Weekly Newsletter December 16, 2010

Staff Appreciation This past Monday was a day of reflection and appreciation for the GAIS staff. The reflection was the result of a full staff viewing of the documentary, the Race to Nowhere during the staff meeting. This provocative movie resulted in a staff discussion and reflection on the impact that we as educators have on the stresses that many students experience in their journey through schooling. A reflection on our homework policy and practices will result in continued discussion and review of this topic in the new year.

The parent community at GAIS came together in full force to show appreciation for the work of our teachers and staff with a special appreciation dinner which followed the movie and discussion. The teachers and staff sincerely thank all of you, both collectively and individually, for the wonderful food and cards.

News from the Head of School

Tomorrow we will have come to the end of a very busy four months of school. The holiday season is at our doorstep and the GAIS staff, students and parents will soon have time to rest, relax and renew their energies for the upcoming year. I would like to congratulate the teachers and staff of the GAIS on a very productive, positive and exciting first four months of school. We have had a rich academic program, many extra-curricular activities and some very successful events that have involved parents and friends. We have worked hard to provide an outstanding world-class educational program and have been able to maintain our student enrollment numbers despite the difficult economic times which have confronted us in the past two years. GAIS is ever evolving and in the past year we have made important additions to the school's program and facilities to support our objectives. A revised website, improved Middle School area, renewed parking facilities and hard court play area and the launch of the new International Middle School Program. Through our continued evolution as a PYP World School, and with specific attention to academic rigor in the Middle School, we have established a dynamic educational program which has seen the school move forward into the MYP this the year. This March we will host an accreditation team from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and look forward to showing them our excellent academic standards and practices supported by a strong and cohesive community based on the values of international understanding and respect.

I would like to thank all of you for your help and collaboration in our common goal of educating your children. The positive interaction between family and school is necessary to help us reach our objectives and give our students a rich and nourishing learning experience. Towards this end, I thank the members of the School Board, the Parent Representatives and the various school committees that are actively and productively working to assist the staff and school in the many ways they do. Indeed, all parents play an important role at GAIS and whether you help in classroom, organize events or are generous in your donations to the school, your participation is greatly appreciated.

I would like to conclude by commending the outstanding GAIS staff. We are fortunate to have such a competent, caring and dedicated team of staff and faculty at our school and your appreciation of them was wonderfully demonstrated by the fantastic appreciation dinner given this week. Have a Happy Holiday and a great start to the New Year!

B Corner by Maike Silver

Appreciation is one of the attitudes we want our students to feel, value and demonstrate. It is integrated into our curriculum planning and defined as appreciating the wonders and beauty of the world and its people. As such it can be observed throughout our school community. So this is what I appreciate at GAIS. First and foremost it is the students I appreciate for their inquiring minds, and for developing into confident and caring young people. I appreciate our parents and would like to thank them for preparing a lovely staff appreciation dinner, providing every staff member with a personalized e-card and providing many wonderful signs of appreciation not only during the holiday season. It is also note worthy to mention the commitment our parents show towards their children's education and the many volunteers that also include former parents who help make our school great. After watching the movie "Race to Nowhere", more than ever, I appreciate how our teachers implement the IB framework which addresses many of the needs in today's education. And I appreciate the administrative staff for working collaboratively to address the needs of the school community. With the thought of appreciation in mind I would like to wish all of you a wonderful holiday break, peace and happiness for the new year.

Preschool Corner by Heike Schmalstieg

Crossword When Preschool parents were recently asked to give three words that come to mind to describe the Preschool, they came up with a long list of words. The more often a word was named, the bigger it appears in the picture. As you can see, the parents seemed to agree that the Preschool is, among many other wonderful things: Nurturing, creative and fun. If you are a parent looking for a Preschool and are reading this, call the school to arrange for a tour to see for yourself.

A few days ago, the staff watched the highly acclaimed movie "Race to Nowhere". They confirmed what we already know, that play is central to the way children learn in Early Childhood. Play is a fundamental mode of learning that ensures the best preparation for later academic instruction. Children learn by doing, rather than watching. They learn by touching, rather than listening. They learn by creating, rather than copying a model. Rather than pushing them too early to do more and at an earlier age, it is important to give children the time to develop age appropriately. Our Preschool is inquiry based. It gives children the chance to be curious and interested in what they are learning. Structured activities provide the opportunity to guide children and expose them to new ideas and concepts, while time for free exploration allows the child to develop and test their own ideas. In our Preschool we provide a good balance between both.

Re-enrollment for 2011/12

Information and enrollment contracts for the re-enrollment of current students for the up-coming school year 2011/2012 have been put into your mail folders. Re-enrollment will start on January 4^th. Parents wishing to enroll siblings should have application forms in to the office as soon as possible. Should you have any questions, please contact the office.

Extra-Curricular Classes

The Extra Curricular Classes for the first semester will end January 29, 2010. New sign-ups will be sent out after the Holiday Break and new classes for the 2^nd semester will start February 1.

Coffee Morning to Start in January

Coffee We will start our series of grade level coffee mornings in January. The objective of the coffee morning is to provide a forum for frank and friendly discussion about issues of common interest relating to the class or to the school in general. Coffee mornings this year will be held in the library on Fridays starting at 8:30 with Mr. Metzger, members of the admin team and with the classroom teacher if possible. We will start the year with the Vorschule classes on Friday January 7th and then go through the grade levels on a weekly basis. Coffee and cookies proved, as usual, by Dagmar.

Menlo Atherthon Little League

Online Registration for 2011 is open now. Visit the league's web site at www.m-all.org to enroll your child for the up-coming season.

Members Meeting - January 19, 2011

All Members of the GAIS Corporation, as well as all parents and community members are invited to attend our next Members Meeting and Board election. At this meeting, as usual, the Board and Administration will review the status and progress at the school. In addition, we will hold elections for four board seats that will come open on the expiration of the terms of four current Board Members. More detailed information about the members meeting and Board elections will come out in a separate notice to all parents. Please mark this date on your calendars for 2012.

New Staff for Preschool

Starting January we will welcome a new member to the GAIS staff: Katrin Hülse will take over Claudia Trojan's position as three day assistant when Claudia takes over Kathrin Winter's post as teacher. Katrin is studying Early Childhood at Foothill College. She originally comes from Kehl, Germany but has lived in the US for 3 years.

Race to Nowhere

On Tuesday night GAIS hosted a viewing of Race to Nowhere. Well over 100 parents and educators came to see this movie and many stayed for the discussion section at the end. Two questions were posed by Vickie Abeles, creator and director of RTN, and facilitated by Peter Metzger and Manu Hipkins (Parent Education Facilitator at GAIS). The first question was, "Which two things would you like to see changed at your school after seeing RTN?" Keeping in mind that not only GAIS parents came yesterday, the number one answer was homework and stress level. The second question was, "Which two things would you like to change for your family at home/ or personally after seeing the Race To Nowhere?" The number one answer here was more family time.

The film director recommends that we stop asking our kids, "What is your homework today", but rather ask, "How was your day today, what was fun today, who did you play with today?" Vickie Abeles and the interviewed child education specialists/ psychologists recommend the discontinuation of homework assignments in grades 1-5. Some parents commented that their own fears and experiences often drive them to exert pressure on their kids. GAIS will host a post discussion in January with Vickie Abeles in person. The date for this will be announced soon.

Monday, January 3 - Staff In-Service Day

Please note that there will be no regular school on Monday, January 3^rd due to a staff in-service day. We will, however, offer the Hort program on this day. If you are interested in the Hort, Contact the office by Thursday, December 16 to reserve a place.

Cub Scout Pack 108

GAIS' Cub Scout Pack 108 hosted two board members from the LUNAR rocketry club (www.lunar.org) this past Sunday in the school gym.

LUNAR Board President, Dave Raimondi, and board-member-at-large, Alan Thym, entertained and educated the scouts with their rocket presentation, launch videos and model displays. At the end of the session, the scouts were able to build their own rockets which they will launch, weather permitting, this coming Saturday with the LUNAR organization at Moffett/Ames Field in Mt.View. Anyone interested in the scouting program at GAIS should contact Cubmaster Trish Jung at ppjung@aol.com.

Information Evening - January 12, 2011

We will be holding an Information Evening on January 12, 2011 for new and current parents. The program starts at 6:30 and we will provide important information on our Preschool, Vorschule, Elementary and Middle School programs.

For newsletter information, questions or article submissions, please contact Dagmar Stullich at offmgr@germanamericanschool.org. or call the office at 650-324-8617.

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