November 26, 2009

Illness in School
Hopefully we are now over the worst of the illness we have been experiencing in school this week. It seems we have had a variety of problems rather than one specific bug. We have been in daily contact with TCO and have been following the protocol established earlier this year. During the next week or so as they arrive at school the children will have their temperature taken by a member of the TCO medical staff.  A temperature “gun” similar to the type used at the airport will be used so no-one is actually touched. Temperatures were taken for the first time on Wednesday morning.

Carol Singing and Santa in the Club House
Please read the attached flyer from Laura Godard about carol singing and Santa.
When the children meet in the music room at 5.45pm we will distribute the battery powered candles and check we have everything we need. We will begin on the village field at 6.00pm and then around 6.15pm we will walk to the home of Mr. & Mrs. Levy where we will sing to residents in that part of the village. I understand there will be some Chevron VIPs at the Levy’s home and so I hope as many children as possible will be able to join us.

Winter Concert: Saturday 5th December at 4.00pm
The Winter Concert will begin at 4.00pm. Teachers will send out more information shortly about the time they would like the children to come to school. We have lost quite a lot of rehearsal time this week but we feel we’ll be ready by Saturday 5th. We anticipate that the concert will last around one hour.
Thanks to all those parents who had time to work on the scenery and make some terrific costumes for the children.

Concert Dress Rehearsals: DAIS & QSI
The two schools had been planning to attend each others’ concert dress rehearsals but given the fact that QSI has some cases of Chicken Pox and that many of our children are recovering from illness we have decided not to go forward with this activity. We know this will be a disappointment for the children but given all the circumstances we think it is the wise decision to take.

Items from DAIS Student Council

1. Christmas Basket Food Drive: in support of the community Christmas Basket Project
   November 26 – December 3  
   Please help the local needy families who need our help. You can help us (Student Council) help them by donating food for Christmas baskets. If you want to know more about what we need for the Christmas food baskets, go to the school lobby and check the sign-up sheet. Please check off the item you will be bringing. Thank you J.
2. Fund Raising Week
   Student Council is planning a Fundraising Week during December 7-11. Each day a jar will be placed in the school lobby where people can donate their loose change.  Money raised will be used to buy mosquito nets for families in Africa suffering from malaria.  The cost for one net is $10. On Wednesday 9th, there will be a special brown bag lunch which students can attend if they pay 200 Tenge.  On Friday 11th there will be a PJ dress up day and a Christmas movie after school. Admission price for the movie is 500 Tenge.  This time we’re asking students to bring their own snacks and drinks from home so that all of our money can be used for charity. More details to follow.
3. Snack Cart
   Student Council’s first Snack Cart of the year was a huge success. Thanks to all of you who sent in goodies to sell and to those who bought them.  The auction items (cinnamon buns and a chocolate cake) were big hits.  We raised approximately 19,850 Tenge or about $133 in all.

Parents and School
Some of the teachers and I read an article recently that I thought parents would also find interesting. The key points of the article copied below came from a piece of research funded by the American National Parent-Teacher Association. I have amended the article for brevity.

Parent involvement in school activities is an integral component of student achievement. Decades of research studies on the effect of meaningful parent involvement in schools have found that:

• when parents are involved, students achieve more, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background, or the parents' education level.
• when parents are involved, students exhibit more positive attitudes and behavior.
• to have long-lasting gains for students, parent involvement in school activities must be well planned.
• schools that work well with families have better teacher morale and higher ratings of teachers by parents.

At this point in the life of the school we have several well established events that the children really enjoy. However, this does not mean these events always have to be planned and operated in the same way. As the school community changes new ways of organizing and developing activities for the children can always take place. Parents have different talents and interests and can bring new perspectives to established events as well as introducing new ideas. As in all communities around the world schools develop and change.

Musical Performance: Friday 20th November
We really did have a special musical treat last Friday. Ms. Nurgul’s students played a variety of traditional Kazkah instruments and tunes that we all enjoyed greatly. Ms. Nurgul mentioned to me that her students had recently won a national award for their musicianship. Those of us who watched their performance were not surprised.

Brown Bag Lunch
Please let me know if you wish to add your name to the list below.

Please Mark Your Calendar

• November 23rd – 27th Parent-Teacher Conferences
• December 4th             6pm Carol Singing begins in Dostyk Village
• December 5th             4:.00pm School Concert
• December 17th           Last day of school before winter break