Celebrating Achievements: A Look Back at Semester One

The first semester has been a great time of celebration in our elementary school.  We have had so many wonderful opportunities to share our learning.  Whether it was a class performance at assembly, or participation in school-led initiatives such as Aid in Action, our elementary students have shone brightly!  For a look back at some of the highlights from our first semester, please check out our video that was shared at our December mid-year AGM.

As we prepare for the holiday season, my hope for each of you is that your holiday time with family will be relaxing and restorative.  May your holiday be filled with peace, love, and joy wherever you might travel.  See you on January 6, 2020!

Elementary School’s Bright Moments and Achievements

The 2nd term of the ASA started out well. Time flies really fast as we are now in the 4th week of the 2nd term of the ASA and everyone is ready for the winter break. The Strings ASA had a successful concert last Monday, the 9th of December.

It was a wonderful showcase of talent and great music with our very own Elementary School principal, Ms. Tylene Desfosses, performing with our students. Hats off to all the teachers and staff who are leading an ASA this term. Thank you so much for providing fun learning experiences for our students!

Our student organizations have been active this past week. The NJHS sponsored Santa’s Mission Impossible where the participants had a blast doing all the Christmas missions. The Prom Committee sponsored the Teacher vs Students Dodgeball which was won handily by the students.

It was a gallant effort from the teachers but the students were really determined to get a pass from some of their assignments. The HS STUCO sponsored the “pie in the face’ event where several lucky secondary students got the chance to put a pie in the face of some of the teachers including the secondary principal, Ms, Chowdhury.

The Secondary School had the first House Games this school year. The houses competed in “mat race” and the “tug-of-war”. The students and teachers from the Green Rhinos came out in full force and dominated the two games. Congratulations to the Green Rhinos!

Our Basketball teams won their first friendly games on December 6 in a convincing fashion. The SIS Cobras were in top form during the game as individuals but most of all, as a team. The boys’ team took an early lead and never looked back.

Meanwhile, the girls’ team came out strong and executed the game plan really well. It was a good learning experience for both teams. It is still early into the season which means that there are still a lot of things to improve. We are excited to host the 2020 IISSAC Basketball tournament. Our teams will definitely make us proud.

Merry Christmas to everyone and see you on January 6, 2020!  

End of Semester One: Congratulations and Winter Break Wishes

Congratulations! We have officially made it to the end of the first semester of the 2019-2020 school year! Winter Break is just around the corner. School will be closed from 11:45 a.m. Friday, December 13th and will re-open for students on Monday, January 6, 2020.

Report cards for Semester 1 will be issued and sent home on Monday, January 13th. Due to issues with our Alma software, this year’s report cards will only include semester grades. If you would like to see the final exam grade or quarter 1 and 2 grades, please log into your parent or student Alma account. See your child’s teachers or Ms. Chowdhury if you have questions.

University Applications Update for Seniors

The first round of university applications have been sent or are in the process of being sent over the next couple of weeks. Seniors and their parents should be mindful of university application deadlines and strive to ensure all documents are submitted ahead of time to position students in the best possible way for admissions.

Planning for Festival of STEAM will begin shortly after we return in January. Please take some time to complete the parent and student satisfaction surveys that were sent this week. Your participation and feedback will help us develop even better programming for next semester and beyond. 

Many fun and exciting events occurred over the past few weeks. Particularly noteworthy were the performances by our Secondary students in the Music Concert and Grade 6 and 9 Theater Arts Performances. I’m proud that our students are talented in multiple ways and have different opportunities for showcasing their unique strengths.We were thrilled to host a presentation on college admissions essays and interviewing skills from Education USA, in partnership with the U.S. Consulate General of Surabaya on December 4th. 

Students were able to let off some steam before Final Exams and have a great time during the Secondary House Games and Pie in the Face event that occurred on December 9th. Students were able to raise money for High School Student Council by “creaming” their favorite teachers and admin in the face with sweet whipped cream “pies”! 

On behalf of the Secondary staff and faculty, I wish you all a restful, joyous Winter Break. Happy Holidays and have a wonderful start to the New Year in 2020!

Counselor’s Corner

This month we finished the first book club with the book, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk written by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.  It was a great opportunity to connect with other parents and realize that parenting is a very hard job and learn new ways to interact with our children.  The next book we will be reading is by the same authors, Siblings Without Rivalry. We had a great turn out with the first book and I would love to meet more SIS parents!  Remember, I am here as a resource for you too!  I have about 20 years of experience working with kids and I think being a parent is the hardest job.

Parents are a child’s first teachers, and for better or worse, they learn a lot from us. One of the skills from How to Talk So Kids Will Listen book is about helping our kids deal with their emotions.  The first thing is to make sure you are fully present, listening and giving them all of your attention. Put the phone away! As parents, we want to fix problems and help our kids feel better.

Sometimes the best thing to do instead of rushing to give advice or ask questions and solve their problem is to just listen.  Use active listening skills, such as nodding or saying “I see” so they know you are really paying attention. This also models very important skills for them! Don’t be quick to dismiss or deny their feelings, instead help them name it. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it. It is full of great strategies to help you with raising your kids and even other relationships too.

The semester break is almost here.  I am looking forward to spending time with  my brother and his family and my boys in Sri Lanka. I am also planning on reading Siblings Without Rivalry and reminiscing about our childhood with my brother, and having some good laughs about it. 

Whatever your plans are for the break, I hope you enjoy the time with your family. Spend quality time with them, play games, eat meals together, watch movies, whatever will give you quality time with them. Happy holidays and here’s to a great new year!