Author: Melanie Sylvester

It’s very hard to believe that it’s the last week of Semester 1. I am so grateful that we have been able to have physical school the whole time. Vietnam is truly an amazing place to be! We are reaching the finish line of very busy Semester 1. We wish you all an enjoyable final few days of school in 2020. Cafeteria News: Great news! The main cafeteria will now be re-opening the salad and sandwich station. Enjoy! Secret Santa: The final gift exchange and reveal will take place on Thursday, December 17 at 12:30 in the Dragonfly Cafe. Upcoming...

Progress Reports: These are due Monday, December 14. Please ensure that they are peer reviewed. Secret Santa is Coming! Music Concerts: EC/KG : Friday, March 19th Grade 1 – Friday, December 11 at 8:30am Grade 2 – Friday, January 22 at 8:30am  Grade 4 – Before Tet Grade 5 – art share/music concert in the auditorium, December 15 5JJ/5KO, 8-9am5SC/5SB, 9-10am The Week Ahead: Monday, December 7 Tuesday, December 8 ELT 2:40- 3:40 Wednesday, December 9 Full Faculty PD: TBD TA PD in Flex Room: Positive Education, Character Strengths Thursday, December 10 Friday, December 11 Vietnamese Studies: 3:15-4:25 Important Info at...

December is here! It’s hard to believe. Just a few more weeks before some well deserved rest. We have lots to look forward to: an assembly, music concerts, secret santa week, and the excitement that the month of December brings. Let’s find something joyful in each day! Visitor Registration: All visitors to the SSIS campus must be pre-registered. Here is the Visitor Registration Procedures. The host in the Visitor Pre-Registration Form is listed for Dan Keller, Melanie Sylvester, Binh Le, David Carpenter, Jacob Humes, Minh Bui and Thuy Nguyen. The teachers are welcome to ask the following people to help pre-register any parent visitors: For large...

This week was busy with gratitude, guided reading, math problems, poverty simulations, perspective seeking, gymnastics, throwing techniques, community song, pottery, international games and so much more! It continues to be a joy to see so much happening for our students. If you see something amazing happening, please help us to recognize each other using the Care and Excellence in Action Form. Teacher – Teaching Assistant Feedback Forms: A gentle reminder that these are due by December 1. Thanks to everyone who has submitted them. Follow up meetings with Mel and TAs have begun. Sunshine Spotlight: If you need a pick...

We had another great week filled with reading and Number Talks, snowy field trips, many students working as scientists, students showing Dedicated Service and so much more. It’s incredible! This Friday! ES Faculty Social on Friday, November 20: On arrival, you will receive a raffle ticket. Prizes include vouchers for Coolabah and nice bottles of wine! Care and Excellence in Action: There are so many amazing things happening every day! Please take a moment to recognize a colleague! This can brighten a day! The Week Ahead: Monday, November 16 School Holiday: Enjoy! Tuesday, November 17 New Faculty Orientation: 8-9 am...

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW! Together we ARE better! Our total contribution as an ES for the Flood Relief Campaign was: 176,525,000 Thanks so much everyone! ES Sports: Season Two tryouts begin this week! Tripod Survey: We will be administering the tripod survey this week.  The tripod survey is an opportunity for students to give feedback to their teachers about their impressions of the teaching and learning experience from their perspective.  We are including students in grades 1 and 2 this year, which is new for us. Attached is the administration guide for the survey.  The administration guide provides you: A teacher script for how to administer the survey with students Alternate phrasing for...

Today was a great day filled with Halloween spirit. Thanks to everyone who participated in the costume contest as well as all staff who helped our students have a marvelous day! From ninja dancing, to weather events, a huge numbers of crayons, a G5 field trip, and a popcorn machine, your efforts are to be commended! ES Sports: This week is the last week of Season 1 sports. Season 2 sports sign ups will be announced next week Monday, November 2nd.  Try outs will begin on November 9th.   Upcoming Flood Relief Campaign: In recent weeks, local and national news has...

It’s been a great first week of Quarter 2! It has been great seeing the students begin their work on Understanding Others. Please do invite Dan and I to come and see what you are doing. Boo! Halloween is this week! Do you have your costumes ready? Dragon’s Belly: Have you seen this lately? It is looking great! Mr. James has worked very hard at cleaning it up. Please help us by cleaning up after yourselves and not using this as a space to leave and store any items that belong to your grade or department. Thank-you! ES Reps for...

Welcome back! We hope that you all had a wonderful break and enjoyed some time relaxing. You deserve it! We are looking forward to continuing our work on developing our culture of assessment and divisional goals this quarter. Halloween is also around the corner! Do you have your costumes ready? Invite us! Dan and I would love to come and see what you are doing. This doesn’t have to be a special event. If you would like us to come see what is happening in your classes, please send us an email. ES Rep for Food Committee: I am looking for...

It’s hard to believe that Quarter 1 is wrapping up. You have all put in extraordinary efforts to make this a success. This week, we will welcome parents into our classrooms and celebrate the learning of our students. Enjoy these conversations. The parents will be so thrilled to be here. Let’s make the most of our last week before Fall Break! 🙂 Parent Teacher Conferences: You can find your schedule on SchoolsBuddy. Thanks for all of your hard work in preparing. Please ensure that classrooms are displays are in “tip-top” shape. I have seen some amazing displays of student learning!...