Happy HolidaysFrom all at A.I.S.R.

Inside:• Director’s and Principal’s

letters• The Mayor’s Visit• Tragedy Strikes Japan • Kindergarten Update• Sporting News SHARK

The American International School of Rotterdam

March 2011

Welcome to AISR Mr Mayor...

Kindergarten: Places We Go.

Dear Parents,

I mentioned the visit of Mayor Aboutaleb in last week’s bulletin. This month you can see pictures of the visit in our publication. There are yet more dates for your diary and best wishes to be sent with our students as they travel around Europe.

This week sees groups from the Global Issues Network at a conference in Luxembourg whilst our Model United Nations Team represents the school at Haileybury College in the UK. Good luck to all our delegates as they fly flag for AISR across Europe.

Last weekend our Basketball teams acquitted themselves well in the NECIS Tournament in den Haag. Thanks to all those who gave support to the teams. Next week sees our Swim Team compete in the NECIS competition in Sweden. Good luck to all the athletes taking part in that competition.

I am sure everyone is looking forward to the Dinner Dance on Saturday evening at the Zalmhuis. The PTSA have, as ever, worked very hard to organize everything and it looks set to be an excellent evening. Don’t forget to get your ticket if you haven’t done so yet.

Hoping to see you all on Saturday evening,

Best wishes,

Graham GambleDirector

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From the DirectorGraham Gamble

AISR Short Message Updates...The AISR is now on Twitter - for updates about school events, sports and social activities.

Please follow us on http://twitter.com/theaisrshark

Spring is in the air – and as many of our 3rd Graders will tell you, it’s time to start the Gardening season.

This is a wonderful program that is initiated by the City of Rotterdam and is made available to us every year. Very shortly the students will be going, once a week, to a local Garden Centre, where they will be given their own plot of ground. They will be responsible for the upkeep and planting. During the next two ‘Sharks’, we will keep you up-dated with photos of our little gardeners.

The reading month is off to a super start. The book exchange was a great success – thank you for supporting us with this project. There are several other events coming up before the Easter vacation:

• March 31st DRESS UP AS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK CHARACTER.• In April (date to be confirmed) all the students will take part in an ‘Author Skype’ visit with Todd Parr (Author

of “It's Okay to be Different”). • April 21st MOVIE & POPCORN (for completed Reading 'loggers') The enthusiasm among the students is

very rewarding and has prompted us to definitely think about doing it again next year.• Please note that the “Creative Arts” night will be held on Wednesday May 25 at 18:30. This date replaces

Thursday May 26. I still need some help with the Young Authors Journal. If you are interested and can spare some time between April 4 and April 21, I would love to hear from you. You can contact me at – a.blitz@aisr.nl.

This year we have been working closely with the United States Coast Guard in a program called “Partnership in Education” (P.I.E.). On several occasions, experts from the Coast Guard have come in to the school and talked to the students on topics that are directly related to the different IPC Units at each grade level. We plan to continue this partnership next year and to this extent, I am delighted to say that Commander Farrell came to school on March 11 and a contract between the Coast Guard and AISR was signed for the school year 2011 – 2012. I look forward to another year of sharing and cooperation.

The 3rd Quarter will end on Friday March 25. Report cards will be posted home on Friday April 1.

In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful weather and I look forward very much to seeing you at the Dinner Dance on Saturday – it promises to be a very enjoyable evening.

Sincerely,Anne Marie BlitzElementary Principal

From the Elementary PrincipalAnne - Marie Blitz

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Mayor Aboutaleb Visits AISR

We were honored today by a visit from Mr. Ahmed Aboutaleb, Burgemeester (Mayor) of the city of Rotterdam.

The office of the Mayor of Rotterdam has always given great support to our school and Mr. Aboutaleb is continuing and developing this traditional relationship between the school and the city. Mr. Aboutaleb explained to us how importantly he sees this school as part of the infrastructure of services and amenities that Rotterdam provides to its expatriate community. He told us that new investment from Brazil had recently established itself in the city, in the shape of a new office of the petrochemical giant, Petrobras and that further moves from the Middle East were also anticipated.

Mr. Aboutaleb very much enjoyed touring the whole school and even found time to drop in on a Dutch language lesson. The Mayor told the students that he himself learned Dutch for the first time at the age of fifteen and that that was very difficult!

Mr. Aboutaleb also made a particular point of seeking out the staff of the Japanese School of Rotterdam in order to convey the city’s heartfelt condolences to the Japanese community here on the occasion of the devastating tsunami.

At the end of his visit, Mr. Aboutaleb had lunch with some of our High School students and a representative selection of parents from some of the school’s thirty nationalities. The Mayor asked the parents about what had brought them to Rotterdam and questioned the students about their higher education plans. In turn, the students enjoyed questioning Mr. Aboutaleb about a range of issues including flood defenses, the challenges of working with a government of a different political color and what the Mayor considered to be his proudest achievements in office (“The Tour de France” was the prompt reply to the last question!).

The Mayor cordially invited the students back to his office in City Hall in order that they might learn something about the world of municipal government. He also wished the students every success as they looked forward to graduation. As Mr. Aboutaleb bade farewell to us, he mischievously reminded the Seniors that they all needed to obtain the Burgemeester’s permission before they could be allowed to leave the city!

Graham Gamble

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There has been an American International School in Rotterdam for more than 52 years, but the school is by no means limited only to children with an American background. AISR also wants to be a part of the Rotterdam community.

AISR was founded in 1959. Director Graham Gamble is obviously proud of his school and of Mayor Aboutaleb’s recent visit to the facility. One reason for this is that Rotterdam is keen to attract a larger expatriate community.

'The presence of the American International in Rotterdam School can be the motivation for some expats to choose to work and live in this area. New interest in the school is presently being shown by expats from Brazil and Kuwait. All these children are more than welcome, as well as those from all other nations. There is a direct contact between our school and the expat desk from the city. We offer education for children from 3 to 19 years.

What makes our way of teaching so special, is that we are not only educating our students to be part of the city, or the country, but also to be true world citizens. From our student body, 25% originates from the USA and 14% from The Netherlands. The Dutch children are not only from families who have lived in America and other foreign destinations, but also from those who have chosen to have their children follow our style of education. We think it is great that there are Dutch parents who choose our school. There are many good Dutch state schools. That means that families have really thought about their choice, according Director Graham Gamble.

The common language at AISR is English, but the Dutch language is definitely not forgotten. The Mayor was shown around the school and stopped at two classrooms, one of them the Dutch class. Here he told the students that he himself had had to learn Dutch at the age of 15, and that it was not easy. He scored points by saying that, because the students could relate to it.

The honored guest also stopped at the math class, where Mayor Aboutaleb had a good time because his own technical background. Very much to director Graham Gamble’s satisfaction, it was clear that the Mayor of Rotterdam gained a positive impression from AISR. During the one and a half hour visit Mayor Aboutaleb also met with the vice principle of The Japanese School. He expressed his sympathy in relation to the earthquake that hit Japan a week ago.

With thanks to Ruud Temminck for translation.

AISR in the Press: “Aboutaleb visits AISR” by Anne-Rose Hermer (Translated from the Postiljon Wednesday March 16th)

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Kindergarten - Places People Go...By Beth Willen

Kindergarten is a busy place.

There is always something happening, and the students are busy learning, growing and having fun. Currently we are in the midst of our fourth IPC unit called Places People Go. This unit is all about holidays and travel; definitely a topic that our students can relate to.

We kicked off this unit by planning a class trip. The students each chose destinations they thought would be interesting. They wrote three reasons why they thought that our class should visit that location. Some suggestions included the Great Wall of China, Iceland, and Costa Rico. Next the students listened to all the different places we could travel to, and the reasons that we should visit those places. Finally, the students voted on a location. In the end, the reasons to go to Mexico were compelling, and the decision was made.

We packed our bags, got our passports ready, and climbed aboard Kindergarten Airlines flight to Mexico. Once we arrived we went through immigration, and arrived at our seaside destination.

The children changed into their beach ware, and we had a fun filled day sitting on the beach, tasting delicious Mexican treats, and splashing in the water. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to AISR. So once again, the children boarded the flight back home.

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This unit is more than just fun and games. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the children to do research, make comparisons, and learn about the past. The IPC takes a familiar topic like traveling, and uses it as backdrop for much more complex learning. The students are able to apply what they know and have experienced in their own lives to better understand the past, and the future. We will continue to work on this topic over the next few weeks.

In addition to the IPC work, the children have been busy developing essential literacy skills that will help them as they move on in elementary school. Everyday the children work at literacy centers to build their skills in reading, writing, phonics, and communication. They work in cooperative groups supporting each other as they work on new skills. Recently they completed their submissions for the Young Authors.

Math in kindergarten is hands on learning to help the children develop a solid foundation of

mathematical knowledge. These early skills are the backbone on which all future mathematics will develop. It is essential that the children have a solid foundation. For this reason, kindergartners at AISR take the time needed to become complex thinkers. They are encouraged to look for patterns, make predictions and share their ideas and discoveries with one another.

Kindergarten is a place where play is learning, and learning is playful. At AISR this is definitely true.

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Community of RespectKate Driver

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The American International School of Rotterdam is a Community of Respect. We talk about this community frequently, but what does it really mean? Why do we have it? I visited 3rd grade for my monthly COR lesson on March 10th and asked them.

Why do we have a Community of Respect?

“To be a better person, to be respectful of others.” – Deniz and Devan

“Because we all have different cultures in life and so we can get along in school.” – Nick and Angelina

“To be nicer and when we are an adult we need to do all these things to succeed in this world. Also to be safe and to make sure we do teamwork because almost every job in the world include teamwork.” – Arushi and Luca

“To show respect to other cultures and to follow the golden rules wherever you go.” – Shobhit and Catalina

“To make better life and to people.” Alejandro, Nerea, and Chae Hyeon

This month in COR we have been focusing on Honesty. We have read books about being honest at home and in school, played games that required us to think about honesty and lying, and discussed some of the challenges in being honest all the time. In addition to our normal COR activities at the elementary level, we had a whole school COR event on March 17. All of our secondary students planned lessons and visited their elementary COR Buddies for about 20 minutes to talk about honesty and appreciation. It is these opportunities to make connections between our elementary and secondary students that help us to remember the importance of our Community of Respect.

Parenting Discussion Group

Kids don’t come with an owner’s manual! Starting on Wednesday, April 13, I will be holding a six-week Parenting Discussion Group. Materials will be provided: we will read articles, book excerpts, and watch film clips. This is not a parenting skills class, but a discussion group focused on collaboration, learning, and shared support. We will meet from 10:30-12:00 on 13/4, 20/4, 4/5, 11/5, 18/5, and 25/5. For this program to run, I will need a minimum of 8 parents.

Please contact me at k.driver@aisr.nl by April 1 if you are interested and I will provide you with more information.

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From the Board

About three months have passed since the presentations of the findings to the Board and the wider community of the Strategy Team.

This concluded weeks of intense work by the team of dedicated individuals. These findings have been approved by the Board, and funds has been made available for their implementation. The next phase has now started: turning the ideas into reality. Our Director has been entrusted with the task of implementing the strategy, and he has firmly taken the lead of this process.

One of the initiatives that were taken after the strategy review was to look closely at the ‘brand’ of the school. Now we have determined ‘who’ we are and wish to be, we asked ourselves what image we want to project and how we want to achieve this. This branding exercise has started earlier this year under the leadership of fellow Board member Willem Koolhaas.

A lot of energy has been unleashed in the process, and we hope that you will notice the tangible results of the different initiatives in the coming weeks, months and years.

On another note, the Board was informed that enrollment is exceeding expectations. This is obviously fantastic news. We are now looking at a financial situation for the school that is much more secure than twelve months ago. Although we still need to remain vigilant, it is appropriate to recognize the hard work of all involved, including the Director, Graham Gamble, Business Manager, Maria Josey, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Michael Engelen, and last but not least all staff. It is with much more confidence that the budgeting process for the next school year has been started.

During our last board meeting, Shelly Moseley – the Chair of our PTSA – gave us an overview of the activities for the coming months. The highlight is obviously the upcoming Dinner Dance. We hope to see most of you at this spectacular event! We are very thankful to the PTSA team for the fresh energy they are putting into the activities. The PTSA welcomes as much feedback as possible about the activities it organizes, positive or negative. Even a short “thank you” or suggestion about one of their initiatives is very helpful, as we all strive to add as much as possible to the life of our children and ultimately yours.

Finally, we would like to introduce to you our newest board members: Steve Hartig and Bernie Tobin. Steve is an Amercian citizen, and is a Business Unit Director at DSM. Steve and his spouse Julie have two children enrolled in the school. Bernie is also American, and is the General Manager of Amgen BV. Bernie and Lisa have currently four children enrolled in our school.

We welcome both of them warmly in the Board.The Board

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By now, everyone is familiar with the massive scale of the disaster in Japan.

Mr.Gamble was the first to contact our colleagues and friends in the Japanese School to express his concern and to offer words of kindness and comfort to all concerned. Please know that some actions have already been taken by members of our school body to try to help in some small way.

The High School Student Council is planning to buy a special tree to plant within our shared school grounds in memory of the people who died and who have suffered as a result of the tragedy. Mr. Wah, our Japanese Liaison Officer, will speak to the Director and staff of JSR to arrange a suitable time at which many of us could be present to take part in this ceremony, as and when it is arranged. Please watch out for information about when this will take place.

On a more practical note, a collection box is being made for donations. This will be in the hallway from the afternoon of Monday, March 21st onwards, at school arrival and leaving time, for people to give donations of their choice. No matter how small you may think your donation is, every little will help. At other times, the collection box will be situated within the school office, where you may also give donations.

Furthermore, there is a Japanese basket in the PTSA raffle for the dinner-dance on March 26, from which the proceeds raised, will be donated to the Japanese Tragedy Fund collected by AISR. At the time of writing, it is not yet known to which organization, if at all, we will be donating the money. Mr. Wah will be consulting the Director and staff of JSR to discuss what the best course of action will be. It is planned for the collection box to be at every school event until the Easter break, and that the money will then be given to help those trying to rebuild their lives in Japan.

Volunteers from the Japanese community living in the Netherlands will be hosting a charity bazaar on Saturday March 26th.

It will be held at the Japanese School of Rotterdam (JSR) from 11:00 to14:00.  Please come along.

Tragedy Strikes Japan - Your help is neededLynda Boot

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EXPLANATION OF THE RECOGNITION: Each week AISR coaches select a student/athlete that has shown outstanding achievement in one or more of the following:Leadership, Sportsmanship, Skill Improvement, Outstanding Play at Games, Excellence in Practice, Concern for fellow Teammates, Encouraging Others, and other efforts deserving recognition. This person can be chosen from any of the SHARK Teams.

March 21st to 25th, 2011 - MadelineMadeline is new to swimming and this is her first season to be on a swim team. She has been learning strokes correctly, while at the same time trying to keep up with the rest of the team.  Early practices in the winter mornings and lots of laps in the pool make it one of the more demanding seasons.  Despite the difficulty Madeline always has a smile and is willing to keep trying to improve.  Lucky she gets constant encouragement from her teammates.  It will be a few seasons before Madeline wins any medals at NECIS or even makes a final.  However, the effort and commitment that she and the rest of the team have put in is worth 100 gold medals.  Well done Madeline.

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The SHARKS Basketball Teams have had a lot of success in the last few weeks were fired up for the 8 school NECIS Tournament in The Hague, March 18-20.

U12 Mix Basketball Team Report Excerpt...The NECIS tournament was a long and eventful 3 days of basketball playing and learning. The U12 co-ed Sharks came into the tournament as huge underdogs, but it didn’t stop them from giving it their all in every game played.  The Sharks started the tournament play on Friday taking on but sadly loosing against, the eventual U12 NECIS champs, the Luxembourg Eagles...

The Sharks had a long and tough weekend, but not once stopped trying and coming at their opponents.  Through their great work and effort, the Sharks won over their fans and competitors.  This great drive and determination displayed all weekend long led the Sharks to be nominated by their opponents from the NECIS tournament with the “Most Sporting” award! Congratulations to a well deserving team....

Coach GutiérrezU14 Girls Basketball Team Report ExcerptThe girls played extremely hard, improved as the weekend went on, and had a lot of fun. The girls showed a lot of fight and dedication which are two very important characteristics of a basketball team. We finished the season with a great 9 point win on Sunday. That is a perfect way to finish out the season! Great job Sharks! Way to work! Great season!  

Coach Launa U14 Boys Basketball Team ReportOur boys fought like true Sharks during each of the 5 games at tournament. We met the strong teams of Antwerp, Dusseldorf and Amsterdam in the first round which resulting in no wins but a lot of strong character. The tournament was them split into two separate tournaments, so we would play for the PLATE.

Our opponent was Hamburg and if you read my tweet you would know that we had our best game of the season. Down by a score of 10-24 at half time, We put in Ayman and Kunyao who were excellent at forcing Hamburg turnovers. Jaret and Austin put in so many baskets that Hamburg had to settle with a defeat, 35-38. AISR would move on to the championship Plate game. It was against Amsterdam again, so we knew we had our hands full.... It was a great experience for the boys and will lead us into JV level next year. As coach I was so very proud of them.

Coach Zeilstra

Sporting NewsRob Zeilstra and Coaching Team

CoachesReportsNECISHighlights...

Please check the Athletics page on the AISR website ical for future scheduled games:

http://www.aisr.nl/athletics/

Good luck to the Swimming Team, who will attend the NECIS SWIM MEET in Sigtuna, Sweden next week. We are SHARKS so we warn our opponents, "enter the water at your own risk!".

Athlete of the Week...

Please read the full coach reports online at the AISR Sports:http://www.aisr.nl/athletics/winter_sports/winter_sports.php

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Happy HolidaysFrom all at A.I.S.R.

The AISR accepts no responsibility for the community announcements, services and items advertised.

If you have an article you would like to publish in the Shark, please send it to :

theshark@aisr.nl

Deadline for submissions: Monday 11th April .

To Advertise here contact:

g.gamble@aisr.nlor Tel + 31 (0)10 422 5351

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DUTCH BEGINNERS CLASS OFFERED AT AISR

I have decided to offer the class on Tuesdays at 1pm, starting on Tuesday the 22nd of March.

My name is Arjan Blokland and I offer a Dutch beginners class at AISR. The course focuses on practical language skills. The course has been designed for people with no or almost no knowledge of Dutch. The course consists of 12 lessons. The first lesson will be held on the 20th of September.

The minimum number of participants will be four and the maximum will be nine. The prices of the classes are between € 15,- and € 24,- per class, depending on the number of students. To enroll, please send me an e-mail: info@lindenlanguages.nl, or give me a call: 06-41585013.

Languages

Would you like to improve your English ?Now is a great time to start studying in small friendly groups of adults with English teacher, Susannah Tomlinson.“Why not give it a go?”More details are available at reception, or contact Susannah viaemail: susannah.tomlinson@yahoo.comor telephone: 040-8428486

“Hands to help and hearts to care”Do you need to talk to someone to express your difficulties and challenges with raising your child?Katherine Fortier, an educational and child psychologist, will lead the parents group. “...an opportunity to discuss their concerns and develop strategies to help their children and manage their own stress.”For further information or to register, Please emailhearts.2care@yahoo.com or call Rubina Anis on mobile 06-52072084.

Therapy and Personal Development

LIFE COACHING – MIND AND BODY INC.With my skills, I can help you:• UNDERSTAND YOURSELF BETTER! • USE YOUR INHERENT SKILLS MORE EFFECTIVELY • CONTROL YOUR WEIGHT AND STAY FIT IN A NATURAL WAY • UNDERSTAND YOUR CHILDREN BETTER• ULTIMATELY LEARN THAT JOY IS WITHIN YOU

SPECIAL NEEDS TUTORING for Children• Gifted and Talented (including underachieving gifted), ADD and ADHD, Learning

Disabilities, Behavior Management, Asperger's, Autism, Down's Syndrome, Fine Motor Skills.

• HELP AND SUPPORT FOR PARENTS of children with Special Needs

PLEASE CONTACT ME, SANDRA, @EMAIL: joyandpower@gmail.comMOBILE: 06-16593856.

SandraB.A. Psychology, M.A. English Literature,

M.S. Special Education (USA).

Arts and Culture

BALLET CLASSES:For ages 3 and up in the AISR building. The classes will be taught by Sue Manville who trained at The Royal Academy of Dance in London. Sue has 20 years experience of ballet teaching and choreography, in the United States, UK, Australia, Greece, Spain and Brazil.

If interested, please email Sue Manville at sue.manville@gmail.com stating your child’s age.

GUITAR LESSONS:Private Guitar Lessons, after school at AISR or at home. Please contact bob@bobhamilton.net or visit www.bobhamilton.net more info. All ages and styles, flexible scheduling for both students and parents!

Email: bob@bobhamilton.net

PIANO LESSONS:Do you love music, can you already read notes, and would you like to take piano lessons? Dr. Elizabeth Karelse is fluent in both Dutch and English and welcomes students of all ages for weekly hour-long, or half-hour long lessons.

Please send Elizabeth an email at: ekarelse@gmail.com, or call at 06-26932322.

ART LESSONS:Ursula Lachniet offers lessons in painting and drawing in her Art Gallery. Age from 5 years old. 150 Euro for 12 lessons, incl. Materilas.Le Fevre de Montignylaan 15/ Hillegersberg.Thursday afternoons        16:30 p.m. - 17:30 p.m.                                17:45 p.m. - 18:45 p.m.Contact us: email: www.aquari-urs.nl mobile 06 - 50 29 55 00

LOOKING FOR AN ENGLISH SPEAKING AU PAIR:We are looking for a “live out” Au Pair to work full time (7:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.) from Tuesday to Friday to look after 3 children ages 5, 3 and 9 months. We are looking for someone who has experience with young children.If you are interested please contact me via email: donatella.sanna@fastwebnet.it

Services

Treasured memories? Old or damaged photos restored:I can repair most images to a high level of presentation and provide a digital image and photo-print of the restored image. If interested please email me, David Blackburn.

Email: mrblackburnart@gmail.com

Help Wanted

LOOKING FOR AN ENGLISH SPEAKER:Parents of a Pre-K student starting at AISR in September would like a native English speaker in to read him stories, play, sing and draw with Marco twice a week, (Tuesday and Thursday mornings). Please contact me at hm@medina.net. Thanks, Héctor Medina

Private Tuition Dutch or French with a Qualified teacherTimes to suit you - course to suit you...Contact: Marga AkerboomTelephone: 0620677310 E-mail: m.akerboom@aisr.nl

CHILD SITTER AVAILABLEIf you need a childsitter: please call Lara to discuss.I do have experience and speak English and Dutch.

Lara Soliman: 0681693858m.akerboom@aisr.nl