A New Year, A New Semester: Welcome Back!

Happy New Year to you and your families! The second half of the 2019-2020 school year is officially underway. 

Report cards for Semester 1 were sent home with students on Monday, January 13th. They were also emailed to parent emails accounts directly from ALMA. If you have not seen the report cards yet, please ask your children or contact our Front Office. Teachers gave meaningful feedback about student progress, so please discuss these comments with your children, and if you have any questions or concerns, reach out to teachers directly.

On January 8th, we hosted a representative from the Princeton Review in the United States, to lead an ACT workshop for our 10th and 11th grade students. He explained to students that the ACT is a standardized test used for admissions to colleges and universities in the U.S. He compared and contrasted the ACT with the SAT exam and provided detailed information about the format and structure of the ACT exam, as well as gave tips on how to best prepare for this important exam. High School students at SIS were given the opportunity to sign up to take a free pre-ACT test to gauge how well they might do on the real test.

Festival of STEAM: Unveiling the Future of Education

Preparations for the Festival of STEAM have begun since we returned from Winter Break. STEAM is an acronym that refers to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Because we live in the age of technology and innovation, it is important for all our learners to be innovative, creative, and fluent in understanding how and why things work the way they do. Thus, we are thrilled to host our inaugural Festival of STEAM on Saturday, February 15th.

All students have been paired with teachers to partake in exciting design challenges that will be showcased during our grand Festival of STEAM day. The innovative challenges include: augmented reality and 3D modeling, making architectural pieces using recycled materials, learning more about Chinese culture through kite-making, making and racing lifesize cardboard boats, building circuits, doing Google virtual tours, making Batik Jumputan with natural plant dyes, designing/building/testing how human organs like the heart and lungs work, STEAM workshop challenges, and building a personal flotation device. Some Secondary students will also be pairing with the Kindergarten class to take part in Art in Motion activities such as marble painting and using different textures and materials to paint.

We are looking forward to another exhilarating semester of activities, sporting and charitable events. We are thrilled to get our Basketball season underway hosting weekly friendly games. We were excited to host a Lion Dance on Thursday, January 23 at 2:00 p.m. to celebrate Chinese New Year. Finally, to round out the month of January, we are quite proud to host SIS Cobras’ Got Talent on Friday, January 31 at 5:00p.m. where Elementary & Secondary students will be showcasing their multiple talents! You don’t want to miss this.

Looking forward to another great semester ahead…