Category Archives: Uncategorized

You are what you eat!

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Our students have begun their first science unit for the year; the unit is on Nutrition. We have been discussing the importance of making healthy choices in the cafeteria as this is the first year the students have had more freedom during their lunch recess. If we see students choosing gatorade, pizza and garlic bread day after day, we may suggest to them that it would be good to have greater balance with their meal rather than regularly indulging in so many empty calories. Today we watched a number of video presentations discussing the importance of knowing what it is you are putting into your body. We do not want any of our students to think they need to be on any sort of diet; rather we’d like to encourage them to take more ownership of their own daily diet, just like we encourage them in 5th grade to invest more in all of their educational options.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has come out with a new design of the healthy diet pyramid I grew up with as a child. I like that this one is shaped like a plate and their website does have a great deal of useful information we will be using during our unit. As we work through the unit, we will be encouraging the students to think about what they eat and any changes they could make to improve on their health, whether it be in regard to exercise, getting more sleep, eating more greens or eating less empty calories. Our final project for the unit is called the Healthy Balanced Meal Project and all students should have come home with a paper copy of this project last Thursday. I am excited to see what the students come up with and have only ever heard positive feedback with this project during the 5 years it has been run in 5th grade.

In other news, in case your son or daughter has not mentioned it to you, we are celebrating one hundred years of Shanghai American School next month with a Founder’s Day Celebration on Friday September 16th.

Join us as we celebrate our SAS history and kick-off our year long Centennial Celebration. There will be a school wide event, including an all school parade. We are asking that all students, teachers (and any parents that want to participate) get in the spirit and dress up in early 1900s clothing and walk in the parade! There will be special guests, a performance of our school song, and much more. Everyone is welcome to join the fun. For more information contact: cindy.easton@saschina.org

If you would like more information on the history of the school,see this document. SAS Founders’ Day Background Info

I look forward to discussing our Nutrition Project and Our Founder’s Day Celebrations with you more when I meet you at our Open House Evening in the 5th grade project area on Wednesday September 7th at 7 pm.

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Now a treat for those who are still reading…
Here is your child reciting the wonderful Robert Frost Poem, “The Road Not Taken” in the first of our Poetry Friday Performances.

http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/Main.swf

Are you still with us??? If so, well done 5KP on your amazing Personality Box Presentations. I really enjoyed learning more about you and even though I am obviously ‘craft phobic’ I know you had a lot of fun with all that glitter!

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=104087

Do you want to be on the SAS Swim Team?

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Elementary School (Grades 2-5) Swim Team Try-outs

Swimming Team try-outs for elementary students in Grade 2, 3, 4 and 5 will be held on Monday, August 22nd and Tuesday, August 23rd at 3:15pm sharp. Swimmers need to attend both days because we will not finish testing out the students in one day. Elementary swimmers who were on the team last year do not need to try out.

All students should be at the Aquatic Center with their bathing suits, caps, goggles and towels ready to compete at 3:15pm. Parents are more than welcome to watch their children from the Viewing Gallery. No parents are allowed on the pool deck or in the locker rooms. As we are trying to make the swimmers responsible competitors, please support us with these requests.

Swimmers trying out must swim all four strokes proficiently. This is not a learn to swim program but a competitive program. If your child does make the team, they are expected to train twice a week all year long, attend all Shanghai local meets as well as one international meet.

We will be finished by 4:15pm so students can take the 4:30pm bus home.
Parents, please make sure that your children know which bus to take home after the tryouts (contact YAEP if you are unsure). Also, please notify your teacher if your child will be going to the Aquatic Center after school on those two days.

And finally, though swimming is a lifelong skill and for everyone, competitive swimming is not. Make sure your child is interested in trying out for the team and not something you as a parent want. They might find it discouraging if they do not make the team. Talk to them to avoid disappointment.

Parents, please do not contact your classroom teacher for any swim team try out information. Do contact me personally (George Carpouzis, Aquatics Director) at
X3572 or email me at:
george.carpouzis@saschina.org

Read more about the start of our school year and our swim program here

Big Week Ahead…(aka) BWA!

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Hello Thrill Seekers

Are you ready for another big week? Get ready as we prepare to move on up to middle school with lots of learning, fun and adventure. Here is a note about our first big event on Thursday.

Please read the important information below from our PE teachers.

On June 9th the Summer Sizzler will take place on the upper elementary playground.  It will be a great time with many fun events for our students to participate in.  Parents please feel free to come and watch your students celebrate the end of year.

Pre K, K, Grades 1 and 2 will have their Summer Sizzler in the morning from 8:30 to 10:45

Grades 3 to 5 will have their Summer Sizzler from 12:30 to 2:45

We will have a Tug of war house competition from 10:45 to 12:15 (All grade levels will have a chance before or after their lunch)

Students will need to bring their house shirt, a change of clothes (they will get wet doing some of the games), sunscreen, hat, proper shoes, an extra snack (they will be exerting a lot of energy) and a positive attitude.

It should be a great day and we look forward to seeing you.

The Elementary P.E. Department

In other news…

Thank You to the P.T.S.A. for allowing us to donate 1,900 rmb to both the Red Cross and World Wildlife Fund

Students will have their end of unit 11 math test next Wednesday, they all know what to study and should do very well.

On Thursday morning, we will continue our discussions about Puberty, I am looking forward to hearing what the girls are wondering, and hoping we can have a great conversation together.

I look forward to seeing you on Friday as we celebrate the culmination of your child’s Elementary School Journey. Enjoy your long weekend.

Successful Celebration

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I’m sure that the parents who witnessed their child’s performance on Friday were as pleased as I was with how our Writer’s Celebration turned out, congratulations 5KP, you made me very proud. Thank You parents for your many contributions.

With under three weeks to go now, we teachers are working hard on keeping the students remaining focused during the journey to the ‘finish line’. We have our Invention Unit to finish up as well as math work from a combination of Unit 11 and 12. We’ll also be doing some final D.R.A. testing to see if reading levels have improved over the course of the year. The main focus however will be on several extra-curricular events and activities such as our Step Up day this Wednesday between 8 and 10 am where the students will spend that time in the Middle School looking at next year’s subjects and meeting teachers.

Our Summer Sizzler and Moving Up Ceremony will be the main focus of the short week after our Dragon Boat Festival. We look forward to seeing you on Friday the 10th at 10 am as your students celebrate their transition from Elementary to Middle School.

Don’t forget… If you want to order a yearbook…

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Hello Happy Hamster Holiday Helpers!

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Could that be you? Yes you!

Are you staying in Shanghai over the Spring Break?

Have you always wanted a small, furry, lovable, easy to look after pet, but you haven’t wanted to long term responsibility?

Then this opportunity could be right up your alley!

All food, toys, housing provided, you just need to keep him away from the bath tub… sob sob!

Please e mail me if this is something you think your family could do over the break, my family are going away and our ayi is a little ‘anti-hamster’.

In other news…

Math News
Well done 5KP on completing your unit 7 math test this week. While the average was a little low for the class; 12 out of 19 students improved their score… Hooray! We are now a few days in to unit 8 which is on fractions and ratios.

Writer’s and Reader’s Workshop News
We are well into our Literary Essay Planning right now and the students have impressed me with their willingness to try something new and also their amazing insights into the books we have been reading as mentor texts and also in our social issues book clubs. As a writer, your child will grow by leaps and bounds during this unit. I will teach children that literary essayists pay attention to texts we read, expecting to grow ideas from this wide-awake attentiveness.

In this unit, children will learn how to do the important work of developing ideas about a text into a thesis statement and then creating an outline for supporting the thesis with evidence. I will also encourage children to think of a story as containing an external as well as an internal storyline. Your child will learn how to do research to support the thesis he or she has developed, and then your child will learn how to angle his or her writing so that the evidence directly supports the ideas he or she is trying to convey.

Music News
Exciting news! This year, a new platform called Eisteddfod, the traditional Welsh name of such meetings of artists, is being launched for students to perform solo instrumental works.

On April 21st, Gr.4-8 students will have the opportunity to perform for an external adjudicator, receive a commentary and certificate, as well as earn points for their houses.  A final concert of selected students featuring 14 soloists will then perform on April 22nd.

Social Studies News
Before the break, we will finish up our Migration Unit. It has been so rich and wonderful and I love the poems the students crafted yesterday to ‘sum-up’ their experience, these will now be made into an imovie to show the world on their blogs. Well done 5KP.

Please check out Ms Hu’s blog (linked on the right) for more details about this event!

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On April 5th, 5th grade is going one day without shoes. Check out this website to read more about this event and see if there are ways you can contribute. Many of us take wearing shoes for granted, but sadly, that is not the case in many places around the world.

Have a great weekend everyone, and don’t forget, there is a hamster just waiting to come and play!!!

Events Coming up, Dates for your Calendar

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1. Treat Day is Tomorrow and it is 5th grade’s turn to bake; please do so if you are able, thank you!

2. Our Class Photo is tomorrow, Thursday the 20th of January

3.Walking With the Dinosaurs

When:  Friday, January 21,2011

(Chaperones, please meet us at the grade level project area, by 8:45.)

Where: Expo Culture Center (Mercedes-Benz Arena)/ 1200 Expo Avenue, Shanghai

How:   All parents must come to school, ride the bus and then they may leave the play with their children as long as they have informed their child’s teacher prior to departure.

Lunch:   Students must bring a packed lunch.  We will have a picnic lunch on the bus.

Why: To learn about theatrical events and enhance our migration unit.

Description:

“After years of planning, the award-winning BBC TV series, Walking with Dinosaurs, comes to life in a stunning theatrical event. Internationally renowned designers have worked with scientists to create 15 life-size dinosaurs, including the terror of the ancient terrain, Tyrannosaurus-Rex! Be amazed and thrilled as the greatest creatures ever to walk the earth return before your eyes.”

4. Coffee Connection hosted by the Shanghai Community Center

Come hear special guest Laura Cowan, SAS MS Counselor, share about “The Special Challenges Faced by Third Culture Kids”

When: January 21, 10am-12pm

Where: Community Center Shanghai Pudong Center

Greenhills Clubhouse, 2/F

418 JinXiu East Rd (near intersection of Bai Hua Rd)

Jinqiao, Pudong, Shanghai 200135

The closest subway station is Yunshan Lu Station, Line 6.

上海 浦东 金桥 锦绣东路418弄 云间绿大地会所2楼 (靠近白桦路)

最近的地铁站是6号线云山路站

Phone: (021) 3382-1770

Contact: Ron Mona

To Register for this FREE event, please visit: http://www.communitycenter.cn/events_coffeeconnection.asp

5. Chinese New Year Celebration

This year, SAS Pudong will host a school-wide Chinese New Year Celebration on Thursday, January 27. You are invited to join us for a Traditional Chinese Lunch with your child followed by a fantastic show of Authentic Chinese performances. You will also have a great opportunity to enjoy various exhibitions of your children’s artwork and progress on their Chinese learning. Please come and enjoy a great celebration, a perfect way to start your Chinese New Year Holiday.

When and where is the Chinese New Year Celebration?

Date: Thursday, January 27

11:30 AM- 12:30 PM: Traditional Chinese Luncheon served in both school cafeterias* Please see note below

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM: Traditional Chinese Performances In High School Gym

Complimentary Bus Transportation: Depart 10:00 A.M. from Jinqiao Starbucks; Return at 3:00 P.M. to Jinqiao Starbucks

Traditional Chinese Dress is encouraged!

What is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year also called the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival is the most important holiday among the Chinese. This year, year of rabbit, the festival begins on February 3rd, which is the first day (Pinyin: chu xi) of the first month (Pinyin: zheng yue) in the Chinese calendar and ends on February 17th with the Lantern Festival that is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year’s Eve is the day for all family members to gather for a reunion dinner. Food for the dinner will include items such as pork, duck, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family ends the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, the children greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year and receive money in red envelopes(Hong Bao). Lion and dragon dances are some of the traditional performances throughout the country. This year, in addition to these performances, SAS Pudong has invited many other distinguished performers such as sand dances and Peking opera face change, etc.

How do I buy tickets?

This is FREE, no tickets necessary. This celebration is an opportunity for SAS Pudong to treat all parents, students and teachers with a great show.
Also, for the latest information, click here for the PTSA General Blog.

Thank you,

The Chinese New Year Celebration Committee

*Please note: due to space constraints for this special event, parents are requested to enjoy the Luncheon with your children in their regularly assigned cafeteria. Parents will view the Traditional Chinese Performances following the Luncheon; all students will view a morning performance prior to the luncheon.

Don’t Panic 5KP

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OK Class, well it looks like Mrs C’s blog is blocked from our homes… what a pain! Unless your parents have a vpn/tunnel set up, you won’t be able to access the blogs unless you are at school.

But we will get onto her kids first thing Monday so that we have all left comments for the kids by the time they start school Monday, sorry to disappoint you all, I hadn’t realized this was the case.

Have a great weekend without homework except for you Marvelous Monday Manuscript Masters (Monday Readers!)