rbis highlights february 2011

2381 Hong Qiao Road (Zoo's East Gate), Shanghai, China 200335 (86 21)62689773, 62684081 www.rbischina.org

Volume 4, Issue 3, February

Principal’s MessageDear RBIS Community,

Greetings and Xin Nian Kuai Le!,

January is always a festive month at RBIS. As one exciting New Year celebration ends, another even more explosive one approaches.

E v e r y R B I S c l a s s r o o m i s anticipating the upcoming Chinese New Year celebra-tion and learning a b o u t t h e importance of the Spring Festival. C h i n e s e t r a d -it ional art and crafts are being observed and created by the students in their classrooms while Spring Festival customs are being taught and performed during their Chinese lessons.

PYP Pre-Authorization VisitWe are happy to announce that a representative from IBO will visit our school on March 3rd and 4th. During the visit they will evaluate the progress we have made t o w a r d s i m p l e m e n t i n g t h e Primary Years Program (PYP) at RBIS. The past two years we have achieved the objectives of our 3-year PYP action plan and we are confident that the representative will be impressed by the learning experiences we create for our students. Our target goal is to

become an accredited IBO school in the 2011-2012 school year. If you would like to learn more about the PYP program you can visit their website at www.ibo.org. The faculty and leadership team at RBIS is always happy to answer any questions you may have about

t h e P Y P a n d curriculum. Let’s go to the Movies!Prek-6th grade students had a blast at this year’s Movie Night fund-raisers! Students e n j o y e d e a t i n g popcorn and pizza

while they watched their favorite movies with classmates. A big THANK YOU to the RBIS parent committee for organizing the event! Movie night raised RMB 6125 and all proceeds will go towards planting 245 trees in Mongolia.

Memoir Reading at StarbucksHave you ever thought about writing your life story? Ms. Jennifer’s 3rd grade class can offer you some useful tips. They recently f inished writ ing a collection of memoirs that reflect memorable events in their life. Writing a memoir at age 8 is pretty impressive, but what is

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Highlights

News and EventsNews and EventsJan. 29th-Feb. 6th School closed for Chinese New Year Holiday

Feb. 7th Students return to school

Feb. 15th RBIS After School enrollment forms sent home.

Feb. 21st Parents return After School enrollment forms.

Feb. 21st-25th RBIS Literacy week

Feb. 22nd-24th Book Fair in Library

Feb. 28th Quarter 2 After School Enrichment program begins.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Earth Day Stage Acts

We are looking for stage acts for our Earth Day celebration in April. If you know a n y o n e w h o i s i n t e r e s t e d , p l e a s e contact Mr. Alex at [email protected].

Lost and Found

Lost and Found is located the Admissions office.

http://www.rbischina.org


http://www.ibo.org

http://www.ibo.org

http://www.rbischina.org/community.aspx?id=38




mailto:[email protected]





Early ChildhoodOur Toddler and Early Years classes have continued to explore their unit on the environment. The toddler class particularly enjoyed talking about winter clothing and especially enjoyed dressing up

in winter h a t s , s c a r v e s , g l o v e s , that were i n t h e dress up c o r n e r and also

expanding their vocabulary at the same time. They continued their interest in winter clothing in art activities creating a winter clothing mobile. After the December break we welcomed a new Early Years

class, EYD with Ms. Meredith and Ms. Shirley. Our new friends transitioned into school l i f e w i t h s m i l e s a n d enthusiasm, exploring their new school environment and making new friends.

The Preschool unit of inquiry “Music allows us to discover and express ourselves through s o n g s , m o v e -ment and rhythm.” Culmin-ated with t h e W i n t e r perform-a n c e s . T h e s e h i g h l i g h t e d t h e c h i l d r e n ’ s l e a r n i n g a n d expression through song and dance and showed us just how talented our students are! Throughout this unit Ms Jess’s PE class developed an interest for dance. The children learnt different styles and expressions a n d e x p l o r e d d i f f e r e n t costumes and props from around the world. They ended their unit with a special performance of “Dance is everywhere”. The students invited the whole school to their performance in the gym, where they performed a variety of dance sequences that they learnt. They even made their own tap shoes!

With first semester progress reports and portfolios com-

pleted it was great t o s e e how the P r e - k students h a v e s t e a d i l y b e e n improving their writing and literacy skills throughout the year. Teachers have been supporting student writing and literacy through a variety of activities, l inked to their current units and as part of the daily routine.

Pre-k are also completing their unit of inquiry on “Because of light we see color, shadows and r e f l e c t i o n s . ” T e a c h e r s highlighted that the students really enjoyed the exploration of shad-ows and the act-i v i t i e s a n d i n -q u i r i e s that went a l o n g with this. Students also gained a lot of knowledge about reflection and reflective materials. Ms Alexis shared a comment from a student in her class who told her “when the sun hits the water it breaks the light!”

Linda MatthewsEarly Childhood Coordinator

Principal’s Message Continued...

even more extraordinary is that the students read their stories to friends, family, and local coffee drinkers at Starbucks! We were all impressed by their highly entertaining stories and confidence presenting in front of an audience. You can view pictures of their reading in the RBIS Highlights newsletter online.

Have a fun and safe holiday!

Rebecca ZipprichPrincipal




ElementaryT h e K i n d e r g a r t e n a n d Elementary classes wrapped up the year taking their inquiry to t h e s t a g e . O u r w i n t e r performances highl ighted student inquiry into feelings, f a m i l i e s , b o d y s y s t e m s , storytelling and values. Classes started the New Year with brand new Units of Inquiry. Kindergarten, Second, and Third Grades are exploring the Transdisciplinary Theme of How We Organize Ourselves. Kindergarten will learn how people work together in the

community. They plan to visit a Fire Station and a Community Center to learn how people are taken care of in a community. Second Grade will also travel out into the community taking a closer look at the jobs people hold within organizations. Interviewing various members of a health clinic, restaurant and our school, they will learn how to create their own charity organization. Look for their charity project in February. Third Graders will be designing t h e i r o w n p r o d u c t a n d advertising campaign as they inquire about how economies function. They will be branding their own created products and playing the stock market. Understanding How the World Works helps us take care of and Share the Planet. The First and F o u r t h G r a d e w i l l b o t h approach the environment and explore how our actions affect its health. First Graders will become meteorologists as they

learn about weather and how it affects our lives. They will take a “virtual field trip” to a television weather station and create their own weather reports. Fourth Grade will be taking social action to a new level as they identify an environmental concern and create a campaign to help the Earth. Look for their work at Earth Day! The Fifth/Sixth Grade class has delved deep into their personal beliefs and values. This unit will have them expressing their identity through clothing. Students will be designing their own wearable art and creating mini-zines that will reveal their personal statements about themselves. We look forward to seeing the learning unfold in these next units!

Anne CrylenElementary Coordinator

ScienceRed Wigglers are wiggling around all around RBIS! From toddlers to Upper Elementary a l l s t u d e n t s h a v e b e e n experimenting with wonderful w o r m s . S t u d e n t s h a v e i n v e s t i g a t e d w o r m s b y e x a m i n i n g t h e m w i t h magnifying glasses, measuring and col lect ing data , and conducting worm experiments.

Students can tell you that worms prefer damp to dry places, do not have eyes, ears, or a nose, love to eat vegetable scraps, and are super important for the Earth! Students created worm farms so that they may c o n t i n u e t h e i r w o r m e x p l o r a t i o n s i n t h e i r classrooms. The worm farms will provide RBIS with a lot of rich worm c a s t i n g s ( w o r m poop!) to add to the soil in our O r g a n i c G a r d e n s which will help our plants grow. In addition to worm investigations over the past month RBIS students have

been learning about many other exciting topics!

As part of their Unit of Inquiry, Music allows us to discover and express ourselves through songs, movements and rhythm, our Pre-Schoolers curiously explored and investigated how sounds are created. They used different recycled materials and SCIENCE! to create wonderful musical instruments. The children had lots of fun playing and making music with their b o t t l e x y l o p h o n e . N e x t , students were able to witness how sound moves through an experiment that incorporates a glass bowl, plastic cling wrap, ametal tray, and a metal spoon. The vibrations were not only

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Science Continued...

felt but also seen as the children pounded and banged away. Our Early Years and Toddlers made cool crafts that were con-nected to their learning about the environ-ment as well as their worm farms that they made in their classrooms.

P r e - K a n d K i n d e r g a r t e n concluded their unit of inquiry

into light by study-ing rain-b o w s . Students w o r e s p e c i a l refraction g l a s s e s a n d

became light source detectives as they discovered that they only saw rainbows when they looked at l ight. Students c r e a t e d r a i n b o w s i n t h e classrooms with prisms and discussed how bending light or refraction helps create beautiful colors. Students ended their rainbow study by observing the order of the colors in a rainbow (R.O.Y.G.B.I.V) and painted the sun, clouds, rain and their very own beautiful rainbow!

First graders have become meteorologist as they delve into their unit on weather. They analyzed Shanghai’s online weather report and are learning how to read and understand the i n f o r m a t i o n p r e s e n t e d . Students built instruments to help them collect data on the weather, including a rain/snow gauge, pinwheel, and a weather v a n e . T h e y d i s c u s s e d precipitation, the water cycle, and conducted an experiment to make it rain!

Second grade students ate their way through the end of their Human Body Systems Unit and figured out what happens to their food after they eat it.

They felt t h e i r s a l i v a u s i n g enzymes to break d o w n a c r a c k e r , m a d e a model of the digestive system, and created a cool wearable digestive tie showing the path food takes after you swallow it. N o w t h e y h a v e b e c o m e z o o l o g i s t s a n d a r e b u s y investigating worms!

Third grade discussed different properties of matter and practiced using science tools to measure properties of different objects. They used a balance to obtain the mass in grams, a ruler to measure length (cm), and a graduated cylinder to find the volume (ml). Students discovered that length was the easiest property to predict and many thought volume was the hardest. Students then played a game to model how heat moves through solids and experimented to find out why the handles of some pots get t o o h o t t o t o u c h s a f e l y . Students used the scientific method to test materials (wooden stick, metal spoon, plastic spoon) and concluded t h a t m e t a l s a r e g o o d conductors of heat energy because they heated up faster in hot water than the other objects.

Fourth grade has extended their unit of inquiry: “heredity and environment shape our identity” into the science c l a s s r o o m . T h e y h a v e conducted scientific research as they surveyed RBIS students to see which inherited traits were more common in a sample population. They graphed the data and analyzed the results. Students discussed dominant and recess ive genes and learned how to use punnett

squares. In another activity students used different shaped and colored pasta to make 3 generations to learn how their inherited traits are passed down from grandparents to their parents to themselves!

5th/6th grade also explored the digestive system and worked as a class to model the digestive process. They then wondered: “Where does your urine (pee!) come from?” and through inquiry ultimately discovered the excretory system. After studying the function of their kidneys students examined their own skin with magnifying glasses to observe their pores a n d c o n c l u d e d t h r o u g h discussion one of the functions of the skin is also to get rid of waste. They finally exhaled as

t h e y f i n i s h e d the unit a n d e x p e r i -e n c e d a n o t h e r p a r t o f the excre-tory sys-

tem: your lungs getting rid of carbon dioxide.

Ms. Heather and Mr. Richard

Buy a bear and you buy a tree to plant in

Mongolia! Contact Ms. Amy or Ms. Heather for

more information!

!




MusicLast December, we concluded o u r a n n u a l winter concert and Early Years had a successful performance on stage.

The Toddler class, together with their parents, did a mini performance in their classroom. The teachers, encouraged the little ones to sing by singing three songs. The children tried their best to make a sound singing the songs and moving at the same time. While the two-year olds were a little bigger and confident to stand up on stage,

they sang their songs and moved to the music for their parents and teachers. Their favorite songs were: The Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and If You're Happy and You Know it. The kids were singing out loud and dancing to their songs as their parents were very delighted to see how their kids performed on stage.

Preschoolers worked on our Unit of Inquiry, How we express ourselves, and part of their assessment was their performance on stage. The children were able to express themselves according to the songs they performed. Some classes had fast tempo music, which made the kids so excited that they jumped and wiggled. While some songs were slow and kept an even pace so they were able to perform their precise movements.

Mr. Glenn

Physical Education

T h e m a i n f o c u s o f P . E . throughout all levels has been warming up our bodies in the cold weather!! With the use of the zoo limited in the cold and the gym being used for the Christmas production we have been focusing on various ways to warm up and stay active in the winter months. The key words for P.E. this year so far h a v e b e e n T e a m w o r k , Community and Responsibility.

In Early Years Ms. Rowena has been focusing on their Unit of Inquiry which is How to Express Ourselves in particular through music. So the gym has been alive with the sound of music for many weeks now and the young ones have been

bouncing around with shakers, marching around to a beat and dancing around like snow b l i z z a r d s , a l l u n d e r t h e umbrella of their inquiry into expressing themselves. It certainly has been warming their bodies and minds and they will now move onto a new U n i t o f I n q u i r y o n Manipulating Objects with Control.

In Pre K and K we have been focusing on our locomotor skills using the parachute and different balls as tools to develop not only hand-eye coordination but also working together as a community towards the same goal. The parachute can be manipulated into many fun and creative games and has been a popular choice for the young ones. As we move now into our new Unit of Inquiry on Community the parachute games have led nicely into a unit focused on teamwork and unity.

In Grade 2 P.E. we have started our collaboration with the Head Teachers on our How We Organize Ourselves Unit of Inquiry which will entail us inquiring together about the w o r k p l a c e a n d s h a r i n g

responsibility. In P.E. we are focusing on teamwork in the workplace and how working together can help us achieve the results we want. We are looking at a variety of team sports and d i s c u s s i n g r o l e s , responsibilities, common goals and getting results.

The upper grades of 3, 4, 5 & 6 h a v e b e e n f o c u s i n g o n developing their sportsmanship and teamwork in relation to team games of volleyball, soccer and baseball. Each sport we have broken down into skill sets and practiced those skill sets leading up to a full on match in each sport at the end. The games have been very competitive and hard fought but the students have come out of it with many triumphs and a renewed feeling of being part of a team, working together and learning how to treat their opposition in times of tension and pressure. It has been interesting to witness the progression many students have made, to being all about winning, to understanding fairness, congratulating efforts and motivating others on their team.

Ms. Rowena & Mr. Toby




ArtT o a c t i v a t e t h o s e s e n s e s a n d t o introduce them to the elements o f f o r m a n d t e x t u r e , Toddlers and E a r l y Y e a r s

classrooms had fun playing with and 'sculpting' tinfoil. Children wrapped tinfoil around plastic caps and other objects by pressing and pinching it to fit. the were amazed to discover foil’s unique gripping characteristics.

In Preschool, the students made an abstract mural that represents expression of different emotions through colors and their emotional r e s p o n s e t o c h a n g i n g rhythms. Students listened to a continuous stream of v a r y i n g m e l o d i e s a n d rhythms while scribbling and painting on a large section of brown paper.

In Pre-K, with their shadow puppets now finished, it was time for them to perform! We constructed a shadow puppet theater complete with screen and lights in the audio/visual room in the library.

Traditional Chinese music played while the students made their puppets dance, leap, fight, and fly for the a u d i e n c e . A l l t h e performances were video tapped and will be displayed during our Festival of the Arts coming up in May!

Kindergartners are now accomplished authors and illustrators having completed their w-poems/stories and paintings. They have spent the past 6 weeks exploring their unit of inquiry, Ideas and Feelings con be communicated through Music and Visual Art. We began by looking at famous paintings and creating stories that reflected the mood and feeling represented by the paintings. We looked at how color and line was used to express emotion and we looked at the main focus of the paintings to determine what the painters were trying to communicate. They are now putting the finishing touches on their creations by decorating frames with beautiful color and their written compositions. We can't wait to put them on display for the whole school to view them.

First and Second grade are learning about the history of printmaking while also observing the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration by designing their own Chinese seals or stamps. We looked at the evolution of Chinese characters from the early more pictographic style to the more simplified version in use today. Some s t u d e n t s c r e a t e d t h e i r stamps in a more traditional s t y l e u s i n g C h i n e s e characters and arranging the order of the characters in a traditional fashion. Other students have taken the opportunity to do some logo design and created their own personal logo.

Speaking of personal logos.. Third grade is beginning their Unit of Inquiry, The choices we make as consumers affect the marketing of goods and services. To really get students thinking about how influential design and marketing can be, we have done a series of quizzes where we try to guess the company or brand by just looking at a portion of a logo. If I was passing out grades for the quizzes, every student would have gotten an A! Tyler even commented how hungry he was after seeing a corner of the McDonald's logo. That's the power of great branding and smart design. To understand the process of creating logs, students are designing their own personal logo that reflects their character and interests while also being memorable and impacting.

Fourth grade has begun their Unit of Inquiry, Environmental concerns lead people to take social action which can lead to a sustainable future. With Earth Day fast approaching, we are looking at how artists use the environment around them to create sculpture while also communicating a message of environmental awareness. Noted land artists and artwork we are looking at are Richard Long and his installation A Thousand Stones (recently exhibited at James Cohan Gallery here in Shanghai), Robert Smithson and his famous Sprial Jetty, and Alice Aycock and her installation Sand with Fans. After discussing the motivation behind land art and the properties that define it, we took advantage of the new fallen snow (a rarity during Shanghai's winters) to create unique sculptures outside on the playground. Knowing they wouldn't last very long--either destroyed by over-excited classmates who get to trudge through the snow en route to their school bus or melted away by the sun that was beginning to come out from behind

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Art Continued...

the clouds--the students learned another component important to land art, documenting it with photographs!

Fifth and Sixth grade, after looking at the abstract still-lifes of Picasso, are again looking at another way of abstracting through Picasso's Bull series (eleven developments of a lithograph). Students are learning how to develop an artwork from the academic to the abstract by visually dissecting an image of an animal down to it's essence. To help students understand what one's essence is, they were asked to choose an animal that represents them, their persona or character, much like Picasso used the bull to represent himself in paintings. The students then used a photocopied image of their animal and carbon paper, and traced their animal onto fine art paper. The first

t r a c i n g w a s m a d e a s r e -presentational a s p o s s i b l e , including every possible detail. t h e s e c o n d t r a c i n g , students were a s k e d t o

embellish a prominent feature on their animal (Picasso puffed up the bull's chest making him more top heavy). Then the students began dissecting and eliminating details till they arrived to the animal's essence. Some students' last image used a singular line to define their animal's form.

Mr. Alex and Mr. Romel

T e c h n o l o g y w o r k s b e s t when it directly s u p p o r t s t h e c u r r i c u l u m objectives and p r o v i d e s opportunit ies f o r s t u d e n t collaboration. With that being said, below is a s a m p l i n g o f s o m e o f t h e exciting projects

that we are working on! Kindergartners are exploring the theme, “How We Organize Ourselves”. The central idea is “people work together to make a community”. We are brainstorming questions and reaching out to others around the globe to find out more about their jobs. Students are in the process of listing the types of jobs they are interested in learning more about. So far we will be sending interview questions to a pilot, a scientist, a doctor and a nurse! This is a great opportunity for our RBIS students to learn about people, places as well as explore the similarities and differences between communities in Shanghai and other areas of the world.

First grade students are sharing weather data with several schools around the United States in

conjunction with their “How The World Works” unit. We have set up a Global Weather Wiki where schools in California, Minneapolis, Alabama, Florida, and Maine are sharing temperatures and pictures with us. We are excited to see how this project develops and the discussions that come out of it as the unit progresses.

In third grade, students are exploring how the choices people make as consumers affect the marketing of goods and services. The third graders are working closely with Mr. Alex to create logos. In computers, students are using the tablet and our paint program to make mock-ups of their logos on the computers. The students love exploring the different features of the paint program while creating their designs. In addition, this is a great platform from which to start discussing the importance of being an informed consumer.

Fifth and sixth grade are learning about digital citizenship during their unit on “How We Express Ourselves”. We will be examining how people perceive you based on the profiles and/or usernames you create. In the culminating project, students will use what they have learned to produce their own profile for the next issue of the Megazine. Have a wonderful Chinese New Year!

Ms. Kate

Computer and Technology




LibraryKamishibai!

R B I S l i b r a r y s n u g g l e d u p with a few good s t o r i e s t h i s J a n u a r y —J a p a n e s e k a m i s h i b a i

stories, that is! Eiko Matsui and Shigeko Kusakabe brought their passion for the art of Japanese storytelling to RBIS prekindergarten, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. Ms.

M a t s u i , a w r i t e r a n d illustrator of kamishibai s t o r i e s , a n d S h i g e k o Kusakabe, an editor of kamishibai and picture books came all the way from Japan to share their stories and artwork with us. We also had the help of a f a b u l o u s v o l u n t e e r

translator, Midori Shigeo, who told us the stories

in English and translated our questions and answers.

S t u d e n t s l e a r n e d t h a t kamishibai is performed using a wooden stage and picture cards. The pictures and stories are simple to ensure audience members all experience the same feeling, creating a singular effect and shared experience. A favorite story was “Grow, Grow, Grow Bigger,” written and illustrated by Noriko Matsui.

The kamishibai stage, five picture card story sets, and a book on how to perform kamishibai are all

are available in the library! The stories are written in English and Japanese. Want to learn more about this fabulous art form? Visit International Kamishibai Association of Japan to learn from the experts!

Ms. Adrienne

The rumors are all true. Book Week is almost here!--Feb. 21st! Here is a heads up on upcoming Book Week events!

Super-Fun, Creative, Bookie, Classroom Activities~ • Door Decor for the Door Tour--Decorate your door to advertise a book your class loves. • Character Study Art--Create a piece of artwork about a favorite book character. We'll

display them in the library!

Book Week Events~ • Monday ◦ Introducing Book Week--A brief classroom activity introducing Book Week events. • Tuesday ◦ Book Fair--Fabulous reads for sale in the gym ◦ EC--D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) ◦ Kinder-6th--Read In--Pajamas required! • Wednesday ◦ Book Fair--Grrrrrreat books still available in the gym! ◦ Elementary Assembly • Thursday ◦ Book Fair--What are you waiting for? Get those books! ◦ Book Character Dress Up Day--Costume-up! Prizes for the teachers with the best

costumes! ◦ EC and Kinder--Costume Parade ◦ Literacy Night--5:30-7:00 in the elementary building! Wow! That's right. Wow! • Friday ◦ EC and Kinder--Take a Door Tour ◦ 1st-6th--Battle of the Books and Read-a-Thon winners announced.

Photo Gallery Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

Mr. Robert’s Pre-K Class Experience a

Winter Wonderland in the Zoo


Photo Gallery

Ms. Jennifer’s 3rd Grade Class Enthrall an Audience with their Memoirs at the Hong Mei Rd. Starbucks


To HongqiaoAirport

Hongqiao Lu

Hongzhong Lu

Hongjing Lu

Hongmei Lu

Huanxi Lu

Jinhui Lu

(3 km)

The Bund (17 km)

Zoo’s east gateShanghai

Zoo

Yan’an Lu

Ham

i Lu

Metro Line 10

Office of Admission(86 21) 62689773, (86 21) 62683121

[email protected]

Rainbow Bridge International School

2381 Hong Qiao RoadShanghai, China 200335

www.rbischina.org

RBIS is located inside Shanghai Zoo through the East gate entrance.

The campus is just 5 mins. from Hongqiao Int’l airport and 10 mins. from the Gubei area. A Metro Line 10 station is located in front of the zoo’s main entrance.





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