Download the KIS March-April 2010 Newsletter: (PDF, 1089 KB)

Kazakhstan International School Newsletter

Newsletter

March-April, 2010

Content:

• THE PRINCIPAL'S CORNER:
• A WORD ABOUT THE IB LEARNER PROFILE
• KIS HAPPENINGS
• BEST REASONS TO CHOOSE KIS
• UPCOMING KIS CALENDAR

THE PRINCIPAL'S CORNER:

Somehow March came and went in a hazy cold fog. April has brought much rain and finally the promise of Spring. We are glad for the sun and the warmth at KIS.

The winter months were busy. Our annual KIS International Night was a hit.our KIS families made us all proud, displaying a wide array of colors, styles, tastes, smells, and sounds. We also worked hard to prepare for the IB PYP visit in mid] March, which is another step on this incredible journey of development and growth for KIS.

Our annual KIS Earth Day celebration was another great success. We all enjoyed the day in the sun, taking time to participate in fun games and take in all the Earth Day presentations and exhibits our KIS students produced.

We are all looking forward to our first ever KIS fundraising event and the memories it will create. We are grateful for all the support wefve received from our KIS parents and the international business community in Almaty. Our KIS children are hoping that this event will help raise money for our new playground equipment.

Take some time and enjoy reading through the latest KIS News!

A WORD ABOUT THE IB LEARNER PROFILE

As we introduced in earlier editions, with each installment of KIS News, we will feature one attribute of the IB Learner Profile. Just to remind you. The attributes of the Learner Profile describe the type of learner the IB hopes to develop through the PYP.

We are CARING!

At KIS, we all strive to model CARING behavior. According to the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, caring people show a sensitivity towards the needs and feelings of others. Caring people have a sense of personal commitment to action and service.

Caring about others and having the ability to understand another person's feelings (empathy) are also important social skills.

How can you as a parent help your child become caring?

You can help your child to identify how they are feeling by using “feeling” words to describe their emotions. (“You seem a little grumpy this morning. Are you tired?”) Facial expressions are also a good way to help children learn how certain feelings may look. (“Your mouth is turned down. Are you sad?”)

The best way to encourage caring skills is through action—model caring behavior to your child.

• Let him see you helping your neighbor carry groceries;
• Take her with you when you volunteer at the community center once a week;
• Let her help you gather glass and plastic items to recycle and explain why you are doing it.

IB PYP with ATTITUDE

CARING people demonstrate EMPATHY for others.
"The IBPYP Attitudes are a vital focus in the development of positive attitudes towards people, the environment, and learning. These are the day to day attitudes we use: appreciation, commitment, confidence, cooperation, creativity, curiosity, empathy, enthusiasm, independence, integrity, respect, and tolerance. When reinforced at home (or when reinforcing the positive attitudes that students learn at home, church, and other places), these attitudes become second nature for children," according to Paige Gordon, Principal, Alpine Elementary, Colorado, USA.

What is EMPATHY?

According to the IBO (Making the PYP Happen, 2007), EMPATHY is imaginatively projecting our selves into another's situation, in order to understand their thoughts, reasoning, and emotions. When we talk with our students about empathy, we discuss being able to put oneself in someone elsefs place in order to better understand him or her.

Ways to develop empathy in children:

• Reason with children, even quite young ones, about the effects of their behavior on others and the importance of sharing and being kind to others.
• Model empathetic, caring behavior toward children and others.
• Encourage your child to discuss his/her feelings and problems, which positively aids in developing empathy in children.

KIS HAPPENINGS

Grade 1 Health Spa

During their first unit of inquiry, our first graders decided that being balanced was the most important aspect of being healthy. The question arose, “What does balanced mean?” (Balanced is an IB learner profile attribute, which means everyone at KIS strives to model this characteristic in everyday life). The children used a computer program “Kidpix” to illustrate their understanding of being balanced. Their illustrations included: sleep/rest, eating healthily, play and work. From all this, the first graders decided to put their learning to work by creating a health spa at school, so everyone could relax and eat healthily.

It was a major success for all, and a huge, life learning experience for the children. They had to design posters, menus, appointment cards, as well as the classroom layout. The health centres were: the Relaxation Centre, the Meditation Centre, the Magical Massage Shop and the Healthy Hearts Café. The first graders exhibited outstanding customer service by welcoming their clients/customers; they learned about finances by collecting money from their clients.

The children raised 10, 240 KZT, even though this was not an expectation. As a group, our first graders decided to donate the money to the PTA to put towards the new playground fund..

Grade 5 & 6 Orphanage visits

Our 5th and 6th grade class go to Bogonashil orphanage every Monday afternoon. We help the students there with their English work.

When we went there, our class realized how lucky we are. We saw where they live, sleep, eat and play. The reason we felt lucky is that the students there don’t have parents to take care of them and some of them don’t know where their parents are. Before we went to the orphanage we didn’t realize how important our parents are to us.

KIS International Night

Splashes of color and sound filled the bustling space as everyone savored the aromas and flavors from across the globe—from Australia to Bangladesh and Turkey to Canada.

At Kazakhstan International School, we celebrate our multiculturalism with truly international flare. Every year, KIS puts on an International event that gives our families the opportunity to show off their culture’s traditions, food, and style. This year was no exception, as parents and teachers and students worked together to put on an event like KIS has never seen before.

KIS had some 17 different cultures represented at this year’s event. Each country banded together—parents, teachers, and students alike—to organize their country’s booth and proudly share a taste of their culture. The evening started off with a parade of color and style, as parents, students, and teachers from each of the 17 countries represented marched to the stage. After our KIS students sang the Kazakhstan National Hymn, in honor of our host country, everyone spent some time walking around, taking in and enjoying the sights, sounds, smells, and flavors of each country’s booth.

We finished off the evening with a program that allowed our families to truly show off their heritage and culture. Our Turkish families sang folk songs and danced for us. Our Indian families sang their national anthem and an Indian dancer mesmerized us all. A Ukrainian singer gave us a glimpse of her heritage while Kazakh dancers proudly gave us a window into their culture. One of the highlights of the evening for our KIS children was the magician from Pakistan.

KIS is a truly international school—we not only welcome multiculturalism, but we also celebrate it every day, as families from more than 24 different countries make up our school community. To be a part of our KIS community means to be internationally minded.

THANK YOU to all our KIS parents who worked so hard at making this year’s International Night a raving success. We truly appreciate when our parents work together like this—look at what we can do when we all come together—it is something that makes us proud to be a part of KIS. It is this parent participation and involvement that will help KIS continue growing.

Earth Day Celebration

Our annual KIS Earth Day celebration was another great success. This year Earth Day celebrated its 40th anniversary, as people around the world take this opportunity to remember how we conserve and care for the world’s resources. This is the time of year when we hear our KIS students talking about how we can reduce, reuse, and recycle. From recycled fashion to Earth Day songs and poetry, our KIS students presented a fun assembly for all our families. Our KIS second graders collected used paper and learned how to make recycled paper with their own hands. Our Reception class used old shoes as flower pots, while the preschoolers collected baby food jars and turned them into beautifully decorated candle holders.

The first grade class created mosaics out of broken pottery and demonstrated what they’ve learned about environmental issues. Our grade 5 & 6 class put together some Earth Day games. Overall, we all enjoyed the warm sunshine and the opportunity to be outside, where our KIS families had the chance to paint their flag for our KIS sign. We are proud of the creativity and ingenuity our KIS students displayed on Earth Day. As one KIS parent put it: “This is incredible—to see these students take what we all think of as garbage and make something beautiful out of it.”

BEST REASONS TO CHOOSE KIS

1. TEACHERS -- dedicated international faculty from around the world who put your child first.
2. STUDENTS -- eager to explore and pursue the answers to the questions they have. For KIS kids, learning is an adventure that brings meaning to the world around them.
3. ACADEMICS -- a world]renown framework for learning, the International Baccalaureate sets up your child for lifelong learning.
4. MULTICULTURALISM -- a blend of more than 25 nationalities.KIS reflects a truly international community, a perfect backdrop for optimal learning and growth.
5. COMMUNITY -- the KIS family-feeling demonstrates the importance of families to our well-being and success. Our parents are committed to participating in their child's academic experience
6. CHILD-CENTERED LEARNING -- our low teacher-to-student ratio at KIS ensures that each childfs individual needs are met as they pursue their academic best.
7. INCLUSION -- a commitment to support each KIS student.from children with mild/moderate learning needs to children with exceptionally high ability.
8. TECHNOLOGY -- cutting-edge technology is implemented in KIS classrooms every day as students and teachers use our Smartboards to help learning come alive.
9. ENGLISH LANGUAGE SUPPORT -- our commitment is to getting every non-native English speaking student fully engaged in the classroom.
10. LIFE-LONG LEARNING -- from teachers to students, from faculty and staff to parents, we are committed to learning more and growing professionally.

UPCOMING KIS CALENDAR

• KIS Fundraiser, Turkish Delight Night — Saturday, May 1, 2010 at Esperanza at 7:00 p.m.
• School Closed—Monday, May 3 and Monday, May 10, 2010.
• KIS Preschool Spring Concert—Saturday, May 21, 2010. at KIS
• KIS Sports Day—Friday, June 4, 2010.
• The Last Day of School—Friday, June 18, 2010.
• KIS Summer Camp—July 5 – 30, 2010 at Edelweiss Montessori Campus