Shanghai Community International School & Hangzhou International School October 2014

Academic Excellence

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Jeffry R. StubbsSuperintendent of Schools

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURESSuperintendent’s LetterAdministrator’s LetterHost Culture Curriculum: Social studiesTheme: A Commitment to Pursue Excellence

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COMMUNITYEducational Insights21st Century TechnologyAlumni SpotlightAlumni Class NotesStudent SpotlightPartner PageCommunitySafety Coach CornerThe Librarians Corner

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Communitas is the official magazine for the Shanghai Community International School and Hangzhou International School. Please contact us at: jpaulson@scischina.org

SUPERINTENDENT ‘S LETTER

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTSHangzhouPudongHongqiao

10-1112-1415

Dear SCIS-HIS Community and Friends,

At Shanghai Community International School and Hangzhou International School (SCIS-HIS), we serve over 2400 students from over 60 nationalities on 5 campuses at 3 schools in 2 cities with 1 single mission. Our mission is to provide all of our students with opportunities to pursue academic and personal excellence in nurturing, international community environments. Providing meaningful and challenging opportunities that address the intelligences, learning styles, skills, interests, passions, needs, hopes and dreams of over 2400 individual students requires support from home and the dedication and expertise of a truly professional and experienced team of educators. In this edition of the Communitas magazine, we share “Academic Excellence” at SCIS-HIS schools.

Several years ago, we asked SCIS-HIS faculty to describe what learning looks and feels like. This exercise contributed to the development of our vision for learning. At SCIS-HIS schools, our vision for learning sees students that are actively engaged, included, motivated, committed, inspired, excited, challenged and… successful. Our learning program is rigorous, which we define as the goal of helping students develop the capacity to understand content that is complex, ambiguous, provocative and personally or emotionally challenging. And our learning program is successful, as evidenced by the outstanding NWEA scores, which average well above the international norm reference, and a continuing legacy of citywide and global excellence on IB Diploma results. No other school in Shanghai can claim to have 100% participation in IB Diploma Program coursework, 88% pass rate and 34 average points.

At SCIS-HIS schools, we also include parents and professional educators in the development of our learning community as we recognize that learning is a lifelong need. Parents know that no two children are the same, and we understand that each child has a different learning style and need. At SCIS-HIS schools, we understand that education is a uniquely human enterprise, and we understand our business is learning. On the following pages, you will be able to read more about teaching and learning at SCIS-HIS schools, but I hope you also gain a sense through the images of what learning looks and feels like within our very unique network of schools. Enjoy!

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One of SCIS-HIS’s defining characteristics is our international community. Each morning, over 60 nationalities walk in

through our doors, bringing with them a multitude of languages spoken. For many of our students, English and Mandarin become their 3rd, 4th, or even 5th language. While certainly impressive, we have not lost sight of the most important language of all for these students: the child’s mother tongue. Language acquisition research provides convincing evidence that a second or additional language is learned best when there is solid command of the first language. The native language serves as a building block for learning additional languages and is a strong predictor of overall academic success. However, as the case in most international schools, the predominate language of instruction at SCIS is English, leaving students who speak English as an additional language little time to develop their first language skills in an academic setting.

With this in mind, SCIS set out to provide opportunities for instruction in students’ first or “native” language. Establishing this goal helped create a thriving and dynamic system of language schools on our campuses. SCIS now offers native language instruction in Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, and Italian. The majority of these language programs meet outside of school hours, while some are integrated into the school day. One such program is the Dutch School, proudly known as “de Oranje Draak.” The school serves over 100 students and is offered as an integrated program during regular school hours.

SCIS’s language schools have become remarkably successful, providing immediate rewards for our students. Hundreds of students now receive native language instruction targeted in reading, writing, and oral language, which in turn supports their English development. Academic benefits are seen in the classroom,

where students participating in language schools develop their English language skills with confidence. The first language instruction program also relieves pressure off parents to serve as the sole language model for their children, while also providing a context for students and families to develop friendships and celebrate cultural traditions. We have found this initiative to be highly enriching for our SCIS school community, and attribute our successful language model to valuing a holistic education.

If you are interested in enrolling your child in a native language program, or would like to see an additional language added to our offerings, please contact a school administrator.

Daniel Jubert is the Head of School at SCIS’s Pudong Campus. He can be reached at djubert@scischina.org

By DAN JUBERTPudong Campus Head Of School

ADMINISTRATOR’S LETTER HOST CULTURE

Teaching in an international school is such a unique experience because we feel cultural differences every

day. As Mandarin teachers, we are teaching this old language to a modern, vibrant, and varied group of students, and that has reminded me of a title I saw years ago, When Confucius Meets Socrates.

Confucius and Socrates are both regarded as famous educators in the Eastern and Western world. Confucius had three thousand students, and his thoughts have influenced China in all works of life. Especially nowadays, people reread Confucius and seek morality discussed by him two

thousand years ago. As a teacher, guiding and answering were his most-used strategies. He encouraged students to ask without feeling shameful (bù chǐ xià wèn).

Now let’s look at the Western side. Socrates stressed the value of “asking why”. As a teacher, asking questions to help guide students to seek answers on their own was his base strategy.

So far, you may see the big contrast here. However as a language teacher, I see it as different approaches in different situations. Mixing up with the Confucius way (the way most Chinese people are educated), the Socartes way, and of course modern strategies based on cognitive development, Mandarin classes have become a mixture or Eastern and Western teaching methods.

How does the Confucius way apply in Mandarin classes? Repetition is important to learn a second language. In Mandarin classes, we have weekly phrases that are useful in daily conversation. Students will be asked questions around the key phrases. They are also encouraged to make their own life-related sentences. The phrases will be used repeatedly so students get a better idea of the usage in various situations.

The traditional Chinese belief in education is to read the classic works many times and you will naturally produce fine words. Although heavy reading is not encouraged, to learn Mandarin, one of the most difficult languages in the world, we still suggest students read on a regular basis. After a period of time, the ef-fect will show itself.

How does the Socrates way apply in Mandarin classes? When learning Chinese characters, it is always fun to learn the meaning and explore its origin. Students are encouraged to share their own opinion based on their understanding. When learning about birthday traditions, we talk about how Chinese people celebrate birthdays. Students may compare and wonder why Chinese people eat noodles. They ask how the peaches we send as gifts related to well-wishing. These are all good questions, and maybe there’s not an absolutel correct answer. In fact, this learning process does not require an absolutel correct answer.

So, which style is best? Or which style is most often utilized? Let me share with you some wisdom from Confucius himself: yīn cái shī jiào. It means to teach a student according to what type of student he or she is. In education, the buzzword for this is “differentiation.” Thus, the effective classroom combines the elements of East, West, and of course modern, in a way that best suits the student’s individual need.

By DAISY YEPudong Lower School Campus Mandarin Coordinator

WHEN CONFUCIUS MEETS SOCRATESSCIS LANGUAGE PROGRAMS START THE YEAR STRONG

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CURRICULUM FEATURE CURRICULUM FEATURE

Social Studies “Clothes maketh the man”, Polonius suggests to his departing

son Laertes in Hamlet. This good advice helps his boy and us. Clothes can evoke feelings and attitudes to the adorned and viewers. This is why, for example, a person clad in a firefighter’s turnout gear or a doctor’s robe reassures us.

But, what can dressing up mean for a teacher? A lot. Imagine, while a class is talking about The Epic of Gilgamesh or The Odyssey by Homer, or while the class is evaluating the ethics of one of Julius Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul, the history teacher enters dressed in garments fitting of Gilgamesh, Odysseus, or Julius the assassin of the Roman republic Casesar! What will happen? “Wooooooow!” will happen. The class will embrace the assumed identity of their teacher.

By dressing the part students can feel as if they are having a personal dialogue with a key agent of change from the past. Pretty. Cool! These reasons alone are worth dressing in character. Yet, there is a deeper value that is helped by dressing up. Too often students are fed one-dimensional information from the study of history. This myopic view of historical events, people, and actions leads students to see history as a cause-effect chain of events. This naiveté is destructive since it encourages students to understand past people, events, and cultures in a deterministic way as in what happened could not have been accomplished in any other way.

This view in effect kills the person of history and negates the agents of change and all that they suffered and grappled for. Change doesn’t come easy. And many of the huge changes in history were only accomplished because these agents of change were willing to suffer, grapple, struggle, and fight against society. Even worse though, this narrow view has no place for empathy. Without exploring the sociological, economic, political and cultural factors confronted by historical agents—without, in other words, understanding the rich context—the desire to evaluate the historical person’s real choices and appreciate their accomplishments unfortunately evaporates. Teachers and history text who teach “Why x did y?” or “Why z happened?” too often are looking for a causation-type simplistic answer and rush over or drop the rich contextual fabric which envelopes each decision of the all agents of change.

Of course a causation model makes life easy, but it makes life easy at a heavy tax to students’ dignity and intelligence. It also creates a schism between the agent of change and his and her humanity, all the while quickly falling apart under scrutiny. However, if a teacher presents the agent’s real choices fairly & accurately and offers the key background context, students will be in a real position to put the person of history in a “hot seat”, if you will. Here, students can honestly consider and question all options realistically available to that agent, evaluate decisions made by him/her, and consider (ulterior) motives. This way of teaching further develops empathy and respect towards the study of history.

Last year, for instance, while looking at one of Julius Caesar’s pivotal Celtic campaigns, the Battle of Alesia, I dressed as Julius Caesar and had the class cross-examine and challenge me on my real options during this long and painful siege. This was great: they were allowing Caesar to make his real case and considering other viable choices open to him. When students mind the historical, political, and culture fibers, they in the end might ultimately discover and judge, with justification, that the past decisions of a person were heinous and self-motivated. That is okay, because their verdict now factors in real life. In this climate of learning, we begin to appreciate the complexity of the subject and realize that our involvement in it matters if we are going avoid simple answers.

Can all of this be done without wearing garb and playing a character. Of course! But how many of us would attend theatre if all actors wore street clothes? Yeah, the content would be the same, but something important would be missing: the ambience (the context). The truth is that clothes maketh the man, and wearing them offers the students a temporarily exit from the conventions, morals, values, and technological prejudices of our age and allows them to enter an ancient world. It allows them to enter history.

by MICHAEL KOHLER, MS History Teacher, HongQiao CampusThe focus of the 6th grade social studies program is for

students to understand, explore, question, and experience the people and events that ushered in the dawn of the major ancient civilizations. Students examine the origins of mankind as well as its early civilizations. As always, education is not simply memorizing names and dates. We attempt to understand how these empires and kingdoms were formed. Additionally, in social studies, we explore the aspects that affect all societies such as religion, class structure, communication methods, and technological advances. Delving into the past requires all of us to question, analyze, and discuss as we consider the way these fascinating people and events have shaped our world.

Taking a week of our lives and spending it on an excursion into China really helps us to understand this world. Yeah, yeah, it

helps us appreciate our host country and its diversity. But seriously, it helps us understand this world. China is ancient! And we get to “double dip” by delving into a foreign country as well as the past. We get to see first hand how religion, class structure, communication methods, and technological advances affect a place like Nanbeihu when compared to Shanghai or especially our home countries. Bottom line: China trips is not only valuable for our students and our school, but it also connects with our many academics such as social studies, aiding our students in becoming explorers, critical thinkers, and excited young historians.

By ROBERT CRITCHERMiddle School Social Studies & Language Arts Teacher

THREADING HISTORY WITH FABRIC,

NOT CAUSATION

HOW ARE ‘CHINA TRIPS’ SOCIAL STUDIES?

Philosophers reading about the role of arête in their world

Spartacus persuading the an unsympathetic audience of his right to rebel and be an enemy of Rome.

Nero attempting to justify his burning of Rome.

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The beginning of September saw the Global Issues Network Club (GIN Club) bring in the man behind Deux Pas Sur Le

Monde, “Two Steps to the World”, Jerome Gence. He made a guest appearance at SCIS-Hongqiao for two fortunate middle school classes.

Jerome is on a journey around the world, something we may have done in some form or another, or always wished we had. The big difference is, Jerome is doing it with only $10/day—and typically much less! With the money he doesn’t spend each day, he donates to a local NGO charity for kids in the country he is currently in.

We asked Jerome when his dream to explore the world was first conceive, he told us it started about 20 years ago, while growing up on Reunion Island (off the East Coast of Africa, East of Madagascar...yes, the same place as the movie!)

The year prior to leaving on his adventure around the world, Jerome was working with a company partnered with Google, analyzing Internet user behavior (It’s true, they really are watching us online!). This afforded him a comfortable flat in Paris and a lifestyle full of all the things we all know and love – MacBook, TV, Nikon Camera, Vespa scooter, and tons of clothes to choose from on a daily basis. All this became insignificant when he was honest with himself as to what he was truly longing for…that deep down gut feeling that ‘I have a dream I need to fulfill’...the dream to experience the world, the people along the way, and the simple pleasures such as a clear, starry night sky; a conversation with a stranger at a roadside stand; or being invited to have dinner with a local family in a foreign country.

It is the combination of all these experiences, which Jerome is indeed experiencing on his trip thus far, that has renewed his faith and hope in human beings. Jerome was reminded that deep down, all humans have good intentions and want to do their part to help one another. This simple fact can sometimes be lost in the fray as we are bombarded with news stories informing us of

countries and religions at war with one another, violent crimes in our own city, environmental destruction, and health epidemics happening around the world.

Throughout his talk with the students, Jerome reflected on the power of a network to help support you in your life. Even though Jerome started his journey with a small network, it was a contact through a Reunion Island Network for Expats Abroad that connected Jerome to another Reunion Island expat living in Shanghai, who was connected to Ms. Chui from SCIS-Hongqiao. The age-old expression, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” has proven true yet again.

A few memorable questions from students, with valuable pieces of advice included in Jerome’s response:

“What was your scariest moment on your trip?”The scariest moments were always made up in my mind, and turned out to be nothing. An example is when I was hitchhiking, and a rusty, broken down car would pull over to pick me up. The driver had un-kept hair, a big beard, and spoke with an uneducated tone of voice. My initial thought was, “This is not a good situation for me!” After journeying 300km, and sharing 3 hours of conversation with the man, I realized, there was nothing to be afraid of except the fear I created in my own mind.

“What place had the best view of a clear starry night sky?”Outside of Beijing, camping on the Great Wall of China, the night sky was absolutely covered with stars

“What does Deux Pas sur le Monde (Two Steps to the World) mean to you?”Two steps to the world means, to achieve your dream and accomplish anything you want in the world, you are always two steps away – the first step is making the decision you are going to do something; the second step is to follow through ‘till you accomplish all you had set out to do.

By RICHARD FORBESGIN ClubSocial Studies Grade 7 & 8 Teacher

Here is the question: what do Julius Caesar, Confucius, Genghis Khan, Steve Jobs, and Walt Disney all have in

common? The answer? All of them were leaders, and all of them had enduring legacies that changed the world. They are also exactly the type of people SCIS students will be investigating for the 2015 National History Day Competition. This year 9th and 10th grade students from SCIS will have the opportunity to participate in National History Day by exploring the theme Leadership and Legacy.

So what is National History Day? NHD is a contest with more than half a million students participating world-wide. Students create an original product such as a website, documentary, dramatic production, or a written paper after researching an historical topic of their choice. Of course, the topic must be related to the theme and part of the fun is finding out how these fascinating leaders have changed the world. In Social Studies class, the students will spend the next few months preparing their products. Then, in March, they will present their original work in the preliminary, local round of the contest. This round is held in Pudong, and SCIS students will compete against students from Shanghai and other Chinese cities. Educational professionals will view and judge their work,

and students will have the opportunity to converse with the judges about the learning process and the skills they gained. Winners of the local competition will advance to higher rounds. In the last round, the top 3000 participants from around the world will compete in the United States with a chance to win awards and prizes from sponsoring universities as well as prestigious organizations such as The History Channel, The Library of Congress, and The National Archives.

Of course visions of victory are exciting, but all SCIS students will be winners just by participating in the contest. The competition allows them to practice essential skills like investigating and evaluating sources, effectively communicating an argument, and presenting their work with pride and confidence. But perhaps most importantly, these students will begin to realize the power of one voice and the potential for one individual to shape the world. What a valuable lesson! As young people with bright futures ahead, our students are preparing to be leaders with transformational legacies of their own.

By ANDREA PLAKMEYERHgh School Social Studies Teacher

CURRICULUM FEATURE

TRAvEL AROUND THE WORLD ON $10/DAY: MEET A MAN WHO IS DOING jUST THAT HISTORIANS IN ACTION

CURRICULUM FEATURE

Hello Parents! My name is Jessica

Rose, and I am thrilled be a part of the SCIS-HIS community as the Director of Student Support Services. My background is as a school psychologist practicing in Hawaii.

In my role here, I collaborate with student support staff,

which would include Counselors, Student Support Specialists, Learning Specialists, and ESOL teachers. Additionally, I also collaborate with administrators and teachers to discuss how we can support students experiencing difficulty with learning at school and other areas that may interfere with their learning.

We all share the goal of helping children learn and feel successful. If you have concerns about your child, share them with your child’s teacher. Research has proven that when parents and teachers work together, everyone benefits: students tend to earn higher grades, perform better on tests, attend school more regularly, have better behavior, and show more positive attitudes toward themselves and toward school. A couple of the ways to increase home-school collaboration is to find out what activities you can provide at home to help support learning at school and keep teachers aware of any changes happening at home. I hear about and see lots of parents volunteering their time and skills at SCIS and HIS, which is another excellent way to support your child’s learning!

By JESSICA ROSESCIS-HIS Director of Student Support Services

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERvICES

MISC CONTENT

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HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHTS

In a world where Taobao and Amazon bring everything to our doorsteps (sometimes even the same day!), we sometimes

take for granted the thought planning that goes into the design of product packaging.

As an introduction to the engineering design process for our robotics class this year, students were challenged with the task of coming up with a way to safely transport one single Pringle Potato Chip from Hangzhou to Shanghai. The students were able to use any materials they wanted (other than an actual Pringle’s can), with additional constrains put on their final project. The brainstorming process involved questioning what materials we commonly used today, and how can we maximize strength while minimizing cost and weight.

Design criterion included points for minimizing weight for lower shipping costs, meeting shipping deadlines, working collaboratively with a partner, using recycled materials, and overall creativity in design with unlimited HIS school spirit. The chip needed to arrive safely at the SCIS Hongqiao Campus through the normal Chinese post, free from cracks and full of flavor. Although we only had 6 groups, with 6 chips being mailed, we somehow managed to use 3 full size cans of chips for this project. With a mouthful of chips, I frequently heard “We need to know what they taste like beforehand, so we can rate the level of flavor loss when they return!”

In true fashion of testing the engineering design process, the students thought it would be necessary to try a couple “test drops” from the 3rd floor to evaluate and compare design components. This important piece of the design process (designing-testing-redesigning), will sometimes change the entire path of a project, adding valuable reflective input.

HIS Engineering Design ProcessOverall, five of the six group’s chips made it to SCIS Hongqiao

unscathed, with the remaining one group’s chip destroyed during transport. After celebrating the safe arrival of their chips, the students did a final evaluation of the how they might have adapted some of the other team’s design into theirs for a lighter, stronger, and easier to build, model. Pooling the best components from each design, adapting and incorporating into a newer improved product, are 21st Century skills these kids will use in today’s world.

Our class has now moved to implementing the design process through programming and designing their FIRST Robotics FTC Challenge Robot that will compete later this school year. We are looking forward to the challenges of working as a team, proudly representing HIS, and designing a robot that will compete with other schools in our community.

By DAN MULLENHangzhou International SchoolCAS Coordinator/Robotics/Modular Technology

SHIP-A-CHIPCLEvER IDEAS kIDS CAME UP WITH TO SHIP A SINGLE PRINGLE

POTATO CHIP FROM HANGZHOU TO SHANGHAI“DINGERS”, “Three ducks on the pond, bring ‘em home!” and “Double Play!” Aren’t terms that you would commonly hear around the play ground at an SCIS school, but at HIS, Lower School Student council has changed that by organizing the first ever lunch time Kick Ball league! The lunch time sport leagues have been an excellent resource for diversifying lunch time activities for lower school students, as well as fostering accountability and organizational skills for the student council and their peers.

With such a small community of teachers at HIS, we often all spend our lunch times outside with the kids instead of rotating duties, which gives us the opportunity to interact with the students at recess and truly get to know them. Through this observation I noticed the same kids always doing the same activities, whether it be soccer, playing tag or siting around talking. The students became very predictable at recess. As the advisor of Lower School Student Council, I proposed to them the challenge of introducing students to new sports and activities, which would diversify their interests and help to prepare them for the assortment of middle school sports!

This year’s lunch time Kick Ball league follows a string of successful student council organized lunch time activities last year. Activities like water balloon tosses, dodge ball, soccer and ultimate frisbee leagues. My goal was to challenge student council to create new opportunities for lower school students and take full accountability and responsibility for the project.

This has benefited the student council by helping them to learning responsibility, organization and leadership, while becoming more confident in themselves. One of the most difficult lessons for them to learn was accountability. If the schedule was not prepared in advance or if the teams were not created fairly and evenly or equipment was not collected, then it would delay the start of the league.

Student council has been responsible for signing up students, creating teams, making the weekly schedule, setting up the equipment each day and recording scores and standings. To gain

a first hand glimpse into the inner working of student council, I took some time to interview 5th Grade student and Lower School Student Council President, Callie Phillips.

“I’ve learned that student council is a lot of responsibility and that you need to be really organized for it to be successful!” Callie also understands that the responsibility involved with organizing such an event that involves herself and her friends brings a lot of additional pressure. “The most difficult part”, says Callie, “Has been being fair when deciding on teams since I also want to participate, but want to make sure that teams are still created equally and fair”. Due to the great success that we have seen with the lunchtime sports leagues, I asked Callie what we can expect next. “Last year ultimate Frisbee and dodge ball were very successful, so I think that those will be coming up soon!”.

The success of the lunch time sports program is reflected everywhere in lower school. From the high fives and encouragement that the student give one another during and after each game to the smiles on their faces as they return to their classrooms and from the great lessons to the reflections that student council make during our weekly meetings, organized lunch time sports leagues are a suggestion that I would encourage each and every teacher, student and community member to become a part of!

By PAUL CHEEvERSHIS Grade 5 teacher

kICkBALL REIGNS kING AT HIS!

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PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

The Art Department at SCIS Pudong has been host to a very special visiting artist, thanks to the generous sponsorship

of PAFA. Brian Michael Reed is an internationally exhibited conceptual artist based in New York City. Brian’s recent exhibitions with the Himalayas Museum and the Shanghai Academy of Fine Art’s creative space feature his new work based on his experiences in China.

Brian is currently working on part three of his “From China to the Universe” Project to experience Chinese visual culture and history. Reed continues to empower and interpret people’s thoughts, feelings, and everyday events through his art. Conceptually, Reed, through his works of art, advocates “universal commonalities”, experiences that people in world cultures share to foster global understanding and unity.

Students have been working with Brian on a conceptual installation artwork titled, “What Does the Lotus Mean to Me?” The project asks the students to consider the lotus in all its forms, making connections to its cultural, historical and spiritual contexts. The students did some research to learn about the lotus in Chinese culture, and then each student chose a word or phrase to define the lotus meaning. They found the Chinese characters for their chosen word or phrase, and used colored ink to write the words on small pieces of rice paper. Dried lotus pods are the “found” object in this artwork. Students learned how to apply gold or silver leaf foil to the top surface. Gold and silver transformed the homely brown pods into shimmering forms. The messages they wrote, one for each seed, were then crumpled up and placed inside the cavity where the lotus seed had been. Students were surprised to learn they would be

concealing their chosen meaning inside the lotus pod. If they chose to do so, the openings in the seed cavity were covered with a dollop of acrylic paint that resembles a colored chocolate chip, sealing the message forever. Each students pod will find a resting place inside a circular case that isolates and highlights the pod, creating a display that commands a degree of reverence when placed in grid a pattern on the gallery wall. Opposite this installation of meaning-filled pods will be portraits of the students holding a lotus pod. We hope to correspond the photo with the placement of each student’s pod.

Brian has also been working with students on some paintings on rice paper. Students were able to both contribute to and observe the painting process. In the end, Brian also employed the help of several small lobsters dipped in colored ink to leave the traces of their movement in the paintings. This was a big surprise to students and it raised much discussion about how animals should be used by humans. We cut and dried many lotus roots to prepare for their application on the surface, after being dipped in specific colors. The repetition of the lotus slices will help to unify the paintings. When completed, plexi glass frames will be constructed and the paintins will be donated to the Annual Art Auction.

Student comments about their first-hand exposure to Brian’s ideas and process have been positive. He in turn has enjoyed working with our students, and would like to return in the future.

By CHANDLER DAYTONPudong Campus visual Art Teacher

PUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

NEW YORk CITY CONCEPTUAL ARTIST vISITED PUDONG CAMPUS ART DEPARTMENT

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“Ms Chong, am I staying after school today? Do I have after school activities? Do I? Do I?”

Many students simply adore the idea of remaining at school after dismissal. Last year, every single student in my class participated in after school activities (ASA) in the fourth quarter. The kids really do look forward to staying on campus after their normal school hours to take part in all the learning that occurs outside of their regular classrooms at ASA.

ASA is our after school program held on campus for our Kindergarten and Grade One students. Teachers, Coordinators and Mandarin Assistants organize and lead a wide variety of activities for the children. This past quarter, we had over 120 students take part in activities such as Basketball, Lego Club, Little Artists, Paint Club, Soap Making, Stage Props, Story Time Crafts and Yoga.

Parents are wise when seeking their child’s input in regards to their ASA interests. Children are then enrolled in an activity that will naturally nurture their passions and curiosities. During parent pick-up at the end of ASA, our ECE Campus’ hallways are often filled with the excitement and chatter of students and parents

engaging in conversations about their activity. Our students are often eager to share their experiences whether it is from creating a bar of soap, discovering a new color while mixing paint or learning to dribble a basketball. There are many more exciting memories to be made so be sure to sign-up for an activity that interests your child in the months ahead.

This year at the ECE Campus, we will be offering Xin Jiang Dance, Soccer, Kickball, Chinese Sports, Indian Art, Beading Fun, Play Dough Club, Holiday Crafts, Clay Creations, Mad Science, Book Club, Cooking Club, Spanish Club, and many more!

By JENNY CHONGHQ ECE Kindergarten Teacher and After School Activities Coordinator

THE jOY OF AFTER SCHOOL ACTIvITIES

HONGQIAO ECE HIGHLIGHTPUDONG HIGHLIGHTS

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” —— Carl Sagan

Children are naturally curious, which makes science an interesting subject for them to learn. Science is careful

observation and active investigations where students collect data and facts and arrange those observations and facts to ask questions, make predictions, and draw conclusions. Students come to school full of ideas and look forward to testing them out. Science allows students to explore their world and take risks to discover new things while experimenting.

Inquiry is the basis for teaching concepts to the students in our science program. Our teachers question and guide students until a concept is revealed and mastered. The use of hands-on manipulation of objects and variables assist with the understanding of the science process. To see our students in action, one can see that science is a subject which allows for exploration with access to the science lab for experimenting. Participating in our science program is a challenge that is enjoyed by our lower school students!

Strolling by the science lab, a 5th Grade class is very engaged in testing their knowledge of levers and force using the scientific method. One of the questions posed to them was how does position of the effort effect (or change) how much effort/force is needed to lift the load? The students tested their hypotheses concerning simple machines at science stations. The students were excited to be a part of this “hands on approach” to science that allowed them to make meaning from purposeful activities. The Grade 3 Science class were making their own discoveries as they tested which fruits float and which do not. The big question they were left with after their experimenting was “why does an unpeeled orange float but a peeled one sinks?” This is how scientists learn – they try one thing and discover another! The students used the scientific method to plan a process to test

their hypothesis, put the process into motion using the necessary materials, saw the process to completion, and then were able to explain the attained results. The study of the night sky has 4th Grade excited about science. Using technology, they were able to observe that the constellations in the evening sky appear in different places in the sky during different months but constellations actually remain in the same spots.

Even our youngest learners get excited about making discoveries. Pre Kindergarten students making pancakes witnessed a chemical change when bubbles appeared in their pancakes, and Grade 1, using glitter to learn about germs, saw how easily germs (glitter) spread during normal contact and then how difficult germs are to remove if you do not wash your hands properly! Learning about science does not stop when the school day is over. Incorporating extracurricular STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs as part of our after school activities keeps them highly engaged long after the school day ends. Each robotic kit comes with prefabricated parts that need to be fitted together in a specific way for the entire project to work correctly, then students will be able to modify or write code to control their projects.

Our teachers know the importance of the of the skills and processes that students learn from being involved in science content and the students enthusiastically look forward to the challenges. Dr. Eric Albone, Director of the Clifton Scientific Trust, believes “Science is an important part of the foundation for education for all children. As science teaches students the necessary tools to develop problem solving skills and motivates them to share in an interest in the natural world for lifelong learning.” We couldn’t agree more.

By JANE MACMILLANSCIS - HIS Pudong

LOWER SCHOOL SCIENCE

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EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

The student body at Shanghai Community International School can well be termed multicultural, diverse, international,

globalized, or a variety of other similar names. But apart from how the students look or speak, what does it mean to have a multicultural, multi-lingual, multi-national classroom, and what effect does this have on the students within it?

Multicultural interactions are powerful opportunities for students to grow in understanding, flexibility, and open-mindedness. International schools that provide access to a variety of languages, nationalities, cultures, and experiences open the door to students’ personal development and future options that may not be available in students’ home countries. However, by attending an international school, some students may lose their connection with their traditional or national values (Lee & Ciftci, 2013). The cultural patterns that make up a society “back home” and seem second nature to parents who have grown up within one set of cultural experiences, may not be the same as those the children attending an international school in a different country may value. Communities and cultures are bound by patterns of thought and behavior (Powell & Kusuma-Powell, 2011). Based on a variety of social constructs including multicultural personality, assertiveness, academic self-efficacy, and social support, individuals are able to easily adapt to new cultures, societies, and groups in ways that allow them to bridge the gaps and create friends within the new cultures (Lee & Cifti, 2013). By developing awareness, understanding, and a respect, it is possible to learn more about the world, while retaining one’s own cultural values and patterns (Powell & Kusuma-Powell, 2011).

Richard Nisbett, the author of Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently … and Why, has collaborated with a variety of research partners to demonstrate the cultural differences between East Asians and Westerners in areas such as attention to context (Masuda, et al, 2008), holistic thought and cognitive processes (Nisbett, et al., 2001), and response to change (Masuda & Nisbett, 2006). His findings indicate that East Asians and Westerners differ in their view of subjects with East Asians viewing objects as linked to their context in a holistic manner while Westerners tend to pay closer attention to the object itself in a more analytic manner (Masuda & Nisbett, 2006). The orientation of holistic thought vs. analytical thought further develops in an educational setting where students from an East Asian background are often more likely to work collaboratively and quietly than are their Western counterparts (Hofstede & Murff, 2012). Studies often cite East Asian students’ educational mindset as being descended from the Confucian tradition, valuing humility in knowledge and expression of ideas (Chung, et al., 2008; Liu & Littlewood, 1997; Wu, 2010). Whether cultural, historical, or biological, the differences in these general cultural distinctions allow researchers to generalize that Westerners pay closer attention to focal objects or specific

individual goals while East Asians pay closer attention to the environment and those around them in a holistic sense (Nisbett and Masuda, 2003). A student’s cultural background can have a large influence on the student’s desire to learn and his preferred method of learning because culture can shape the individual’s perceptions (Li, 2003). By analyzing the student’s cultural background as well as his classroom environment, the teacher can understand more about the student’s motivation to learn.

While it may seem simple to boil students down to their base components culturally, each individual has his or her own experiences, values, social supports, and personality to define himself. Giving students a chance to develop opportunities for interactions with others who are not from the same language, culture, country, or religion, can allow for increased confidence, self-efficacy, and open-minded views that will benefit them later in life (Lee & Ciftci, 2013).

International schools around the world have an opportunity to develop children within a global context. SCIS is no different. Our students come from more than 60 nationalities, according to the flags flown on the front steps of our school. Each day in the playground, we can hear English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Swedish, and a host of other languages being tossed between students. As students have the opportunity to learn new languages, they are also teaching each other new skills while at the same time developing their own socio-cultural adaptation to a world that is different from their parents’ world. Many students come to Shanghai because of their parents’ job opportunities, but they do not expect to become third culture kids who adapt to a multicultural lifestyle. However, many families realize that attending an international school with English language instruction and classmates from all around the school can influence students’ personalities

By JESSAMINE KOENIGHongqiao Campus High School vice Principal

AN ESSAY: HOW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AFFECTS YOUR CHILD’S PERSONALITY

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

By skimming through September’s Little Star magazine, one can quickly surmise that there is no shortage of international

schools in Shanghai that produce competitive exam results. The issue highlights top IB and GCSE scores by the tier one schools across the city, including SCIS. While scores are certainly important for university acceptance, scholarships, and bragging rights of schools, it is important for parents to understand the changing face of education and that standardized test scores are only one aspect of education. In fact, contemporary employers would argue that these are one of the least effective determinants of success.

Authors Daniel Pink (2006), Tony Wagner (2010), and Paul Tough (2013) lambast today’s academic institutions claiming that they are failing at preparing students for the real skills necessary to today’s needs in our ever-shifting world. The experts claim that schools (and governments) focus too heavily on subject content, measured by standardized exams, at a time when information is readily at one’s fingertips. They argue that the purpose of education has shifted from knowledge retention to knowledge utilization. They support this idea by explaining how society has quickly progressed through the Information Age and is now entering the Conceptual Age, where the skills for success are very different than before. Sadly, the field of education has not equaled this rapid progress.

Pink, Wagner, and Tough identify key skills that research has shown to increase students’ success in later life. While some of these originate either naturally through a child’s personality or through attributes role modeled at home, many should be part of everyday school life. Though the lists of academically supported skills differ in some ways, for the most part they are in agreement of which skills constitute real success:

• Grit – the ability to work through difficulties• Curiosity – asking questions about the world and wanting to

know more• Social intelligence – being able to work with others• Critical thinking – creatively utilizing problem solving techniques

• Information usage – being able to access and analyze information• Symphony – seeing the whole through all of its working parts• Play – enjoying life, finding meaning in it, and looking

optimistically towards the future

With a wide array of technical careers being offshored to workers that are comparable in content knowledge but willing to work cheaper, these are the skills that will compel our students into positions for future accomplishments. With this in mind, SCIS understands the power of the holistic education we provide. While others may continue to follow the educational model that fostered achievement in yesteryears, our school helps put students in a position of power for their future careers by nurturing the important skills as well as great test scores. The catchword of “rigor” is haphazardly thrown around school settings without a real definition. At SCIS, we believe rigor means breaking free of the chains that is the tradition of school by redefining what is truly important for our students to not just know, but also important for our students to be able to do.

REFERENCES:Pink, D. H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY: Penguin.

Tough, P. (2013). How children succeed: Grit, curiosity, and the hidden power of character. New York, NY: Mariner Books.

Wagner, T., (2010). The global achievement gap: Why even our best schools don’t teach the new survival skills our children need and what we can do about it. New York, NY: Basic Books.

By TY SMEINSSCIS-PD Middle School Principal

Editors Note:By the way, SCIS still achieves top examination results year in year out.

STRESS: COPING WITH LIFE’S CHALLENGES

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THEME FEATURE THEME FEATURE

A COMMITMENT TO PURSUE ExCELLENCE

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THEME FEATURE THEME FEATURE

The year was 1983, I was 9 years old, and I lived in California, and like most little boys my age I loved American Football,

and of course since I lived in Los Angeles, my favorite team was the Raiders. Not only did I love the sport but I thought their silver and black uniforms were “so awesome.” To make me like them even more, they had a really mean looking pirate on their helmets. But believe it or not that is not what I remember most about liking this team. The thing that resonates with me most about the Raiders to this very day is that every time they appeared on television or in person to give an interview or make an announcement the players, the coaches, and the owners included the phrase “commitment to excellence.” To this day that phrase remains permanently fixated in my brain, and I think it translates very well in what everyone in our community here at SCIS strives for.

The Raiders goal in 1983 was very straight forward—to win the NFL Championship (which they accomplished by the way), and their commitment was to achieve athletic excellence. At SCIS our goal and commitment is for students to achieve academic excellence. About now you might be asking yourself, “what does that look like in a school setting?” That question is hard to answer and even more difficult to describe because it looks different for just about every student. I think the number one thing that makes SCIS such a great school is that we embrace those differences and allow students to achieve academic excellence in so many different ways. There is no single way for a student to be successful. Our academic program includes

students with so many different talents, strengths, backgrounds, and so many students with such a wide variety of interests. As my colleague recently quoted the academy award winning film Forrest Gump, at SCIS, “you never know what you are going to get.”

Students come to our school from all over the world. Some stay for many years; others stay just a short time. Some are passionate about American football; others are passionate about rugby. Some come from a place that stresses test scores; others come from a place that stresses creative thinking. So each year we have a school filled with backgrounds and interests and talents and expertise that varies more than a local school ever would.

While the students change, what does remain consistent is the balanced program that allows young men and woman of all ages to participate, grow, and become proficient in the classroom, on the field, in the pool, underneath the stage lights, behind the scenes, and/or out in the community. To be a part of any of these opportunities, we do not require students to be experts but instead only that they make a commitment. This commitment starts with themselves. Students have to commit to pursuing excellence. And this commitment extends to others. Students have to commit to helping other pursue excellence. This joint commitment is what makes these activities so enriching. And this joint commitment is what results in our excellence.

In the high school, we have students participating in a wide variety

of ways, and it would be impossible to mention all of them. I will attempt to highlight a few just to illustrate just how great these opportunities are for students to be excellent and achieve virtuosity. This fall alone students can star on a stage, build sets, or be a member of the crew for the upcoming musical production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.” At the same time in addition to traditional course offerings (IB and non- IB) they could also chose from no less than 5 foreign language options, visual arts, Theory of Knowledge, economics, environmental systems, jazz band, orchestra, percussion, film, desktop publishing, computer programming, robotics, dance, and PE. At the same time they can also be a member of either the swimming, rugby, cross-country, cheerleading, or volleyball teams. Lastly, as if this was not enough, students can also participate in community service outreach program to the local hospital, orphanage, or migrant primary school.

Any one of options alone would provide a great opportunity for a student to excel, but what makes the experience so rich, and so unique at SCIS, is that a large majority of students participate

in many of these different areas each and every week throughout the year. They do this at the same time as they are studying, writing their extended essay, composing their TOK paper, taking the ACT/SAT/TOEFL, and applying to colleges and universities. All of these different responsibilities take considerable commitment on their part as they pursue excellence.

While I am proud of the various opportunities provided, what I am most proud of is the help and support of a caring and dedicated faculty that are there to make sure our amazing students reach their full potential and achieve their own excellence. It is very exciting and rewarding, and I am sure that many years from now I will look back on this and have “excellence” permanently etched in my mind when I think about our community here.

By EvAN HUNTSCIS-HQ High School Principal

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21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGY

1. BrainPop Featured Movie: “The BrainPop Featured Movie app delivers fresh, animated movies every day, with content relevant to significant historical and current events such as Earth Awareness and Financial Literacy topics in April. After watching the Featured Movie, students can test their new knowledge with the accompanying interactive quiz.” (from www.brainpop.com)

2. Sight Words for Reading HD: This app helps students learn sight words, the most common words in children’s literature. Words are presented in context in fun videos. This helps learners understand the meaning of the words, which aids in reading comprehension.

3. PBS Kids: Is a child-friendly app where kids can easily browse and watch their favorite PBS videos at home, on the road, or anywhere with a WiFi connection.

4. Make Beliefs Comix: A free multilingual comic strip creation tool. This app allows students to create two, three, and four panel comic strips. Simply select the number of frames you want to use, choose the characters you want in your story, choose the type of text bubble you want, and type the words you need to tell your story. The app is that it supports English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Latin.

5. MoMA Art Lab: The Museum of Modern Art iPad app is an app that students can use to learn about art and create art of their own. Students can watch videos of artist creating certain types of art and then try to create their own including drawings, paintings, collages, shape poems, and many other forms of art.

6. Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Definitions, voice search, synonyms, antonyms, example sentences, Word of the Day, and favorites – what more could you want?!

7. Kids World Maps: An app that has six different types of maps focusing on what elementary school children need to know about landforms and world geography.

8. Animals 100 Lite: photos and information about over 20 animals (free version) including habitats and sounds; also includes quizzes and puzzles.

9. NASA: variety of information compiled by NASA including solar system images and facts, sightings of satellites and others, image of the day, videos, orbit trackers, astronomy picture of the day, and more

10. Mysteries of the Unseen World: This app is from National Geographic and is based on the film of the same name. Students can explore common, everyday objects under an electron microscope with puzzles and games to see if the student can guess what the object being magnified is.

References:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/http://mashable.com/2012/08/14/popularity-of-tablets-rising/

By ANTHONY PASCOEHongqiao Campus Technology Integration Specialist

1. Evernote: Evernote lets you take notes, snap photos, create to-do lists, scan business cards, record voice reminders --and it makes everything searchable, whether you are at home, at work, or on the go.

2. TED Talks: Sometimes its not all about what the teacher tells you or the book has written. Sometimes its about inspiration, new ideas, or expanding your horizons through short 20 minute talks by leading experts in various fields with more than 1,700 videos to choose from.

3. Kahn Academy: Khan Academy’s complete library of over 4,200 videos and articles at your fingertips – learn now and learn from experts but at your own pace. A massive number of topics, including K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even the humanities with playlists on art history, civics, and finance.

4. Truss Me and Simple Physics: Truss Me is an iPad app that student can use to design and test simple weight- bearing structures – structures that won’t work fall apart on screen. Simple Physics is an app that presents users with fun and challenging engineering problems to solve.

5. KIDS Discover: The current free content for this app is about atoms. Students can read text, listen to audio, manipulate and explore 3D objects like a model of an atom, watch videos, read cartoons, and learn all about the people and places important to the subject. There are also quizzes and puzzles to test student knowledge.

6. Rocket Science 101: Another iPad app offered by NASA and designed to help students learn about how the four types of rockets used by NASA work. After learning about the rockets students can virtually build models of the rockets and launch them. Students can then learn about the different NASA missions that used each rocket.

7. Total Recall: Create color coordinated thinking maps to plan writing and organize ideas.

8. iFormulas: An app that provides a clean slate to effortlessly look up mathematical formulas from Algebra, Calculus, Chemistry, Geometry, Electrical, Trigonometry, and Physics.

9. EasyBib: This app can help you create accurate MLA, APA, and Chicago style citations in seconds by scanning a book bar

code or by typing the name of a book. Once done, email your citations and then export your citations to EasyBib.com’s popular bibliography management service.

10. StudyBlue: This is a great app that lets you create your own flashcards or choose from over 250,000,000 flashcards already created by other students. They can include images, videos, or audio.

References:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/http://mashable.com/2012/08/14/popularity-of-tablets-rising/

By ANTHONY PASCOEHongqiao Campus Technology Integration Specialist

TOP TEN FREE IPAD APPS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

TOP TEN FREE IPAD APPS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGY

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Same Kane relocated to Shanghai in 2004 from the USA. Five and a half year later he graduated top of his class

at SCIS and he went on to also graduate top of his class from Georgetown University. Now he works for a cybersecurity consulting firm in Virginia. Our Marketing Manager recently got him to sit down and share his thoughts about how his time at SCIS affected his future.

Tell us about yourself.My name is Sam Kane. I attended SCIS Pudong for five and a half years, graduating in June 2010. I graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in International Politics in December 2013, and I am currently working for a cybersecurity consulting firm in Arlington, Virginia.

You graduated from one of the worlds Top Universities; how well prepared do you feel coming from SCIS?I feel that SCIS definitely helped to make my transition from high school to college a relatively easy one. A major component of my undergraduate education centered on writing and analysis skills, and I feel that my education at SCIS allowed me to enter the university environment well-prepared to tackle this type of coursework.

What do you think the biggest difference is coming from an international school versus coming from a regular school?I definitely feel that there’s something to be said for attending a school with such a diverse student body. Going to class with students from around the globe and getting exposed to such a wide range of viewpoints and perspectives was an incredibly rewarding experience, and it’s not one that I would have had had I went to high school in my hometown in suburban Connecticut.

Think about when you first moved to Shanghai and attended SCIS, did you ever think you would be where you are today?I can’t say that I did! I think my time in Shanghai definitely sparked my interest in international relations, which I would later pursue throughout my time at Georgetown. Being able to live in a foreign country exposed me to a perspective that I may not have otherwise embraced.

What advice would you give to those in high school right now preparing to go to university?For SCIS students in particular, I would advise them to take advantage of being at a small school—work after school with teachers, get involved with a wide range of extracurricular activities, get to know all of your classmates. Certainly, the small-school environment has both benefits and drawbacks, but the benefits really are substantial, and you should seek to make the most of them.

I know you were multi-sport athlete in high school, have you continued to participate in any sports in the university?

SAM KANETop University to Prestigious Cybersecurity Firm

I played some intramural basketball in college, but my athletic career definitely peaked during my high school years. To put it another way: if you were to pit High School Sam Kane against Current Sam Kane in a 1-on-1 game of basketball, I have a hard time imagining the current version getting the W!

Do you have a favorite SCIS story to share?During my class’s senior year China Trip to Yunnan, we somehow ended up spending an entire night camped out on an island covered in animal feces! I don’t know if I would ever want to relive that moment, but it was certainly character-building.

What was the most memorable moment as a student?My most memorable moment would definitely be winning the SISAC city basketball championship during my senior year. It was really a fitting capstone to a year of hard work with some great guys, and a fantastic way to end my SCIS basketball career.

Are you still friends with anybody you met at SCIS?I definitely keep in close contact with a couple of my closer friends. What with everyone being scattered across the globe, keeping in touch is a bit more difficult—fortunately, things like Facebook and whatnot help to make things easier.

What is your lasting impression of SCIS?Great students, fantastic teachers, and a wonderful community — really all you could ask for from a high school.

What is your most significant accomplishment?I was fortunate enough to graduate Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown, two academic honors that I am very proud of. Without a doubt, the education I received from the teachers at SCIS helped to lay the foundation for my achievements at the university level, and that’s something that I am very thankful for.

5 years from now, what do you see yourself doing?Honestly, I can’t say! Right now, I’m simply focused on doing the best I can at my current job. Who knows what opportunities may present themselves in the next few years.

By MUN YEE CHOOSCIS - HIS Marekting Manager

THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Alumni Mission: The SCIS-HIS Alumni Association has been established in order to foster the continued cordial relations of the SCIS-HIS community. The Alumni Association seeks to generate and maintain the active interest of all SCIS-HIS alumni in its regular business. It will provide the alumni with regular opportunities to assemble and maintain valued relationships through the promotion of alumni events and communications.

Alumni Contact: Jonathan Paulson jpaulson@scischina.org

Alumni Requirements:1. Graduated from a SCIS-HIS school

OR

2. Went to school here for at least one year AND be over 18

Social Media facebook site: www.facebook.com/ SCISandHISalumni

Linkedin site: www.linkedin.com/groups/ SCISHIS-Alumni-4757677

Upcoming EventsJune 2014 in Shanghai

Class of 2010, High School SAT Score: 2370Attended SCIS for 6 years and is currently working

as a Senior Research Associate at Zeichner Risk Analytics

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Anja Mattson has been at SCIS Hongqiao since 2012. She has been able to stay true to her Finnish roots while also

embracing everything SCIS and Shanghai has to offer. Recently, I got her to sit down with me…

Hello Anja! Thanks for letting me interview you. How are you doing? What’s the stress level indicator reading at today?

Stress indicator has been off the charts this week, but now things are calming down a little!

So when I say “IB,” you say____?[sniffle] Where do I even begin?

But you seem to be doing well-ish (just joking, I saw your predicted grades). What’s your secret?It is definitely the biggest academic challenge I have faced so far… I was really underestimating the amount of work and energy that has to be put into the second year of IB.

But I’m a complete perfectionist and can’t stand failing at anything… so that really keeps me motivated to always try my hardest. There are few school subjects that interest me, but I’m happy I chose the few that I do like such as Psychology and Biology, because that gives an extra boost to my motivation!

Let’s talk sports. How’s your volleyball season coming along? The big tournament just went down? How are you feeling about it?A big part of the varsity team from last year left, which made me really worried about how our turn out was going to be this year. But this has for sure been my favorite volleyball season yet, and our team is so great.

Yes ACAMIS was last weekend. We went into the tournament with a winning attitude and a great spirit. We played better than we have ever played as a team before. Even though we got 2nd place I am so proud of our team!

I also hear you’re over at the Yodak hospital. What are you up to over there?I started going to Yodak Hospital every Monday in the beginning of 11th grade. Yodak Hospital specializes in heart diseases for kids. We would clean the playroom and toys for kids who were hospitalized there. I wasn’t planning on doing it for the whole year, but I got so into organizing (the perfectionist in me took over) the toys for the children that I stayed with the program for almost an entire semester!

Let’s look into the past for a second. How was your Mid Autumn Festival vacation?It was great! My family and I went to Boracay, a little paradise island in the Philippines. I have been begging my parents to go to Boracay for years, but over break I had so much schoolwork and college applications to complete that I barely left the hotel room. It was kinda sad…

Oh that stinks. Switching subjects then, let’s talk about the future. Just between us (and everyone who reads this of course) what are your futureplans?To be honest, I have no idea where I am going to be a year from now. I have chosen to apply to medicine in the UK, but I’m not sure if I really want to be a doctor. I know students are expected to know what they want to do with their lives by 12th grade, but I really have no clue what career path is right for me. My main goal right now is just to leave as many doors open as possible for the future.

Is there any message you want to send to people?The best advice I have for students going into IB year 2 is to get as much done as you possibly can in 11th grade because you won’t get a day off in 12th grade.

Overall, I feel that too many students rush off to college right after high school not knowing what they really want to do or study. I advise students to consider taking a gap year to work, meet new people, and experience life outside of school because there is so much you can learn from life experiences that school can never teach you.

Serious question now: The lights go out….the spotlight comes on….someone hands you a microphone…and it’s your turn to karaoke. What is your go to song?I would probably faint from stage fright before I could sing anything!

But if I HAD to sing a song maybe it would be “Nobody Business” by Rihanna (feat Chris Brown).

Interview BY JONATHAN PAULSONCommunitas Editor

STUDENT SPOTLIGHTALUMNI PAGE

THE CLASS NOTES OF GRADUATES Anja MattsonWHEN I SAY IB, YOU SAY____?

Class of 20102010 Class Ambassador: kolina kretzschmarkolinakret@gmail.com

Sam Kane graduated from Georgetown University in 2014 with Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa. With his major in International Politics and his internship experience with Citizens for Global Solutions and U.S. House of Representatives, he was offered a position as the Research Associate at Zeichner Risk Analytics, an Information Technology and Services organization in Arlington, Virginia.

Elizabeth Depietro graduated from University of Southern California. She majored in Political Science , East Asian Languages & Cultures. She is currently working as the Global Mobility Coordinator at the Walt Disney Company

Class of 20112011 Class Ambassador: Openemail Alumni Coordinator jpaulson@scischina.org to inquire

Emma Howat is now in her final year study of Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Finance and Marketing) in University of Melbourne, Australia. She has been offered a full-time position at Deloitte in 2015

Julia Zhu is in her final year of study in Vanderbilt University, Nashville. She is majoring in Honors Psychology with a concentration in Psychopathologies.

Class of 20132013 Class Ambassador: Tara kungtara.kung@mail.mcgill.ca

Carnie Lewis is on her second year of study in University of Southern California. She is majoring in Occupational Therapy and minoring in Intern Relations and Spanish. She has been doing great in her first year study, scoring A’s in all her classes.

Julia moon is currently studying in KAIST, Korea, majoring in Industrial Design. Having a wide variety of experience at SCIS truly has helped her develop critical thinking skills and creativity that are needed to succeed in her design major now.

Yeli Park is in her second year studying in University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Chemistry. She had some back during the summer holiday to visit her family as well as her favorite teachers in SCIS.

Class of 20142014 Class Ambassador: Openemail Alumni Coordinator jpaulson@scischina.org to inquire

Austin Chan is just starting his study in McGill University and he has been super busy settling in his university life as he is a very hardworking student. With his interest in Physics and Math, he is majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

Andy Su has been hosting auditions for the movies he is filming as a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and enjoying the great American college experience.

Anthony Gates has been studying Mandarin at Jiaotong University in Shanghai, and performing every Thursday night in an improvisation group.

Bella Bengtsson has been working in Sweden as the head of a program for teaching kids to swim, and has been studying physics.

Kevin Liu has been studying film acting at the Beijing Film Academy.

Elo Delas is on the Synchronized Swim team at the University of Ottawa, and will be going to the Nationals in February.

Ting Hsiao just started her first year at Oregon State University majoring in Biochemistry & Biophysics. She is very glad that she decided to come to OSU because OSU has an amazing science program, as it is one of the nation’s leading research institutions for many different science fields. In addition to studying and getting use to Corvallis, she has also decided to volunteer at a local high school in Corvallis to tutor the high school students. She enjoys tutoring the high school students a lot because she can learn more about Corvallis, Oregon as she interacts with them. Overall, she thinks Oregon State University is a great fit for her even though it gets a little rainy there in Oregon.

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The SCIS Hongqiao Campus has a thriving International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in place. With over 200

students who have graduated in the last five years, the IB results are an indication of the level of students and teachers we have at SCIS. From the first graduating class in 2010 of 23 students to this year’s graduating class of 78, we are excited by the growth and development of the SCIS students.

The graduating class of 2014 had an average score of 34 points per student with 15 of them achieving a score of 36 or above. This is well above the global average score for IB results, so we are proud of their accomplishments over the last two years. The students in this graduating class were accepted into a variety of top universities around the world, and many have already matriculated for their first semester. We look forward to hearing their stories, their successes, and the value their IB Diplomas as a preparation for university level work.

As our current grade 12 students are working to complete their IB Diplomas in May 2015, we have strong course listings in a wide variety of subjects:

Group 1 – Studies in Language and Literature (student’s best language)English A LiteratureEnglish A Language and LiteratureChinese A LiteratureKorean A LiteratureSchool Supported Self-Taught A Literature of any other language

Group 2 – Language AcquisitionFrench B, French Ab InitioMandarin B, Mandarin Ab InitioSpanish B, Spanish Ab Initio

Group 3 – Individuals and SocietiesEconomics History Psychology

Group 4 – Experimental SciencesBiology ChemistryEnvironmental Systems and Socities Physics

Group 5 – MathematicsMathematics HL, SL Mathematical Studies

Group 6 – The ArtsFilm MusicTheater Visual Arts

Other areas of strength and interest are the CAS program, the Theory of Knowledge Course, and the Extended Essay. Each of these build on student interests and ask students to apply the

knowledge they learn in their courses to real life situations. By keeping the focus on student engagement and development, the International Baccalaureate program requires students to become more than passive learners of content and asks them to become active users and consumers of information on multiple levels. In this way, the IB Diploma Programme is a comprehensive program that encourages students to become thinkers, communicators, and principled individuals who can take on a changing world.

SCIS has recently introduced Managebac for all high school students (grades 9-12). In the past, this program was used for grade 11 and 12 exclusively, but now it is used by all high school teachers and students to share information, post and submit assignments, track student success, and generally be the starting location for all student needs. While SCIS still uses the Powerschool schedule feature as well as the gradebook, Managebac is the communication, interaction, documentation, and classroom tool that teachers and students will use on a daily basis.

Parents are invited to join and track their students’ progress in CAS activities, class assignments and progress, and schedule. Parents should have received an email from Managebac to invite them to set up an account and take part in the new technology platform. If parents failed to receive this, please look in your email “junk mail” folder or contact the HS secretaries to update your email address and contact information in case of changes.

Mark your calendar for the huge annual Winter Festival, Saturday December 13th from 11:00am to 3:00pm open to the entire Shanghai community. This child-friendly event will feature Holiday themed booths, arts and crafts

stations, live performances, food and drinks, Shanghai vendors, and a photo opportunity with Santa Claus.

Coinciding with the Winter Festival is the Open House starting at 10:00am. The Open House is an opportunity for prospective families to learn more about our truly international school. Senior Administration will be on hand to introduce the school, give a tour of the facilities, and answer any questions.

Location: SCIS Pudong Lower School. 800 Xiu Yan Road. Cross Street Hunan Road. Kangqiao, Pudong.

PARTNER PAGE

INTRODUCTION TO THE IB DIPLOMA PROGRAME AT SCIS HQ

Continue on page 32…

Hongqiao PAFA President:President: Don Rendallpafapresident.scispafahq@gmail.com Events Coordinator: Donna Boseevents.scispafahq@gmail.com

PAFA NEWS

Hangzhou PAFA President: jerry josephLS vice President- Anu MehtaLS vice President- Anuja jainUS vice President- Carmen FreissmuthUS vice President- Crystal Wu

Pudong PAFA Chairs:Lower School: katie Berkaw katieberkaw@icloud.com

Upper School: Robin Williams mikeandrobinwilliams@gmail.com

SCIS-HIS has parent organizations called the Parents and Friends Association (PAFA) on each campus. PAFA serves as a way that parents can communicate ideas for the betterment of the school to the administration and Board. SCIS and HIS are proud of the high level of parents participation in their schools and value their partnership with the parent community. PAFA conducts various activities, from community events to charity fundraisers to volunteer support for teachers and students. Each campus has a PAFA board who works closely with each campus’ administrations to plan events that help to make SCIS-HIS schools a unique experience for families, faculty, and students alike. We are always welcoming new members!For more information about PAFA, please contact us at:

SPECIAL UPCOMING EvENT:

WINTER FESTIvAL AND OPEN HOUSE INvITE A FRIEND!

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COMMUNITY FEATURE

On September 26th the students and staff at SCIS celebrated the United Nations’ International Day of Peace. This year,

rather than just celebrating for one day, the Pudong lower school campus decided to embrace what it means to be globally minded for the entire month of September. Students and faculty extended the learning of other cultures from one project to present during the annual assembly, to a month of learning. They dove deeper into cultures, countries, and communities to discover what it means to be internationally minded within our own school culture and greater community. Our Lower School campus celebrated this day by paying tribute to our international and multicultural school community made up of an estimated 40 different nationalities.

On the day of the event students, teachers, and members of the school community were encouraged to come in traditional dress from their home countries. The event began with an incredible display of country pride and colors in the Parade of Nations, with students from each country greeting the audience in their native tongue. The celebration continued with a song by grades 2-5 on stage.

“I liked how we all sang a song together on stage that we had practiced during individual music classes. It really brought us all together.” –Tejas, grade 5 student. Arya, also a grade 5 student, said “I really liked that there were so many different projects from all the grade levels about different cultures.” Each grade level from Pre-K through grade 5 displayed their learning projects in a Peace Walk that allowed them to view each others’ work and share what they had learned through the projects with friends and family members in attendance. Projects ranged from a large world map displaying pictures of all the students from their native country, posters about different cultures around the globe, clay models to represent

parables, mobiles displaying cultural facts, books and poems about peace, and fingerprint doves. “I enjoyed finding out information about the religion in Cuba during my culture cube project,” said Sacha a grade 5 student. Hady, another grade 5 student said, “I learned lots of different ways to say hello.”

The importance of this event is highlighted in SCIS’s mission, which aims to provide all students with opportunities to pursue academic and personal excellence in nurturing, international community environments. By honoring our cultural differences and recognizing the shared values of peace, cooperation, and global citizenship, the celebration provided the perfect opportunity to reach these lofty goals.

The event concluded with an International Food Fair offering special cultural dishes from around the world, prepared and cooked by the parent community. The Food Fair was considered the favorite event for many! “My favorite part was getting to try all kinds of different foods from all different countries,” said Cyrus, a grade 4 student. “I liked getting to eat different foods with my friends in all different grades,” said Yuahnn another grade 4 student.

The celebration was a true display of the qualities that make SCIS a unique international community, showcasing our diversity, community spirit, and continued quest for excellence. It is one example of how we seek out opportunities to educate a globally minded student body. We would like to extend a big thank you to our entire community for supporting this great event.

Thank you, The UNIDOP Committee CHRISTI CHASE, MEGAN LAIRD, ANJA SANTIAGO, CHERRY ZHANG, JANE MACMILLAN, BRIAN BYRNE

UNITED NATIONS’ INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

NOVEMBERFOR

MOVEMBER

Vogmasks are available in different sizes at our campus at 200RMB per piece.

The art and science of education since 1996

Celebrate Movember with us in style by purchasing a vogmask with mustache artwork, while protecting yourself from November haze

and contributing to a great cause.

The world-wide “Movember” movement raises funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer

and male mental health initiatives. For every mask sold, SCIS-HIS will donate 20 RMB to the Movember movement.

Vogmask The non-woven microfiber material used by vogmask™ is the most advanced particle mask filter material in the world. It is soft, hypoallergenic and remains dry and comfortable during prolonged use. It filters all particles over 3 micrometers in size including bacteria. Higher cost is justified by its performance (99%+ PM2.5 reduction compared to 95% for N95) and long life (400 hrs)

movember poster design A4.indd 1 10/22/14 5:06 PM

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He plays Middle Blocker on the varsity Volleyball team and Stretch 4 on the Varsity Basketball team

Why do you play sports?I play sports to be with my friends and have a good time together. Playing sports helps me get away from normal routines of life. It helps take my mind off and focuses on something else like having fun.

On overcoming adversityEven from the start, I know that I wasn’t the right fit to play basketball. Being skinny isn’t a good thing in basketball, especially when the position I play is center just because I’m the tallest. Through the years of playing basketball, I realized that there are things that I can do that let me compete with better opponents who are bigger and stronger. I am good at shooting midrange shots and even 3 pointers. Although I am weak in rebounds, my defense is good to the point that I can take the ball without rebounds by use of blocking or stealing.

What has been your sports highlight (so far)?Being able to attend a CISSA Basketball tournament again AND help coach and referee games is an experience I would never forget. I was able to see the tournament in another perspective compared to playing games during middle school. It was fun to be able to participate in another CISSA tournament. Memories from years ago reminded me of the great times I had with my friends.

On being a DRAGONBeing a Dragon means that you are part of something big like

your sports team. You may or may not know it, but being a Dragon means that you can contribute. Whether it is sports related or not, you can help around in the community. Always remember that there will be people in the community who will help you out as well.

What is your advice to new DRAGONSDo not be afraid to join sports or other activities. You never know if your good or bad until you tried it out yourself. You would be surprise to see how good you can be no matter who you are. Joining activities would be time well spent. Whatever happens, you will have a great time with your friends.

By ERIC CHERNOFF ARTICLEHIS P.E. Teacher

COACHES CORNER

Energy drink companies spend exorbitant amounts of money each year to make some of the flashiest and “coolest”

advertisements out there. Because of these ads, our teens are fully aware of the energy-boosting benefits of these drinks, but we as parents, should be aware of the risks. These drinks are packed with sugar and caffeine, making them much like soda in terms of “poor diet choices”. In addition, a new study by the University of Michigan shows that teens that regularly consume energy drinks are also more likely to engage in other, more serious, unhealthy behaviors.

Common Misconceptions About the Safety of Energy Drinks: 1. Energy and Sports Drinks Are Healthier than SodaMany energy drinks are advertised as “sports drinks” for hydration and energy to keep being active. Others boast that they are packed with B-vitamins, anti-oxidants and “all natural ingredients”, making consumers think these drinks are healthy alternatives to soda. These are misconceptions. Both energy and sports drinks tend to have significantly more sugar than soda, which contributes to unhealthy weight gain and tooth decay. Energy drinks have significantly more caffeine and other stimulants than sodas, which can cause insomnia, seizures, heart rhythm problems, and even death if consumed too quickly or in combination with other substances.

2. Energy and Sports Drinks Increase Physical ActivityMany argue those teens that regularly consume energy and sports drinks are also more likely to engage in physical activity. This is another misconception. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Education, and Behavior showed teens that consumed more energy and sports drinks were actually less likely to engage in physical activity than their occasional or non-consuming counterparts. In fact, the regular consumers were found to spend significantly more time playing video or computer games and watching TV.

Energy Drinks and Unhealthy Behaviors:

New studies show that teens that regularly consume energy drinks are more likely to engage in other unhealthy behaviors. Teens who consumed energy drinks on a regular basis were found to be more likely than their peers to consume other high-sugar substances try smoking or other stimulants, skip breakfast, and/or spend more time engaged in sedentary activities. This is not to say that these drinks cause a child to engage other unhealthy behaviors; rather, it suggests that energy drinks are included in this group of behaviors that lead to poorer health outcomes.

What Can Parents Do? • Pay closer attention to how often our teens consume

energy drinks.• Explain the misconceptions inherent in energy drink

advertising to teens.• Teach them about the health benefits of drinking more

water and the unhealthy ingredients in energy drinks.• Talk to our teens about why they choose energy and

sports drinks.

If you have any questions about the risks of consuming energy drinks or regarding your teen’s health and physical activity in general, don’t hesitate to contact us. The specialists at IWS are here to help! Dr. Southern is the only American board-certified Pediatric Orthopedic specialist in all of China and sees patients in both Pudong and Puxi. For more information on our specialists visit www.westernsurg.com. For other health and wellness news, visit IWS’s patient education website at www.IWSActiveLiving.com.

TEENS AND ENERGY DRINkS:WHAT ARE THE RISkS?

…Continue from page 28

We also invite high school parents to attend a Technology Overview session on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 10:00 am in A211. This session will review the various technology platforms used in the SCIS High School including the HQ Website, Powerschool, Managebac, Wordpress, and how to help your student stay organized with tech tips for the Macbook and a mobile lifestyle.

Important websites for Usage• HQ SCIS Webpage: https://hq.scis-his.net/

• SCIS Calendar: https://calendar.scischina.org/Index/index/account/hqcalendar/

• Powerschool: http://psa.scischina.org/public/• Managebac: https://scis.managebac.com/login

By JESSAMINE KOENIGHongqiao Campus High School vice Principal

SAFETY

THOMAS WONG

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THE LIBRARIANS CORNER

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris GrabensteinFor Grades 4 and up

Synopsis: When Kyle learns that the world’s most famous game maker has designed the town’s new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on the fist night, he’s determined to be there. What he doesn’t realize is that getting there is the easy part. Getting out is going to take more than a good roll of the dice, a lucky card, and some smarts. And the stakes have never been higher. (from the book’s jacket)

Excitement…a mystery and a library? What more could a reader want? When 12 lucky children get locked in the library, they have to solve a myriad of riddles questions and puzzles to escape! This is one of those books, I had a difficult time putting it down. The literary connections alone are perfectly placed and the description of the 21st Century Library is enough to make any librarian (or book-lover) Drool. This book is geared for high-level reading 4th graders and up, but an adult who loves a good mystery might love it too!

Bad Day at Riverbend written by Chirs Van Allsburg illustrated by Chris Vn AllsburgFor 8 year olds and up.

Synopsis: This is one of those masterpieces in picture books. The mostly black and white illustrations are in perfect harmony with the theme of this book. To provide any more summary would give away one of the most unique endings this librarian has ever read in a children’s book.

Although the focus of this recommendation is the

aforementioned book, I’d like to recommend all of Chirs Van Allsburg’s books. He has written quite a few and illustrates them all. You might be familiar with Jumanji and The Polar Express, which have both been turned into movies, but his work extends much further that that, and each of his books are gems in their own way. Though they are all picture books, very young children might miss the irony contained in his work, but they would certainly enjoy his intricate illustrations.

Under the Hawthorn Tree by Ai MiFor Grades 9-12

Synopsis: With its compelling storyline of forbidden love and class distinctions, Ai Mi revisits China’s Cultural Revolution by highlighting a poignant love story between two young people who must maneuver through a land mine of personal, social, and political feelings if they are to come together. Intense emotions and torrid thoughts pull at Jinqui’s heart as she hopes for returned devotion while questioning Sun Jianxin’s true motives.

Ms. Miles Take: Can young, powerful love survive against so many odds? This story captures the reader’s curiosity until its closing line, “Here sleeps the man I love.” Superb storytelling, Ai Mi’s Chinese Bestseller is sure to satisfy a variety of readers on many levels.

Queen of Dreams by Chitra Banerjee DivakaruniFor Grades 9-12

Synopsis: Set in California, when Rakhi’s mother dies, the father and daughter begin a journey toward healing. Beautifully executed, Divakaruni gives us rare insight into the psychology of dream-telling and how families manage to dance around deeper needs only to smother them with surface talk.

Ms. Miles Take: How can anyone recommend a book when the protagonist is such a disagreeable person? In Queen of Dreams, the author provides readers with plenty of reasons to feel animosity toward Rakhi, a single-mom and struggling artist. They are found in Rakhi’s latent anger toward her closest family members, quick judgmental attitude, and self-centered gloom, which try the patience of any reader. However, the redeemable storyline, Rakhi’s own mother—caught between the dream-teller and the real world—remains full of antidotes and folklore of yesterday’s India.

BOOk RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL AGES

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I amSCIS

Graduated from University of

Southern California

High School Model United NationsHigh School vice President Student Council

High School volleyball, Soccer, Basketball and Cheerleading

Majored in Political Science,

East Asian Languages & Cultures

High School SAT Score

2080

“The diverse community and challenging classes offered at SCIS truly helped me succeed at the University of Southern California, and continue to help me at my first full time job. I learned Mandarin, computer programming, and developed writing skills, all within small classes with friends from all over the world. When I look back on my high school days I really miss attending SCIS!”

– Elizabeth DePietro Class of 2010 Attended SCIS for 6 years and is currently working as Global Mobility Coordinator at The Walt Disney Company

Tour our campuses by calling 86-21-6261-4338 ext.1 www.scis-his.org

HONGQIAO • PUDONG NURSERY – GRADE 12

SCIS is a truly international school. Our rigorous curriculum and excellent co-curricular opportunities promote high achievement. Our diverse community of over 60 nationalities and our caring environment promote future success. Visit us to discover for yourself the amazing SCIS community. No school does it better.

The art and science of education since 1996