Hi everyone

With three weeks ’til Winter break things are hotting up around here at the same time as the weather is cooling down.

Please have your child wear layers to school, some sort of woolly hat at this time of year is a great thing to pop in their bag as the wind can be very chilling out there on the playground. Please also keep them focused on being organized, I am trying to do the same at this end, there are many things coming up between now and December 18th so they need to remember a lot which is sometimes difficult for the pre-teen it seems (or for my 3rd grader!)

Congratulations to 5KP for earning points for their houses today and braving the cold to run around outside for our Turkey Trot Race. We had 5 students come in the top ten so well done especially to those super-fast dynamos. Also congratulations to Ale Turner who is now officially the fastest girl in 5th grade…she even beat me!

………. Mr. Hossack, our PE teacher has asked that students wear their House Shirts every Friday to show their school spirit, and those that do will earn points for their Houses.

In Math we are working on Unit 5 and hope to have it finished before the Winter break.

In Writer’s Workshop we are going to look at some free-choice writing where the class write a story for themselves using the skills we learn in class. The kids are really excited about this, they have had enough of

personal narratives for the time being.

In Reader’s Workshop we are focusing on sharing thoughts through responses that students write each week. Your child has a day during the week when they have their two responses due. Ask to see your child’s Reader’s Response notebook to see what they have been reading lately and the thinking they have been doing as they read.

In our Science unit on Health and Nutrition we have been looking at bones and muscles. The students have also kept a running record of the food they have eaten and what sort of exercise they have taken part in over the last couple of weeks. They are having a lot of fun and it should continue as we move into digestion later on this week…always a fun topic with 5th graders!

Here are some notes about other goings on in the school.

December 3rd, Winter Bazaar and General PTSA Meeting 8:30 A.M.
Come to the General PTSA meeting and stay to shop at the Winter Bazaar!  Many vendors will be on hand to help you fill some of those wish-lists!  Booster Club will also be selling our 2010 Spirit T-shirt!  Come and pick up one for your student (and the whole family!) for only 80 RMB, benefiting the Booster Club!

December 3rd is also Treat Day so have your child bring in 5 rmb if they want to buy a yummy snack

December 4th, Giving Tree Program Collection Ends / Donations must be in

December 4th, Friday Night Live!   Come out and support our SAS Pudong Eagles as they take on Concordia this Friday evening, December 4th at SAS Pudong!  Division III and Division II games start at 4:30 pm, followed by Girls Varsity at 5:45 pm and the Boys Varsity at 7:00 pm.  Eurest will be selling hot dogs and other items outside the gym, Boosters will have drinks and baked goods for sale. Students can stay on campus for the games, or bring the whole family out for a fun evening!  Activity buses will run at the conclusion of the Boys Varsity game.

December 7th through December 11th Santa’s Workshop

December 11th is the last day for our second hand clothing drive. Please dig deep for this one, it is a cold time of year for so many people and any extra clothing we can give to them would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for the huge response last Wednesday, it was so exciting seeing so many items of clothing and also toys etc come in for people less fortunate.

December 18th – half day for students and teachers and the beginning of winter break.

Volunteers still needed in the Eagle Shop:  The Eagle Shop team still need volunteers to work at the store on Friday.  It’s a great way to help the school and our kids!  You can sign up at any time that is convenient for you…The shop is open from 11:00 – 1:30.  If you are interested please contact Hina Farooqi at hinaharis@gmail or on her mobile at 13601665122.

Volunteers still needed in the Library: The library is still looking for “Helping Hands” to reshelve books.  You can come any day, any time and for as long as you would like.  If you are available to help please contact barbara.boyer@saschina.com.

Enjoy December…

Continue reading →

Hi Everyone

The count-down to the Winter Break is well and truly on… Here is a run down on what is going on in class and also some of the events for the next month are listed below for your information. Others are listed on my google calendar to your left.

Math: We have just begun working through unit 5 in math. Most students performed well during the unit 4 assessment and will be bringing their tests home tomorrow for you to look at, they will also be asked to write down their errors on the sheet attached to the test, we will go over where problems arose in class. We are focusing on reading and following instructions carefully during general math lessons and applying these skills into assessment situations. Unit 5 is focused on Fractions and Decimals. Check out the math sites on the blogroll to help your child practice. The following skills will be assessed during unit 5:

*add fractions with like denominators
*order and compare fractions
*convert between fractions and percents
*draw a circle graph for a set of data
*measure pieces of a circle graph; interpret a circle graph
*convert between fractions and mixed numbers
*find equivalent fractions

Reading: We are still working through Reader’s Workshop, focusing on sharing thoughts through responses that students write each week. Your child has a day during the week when they have their response due. Ask to see your child’s Reader’s Response notebook to see what they have been reading lately and the thinking they have been doing as they read.

Writing: We are nearing the end of our unit focused on ‘Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing’. Students are currently working on their second published personal narrative which is due on Thursday 26th of November. Students have been given the rubric and will be continuing their work on this project throughout the next couple of days.

Unit Study: Students completed their Cultural Study assignments and have them posted on a page on their individual blogs. Check out your child’s blog to see the finished product. We are currently working on a science unit focused on Health and Nutrition which is a lot of fun for all of us.

No Homework Tuesday 24 November: S.A.S. is sponsoring a charitable winter clothing drive.  In support of this effort, S.A.S. elementary school will host a NO Homework this Tuesday, Nov. 24th!  Families are encouraged to use this time to sort through clothing and make any charitable contributions to school on Wednesday.

Spirit Day Fridays: All S.A.S. students are encouraged to wear House Shirts every Friday to encourage the continued development of our S.A.S. community spirit.  Parents and students are also welcome to purchase additional S.A.S. clothing from the Logo store.

Giving Tree: Please remember the Giving Tree program the next time you are out shopping. It is a good idea to get your child on board as it is a great learning experience for all 5th grade students. Please contact me if you would like to fill a bag with approximately 150-200 rmb worth of clothing, shoes, and a book or toy.

Love of Reading Week:

Tomorrow is Hat’s off to Reading! Get your child to wear their favorite hat. Wednesday is Exercise your Reading Minds day, children are encouraged to come to school wearing workout clothes and Thursday is Cuddle Up to Reading day, children are encouraged to come to school wearing their Pajamas!

Thanksgiving Holiday: We have a short week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there is no school on Friday.

Turkey Trot Grades 3 – 8 students will be running on Monday, November 30th. The elementary run will start at 8:15am and should last between 10 – 13 minutes

Grade 5 Winter Concert: 5th grade parents are invited to attend the band and strings performance on Dec. 8th at 1:30. (Students should come to school on Tuesday dressed in their concert clothes, black on bottom, white on top.)

Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday.

Hello Parents and Students

Math

I told the class yesterday that we would have the math test next Tuesday, however they appear competent at the skills we are revising in class so I am bringing it forward to this Friday, November 20th.

Here are the skills that will be covered on the unit four test:

*divide decimal numbers by whole numbers with no remainders
*write and solve number sentences with variables for division number stories
*find the quotient and remainder of a whole number divided by a 1-digit whole number
* find the quotient and remainder of a whole number divided by a 2-digit whole number
*make magnitude estimates for quotients of whole and decimal numbers divided by whole numbers
*interpret the remainder in division number stories
*determine the value of a variable; use this value to complete a number sentence
*know place value to hundredths

Reading

For our second interactive read-a-loud, we started reading I am David today by Anne Holm. I have used this before as a class text and realize it is a powerful book as it deals with World War Two and issues of the Holocaust. Naturally this brings up some very sad issues so I just wanted you to be aware there may be some questions coming your way as the kids sort out some of this new information.I have told them there is no need for them to do any extra research on the topic at home however I know that for some of them they are naturally interested in topics of war and I can’t control what they seek to find out. I know from personal experience that some of the things I have learned about concentration camps etc, have been extremely disturbing and I would rather not have some of those images in my head, naturally I also don’t want them weighing down on your son and daughter so please, use your discretion and best judgement with this issue. Mrs Boyer is helping me find some other suitable texts to use in class with the students as we go on this journey together.

Writing

We have our second personal narrative due on Thursday November 26th. The students will decide by this Friday which story they want to start publishing next week by looking through the ideas they have been learning about and working on in class.

In other news

It is not too late to join up for Friday’s Family Literacy Event. Send an e mail to barbara.boyer@saschina.org if you are still interested.
Also, students should wear their house-shirts this Friday, and are encouraged to every Friday from now on to support house spirit. Points will be awarded each Friday for every house shirt worn.

Love of Reading Week will be launched this Friday before the family literacy event with an all elementary school assembly in our auditorium, as always you are welcome to join us.

Monday, Nov.23 is Wear a Word to school day, children are encouraged to come to school with words on their clothing! This might be something already written on an item of clothing or something they attach, even a poem!

Tuesday, Nov. 24 is Hats Off to Reading day, children are encouraged to come to school wearing their favorite hats!

Wednesday, Nov. 25 is Exercise your Reading Minds day, children are encouraged to come to school wearing workout clothes!

Thursday, Nov. 26 Cuddle Up to Reading day, children are encouraged to come to school wearing their Pajamas! Always my personal favorite…

As well as our Giving Tree program starting this week, Mrs Toa is running a second hand clothing drive and we encourage you to send in as many used (but not abused) items of clothing as possible, especially warm clothing that no longer fits/is worn by your child. I know I am looking forward to a clean out, I have so many things I don’t wear and some people have so little, it will be good for my family and I to go through this task together. Please give what you can by sending clothing and shoes in with your child. The Used Clothing Drive will be running from November 23 through to December 11. Boxes will be placed outside the Library and near the Cafeteria.
Clothing goes to Li Min School and those in need around our school.

Please take a moment to read this letter about personal safety from our Counselors.

Dear Parents:

The guidance theme for the month of November is Coping Skills and Personal Safety.  Our last lesson is personal safety.  Personal safety is a life skill, giving children information relevant to them, teaching and practicing skills to handle the information, and building their self-esteem so that they fell confident to use the skills.

Our lesson will consist of the following:
•    Counselors will help the students define “private body parts”.  These are the parts of the body covered by their bathing suits.
•    Counselors will teach the students the three touching rules.
(a)    It is never all right for someone to touch your private body parts except to keep you clean and healthy.
(b)    If someone breaks the touching rule, say “No!”  and run away.
(c)    Tell a trusted adult.  If that adult doesn’t help you, keep telling until you get the help need and deserve.
•    Counselors will inform the students that it is never their fault if someone else touches their private body parts.

We thank you for your support in teaching your child about personal safety.  Because we will only have 40 minutes to discuss this important topic, we are asking for your help with the following homework.

•    Let your child hear the safety rules from you as well as from the counselors.
•    Please give your children the actual vocabulary for their private body parts as this helps them better understand the rules.
•    Please ask your child to practice saying “No!” with you.
•    Help your child to identify trusted adults in his/her life.

Please know that Shanghai American School has adopted a child protection policy.  This lesson is aligned with the policy and will be an annual event.

Once again we thank you for your continued support of the elementary guidance program.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s grade level counselor.

Warmly,

Jeanine Merrill  and Edward Woods
ES  Counselors – Pudong Campus