Please read the February 11th Newsletter to find out the latest happenings in our class.

OK, want to hear about my exciting day at the Pudong Airport kids??? The day started with a 4.55 am alarm going off…and it just got better from there.
Our flight has now been cancelled so after being at the airport from 6.30 am til 3.30 pm we were told to go to a hotel (2 hours away on a bus) with 300 other people…so we went home (45 minute taxi ride) and some friends went to the hotel and are keeping us in touch.

MAYBE we will get a call around 10 and then have to book a taxi and get to airport and try again for a possible 1.15 am flight…I can see your jaw dropping!

This means at best we will be waking Hannah at 10 (made her go to bed at 5 telling her it was 7…it worked!) and go out into the snow (it has snowed for a week now), get a taxi, get to the airpot, wait some more and hopefully fly through a blizzard into the Thailand sun arriving around 5 am (feeling fresh I am sure) and then try and get a connecting flight to Phuket!
Oh Happy Day!!!
15 days til we meet Mimi!!!

Here in Shanghai, we are about to start a 9 day break for teachers and an 11 day break for students as we celebrate Chinese New Year. This is the most important holiday of the year for Chinese People and it is called the Spring Festival. For many people, which in China translates to many millions of people, this is the time of the year to travel home and visit with your family. Often that means days on trains and buses and at this time of year that can be no small feat. China is experiencing one of its worst winters in 50 years.

For the previous two Spring Festivals, Simon, Hannah and I have stayed in Shanghai and really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere. You haven’t experienced fireworks [kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/5J-9LyLPfTM" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /] until you have experienced them in China during this time. But this year we are going away for 7 nights to Woraburi Resort in Phuket for the first time. Last year we went to Koh Samui for a few days holiday before EARCOS in Bangkok and really enjoyed it so Thailand beaches here we come.

Have a Happy Holiday Students

Stay safe and I will see you back here on Thursday the 14th of Feb, remember I am at Puxi campus on the 13th so be on your best behavior for Ms Erickson and then I am off to pick up Mimi on the 18th…Hooray!

Here is a photo of Hannah getting into baby mode while holding Mrs and Mr Hossack’s new baby boy Blake.

Congratulations, appreciation and big hi-5’s go out to Elaine, Min Ji and Chloe who so far are the only three to do the weekend’s optional homework of posting about their Time for Kids or Scholastic News articles. Come on guys, they weren’t the only students who took the magazine home with them.

While you are inside today wondering what to do with yourself, respond to one of the articles you read or check out some of the online news at the links above. There really is something for everyone on these pages, latest games, political campaigns, music and fashion. Check them out and blog blog blog…

See you tomorrow,stay warm and don’t throw too many snowballs!

Go to flickr.com to find some snowball fights or better still, put on some of your own photos

Well done to Mr and Mrs Hossack on the arrival of Blake Hossack.

Amy and Scott welcomed Blake William Mouncey Hossack (Saturday, January 19th) at 4:06pm! He weighs 7.1 lbs (3.2 kgs) and is 20.25 inches (51.5cm) long. I am sure Mr Hossack would love to hear from you wishing him well so leave a message on his blog.

Well done Team Hossack, we are all so happy for you!

Students, don’t forget to bring in as many wild and wonderful recycled materials as you can get your hands on over the next couple of weeks for our Goldberg Machine and for every ten you bring in, you will go into the draw for a great prize…Start hunting now! We want ours to be the best machine it can be. Check out this video as something to aim for, I don’t expect any of you to get there but it does show an amazing example of a Goldberg Machine at its best and for me the Japanese commentary makes it all the more entertaining, perhaps you can translate for us Remy!

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/1kvdq8cRNBM" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]


This is our daughter Mimi who we should be able to pick up in about a month.

She is from Guiyang in Guizhou province and her birthday is on January 4th 2007. We received these photos on her first birthday. She has been in foster care since she was one month old and we are very excited to see her after submitting our paperwork over 13 months ago.

Hello gorgeous students on vacation all around the world. It has been exciting to hear from so many of you over the break. You really are doing an excellent job on the blogging. Sorry I can not say the same for me but Mr Power has a way of hogging the computer when we only have the one here. We have been having a wonderful time, the weather is very hot, the traffic is very light and the pollution, well, what pollution? Only clear blue skies here in sunny Ballarat.

Hannah had a wonderful Christmas getting spoiled by Santa and her family and friends and she has really enjoyed wearing shorts and t.shirts each day rather than 3 layers and a coat like she will have on next week. If you want to see where I am staying go to this website

I hope you have a wonderful new year wherever you are and that 2008 is a happy and healthy year for all of us.

Love Mrs Power

The verdict is in! The class disagreed with Lydia that her haircut was bad, we all agreed it looked fantastic. Of course I loved it as it matched my outfit so well…

What do you think?