espudong

Dear SAS Pudong-campus Parents:

Beginning Friday, October 1, only vehicles bearing an SAS Vehicle Pass will be allowed to proceed to campus from the Shanghai Links gate. Vehicles without the pass will have to register with the Links gate guard to gain entrance.

If you or a driver will be transporting children to the Pudong campus, your vehicle will need to be registered. Please click here ( http://gallery.mailchimp.com/1e2c001e7323bba58b5fbf241/files/SAS_2010_Vehicle_Pass_Application.1.pdf ) to download the SAS Vehicle-Pass Application Form. When completed, it may be scanned and e-mailed to security@saschina.org, or given to a guard at the school’s main gate. (Forms are also available at the main gate.) Note especially the Driving Rules listed on the application. By signing the form, you are pledging to honor them.

Your vehicle pass will be available at the school’s main gate one week from the date you submit your application.

Thank you for supporting our efforts to maintain a safe, secure campus.

Sincerely,

SUPPORT SERVICES OFFICE

Dear SAS Parents:

The Shanghai American School Board of Directors, in keeping with the SAS core values and vision statements, has adopted a Child Protection Policy to guide our staff and families in matters related to the health, safety and care of children in attendance at our school. This policy is so important to SAS that, as your superintendent, I am required to send this letter to parents at the beginning of each school year reminding our community about this truly critical issue.

The SAS Child Protection Policy is based on international law and on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child of which China is a signatory. The two key articles we wish to draw your attention to are:

Article 19 – Protection from abuse and neglect
The State shall protect the child from all forms of maltreatment by parents or others responsible for the care of the child and establish appropriate social programs for the prevention of abuse and the treatment of victims.

Article 34 – Sexual exploitation
The State shall protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse, including prostitution and involvement in pornography.

By enrolling your child at SAS, you agree to work in partnership with the school and abide by the policies adopted by the SAS Board. All of us at SAS want you to know that we genuinely value our partnership with you in providing for the safety and care of your children. It is for this reason that Shanghai American School has endorsed a Child Protection Policy that defines the standards by which all SAS students should be treated with respect and dignity at all times.

The SAS Child Protection Policy:
As part of our overall educational programs and specific to our shared responsibility to educate children, to protect them, and to learn and grow in a safe environment, SAS will:

1. Provide age appropriate lessons for all grade levels to help students understand personal safety, needs and rights.

2. Provide parent materials and information sessions to help you better understand our programs and policy.

3. Annually train faculty to recognize and report issues of abuse and neglect.

We will work together with you to ensure that our children are safe at school and are knowledgeable about their rights and responsibilities to themselves and to each other so that they can grow and learn free of fear in a safe and supportive environment. I thank you for your support of our efforts and invite you to contact your school counselor or principal regarding any specific questions you may have.

Sincerely,
Kerry Jacobson, Ph.D.
Superintendent

As a part of the M Literary Festival, Jane Goodall will be speaking and signing books over a very intimate lunch. Seating is limited to 60 people and we thought that this would be a nice invite to share with your parent groups. General ticket sales are going to be handled through M on the Bund. In order to reserve a seat and get a ticket now, please convey that we can assist with reservations and ticket sales before September 3, 2010. RSVP to Whitney Yang – events@jgi-shanghai.org

Welcome Back Fall BBQ

Save the Date:
Saturday, September 18^th
SAS, Pudong Campus
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

To all Pudong and Puxi SAS Families,

The Pudong PTSAwould like to invite you to the annual Welcome Back Fall BBQ in order to meet our new families and to welcome back our returning families.  This is one of the largest Pudong PTSA events and all the proceeds fund our extensive list of student activities and social events throughout the entire school year.

The Fall BBQ is a full day of fun for the entire family including international food tables from our own SAS community, games, entertainment and free giveaways from several of our sponsors.  We will also have between 50 – 70 different vendors for you to shop.

A very enthusiastic BBQ Committee is working hard to provide a wonderful day for all of us.  We are still looking for volunteers to helpwith a variety of different tasks i.e. tickets sales, games, emceeing a contest, and even entertainment.  This year the SAS Community is going to provide all the entertainment… so if you have talent we want to know about it i.e. magicians, jugglers, musicianetc.  Also if you canhelp facilitate or organize a GuitarHeroor karaoke set-up, we need your help.  If you are interested please contact monica_omara@yahoo.com or 15000220072.

Over 1,200 people are expected to come to the BBQ so we encourage you to buy your tickets now!  You may purchase adult meal tickets at 100 RMB, child meal tickets (5^th grade or younger) at 75 RMB and a block of 10 game tickets for 100 RMB.  If you pre-order before September 8^th you will receive 5 extra tickets for each block of game tickets ordered.

At the Pudong campus ticket pre-order envelopes were sent home last Friday with your youngest child.  Please return completed order forms to your child’s teacher or to the Elementary, Middle or High School offices. Pre-orders will be held at the school for you to pick up at the front gate on Saturday, September 18th.  If you did not receive an envelope please place your money in a white envelope labeled BBQ and the number of meals and game tickets you want.  All ticket orders are non-refundable and please provide the correct amount of money, any additional funds will be considered a donation.

The BBQ is a wonderful opportunity to make new friends. Please join us for a fantastic day for the whole family with food, shopping, games and entertainment!   

In order to provide for the health, safety and well -being of our community, we ask that you please do not bring pets.

Thank you,

The BBQ Committee
SAS-Pudong PTSA

Elementary Open House For Parents

September 8, 2010

Second & Third Grade Presentations 5:00-6:00

Fourth and Fifth Grade 6:00-7:00

Pre-K and K & 1^st Grade Presentations 7:00-8:00

Presentations:

All grade level presentations will begin in the Elementary School library for specialist teacher introductions; introductions will be followed by grade level curriculum presentations and then end with time for families to explore their child’s classroom and talk with teachers.

Dinner & Transportation:

The Food Court will be open from 5:00-7:00 for parents to purchase a light dinner or snack.  Your attendance is supported through optional transportation from Starbucks in Jingqiao.  Buses will depart at 4:15 and return to Starbucks at 8:15.  Secretaries will be available to call taxis for families as well.

What to Expect:

Elementary teachers are looking forward to sharing with you the details of how your children spend their day at SAS, the curriculum that is delivered as well as an opportunity to explore the classroom and instructional materials.  Your attendance is very important.  Presentations are intended for an adult audience, due to time and space restraints, we kindly request that your children enjoy an evening at home.

We all look forward to personally welcoming you to our wonderful school,

Sacha McVean & Jason Robinson

August 26

For a PTSA Parent Information Fair starting at 8:00am followed by a PTSA General Meeting at 9:00 in the Library Lecture Hall

August 30

Korean Parents Coffee will
take place from 10:00am-11:30am at the Lecture Hall

September 1

For a Parent Information Evening hosted by Kerry Jacobson 7-9pm

Location: Big Bamboo
Address: 381 Hong Feng Lu  in Jin Qiao – near Biyun Lu

September 8,  5:00-8:00

Elementary School Open House

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) has determined that a special visit to SAS is in order to clarify several operational issues, particularly those related to the school’s adherence to WASC’s Governance Criterion for accreditation.  In order to be accredited by our organization, schools must develop best practices in governance and consistently adhere to the policies they establish.

The Governance Criterion also includes an expectation that governing bodies will “delegate implementation of policies established by the Board to the school’s professional staff.” Confusion about those lines of responsibility is consistently at the root of long-term issues that can disrupt the healthy functioning of schools.

WASC desires to review the relationship between the SAS Board and the school’s administration and faculty. The school’s accreditation status will be reconsidered in light of several governance-related issues that have been brought to our attention by members of the school community.  Nonetheless, we are optimistic that, through our review, we can help SAS develop even stronger policies and relationships that will sustain its reputation of excellence as an International School.

During our two-day visit, we will be meeting with a number of invited school community members.  Individuals not included in those meetings who wish to participate are encouraged to submit written comments directly to WASC (dbrown@acswasc.org), or to Kerry Jacobson (kerry.jacobson@saschina.org).  We will appreciate having contact information from those submitting comments in the event we should wish to seek follow-up and/or clarification of concerns and perceptions submitted.

We are confident we will together find solutions that will protect the school’s accreditation status, enable higher levels of collaboration, and ultimately ensure the continued quality of learning for every student at SAS.