China Host Culture Student Detectives on the Case! Tips for Teaching Chinese Characters

SHANGHAI COMMUNITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NOV/DEC 2016 INTERNATIONAL MINDEDNESS TABLE OF CONTENTS P. 4 // Director of School’s Letter Features P. 5-7 // Theme Feature Earning the “I” in SCIS International Mindedness and the IB Can Education Create ESOL: Communicating in Our a More Peaceful World? International Community International Mindedness in the IB It’s Dragon Time! P. 8-13 // Curriculum International Mindedness in the PYP P. 14-15 // Community Snaps Reimagining “Once Upon a Time” 24-25 // China Host Culture Student Detectives on the Case! Tips for Teaching Chinese Characters P. 16-17 // Pudong Campus Highlight China Go! Trips: Campus Learning and Applying Through Highlights Our Host Culture P. 18-20 // Hongqiao Campus Highlight SCIS HQ Boys Repeat as ACAMIS Tournament Champions! P. 21 // Hongqiao ECE Campus Highlight Basking in the Holiday Spirit at the ECE Winter Concert P. 23 // Favorite Spot in The City Magicians at Work Community P. 26-27 // Teacher Spotlight Inspiring Creativity: Chandler Dayton P. 34-35 // The Librarian Corner Book Recommendations for All Ages P. 28-29 // Student Spotlight PAFA Finding Pets a New Home: Lucy Zeng P. 36-37 // The IFF: A Celebration of Nations Family Spotlight P. 30-31 // P. 38-39 // Partner Getting to Know the Akyazici Family The Finnish School of Shanghai Finnish Language, Culture, and Friends! P. 32-33 // Alumni Spotlight The Multi-Talented Veterinarian Flu Season Are We Ready to Face It? 4 DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL’S LETTER THEME FEATURE 5 Dear SCIS Community and Friends, must be developed through an accumulation of opportunities and Earning the “I” in SCIS Our task, as an educational community, is to support, engage, experiences that build on each other. on their own perspectives, but on the perspectives of others. and guide our students toward a constant path of learning. This process is only possible because If we can truly appreciate, in a critical way, the beliefs, values, As a uniquely international institution, Shanghai Community we, as a community, share a belief experiences, and ways of knowing that other cultures represent International School (SCIS) has an additional role of ensuring that international mindfulness is an then we have a chance to meaningfully increase intercultural that our students are able to develop within a wonderfully outcome we aspire to for our children. understanding and, by extension, international mindedness. diverse community of students, faculty, and families. It is within that charge that we have also identified the need to support the So, while we rightfully take pride in our diversity at SCIS, that One of the best ways to support international mindedness, development of an internationally minded student. diversity is not the only aspect of ‘international’ that defines the and where I truly believe SCIS has great potential, is through “I” in SCIS. We are a forward thinking school community. One global engagement. By exploring local and global issues, The first question to address is what does being internationally- that seeks out opportunities for our students to develop an including aspects of the environment, development, conflict, minded actually mean? There are multiple definitions to be international mindset. This is what we believe will best prepare human rights, cooperation and governance, we can develop found, some that stem from action-based notions of raising them to be solution finders in a world that already has enough awareness, perspectives and commitments necessary to engage the bar for all people by creating a world that is at peace, problem identifiers. Join the conversation about international- ’ve had the great fortune of working overseas since 1997, and with these issues. without hunger and poverty. A prevailing concept of being mindfulness at home, with your child’s teacher, and within our ISCIS is the seventh school that I’ve called home. All of these internationally minded is focused on the idea that being aware of school community. Together, we will continue to share, discuss were considered international schools by name, but I would We have spent a great deal of time creating units of study in and supporting the needs of others is equal or even greater than and further define what it means to our students, our school, argue that it is a distinction that must be earned. all subjects that go beyond content to the bigger ideas and one’s own wants and needs. While this concept is being put to and our future. concepts that allow students to engage more deeply with issues. the test in many corners of the world, it does seem to outline Being international must be part of the fabric of a school and the most likely definition of international-mindedness—the path As this will be our final Communitas of the 2016 year, I wish should be embedded in its mission and approach. Similarly, we look to empower students to be active learners in from ‘me’ to ‘we.’ you all a wonderful and relaxing winter break. We will also all areas of the curriculum, and we are committed to service in have some families moving over the break, so I will take International is not something you just get to call yourself by the community. This is promoted through Action and Service As a community, we can support our students in developing this opportunity to thank you for being a part of our truly virtue of geography, or by the number of students from different in the MYP, and CAS – creativity, action, and service – in the a stronger sense of not only themselves and their own unique international learning community and we wish you all the best countries that attend. And, while having a school that offers Diploma Programme. Students are encouraged to think of identity, but a strong sense of awareness toward other people, in your new school. Finally, as this is a time where many families something unique from the host country system, having a solid our front gate as being permeable – allowing them out into customs, and cultures. In doing so, we will be supporting our celebrate holidays together, please enjoy your travels, be safe, mission statement, and having a diverse student body are great the community to explore and interact with stakeholders, children in being capable members of what is bound to be a and take the time to slow down and enjoy your time together. starting points, to truly be international we need to focus on our organizations and experiences, and conversely allowing the globally interconnected future. It is the students walking through We look forward to seeing you in 2017 and, as always, mindset by embracing the concept of international mindedness. community into the school. our hallways today that will need to pull together the countries gooo Dragons! of the world to meet the shared challenges of climate change, IB focusses on three key areas to help schools think about Global engagement then is a commitment we make to students terrorism, and poverty. Thus, it is our charge to develop SCIS Sincerely, international mindedness. This includes multilingualism, to expose them to humanity’s greatest challenges, to have them students to be creative problem solvers that are capable of intercultural understanding, and global engagement. think critically about them and consider the concepts of power viewing issues through not one, but many perspectives. Multilingualism supports and privilege, and to get them to see that they hold the earth and its resources in trust for future generations. SCIS has joined the growing network of International complex, dynamic Baccalaureate schools because we share the vision of developing Daniel D. Eschtruth learning through a I believe the “I” in SCIS – being an international school - is internationally mindful learners. We understand that this frame Director of Schools variety of forms of something we have earned, but it is also something we continue of mind cannot be taught in a single lesson or unit, rather it Shanghai Community International School expression in more than one language. This is to work on, ensuring that we continue to merit that distinction. further supported by a commitment to mother tongue languages. Communitas is about community Communitas is published SCIS and IB firmly believe in the idea of bilingual diplomas and Barclay Lelievre is the High School and we rely on contributions from eight times per year for research shows that these students retain a positive attitude Principal at SCIS Hongqiao. He has the SCIS community. the SCIS community, our friends, toward their own language and cultural background, which leads NOV/DEC 2016 been working internationally for 15 and the larger to increased self-esteem and the resulting benefits. Should you have any commentary, Shanghai community. years and in IB World Schools since Editor:Editor: Lili Lili Shi Shi 2004. He has worked with the IB observations, wish to submit articles, SCIS currently supports mother tongue, either directly or through Art Director: Mun Yee Choo Organization as a workshop leader and or inquire as to ways to collaborate, We are social! Feel free self-study, in a number of languages including Swedish, Korean, examiner, and as the author/editor of Designer:Designer: AllesAlles ZhengZheng feel free to send all to visit us on the web at Mandarin, Italian, Japanese, Russian, French, Spanish, and Dutch. inquiries or correspondence to www.scis-china.org and follow us! several MYP publications Do you have a story to tell, a project the Communitas editor Intercultural understanding goes beyond the “flags, food, fashion, to share, or art to be displayed? Let via email at festivals” model to get students to recognize and reflect not only Communitas be a platform for your voice. [email protected]. 6 THEME FEATURE THEME FEATURE 7 International Mindedness and the IB Can Education Create is based.

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