SCIS-HIS Communitas Magazine September issue 2014

Shanghai Community International School & Hangzhou International School

September 2014

Welcome Back

SUPERINTENDENT ‘S LETTER

Dear SCIS-HIS Community, This is the “Back to School” edition of our Communitas magazine, a monthly publication that features some of the initiatives and accomplishments at our individual campuses and within our sisterhood of schools. Our aim within the following pages is not only to feature some of the happy faces of students, parents, and staff at each campus, but also to highlight the efforts we make in bringing our schools together and taking advantage of the opportunities presented in being three schools with one common vision and mission.

One of the peculiar qualities of being an international school community is that we tend to go on vacation in our “home” countries and then come back “home” to Shanghai and Hangzhou—places we know most would only consider vacation destinations. It is not surprising that our Open Houses, Welcome Back Barbeques, and Back-to-School Nights were so well attended. They are times to “catch up” with our school family, check out what is new, and rekindle our community spirit.

I want to take this opportunity to introduce a few new faces in charge at senior levels of responsibility this year. Lauri Klancke serves as our new SCIS-HIS Deputy Superintendent of Schools. Her most recent post was at Harare International School, and she has served in Nigeria and the USA as well. Jessica Rose joins us from Hawaii where she served as a school psychologist, and will now head our new system wide position of Director of Student Support Services. Katherine Brewer takes over as Head of School at our SCIS-Hongqiao Main Campus. She previously served at International Community School Addis Ababa, and she has worked in the Dominican Republic and USA. Also joining our administrative teams are Tina Santilli (SCIS-Hongqiao Middle School Principal) and Russell O’Neill (HIS Lower School Principal).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

We are all delighted to usher in the new school year 2014-15, though it seems so much has already happened! Three cheers to HIS for taking our first friendly competition between our sister schools… the highly coveted Dragon Cup. HIS takes the volleyball cup, and so begins the season!

GoooOOO Dragons!

FEATURES Superintendent’s Letter Administrator’s Letter Host Culture Curriculum: Performing Art Theme: Welcome Back to School

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS 03 Hangzhou 04 Pudong 05 Hongqiao 06-08 18-21

Communitas is the official magazine for the Shanghai Community International School and Hangzhou International School. Please contact us at: jpaulson@scischina.org 2

09-11 13-14 15-16

Jeffry R. Stubbs Superintendent of Schools

COMMUNITY Teacher Spotlight Coach Corner 21st Century Technology Student Spotlight Alumni Spotlight Educational Insights PAFA Safety Community The Librarians Corner

12 17 22 23 24-25 26-29 30 31 32-33 34

3

SUPERINTENDENT ‘S LETTER

Dear SCIS-HIS Community, This is the “Back to School” edition of our Communitas magazine, a monthly publication that features some of the initiatives and accomplishments at our individual campuses and within our sisterhood of schools. Our aim within the following pages is not only to feature some of the happy faces of students, parents, and staff at each campus, but also to highlight the efforts we make in bringing our schools together and taking advantage of the opportunities presented in being three schools with one common vision and mission.

One of the peculiar qualities of being an international school community is that we tend to go on vacation in our “home” countries and then come back “home” to Shanghai and Hangzhou—places we know most would only consider vacation destinations. It is not surprising that our Open Houses, Welcome Back Barbeques, and Back-to-School Nights were so well attended. They are times to “catch up” with our school family, check out what is new, and rekindle our community spirit.

I want to take this opportunity to introduce a few new faces in charge at senior levels of responsibility this year. Lauri Klancke serves as our new SCIS-HIS Deputy Superintendent of Schools. Her most recent post was at Harare International School, and she has served in Nigeria and the USA as well. Jessica Rose joins us from Hawaii where she served as a school psychologist, and will now head our new system wide position of Director of Student Support Services. Katherine Brewer takes over as Head of School at our SCIS-Hongqiao Main Campus. She previously served at International Community School Addis Ababa, and she has worked in the Dominican Republic and USA. Also joining our administrative teams are Tina Santilli (SCIS-Hongqiao Middle School Principal) and Russell O’Neill (HIS Lower School Principal).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

We are all delighted to usher in the new school year 2014-15, though it seems so much has already happened! Three cheers to HIS for taking our first friendly competition between our sister schools… the highly coveted Dragon Cup. HIS takes the volleyball cup, and so begins the season!

GoooOOO Dragons!

FEATURES Superintendent’s Letter Administrator’s Letter Host Culture Curriculum: Performing Art Theme: Welcome Back to School

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS 03 Hangzhou 04 Pudong 05 Hongqiao 06-08 18-21

Communitas is the official magazine for the Shanghai Community International School and Hangzhou International School. Please contact us at: jpaulson@scischina.org 2

09-11 13-14 15-16

Jeffry R. Stubbs Superintendent of Schools

COMMUNITY Teacher Spotlight Coach Corner 21st Century Technology Student Spotlight Alumni Spotlight Educational Insights PAFA Safety Community The Librarians Corner

12 17 22 23 24-25 26-29 30 31 32-33 34

3

ADMINISTRATOR’S LETTER

HOST CULTURE

The Mid-Autumn Festival

From the Admissions Office

W

elcome to the 2014-2015 school year! The admissions team would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new families joining the SCIS community for the first time as well as to all our returning families. We really appreciate all the support returning families provide our new families as they make their transition to a new city and a new school. Our students are already fully engaged in their classrooms as well as their after school activities. On August 14th, our campuses welcomed over 344 new students and parents. We have students from over 63 nationalities, making SCIS a truly international community.

you were not able to fill out the survey and are still willing to share your thoughts, please know that the survey is still open.

New families can fill out the survey anonymously by copying the following links into your web browser.

Hongqiao campus and Pudong campus combined survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M2CMHN6 Hangzhou campus survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LN9GRSV To all our families, one housekeeping note, please make sure that the divisional secretaries at your respective campuses have your most up to date information. If you moved over the summer or have a new phone/cell number, please let the divisional secretaries know so they can update PowerSchool. It is important that the school has this information.

As always thank you for your continual support to our SCIS community and to our new families. Our entire community —parents, friends, and alumni—are an important part of the success of Admissions. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

However, in international schools the admissions process is never over and the admissions office team is still enrolling students as well as looking forward to the 2015-2016 school year.

The admission office would also like to thank all our new families who completed our admission survey. Your feedback is vital in helping us know how to improve upon serving our families. If

By ANNE HUNT SCIS - HIS Director of Admissions Looking Ahead…..

September 29th to October 3rd - No School - National Holiday October 10th - End of First Quarter November 1st - Deadline for 2nd semester payments

W

e were all very pleased to have a day off on September 8th to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is considered the second most important festival in China after the Chinese New Year. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month according to the Chinese Lunar calendar, which is the exact midst of autumn, hence the name of Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes, and appreciate the round moon. At night, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest, an auspicious symbol of abundance, harmony, and luck. The full moon is also a symbol for family reunion, which is why that day is also known as the Festival of Reunion.

However, those who cannot return home will watch the bright moon and feel deep longing for their loved ones. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant moon cakes of many varieties with a cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the little ones run around with their brightly-lit lanterns. People also enjoy guessing the riddles on the lanterns with family and friends.

4

If you had a chance to visit our Mandarin classes during the week of the festival, you would have been impressed to see a variety of activities taking place in our Lower School, Middle School, and High School classrooms at our Hongqiao campus. For example, our Lower School students learned the traditions and the legend story of Change. In addition, each student designed and painted a fan using Chinese paintbrush and ink. In Middle school, our students learned the significance of the festival and designed posters to illustrate the festival. In High School, our students not only learned poems, but also played guessing games using the language they have learned. Some of the students even got the chance to eat the moon cakes for the first time ever. It was exciting to see our Mandarin students enjoying the various language activities in the classrooms, and as a result, they have become more appreciative of our host country culture.

By HELEN HE Hongqiao Campus Upper School Mandarin Teacher and Coordinator

5

ADMINISTRATOR’S LETTER

HOST CULTURE

The Mid-Autumn Festival

From the Admissions Office

W

elcome to the 2014-2015 school year! The admissions team would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new families joining the SCIS community for the first time as well as to all our returning families. We really appreciate all the support returning families provide our new families as they make their transition to a new city and a new school. Our students are already fully engaged in their classrooms as well as their after school activities. On August 14th, our campuses welcomed over 344 new students and parents. We have students from over 63 nationalities, making SCIS a truly international community.

you were not able to fill out the survey and are still willing to share your thoughts, please know that the survey is still open.

New families can fill out the survey anonymously by copying the following links into your web browser.

Hongqiao campus and Pudong campus combined survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M2CMHN6 Hangzhou campus survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LN9GRSV To all our families, one housekeeping note, please make sure that the divisional secretaries at your respective campuses have your most up to date information. If you moved over the summer or have a new phone/cell number, please let the divisional secretaries know so they can update PowerSchool. It is important that the school has this information.

As always thank you for your continual support to our SCIS community and to our new families. Our entire community —parents, friends, and alumni—are an important part of the success of Admissions. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

However, in international schools the admissions process is never over and the admissions office team is still enrolling students as well as looking forward to the 2015-2016 school year.

The admission office would also like to thank all our new families who completed our admission survey. Your feedback is vital in helping us know how to improve upon serving our families. If

By ANNE HUNT SCIS - HIS Director of Admissions Looking Ahead…..

September 29th to October 3rd - No School - National Holiday October 10th - End of First Quarter November 1st - Deadline for 2nd semester payments

W

e were all very pleased to have a day off on September 8th to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is considered the second most important festival in China after the Chinese New Year. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month according to the Chinese Lunar calendar, which is the exact midst of autumn, hence the name of Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is an evening celebration when families gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes, and appreciate the round moon. At night, the moon appears to be at its roundest and brightest, an auspicious symbol of abundance, harmony, and luck. The full moon is also a symbol for family reunion, which is why that day is also known as the Festival of Reunion.

However, those who cannot return home will watch the bright moon and feel deep longing for their loved ones. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant moon cakes of many varieties with a cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the little ones run around with their brightly-lit lanterns. People also enjoy guessing the riddles on the lanterns with family and friends.

4

If you had a chance to visit our Mandarin classes during the week of the festival, you would have been impressed to see a variety of activities taking place in our Lower School, Middle School, and High School classrooms at our Hongqiao campus. For example, our Lower School students learned the traditions and the legend story of Change. In addition, each student designed and painted a fan using Chinese paintbrush and ink. In Middle school, our students learned the significance of the festival and designed posters to illustrate the festival. In High School, our students not only learned poems, but also played guessing games using the language they have learned. Some of the students even got the chance to eat the moon cakes for the first time ever. It was exciting to see our Mandarin students enjoying the various language activities in the classrooms, and as a result, they have become more appreciative of our host country culture.

By HELEN HE Hongqiao Campus Upper School Mandarin Teacher and Coordinator

5

CURRICULUM FEATURE

CURRICULUM FEATURE

What is

“I-Scream” for Science

Science?

Blowing things up is also a crowd pleaser, and something we like to do as much as possible. Lighting a hydrogen filled balloon is a dramatic demonstration, really makes it easy for students to focus on the observation skills that we are working on. The photos illustrate the hydrogen balloon observation experience.

O

ur goal at SCIS is for science to be driven by hands-on learning. When students have the opportunity to do science, it becomes easier for them to talk about it and understand it.

“What is Science?” This is the question on every student’s mind as they enter grade 9 at SCIS Pudong as they begin their first year of high school. They stare blankly at me as I probe them for answers, hoping that I will not call on them. It may seem like such a simple question, but it somehow seems to have people stumped.

“How can we study something if we do not know what it is?”

Eyes start to shift as I ask this question. Finally brave volunteers begin to provide suggestions and a discussion ensues.

To me science is a way to systematically study the world around us and build an understanding based on evidence that is collected and analyzed. Science is everything: bridges, atoms, clothes, perfumes, food, and so much more. It is important for students to understand the world around them, what its made up of and how it works.

WHY DID I BECOME A SCIENTIST? For me as a young girl I was always interested in the world around me and how it worked. I was a member of every science club in high school and always found science to be challenging and fun. I embraced the challenge in college when I took my first job as a lab technician in an environmental chemistry lab and then again as a tech in an operating room at a hospital. While I loved science, I did not like the isolation that sometimes came with in in the labs, so I decided to take my love and become a teacher. This way I am able to explore my passion on a daily basis and inspire a new generation of scientists.

HOW DO WE STUDY SCIENCE AT SCIS? 6

Here we focus on building inquiry-based learners and really emphasizing the understanding of the process of scientific investigation. Each student is given the opportunity to get a hands-on experience in a science lab where they can learn new skills and techniques on a daily basis. My best teachers and mentors growing up were the ones who believed you could do things yourself and gave you the chance to do so under guided supervision. So that’s why here at SCIS Pudong the students are given trust from their teacher and a safe environment to explore the different topics and develop themselves as young scientists.

We do not believe in giving the answers, but rather guidance and the tools and development of the skills needed to collect the evidence that will help them determine the answer themselves.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF SCIENCE AT SCIS? At SCIS Pudong we are constantly in the lab “getting our hands dirty.” Students are given freedom to design their own lab experiments and work in groups with their classmates. We use a variety of learning and techniques outside of lab too, such as projects, debates over controversial issues, videos and documentaries and so much more. We pride ourselves in making science relevant and showing students first hand how it relates to their everyday life. Students have fun as they learn, especially with smore labs, games/puzzles and dry ice bomb experiments (in IB Chemistry of course!). Students leave our school with a deep understanding and appreciate (or LOVE) of science and many go on to study in college.

By ELLEN KING Pudong Campus Upper School HS Science and IB Chemistry Teacher

We kick off the year by doing Oobleck (similar to slime) and Ice Cream labs. These experiments allow students to experience first hand, the concepts of Non-Newtonian fluids and colligative properties. It’s surprising how much chemistry is involved with simple activities like making a tasty “i-scream” treat. Without the labs, the students have a hard time really understanding what the words and concepts mean. They become concrete when the student has the chance to use them to their benefit.

It has also been our experience that if students develop a positive attitude toward the subject at the beginning of the year, they are more likely to be engaged and successful throughout the course.

So when students start the year with a fun and interesting lab, they can reap the benefits all year long.

I believe one of the strengths of our program is the “kids teaching kids” approach. It is one of the most rewarding and effective focuses of the science program.

Many of the activities that students complete are used to help teach another grade level about a science concept. Students in the 8th grade recently completed educational games, which are then played by 7th graders to learn about laboratory equipment and measuring concepts.

Activities such as the game development meet other learning objectives as well. By allowing the students to choose and design their games, they are able to differentiate their learning styles and also emphasize their personal strengths. Our large population of ESOL students can create games that don’t require as much English expertise, and students that have a hard time sitting still can develop games involving hand-eye coordination. Photos below show 7th grade students playing the games created by 8th graders.

With so many developments in technology and science in recent years, there is no limit to amazing science to study in the world.

A stream of demonstrations helps kids see how properties of nature can allow us to control objects in unexpected ways.

For example, the picture below illustrates the situation where putting a ball in a funnel and blowing through it has the opposite effect than students expect: instead of pushing the ball out, the Bernoulli Principle creates a net pressure back into the funnel, and the ball can be suspended upside down.

During the course of the year, students will share their knowledge in a variety of areas. Lower school children will visit the lab to learn about pig heart and frog dissections, as well as static electricity. The timing and communication required to organize vertical sharing experiences can be challenging to coordinate, but we believe the benefits are well worth it.

7

CURRICULUM FEATURE

CURRICULUM FEATURE

What is

“I-Scream” for Science

Science?

Blowing things up is also a crowd pleaser, and something we like to do as much as possible. Lighting a hydrogen filled balloon is a dramatic demonstration, really makes it easy for students to focus on the observation skills that we are working on. The photos illustrate the hydrogen balloon observation experience.

O

ur goal at SCIS is for science to be driven by hands-on learning. When students have the opportunity to do science, it becomes easier for them to talk about it and understand it.

“What is Science?” This is the question on every student’s mind as they enter grade 9 at SCIS Pudong as they begin their first year of high school. They stare blankly at me as I probe them for answers, hoping that I will not call on them. It may seem like such a simple question, but it somehow seems to have people stumped.

“How can we study something if we do not know what it is?”

Eyes start to shift as I ask this question. Finally brave volunteers begin to provide suggestions and a discussion ensues.

To me science is a way to systematically study the world around us and build an understanding based on evidence that is collected and analyzed. Science is everything: bridges, atoms, clothes, perfumes, food, and so much more. It is important for students to understand the world around them, what its made up of and how it works.

WHY DID I BECOME A SCIENTIST? For me as a young girl I was always interested in the world around me and how it worked. I was a member of every science club in high school and always found science to be challenging and fun. I embraced the challenge in college when I took my first job as a lab technician in an environmental chemistry lab and then again as a tech in an operating room at a hospital. While I loved science, I did not like the isolation that sometimes came with in in the labs, so I decided to take my love and become a teacher. This way I am able to explore my passion on a daily basis and inspire a new generation of scientists.

HOW DO WE STUDY SCIENCE AT SCIS? 6

Here we focus on building inquiry-based learners and really emphasizing the understanding of the process of scientific investigation. Each student is given the opportunity to get a hands-on experience in a science lab where they can learn new skills and techniques on a daily basis. My best teachers and mentors growing up were the ones who believed you could do things yourself and gave you the chance to do so under guided supervision. So that’s why here at SCIS Pudong the students are given trust from their teacher and a safe environment to explore the different topics and develop themselves as young scientists.

We do not believe in giving the answers, but rather guidance and the tools and development of the skills needed to collect the evidence that will help them determine the answer themselves.

WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF SCIENCE AT SCIS? At SCIS Pudong we are constantly in the lab “getting our hands dirty.” Students are given freedom to design their own lab experiments and work in groups with their classmates. We use a variety of learning and techniques outside of lab too, such as projects, debates over controversial issues, videos and documentaries and so much more. We pride ourselves in making science relevant and showing students first hand how it relates to their everyday life. Students have fun as they learn, especially with smore labs, games/puzzles and dry ice bomb experiments (in IB Chemistry of course!). Students leave our school with a deep understanding and appreciate (or LOVE) of science and many go on to study in college.

By ELLEN KING Pudong Campus Upper School HS Science and IB Chemistry Teacher

We kick off the year by doing Oobleck (similar to slime) and Ice Cream labs. These experiments allow students to experience first hand, the concepts of Non-Newtonian fluids and colligative properties. It’s surprising how much chemistry is involved with simple activities like making a tasty “i-scream” treat. Without the labs, the students have a hard time really understanding what the words and concepts mean. They become concrete when the student has the chance to use them to their benefit.

It has also been our experience that if students develop a positive attitude toward the subject at the beginning of the year, they are more likely to be engaged and successful throughout the course.

So when students start the year with a fun and interesting lab, they can reap the benefits all year long.

I believe one of the strengths of our program is the “kids teaching kids” approach. It is one of the most rewarding and effective focuses of the science program.

Many of the activities that students complete are used to help teach another grade level about a science concept. Students in the 8th grade recently completed educational games, which are then played by 7th graders to learn about laboratory equipment and measuring concepts.

Activities such as the game development meet other learning objectives as well. By allowing the students to choose and design their games, they are able to differentiate their learning styles and also emphasize their personal strengths. Our large population of ESOL students can create games that don’t require as much English expertise, and students that have a hard time sitting still can develop games involving hand-eye coordination. Photos below show 7th grade students playing the games created by 8th graders.

With so many developments in technology and science in recent years, there is no limit to amazing science to study in the world.

A stream of demonstrations helps kids see how properties of nature can allow us to control objects in unexpected ways.

For example, the picture below illustrates the situation where putting a ball in a funnel and blowing through it has the opposite effect than students expect: instead of pushing the ball out, the Bernoulli Principle creates a net pressure back into the funnel, and the ball can be suspended upside down.

During the course of the year, students will share their knowledge in a variety of areas. Lower school children will visit the lab to learn about pig heart and frog dissections, as well as static electricity. The timing and communication required to organize vertical sharing experiences can be challenging to coordinate, but we believe the benefits are well worth it.

7

CURRICULUM FEATURE

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS

Becoming an

International Baccalaureate School at HIS

T

their drama classes. The partnership was initiated by drama staff, and came as a surprise, since it was not a discipline that we would normally identify for such joint efforts.

Teachers at SCIS have show shown a tremendous enthusiasm for creating learning opportunities between grade levels, and the kids’ responses have been overwhelmingly positive.

This year, we are excited to be adding the drama department to our list of collaborators. The science program typically utilizes drama to act out key cell theory, but now students will also be exposed to selected science vocabulary and concepts while in

8

Although science concepts are important, a focus on “learning how to learn” helps students long after they have finished their science studies. We watch videos about memorization techniques and practice with mnemonics to develop study skills. Our goal is to learn “quick and easy” rather than suggesting that kids spend more time using ineffective study techniques.

At the end of the day, the most important thing for students is that they are seeing how amazing and interesting science can be.

When the kids are having fun, the learning follows naturally...

by JOHN GEISEN-KISCH Hongqiao Campus Middle School Science Teacher

OK, EE, CAS, IB, DP, SEN, OCC, SSST, Lang A, Lang B, Group 4……(looking dizzy) What!? Thus began Hangzhou International School’s dive into the deep end of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. To put the process into perspective, I like to remind our staff that the initial steps in the journey to become an IB school began shortly after my wife told me she was pregnant. Klara (our daughter) is now walking, talking and wearing an HIS uniform in our Nursery school.

knowledge and beliefs and weigh them against new ways of thinking and knowing.

Once we figured out what all the acronyms stood for we began the process of becoming an IB World School. As with any seemingly overwhelming task, we broke it down into smaller, more manageable pieces and developed a comprehensive action plan that utilized the talents of all the staff. Committees were formed. Documents were created. Workshops were attended.

Documents were submitted. Members of the community were informed. More documents were submitted. Meetings were held. And finally, after a visit from two very helpful representatives from the IB, HIS’s IB Status shifted from Candidate to Authorized!

We are fortunate to work for an organization that understands the Diploma Program is a two-year program that works best when there is staff and student continuity along with supporting the ongoing commitment to professional development.

SCIS-HIS provides a wealth of resources for IB DP teachers, most importantly access to each other. This is perhaps one of the greatest side-benefits of embarking on the Diploma Program—continued and meaningful collaboration amongst our teachers. Much like challenging our students, we educators also enjoy challenging ourselves.

HIS is in a unique position in that virtually all of our IB teachers, not to mention the DP Coordinator, were completely new to the program. While this presented certain challenges, it also provided a fresh perspective in tailoring the IB DP Program to fit the needs of HIS and our community. Our IB teachers became a community of learners with a unified goal of creating a comprehensive, integrated approach to teaching that focused on student skills and outcomes. This has also forced our community to look at the “what” and “how” of student learning in the years leading up to Grade 11.

While TOK gives students opportunities to think differency, CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) gives students opportunities to act differently. Watching a student plan, design and implement a community service project like a homework club is much more powerful than supervising a student who just showed up to babysit.

By Kory Indahl HIS Upper School Principal

One of the most exciting parts of the IB is the CAS and TOK components. As educators we are often so caught up in what we are trying to teach students that we rarely have time to reflect on how we think and what it means to “know” something. Theory of Knowledge is one of those rare classes that teachers fight over who gets to teach it (because they all kinda already do). This is a class where students get to see the connections between the things they are learning. They are provided with the opportunity to reflect on their current 9

CURRICULUM FEATURE

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS

Becoming an

International Baccalaureate School at HIS

T

their drama classes. The partnership was initiated by drama staff, and came as a surprise, since it was not a discipline that we would normally identify for such joint efforts.

Teachers at SCIS have show shown a tremendous enthusiasm for creating learning opportunities between grade levels, and the kids’ responses have been overwhelmingly positive.

This year, we are excited to be adding the drama department to our list of collaborators. The science program typically utilizes drama to act out key cell theory, but now students will also be exposed to selected science vocabulary and concepts while in

8

Although science concepts are important, a focus on “learning how to learn” helps students long after they have finished their science studies. We watch videos about memorization techniques and practice with mnemonics to develop study skills. Our goal is to learn “quick and easy” rather than suggesting that kids spend more time using ineffective study techniques.

At the end of the day, the most important thing for students is that they are seeing how amazing and interesting science can be.

When the kids are having fun, the learning follows naturally...

by JOHN GEISEN-KISCH Hongqiao Campus Middle School Science Teacher

OK, EE, CAS, IB, DP, SEN, OCC, SSST, Lang A, Lang B, Group 4……(looking dizzy) What!? Thus began Hangzhou International School’s dive into the deep end of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. To put the process into perspective, I like to remind our staff that the initial steps in the journey to become an IB school began shortly after my wife told me she was pregnant. Klara (our daughter) is now walking, talking and wearing an HIS uniform in our Nursery school.

knowledge and beliefs and weigh them against new ways of thinking and knowing.

Once we figured out what all the acronyms stood for we began the process of becoming an IB World School. As with any seemingly overwhelming task, we broke it down into smaller, more manageable pieces and developed a comprehensive action plan that utilized the talents of all the staff. Committees were formed. Documents were created. Workshops were attended.

Documents were submitted. Members of the community were informed. More documents were submitted. Meetings were held. And finally, after a visit from two very helpful representatives from the IB, HIS’s IB Status shifted from Candidate to Authorized!

We are fortunate to work for an organization that understands the Diploma Program is a two-year program that works best when there is staff and student continuity along with supporting the ongoing commitment to professional development.

SCIS-HIS provides a wealth of resources for IB DP teachers, most importantly access to each other. This is perhaps one of the greatest side-benefits of embarking on the Diploma Program—continued and meaningful collaboration amongst our teachers. Much like challenging our students, we educators also enjoy challenging ourselves.

HIS is in a unique position in that virtually all of our IB teachers, not to mention the DP Coordinator, were completely new to the program. While this presented certain challenges, it also provided a fresh perspective in tailoring the IB DP Program to fit the needs of HIS and our community. Our IB teachers became a community of learners with a unified goal of creating a comprehensive, integrated approach to teaching that focused on student skills and outcomes. This has also forced our community to look at the “what” and “how” of student learning in the years leading up to Grade 11.

While TOK gives students opportunities to think differency, CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) gives students opportunities to act differently. Watching a student plan, design and implement a community service project like a homework club is much more powerful than supervising a student who just showed up to babysit.

By Kory Indahl HIS Upper School Principal

One of the most exciting parts of the IB is the CAS and TOK components. As educators we are often so caught up in what we are trying to teach students that we rarely have time to reflect on how we think and what it means to “know” something. Theory of Knowledge is one of those rare classes that teachers fight over who gets to teach it (because they all kinda already do). This is a class where students get to see the connections between the things they are learning. They are provided with the opportunity to reflect on their current 9

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS

I

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

t’s that time of year again! Back to school time! Although it may be time to trade in our swimsuits and beach towels for backpacks and pencils, I have no doubt that our entire community is ready and excited for another new school year!

Back home in Canada, a well-known school supply company begins airing the same television commercial around this time every year. The song, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” can be heard playing in the background. Parents are seen skipping around happily adding items to their shopping cart while their children, looking sad and unimpressed, follow behind slowly.

Whether you’re a student, a parent, or even a teacher, the necessary transition one must make from summer vacation mode to school mode can sometimes be challenging. Some may even find themselves maneuvering through the stages of grief; at first denying the fact that those long, lazy, carefree days of summer have passed by (at least until next year) and then finally coming to accept that the memories made will indeed last a lifetime and the learning that awaits seems just as exciting and adventurous!

Here are some tips that may help make the transition a little more manageable!

Routines, Routines, Routines!

Although the school year has indeed begun, it is never too late to implement routines that can benefit your child all throughout the year. Why not start today? Start slow, so as not to overwhelm your child. Involving them in the conversation will also encourage them to take ownership when it comes to completing the agreed upon tasks. Checklists are a great tool that can help your child organize and remember what he or she needs to do.

The routines you devise may be as individual as your own child and therefore, will require the cooperation and support of all family members. Morning, homework and bedtime routines are among some of the possibilities to consider.

As we all know, a good night’s sleep for children (and adults) is extremely important. There are several studies that will argue

the benefits of varying amounts of sleep. Some claim that 8 hours is the magic number while others believe that 6 or 7 hours is enough. The important point is that your child wakes up rested and refreshed and is in the best possible position to receive the new and exciting information that awaits them.

Get Involved!

We offer a fantastic after school activities program! Whenever possible, ensure that your child is involved. Our enthusiastic team of teachers have started off the year great with ASA’s for everyone – soccer, 3D puzzle building, hula hoop dance, dodgeball, running club, chess, study skills, gymnastics, Mandarin and even Kung Fu. Incredibly, these are just a few of the many ASA’s being offered this quarter!

Healthy Snacks, Healthy Minds!

Try your best to ensure that your child comes to school equipped with the tools for success – backpack, homework folder (don’t forget your homework folder!), water bottle, and healthy snack options.

Let’s Communicate!

Keeping the lines of communication open with your child is essential! All too often, your child may come home from school and after being asked what they have learned that day; you hear the same response, “Nothing.” How can one word break the hearts of so many teachers? It can’t be true. That same child, that same day, just gained confidence in counting by 10’s all the way up to 100! They also just learned how to incorporate onomatopoeia into their writing for the very first time! BAM! Maybe, just maybe, they’re used to saying, “Nothing.” Ask them specific questions about their day. Who did they sit with at lunch? What was their classroom job that day? Get them to tell you 3 new things that they learned. This discussion not only creates memorable conversations with your child but also reinforces the learning that did in fact take place that day!

Best wishes for an exciting, imaginative and eventful school year!

By Tanya Jensen HIS Grade 1 Teacher

I’ve Been Everywhere Man? I

’ve been everywhere man. Well, not really. But returning to HIS and seeing the bright faces of students, families and fellow staff, it’s hard to think of an area of the world not represented or explored.

In my first year at HIS, it has been really fun discovering some of the differences in culture. Take language differences for instance—even between English speaking Australians and Americans—has been eye opening, and that doesn’t even mention different language altogether. Learning different spellings of the same word, catching on to new slang words and discovering that some words aren’t familiar with different groups has been a regular topic of conversation. Being exposed to new food has also been a major plus to this school community. Delicious moon cakes, scrumptious Lebanese rice, yummy sushi, mouth-watering curries and Korean BBQ were a big part of last year’s diet and I can’t wait for more.

Far more than any other type of school, international schools provide diversity of culture. The nature of our international families and staff means we open our minds to a more global world. Travelling in the recent summer vacation allowed me to see new countries with a new perspective because they are home to many of my students and their families. Our holiday saw us in Qatar, Greece, Hungry, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and France. It was a wonderful trip where we could both relax after a very busy school year and also see new sights.

But a surprising bonus of the trip was the regular connections to students we could make while visiting their home countries. Even better is being able to talk to students about their home countries with the first hand experience of being there. The first month of school I have been talking about the Turkish baths in Budapest, Greek monuments, and the delicious foods in Paris to Turks, Greeks, and Parisians respectively.

While talking to my students is always enjoyable for me, even more enjoyable is seeing and hearing them interact with each other. They freely share their cultural knowledge, helping the whole group grow to be truly global citizens. These are students who genuinely don’t appear to notice colour (color if you are American), students who flow between multiple languages without thinking about it, and students whose diet is more international than mine. The incidental exposure to different cultures helps these students develop into people who don’t think to focus on differences but rather focus on the similarities. They are very lucky to have that opportunity, and I continually feel lucky to be a part of it too!

By Jeremy Maher HIS Grade 4 Teacher

10

11

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS

I

HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

t’s that time of year again! Back to school time! Although it may be time to trade in our swimsuits and beach towels for backpacks and pencils, I have no doubt that our entire community is ready and excited for another new school year!

Back home in Canada, a well-known school supply company begins airing the same television commercial around this time every year. The song, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” can be heard playing in the background. Parents are seen skipping around happily adding items to their shopping cart while their children, looking sad and unimpressed, follow behind slowly.

Whether you’re a student, a parent, or even a teacher, the necessary transition one must make from summer vacation mode to school mode can sometimes be challenging. Some may even find themselves maneuvering through the stages of grief; at first denying the fact that those long, lazy, carefree days of summer have passed by (at least until next year) and then finally coming to accept that the memories made will indeed last a lifetime and the learning that awaits seems just as exciting and adventurous!

Here are some tips that may help make the transition a little more manageable!

Routines, Routines, Routines!

Although the school year has indeed begun, it is never too late to implement routines that can benefit your child all throughout the year. Why not start today? Start slow, so as not to overwhelm your child. Involving them in the conversation will also encourage them to take ownership when it comes to completing the agreed upon tasks. Checklists are a great tool that can help your child organize and remember what he or she needs to do.

The routines you devise may be as individual as your own child and therefore, will require the cooperation and support of all family members. Morning, homework and bedtime routines are among some of the possibilities to consider.

As we all know, a good night’s sleep for children (and adults) is extremely important. There are several studies that will argue

the benefits of varying amounts of sleep. Some claim that 8 hours is the magic number while others believe that 6 or 7 hours is enough. The important point is that your child wakes up rested and refreshed and is in the best possible position to receive the new and exciting information that awaits them.

Get Involved!

We offer a fantastic after school activities program! Whenever possible, ensure that your child is involved. Our enthusiastic team of teachers have started off the year great with ASA’s for everyone – soccer, 3D puzzle building, hula hoop dance, dodgeball, running club, chess, study skills, gymnastics, Mandarin and even Kung Fu. Incredibly, these are just a few of the many ASA’s being offered this quarter!

Healthy Snacks, Healthy Minds!

Try your best to ensure that your child comes to school equipped with the tools for success – backpack, homework folder (don’t forget your homework folder!), water bottle, and healthy snack options.

Let’s Communicate!

Keeping the lines of communication open with your child is essential! All too often, your child may come home from school and after being asked what they have learned that day; you hear the same response, “Nothing.” How can one word break the hearts of so many teachers? It can’t be true. That same child, that same day, just gained confidence in counting by 10’s all the way up to 100! They also just learned how to incorporate onomatopoeia into their writing for the very first time! BAM! Maybe, just maybe, they’re used to saying, “Nothing.” Ask them specific questions about their day. Who did they sit with at lunch? What was their classroom job that day? Get them to tell you 3 new things that they learned. This discussion not only creates memorable conversations with your child but also reinforces the learning that did in fact take place that day!

Best wishes for an exciting, imaginative and eventful school year!

By Tanya Jensen HIS Grade 1 Teacher

I’ve Been Everywhere Man? I

’ve been everywhere man. Well, not really. But returning to HIS and seeing the bright faces of students, families and fellow staff, it’s hard to think of an area of the world not represented or explored.

In my first year at HIS, it has been really fun discovering some of the differences in culture. Take language differences for instance—even between English speaking Australians and Americans—has been eye opening, and that doesn’t even mention different language altogether. Learning different spellings of the same word, catching on to new slang words and discovering that some words aren’t familiar with different groups has been a regular topic of conversation. Being exposed to new food has also been a major plus to this school community. Delicious moon cakes, scrumptious Lebanese rice, yummy sushi, mouth-watering curries and Korean BBQ were a big part of last year’s diet and I can’t wait for more.

Far more than any other type of school, international schools provide diversity of culture. The nature of our international families and staff means we open our minds to a more global world. Travelling in the recent summer vacation allowed me to see new countries with a new perspective because they are home to many of my students and their families. Our holiday saw us in Qatar, Greece, Hungry, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and France. It was a wonderful trip where we could both relax after a very busy school year and also see new sights.

But a surprising bonus of the trip was the regular connections to students we could make while visiting their home countries. Even better is being able to talk to students about their home countries with the first hand experience of being there. The first month of school I have been talking about the Turkish baths in Budapest, Greek monuments, and the delicious foods in Paris to Turks, Greeks, and Parisians respectively.

While talking to my students is always enjoyable for me, even more enjoyable is seeing and hearing them interact with each other. They freely share their cultural knowledge, helping the whole group grow to be truly global citizens. These are students who genuinely don’t appear to notice colour (color if you are American), students who flow between multiple languages without thinking about it, and students whose diet is more international than mine. The incidental exposure to different cultures helps these students develop into people who don’t think to focus on differences but rather focus on the similarities. They are very lucky to have that opportunity, and I continually feel lucky to be a part of it too!

By Jeremy Maher HIS Grade 4 Teacher

10

11

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

Ms. Cristina Peláez A Decade of SCIS Kindergarten Teaching

C

ristina Peláez is entering into her 10th year of teaching kindergarten at SCIS. Throughout that time not only has she been excellent in the classroom, but also she has been a huge help mentoring new teachers who arrive in Shanghai. With an international background herself, multiple degrees, and a community spirit, she embodies the SCIS-HIS spirit. Luckily, I was able to get her to sit down with me….

Whoa, 10 years teaching SCIS Kindergarteners!

What keeps bringing you back year after year?

It is the actual teaching of Kindergarten that keeps calling me back.

I just love it! I still get goose bumps to witness the sheer amount of positive changes these children go through within a single school year. It is truly amazing and so rewarding! I taught multiple grades in the past, including upper primary, high school, and adults; honestly, there is nothing that compares to the exhilaration of seeing these children blossom in every possible aspect.

Talk to me about some of the changes you have seen at SCIS since you started till now.

Our curriculum has changed a lot since I first worked at the Changning campus back in 2005. Enormous time and effort has been invested in adopting curricular frameworks that are renown in the international teaching community, and that has definitely benefited the children we teach, specifically the Reading and Writing Workshops. It is mind-blowing what our children are capable of.

I know you’re Latin by heart. But Shanghai is long way from Colombia. How do you remain connected to your heritage?

I have a close group of friends that have also found a home here in Shanghai. We meet often and we try to keep some of our traditions alive, like our Novenas during Christmas time. I have close ties with our Consul and his family, and I attend consulate events when I can. Another strong connection to other Colombians is through dancing. I am very proud of my Colombian friends who are probably the best salsa band in town. Finally, I also try to fly to Bogota once a year to visit my sister and her family.

Speaking of dancing, I heard you have even been invited to perform traditional dances at the Colombian Consulate for national events.

Tell me the rumors were true!

Yes, this is true (I am actually blushing now). It is too bad I couldn’t go this year because I was away. I have danced at few events though—both for our school at UN Day and The Million Tree Project concert for Roots and Shoots as well as for the Colombian community.

So…you speak English, Spanish, and French. And of course some Mandarin. What is your secret to learning languages?

12

Well, Spanish is my mother tongue, so that doesn’t really count. French came to me by pure luck—Swiss school in Bogota. French was the medium of instruction from day one until graduation, and English was taught as a third language all throughout high school. I was extremely lucky my parents chose that school for my siblings and me. Years ago I fell in love with Portuguese. Speaking two other Romance languages made relatively easy for me to pick it up. And there is Quebecois, the official language of my new home in Canada. This one was surprisingly hard to learn. It took a long time before I became fluent.

A new kid comes into your class. First day. She can’t speak any English. What are you thinking in that moment? Are you thinking, I am the master at teaching this type of student. I got this!

I am convinced to my core that full immersion environments like ours here at the ECE are by far the best way to learn any language. This conviction allows me to be certain that this child will very soon start to feel confortable in the class, secure, and self-confident. That’s all you need, everything else just rolls in and soon not only will her or she speak English, but read and write too!

On a serious note, what is your favorite thing about Shanghai?

Well, there are many things I truly love about Shanghai. There are great opportunities to travel and explore this part of the world. Of course I love all the restaurants, my network of friends, and the catholic community I belong to. The one thing I cherish the most though is the fact I can flag a taxi and go home, anytime, any day, knowing that I am safe. This feeling is priceless.

PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

W

This is SCIS

hat is important in the education of students? How does a school define the skills, knowledge and attitudes that students should gain from their school experience? Is the purpose of high school only to gain entry to university, or is there more involved in supporting the development of young people?

At SCIS, we believe that providing opportunities for students to grow in as many ways as possible is of primary importance.

This has been one of our hallmarks for years and is one of the reasons we attract such a diverse group of students to our schools—students who want to be academically strong, be involved in sports, the arts, service and other endeavours outside the classroom. These are the kinds of students who want to develop into responsible, globally aware young men and women.

SCIS made a conscious decision to become IB schools based in large part on this philosophy. The International Baccalaureate is recognized as the most rigorous college preparatory program in which high school students can engage. This feature of IB, its academic strength, is one characteristic that makes it attractive to students and parents. With this, our students are attractive to universities worldwide.

However, IB is about more than just the final score. IB Diploma program students engage with a well-designed and challenging curriculum within their classes and also benefit from a number of aspects unique to the IB. These include the Creativity/Action/ Service (CAS) program, the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course, and the extended essay. Each of these is designed to extend the personal and intellectual development of students, consistent with

our goal of providing multiple opportunities for student growth.

We firmly believe that academic rigour and participation in activities beyond the classroom are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, it is clear that these support each other, and it is clear that students in our programs emerge as strong university candidates because of the diversity of what they do at school, not despite it. Entering the IB program is a natural extension of what we provide for students from the early years up and is entirely consistent with the kind of school we have always striven to be.

Some might argue that IB is only for the intellectually gifted and that students with other talents need not apply. Neither SCIS nor IB subscribe to that notion. All of our students are given the opportunity to be IB students and to benefit from the many facets of the program. We can do this because of the support we provide for students to be successful, and we do it because we believe providing this opportunity for students is more important than concerning ourselves with average scores.

Students who leave our schools enter an increasingly interconnected world, one where new career options are continuously arising, often within a global context. Giving every student the opportunity to fully develop all of their talents positions them to take advantage of possibilities as they arise. This is how we define education at SCIS. This is SCIS.

By Don Macmillan Pudong Campus Upper School Principal

What are some things that people might not know about you?

I am a fearless driver. This is one of the things I really miss, so I drive a lot when I go home.

I’m going to put you on the spot here. But what are your future plans? Can we look forward to 10 more years of Ms. Pelaez here at SCIS? Absolutely! Shanghai and SCIS are part of who I have become in this decade. So far it has been an amazing adventure. I have grown professionally and personally. I would not want to change this for the world.

Interview by Jonathan Paulson Communitas Editor

13

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

Ms. Cristina Peláez A Decade of SCIS Kindergarten Teaching

C

ristina Peláez is entering into her 10th year of teaching kindergarten at SCIS. Throughout that time not only has she been excellent in the classroom, but also she has been a huge help mentoring new teachers who arrive in Shanghai. With an international background herself, multiple degrees, and a community spirit, she embodies the SCIS-HIS spirit. Luckily, I was able to get her to sit down with me….

Whoa, 10 years teaching SCIS Kindergarteners!

What keeps bringing you back year after year?

It is the actual teaching of Kindergarten that keeps calling me back.

I just love it! I still get goose bumps to witness the sheer amount of positive changes these children go through within a single school year. It is truly amazing and so rewarding! I taught multiple grades in the past, including upper primary, high school, and adults; honestly, there is nothing that compares to the exhilaration of seeing these children blossom in every possible aspect.

Talk to me about some of the changes you have seen at SCIS since you started till now.

Our curriculum has changed a lot since I first worked at the Changning campus back in 2005. Enormous time and effort has been invested in adopting curricular frameworks that are renown in the international teaching community, and that has definitely benefited the children we teach, specifically the Reading and Writing Workshops. It is mind-blowing what our children are capable of.

I know you’re Latin by heart. But Shanghai is long way from Colombia. How do you remain connected to your heritage?

I have a close group of friends that have also found a home here in Shanghai. We meet often and we try to keep some of our traditions alive, like our Novenas during Christmas time. I have close ties with our Consul and his family, and I attend consulate events when I can. Another strong connection to other Colombians is through dancing. I am very proud of my Colombian friends who are probably the best salsa band in town. Finally, I also try to fly to Bogota once a year to visit my sister and her family.

Speaking of dancing, I heard you have even been invited to perform traditional dances at the Colombian Consulate for national events.

Tell me the rumors were true!

Yes, this is true (I am actually blushing now). It is too bad I couldn’t go this year because I was away. I have danced at few events though—both for our school at UN Day and The Million Tree Project concert for Roots and Shoots as well as for the Colombian community.

So…you speak English, Spanish, and French. And of course some Mandarin. What is your secret to learning languages?

12

Well, Spanish is my mother tongue, so that doesn’t really count. French came to me by pure luck—Swiss school in Bogota. French was the medium of instruction from day one until graduation, and English was taught as a third language all throughout high school. I was extremely lucky my parents chose that school for my siblings and me. Years ago I fell in love with Portuguese. Speaking two other Romance languages made relatively easy for me to pick it up. And there is Quebecois, the official language of my new home in Canada. This one was surprisingly hard to learn. It took a long time before I became fluent.

A new kid comes into your class. First day. She can’t speak any English. What are you thinking in that moment? Are you thinking, I am the master at teaching this type of student. I got this!

I am convinced to my core that full immersion environments like ours here at the ECE are by far the best way to learn any language. This conviction allows me to be certain that this child will very soon start to feel confortable in the class, secure, and self-confident. That’s all you need, everything else just rolls in and soon not only will her or she speak English, but read and write too!

On a serious note, what is your favorite thing about Shanghai?

Well, there are many things I truly love about Shanghai. There are great opportunities to travel and explore this part of the world. Of course I love all the restaurants, my network of friends, and the catholic community I belong to. The one thing I cherish the most though is the fact I can flag a taxi and go home, anytime, any day, knowing that I am safe. This feeling is priceless.

PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

W

This is SCIS

hat is important in the education of students? How does a school define the skills, knowledge and attitudes that students should gain from their school experience? Is the purpose of high school only to gain entry to university, or is there more involved in supporting the development of young people?

At SCIS, we believe that providing opportunities for students to grow in as many ways as possible is of primary importance.

This has been one of our hallmarks for years and is one of the reasons we attract such a diverse group of students to our schools—students who want to be academically strong, be involved in sports, the arts, service and other endeavours outside the classroom. These are the kinds of students who want to develop into responsible, globally aware young men and women.

SCIS made a conscious decision to become IB schools based in large part on this philosophy. The International Baccalaureate is recognized as the most rigorous college preparatory program in which high school students can engage. This feature of IB, its academic strength, is one characteristic that makes it attractive to students and parents. With this, our students are attractive to universities worldwide.

However, IB is about more than just the final score. IB Diploma program students engage with a well-designed and challenging curriculum within their classes and also benefit from a number of aspects unique to the IB. These include the Creativity/Action/ Service (CAS) program, the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course, and the extended essay. Each of these is designed to extend the personal and intellectual development of students, consistent with

our goal of providing multiple opportunities for student growth.

We firmly believe that academic rigour and participation in activities beyond the classroom are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, it is clear that these support each other, and it is clear that students in our programs emerge as strong university candidates because of the diversity of what they do at school, not despite it. Entering the IB program is a natural extension of what we provide for students from the early years up and is entirely consistent with the kind of school we have always striven to be.

Some might argue that IB is only for the intellectually gifted and that students with other talents need not apply. Neither SCIS nor IB subscribe to that notion. All of our students are given the opportunity to be IB students and to benefit from the many facets of the program. We can do this because of the support we provide for students to be successful, and we do it because we believe providing this opportunity for students is more important than concerning ourselves with average scores.

Students who leave our schools enter an increasingly interconnected world, one where new career options are continuously arising, often within a global context. Giving every student the opportunity to fully develop all of their talents positions them to take advantage of possibilities as they arise. This is how we define education at SCIS. This is SCIS.

By Don Macmillan Pudong Campus Upper School Principal

What are some things that people might not know about you?

I am a fearless driver. This is one of the things I really miss, so I drive a lot when I go home.

I’m going to put you on the spot here. But what are your future plans? Can we look forward to 10 more years of Ms. Pelaez here at SCIS? Absolutely! Shanghai and SCIS are part of who I have become in this decade. So far it has been an amazing adventure. I have grown professionally and personally. I would not want to change this for the world.

Interview by Jonathan Paulson Communitas Editor

13

PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

What is going on in the Dragon Reading Club, Robotics, and the Digital Citizenship Program

All the World is a Stage…

A

s a Drama teacher it was always interesting to describe to parents what happens in my class…. After all, in choir the kids sing; in band they play an instrument; and in theatre?... they act silly! But seriously, what are they really doing?

A snapshot of a theatre classroom can often be described as organized chaos. Students are often standing around the room as opposed to sitting in rows. Whereas a traditional class has the teacher talking and all the students listening, the sounds emanating from a drama classroom can be described as screams, strange giggles, and incomprehensible bursts of noise.

“Sometimes, when I am alone in my room and when I am tired of all my toys, I look on the shelf… and then I see a book. I know that when I reach for the book, there will be something there that I don’t know and I am no longer here but where my imagination takes me….” a SCIS Pudong student’s reflection on why she likes to read.

This comment is one that so many of us can relate to. Reach for a book and you are in a quiet place away from the clamor and fast pace of everyday life, but it’s also a way to explore the world in imaginative new ways.

Like others, Karen Danesi, SCIS Media Specialist, wanted her students to get lost in worlds wholly created by an author, making the mundane seem magical and the magical seem possible. Reading also enhances the development of their spoken language skills and their ability to express themselves verbally.

Ms. Danesi’s initiative to develop a high-interest library for students is a great place to promote her Dragon Reading Club.

The Dragon reading club is open to all 3rd-5th Grade readers.

It takes place the last week of each month. Grade 4 meets on Tuesdays. Grade 3 meets on Wednesdays. And Grade 5 meets on Thursdays.

They discuss their favorite books and share the joys of reading.

During each semester, the grade level groups also read a common book and have literary conversations around it. Aside from the pleasures reading brings, famous educational researcher Manali Oak’s research states “reading helps develop creative and critical thinking skills. It develops vocabulary, sharpens language skills and leads to greater cognitive development. It leads to a better understanding of self.”

What else gets students excited about learning while developing critical skills? Robotics! Nick Togneri, SCIS Tech Integration Specialist, is excited to incorporate extracurricular STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs as part of our after school activities. Research indicates that young learners who work independently on basic robotics kit projects strengthen their abilities to follow detailed instructions and improve their problem solving skills.

14

Other useful concepts students will learn from robotics include how tools and machine parts work together. Each robotic kit comes with prefabricated parts that need to be fitted together in a specific way for the entire project to work correctly. Students will then be able to modify or write code to control their projects.

Working with robotic components and required tools may take practice and will probably be a challenge at first, but these kinds of tasks are instrumental in helping kids develop patience, dedication and persistence.

We believe in developing the whole child using expected school wide learning results that apply thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems while making reasoned, ethical decisions. We also want our students to work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others. Our digital natives cannot escape the impact of digital media on their social, emotional, and intellectual development. That is why Nick Togneri and Karen Danesi have partnered up with our Student Support Specialist, Sheri DeNeef to provide a program called Digital Citizenship for students in grades 2-5 This Digital Citizenship program is designed to empower our students to harness the power of the Internet and digital technology for learning and life. Our teachers know the importance of having a school that takes a community-based approach to fostering a caring environment and that is articulated with expectations addressed for acceptable use and responsible behavior while on the internet. The program will help students remember to protect private information, respect themselves and others, stay safe online, stand up to cyber bullying, and balance the time they spend using media.

We may not know exactly what lies ahead for our students in the future, but we have the advantage of knowing what skills they will need once they get there. We have established a climate that challenges the entire school community to continually re-evaluate itself by building on our core values and beliefs of what is best for student learning, with a focus on the future.

By Jane Macmillan Pudong Campus Lower School Principal

The traditional theatre classroom is focused on students who are working on dramatic scenes that are moving towards a performance.

They are usually working on a scene by reading their lines and going through a gamut of emotions. Students are either working by themselves or in groups working on dialogue in a continuous effort to improve their scenes. This kind of rehearsal process can begin with a great deal of brainstorming and ‘spitballing’ and move towards a formal rehearsal process. Metaphorically they move from burst of light going everywhere and transition to the focused intensity of a laser.

TELL US THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE THROUGH A METAPHOR… YOU HAVE 2 MINUTES – GO! Not all theatre is for the purpose of formal production. Creative Drama and Process Theatre is the use of the theatrical process to teach other concepts as well as self-exploration. Students work through stories, develop a sense of creativity, imagination, confidence, higher level thinking, and team work in the process.

This kind of drama activity takes on a very different look and feel but with the same wonderful creativity and explosions of ideas. The structure of Creative Dramatics allows students to solve problems in a variety of ways. With their bodies they can teach each other how the membrane of a cell works or they can extend a story through layers of character and conflict that ends with connections to today’s headlines.

Some of the activities have a greater degree of structure and are geared towards developing leadership and teambuilding. In a recent experience the students led a blindfolded classmate around areas of the campus. Students focused on communication and building trust between themselves. Their first major assignment was to create a ME COLLAGE. This physical representation of themselves acted as a map that they used to tell the story of who they are as a person. Many of the metaphors they used to describe their lives were brilliant! They used images of flowers, plants, a violin, a camera, a soccer game, and even a hotel to describe their family, friendships and future aspirations.

CRITICAL THINKING Most of theatre and drama is based on the acquisition and development of skills. These skills are often of the more visible variety such as facial expressions, hand gestures, vocal intonation and even scene painting. But most overlooked are the mental skills needed to be successful in the world of theatre and those are the skills of critical thinking. Through carefully designed activities the students go through various levels of more and more challenging levels of cognition.

In the mid 1990s, Benjamin Bloom formalized different levels of demonstrating knowledge. These were called Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Students in theatre begin at basic levels of Knowledge and Understanding but are then quickly guided to the much higher levels of thinking such as Application, Analysis, Evaluation and Creation. In many cases, students are encouraged to evaluate their own work as well as that of their peers. This evaluation and meta-cognitive process leans away from a positive or negative judgment but rather is focused in a reflective way of their own work and how to improve the next time… which might very well be in 5 seconds!

CREATE A PICTURE USING YOUR BODY THAT DEMONSTRATES UBIQUITOUS – 60 SECONDS – GO! Improvisation is a critical part of success in theatre. It teaches students to think on their feet and cultivates creativity. Students are often given a location, an object, an opening phrase and are expected to put these stimuli into the context of a scene. in about 3 seconds… But what if we took these mental calisthenics to the next level? What if the stimulus word or phrase was something they learned in English class? In recent activities the MS Drama classes took words that are part of their vocabulary in English Language Arts classes and created a tableau or still snapshots that exhibited the qualities of these words; no small feat when you are limited to standing as still as statues with no ability to speak or use dialogue. The words ranged from the more common words like ‘eavesdrop’ to more abstract words like ‘ubiquitous’ or ‘austere’… Yes, in some cases the students had to look up the words (as did I) before moving forward with the activity! But they know the words now… just in time for their vocabulary quiz….

Continue on page 17…

15

PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

What is going on in the Dragon Reading Club, Robotics, and the Digital Citizenship Program

All the World is a Stage…

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s a Drama teacher it was always interesting to describe to parents what happens in my class…. After all, in choir the kids sing; in band they play an instrument; and in theatre?... they act silly! But seriously, what are they really doing?

A snapshot of a theatre classroom can often be described as organized chaos. Students are often standing around the room as opposed to sitting in rows. Whereas a traditional class has the teacher talking and all the students listening, the sounds emanating from a drama classroom can be described as screams, strange giggles, and incomprehensible bursts of noise.

“Sometimes, when I am alone in my room and when I am tired of all my toys, I look on the shelf… and then I see a book. I know that when I reach for the book, there will be something there that I don’t know and I am no longer here but where my imagination takes me….” a SCIS Pudong student’s reflection on why she likes to read.

This comment is one that so many of us can relate to. Reach for a book and you are in a quiet place away from the clamor and fast pace of everyday life, but it’s also a way to explore the world in imaginative new ways.

Like others, Karen Danesi, SCIS Media Specialist, wanted her students to get lost in worlds wholly created by an author, making the mundane seem magical and the magical seem possible. Reading also enhances the development of their spoken language skills and their ability to express themselves verbally.

Ms. Danesi’s initiative to develop a high-interest library for students is a great place to promote her Dragon Reading Club.

The Dragon reading club is open to all 3rd-5th Grade readers.

It takes place the last week of each month. Grade 4 meets on Tuesdays. Grade 3 meets on Wednesdays. And Grade 5 meets on Thursdays.

They discuss their favorite books and share the joys of reading.

During each semester, the grade level groups also read a common book and have literary conversations around it. Aside from the pleasures reading brings, famous educational researcher Manali Oak’s research states “reading helps develop creative and critical thinking skills. It develops vocabulary, sharpens language skills and leads to greater cognitive development. It leads to a better understanding of self.”

What else gets students excited about learning while developing critical skills? Robotics! Nick Togneri, SCIS Tech Integration Specialist, is excited to incorporate extracurricular STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs as part of our after school activities. Research indicates that young learners who work independently on basic robotics kit projects strengthen their abilities to follow detailed instructions and improve their problem solving skills.

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Other useful concepts students will learn from robotics include how tools and machine parts work together. Each robotic kit comes with prefabricated parts that need to be fitted together in a specific way for the entire project to work correctly. Students will then be able to modify or write code to control their projects.

Working with robotic components and required tools may take practice and will probably be a challenge at first, but these kinds of tasks are instrumental in helping kids develop patience, dedication and persistence.

We believe in developing the whole child using expected school wide learning results that apply thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems while making reasoned, ethical decisions. We also want our students to work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others. Our digital natives cannot escape the impact of digital media on their social, emotional, and intellectual development. That is why Nick Togneri and Karen Danesi have partnered up with our Student Support Specialist, Sheri DeNeef to provide a program called Digital Citizenship for students in grades 2-5 This Digital Citizenship program is designed to empower our students to harness the power of the Internet and digital technology for learning and life. Our teachers know the importance of having a school that takes a community-based approach to fostering a caring environment and that is articulated with expectations addressed for acceptable use and responsible behavior while on the internet. The program will help students remember to protect private information, respect themselves and others, stay safe online, stand up to cyber bullying, and balance the time they spend using media.

We may not know exactly what lies ahead for our students in the future, but we have the advantage of knowing what skills they will need once they get there. We have established a climate that challenges the entire school community to continually re-evaluate itself by building on our core values and beliefs of what is best for student learning, with a focus on the future.

By Jane Macmillan Pudong Campus Lower School Principal

The traditional theatre classroom is focused on students who are working on dramatic scenes that are moving towards a performance.

They are usually working on a scene by reading their lines and going through a gamut of emotions. Students are either working by themselves or in groups working on dialogue in a continuous effort to improve their scenes. This kind of rehearsal process can begin with a great deal of brainstorming and ‘spitballing’ and move towards a formal rehearsal process. Metaphorically they move from burst of light going everywhere and transition to the focused intensity of a laser.

TELL US THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE THROUGH A METAPHOR… YOU HAVE 2 MINUTES – GO! Not all theatre is for the purpose of formal production. Creative Drama and Process Theatre is the use of the theatrical process to teach other concepts as well as self-exploration. Students work through stories, develop a sense of creativity, imagination, confidence, higher level thinking, and team work in the process.

This kind of drama activity takes on a very different look and feel but with the same wonderful creativity and explosions of ideas. The structure of Creative Dramatics allows students to solve problems in a variety of ways. With their bodies they can teach each other how the membrane of a cell works or they can extend a story through layers of character and conflict that ends with connections to today’s headlines.

Some of the activities have a greater degree of structure and are geared towards developing leadership and teambuilding. In a recent experience the students led a blindfolded classmate around areas of the campus. Students focused on communication and building trust between themselves. Their first major assignment was to create a ME COLLAGE. This physical representation of themselves acted as a map that they used to tell the story of who they are as a person. Many of the metaphors they used to describe their lives were brilliant! They used images of flowers, plants, a violin, a camera, a soccer game, and even a hotel to describe their family, friendships and future aspirations.

CRITICAL THINKING Most of theatre and drama is based on the acquisition and development of skills. These skills are often of the more visible variety such as facial expressions, hand gestures, vocal intonation and even scene painting. But most overlooked are the mental skills needed to be successful in the world of theatre and those are the skills of critical thinking. Through carefully designed activities the students go through various levels of more and more challenging levels of cognition.

In the mid 1990s, Benjamin Bloom formalized different levels of demonstrating knowledge. These were called Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Students in theatre begin at basic levels of Knowledge and Understanding but are then quickly guided to the much higher levels of thinking such as Application, Analysis, Evaluation and Creation. In many cases, students are encouraged to evaluate their own work as well as that of their peers. This evaluation and meta-cognitive process leans away from a positive or negative judgment but rather is focused in a reflective way of their own work and how to improve the next time… which might very well be in 5 seconds!

CREATE A PICTURE USING YOUR BODY THAT DEMONSTRATES UBIQUITOUS – 60 SECONDS – GO! Improvisation is a critical part of success in theatre. It teaches students to think on their feet and cultivates creativity. Students are often given a location, an object, an opening phrase and are expected to put these stimuli into the context of a scene. in about 3 seconds… But what if we took these mental calisthenics to the next level? What if the stimulus word or phrase was something they learned in English class? In recent activities the MS Drama classes took words that are part of their vocabulary in English Language Arts classes and created a tableau or still snapshots that exhibited the qualities of these words; no small feat when you are limited to standing as still as statues with no ability to speak or use dialogue. The words ranged from the more common words like ‘eavesdrop’ to more abstract words like ‘ubiquitous’ or ‘austere’… Yes, in some cases the students had to look up the words (as did I) before moving forward with the activity! But they know the words now… just in time for their vocabulary quiz….

Continue on page 17…

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HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

COACHES CORNER

WELCOME TO THE SCIS POOL!!

We’ve got community!

H

ere at the Shanghai Community International School, our lower physical education department in collaboration with the aquatics department kicks off the year with a 6-week swim program. During the PE classes we create a comfortable environment within the pool so students can learn to take risks, develop swimming skills, and gain confidence in and around the water. Our goals for the students in the pool are to be safe, try our best, develop some swimming skills, and to have fun.

Students come to the pool with a wide range of abilities and the aquatics team divides the swimmers up into ability groups to ensure safety and skill development at each child’s own level. As the students move from grade 2 to grade 5 we see development in each student’s skill, confidence, and enjoyment in the water.

If the students show interest and skill as a swimmer they are then encouraged to try out for the Dragon Swim Program.

Speaking of the Dragon Swim Program, it is off to a great start this year with over 150 students attending the competitive team tryouts. The competitive team will consist of over 100 swimmers ranging from 2nd grade through 12th grade. They will be attending several meets throughout the swim season, with the first one being our own invitational meet on October 18 and 19. We are also proud to offer, for the first time, a non-competitive fitness swim team. Though small, we hope this dedicated group of seven will grow with time.

Additionally, we hope to offer Swim School for those students looking to improve their basic swimming skills and technique.

Meet Nina Walther

Josh Chang “I like all the friends I have a SCIS, the tight community, the teachers, the facilities and being on the swim team.

I like the cool feeling swimming gives me and it provides me with exercise and comfort and how it relaxes me.

I swim 4 or 5 times a week, 3 times with the swim team, at home on the weekend and in PE class.”

S

CIS-PD Atheltic Director Mike Deneef interviews Nina Walther. Nina was born in Hidleburg, Germany and is in her 4th year at SCIS. This senior athlete is a three sport star, and plays on the D-1 (Varsity) Volleyball, Basketball, and Soccer teams.

Why do you play sports?

To be with friends, relax, gain self-confidence, and immerse myself in a calming place away from the stresses of high school.

If something else in my life is not going so well – sports helps me get through it.

On overcoming adversity (Nina had two surgeries last year): I was injured throughout all last year. I went into volleyball season knowing I wasn’t going to be able to play at the beginning of the league season due to a summer surgery. It was difficult to not be able to participate like I am used to. During basketball season I was able to play more, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish the season with the team due to a 2nd surgery.

Finally during soccer season I was again rehabbing and was unable to play to my potential. Through this experience I learned how to be patient. I learned to persevere and to focus on long term goals. I was happy to be a part of the teams last year – but

At any given moment between 6am and 6pm, the pool is filled with swimmers of all ages enjoying being in the water, learning new skills, and refining techniques. It is one of the most popular sports on campus!

By Dwayne Friesen and Brad Newell , Lower School PE Teacher Kelsey Barden, Aquatics Teacher, and Noah Randall, Aquatics Coordinator

I am extremely grateful to be back and healthy this year and am ready to contribute more on the court and field.

What has been your sports highlight (so far)?

Even though I was injured and couldn’t play – winning our ACAMIS basketball championship, celebrating with my teammates and friends, is a memory I will cherish forever.

On being a DRAGON: To me being a Dragon means appreciating your teammates and the community of SCIS. Here at SCIS everyone gets involved in supporting teams, and being involved in athletics helps you be a part of a bigger whole. One of the greatest things I will get from being a Dragon is having the opportunity to develop long lasting friendships and relationships.

What is your advice to new DRAGONS: I regret not having started sports as soon as I arrived at SCIS. Looking back – knowing what I know now, involvement in athletics is a great way to meet new people and to quickly develop a positive circle of friends. Be a DRAGON! Get involved!

By Mike Deneef MS PE and Activity Coordinator

…Continue from page 15

Lisa Vanderveen “I like all the teachers at SCIS and you have got to love the pool! I swim 4 times a week and I enjoy the training and being able to swim faster. I like all my friends who are on the swim team and we have lots of fun together.”

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CROSS CURRICULAR COMEDY? This ability to work across the curriculum is what makes drama such an integral part of SCIS. In the coming weeks these students will be working with the Science department creating tongue twisters out of scientific terms and using creative dramatics to explain scientific concepts. They will sharpen their vocal skills by reading stories to students in the lower school, both in English and Mandarin. They will continue to use their vocabulary words to build scenes and characters through improvisations. This December they will take one of the stories they will be reading in English class and adapting it to a script and performing it for a

live audience. And in the spring, they will be exploring one of the great comedies of all time, William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

So to the question of, ‘What is my child learning in theatre?’… my answer is… They’re learning how to be successful by thinking, creating, communicating, and having fun. And they’re doing it with just 10 seconds of prep time – GO!

By Fursey Gotuaco Hongqiao Campus Middle School Drama Teacher 17

HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHTS

COACHES CORNER

WELCOME TO THE SCIS POOL!!

We’ve got community!

H

ere at the Shanghai Community International School, our lower physical education department in collaboration with the aquatics department kicks off the year with a 6-week swim program. During the PE classes we create a comfortable environment within the pool so students can learn to take risks, develop swimming skills, and gain confidence in and around the water. Our goals for the students in the pool are to be safe, try our best, develop some swimming skills, and to have fun.

Students come to the pool with a wide range of abilities and the aquatics team divides the swimmers up into ability groups to ensure safety and skill development at each child’s own level. As the students move from grade 2 to grade 5 we see development in each student’s skill, confidence, and enjoyment in the water.

If the students show interest and skill as a swimmer they are then encouraged to try out for the Dragon Swim Program.

Speaking of the Dragon Swim Program, it is off to a great start this year with over 150 students attending the competitive team tryouts. The competitive team will consist of over 100 swimmers ranging from 2nd grade through 12th grade. They will be attending several meets throughout the swim season, with the first one being our own invitational meet on October 18 and 19. We are also proud to offer, for the first time, a non-competitive fitness swim team. Though small, we hope this dedicated group of seven will grow with time.

Additionally, we hope to offer Swim School for those students looking to improve their basic swimming skills and technique.

Meet Nina Walther

Josh Chang “I like all the friends I have a SCIS, the tight community, the teachers, the facilities and being on the swim team.

I like the cool feeling swimming gives me and it provides me with exercise and comfort and how it relaxes me.

I swim 4 or 5 times a week, 3 times with the swim team, at home on the weekend and in PE class.”

S

CIS-PD Atheltic Director Mike Deneef interviews Nina Walther. Nina was born in Hidleburg, Germany and is in her 4th year at SCIS. This senior athlete is a three sport star, and plays on the D-1 (Varsity) Volleyball, Basketball, and Soccer teams.

Why do you play sports?

To be with friends, relax, gain self-confidence, and immerse myself in a calming place away from the stresses of high school.

If something else in my life is not going so well – sports helps me get through it.

On overcoming adversity (Nina had two surgeries last year): I was injured throughout all last year. I went into volleyball season knowing I wasn’t going to be able to play at the beginning of the league season due to a summer surgery. It was difficult to not be able to participate like I am used to. During basketball season I was able to play more, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to finish the season with the team due to a 2nd surgery.

Finally during soccer season I was again rehabbing and was unable to play to my potential. Through this experience I learned how to be patient. I learned to persevere and to focus on long term goals. I was happy to be a part of the teams last year – but

At any given moment between 6am and 6pm, the pool is filled with swimmers of all ages enjoying being in the water, learning new skills, and refining techniques. It is one of the most popular sports on campus!

By Dwayne Friesen and Brad Newell , Lower School PE Teacher Kelsey Barden, Aquatics Teacher, and Noah Randall, Aquatics Coordinator

I am extremely grateful to be back and healthy this year and am ready to contribute more on the court and field.

What has been your sports highlight (so far)?

Even though I was injured and couldn’t play – winning our ACAMIS basketball championship, celebrating with my teammates and friends, is a memory I will cherish forever.

On being a DRAGON: To me being a Dragon means appreciating your teammates and the community of SCIS. Here at SCIS everyone gets involved in supporting teams, and being involved in athletics helps you be a part of a bigger whole. One of the greatest things I will get from being a Dragon is having the opportunity to develop long lasting friendships and relationships.

What is your advice to new DRAGONS: I regret not having started sports as soon as I arrived at SCIS. Looking back – knowing what I know now, involvement in athletics is a great way to meet new people and to quickly develop a positive circle of friends. Be a DRAGON! Get involved!

By Mike Deneef MS PE and Activity Coordinator

…Continue from page 15

Lisa Vanderveen “I like all the teachers at SCIS and you have got to love the pool! I swim 4 times a week and I enjoy the training and being able to swim faster. I like all my friends who are on the swim team and we have lots of fun together.”

16

CROSS CURRICULAR COMEDY? This ability to work across the curriculum is what makes drama such an integral part of SCIS. In the coming weeks these students will be working with the Science department creating tongue twisters out of scientific terms and using creative dramatics to explain scientific concepts. They will sharpen their vocal skills by reading stories to students in the lower school, both in English and Mandarin. They will continue to use their vocabulary words to build scenes and characters through improvisations. This December they will take one of the stories they will be reading in English class and adapting it to a script and performing it for a

live audience. And in the spring, they will be exploring one of the great comedies of all time, William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

So to the question of, ‘What is my child learning in theatre?’… my answer is… They’re learning how to be successful by thinking, creating, communicating, and having fun. And they’re doing it with just 10 seconds of prep time – GO!

By Fursey Gotuaco Hongqiao Campus Middle School Drama Teacher 17

THEME FEATURE

THEME FEATURE

WELCOME (BACK) TO A THRIVING SCHOOL COMMUNITY 18

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THEME FEATURE

THEME FEATURE

WELCOME (BACK) TO A THRIVING SCHOOL COMMUNITY 18

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THEME FEATURE

T

he first day of school in early childhood classrooms across the system of schools are a rite of passage for many of our students and families. Often the number of teary eyes is evenly split between children and their parents as the impending farewell finally becomes a reality. Cameras and smart phones shake with each sniffle as parents snap a photo to commemorate a day that is full of new beginnings, opportunities, and experiences.

The last day of school in high school campuses are also a rite of passage for students. Students typically stand tall and beam as their parents smile on proudly. And once again, many parents struggle through teary eyes to steady their hands for a commemorative picture.

This past June, one of those students crossing that graduation stage just so happened to represent both sides of this sunrisesunset student experience from an entirely SCIS-HIS perspective.

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THEME FEATURE

He not only received his diploma from SCIS but he also spent his very first day of school as a Pre-Schooler SCIS Dragon.

Shockingly, he was chosen as one of the class historians to speak at the ceremony. You know what his big take away from his many years here was…community!

Community, as defined, is a social unit of any size that shares common values. The word “community” is derived from the Old French Comunete, which in turn is derived from the Latin Communitas. So, beyond now knowing where the name of this publication comes from, we can celebrate the fact that as a school, our community thrives from that very first day of school where we meet new friends to that final moment on the graduation stage where we say farewell. It is this community at SCIS-HIS that stands out as the most cherished memory when students and families reflect on their time here.

Knowing what we know then, how do we make the most out of our time here? How do we both gain from and give to the spirit of community within our schools? There truly is no time like the present to begin. Take this opportunity as a family to be involved.. Students can participate in After School Activities, parents can get involved in our Parents and Friends Association (PAFA), and we all can support community events from reading in the classroom to participating in school-wide fairs.

But, there are other ways to build our community that may not seem so common, and they may be the link to our uniquely strong community spirit and shared values. Support younger students in setting up after school play dates with kids from their classroom, perhaps specifically one who does not come from the same country or language background as you. Invite a family over for a barbecue or out to dinner. At a school event, reach beyond your comfort zone and welcome the parents that are

new to your child’s class or grade level. In doing so all of us will find exactly what our students do on their first day of school —build a whole new world of friendships, ideas, and joy.

Pride in our schools is important. The education our students receive is the entire reason we are all here. But the amazing opportunity we all share by having access to the community that surrounds SCIS-HIS is a once in a lifetime experience. Let us all take the opportunity and seize it. As the back to school rush subsides, stay motivated, meet new people, get to know your child’s teacher, and support your child in making new friends.

We would all be served well to remember that these new classmates, neighbors, and friends will be the ones that make our time here so wonderful, so unique, and so difficult to say goodbye to.

By Daniel Eschtruth Hongqiao ECE Campus Head of School

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THEME FEATURE

T

he first day of school in early childhood classrooms across the system of schools are a rite of passage for many of our students and families. Often the number of teary eyes is evenly split between children and their parents as the impending farewell finally becomes a reality. Cameras and smart phones shake with each sniffle as parents snap a photo to commemorate a day that is full of new beginnings, opportunities, and experiences.

The last day of school in high school campuses are also a rite of passage for students. Students typically stand tall and beam as their parents smile on proudly. And once again, many parents struggle through teary eyes to steady their hands for a commemorative picture.

This past June, one of those students crossing that graduation stage just so happened to represent both sides of this sunrisesunset student experience from an entirely SCIS-HIS perspective.

20

THEME FEATURE

He not only received his diploma from SCIS but he also spent his very first day of school as a Pre-Schooler SCIS Dragon.

Shockingly, he was chosen as one of the class historians to speak at the ceremony. You know what his big take away from his many years here was…community!

Community, as defined, is a social unit of any size that shares common values. The word “community” is derived from the Old French Comunete, which in turn is derived from the Latin Communitas. So, beyond now knowing where the name of this publication comes from, we can celebrate the fact that as a school, our community thrives from that very first day of school where we meet new friends to that final moment on the graduation stage where we say farewell. It is this community at SCIS-HIS that stands out as the most cherished memory when students and families reflect on their time here.

Knowing what we know then, how do we make the most out of our time here? How do we both gain from and give to the spirit of community within our schools? There truly is no time like the present to begin. Take this opportunity as a family to be involved.. Students can participate in After School Activities, parents can get involved in our Parents and Friends Association (PAFA), and we all can support community events from reading in the classroom to participating in school-wide fairs.

But, there are other ways to build our community that may not seem so common, and they may be the link to our uniquely strong community spirit and shared values. Support younger students in setting up after school play dates with kids from their classroom, perhaps specifically one who does not come from the same country or language background as you. Invite a family over for a barbecue or out to dinner. At a school event, reach beyond your comfort zone and welcome the parents that are

new to your child’s class or grade level. In doing so all of us will find exactly what our students do on their first day of school —build a whole new world of friendships, ideas, and joy.

Pride in our schools is important. The education our students receive is the entire reason we are all here. But the amazing opportunity we all share by having access to the community that surrounds SCIS-HIS is a once in a lifetime experience. Let us all take the opportunity and seize it. As the back to school rush subsides, stay motivated, meet new people, get to know your child’s teacher, and support your child in making new friends.

We would all be served well to remember that these new classmates, neighbors, and friends will be the ones that make our time here so wonderful, so unique, and so difficult to say goodbye to.

By Daniel Eschtruth Hongqiao ECE Campus Head of School

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21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGY

Digital Citizenship T

echnology is at the center of everything we do from metro and banking cards to cell phones and security cameras (on practically every building). In London, research has shown that a person is on camera over 300 times a day, and that’s in a city one-third the size of Shanghai. In this world of ever growing technology we need to make sure that we and our families are being safe with our information, that we are presenting the image of ourselves that we want the world to know, and that we understand how to be responsible digital citizens in the technology age.

3. Digital Communication: (everyone should be able to communicate effectively and appropriately) 4. Digital Literacy: (everyone should be able to learn from the vast resources online) 5. Digital Etiquette: (everyone should be able to conduct themselves with manners online) 6. Digital Law: (everyone should understand that there are laws, and real crimes with real punishments happen online) 7. Digital Rights & Responsibilities: (everyone should understand that the Bill of Rights extends to the internet, and users must help define how they get extended specifically).

8. Digital Health & Wellness: (everyone should understand that repritive technology use can lead to health and wellness problems—eye safety, repetitive stress syndrome, insomnia….)

9. Digital Security (self-protection): (everyone should be able to reasonably protect their information from outside forces that might cause disruption or harm).

A digital footprint is the information that is left behind by users on digital services, and it is something we always need to be aware of as we use technology. Think of it like your online personality and reputation. Your digital footprint includes what you have posted and uploaded to Facebook, the flights you have looked for, the Google or Yahoo searches you have made, the purchases you have made online, the videos you have watched, and hundreds of other tiny pieces of information that is collected all the time. One way that helps students and adults alike to take care of their digital footprint is to remember the simple acronym THINK and ask yourself is it True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind. If you can answer yes to these five things then it will probably not hurt your online reputation. If the answer is no to any of them, then consider how important it really is to you to upload or post that photo, video, or comment.

Digital safety is only one aspect of digital citizenship though; we must become truly aware of the power and potential of technology and our role with it to become responsible Digital Citizens. The International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) supports Mike Ribble and his Nine Essential Elements of Digital Citizenship: 1. Digital Access: (everyone should be able to access the internet) 2. Digital Commerce: (everyone should be able to pay for music, movies, or other content legally) 22

If we can achieve these aspects of digital citizenship, then we can begin to safely and successfully unlock the true potential of technology in our schools and homes. We can create digital portfolios, connect with experts to enhance learning, publish work to a worldwide audience, become life-long learners, and support the endless possibilities of learning with technology.

If you have any questions or comments about Digital Citizenship please contact Anthony Pascoe at apascoe@scischina.org.

By Anthony Pascoe Hongqiao Campus Technology Integration Specialist Resources on Digital Citizenship: BrainPop and BrainPopJr. We have a school account for BrainPop/BrainPopJr. – Ask your child for the login information or contact apascoe@scischina.org http://www.brainpopjr.com/spotlights/digitalcitizenship/ Includes videos appropriate for learned in grade K to 2 on blogs, bullying, e-mail, and Internet safety.

DigiTeens Great Digital Citizenship Resource Created by Teens for Teens http://digiteen.wikispaces.com/ Common Sense Tips for Digital Generation Parents (7 Min. Video) http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-parents-commonsense-video

Mathieu Rundstrom

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Trying New Things In Life

M

athieu Rundstrom joined SCIS Pudong last year as a 10th grader coming from Sweden. In his first year, on top of getting excellent grades, he also had a leading role in the spring musical and played for the football team. Now back for his second year, the first of the IB Diploma Program, I got him to sit down with me…

First off, I’m very impressed with your English.

Either you’re one of the best English learners ever, or you had practice before you came here last year…

Thank you! I already speak Swedish and French, and I have also learned Spanish for three years. Those languages are similar to English in some way or another, which helped me out a lot. Also, in Sweden you are exposed to English all day long. The music is mostly in English if you listen to the radio, and the TV-shows are often in English with Swedish subtitles. I think I learned a lot of English just by living daily life.

Tell me about your first year at SCIS last year as a 10th grader?

I didn’t really know what to expect from SCIS when I arrived a year ago. I got to know everyone a bit more when we went on the China trips to Yangshuo after October break. I really think we have a great community here at SCIS with teachers, students, and parents, who make life at the school more enjoyable.

Overall, it was just a great year.

What’s the biggest difference between your old school and your new one?

There are so many differences I don’t know where to start. The language is a big one; speaking English the entire day isn’t so easy coming from an environment where you speak it twice a week for about five minutes in a classroom. I would say the biggest difference between my old school and SCIS is the community feeling we have here. The fact that people only stay a few years at SCIS and that people are constantly moving is also a huge difference from a school in a village in Sweden. I could probably write a 4,000 word essay on how different the two schools are, but I’ll spare you that pleasure for this time!

in basketball. What’s going on there? Are you unveiling a new side of Mathieu the world hasn’t seen before?

I had never played volleyball before, but this year I decided to join. This is what makes the beauty of SCIS. If you want, you are able to try new things out all the time. New activities pop up all the time. This year there’s even a math club! I’m trying to try new things out as much as possible, but since I need more time for my studies, I haven’t decided about basketball yet.

You’re just starting the Diploma Program. Are you nervous? Should you be?

I am indeed nervous, and yes I think I should be. At least a little bit because the Diploma Program is a demanding program that will require a lot of my time in the next two years. It is now that the school results actually start to matter. The workload in the first few weeks is already greater than I’ve ever experienced before; however, I think I am going to do well in the Diploma Program.

Here’s the million dollar question Mathieu: (and no, your parents didn’t pay me to ask you) What are your future plans? Do you have a short list of universities? Are you thinking Gap Year? Male modeling? I mean…anything and everything is still on the table at this point right?

You will probably have to take that male modeling thing back when you see my school photograph! When people ask me the typical question of what I want to be, I answer “happy”.

Currently, I don’t really know what I want to study, or where.

If this sounds like I don’t know anything you’ve understood me correctly. A Gap Year is absolutely a possibility that I would consider, but I am not ready to decide yet. Yes, everything is still on the table, but that is also what makes it hard to make a choice.

I saw you in All Shook Up. You had a significant role! Have you always been an actor?

All Shook Up was my first ever performance of any sort on a stage. A lot of hard work and time went into the musical, and it was definitely worth it at the end. I had a lot of fun from the first rehearsal to the last appearance on stage. I also got to know people I otherwise never would have gotten to know, some of which are in college now. All Shook Up was an awesome experience, and one of the things I will most definitely remember from tenth grade when I grow up. Thanks again to everyone who made this experience possible for me!

Close your eyes. Now picture what your life would be like if you didn’t come here. It’s only been one year, but what kind of impact has it had on you?

Well, there are both negative and positive things about moving here. The obvious negative ones being separated from friends and family. The less obvious ones for me is being separated from the Swedish nature where I could go running and mountain biking. However, there are of course many more positive things about moving here. For example, experiencing China, or participating in all these extra curricular activities we have here.

And even though I don’t see my Swedish friends that often I’ve made new friends here!

Rumor has it that you are expanding your extra curriculars this year. You’ve joined the volleyball team. Word on the street is that you’re interested

Interview by Jonathan Paulson Communitas Editor 23

21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGY

Digital Citizenship T

echnology is at the center of everything we do from metro and banking cards to cell phones and security cameras (on practically every building). In London, research has shown that a person is on camera over 300 times a day, and that’s in a city one-third the size of Shanghai. In this world of ever growing technology we need to make sure that we and our families are being safe with our information, that we are presenting the image of ourselves that we want the world to know, and that we understand how to be responsible digital citizens in the technology age.

3. Digital Communication: (everyone should be able to communicate effectively and appropriately) 4. Digital Literacy: (everyone should be able to learn from the vast resources online) 5. Digital Etiquette: (everyone should be able to conduct themselves with manners online) 6. Digital Law: (everyone should understand that there are laws, and real crimes with real punishments happen online) 7. Digital Rights & Responsibilities: (everyone should understand that the Bill of Rights extends to the internet, and users must help define how they get extended specifically).

8. Digital Health & Wellness: (everyone should understand that repritive technology use can lead to health and wellness problems—eye safety, repetitive stress syndrome, insomnia….)

9. Digital Security (self-protection): (everyone should be able to reasonably protect their information from outside forces that might cause disruption or harm).

A digital footprint is the information that is left behind by users on digital services, and it is something we always need to be aware of as we use technology. Think of it like your online personality and reputation. Your digital footprint includes what you have posted and uploaded to Facebook, the flights you have looked for, the Google or Yahoo searches you have made, the purchases you have made online, the videos you have watched, and hundreds of other tiny pieces of information that is collected all the time. One way that helps students and adults alike to take care of their digital footprint is to remember the simple acronym THINK and ask yourself is it True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind. If you can answer yes to these five things then it will probably not hurt your online reputation. If the answer is no to any of them, then consider how important it really is to you to upload or post that photo, video, or comment.

Digital safety is only one aspect of digital citizenship though; we must become truly aware of the power and potential of technology and our role with it to become responsible Digital Citizens. The International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) supports Mike Ribble and his Nine Essential Elements of Digital Citizenship: 1. Digital Access: (everyone should be able to access the internet) 2. Digital Commerce: (everyone should be able to pay for music, movies, or other content legally) 22

If we can achieve these aspects of digital citizenship, then we can begin to safely and successfully unlock the true potential of technology in our schools and homes. We can create digital portfolios, connect with experts to enhance learning, publish work to a worldwide audience, become life-long learners, and support the endless possibilities of learning with technology.

If you have any questions or comments about Digital Citizenship please contact Anthony Pascoe at apascoe@scischina.org.

By Anthony Pascoe Hongqiao Campus Technology Integration Specialist Resources on Digital Citizenship: BrainPop and BrainPopJr. We have a school account for BrainPop/BrainPopJr. – Ask your child for the login information or contact apascoe@scischina.org http://www.brainpopjr.com/spotlights/digitalcitizenship/ Includes videos appropriate for learned in grade K to 2 on blogs, bullying, e-mail, and Internet safety.

DigiTeens Great Digital Citizenship Resource Created by Teens for Teens http://digiteen.wikispaces.com/ Common Sense Tips for Digital Generation Parents (7 Min. Video) http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-parents-commonsense-video

Mathieu Rundstrom

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Trying New Things In Life

M

athieu Rundstrom joined SCIS Pudong last year as a 10th grader coming from Sweden. In his first year, on top of getting excellent grades, he also had a leading role in the spring musical and played for the football team. Now back for his second year, the first of the IB Diploma Program, I got him to sit down with me…

First off, I’m very impressed with your English.

Either you’re one of the best English learners ever, or you had practice before you came here last year…

Thank you! I already speak Swedish and French, and I have also learned Spanish for three years. Those languages are similar to English in some way or another, which helped me out a lot. Also, in Sweden you are exposed to English all day long. The music is mostly in English if you listen to the radio, and the TV-shows are often in English with Swedish subtitles. I think I learned a lot of English just by living daily life.

Tell me about your first year at SCIS last year as a 10th grader?

I didn’t really know what to expect from SCIS when I arrived a year ago. I got to know everyone a bit more when we went on the China trips to Yangshuo after October break. I really think we have a great community here at SCIS with teachers, students, and parents, who make life at the school more enjoyable.

Overall, it was just a great year.

What’s the biggest difference between your old school and your new one?

There are so many differences I don’t know where to start. The language is a big one; speaking English the entire day isn’t so easy coming from an environment where you speak it twice a week for about five minutes in a classroom. I would say the biggest difference between my old school and SCIS is the community feeling we have here. The fact that people only stay a few years at SCIS and that people are constantly moving is also a huge difference from a school in a village in Sweden. I could probably write a 4,000 word essay on how different the two schools are, but I’ll spare you that pleasure for this time!

in basketball. What’s going on there? Are you unveiling a new side of Mathieu the world hasn’t seen before?

I had never played volleyball before, but this year I decided to join. This is what makes the beauty of SCIS. If you want, you are able to try new things out all the time. New activities pop up all the time. This year there’s even a math club! I’m trying to try new things out as much as possible, but since I need more time for my studies, I haven’t decided about basketball yet.

You’re just starting the Diploma Program. Are you nervous? Should you be?

I am indeed nervous, and yes I think I should be. At least a little bit because the Diploma Program is a demanding program that will require a lot of my time in the next two years. It is now that the school results actually start to matter. The workload in the first few weeks is already greater than I’ve ever experienced before; however, I think I am going to do well in the Diploma Program.

Here’s the million dollar question Mathieu: (and no, your parents didn’t pay me to ask you) What are your future plans? Do you have a short list of universities? Are you thinking Gap Year? Male modeling? I mean…anything and everything is still on the table at this point right?

You will probably have to take that male modeling thing back when you see my school photograph! When people ask me the typical question of what I want to be, I answer “happy”.

Currently, I don’t really know what I want to study, or where.

If this sounds like I don’t know anything you’ve understood me correctly. A Gap Year is absolutely a possibility that I would consider, but I am not ready to decide yet. Yes, everything is still on the table, but that is also what makes it hard to make a choice.

I saw you in All Shook Up. You had a significant role! Have you always been an actor?

All Shook Up was my first ever performance of any sort on a stage. A lot of hard work and time went into the musical, and it was definitely worth it at the end. I had a lot of fun from the first rehearsal to the last appearance on stage. I also got to know people I otherwise never would have gotten to know, some of which are in college now. All Shook Up was an awesome experience, and one of the things I will most definitely remember from tenth grade when I grow up. Thanks again to everyone who made this experience possible for me!

Close your eyes. Now picture what your life would be like if you didn’t come here. It’s only been one year, but what kind of impact has it had on you?

Well, there are both negative and positive things about moving here. The obvious negative ones being separated from friends and family. The less obvious ones for me is being separated from the Swedish nature where I could go running and mountain biking. However, there are of course many more positive things about moving here. For example, experiencing China, or participating in all these extra curricular activities we have here.

And even though I don’t see my Swedish friends that often I’ve made new friends here!

Rumor has it that you are expanding your extra curriculars this year. You’ve joined the volleyball team. Word on the street is that you’re interested

Interview by Jonathan Paulson Communitas Editor 23

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Leonardo Tortolo Magrin Becoming an International Citizen

set and I’d watch a couple of episodes every night. Once my English became conversational I felt more comfortable talking with my classmates and from then on things just took off! I was speaking fluent English in 6 months!

L

eo Magrin moved from his native Brazil to Shanghai in 2004 with zero English or Mandarin ability. Eight years later, in 2012, Leo,fluent in English and conversational in Mandarin, graduated Valedictorian of his class. Interested in pursuing a career in media, Leo is currently attending Savannah College of Art and Design in the USA. Leo recently sat down with me to talk about the past, present, and future.

Think back to 2004, how hard was it to come to Shanghai with no English or Mandarin ability?

A lot of people have asked me that question. To tell you the truth I don’t really remember it being difficult time in my life.

I definitely had difficulties and it wasn’t easy at first, but I saw it as more of an exciting new challenge than anything else.

Were there some key figures at SCIS that helped you get through that early time and get comfortable in Shanghai?

I would say that all the friends I made in school throughout the early years helped a lot, but I will always remember teachers like Eric Schmidt, Sue Cunningham, and Shawn Knudson. I’ve known Shawn since 4th grade where he first taught me Physical Education. 6 years later he went on to coach me in Varsity basketball, and he has always been a great friend and mentor throughout my 8.5 years at SCIS! A lot of students still come to SCIS with little to no English ability. If you could give them (and/or) their parents one piece of advice, what would it be?

I believe that the best way to learn a new language is to indulge in the culture that is associated with such language.

What did that mean for me? I watched a whole lot of FRIENDS. One of my dad’s coworkers lent us the entire box

24

Talk to me about Savannah, Georgia—are we talking polar opposite of Shanghai?

Definitely! I couldn’t have chosen a more different place!

Savannah is a small little colonial town in coastal Georgia and that’s exactly why I picked it. When I was trying to decide which college to go to I saw it as an opportunity to experience a completely different culture and what could be more different from Shanghai than a tiny touristic town in the Deep South? I also feel like the environment there goes hand in hand with a university for arts and design. The weather is almost perfect year round, the food is phenomenal, there are parks and squares everywhere, and the people are very warm and welcoming. Creatively speaking, it’s a very stimulating city.

How are you liking SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design)? You must have had your pick of universities graduating valedictorian.

Are you thinking you made the absolute right choice by choosing SCAD? I am loving my time there! SCAD has given me the incredible opportunity to connect with so many like-minded and talented people. In a single school year I’ve recorded over 20 in-studio sessions with bands from around America. I’ve worked as a dialogue editor in a student film. And I have worked as a composer and sound designer in three senior student animations and one iPhone game (set to release next year on iTunes). None of this was considered class-work.

These are projects that I worked on outside of class just for the fun of it! Do I think I made the absolute right choice?

I think so, but what matters the most is your mindset as a student. If you have the right attitude you can be successful regardless of the school you go to!

I heard you are heavily involved with the radio station there. You’re the in-studio director as well as part time DJ? What is it like helping run a radio station?

Working at SCAD Radio has been a true blessing! I got involved with SCAD Radio my second week in university and it has been a thrill ride ever since! I started off helping as the in-studio assistant and a year later when the in-studio director graduated I was hired to take over for her! When my friends

come by the station when I’m hosting a session with a band they tend to ask me, “So, your job is to just sit and record bands?” Technically, yes, and I always tell everyone that I have the best job. But a lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into running an in studio session. My duties as in studio director puts me in charge of all the live music at the station, that includes hosting and recording in studio sessions, editing and mixing those sessions and posting them on our website, and hiring bands to play at live events at the campus. Since SCAD Radio is a student run radio station it takes a lot of work from us in the management staff to make sure everything is running smoothly and that we are constantly producing exciting content for our listeners! It’s a fun job, but it’s also a whole lot of work!

It sounds like it takes equal parts creativity, people skills, technical knowledge, and business sense….where did you learn these skills?

A lot of those skills you have to learn on the fly. There’s no way you can ever be 100% prepared for a job. I think the most important skills you can have is adaptability and attitude. If people enjoy working with you and you have a willingness to learn, you are ready to face the world and whatever challenges may be thrown at you.

(Laughing). Let’s talk about something a little more positive then…You just had a music internship this summer at 72 Studio in Shanghai. What exactly did you do and how was it?

I did an audio engineering and production internship. To put it simply, I assisted the head engineer, Ryan Baird, with tasks such as setting up microphones for recordings, running sessions, and editing and mixing recordings. I had the opportunity to work with bands and musicians from around the word. On my last day at work we were invited to engineer a session at the Shanghai Music Conservatory Studio for the Dong Huang Big Band led by Dr. Gene Aitken who was inducted into the Jazz Educator’s Hall of Fame in 1995 along with Ella Fitzgerald and Doc Severinson.

All in all, it was an amazing experience and I have learned a lot from my time spent in 72 Studio.

You can write music; you can edit sound. You are a photographer and a writer. You are majoring in Sound Design. What’s the future of Leo Magrin look like?

I have no clue; I’ve always been really unpredictable. Growing up, everyone thought I was going to become a doctor or engineer, but it was my love for music and audio that led me to where I am today. Right now I’ve been dreaming about working at Greehouse Studios in Reykjavík, Iceland, so hopefully that’s where I’ll be in a few years!

Real quick: when I mention SCIS, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Friendship. I will never forget the friends I made at SCIS—students and teachers alike.

And when I mention SCAD, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Growth. I have never grown so much in my life as I have in these past two years.

It has been an incredible journey!

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

Interview by Jonathan Paulson Communitas Editor

25

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Leonardo Tortolo Magrin Becoming an International Citizen

set and I’d watch a couple of episodes every night. Once my English became conversational I felt more comfortable talking with my classmates and from then on things just took off! I was speaking fluent English in 6 months!

L

eo Magrin moved from his native Brazil to Shanghai in 2004 with zero English or Mandarin ability. Eight years later, in 2012, Leo,fluent in English and conversational in Mandarin, graduated Valedictorian of his class. Interested in pursuing a career in media, Leo is currently attending Savannah College of Art and Design in the USA. Leo recently sat down with me to talk about the past, present, and future.

Think back to 2004, how hard was it to come to Shanghai with no English or Mandarin ability?

A lot of people have asked me that question. To tell you the truth I don’t really remember it being difficult time in my life.

I definitely had difficulties and it wasn’t easy at first, but I saw it as more of an exciting new challenge than anything else.

Were there some key figures at SCIS that helped you get through that early time and get comfortable in Shanghai?

I would say that all the friends I made in school throughout the early years helped a lot, but I will always remember teachers like Eric Schmidt, Sue Cunningham, and Shawn Knudson. I’ve known Shawn since 4th grade where he first taught me Physical Education. 6 years later he went on to coach me in Varsity basketball, and he has always been a great friend and mentor throughout my 8.5 years at SCIS! A lot of students still come to SCIS with little to no English ability. If you could give them (and/or) their parents one piece of advice, what would it be?

I believe that the best way to learn a new language is to indulge in the culture that is associated with such language.

What did that mean for me? I watched a whole lot of FRIENDS. One of my dad’s coworkers lent us the entire box

24

Talk to me about Savannah, Georgia—are we talking polar opposite of Shanghai?

Definitely! I couldn’t have chosen a more different place!

Savannah is a small little colonial town in coastal Georgia and that’s exactly why I picked it. When I was trying to decide which college to go to I saw it as an opportunity to experience a completely different culture and what could be more different from Shanghai than a tiny touristic town in the Deep South? I also feel like the environment there goes hand in hand with a university for arts and design. The weather is almost perfect year round, the food is phenomenal, there are parks and squares everywhere, and the people are very warm and welcoming. Creatively speaking, it’s a very stimulating city.

How are you liking SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design)? You must have had your pick of universities graduating valedictorian.

Are you thinking you made the absolute right choice by choosing SCAD? I am loving my time there! SCAD has given me the incredible opportunity to connect with so many like-minded and talented people. In a single school year I’ve recorded over 20 in-studio sessions with bands from around America. I’ve worked as a dialogue editor in a student film. And I have worked as a composer and sound designer in three senior student animations and one iPhone game (set to release next year on iTunes). None of this was considered class-work.

These are projects that I worked on outside of class just for the fun of it! Do I think I made the absolute right choice?

I think so, but what matters the most is your mindset as a student. If you have the right attitude you can be successful regardless of the school you go to!

I heard you are heavily involved with the radio station there. You’re the in-studio director as well as part time DJ? What is it like helping run a radio station?

Working at SCAD Radio has been a true blessing! I got involved with SCAD Radio my second week in university and it has been a thrill ride ever since! I started off helping as the in-studio assistant and a year later when the in-studio director graduated I was hired to take over for her! When my friends

come by the station when I’m hosting a session with a band they tend to ask me, “So, your job is to just sit and record bands?” Technically, yes, and I always tell everyone that I have the best job. But a lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into running an in studio session. My duties as in studio director puts me in charge of all the live music at the station, that includes hosting and recording in studio sessions, editing and mixing those sessions and posting them on our website, and hiring bands to play at live events at the campus. Since SCAD Radio is a student run radio station it takes a lot of work from us in the management staff to make sure everything is running smoothly and that we are constantly producing exciting content for our listeners! It’s a fun job, but it’s also a whole lot of work!

It sounds like it takes equal parts creativity, people skills, technical knowledge, and business sense….where did you learn these skills?

A lot of those skills you have to learn on the fly. There’s no way you can ever be 100% prepared for a job. I think the most important skills you can have is adaptability and attitude. If people enjoy working with you and you have a willingness to learn, you are ready to face the world and whatever challenges may be thrown at you.

(Laughing). Let’s talk about something a little more positive then…You just had a music internship this summer at 72 Studio in Shanghai. What exactly did you do and how was it?

I did an audio engineering and production internship. To put it simply, I assisted the head engineer, Ryan Baird, with tasks such as setting up microphones for recordings, running sessions, and editing and mixing recordings. I had the opportunity to work with bands and musicians from around the word. On my last day at work we were invited to engineer a session at the Shanghai Music Conservatory Studio for the Dong Huang Big Band led by Dr. Gene Aitken who was inducted into the Jazz Educator’s Hall of Fame in 1995 along with Ella Fitzgerald and Doc Severinson.

All in all, it was an amazing experience and I have learned a lot from my time spent in 72 Studio.

You can write music; you can edit sound. You are a photographer and a writer. You are majoring in Sound Design. What’s the future of Leo Magrin look like?

I have no clue; I’ve always been really unpredictable. Growing up, everyone thought I was going to become a doctor or engineer, but it was my love for music and audio that led me to where I am today. Right now I’ve been dreaming about working at Greehouse Studios in Reykjavík, Iceland, so hopefully that’s where I’ll be in a few years!

Real quick: when I mention SCIS, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Friendship. I will never forget the friends I made at SCIS—students and teachers alike.

And when I mention SCAD, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Growth. I have never grown so much in my life as I have in these past two years.

It has been an incredible journey!

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

Interview by Jonathan Paulson Communitas Editor

25

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

Kim Marshall Workshop —We Never Stop Trying to Improve

Stress: Coping with Life’s Challenges

S

tress is an unavoidable part of life and something expat families know much about. Raising children while moving to a new country, away from one’s support network, while at the same time trying to navigate a new work environment and manage seemingly mundane daily tasks such as paying bills or buying groceries with little or no ability to communicate in Chinese, can significantly raise even the most resilient individuals’ stress levels. Most people successfully get through these events using intuitive coping mechanisms, but science can teach us a lot about stress and how to manage it more effectively. The key question is: how are some people are able to remain healthy and even thrive under intense stress? What makes them so resistant to the adverse effects of stress?

The answer to this question includes factors such as how much control people feel they have in their lives, their social network, openness to change, attitudes such as optimism, self-care skills such as exercise and nutrition, sense of humor and so on.

According to Dr. Mike Evans, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, research suggests that the most effective method for managing stress is simple: we need to change our thinking style.

S

CIS-Pudong recently welcomed prominent USA educator Kim Marshall for a week-long workshop. Kim was a teacher, central office administrator, and principal in the Boston Pubic Schools for 32 years. He now advises and coaches school administrators, teaches courses and conducts workshops on instructional leadership and time management, and publishes a weekly newsletter, the Marshall Memo, which summarizes ideas and research from 44 publications (www.marshallmemo.com).

Teacher Supervision and Evaluation. He spent the week working closely with both SCIS administrators and administrators from across the ACAMIS region. Kim presented an innovative alternative to monitor and assess the intended, taught, and learned curriculum in schools. He also focused on how school leaders can set priorities and do the work that makes the best difference for teaching and learning. It was an exciting week of collaboration and learning.

Kim has written several books and numerous articles on teaching and school leadership. His most recent book is Rethinking

By Daniel Jubert SCIS-Pudong Head of School

26

Most people think of stress as something that happens to them, the same way that when a piece of steel on a bridge eventually snaps when it is constantly being stressed. This is a physical model, but it is not a human model. The difference is that humans cognitively process stress. For example, we may say things like “My job is stressful” or “My friend Sylvia is stressing me out”, but in fact it is us who create stress in our brains. Our job or our friend Sylvia are not stressful in and of themselves; it is our thinking about them that brings the stress.

Our cognition is the volume control that can turn the stress up or down. Stress management is a skill that can be learned. Dr. Mats Gulliksson and his colleagues at Uppsala University Hospital

in Sweden published a trial in 2011 in the Annals of Internal Medicine following over 400 people who had a significant heart event, such as a hart attack or bypass surgery. One half received the usual care, and the other received the usual care plus cognitive behavior therapy (known as CBT). This therapeutic approach incorporates teaching practical techniques, such as problem solving and relaxation as well as challenging common thinking traps, which include “negative filters” (e.g. only focusing on negative aspects of a situation), “fortune telling” (e.g. “I’m not going to that job interview; they’ll just reject me.”), “mind reading” (“He walked by me without saying hello; he must hate me!”), polarizing or black-and-white thinking. (“I failed my diet by eating that piece of cake. Now I might as well eat the whole thing.”)

A thought record is then used to reframe the automatic thinking into more healthy thinking. As the father of American psychology, William James suggested over a hundred years ago, the greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. The Swedish researchers followed their participants over 7 years. Those who got CBT had over 41% reduction in heart attacks and 28% lower death rates. The more CBT sessions the person attended, the better they did.

Another factor that influences our thinking style is our attitude —our outlook on life. A study done by Dr. Suzanne Kobasa and her colleagues at the University of Chicago investigated the effects of the break-up of the Bell Telephone Company in the 1980s. They researched who coped well and who didn’t. They identified 3 key traits of those who adapted well: 1. Commitment. Stress-resistant employees were committed to different aspects of their lives. Even when facing uncertainty, they stayed committed to quality work, engaging with family and friends, their communities, their faith, their hobbies. They were committed to the bigger picture of success, which Continue on page 29…

27

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

Kim Marshall Workshop —We Never Stop Trying to Improve

Stress: Coping with Life’s Challenges

S

tress is an unavoidable part of life and something expat families know much about. Raising children while moving to a new country, away from one’s support network, while at the same time trying to navigate a new work environment and manage seemingly mundane daily tasks such as paying bills or buying groceries with little or no ability to communicate in Chinese, can significantly raise even the most resilient individuals’ stress levels. Most people successfully get through these events using intuitive coping mechanisms, but science can teach us a lot about stress and how to manage it more effectively. The key question is: how are some people are able to remain healthy and even thrive under intense stress? What makes them so resistant to the adverse effects of stress?

The answer to this question includes factors such as how much control people feel they have in their lives, their social network, openness to change, attitudes such as optimism, self-care skills such as exercise and nutrition, sense of humor and so on.

According to Dr. Mike Evans, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, research suggests that the most effective method for managing stress is simple: we need to change our thinking style.

S

CIS-Pudong recently welcomed prominent USA educator Kim Marshall for a week-long workshop. Kim was a teacher, central office administrator, and principal in the Boston Pubic Schools for 32 years. He now advises and coaches school administrators, teaches courses and conducts workshops on instructional leadership and time management, and publishes a weekly newsletter, the Marshall Memo, which summarizes ideas and research from 44 publications (www.marshallmemo.com).

Teacher Supervision and Evaluation. He spent the week working closely with both SCIS administrators and administrators from across the ACAMIS region. Kim presented an innovative alternative to monitor and assess the intended, taught, and learned curriculum in schools. He also focused on how school leaders can set priorities and do the work that makes the best difference for teaching and learning. It was an exciting week of collaboration and learning.

Kim has written several books and numerous articles on teaching and school leadership. His most recent book is Rethinking

By Daniel Jubert SCIS-Pudong Head of School

26

Most people think of stress as something that happens to them, the same way that when a piece of steel on a bridge eventually snaps when it is constantly being stressed. This is a physical model, but it is not a human model. The difference is that humans cognitively process stress. For example, we may say things like “My job is stressful” or “My friend Sylvia is stressing me out”, but in fact it is us who create stress in our brains. Our job or our friend Sylvia are not stressful in and of themselves; it is our thinking about them that brings the stress.

Our cognition is the volume control that can turn the stress up or down. Stress management is a skill that can be learned. Dr. Mats Gulliksson and his colleagues at Uppsala University Hospital

in Sweden published a trial in 2011 in the Annals of Internal Medicine following over 400 people who had a significant heart event, such as a hart attack or bypass surgery. One half received the usual care, and the other received the usual care plus cognitive behavior therapy (known as CBT). This therapeutic approach incorporates teaching practical techniques, such as problem solving and relaxation as well as challenging common thinking traps, which include “negative filters” (e.g. only focusing on negative aspects of a situation), “fortune telling” (e.g. “I’m not going to that job interview; they’ll just reject me.”), “mind reading” (“He walked by me without saying hello; he must hate me!”), polarizing or black-and-white thinking. (“I failed my diet by eating that piece of cake. Now I might as well eat the whole thing.”)

A thought record is then used to reframe the automatic thinking into more healthy thinking. As the father of American psychology, William James suggested over a hundred years ago, the greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. The Swedish researchers followed their participants over 7 years. Those who got CBT had over 41% reduction in heart attacks and 28% lower death rates. The more CBT sessions the person attended, the better they did.

Another factor that influences our thinking style is our attitude —our outlook on life. A study done by Dr. Suzanne Kobasa and her colleagues at the University of Chicago investigated the effects of the break-up of the Bell Telephone Company in the 1980s. They researched who coped well and who didn’t. They identified 3 key traits of those who adapted well: 1. Commitment. Stress-resistant employees were committed to different aspects of their lives. Even when facing uncertainty, they stayed committed to quality work, engaging with family and friends, their communities, their faith, their hobbies. They were committed to the bigger picture of success, which Continue on page 29…

27

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

Creativity and Reasoning in the Social Sciences: A New Integrated Curriculum

…Continue from page 27 allowed them to overcome the turbulence in one specific area of their lives.

2. Control. Although there were many factors that were outside of their control, the employees who adapted better were those who believed that they could control many aspects of their lives.

3. Change. Stress-resistant employees were able to limit their sense of self -importance and see the change happening around them as a potential stepping stone, not a stumbling block.

Research has shown that simply writing out a “stress story” can make a big difference in how we manage stress. The act of giving coherence and creating one’s own personal narrative of stressful events in a letter can be an effective way of negating the stress of those events.

Dr. Mike Evans suggests “the 90-10” rule, which assumes that 10% of how we do in life depends of what happens to us and

U

pper School Students at HIS will be experiencing a new learning approach this year in the Social Sciences. Where previously each grade was given a continent to study in all its glorious historical detail, now the primary foundation of each year-long programme is based on the Social Scientific method and how we can use it in four major Social Sciences: Psychology, Geography, History, and Economics.

Hangzhou International School is now an IB school. And with that change, comes the need to scaffold our students towards the IB’s unique and demanding syllabi.

Primary research As we already know, students looking for future success in the humanities require more than shaded Mercator maps and detailed timelines of Western civilisation. Upper School students at HIS have a succinct list of skills that they will gradually develop between Grades 6 - 10. Central skills are making arguments, gathering primary data, and using sources to draw conclusions.

Primary research skills are easily forgotten in the Social Studies classroom, where historical narrative and facts are fascinating in and of themselves. As part of our new approach, students will be getting out of the classroom to gather data from the local area and community.

• For Geography, students might be required to map part of the local suburb, and asked to identify patterns in the cultural environment.

• For Psychology, students will conduct a correlational study, surveying students to assess the relationship between two psychological variables.

• In History, students are expected to interview people in their community about specific experiences or events they have lived through and compare these accounts with other sources.

28

• In Economics students may be conducting research into an area of supply and demand in the local community.

90% is how we respond. The same is true of stress. When feeling stressed, we should choose to take a deep breath and think about the big picture of success. We should think about our commitments, our sense of control, and our openness to change. We should consider doing some homework on ourselves, reframing our thinking, redirecting our attention, and maybe writing a letter. The evidence repeatedly shows that people who manage their stress well have better health outcomes in virtually any disease they may suffer from. We should try to remember that challenges are an integral part of life, but our thoughts and our attitudes are the key holders for the stress we’re experiencing—not the traffic, not our boss, not our job, and not our neighbor. It’s us! And our thinking is something we have the power to change.

By Maja Kelly Pudong Campus Upper School Counselor

…Continue from page 28

Where Grade 6 students might be working in groups and supported every step of the way, Grade 10 students will be able to design their own parameters. As such, participating in primary research each year will help engage students and give them an empowering research-based grounding in each discipline. This will also actively connect them to the local community and provide them with food for thought as they prepare for subject choices in their last years of school.

The art of drawing logical conclusions and finding solutions Core to all the disciplines of the Social Sciences is an ability to analyse, evaluate, and create arguments. Clearly I am not referring to the common usage of argument as a heated exchange between people, but in the logical sense of how to make valid conclusions.

Zogs are blue. Diggs are Zogs. Therefore Diggs are blue.

On paper, this appears an uncomplicated skill, but once competing sources are on the table, students and adults alike find it difficult to leave aside values in favour of pure logical reasoning.

The goal at the heart of understanding and making arguments is effective decision making. These goals will be front and center at HIS this year in Grades 9 and 10 Social Science classes as students discuss one issue in detail each week. The process involves students making a choice of one issue related to the study of human behaviour or society. The issue could be anything from sexism, healthcare or violence on television, to surrogacy or Ebola.

Continue on page 29…

Continue on page 35…

Over the course of the year, students choose a topic from each of the following subjects: Psychology, Economics, History, Geography or Current Events, an issue that they believe is a problem. They research their topic and explain to the class why it is a problem. Following their presentation, every student in the class has a few days to research a possible solution to this one problem and to construct an argument to support their solution.

Subsequently each member of the class then shares their solution in a discussion forum. Each solution is debated with the aim of coming to a consensus about the best possible solutions.

As I write this, the first quarter begins to come to a close. In its first year, this solution-based research model has already born fruit. Students are improving in the art of critically analyzing and finding solutions.

So far, students have mulled over several heavy topics including desertification, violence, and corruption. The discussions have

been fascinating with a mix of creative and realistic solutions.

One of the most positive aspects of this forum has been the ease with which the teacher and increasingly the students can conduct Socratic questioning as part of the discussion, asking questions about deeper root causes of human behaviour.

I look forward to seeing how HIS students propose that we as a global community deal with such issues as inequality, racism, ISIS, and poverty. I am sure that among the solutions bought to the table will be a mix of the challenging, the insightful, and the impractical. But in the process of working through these discussions students will gain a deeper insight into. The workings of their fellow students’ minds, how human societies function, and just how challenging and fascinating a place the world can be.

By Richard Searle HIS Upper School Social Studies Teacher 29

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

Creativity and Reasoning in the Social Sciences: A New Integrated Curriculum

…Continue from page 27 allowed them to overcome the turbulence in one specific area of their lives.

2. Control. Although there were many factors that were outside of their control, the employees who adapted better were those who believed that they could control many aspects of their lives.

3. Change. Stress-resistant employees were able to limit their sense of self -importance and see the change happening around them as a potential stepping stone, not a stumbling block.

Research has shown that simply writing out a “stress story” can make a big difference in how we manage stress. The act of giving coherence and creating one’s own personal narrative of stressful events in a letter can be an effective way of negating the stress of those events.

Dr. Mike Evans suggests “the 90-10” rule, which assumes that 10% of how we do in life depends of what happens to us and

U

pper School Students at HIS will be experiencing a new learning approach this year in the Social Sciences. Where previously each grade was given a continent to study in all its glorious historical detail, now the primary foundation of each year-long programme is based on the Social Scientific method and how we can use it in four major Social Sciences: Psychology, Geography, History, and Economics.

Hangzhou International School is now an IB school. And with that change, comes the need to scaffold our students towards the IB’s unique and demanding syllabi.

Primary research As we already know, students looking for future success in the humanities require more than shaded Mercator maps and detailed timelines of Western civilisation. Upper School students at HIS have a succinct list of skills that they will gradually develop between Grades 6 - 10. Central skills are making arguments, gathering primary data, and using sources to draw conclusions.

Primary research skills are easily forgotten in the Social Studies classroom, where historical narrative and facts are fascinating in and of themselves. As part of our new approach, students will be getting out of the classroom to gather data from the local area and community.

• For Geography, students might be required to map part of the local suburb, and asked to identify patterns in the cultural environment.

• For Psychology, students will conduct a correlational study, surveying students to assess the relationship between two psychological variables.

• In History, students are expected to interview people in their community about specific experiences or events they have lived through and compare these accounts with other sources.

28

• In Economics students may be conducting research into an area of supply and demand in the local community.

90% is how we respond. The same is true of stress. When feeling stressed, we should choose to take a deep breath and think about the big picture of success. We should think about our commitments, our sense of control, and our openness to change. We should consider doing some homework on ourselves, reframing our thinking, redirecting our attention, and maybe writing a letter. The evidence repeatedly shows that people who manage their stress well have better health outcomes in virtually any disease they may suffer from. We should try to remember that challenges are an integral part of life, but our thoughts and our attitudes are the key holders for the stress we’re experiencing—not the traffic, not our boss, not our job, and not our neighbor. It’s us! And our thinking is something we have the power to change.

By Maja Kelly Pudong Campus Upper School Counselor

…Continue from page 28

Where Grade 6 students might be working in groups and supported every step of the way, Grade 10 students will be able to design their own parameters. As such, participating in primary research each year will help engage students and give them an empowering research-based grounding in each discipline. This will also actively connect them to the local community and provide them with food for thought as they prepare for subject choices in their last years of school.

The art of drawing logical conclusions and finding solutions Core to all the disciplines of the Social Sciences is an ability to analyse, evaluate, and create arguments. Clearly I am not referring to the common usage of argument as a heated exchange between people, but in the logical sense of how to make valid conclusions.

Zogs are blue. Diggs are Zogs. Therefore Diggs are blue.

On paper, this appears an uncomplicated skill, but once competing sources are on the table, students and adults alike find it difficult to leave aside values in favour of pure logical reasoning.

The goal at the heart of understanding and making arguments is effective decision making. These goals will be front and center at HIS this year in Grades 9 and 10 Social Science classes as students discuss one issue in detail each week. The process involves students making a choice of one issue related to the study of human behaviour or society. The issue could be anything from sexism, healthcare or violence on television, to surrogacy or Ebola.

Continue on page 29…

Continue on page 35…

Over the course of the year, students choose a topic from each of the following subjects: Psychology, Economics, History, Geography or Current Events, an issue that they believe is a problem. They research their topic and explain to the class why it is a problem. Following their presentation, every student in the class has a few days to research a possible solution to this one problem and to construct an argument to support their solution.

Subsequently each member of the class then shares their solution in a discussion forum. Each solution is debated with the aim of coming to a consensus about the best possible solutions.

As I write this, the first quarter begins to come to a close. In its first year, this solution-based research model has already born fruit. Students are improving in the art of critically analyzing and finding solutions.

So far, students have mulled over several heavy topics including desertification, violence, and corruption. The discussions have

been fascinating with a mix of creative and realistic solutions.

One of the most positive aspects of this forum has been the ease with which the teacher and increasingly the students can conduct Socratic questioning as part of the discussion, asking questions about deeper root causes of human behaviour.

I look forward to seeing how HIS students propose that we as a global community deal with such issues as inequality, racism, ISIS, and poverty. I am sure that among the solutions bought to the table will be a mix of the challenging, the insightful, and the impractical. But in the process of working through these discussions students will gain a deeper insight into. The workings of their fellow students’ minds, how human societies function, and just how challenging and fascinating a place the world can be.

By Richard Searle HIS Upper School Social Studies Teacher 29

PAFA

SAFETY

Reload and Hit Refresh: One Parent’s PAFA Perspective

Backpacks and Back Pain:

Are your children at risk?

A

s an expat in China, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know new incoming parents at HIS. It’s always nice to assure them, having already been through the acclimation process, that this unfamiliar environment is friendly, supportive, and adaptable.

With a changing community and a growing student population also comes a renewed spirit in parental involvement and understanding of the cultural and educative processes at our international school. With the terrific amount of diversity in cultures, and with the varied groups working together to become more and more involved at school, we have many new opportunities to share our special interests.

I grew up in Southern California. Beautiful beaches, surf-culture, and perfect weather was my environment. While that was great, and while we brought that with us (sandals, skateboards, swimsuits were in our luggage), my children are in a better environment. They have grown up interacting with many languages and learning about various cultural traditions. HIS has enriched their perspectives and fostered tolerance, tremendously

helping them in the tumultuous world of today.

And through the PAFA organization and through the school we have made many dear friends from other countries. One of our favorite things is to act on invitations to visit these friends when they move back to their native countries. While as a kid my fondest memories were of the California beach, now some of my fondest memories are of visiting old HIS mates in places like Toulouse, Amsterdam, and Brussels.

I share these stories about visiting repatriated families to highlight how welcoming and friendly our tight knit community is and how it remains that way even after families leave. We start the new school year now with fresh eyes, and I know everyone at PAFA is excited to meet our new members to the community and forge lasting friendships.

By Jerry Joseph HIS PAFA Lower School President

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!

For more information about PAFA, please contact us at: Hangzhou PAFA President: LS co-Presidents: Miranda Kwan & Jerry Joseph US President: US Vice-President: Amy Nash Information about our activities: https://hz.scis-his.net/Pafa.

Contact us at: pafa_hz@scischina.org 30

Hongqiao PAFA President: President: Don Rendall pafapresident.scispafahq@gmail.com Events Coordinator: Donna Bose events.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

W

hen I discussed this topic with my parents and asked them to think back on what they would carry to school in the morning, it was usually 2-3 thin books, a note book and a pencil. 20 years later, in the 1980s, I remember going to school with a backpack that I could barely zip up because of all the books, note pads, calculator, etc. This doesn’t even count my instrument case in the fall for band or my athletic bag in the spring for baseball. Nowadays, kids bring even more materials to school: laptops, etc. A study by the US Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission calculated that carrying a 12-pound backpack to and from school and lifting it 10 times a day for an entire school year puts a cumulative load on youngsters’ bodies of 21,600 pounds — the equivalent of six mid-sized cars!!

- Use spiral notebooks instead of binders, which are heavier and bulkier - Have 2 sets of textbooks (for school and home) to reduce carrying load - Have your children spend a few minutes at the end of the day determining exactly what they need to bring home, instead of carrying everything - Use a rolling backpack, or select a pack that is only as large as necessary (with bigger bags, kids are more likely to carry unnecessary things) - Buy a pack with two wide, padded, adjustable straps for most support - Avoid paper books with the advent of digital textbook

Even if children complain about the weight of the bag and pain with carrying it, most of us believe kids are resilient, the pain is short term and kids will bounce back. Well, new research now says otherwise.

In a 2012 study out of Spain, at the Hospital de costa in Burelia, researchers surveyed 1400 students between the ages of 12-17 in regards to the type of bag they carry, weight, demographics, back pain associated with using a heavy backpack, etc. What they found was that 25% of students had reported low back pain ongoing for more than 15 days in the past school year (this is similar to rates of 15-20% noted in adults).

The majority of students carried packs whose weight exceeded 10% of their body weight. The average weight of the backpack in these students was found to be 15 pounds. This increased weight has been attributed to the fact that the typical weight of a textbook in 1970 was 2 pounds; currently, it is 5 pounds.

Additionally, adolescents with the heaviest backpacks were 50% more likely to have pain lasting greater than 15 days.

One then begs to ask the question: How can we start to address this and help protect our kids from developing pain?

Ways to address backpack weight include:

While there is no research that evaluates the long term effects of back pain in adolescents using heavy backpacks, we are starting to see incidence rates of low back pain in students that rivals that in adults. The real concern is regarding early assessment and treatment: if steps are not taken early to address these symptoms, pain can become chronic and more difficult to treat. The notion that most childhood injuries heal on their own is a false one. These injuries should be addressed just as an adult injury would be.

By Ryan Pfeifer, D.O. Dr. Pfeifer is a US-trained Rehab Physician with the Institute for Western Surgery, focusing on minimally invasive, non-surgical management of neck and back pain. For more information, please visit www.westernsurg.com.

31

PAFA

SAFETY

Reload and Hit Refresh: One Parent’s PAFA Perspective

Backpacks and Back Pain:

Are your children at risk?

A

s an expat in China, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know new incoming parents at HIS. It’s always nice to assure them, having already been through the acclimation process, that this unfamiliar environment is friendly, supportive, and adaptable.

With a changing community and a growing student population also comes a renewed spirit in parental involvement and understanding of the cultural and educative processes at our international school. With the terrific amount of diversity in cultures, and with the varied groups working together to become more and more involved at school, we have many new opportunities to share our special interests.

I grew up in Southern California. Beautiful beaches, surf-culture, and perfect weather was my environment. While that was great, and while we brought that with us (sandals, skateboards, swimsuits were in our luggage), my children are in a better environment. They have grown up interacting with many languages and learning about various cultural traditions. HIS has enriched their perspectives and fostered tolerance, tremendously

helping them in the tumultuous world of today.

And through the PAFA organization and through the school we have made many dear friends from other countries. One of our favorite things is to act on invitations to visit these friends when they move back to their native countries. While as a kid my fondest memories were of the California beach, now some of my fondest memories are of visiting old HIS mates in places like Toulouse, Amsterdam, and Brussels.

I share these stories about visiting repatriated families to highlight how welcoming and friendly our tight knit community is and how it remains that way even after families leave. We start the new school year now with fresh eyes, and I know everyone at PAFA is excited to meet our new members to the community and forge lasting friendships.

By Jerry Joseph HIS PAFA Lower School President

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!

For more information about PAFA, please contact us at: Hangzhou PAFA President: LS co-Presidents: Miranda Kwan & Jerry Joseph US President: US Vice-President: Amy Nash Information about our activities: https://hz.scis-his.net/Pafa.

Contact us at: pafa_hz@scischina.org 30

Hongqiao PAFA President: President: Don Rendall pafapresident.scispafahq@gmail.com Events Coordinator: Donna Bose events.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

W

hen I discussed this topic with my parents and asked them to think back on what they would carry to school in the morning, it was usually 2-3 thin books, a note book and a pencil. 20 years later, in the 1980s, I remember going to school with a backpack that I could barely zip up because of all the books, note pads, calculator, etc. This doesn’t even count my instrument case in the fall for band or my athletic bag in the spring for baseball. Nowadays, kids bring even more materials to school: laptops, etc. A study by the US Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission calculated that carrying a 12-pound backpack to and from school and lifting it 10 times a day for an entire school year puts a cumulative load on youngsters’ bodies of 21,600 pounds — the equivalent of six mid-sized cars!!

- Use spiral notebooks instead of binders, which are heavier and bulkier - Have 2 sets of textbooks (for school and home) to reduce carrying load - Have your children spend a few minutes at the end of the day determining exactly what they need to bring home, instead of carrying everything - Use a rolling backpack, or select a pack that is only as large as necessary (with bigger bags, kids are more likely to carry unnecessary things) - Buy a pack with two wide, padded, adjustable straps for most support - Avoid paper books with the advent of digital textbook

Even if children complain about the weight of the bag and pain with carrying it, most of us believe kids are resilient, the pain is short term and kids will bounce back. Well, new research now says otherwise.

In a 2012 study out of Spain, at the Hospital de costa in Burelia, researchers surveyed 1400 students between the ages of 12-17 in regards to the type of bag they carry, weight, demographics, back pain associated with using a heavy backpack, etc. What they found was that 25% of students had reported low back pain ongoing for more than 15 days in the past school year (this is similar to rates of 15-20% noted in adults).

The majority of students carried packs whose weight exceeded 10% of their body weight. The average weight of the backpack in these students was found to be 15 pounds. This increased weight has been attributed to the fact that the typical weight of a textbook in 1970 was 2 pounds; currently, it is 5 pounds.

Additionally, adolescents with the heaviest backpacks were 50% more likely to have pain lasting greater than 15 days.

One then begs to ask the question: How can we start to address this and help protect our kids from developing pain?

Ways to address backpack weight include:

While there is no research that evaluates the long term effects of back pain in adolescents using heavy backpacks, we are starting to see incidence rates of low back pain in students that rivals that in adults. The real concern is regarding early assessment and treatment: if steps are not taken early to address these symptoms, pain can become chronic and more difficult to treat. The notion that most childhood injuries heal on their own is a false one. These injuries should be addressed just as an adult injury would be.

By Ryan Pfeifer, D.O. Dr. Pfeifer is a US-trained Rehab Physician with the Institute for Western Surgery, focusing on minimally invasive, non-surgical management of neck and back pain. For more information, please visit www.westernsurg.com.

31

COMMUNITY FEATURE

T

COMMUNITY FEATURE

Dragon Pride 2014

his year’s high school volleyball “Dragon Cup” was played at the Hangzhou International School campus on Saturday, September 13. Approximately 72 high school boys and girls from SCIS Hangzhou, Pudong, and Hongqiao took part in this one-day tournament.

Ken Griffey Jr., former MLB professional, said, “I can’t play being mad. I go out there and have fun. It’s a game, and that’s how I am going to treat it.” Mike Singletary, former NFL player, said, “Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” And David Beckham said, “I know that I will always regret it later in life if I had turned down the chance to play [again].”

The kind of attitude that those three all-time great athletes said applies directly to the Dragon Cup. The Dragon Cup is a day to play for the love of the game and your team. It is not about wins and losses, but about teamwork, team spirit, and sportsmanship.

32

It is about having fun and playing for the love of the game and the camaraderie of your friends.

Jim Courier, former tennis professional, said, “Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can’t tell whether he won or lost. He carries himself with pride either way.” As everyone who was there that day can attest too —Dragon pride was shining throughout the day. All the students from our three schools were true sportsmen and women.

Overall it was a great day to be a Dragon! I want to congratulate all of the players and coaches in this year’s Volleyball Dragon Cup. It was good competition played with a true spirit of teamwork and fun. And I am very proud to have been a part of it.

By Kevin Reimer HQ Athletlic Director

33

COMMUNITY FEATURE

T

COMMUNITY FEATURE

Dragon Pride 2014

his year’s high school volleyball “Dragon Cup” was played at the Hangzhou International School campus on Saturday, September 13. Approximately 72 high school boys and girls from SCIS Hangzhou, Pudong, and Hongqiao took part in this one-day tournament.

Ken Griffey Jr., former MLB professional, said, “I can’t play being mad. I go out there and have fun. It’s a game, and that’s how I am going to treat it.” Mike Singletary, former NFL player, said, “Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” And David Beckham said, “I know that I will always regret it later in life if I had turned down the chance to play [again].”

The kind of attitude that those three all-time great athletes said applies directly to the Dragon Cup. The Dragon Cup is a day to play for the love of the game and your team. It is not about wins and losses, but about teamwork, team spirit, and sportsmanship.

32

It is about having fun and playing for the love of the game and the camaraderie of your friends.

Jim Courier, former tennis professional, said, “Sportsmanship for me is when a guy walks off the court and you really can’t tell whether he won or lost. He carries himself with pride either way.” As everyone who was there that day can attest too —Dragon pride was shining throughout the day. All the students from our three schools were true sportsmen and women.

Overall it was a great day to be a Dragon! I want to congratulate all of the players and coaches in this year’s Volleyball Dragon Cup. It was good competition played with a true spirit of teamwork and fun. And I am very proud to have been a part of it.

By Kevin Reimer HQ Athletlic Director

33

THE LIBRARIANS CORNER

Book Recommendations for All Ages Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom

By John Rocco For ECE Recommended by Josh Bali, HQ ECE Librarian Synopsis: For the boy in this book (no name is given but it is based on the authors childhood,) his super powers come from his wild, crazy hair! With this crazy hair, he can do such things as fly great distances on his bike and catch animals.

His friends also have big hair that they use for their superpowers as well. Unfortunately for our heroes, their mom’s are tired of their hair-do’s and send them to the ultimate villain... THE BARBER! Will our heroes ever get their powers back?

Mr. Bali’s Take: Simply put, this author has a fantastic grasp on the way children think and uses his brilliant imagination in both the story and the illustrations. Some of the best children’s books come out of the authors personal experiences, and this is definitely one of them! Other books by John Rocco (that are also new to the ECE) are Caldecott honor book Blackout, Wolf!

Wolf, How to Train a Train and Fu Finds The Way.

The One and Only Ivan

By Katherine Applegate For Lower School Recommended by Gregory Watt, HQ Lower School Librarian Synopsis: Gorillas are not complainers. We’re dreamers, poets, philosophers, naptakers. Ivan is a gorilla who lives in a small cage in a shopping mall.

He and his friends, Bob the dog, Stella the elephant, and a new arrival—baby elephant Ruby— reflect on their lives and the everyday occurrences in their confined spaces. Now, Ivan is an easygoing character who accepts his lot in life, enjoying human watching and having an artistic flare (when he is not eating his crayons…), but this acceptance is changed by the appearance of Ruby and events that take Ivan’s memories back to his days of freedom and his own family life in the wild. Ivan subsequently changes his approach to his human handlers over the course of the story while caring for his new friend.

Mr. Watt’s Take: This is a bittersweet tale with an overall atmosphere of sadness but has an incredibly uplifting attention to

34

courage and change that gives the reader a positive outlook on many events. It is a story that deals with incredibly harsh realities in a way that also inspires the reader while taking them down a somewhat rocky emotional path. The characters are tremendous and there are instances of real humour and delightful dialogue between the animals. This book tackles the hard issues involved with animals and their treatment and truly opens discussion amongst students regarding their opinions and knowledge of the topic. The One and Only Ivan was a deserved winner of the 2013 Newberry medal. It handles a sensitive topic with considerable skill and is a must read for 8+ readers.

Referral Discount

500RMB

G6 —10

ACT

G11—12

SAT/SAT 2400

G9 —10

SAT Foundations

G9 —10

Oct 12 – Dec 14

Jinqiao / Huacao

CTY SCAT

G6 — 9

Oct 12 – Nov 2

Gubei / Jinqiao

G3

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao / Huacao

Early Years

G4 — 5

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao / Huacao

Middle Years

G6 — 7

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao

Upper Years

G8 — 9

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao / Huacao

Pre AP/IB

G9 —10

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao

Global Awareness

G6 — 9

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao

The Opposite of Loneliness

By Marina Keegan For the more mature reader in grades 10, 11, and 12 Recommended by Frank Stone, Upper School Librarian Synopsis: The title for this compilation, The Opposite of Loneliness, comes from a (now famous) column Ms. Keegan wrote for the Yale Daily News, a reflection on her time at college as she was about to leave the sanctuary of the campus and celebration of the community. “We’re so young. We’re so young, we’re twenty-two years old. We have so much time.” But at 22, her time was almost up. She just didn’t know it. Her essay The Opposite of Loneliness ran in the commencement edition of the paper. Marina Keegan died in a car accident on her way home from the ceremony.

This book shares three perspectives with the reader. The first two are brief. We meet Marina, and we meet her again through the eyes of her mentors. We learn why they loved her, why they loved her writing, and we learn about how she struggled both with doubt and desire to stay true to her voice through her writing. Finally, we meet her through her essays.

Aug 23 – Sep 21

SSAT

Young Starters

Composition & Literature

Oct 12 – Nov 23 Sep 27 – Oct 2 Oct 25 – Dec 6 Aug 23 – Sep 21 Sep 27 – Oct 3

Gubei / Jinqiao

Gubei / Jinqiao

Gubei / Jinqiao

Mr. Stone’s Take: You’ll enjoy her essays, but you won’t be able to read the next one from Marina Keegan; there won’t be one.

I was captured by the idea of this book from the moment I read about it. You may be too. It’s a time machine—an insight into a young talent that will never mature. It’s a powerful celebration and exhibition of what she achieved with the time she had.

Learn about celebrating life. Learn about yourself. Learn about Marina Keegan. And read an essay that pops.

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THE LIBRARIANS CORNER

Book Recommendations for All Ages Super Hair-O and the Barber of Doom

By John Rocco For ECE Recommended by Josh Bali, HQ ECE Librarian Synopsis: For the boy in this book (no name is given but it is based on the authors childhood,) his super powers come from his wild, crazy hair! With this crazy hair, he can do such things as fly great distances on his bike and catch animals.

His friends also have big hair that they use for their superpowers as well. Unfortunately for our heroes, their mom’s are tired of their hair-do’s and send them to the ultimate villain... THE BARBER! Will our heroes ever get their powers back?

Mr. Bali’s Take: Simply put, this author has a fantastic grasp on the way children think and uses his brilliant imagination in both the story and the illustrations. Some of the best children’s books come out of the authors personal experiences, and this is definitely one of them! Other books by John Rocco (that are also new to the ECE) are Caldecott honor book Blackout, Wolf!

Wolf, How to Train a Train and Fu Finds The Way.

The One and Only Ivan

By Katherine Applegate For Lower School Recommended by Gregory Watt, HQ Lower School Librarian Synopsis: Gorillas are not complainers. We’re dreamers, poets, philosophers, naptakers. Ivan is a gorilla who lives in a small cage in a shopping mall.

He and his friends, Bob the dog, Stella the elephant, and a new arrival—baby elephant Ruby— reflect on their lives and the everyday occurrences in their confined spaces. Now, Ivan is an easygoing character who accepts his lot in life, enjoying human watching and having an artistic flare (when he is not eating his crayons…), but this acceptance is changed by the appearance of Ruby and events that take Ivan’s memories back to his days of freedom and his own family life in the wild. Ivan subsequently changes his approach to his human handlers over the course of the story while caring for his new friend.

Mr. Watt’s Take: This is a bittersweet tale with an overall atmosphere of sadness but has an incredibly uplifting attention to

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courage and change that gives the reader a positive outlook on many events. It is a story that deals with incredibly harsh realities in a way that also inspires the reader while taking them down a somewhat rocky emotional path. The characters are tremendous and there are instances of real humour and delightful dialogue between the animals. This book tackles the hard issues involved with animals and their treatment and truly opens discussion amongst students regarding their opinions and knowledge of the topic. The One and Only Ivan was a deserved winner of the 2013 Newberry medal. It handles a sensitive topic with considerable skill and is a must read for 8+ readers.

Referral Discount

500RMB

G6 —10

ACT

G11—12

SAT/SAT 2400

G9 —10

SAT Foundations

G9 —10

Oct 12 – Dec 14

Jinqiao / Huacao

CTY SCAT

G6 — 9

Oct 12 – Nov 2

Gubei / Jinqiao

G3

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao / Huacao

Early Years

G4 — 5

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao / Huacao

Middle Years

G6 — 7

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao

Upper Years

G8 — 9

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao / Huacao

Pre AP/IB

G9 —10

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao

Global Awareness

G6 — 9

Aug 30 – Nov 29

Gubei / Jinqiao

The Opposite of Loneliness

By Marina Keegan For the more mature reader in grades 10, 11, and 12 Recommended by Frank Stone, Upper School Librarian Synopsis: The title for this compilation, The Opposite of Loneliness, comes from a (now famous) column Ms. Keegan wrote for the Yale Daily News, a reflection on her time at college as she was about to leave the sanctuary of the campus and celebration of the community. “We’re so young. We’re so young, we’re twenty-two years old. We have so much time.” But at 22, her time was almost up. She just didn’t know it. Her essay The Opposite of Loneliness ran in the commencement edition of the paper. Marina Keegan died in a car accident on her way home from the ceremony.

This book shares three perspectives with the reader. The first two are brief. We meet Marina, and we meet her again through the eyes of her mentors. We learn why they loved her, why they loved her writing, and we learn about how she struggled both with doubt and desire to stay true to her voice through her writing. Finally, we meet her through her essays.

Aug 23 – Sep 21

SSAT

Young Starters

Composition & Literature

Oct 12 – Nov 23 Sep 27 – Oct 2 Oct 25 – Dec 6 Aug 23 – Sep 21 Sep 27 – Oct 3

Gubei / Jinqiao

Gubei / Jinqiao

Gubei / Jinqiao

Mr. Stone’s Take: You’ll enjoy her essays, but you won’t be able to read the next one from Marina Keegan; there won’t be one.

I was captured by the idea of this book from the moment I read about it. You may be too. It’s a time machine—an insight into a young talent that will never mature. It’s a powerful celebration and exhibition of what she achieved with the time she had.

Learn about celebrating life. Learn about yourself. Learn about Marina Keegan. And read an essay that pops.

35

Graduated from Georgetown University in 2014 (Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa)

Majored in International Politics

High School SAT Score

2370

top 1% worldwide

High School President of Student Council High School Captain of Basketball & Volleyball Teams High School Drama and Theatre Star

I am SCIS

“When I first set foot in Washington, DC to begin my freshman year at Georgetown University, I arrived with the writing, analysis, and critical-thinking skills needed to succeed at the university level. SCIS played a key role in helping me to develop these abilities. Spending several years within SCIS’s small-school environment allowed me to receive personalized instruction from my teachers that proved critical in preparing me for life after high school. Getting to spend six years immersed in SCIS’s international student body in one of the most vibrant cities in Asia was just icing on the cake.”

– Sam Kane, Class of 2010 Attended SCIS for 6 years and is currently working as a Research Associate at Zeichner Risk Analytics

SCIS is a truly international school. Our rigorous curriculum and excellent co-curricular opportunities promote high achievement. Our diverse community of over 60 nationalities and our caring environment promote future success. Visit us to discover for yourself the amazing SCIS community. No school does it better.

Tour our campuses by calling 86-21-6261-4338 ext.1 HONGQIAO • PUDONG

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NURSERY – GRADE 12

www.scis-his.org

The International School of Choice