Author: Melanie Sylvester

  Dear ES Team, I am so sorry that I will be missing our Tet assemblies and celebrations.  It’s such a bright and joyful holiday—filled with optimism and positive energy! Thank you for the contributions for the “Lucky Money” for our cleaning staff, gardeners, maintenance staff, and IT support—Ms. Thuy will be collected donations until Friday morning!:) I hope everyone has a wonderful Tet holiday break~  Chúc mừng năm mới! Donna   Divisional News: Please take photos of special events to share on our e-boards, with our marketing department, and with Truc for our yearbook file. Please work on (and submit...

Dear ES Team, It’s been an amazing week on our campus—and the Project X World Expo today was an truly an event to celebrate.  I am sure everyone is ready for a restful and relaxing weekend—and the upcoming Tet holiday break! Traditionally, SSIS has provided Lì xì (Lucky Money) to ALL staff during Tet.  Teachers usually give lucky money and/or a more personal gift (plant, gift card, chocolate, etc) to their TA’s.   In the past teachers also contributed money (50-200vnd) for the cleaners (Here is a list of cleaners for each floor).  We thought we would add our gardeners to the...

Divisional News: Please join us in celebrating Karen Upton’s retirement on Tuesday at 3:30pm. Please welcome Amanda Daley to our Grade 1 team. Please welcome student teacher, Nikkola Stearne. Nikkola will be working with Heidi Sontag this semester. We are preparing for a festive and fun Tet Assembly on Friday, February 9 (See below for details). We are looking for teacher volunteers to “model” during this assembly.  Please let Ms. Mai or Mr. James know if you are interested. All TA’s will need to practice for the assembly on Fridays from 3-4pm. We may need to pitch in and help...

Divisional News: We are preparing for a festive and fun Tet Assembly on Friday, February 9 (See below for details). We are looking for teacher volunteers to “model” during this assembly.  Please let Ms. Mai or Mr. James know if you are interested. All TA’s will need to practice for the assembly on Fridays from 3-4pm. We may need to pitch in and help for student supervision on these days!:) Please take photos of special events to share on our e-boards, with our marketing department, and with Truc for our yearbook file.   Weekly Snapshot: Sunday, January 14 Indoor and...

Dear ES Team, Happy New Year! We all are on different journeys, so as we begin a new year we recognize that this transitional time can be filled with an array of emotions.  Whether you’ve just walked through the greatest year of your life, or you experienced (or are experiencing) great loss and personal challenges, the new calendar year is a good time to reflect on warm memories, heal from hard times and heartache, and hold on to your faith, hope and beliefs. I hope this year is filled with peace, joy, hope, and love. Donna Divisional News: Please join...

Dear ES Team, Till this season to be jolly!   If you’d like to spread some joy, please consider taking part in the annual “Pre-owned Gift Exchange”—detailed information and a sign up sheet can be found here. Enjoy the energy and excitement on campus these next few days! 🙂 Cheers, Donna   Reminders: Please sign up for your Project X t-shirt by December 15. This shows the t-shirt sizes.  Each grade/specialists sign up to present at an assembly at least once a year. Sign up on the ES Assembly Calendar Please take photos of special events to share on our e-boards, with...

Dear ES Team, There has been some confusion with our ASA program this season and we are working on creating some solutions for the future.  For the safety of our children, please review our ASA Policies and Procedures Manual.   This season is also a busy one for the ES Athletic program. This is the only season that third graders are invited to participate on teams (track and field)—and because of the large numbers, there will be some children who do not make the track and field team. We will be getting an updated list of participants by Monday—so please...

Dear ES Team, The weeks before the end of the semester are usually filled with many emotions.  These can be joyful weeks, yet they can also be stressful ones–we are all busy preparing for Super Unit celebrations, we have progress report deadlines, and we are planning for the second semester and the holidays.  These busy times are also perfect times to pause and reflect on our relationships and our culture, affording us the opportunity to recalibrate and count our daily blessings. Life is about relationships, and building strong relationships is a priority for us.  Fostering a culture of respect in...