Mid Week News Update

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Parents, my in box is over-flowing with bits and pieces I am to pass on to you, so here goes!

But first of all, I loved seeing all of the kids shine last Thursday and Friday as they took charge and shared their achievements with you, well done 5KP, so proud of you!

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

E.R.B. testing concludes tomorrow, I am impressed with how seriously the students have taken the testing, and you should look forward to them discussing the topic with you tonight. They complete their final draft in the morning.

Swimming starts again this Monday, the 18th of April, so Tuesday for 5KP) Read all about it on Mr. Hossack’s blog.

Track and Field Day is next Wednesday, read about the details here, the idea is new, it should be great.

Wednesday is also the day that our class will be reading for one hour in with the aim of raising money for our read-a-thon (the notes for this are coming home tomorrow) however, in brief, it is a fundraiser organized by the high school students here at SAS and although participation in the money raising part is not mandatory, we will all be reading that morning and I plan to contribute money to those who make it through the whole hour. See the handout tomorrow for more details or check out the GIFTS club website here.

If you are interested in Summer School:
All the Summer Program information is online at www.saschina.org/summerprogram
This web page gives everyone access to:
Program descriptions & schedules
Online registration forms
Policies & procedures
Lunch menus

If your child is interested in promoting their artistic skills, then this is for them!

There is an art contest for grade level cover pages within the year book. You have to be in it to win it 5KP!

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TIME FOR A CLEAN OUT?

We are currently collecting shoes, clothing and now even animal products for the High School Animal Rescue. Here is a message from the Animal Rescue group: We have a rescue shelter visit coming up quickly, this Saturday, and we have just confirmed with them that what they could most use are toys, leashes, harnesses, and blankets (they also want newspapers and large plastic bins if anyone is looking to get rid of those things too!).  If you are spring cleaning and have any of these items (or really anything animal-related … that is, we might not be able to use your old cages, kennels, brushes, treats etc this visit, but there’s always a need for them), please send me a quick email.  I can arrange a student to come to your classroom … or even to your home if the item is too bulky to bring in on the bus.

So, if you don’t need it, we do, no matter what it is! Send it in!

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Here is an opportunity for another chance to give:

Please read the note below from Miss Ivarsson, an SAS High School student:

Dear All,

My name is Andrea Ivarsson and am, together with the SAS Orphanage Club, organizing a yard sale at the school which will take place on April 21st in the cafeteria. We would like to encourage the whole campus to donate items as the profits will go to the Lao Wang orphanage in An Hui.

Thank you so much,

The Orphanage Club
Andrea Ivarsson

That’s All folks….

Get your reading glasses on…

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Hi Parents
I am in the LLH listening to Dr. Jeff Rosen tell the ‘rising 5th graders’ all about Middle School. Get ready for some excited students coming home with their booklets today; they have until April 15th to return their forms to me.
In case you did not yet get this message from the middle school… (if not, read below)

Dear Parents of Grade 5 Students,

Thanks to all of you who joined us last week for the “Welcome to Middle School” presentation. I enjoyed talking with many of you about middle school and the upcoming year. Tomorrow, Wednesday April 6th, we will be meeting with your children to introduce them to middle school as well as give them the 2011-12 course catalog. I hope you have some engaging conversations regarding their course selections for next year. A few things to consider:

1 )If your child is taking Chinese next year, DO NOT fill in the language choice. Your child’s Chinese teacher working collaboratively with our middle school teachers will place them in the appropriate level for next year.

2) There are 2 peach colored registration forms in the catalogue. Once those are complete, please ask your child to return them to their homeroom teacher. During the week of April 18-22, we will do course registration on PowerSchool with your kids.

3) Should you have any questions regarding this course selection process, please email karl.poulin@saschina.org or edith.cai@saschina.org

Thanks again for your support in transitioning your child in to our middle school.

Sincerely,

Jeff

Jeff Rosen
Middle School Principal

I look forward to seeing the parents of Kyra, Max, Xing Chen ,Kevin and Grace at 4 pm tomorrow and the remainder of the students with their families on Friday. While you are here you may be interested in buying some books, below is the information about that.
Time slots are scheduled for one hour for each conference, but the conferences may vary from 30 to 45 minutes depending on what your child has to share. Do plan on spending at least 30 – 40 minutes in your child’s classroom and be sure to leave time to visit specialist classrooms as well, they are expecting you.

• Your child will be in charge of the conference. Please allow your child to proceed and lead you around the classroom.
• Your child may be unsure of your reactions to the presentation. Providing both encouragement and feedback will motivate your child to proceed with the conference.
• The teacher will be present to observe, and support the conference when necessary. Please do not initiate discussions with the teacher that exclude your child’s participation.
• You and your child will have the approximately 30 minutes for this conference. Please adhere to the time allocated so the new group of families may begin their session.

Students are expected to:
– lead parent(s) through selected work
– show and explain work and activities
– speak clearly and answer as many questions as possible

Parents are expected to:
– be on time for the conference
– be positive and encouraging
– inquire about the child’s work
– ask open-ended questions (see below)
– listen

Teachers are expected to:
– facilitate the conference and clarify if necessary
– observe and listen

Here are some guiding and open-ended questions you could ask your child
• What do you like to learn in school? Why?
• What is your favourite part of the school day? Why?
• What part of this piece you are showing me was easy or difficult for you?
• What did you learn from doing this activity?
• What do you wish you could do better next time?
• How can I help you to enjoy school more/be a more organized/involved learner?

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Shoe Drive is coming up now that the Day Without Shoes is over, I hope you will join me in cleaning out your closets and passing on some shoes you no longer wear.

News of the Moment

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Hi 5KP Families

I hope you enjoyed your Spring Break as much as I did. I have also loved being back in the classroom with your children now that the weather is improving for the better.

http://photopeach.com/public/swf/story.swf

Yesterday I stumbled onto an article I would like to share with you; I don’t know about you, but I am having some minor frustrations with my nearly ten year old lately and I could really relate to some of the anecdotal stories shared here; maybe if there is nothing here for you, you could pass it onto someone else who feels the same!

Now, some classroom announcements.

Next Monday there is no school for any of us, I hope you enjoy your day together. Tuesday is Day Without Shoes.

Math: We will have our Unit 8 math test this Friday, the two page, 29 question test will cover skills such as converting fractions to decimals and percentages, understanding how to find a common denominator, ordering fractions, adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions and finding equivalent fractions. I really believe that some of the work they have done in the classroom during this unit is more difficult than what we will be represented on the test; therefore, if students continue to go over their math journal/study/skills links for the next two days, I am certain they will achieve high test results.

Writer’s Workshop: I am thrilled with the classroom work going on this week as we review and edit our literary essays. I am really witnessing growth by the students and allowing them to take time to try and get it right and to publish something they can be proud of that they will then share with you next week. Once we publish our essay, we will begin some preparation for the upcoming E.R.B. tests to make sure the students are comfortable and prepared.

The E.R.B. Writing Assessment is coming up quickly. Fifth grade will be administering the test during the week of April 11. Over the next couple of weeks our students will be learning how to write to a prompt.

So far we know that:
Good writers read all of the instructions FIRST.
Good writers make a plan using the suggestions from the prompt.
During a writing assessment writers write fast and furious (like every day)
Writers always use a mentor to talk about their writing ideas (this can be done between the two days)

Students write to a prompt and are then scored in the following areas:

* Overall Development ~ How well the writer communicates with the reader, shows awareness of the audience and purpose for writing, and writes in the appropriate mode of discourse.

* Organization ~ The writer’s ability to choose a focus, develop a logical plan of organization, and maintain coherence throughout the paper.

* Support ~ The use of appropriate reasons, details, and examples to enhance the effect and/or support the generalization and conclusion of the piece.

* Sentence Structure ~ Completeness, correctness, and variety of sentences. Sophistication of sentences.

* Word choice ~ The correct usage, specific vocabulary, freshness, and vividness of language.

* Mechanics ~ The correct and effective use of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing.

Each student’s writing is evaluated independently by two readers who are thoroughly trained and experienced in analytic scoring. If the two readers’ ratings for any of the six elements differ by more than one point, the essay is read by a scoring supervisor who decides on a final rating for the element.

What do YOU think writers should think about when writing to a prompt?

Reader’s Workshop: Our next unit will be on Memoirs and I will start reading a great Memoir to the class after the SLC’s. It is called ‘Small Steps’ by Peg Kehret and is about her experience with Polio. If you have any members of your extended family who have had personal experience with Polio, we would really welcome your input. If you are unsure about the difference between a memoir, an autobiography and a biography, increase your understanding here. In a nutshell, it is a difficult unit for the students because they feel they haven’t got enough life experience to complete any sort of memoir; however as I break it down for them, we discover that they can always find some small stage of their lives that has more meaning than others, and we go from there… slowly, slowly, indeed, with Small Steps! This will be our main Writer’s Workshop piece during the month of April.

Social Studies and Science: These areas will have us beginning our building and design unit with Lego now that we have finished Migration. We will also be continuing to look at current events; there are certainly plenty to choose from, and hopefully we will find that not all of them are negative.

Student Led Conferences: Please read the Elementary Principal’s Blog to read more about the exact details and purpose behind these. As committed and involved parents, I am aware that you don’t want your time wasted and I am looking forward to the opportunity for you and your child engaging together about their learning; I really hope to make it worth your while.  Please e mail me if you are uncertain of your S.L.C. time.

I look forward to seeing you on the 7th and 8th and will leave you with a letter from Dr. Rosen about Friday morning’s events. H

Dear Parents of Current Grade 5 Students:

My name is Jeff Rosen and I am the Middle School Principal here at SAS Pudong.  On behalf of Karl Poulin our Vice Principal, our counselors, all the teachers of our middle school and myself, we look forward to welcoming your son/daughter into our middle school.  A few words below regarding the nature of the transitioning process.

An early edition of Middle Ground magazine makes an interesting point about transitions in life:

Transitions of all kinds require us to seek out and navigate the same three components: safety, information, connection. For every transition we go through in life, no matter the magnitude, these three elements make repeated appearances. Think about it: when we move into a new community we ask, “How safe is it? Where is the nearest grocery store? Who are my neighbors?” Whether you are a young person facing middle school for the first time or an adult taking a new job, you want to feel safe, gain an understanding about the situation, and have someone to turn to.

For many young adolescents, the transition from Elementary to Middle School can be a time of mixed emotions and feelings of uncertainty, even as it presents wonderful new opportunities.  The Middle School at SAS Pudong wants to ensure that all new and upcoming students, along with their parents, feel safe and welcome, have sound knowledge of our programs and our characteristics unique from Elementary school, and are connected to our many resources available for information, advice and general support.  In order to accomplish this goal, we have designed the following transition program for our 5th Graders and their families:

Save the Date:  Friday April 1st at 9 a.m – 10:30 a.m

All parents of current Grade 5 students will have the opportunity to meet in the Library Lecture Hall.  They will be introduced to “life in the middle school” with plenty of time for questions.

Wednesday April 6th 2:15 – 2:55

All current Grade 5 students will meet in the Library Lecture Hall for a presentation as well as receive a course catalog for 2011-2012.

By April 15th,  all course registration sheets should be returned to Grade 5 Homeroom teachers.  We will register all Grade 5 students for their courses the week of April 18-22.

Also, as part of our transition process,  our middle school counselors will be in all Grade 5 classrooms to answer individual questions about the transition into middle school.  Further, all grade 5 students will have the opportunity to tour the middle school and spend some time with our teachers.

We hope that this transition program will help our 5th Grade students and their families get a sense of our middle school and its programs, and we look forward to seeing you all on the above mentioned date(s).  If you have any questions regarding our middle school program, please feel free to contact me –

jeff.rosen@saschina.org –  and don’t forget to follow us on our middle school blog – http://teachers.saschina.org/mspudong/

Sincerely,

Jeff

Spring is in the Air…

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Can you feel it?

Screen shot 2011-03-17 at 3.45.49 PM

I am excited to be on holiday next week; the cold winter has taken its toll and I am ready to relax a little somewhere warm. Before I do that though a couple of things I need to pass on…

Happy Birthday Hsuan Hsuan
Thank You to Kevin’s Family for volunteering to take care of Harry Hamster for the break
Reports are coming home today, please check out this post if you are unsure of how I have completed my report cards

Please respond if you want an interview time for the 7th or 8th of April; the 3pm Thursday slot is full and a 1pm Friday is now available if someone needs that. There are also spaces on Friday at 8,9,10 and 11 am. There are four parents I haven’t heard from yet so get back to me when you can please.

Thank You to the 7 parents that responded to the teacher survey; your child will also have the chance to give me constructive feedback, as on the first day back after Spring Break during their counseling session they will be filling out a similar survey.

There are multiple things to tell you and rather than post them all again, Ms Yick has done a wonderful blog post so please click here IF you are interested in the following, a cartooning workshop on March 25th, your child entering the Shanghai Film Festival and an Earth Day t.shirt design competition, also for your child to enter. All of these things will be shared with your child within class time if they haven’t been already.

I’d love any feedback from parents who went to see Race to Nowhere last night.

Finally, I love this blog, and thought some of you might appreciate reading something ‘non-educational’ over the break…I hope you get the chance to enjoy walking with your family in the coming weeks… Stay safe, Happy Spring Break…

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!!!

Blast from the past…

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Remember these photos 5KP thrill-seekers!

Finally my iphoto is ‘talking’ to my flickr on my computer so therefore I am starting to get my act together and load some photos. Have a great weekend 5KP and congratulations for raising nearly 400 rmb for Heart to Heart today, you all looked fabulous in your red. Try and drop a hello to Mike over the weekend if you get the chance, read some books and take some time to relax with your family and friends.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

Smile…

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Smile… is what I did every time I saw one of your posts come up on my screen while I was away 5KP. I am so impressed and proud with your excellent blogging, linking, editing, posting skills. I won’t lie and say I actually missed you… I was pretty busy cheering Hannah on at her swim meet and catching up with our Manila friends, BUT I did smile whenever I thought of you working away back here in Shanghai.

Thank You

You will be rewarded by many exciting treats tomorrow…

Parents, in news for you…

If you have the time to see Race to Nowhere this Wednesday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, Thumb Plaza, Pudong I highly, strongly, enthusiastically, encourage/suggest/plead for you to do so. I saw it two weeks ago and found it incredibly informative, moving, and scary! Please e mail me if you want more details or go to the school website http://www.saschina.org to rsvp. Since watching the movie I have been encouraged to re-think the way I give homework and have had many discussions with the students about how they spend their after school time. I do not believe that keeping the child busy at home between school and bed time is necessary unless it is to practice skills learned in class that day, study for a test, or read/learn about something that is of interest to the child. I do not believe in homework for the sake of it, in homework to prepare them for more homework later or in homework as a way to help the child become more organized. I do believe that organization, good study habits and time management are essential skills for many students to have to improve their success at school, but I don’t think that giving them more busy homework is going to necessarily help them in that area. I would love it if you saw the film and wanted to talk to me about it. I really enjoy your children, and realize that they are just that, children, and want them to enjoy their time with me, and with YOU, after school in their often too busy lives.

Here are a couple of other events to add to your already full diaries… (Jane Goodall…what an opportunity!)

Blog Janes Journey Movie Profile

Would you like to come to a party?

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and now, as Porky Pig would say….

“That’s All Folks”


Sit down with a coffee and some cake to get through this one!!!

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Hi Parents and Students

Some of this news is repetitive for you if you are up to date with your blog reading and school news, so you may want to skim and scan. Notes have been coming to me from all directions this week and I have saved them up until my desktop was full, so here goes…

Are you ready?

Several members of the class are spending some of their home time working on a piece of writing to enter a competition in Little Star Magazine. I commend their efforts and look forward to hearing of their success. Although many of the students are motivated by the possible prize money and ipad at the end of the rainbow; I am sure they will also have some of their own great moments actually writing their story, titled “The Decision”, and discovering their great writing skills along the way. Good Luck and see below for more details.

In other writing news, our Essays have been published and we look forward to sharing them with Ms. Lau’s class tomorrow morning as her class just finished theirs too. Hooray for S.A.S. writers everywhere!

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The K-12 Visual Art Department is having an art magnet sale called “Points to Pakistan”. All art classes K-12 created these magnets with the intent to sell and donate the profits to the country of Pakistan to help them recover from the devastating flooding that occurred in August and that is still destroying lives today. Students can purchase magnets during the week of Mon. Feb. 14th – Friday Feb. 18th.

Each magnet is 25 RMB.

In Math… we are working steadily through Unit 7: Exponents and Negative Numbers. Besides learning about exponential notation and negative numbers, we will also learn the order of operations (PEMDAS).

In Writer’s Workshop… we will start working on our Literary Essays next week; these are essays about reading, and as we have a class of wonderful readers, I believe they will enjoy this unit. They did a terrific job with their first 5th grade essays and I also loved their recent book reports to the class. This unit will be like a combination of both.

In Reader’s Workshop… the kids were excited to choose their book club groups yesterday to study four different social issues books together in groups of four. The novels chosen were A Jar of Dreams, which you can read about in more detail on Kyra’s blog, Red Scarf Girl, Blubber (which I loved reading as a child), Juneboy and Go Fish.

In Social Studies… we are working through migration with Mr. Power. I love the conversations we are having in this unit and I hope your child has told you something about our read-a-loud accompanying this unit, Home of the Brave, if not, please ask them what it is about.

Please also read this note below from Ms. Schroeder, from the S.A.S. Pudong Student Council

My name is Jessica Schroeder, and I am writing to you regarding a school-wide service project that Student Council is hoping to initiate this year. In brief, we would like to get involved with the Lions Club International Eyeglasses Collection Project, which donates used eyeglasses to children who cannot afford them on their own. From February 21 to March 4, we would like to set out a few boxes across the school that will collect eyeglasses for the Lions Club. The Student Council will regulate, empty out, and be responsible for these boxes, but would like to request permission to place them around the elementary building during those two weeks.

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Here are the details about the Little Star Writing Competition, it is not compulsory do join up but I encourage you if you wish to.

Theme: The decision

Entry Requirements:
SHORT STORIES: 2500 words maximum (no minimum), the title is NOT included in the word count. Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been published, self-published, published on any website or public online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed in any other competition.

Eligibility:
The competition is open to all international school students in China, competing in three age groups:
Group I: Under 12 years old;
Group II: 12-15 years old;
Group III: 16-18 years old.

Prizes:
1st = 3000 RMB (prizes), 1 winner in each group.
2nd = 1000 RMB (prizes), 2 winners in each group.
3rd = 500 RMB (prizes), 3 winners in each group.
5 supplementary prizes of 100 RMB (prizes) in each group.

LittleStar Award:
One Apple IPAD for its most favored student writer and internship at LittleStar Magazine.

Entry Format:
All entries must be submitted online: http://www.internationalschool.info/littlestar/competition/shortstory
Entries must be in English, single sided, with pages numbered and a word count noted at the top of the first page. The filename of online entries must be the title of the entry and it must be either a .doc or .docx file.No corrections can be made after receipt. Failure to comply with the entry requirements will result in disqualification.

Deadline for submission:
Closing date for receipt of online entries: February 28, 2011 Receipt of entries will be confirmed by LittleStar via email.

Judging:
This year’s lead judge will be a published author in the US or UK (to be confirmed later), who will also do a workshop on “how to get published?” with the kids on the Award Ceremony. Other judges may include LittleStar editors and international school librarians. Judging is fair and unbiased. Experienced readers assist the named judges in selecting the shortlists for the final. The judges’ decision is final.

Results:
Final results and winners list of the competition will be released on LittleStar website before March 15, 2011. Winners of the competition will also be notified through emails from LittleStar Magazine.

Anthology:
A special anthology of winning short stories will be printed out before the Award Ceremony in March 2011. Each entrant for the competition and participating schools will receive free copies.

Prize Winners/ Award Ceremony:
All winners are invited to and prizes awarded at a grand Award Ceremony in Beijing in March 2011.
The list of prizewinners will be displayed on the Little Star website www.internationalschool.info after the award ceremony.

Copyright:
Worldwide copyright of each entry remains with the author, but LittleStar Magazine will have the right to publish the winning poems and stories, (including runners up), in the annual anthology and any relevant promotional material.