Welcome to the ES TASIS Times!
Interview with Dr. Lutton: Part 1
by Johannes Van Zuydam
Where did you study? I studied at university three different times. I graduated from undergraduate school at Rutgers University, in New Jersey, with a degree in Humanities. Then I did a Masters in Administration at Barry University in Miami, Florida. Then I got my doctorate at the University of Florida in Curriculum Instruction and Instructional Leadership. Where did you go to high school? I went to high school in Miami, Florida. Where were you born? I was born in Miami, Florida. Did you like school? All my life I loved school! I loved it, but I did not want to be a teacher. How many schools did you go to? I went to three schools. What was your favorite subject? I liked Math and I liked Language Arts. What did you study in college? At the beginning I studied British Literature and Math. Then when I decided I wanted to be a teacher, I studied Educational Administration and Curriculum Instruction.
WANT TO BE A PART OF THE FUN? Any ES student can contribute artwork, photographs, fiction, poetry, interviews, investigative reports, or any other original work! Email your work to: charlotte.zanecchia@tasis.ch
Were you a teacher before becoming a principal? Yes, I taught high school for 18 years. I taught Math, English and Aviation Science, because it was a Math department class. Why did you want to be a principal? I wanted to be a principal because I thought I had something to offer teachers: to help them be better teachers. What made you be a principal? Actually, I was in high school and knew a woman kind of like Mrs. Fleming. Her name was Dr. Cushman. She had a school called The Cushman School and she knew about me because the school where I was teaching and doing some administrative work was near her school. Some of the students came to the private high school where I was teaching. She asked me to come see her. My daughter went to her school, and she asked me if I wanted to take her place as Head of School. That’s how I got into it! What do you think about TASIS? I like it a lot. I love the students and the teachers are great! The campus is beautiful, but I have had enough snow now. We don’t need any more snow.
VOLUNTEERS: Ms. Hercules STUDENT REPS: Ms. Di Mattia Anna Kolesnikova Ms. Gernetti Ms.Gowin Johannes Van Zuydam LAYOUT DESIGN: Ms. Santoro Ms. Stolz Ms. Maspero Ms. Sindona
Ms.Kirilova Ms. Parolari Ms. Bearden Ms. Fadlon Ms. Maffezzini Ms. Peltier Mr. Reynolds Ms. Zanecchia
ES TASIS Times
The following pages contain images and writing from the creative minds of TASIS’s youngest scholars. Our Elementary School students and staff have worked hard creating, drawing, writing, photographing, typing, scanning, and editing to bring this magazine to life. Sit back and enjoy!
May 2015 Volume 5 Issue 9
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Interview with Dr. Lutton: Part 2 by Anna Kolesnikova
What was your job before this one? Well, actually, at first I was retired, but before I retired I was the head of a whole big school like this one, for 32 years. Are you married? Yes, I am.
What’s your favorite book? Oh, it’s hard to choose. I have many favorite books. I like To Kill a Mockingbird. Another is Gone with the Wind. There are many! And when I was a child, I liked the book called Caddy Woodlawn. That was when I was in about 4th grade.
And do you have any children? Yes, three grown. How many grandchildren do you have? I have eight! What’s your favorite country? The United States. When’s your birthday? March 14. What’s your favorite sport and why? Swimming, because I’m good at it and I love it. What are your hobbies? Reading, swimming, and spinning. And what was one of the hardest things for you about being a principal? Well, I think one of the hardest things was when kids made bad choices and got into trouble. I didn’t like it. I wanted them to care and do their best. Do you enjoy seeing children every day? Why? Oh yes, I do! It’s the best part of this job. I like it because what other job do you go to and see kids having fun? What’s your favorite food? I like bread and cheese. I also like bread with cheese which is good in Switzerland because it is so good here!
3rd Grade Reading Group Alice in Wonderland: Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in Casa Fleming
by Baltzar Nauckhoff
by Niccolo Vanossi
by Rachele Fumagalli
by Tayisia Timokhina
by Sarah Mesaric
by Sophie Pea
Grade 2 Writing
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Classe 2a - Viaggio in Cina Se volete fare un viaggio nella meravigliosa Cina dovete assolutamente sapere alcune cose...
di Rachele, Mila, Darian e Luca
Di Diego Sindona
di Elise, Isabella, Dara, Delaney
di Marco, Gabriele, Kerem, Diego, Niccoló e Matteo
di Ava, Mila, Chloé, Darian e Rachele
di Ava, Mila, Chloé, Darian e Rachele
Thank you to all the art students who took part in making decorations for the MS Chinese Night dinner during International Week! Over the course of three days, our enthusiastic students produced 100 Chinese lanterns and two enormous dragons which transformed the De Nobili dining hall into an exciting Chinese restaurant! Both MS and HS students were moved by the efforts of their younger peers and deeply appreciated this gift. Photos and videos from International Week can be found on the TASIS website and on SmugMug.
Art - Chinese Night
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Grade 5 Contributions Grade 5 Core Knowledge English Language Arts (Italian Section) studets have studied a variety of novels this year. They created summaries of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, biographies of Louisa May Alcott while studying Little Women, and wrote their own renditions of The Secret Garden. A Summary of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Matilda Fadlon This story is fictional and the author is Mark Twain. His real name was Samuel Clemens. This story takes place in Missouri where he grew up, near the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River was a dangerous river in North America. Native Americans lived along its tributaries. The main characters in this story are Tom Sawyer, Aunt Polly, Becky, Injun Joe, and Huck Finn. Tom Sawyer is brave and sometimes naughty. Aunt Polly is strict with Tom, and she seems to prefer Sid, Tom’s half brother. Becky is snobby and very quiet. Injun Joe is very mean. Finally, Huck Finn is a good friend of Tom’s, but a naughty rebel. The first main event in the story was when Tom was told to whitewash a fence. He managed to get other people to whitewash for him because he said that it wasn’t work. The second story event was when Huck Finn and Tom hid in the cemetery and witnessed a murder. They went there to get rid of warts by bringing a dead cat with them. The third main event was when Tom, Huck and Joe Harper ran away from home to an island and everyone thought they were dead. When they were there, they played pirates, but they felt homesick. In conclusion, I would recommend this story to someone who likes adventure and getting scared! I think Tom learned to be brave, but he likes being home. I would like to read more books by this author because I like adventure and suspense.
A Summary of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Rafaye Khan This story is fictional. The author is Mark Twain. His real name is Samuel Clemens. He was born in 1835 in Missouri. This story takes place near the Mississippi River. Tom Sawyer is an immature but smart boy. Becky is a picky girl who loves fancy gowns. Aunt Polly is an old, strict aunt who loves Tom. The story begins when Tom was told by Aunt Polly to whitewash a fence because he skipped school the day before. Instead of Tom doing the work, he tricked his friends into doing the work by believing it was a privilege. So they actually paid him to do his work! Huckleberry Finn is a very naughty boy and a rebel. He is Tom’s good friend. They go to a graveyard with a dead cat to get rid of warts. Instead, they see the murder of a doctor. This makes Tom really sad. Tom and his two friends decide to escape to an island. They build a raft to go there. Once they get there, they start to live a wild life. Later at night, Tom and Finn tell each other how much they miss home. Another main event in this story is when Tom is in a courtroom telling about the night when Huck and he were in the graveyard with the dead cat. Tom explains everything, but keeps a close eye on Injun Joe. Injun Joe is sharpening his knife when Tom says, “It wasn’t Potter who killed Doc Robinson. It was Injun Joe!” Just then, Injun Joe throws his knife at Tom. Tom dodges it and Injun Joe runs away. In conclusion, Tom becomes a real hero. I would recommend this story to someone who likes adventure. I think Tom learned real bravery and truth.
Biography of Louisa May Alcott by Gaetano Carbonelli Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29, 1832 in Germantown. She died on March 6, 1888, in Boston. Her best novels are Little Women, Little Men and Jo’s Boy. She represented herself as “Jo” in Little Women. Alcott had three sisters. The youngest were Elizabeth Alcott and Sewell Alcott. In 1858, her younger sister Elizabeth died. She moved into a home they named Hillside in April 1845. In 1860, Alcott began writing for the Atlantic Monthly. When the American Civil War broke out, she served in the hospital in Georgetown. Her older sister, May, died in 1879. Her family was poor. Alcott had to start teaching at a younger age than teachers usually do. As an adult Alcott was an abolitionist which means she wanted to stop slavery. She was also a feminist. I would recommend Alcott’s novel, Little Women to readers because it’s a really good story even though it’s a little bit sad. It’s interesting because there are many surprises in the story. She was a very fine author. Sources: Wikepidia.com and Biography.com
Pirate Ship by Giulia Sindona
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Grade 5 The Secret Garden
My Secret Garden by Caterina Millo
My secret garden is beautiful My garden is very colorful I like to go there and read With no speed Full of silence And without violence
Illustration by Caterina Millo
My Secret Garden by Anna Belan In my secret garden, you will see, Birds sleeping in a tree; Monkeys hanging by their tails, And trees with wispy needles, Trees growing in pots, Spanish moss dripping in knots; Rabbits jumping on the ground; Fairies all bound! Making pies, In the skies, That’s the garden I can see, Oh wait there is a bee! Illustration by Anna Belan
My Secret Garden by Rafaye Khan A garden that is so secret, Nobody will figure it out. A garden that is so secret, Nobody will have the slightest clue. A garden that is so secret, That it is too secret for a garden. A garden that is so secret, Nobody knows how secret it is!
My Secret Garden by Matias Riis My secret garden is amazing. There is a big tree with branches. It’s an enormous tree. The secret garden is hidden in the tree and there is an amazing view with birds everywhere looking at you as if you were a stranger. You can hear the roots of the gigantic tree whispering things to you. I love my secret garden because when I’m lonely I can talk to it. It’s the only one that understands what I’m saying.
My Secret Garden by Karolina Miroshnichenko My secret garden is made of candy, Everything is colorful and fancy, It’s secret for a main reason, It’s sunny and hot in every season, My friends and I can enter, But nobody shall reach the center. My friends and I can play, Dipping berries in fountains all day, That’s how my garden would be, Perfect for everyone and me.
My Secret Garden by Aida Balakhmet My secret garden is amazing. It has a twofloor house with lots of colorful decorations. Birds are always flying above it. It always has sun and there is a hot air balloon. There is a little playhouse beside the house. Lots of my friends come and play with me. Every morning I go outside and fly my kite. There is a door that leads into my secret garden. Only my friends and I can enter.
Illustration: by Karolina Miroshnichenko
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Grade 1 learned new vocabulary and used it in writing stories starting with I cherish...
by Elle Fuhr
by Sofia Volpi
by Wesley Soh
Every morning, Grade 1 enjoys D.E.A.R. Drop Everything And Read! by Federico Pipitone
In Science, they learned about matter and electricity.
by Henrijs Bensons
by Riccardo Carpacci
by Emilie Blank
by Kai Lim
Grade 1 Contributions
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Intervista a Ms.Berera
a cura di Caterina Millo e Tommaso Lo Monaco Qual è il giorno del tuo compleanno? È il19 gennaio. Hai fratelli o sorelle? Si, ho un fratello più grande. Da dove vieni? Vengo da Sondrio, in Valtellina.
Ti piaceva andare a scuola quando frequentavi le elementari? Adoravo frequentare la scuola, anche se era molto diversa da adesso: si andava a scuola anche di sabato, ma solo metà giornata. Ho anche avuto la stessa maestra per cinque anni, che a volte vado ancora a visitare. Qual è la tua materia preferita? Ho sempre amato molto la letteratura e la filosofia, perché mi piace molto cercare di capire la natura umana. Hai un ricordo speciale della tua esperienza scolastica che ci vorresti raccontare? Ho molti ricordi speciali: uno di questi è riferito ad un’esperienza vissuta in terza elementare, quando abbiamo rappresentato a teatro “I promessi sposi” di Manzoni e mi hanno chiesto di interpretare la parte di Lucia Mondella.
Sei sposata e hai figli? Si, sono sposata e ho una figlia di tre anni, Clotilde. Quali sono i tuoi hobby? Mi piace leggere, scrivere e viaggiare. Inoltre amo il teatro, l’opera e il cinema.
Da quanto tempo lavori alla TASIS? Lavoro da dieci anni alla TASIS, da quando esistono le elementari. Ci sono stati molti cambiamenti in questi anni, dalla nascita della scuola elementare? Si, ci sono stati molti cambiamenti. Quando ho iniziato a lavorare in questa scuola, dieci anni fa, c’erano solo tre classi e circa quaranta bambini e non c’era la Sezione Italiana.
Quali sono i tuoi libri preferiti? Amo leggere i classici, la letteratura russa e la Che cosa ti piace di più di questa scuola? Mi piace il fatto che i bambini vengano a scuola felici, poesia. le diverse culture degli studenti... Ecco, la TASIS mi piace perché è una scuola internazionale. Qual è stato il tuo percorso scolastico? Ho frequentato le scuole elementari, le medie, il liceo e l’Università, presso la quale ho studiato Di che cosa ti occupi alla TASIS? Filosofia, a Milano. Durante l’università ho Sono la coordinatrice della Sezione Italiana per le elementari, le medie e la prima liceo e, inoltre, sono frequentato anche una scuola di teatro. la vice direttrice delle scuole elementari.
Giornalisti per un giorno Incontro con lo scrittore JEREMY STRONG Mercoledì 12 febbraio 2015 tutti i bambini della scuola elementare TASIS si sono recati al Palmer Center per incontrare Jeremy Strong e discutere dei suoi libri. È venuto dal Regno Unito perché avevamo appena finito di leggere in biblioteca il suo libro: “My Brother’s Famous Bottom Goes Camping” e poi, dopo la conferenza ci ha firmato il suo libro che abbiamo acquistato per 10 CHF. Mrs. Uecker lo ha invitato per conoscerlo meglio.
Jeremy Strong è un signore di mezza età che racconta cose buffe e abbiamo scoperto che ha un gatto nero. Da piccolo non riusciva a pronunciare la r e quando scriveva non metteva la punteggiatura e faceva errori. La maestra lo ha incoraggiato comunque a scrivere fin da quando era piccolo. Ha appena finito di scrivere un libro sui Romani e per fortuna scrive con il computer perché la sua calligrafia è illeggibile. Perfino il suo nome, JEREMY è difficile da pronunciare e molti lo chiamano Jermy o Germania.
Jeremy Strong afferma che se tu lavori con il frigo, tu avrai la mente piena di idee. Se una maestra ti chiede: “Perché non scrivi?” tu devi rispondere che devi avere un frigo per scrivere, lo dice Jeremy Strong!
Il signor Strong ci ha dato degli ottimi consigli per diventare bravissimi scrittori, proprio come lui. -Nessuno è nato scrittore, è diventato scrittore. Quindi non preoccuparti se alcuni testi non riescono perfettamente! -fa bozze, prendi appunti e fai disegni prima di scrivere il testo vero e proprio. -usa il vocabolario e il dizionario dei sinonimi e contrari per usare le parole con maestria. -cerca un posto tranquillo per poter esprimere la tua creatività. -affascina il tuo lettore, con argomenti interessanti, buffi o insoliti. Dobbiamo un ringraziamento speciale a Mrs. Uecker per aver organizzato tutto questo e al signor Strong per essere venuto fin qui dall’Inghilterra per incontrarci. Speriamo di poter conoscere e intervistare altri famosi scrittori anche il prossimo anno!
Artwork inspired by Jeremy Strong’s books
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Contributions from our Kindergarteners
Dima Shevelev demonstrates the kindergarten writing process: First, he brainstorms ideas about a topic. Then he organizes the ideas by writing numbers next to them to show the order in which he will write the story. Next, he writes the rough draft of the story with best-guess spelling. Dima then gets his story ready to be typed and printed. Lastly, he reads his story to a captive audience! The kindergarteners can do arithmetic! Have a look at some of the ways they make math hands-on.
Giancarlo Farina made Christopher Columbus’ Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria ships by tearing and cutting colored paper. “I liked doing the boats the best,” says Giancarlo.
by Leopoldo Pignaton Fagnani
by Anna Savrasova
by Drake Walser
by Margherita Zampa
Pre-K Contributions 15
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Grade 3 Shape Poems
by Milla De Bustis
This is poetry that describes an object and is the shape of that object. The shape poems below reflect students’ creativity and imagination in their English Language Arts class.
by Daria Vasilyeva
by Giada Giuliani
by Sean O’Connor
by Sofia Rashnikova
by Tiara Azimova by Zakhar Andreev
by Olga Vlajcic by Maxim Novoselskiy by Max Lim
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Classe 4a
Il ballo mascherato. Ecco alcune proposte per vestirti in maschera il prossimo Carnevale. Cerca di indovinare… Per il ballo mascherato ecco un bel travestimento:
di Simone Primo e Romolo Cerra
soluzione: lupo mannaro soluzione: lupo mannaro
Per il ballo mascherato ecco un bel travestimento:
Lui ha proprio un bel mento Ha i capelli nero scuro Lui quando tira è molto sicuro Ha la maglietta col numero sette Le sue ville sono perfette Non fa il secondo tempo senza un taglio come si deve Però la sua squadra non gioca quando c’è la neve Quando gioca è in un ambiente molto caldo Lui e’ di di sicuro... di Michele Pipitone, Giovanni Barbieri e Simone Primo
Vive nell’ oscurità É grande in difesa E piccolo in normalità È bagnato per naturalità Ha i denti Ma sporchi e puzzolenti Ha le spine Non molto fine Non vola come una farfalla Quindi è senz’altro..... di Carola Mandarano e Giorgia Meregalli
Per il ballo mascherato ecco un bel travestimento: Cammina bene sui tacchi E riceve molti pacchi Ogni giorno si veste differente Quando lavora non si vede la sua mente Fà la ruota come un pavone Ma non mangia neanche un boccone È molto bella Senza dubbio è..... di Carola Mandarano e Giorgia Meregalli soluzione: modella
Ti travesti con una pelliccia molto spessa, che però non è connessa Hai degli occhi rosso fuoco che sembrano il pomodoro del cuoco. Hai una coda molto lunga che quando la vedi sembra che ti punga. Hai degli artigli molto affilati che fanno male alla gente ma soprattutto ai malandati. Per te il limone è molto amaro, sei di sicuro il...
soluzione: pesce palla
Per il ballo mascherato ecco un bel travestimento:
soluzione: Ronaldo
Creative Kids The ES After-School program Creative Kids was busy making carnival masks to decorate a pharmacy shop window in Biasca. The theme of the masks is medicine. Their masks include collages of medical instruments, medicine bottles. and even images of doctors and pharmacy symbols. Thank you to Ms. Camilia, our ES secretary, for the initiative and to Ms. Rossi for coordinating student artwork.
Per il ballo mascherato ecco un bel travestimento: Lui è il re della foresta Ed ha una grande testa Lui vive nella savana E non mangia neanche una rana È grande e grosso E spezza perfino un osso Potrebbe sbranare una gazzella E in un boccone anche una pecorella È giallo come il limone Lui è il ....
Per il ballo mascherato ecco un bel travestimento:
soluzione: leone
Per il ballo mascherato ecco un bel travestimento:
Ha 8 zampe e nero lui è Si appiccica ma affettuoso non è È molto piccolo E vive da solo Può dare un pizzico di veleno Ma non ama il fieno Lui può saltare su uno stagno E si chiama.........
di Masha Is’kova, Mia Galmor e Francesca Fumagalli
di Mia Galmor, Francesca Fumagalli e Masha Is’kova soluzione: Dr. Lutton
di Lorenzo Carlini, Giovanni Ugolotti, Misha Vasilyev e Andreas Riis
Lei è nuova in questa scuola Ma non vive dentro una aiuola ha formato nuove regole di certo è molto piacevole Ha rimesso le palle di neve che nostalgia Non ha un mantello ma se piove porta l’ombrello La mattina accoglie i bambini che non sono tanto piccolini Per certo non è un atom Lei è.........................
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soluzione: ragno
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Grade 1 Celebrated the 100th Day of School
by Beatriz Cohn
by Samira Timerbaeva
by Polina Glumova
by Alessia Primo
by Federico Pipitone
by Luka Vlajcic
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Villy’s Wall Crash
By Velin Gergov, Grade 3 BAM!! Everything was blackening away and away. At first I didn’t know where I was. I looked around and everything was white. There was a window and it was big. I saw some tools and first aid kits and I was sure that I was in the hospital wing. All I could remember is the teacher was shouting and that we were playing dodgeball. We were where we sing at the end of the year. There were seats on the right and there were a bunch of lines on the ground. We were losing. Then I saw more balls close to the wall. I ran there too fast and then I ended up here. I touched my forehead and I almost passed out. Skin was falling off my forehead! Then I saw my mom. She looked like an apple with wet hair. She said I was going home. She was staring at my forehead. She helped me go down the stairs to the parking lot.
Pirate portrait by Amalia Zampa, grade 1
Half an hour later I was in my bedroom lying on my bed. Then I fell asleep. When I woke up my head felt cold. It was Saturday in the morning. There was an ice bag on my head. I saw my brother staring at me, looking scared. I smiled a little and so did he.
Then I watched a cartoon. Then some skin was falling off and some stuck. The ones that were stuck I peeled off. Then I went to bed.
I woke up feeling sick. My throat was sore and my stomach was hurting. My brother was there in his bed watching something on his iPad. I asked what was he doing. He said he was playing Angry Birds. Then I just lay there, then went to sleep.
Pirate Portrait by Kai Lim, grade 1
Then I woke up and my forehead was on fire. Then my brother gave me an ice bag. My mom got in the room she asked, ‘Are you ok?’ ‘Yes’, I lied, then my brother did my homework. Then the next day I felt better. I looked at the mirror and I only had a little crack. I ate my breakfast and watched something on my iPad. Then my dinner went by. Then at school some people asked if I was ok. ‘’How did it feel when you crashed?!’’ asked Calvin. I answered every question and then we went inside. Then a few months later I went to kindergarten. Some kids still remember my crashed head even to this day. But I will always remember it for weeks, months, and even years, and I kept my promise.
Pirate Portrait by Henrijs Bensons, grade 1
A Birthday is Something no one Forgets By Calvin Matthews, Grade 3
A birthday is something no one forgets. It’s like a little heart floating inside your big heart. Remember your first birthday, and how you liked it so much? All the stuffed animals. And remember when your parents gave their first kiss to you? And it floated all around your just-born body. And remember when you were surrounded by your whole family? Your first scream started your whole life. Remember when God put you together? Remember when God sent a message to his angels and put you in a heart and sent you down to your mom? And remember when your dad drove your mom to the hospital and your dad called your whole family to say that you were born? And remember when you came out of your mom’s tummy? Remember when your arms went around your mom and her arms went around you? A birthday is something no one forgets. It’s like a little heart floating inside your big heart.
Pirate Ship by Niki Neidoni, K
Pirate Ship by Giorgia Segat, K
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Grade 4 Contributions Smells
by Giorgia Meregalli
There are some smells I like. I found out that my favorite smells are the ones that relate to memories. When I go to visit my grandparents every year during Christmastime I smell a very good smell: my grandparents’ dog’s fur. Before Christmas my grandma brings the dog to a dog salon for a complete treatment so when we are there, at my grandma’s house, the dog is so beautiful and fluffy. The other smells I like the most are the biscuits that smell of cinnamon or icing sugar, which I bake with my grandma. These are the smells I like the most because they are related to my best memories.
Once there was a dolphin named Zack. He was a very dark shade of gray, almost black! But the strangest thing of all is that he had never seen the sun! The only time he came out was at night. The rest of the time he stayed in the very depths of the ocean. One day his family decided to move to the southern oceans. This was a very long swim. It took them an entire week to arrive at their destination near the Great Barrier Reef. Since they were in a different time zone Zack was about to encounter his first adventure.
He was running out of air so he went up to the surface. Suddenly he saw it. The dazzling yellow in the sky! “Wow!” Zack screamed in amazement. For the first time in his life he saw such a sight. He felt its scorching rays of light on his skin. Soon his eyes started to burn and his head was hurting, so he went back down to the depths of the ocean. Zack told his parents what he had seen and they were amazed at his adventure. Later that day his dad said, “Zack, there is something you should know. The thing is, you are a nocturnal creature and what you saw was the sun!” by Michaela Holmes
There are also smells I don’t like. When I go to Fossati restaurant in Milan with my family I smell something I really dislike: spring onions. I don’t like that smell because it is really intense. I also dislike the smell of fish because I don’t like to eat it. I want to share something funny: when my family and I go to Mauritius, the Maldives or Sicily, everyone in my family eats fish, and I eat pizza!
SPRING
by Dias Khassanov A long cold winter is melting away, A single red bird was spotted today. Through the mist the sun is peeking, Squirrels are about an acorn seeking. New life has come to fields and woods, Kids venture out in sweatshirts and hoods. In just a few weeks the river will flow, Blossoms on trees will be starting to show. There’s still a chill in the springtime air, Winter is gone, but the memory’s still there. Summer is waiting a few months beyond, To warm up the air, the meadow and pond. A gopher peers out from the holes that he makes, Springtime is when the whole world awakes.
Letters from China My dear family, I terribly miss you all. I am now in a beautiful country called China. I am sure you remember our greatest family friend, Khubilai Khan. He is now a very powerful leader. You know, he is a very sophisticated and educated ruler, he reads and knows a lot. During our father’s uncle’s previous visit he showed them a lot of interest in Christianity and even asked them to return with a hundred priests and some holy water. Unfortunately the two priests we took from Venice soon left us and turned back for home, because at times it was a very hard journey. It took place on land and we were forced to cut through challenging and sometimes harsh territory. Khan’s empire, the biggest the world had ever seen, is largely a mystery to anyone who sees it for the first time. As we made our way through the Middle East we got to know a new culture and life. We absorbed quite new sights and smells. You know we had to cross the Gobi Desert and it is so long that it would take a year to go from end to end. Can you imagine that at the narrowest point it takes a month to cross it. It consists entirely of mountains, sand, and valleys. And there is nothing to eat at all. You must know that Niccolo and Maffeo were granted important positions in the Khan’s Court. I got very much interested in mastering four languages: Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Mongolian. Khubilai Khan even sent me into far-flung areas of Asia never before explored by other Europeans. Burma, India, and Tibet were among the places that I visited. It’s my special pride that I will always have a stamped metal packet from Khan that serves as his official credentials. First I served as a governor of a Chinese city and then Khan appointed me as an official of the Privy Council. It will be interesting for you to know that in China they use something called paper for writing, painting and even as money! It is much more convenient than coins. Can you imagine that they eat something like yellow snakes called noodles? It is so funny! I would like to bring some samples to Venice so that you and others could taste it. Take care, Marco (by Nika Grigorian, grade 4)
by Maria Svetlova, grade 4
Date: 1276 Dear Parents, I’m having a great time in China but I miss you. I am staying at the Emperor’s palace. It has a lot of rooms. The Emperor stays in a different room every night so people can’t find him to kill him. I have learned so much since I have been here. They have a lot of silk that they trade. They trade it on the trading route that is called the Silk Road. Another thing I learned is that the Great Wall of China is 5500 miles long. It was built to protect China from the north. I hope to be home soon, but the Emperor does not want me to leave because he likes my company. I will write again soon. Sincerely, Marco Polo (by Austin Rowe, grade 4)
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Grade 2 Writing and Art
by Mila Vlajcic
by Isabella Volpi
by Elise Grove
by Ivan Popov
di Elina Estupi単an
di Elina Estupi単an
di Carolina Farina e Daria Vasilyeva
di Olga Vlajcic
di Carolina Farina di Olga Vlajcic
Classe 3a - Costellazioni e Pianeti
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Winners of Read Around the World 2015 Thank you to all who participated in our Read Around the World Race. Reading not only helps us become better readers, but also helps us to understand other cultures and people. This is part of Mrs. Fleming’s vision: to create “international people” to help counter ignorance between cultures. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped TASIS carry on this important work. The winners from each grade were: Kindergarten – Madeleine Patterson 1st Grade – Edoardo Milani 2nd Grade – Lalleet Trivikram (read from 26 countries!) 3rd Grade – Zakhar Andreev 4th Grade – Elisa Markevitch and Nika Grigorian (tie score – each read from 18 countries!) 5th Grade – Lea Spodnik (read from 22 countries!)
Snapshots from International Week
Music
by Alexia V. B. Dochnal, Grade 5 Music is a big part of the world, and a big part of music is the instrument called the piano. It has a rich history and has developed a lot over the years.
The piano was not always the way it is now. First of all, instrument mechanics, piano factory workers, pianists, musicians, and of course the biggest piano inventors helped the piano develop over the years. For example, Steinway and Sons, a very famous piano company founded in 1853, helped develop piano history by building new pianos. This company is still considered one of the most beautiful piano makers in the world. Another example is a man named Gottfried Silbermann who was one of the best piano builders in the world. He also influenced piano inventors to add functions to the piano. How did the piano begin and develop? You are about to find out.
There is one main step that began the piano. After the Italian instrument builder, Bartolomeo Cristofori, everything began. He invented the first piano, the pianoforte. It has the same structure as a piano, and the same mechanism of hammers and strings. This was the first step to building the piano. The pianoforte was used by famous musicians such as Mozart, Haydn, and more. Later on, from 1750 to 1800, came the upright piano, which is a standing-up version of the pianoforte. Therefore, the piano had just begun, but was about to face being the most popular instrument in the world. The piano now had more advantages that came with the most recent piano versions. First of all was the player piano. This is a piano that you insert a special role of music in, and it plays the roll itself automatically. It was invented in 1863 by Henri Fourneaux. Secondly came the electric piano. Lastly, followed by many more, came the digital piano. As a result you see how simple the piano began and how the technology has changed.
Today’s piano has the same structure as the first piano ever. Many pianists nowadays prefer the regular piano - sometimes called the ‘grand piano’ - but nowadays lots of different pianos are used. Electric pianos and organs are often put into pop songs. Altogether, piano is used everywhere, from classical concerts to newest pop songs.
In conclusion, the development of the piano is an interesting but long process. However, today you can enjoy, listen and play many different types of piano. “The piano keys are black and white but they sound like a million colors in your mind.” – Maria Cristina Mena, Mexican author Bibliography http://aboutthepiano.com/facts-quotes-about-the-piano/ http://www.rennerusa.com/rennerhistory.asp http://www.unc.edu/~johannar/PHYS100/evolution/ Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? By Yona Zeldis McDonough http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano
Illustration: Self-Portrait, Rennaisance Style by James Haunso, Grade 5
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Classe 1a - Hansel e Gretel Gli allievi di 1a si ispirano alle fiabe ascoltate in classe per scrivere, descrivendo un passaggio che li ha colpiti. Questa attivitรก viene svolta anche in inglese durante le ore di Language Arts.
di Amalia Zampa
di Leonardo Ciccone
di Serafina Ballerini
by Celeste Lo Monaco
by Alessia Primo
by Gilda Danisi
The students read three stories from Core Knowledge Sequence: Different Lands, Similar Stories. They read the original version of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ along with the Chinese and African versions. This gave the students a sense that people around the world tell stories that may differ in details, but have much in common. After reading and comparing the three versions, the students were asked to draw a scene from their favorite story. 31
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Grade 5 - The Stolen Years These poems are written responses by 5th graders whose teacher read them The Stolen Years, a Holocaust memoir. I don’t understand I live in Auschwitz. German soldiers are bringing in more strange people. Apparently they are Jews. When I ask my mom what Jews are she says, “Young girls like you don’t need to know about horrible things like Jews.” I see more and more of them walking by every day. I have heard rumors that they are going to labor camps. When I asked my mom what labor camps are she says, “Young girls like you don’t need to know about labor camps.” I don’t understand why this is all happening. I decided not to ask my mom. by Lillian Spoon
Holocaust Nazis brutally using people, killing weak children and adults! Axis putting us in concentration camps! When I first came I thought I was safe, but I wasn’t! They took everything away! Even our names! They called us numbers! They treated us like animals! They treated us wrong! by Tess Zaal
The Holocaust I was once a human. Now I’m an animal. I was in a concentration camp. If you were there The one thing you would want is freedom. Now I’m free. I don’t now how I’m free. I don’t know because I don’t want to remember. by Andrey Nemykin
The Man with a Blue Goatee by Mario Ornaghi, grade 5
Mr Johnson was a strange man. He had a blue goatee. One day his beard was itching and he decided to go to the pharmacy and buy some cream. When he came home, he read the instructions on the back and it said that you have to dip your beard into the cream. The same day he was painting his bedroom blue and he had a bucket of blue paint. The cream was the same color as the paint. He squeezed the cream in a bucket and then took off his glasses and put a towel around his neck so he wouldn’t get his clothes dirty. While he took the towel, he forgot which one was the paint and which one was the cream because they looked the same, and they were in similar buckets. He was convinced that the one that was on his right was the right one, but it was the wrong one. When he dipped his beard in the paint the paint stuck to the beard quickly. Mr. Johnson called his wife and told her what had happened. They spent the whole afternoon trying to take the paint off but it was no use. The next morning, Mr. Johnson went to work at the police station. When his captain saw him, he thought the beard was fake and he shouted, “Detective Johnson, what are you doing with a fake beard? We are at a police station, not a child’s party! So take that clown’s beard off or you’ll be fired!” Mr. Johnson tried to explain, but it was useless, the captain fired him. The next day Mr. Johnson applied to be a clown, and they accepted him right away. Then he became a world-famous clown with his worldfamous blue goatee. Grade 5 Art: Sculptures of superheroes as a study of the human body Abraham Lincoln by Victoria Haar Einstein by Laura Frei Elsa from Frozen by Agelica Graf Michael Jordan by Leonardo Panella Harry Potter by Masha Zhuravleva Soccer Player by Karolina Miroshnichenko
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Art - Carnevale Our ES students in grades 2-5 helped prepare bumblebee costumes during their art classes which they wore in the Carnevale parade on February 12! This special parade included all the schools in the Lugano area. Our students also created an exciting banner to represent TASIS.This was carried by students as they led the procession through the streets of Lugano.
Houses on the Moon Grade 1
I am feeding birds in the winter by Sofiya Is’kova, K
I am feeding birds in the winter by Tori Rowe, K
I am feeding birds in the winter by Timothy Ogilvie, K
Pirate by Margherita Zampa, Pre-K
Grade 1 mixing colors
Pirate by Drake Walser, Pre-K
Art at Focolare
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Classe 5a - Alessandro Magno
di Anna Belan
di Caterina Millo
di Aida Balakhmet
di MarĂ Zampa
di Oliver Butti
Image:
di Victoria Haar
Cell Quiz
https://confluence.crbs.ucsd.edu
By Mario Ornaghi, Grade 5
Cells have no secrets anymore for TASIS 5th graders! To prove this, they made incredibly detailed models of a wide range of different cells.
1. What is the nucleus’s function? A. Make food B. Control the cell and hold the chromosomes C. Hold the organelles in place D. The cell’s “brain”; it can think 2. What are the two types of eukaryotic cells? A. Mammal and Birds B. Fungi and Protist C. Plant and Animal D. Amoeba and Bacteria 3. What is the cytoplasm’s job? A. To shoot and destroy bacteria B. Hold the organelles in place C. Converts food into energy D. Protects the cell with a elastic coating 4. What is the mitochondria’s function? A. Turn food into energy B. Makes science test more complicated C. Holds digestive fluids that can melt down useless parts of the cell D. Produces proteins Aswer Key: on the last page
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Quizzes, Recipes, and More... Rösti Submitted by Calvin Matthew, Grade 3 INGREDIENTS 4 large russet potatoes 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 2 tbsp. canola oil salt to taste
A
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes, and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. Peel potatoes, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Grate potatoes using the large holes on a cheese grater; set aside.
B
Guess Who’s Who Guess who they are! Write your answer on a paper specifying the first and last names for mystery character A and B. Write your name and grade on the paper and drop it in the box by the secretary’s office at Hadsall. One person with the correct answer will win a prize!
3. Cover skillet with a large inverted plate, invert the rösti over onto plate, then slide it back into the skillet, cooked side up; cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Depending on the thickness, adjust the heat as needed. Transfer to a cutting board, sprinkle with salt, and cut into wedges to serve.
CREEPY CRAWLIES WORDSEARCH
Ant Bee Beetle Bug Butterfly Caterpillar Centipede Earwig
B E E B G G H W G P E C
E U C V I G D A T N A A
E M T W O R M S E N T T
T V R T I N I P N Q O E
L A Q W E K L H R I G R
E O P S H R H T O M G P
P U L P E P F M H V A I
C K R I V N K L H Q M L
K L A D P R C V Y R N L
L M C E N T I P E D E A By:
U C O R I G T G C L G R
A B U G H N E A V R A L
2. Heat butter and oil in an 8” nonstick skillet over medium heat. When butter has melted, add potatoes, sprinkle with salt, and mix well, coating potatoes with butter and oil. Using a spatula, gently press potatoes, molding them to fit the skillet. Cook, shaking skillet occasionally, until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Hornet Larvae Maggot Moth Spider Tick Wasp Worm
Michaela Holmes
Cell Quiz Answer Key: 1. B, 2. C, 3. B, 4. A