Dear Parents, Students, Faculty and Friends,

Today (and yesterday) we’ve been in the midst of the ACAMIS Volleyball Tournament as 7 other teams from around China and Mongolia have descended upon SCIS. The atmosphere in the gym has been electric, and it’s as loud as I’ve ever heard it. As of this writing, the round-robin portion is completed with the boys team taking 2nd place and the girls 1st in their division. Starting this afternoon, the knock-out stage of the tournament is set to begin; both teams are in action today and tomorrow as they strive to become ACAMIS champs.

A huge event like this couldn’t happen without the planning of our AD Coach Vic, and lots of other individuals. A big congratulations to our PAFA Booster Parents who have run the all-important concession stand throughout the 3-day tournament. And, and thank you to all of the parents who have donated baked goods to raise money and sell to the athletes and fans.

The tournament started at 11:30 on Thursday with an Opening Ceremony that included speeches, music from students and the first appearance from our Lower School Dragon Cheerleaders to kick off the event.

The cheerleaders were led by two Upper School students (Sanni and Lexi) who ran an ASA the last quarter with the Lower School students as part of their CAS (Creativity, Action, and Service) Project. They should all be proud of what they have accomplished.

As Thursday wasn’t busy enough, in the morning, we welcomed the Men’s Basketball Team from Yale University (USA) to practice in our gym.  Yale plays Cal (California) on Saturday in Shanghai. It was a fantastic experience for some of our students to witness, as they saw the intensity and dedication from these student-athletes from the most competitive level of university athletics.

 

I also want to thank Dr. Volpe and Ms. Gale for Wednesday’s Parent Session to help develop understanding in the recent NWEA MAP test results. Approximately, 20 parents were in attendance, and the Q&A was very informative. If you have questions your about your child’s results, please contact your child’s teacher. If you have questions about the MAP test in general, feel free to reach out to Dr. Volpe or Ms. Gale.

Lastly, upon returning to school on Wednesday, we were greeted by the hard work within our Indian community, who spent part of their weekend coming into school to help our students understand and celebrate Diwali – the Indian festival of lights. Our parents made a traditional sand-art rangoli display, adding so much to the experience of all of our students. Thank you!

Although it was a short week, it was a busy one. Having all of these experiences – along with the upcoming ones shared below – reiterates how important the contributions of community are in helping our students access these types learning experiences. Getting caught up in the daily details, it’s too easy to take for granted the student experiences we all  make possible.  Our students are lucky to be part of such an inclusive, involved community. I know I speak for the faculty when I say we are fortunate to be a part of such a community as well.

Wishing each of you relaxing weekend. (Wear some green, and come out to school on Saturday to support our Dragon Volleyball Teams!)

Go Dragons,

Derek Luebbe
Head of School

Save The Date: SCIS Pudong Bingo, November 17

Join us on November 17 for a family-fun night of laughter, food, drinks, and prizes.  Download and fill out your Bingo Registration Form 2018 .

Reserve your space!  Questions? Contact Trish Castillo at pdpafa.eventco@scis-china.org

Save the Date: SCIS Winter Carnival at HQ Campus, November 24

You are cordially invited to join us for the Second Annual SCIS Winter Carnival hosted at the Hongqiao Main Campus on Saturday, November 24^th from 11am – 4pm.

We have partnered with the Community Center Shanghai (CCS) who will host their annual Winter Bazaar full of great holiday shopping, delicious foods, and warming winter drinks. SCIS will provide the fun, including games, activities, and entertainment for the entire family, with a few winter surprises and special gifts you won’t want to miss.

Admission is FREE and ALL family and friends of SCIS are encouraged to join us for an exciting day of fun. We hope to see you there! Please look for more details coming soon!

Save The Date: SCIS Pudong Winter Festival, Sunday December 2

Photos This Week From Around Campus

 

 

 

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, and Friends,

It was a busy and fun-filled Spirit Week at SCIS Pudong. A collective thanks to your Student Council for the fun events, and it’s not over yet. Friday afternoon will also include a Student-Staff Volleyball game where we shall all see who shall win between youth and wisdom…  

Tonight, the Upper School hosts our Annual Java Jam on the 3rd Floor Gallery – an open mic celebration of music, poetry, and skits from our students and faculty.

For the last two days, I was fortunate to be part of an audience of parents and Dr. Volpe who were able to hear eight different student-groups from our MYP Design Class share their ideas for a potential re-design of our 4th Floor HS Lounge space. There were some great ideas shared, all with rationale and 3D software to help us better envision the student ideas. Congratulations to our Design Teacher, Mr. Willauer for all his work with the students in preparation. It’s the kind of real-world learning that we strive to provide – an environment where there are clear goals but no clear pathways. It’s a project with an authentic purpose, aimed at a specific audience, where the achievement level is not judged by right-wrong answers but by the quality of ideas and the effectiveness of the communication. In short, it’s how learning should be.  I know the audience members were impressed by how far the students developed their ideas, and we’re all eager to continue to work with the students to make the eventual re-design a reality. Lastly, I want to share a special thank you to the parents who took time to be a part of the audience and ask such probing questions. Students need authentic audiences – and when parents can help support our program by making the audience more authentic, the level of learning is increased significantly

Authentic audiences were also on display on Thursday after school in the auditorium where IB Music Teacher Mr. Demas led the IB Diploma Music Students in their semi-annual IB Recital for an audience of teachers, parents, and students. Thank you to those who came out to support (and enjoy) some fantastic music. It’s another example of how learning and the assessment of learning is more authentic when it’s presented to a natural audience. These performances are recorded, and will be submitted to the IB as part of a formal assessment. 

We’re lucky in many ways to have such a small school filled with dedicated people who are willing to give their time to provide these types of opportunities. Our students benefit from it.

Lastly, our administration team was fortunate enough to meet this week with a representative of the US Consulate who came to learn more about what our school has to offer. Listening and sharing to that explanation was a rewarding experience in and of itself, as it showcased how our day-to-day experience is shaped by our educational beliefs. These include:

• Our belief in a research-based best practices curriculum using the IB’s PYP, MYP, and DP framework to provide a personalized and rigorous environment.
• Our belief in a personalized, inclusive approach to helping each child reach their potential. Children need to feel safe, happy, and comfortable within a nurturing relationship before they will take academic risks and share personal opinions.
• Our belief in a collaborative, instead of competitive, environment. We value supporting all students into the rigor of the IB DP Program over being selective and only allowing our top students to experience such a program. (Research, again, reinforces this approach.)
• Our belief in maintaining and leveraging our diversity so that students learn from and with one another – not only a teacher.

There are so many photos from this week (including the hugely successful weekend Halloween event on Saturday – Thank you PAFA! and the MS Halloween Dance on Friday night) that I can’t fit them all in.  Suffice it to say, many more are on the Fantastic Parents WeChat.

As you know, there will be no school on Monday or Tuesday. On behalf of all the faculty, enjoy the long weekend. We will see everyone back on Wednesday, fired up for SCIS to host the Boys and Girls ACAMIS Volleyball Tournaments on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Go Dragons!

Derek Luebbe
Head of School

Photos From Around Campus

 

 

Dear Parents, Faculty, Students, and Friends,

It was certainly a busy week. Today’s Halloween festivities meant the campus was fulled with action, fun, and a lot of costumes. And, the Halloween fun won’t stop today – Saturday from 12:00-3:00 all families are invited to take part more Halloween games, food, drink, prizes and the SCIS Haunted House.

Bus pick-ups and drop-offs are available to assist in your travel. (See previous post.) Families who reserved a space have a spot reserved and other spaces on the bus will be on a first-come, first serve basis.

It promises to be a fun-filled day. And, it would not be right to not recognize our wonderful PAFA group of parents who have dedicated their time the last few days to transform the basement into the games, booths, and Haunted House that will provide all the Saturday fun. Thank you PAFA!

 

On Thursday, we concluded our Fall Semester Parent-Teacher Conferences. We had approximately 80% of parents attend this important event. If you were unable to attend, please reach out to your child’s teachers. This event is one of the best ways that we can partner with parents to help ensure a successful year for children. You will see some of the photos from Thursday below.

Lastly, during part of today’s Halloween celebration, I was able to have some fun with students as well Below, you will see a few photos of me dressed as crazy dentist. My goal was to try to convince students to let me do an inspection on their teeth with my outdated tools and methods. I’m proud to say that all students had the common sense to not let me work on their teeth.

Wishing you a relaxing weekend, as we prepare for next week’s Spirit Week!

Warm regards

Derek Luebbe
Head of School

Photos From Around Campus

 

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, and Friends,

I share this special Head of School Update with some important information on recent events.

Kitchen & Food Service

As many of you know, there have been recent reports sharing violations that the government has noticed with regards to health and safety of food preparation in some international schools. This is not true for SCIS. Please see an important email which was sent today at 12:56 pm to all parents from SCIS Director of Schools, Dan Eschtruth. The email should go a long ways towards keeping you informed of the situation. As always, the health and safety of our students is our number one concern.  We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more information.

Halloween Invitation: All Are Welcome for a Day of Fun!

Our Halloween Festival is this Saturday from noon to 3:00 pm. All families are invited. The event should be a fun day of games, activities, and a haunted house.  We are seeking the help of parents (and some of our older students) to help volunteer in running some of the activities.  If you can help out, visit this link to preview the activities and sign up to help out with 45 minutes of your time for the activity of your choice! 

We are running busses from pick-up / drop-off points on the day. See below. Sign-ups can be made by emailing Stu Ren at pd-transportation@scis-china.org by Thursday at 5:00 pm.

REMINDER: Parent Teacher Conferences, Thursday Oct. 25

No school for students on this day. We look forward to seeing you.

 

SCIS Spirit Week October 29 – November 2

Each day is a special dress day. Show your creativity and school spirit! Plan ahead.

 

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, and Friends,

An important email was shared on October 15. If you somehow did not get that email, please read below and ensure that you set up your SCIS parent email account correctly.

Dear SCIS Families,

SCIS has officially received the directive to close school on all of our campuses (Pudong, Hongqiao Main, & Hongqiao ECE) on November 5^th & 6^th in support of the China International Import Expo. As such, all After School Activities (ASA), athletics, performances, mother tongue language programs, and extra-curricular activities will also be canceled on those days.  We will re-open with all operations on Wednesday,November 7^th.

The SCIS school calendar is built to support one missed day of school per academic year, but as this government directive requires us to cancel two school days, SCIS will make up one school day. As such, we will now hold a full day of school with students on Monday, January 7^th, 2019.

Morning Bagels For Sale!

Today started with a bang, as students and teachers were greeted by PAFA’s MaiTian group Bagel-A-Thon.  Twenty

 

RMB brought some happiness and a great way to start the day.

 

 

Parent Teacher Conferences (No School) Oct. 25

Today, all families can access the Mid-Semester Progress Report for each child. After reviewing the Progress Report, the next step is to schedule a conference with your child’s teachers for October 25.

There will be no school for students on this day.

Each division has provided a link to help you sign-up for a conferences. Conferences are an important part of helping your child have a successful year. Working together, teachers and parents better understand each child and work towards future success. In order to use our time most effectively, we are sharing a “Tipsheet for Parents” from the Harvard Family Research Project

 

Positive Discipline (in Mandarin) Classes at SCIS

Many thanks to the parents who are taking part in our weekend Positive Discipline sessions in Mandarin. Our first of four sessions started Saturday October 13. A special thank you to Liz Gale for kick-starting this initiative. Parents who attended yesterday’s Lower School Assembly saw our 1st Grade students showcasing the Positive Discipline strategies. Ultimately, that’s at the heart of Positive Discipline – instead of simply providing rewards or punishments, we want to help build skills in our children so that they learn to be independent problem-solvers. This philosophy and the strategies they share are great resources for every educator and parent to have. It’s one example of how we can better serve students when school and families are working together with consistent messages. You can learn more about Positive Discipline at their website.

Halloween Festival at SCIS, Saturday October 27 12:00 – 3:00

We hope you’re looking for a little family fun to celebrate Halloween! Join us on Saturday – in costume! – for games, events, and treats. Everyone is invited to attend. A huge thank you PAFA Events Coordinator, Trish Castillo for planning the day. She is already busy changing ideas into resources and volunteers to make this a great day for students. To make the day a success, we are asking for volunteers (parents and US students) to help out in Haunted House, help run games, or just add to the fun by looking scary! 

We are running busses from pick-up / drop-off points on the day. See below. Sign-ups can be made by emailing Stu Ren at pd-transportation@scis-china.org by Thursday at 5:00 pm.

Stay on the lookout for a sign-up sheet listing the activities (and ways that you can help out).

It promises to be a fun-filled day. We look forward to seeing you there.

Math Workshop Leader Erma Anderson to Speak with Parents, Nov. 29

Last weekend, Erma Anderson came to SCIS Pudong for 3 days of mathematics workshops with 25 educators around Asia. These educators are pursuing their certificate as K-8 Math Specialists in International Schools. The next session scheduled for late November, and we are thrilled to announce that Erma will be able to present to parents November 29 (time pending). Erma’s presentation will challenge and change the way you think about mathematics and mathematics instruction.

SCIS Hosting High School ACAMIS Volleyball Tournament: Nov. 8, 9, 10

Don’t forget to set aside some time to support our Varsity Dragon Volleyball Teams when we host teams from all over China as SCIS Pudong hosts the 2018 ACAMIS Volleyball Tournament. Leading up to the tournament, students will get to take part in Spirit Week from Oct. 29 – Nov. 2. Stay tuned for more information from the Student Council.

We get to do some great things with children each and every day.  Enjoy the photos below – they speak well to the energy and learning that is happening throughout the building.  

Wishing you and your family a relaxing weekend.

Derek Luebbe
Head of School

Photos From Around Campus

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty and Friends,

We are back in session after October Break. The weather has been fantastic, and it’s the perfect time of the year for some of our teachers to run a class outdoors.

Lots of action happening on campus.

Nine SCIS teachers joined 17 other educators today, Saturday and Sunday as they take part in the 3rd of 5 sessions led by well-respected math consultant Erma Anderson. Erma was on campus two times last year and many of the parents were fortunate to hear how the pedagogy of math has changed in the last thirty years, and how deep understanding requires a different way of teaching and learning than simply knowing how to solve problems with algorithms. Her sessions are always illuminating to me in pointing out what I think I know – but don’t fully understand.  The dedicated teachers in the Cohort are in the midst of 2-year program and will earn the distinction of becoming a K-8 Math Specialist in International Schools upon completion.

I was also fortunate (as were many of you) to attend (US Counselor) Maya Kelly’s presentation to parents on our Sexuality and Relationships program in grades 6-12. We are really appreciate of the parent questions and support in making the program meaningful and successful. And, congratulations to Maya for coordinating this much-needed element for our students.

This weekend will be a busy on as well.

Approximately 20 parents will spend their Saturday morning at SCIS Pudong, attending an informative workshop on Positive Discipline, hosted in Mandarin language. To those parents who are attending… THANK YOU!  This is a fantastic program, and helps to promote a consistent philosophy of discipline between school and home. If, after hearing it, you still don’t wish to implement it, at least you will better understand the approach we try to take with students here at school. I encourage all parents to learn more about this program; it helps in so many of the tricky situations that we as parents find ourselves in daily. A big thank you to Liz Gale, Laurie Luebbe, and Molly Myers who are leading this development.

Our SCIS PD Swimmers are taking part in a big swim meet hosted at SCIS HQ. Come out and support the Dragon Swimmers!

Our Varsity Boys and Girls Volleyball teams are in SISAC tournament action on Saturday. This tournament includes teams from all over Shanghai, and is one of the culminating events for the season.
    The boys play at SAS Puxi. The girls play at Concordia. Come out and support the Dragons!

Stay tuned for this upcoming schoolwide events on the horizon.

• Friday, Oct. 19 – SCIS Progress Reports released
• Thursday, Oct. 25 – Parent-Teacher Conference. No school for students.
• Saturday, Oct. 27: PAFA Halloween Festival

As always, if you have questions, suggestions, or concerns, please reach out.

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend.

Derek Luebbe
Head of School

Photos From Around the Campus

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, and Friends,

This week’s edition conveys more in photos than it does in text. Last week’s UNIDOP Day (United Nations International Day of Peace) and today’s Kindergarten Reading Parade make for some excellent photos, and are easy ways to see the importance of how the support of parents adds so much to our students’ experience.

If you don’t already know, I encourage all parents to learn more about the Parent-Groups we are trying to organize around our belief in “Positive Discipline.” We have workshops and book clubs (in English and Mandarin) which parents can join. As both an educator and a parents, I can assure you that developing skills in Positive Discipline is a great way deal with the inevitable day-to-day struggles of being a parent. And, knowing that children benefit when they hear consistent messages at home and at school, developing a stronger understanding of Positive Discipline helps build a more consistent framework for your child. You can learn more about Positive Discipline at this website, or by contacting our Lower School Principal Liz Gale (egale@scis-china.org).

Don’t forgot that Monday, October 8 is not a school day for students. Our teachers have a Professional Development Day on the day.

On behalf of the entire faculty, I wish each of you a relaxing vacation. We will see you all, re-charged and ready to go, on Tuesday, October 9. 

Happy Moon Festival,

Derek Luebbe
Head of School

 

 

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty and Friends,

The rainy weather contrasts against the bright and vibrant colors of today’s United Nations International Day of Peace celebration, followed by our Varsity Volleyball Big Game / Senior Night.  (Many of the photos of these events will have to wait until next week’s blog post.)

A big thank you to all of parents who attended (and those who helped support the day with preparations!).  Enjoying the diversity of 40+ nations walking across the stage is a humbling event, and one that we should not take for granted. Because of the diversity of SCIS, our students benefit from being uniquely prepared to understand and solve global and regional problems that require a high degree of cultural and inter-personal understanding.  Whether it’s watching the Parade of Nations, listening to our musicians, or taking part in our Early Childhood Ceremony in the morning, it is rewarding to see how much each student benefits from the simple exposure to and awareness of those that are different.  It’s another way that our community strengthens the experience that each of our children receive.  If you were unable to attend our assembly, the entire event has been shared as a Live-Streamed event.

If you are a parent looking to get more involved with the school and/or you know someone who could help,  we are seeking help with two initiatives.

1. Our Parent-School Volunteer Initiative highlighted a number of different ways that parents can help give our students and better experience.
2. We are currently looking to expand our list of possible substitute teachers. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Naomi Shanks (nshanks@scis-china.org ) for more information.

And lastly, this blog post will likely sent out at the same time that our Varsity Boys and Girls are playing in the Big Game Night / Senior Night matches. Both of these volleyball matches will be Live-Streamed at this link. I do want to give a special shout-out to our Varsity Girls Team who has gone undefeated thus far in city play. Tonight’s match against SMIC is the last regular season SISAC (Shanghai schools) match, and a victory would give SCIS-PD it’s first Girls Volleyball championship!  Additionally it will place the team as the #1 seeds heading into the October 13 tournament against all other Shanghai schools.  As a school, we have not won a Varsity Girls SISAC Championship before. Congratulations to Coach Vic, Coach Riann (Caban), and the girls on a potentially record-settting season. And, best of luck to the Boys and Girls teams in this afternoon’s matches and the upcoming October tournaments!

As you all know, Monday is a holiday. I hope you are able to enjoy some rest and relaxation with family and friends.

Warm regards,

Derek Luebbe
Head of School
dluebbe@scis-china.org

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, and Friends,

Today was a quiet week at SCIS as the Upper School students were away to various regions in China as part of their China Go trips.

It’s a great way for the students to build new relationships, strengthen the classroom community with their advisors, engage in Service Learning, and see different parts of the diversity of China.  You will see a few of the photos from the China Trips below, and you can check out the Upper School’s Principal Post for more photos and information.

 

Speaking of diversity, on Friday, September 21, SCIS will celebrate the annual United Nations International Day of Peace (UNIDOP). Each year, this is truly a celebration of the diversity we have on this campus, the value which comes with that diversity, and reminder of the power that our students’ unique perspective gives them in helping to make the world a better place in the future. They are uniquely positioned to do so, and we want to foster that with our annual schoolwide assembly at 1:30 on Friday in the auditorium. One important aspect of this celebration is our Parade of Nations in which students and parents walk across the stage to celebrate the nationality(ies) that represent(s) their family. Please see a list of the 40 nationalities below to ensure it includes all the countries your family/child would represent.

Today (and through the weekend) was also a special day of Professional Development. Most of our  Lower School teachers took part in a specialized workshop let by Erin Kent, a worldwide consultant in teaching literacy through the Columbia Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop (TCRRW). This method of literacy instruction is the program followed by our Lower School teachers. The TCRRW is child-centered, inquiry-based naturally differentiated approach so that students are collectively working on skills by reading books of their interest and ability level. We’re proud to be hosting Erin to allow our teachers to continually refine their practices.

In early October, SCIS Pudong will host the 3^rd weekend workshop (of 5) in the two-year program leading to additional specialized certification in mathematics. The program is entitled the Math Specialist in International Schools. It is led by renowned math expert Erma Anderson. Approximately 25 educators from around Asia (including 12 SCIS teachers) are taking part in the program to receive this additional certification. For parents lucky enough to have heard Erma present, she speaks about how traditional math programs struggle to teach mathematical thinking and reasoning and instead rely too much on algorithmic solutions and superficial understanding. It’s a fascinating topic, and we are trying to find some time for Erma to share additional presentations with parents when she is here next month. But for those of you who are curious, you can see a video of one Erma’s sessions online via YouTube, at this link. (You will need to be behind a VPN.)

SCIS is committed to providing our teachers with professional development the represents best practices in education. This year, our plate is rather full. Inquiry expert Kath Murdoch will lead a weekend workshop at SCIS Pudong to educators all over Asia. We were also granted the opportunity to host an IB Regional Conference in March, where IB educators from over 50 schools will take part in one of 15 different workshops to strengthen our IB program and practices. Lastly, SCIS Hongqiao  will be this year’s host for the ACAMIS Leadership Conference in March, welcoming over 500 educators to it’s campus and allowing SCIS faculty to benefit greatly from spending a few extra days with some of the regions top consultants.

This spills over into our current initiative for supporting parents through our Positive Discipline workshops. If you want to expand your parenting tool-kit and learn alternative strategies for how to respond at home to the  struggles that parents face daily, then inquire with Lower School Liz Gale (egale@scis-china.org ) how you can learn more about our book club and/or workshops being held at the school in both English and Chinese.

I wish you a pleasant weekend and hope you’re able to spend some time outdoors enjoying the lovely weather.

Sincerely
Derek Luebbe
Head of School

 

International Day of Peace (UNIDOP)

Our annual UNIDOP ( United Nations Int’l Day of Peace) celebration will be September 21, 2018 at 1:30 in the SCIS theater.  We want to ensure that we have all the flags representing our diverse student body at SCIS. Please check the list to see the flags on the line-up and write Laurie Luebbe (lluebbe@scis-china.org) if you would like to have another one displayed.  The deadline to make changes is WEDNESDAY, September 19^th.  STUDENTS will able to walk across the stage when their flag is displayed.   Some students will walk more than once if they identify with more than one nation.
List of Nations:
China (HK, Taiwan, Macau)
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
India
Indonesia
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Lebanon
Malaysia
Mexico
Netherlands
Nepal
Norway
Philippines
Russia
Serbia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Ukraine
Tanzania
USA
Venezuela

 

 

Dear Parents, Students, Faculty and Friends,

As we roll into September, the Upper School is preparing for their China Go Trips – where each grade level spends a week in various cities around China. It’s  great way for students and faculty to bond as they experience different parts of this wonderful country and contribute to a variety of different service projects.

Our PAFA representatives met last week to kick off the year. During the meeting, I shared an initiative that we are looking to implement this year to provide more opportunities for PAFA and the faculty to work together to give our students even more opportunities to experience all that our community has to offer. More information on our initiative is provided below.

Our school continues to welcome new families. As is always the case each year, a few families join us in late August and early September due to travel issues. Our enrollment stands at 405 and continues to grow. I’m ever-appreciative of the “SCIS Fantastic Parents” (literally and figuratively) who make their transition to our community a smooth one. It’s a simple way we showcase as Dragon Spirit – knowing that at one point or another, we were each the new family joining this community.

I wish each of you a relaxing weekend.

Go Dragons,
Derek Luebbe

Increasing Opportunities for Students By Strengthening the PAFA / School Connection

In collaboration with PAFA President Vanessa Thomas, and as we shared in the Sept 4 PAFA meeting, we are pleased to introduce a new initiative aiming to better link our community with experiences that benefit our students. The goal is quite simple: Improve our students’ experience by providing an easy communication platform to allow the school to request potential areas for community involvement, and use that same platform to allow parents to recommend and volunteer potential community resources that may enrich the students’ experience.

Our initial brainstorm involves the creation of a dynamic list of opportunities to get involved. We expect this list to change as the year progresses. While each of these activities may not ultimately take place, we hope that by sharing the initiative, we recognize even more potential areas which can support students.

Research shows that students benefit from the development of an involved parent community, and our goal is to provide increased opportunities for that to take place at SCIS.

Please have a look at the list we have developed thus far.

SCIS Pudong PAFA Parent Volunteer Initiative 2018

We will post a link permanently on the right hand menu of this Head of School blog. You can check it for updates throughout the year.

If you are interested in volunteering your time, energy or experience in one of these areas – of if you have other ideas – please reach out to Vanessa Thomas (pdpafa.president@scis-china.org ) or Laurie Luebbe (lluebbe@scis-china.org )

Lice Reminder

As the blog post from September 6 stated, we did have a few cases of lice noticed by our school nurse yesterday. Please re-read that post if you missed it.

Swimming at SCIS

Two  different messages regarding SCIS swimming are shared below.

Did you know that SCIS has Saturday Swimming? SCIS has partnered with Multi-Sport Swim to provide weekend swim sessions for a variety of ages and abilities. If you are interested in learning more about this program, contact Multi-Sport Swim Coordinator, Dale Johnson Dale Johnson at djohnson@multisport.com.cn

To all of our Swim Team families, please check your SCIS parent email for info on this year’s swimming program. If your child is currently not a member of the SCIS Swim Team, but would like to be, please contact a member of our Swim Team staff:

LS Head Coach: Tarsi Bali tbali@scis-china.org
MS Head Coach: Larissa Mount lmount@scis-china.org
HS Head Coach: Oscar Wu owu@scis-china.org

Practice Evacuation Drills

Last week, students participated in two practice evacuation drills. One of the drills is announced and one is unannounced. The drills allow us to practice our evacuation procedures in case there was a real emergency such as a fire.

The students and staff were very attentive to details and the drills went well. In subsequent weeks, we will practice our drill for an Intruder Alert.

Drills such as these are one way to ensure we’re aiming to keep students safe. Let’s hope we never need to use them in a real situation.

Pork Product to be temporarily removed from SCIS Lunch Menu

You have have seen this message on our cafeteria page, but I felt it’s wise to share it here as well.

Due to the outbreak of African Swine Flu within China, we will temporarily remove pork products from our menu options at all SCIS cafeterias and cafes. While we are aware that this strain of flu is not harmful to humans, we choose to be proactive with this measure as we also recognize there will likely be a disruption in our supply. We will continue to monitor the situation and will update this page once we are cleared re-introduce it back into our menus. For any questions about this or other matters please email Byron at byron@kaijun-food.com

Photos From Around SCIS