SAS Puxi Elementary School

Dear Parents,

Our students had a great first week of school. We developed some routines with our children. We had our first fire drill on Friday and students did a great job quietly getting to their locations on the field with their teachers.

Students wrote about their summer experiences in their classrooms last week. We were so impressed to hear all that they have accomplished – many of our students traveled to far away destinations, some went to camps, some went to academic academies, and all students just enjoyed time off from school.

We want to welcome our new teachers at Puxi Elementary School. Take time to welcome them – Shauna Covell (PreK), Erin McCall (PreK), Brenda Erickson (K), Lori Dickinson (K), Martha Moselle (ESOL), Nina Rosa (AS), Chrystal Nicolai (1st), Dena Zingles (5), Michelle Katz (5), Molly Doud (5), Eric Nicolai (PE)

Reminder:

Students who live in Westwood Green West (Phase I) and Santa Fe need to return the Cycling/Walking permission slip to their child’s teacher as soon as possible.

Some events coming up in the next several weeks to keep on your radar:

• Monday, September 6 – After-School Activity (ASA) Forms will come home.
• Wednesday, September 15 – 9:00-10:30am Parent Coffee                                                                                    10:30-11:30 Parent-to-Parent Coffee                                                                          6:30-8:15 pm Grades 3-5 Open House (PAC)

• Thursday, September 16 – 6:30-8:15 Grades PreK- 2 Open House (PAC)

Welcome!

Dr. Lane, Principal

Parents are invited to join us at the Parent Information Fair, on   Wednesday, Aug 25,2010

At the Performing Arts Center, SAS Puxi Campus, between 10 am and 1 pm.

Sponsored by Puxi PTSA, The Parent Information Fair was organized to help our community be acquainted with a sample of the various services, activities and goods that are available in Shanghai.  These are some of the services and activities provided by our vendors: -

Boy Scouts of America

Scouting has been a tradition for more than 100 years now, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is one of the nation’s largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. The BSA provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness.

FIRST – Parametric Technology Corporation

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology), in collaboration with PTC, is bringing the FIRST Tech Challenge to Shanghai international schools this year.  FIRST is a great opportunity for students to combine STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects with hands-on learning, critical and creative thinking, and business, presentation and teamwork skills.  FIRST is recognized internationally for its innovative programs.  Events and teams are sponsored by companies and organizations such as:  PTC, GM, Boeing, FedEx, JCPenney,  Xerox, BAE Systems, NASA, MIT, Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon.

Jia@Minhang, Shanghai

Jia is a pioneer lifestyle studio worldwide promoting the health healing benefits of a holistic fitness program adapted from traditional Chinese Martial Arts for the mind, body & spirit. Led by our world-class Shaolin Master* our Jia Kungfu Kids have performed at Charity, Corporate, Government & Fund Raising Events, Functions, Commercials & Movie Premieres throughout Singapore & Shanghai. They have been featured on television programs, magazines, international commercials & Hollywood movies.

 New York Dental Clinic

New York Dental Clinic offers a variety of dental services to both local and foreign/expatriate clients in Shanghai, China. The founding dentists at New York Dental Clinic are passionate about dentistry and they are doing it to the highest standard possible. Our goal is to provide top-quality dental care that changes people’s lives. From great comfort and faster healing to exquisite attention to detail for esthetic procedures, the ultimate pursuit is unsurpassed results. Our team of U.S. doctors includes specialists who can cover all the dental needs.

Shanghai United Family Hospital

Shanghai United Family Hospital and Clinics (SHU) is the first international standard healthcare service hospital established in Shanghai.  Our sole mission is to provide comprehensive, integrated healthcare services in a uniquely warm and caring patient and family service-oriented environment.  Apart from our full service hospital in Changning district, we also have a clinic at the Shanghai Racquet Club in Minhang.  Our newest clinic just opened this month and is located at the HuaShan Hospital International Division in Jinqiao, Pudong.

Children’s Technology Workshop

Academic & After-School Workshops in Mechanical and Audio Engineering, Robotics Programming, Animation Alive, Video Game Design, Architecture, Energy, Digital Art & Digital Photography, Holiday Camps, School Events and Birthday Parties for children aged 3 to 14.

We are opening our doors to a successful new school year. Over the last several days we have been eagerly watching some new construction happening at our school, especially our new cover being built over our courtyard. We are counting the days down until our students arrive. Please take time to introduce yourselves to me as I would like to meet our families and welcome our students. If this is your first time on our campus don’t hesitate to ask our office staff for any clarifying questions.

Here are some dates to put on your calendar:

Monday, August 16 ~ 1:30p.m. Class Lists will be showcased in our main hallway.

Families may visit with new teachers between 2:00 and 3:00. Eurest Food Service, YEAP Bus Service, and the bookstore will be available for family support and lunch card loading.

Tuesday, August 17 ~ First Day of School for Students

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us in our front office. Again, we look forward to a successful year with our SAS students!

Dr. Lane, Principal

Details on our website or inquire with our admissions office

Dear Parents,

Tim Chan, our PowerSchool point person, will be holding a PowerSchool training session if you want to get this re-enrollment process finished before you leave for summer. That way you will have it finished when you return and can avoid the rush.

The day is Wednesday, June 9th at 11:30.

Please come to the library if you are interested in getting help with the process. Tim is a wonderful trainer and will help you through the entire process.

Dear Elementary Parents,

As we close yet another successful school year in the SAS Elementary we just wanted to notify our families of a change in computing platforms for the 2010-2011 academic year. This past year was our final year operating in the Windows XP environment for our student platform. 2010-2011 will see all divisions at SAS on the MAC platform. The transition is consistent with the SAS vision and mission and our technology goals for 2012. Moving the entire SAS computing platform to Mac OS was adopted in 2008 for school-wide implementation.

This year all teachers were given MacBooks in August so that they would gain familiarity with the Mac OS and the different applications at their disposal for technology integration into your child’s curriculum. Having two platforms this year has proved a challenge and teachers and students alike are excited to all be working on one platform next year (not to mention our IT staff is also breathing a sigh of relief).

For the 2010-2011 Academic Year all Dell laptops-4 in every classroom k-3 will be replaced by Mac Minis running the latest version of Mac’s OS, Snow Leopard. These machines will be complete with all the iLife and iWork applications as well as a myriad of other applications including Microsoft Office that the tech integrators have selected to make your child’s experience with technology as educational and engaging as possible.

In grades 3,4, and 5 all the Windows XP laptop carts will be replaced with MacBooks. These machines will have the same applications installed as the desktop machines. Both computer labs in the ES Library as well as the computers around the ES Library will also be switched over to Mac Minis or MacBooks.  This will complete the full transition to a consistent, adopted educational computing platform for SAS PK-12.

As is our current practice, the technology resource facilitators will be working with your child’s class to ensure that they receive the proper instruction on using these machines and the installed software.

If you have questions or concerns regarding the move to the Mac platform in the elementary school please feel free to email Kris Sheehan (kris.sheehan@saschina.org) or Jeff Dungan (jeff.dungan@saschina.org).

Yours in technology,

Jeff and Kris

Dear students and parents:

Your kindness and generosity over the past year and a half towards the Jacaranda School has been outstanding and I thank you for this.  In March 2008, I accidentally stumbled across the Jacaranda School while on a Habitat trip to Malawi.  At that time I didn’t know what it meant, but after hearing Marie Da Silva speak at Harvard University, in March 2009, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.  This small school for AIDS orphans has changed my life.  My fund raising projects, with the huge help from Shanghai American School, have raised almost $70,000 to date.  This money has provided bathrooms, desks, textbooks and a nurse for the school and on June 1st the construction of Science Labs will begin.

Last week I sent a shipment of textbooks, school supplies, clothes, toy/games, sports equipment and much more to the Jacaranda School and I would like to thank you for your donations in this effort.  In 3 weeks, 24 SAS students and 4 teachers will arrive at the Jacaranda School for our 2nd visit and I can assure you this will be a very powerful experience for these students and teachers.

To see a video of the shipment, check either of the following links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS41K1kd6lU

http://portal.saschina.org/video/media/16506/Shipment_to_Jacaranda/

It is an honor to work at Shanghai American School and have the support of the school community for this project. The students and teachers at Jacaranda are truly grateful for your kindness. You can see our progress at the following link.

http://www.firstgiving.com/robertburke

Thank you so much.

Mr. Burke

Letter from the Admission Office

Dear Parents:

The mandatory re-enrollment process at the Shanghai American School is required for all parents of returning students for the 2010-2011 school year.  This year it will no longer be in the printed format.  We will have the entire packet in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. The first day parents can re-enroll their child(ren) on the portal is Friday, May 14, 2010.

All components of the re-enrollment packet need to be completed by the start of school on Tuesday, August 17, 2010. SAS recognizes the importance of streamlining this annual process thus we are moving from the past hardcopy process to the eco-friendly PowerSchool alternative.  We have tested and examined the Parent Portal and determined that it is the best place to gather and securely store this important data for all parents and students.

It is necessary we ask that student and parent documentation be updated annually, verifying that the proper passport, residency and visa documents are on file for each child and parent. In addition, we ask you to read and sign the Re-Enrollment Agreement, update any new immunizations, make any changes to your student’s medical history and update the emergency contact information in order to complete the re-enrollment process this coming school year.  If your child is entering grades 3, 6, 9, or 11, a physical examination is required in addition to updating the medical information.

Below are step-by-step, very detailed instructions that will guide you through the process of re-enrollment. It is very important to familiarize yourself with these steps before you begin. When you log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal, the Re-Enrollment Process icon is on the navigation bar located at the top of the page. You must log into the PowerSchool Portal to re-enroll. Click here to go directly to PowerSchool to log in and then follow the instructions below:

Please get ready the passport and visa for parents and students, and the medical information for students before you get started. Make sure you use Firefox or Safari as your internet browser.

Click on the Re-Enrollment icon and follow the detailed instructions as indicated:

Step 1

Re-Enrollment Agreement: Click on the “Re-Enrollment Agreement and Statements of Terms & Conditions” link to go to the Re-Enrollment Agreement with the Terms & Conditions.  Please read this agreement form carefully and agree to all the terms and conditions. The parent that submits the agreement must enter under Signatory: Mother or Father, Passport Number, Expiration Date and the Date of Agreement to complete the process. Then click the submit button to submit the form. This agreement is required for each child to be re-enrolled into the school. You can keep a copy of the agreement for your reference by clicking on the printer icon. However, you do not need to return the hard copy to the school.

Note: After submitting each process of this agreement, you need to click continue to move to the next process.

Passport & Visa Information (Student): Update the student’s passport and visa information. Only fill in the applicable fields for your child on this page in each section and then submit.  Press continue: this will go directly to the Upload page for you to upload the scanned Passport and Visa and/or Travel documents. Please upload the photo identification page of the passport and the current valid visa and/or residency-permit page.  Follow the instructions carefully before uploading the file. Click Choose File, then choose the file that you want to upload and click the UpLoad button. When you have finished uploading your files, go back to the Upload page and click continue.

Note: If you do not have scanning capabilities on your printer or computer, please come to the Office of Admission with your required official documents. The admission assistant will scan them into your Parent Portal.  It is important to call ahead of time to make sure that someone is available to assist you in this important process.

Step 2

Medical Form Guidelines: Click on the link and read carefully all the detailed information on the Medical Form Guidelines. These detailed instructions clearly outline what is required by the school in order for your child(ren) to attend next school year. Additionally, we have included all of the divisional nurses and the names of and contact information for Medical Clinics in Shanghai for your reference.

Emergency Contacts / Medical History (Two emergency contacts are required):Review the emergency contacts the school has now and update or add as required. You then need to update your child’s medical history before you submit. (Once you have completed and submitted any new contacts and the medical history, the portal will generate an email to the divisional nurse’s inbox for her review.  However, your child’s divisional nurse will contact you if she has any questions or if you do not submit any emergency contacts and medical information by the start of school.)

Immunization Records: Please review the information that is part of your child’s immunization records. Note that the dates on top of the boxes are what we have in our database. If the date on top is correct, leave the box blank.

If the date on top is incorrect, enter the correct date in the box immediately below the incorrect date. For additional vaccination dates of the same vaccine, enter the new date in the blank box to the right of the last vaccination date. Make sure the date format is MM/DD/YYYY.

Medication Permission: Check individual boxes or the “Check All” box to give the nurse permission to administer some or all of these medications.

Emergency Care Permission: Check the box to give permission to the school  to provide emergency care to your child(ren) if necessary. (Once you have completed and submitted these forms, the portal will send an email to the divisional nurse’s inbox for their review. Your child’s divisional nurse will contact you if she has any questions or if you do not submit any required immunizations, medical permission or emergency care permission by the start of school.)

Medical Examination: For students entering grades 3, 6, 9, 11: Click on this link to print the form for you to take to the doctor’s office. Make certain the form is completed in its entirety and signed by a doctor. You are required to return the completed and signed form to your child’s next school year’s divisional nurse’s office no later than the start of the new school year on Tuesday, August 17, 2010.

Step 3 (Optional)

Transportation Form (Students who have transferred campuses or who have moved to a different housing compound): If your child has transferred campuses and/or moved to another housing compound, you need to complete the form and choose from a list of approved major compounds and re-agree to the terms and conditions. (Once you complete and submit the new transportation form, the portal will generate an email to the transportation coordinator on your child’s campus. The transportation office will contact you within three business days before the new transportation route is approved.)

STEP 4

Parents’ Passport and Visa Upload: AFTER COMPLETING YOUR CHILD’S RE-ENROLLMENT PROCESS, PARENTS NEED TO UPLOAD YOUR INFORMATION. (Note: Parents only need to do this for one child if you have multiple children.) To begin, you will need to switch to parent under the navigator and click the re-enrollment process icon again. Then follow the directions on the previous page under “Passport and Visa information (student)”; Be certain to complete information for both parents. These documents are required annually to verify that proper residency permits and visas are maintained for each student and parent.  The Shanghai Education Commission reviews these documents annually in October and requires them to be accurate.

The re-enrollment process for SAS has been one of the most paper- and labor-intensive projects of the year for parents and the school’s admission staff and nurses.  However, the new re-enrollment process through the PowerSchool Parent Portal will dramatically change the entire process, allowing you to input and update your child(ren)’s information online.  Submitting this information to the school using PowerSchool is efficient, timely and benefits everyone.

During the upcoming school year if any of the information that you have entered changes, you can return to the PowerSchool database and update the information at any time.

As always, we appreciate your support and assistance through this important process. If you have any questions, please email the Office of Admission at admission@saschina.org.

Sincerely,

T.K. Ostrom, Director of Admission

The Office of Admission

6221-1445 ext. 2152

tk.ostrom@saschina.org

Dear Parents & Friends,

Due to increased security measures on SAS campuses, all MS & HS students, staff and guests are required to wear ID badges at all times. Please know that you will be required to show an ID or sign-in at the entrance of the school for entry. We encourage you to support this request as it is intended to keep our community and children safe. Thank you:-)

Michelle Baxter
Vice Principal
Puxi Elementary School

May 7, 2010

Dear Parents,

 Parents and students may notice an increased security presence around our campuses.  The Public Security Bureau visited the school on April 20^th and informed the school that they would increase the security presence around the school due to the Expo.  On May 5^th, in response to recent attacks on local schools in other parts of China, the Chinese government directed the Public Security Bureau to station officers at all schools, both local and international schools, during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal times.  The school’s Director of Security and guard force will continue to work closely with the local PSB officials to coordinate the overall security of the school.