scis-his communitas magazine june 2015

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Shanghai Community International School & Hangzhou International School June 2015 P.16 How to Lead a Balanced Life P.8 Read our Valedictorians’ Graduation Speeches 2015 Graduation

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Page 1: SCIS-HIS Communitas Magazine june 2015

Shanghai Community International School & Hangzhou International School June 2015

P.16

How to Lead a Balanced Life

P.8Read our Valedictorians’ Graduation Speeches

2015 Graduation

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P.40-41, 46-47 // Favorite Spot in the CityShanghai significant involvement in the story of Modern China

Eat Your Way Through Shanghai

P. 42-43 // Student SpotlightExtreme Photography by Lisa Chen

P. 44-45 // Teacher SpotlightMr. Paulo and Mrs. Karin ValenzaLoving Life

P. 24-25, 30-31, 32-33, 38-39 // HongqiaoDragon Drama: “What are we doing today?”

One Way to Help Grow Your Child’s Emotional Wellbeing

Jerry Rice Visits SCIS

The Monkey King Springs to Life

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Features

P. 04 // Superintendent’s Letter

P. 05 // Editor’s Letter

P. 18 // Director’s Letter Why I chose SCIS -- Katherine Brewer

P. 22-23 & 48 // Curriculum: Math

P. 19 // Host CultureWhen Confucius Meets Socrates

P. 36-37 // Theme FeatureStrength in Diversity -Hangzhou International School

P. 49 // Celebrating HistoryA Brief History of SCIS-HIS

P. 6-15// Feature Theme:

Graduation

P. 26-27 // PudongMiddle School Students

Immerse Themselves in Culture

P. 26-30 // HangzhouBecoming an International

Baccalaureate School at HIS

Campus Highlights

Community

P. 16-17, 20-21, 28,29 // Educational Insights

Leading a Balanced Life

Play is the Work of Children

Stress: Coping with Life’s Challenges

Should I be Spending Energy to Maintain My Child’s Native Language?

P. 50-51 // Recipe

P. 52-57 // Alumni InterviewVivian CheFrom Shanghai to Toronto

Rahul BapnaMatriculated the Marshall Business School at USC

Anthony GatesStaying in China for University

P. 58 // Fairwell NoteYou Will Be Missed

P. 59 // The Librarians Corner

P. 60 // PAFAThe ABCs of PAFA

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The end of the school year is an exciting time for everyone. The weather is nice. It is vacation time. And for a hundred SCIS-HIS students, it is a major rite of passage.

For me though, the end of the year is exciting for a different reason: like a Sportscenter Anchor, I get to put together a highlight package. I review the previous seven Communitas issues, and I pull articles from each one to mark our best moments throughout the year.

Only half of the issue is reruns though. For our dedicated readers, we have plenty of new content for you to enjoy. Ten different schools came together for a meaningful artistic experience at SCIS-PD. Alumni Vivian Che and Rahul Bapna took time out of studying for their finals to grant interviews. And valedictorians Kyra Powers, Wesley You, and Maiti Rooth are featured along with their memorable graduation speeches.

Enjoy reading. And enjoy the summer.

Warmest Wishes,

Jonathan PaulsonEditor

P.S. I have one last bit of news: after two years of running the magazine, I will be stepping down after this issue to return to university for graduate school. I want to thank you: the readers, the writers, and the subjects. It has been one of the highlights of my work to be able to publicize our amazing community and wonderful cities.

Oops…no one is perfect.

Last issues’ “Thunderstruck! The SCIS Rock Band Rocks the House” on page 38 mentioned how Olivia Andrade, not Olivia Angrade, sang her heart out like an American Idol. Furthermore, she is only twelve years old, not thirteen years old, which is even more impressive. The editor regrets these mistakes.

From the EditorLooking Back on 2014-15 June 2015

EditorJonathan Paulson

PublisherAnne Hunt

Art DirectorMun Yee Choo

...............................................

The Communitas magazine is publishd eight times per

year for the SCIS-HIS community in particular as well as for the larger

Shanghai-Hangzhou community in general.

The Communitas welcomes letters from readers. Please

send all correspondence to [email protected]. Letters may be edited for

publication.

The Communitas welcomes submissions and suggestions.

If you have an idea for a great story, please share

it. Remember, nobody like secrets, and nobody like spreading good stories

more than us. If you have an idea, please query

first to the Communitas editor via email

([email protected]).

Visit us on the web atwww.scis-his.org

www.scis-his.org/communitas

SUPERINTENDENT ‘S LETTER EDITOR’S LETTER

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GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT

Congratulations Class of 2015

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GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT

Maiti RoothHangzhou International School

I have made a lot of speeches throughout my life. A couple of them were in front of hundreds of people. But this speech was the hardest. I put it off for a long time, not just because of seniroitis, (though that was

a factor) but because I had to think of something meaningful that would perfectly encapsulate my life up to this point which just seemed impossible.

I figured I would start with a story of how I came to be standing here today. I lived in Kent Washington for 11 years. I lived in the same house, went to the local elementary school, had the same friends from kindergarden. Then one day my parents decided to completely uproot our lives and move to Indonesia. My first thought was they had gone crazy. My second was where is Indonesia. Since I was a very dramatic 11 year old I was against the move. Now however I look back and am only sad we didn’t go earlier. Living overseas and in China has dramatically changed the course of my life. I have met so many people, both teachers and friends, and I have learned so much from them. Because of things like Model United Nations I have discovered parts of myself that I didn’t know existed. I learned that I am really good at logistics. Which I don’t think anyone would have guessed, including myself.

This year has been full of many amazing memories and experiences. I think Mr. Weinberg summarized it best when he said the farther we got into senior year you the more we regressed. He then went to show great patience when we began doing things like listening to old Taylor Swift songs, and photoshopping his face onto t-shirts.

I will not be able to thank everyone that has been an influence in my life as it would end up sounding like an awards speech when you only have 60 seconds and 100 people to thank. I do want to thank all of my friends who have stood by me all these years. Those here today, as well as those who have moved and are currently all over the world. I want to thank my family, who are probably sleeping right now but would be here if I lived closer than a 14 hour flight. I also want to thank my parents. You always pushed me to be a better person and to do what I love. I learned about being on time and a love of chocolate from my mother and I learned both patience and sarcasm from my father. They are both perfect examples of how to always be your own person and no one can tell me that opposites don’t attract, because I have lived with the proof for 18 years and have loved every minute of it.

When I was that 11 year old I was afraid of change. I had never known anything different. But I have learned we cannot fear change because it is the only thing about life that is definite. Now once again I am staring in the face of change. But instead I welcome it and the new part of my life it brings.

I want end with a quote, because who doesn’t love a clique. Life is like a cup of tea, it all depends on how you make it. I hope that all of us make our cup of tea exactly the way we want it. Thank you.

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GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT

Kyra PowerSCIS HONGQIAO

Parents, teachers, friends, and my fellow classmates, thank you for being here today. Today is an important day for us because we’ve finally made it. For some of us this has been a 12-year journey at SCIS and for some, it’s been only one. Regardless, it has

been a great ride. Together, we have all fought through the EE, TOK, IAs, and IB exams. This has not been an easy fight. As my par-ents definitely know and I’m sure the rest of you do, there have been tears, late nights that turned into early mornings full of studying, and lots of mindless binge watching involved. I’m sure almost everyone on this stage is very grateful for Netflix and Youtube.

Yet now, we have made it and I know am grateful for everything that’s come of my past four years here. I’ve made some of the greatest friends and had some of the most amazing experiences. And despite all its hardships, IB has taught us some very valuable skills that we will take with us into university and the real world.

I have been chosen to speak to you today because I have received the Academic Excellence Award. From what I gathered from what Mr. Hunt said, it basically means I’m a nerd. Which is true. Most of the people here on the stage can tell you that. I love learning. My favorite part of chemistry is the calculations and sometimes I read my psych textbook for fun (granted that’s usually when I’m procrastinating doing other things, but still, I genuinely find it interesting.)

I have to thank SCIS for all this. This school allowed me to follow my passions and explore my curiosity. To all my teachers, I thank you for listening to my random questions and going off on tangents. I know you all must have hated me whenever I asked you something that forced you to say, “I’ll have to look that up.” Yet, SCIS doesn’t just let me follow my passions in academics. This school has been a huge support of passions in all forms. From the arts, to music, to the sciences, to sports we all have something that we are grateful to SCIS for offering.

I am up here in front of you today because I am good at things like math. But if you don’t know how to find the tangent to the line y = x^3 +3x^2 -5x + 8 when x = 1, who cares? You are probably never going to need to know that again, (but in case you do it’s y = 4x - 3.) Find something else you are passionate about. High school is our opportunity to explore many different disciplines and find something we like. SCIS tries to give us as many opportunities as possible. As much as everyone complained about mandatory arts classes in ninth and tenth grade, I’m sure those classes gave the people too afraid to admit they actually liked singing or playing the viola a chance to do those things. I only wish we had more chances to show off our different talents at school because I think we all wish we could’ve heard Alessio rap on stage before the last day of class.

Now that we are done with High School, we need to follow what we like. Our time here at SCIS provided us the opportunity to find these things, these passions. But, we shouldn’t stop learning about what we are passionate about just because High School has ended. Be like Lorenzo and find every opportunity to play music from a school band to playing at bars, and become an awesome musician. Or if you love the sciences and helping people, combine those like Anja and decide to study medicine and become a doctor. There are so many amazingly talented people on this stage. We need to follow our passions in business, music, communications, or acting. We need to find something that we love, that we want to do, find a way to learn as much about that thing and do it. We’ve spent the last two years aiming for a number, whether it be a 45, a 36, or a 24. Yet, on July 6th, when we finally get that number from IB, we shouldn’t let it hold us back. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from my four years here, it’s to not let anything stop you. If you want to do something, do it. Find a way to succeed and don’t let anything get in your way. We shouldn’t let a number hold us back from following our dreams. Because honestly, in ten years no one is going to say, “Oh you only got a 5 in IB Economics, you can’t have this job.” What matters is our dedication and hard work, two things that SCIS has taught us.

That’s the thing about success, whether it be academic or personal. Sure, some people might have a leg up or a head start, but when it comes down to it, it’s about hard work, and the effort you are willing to put in. SCIS understands that and values dedication over all. This school is full of supportive teachers, who encourage their students to explore and learn and work for what they want. Yes, like all schools, grades are important here, but the teachers know that we are more than the number we achieve. They have faith in us to do well in the future, and help us to find our passions.

We all signed that poster at the end of exams. “WE survived IB.” But Class of 2015, I think that’s wrong. We didn’t just survive IB and High School, we dominated them. We’ve made it this far, and I can’t wait to see how far we all will make it. Congratulations to the Class of 2015!

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GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT

Wesley YouSCIS PUDONG

I have spent four years in SCIS. When I first came to SCIS, it was a completely new learning environment from the school I came from. SCIS has much more international environment as there are more people with different

nationalities, and it has much more variety of After School Activities. Coming to SCIS was a challenging experience, because of the difference in learning environments. How am I going to adapt to this new environment? I believe most of our students had same feeling when they first came to SCIS but though I had difficulties, now I’m graduating with an Academic Excellence Award, which I wouldn’t be able to achieve without the support of people around me.

When I was grade 9 &10, from Mr. Valenza’s mod tech class, I learned what really motivates me to work hard is not those kind of reward coming after good outcome. Mr. Valenza’s mod tech class had a relatively free mood. But because it was enjoyable, I always worked hard to create my best work. I learned that the greatest motivation is the enjoyment of doing something interesting. That was the first thing I learned.

At the same time, many other teachers from SCIS have influenced me in positive ways. During grade 9 & 10, all the teachers put a lot of effort to prepare me for the IB. Mr. Macdonald in his classroom, once said “Welcome to IB boot camp.” I was really intimidated by Mr. Macdonald’s description of the IB, because I had no idea what that is but it sounded really scary. Tony Chung’s exam papers and essays also scared me. I saw all his papers covered with comments like “Does not meet the IB requirement.” Then I thought “What does IB expect to us?” “Is that even something that high school student can do?”

Once I started the notorious IB, I realized that I could be focus more on what I want to study. I took double science in Physics and Chemistry, because I was more interested in sciences than Ms. Dayton’s art class. Sorry Ms. Dayton, but art didn’t like me either. Math and Physics are the subjects that I liked the most. I liked its logic and how I can approach the question in different ways, for example I liked how Math IA allows me to choose topic by myself and investigate in my own way. These factors made Math and Physics more interesting. Like how I enjoyed Mr. Valenza’s mod tech class, I actually enjoyed the IB in some extent. Studying interesting subjects made me study harder and get better outcome as a result.

My classmates also played huge role in studying. Before any important exams, we met each other on Skype. We guessed what would come up on the exam, solved challenging questions together, and shared study tips for the exams. Though sometimes the discussion went to irrelevant topics like Assassin’s Creed, Dota 2, or Call of Duty, discussing together did help us learn.

Harry, Marc, Ryo, and Andrew are the ones I met during the TOK block to talk about the next block’s exams. We were often very loud in the library, sometimes talking about something unrelated to study, and made Ms. Miles get stressed. Sorry miles but you know this is how people study.

These are all good memories of learning in SCIS. Thank you for all people involved in these good memories. Thank you for all teachers who have done great job teaching us. And most of all thank you for senior class 2015 for going through all the challenges together.

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GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT GRADUATE HIGHLIGHT

CANADA

AMERICA

EUROPE

ASIA

Ateneo de Manilla University, PhilippinesHong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Jiao Tong University, ChinaKorea University, KoreaTemple University, Japan Waseda University, JapanSophia University, JapanUniversity of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Bocconi University, Italy Brunel University, EnglandCity University of London, EnglandHotelschool The Hague, Netherlands Kings College, EnglandKingston University, EnglandLancaster University, EnglandLeiden University College the Hague, NetherlandsLondon Metropolitan University, EnglandLUISS Guido Carli, ItalyMaastricht University, NetherlandsNewcastle University, EnglandQueens University Belfast, EnglandRoyal Holloway, University of London, EnglandSaint Louis University - Madrid, SpainSouthhampton University, England Tilburg University, NetherlandsUniversity of Aberdeen, England University of Bath, England University of Brighton, EnglandUniversity of Bristol, EnglandUniversity of East London, EnglandUniversity of Edinburgh, EnglandUniversity of Groningen, NetherlandsUniversity of Lausanne, Switzerland University of Manchester, EnglandUniversity of Warwick, England

American University Arizona State University Bates College Baylor University Boston UniversityBrandeis UniversityBrigham Young University–Hawaii California Baptist University California College of Art California Polytechnic State University California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Fullerton Colby College Colgate College Columbia College of ArtDrexel UniversityEmerson CollegeEugene Lang CollegeFull Sail University George Washington University Gettysburg College Gonzaga UniversityGeorgia Institute of TechnologyHaverford College High Point UniversityLewis & Clark College

Maryland Institute College of Art Michigan State University Musicians Institute New York University North Carolina State University Northeastern University Oakland UniversityOberlin CollegeOhio State University Otis College of Art and Design Parsons The New School for Design Pennsylvania State UniversityPratt Institute Rhodes College Ringling School of Art Rutgers University Savannah College of Art and Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of Visual Arts Seattle Pacific UniversitySeton Hall UniversityStetson UniversityStony Brook UniversityTemple University Trinity CollegeUniversity at Buffalo (SUNY)

University of Arizona University of Arkansas University of California, DavisUniversity of California, Los Angeles University of California, Riverside University of California, Santa Cruz University of California, San Diego University of Colorado BoulderUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champlain University of Iowa University of MaineUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstUniversity of Massachusetts BostonUniversity of MiamiUniversity of Michigan University of North Carolina, Wilmington University of Pittsburgh University of Rochester University of San Francisco University of TennesseeUniversity of Texas University of WashingtonUniversity of the Arts, PhiladelphiaWashington State UniversityWestern Washington UniversityWillamette University

Algonquin CollegeCarleton UniversityFanshawe CollegeMcGill UniversityMcMaster University Ontario College of Art and Design UniversityQueen’s UniversitySimon Fraser UniversitySt. George’s UniversityUniversity of British ColumbiaUniversity of TorontoUniversity of Victoria

GRADUATES 2015SCIS-HIS class of 2015 students will be found in all corners of the globe as they

pursue their dreams and goals. Where in the world will you find our students? Maybe a question is, where in the world won’t you find SCIS-HIS graduates!

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We recently had a group of Chinese educators visit SCIS Hongqiao. The group was led by a professor from the

Peking (Beijing) University, the most prestigious University in China. They were on a mission to learn about western style education. After touring the campus, the Peking University professor had a question for me. What is special about SCIS? What makes SCIS different from other schools? My answer was, “We are the happy school.” This response was based partially on comments from families that I have led on tours. I frequently hear comments from parents and students about how friendly and happy our students and teachers seem compared to some of the other high schools they have visited. The smiles and friendly hellos from students and staff directed towards potential

families and others visiting our school are a great first step in living up to the word `community’ in our name. Sometimes parents move their children from other schools to SCIS because we seem to have more a balanced approach to education. Academics are important—but not everything.

Among the 10 IB Learner Profile qualities there are `Caring’ and `Balanced.’ In this highly competitive city in a highly competitive world, how do students maintain balanced lives? How do they continue to learn to care for others inside and outside of the school? How do they stay happy?

If you talk to a 12th grader who is busy with their Extended

Leading a Balanced LifeEssay, Internal Assessments, and university applications, it is clear to see that maintaining a balance between school work and leading healthy happy lives is not easy. One reason many Chinese educators are studying western style schools is that they are concerned that their education system puts too much emphasis on study and not enough on developing other aspects of a student’s abilities and character. One of the merits of the IB diploma is that it includes the CAS (Creativity, Action, and Service) component. You can’t earn an IB diploma if you don’t document and reflect upon community service, physical activity, and some sort of creative activity. The developers of the IB hope that this requirement, like other parts of their curriculum

would naturally happen as a part of a balanced, holistic IB curriculum. Unfortunately, for some students, especially students who lack time management and prioritizing skills, CAS becomes another stressor as opposed to something that adds balance.

One of the areas I admire our students and families for is that despite the pressures of a rigorous academic program and never ending deadlines, they keep their chins up and are able to smile and welcome new members into the SCIS community.

By RAFAEL KATZHongqiao Campus College Counselor

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

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DIRECTOR’S LETTER

I decided to pursue a career in the field of education because I wanted to make a difference in the world. I wanted to change

lives for the better. And I wanted to give hope where there was none, challenging students to become the best they could be. I started down this path over fifteen years ago, teaching at a large urban school in Nashville, Tennessee. I spent more time comforting kids whose parents were in jail, making sure students had enough to eat, and breaking up gang fights than I did teaching. But despite that, my students made three-year gains in their scores during that first year. When veteran teachers asked how I accomplished that, I didn’t have an answer for them. I didn’t know. All I knew was that I cared about each individual student, that I wanted every single one of them to know that they mattered, and that I would help them realize potential that they never knew they had.

Fifteen years later, I find myself the head of one of the most amazing schools in the world. While job title may have changed, my purpose for being in this field has not. I want students to be empowered not just to be successful in this world but also to change this world for the better. We live in an age where we are realizing our limitations, our short-sightedness as a species, and the impact we have not just on humanity but on the earth itself. Our children’s reality is something that seemed like a science fiction book when I was young. Their challenges will be ones that my grandparents would have never foreseen.

And that is exciting. This is a great time to be alive. It is a great

Why I Chose SCIStime to be a part of an international community, and it is a great time to be in the field of education, especially international education.

I gave a tour to a family who was visiting SCIS a few weeks ago and they asked what set SCIS apart from other schools. Fair question. Great question actually. I gave them my answer from a parent’s perspective rather than from a Head of School’s perspective. After all, I have two children who I have entrusted to the care of SCIS teachers just like I was asking them to do. I told them that I had twin boys who were in Pre-Kindergarten. They have friends from Finland, Israel, Sweden, Australia, and Indonesia who they love playing with.

As parents we all want to do what is best for our children. And many times, that seems like giving them the same great experiences we had as children. But the truth is, their adulthood will be vastly different from our own. They will be living in an even more globalized economy, a world that faces challenges of sustainability, a world where they will be forced to create solutions to problems that we never even recognized needed addressing.

And that is what I believe sets us apart as a school. Many parents opt to send their children to schools that look and feel like the ones they grew up in, but our students interact daily with students from all over the world. They form friendships with students who come from vastly different backgrounds, have different cultures and values, and who speak a multitude of languages. And it is within this setting that teachers nurture individual students and develop international mindedness. Our students are being educated in a school that is not preparing them for our past but is preparing them for their future. That is what parents choose when they choose SCIS. Our students are being equipped to work collaboratively with others, to celebrate diversity, and, in short, to change the world for the better.

My first nine months here in Hongqiao have been very special. I have learned a great deal about SCIS, about our community, and about our students. I have inherited a school that takes its internationalism and its sense of community very seriously—a school where teachers care about their students and who know that these children can change the world. Are there areas where we can improve? Absolutely. And we will, because we will keep moving forward as a community. And through community, our international community, we will achieve greatness.

KATHERINE BREWERHead of SchoolHongqiao Main Campus

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 SOCRATES

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Play This quote by well-known educator, Maria Montessori, is what

we believe to be true at the Early Childhood Education (ECE) campus. Stop by on any given day and you will see children hard at “work”. ECE campus has the tools necessary for this work as the campus has been designed with children’s work in mind. A quick tour and one can easily see how the resources provided support students’ growth and development.

Outdoor playgrounds offer a wealth of opportunities for fun and learning. Students swing from monkey bars, climb ropes and ladders and play games with friends. Children build confidence and demonstrate perservence as they strive to make it from one end of the monkey bars to the other or to climb down the rope ladder on their own. This physical activity is necessary for children to further develop their fine and gross motor skills in addition to overall health but also offers opportunities for students to practice social skills and problem solving.

The sandbox is a highlight for students as they eagerly jump in and begin baking cakes, building sandcastles and digging for lost treasure. All this messy play is supporting vocabulary development as well setting up basic foundations of scientific exploration such as measuring and comparing. Sand (and water) play has been shown to have a calming effect on children and play in the sandbox or with the water tables offers opportunities for cooperation among peers.

Large foam blocks in indoor playrooms offer a world of possibilities for children. Students can create anything they can dream and

these areas often become the foundation for dramatic play. Students build castles and act out princess storylines; some build forts and become Ninjago; others create obstacle courses and race each other to the end. The possibilities are endless! Students gain an understanding of size, shape and weight of objects as they build and begin to see cause and effect when blocks do not fit together as anticipated. Dramatic play offers opportunities for students to negotiate and take on different roles, building vocabulary and social skills.

Most recently, Lego and Duplo walls were installed in each building. Cars, boats and houses, along with words have been appearing on these walls. Students building one play period and often come back numerous play times to continue building their structures. These walls take Lego play to a whole new level with students gaining the regular benefits of Lego play such as fine motor development and hand-eye coordination with the added benefits of strengthening large arm and leg muscles as they reach up to this vertical surface.

We do indeed have all the tools necessary for the work of children from a variety of play spaces to tricycles, games, and even a climbing wall. On your next visit to the ECE campus, take some time to visit all the great learning spaces for children. Come and have a look at all the “work” that is going on here!

By HEATHER KNIgHTHongqiao ECE Campus Vice Principal

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

is the Work of Children

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MathHave you ever been stumped by a difficult math problem?

Well, join the club! In fact, that is exactly what we have encouraged

high school students at SCIS Pudong to do. As a new initiative of our Mathematics Department, we have been running a Math Club as an after-school activity every Tuesday, since the beginning of the school year. We have found this to be an excellent addition to our after-school program, where like-minded students have the opportunity to tackle challenging logic and math problems, and are able to share their solutions with their peers.

In Math Club, the emphasis is on the process of arriving at a solution, rather than simply finding the correct answer.

These two teams stand out, far and away from the average number of fumbles per

game and fumbles per play. Maiti, Noah, Carmen, CW, Jia-Hui, and Patrick discovered this in statistics class at Hangzhou International School.

They started with analysis of the linear regression of the plays per game per team and their fumbles per game over the last 7 years. They showed that a linear model fit since there was no pattern in the residual plot. According to this model, NE fumbled .35 times less times per game than expected. Most to all teams

were much closer to their predicted value based off these two variables.

The more deflating news for Pats fans though, was the analysis of plays per fumble. These same students showed that since the normal probability plot was roughly linear (some may argue that it is not… ie. Pats fans), a normal model could be used to describe the distribution of plays per fumble. Next, the students found there was a 0.3% chance that a team would have the same or more plays per fumble as the Patriots. They stood out a whooping 2.76 standard deviations from the mean plays per fumble.

Hopefully this doesn’t let the air out of their 4th Super Bowl victory in recent times.

The New England Patriotssssssss… (or the Atlanta Falconsssssss)As an example, students could be asked

to find the number of prime numbers between one and one million. The answer, just a number, may not be very interesting, but the process of arriving at an answer could be quite instructive, and hopefully, along the way, some new discoveries will be made.

One of the components of Math Club has been what we affectionately call the Problem of the Week (POTW), a math problem that is given to the students ahead of the meeting. They are asked to work on their own solution, and then at the beginning of each meeting, they share their solution in a small group. We then have one or more students share their worked out solutions with the entire group. It has been interesting to see the focus shift from the correct final answer

to the solution process, and students have been discovering how there can be a multitude of solutions even to a relatively simple problem. In fact, recently, a stu-dent showed a solution on the board, and didn’t even bother writing out the final answer. Surprisingly, the audience didn’t seem particularly disturbed. As educators, this and other developments have been quite exciting. We have certainly been challenged in terms of how we approach math education, and we look forward to how our teaching practices will continue to be informed by a less restrictive and perhaps more nurturing environment.

Besides working on logic and math problems, students have been working on preparing for various math competitions. In November, thirty-six of our students

wrote the Canadian Senior and Inter-mediate Mathematics Contests (CSMC and CIMC), developed by the Univer-sity of Waterloo. In the second part of the contests, students had to write out complete solutions in order to receive full marks, which of course, lined up well with our philosophy in Math Club. We may not focus as much on final results at SCIS, but with a deep-rooted Dragon Pride, it would be impossible not to mention a few of the results. Twelve of our students scored in the top 25% of all contestants, and our senior group ranked 18th out of 94 international schools, where many of those schools have a much greater stu-dent population than ours. Perhaps most impressive of all is that one of our seniors, Wesley You, scored in the top 30 out of almost 2000 international students.

Now, you would think that Wesley, content with his accomplishments, might sit on his laurels, and that would be that, but on the contrary, he seems even more eager to work out problems and share his solutions with his peers. Math Club has been quite a journey thus far, and we look forward to discovering more about math-ematics and more about best practices. So, if you’ve been thinking about starting a Math Club, either within school or in your community, we highly recommend it – join the club! Certainly, even Mr. Spock would approve.

By ETIENNE BILZSCIS Pudong Upper School Physics and Mathematics Teacher

By JUSTIN DEERWATERHIS Middle School Math Teacher

CURRICULUM FEATURE CURRICULUM FEATURE

Continue on page 48…

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HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHT HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHT

Each and every day when students walk into my classroom at the beginning of Drama class, at least one (and usually more)

will ask me this question. They ask because they are interested, excited, or nervous. They ask because each day in Drama is different from the one before. They ask because Drama is fun!

One of the exciting things about teaching Drama is developing the variety of lessons, activities and experiences for students. In just one year of introductory drama, high school students at SCIS-HQ have studied improvisation, theatre devising and scriptwriting, theatre history, children’s theatre, set and prop construction, directing, and performance.

Some days, we play improv games that develop into improvi-sational performances. Some days, we read scripts, while on another day we might write scripts. When we research historical form of theatre, students then do their best to perform in that theatrical style. Students memorize lines, develop intentions, and establish their blocking and movement for plays that they have written or have been assigned to them. Students have performed for each other, for audiences full of pre-school and elementary children, and for audiences we’ve invited to see what we can do.

Through it all, students are encouraged to take risks. They try new things, and sometimes succeed. Sometimes they try new things and fail horribly, collapsing in heaps of laughter because they tried something crazy and new. Drama class is a place to take risks and be rewarded for your courage and effort; whether or not you “succeed” or are “good” at it is much less important

than making an attempt to do something interesting and new.

Studies show that providing children with theatre education boosts self-esteem, improves public speaking ability, and enhances problem-solving skills. Students in a drama class are required to collaborate and cooperate in order to be successful, which develops their ability to communicate and empathize with others. The quality of any performance depends largely on the performers’ discipline and focus—two qualities that will benefit them long after their school days have ended.

Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” Imagination is the basic building block of theatre, and is perhaps the most important quality that students develop in a theatre class. In today’s world children are more reliant on technology for their entertainment, and theatre reminds them of the joy of playing make-believe.

In Drama, students learn to take risks, trust their instincts, communicate honestly, support their scene partners, focus their intentions, stay present and in the moment, and accept themselves and their classmates for who they are. Through the act of pretending to be someone else, students learn to fully be themselves.

by JENNIFER LAWLESSHongqiao Campus Upper School Drama Teacher

Dragon Drama: “What are we doing today?”

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PUDONG HIGHLIGHT PUDONG HIGHLIGHT

On May 28th and 29th, Shanghai Community International School’s Pudong campus hosted the ACAMIS Middle

School Cultural Convention, an event designed to bring together and immerse young students in the various fine arts disciplines. The event included 235 artistically talented students from 10 different international schools across China.

Students were allowed to choose between ten different two-day artistic workshops:

(1) Choir: led by internationally renowned clinician Keith Montgomery (Executive Director of AMIS, the Association for Music in International Schools)

(2) Band: led by internationally renowned musciain Lindsey Berthiaume (music educator and published woodwind specialist)

(3) Drawing: led by internationally renowned artist Brian Reed (whose work is in galleries in several countries)

(4) Drama: led by widely respected Henry Hettick (Artistic Director of the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts)

(5) Swing Dance: led by local Shanghai dancer Orchid Bae

(6) Painting: led by local Shanghai artist Heather Chase

(7) Percussions: led by SCIS-PD teacher Ian McCuaig

(8) Rock Band: led by SCIS-PD teacher Bret Miles

(9) Hip-Hop Dance: led by SCIS-PD teacher Sara Sokola

(10) Photography: led by SCIS-PD teacher Isaac Marshall

Students had 8 hours over two days to complete their artwork or performance. At the end of the second day the event culminated in an impressive three hours of presentations and performances that took place all over the SCIS campus. All 235 students were able to show off their hard work. Some highlights included the large choir of mixed voices that wowed the audience with their full sound, the amazing tree ring drawings by Brian Reed’s students, and the “light painting” photography class where students used LED lights and long exposure rates to create colorful digital photography. Also amazing was the fact that the drama students memorized a 25-page script for their musical theater performance in the short 8 hours! It was inspiring to see the creativity and passion that the students have for the fine arts, and heart-warming to see them support each other in their various projects despite being from different schools in different parts of China. We here at SCIS Pudong are grateful to have such a thriving fine arts program. Because of the hard work of our teachers and administrators we were able to share our wonderful facilities and passion for the arts with all of our visiting students. We look forward to seeing our current students develop in the years to come while welcoming new students into our arts family.

By MARK MILLERPudong Upper School Head of Performing Arts

Middle School Students Immerse Themselves in Culture

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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

EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS

Parents often ask me how they can support their child’s English language learning at home. My advice? Support their

native language learning at home. Our language is part of our culture, and as such it is important that children maintain a level of fluency in their native language. Research has shown that second language learning improves when students have a strong grounding in their first language, and many academic skills are transferrable from one language to another.

But when talking about language fluency, it is important to make the distinction between social fluency and academic fluency. Social fluency can be kept up just by speaking the native language everyday. However, it is much harder to maintain a level of academic fluency in a native language without using that language in a school setting.

This proves to be a tricky situation. Sometimes children them-selves decide they want to focus on English and become hesitant or resistant to learning in their native language. Parents have the challenge of finding a delicate balance between supporting children in English and in their native language.

Due to the importance of working with the native language in an academic setting, SCIS is a big proponent of language schools and offers its facilities and resources as a place for students to learn in their first language. As a result, our school hosts Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, French, Brazilian Portuguese and Italian schools through our Mother Tongue Program. These programs give students a chance to spend either their World Languages block during school hours or their extra curricular time after school to advance academically in their native language.

One of the biggest reasons these language schools are so vital is the potential for difficulty in school if they decide to attend college in their native country. While they might be able to speak the language socially, they will have a hole in their academic vocabulary. Students like this may have the challenge of playing catch-up in their native language to support what they already know and understand in English.

By ANJA SANTIAgOPudong Lower School ESOL Teacher

Should I be Spending Energy to Maintain My Child’s Native Language?

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HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHT HONGQIAO HIGHLIGHT

At the lower school at Hongqiao, students engage in an educational

program called “You Can Do It” (YCDI). As the academic counselor here, I support and facilitate this program across grade levels. The program is geared to teach social and emotional wellbeing and provide students with strategies to manage their daily lives. There are five focus keys that are taught consecutively throughout the academic year. We begin with Getting Along, and then follow with Organization, Confidence, Resilience and Persistence. We recently completed our fourth focus, Resilience. Students identified what resilience means and how a student demonstrates resilience. We discovered that resilience is about “bouncing back” from challenging experiences.

As a fan of the comeback story, I was moved to witness students’ eyes light up as they discovered a little bit more of themselves and each other through making connections to core feelings of joy, fear, sadness, and anger. Much about practicing resilience requires us to learn about what bring us fulfillment and what is discomforting to us. Tuning in to our emotions can be challenging, so we began with the basics and what was tangible, our bodies. Students were asked to bring their awareness to their bodies and identify what happens while joyful or stressed. Students replied that sometimes they felt hot, knees and legs felt unstable, stomach

clenched, hands sweat, became tired, overly energetic, throat tightened etc… Overall, students appeared inspired by the power of emotions and the energy that is often exchanged.

Another activity encouraged students to connect to thoughts that precede or follow their physical feelings. YCDI education separates thoughts into two categories: green light (positive) or red light (negative). These two ways of thinking helps kids establish the under-standing that thoughts develop feelings. As students become more familiar with thoughts, feelings and emotions, they also become attuned to their behavior and performance. Moreover, students are encouraged that they have options and are supported while experiencing challenges. With these choices and openness, we hope for opportunities that teach self-awareness, empathy, connection and responsibility.

About 4 years ago, I worked under the supervision of one of my most influential counselor mentors, Valerie Russo. Valerie encouraged that a counselor needs to provide something tangible she said, “With each session, present a product, tool, or an opportunity, just something to grab on to”. As I apply creativity the YCDI program, I researched tools to create something unique that aligns with our key focus of resilience. I created and provided classes with journals. Through a “seek and find” game, I hid paper worms around a classroom and asked students to find something that looked odd and hadn’t been there before. Students expressed that these paper creatures looked like worried worms. I asked, “What can we do with these?” Students decided to write their worries or “red light” thought on the paper worms. Often without instruction, I found students coloring and pasting their worried worms into their journals, which is what I hoped they would do. Through this activity, the journal becomes the transitional object and assists children in communicating themselves while minimizing potential escalation of discomfort, rumination and or re-experiencing their perceived threat.

Now that the thoughts transitioned to their journal, we colored and indicated on a thermometer from one to ten, ten being extremely worried or fearful and one just a bit worried. Students naturally discussed what their rating meant to them and how their level manifested physically and emotionally. Some expressed that at a level six they’re likely to have trouble sleeping, become disorganized, and other students expressed that if they were at four they might be a little grumpy, or at a two they could carry on as usual.

After all of their hard work and courage facing discomfort, students discovered they had more options to move forward and bounce back. To reinforce their communication and awareness, students

created a coping skills menu in the back of their journals. This menu presents choices for self-care. Some popular coping activities that students felt they would choose were to: play soccer, talk to a parent, take a deep breath, imagine a calm place, listen to music, draw, or clean your room (parents, you can thank me for that last one). With this final step, students identified their own resilience and restructured how they face adversity.

While I probably shouldn’t have a favorite focus within the YCDI education program, I do. Bringing resilience into focus seems to present our students with opportunities to become connected to core emotions. Tuning in this way creates mindfulness in effort to promote positive decision-

making skills. As a counselor, I’m passionate about intrapersonal and interpersonal connection that ultimately supports the empowerment of individuals and community. Furthermore, teaching strategies that promote healthy communication, self-care and responsibility, reinforces our drive as a school to contribute to personal and communal success. All of these strategies are about tuning in to our environment, thoughts, emotions, bodies and each other. Our students develop connection, empathy and self-care and seem to be creating their own fulfilling lives.

By MARY FREUENHongqiao Main Campus Lower School Academic Counselor

One Way to Help Grow Your Child’s

Emotional Wellbeing

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Many knew him as Jerry Rice — NFL Legend, Member of the Hall of

Fame, Greatest Wide Receiver to ever play the game. Others knew him as Jerry Rice — Dancing with the Stars Season 2 Runner Up. And we all knew him as Jerry Rice — major celebrity.

But what I didn’t know was that he was going to be a fantastic speaker. He totally killed it. Tony Robbins wouldn’t have wanted to follow his act.

For an hour, he entertained, engaged, and educated. And he fielded all questions with articulate genuine responses.

“During you high school years, were you confident you were going to a D1 school?” No, you know…I was kind of nerdy in High School. I was skinny with these really big hands. Think of how funny that looks. Skinny kid. Big Hands…..

“What was it like to run onto the field after you became a star?” 60,000 people screaming and cheering. My heart was beat-ing so fast — I was nervous!....

“What’s your take on Talent versus Hard Work?” I think you have to have both….But the way I approached it — I would not be outworked. Nobody was going to outwork me…

He even obliged two girls who asked him to do his favorite dance by inviting them on-stage for a quick dance-off. “Did you have a High School crush?” He answered that one too! Telling students his High School romance story.

While he spent 45 minutes answering questions, the most important thing, he was just a great guy. When we all first walked out onto the stage to sit down for the talk-show style interview, he broke the ice by saying to the student interviewers, “I get really nervous doing these things, so I’m relying on all of you to help me get through this,” which allowed everyone to laugh and relax. And from my point of view, that wasn’t for show. That’s just the kind of guy he is.

I was with him the whole time — backstage, onstage, walking through the café — he never ‘big timed’ anybody. He took the

initiative to make everyone else around him was comfortable. He consistently showed interest in others, asked questions, and tried to bend the no-autographs-and-no-pictures rule by signing and taking as many of them as he could. I even saw him let multiple peeps try on his super bowl ring! Heck, I don’t even let people try on my watch.

In a world where athletes have tended to become me-first players, it was awesome to see one of the best and most famous athletes be a you-first person.

One of my favorite stories that I have ever heard about an athlete is the one that Steve Young, one of Rice’s former team-mates, told about him at his Hall of Fame enshrinement. Young said that just three or four days after they won the Super Bowl, Young happened to stop by their training center to pick up a few things and clear out his locker for a long vacation. And what did he see? Jerry Rice, their best player, out on the field running wind sprints.

Fortunately for everyone present on November 19th, we now have our own story to share about the greatest wide receiver of all time. And for me, I now know him as something else too: a true role-model.

Behind the Scenes — How did Jerry Rice end up in China and at SCIS?

The NFL office has been making a massive push into China. They are trying to do the same thing here that they were able to do in England. You know how England now has three regular season games a year and there is talk about relocating a franchise there… Well, China is next. Operation bring-the-greatest-game-on-earth-to-China is just about ten to fifteen years behind England (I’m not biased. Everyone knows that true talk).

Anyways, the NFL is still just getting started here. They have been here only since the mid 2000’s. Remember, they were in Europe before way back in the early 90’s, before I was even in High School! Their headquarters office here in Shanghai, and they do a number of things to promote the game.

One of the things they do is bring out the biggest superstars. Two years ago they had Barry Sanders come out to do a meet and greet and sign autographs. Last year they had Joe Montana out for a couple dinners and to throw the ball around. I was thinking about this one night and just kind of looked up into the air and just BING, straight cartoon light-bulb style an idea came to me: I should see if they will

come and speak at our schools. Truth be told, I had no idea if this idea would actually work. But hey, why not try?

And so back in January I had a meeting with the NFL office and we planned out different ways we could collaborate. For us at SCIS, I thought collaboration would give our kids cool opportunities, and for them at the NFL office, I figured it would help grow the sport. A traditional win-win partnership.

So we came up with a number of collaboration opportunities. A Private Football Clinic with football coaches for our kids. Our Marching Band playing at NFL Home Field events in Shanghai. Give our students inside access to be ballboys and help out at local games. Continue to bring NFL Cheerleaders over to work with our Cheerleading team. A QB Challenge Booth at our family events. And lastly, have Superstars give a Motivational Speech of some kind to our students.

We talked about these back in January and have been implementing them throughout the year. So when Jerry Rice was finalized as the guy to come over, I

just emailed them to follow up and see if we could get him to come into the school. They emailed back yes, “Yes… We are open for Wednesday Nov 19 or Friday Nov 21.” My reaction would have made Taylor Swift proud. I was like, holy cow — that worked!!!

I didn’t really have any idea what kind of format we should do. I’m not saying I didn’t confidently throw out two great ideas (a motivational speech or a talk-show style sports interview), but I am saying that I didn’t have any real idea of how to put on a successful event like this. Luckily, the NFL office is full of a bunch of professionals that know what they’re doing and suggested a better program: (1) Intro Video (2) Motivational Speech (3) Student Led Interview (4) Hand out Tickets to the NFL China University Bowl VI event this weekend. I know a good idea when I see one and jumped on it.

We ended up altering it a bit so Jerry could interact with the audience more and settled on (1) Intro Video (2) Talk Show Style Interview on Stage (3) Audience Questions (4) Group Picture on Stage and (5) Ticket Hand Out. And I just thought out every detail I could imagine before hand, and since we have great students, faculty, and administration, everything went off perfectly well. And I think all parties were happy. I think the NFL and Jerry Rice made some new fans. And I think our students got a once-in-a-lifetime type chance to hear a positive message from a true role-model.

By JONATHAN PAULSONEditorNFL Hall of Fame Legend

JERRY RICE

“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” – Jerry Rice

Event Program:

Introduction Video

Motivational Speech

Student Led Interview

Visits SCISDate: Wednesday, November 19th. Time: 9:30-10:30am

Location: SCIS Hongqiao Theatre Auditorium

SUPERBOWL

Champion

3 TimeIN NFL HISTORY

TOUCHDOWNsMOST

HAll of fameNFLMember of the

“Attention all, don’t miss out on the Jerry Rice Autograph Signing at NFL University Bowl VI on Sunday, November 23rd from 1-2pm at Luwan Stadium.”

HONGQIAO ECE HIGHLIGHT HONGQIAO ECE HIGHLIGHT

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PARTNER HANGZHOU HIGHLIGHT

TOK, EE, CAS, IB, DP, SEN, OCC, SSST, Lang A, Lang B, Group 4……(looking dizzy) What!? Thus began Hangzhou

International School’s dive into the deep end of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. To put the process into perspective, I like to remind our staff that the initial steps in the journey to become an IB school began shortly after my wife told me she was pregnant. Klara (our daughter) is now walking, talking and wearing an HIS uniform in our Nursery school.

Once we figured out what all the acronyms stood for we began the process of becoming an IB World School. As with any seemingly overwhelming task, we broke it down into smaller, more manageable pieces and developed a comprehensive action plan that utilized the talents of all the staff. Committees were formed. Documents were created. Workshops were attended. Documents were submitted. Members of the community were informed. More documents were submitted. Meetings were held. And finally, after a visit from two very helpful representatives from the IB, HIS’s IB Status shifted from Candidate to Authorized!

HIS is in a unique position in that virtually all of our IB teachers, not to mention the DP Coordinator, were completely new to the program. While this presented certain challenges, it also provided a fresh perspective in tailoring the IB DP Program to fit the needs of HIS and our community. Our IB teachers became a community of learners with a unified goal of creating a comprehensive, integrated approach to teaching that focused on student skills and outcomes. This has also forced our community to look at the “what” and “how” of student learning in the years leading up to Grade 11.

One of the most exciting parts of the IB is the CAS and TOK components. As educators we are often so caught up in what we are trying to teach students that we rarely have time to reflect on how we think and what it means to “know” something. Theory of Knowledge is one of those rare classes that teachers fight over who gets to teach it (because they all kinda already do). This is a class where students get to see the connections between the things they are learning. They are provided with the opportunity to reflect on their current

knowledge and beliefs and weigh them against new ways of thinking and knowing.

While TOK gives students opportunities to think differency, CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) gives students opportunities to act differently. Watching a student plan, design and implement a community service project like a homework club is much more powerful than supervising a student who just showed up to babysit.

We are fortunate to work for an organization that understands the Diploma Program is a two-year program that works best when there is staff and student continuity along with supporting the ongoing commitment to professional development. SCIS-HIS provides a wealth of resources for IB DP teachers, most importantly access to each other. This is perhaps one of the greatest side-benefits of embarking on the Diploma Program—continued and meaningful collaboration amongst our teachers. Much like challenging our students, we educators also enjoy challenging ourselves.

By KORY INDAHLHIS Upper School Principal

BECOMING AN

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

SCHOOL AT HISThe Orange Dragon is a school for Dutch language and culture for Dutch and Belgian children that live in Shanghai

and Suzhou. Our goal is to keep up the same level of Dutch as their peers in The Netherlands. Last year we started with an extra after school activity named: de Drakenlcub (the Dragonclub). During these lessons the Dutch children learn about their own culture. Every semester there is a series of 6 lessons around one theme. The theme of last semester was “A crown on your head”, were the children learned about the lives of the Dutch and Belgian royal families. We took a

look the family tree of the royal families and children made their own family tree. We learned about Crown Jewels and dining etiquette and celebrated King’s Day, the birthday of the king from The Netherlands. Flowers are an important export product of The Netherlands and Belgium, the last lesson we learned about the meaning of flowers and made a flower arrangement.

By SUSANNE BEUMERDe Oranj Draak Marketing & Communications

A crown on your head

Folding napkins for the royal banquet

Making a flower arrangement Crown Jewels

A traditional Dutch game played on King’s Day

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Strength in Diversity -Hangzhou International School

THEME FEATURE THEME FEATURE

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Journey to the West is one of four great Chinese literary works of art and its central character, the Monkey King, is

one of the most colorful and enduring characters in Chinese culture. This year the Lower School dance teacher, Laura Unzu collaborated with her Art and Mandarin colleagues to lead the grade four and five students as they used dance to tell the story of the Monkey King.

The production commenced with the birth of the Monkey King from a stone rock and followed his exploits as he learned how to transform into other animals and accrued incredible strength and magic, which were used to cause mischief and challenge the most skilled warriors of heaven.

The music, choreography and costumes did a tremendous job of bringing to life the images described in the legend and the performance provided the audience with a nice blend of traditional Chinese culture and Western dance.

The production was a great showpiece for the school and a fine example of the way in which the host country culture and language features as an integral part of our program.

By ANDREW POWELLSCIS Hongqiao Lower School PrincipalPhotos credit: gustavo Salas

The Monkey King Springs to Life

HONGQIAO ECE HIGHLIGHT HONGQIAO ECE HIGHLIGHT

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the 1900s, so because of its longevity and location, it is a place of both historical interest and a place to relax. As readers know, weekend mornings are active times in parks around China and in that way Lu Xun Park is not much different. Amusement park rides, bands, people dancing, practicing sports, exercising or singing all make for good people-watching. I like to arrive early to enjoy time with the many people from this area who get the weekend started in the park. A reason these moments are particularly enjoyable is that the activity in the park reminds of my times living in Sichuan and Anhui provinces, places and times where seeing a foreign face was infrequent. I quite enjoyed those days of mixing with the local crowds.

Back to history and Lu Xun: The shortest story is that Lu Xun was a writer whose influence made him an important member of the New Culture Movement that advocated revolutionary changes in China in the early 1900s through the 1930s. Lu lived near the park and is now buried here. A free museum telling some of Lu’s story and ideas is on the park grounds and I wander

through the museum every time I come here as there are frequently new exhibits to enjoy.

Time period architecture makes it obvious that foreigners inhabited this area at one time. Walking both west towards Lu Xun’s house or south down Sichuan Road, there are alleys to explore and shops to wander through. ‘Duloun Famous Cultural Person Street’ is worth a stroll and several cafes invite guests to rest. There are a variety of historical sites to check out. The house where some of revolutionary writers were ‘discovered’ is worth a visit. Additionally, the house of H.H. Kung is prominently in this area. Kung was once the richest man in China who was married to one of the storied Song sisters.

I discovered the Hongkou area in 2007, and even eight years later, I continue to count it as a favorite place in Shanghai.

By Terry StrombeckSCIS-Hongqiao Campus Upper School Social Studies Teacher

The truth is, when I am asked about what my favorite ‘anything’ is, I often do not know how to respond. I have

many ‘favorites.‘ So when I am asked about my favorite place in Shanghai, I also could say that I have several favorite places. However, the Hongkou - Lu Xun Park area of Shanghai is a place I visit two or three times every year, so maybe the semi-frequent visits qualify this area as being among my favorite places.

While I enjoy the modern side of Shanghai, my life as a historian has trained my focus more on the past, and as such, I must admit that I am drawn to the older areas of the places I live or visit. I am particularly interested in the history of Shanghai and, more broadly, the history of Shanghai as it relates to the larger history of China. As I discuss with my students, Shanghai has significant involvement in the story of modern China and the Hongkou area is a good place to reflect on the time of revolutionary changes in the years that would eventually lead to the founding of the PRC.

Next to Hongkou Football Stadium ( metro lines 3 and 8) is Lu Xun Park. This nice, large park was opened at the beginning of

Shanghai significant involvement in the story of Modern China

FAVORITE SPOT FAVORITE SPOT

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Extreme Photography by Lisa Chen

How did you become interested in Photography? My family started traveling around the world when I was 7 months old, which was the first time that I was on a plane. Whenever I saw interesting or beautiful views, they made me want to recored them down for some kind of collection. Also, another reason was because of my dad. He is crazy about photography, so he bought me my first camera when I was six years old. Since then I started to view the world as a photographer.

Did you take any formal classes?No, I didn’t take any formal photography classes.

What inspired you to take this trip to the North and South Pole? Who went with you? The South Pole is a mysterious place that everyone yearns to go. On the trip to Africa, I met a Taiwanese that had traveled to Antartica before, and he told me a lot of fantastic events that he had experienced. I had traveled to more than 40 countries, and I have traveled to the other six continents before I went to Antarctica. So there was a motivation of reaching the seventh continent to have a nice ending before I start getting busy on college applications. So I made a decision that I must experience this exciting continent. I went to both Antartica and the North Pole with my family.

Tell us a little bit about the trip, how long was it and when did you take the trip?It was a 9 days trip to the South Pole and 13 days trip to the North Pole. Since the poles are too cold during winter, the poles are only available for tourism during summer. So I went to Antartica when China is in winter, and I went to the North Pole when China is in summer, since they have opposite seasons.

Can you tell us about the Camera feature/accessories you took along with you in order to capture the amazing photos?I have my common used camera and lens, which is Canon 6D with Ultrasonic 28-300mm lens. However if I am traveling to the places like Africa or the Poles, I bring Ultrasonic 200-400mm & 600m lens+Extender 2x, because a safety distances rule exists, stating that humans have to obey the distance between human and animals. So bringing big range zoom-in lenses is useful. (South Pole, 5m between small animals like penguins, and 20m between big animals like whales or seals) For shooting landscape, I use Ultrasonic 24-70mm & 16-35mm lenses.

Did you encounter any difficulties during the trip? The tourism part of the North and South Pole are already well or fully developed, and everything is well arranged for travelers.

What was your most memorable part of the trip?One of the strong messages that I learned from both trips is that we have to protect the environment and protect the animals! The habitat of penguins and polar bears are getting smaller and smaller due to some direct and indirect influences of the global warming.

From the trip to Antartica, the most memorable moment was when I was sitting on a rock, all of the sudden, two penguins came closer and started to run around me. One of the penguins bumped into me by accident. I was totally freaked out! They must’ve thought that I was a part of rock or something. I’m always really impressed about the relationship between animals and humans in the wild.

From the trip to the North Pole, it was defintely the moment that we hit the 90N.

Now a Gallery opening, how did this come about and who organized it? I have been to Africa twice, and Africa is a special place on the list of where I have traveled to. I have so many memorable events that happened to me on the trip to Africa. The photos that I shot in Africa are not like the photos that one would shoot in normal tourist attractions. There were alot of people asking me about my trip to Africa, and they were also interested in the photos that I took in Africa. I wanted to share all the photos since I only have one year left living in Shanghai. I also wanted to have an opportunity to meet my old friends in my old school, before I go to college outside of Shanghai.

My dad has attended many different exhibitions for his business, so he is very familiar with the setup of an exhibition. He managed the setup of my exhibition, and I was focusing on the design of the invitations, forward, the logo, sign board and many other things.

So you have been at SCIS since 10th grade, what brought you to SCIS? I wanted to study in USA for college, and I knew SCIS since after I finished kindergarten. At that time, unfortunately, I was holding a Chinese passport, so I couldn’t apply to SCIS.

Is there any one person who has inspired/encouraged your passion?Yes, certainly, and her name is CHENMAN (陈漫), a fashion photographer. She had her personal photo exhibition in France, US, UK, Japan, and Hongkong. She has worked for 《VOGUE》,《ELLE》,《BAZAAR》,《MARIE CLAIRE》,《L’OFFICIEL》,《WALLPAPER》,《PREFERENCE》,《Madame Figaro》,《UNLIMITED》,《NYLON》,《SPORT&STREET》,《i-D》, and《MUSE》.

So what is your future plans after you graduate? Do you plan on studying photography further? I’m planning to apply to a school of design/art illustration, and study in the area of photography for studio. For example, fashion, portraiture, interior, and product photography.

When’s the next trip and where would you like to go? Since I didn’t get to reach the 90º S, (only the Antarctica circle), so maybe if I have time, I want to challenge myself to go to the center of the South pole.

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Mr. and Mrs. Valenza are in the middle of their sixth year at SCIS. Originally from the USA (for the

most part), they have spent their entire career teaching around the world. They have two beautiful children who currently attend SCIS, and they have been soaking up Shanghai ever since they got here. Luckily, I was able to get them to sit down with me…

Hmmmm…so you have the same last name. I’m guessing you’re not dating?K: We’ve been married for 13 years. Seems hard to believe!

Well, come on….what’s the adventure love story? How did you make it to China?P: I was born in Brazil and lived there as a kid, and Karin took several trips overseas growing up. So, we kind of always thought we’d end up living outside the U.S. When we first starting out on this whole international teaching thing, we were actually trying to go to Brazil but ended up with a job in Kuwait. I know, it’s kind of the same thing! (laughing) Then, after four years in Kuwait, we were ready for someplace new and the opportunity opened up here in Shanghai. So here we are!

5 years teaching at SCIS! Rock on! What keeps bringing you back year after year?K: Everything! The school, Shanghai, all of it! We love the

Mr. Paulo and Mrs. Karin Valenza

Loving Life

true community feel to the school—it has become our family! We also love the diverse, cosmopolitan vibe of Shanghai. If you want to have a “Chinese” day of riding bikes through rice patties and eating street food, you can. If you want to go see an IMAX and eat burgers, they’ve got that too! We love the ability to “choose” the kind of experience we want.

And you live down in Kangqiao next to SCIS-Pudong. While it might not be a clubbing hot-spot in Lonely Planet Shanghai, how’s that area for raising a family?P: Great! House with a backyard, calm streets the kids can ride their bikes on…and once Starbucks came, it was the complete package! I still remember the staff meeting back in August of 2011 when they announcement one had opened up in Wanda over the summer. That was the loudest cheer I’ve ever heard at a staff meeting!!

Wait. Before I forget. I heard this crazy rumor: you guys actually own a car and drive around Shanghai yourself?K: Yes! We both drive, and we have an awesome, orange Great Wall! (editors note: apparently, that is a type of car) After driving in Kuwait, China is a piece of cake!

So I just gotta say, you guys look great. What’s the secret?P: Both of us have made a radical transformation in the way we approach food. About 2 years ago, I discovered juice fasting with freshly squeezed vegetables and fruits! Together my wife and I would do periods of time where all we’d “eat” were juices! Some times maybe for a few days, other times for as long as 40 days! We still do it on and off but of course the biggest life change has been our eating habits and trying to live a more active life.

Oh my goodness, I almost forgot. Paulo, what do you do here at SCIS?P: I’m the Tech Coordinator for the Pudong Upper School.

(lost & confused)…ok…(awkward silence) Is that, exciting?P: Yes, very exciting. Everyone loves

technology right?! Actually, I really enjoy helping people and making things run better. Probably what I enjoy the least is after a day of troubleshooting, going home only to find out I need to reset my home router. But in general it’s a great job!

(Still not sure if I understand…)…Ok moving on then. Karin, what do you do here at SCIS?K: Middle School…I’ve taught Grade 8 Algebra, Grade 7 Pre-Algebra, Grade 7 Science, and even a High School math elective class. But, currently, I’m teaching Grade 6 Math & Science.

New line of questioning: What should people know about you?P: I’m Batman! No, seriously! I was bitten by a bat as a kid and now I have super-powers!

Whoa. Crazy. Is there any message you want to send to people?K: Hi Mom! ☺

Serious question now, what’s your favorite thing about SCIS?K: People! I love my job!! I love the smiling, genuinely happy faces that I get to see everyday!P: I have to agree. Working with the teachers and admin at Pudong, the students, it’s great! I love that I still know many of the students from back when I was a teacher.

You’ve taught in Guatemala; you’ve taught in Kuwait; now you’ve been teaching in Shanghai. What’s in store for the future?Both: At least two more years of SCIS!” -- That is a breaking news development.☺

Interview by JONATHAN PAULSON Editor

TEACHER SPOTLIGHT TEACHER SPOTLIGHT

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Whenever I travel to a non-English-speaking country, I learn several

words before arriving: hello, goodbye, thank you and delicious. To me, the last is the most important.

Food tells us a story—from the way it tastes to the people who prepare it. It’s a gateway to understanding a culture and its people. And when you tell someone you enjoy their cooking? Well, you’re not only making their day, but opening a window to a whole new world.

This is something I’ve struggled with since moving to Shanghai ten months ago. It’s not that I haven’t eaten enough Chinese food, because my increasing pant size will tell you otherwise. It’s the language barrier, and the struggle to get past formalities and into meaningful discussions with local people. And even though I’ve made some attempts to learn the language, I realize that becoming fluent enough to open this window is somewhat of a lofty idea.

Luckily, I recently discovered a food tour group that has made this desire a bit more feasible. UnTour was founded in 2010 by a woman named Jamie Barys, a food writer and longtime Shanghai expat. She says, “More and more people rank eating local foods in authentic settings as their number one priority when traveling, but discovering where the locals eat can be difficult in an unfamiliar location.” She states that Shanghai especially can be overwhelming with the language barrier and street food options.

I personally hadn’t eaten much street food before joining Barys’ night tour last month. Stories of recycled oil and ingredient sourc-ing had scared me away. Plus, I wasn’t sure what to order and where to order from. But in just one night, I made up for it.

Along with about ten others, I met the Untour team on Shouning Lu to experience our first night market of the evening. It began with an explanation of the market, along with identifying all of the items being grilled and barbecued. Then it was off to a local restaurant to eat all the street food after it was prepared. Crawfish, lamb kebabs, garlic scallops, lotus root skewers, green bean skewers, snake, and roasted

garlic eggplant filled the table. “Make sure not to fill up, guys!” our tour guide warned. But it was hard to show restraint, and the food kept coming. After sampling a variety of fruit puddings and custards, we waddled over to a hole-in-the-wall noodle shop on Fangbang Lu for beef noodle soup, hand-sliced noodles with lamb and peppers, and noodles with egg and tomato. The chefs welcomed us into the kitchen and dazzled us with their flour pulling and knife skills. We finished with pepper cookies and beer.

The history of noodles and noodle making in Shanghai was fascinating, and our new “No Carb Left Behind” diet was going along famously, but people were beginning to fill up. So we took a walk through the old town. It was raining, but the lit-up temples and hanging lanterns provided a beautiful backdrop to our much-needed stroll.

After about 15 minutes, we reached our final destination at the hawker stalls on Sipailou Lu, near Fanbgang Lu. The vendors showed us how to make their dishes, then we sat down at another local restaurant to enjoy more noodles, pan-fried rice cakes, flat bread, garlic broccoli, and peanut sesame brittle. By the end, members of the group were unbuttoning their pants. Most had a glazed-over look to their eyes. Everyone was smiling.

In one night, I learned more about Shanghai’s food culture than I had in ten months on my own. Sure, along with knowledge, I gained a couple of pounds, but it was nothing a week of dieting couldn’t cure. I’ll be back for more. And this time, I’ll come even hungrier than before.

By JENNIFER STEVENSPudong Upper School grade 9 & 10 English Teacher

Additional InformationAlong with the night market tour, UnTour Shanghai also offers a breakfast tour and a hands-on dumpling tour. For more information, visit www.UnTourShanghai.com.

To read more about Jennifer’s excursions in Shanghai, follow her at http://www.adventurousappetite.com/

FAVORITE SPOT IN THE CITY FAVORITE SPOT IN THE CITY

Eat Your Way Through ShanghaiUnderstanding Chinese Culture Through “UnTour Food Tours”

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A Brief History of SCIS-HISThe fourth International School in Shanghai…The first truly international one.

Shanghai in the mid 1990’s was a much different place than it is now on many levels. In the education industry, there were only three schools for foreigners then: one American School (SAS), one German School (DSS), and one bilingual school (YCIS). Three educators at North Jakarta International School felt Shanghai needed a truly international school—a school that had both breadth and depth of international families; a school that could take the best practices from each countries curriculum; and a school that would teach the lingua franca to new students making sure everyone felt part of the larger global community. Shanghai Community International School was founded in 1996 to serve that purpose.

After seeing steady growth and high demand for this rigorous truly international education, Shanghai Community International School decided to open a second school in Pudong in 2002, which at the time, was the first international school to be built in

Pudong period. Also at this time, a second campus was opened in Puxi. This gave SCIS a two campus presence in Puxi, the original campus in Changning and a second campus in Hongqiao. As growth continued, the two Puxi campuses were combined in 2005 into what is now the Hongqiao Main Campus. In 2006, as the ten-year SCIS anniversary was being celebrated, a third sister school was opened in Hangzhou called Hangzhou International School, creating the SCIS-HIS sister school system. More recently, a second campus was added to Pudong in 2009 (the Upper School) and a second was added to Hongqiao in 2010 (the ECE Center).

Fast forward to the present, SCIS-HIS is one of the oldest and most respected international school groups in China. It has been able to get world class results in a family-friendly community environment that is truly international. As the original name implies—SCIS-HIS truly is a community international school.

By JONATHAN PAULSONEditor

CURRICULUM FEATURE CELEBRATING HISTORY

What does food have to do with Math? Well, if you’re an 8th grader

at SCIS Hongqiao, you’ve just learned Mathematics does have a lot to do with what you eat. Food and exercise are the key to how our bodies feel and how well our bodies work for us. Our 8th graders got a little taste for the job of a personal trainer and how that job uses Math. Students used a variety of charts to help people make smart food decisions and appropriate movement activities. These charts included “Fast Food Nation”, a calorie count from popular fast food establishments such as McDonald’s and KFC, “The Food Chart” with calorie counts for basic items eaten on a regular basis, and a “Burn Chart” which lists approximated calorie counts for activities based on weight. Using the charts, we discussed how different types of calories affect our bodies in different ways. We looked at the calorie count of a Big Mac (560) and compared it to a homemade sandwich of whole grain bread, turkey meat, lettuce, light mayonnaise, and tomato (409). We discussed their calorie count, and how this homemade sandwich is a healthier choice to McDonald’s processed burger. We also discussed how we feel after eating a heavy fast food meal vs. our parents delicious home cooked meals. Many students realized that as athletes, fast food was not the smart decision. William Bjork, grade 8 said, “I also learned a lot of things, like the Big Mac had so much calories in it and that

really shocked me. This activity made me think a lot about my diet and stop to eat fast food because otherwise I will lose my athletic skills.”

Next we focused on activities and how many calories on average people burn doing those activities. With so many active students at our school, I could see students’ interests peak when we got to this section. One of our school’s swimmers, Berenice Schulte, grade 8, said, “Swimming has also benefitted me to push myself to look at what I eat, and the calorie cruncher made me see how many calories I loose during my average day and how many I should intake.” Other students, such as soccer players, were interested to learn that they burn so many calories playing soccer, and that those calories then translated into the amount of food they should eat to maintain their healthy body weight.

The culmination of this project was to design a day worth of meals and a fitness plan for some famous celebrities. One such celebrity was Angelina Jolie, who was training to take on the role as the next Wonder Woman. Her goal was to gain three pounds of muscle, and she had some restrictions about her ability to work out for too long a period due to spending time with her family. There is a student example illustrated. Students enjoyed finding Angelina a balance of fitness worthy activities and muscle building food for her day. They realized that personal trainers have a lot to think about when designing plans for their clients. As a class we decided that weight lifting, kickboxing and swimming were good activities for Angelina, as she would build muscle and burn calories to get fit and trim. For her meals, we choose a lot of fruits, vegetables and lean meat to help keep her trim. Amy Lycklama commented, “I would say it baffled me how simple it can be to get a balance of good food and exercise because it always seems to be so hard.”

This was a great activity for students to learn about food, fitness and how they are used with Math every day. It’s all about keeping a balance of calories in, calories out and staying active.

By MEAgAN BERgMANSCIS Hongqiao Campus Middle School Math Teacher

Calorie Cruncher

© 21st Century Math Projects

Here are a few of the most popular menu items in some of the world’s most frequented fast food chains. Calorie counts and other nutrition facts can be found at the company’s website.

Item Calorie Count

Famous Bowl - Mashed Potato with Gravy 720

Popcorn Chicken - Large 560

Hot Wings (6) 450

Original Recipe Chicken – Breast & Thigh 720

Snacker, Ultimate Cheese 280

Potato Wedges 240

Cole Slaw 190

Apple Pie Slice 290

’Item Calorie

Count

Chicken McNugget (5) 210

Chicken Selects Strips 630

Big Mac 560

Double Cheeseburger 460

Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese 730

Crispy Chicken Club 680

French Fry - Large 570

Chocolate Triple Thick Shake (32 fl oz) 1160

Item Calorie Count

Fiesta Taco Salad 860

Nachos Bell Grande 790

Grilled Stuft Burrito - Beef 720

Chicken Quesadilla 540

7-Layer Burrito 530

Double Decker Taco Supreme 380

Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes 290

Nachos 320

Item Calorie Count

Meat Lover’s Personal Pan Pizza 830

Pepperoni Lover’s Personal Pan Pizza 720

Supreme Personal Pan Pizza 720

P’Zone - Classic 940

P’Zone - Meaty 1100

Pasta Bakes Marinara 840

Cheese Garlic Bread (2) 480

Cinnamon Sticks (4) 400

Item Calorie Count

6” Italian B.L.T. 410

6” Pizza Sub 490

6” Chicken Parmesan 510

6” Oven Roasted Chicken with Spinach 320

6” Veggie Delite 230

Chicken Tortilla Soup 110

Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup 250

Chocolate Chip Cookie 220

Medium Drink (20 oz)

Pepsi Mountain Dew Tropicana Fruit Punch

Raspberry Iced Tea

Water & All Diet Soda

Calories 250 280 280 200 0

© 21st Century Math Projects

…Continue from page 23

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Ingredients: • 2 cans Garbanzo Beans, drained• 1/3 cup (80 mL) Tahini (sesame paste)• 1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice (juice from approx. 2 lemons)• 1 teaspoon salt• 2 cloves garlic, halved

Directions 方法:

1. Put in food processor and blend until smooth. 放入粉碎机将配料粉碎至糊状

2. Optional: Garnish with olive oil, paprika and pine nuts 可添加:淋上橄榄油,辣椒粉和松子

Hummus 鹰嘴豆泥

PREP/准备时间: 5 mins

COOK/制作时间: 5 mins

READY IN最后完成时间/: 10 mins

Roasting Nuts 烤花生

Nut Butters 坚果油

Try These Healthy Recipes

RECIPES RECIPES

配料:• 2 罐鹰嘴豆,挤干• 加入芝麻酱80毫升• 柠檬汁60毫升• 1小勺盐• 2个大蒜,分成瓣状

Peanuts (Total: 25 mins) 烤花生 (25分钟)Roast in oven for 10 minutes. Stir and cook 10 more minutes. Stir and cook for 5 more minutes. To remove skins: let cool completely (They will make “Snap, Crackle, Pop” sound as they cool. This makes the skins like paper and easier to remove). Place the cooled nuts on a dishcloth and rub to remove skins.放入烤箱烤10分钟。再边搅动边多煮10分钟。然后再边搅动边多煮5分钟。去皮方法:放入冷藏箱(发出噼噼发发声音直到其完全冷却。这样可以使皮变的像纸一样比较容易去除)。把冷却的花生放在抹布上用力搓揉去除表皮。

Cashews (Total: 20 mins) 烤腰果(20分钟)Roast in oven for 10 minutes. Stir and cook 10 more minutes. They are done when they are slightly golden and crunchy to texture.放入烤箱10分钟。然后搅拌并煮10分钟。直到颜色变成金色即可。

Almonds (Total: 30 mins) 烤杏仁 (30分钟)Roast in oven for 10 minutes. Stir and cook 10 more minutes. Stir and cook for 10 more minutes. Like peanuts, almonds will NOT be crunchy in texture until they have cooled.放入烤箱10分钟。搅拌加热煮十分钟。然后再搅拌煮10分钟。像花生一样,必须冷却后才能去皮。

配料:• 2杯(250克)花生• 3-6勺花生油• 可选择:2-4勺蜂蜜

Roast in oven at 175° C/350˚ F.烤箱温度: 175° C/350˚ FTotal times may vary depending on oven. 时间长短取决于烤箱温度

Peanut Butter 花生油Peanuts to not have any natural oil, so oil is added to make peanut butter.

Ingredients: • 2 cups (250 g) peanuts• 3-6 tablespoons peanut oil• Optional: 2-4 tablespoons honey

DirectionsPut peanuts, oil and honey in food processor and blend for 5-10 minutes until smooth.放入花生,油和蜂蜜搅拌在搅拌器里,搅拌5-10分钟直到完全变成糊。

Cashew or Almond Butter 腰果油或杏仁油Roasted cashews and almonds naturally have oil, so no oil is required to make cashew or almond butter.由于此两种坚果都有油分,不必添加其他油料。

250 g cashews/almonds = 2 cups cashews/almonds = 1 cup cashew/almond butter250克腰果/杏仁=2杯油=1杯坚果油

Put cashews (or almonds) in food processer and blend until smooth (approximately 10-15 minutes). You will need to scrape the sides with a spatula every few minutes. Note: If using freshly roasted nuts, allow to cool completely before blending!搅拌器中放入腰果或杏仁直到搅拌变成糊状(大约10-15分钟)。每过几分钟,你需要搅拌翻面。注意:如果使用新鲜烤花生,可以使其变冷后再粉碎!

1 cup nuts = ½ cup of nut butter 1杯坚果=1/2 坚果油

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Vivian Che

From Shanghai to Toronto

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Vivian Che graduated from SCIS Hongqiao in 2013 and matriculated to University of Toronto in Canada. She is

currently double majoring in Cognitive Sciences and Linguistics and minoring in Semiotics. Vivian recently sat down with me to talk about the past, the present, and the future….

You are just finishing your second year in University, how has it gone so far?I can’t believe two years have gone by so quickly! When I look back, I can see how it could’ve gone better. But I think it’s been wonderful to have a chance to be on my own, and I don’t regret a thing.

What has been the most surprising thing about your University experience?I guess I didn’t expect it to be this easy to get involved. At most universities, though, many groups are already established, and all you have to do is express interest and follow the instructions. You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish. One of my highlights is working for the college paper, which is TOTALLY independent. I was a design editor associate this year but mainly helped out with illustrations and it feels amazing seeing my art in print. Next year I’ll be design editor so that’ll be something to look forward to!

So….Cognitive Sciences and Linguistics….that sounds interesting. What career are you planning with that?Ask any student what they’re planning on doing with their major and the majority will stare at you with a blank look on their face, grunt, then walk away. I find that no matter what major you’re in you gain these life skills that make you appealing to employers, so there’s no need to panic about the future excessively. I chose UofT specifically because I could take these two majors together, and I’m lucky that I’ve totally fallen in love with the disciplines (psychology is about as close as you get to these in high school). At the moment I’m considering going on to grad school and perhaps try my hand at academia, but really, I could change my mind the next minute.

I heard you have continued your international life and spent the summer in Italy? Is this true? Tell me about that please!Unfortunately there are no summer abroad courses in my field, but as a linguist, learning about how a specific language works is appealing as well! I received a scholarship from the Italian department that allowed me to freely spend on those delicious Italian meals and for the most part we stayed at a student residence in Siena which was dirt cheap. We had classes 4 times a week every morning, one of those a “gita” (field trip) to different regions in Tuscany. It was the perfect way to spend my summer.

University of Toronto is one of the very best universities in the world (currently ranked #14), how well prepared did you feel coming from the IB program at SCIS?I would say the best way the IB Program prepared me was through all those essays—even essays in math! I took an introductory writing class my first year and flew through it. Granted, I did well in English, but those multitudes of pressurized in-class essay tests really got me used to the situation, and as unrealistic as those environments are, universities definitely make use of them for assessment purposes.

Did you get University credit for your IB studies?Did you know the 2 years I spent studying psychology in high school transferred to HALF a year at UofT? Meanwhile, they don’t even accept AP credits for psychology!

What advice would you give to those in high school right now preparing to go to university?Sometimes it feels like you need to get into this specific school with this specific score to reach your ultimate destination. But the reality is, there are so many different paths you could take to reach your goals.

Are you still friends with anybody you met at SCIS?Oh, definitely. Sometimes I wake up with 30 notifications from Hong Kong. They are important to me even though we’ve split off in all different directions. I know that life gets busy and we don’t have time to chat everyday and often forget to inform each other about big news, but every time I see an update on social media it makes me feel glad that they’re doing well.

What has been your favorite moment so far in your University career?Getting my first job in a research position! It started when I heard my friends in psychology and other life sciences fret about getting a research position in the summer, so I began emailing all the profs I knew in the department about volunteering in their lab. A young Slovenian professor emailed me back saying he was offering PAID positions in the summer! Paid? I was planning on volunteering my time just for the experience, this was a surprising bonus.

I scheduled an appointment with him to talk about his research and he showed me how the analysis went beyond what we learned in class and what I’d have to do. A few days ago, I had my official interview and he offered me the job on the spot! I was ecstatic—and still am quite elated—that I get a chance to see what research is like and whether or not I’ll want to do it in the future.

Interview by Jonathan PaulsonCommunitas Editor

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Rahul BapnaMatriculated to Marshall Business School at USC

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Rahul Bapna was born in Mumbia, India and moved to Hanzhou in 2004. Nine years later he graduated from

HIS at the top of his class and matriculated to one of the top business programs in the USA—the Marshall Business School at USC. Luckily, I was able to get him to sit down with me and reminisce about his time at HIS, share his experience at USC, and reveal his future life plans…

You’re at one of the world’ Top Universities, how well prepared do you feel coming from SCIS-HIS?Coming from as small as a school as Hangzhou International School, I was scared in terms of how prepared he would be about attending a school that had over 50,000 students. However, during my time here I have come to learn that the small or big, HIS provided me with all the opportunities and skills I needed in order to succeed in university. At my time at HIS, the administration, teachers and students really provided me with all the support in whatever I wanted to do. The administration aided me in becoming the clear minded individual I am today, and they provided me with insight into what I wanted to do in University and life after. The teachers aided me in becoming the leader I am today, giving me a plethora of opportunities to hone, learn and improve my leadership abilities. Most importantly my friends, taught me the importance of support, and they will remain my friends for life.

What do you think the biggest difference coming from an international school versus coming from a regular school? The biggest advantage that I have over many of the other students at my university is that I have been exposed to diverse cultures and beliefs. My exposure to so many different cultures and nationalities makes it easier for me to make friends and not judge people based on how they talk, eat, or look.

When you first moved to Hangzhou 9 years ago, did you think you would be where you are today?When I first moved to China I had no idea what the school was going to be like. At the time I was little boy who was scared and shy of all the different styles and flavors that the school had. However, because of the values and mentality I was brought up with, I always knew I wanted to do big things.

What advice will you give to those in high school right now preparing to go to university?If I could give them the most important piece of advice: dream big. Ambition will lead to things that you could never imagine. Furthermore, work hard but at the same time maintain time for activities that give you pleasure and release stress. Personally, the skills I learnt from after school involvement

is something that I would have never been able to achieve in the classroom. It was not only fun but provided me with so much insight that now I am most well suited to tackle complex problems.

I know you were multi-sport athlete in high school, have you continued to participate in any sports in the university?During the years at HIS, I played every sport possible from my very first year. Sports gave me a feeling of fulfillment and excitement that nothing else could. Sports taught me some of the most important skills that I use today and I continue to play these sports at university. At USC I play Intramural Soccer, Volleyball, and Basketball. What was the most memorable moment as a student?High school graduation! All my accomplishments unto that point paled in comparison to the look of pride that I saw in my parents eyes on the day I graduated.

Are you still friends with anybody you met at HIS?I am still in touch with a lot of the students from HIS even though a lot of them are all across the globe. The friendships I forged at HIS are so strong that I am sure we will continue to be friends for life.

What is your lasting impression of SCIS?My impression of HIS is that it is a small community in which each student is given individual attention and it feels like a family. It is a warm place that makes every child feel special and wanted. Diversity is embraced and not singled out and every child is given an opportunity to discover and hone their special talents, in spite of the limited resources and facilities of our school.

5 years from now, what do you see yourself doing after graduated from university?I hope to be working at a big firm obtaining all the experience that is needed for me to found my own business.

Interview by MUN YEE CHOOSCIS-HIS Marketing Manager

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What has been the most surprising thing about your University experience?Before last semester started, I thought that my university experience was going to be a very lonely one. I thought that I was going to be the only foreigner at a local Chinese university. But to my surprise, Jiaotong has been nothing like that. The Mandarin program at the school is full with lots of international students from all over the world: Japanese, Korean, Ukrainian, Russian, Norwegian, Finnish, Singaporean etc…

Think about when you first moved to Shanghai and attended SCIS, did you ever think you would be where you are today?I didn’t even think I would be here two years ago. When I was a child, I never pictured my future. I never had this feeling that if I was to become this, then I would need to do this and study here. I always had dreams though. I used to dream about becoming a movie director or even a paleontologist, but I never planned how to get there. When I moved to Shanghai back in 2007, the only thing I cared about was if I was going to be happy at my new school and if I would make any friends. Looking back I have no regrets. I am glad that I didn’t put so much stress on becoming this one thing.

Your high school experience must have been pretty different from that average student at Jiatong. Do you feel more prepared coming from an international school compared to them?The learning system in Jiaotong is completely different to any western-based college. The work I received in the IB program was college-level, so graduating from SCIS and going into university, I was expecting nothing but essays and assessments. Jiaotong has been so very different. The course is based on daily language that is broken in to different categories from listening, writing, speaking, grammar and more. Exams occur twice a semester and homework, attendance and participation are all huge factors to a student’s grade.

What advice would you give to those in high school right now thinking about what University they are going to go to?My advice is this: don’t be scared if you don’t know what you want to do and can’t decide what you’d like to do. If there is

a dream that you have but feel that you won’t be able to reach it in time, don’t worry. Do something else that interests you in the interim. There’s no rush, your future will still be waiting for you and it’s paved with many opportunities.

Does Shanghai seem like a bigger place now even though you are only going to University a few km away?Actually, yes. Even though I have spent eight years in this city, I suddenly feel like I am embracing a whole new world. I think what has happened is this: before going to Jiaotong I had only traveled to areas of the city that were either a necessity or of direct interest to me. I used to only travel to homes of friends, the campus of SCIS, and various recreational centers. Now I have a whole new lifestyle, a lifestyle that includes university and my acting, I have ventured to brand new places. The little bubble that used to be my place has now grown exponentially.

What has been your favorite moment so far in your University career?My favorite time is when we all had to present to the class something revealing about ourselves. I was so worried about my presentation and whether my Mandarin was going to be good enough. In the end I had a ball, I had my teacher and classmates laughing uncontrollably, and we all learned some-thing about each other. The presentation exercise had this magical ability of breaking down borders between the students, and we all in one way or another bonded with each other and our teacher. That teacher has become one of my favorite teachers and I love going to his classes.

Fast forward to 7 years from now, what is Anthony Gates doing?My plan is that seven years from now, I will be in America studying and practicing stage theatre. My dream is to become an actor and I believe that if I am to make it in the industry, I need the training to do so. Some of the world’s best theatre schools are located in New York City and studying at one of the schools there could help me improve my craft. After studying there, then I would like to go to Los Angeles and start my career.

Interview by JONATHAN PAULSONCommunitas Editor

THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONAlumni 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 // [email protected]

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

OR2. 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 2015 in Shanghai

Anthony GatesStaying in China for University

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Anthony Gates graduated from SCIS

Hongqiao in 2014 and matriculated to Jiaotong University right here in Shanghai (the #4 ranked university in China). In preparation for this program, he took and passed the HSK Level 3—which is notoriously diffi-cult—and has been taking classes fully in Chinese ever since. I recently got

him to sit down with me and talk about his journey….

I have been living here 4 years, and my Chinese is some-where between not good enough to go to Jiatong and not even close to good enough to go to Jiaotong. What has been your secret to hacking the language?I don’t really have a secret or some kind of special formula. I guess it’s from working and studying hard on the HSK papers. For those of you that are not familiar with the HSK, it’s a standardized Mandarin test for foreigners. Each HSK level has a certain amount of vocabulary words that you need to master to pass the test. For the HSK, I needed to know and memo-rize about 600 words. I took the test back in May last year. To help me prepare for the test, I had a tutor come by my house to help drill in the necessary words I needed to know. The tutor came twice a week. In each session, we would go over as many characters, phrases and sentence structures as possible. At times we would do as much as 30 new words, and at other times we will cover as few as eight. It wasn’t easy, and it was intense at times! But I did manage to pull through.

Was the Mandarin program at SCIS a big help to preparing you?While I was at SCIS I always thought that my Mandarin ability was below average even though I had studied it for more than 6 years. I was never very confident in conversing in the language. But I passed the HSK test. So to answer your question, yes, all the Mandarin studies that I received at SCIS must have been a big help in preparing me.

How did you end up choosing Jiatong? Did you consider doing a more traditional route by choosing one of the popular western Universities?I decided to apply to Jiaotong because I was determined to master Mandarin before I left China. I believe that mastering Mandarin will be a great skill to have in the future if I am going to pursue an acting career. You never know I could become a famous actor here in China (laughing). My parents were impressed with my decision, and I was happy about it too.

I have also since learnt that Jiaotong is one of the most highly ranked Universities in China, coming in 4th place in the most recent national rankings. There are many famous alumni such as Jiang Zemin, so I am very proud to be a member of such a famous institution.

Another huge factor for why I chose Jiaotong was because of my little brother. He may be only six, but I am his best friend and everyone felt in the family that right now wouldn’t be a good time for me to leave. I agreed. We have this magical bond and it’s special. I couldn’t leave his side—not right now.

Have you given thought to what your major will be?I’ve decided that Mandarin would be my major. I’m going to complete my four-year degree. Graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Mandarin and then apply to theatre schools in New York City where I will pursue my dream to become and actor.

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FAIRWELL NOTE THE LIBRARIANS CORNER

The latest book read by Pudong Head of School Dan Jubert

Visible Learning for Teachers—Maximizing impact on learning by John Hattie

SYNOPSIS: In November 2008, John Hattie’s ground-breaking book Visible Learning synthesised the results of more than fifteen years research involving millions of students and represented the biggest ever collection of evidence-based research into what actually works in schools to improve learning.

Visible Learning for Teachers takes the next step and brings those ground breaking concepts to a completely new audience. Written for students, pre-service and in-service teachers, it explains how to apply the principles of Visible Learning to any classroom anywhere in the world. The author offers concise and user-friendly summaries of the most successful interventions and offers practical step- by-step guidance to the successful implementation of visible learning and visible teaching in the classroom.

MR JUBERT’S TAkE: Hattie’s book is a meta-analysis of thousands of research studies in education, with one real purpose- to see what works best in improving student learning. Some of the highest influences include setting high expectations for each student, providing regular and high-quality formative feedback to students, and developing a positive student-teacher relationship. The book is a great read and a reminder to stay focused on what is important!

What has the SCIS-PD Faculty been Reading Lately?

The latest book read by Carla Tobin.

Long Walk to Freedom - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

SYNOPSIS: Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. Since his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter-century of imprisonment, Mandela has been at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa’s antiapartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality.

MS TOBIN’S TAkE: An important perspective and one that must be told, of the epic journey of a man who devoted his life to the liberation of his people. Thrust into a world full of unjustified, nonsensical hatred toward black people, Nelson Mandela set out to win back his country and ultimately the basic freedoms that were taken away from all black people during Apartheid in South Africa. I found the book confronting and was left with both sadness and anger. One of my favorite Mandela’s quotes is: “I had no epiphany or moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities and a thousand unremembered moments produce in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people. There was no particular day on which I said, henceforth I will devote myself to the liberation of my people, instead, I simply found myself doing so and could not do otherwise.” This book will open your mind to both the absurdity of human nature and the struggle of the human condition that has occurred through out history. It will allow you to look deeper into other struggles going on in the world and to not simply believe what the media says without question.

From the Backman family (three children):

“We have loved our five years here in Shanghai. All three kids have thoroughly enjoyed their time at SCIS, they have had a good start to their school years, and made lots of great friends from all over the world. It has been amazing to follow their development since day 1 to today.

More or less every teacher we have had has been extremely good with the kids, seeing them for who they are, meeting them on their level.

All five of us will miss SCIS, the staff, the students, the Emerald, and of course Shanghai.

Now, we have an exciting new phase ahead of us. We are not “moving home”, because our home is here. We are moving to a new country, with new schools, a new house, new friends - and we plan to make the very best of this opportunity. We look forward to traveling in Europe, taking the kids to see Paris, Copenhagen, London, Barcelona etc, instead of Hong Kong, Boracay, Beijing and Bangkok.

We wish you and your team all the best for the future, and hope to meet you again one day, somewhere. It is after all a small world...

I was born in the year of the Dragon, so I will always be a dragon. And we will make sure our children remember their time in Shanghai and at SCIS.

All the best, and thank you.

Daniel & CatrinLucas, Lisa & Anna”

You Will Be Misseda Farwell note from a departing familyWhile Upper School has standardized test scores, university acceptances, and championship

trophies that make it easier to define success, an unsolicited note such as this from a Lower School speaks just as loudly.

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Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Term5

Jun 15-Jun 26

Jun 29-Jul 10

Jul 13-Jul 24

Jul 27-Aug 7

Aug 10-Aug 21

CREATIVITY

BRAIN POWER

PAFA

What is the perfect way to get involved at school? Attend PAFA’s next meeting or event to find out. At SCIS Pudong,

PAFA (Parents and Friends Association) hosted popular events and fundraisers throughout the fall and are now busily planning an exciting calendar of events for spring. Read on to discover the ABCs of PAFA and find out how you can participate!

Art Auction. Art Auction is one of the biggest events of the year so mark your calendar for Saturday, April 25! Spend a fabulous evening with friends and members of the SCIS community. The event will showcase students’ artwork and photography, which will be auctioned off live during the event, along with other sensational items such as hotel packages, salon treatments, featured works by artist Brian Michael Reed and much more. A committee for this event is being formed and PAFA needs you to help plan and run this event. Contact Robin Williams ([email protected]), Upper School PAFA President, to get involved.

Bingo Night. In November, PAFA hosted a record crowd of over 420 adults and kids at its hugely popular Bingo Night event. Attendees enjoyed a fun-filled evening of non-stop Bingo action, prize baskets, and lucky draws. This family-friendly event was a great way to celebrate our close SCIS community and kick off the holiday season.

Class Events. PAFA always lends a hand in planning the 8th grade celebration party, this year to take place on May 15. The party is always a fun night filled with dancing, good food, and great friends. PAFA 12th grade reps and volunteers also play a key role in planning the senior graduation party, this year to be hosted on June 13 on a stunning multi-level pirate ship. This will be a night to remember for the class of 2015 as they culminate their special SCIS experience with family and friends on a Huangpu river cruise.

Donations to Charities. At the end of each school year, PAFA generously donates a portion of their fundraising to local charities. Last year, Lower School PAFA donated 50,000 RMB to the Maitian project, an SCIS initiative to help rural Chinese children who don’t have easy access to education. Upper School donated 39,000RMB to Healing Home, an organization that funds life-saving surgeries to orphaned babies, and Will Foundation, a residential learning center for orphaned children.

Education Support. PAFA sponsors a huge variety of educational activities for students such as visiting authors and artists programs. Parents also benefit from PAFA-sponsored guest speaker events, where local experts share valuable information on topics such as healthy eating, safety and security, and finding quality medical care in Shanghai.

Fundraising. The money raised by PAFA’s school and community events is directed back into the school in a multitude of ways. One of the most highly anticipated PAFA-funded items is the forthcoming 3D printer for the Upper School! This state-of-the-art printer will enhance the learning experience in many classes such as mod tech, art, and science, and students and staff alike are already dreaming up their next projects using this awesome new tool. In fact, Lower School PAFA supported the purchase of a 3D printer for the lower grades last year, and children have enjoyed getting creative while learning the new technology! Additional items supported by PAFA include new gear for swim sport activities and film projects.

Get involved. PAFA welcomes you to our next monthly meeting to find out how you can share your time and talents.

Stay current about PAFA news and events by visiting our websites: Lower School PAFA: https://teachersh.scis-his.net/lspafa/Upper School PAFA: https://teachersh.scis-his.net/uspafa/

The ABCs of PAFA

Hongqiao PAFA President:President: Don [email protected] Events Coordinator: Donna [email protected]

PAFA NEWS

Hangzhou PAFA Presidents:LS Vice President: Anu MehtaLS Vice President: Anuja JainUS Vice President: Carmen FreissmuthUS Vice President: Crystal Wu, [email protected] (main contact person)

Pudong PAFA Chairs:Lower School: Katie Berkaw [email protected]

Upper School: Robin Williams [email protected]

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:

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Tour our campuses by calling 86-571-8669-0045 www.scis-his.org

NURSERY – GRADE 12

“HIS provided me with the opportunity to try many different things and take on the responsibilities that went along with them. The supportive setting allowed me to take on challenges that were both rewarding and memorable. The confidence and enthusiasm I developed at HIS allows me to to continue to aspire for new experiences in everything I do!”

– Maaike Spiekerman HIS Class of 2012–attended HIS for four years

I AMHIS

Attending University of

Warwick

High School SAT Score

2180

High School President of Model United NationsHigh School Basketball & Volleyball Teams

High School Student Council and Drama Club

Majoring in English Literature

and Creative Writing

HIS is a truly international school. Our rigorous curriculum and excellent co-curricular opportunities promote high achievement. Our diverse community of over 40 nationalities and our caring environment promote future success. Visit us to discover for yourself the amazing HIS community. No school does it better.

The art and science of education since 2002

High School AP Average Score

4.85

communitas magazine ad Maaike Spiekerman.indd 1 6/16/15 9:28 AM