SCIS Pudong Upper School Principals' Post

Dear SCIS Families,

It was great to see everyone return from Spring Break refreshed and energized.  The upcoming stretch of the school year between now and the end of the school is jam-packed with events, final assessments, and celebrations.  We encourage families to monitor the Events Calendar and regularly have conversations with your children regarding upcoming events.  Please see the events posted on the right pane of this blog and follow the link to the calendar.  This month alone students will be participating in both the ACAMIS Badminton and Soccer tournaments, performing in the Spring Arts Night, attending poetry workshops with our visiting author, and celebrating our PAFA sponsored International Day.  

ACAMIS Badminton 

Students and coaches departed Wednesday with anticipation on their way to Beijing for the ACAMIS Badminton tournament.  The ACAMIS tournament is the culminating competition of the season.  While the tournament will certainly be competitive, it is also an opportunity for students to meet other student-athletes from schools across China and Mongolia.  Early results from Thursday’s competition reported by coaches were encouraging.  We wish all players and coaches the best of luck in Beijing. We would also like to thank our Badminton coaches Mr. Bilz and Ms. Hedderson for their commitment to helping our team get to the top of their game.  Go Dragons!

Grade 10 Students Write Practice College Entrance Exam

This week tenth grade students sharpened their test-taking skills as they took the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT).  The PSAT is a preliminary college entrance exam overseen by College Board in the United States.  College Board is also the non-profit organization responsible for administering the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a U.S. college entrance exam.  Participating in the PSAT is a part of the SCIS-Pudong college counseling program which prepares students to select and apply to colleges all over the world.  SCIS is very luck to have Ms. Kelly, our College Counselor, here to guide our students.  Ms. Kelly will help students interpret their results and work with them to develop a study plan if they wish to take SAT during grade 11. SCIS is also a test center for the SAT.   SCIS is committed to helping all students prepare for these and other assessments in order to ensure students are well-positioned for the competitive college application experience.  We would like to thank Ms. Kelly for her efforts in supporting our students in their individual college search and application journeys.   

Visiting UK Author Andy Craven-Griffiths 

SCIS is excited to host our third annual Visiting Author.  Our Visiting Author series helps students see writing from another perspective and connects writing to the world of popular culture.  Over the last two years, thanks to the support of PAFA, we have had the pleasure of hosting Hakim Bellamy from the United States and Luka Lesson from Australia.  Now in our third year of this series we are excited to be welcoming Andy Craven-Griffiths to campus next week.  Andy will be coming to us directly from the UK where he is an experienced educator and an accomplished poet.   Andy will be meeting with students across the Upper and Lower School, providing workshops and presenting his poetry to students.  Our week with Andy will culminate in an assembly on Friday.  Please ask your children about their time with Andy.  And a huge thank you to PAFA!

Announcements

Re-enrollment continues for the 2019-2020 School Year

Please note that we are predicting waitlists in some grade levels and programs across the school.  As such, if you are confident that you would like your child to continue at SCIS-Pudong for the 2019-2020 school year, we encourage you to submit your re-enrollment as quickly as possible. 

Please note, you must use your @scis-parent.org email account details when signing in to the Online Re-Enrollment Website.  If you have any questions regarding the process for re-enrollment, please do not hesitate to reach out to the SCIS Admissions team at admissions@scis-china.org. 

Warm regards,

Frank Volpe, PhD                   Naomi Shanks
Upper School Principal          Upper School Vice Principal

Dear SCIS Families,

This week the spotlight was definitely on Dragon athletics.   Our varsity soccer teams marked an important point in their season with Big Game Night.  Every year the final home games of each of the three major ACAMIS sports (basketball, volleyball, and soccer) provide a time for the community to celebrate the accomplishments of the season as well as honor the contributions of the grade 12 athletes.  Soccer season’s Big Game Night is particularly meaningful as it marks the final home sporting event for athletes who in some cases have been competing in SCIS varsity athletics for four years.  This year’s girls soccer team does not have any senior athletes.  However, the boys team honored the contributions of four senior athletes.  Coach Newell presented the boys with gifts to recognize their contribution to the program and shared stories of their time on the field. 

Both Tuesday’s girls’ game and Wednesday’s boys’ game were very well attended by parents and students which added to the celebratory atmosphere.  Both teams were able to come away with the victory to the delight of the crowd in attendance.  We would like to thank the our Athletics and Activities Director Coach Vic for putting planning the event and even more Coaches Newell, O’Reilly, Ruf, as well as Coach Vic for all of the time and energy they have put into this season.  Congratulations seniors and good luck in SISAC and ACAMIS!

MYP Mathematics Outside the Classroom

There are many reasons the study of mathematics is unique within the IB Middle Years Program at SCIS.  Students are still required to master the skills and procedures of traditional math curriculum but they are then required to take that learning one step further by applying these concepts to the real world.  Ms. Valenza’s 6th grade class left their classrooms behind for much of this unit as they explored two-dimensional geometry and multiple systems of measurement.  Students used the hallways and outdoor spaces on the school campus to explore these concepts.  Thank you Ms. Valenza for helping math come alive for our students!

Congratulations Swimmers

We would like to congratulate students and coaches on an amazing swim season.  As the longest season of any of our ACAMIS sports athletes and coaches deserve special praise for their persistence and commitment to their chosen sport of swimming.  Coaches and parents were particularly proud of the swimmers’ participation in the recent ACAMIS swimming championship held in Suzhou.  Congratulations swimmers and thank you Coach Tarsi, Coach Wu, and Coach Mount for the many hours you put helping our swimmers consistently work towards yet another personal best.  Go Dragons!

Announcements

Re-enrollment has begun for the 2019-2020 School Year

Please note that we are predicting waitlists in some grade levels and programs across the school.  As such, if you are confident that you would like your child to continue at SCIS-Pudong for the 2019-2020 school year, we encourage you to submit your re-enrollment as quickly as possible. 

Please note, you must use your @scis-parent.org email account details when signing in to the Online Re-Enrollment Website.  If you have any questions regarding the process for re-enrollment, please do not hesitate to reach out to the SCIS Admissions team at admissions@scis-china.org. 

Have a great Spring Break!

Warm regards,

Frank Volpe, PhD                   Naomi Shanks
Upper School Principal          Upper School Vice Principal

Dear Families,

The students and teachers were treated to a Brazilian Carnaval celebration during lunch this week.  Ms. Luebbe organized the celebration with the help from our Brazilian parent community, Mr. Demas and the Jazz Band, and the enthusiasm and spirit of our students.  The Jazz Band warmed up the crowd by playing a few Brazilian tunes along with some more traditional jazz numbers.  The professional Brazilian dancers brought true Carnaval spirit, helping us celebrate the event.  The dancers were even able to get a few reluctant Upper School students to join them on the dance floor.  We would like to thank Ms. Luebbe for her ongoing efforts to ensure we recognize and celebrate the many cultures that make SCIS such a special place.  Thank you Ms. Luebbe!

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Middle School Arts Performance: Tuesday March 5th 

It is hard to believe that we are coming close to completing two-thirds of the school year.  Tuesday we will mark that milestone with our second MYP Arts Rotation performance of the year.  Students in grades 7 and 8 participate in a year-long rotation through Drama, Music, and Visual Arts with a carefully structured curriculum built around common themes and culminating in collaborative performances.  This balance across the arts allows our students to pursue their passions while also ensuring a breadth of experience all aspects of the Arts.

Our first semester performance of The Ugly Duckling emphasized student creativity and authorship around a common theme.  Students in Drama wrote the script to the play, Visual Arts students prepared scene background artwork in comic book form, and the Music students composed and arranged the music that accompanied the dramatic performance.

Tuesday’s 2:15pm performance of the Three Little Pigs will follow the same format.  It has been truly impressive to watch the students prepare.  The layers of learning required to mount an original adaptation synchronized across Drama, Visual, Arts, and Music is no small feat.  Students must first develop the skills of each discipline and then apply them creatively.  We would like to congratulate the seventh and eighth grade students in advance and thank Ms. Whiteside, Mr. Demas, and Ms. Riddle for their their hard work and commitment to developing the Arts at SCIS. 

Music Connects SCIS Hongqiao and Pudong

Last week MYP Music students from our Hongqiao campus visited the Pudong campus to learn about the IB Diploma Program Music course we offer.  The Hongqiao campus is seeking to promote student interest in the IB DP Music option and sought out Mr. Demas for help.  SCIS Hongqiao MYP Music students spent last Friday on our campus to experience firsthand the IB DP Music curriculum.  Mr. Demas and the DP Music students reviewed the requirements and assessment components.  The students also had a chance to work together on an activity which allowed them to explore an IB DP Music topic and get to know each other. Mixed groups of Hongqiao and Pudong students worked together to create musical compositions base on interesting musical textures.  This is a great example of how being part of a larger integrated system helps to provide a better educational experience for students across SCIS campuses.  

March 21 Conference Sign-Ups Open! 

Please mark your calendars for Thursday, March 21! All classes will be cancelled in favor of a day devoted to conferences to enhance home-school communication and parent understanding of their students development in knowledge, skills, and understandings. To make the most of the day, the Upper School will host different types of conferences to address the needs of students at different stages of their education. 

8:30-11:30am MYP Student-Led Conferences: All MYP Parents are asked to sign up for ONE 30-minute conference with their child. All students in Grades 6-10 have focused on developing their Approaches to Learning skills this year through an ongoing process of action, reflection, and goal setting leading to further action. The Student-Led Conference is a family meeting in students present this learning process to their parents, and share evidence of their learning and development across subject areas with a focus on different skills. While the student’s Advisor may be present, their purpose is to provide logistical support. The student will lead the meeting. 

11:00-3:00pm Grade 11-12 Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences: Parents of students in Grades 11 and 12 are invited to join our Juniors and Seniors for one-on-one meetings with each of their teachers. For Grade 11, this is an important checkpoint and will be an opportunity for focused feedback on current successes and next steps. For Grade 12, teachers will discuss final predicted IB grades, share the evidence from the Mock IB Exams and Internal Assessments on which these predictions are based, and make specific recommendations for the best use of revision time in April. 

PAFA Book Club Reminder: 

In closing, We would like to thank everyone that has already re-enrolled their child for next year.  If you haven’t had a chance to re-enroll please see your parent email for details or refer to last week’s blog post.  We are anticipating waitlists in some grades and programs.  In order to guarantee your students seat, please be sure you have completed the process.   

Have a great weekend!

Warm regards,

Frank Volpe, PhD                   Naomi Shanks

Upper School Principal          Upper School Vice Principal

Dear SCIS Families,

The gloomy weather has not dampened the mood on campus this week.  Grade level Advisory groups were very active this week preparing for Student-Led Conferences. MYP students spent time working on their on the Approaches to Learning skills (ATLs) reflections and compiling their portfolios.  These portfolios will be used during Student-Led Conferences next month where students will discuss the underlying ATL skills and how they impact progress in their coursework.  The most exciting moment in Advisory this week came Thursday as the Grade 12 students took one of their first concrete steps toward graduation. Students were fitted for their caps and gowns by the tailor, giving them a preview of the graduation ceremony which will be held in May.  Here is an overview of some of the other important events happening this week. 

Spotlight on Robotics: SCIS-Pudong Hosts ACAMIS Championship

Students have been hard at work preparing for this weekends ACAMIS robotics competition which will be held on our Pudong campus.  SCIS will welcome 28 teams from across China.  Teams in attendance will be coming from as far away as Beijing and Guangzhou making this one of the biggest FLL events of the year in China.  ACAMIS Robotics provides students across China and Mongolia to compete and meet like-minded students from around the region.  This is the first time SCIS has hosted ACAMIS Robotics and we are very excited for this opportunity. 

In addition to single-handedly organizing this ACAMIS event, our Technology Coordinator Barry Johnson has also led students in their many hours of preparation for the competition.  Teams have constructed, programmed, and tested their robots in preparation for this weekend’s events.  While our teams are competing to win, developing technical skills, cooperation skills, problem solving skills, and developing a sense of professionalism are the main goals of the weekend. Please note that the competition is open to spectators of all ages.  Families are encourage to come out to campus to learn more about this exciting event.  We are excited to be hosting our first ACAMIS robotics competition this weekend and hope to see many of you here to cheer on our dragons. 

Re-enrollment for 2018-19

Re-enrollment for the 2018-19 school year began on January 17. On this day, you should have received an email from the Admission Office containing a link to the re-enrollment survey. To secure your child’s enrollment for the 2018-19 school year, all families are required to complete this survey, in addition to submitting a seat guarantee deposit. This survey should take less than five minutes to complete. We ask that you complete the survey even if you will not be returning or are unsure at this time, both options are available for you to select within the survey. The re-enrollment deadline for all current SCIS families is Friday, March 16, after which seats will no longer be guaranteed and open enrollment will begin for all incoming new applicant families. The re-enrollment process is vital as we strive to effectively plan for yet another successful school year. As an incentive, SCIS does offer early payment discounts for those that complete the survey and make their tuition payment in full by the posted deadlines. We thank you again for your continued support and involvement in our school community and hope to welcome your family for yet another successful year at SCIS. If you have any questions regarding re-enrollment or need any assistance, please contact our admissions office at admission@scis-china.org or by calling us at 021-6261-4338 ext. 5876.

Would you like to enroll a non-SCIS sibling?
If you are interested in enrolling a non-SCIS sibling, please contact the Admissions Office as soon as possible so that a space can be reserved accordingly. Siblings of current SCIS students will receive priority status for enrollment, pending space availability.

Would you like to refer or recommend a friend?
As a community oriented school, SCIS values the referrals and recommendations provided by our current community. If you’d like to refer or recommend a friend for admission to SCIS, please feel free to contact our Admissions Office. Referrals will be handled separately from our standard new applicant pool.

Announcements

PAFA Parent Book Club Announcement 
club poster[3]

Visiting Speaker (HQ Campus)

Warm regards,

Frank Volpe, PhD                   Naomi Shanks

Upper School Principal          Upper School Vice Principal

More Photos From Another Great Week

Dear SCIS Families,

Students and teachers transitioned back to the rhythm of school seamlessly following the Chinese New Year holiday.  MYP students in grades 6-10 are working toward completing summative assessments across their courses as we approach the mid-semester mark.  IB Diploma students in grade 12 are in their final phase of course work completion and have begun preparation for exams–their internal “mock” exams are just weeks away, the final round of preparation for the external examinations coming in May.   DP students are also completing their Internal Assessments which are assessed by their teachers here at SCIS but moderated externally by the International Baccalaureate.   As we approach the busiest stretch of our school year, we encourage everyone to pay close attention to the calendar of events so you can stay apprised of the many opportunities to participate in the school community. 

This week students also experienced a number of extra-curricular activities and events.  Middle school volleyball teams were in action, badminton practice began, and high school varsity soccer tryouts were held.  In the Design space students were also hard at work preparing for next week’s First Lego League robotics competition which we are hosting here on our Pudong campus.  SCIS will welcome students from all over Shanghai and the surrounding area for this exciting event.  We hope many of you will be able to make it out to campus to cheer on the students in the competition.  We would like to thank Mr. Johnson in advance for all of the work and energy he has put in preparing for this event. The week ended with a social event Friday night with the high school formal.  

MYP Inquiry in Action

MYP Design provides an excellent tangible example of the inquiry approach to teaching and learning at SCIS.  We seek to contextualize student learning in authentic situations where students learn by solving real world problems.  Mr. Willauer’s Design class is demonstrating this approach to learning with their living wall project.  Students are exploring the benefits of green design as they plan and design their own living wall for their chosen area of the campus.  Inquiry in the Design class follows the Design Cycle:

Students work through the Design Cycle in each unit of class allowing them to experience the importance of each stage of the process.  Students explore this cycle through various media including digital and physical products.  This approach allows students to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in cooperative teams as they seek to meet the design challenge.  Stop by the Design Studio next time you’re on campus to see our students talent and creativity first hand. 

Looking forward to the coming weeks we would like to draw your attention to a few of the important upcoming events.  On March 8th all MYP students (grades 6-10) will be participate in a field trip to the Guangfulin Relics Park.  Please stay tuned for additional information regarding this exciting experience to connect with our host culture. We would also like to remind everyone that Student-Led Conferences will be held on March 21st.  Further information on the conferences and their scheduling will be shared with parents in the coming weeks.

Warm regards,

Frank Volpe, PhD                   Naomi Shanks

Upper School Principal          Upper School Vice Principal

Dear SCIS Families,

The excitement for the upcoming Spring Festival was palpable on campus this week.  Students enjoyed Chinese cultural activities in their Mandarin courses over the course beginning on Monday.  Activities included calligraphy, dumpling making, and traditional Chinese games.  Upper School and Lower School students also spent time preparing for the Chinese New Year Celebration on Friday afternoon.  The celebration included musical ensembles, poetry recitation, and a Lower School mini-drama.  We would like to thank the Upper and Lower School Mandarin teachers for organizing an amazing celebration. 

Chinese New Year Celebrations

IB Diploma Extended Essay Begins for Grade 11

Chinese New Year was far from the only thing happening on campus this week.  Grade 11 IB diploma students started their Extended Essay journey.  The Extended Essay is a graduation and IB Diploma Core requirement that students spend 2 years working through.  Many students point to the Extended Essay (EE) as one of the most important experiences they have during high school in preparation for university.  The EE is an independent scholarly research project that students complete with the help of a faculty advisor and with the support of our Librarian and Extended Essay Coordinator Ms. Williams.  Students complete the full research cycle starting with a topic of their choice, the development of a research questions, an in-depth analysis of their topic, and culminating in the  writing of 3,000.  The Extended Essay process represents an opportunity for students to hone their research skills, academic writing, and practice important self-management skills as they become the school wide expert on their chosen topic.  We would like to thank Ms. Williams for guiding our students and faculty advisors through this amazing experience.  

Environmental Systems and Societies Students out in the Field  

Our students had the opportunity to explore their learning in real world contexts this week.  Ms. Sculerati’s Environmental Systems and Societies class had a chance to experience their course content in the real work this week on their field trip to Mahota Farm  Students had the opportunity to interact with scientists in their laboratories as they toured the facilities. The farm is a zero waste facility that focuses on teaching and promoting sustainable environmental values.  Students learning about the nutrient cycle and soil conservation, and sustainable food production systems.  Students shared that the most exciting aspect of the field trip was the opportunity to interact with scientists in their laboratories, learning about their work first hand. We’d like to thank Ms. Sculerati and Ms Jane He for making this field trip possible for our students. 

Warm regards,

Frank Volpe, PhD                   Naomi Shanks

Upper School Principal           Upper School Vice Principal

Dear SCIS Families,

These are busy days in the Upper School. The first assessments of the new semester are underway, the Grade 10 students are looking to the future, the Mandarin Department is preparing for Chinese New Year, and our varsity volleyball teams are off to Macau, representing the Green Dragons at our ACAMIS Tournament. Many of you were on campus to support these events this week. The support of our community is a defining feature of SCIS. Go Dragons! 

ATL GOAL-SETTING

This four-week session between the holidays has provided an ideal time for building on the students’ self-evaluations completed at the end of the first semester. Each MYP student has set a SMART Goal for their personal academic development, and has already gotten started putting their plans into action. We have been working on goal setting during the academic Advisory sessions, using the Approaches to Learning (ATLs) as a framework for breaking down the specific skills we all apply across disciplines in order to achieve academic success. Students may choose to work on Communication Skills, practiced on Lab Reports in Science and oral presentations in Language Acquisition. They may set a goal for improving their self-management, applying planning strategies to work through breaking down long term assignments into manageable short-term chunks. Others may be focusing on critical thinking skills, looking at how they use evidence to support an argument in both Language and Literature Humanities. While your students will no doubt have much to share about their growth toward their goals at their Student-Led Conferences in March, there is no reason to wait. We encourage you to invite your students to tell you about their goals, and ask how you can best support them in their efforts to develop themselves as learners. 

PERSONAL PROJECT EXHIBITION

The Grade 10 students achieved one of their most significant goals of the year on Tuesday, as they presented their Personal Projects in an exhibition for the entire school community. Those who came out witnessed something special. The Personal Project is the capstone of the Middle Years Program. In order to complete the MYP, every student must take this opportunity to follow a passion, articulate a goal, specify a unique criteria for success, and apply their skills to move through a process of investigating, planning, taking action, and reflecting. The range of topics explored and products created by this year’s cohort was both wide and deep. Our Grade 10s learned to play the guzheng, established an MS Model US delegation, built a computer, quilled a world map, wrote an anthology of short fiction, animated the human experience, and much much more. The Personal Project is unique in that it bridges the routine work of the student–using skills to explore academic subjects in the classroom context–with the work of life, applying these same skills to developing ourselves and contributing to society, within the global contexts in which each of us move every day. It was wonderful to hear the Grade 10s talk about their process and learning through the experience, and to see younger students inspired and engaged, considering the projects they themselves have in mind for the present and future. 

JAZZ MASTER CLASS

This week the High School Jazz Band enjoyed a visit from Walter Blanding, from Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai. Mr. Blanding has been playing saxophone professionally for over 41 years and has performed with many of the jazz greats including Cab Calloway, Wynton Marsalis, and the Count Basie Orchestra. While he was on campus at SCIS, he offered valuable advice to the ensemble about practice techniques and motivation. He also gave helpful feedback to raise the level of music the band is preparing for upcoming performances. We are grateful to Mr Blanding for sharing his time to mentor our young musicians, and also thank Mr Demas and Ms Whiteside for their efforts to facilitate this opportunity for our students. 

Warm regards,

Frank Volpe, PhD                   Naomi Shanks

Upper School Principal           Upper School Vice Principal