SHARK The American International School of Rotterdam From the Outgoing Director Dear Parents, We close the semester on a high with the fantastic performance of the Elementary School Play “The Little Prince” last night. If you saw it, youʼll know that we experienced a real treat of a show: the actors, skillfully directed by Mrs. Golder, interpreted a charming story with wit and sensitivity, there was delightful choreography by Ms. Manville, beautiful costumes by Mrs. Lanning and a marvelous set design by Mrs. Lancaster and her team of helpers. All in all, a truly memorable piece of theatre. Today we must say our final farewell to Ms. Marsh, who has made an absolutely amazing contribution to AISR in numerous ways over the last four and a half years. We wish her every success for the future. As we look forward to next semester, you will see certain changes in staffing as a new interim administration takes over. • Mrs. Blitz will take over administration of the school as Interim Director. • Ms. Lipp will become the Middle and High School Principal. During her maternity leave, Ms. Akerboom will take over these responsibilities. • Ms. Lippʼs Mathematics classes will be taken by Ms. Leena Sah. Ms. Sah has recently been helping the Science Department. She has two Masters degrees, in Environmental Science and Zoology from UNESCO-HIE, the Netherlands and Banaras Hindu University, India, respectively, a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Education from the Regional College of Education, Orissa, India. She taught High School courses in Nepal from 1996-2006. • Ms. Lippʼs Social Studies class will be taken by Ms. Amber McCartney. • Ms. Marshʼs Media and Publications class will be taken by Mr. Fitzpatrick. • Ms. Marshʼs Social Studies Grade 6 and 7 classes will be taken by Mr. Badyna. It only remains for me to say goodbye to all of you. I thank all my colleagues, the parent community and the Board of Trustees for the support you have all given me over the last two and a half years. Above all, I should like to thank the students at AISR, your children, for being a constant source of inspiration and delight during my time as your director. As you know, my family will continue to be a part of AISR for the next six months until we all transfer to the Eastern Mediterranean. However, although it is, of course, true that the names of schoolmasters are often written in water, I have never forgotten the schools where I have worked. Thus, there will always be a special place in my affections for the remarkable, irrepressible international community at the end of Nachtegallaan. Keep the dream alive and Go Sharks! Graham Gamble Yearbook Congratulations! Please join us in congratulating Sophie Lancaster and Alexander Chambers as co-editors of the Yearbook Staff. They will be overseeing the final submissions for yearbook and have earned a leadership spot on the staff based on their attention to detail, their positive attitude and their ability to offer constructive advice with respect and compassion. Congratulations, Sophie and Alex, and good luck with all the hard work! 1/3 Bulletin... 16.12.11
Transcript
SHARKThe American International School of Rotterdam
From the Outgoing Director
Dear Parents,
We close the semester on a high with the fantastic performance of the Elementary School Play “The Little Prince” last night. If you saw it, youʼll know that we experienced a real treat of a show: the actors, skillfully directed by Mrs. Golder, interpreted a charming story with wit and sensitivity, there was delightful choreography by Ms. Manville, beautiful costumes by Mrs. Lanning and a marvelous set design by Mrs. Lancaster and her team of helpers. All in all, a truly memorable piece of theatre.
Today we must say our final farewell to Ms. Marsh, who has made an absolutely amazing contribution to AISR in numerous ways over the last four and a half years. We wish her every success for the future.
As we look forward to next semester, you will see certain changes in staffing as a new interim administration takes over.
• Mrs. Blitz will take over administration of the school as Interim Director.• Ms. Lipp will become the Middle and High School Principal. During her maternity leave, Ms. Akerboom will take over these
responsibilities. • Ms. Lippʼs Mathematics classes will be taken by Ms. Leena Sah. Ms. Sah has recently been helping the Science
Department. She has two Masters degrees, in Environmental Science and Zoology from UNESCO-HIE, the Netherlands and Banaras Hindu University, India, respectively, a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Education from the Regional College of Education, Orissa, India. She taught High School courses in Nepal from 1996-2006.
• Ms. Lippʼs Social Studies class will be taken by Ms. Amber McCartney.• Ms. Marshʼs Media and Publications class will be taken by Mr. Fitzpatrick.• Ms. Marshʼs Social Studies Grade 6 and 7 classes will be taken by Mr. Badyna.
It only remains for me to say goodbye to all of you. I thank all my colleagues, the parent community and the Board of Trustees for the support you have all given me over the last two and a half years. Above all, I should like to thank the students at AISR, your children, for being a constant source of inspiration and delight during my time as your director. As you know, my family will continue to be a part of AISR for the next six months until we all transfer to the Eastern Mediterranean. However, although it is, of course, true that the names of schoolmasters are often written in water, I have never forgotten the schools where I have worked. Thus, there will always be a special place in my affections for the remarkable, irrepressible international community at the end of Nachtegallaan. Keep the dream alive and Go Sharks!
Graham Gamble
Yearbook Congratulations!
Please join us in congratulating Sophie Lancaster and Alexander Chambers as co-editors of the Yearbook Staff. They will be overseeing the final submissions for yearbook and have earned a leadership spot on the staff based on their attention to detail, their positive attitude and their ability to offer constructive advice with respect and compassion. Congratulations, Sophie and Alex, and good luck with all the hard work!
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Bulletin...16.12.11
SHARKThe American International School of Rotterdam
From the Elementary Principal
Dear Parents,
What a wonderful performance last night! Again, many thanks to Mrs. Golder, Mr. Gamble and all the cast for a very entertaining evening. The coming three weeks break might provide a wonderful opportunity to try out some of the advice given in this article – enjoy!
Reading with child 'highlight of the day for parents' The survey found 60% of parents of children aged four to six read daily with their child for fun. The poll found parents spent an average of one hour and 26 minutes a week reading with their children in 2011, up from one hour 18 minutes in 2009. For the majority (71%) reading with their child is one of the highlights of their day. But the poll of over 1,000 parents found 18% felt too stressed to do so. Two-fifths (41%) said that a child's tiredness stopped reading together being fun, while 30% cited their own tiredness as a problem. More than a third (36%) of the 1,011 survey participants said they were too tired to spend longer reading.
Childhood memory The research found 60% of parents and carers of children aged four to six read daily with their child for fun, getting through an average of 46 books per child per year. While 51% said they also read daily for school or educational purposes. The research also highlighted how parents valued being read to when they were a child, with 64% saying this was a treasured childhood memory. The poll suggests that daily reading rates have increased rather than decreased over the generations. Just 23% of today's parents said they were read to on a daily basis as a child, compared to the 60% who say they now read for pleasure with their child every day. The book remains the main reading "device", with 86% of respondents saying their child prefers to be read to from a book rather than other media such as e-readers or laptops.
The researchers also canvassed the opinions of 207 teachers of four to six-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland. They found teachers saw a difference between those children who are read to at home and those who are not. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (72% ) attributed developed language skills and more advanced reading levels to those children who regularly enjoyed a shared book time with parents at home. For many people reading to their children is the highlight of their day. And 30% found these pupils tended to be the first to answer questions in class. Some 98% of teachers questioned said they are either very or quite concerned that reading for pleasure does not take place often enough in some homes.
The survey was carried out by pollsters Opinion Matters and was commissioned by the publishers Pearson. Peter Hughes, head of Corporate responsibility at Pearson, said: "A passion for reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give. Good reading skills are the basic cornerstone that helps all of us progress throughout our lives."Books inform, educate, but also inspire. Good reading starts early.
From the BBC News “Education and Family”.
As this will be the last Shark Bulletin of 2011, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy vacation and best wishes for a healthy and happy 2012. I look forward to seeing all of you on Tuesday, January 10. Happy holidays!
SHARKThe American International School of Rotterdam
From the AISR Board
December 16, 2011
Dear AISR School Community,
On behalf of the AISR Board of Directors, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year. May the holidays bring you pleasant memories and much happiness.
We would like to thank Graham Gamble for his leadership and service to the AISR community over the last 2.5 years. We appreciate his dedication to the school and he leaves behind an amazing legacy with our Drama program.
Please help us wish Graham and his family the very best in the future.
In the New Year, we look forward to working with Anne-Marie Blitz as Interim Director and the AISR leadership team. The AISR community is very fortunate to have such strong in house leadership, and we are confident that the school will continue to grow and thrive in 2012.
