Weekly ESLR Award winners

From Ms. Lee...

• Valeria [Gr.6] displays qualities of a natural leader.  She demonstrated true empathy and courtesy by trying to understand the difficult situation her teacher was in, and tried to provide a more positive outlook towards the situation.  Her efforts are commendable and appreciated.

From Mr. Alexander...

• Haruka [Gr.8] for helping classmates understand the lesson by looking up new words in her electronic dictionary for them.

From Ms. Howard...

• Saud [Gr.7] and Dalia [Gr.7] were proactive in helping to organize the students who wanted to help in the library.

More about the field trip

Some extra information from Ms. Kim, who has coordinated the planning for our field trip to the Seoul Design Fair next week...

Students will have the opportunity to design and build their own green car out of recycled materials. Every student needs to bring:

1. Five plastic caps (all caps must be the same size). Caps can be from water bottles, milk cartons, cola bottles, etc.
2. One or two recycled materials, such as an old toothbrush, a plastic shampoo bottle, an old plastic toy, a small jar, etc.

Students should think about cars and car design before next Thursday. Some questions to consider are:

1. What would the world be like without cars?
2. Why has car design changed over the years?
3. What will cars look like or be able to do in the future?
4. How do cars run?
5. Who designs cars?
6. Where do ideas for new car designs come from?

Four Fun Facts from...

Ms. Meyer, our Grade Two teacher.

1. In Canada, my family's home has a large pond filled with ducks, swans, and Canadian Geese!
2. The most interesting country I've traveled to is Cambodia.
3. I have four young nephews and one baby niece in Canada.
4. I love to scrapbook.

Field Trip

At RIS this year we will have four field trips, one in each school quarter. The first field trip will be next Thursday, October 7th, with all students and staff going to the Seoul Design Fair. We will take part in the morning Design Class for Future Artists program, have lunch, then spend time in the afternoon in the Idea and Imagination Experience Hall.

This is a full-day field trip. All transportation and costs will be covered by RIS, but students are responsible to bring their own packed lunch, drink, and snack. There is a store and canteen on site, and students are encouraged to bring a small amount of money if they wish to buy a drink or snack there. Please do not send your child with more than 5000KRW. Students may wish to bring a camera, and are responsible to carry it throughout the day.

Students must wear either their RIS uniform or PE uniform on field trip days. Students will also wear a school identification card, with their names and school contact information displayed prominently.

Parents are more than welcome to join this field trip. Please let Mr. Altay know before Tuesday, October 5th if you are interested in accompanying us.

Sports

Many of you like to play sports and read about sports! A great website about many kinds of sports, games, and activities is KidSites.com. Follow the links there to learn about baseball, soccer, the Olympics, skateboarding, and much more.

Four Fun Facts from...

Mr. Alexander, our Middle School Social Studies teacher.

1. My first job was teaching swimming and water safety.
2. I have a pink fish as a pet.
3. I play Ultimate Frisbee on Sundays.
4. I traveled across Canada by train.

Soccer

On Sunday, October 3rd, the RIS Boys Soccer Team has been invited to participate in the 2010 International Youth Football Championship, held this year at the Suwon World Cup Stadium. Our team will play a number of games in round-robin format, against youth teams from both Korean and foreign schools.

The festivities begin at 10:00am, with games throughout the day and the closing ceremony at 5:00pm. There will be a buffet lunch and a number of activities planned for families, including face painting, a travelling zoo, and special instruction from some professional players from the Suwon Blue Wings Football Club.

Go out to Suwon to support the RIS team!

Challenge #6

Let's get those big brains moving again after the holiday. This week's challenge is about finding the patterns in number chains. Look at the first few numbers, think about what the pattern is, then use that pattern to figure out the next two numbers in the sequence. Write your answers and your name on a piece of paper and give it to Mr. Smith before Thursday at 3:00 when you go home. All students with correct answers will earn the title of Number Chain Puzzle Master of the Week. Good luck!

For Grade One students...
4, 8, 12, 16, __, __.

For Grade Two students...
73, 66, 59, 52, __, __.

For Grade Three students...
181, 168, 155, 142, __, __.

For Grade Four students...
6, 14, 30, 62, __, __.

For Grade Five students...
21, 294, 4116, 57624, __, __.

For Grade Six students...
11, 4301, 391391, 153033881, __, __.

For Grade Seven students...
3, 9, 81, 6561, __, __.

For Grade Eight students...
2, 8, 512, 134217728, __, __.

Four Fun Facts from...

Ms. Carver, our Grade One teacher.

1. I love cats.
2. My favourite colour is pink.
3. I am fascinated by castles.
4. I love shoes :)

Weekly Menu

Weekly menu 6

Four Fun Facts from...

Ms. Sawlor, our Grade Five teacher.

1. I played basketball in high school.
2. I love being by the ocean because it reminds me of home.
3. I'm a dog lover.
4. This is my second year in Korea.

Happy National Day!

Saudi Arabia - September 23rd

Happy Monday!

There are a lot of happy and rested faces at RIS this morning! We hope that everyone had a wonderful vacation, and hope to share some stories over the next few days.

As we near the end of September, there will be a lot of news about programs, field trips, report cards, and Parent-Teacher conferences to relay to you over the next month. Of course, be sure to read this blog everyday for more Fun Facts, Useful Websites, Challenges, and school announcements.

Vacation

All of the staff at RIS wish the students and their families a safe and enjoyable Chuseok holiday week.

The weekly menu for September 27th - October 1st will be posted on September 27th.

All students are reminded to wear their school uniforms every day beginning Monday, September 27th. Students not in the appropriate RIS uniform will not join their classes until their parents have brought their clothes to school.

Regular posting on this blog will resume again on September 27th.

Have a wonderful vacation!

So many great characters

A wonderful job done by the twenty students who met this week's challenge to draw their favourite character from a book! Ms. Howard is actually going to need to make two picture strings to hold all of this amazing art in the library.

Our Picture String Art Maker Masters of the Week are: Melissa [Gr.4]; Sena [Gr.2]; Yasmin [Gr.7]; Rufat [Gr.2]; Lora [Gr.2]; Fiffy [Gr.8]; Jihan [Gr.2]; HyungWook [Gr.1]; Hai-Ning [Gr.1]; Valeria [Gr.6]; Roanne [Gr.1]; June [Gr.1]; Zeynab [Gr.4]; Pranu [Gr.2]; Nahan [Gr.8]; Sofia [Gr.2]; Monica J. [Gr.2]; Andy [Gr.1]; Joshua [Gr.4]; and Latham [Gr.1].

Students of the World!

Here are the students who wore traditional clothing today to help celebrate a Korean festival in that proud multicultural RIS way!


Grade One

Grade Two



Grade Three



Grade Four



Grade Five



Grades Six to Eight

Happy National Day!

Chile - September 18th

Four Fun Facts from...

Mr. Smith, our Curriculum Coordinator.

1. I love to go to museums to look at statues.
2. I always put my left sock on before my right sock, but my right shoe on before my left shoe.
3. My favourite drink is chocolate milk.
4. Both of my brothers are younger than me, but both of them are much taller than me.

Weekly ESLR Award winners

From Ms. Lee...

• Javier [Gr.6] displays the characteristics of a dynamic communicator who is able to articulate his thoughts clearly in English.  During Language Arts, he actively engaged in the class discussion, and was able to contribute thoughtful insight into the topic at hand.  His ability to communicate and analyze is commendable.
• Samar [Gr.8] displays the characteristics of a dynamic communicator who is not afraid to learn and improve her abilities in English.  During Language Arts class, she was able to clearly communicate her understanding of the vocabulary words at hand by writing a creative story.  Her efforts to utilize her second language in such a creative manner is admirable.

From Ms. Howard...

• Fiffy [Gr.8] deserves an ESLR for being a lifelong learner. She put in extra effort to find a book for her Independent Reading Project that is both challenging and interesting to her. Then, she communicated that interest to her classmates in the spirit of inspiring and sharing.

From Ms. Choi...

• Nahan [Gr.8] displays the characteristics of a natural leader. She collaborated and cooperated effectively by making necessary compromises in math class.

From Mr. Alexander...

• Nahan [Gr.8] did at least three parts of DOLPHINS: Dynamic Communication, Pro-activity and Socially Responsible. When I needed help thinking of ideas for Middle School DPA, Nahan found some activities on the internet and emailed them to me. She communicated with technology, didn't waste paper, and was a pro-active leader.

From Mr. Ahmet...

• Saud [Gr.7] showed he was independent by making many responsible decisions in PE class.
• Amal [Gr.8] showed she was a natural leader by helping other students in PE class.

National dress

Just a reminder for all students to wear either a Korean 한복 or traditional clothing from their own country tomorrow, as we enjoy a colourful last day before Chuseok.

Four Fun Facts from...

Mr. Altay, our Vice Principal.

1. My Korean language skills helped me work as an official interpreter for many important people, such as the President of Korea and Chief of the Army General Staff of Turkey.
2. I am so forgetful that when I lost my wallet, I realized that I threw it in the trash can with the other trash in my hand.
3. My nose is so big that once a robot I made in university stabbed me in the nose with the needles on its hand.
4. I was so shy as a child that I didn't tell my teachers during the Children's Day ceremony that I had peed my pants, and spent the rest of the day with wet pants and my friends all around me laughing.

Stair safety!

Please remember to walk on the stairs, one stair at a time. Running and jumping on the stairs is not a good choice to make!

September babies!

Today at RIS we have our September birthday celebration, and we wish all of the students and staff born in this month a very happy birthday!

Four Fun Facts from...

Mrs. Cho, our ESL teacher.

1. My sister was born in Argentina.
2. I love Oreo cookies and milk so much that my mom always has them ready for me when I visit.
3. These days, whenever I'm driving, I always listen to the Jonas Brothers.
4. I love to watch all kinds of sports games on T.V. but don't like to play.

Songpyeon and hanbok



songpyeon

This week in their Korean classes, students will learn more about Chuseok and about some of the activities associated with this festival. The Korean teachers will teach the students how to make songpyeon (송편), a kind of small rice cake. Students will be encouraged to take a few pieces home to share with their families.

Hanbok (한복) is the traditional Korean dress, worn on many occasions throughout the year. To commemorate this national holiday in an RIS way, we encourage all students to wear either a Korean hanbok or the national dress of their own countries to school this Friday.

hanbok



Learn about Chuseok

Next week is 추석 in Korea, an important festival time. Chuseok is a great time to be young, as there are many fun traditional Korean games to play and a lot of great food to eat. You can learn about some of these games and traditions at Asia Society Kids. This website has stories, games, and information about festivals in Korea and in many other countries too.

Challenge #5

Many of you are amazing artists! Your colourful pictures are already up on the walls of the classrooms and the hallways. But you know that this building has a lot of space to be decorated.

Let's start in the library...

Ms. Howard has some space near the library door, and wants to make a Picture String. Your challenge is to draw and colour a picture of your favourite character from a book. On the front of the paper you will also need to write the character's name and your name. On the back of the paper you will need to write one or two sentences to explain why that character is your favourite character. When all of your pictures are collected, Ms. Howard will clip them to string and hang them for everybody to see.

Remember to make your picture big, bold, bright, and beautiful, then give it to Mr. Smith before Thursday at 3:00. All students who submit a picture will be recognized as a Picture String Art Maker Master of the Week. Good luck!

Four Fun Facts from...

Ms. Shaw, our Grade Four teacher.

1. I have had the same best friend for 31 years and now she lives in Korea too.
2. I have visited eight of the ten Canadian provinces.
3. I always wanted to be a teacher and even had my own classroom at home where we would 'play' school.
4. I lived and studied in Iceland and the northern lights are amazing.

Uniform reminder

A reminder to parents that students will need to wear the appropriate RIS uniform beginning Monday, September 27th. Students must wear their official RIS pants or skirt, shirt, and tie on days when they do not have PE classes, and may wear the school PE uniform on days when they do have PE class.

Any students who arrive at school in clothing other than their uniform will not be allowed to join their class until their parents have brought them the appropriate clothing. Once they have changed into their RIS uniform, they will be welcome to join their class for the day of instruction.

If you have any questions about this policy, please do not hesitate to contact school administrators via telephone or email.

Four Fun Facts from...

Ms. Howard, our Librarian.

1. I like to run half marathons, marathons, and ultramarathons. Many teachers at RIS like to run, and together we're a great team.
2. When I was a child, my favourite books were Curious George and The Berenstain Bears.
3. My favourite times of year are autumn and winter. I miss snow.
4. I love Kuala Lumpur because of the blend of cultures, the Central Market, and the food.

It all adds up...

Congratulations to Fiffy, Nahan, and Haruka, all Grade Eight students, who walked 93 stairs, counted 44 student chairs and 12 teacher chairs in the cafeteria, tallied the 17 green chairs in the auditorium and the 19 windows in the gym, remembered that the RIS family comes from 21 different countries, and enumerated the 7 teachers with an 'r' in their name. After doing some fancy and correct calculations, they have each earned the title of I-Know-My-School Math Puzzle Master of the Week! Well done!

Weekly Menu

RIS Menu

Chuseok vacation

A reminder to parents that RIS will be closed for Chuseok vacation from September 18th to September 26th. Regular classes will resume for all students and staff on Monday, September 27th.

Four Fun Facts from...

Ms. Kim, our Art and ESL teacher.

1. I had to give up being a veterinarian (this was my goal for ten years!) because I was bad at Math!
2. I don't know how to ride a bicycle.
3. I couldn't write with my right hand when I was young, but now I use both hands to write.
4. I'm a happy backpacker! I've traveled to more than 15 countries in my twenties.

Weekly ESLR Award winners

From Ms. Lee...

• Fatima Rahimi [Gr.7] displayed the qualities of a natural leader. When one of her classmates was in need of assistance, she stepped up to help her peer. She has continuously demonstrated efforts to improve the social atmosphere in the 7th grade.
• Michel Lee [Gr.7] displayed the qualities of a natural leader by being responsible and demonstrating service towards others when he assisted a first grade student during the bus departure times even though he was not asked.

From Ms. Choi...

• Haruka [Gr.8] strived to serve and lead in class. During Science, she willingly volunteered to go all the way downstairs twice to get the supplies we needed.

From Ms. Howard...

• Amal [Gr.8] deserves an ESLR award for being independent. As a new student, she was proactive in asking for help from her classmates and then using their advice to learn about the library.
• Nahan [Gr.8] deserves an ESLR award for being a natural leader by helping the new students in Grade 8 use and understand the library.

From Ms. Kim...

• Valeria [Gr.6] shared her ideas with her classmates and helped to clean up the other students' desks. Because of her help and cooperation, we were able to finish our art projects on time.

From Ms. Mehtap...

• Haruka [Gr.8] was very helpful to the other students in the class.

From Mr. Alexander...

• Mert [Gr.6] is friendly and helpful to all students in the school and is good at making new students feel comfortable at RIS.

Extracurricular Activities

The teachers are finalizing plans to get our EC Activities program up and running after the Chuseok break. There will be a range of activities for the students to choose from in the program, including some popular clubs from last year and some brand new options.

The EC program will run on Wednesday afternoons from 3:10 to 3:55pm, beginning October 13th. There will be seven different 4-week sessions, meaning that students will have the opportunity to try a range of activities from a number of different teachers. The RIS buses will leave the school at 4:05 on these days. Parents can contact Mr. Altay in October to discuss this change in bus times.

As more information about the EC program becomes available, the details will be posted on this blog as well as conveyed directly to the students. If you have questions about the program, please contact your child's homeroom teacher or one of the school administrators.

Four Fun Facts from...

Ms. McIntyre, our Grade Three teacher.

1. My favourite colour is blue.
2. I speak German.
3. My favourite foods are pizza and chicken wings.
4. I can't live without coffee!

Robots!

Some people like to walk like robots. Some people like to talk like robots. Some people even like to think like robots!

There are many great websites for you to learn about robots. You can learn how robots are used in the world today, you can see what robots looked like when your mom and dad were young, and you can even learn how to build a robot of your own. Robots for Kids, Science Kids, and Science Toy Maker are great places for you to start.

If you make a robot at home with help from your family, be sure to bring it to school to show the teachers. Teachers love robots!

About homework

Homework is an extension of the day's activities. While the task is started in class with a teacher, finishing at home allows students more time to think about what they have learned.

Homework is always complementary to the classroom activities, and is part of the teacher's larger framework and long-term instructional plan.

If you child is having trouble with the homework, you can do two things:
- First, sit with your child and help them through the assignment. Sometimes students misunderstand the instructions and become frustrated. With your guidance and patience, your child will be more likely to complete the assignment.
- Secondly, contact the teacher directly to let him or her know about your child's difficulties. This will help the teacher modify or adapt their instruction, and often let them teach the same topic again in a new way for your child's benefit.

Parents contacting teachers

At RIS we encourage constant communication between parents and teachers. By talking often and working together closely with the teachers, you will be well-informed about your child's academic and social development.

Regular contact by email is the best option. All RIS teachers are conscientious of the need to reply to you in a timely manner, and are more than happy to address specific questions about what or how your child is learning each week.

Contact by telephone is another option. The best time to call the school to speak to a teacher is between 3:15 and 4:30. If you call earlier in the day, Ms. Park will be happy to take a message and have the teacher return your call after the students have gone home.

Visiting the school in person is also encouraged, as it will allow you a more clear understanding of how your child spends each day. If you plan to come to school to meet your child's teacher, please arrange a mutually convenient time before the appointment. In this way, the teacher will be able to clear time in her or his schedule to accommodate you. 

Challenge #4

This week's Challenge is a little bit different than the last three. All you need to do is count and do a little bit of Math...sounds easy, right?

For students in Grade One and Grade Two, count the total number of stairs in the school, from the lunch room all the way up to the roof. Write your name and your answer on a piece of paper, and give it to Mr. Smith before you go home on Thursday at 3:00.

For students in Grade Three and Grade Four, count the total number of student chairs in the lunch room and the total number of green chairs in the auditorium, then add these numbers to the total number of stairs in the school. Write your name and your answer on a piece of paper, and give it to Mr. Smith before you go home on Thursday at 3:00.

For students in Grade Five and Grade Six, count the number of windows in the gym and the number of teacher chairs in the lunch room. Multiply that sum by the sum of the total number of student chairs in the lunch room, green chairs in the auditorium, and number of stairs in the school. Write your name and your answer on a piece of paper, and give it to Mr. Smith before you go home on Thursday at 3:00.

For students in Grade Seven and Grade Eight, multiply the product of the Grade Five and Grade Six answer by the number of countries represented at RIS [Can't remember how many countries are represented here? Check the blog from August!]. Divide that product by the total number of teachers with an 'r' in their name [for example, Ms. Sawlor]. Write your name and your answer on a piece of paper, and give it to Mr. Smith before you go home on Thursday at 3:00.
 
You'll need to count very carefully, because one small mistake will prevent you from finding the correct final answer. All students with a correct answer will be recognized here on Friday as an I-Know-My-School Math Puzzle Master of the Week. Good luck!

Lost and Found

You should always make sure that your name is written on your property. You can write on the tags of your school clothes, put a sticker on your pencil box, or write your name lightly with pencil inside your books.

If you lose something in the school or on the bus - a bag, a book, your mittens, a jacket - ask Mr. Altay or Mr. Smith to check in the Lost and Found box for you.

Weekly ESLR Awards

From Ms. Lee, our wonderful Middle School Language Arts teacher...

Dear Middle School Parents,

This year, in an effort to improve overall student conduct and promote a healthy and social learning environment at RIS, we will be starting the ESLR Awards for the Middle School students.

What is an ESLR Award?

The ESLRs are the Expected Schoolwide Learning Results, and the awards will be given weekly to students who exhibit the traits of the ESLR descriptors. The students will be nominated by their teachers, and it will give each of them an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of positive school conduct. This will work to create a more constructive and encouraging learning environment at RIS.

Parents, it would be helpful if you could sit with your child to go over the many ways in which your child can contribute to positive change in the Middle School. Thank you for all of your help and consideration in making RIS a safe and enjoyable learning experience for your child!

Sincerely,
Ms. Lee

Assessment

This year at RIS we are redesigning the report cards we have used in previous years. We are moving away from the ten-point scale or issuing percentage grades, as these methods have proven very problematic to accurately assess the academic development and achievement of our students.

This year students will be graded in all subjects on an eight-point scale. This scale is more consistent with the many forms of assessment, of both content and process, which mark student learning.

The Assessment Descriptors document details the differences between levels of teacher expectation and student achievement. All teachers are incorporating this scale as they compile records of what and how the students are learning. As we draw more closely to issuing the First Quarter report cards in October, there will be more explanation of these levels and descriptors.  Please do not hesitate to discuss this scale in general with Mr. Smith, or specifically about your child's performance with the appropriate homeroom or specialist teacher.


RIS Assessment

School Uniforms

At RIS we believe that wearing a school uniform bolsters the students' sense of belonging to our unique learning community. There are two different RIS uniforms. The first is to be worn everyday. This uniform consists of pants, shirt, tie, sweater, and jacket for boys, and skirt, blouse, tie, sweater, and jacket for girls. On warm days, students will not need to wear the tie, sweater, or jacket. Students should also be wearing appropriate indoor footwear.

On the days when the student has PE class, the RIS PE uniform (pictured above in the centre) should be worn. Students should also ensure they have appropriate athletic footwear.

There will be occasional days throughout the year when students are encouraged to wear clothes other than the RIS uniform. These days will include National Dress Day, Dress Like a Teacher Day, Dress Like a Superhero Day, and A Day at the Beach, and will be announced at least a week ahead of time.

Teachers have been reminding students to wear their uniforms daily. We have allowed for a period of adjustment so that families may order and receive the uniforms, and will continue to do so until students return from the Chuseok vacation on September 27th. Beginning that day, students not wearing their RIS uniforms will not be allowed to join their classes. Parents are expected to support the Uniform Policy and ensure that their child is properly attired for school each day. If you need information about how to order or obtain the RIS uniforms, please contact Ms. Park.

Weekly Menu

RIS Menu

Beautiful art!

Nine amazingly talented students turned in nine amazingly colourful pictures of dolphins to meet this week's challenge. Congratulations to Haruka in Grade Eight, Valeria in Grade Six, Jumana in Grade Six, Pranu in Grade Two, Waleed in Grade Two, Lora in Grade Two, Rufat in Grade Two, Monika in Grade Two, and Rithwik in Grade One...our Dolphin Art Masters of the Week!

You can check out these fantastic pictures on the first floor wall, near Ms. Park's desk.

Incredible weather!

This unexpected day off school is a super opportunity for you to learn about weather and the incredible forces of nature. The strong winds and heavy rains you see today are from Kompasu, a Category Three storm affecting China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.

Learn about the different categories of storms and how storms are formed on some great weather websites. Both Weather Wiz Kids and The Weather Channel Kids have lots of information, games, and activities to help you become young meteorologists.

School is closed

RIS will be closed today due to the arrival of Tropical Storm Kompasu.
Tomorrow will be Day Three on the timetable.

Links

On the right side of the page under the title Links you can click to access the main RIS website. You can also find the websites for different homerooms or different teachers. These sites have information more specific to the students in those classes, including class news, photos, and homework assignments.

As of today, you can check in with Ms. Meyer's Grade Two class, Ms. McIntyre's Grade Three class, and Ms. Bussey's ESL class. As more teachers develop sites for their classes, the links will be added to this blog.

Hello, September!

September is the ninth month of the year, and the second month of the RIS school year. The rain and hot weather should go away soon, and Seoul will look greener and feel cooler.

There are a few notable dates on the school calendar this month. The September birthday party to honour the students and staff born in this month will be on Wednesday the 15th. We will have our Chuseok vacation from September 18th until September 26th. There are no classes for students or staff during this time.

Which days are special for you this month?