Goodbye and thank you!

Please allow me to step out from behind this blog for a moment... today is the last day at RIS for Ms. Howard and me. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have been a part of the school for a long time, and are proud of many of the things we have been able to accomplish in our time here.

We will miss our interactions with our friends and colleagues and with the parents so involved and concerned with their children's education. We will especially miss the many wonderful, bright, and caring students we have had the opportunity to teach. Ms. Howard and I wish you all much success and great happiness in the future.

So we leave you, RIS Big Brains, with two important pieces of advice:

1. Exercise for at least thirty minutes every day. Go outside, run around, have fun!
2. Learn as much as you can about as much as you can.

All the best,
Mr. Smith and Ms. Howard

New blog

Effective tomorrow, please see the new RIS blog at http://www.riskorea.blogspot.com/ for all RIS daily announcements and reminders. Mr. Emin has been working hard to ensure that the new blog will be a one-stop forum for school news, events, and activities. As well, the new RIS website is in its final stages of development, and promises to offer many more online features for all members of the RIS family.

Quarter Two Parent Meeting - reminder

The Quarter Two Parent Meeting will be held tomorrow from 10:00-11:15am in the auditorium. All parents are invited to this informal session, and are encouraged to ask RIS administrators any questions they may have.

Please inform Mr. Emin or Ms. Park by this afternoon if you plan on attending the meeting. We hope to see many of you tomorrow.

Did you have a good breakfast today?

Did you know that eating a healthy breakfast is the best way to get your body and brain going in the morning? Make sure that you have something nutritious to eat for breakfast (some cereals, milk, yogurt, fruit, juice, and water are all good choices) and give yourself the energy you need to be productive and active. There are many good websites for you to see to learn about proper nutrition and healthy eating habits. Check out Nutrition Explorations for a fun place to start.

Extra Homework - Weekend Edition

Story

Holiday brains

Thanks to this week's challenge champions for insight into Spain's San Isidro festival, Canada's Icelandic festivals, Korea's Chuseok, and Christmas, celebrated by Christians around the world. For this great research, Haruka [Gr.8], Rithwik [Gr.1], Sena [Gr.2], and Abdulaziz [Gr.1], you are recognized as our Holiday Facts O'Plenty Masters of the Week. Very well done!

Here they go...

Tomorrow Haruka [Gr.8], Fiffy [Gr.8], Valeria [Gr.6], Burak [Gr.7], and Nahan [Gr.8] take their first steps on the road to the Olympiads. These five super students join Ms. Tuba, Mr. Emin, and Mr. Ahmet on the first of many trips to KAIST in Daejeon, where they will meet Professor Yavuz and begin preparations for next year's competitions in Istanbul and Houston. Great stuff, everyone!

Quarter Two Parent Meeting - reminder

The Quarter Two Parent Meeting will be held next Tuesday, November 23rd, from 10:00-11:15am in the auditorium. All parents are invited to this informal session, and are encouraged to ask RIS administrators any questions they may have.

Please inform Mr. Emin or Ms. Park by Monday afternoon if you plan on attending the meeting on Tuesday. We hope to see many of you next week.

Weekly ESLR Award winners

From Ms. Choi...

• Amal [Gr.8] displays the qualities of a lifelong learner. She strives to work hard and learn something new everyday. She is always attentive in class and tries to put her best effort into all her assignments.
• Nahan [Gr.8] displays the characteristics of an individual who is friendly and caring. She always has lots of stories to share and is the first person to greet and smile at the teacher.

From Ms. Kim...

• Fatima A. [Gr.7] deserves an ESLR award for being a natural leader by helping the other students in ESL class, and leading a vocabulary game with a positive attitude.

From Ms. Lee...

• Bassam [Gr.8] displays the qualities of an independent learner who is self-motivated about accomplishing his goals.  Although he is new to the school, numerous teachers have commented on his pleasant, hardworking demeanor toward his classroom work.  His positive attitude is commendable.

From Mr. Alexander...

• Amal [Gr.8] showed herself to be Independent by taking the time to do her difficult Social Studies test at home.

Flags

The best website to use if you are interested in comparing flags from different countries is the World Flag Database. Once you have checked that site out, you will probably be ready to put your knowledge to the test with the flag game, where you can also learn many facts about the countries.

Happy National Day!

Oman - November 18th

Extra Homework #2

For students in Grades One to Three...


RIS Name Search

For students in Grades Four to Eight...


RIS Names

What a cool museum!

There was something for everyone today - rockets, sharks, dinosaurs, earthquakes, insects, electricity, a playground, and many amazing exhibits. Thanks for having us, Gwacheon National Science Museum, we had a great time!

November babies!

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

Challenge #13

With the next few days being Eid, a major festival for most RIS families, this week's challenge is about holidays. Holidays can be fun and relaxing, but many holidays also have special meanings.

Your challenge is to learn four facts about a holiday. Sounds easy, right? But...the holiday you choose can not be a holiday from the country, or the culture, or the religion that you are from. This is your chance to learn about a ceremony or festival from a different part of the world, then share your knowledge with your family, friends, and teachers. For example, read about Mexico's Día de Todos los Santos, or Nepal's Dashain, or Brazil's Carnival, or Western Samoa's Teuila. Every country has its own special holidays and observances, so there will be plenty of information for you to gather.

Do your research, and then find Mr. Smith before Friday at 1:18pm. Tell him the holiday you chose, the country where it is celebrated, and four fascinating facts. Students who complete this challenge will be recognized here on Friday afternoon as a Holiday Facts O'Plenty Master of the Week. Good luck!

Korean Cooking class

Once a month, a volunteer from the Seocho Health Centre will come to RIS to teach a Korean Cooking class to Middle School students. In November, the class will be held on Tuesday the 23rd from 3:10pm-4:10pm. This is an optional session, and students who wish to join will be responsible to ensure their own transportation home after the class. There is no cost to the students, and a maximum enrolment of ten. This month, the class will continue to learn how to make 김밥 (kimbab) and 떡볶이 (tteokbokki).

Parents of interested students should email Mr. Emin directly to give permission for their child to join, and to ensure that the student has planned his or her own transportation home after the class. 맛있게 드세요!

No EC or TKD tomorrow

Due to the field trip, this week's EC and TaeKwonDo program will be cancelled. Parents should expect their children to return home at regular school-day time tomorrow. The EC and TKD programs will take place as usual next Wednesday.

Field trip reminder

Tomorrow we will be going for a full-day field trip to the Gwacheon National Science Museum. Please remember your lunch, a drink, a snack, and your curiousity. You'll need to wear your RIS uniform, but don't need to bring any money.

Let's have a great day out there.

Happy Eid!

To all of you celebrating this holiday, we wish you and your families a wonderful Eid.

Science Olympiads - reminder

So far five interested students have spoken to Mr. Emin about joining one of the Science Olympiad project teams. There is still room for a few more great scientific minds to contribute and be part of this fantastic opportunity.

Parents of interested students should contact Mr. Emin as soon as possible, as the students will be making their first trip to KAIST in Daejeon this weekend.

Quarter Two Parent Meeting

There will be an open and informal Parent Meeting on Tuesday, November 23rd, from 10:00-11:15am in the auditorium. Parents of students in all grades are invited to speak to school administrators about any issues or concerns you may have. We will use the forum to give more information about some current and ongoing initiatives.

We do request that if you wish to speak specifically about what your child is learning or how your child is progressing through this school year, that you contact your child's homeroom teacher directly and arrange a separate meeting time.

Please let Mr. Emin or Ms. Park know if you plan on attending the meeting. We look forward to seeing many of you next Tuesday.

Brrrr!

The sky is blue and the air is crisp, but the winter winds are starting to blow. Please ensure that your child is wearing adequate outdoor clothing (jacket, hat, mittens) to school. Staying warm and properly bundled is a great way to avoid a case of the sniffles.

Also, as with all of your child's uniform clothing, please be sure to write your child's name on the tags or labels of their winter clothes, so that any lost pieces may easily be returned to the rightful owner.

Wow!

Are there no limits to the fantastic abilities of RIS students? This challenge has brought out some truly stupendous physical feats. Congratulations to Jihan [Gr.2], Minhye [Gr.1], Valeria [Gr.6], Hyung-Wook [Gr.1], Sofia [Gr.5], and Daniela [Gr.5] for their flexible tongues; to Burak [Gr.7], Saud [Gr.5], and Saud [Gr.7] for their flexible ears; Rithwik [Gr.1], Latham [Gr.1], Layan [Gr.1], Joshua [Gr.4], Mutahar [Gr.7], Melissa [Gr.4], Amina [Gr.4], and Lora [Gr.2] for their flexible fingers; Haruka [Gr.8] and Pranu [Gr.2] for their flexible backs; Majeed [Gr.3] and Nicole [Gr.3] for their flexible legs; Javier [Gr.6] for his eyebrow lift; Ola [Gr.6] and Will [Gr.5] for their stretchy arms and necks; Roanne [Gr.1] for her rolling rrrr; Yura [Gr.4] for her rope tricks; Zeynab [Gr.4] for her singing; and Fiffy [Gr.8] for her strangely snapping fingers. You are all incredible and you are all our Uniquely Talented and Undoubtedly Amazingly Skilled Masters of the Week!

Weekly ESLR Award winners

From Ms. Choi...

• Dalia [Gr.7] displays the qualities of a kind and courteous person. She showed true appreciation and gratitude to her teacher. Her warmheartedness is appreciated.

From Ms. Kim...

• Jumana [Gr.6] communicates clearly and accurately in English at ESL class as a dynamic communicator. In reading discussion, her ideas are organized appropriately and in complex and logical ways. Jumana is always attentive during lessons and is willing to answer questions.

From Ms. Lee...

• Mutahar [Gr.7] displays the qualities of a socially responsible individual.  He proactively volunteers to help teachers even though he was not asked and helps to make a more positive classroom environment. 

From Ms. Howard...

• Dalia [Gr.7] deserves an ESLR for being a natural leader. While she was in the library, she helped another student to find the book that he wanted. Her behaviour was very courteous.

From Mr. Alexander...

• Mutahar [Gr.7] is becoming an INDEPENDENT LEARNER and doing well on all assignments lately.
• Valeria [Gr.6] is a NATURAL LEADER. She brought a new game to school to teach her class in DPA.

Extra Homework #1

We all know that RIS students are busy people. You have school, homework, activities outside school, time with your family, time to play with friends, time to eat, and time to sleep. Wow!

But maybe you can find a minute or two to do a bit of extra homework. You won't get money or receive higher grades for doing this. Doing this won't earn you a prize or get your name on the blog. This homework is just for you and your growing brain.

Finish the homework when you can, and show it to Mr. Smith if you want your answers to be checked. Then sit back and know that you are learning as much as you can about as much as you can.


Baby animal names

Great bus behaviour

Mr. Emin wants to personally congratulate the following students for doing such a great job in respecting the bus rules on their long daily commute: Reeouf [Gr.4], Shahad [Gr.5], Samar [Gr.8], Abdullah [Gr.3], Sofia [Gr.2], Javier [Gr.6], Layan [Gr.1], Badr [Gr.3], Faris [Gr.1], Fatimah [Gr.3], Saud [Gr.7], Abdulrahman [Gr.4], and Leena [Gr.6].

Thanks for being such positive role models!

Lest we forget

In many countries and cultures, November 11th is celebrated as Remembrance Day, a time to reflect on the sacrifices of war and to think about affecting future peace. We hope all RIS students will take a moment today to be thankful for the contributions to lasting peace made by so many people.

Happy Pepero Day

In Korean and Japan many people celebrate November 11th as Pepero Day, a fun time to eat and share this delicious snack. Happy Pepero Day to RIS students!

Learn about earthquakes

One of the exhibits that we will try to see next Wednesday is the Earthquake Simulator. This will let you see and feel what it is like when an earthquake hits. A great website to check out to learn about earthquakes is USGS's Earthquakes for Kids. Spend some time there so that you are very well-informed before the field trip to Gwacheon.

Field Trip

On Wednesday, November 17th we will be going on our second school field trip. All RIS students and staff will be going to the Gwacheon National Science Museum. There are exhibits with over 100 themes, including aerospace, energy, a dinosaur park, ecological ponds, an insect specimen gallery, and a planetarium, as well as a wide range of experiential programs. In this full-day trip, we will try to see as many of these interesting exhibits as we can.

All transportation and costs will be covered by RIS, but students are responsible to bring their own packed lunch, drink, and snack. Students may wish to bring a camera, and are responsible to carry it throughout the day. Please do not send any money for your child to spend at the museum. While there is a gift shop on site, we will not be allowing students to purchase anything there.

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. Emin know before Monday, November 15th if you are interested in accompanying us.

Science Olympiads

Are you a hard-working Middle School student? Do you love Science? Are you ready to dedicate your Saturdays to a project for a chance at international travel, fame, and prestige? If you can answer yes to these three questions, RIS has an amazing opportunity for you!

Professor Yavuz

Our principal, Mr. Emin, is good friends with Professor Cafer Yavuz, a Turkish scholar currently teaching and conducting research at KAIST in Daejeon. Professor Yavuz has offered to lead two groups of RIS students through the process of preparing and presenting projects at two different Science Olympiad competitions.

One group of students will compete at the 19th International Environmental Project Olympiad (INEPO) held in Istanbul, Turkey from May 18-21, 2011. Another group of students will prepare to compete at I-SWEEEP, the International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering, and Environment) Project Olympiad, held in Houston, USA from May 4-9, 2011.

Each group will consist of two to four Middle School students with proven aptitude and achievement in Science. Students will need to commit to this Olympiad preparation for approximately four hours every Saturday from now until the competition. These Saturday sessions will be held on alternate weekends at RIS in Seoul and at Professor Yavuz's facilities in Daejeon.

All parents of interested students should contact Mr. Emin directly to discuss the logistics of this commitment in terms of scheduling, transportation, and costs. In order to begin the necessary preparations as soon as possible, please contact Mr. Emin by this Friday, November 12th. He will be able to explain more fully to you the incredible opportunity these Olympiad competitions represent for the students.

G20 Summit

While we are expecting some slight delays in school bus arrival times due to special G20 traffic restrictions, November 11th and 12th will be regular school days at RIS. All classes and activities will proceed as scheduled.

Challenge #12

This week's Challenge is brought to you from a great suggestion from Badr [Gr.3], who came up with the idea while sitting comfortably in a full-lotus position while waiting for the bus last week.

We all know that RIS students have some amazing skills and abilities. Many of you speak two or three languages. Many of you play more than one musical instrument. Many of you write beautiful poetry or are able to solve Math problems faster than your teacher! There is almost no end to the list of reasons why you are all awesome in more than one way.

But what is your special physical talent? What can you do that is weird or wonderful? Can you sit in the lotus position? Can you move your ears without touching them? Can you make your thumb bend back to touch your wrist? Can you lock your hands behind your back and bring them together over your head? Can you stand on one foot and lift your other foot over your head? Can you turn your tongue upside down? Can you clap your hands together more than 100 times in a minute? Can you bend backwards and touch your feet to your head? What can you do?

Show Mr. Smith your incredible physical talent before Friday at 12:37pm. He'll probably ask you a question or two about what you are doing. All students who exhibit their amazing or unique skill will be recognized here on Friday afternoon as a Uniquely Talented and Undoubtedly Amazingly Skilled Master of the Week. Good luck!

EC Session#2

Our exciting EC program goes into its second 4-week cycle this week. Teachers are currently finalizing their activities and their final rosters, and look forward to getting everything started tomorrow.

This second session is November 10th, 17th, 24th, and December 1st.
Students in Grades One and Two have chosen one of Puppet Theatre Club, Computer Club, or Homework Club.
Students in Grades Three to Five have chosen one of Sports Club, Korean Movie and Music Club, or Homework Club.
Students in Grades Six to Eight have chosen one of Math Club, Reading Club, Homework Club, or Korean Paper Making Club.
Students from all grades who chose TaeKwonDo at the beginning of the year will continue in that group for the duration of the Wednesday EC program.
The homeroom teachers explained each of these club activities to the students as they were making their choices, and everyone is ready to go!

Enjoy!

Have an absolutely amazingly fantabulous weekend, everyone!

Kind souls

This week's challenge was about performing a random act of kindness. While many of you surely did something amazing for someone this week, these three very thoughtful students told Mr. Smith about something they did to make another person smile. Congratulations to Lora [Gr.2], Rithwik [Gr.1], and Nahan [Gr.8], our Random Act of Kindness Masters of the Week. Thanks for being so wonderful!

Nambook 010

Not one, not two, but ten RIS students have been awarded prizes in this year's Nambook 010 Children's Peace Drawing Contest! You can check out the Nambook website to learn more about the festival and the organization.

Fatima R. [Gr.7], Zeynab [Gr.4], Burak [Gr.7], Reeouf [Gr.4], Valeria [Gr.6], Ola [Gr.6], Miju [Gr.3], Fatimah [Gr.3], Saud [Gr.7], and Mert [Gr.6] will all receive a certificate, medal, and commemorative book for their artistic efforts. Great work, everyone!

Weekly ESLR Award winners

From Ms. Howard...

• Fiffy [Gr.8] and Haruka [Gr.8] deserve ESLR awards for being proactive. They are working very hard on their homework outside of class hours.
• Nahan [Gr.8] deserves an ESLR for being thoughtful. She consistently demonstrates the ability to closely examine what she reads and tries to relate it to her own experience.

From Ms. Choi...

• Jumana [Gr.6] displays the characteristics of a self-directed learner. She spent her recess time editing and finishing her group work by herself. She set goals and diligently worked to achieve them.
• Samar [Gr.8] displays the characteristics of a socially responsible person who strived to serve. She got the door for a teacher whose hands were full with books.

From Ms. Lee...

• Fiffy [Gr.8] displays the characteristics of a natural leader who naturally demonstrates responsibility.  During DPA she voluntarily goes down to bring the snacks even though she was not asked to.  Her leadership qualities are admirable.

From Mrs. Cho...

• Abdulmalik M. [Gr.6] is socially responsible and cares for the environment we study and spend our time in. He voluntarily helped clean up the classroom after an activity, sweeping the floors. His efforts were a great help in getting the classroom ready for the next class. Good job Abdulmalik!

From Ms. Kim...

• Rowida [Gr.6] displays the characteristics of a socially responsible person by undertaking environmental stewardship. She cleans the whole classroom up after she finishes her own project. Thank you, Rowida!

PTA

Mr. Emin has collected the PTA sign-up sheets from Saturday's conference, and will contact the nine parents who expressed an interest in being on the executive committee shortly. Those of you who expressed interest in general membership will be notified shortly thereafter about the contributions and involvement you may have in this initiative.

And again, thank you to all parents for your efforts and support of RIS.

Parents in the school

Yesterday the Grade Two students were lucky to have Pranu's mom come in to give an amazing presentation about Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. You can see some photos and read about it on Ms. Meyer's blog.

Will [Gr.5] and Nicole's [Gr.3] mom has been coming in to help Ms. Howard in the library every week since last year, and has done so much work to make the library the incredible place it is.

RIS staff and students are so very appreciative of parent volunteers, whether as a special one-time event or on a regular on-going basis. If any other parents would like to come in for an hour or two, please contact Mr. Emin, who will be able to coordinate your visit.

And again, thank you for your continued support of the RIS learning community!

Kindness

A great website to check out for ideas about being kind and helping others is Help Others. From that site you could find a different kind act to do every day of the year!

Wow!

Mr. Smith's office wall looks like an art gallery, thanks to Rufat [Gr.2], Monica J. [Gr.2], Pranu [Gr.2], Lora [Gr.2], Monica [Gr.2], Sena [Gr.2], Haruka [Gr.8], Melissa [Gr.4], Jihan [Gr.2], and Minhye [Gr.1], our Creative Genius Interior Decorating Masters of the Weekend.Thanks, everyone!

Happy National Day!

Panama - November 3rd

TKD uniform fee

A reminder for all parents who have not yet submitted the 35000KRW TaeKwonDo uniform fee to do so this week. You can send the cash to your child's homeroom teacher (in a sealed envelope with your child's name on it), or transfer the money directly into the school's account. Please contact Ms. Park if you need the school account and bank transfer information.

Challenge #11

*Don't forget to make some art for Mr. Smith's wall for the Special Weekend Challenge! He has already received five amazing pieces, and has room for a lot more. Submit it to him before tomorrow at 9:09am to be recognized here as a Creative Genius Interior Decorating Master of the Weekend.

This week's challenge is about being kind, something that RIS students have no trouble with! Your challenge is to do a Random Act of Kindness. Do something kind for someone for no other reason than what you do makes them smile or feel appreciative. You can do something small and simple, like lending your friend a pencil or helping them with some work. It can be something larger and more involved, like organizing a game during playtime to help your teacher or cleaning up the dinner dishes to give your mom and dad a little break.

Let Mr. Smith know the kind thing you did for someone else before Friday at 9:09am. He will ask you a few questions about how you made the other person feel. All students who did something kind will be recognized here as a Random Act of Kindness Master of the Week. Good luck!

Let the percussion begin!

We have our six drummers, and look forward to hearing some beautiful music from Joshua [Gr.4], Jihan [Gr.2], Minhye [Gr.1], Semanur [Gr.3], Burak [Gr.7], and Sena [Gr.2].

The drum class will be held with Mrs. Kim on Friday this week, and then every Tuesday beginning next week.

Hello, November!

Can you believe we are already into the fourth month of school?

It was delightful to meet so many parents on Saturday, and we thank you for your continued and overwhelming support of RIS. Mr. Emin will be contacting those of you who indicated an interest in helping to form the PTA shortly.

A few important dates to put on the calendar this month, with the monthly birthday party on Tuesday the 16th and our second field trip on Wednesday the 17th. We are currently planning this trip, and will post details when they are finalized. As always, parents will be most welcome to join the trip and enjoy the day with us.

The RIS family grew a little bit more today, with Mrs. Rashmi Gupta [Ms. R. to the students] joining the staff to teach Middle School Science. She brings with her a wealth of classroom experience and a great love of Science, and will be guiding our budding scientists through a wide array of topics. Welcome, Ms. R.!