SAS Pudong Middle School

January 28, 2008

Dear Parents, 

I am writing to inform you of the following decisions that have been predicated by the existing weather conditions and concern over traffic congestion and safety on the roads today. 

Please be advised of the following:

1. We will cancel all after-school activities today. All students will be sent home at 3:00 PM. 
2. School will be closed tomorrow, January 29.
3. School will re-open again on Wednesday, January 30.
4. If there is any reason to change our decision to open again on Wednesday, we will communicate with you via email as well as by activating our phone tree.
5. The Board Meeting for tomorrow night will be moved from the Vizcaya compound to the clubhouse of Le Chateau compound at 200 Jian He Lu, Honquiao. Due to this change of venue, we will schedule the March Board meeting to be held in Pudong.
6. The parent forum prior to tomorrow evening’s Board Meeting will not be held. This forum will be presented prior to the March Board Meeting. 

We have informed students and parents by phone regarding the cancellation of after-school activities today. This email carries news of the decisions regarding tomorrow’s schedule. The announcement is also posted on the SAS website and Edline.

The decision to close school is not taken lightly. It is based on the best information available to us at this time related to what is expected to be deteriorating weather conditions through tonight and tomorrow. We have been in contact throughout the morning with officials at the weather bureau, at the Shanghai Vehicle Management office, at the Shanghai Municipal Emergency office, and at the Bureau of Education. Additionally, we have consulted officials at the local Public Security Bureau.    

We wish to insure that all students and staff are safe at home during this current circumstance.  To promote continuity in learning to the best of our ability, teachers will inform their students to use the various on-line facilities they have developed including Moodle sites, Edline and individual websites.

I want to thank our support services staff on both campuses, all of whom have made extra efforts to keep walkways clear and to insure safety for our staff and students on both campuses today. I also wish to acknowledge our security guards who are working double shifts today to be sure the driving areas for buses and private vehicles are, to the best of our ability, sanded and salted throughout the day. 

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. 

Sincerely,

Dennis Larkin Ed. D.

Superintendent

Week of January 28 - February1

Attention All Parents! Our Grade 8 students are preparing mini workshops on Global Issues. The students will be presenting their findings on February 16th. We invite all parents to participate in these workshops. Additionally, if you work for a agency or company that works with Global Issues and would like to help coordinate with the teachers to due a 30 minute presentation, please contact Fey Leong at fey.leong@saschina.org

Mark your calendars

Thursday, January 31st - Middle School Parent Meeting at the Face Restaurant Pudong

Friday, February 1st - Chinese New Year Assembly at 12:40 in the Auditorium

Please remember we will be closed the week of February 4 - February 8 for Chinese New Years.

Ø Parents wishing to volunteer in the planning or participating in events please contact Debbie MacDonaldsynchrodj@mac.com or Denise Morency chinamorency@yahoo.com

Ø A Reminder to Parents: If both parents are going to be away from Shanghai, please have your son/daughter collect a Statement of Temporary Guardianship form from the office.

Communication with the Middle School:
Ø ** The most comprehensive school wide information is to be found at http://teachers.saschina.org/mspudong

Ø Weekly Parent Talk articles
Ø Weekly Middle School Notes
Ø Edline - MS HomePage: https://global.edline.net/InterstitialLogin.page
Ø Counselor’s Blog: http://schoolcounselor.teachtck.com/

Dear parents,

The Chinese New Year (CNY) is approaching. To celebrate the CNY, the Middle School Chinese Department at SAS Pudong is organizing its whole school assembly/performance in the auditorium from 12:30pm to 1:40 pm on Friday, February 1st. We want to invite you to join us in the celebration of this significant festival. In order to create a wonderful Chinese New Year atmosphere, we highly recommend that you and your child(ren) could wear traditional Chinese costumes in the Assembly. Thank you.

Look forward to great celebration together!

With regards,

Middle School Chinese Department
SAS Pudong

Dear Pudong Community Members:

The Pudong Power Bureau has informed us that the local power grid would be shut down to complete line testing in the area. This will affect the amount of power we have available to our classrooms. Due to the power supply being compromised, we must put in place many power saving steps in order for our school to operate, but we are happy to report that classes will proceed as scheduled.

The results of these power savings steps are:

Elementary School Building

The hallways and common areas will be “lights off/ heat off”. Classroom lighting will be in place as usual. The classroom temperatures will begin the day at a normal level, but with reduced power, the heat in the classrooms will dissipate over time. It is not expected that the classroom temperatures will fall below 65 F / 18 C.  Computers and peripherals will also be shut off for the day, so no email for the faculty.

Middle School Building

The hallways and common areas will be “lights off/ heat off”. As is in the elementary, classroom lighting will be in place as usual. The classroom temperatures will begin the day at a normal level, but with reduced power, and the heat in the classrooms will dissipate over time. It is not expected that the classroom temperatures will be below 65 F / 18 C.  Computers and peripherals will also be shut off for the day, so no email for the faculty.

Middle School Gym/Auditorium

No lights, heat or power except in classrooms and band room.

Library, Multipurpose Room, Food Court

High School Classrooms/High School Gymnasium

Due to the configuration of the power supply, the power grid shut down will not affect these areas, as this transformer is on another power grid.

If your child is in the elementary school or middle school we would encourage you to ensure that they are dressed for the cold weather we are experiencing.  The interiors at our school will be cooler than usual, and computer technology will most likely be limited on this day.  We intend to make the day a useful one for learning, and we are confident that it will be productive and filled with learning. 

Please dress appropriately.  If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at the school.

Sincerely,

Ron Roukema, Ed.D

Middle School Principal

Report Cards will be coming home today.

Thanks to all the parents who joined us on Thursday for the Middle School Coffee. It was an excellent conversation revolving around the Middle School alignment process. For information regarding middle school alignment or any other Educational Programming issue, please see the following website:  teachers.saschina.org/edpro
On Monday January 21^st, the Middle School Task Force, made up of teachers and administrators from both campuses, will be meeting. Further information to follow.
We hope to see many parents at the PTSA Carpet Auction tomorrow night at FACE Pudong.
Photo Day for New Students. If you are new to SAS, your photo will be taken next Wednesday, January 23^rd. Information will come home next week.
CISSA floor hockey teams have been made. Check out the CISSA link on Edline to see which team your child is on. Floor hockey practices are every Tuesday with students traveling home on the 4:30 bus, and games will all be played at SAS, Pudong on Thursdays with students traveling home on the 5:30 bus. This year's floor hockey tournament will be held at SAS, Puxi on February 16, bus information to come.

CISSA volleyball will start the week of February 18. Applications will be posted on Edline and also available in hard copy during M.S lunch times.

Mr. Zigmand

Communication with the Middle School:

• ** The most comprehensive school wide information is to be found at http://teachers.saschina.org/mspudong

• Weekly Parent Talk articles
• Weekly Middle School Notes
• Edline – MS HomePage: https://global.edline.net/InterstitialLogin.page
• Counselor’s Blog: http://schoolcounselor.teachtck.com/

I would like to thank everyone who attended the alignment meeting today in Pudong or yesterday in Puxi. We met with close to 100 parents over the two days and we believe people have a better understanding of the process we are undergoing. As both of our campuses reflect on current practices and compare them to best practices, we will continue to develop and improve the programs we offer to your middle school child. Please take a minute to look at the education programs blog (Mr. Torres was referring to this blog during the presentation.

The address is http://teachers.saschina.org/edpro

Thank you again for your questions and concerns.

Sincerely,

Ron Roukema, Ed.D

Middle School Principal, Pudong

Shanghai American School

Friday, January 11th - Last day of the 2nd quarter
Monday, January 14th - 3rd Quarter/2nd Semester begins
Wednesday, January 17th - Middle School Coffee: 10:00 am
Topic: The Middle School Alignment Process
Friday, January 18th - Report Cards go home

Welcome to the first edition of Middle School Notes for 2008. Whether your family traveled or remained in Shanghai over the break, we hope it was enjoyable. Also, a warm welcome to all the new families who will be joining us in the Middle School on Monday January 14th.

Our Principal Dr. Ron Roukema has been attending recruitment fairs all week and will return to school on Monday January 14th.

CISSA floor hockey teams have been made. Check out the CISSA link on Edline to see which team your child is on. Floor hockey practices are every Tuesday with students traveling home on the 4:30 bus, and games will all be played at SAS, Pudong on Thursdays with students traveling home on the 5:30 bus. This year's floor hockey tournament will be held at SAS, Puxi on February 16, bus information to follow.

CISSA volleyball will start the week of February 18. Applications will be posted on Edline and also available in hard copy during M.S lunch times.

Communication with the Middle School:
** The most comprehensive school wide information is to be found at http://teachers.saschina.org/mspudong

Weekly Parent Talk articles
Weekly Middle School Notes
Edline – MS HomePage: https://global.edline.net/InterstitialLogin.page
Counselor’s Blog: http://schoolcounselor.teachtck.com/

We hope you have all had a safe and relaxing holiday and are recharged and ready for the beginning of the second semester.  As a reminder, students and teachers are set to return on Monday, January 7 and the second quarter officially closes on Friday, January 11.

As many of you are aware, the New Year brings forward the start of recruiting season.  For the 2008 - 2009 school year, we are looking to hire 10 new positions.  These positions include hiring a second  counselor,  6 additional core teacher, expanding our foreign language and art program by 1 teacher, and starting a drama program.  These 10 additional staff positions will offer a wide range of opportunities to our students and allow us to expand to 432 students.

The hiring process is extremely important as we look for the right compliment of highly qualified people that share our values and approaches to education.  To make this happen, Dr. Roukema will be in and out recruiting new hires through the month of February.  The first series of job fairs begin this weekend and run through January 14th.  During this time Dr. Roukema will be out of the office.  If you have concerns during this time, please feel free to contact Dr. Rosen.

Again, welcome back and Happy New Year!