Phoenix Flyer

Korea International School

In This Issue: School-Wide Goals Seoul Campus Design Center Pangyo KoLAB Middle School Applied Learning High School Spring Trips Varsity Boys Tennis

As a leading international school in Korea, and throughout Asia, KIS staff maintain a laser-like focus on planning, preparing and delivering educational excellence to all students. This commitment is achieved in many ways: strong curricular programs; student-centered classrooms and learning environments; creating opportunities for students to take risks and challenge the status quo; hiring practices; a commitment to professional development; and annual goal setting.

One way to measure educational excellence is by evaluating methods used to build on identified strengths and how a school identifies areas for needed continuous improvement. Much of this is done, at KIS, through the accreditation process provided by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). WASC teams visit the school and review documents that we prepare as a self evaluation of procedures, systems, and long- range planning. This year, we are eagerly awaiting their visit which is expected in the spring of 2016.

Another way that KIS prepares for educational excellence is through annual goal setting. Each spring, KIS stakeholders review previous school-wide goals and evaluate their effectiveness. After review and evalua-tion, new goals are written by KIS faculty. Goals are then published and shared with staff during orientation prior to the start of each school year. We are proud of the work that has already been done in support of our school-wide goals, and we are committed to the continued development and achievement of these goals.

Goal #1 - Improve instructional practice through implementing our Learning Principles, targeted feedback, teacher leadership, and purposeful professional development strategies to enhance student learning. Goal #2 - Develop Applied Learning educational systems which include design thinking, project based learning, and experiential learning to encourage the necessary 21st Century skills and abilities.

Goal #3 - Continue to develop a guaranteed and viable curriculum, com-mon assessments, and reporting practices school-wide. Goal #4 - Continue to improve school climate, culture, professionalism, global perspective, and retention of quality faculty.

KIS: School-Wide Goals

Patrick RichKISAssistant Director

KIS Today

SC: Off To A Great Start!

Seoul CampusElementary School Highlights

Seoul Campus first PTO meeting of the year was a huge success, as we had our largest parent turnout in two years! The meeting began with a variety of student presentations. Our Grade Three to Five students performed a song they had been working on in music class with Ms. Sterner. A few of our Grade Five boys then presented a math game called 24, and two Grade Three students, Chloe and Yuha, concluded with presentations on current events happening around the world. It was wonderful to see the presentation skills these students displayed, along with how confident they appeared in front of a large group of adults and peers!

Once the presentations had finished, the parents and teachers came together to talk about our upcoming school wide events. The major topics of discussion were International Day on October 8th, and our fast approaching Halloween celebration. We were able to establish a Halloween subcommittee, comprised of three members who will help plan the festivities and assemble student teams to help run the game booths. More information will be released soon outlining how to get involved as a volunteer during these special Halloween festivities!

From one parent to anotherplease consider attending future PTO meetings, as your presence will help us build a better community for our KIS families. Our next meeting will be of particular importance because we will

discuss committee roles related to the positions of President, Secretary, and Treasurer. We will also spend time going over the structure of how meet-ings will be run in the future, as well as how deci-sions can be made in order to achieve the goals and expectations of the organization.

I hope to see you next month. Ill be sure to bring some kimbap!

Irish FarleySupport Teacher

On September 24th, a little yellow bus paraded down the streets winding from Pangyo to Seoul. Aboard its seats were nine tiny and smiling faces, accompanied by many excited squeals. All were exhilarated that today was the day they had been waiting for. The day they would meet their new friends at Seoul Campus!

Much of the year in PK and JK is spent discussing exactly what it is that makes a good friend. Good friends are kind. Good friends listen. And good friends share. In a day full of fun, PK and JK students from both KIS campuses were able to practice these along with other social skills they have learned. Seoul students enjoyed hosting the Pangyo students in their classrooms and inviting them to participate in various activities throughout the day.

The event began with the students listening to a book about friendship, co-read by their teachers. Afterwards, during free choice time, they created a friendship wreath made out of student handprints. The day finished with PK and JK students enjoying a picnic followed by water games on the field. The students loved the festive atmosphere, and turn-taking became a breeze.

After a long day of fun and revelry, the Pangyo students re-boarded the bus, ready for nap time. The tired hands waved out the bus windows: Thank you Seoul Campus students! This isnt a goodbye but, instead, a see you later!

Kailyn McLeanPK Teacher

PK & JK: Friendship Day

Pre-kindergarten enjoyed a colorful time these past two weeks at school in celebration of our Color Days event, where the students focused their learning on a different color each day from September 7th - 18th. During this time we read stories about color, sorted colorful objects, searched for colors, and made colorful arts and crafts.

Our students particularly enjoyed mixing different combinations of primary colors to make green, orange, and purple. We did this by stirring around paint, shaking up color tubes, and also kneading together two different colors of Playdough until the complimentary color appeared.

The PK students further demonstrated their commitment to the event by faithfully wearing their daily colors, with parents showing theirs as well by considering color when preparing their childrens snacks! Suffice to say, other students and staff in the building could guess exactly what our chosen color of the day was!

These thematically rich weeks at school were a resounding success thanks to the support of all staff, parents, and specialist teachers involved, as well as the unwa-vering enthusiasm of our three to four year old students. Everyone had a great time taking part and developing their appreciation for the colors in the world around them.

Color Days In PK

Last year we set out to modify our schools units of learn-ing by making meaningful connections between the content within our curriculum and applicable real world problems. One of our goals with these changes was to increase applied learning opportunities for our students.

The first step to achieving this goal was through cross curricular unit development, and is being done in conjunction with the creation of our new De-sign Center. The focus of all this work was centered around creating engaging units of study that are sup-ported by our science, technology and design time classes. We are already seeing positive impacts from this initiative, as our students are starting to view themselves as creators, designers and engineers.

During Robotech Club prior to Chuseok break, I touched base with Grade One student, Surin, and asked her about what she was working on, and she responded, I am an engineer. I followed up with the question, What

does an engineer do? and Surins re-sponse was perfect: I see a problem and I find a way to fix it.

Engaged Students In the Design Center

Justin OConnorSeoul CampusPrincipal

Anna SnellerPK Teacher

Anna SnellerPK Teacher

Of the many changes occurring at KIS Elementary this year, few have been as refreshing as the introduction of French to our World Language program by its committed teacher, Ms. Karen Luu. Ms. Luu brings to her students a longstanding passion for the French language: I grew up in Western Canada and attended a French speaking school, she says, so its always been a big part of who I am.

In Ms. Luus class, learning French is not only challenging but, impor-tantly, fun, engaging, and real. Ms. Luus natural style of teaching lan-guage is apparent the moment you walk into her classroom. Students are playing learning games, singing songs, conversing, and generally having an active and productive timeall in French, of course.

When asked if it was difficult having to speak French all the time in Ms. Luus class, Fourth Grader Zach Ziegler attested that, sometimes it is, but Im usually too busy to think about it. Were always singing songs, or acting out stuff, or whatever, so you just do it. You dont even really think about the fact that you are saying stuff in French.

When we learn by doing, we remember, connect, and apply our under-standing. In Ms. Luus dynamic classroom, that might look like the pluck-ing of feathers from a jaunty, virtual bird, in order to build new vocabu-lary or even ordering a meal entirely in French!

Teacher Feature: Karen Luu

Pangyo CampusElementary School Highlights

Travis PetersonElementary SchoolAssociate Principal

Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) is one of the biggest traditional festivals in Korea. Families get together to share food with loved ones, and to thank their ancestors for the good harvest. Elementary students at KIS celebrated the autumn festival in their Korean language classes. Learn-ing about Chuseok enabled our students to gain a greater understand-ing and appreciation of Korean culture, while increasing their motivation to learn the Korean language.

As part of the Chuseok festivities at KIS, Upper grade level students made folding screen posters communicating information regarding im-portant activities associated with Chuseok, as well as places to visit during this special time. They also tested their knowledge on what they have learned by playing Kahoot, an online quiz tool. In the meantime, Lower grade level students learned about the unique customs and tradi-tions in Korea by creating their own paper dolls using their knowledge of Hanbok, a traditional Korean costume.

But what is a festival without food? All elementary students were thrilled to take part in making traditional Korean desserts, sweet rice puffs. They mixed rice puffs, sugar, corn syrup, and dates to create these yummy treats to share with family and friends! The stu-dents loved making and eating special Chuseok treats, while learning and prac-ticing plenty of of vocabulary along the way.

Chuseok Fun!

Karen Jung & Junghee HyunElementary School

Over the past few months, students in KIS Elementary have been busy designing and engineering in the KoLABs!

Kindergarten students have been learning about different forces, experimenting with different types of pushes and pulls by creating their own stomp rockets and a pulley. They also began to design their own mini golf course, which they will soon test out!

First graders have been learning about the external features of dif-ferent animals and plants. Using what they have discovered during their investigations, the students began to design a device that will help solve a problem for their family.

The excitement continues In second grade, where the students have been learning about the properties of matter. During design time, these students dug into the KoLAB resources to create a vari-ety of objects using interactive LEGO WEDO construction kits.

Meanwhile, the learners in third grade have been exploring weather and climates in different regions of the world. The students were challenged to use the KoLABs resources to design a solution that can reduce the damage of their specific regions weather hazards.

The fourth grade students are in the process of creating a device that uses renewable energy resources, putting their minds togeth-erjust like the Snap Circuit kits theyve been buildingto figure out how energy travels through a circuit.

In fifth grade, the students are keeping things creative using the interactive tool Scratch Programming, and are currently in the pro-cess of using this tool to program an animation that can display and describe a scientific model of an ecosystem!

We are all looking forward to starting even more unique and exciting projects where our students can put their creativity to use, so stay tuned to the great things happening in the KIS Elementary KoLABS!

KoLAB CornerAlice AhnElementary School

What a colorful time weve been having in PK! For the past two weeks, the students have been learning about colors and celebrating a different one each day. We started by dressing in a new color each school day, and had fun reading books and singing songs about the unique features associated with a color.

The PK students also took part in many colorful art and craft projects where we mixed primary colors to make secondary colors using both paint and playdough. During this time, we brightened our dayby creating red ladybugs, painting yellow suns with our hands, making blue necklaces and pink balloon pigs, painting purple footprints, and creating black dice.

We also found some interesting ways to experiment with colors all around us by making cookies with orange frosting and baking chocolate brownies, as well as when we played with multicoloured rice and white snow in our class sensory areas. Along with this, the students were able to spend some time exploring out of the classroom, using iPads to take photos of specific colors around the school.

By the end of this thematic adventure, the PK students had become very good at naming and working with different colors. We all enjoyed adding a splash of color to PK at KIS, and we found that fun and learning come in many different shades!

Nalisha KeyshawPre-Kindergarten

Color Days In PK

Win, Lose, or Draw: Having Fun in PE No Matter The Outcome.

Pangyo CampusMiddle School Highlights

On Saturday, September 19th, four KIS students in Miss Naughtons Animal Advocates Club did something remarkable. Sixth graders Yeo-ni, Hannah, Erick, and Jenna raised 138,000 won from operating a flea market in Jamsil. They started at 1:00 pm and ended around 5:00 pm. They sold almost everything that they brought, including: books, board games, toys, and dolls. The students will be donating this great amount of money to a non-profit dog rescue organization called Sharing Love. The purpose of their flea market fundraising was to raise money to help send rescued dogs to the United States to find their forever homes. After

knowing the amount of money raised for dogs, the students are proud of what they did and excited to contribute more in the future.

Sharing Love

YeoniGrade 6 Student

Win, Lose, or Draw: Having Fun in PE No Matter The Outcome.The Middle School PE program is off to a great start this year! The department has made two big changes that stu-dents can look forward to. Seventh Grade PE is no longer a semester course; now, students in Grade Seven will take PE for a full year! The second big change is that our depart-ment has a new addition, Sixth Grade PE teacher Mr. Matt Quade. Mr. Quade is joining us from China, and is originally from Minnesota. His favorite sports include basketball and Ultimate Frisbee. Hes excited to join the PE team, and is looking forward to the rest of the year!

Middle School students have been extremely active since the year started, but fitness is not their only focus. Students

have been working on improving their sportsmanship skills. The KIS PE department is putting a strong em-phasis on teamwork and sportsmanship within each unitand the students are doing a great job! The PE department has been emphasizing that no matter what the outcome of the game, we need to be positive and support each other.

Aly KelleyMS PE

MS Art Wheel: 3D Pen SculptureSixth Graders had a chance to use 3D pens for the first time in the Art Room! As part of their STEM drawing unit, they were to create a sculpture focusing on Line, Shape, and Form. Al-though there were challenges of figuring out how to use the pen and how to draw in the third dimension, the students had an awesome attitude all throughout the process. The 3D Pen Sculptures can be found along the windows of the MS Office.Candice Kim

MS Art

This first semester, Miss Naughtons Grade Seven Math Accelerated classes learned about scale drawings and scale factors. Students then connected this concept to forced perspective, and applied their learning by taking their own forced-perspective pictures throughout the KIS campus. Students then computed the

scale factor of their pictures by measuring the distance from the camera to the foreground and the background in the photo.

Maths Applied Learning!

Algebra class covered proportions in class. The students then applied these skills to create their own building that was proportionate. Students had to measure the basketball court and create a unique building that fit the court measurements. Students had restrictions on the height and area of the building. Students worked together applying the skills learned in Algebra to a real world applica-tion by applying the concepts to architecture.

Sean Forrestal & Jen NaughtonMiddle School Math

Holidays are celebrated all over the world. It is a time when families can observe traditions, honor ancestors, and simply enjoy time with each other. The idea of family is also a part of our role as educators to support our students and par-ents; and to do everything we can to create a bridge between school and home. This bridge is a way of fostering that family feeling in our school community.

As educators, we often share quick tips for parents to use to support their childs academic success. However, evidence shows that one of the main keys to student success is the influence of a childs home life. A recent study led by Dr. Lee Raby (2014), postdoctoral re-searcher at University of Delaware, found that the emotional support a child receives during the first three years of life has an effect on their educational, social, and romantic relationships even 20 and 30 years later.

While we have students of all ages at KIS, its never too late to give support, love, and attention to your child. Its clear that even our MS students are still developing major parts of their brain, and everyday they are experiencing things that are helping to mold who they will become as adults. The upcoming EE trips are a great example of how KIS is working to provide children with a well-rounded educational experience. These trips promote safe risk-taking, collaboration, and fostering friendships. We also have a self-reflection portion of our trips that encourages students to think about their experience, how they felt, and other ways they can apply their experience to help them in other aspects of their lives.

With that in mind, I would like to challenge parents. Your challenge for this month is to talk to your child about their future. In reality, this is less about you talking, and more about listening to your child. Talk to them about their dreams, what/who they want to become, and things that they feel they need to best achieve their goals.

The second part of this challenge involves reflecting as a parent(s) on the conversation. Think about how you can best support your child. However, also think of things you want to personally work on that help you reach your own goals, while also strengthening your relationship with your child (e.g., overcoming a fear of something that normally makes you feel shy or embarrassed like dancing in public or public speaking; or identifying ways to relieve stress; or trying to take a more optimistic approach during frustrating moments).

I am proud to say that our students are a reflection of good parenting. I hope you enjoy the challenge, and be sure to look for new challenges in future editions under the MSKIS section.

Connecting Better

Dr. Billy BowieMiddle School

Associate Principal

Pangyo CampusHigh School Highlights

Get ready for a spring break adventure like no other in beautiful Costa Rica! Contact Ms. Yousey if interested.

There is no better way to grow your Spanish language skills than by immersing yourself in a Spanish-speaking country. Youll be having so much fun adventuring with your friends and classmates, building relationships with your welcoming tico host family, en-gaging in meaningful community service, and exploring Costa Ri-cas natural wonders... that you probably wont even realize how much youre learning and growing in the process!

Not only will you be able to truly take your Spanish skills to the next level, youll also gain invaluable insights and experiences to guide you moving forward, as well as motivate your language learning back at school. You will certainly set yourself apart from the many students who learn a foreign language, yet never have

the opportunity to be fully immersed in it! Learn what it means to be #sorustic this spring break!

Costa Rica | Mar 27th to Apr 2nd | $1,775 + Airfare | 15 Service Hours| 24 Students

Experience bustling cities, the great Moroccan outdoors, and rural life in the Atlas Mountains on this French language and cultural adventure program. Visit the largest mosque in Africa in Casablanca and in Marrake-ch. Wander the UNESCO-acclaimed, 1,000-year-old market where you can watch snake charmers entrance their cobras and vendors hawk their wares. See everything from whale vertebrae and acrobats, to ostrich eggs and orange juice stands! Make new Moroccan friends while engaging in community service, bond with your classmates, wander and wonder in the great Sahara desert. You can sandboard, hike, scavenger-hunt, bargain in the souks, eat delicious authentic cuisine, dive into Moroccan culture and history, and have the time of your lifeall while fine-tuning your French skills!

As a former French colony, Morocco holds a rich French heritage. French is still the main lan-guage spoken in government, commerce, education, and medicine. More than 50% of the population fluently communicates in both French and Darija (Moroccan) Arabic. Experience the wonders of this breathtaking country, while absorbing the French language. This is sure to be the French immersion experience of a lifetime!

Morocco | Mar 26th to Apr 2nd | $1,795 + Airfare | 24 Students | Contact Mr. Tebti to register.

Pura Vida Immersion and Adventure: Spring 2016 Spanish Trip

Moroccan Wanderer: Spring 2016 French Trip

Annie YouseyHS Spanish

Nordine TebtiHS French

Our four high school College Coun-selors were very pleased to be able to attend the first annual EARCOS/CIS (East Asia Regional Counsel of Schools/Council of Internation-al Schools) conference for college counselors and university represent-atives, in Bangkok, Thailand, dur-ing the Chuseok break. Our four KIS high school College Counselors are: Christine Collings, Valerie Scates, John Steinbach, and Sandra Toms. In attendance were 180 counselors from international schools in East Asia, and 115 university representa-tives from both the U.S. and interna-tional colleges and universities.

A number of timely and impactful in-formational sessions and discussions took place on such topics as: U.S. admissions trends, writing effective letters of recommendation, using student strengths to reframe the college process, university challenges for TCKs (third-culture kids), ethical considerations for multi-system applications, senior year stress, expanding

the college lists, the use and misuse of rankings, tips and tools for better college essays, and global citizenship.

We found the two-day-conference sessions both a confirmation of what we are doing here at KIS, as well as a challenge to continue to improve how we help our students achieve their goals both in high school and beyond.Sandra Toms

HS College Counsellor

Counsellors Corner

Holidays are celebrated all over the world. It is a time when families can observe traditions, honor ancestors, and simply enjoy time with each other. The idea of family is also a part of our role as educators to support our students and parents; and to do everything we can to create a bridge between school and home. This bridge is a way of fostering that family feeling in our school community.

As educators, we often share quick tips for parents to use to support their childs academic success. How-ever, evidence shows that one of the main keys to student success is the influence of a childs home life. A recent study led by Dr. Lee Raby (2014), postdoctoral researcher at University of Delaware, found that the emotional support a child receives during the first three years of life has an effect on their educational, social, and romantic relationships even 20 and 30 years later.

While we have students of all ages at KIS, its never too late to give support, love, and attention to your child. Its clear that even our MS students are still developing major parts of their brain, and everyday they are experiencing things that are helping to mold who they will become as adults. The upcoming EE trips are a great example of how KIS is working to provide children with a well-rounded educational experience. These trips promote safe risk-taking, collaboration, and fostering friendships. We also have a self-reflection portion of our trips that encourages students to think about their experience, how they felt, and other ways they can apply their experience to help them in other aspects of their lives.

With that in mind, I would like to challenge parents. Your challenge for this month is to talk to your child about their future. In reality, this is less about you talking, and more about listening to your child. Talk to them about their dreams, what/who they want to become, and things that they feel they need to best achieve their goals.

The second part of this challenge involves reflecting as a parent(s) on the conversation. Think about how you can best support your child. However, also think of things you want to personally work on that help you reach your own goals, while also strengthening your relationship with your child (e.g., overcoming a fear of something that normally makes you feel shy or embarrassed like dancing in public or public speaking; or identifying ways to relieve stress; or trying to take a more optimistic approach during frustrating moments).

I am proud to say that our students are a reflection of good parenting. I hope you enjoy the challenge, and be sure to look for new challenges in future editions under the MSKIS section.

Go Phoenix!

Phoenix AthleticsThis season, the Boys Varsity Tennis Team began their sea-son with a visit to SFS (Seoul Foreign School) on September 4th. Although our team did not win that meeting, we dedi-cated ourselves to practicing hard for our upcoming home game against SFS two weeks later.

Due to heavy rain, our same-day game on the 4th was can-celled with SIS (Seoul International School). We used that extra time to bond as a team and refine our skills such as serving.

On the 9th of September, our Boys Team met TCIS (Taejon Christian International School). The team was a bit nervous and felt some pressure. because some of our veteran play-ers were on the Senior Retreat, including Terry, Morgan, and James. But, we regained our strength when Brian won the first singles match against TCIS. Wonil and Moa also won their game, leading to another victory.

On the 12th of September, we had a home game against SAHS (Seoul American High School). Although it rained a lit-tle before the game, our team was ready to play. The match started at 1pm, and ended faster than normal. Brian once again won first singles, Wonil and Sihun also won their first doubles game against SAHS. Moa won his singles game, while Chanha and James won their second doubles game. Once again, KIS won another meet.

On the 18th of September, SFS visited KIS at the outdoor courts at Suji Athletic Park, where we normally play. Our boys won, changing the tide since wed last met two weeks ago.

On the 19th of September, our KIS boys visited SIS, and un-fortunately lost there. However, on the 23rd of September, YISS (Yongsan International School of Seoul) visited us, and once again our team tasted victory.

Our team is currently 4-2 going into two matches against TCIS and SIS this week. We are also working hard to prepare for our AISA tournament hosted in Sunae October 15-18.

This year, our Boys Varsity Tennis Team is lead by coach Mr. McKelvie. Grade 12 student manager, Nicole, is helping out; along with me. We are all looking forward to a successful final month of our season!

Boys Varsity Tennis: September

JennyGrade 11 StudentBoys Varsity Tennis Co-Manager

Korea International School

Korea International School

Korea International School27, Daewangpangyo-ro 385beon-gil, Bundang-gu

Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-doKorea 463-420

www.kis.kr