. Jónsson S

CIS Varsity Boys Basketball coach Dwayne Friesen interviews Sindri S. Jónsson a senior at the Hongqiao campus. Sindri was born in Iceland and came to Shanghai when his father’s job brought his family here in 2009. Sindri is involved in sports and acting here at SCIS and is looking to study theatre at university in the United States next year. Q1: In what sports have you been involved and which is your favorite? I have played varsity basketball at SCIS for the past four years, and it has always been my favorite sport because of its high intensity and pressure moments. I also play golf competitively in Iceland and played volleyball for the first time last year. Q2: What is the highlight of your years in high school sports? Last year we played an early season game against the league champions BISS PX. We were down 19 points going into the fourth quarter. We made a run and in the course of four minutes, with great pressure defense from Matthew Duffy and Jonah Qiao and three point shooting from myself and Akihiro Minami, we tied the game up. Even though we lost that game, it sticks out as a great moment because it represents our resilience as a team. The crowd’s reaction was unforgettable. Q3: How does participation in sports affect your academic life? Committing to a sport takes a lot of effort, but it teaches me how to manage my time and gives me a sense of urgency and motivation to work in the classroom. Since basketball season and production for the musical started, my grades; to almost everyone’s surprise, improved significantly! Q4: What do sports mean to you? I use sports as an outlet for my competitive and active nature. I can never seem to stay in one spot for too long and sports allow me to harness that spirit into something positive. Additionally, it gives me something to work for. It all results in positive personal growth. Q5: What other activities are you involved in at SCIS? Three years ago, I decided to audition for the school musical. Despite already making a commitment to the basketball team, it one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I was able to find a passion for theatre and it lead to me wanting to pursue it as a future career. Taking part in the activities at SCIS made me learn to not be afraid to take chances and try something new. You never know when you might find something you truly enjoy doing.

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

A Christmas Carol What A Jolly Good Time!

have been involved in theater productions for all of my high school life, however I only participated in the plays, never the musicals. This is mostly due to the fact that singing and dancing on stage is a somewhat daunting concept for me, so I only acted in the plays. I did help backstage last year with Oliver, working with the microphones but that was the most involvement I had had up until this year. I realized I would be unable to join the play this year as it’s going to be during mock exams, thus I decided to take a chance and join the musical. A Christmas Carol is the first musical I’ve experienced from beginning to end and it was possibly one of the best theater experiences I’ve ever had. Assistant directing and stage managing was a huge task and I’d do it all again. One of my best friends, Alysha, always expressed her love for assistant directing, I would respond by telling her that she was crazy for wanting to take on such a task. It wasn’t until I accepted the role of assistant director that I understood her love for it. Of course I also had stress filled moments, attempting to balance my academics with the musical, but there were so many enjoyable moments that it was worth any and all stress. I have learnt so much from my role in A Christmas Carol, and I genuinely believe this experience will help me in the future. Working backstage has provided me with a whole new appreciation for the work

that goes into putting on such spectacular shows. It’s amazing to see the mechanics of a show, watching the full process from the auditions to the final performance. I have met so many wonderful people that I probably wouldn’t have gotten to know had I not joined the musical. I’ve met some of my closest friends through theater. There’s nothing nicer than walking through the halls and being greeted by a fellow cast or crew member. We’re like one big family, just a little larger and more dramatic than most. I’m graduating this year, meaning that this was my last high school theater experience. Although I’m excited to graduate it’s quite bittersweet knowing that this was the end of an era for many of us seniors. When we all look back on our high school memories we may very well remember our classes, but we’re probably going to remember A Christmas Carol more vividly than anything else, at least I know I will. I may not dance, and I may not sing, but I couldn’t have picked a better way to have ended my high school theater experience. by TABITHA GYDE Hongqiao Campus 12th Grade Student

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

Fortunate to Live Here

hina, an ancient land encompassing a vast array of climate zones and landforms, from the starkly barren Tarim Basin in the far west to the humid tropical forests of Guangxi province in the south. China, home to fifty-six different ethic groups, each unique in its expression of culture and tradition. Shanghai, a land of region natives as well as millions of migrants. The 21st Century, a place where nationals and foreigners live and work together. This country, city, and world exude diversity. That’s the truth. And we are fortunate to have the opportunity to be here. As a teacher at SCIS Hongqiao, the diversity I find in the city is even more pronounced within our school. Students and teachers grace the halls of our school from every continent of our world, and my classroom’s climate benefits from this diversity. Students share their culture and traditions with one another and enrich their own lives everyday. Our curriculum and community activities promote this diversity from the elementary school’s Indigenous Cultures Artifacts Museum to the variety of literature offered in the Language Arts departments in the Upper School. Dance students learn traditional dances from around the world and, of course, the International Food Fair and UN Day are a highlight for many. One club in particular strives to teach that although diverse, people and their respective countries do share common interests and seek solutions to problems that persist in our world. Model United Nations helps students see that, while we are all different, we are in fact very much alike. This year one of our conferences was in Singapore, and I was fortunate to be able to take a small, but diverse group of students to the conference. While there, besides debating important global issues, we also had the opportunity to take in the Arab and Indian quarters of Singapore. Even this small excursion opened students’ eyes to new experiences and the beauty that comes from diversity. Hearing the Muslim call to prayer ring out across the neighborhood and witnessing a variety of rituals in a Hindu temple at the start of Diwali were life experiences for many. The smells of spices wafted through the streets and we enjoyed hummus and falafel for lunch. We live in a diverse world, in a diverse city, in a diverse county, and send our children to a diverse school. Often, those of us who are only here temporarily yearn for home and a return to “our culture,” but remember that there is no greater gift to your family than offering them the experiences afforded to them here. Relish it whenever you can! By XERXES BILLY KRUGER Hongqiao Campus Social Studies Teacher 19

THEME FEATURE

United Nations Day 20

A Celebration of C

THEME FEATURE

Culture and Diversity 21

THEME FEATURE

n 1947, the United National General Assembly declared an annual United Nations Week from October 20th – October 26th. One day stands out above the rest: October 24th, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations. That day, October 24th, has come to be known as UN Day, and it has been annuallly celebreated ever since as a day which “shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for” its work. UN Day has traditionally been marked throughout the world with meetings, discussions and exhibits about the achievements and goals of the organization. Several international schools throughout the world also celebrate the diversity of their student body on United Nations Day (although the event is not necessarily celebrated on October 24th). Celebrations often include a show of cultural performances, delicious food fairs, exciting parades, etc… The United Nations is an organization that recognizes and appreciates cultural and ethnic backgrounds. It promotes the positive collaboration of all nations and peoples of the world to work constantly towards world peace, as well as having active programs to help solve common human problems such as poverty, disease, the after-effects of natural disasters, and environmental issues to name a few. SCIS can be considered to be like a mini United Nations. Here we have the wonderful diversity of over 60 nationalities represented within our schools. Here we can share our many differences and more importantly our many similarities, learning from each in its own turn. Specifically, as a group of international schools, we share the common goal of a broad multi-cultural and multi-national education. We grow and learn from each other, share our heritages, and experience new adventures together in the classroom, on the stage, and on the playing fields. The UN has a theme for each year, and also a theme for each decade. This decade’s theme runs from 2011 – 2020, and it is focused on preserving the world’s Biodiversity. Besides the very important ecological reasons for this, we as humans also are a part of that Biodiversity. It is quite wonderful to realize that international education is one of the main driving forces allowing students to receive a more holistic view of the world and its great diversity. International youth gain a greater appreciation and understanding that we all share a wonderful world, where cooperation and striving to meet common goals is paramount. While it is easy to read about the UN Week and fun to participate in our UN Day, many of these fundamental ideas can be seen in what we do at SCIS in subtle and understated ways. That is why it is truly wonderful to celebrate each year. By ROCKEY DU RANDT Hongqiao Campus Head Of School

THEME FEATURE

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

HQ Lower School Performance “Up and Away.”

Production was written by Jennifer Rowe. Choreography was by Sarah Bailey. Photos by Fredrik Anderson and Bjorn Loberg. 24

COMMUNITY FEATURE

SAFETY: Is Anyone Monitoring the Air?

ure we all talk about pollution. We talk about it like we talk about the weather. But does anyone monitor it and adjust their life according to it?

Here at the SCIS-HIS schools, we do! We monitor it every day. And we make necessary adjustments according to it. Our policy can be seen on our main website in the Health and Safety section under the Admissions tab. Each day, first thing in the morning, we check the pollution information/forecast from the US Consulate. We then interpret that information using a color-coded system that is based on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index. Nurses hang the appropriately colored flag for that day outside their doors. And Heads of School, Principals, and Athletic Directors/After School Activity Coordinators meet to see if any adjustments need to be made to protect our students. By JONATHAN PAULSON SCIS-HIS Communication Officer Air Quality

Health Concern

Color

0-50

Good

Green

Celebration

51-100

Moderate

Yellow

Aware

101-150

Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

Orange

Monitor for individual symptoms. Students with a history are encouraged to reduce exertion and/or duration

151-200

Unhealthy

Red

Limit exposure for all students from heavy exertion. Potential solutions to limit exposure include having practice/games inside, having practice/games earlier in the day before ozone levels rise, rotating players often and having breaks, and altering practices to skill training instead of strenuous training.

201-300

Very Unhealthy

Purple

Limits outdoor exposure to lower exertion activities

301-500

Hazardous

Brown

All activities requiring physical exertion are limited.

Ask Doctor Jeroge Ducha from WorldPath Q: As a mother of three (ages 5, 9, and 14) how worried should I be about the pollution here in Shanghai? A: Air pollution is more detrimental to the health of children than to adults. A child’s lung is more sensitive and permeable to small particulate matter than adults. Also, children have a larger lung surface area in relation to their body weight, and breathe 50% more air per kg than adults. Making matters more important, children tend to spend more time outdoors doing strenuous activities, such as playing sports, so they are breathing more outdoor air compared to adults. You should be aware of the pollution at all times, and have a plan for how to deal with the risks..

SCIS Response

Dr. Jeorge Ducha’s Bio:

Dr. Jeorge specializes in neonatal intensive care, pediatric ward and OPD. - Pediatrician -Neonatologist at Parkway Health Medical Center, 2010-2013 - Clinical Fellow in Neonatology at Philippine Children’s Medical Center, 2007- 2010 - Active Consultant in Pediatrics at East Avenue Medical Center, General Miguel Malvar Medical Foundation & Montalban Infirmary, 2006-2007 - Specialist in Neonatology at King Abdullah Hospital, 2004-2005  - Visiting Pediatrician at East Avenue Medical Center, H-Ville Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, 2004 - Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Pre-Fellow at Philippine Children’s Medical Center, 2004 - Pediatric Resident House Officer at Unciano Medical Center, 2003-2004 - Resident in Pediatrics at East Avenue Medical Center, 2000-2003 - Graduated from Far Eastern University with Doctor of Medicine, 1998 25

SCIS-HIS, PROVIDING SAFE AND CLEAN LEARNING ENVIRONMENT While recent air quality (AQ) indexes have registered high levels of small particulate matter, we are pleased to share with you that our final phase of indoor air quality facilities retrofits will be completed this winter break. These retrofits will place SCIS and HIS schools as the most advanced and safest indoor learning environments in Shanghai and Hangzhou. The capital projects will cost in excess of 1.25 million US dollars, but we believe this will be an important part of a proactive and long-term strategy to improve indoor air quality even when particulate matter readings are not high. Previous retrofits, including FCU filter modifications, ventilation installations and HVAC modifications, have significantly improved indoor air quality as monitored with our hand held CO2 and PM 2.5 portable measuring devices; however, this final phase of retrofits will essentially give the best possible solution by providing at least one in-ceiling XJM industrial-grade air filtration unit per classroom and BlueAir 203 portable units for each office space. In addition to these retrofits, each of our schools will have at least one permanently installed indoor air quality monitor per building. Finally, as an additional measure to provide immediate and accurate AQ readings, we are installing one outdoor air quality monitoring station at each of our three schools. Our partners in this year-long initiative, PureLiving, will provide software and maintenance for these units. On the following page you can read the steps taken to address air, surface and water quality within our school learning environments. Also, as many parents are contacting our administration requesting support for how to improve indoor air quality in their homes and guidelines for safe outdoor activity in their neighborhoods, we have provided the contact details and website of our partner, PureLiving. We have many new families each year, so we will look to bring back the PureLiving representatives to provide parent information sessions on how to improve safety in and around their homes. It is important to learn how to use filtration devices to their maximum efficiency and what products are effective at protecting children on poor AQ days. This spring, SCIS and two schools in Beijing have been invited to participate in a panel presentation to international school leaders who are also strategizing how to protect their students during days when air quality is poor. While this may seem to be an intractable issue, especially during the worst days, we are confident that our proactive initiatives will provide our expatriate communities with the safest schooling option in Shanghai and Hangzhou. 26

IMMEDIATE PLANS PRIOR TO WINTER BREAK

• The building retrofits are significant capital projects that require school to be out of session. Recent AQ measures have prompted urgent action to obtain as many portable units as possible. These temporary units will not be as effective as the XJM in-ceiling units, but we believe members of our community will be interested in procuring these devices from our stocks after they become redundant. If supplies are not available and AQ measures remain high, we will look for support from our community for temporary use.

TO BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO SEMESTER 2 OF THIS SCHOOL YEAR

• Installation of XJM in-ceiling air filtration units in all medium and large-sized classrooms. Installation of portable BlueAir 203 units in smaller classrooms and offices. • Installation of indoor air quality monitors in selected locations at each campus. • Installation of a new Daikin VRV HVAC system at Hangzhou International School to replacecurrent aging system. • Installation of energy recovery ventilators (ERV’s) to improve air conditioning efficiency and reduce power consumption. • Parent informational sessions on home air quality and safe outdoor activity guidelines.

TO BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO 2014-15 SCHOOL YEAR

• Installation of outdoor air quality monitoring stations at SCISHongqiao ECE Campus, SCIS-Pudong Lower School, and HIS. • Review and evaluation of communication systems regarding AQ (i.e. effectiveness of AQ flag system).

COMPLETED

• Testing with an external western-managed environmental and safety consultant at allSCIS-HIS campuses for all indoor air, surface, and water contaminants. • Minor alterations of maintenance and operations protocols to ensure surfaces are cleaned of harmful bacteria, mold potentials are addressed, and indoor air quality is improved. • PureLiving information seminars conducted for operations staff. New protocols include assurances that air is introduced into our learning environments and “spent” air is exchanged. • Temporary air purifiers have been introduced into Nursery

and Preschool classrooms pending filter retrofitting of XJM in-ceiling units and HVAC air conditioning systems. • Meetings with heads from all international schools in Shanghai and Hangzhou to discuss, collaborate, and set agreements on parameters for safe and organized sports and activities if air quality is below established standards. • Provide air purifiers in classrooms and offices where HVAC or XJM systems are not appropriate. • Purchase and distribution of CO2 and VOC reducing plants for student learning spaces and faculty offices. Staff debriefed on internal air-quality threats (i.e. candles, incense, aromatherapy apparatus, etc.) • At least one presentation hosted at each SCIS-HIS school through our external consultant to support community efforts in improving residential indoor airquality and providing information and advice on the topic. • Purchase of handheld PM2.5 reader and CO2 readers for operations use in the continuous evaluation and monitoring of individual room measures, and to be considered for educational purposes within the science departments. • Visit to three international schools in Beijing to discuss air quality policies and practices in addressing routine and severe air quality issues. • Industrial audit of facilities and debriefing with external consultant regarding priorities for immediate, short term, and long term actions. • Re-evaluation of remediation efforts already completed. • As per advice of our external consultant and contractor, capital projects thatwill improve the exchange of air in our learning environments completed (new air introduction is necessary even if poor quality and in need of filtration). • Address any sources of increased humidity or mold development. • Replace basement ventilation systems at Hongqiao Main Campus, buildings A and C, and retrofit building HVAC systems with custom filters. • Communication of AQ improvement plan to all members of community. • Introduction of Air Quality flag system at all schools.

PureLiving partner contact details: www.purelivingchina.com

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

Quality Teachers at the Forefront of the HQ Lower School Mandarin Programme

here is widespread research that indicates that teacher effectiveness is the most influential factor contributing to student learning in schools. While all of our programmes have been enhanced by the quality of the teachers SCIS is able to attract, the Hongqiao Lower School Mandarin Department deserves particular recognition for its achievements. A recent survey of parents indicated overwhelmingly that in addition to being friendly and approachable our teachers are motivating students to make positive progress in their language acquisition and connection to China and Chinese culture. Teaching at a leading international school in China provides our teachers with opportunities to implement practices that require them to step out of their own schooling experiences and traditional training. Our teachers are carefully selected from some of the leading universities in China and either hold or are working towards obtaining postgraduate qualifications from universities in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. They also have access to a range of professional development opportunities, which have included working with educational pioneers such as Ron Ritchart from Harvard University. Over the past five years our teachers have increasingly adapted teaching methods to their programmes which have helped to engage and support students whose prior experiences have been grounded in less formal settings. Modeled writing, guided reading, role playing and performance based projects where knowledge has moved away from rote learning to practical application of language have become more commonplace. At the same time native level students are benefiting from a range of practices that enhance their language development. Such innovation is catching the attention of teachers and school leaders in the region. In addition to presenting at the annual ACAMIS Chinese Conference our Mandarin Coordinator Jenny Zhang is regularly invited to Hong Kong to share her expertise with teachers in the Asian Pacific region while Eva Xia and Maggie Yang look forward to presenting some of the interesting work they have done at the EARCOS conference for international educators in March. They are leading the world with the 28

adaption of Western texts to promote guided reading in pinyin and Chinese characters. The strength, commitment, and willingness of this team to explore new techniques is leading to higher levels of engagement and better learning outcomes for students. I certainly feel privileged to work alongside these teachers and recognize the important role they play in opening a window on Chinese language and culture. By ANDREW POWELL Lower School Principal at SCIS Hongqiao

Mandarin Survey Grade 2 31 respondents

My child is in Grade:

My child studies Mandarin at the following level:

Grade 3 31 respondents

Novice 55 respondents

Intermediate 47 respondents

Disagree

Undecided

In general, my child is interested and motivated to learn Mandarin. 3 13

My child indicates that his or her teacher is friendly and approachable.

I receive regular communication via email or the Mandarin website about what is being covered in class.

My child can do the majority of his or her homework independently.

Grade 4 35 respondents

Grade 5 38 respondents

Experienced 33 respondents

Agree

Strongly Agree

5 6

I feel that I have a good understanding of my childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress in Mandarin this school year.

My child has had a good opportunity to be exposed to Chinese culture through Mandarin language experiences and activities.

2 12

I believe that my child will make positive progress in Mandarin this school year.

My child is happy to attend Mandarin class.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

10 Years Spent in Hangzhou To be successful both inside and outside of the classroom requires a lot of determination and discipline. What other extracurricular activities do you participate in? In addition to participating in volleyball, I joined the basketball, soccer teams, Community Outreach, and Student Council. Through hard work and involvement in extra-curricular activities, I became a National Honor Society member my junior year of high school. While I am an active member of our school, I have also done things outside of the H.I.S. community, such as illustrating for children’s books and volunteering in hospitals.

u-Tin “Cherry” Hsiao is a senior at Hangzhou International School. She has spent the last ten years at HIS, seizing opportunities and excelling at whatever she puts her mind to. She is a National Honor Society member, three sport athlete, All ACAMIS Tournament Soccer Star, member of the student council, and dedicated community service member. Cherry recently sat down with me to talk about a lifetime (for her) at HIS. Good morning Cherry. First off, is Cherry you actual name? No, Cherry is not my actual name. My legal name is Yu-Tin Hsiao. So, in essence, you have an alias? Like on a tv show or a movie? [slightly amused] Cherry is just a nickname that I use at HIS I love hearing international stories. So please, tell me where you were born, what your ethnicity is, and where you have lived? I am Asian, and I was born in Taiwan. However, I have lived in Hangzhou, China since I was eight years old. So how many languages do you speak then? I only speak two languages: Mandarin and English. You have been successful inside the classroom and outside of the classroom. How do you balance your workloads? I have heard some students say that there is simply not enough time in a day to do everything, but that’s not true because you just need to use time efficiently. For example, when I am in class I don’t goof off with my friends; I take a lot of notes and ask as many questions as possible, so later I don’t have to relearn everything from the beginning when exams comes around. When I go to practice I am ready and focused, and I give 100% of my attention to the task at hand. Just as importantly, my extracurricular activities are a way for me to relieve stress. When I get too anxious about schoolwork I go workout. And when I get too worried about my athletic performance I take a break from sports and go study. Continue on page 31…

How does participating in these extracurricular activities contribute to your education and growth? These extracurricular activities, specifically the sports teams, and Student Council have taught me two very important skills: leadership and teamwork. Leadership means much more than the title of captain or president because you don’t have to have a title to lead. When my teammates see me work hard they will also push themselves to their own limit. You can be a leader by simply being positive and encouraging regardless of the situation. The ability to work well with others is critical, and I have not always been the most diplomatic; however, being a part of a team has enabled me to understand that not every person gets motivated the same way I do. The leadership and teamwork skills I have learned from extracurricular involvement will surely come in handy during college and my career because I will have to work with others in the future. Moreover, being a part of a sports program has pushed me to always be optimistic and hope for the better. Hope is really important concept in my education and growth because it is what keeps me going when the current situation suggest otherwise. As the leader of our sports teams I follow Napoléon Bonaparte’s words, “[a] leader is a dealer in hope.” After having spent 10 years at Hangzhou, how much differently do you think your life would have gone had your parents never relocated here? I believe that my life would have gone very differently if my mom had decided not to relocate to Hangzhou. No one would believe me if I told them I used to be very shy because many people here see me as a confident young lady, and it is H.I.S. that fostered my confidence. I went to a public school in Taiwan although I didn’t remember a lot I do recall that they did not allow much room for independence. At H.I.S. teachers encourage students to be creative and be independent individuals and thinkers, where students are in charge of their own learning. However, in Taiwan, I was taught to not ask many questions, and just accept the information as they are given. If my mom had not moved to Hangzhou I do not think I would have ever became such a well-rounded student with skills needed beyond classrooms. 29

HOST CULTURE

The Joy of Reading

ur Chinese ancestors created characters with multiple meanings so we can relate multiple concepts and things together. For example, the Chinese character ‘书(shū)’ means ‘book’ and ‘ to write.’ These two concepts are easily connected because books need to be written. Or, from a different point of view, one cannot write nicely and properly without vast reading. In Mandarin classes, fast reading is implemented. In doing fast reading, students are not required to know every character in the text, but they must read fast and finish reading in the required time.

Class’ they supported, with books and posters made by SCIS Pudong Lower School students.

Students will work in groups. First, they read the text for 2 minutes and discuss the part they understand within the group. By sharing in groups, student talks about what he/she understands and knows more from other group members. Each group shares in front of the class. Then students read the same text for the second time and ask questions about the text and discuss in groups to decide one. Several group questions will be collected and written on the board. Students will try to read for the third time to find answers.

Students came up with many beautiful and inspiring phrases in Chinese. Here are the English Translations:

By practicing several times of fast reading, students are using scanning and skimming skills when they read an unfamiliar text. Though unknown characters still seem so many, it won’t be such a huge obstacle for students to catch the general idea. This also indicates that the reading materials must be chosen to meet the students reading level. But that’s not all. Students not only love to read, they also encourage others to read….(read on to find out how) Pudong Lower School parents, who are also volunteers for MaiTian have helped to raise lots of money, clothes and school suppliers for children in Jiangxi province. Recently the MaiTian moms are going to Jiangxi to place bookshelves for every ‘Angel

The posters are to encourage the children to read. To make sure the children in Jiangxi province understand our posters, we made it during Mandarin classes. Our students were very excited with this project, especially knowing that they are the ones who donate the books and help more Chinese kids to go back to schools. Students throughout Grade 1 to Grade 5 participate with great enthusiasm and creativity.

‘Reading are like listening to music, you hear with your eyes.’ ‘Reading can draw pictures in your mind.’ ‘Books will tell you a story of one’s lifetime.’ ‘ Reading is like adventures, it shows you a new world.’ Younger students try to practice writing the ‘book’ character ‘ 书(shū)’ and decorate their poster with colorful pictures as the garden of books. Quite a few students drew about their favorite books to recommend to the children in Jiangxi province. Reading might help them to make friends in the future. Let’s read! By DAISY YE Pudong Campus Lower School Mandarin Coordinator

THE LIBRARIANS CORNER

Book Recommendations for All Ages From Karen Danesis (Lower School Librarian)

Extra Yarn

by Mac Barnett Illustrated by Jon Klassen For Grades Nursery-2 Synopsis: Extra Yarn tells the story of a girl who finds a box of yarn of every color that never runs out. She makes something for everyone in her town, and the dark, dull place begins to change. A greedy archduke hears of the never-ending box of yarn and wants it for himself…will he get it? Ms Danesi’s Take: As a former high school Language Arts teacher, I am always on the hunt for the picture books that not only have a great story and beautiful illustrations, but ones that also contain universal truths. I call them profound picture books. It’s amazing to me that in a book of a couple hundred words or less, an author can achieve that. Extra Yarn is one of those stories. It tells of the power one person has to change the world, issues of greed over selflessness, and the triumph of good over evil. All of this in language so simple that even a child can understand.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCammillo For Grades 3-8

Synopsis: This book follows the life of a small self-centered china rabbit who throughout his journey learns to love. Ms Danesi’s Take: Kate DiCamillo, author of such amazing stories as The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn Dixie does it again with the book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. This is one of those stories that stays with you for a long time. I had the pleasure of reading this book aloud to a group of 5th graders, and, even 2 years later, I had students from that class asking me where the book was and could they check it out again. Coming of Age stories are among my favorite; this one in no

exception. This would be a wonderful read-aloud for the family and a great discussion starter as we learn, along with Edward, that there is little more important in the world than LOVE. From June Miles (Upper School-Media Specialist/IB Support)

The Thief

by Megan Whalen Turner For Ages 12-16 Synopsis: Set somewhere in the medieval world, Gen, a braggadocios thief who claims that he can steal anything, embarks on a journey to steal an ancient and magical stone for the king’s scholar. Will he find it? And, if he does, will he survive? Ms Miles Take: A very descriptive book, it engages its reader with an “I want to know more” style that causes you to turn the page, over and over until the end! At this point, Turner provides a satisfying twist, hereby coaxing the reader into reaching quickly for the second book in this trilogy.

Nectar in a Sieve by Kamal Markandaya For Ages 15-18

Synopsis: Set in the early 1930s, Markandaya explores the early years of a young woman married at age twelve to a tenant farmer. Rumanki, our heroine, moves far from her parents and enters a lifestyle and culture well below her own. However, with fortitude and courage, she becomes an understanding and loving wife and mother, working the harsh land and doing menial, daily tasks that build a strong character. Ms Miles Take: Readers can learn from this vibrant narrator, who explains through her simple life that the nectar of life comes in both the good and the bad times. Inspiring and captivating, the storyline offers a heart-felt realization that life can be fulfilling, even if we must live with less ease and comfort.

…Continued from page 29 Our international schools are a very diverse place—how does that affect you? Hangzhou International School has affected me by opening my mind to different cultures and people, giving me a world wide perspective. Traveling to a country and seeing their culture is very different from experiencing the culture, and with my friends from all over the world it’s like I am traveling and experiencing a new aspect of a culture everyday. With the help of my friends I am able to dismiss any suspicions I might have had about a

particular culture, and I am able to learn more than just what is in textbooks. What are your plans for the future? My plan for the future is to become an orthopedics surgeon working on the Reservations in the United States, and I am looking to go to the United States for university. In fact, I have already received some acceptances from universities, and gotten a scholarship offer. I want to major in biochemistry.

PAFA FEATURE

PAFA Celebrations

AFA was in the middle of a lot of activities during the last few weeks. We started off with a great Halloween party in October. Being one of the favorite events, the whole HIS community participated and went crazy on costumes and make-up. After the thrilling official opening where monsters, princesses, and Spiderman himself crawled over the soccer field (courtesy of the HIS teachers), hundreds of people got in line for the Haunted House. Set up in the science labs, this year’s Haunted House was the cruelest and scariest ever. For the ones with a weaker stomach, there were plenty of other activities that kept the crowds busy all night. Only two weeks later, the whole HIS community got together again—this time to celebrate the diversity at HIS. Six new flags were added to the parade since the last version of the International Day in March 2013, making for a total of 43! On the Day, many parents helped out with activities for the ECE and Lower School students, showing them Japanese origami, Indian Bollywood dancing, and making “thank you” notes for the American Turkeys for Thanksgiving. The Upper School had its own schedule for the day, ranging from presentations of various languages across the world to some interesting performances on stage.

And Saturday 7 December, the PAFA team was proud to have an overwhelming attendance at the Winter Holiday Celebration. Though the weather was not very helpful, clearly our HIS community gets together no matter what! Over 550 people could choose to visit one of our 23 vendors, our Beauty Tent for colorful nails, flashy hair colors and some awesome face painting; the “Secret Santa Factory” for kids of all ages; and of course the corner with Santa and his Elf. Although the line up for Santa was huge, Ms Hah and the grade 2 and 3 choir certainly helped making it easier to wait by singing their cheerful Christmas songs! Lastly, the International Buffet was a colorful palette of dishes from the many nations HIS represents and with the help of both parents and students, everyone got to try something sweet and savory. The start of the festive season could not have been better. We were proud to be able to get this done for and with our community. These events show again that it takes a community to make a community! By FRANCIS SPIEKERMAN Upper School PAFA President

PAFA FEATURE

B-I-N-G-O: The Pudong PAFA Continues to Grow

PAFA NEWS SCIS-HIS has parent organizations called the Parents and Friends Association (PAFA) on each campus. PAFA serves as a way that parents can communicate ideas for the betterment of the school to the administration and Board. SCIS and HIS are proud of the high level of parents participation in their schools and value their partnership with the parent community. PAFA conducts various activities, from community events to charity fundraisers to volunteer support for teachers and students. Each campus has a PAFA board who works closely with each campus’ administrations to plan events that help to make SCIS-HIS schools a unique experience for families, faculty, and students alike.

We are always welcoming new members!

Our most recent PAFA event was the much-anticipated return of Bingo Night, held at our lower school campus on November 15th. The night was a tremendous success, with over 500 parents and kids from both Upper and Lower Schools! Throughout the evening families were able to enjoy dinner, a night of Bingo with family and friends, while also bidding on fantastic raffle items. This year was particularly exciting as we reached a record of 60 prizes to give away throughout the night!

Hangzhou PAFA President: LS co-Presidents: Miranda Kwan & Jerry Joseph US President: Francis Spiekerman US Vice-President: Amy Nash

he 2013 Fall Semester is well on its way and the SCIS Pudong Community has been busier than ever! Led by the PAFA Board—parents, students, teachers and administration have been able to come together for many festive occasions. Our community here in Shanghai continues to strengthen and grow.

We have several more upcoming events and it is never too late to get involved in PAFA. Everyone is already a member! The Lower School will be holding their annual Winter Festival on December 14th and will be an event the students will not want to miss. On April 26th, the Upper and Lower Schools will join forces again to host the annual Art Auction. The Art Auction rivals Bingo Night in popularity and is sure to be another night of smashing success with the help and support of our SCIS Pudong Community. Our focus turns to the students, as parents and teachers enjoy the evening while admiring the spectacular artwork our children have made either on their own or in collaboration with teachers and parents. The live auction is certainly the highlight of the night, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Lower School’s philanthropic focus, MaiTian School, and Upper School’s philanthropies, WILL Foundation and Shanghai Healing Home. We hope that all our families will have a safe and happy holiday either here in Shanghai or wherever their travels may take them. Sandra Machan, co-US President Weili Liu, co-US President Katie Berkaw, co-LS President Lauren Pitts, co-LS President

PAFA Parents and Friends Association

For more information about PAFA, please contact us at:

Information about our activities: https://hz.scis-his.net/Pafa. Contact us at: pafa_hz@scischina.org Hongqiao PAFA President: HQ PAFA Co-President: Mun Chang roymun5@gmail.com Event Coordinator: Donna Bose events.scispafahq@gmail.com information.scispafahq@gmail.com

Pudong PAFA Chairs: Lower School: Lauren Pitts, laurenupitts@yahoo.com Katie Berkaw, katieberkaw@yahoo.com Upper School: Sandra Machan sandramachan@yahoo.com Weili Vlas, vlasliu@yahoo.com

SCIS-PUDONG

MEET THE TEACHER

The Hidden Depths of Art J amie Sanchez is the HIS K-12 Art Teacher. She has a Bachelors in Fine Arts and a Masters in Creative Studies. She has taught in Virginia, Mexico, Sudan, and now here in China. Additionally, she is a published author. This is her first year at HIS (along with her husband Andres Sanchez). Jamie recently sat down to talk to me about art, getting published, and an upcoming seminal moment.

I know this is an extremely tough question: but what is art? That question has been asked for decades. In my opinion, there isn’t a universal answer. The definition changes with time, cultures, and with individuals. What is your art story? How did you first get into it? Growing up I found that when I was creating some sort of art, I received the most encouragement. I remember doodling/ drawing on paper and sculpting play dough in my Grandmother’s kitchen when I was about 4 or 5. She gave me all kinds of complements on my work. I associate art with those warm feelings and memories. So when did you first think to yourself that you could make a career out of your passion for art? I took every art class I could in upper school and in university. Somewhere along the way, I decided that teaching was the best path for me. I liked working with children and combining art with that interest seemed perfect. You teach art for grades 2-12, what are some of the unique advantages of teaching such a wide range of students? It can be challenging and exhausting to teach such a range of ages, but I enjoy it. I have taught all grade levels throughout my career and I think I would feel as if I was missing out on something, if I went back to just teaching one level. I learn a lot from each age group. The way they view and approach projects is quite different. For many lower school students there is usually more than one right answer to a problem or challenge. They are pretty flexible and can adapt easily. This allows their creativity to flow through their artwork. Upper school students have had more practice manipulating art materials. Their artistic skills are usually higher and they can make deep connections between the art world and their personal experiences. Two months ago, something big happened. Tell me about your Creative Environment (a new book): [surprised] How did you find out about that? I finished my Masters of Science in Creative Studies in May. My Master’s project focused on a high school class called Creative Environments that I designed and implemented in Khartoum, Sudan. I taught the students how to use a method of creative problem solving in order to transform an outdoor area on our school’s campus into a place that sparked creativity and built community. I documented the process and my findings in my Master’s project. A publishing company who was interested in putting my work into a book format contacted me. You can now find it on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com. 34

Sometimes people don’t see art as creative problem solving, why should they see it that way? When faced with a problem, we usually create a vision of what it looks like to call the issue “fixed”. The difficult part is figuring out how to get there. In the last sixty years, a great deal of research has been done on creative thinking and problem solving. Researchers have found that there are many ways to approach a problem just as there are many ways to approach an artwork. We usually have a certain method we stick to. Einstein was once quoted in saying, “Most people stop looking when they find the proverbial needle in the haystack. I would continue looking to see if there were other needles.” In other words, there is usually more than one solution in solving a problem. Imagine that there is a ball of clay, a cup of water, a pile of pointed sticks, a ball of string, and a knife on a table in front of you. Your task (or problem) is to create a self-portrait. Artistic training or not, there is more than one right way of approaching this. You will most likely use any tidbits of knowledge you have stored in your head about how to manipulate clay. The creative process begins when you start pondering how to use the materials and how you will make your likeness out of the clay. Are the string and pointed sticks tools or media? Will the artwork be two or three-dimensional? Will the piece be abstract or realistic? What other tools or resources do you have available to help you in your pockets and around you? If you try a technique and it doesn’t work, will you keep trying other ways? The whole process is problem solving. You generate ideas, you may build on past knowledge, you might try new techniques, and you might have to think outside of the box and reach out of your comfort zone. What else should people know about you that they currently don’t know? I guess the biggest news is that my husband and I are expecting our first child in mid December. What are you currently working on? Currently I am working with my high school students on seven group projects. They were to choose a project that would help spread visual arts around the school. Two groups are producing large wall hanging mosaics, three are redesigning the teachers’ lounge and the student lounge, and the last two are painting murals. There will be some colorful additions to HIS for your viewing next time you visit.

COMMUNITY FEATURE

Did You Know That Performers from All Over the World Came Together for October’s Dynamix? T

he highly anticipated music festival, Dynamix, returned to SCIS from October 24th-26th. During the three days of the festival, the entire Hongqiao campus was buzzing with music rehearsals as well as performance workshops (dance, visual art, and drama). This year marked the 5th year of the Dynamix Music Festival at SCIS and saw the return of many talented guest directors.

The Dynamix Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble had the privilege of working with many fabulous muscians from around the world. Mr. Gary Gemberling, of the Gemberling Brothers, is the director of bands and trumpet professor at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. Mr. Alan Gemberling is a professor of music at the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho in Moscow. And Rick Glascock, from San Francisco and holder of a Masters in Music in Percussion Performacne from State Univesity of NY, is the head of the Middle School band program at SAS. For the choir component of Dynamix this year, Dan Bukvich returned to work with the SCIS choir classes on four of his compositions, two of which were performed in collaboration with members of the SCIS percussion ensemble. Mr. Bukvich hails from the state of Idaho, and is also a professor of music at the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho. Luis Coelho directed the Guitar Ensemble for the first time, which has grown to 77 members since last year. Luis is originally from Portugal and was selected as a top 20 finalist in Guitar Idol 2011, a worldwide talent search to find the hottest undiscovered guitarists from every corner of the globe. Luis chose a variety of popular songs for the concert. The orchestra had another great year at Dynamix. Dr. Peter

Moore again came up from Australia to work with all the intermediate and advanced orchestra high school students. They worked in full rehearsal and in sectionals on pieces such as the classical style “Sinfonia in G,” the virtuosic “Blue Fire Fiddler,” and even the memory-evoking “Lion King.” Of course, the most memorable was “Rosin Eating Zombies from Outer Space;” but you had to be there for the experience! In addition, Ms. Lifen Anthony was able to lead the 27 member Cello Ensemble in two pieces, capturing the full range of the popular string instrument. Finally, Ms. Emily Benjamin worked with our middle school and high school beginning string students and not only prepared classics like “Lightly Row,” but also taught techniques such as slurs. In all, the orchestra had another great year at the festival. The SCIS music faculty would like to thank all of the guest directors, sectional coaches, Mindy Ruskovich, and the Dynamix Faculty for all of the hard work that went into bringing the event back to SCIS this year. We would also like to thank the SCISHIS Board of Directors, Jeffry Stubbs, Rockey du Randt, and the SCIS administration, teachers, and parents for their outstanding support of music at SCIS. Finally, we would like to acknowledge our music students whose effort and talent shined throughout the festival! By: JOEL SUTTON Hongqiao Campus Desktop Publishing & Percussion Teacher JENNY PIGOTT Hongqiao Campus Band & Guitar Teacher SEAN WINCHESTER Hongqiao Campus Choir Teacher LEE POPHAL Hongqiao Campus Strings Teacher JASON MOTT Hongqiao High School Band & Middle School Guitar Teacher

ALUMNI PAGE

The

Alumni Association

Alumni Mission: The SCIS-HIS Alumni Association has been established in order to foster the continued cordial relations of the SCIS-HIS community. The Alumni Association seeks to generate and maintain the active interest of all SCIS-HIS alumni in its regular business. It will provide the alumni with regular opportunities to assemble and maintain valued relationships through the promotion of alumni events and communications.

Alumni Contact: Jonathan Paulson jpaulson@scischina.org

Alumni Requirements: 1. Graduated from a SCIS-HIS school OR 2. Went to school here for at least one year AND be over 18

Social Media facebook site: www.facebook.com/ SCISandHISalumni Linkedin site: www.linkedin.com/groups/ SCISHIS-Alumni-4757677

Upcoming Events June 2014 in Shanghai

Alumni Party Dec 21st, 2013 Saturday Night, 7pm-9pm at the Boxing Cat (Sinan Mansions) Unit 26A 519-521 Fu Xing Road Central

We will pay for the first drink and ensure there are some free appetizers. Please RSVP to Jpaulson@scischina.org

Anais Gallet

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Going from SCIS to a Top University

nais Gallet graduated from SCIS Pudong last year and has been studying at the University of Bristol in England (one of the top Universities in the world). She is currently pursuing a Mathematics degree and immersing herself in a different kind of new culture. Anais recently sat down with me to reflect on her past and peer into her future. When someone asks you about your high school, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? The community feeling. Due to its small size, you can actually get to know everybody in the school, which leads to SCIS becoming a big family where you can feel safe and cared for. Here at university, I go to lectures with 250 people, and if I cross my lecturer in the halls, he has no idea who I am. At SCIS, your teachers know you, and if you need help, they will always be happy to provide it. You’re at one of the world’s Top Universities, how well prepared do you feel coming from SCIS? When I consider my courses here, I think that SCIS was certainly a good preparation for my academic career at university. I am especially glad for having completed the International Baccalaureate. Although it was a very stressful and busy time, my two years in the IB prepared me for the workload at university, which seems very manageable now. What do you think the biggest difference coming from an international school is versus coming from a regular school in someone’s home country? The biggest difference in coming from an international school is definitely the readiness for diversity and the unknown. Of course, you acquire new and varied knowledge in any school, but an international school takes that a step further. Even outside of the classroom, you are always exposed to different cultures or ways of thinking. That “conditions” you to consider different perspectives and accept them. You’re French-German, went to high school in Shanghai, and now are attending University in England—how do you feel about that?

[laughing], good question. One hears so many warnings that children who grow up in different places will then end up being insecure and feeling like not belonging anywhere. But I don’t think that is true. I am glad I have seen so much and I am definitely going to continue to move around. 5 Years ago, when you first moved to Shanghai and attended SCIS, did you think you would be where you are today? 5 years ago, before I moved to Shanghai, I’m not sure I was even aware China existed! That may also have been due to my younger age, but I was definitely more ignorant and close-minded. Moving to Shanghai was an immense change. It was not easy at first, considering I barely spoke any English, no Chinese, and China was so different from Germany. But eventually Shanghai became a wonderful place and a real eye opener. I realized that if I could move from Germany to China, I could move to a lot of other places, explore a lot more corners of the world! Since then I think I have made up my mind that as long as it is possible, I will try to move around and see different parts of the world, not just by visiting them, but by living and therefore actually experiencing them. 5 Years from now, when you have graduated from school, what do you see yourself doing? That is a hard question. There are so many possibilities for the future! I am considering post-graduate studies in a more practical subject. I am really glad I chose Mathematics for my first degree, it is really enjoyable in its analytical and theoretical way. But I do not picture myself in research later on, so I guess acquiring necessary skills for other options would be important. Teaching, business management, finance, there are many ideas I have considered, but I have no yet made up my mind. What advice can you give to those in high school right now preparing to go to University? Don’t sweat it. I know I was really worried about university, about choosing the right place, the right subject, etc. The truth is that there are many possibilities out there, and it’s not about finding THE right one, since there are so many, but to find one that you feel will make you enjoy your time there.

PARTNER PAGE

A dynamic and diverse program at The Orange Dragon (De Oranje Draak)

e Oranje Draak is a learning focused School for Dutch Language and Culture with a history of 16 years of Dutch education in Shanghai. This year our team of 6 professional and passionate teachers teach at 5 different locations with 4 in Shanghai and 1 in Suzhou. We are recognized by The Dutch Ministry of Education, teaching approximately 180 students between the ages of 3-16 years old. For many years already, De Oranje Draak has a wonderful cooperation with SCIS Puxi and Pudong.

R3 students: Some of our students have a Dutch connection but do not speak the language at all. These students we offer a special Early Years Program with Dutch as their second or third language. Our goal is to reach the R2 level. When these children reach the R2 level they can participate in our program from grade 1 and up.

Diversity in opportunities for the future

Diversity in learning

The Dutch have a history of exploration, trading and travelling. This heritage is still alive with many Dutch and Belgian passport holders choosing Shanghai or Suzhou as their hometown for a number of years. Because of this adventurous spirit, learning different languages besides our mother tongue has always been important in our lives and is reflected in our national and institutional curriculum. But we also recognize that a strong foundation in the mother tongue offers our students the opportunity to learn a second or third language more easily. Additionally, a strong foundation allows them to hold on to their Dutch/Belgian identity and the opportunity towards an open future of studying back in The Netherlands/Belgian.

Diversity in our school population

R1 students: Most of our students will return back to the Netherlands or Belgium after a few years abroad. They use the Dutch language as their mother tongue and their Oranje Draak program will focus on offering Dutch as a first language. R2 students: For Dutch/Belgian children who lived abroad most of their lives or for those who use Dutch as a second language at home (mostly bilingual families) we offer a program with a

stronger focus on vocabulary. These students can if needed follow our primary program for 10 years instead of 8.

Most of our SCIS students follow the Dutch program integrated during the day school hours at SCIS HQ or ECE HQ. We also offer Dutch lessons after school hours for SCIS students who like to attend the Mandarin lessons at SCIS. For those students it is a long and intensive day! Inside the classroom, we make sure we make the learning fun and useful, offering a nice diversity of activities with a focus on new learning and consolidation, multiple intelligences, 21st century skills and interactive learning.

Diversity in our program

De Oranje Draak takes learning beyond the classroom. Besides our regular language lessons we offer a wonderful variety in cultural activities, like our weekly Dragonclub where students can participate in different cultural related activities. Additionally, we offer the opportunity for our students to join a trip to a Dutch/ Belgian company in Shanghai or Suzhou. We also offer two cultural days a year. Our last cultural day was a very inventive and creative one with a Dutch/Belgian design theme. With the help of Dutch Design Workspace Shanghai, KCAP architects and Link Design we added another wonderful day to our program.

SCIS Doing the IB the way it’s meant to be. CLASS OF 2013

individual learners who pursued academic excellence

students who engaged in arts and athletics

volunteers who committed to community service Average score:

world average 29.8

Anais Gallet Class of 2013

IB Score: 40 Accepted: University of St. Andrews Lancester University Durham University Attending: University of Bristol

Tour our state-of-the-art facilities by calling 86-21-6261-4338 x1 (Shanghai) or 86-571-8669-0045 (Hangzhou) www.scis-his.org HANGZHOU 40

• HONGQIAO • PUDONG

NURSERY – GRADE 12

The International School of Choice