Hello Parents and Students

Here is the blog address for the Middle School Blog ‘rising 6th graders’

I feel like I am coming out of a deep, dark tunnel of illness and that the world is looking bright and sunny again (despite the Shanghai weather.) My family have been sick with one thing or another since the start of Spring Break so hopefully today marks the first day of better health for all of us.

It was great to meet see you all at last weeks conferences; so many of your lovely children look so much like you and it was really exciting to be able to talk about your child’s progress together.

The main focus this week will be the ERB testing that will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. The unit 9 math test will also be on Wednesday this week, the students are using math and language arts class time to prepare for both but should also be doing revision at home on Monday and Tuesday night. On Wednesday night they are able to talk to you at length about the ERB prompt they have been given and they can do a great deal of writing that night in preparation for the following day; they are just not allowed to bring any written materials into the room the next day. They then have one 50 minute period to complete their writing in the booklet that will sent off to the States for assessment.

Enjoy the week ahead and maybe I will see you here tomorrow for the transition meeting in the Library Lecture Hall for parents at 9 am. The students will be bringing home their course catalogue tomorrow night, be prepared for some excitement! A reminder that Treat Day is this Thursday so send in 5 rmb with your child if they would like to purchase a treat.

Here are some notices I have been asked to pass on.

Books recommended by Laura Cowan, middle school counselor at today’s transition meeting:

For parents:
‘Best friends, worst enemies. Understanding the social lives of children’ by Michael Thompson
‘The 7 habits of highly effective teens’ by Sean Covey
For students:
‘Don’t sweat the small stuff for teens journal’ by Richard Carlson
‘Too old for this, too young for that!’ by Harriet S. Mosatche and Karen Unger

Joint Board Meet the Candidate Forum
Join US!
April 15th 6:30pm
Centrally located @

Radisson Hotel Shanghai New World
88 Nanjing Road
6359 9999
http://www.radisson.com/hotels/chnsghnw

All Candidates have accepted the invitation!

HOPE to See you THERE!!
Sacha McVean

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School Closure

Shanghai American School will be closed for regular classes from April 30 to May 4 and classes will resume May 5.   Please note that some exams for IB and AP will be given on May 3 or May 4. As regularly scheduled. See below for further details.

On April 1, 2010 the local government announced that the traditional three-day weekend celebrating the May holiday would be extended to a five-day holiday. See http://tinyurl.com/yccckwe for further information.  The Shanghai Education Bureau has stated clearly that its expectations are that all schools  (local, private and international) be closed on April 30, May 3 and May 4.  Concerns for school operation include additional costs for PRC national overtime; transportation issues related to the rerouting of traffic and increased traffic throughout Shanghai.

In planning this change, the SAS administration, with the support of the board, considered several options including extending the school year and Saturday school.  Neither of these options was considered viable due to the late notice of this announcement from the government and the complications of the high number of weekend events, including middle school China alive trips and other school activities.

The plan will be implemented is the “Virtual” school option.  During the fall of 2009, the divisional administration was directed to prepare for the potential of the closing of the school in anticipation of the potential spread of H1N1 epidemic disease.  Thankfully the implementation of this plan was not necessary, but the school is still ready to implement developmentally appropriate home-based schoolwork as either a “take home” packet of materials or in most cases “online” content delivery.

Divisional Guidelines

Elementary School:  Students will either be sent home schoolwork in “take home” packets or be asked to work on specific websites and Internet based materials.  Additionally, some home reading time will be required as well. The estimated time for elementary students to work on such materials over a two-day period of time ranges from 1.5 hours to 3.5 hours depending on the student’s grade and ability level.

Middle School:  Both middle schools are prepared to continue coursework, assignments and research through our extensive online resources including blogs, wikis, Moodle and teacher assigned websites.  Estimated time for individual students will range from 4 to 6 hours of time over a two-day period.

High School: As mentioned before AP and IB exams are a non-negotiable item.   High School administration will be contacting students about their responsibilities, and we are currently studying whether we will offer any transportation alternatives for those students.  These exams must be taken on the day allocated by AP or IB.  Beyond the exams, the high school teachers are prepared to continue coursework, assignments and research through our extensive online resources including blogs, wikis, Moodle and teacher assigned websites. Estimated time for individual students will range from 4 to 6 hours of time over a two-day period.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your student’s divisional principal or myself.

Sincerely, Andrew Torris