SAS Puxi High School

Dear Senior Parents:

Graduation season is upon us!   May is a month filled with final events, celebrations and exams.  I’d like to share with you the following information regarding upcoming events that pertain to your senior students.

1.  IB and AP Exams have commenced and will continue through until May 25^th.   Consult with IB Coordinator Kathy Anderson or AP Coordinator, Gregg Kerr for further details.

2.  Senior Exams:  Regular course final exams for senior students will occur on May 21^st to May 23^rd.   An exam schedule will be published soon.

3.  Graduation Rehearsal and Senior Brunch: Due to AP make up exams, we have changed the timing of the graduation rehearsal and senior brunch.  Please note the following:

FRIDAY, MAY 25th

Graduation Rehearsal*: 10:00 – 12:00 (PAC)

* The rehearsal is mandatory for all senior students.

Academic Awards Assembly:  1:00 – 2:55 PM:  The academic awards assembly is scheduled for Friday, May 25^th at 1:00 PM in the PAC.   Seniors must attend this assembly.   Due to space restrictions, this is an invite only assembly.

Senior Bruch: 3:00 – 6:00 PM (Covered Area and Courtyard)

Afterschool activity buses will run on a normal schedule.

5.   Graduation:  The graduation ceremony for the Class of 2012 will occur on Sunday, May 27^th at 2:00 PM.  This year’s ceremony will take place at the beautiful Shanghai Culture Square.   A cocktail reception will follow the ceremony in the foyer of the theatre.    Announcement cards and tickets will be issued shortly.

I hope that you can attend the final HS Principals’ Coffee of the school year, next Wednesday, May 2nd at 10:00 AM.  This month’s coffee will be in the Performing Arts Center and will include topics such as:

1. A student guitar performance

2.  Department spotlight – Chinese Department

3.  College Acceptances – The Season in Review!

4.  Virtual High School

We hope to see you there!

Welcome  back!   Semester Two learning and activities continue on Monday, April 9th.   A number of important events are on the horizon.  Please save the date for the following school events:

Thursday, April 12th:  HS Principals’ Coffee (10:00 – 12:00) in the PAC.

Topics Include:  Parent Teacher survey, SAS Summer School, curricular spotlight on Science, and a presentation on AP.   At 11:00 AM, the Counseling department will also present on the topic of ‘positive pyschology’ and its impact on student learning.

As a part of this presentation, we are honored to host a screening of the new documentary film “The Happy Movie”(www.thehappymovie.com/) which has an SAS alumni connection!   A light lunch will be served for those staying for the movie, prior to the parent teacher conferences at 12:30 PM in the HS Gym.

Thursday, April 12th:  Parent Teacher Conferences – Arena style in the HS Gymnasium from 12:30 – 5:00 PM

Friday, April 13th:  Parent Teacher Conferences – By appointment in teachers’ classrooms from 12:30 – 3:30 PM

Friday, April 13th:  IB Art Show Opening and Spring Concert in the PAC (3:30 – 8:00  PM)

MID-SEMESTER REPORTS:  Mid-Semester report cards will be sent home with students this Wednesday (March 21^st).   Please ask your child to discuss their progress to date and brainstorm strategies for further improvement.   Don’t forget to celebrate their success and achievement!

Save the dates of April 12^th and 13^th for afternoon Parent Teacher conferences.  We hope that you can attend.

Remember to register for ‘single password sign in” on PowerSchool (See instructions below) to have access to more detailed learner information.

Grade Nine Parents:  This Wednesday, you will receive a pilot report card that features the “Student Learner Profile”.   The SLP contains 8 academic behavioral traits.  In addition to an academic grade, teachers will also provide an SLP grade for each trait – Active Learning, Integrity and Responsibility.

The report card will be followed with a parent survey, asking for your feedback on the format of the new report card.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL MICROCAMPUS KICKS OFF!

A hearty good luck and congratulations to our friends in the Middle School who left this weekend to experience a month ‘studying abroad’ at our SAS ‘micro-campus’ in Yunnan province.

Their journey is historic, pioneering and represents a new type of experiential learning for international schools.  Once again, SAS teachers and students are trailblazers.

Congratulations and safe travels to Mr. Craig Tafel and his team of 12 students.   I encourage you to follow their experience by bookmarking their blog  (http://www.sasmicrocampus.com/)

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PARENT WORKSHOP – Back and Neck Pain

You are invited to an informal talk and Q&A session with Dr. Ryan Pfeifer, from the Institute for Western Surgery. Dr. Pfeifer will be speaking about current approaches in non-surgical treatment of back and neck pain in the SAS Puxi Upper Cafeteria on Thursday March 22, from 3:15-4 PM.

Please click on this flyer for more information.

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POWERSCHOOL PARENT LOGIN

Parent Guide to Accessing Student Information with “Single Sign-on” Enhancement in PowerSchool

We are excited to announce the release of the Single Sign-on for the Parent Portal of PowerSchool. This new enhancement now allows parents to access information for all their children through a single sign-on. This new functionality is available only for parents and students will continue to use their current ID and Password.

If you haven’t already started using this new enhancement, this Quick Reference Guide is designed to assist you through the process of enabling and setting up your Parent Single Sign-on in PowerSchool.

To begin, you must utilize the individualized email from PowerSchool, which was sent out on March 13 with the parents and each child’s username and password. If you did not received this email, please contact the SAS PowerSchool administrators, Arlette Pimentel, Pudong campus, and Tim Chan, Puxi campus, at powerschool@saschina.org.

For your added convenience, we have created the following resources:

• Activated the PowerSchool 7.0 language tool enhancement for those who prefer to read the instructions in Chinese, Korean, or Filipino.
• Translated all the information in the PowerSchool parent email and the instructions into Chinese and Korean.
• Developed the following videos on each school division’s blog, and on the start page of PowerSchool:

1. a. How to create your own single sign-on account.
2. b. How to add additional children to your account in case of newly accepted students.
3. c. What to do when you forget your username or password.

To Begin, please follow the steps below to create your new account. Once you have done this, you will only need to remember your single, self-created username and password to access information for you and all of your children. If you forget your username or password, you can retrieve it yourself by clicking on the “Have trouble signing in?” link on the login page.

Parent Guide “Single Sign-on” Enhancement:

Follow the steps below to create your new account with your preferred username and password:

1. Open the Internet browser on your computer.

2.  Type powerschool.saschina.org into the address bar.

3.  Before you log in, you MUST click the Create Account button.

• Enter your first name, last name, and email address.

Note: Please remember the email address that you use to set this account. You need this email address to retrieve your username and password if you misplaced it.

• Create your desired username. (The username cannot contain any of the following special characters * & . @ < >. )
• Create a password for the account. The password must be at least 6 characters long. Reenter the password for confirmation.
• To complete the “Link Students to Account” portion, type in your child’s name, Access ID, Access Password, and relationship to each child to link them to your parent account.
• To finalize the parent account, you must then link each parent to your new account. Type in each parent’s name, Access ID, Access Password, and your relationship to your child. This process will link all family members to the new parent account.
• Click the Enter button. If all your information is correct, and if the username you chose is available, you will be greeted with a Congratulations message and the login screen.

Note: If there is an error, please read the comments, correct the    information, and press the Enter button again.

Go ahead start using your newly created username and password. Once you log in, you will have the ability to move from one child to another.

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UPCOMING COLLEGE VISITS

Mon March 19, 2012 9:30 AM

School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Wed March 21, 2012          9:30 AM

University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute          http://www.umji.sjtu.edu.cn/en/

What could be better than two world class universities in two great countries offering a joint program?

Thu March 22, 2012 12:30 PM MODUL University Vienna

Wed March 28, 2012 9:30 AM University of Sydney

Wed March 28, 2012          9:30 AM Yonsei University         

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Robin Hood is coming!

Come and see the fantastic tale of the famous thief that stole from the rich and gave to the poor.  Join him in his quest for truth and justice and see the story of his childhood romance enfold.  The PAC will host 3 performances on Thursday, March 22 at 7:00pm, Friday March 23 at 3:30pm and again at 7:00pm.  Tickets are 40rmb and can be purchased from the Box Office, the middle school office or directly through Mrs. McGarrigle. Sword fighting, romance, thieves, and Kings… Robin Hood has it all!

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The SAS Annual Fund – Give to SAS!

Have you made your gift to the annual fund yet? Our goal is 100% participation. Every gift is important! Go online to make a gift or drop your red envelope at any division office or the finance office. Be a part of the 100%. Make your gift TODAY!

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2012 SAS Centennial Gala: Got your tickets yet?

An Evening of Celebration: April 21, 2012, 7:00-11:00 pm

Space is limited at this very special event so purchase your tickets quickly to secure your seat. You may buy your tickets online at www.saschina.org or pay at the finance office. Hurry and get yours TODAY. . . (This is an adult only, black-tie event)

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COURSE REQUEST UPDATES:

At this point, all students made course requests for SY 2012-2013.  Mr. Kidd and Mr. Sheehan are busy interpreting the data and making decisions about course allocations and section numbers.    Please be aware that some course will be cut (not offered) due to low enrollment numbers.  Decisions will be made and communicated to parents and students within the next month.

Counselors will be contacting parents and students if there is a concern from teachers or counselors regarding the weight of a student’s requested course load or if there is a concern about the suitability of a particular course.  If necessary, families will be required to sign a “Course Waiver” form indicating that they are overriding the advice of the school in selecting a certain course.  This only applies for students who meet the pre-requisites of the course.

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HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION:

We are very pleased to announce that this year’s ceremony to celebrate the commencement of the Class of 2012 will take place in the afternoon of Sunday, May 27^th (time to be announced at a later date).  This year’s venue is the gorgeous Shanghai Culture Square on Fuxing lu in the former French Concession.  More details will be published in the coming weeks and months.

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ATHLETIC RESULTS:

Our track and field team competed on the weekend at the International School of Manila.   Eight school records fell over the weekend competition including:

* Mei Kai Koh = 400m

* Jun Park = 100m

* Dorothy Chow = 100m and Long Jump

* Daniel Osaki = Javelin

* Boys 4 x 100m Relay (Jun Park, Daniel Alter, Raymond Chang, Carson Wong)

* Raymond Chang – 200m

* Dorothy Chow – triple jump, 100m hurdles

* Girls 4×100m relay – Lily Tan, Dorothy Chow, Vicky Chen, Jocelyn Shih

JV and Varsity Girls softball competed in China Cup at International School of Beijing.  Both teams earned 3^rd place after Sunday’s games were canceled due to snow.

JV and Varsity – Boys and Girls competed for the China Cup at SAS Puxi on the weekend.  Varsity boys and girls placed 4^th.  Junior varsity boys and girls both placed in 2^nd place.  Well done!

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IMPORTANT DATES:

MAR. 21^st:  Mid Semester Report Cards sent home (Grade 9 students will be piloting a new report card which features a “Learner Profile”.)

MAR. 23 and 24^th:  Relay for Life

APR. 7^th: April HS Principal’s Coffee (LMC at 10:00 am)

SUN., MAY 27th - High School Graduation (Time and location TBA soon)

PARENT WORKSHOP – Back and Neck Pain

You are invited to an informal talk and Q&A session with Dr. Ryan Pfeifer, from the Institute for Western Surgery. Dr. Pfeifer will be speaking about current approaches in non-surgical treatment of back and neck pain in the SAS Puxi Upper Cafeteria on Thursday March 22, from 3:15-4 PM.

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CHINA CUP WEEKEND – GO EAGLES GO!

Boys and Girls Soccer @ SASPX .  CLICK HERE FOR THE SCHEDULE OF GAMES.

First games of soccer start tonight…and they continue all day Saturday and Sunday morning

3.30 GJV vs HKIS

4.45 BJV1 vs HKIS; BJV2 vs ISB

6.00 Girls Varsity vs ISB

7.15 Boys Varisty vs ISB

Badminton @ HKIS  - GO EAGLES!

Softball @ ISB  - GO EAGLES!

Track & Field @ International School of Manila  - GO EAGLES!

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“TWO SISTERS” COMING TO THE PAC STAGE – FRIDAY, APRIL 20th

POWERSCHOOL PARENT LOGIN

Parent Guide to Accessing Student Information with “Single Sign-on” Enhancement in PowerSchool

We are excited to announce the release of the Single Sign-on for the Parent Portal of PowerSchool. This new enhancement now allows parents to access information for all their children through a single sign-on. This new functionality is available only for parents and students will continue to use their current ID and Password.

If you haven’t already started using this new enhancement, this Quick Reference Guide is designed to assist you through the process of enabling and setting up your Parent Single Sign-on in PowerSchool.

To begin, you must utilize the individualized email from PowerSchool, which was sent out on March 13 with the parents and each child’s username and password. If you did not received this email, please contact the SAS PowerSchool administrators, Arlette Pimentel, Pudong campus, and Tim Chan, Puxi campus, at powerschool@saschina.org.

For your added convenience, we have created the following resources:

• Activated the PowerSchool 7.0 language tool enhancement for those who prefer to read the instructions in Chinese, Korean, or Filipino.
• Translated all the information in the PowerSchool parent email and the instructions into Chinese and Korean.
• Developed the following videos on each school division’s blog, and on the start page of PowerSchool:

1. a. How to create your own single sign-on account.
2. b. How to add additional children to your account in case of newly accepted students.
3. c. What to do when you forget your username or password.

To Begin, please follow the steps below to create your new account. Once you have done this, you will only need to remember your single, self-created username and password to access information for you and all of your children. If you forget your username or password, you can retrieve it yourself by clicking on the “Have trouble signing in?” link on the login page.

Parent Guide “Single Sign-on” Enhancement:

Follow the steps below to create your new account with your preferred username and password:

1. Open the Internet browser on your computer.

2.  Type powerschool.saschina.org into the address bar.

3.  Before you log in, you MUST click the Create Account button.

• Enter your first name, last name, and email address.

Note: Please remember the email address that you use to set this account. You need this email address to retrieve your username and password if you misplaced it.

• Create your desired username. (The username cannot contain any of the following special characters * & . @ < >. )
• Create a password for the account. The password must be at least 6 characters long. Reenter the password for confirmation.
• To complete the “Link Students to Account” portion, type in your child’s name, Access ID, Access Password, and relationship to each child to link them to your parent account.
• To finalize the parent account, you must then link each parent to your new account. Type in each parent’s name, Access ID, Access Password, and your relationship to your child. This process will link all family members to the new parent account.
• Click the Enter button. If all your information is correct, and if the username you chose is available, you will be greeted with a Congratulations message and the login screen.

Note: If there is an error, please read the comments, correct the    information, and press the Enter button again.

Go ahead start using your newly created username and password. Once you log in, you will have the ability to move from one child to another.

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UPCOMING COLLEGE VISITS

Sat March 17, 2012 and Sunday, March 18

International University fair–off Campus -

http://www.cieet.com/en/index.asp

Mon March 19, 2012 9:30 AM

School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Wed March 21, 2012          9:30 AM

University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute          http://www.umji.sjtu.edu.cn/en/

What could be better than two world class universities in two great countries offering a joint program?

Thu March 22, 2012 12:30 PM MODUL University Vienna

Wed March 28, 2012 9:30 AM University of Sydney

Wed March 28, 2012  @ 9:30 AM Yonsei University         

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The SAS Annual Fund – Give to SAS!

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY OF GIVING . . .

“I want to join, but I want to know where the money goes” — SAS parent

Did you know that ALL the annual fund dollars go directly back into our school to benefit students? Annual fund dollars have bought: LCD projectors, document cameras, speakers, laptops, audio books, special collections books, i-pads, kindles, special technology furniture. The money has funded service learning, science equipment, and host country cultural experiences.

Join our community of giving and benefit the education of our current students. Our goal is 100% participation. Every gift is important! Go online to make a gift or drop your red envelope at any division office or the finance office. Be a part of the 100%. Make your gift TODAY!

2012 SAS Centennial Gala: Got your tickets yet?

An Evening of Celebration: April 21, 2012, 7:00-11:00 pm

Space is limited at this very special event so purchase your tickets quickly to secure your seat. You may buy your tickets online at www.saschina.org or pay at the finance office. Hurry and get yours TODAY. . . (This is an adult only, black-tie event)

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COURSE REQUEST UPDATES:

At this point, all students made course requests for SY 2012-2013.  Mr. Kidd and Mr. Sheehan are busy interpreting the data and making decisions about course allocations and section numbers.    Please be aware that some course will be cut (not offered) due to low enrollment numbers.  Decisions will be made and communicated to parents and students within the next month.

Counselors will be contacting parents and students if there is a concern from teachers or counselors regarding the weight of a student’s requested course load or if there is a concern about the suitability of a particular course.  If necessary, families will be required to sign a “Course Waiver” form indicating that they are overriding the advice of the school in selecting a certain course.  This only applies for students who meet the pre-requisites of the course.

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HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION:

We are very pleased to announce that this year’s ceremony to celebrate the commencement of the Class of 2012 will take place in the afternoon of Sunday, May 27^th (time to be announced at a later date).  This year’s venue is the gorgeous Shanghai Culture Square on Fuxing lu in the former French Concession.  More details will be published in the coming weeks and months.

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GOOD LUCK and SAFE TRAVELS:

To our track and field team as they compete at the International School of Manila

To our softball teams as they complete in the China Cup tournament in Beijing.

To our soccer teams who are fighting for China Cup supremacy on their home turf at Puxi campus.

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IMPORTANT DATES:

MAR. 16^th and 17th:  SAS Track team travels to International School of Manila

MAR. 15^th and 16^th:  IB Senior Mock Exams

MAR. 17^th and 18^th:  China Cup (Soccer at SAS PX)

MAR. 21^st:  Mid Semester Report Cards sent home (Grade 9 students will be piloting a new report card which features a “Learner Profile”.)

MAR. 23 and 24^th:  Relay for Life

APR. 7^th: April HS Principal’s Coffee (LMC at 10:00 am)

SUN., MAY 27th - High School Graduation (Time and location TBA soon)

Dear Parents,

Later today an email will be sent to you from powerschool.saschina.org that has information about creating your new Powerschool account with Shanghai American School. After you create your new account, you will be able to login with a username/password that you have created and you will be able to access all of your children under that single sign in account.

You will need information in the email that is being sent to you as it has usernames/passwords you have already been using to access information about your children as well as newly created parent account information.

Please watch the following three videos for a tutorial about:

• how to create your new single sign on account in Powerschool
• how to link your children to your account
• how to add a newly accepted child in SAS to your account
• how to change your username/password at anytime
• how to access your username/password at anytime
• how to link the parents to your account

Note: Parents are considered students in PowerSchool so we can store your data.

Video 1: Creating your parent account and linking children to the account

Video 2: Signing in for the first time, changing profile information and adding children/parents to the account

Video 3: Accessing your forgotten usernames/passwords

Dear Parents:

We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Sascha Heckmann will be the next High School Principal on the Puxi Campus beginning in July of 2012.

Dr. Heckmann has a deep knowledge of educational best practices, maintains strong connections with students, and possesses leadership skills that will enable the high school to achieve the new SAS mission while maintaining its high level of academic excellence.

During his three-day visit to SAS, Dr. Heckmann met with students, parents, teachers and a variety of administrators.  He received strong support from all of the different constituents. The students felt Sascha would bring a great deal of energy to the position.  A number of parents were enthusiastic in their support of Dr. Heckmann, describing him as “very articulate, enthusiastic, the most inspirational of the candidates”.  The faculty felt Sascha was a student-centered administrator who would be able to help us reach our mission.  The administration liked his international perspectives as well as his previously-demonstrated ability to improve schools.

Dr. Heckmann is currently the Principal of Salinas High School in California. His previous administrative roles include Vice-Principal of Elk Grove High School and Dean of Instruction at Shafter High School.  He began his educational career as a high school social studies teacher.   Dr. Heckmann earned his doctorate from the University of La Verne and a Master of Arts from California State University-Bakersfield.   Sascha will be joined in Shanghai by his wife Nola, a middle/high school science teacher, and their two children, Maggie, age 3, and Sutton, age 7 months.  Dr. Heckmann is excited for this professional opportunity and feels Shanghai and SAS will be a great fit for his family.

Ed Kidd and Michael Sheehan will work closely with Sascha to ensure there is a smooth transition in leadership.  We look forward to welcoming Sascha, Nola, and their children to the SAS community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kerry Jacobson Superintendent

Dr. Alan Knobloch Deputy Superintendent, Puxi Campus

MARCH PRINCIPALS’ COFFEE:

Join us this Wednesday at 10:00 AM in the PAC for our March Principal’s Coffee.  This month will include:

1.  A performance from our APAC Band and AMIS Choir

2. Department presentations from Fine Arts and PHE

3. An update on our China Alive trips

I hope that you can join us!

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High School Growth in 2012-2013:

The school has made the decision to increase the capacity of the Puxi campus high school by  a total of 50 students next school year.  The largest growth will be in Grade 9, whose maximum capacity will increase by 20 from the current 180 to 200.  The thirty seats will be spread between the other three grades (10 – 12).  To accommodate this growth, we have added a full-time teacher to each of the major departments and will add part-time staff to the Fine Arts and PE departments.  The overall teacher to student ratio will remain the same, basically 9:1.  In regards to the counselors, the board has approved an additional two counselors for the high school.  The administration requested one to return the counselor to student ratio to 130 students per counselor, but the board wanted to reduce the ratio even further to bring our ratios in line with Hong Kong International School and Taipei American School.  As a result, the increase will result in a 105:1 ratio, a dramatic improvement over past years.

The high school expansion project and new building  and significantly reduced overcrowding in the hallways and common areas provided us with extra clasrooms.  We are confident that we can physically absorb another fifty students quite easily.  In the cafeteria,  we have plans to renovate the current cafeteria to create more seats and an easier flow for the students during lunch hour.

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HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL SEARCH:

Dear Parents:

As many of you know, we are conducting an international search for a new principal of SAS High School, Puxi campus.  The school received more than 55 applications for the position.  A number of these applicants were selected for initial interviews, which were conducted by central office administrators.  A committee of high school teachers then interviewed seven of the candidates. Based on the teacher feedback, other interviews, and references, three finalists have been selected. The final round of interviews will be conducted on campus on March 5 and 6.  The three finalists are Mr. Jeff Farrington, Dr. Sascha Heckmann, and Mr. Robert McCarthy.

Interviews and other sessions are scheduled over these two days with teachers, students, parents, and administrators. Feedback will be collected after each session. Current middle and high school parents are invited to meet and ask questions of the three candidates on Tuesday, March 6 from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. on the 2^nd floor of cafeteria. Each session will last 45 minutes.

Mr. Farrington is currently the middle and high school campus director for the American School Foundation of Monterrey, Mexico, where he also served as the middle school assistant principal and curriculum coordinator.  Before moving into administration he was a middle and high school math and science teacher in Canada and Mexico.  Mr. Farrington has earned a master of education from Framingham State College and a certificate of international school leadership from the Principals’ Training Center.

Dr. Heckmann is currently the principal of Salinas High School in California. His other administrative roles include serving as a vice principal at Elk Grove High School and dean of instruction at Shafter High School.  He began his education career as a high school social studies teacher in California.  Dr. Heckmann earned his doctorate from University of La Verne and a master of arts from California State University, Bakersfield.

Mr. McCarthy is currently the principal at South Kingstown High School in Rhode Island.  Previously, he served as an assistant principal and then principal of East Greenwich High School. He has taught middle and high school English and social studies in the United States and Colombia.  Mr. McCarthy has a master’s in administration from Harvard University and a master’s in teaching from Brown University.

I strongly encourage you to participate in these meetings if you can.  Your input is invaluable in the decision making process.

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WILLIAM LINDESAY “WILD WALL” PRESENTATION:

On Tuesday, March 6^th, a variety of classes will have an opportunity to engage in a learning experience with Mr. William Lindesay, internationally recognized expert on the history and preservation of the Great Wall of China.  Mr. Lindesay was recently featured in this London Telegraph article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/mongolia/9106800/Briton-discovers-new-section-of-Great-Wall-of-China.html

and he has also been featured in a National Geographic documentary.

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COURSE REQUEST UPDATES:

At this point, all students have completed their Naviance “Study Plans” and their course requests for SY 2012-2013.  I will be using this data to build the high school schedule for SY 2012-2013.

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HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION:

We are very pleased to announce that this year’s ceremony to celebrate the commencement of the Class of 2012 will take place in the afternoon of Sunday, May 27^th (time to be announced at a later date).  This year’s venue is the gorgeous Shanghai Culture Square on Fuxing lu in the former French Concession.  More details will be published in the coming weeks and months.

ATTENTION SENIOR PARENTS:

This Wednesday, senior students will receive a ”Diploma Name Verification” form that needs to be completed and signed and returned to secretary Wendy He. This form asks for families to verify the name that they wish to appear on their senior’s graduation diploma.

The deadline was Friday, March 2^nd.   If you have not returned the form we will assume that your name in our PowerSchool database will suffice.

NEW SUMMER LEARNING OPPORTUNITY!

This summer, SAS Puxi Campus HS Biology teacher, Mr. Tom Horton is offering students a field science experience in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.  The program is in conjunction with the Teton School Program.

For more information, please visit Mr. Horton’s blog at http://teachers.saschina.org/thorton/ If you are interested in applying for this incredible experience, please contact Mr. Horton (tom.horton@saschina.org) or Mr. Kidd asap.  The trip is limited to 20 students and seats are filling fast.

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GOOD LUCK!

To our Academic Quiz team who are competing at Brent International School.  The team leaves on Wednesday for the Philippines.

Good luck to our track and field team who are competing at International School of Manila.

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IMPORTANT DATES:

MAR. 6th – William Lindesay, Wild Wall presentations to students in the LMC.

MAR. 7^th:  HIGH SCHOOL Principal’s Coffee @ 10:00 AM (PAC)

MAR. 7^th – 10^th:  APAC Quiz team travels to Manila

MAR 8^th – 10^th: BEIMUN at International School in Beijing

MAR. 9th:  Fine Arts Awards evening

MAR. 9^th & 10^th:  SAS Track team travels to International School of Manila

MAR. 15^th and 16^th:  IB Senior Mock Exams

MAR. 17^th – High School Quiz Night

MAR. 17^th and 18^th:  China Cup

MAR. 21^st:  Mid Semester Report Cards sent home (Grade 9 students will be piloting a new report card which features a “Learner Profile”.

MAR. 23 and 24^th:  Relay for Life

SUN., MAY 27th - High School Graduation (Time and location TBA soon)

Dear Parents:

As many of you know, we are conducting an international search for a new principal of SAS High School, Puxi campus.  The school received more than 55 applications for the position.  A number of these applicants were selected for initial interviews, which were conducted by central office administrators.  A committee of high school teachers then interviewed seven of the candidates. Based on the teacher feedback, other interviews, and references, three finalists have been selected. The final round of interviews will be conducted on campus on March 5 and 6.  The three finalists are Mr. Jeff Farrington, Dr. Sascha Heckmann, and Mr. Robert McCarthy.

Interviews and other sessions are scheduled over these two days with teachers, students, parents, and administrators. Feedback will be collected after each session. Current middle and high school parents are invited to meet and ask questions of the three candidates on Tuesday, March 6 from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. on the 2^nd floor of cafeteria. Each session will last 45 minutes.

Mr. Farrington is currently the middle and high school campus director for the American School Foundation of Monterrey, Mexico, where he also served as the middle school assistant principal and curriculum coordinator.  Before moving into administration he was a middle and high school math and science teacher in Canada and Mexico.  Mr. Farrington has earned a master of education from Framingham State College and a certificate of international school leadership from the Principals’ Training Center.

Dr. Heckmann is currently the principal of Salinas High School in California. His other administrative roles include serving as a vice principal at Elk Grove High School and dean of instruction at Shafter High School.  He began his education career as a high school social studies teacher in California.  Dr. Heckmann earned his doctorate from University of La Verne and a master of arts from California State University, Bakersfield.

Mr. McCarthy is currently the principal at South Kingstown High School in Rhode Island.  Previously, he served as an assistant principal and then principal of East Greenwich High School. He has taught middle and high school English and social studies in the United States and Colombia.  Mr. McCarthy has a master’s in administration from Harvard University and a master’s in teaching from Brown University.

I strongly encourage you to participate in these meetings if you can.  Your input is invaluable in the decision making process.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kerry Jacobson

Superintendent

Dr. Alan Knobloch

Deputy Superintendent, Puxi Campus

This week, buried beneath all the “Linmania” (I promise, a topic for a future blog post) you may have come across this story and video that spread quickly around the globe.  It is the Youtube response from a father in North Carolina, an emotional response to his daughter’s Facebook rant and criticism of her parents.  The father calmly refutes his daughter’s claims, notes her impulsive and irresponsible use of social media and then proceeds to pump the girl’s laptop full of bullets from his gun!

The timing of the story was a perfect segue for Robyn Treyvaud’s visit to SAS last week Robyn is the founder and director of Cyber Safe Kids, a website that addresses the whole spectrum of online safety issues, including cyber-bullying, risks, security, ethics, and addiction.  She engaged with various members of our community – students, parents, teachers and administrators.

My take away was simple – the digital footprint.    As Robyn noted, all Internet users need to consider both the permanence and ripple effect of their online decisions or postings.   Sometimes this type of decision making and forward thinking can be difficult for impulsive teens.   One’s digital footprint is to a certain degree indelible and could impact future opportunities like careers or education.   Like most emotional reactions, online rants or embarrassing posts (like the father’s reaction in the previously mentioned Youtube clip) often have far reaching and damaging effects.

At SAS, the topic of cybersafety and responsible use will continue as we navigate this brave new world wide web.

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AN EVENING WITH BRIAN LINDEN – Wednesday, February 22^nd at 6:00 PM in the LMC

Brian Linden, founder of the Linden Center, a “Class A” heritage site in Dali, Yunnan province will discuss his pioneering work in Chinese ecological and cultural tourism and the new SAS Microcampus pilot project for Puxi SAS middle school students.  He will be joined by middle school science teacher, Mr. Craig Tafel, who has spearheaded the project at SAS.

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COURSE REQUEST UPDATES:

Students continue to work with their counselors on their “Study Plans”.  This will be transformed into course requests by February 20^th.   It is imperative that students and parents take time to make accurate course requests.  Once the schedule is designed, the ability to make changes is limited.  For more information, please contact your counselor.

Please ask your child to complete their Study Plan in Naviance by Wednesday, if they have not already done so.  Too many students are in danger of missing this vital deadline.

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PTSA Charity Carpet Auction

Congratulations to the Puxi PTSA for once again, hosting a wonderful carpet auction for charity.  This year’s beneficiaries included the Eggschange Project, and the Jacaranda Project.

Thank you to all who attended and participated!

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SAVE THE DATE!  -Dr. Yong Zhao Returns to SAS

SAS is excited to welcome the return of our visiting scholar, Dr. Yong Zhao (http://www.zhaolearning.com).

His SAS schedule includes the following times and locations.  We hope that you can make it!      

Tuesday, February 28th 10:00-11:00am Coffee Hour with Dr. Zhao & Puxi Parents  PUXI, Secondary Library Media Center (LMC)

Wednesday, February 29th at 7:30pm:  An Evening with Dr. Zhao (in Chinese) Location: Puxi Campus, PAC

* For this event there will be transportation pickups at Jinqiao Starbucks (Bi Yun Road) and Yanlord Town (Lane 1599 DingXiang Lu). Email marketing@saschina.org by February 22 to secure a seat on the bus.

Thursday, March 1st at 7:30pm – An Evening with Dr. Zhao (in English) Location: Kerry Hotel, Pudong Ballroom (1388 Hua Mu Road)

* For this event there will be transportation pickups at Gubei Starbucks (Huang Jing Cheng Dao, South Shuicheng Road) and Portman/SH Center (Lane 1396 West Nanjing Road). Email marketing@saschina.org by February 23 to secure a seat on the bus.

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HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION:

We are very pleased to announce that this year’s ceremony to celebrate the commencement of the Class of 2012 will take place in the afternoon of Sunday, May 27^th (time to be announced at a later date).  This year’s venue is the gorgeous Shanghai Culture Square on Fuxing lu in the former French Concession.  More details will be published in the coming weeks and months.

ATTENTION SENIOR PARENTS:

This Wednesday, senior students will receive a ”Diploma Name Verification” form that needs to be completed and signed and returned to secretary Wendy He no later than Friday, March 2^nd.

This form asks for families to verify the name that they wish to appear on their senior’s graduation diploma.

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NEW SUMMER LEARNING OPPORTUNITY!

This summer, SAS Puxi Campus HS Biology teacher, Mr. Tom Horton is offering students a field science experience in Wyomning’s Grand Teton National Park.  The program is in conjuction with the Teton School Program.

For more information, please visit Mr. Horton’s blog at http://teachers.saschina.org/thorton/ If you are interested in applying for this incredible experience, please contact Mr. Horton (tom.horton@saschina.org) or Mr. Kidd asap.  The trip is limited to 20 students and seats are filling fast.

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FRINGE THEATER FESTIVAL 2012

Theater Mania hits Puxi Campus!

Fifth Annual SAS Fringe Festival – March 1-3rd

Fringe theater returns again to the SAS stages for its fifth year.  Twelve productions will grace the Puxi high school stages for just the cost of one ticket…….no shows can be repeated!

We dare you to take them all in………

Mainstage Show………….39 STEPS by John Buchanan and adapted by Patrick Barlow

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have, Alfred Hitchcock’s THE 39 STEPS, Broadways most intriguing, most thrilling, most riotous, most UNMISSABLE comedy smash! The mind-blowing cast of over 139 characters in this fast-paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily adventure. HILARIOUS FUN FOR THEATRE-LOVERS OF ALL AGES!

IB Class Presentations

IB year 2 finishes their senior year by presenting The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.  Come and laugh at Wilde’s dazzling wit. Eat the cucumber sandwiches especially prepared for Lady Bracknell and – yes – be shocked to hear of a baby found in a handbag.

Undisputedly one of the finest comedic plays in the history of theatre!

IB year 1 class will be presenting the expressionist play The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice. Despite debuting in 1923, this play is still refreshingly relevant today. The play deals with a man who discovers he is about to be replaced by machine at his job, and then murders his boss in cold blood, and is later found guilty for his crime. A must for all theater enthusiasts!

MINI PLAYS

This portion of the festival has become a highlight for most audience goers.   Plays are usually brief, 5-10 min, and student rehearsed and directed.

Eight mini plays are featured this year.

In addition the Middle School drama classes will perform short pieces directed by Juanita McGarrigle.

For more information on tickets and schedule, please email boxoffice@saschina.org or debbi.fintak@saschina.orgT

Tickets are 30 RMB.

They can be bought in the high school from the HS secretaries and Thespian students.

Tickets can also be bought in the Middle School from Ms. Juanita McGarrigle.

In the PAC

In the Elementary School, orders are collected each morning from the secretaries.

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IMPORTANT DATES:

FEB. 22^nd – An Evening With Brian Linden (6:00 PM in the LMC)

FEB. 22^nd – 25^th: APAC Fine Arts festival

FEB. 28 – MAR. 2: Dr. Yong Zhao visiting scholar (See detailed schedule above)

MAR. 1, 2 and 3rd – Fringe Theatre Festival

MAR. 6th – William Lindsay, Wild Wall presentations to students in the LMC.

MAR. 17^th – High School Quiz Night

SUN., MAY 27th - High School Graduation (Time and location TBA soon)