Vorschule Sleepover

The VS had their annual sleepover at school. It was a fun filled evening with a pizza dinner, a night walk, a movie, a ghostly flashlight dance in the gym and of course a good night story followed by some lullabies. The almost 30 children all slept together in the Jungle class room and were picked up after breakfast the next morning. The sleepover is the VS teams fundraiser activity and part of the last unit "How we organize ourselves". 

News from the Head of School

Good Turn Out for May Members Meeting

Over 30 persons were on hand last week for the final Members Meeting of the year. A review of the academic year highlighted the successful WASC accreditation report, the growth in enrollment numbers, the launch of the Middle Years Programme, the increase in extra-curricular and child care services, participation in a local school's sport league and the outstanding ISA results. An important item on the agenda dealt with the traffic study that the school would need to do for the city to support our request to increase the daily enrollment cap beyond the 300 mark which we have already reached.  In conjunction with this a traffic survey was sent out this week to all parents and staff.  It is critically important that we collect information from all members of our community and I urge you to complete the survey asap.  It was also pointed out that we are still having problems with parents parking on Elliott Dr. and I have been asked to give this situation urgent attention. I would therefore ask that all parents refrain from parking on Elliott Dr. at all times.  Other agenda items dealt with our outstanding fund raising campaign this year, facilities projects for next year, a more focused marketing plan, our financial situation and a proposal to introduce absentee balloting for upcoming board elections.  Slides from the meeting can be found on our website.

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PYP Corner by Maike Silver 

PYP is growing fast in the IB Americas. According to the latest publication, at the end of April 2011 there were 783 IB World Schools offering the PYP in 92 countries. Of these schools there are 441 in North and South America; 74 are also authorized to offer both PYP and MYP.  What originally started out as education for international private schools is now being seen as a model to boost public education. Charter schools as well as other public school have been exploring the PYP, which is based on best practices from around the world. Despite financial implications, including continuing teacher education, annual and evaluation fees to ensure the excellence of the program by IB schools struggling for public funding, find grants and donors to support their quest to a quality education.  Within the IB world our school has earned a reputation of being an outstanding IB world schools. This year alone we had visitors and observers come from all over CA, Virginia, Hawaii and even Mexico City to look at GAIS as a model PYP school.  Student work, teaching strategies and classroom displays are used as examples at IB schools worldwide.  Our recent accreditation from the WASC team also recognized the excellent education happening at our school. So what is our secret? I believe it has to do with all our stakeholders showing confidence in the philosophy of putting the child into the center of their education. Rather than depending on test scores we reflect on and trust in the evidence seen in the students as they inquire into topics of relevance using the skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century.  And if there has ever been any doubt about our outstanding program you only had to watch the fifth grade exhibition, which truly exemplified the IB learners our school strives to develop.

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One of the advantages at GAIS are smooth transitions between programs. Before Preschoolers transition to Kindergarten (Vorschule) at GAIS, they will aready be familiar with its surroundings, due to its close proximity. Throughout the school year, we take many opportunities to visit the Vorschule or have the older children visit us in the Preschool.

In order to further familiarize the children with their future program, they were able to visit the Vorschule yesterday. They had a circle together with the current class and were able to ask questions about Vorschule. The Preschoolers were then able to pick a buddy and together they worked on an art project, while half the class went outside to play with their buddies. Classes were then rotated to make sure all had a turn. Their time concluded with a large circle.

Meet our Future Graduates featuring  

Alexa Joshua 

Hi, my name is Alexa Joshua and as some of you may know, I am in the 8th grade. Last summer my family and I had the chance to visit the Cango Caves, which are the biggest caves in South Africa. After meeting our tour guide in a large cave, we decided to take the adventure trail. We went through a series of small openings that were challenging for all of us. Our first task was to squish through a narrow opening. To get though we had to crouch down and step carefully. The rocks were slippery and the air was humid, making it hard to find your balance. After our whole group passed through the first tunnel, we continued deeper into the mountain. We then continued onto what is known as The Chimney Trail, which required a vertical climb. This was probably the hardest of all the tunnels. We were required to climb up a small opening with very little space to move. We climbed approximately 5 meters before advancing to the next tunnel. During the next section, we had to crawl through a tunnel on our stomachs.  Finally, we headed back to the entrance of the cave. Our adventure had ended.

Overall, I had a great time. It was a wonderful experience and I hope to explore other caves in the future. It was definitely an adventure I will never forget

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Memorial Day - No School 

The school will be closed on Memorial Day, May 31. Please note that we also won't offer Hort/Day Care.

Sommerfest 

Get ready for this year's Sommerfest on Saturday, June 4th 2-5pm.

The theme is "The Year of Creativity'.

Expect tons of activities and games for the kids, an art exhibition showcasing art works from all grades, musical performances by the Preschool and Vorschule, a student talent show, a climbing wall, a magician, German food from Esther's Bakery and much more.

$5 bracelets for unlimited participation at all games, activities and the climbing wall will be sold prior to and on the day of the event. Watch your email next week for the Sommerfest invitation with detailed program information.

See you at the Sommerfest!

Soccer Jamboree with Red Star Soccer Academy 

The following auction item still has spots open that we'd like to fill.

End the school year with a goal! Bring your lunch and stay to play soccer with Red Star Soccer Academy. Expert coaches will teach your child tips and techniques on how to master the game. Fresh fruit and water will be provided. This is for children grades 1 and up and will take place on Thursday, June 16, 2011, from 12:30 to 2:30pm on the GAIS grass field. Bring lunch, shin guards, cleats and a ball. The cost is $30 per child.

To sign up, please send Susi Lindley an e-mail

busmgr@gais.org. For general questions regarding the event, contact gisella.steck@sbcglobal.net.

The 5th annual GAIS Camp Out 

The 5th Annual Campout date is set to be held in the majestic redwood groves of Huddart Park in Woodside for Saturday August 20th.  It's a great way to kick off the new school year.  We have Toyon Group campsites 1 & 2 reserved for our group. 

http://www.eparks.net/smc/department/home/0,,5556687_12313305_12328471,00.html

For those who have not yet been on these school campouts it is loads of fun!  The only thing you have to take care of is pitching your tent.   We take care of the rest - the food, drink, entertainment, late night poker.  For all our past campers, it's time to sign up. 

For any questions email regina@sakols.com ; sign-up for $175/family with Susi Lindley  

Host families for Interns 

GAIS regularly has a number of interns working with our teaching staff as a means of gaining experience in an international context.  Interns are university students studying education and many have exceptional training and motivation. They are a great help to teachers and provide support for our students. They also help out in the home with homework and child care. Detailed information about the internship program is available from our website under careers.  We are currently looking for host families the new school year starting in August.  If you are interested in hosting an intern, please contact Susi Lindley at

slindley@gais.org

.

Free Concerts 

Two GAIS students, Adrian Putz and Olivia Pintz are performing with Orchestra Nova (close to 100 children) this coming weekend, Saturday, May 21st  at 4:45 -in the Season Finale at the Carlmont Theater in San Carlos/Belmont.  They are part of the Peninsula Youth Orchestra:

www.peninsulayouthorchestra.org

The PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN SUITE alone is worth the trip!

More than Baroque ... Invitation to a free concert (City of Palo Alto), Sunday May 22nd, 7:30pm at the Lucy Stern Center, Middlefield at Embarcadero. Dagmar Dolatschko is performing with the Baroque Concerto Ensemble:

http://www.baroqueconcertoensemble.org