St. Martin's Parade 

Again this year, a very large number of people attended our St. Martin's Parade and activities which was admirably organized by Stella Klose. Thanks to the Preschool staff for putting on the traditional entertaining shadow play and the staff and volunteers for helping with the refreshments, parking and clean up.  While St Martin's is a big tradition for students in Preschool and Vorschule, a large number of Elementary students could not resist getting their lanterns out and singing along.

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News from the Head of School

Our Open Classroom Day last Friday proved to be a positive and well appreciated innovation from the usual Saturday Open House format.  Over 20 new parents, mostly with Preschool or Middle School children, toured the campus and got a real taste of what a school day is like at GAIS.  In addition another 20 or so current families took advantage of the opportunity to check out classes and teachers that their children will encounter in the year or years ahead.  Many thanks to our teaching staff for graciously accommodating all the visitors and teaching some outstanding lessons.  We were also assisted by a group of parent volunteers who manned the front information table, provided snacks and escorted parents around the campus.    

I am very pleased to communicate that some of the GAIS staff have been invited to participate in professional activities outside of the school. Mr. Giesen and Mrs. Burris have both been selected to be on WASC accreditation teams this Spring.  I will personally be on a team accrediting a school in the East Bay.  Also our IB Coordinator, Maike Silver, has recently returned from Holland where she was invited by the IB to be part of a team creating Assessment standards.  Participating in these outside professional endeavors not only models community service but recognizes the abilities of the GAIS staff.   

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PYP Corner by Maike Silver  

The discussion of behavior and supervision on the playground brought about some profound discussions amongst teachers, students and parents about play in general. It also made me go back to my memories of playing as a child. What were the opportunities I had, compared to the opportunities children in our society have today. What kind of learning happened as a result of the games we created, the choices we got to make and in some instances the consequences we experienced as an upshot of these choices. As I was pondering these questions I came across an interesting article called "All work and no play: why your kids are more anxious, depressed "by Ester Entin. It talks about the benefits of free play as well as the cause and consequences of loosing free play in our society. If you are interested in finding answers please read the full article and click here.

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Preschool Corner by Heike Schmalstieg     

In the above segment, Maike mentions the article "All work and No Play: Why your kids are more anxious/depressed". After reading the article, a parent evening we held many years ago, came to mind. Parents were asked to write down three childhood memories and later share these with the group. What all memories had in common were experiences of roaming around freely with friends in the neighborhood, taking early responsibility for their play and consequences of their choices and a general sense of freedom and adventure, which is the very experience often denied in today's busy culture. In the preschool, we create an environment that is safe, yet provides many opportunities for children to make choices, try new things, roam around, get messy and hopefully many opportunities to create happy childhood memories. In the preschool, play is the foundation of all learning. Research after research confirms the importance of play and documents the many benefits for children's intellectual, social, emotional, physical and language development. Yet, this very activity is threatened in today's rushed and over-scheduled society. Children are supposed to achieve more and do so sooner, which often results in programs and schedules where extra time for play becomes a luxory rather than a necessity. Researchers also show that intrinsic motivation-when we work on a task primarily because we find it satisfying-is the most effective and engaging way to learn. In our program, we make a conscious effort to provide an environment with a wide selection of materials and activities that provide interest for the children and stimulates their inborn curiosity. We provide ample time in the schedule to allow choices in play, which encourages exploration, creativity, decision making, problem solving, independence, negotiating with others, and the list goes on. There certainly is a place for structured activities, but never underestimate the power and benefits of play. We thrive to create a balance of both.

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Student Leadership 

The food drive organized by the Student Leadership Academy at GAIS is on the way and needs your help. Students have been advised to bring in any non-perishable foods such as cans, pasta, rice... and deposit them into the blue bins around the school. Each class will keep a tally of how much food they are bringing into class. Our goal is to have 6 bins filled up by next Tuesday, when they will be picked up at the second harvest bank. So if you go shopping, think of the less fortunate and bring some goods to school. Thanks for your support..

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Thanksgiving

On November 24 and 25 we are observing Thanksgiving and the school will be closed. No daycare/Hort will be offered.

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Workdays 2011

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Winterfest 2011 - Save the date! 

Our annual Winterfest, on Saturday, December 3rd, from 2-5pm, is coming up fast.

This year the Winterfest will feature outstanding musical performances led by our new Music Teacher, Amy Nathan.

 

Below is the schedule for the performances:

 

• Preschool - Grade 2: 2:15pm - 2:45pm
• Grade 3 - 5: 3:15pm - 3:45pm
• IMS Band (Grade 6-8): 4:00pm - 4:30pm

 

For more information about the Winterfest read next week's newsletter.

 

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2011 Parent Survey 

Every year around this time we ask for a few minutes of your time to fill out the Parent Survey. Look at it as a customer satisfaction survey. It is your chance to let GAIS know what we are doing well, and what you think we could do better. The school administration and Board are listening to your thoughts carefully, making changes where possible and appropriate. You can share your thoughts anonymously if you prefer. In the spirit of this year's theme of collaboration, I hope to receive feedback from all of you. Thank you!   

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Poinsettia Fundraiser for IMS 

Get your beautiful holiday decorations fresh from the Halfmoon Bay grower:

• What: Poinsettia - colors: peach or red, ca. 20 inches high
• Price: $15
• Preorder by e-mail please:  Manu Hipkins at manu.hipkins@att.net 
• Deadline: Friday, Dec 2nd
• Pick up: at GAIS on Monday, Dec 5th between 2 - 4 pm.
• Payment due with preorder: make check out payable to Manuela Seitz-Hipkins and place into the PARENT FOLDER 'Hipkins" (only prepaid orders wil be accepted)

Thank you for your support of the Middle School ski trip!

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Peninsula Girls Chorus

 
Several girls at GAIS are in the Peninsula Girls Chorus, and would like to share information on upcoming concerts with you:

Welcoming the Season
Saturday, November 19, 7:00 p.m.,
Grace Lutheran Church, 3149 Waverley St, Palo Alto
Sunday, November 20, 3:00 p.m.,
Burlingame United Methodist Church,
1443 Howard Street, Burlingame
This concert includes GAIS chorister Juliana Kessler, and tickets are $10 sold at the door.

Sing Out With Joy Concert
Saturday, December 10th, 3pm
Sunday, December 11th, 3pm
Carlmont Performing Arts Center, Carlmont High School

The Saturday concert will include GAIS choristers Natalia Scigliano, Molly Kessler and Eleanor Hughes. The Sunday concert will include GAIS chorister Juliana Kessler. 

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