news archive

Students return 10th January.

16-12-2011

AISR would like to wish all of our community and wider circle of friends a very happy Winter Holiday and New Year! Can we also remind parents that students should return to school on Tuesday 10th of January 2012. Happy holidays.

AISR Event Diary

12-12-2011

Dont forget! "The Little Prince" - Thursday, 15th Dec: @ 7:00 pm - Elementary School Play and earlier in the day...
Thursday, 15th Dec: @12:30 pm - 13:30 pm The Middle School Music Showcase.

Friday, 16th Dec: Semester and Second Quarter end.

Arsenic and Old Lace – The World on its Head

12-12-2011

By Lynda Boot

The recent AISR High School drama production of Arsenic and Old Lace represented extremely well, the era of an uncertain pre-Second World War world, when the only thing to do was to laugh, otherwise one would cry.  The fact that things were not always as they seemed made people question their own situations more and more; and this play, made into a famous movie in 1941, which came out in 1944, posed a series of very clever, intriguing and interlinked questions. 

Did the maiden aunts actually have a sense of humor or were they just cut-throat murderesses?  Was Teddy Brewster really “mad-house” material when he seemed to think he was think he was digging the Panama Canal or was he a part of the wicked intrigue, which surrounded the deaths of the young gentlemen, who were all alone in the world?  Was the elderberry wine all that it seemed, and, if not, why did some of the characters conveniently “disappear” after imbibing such a pleasant drink?  Align this to the statement by “seemingly charitable” maiden aunt, Abby Brewster,  “It may not be very charitable of me, but I’ve almost come to the conclusion that this Mr. Hitler isn’t a Christian.” and it should not be hard for the audience to see that this was an upside down world where we would be sitting on the edge of our seats for the next two hours.

The words of the playwright, Joseph Kesselring are certainly convincing enough.  However, to make the play come alive in the most convincingly  “uncertain” manner, and to have it played by seeming fools who do not realize what is happening to them, is even more of an art form than writing the play itself.  For this to happen, the master strokes of Gamble and Badyna, the director and his assistant were eloquently hidden behind their superb cast of actors, who played to the audience like old troopers, who had been on the stage all their lives.  Just the right balance of the obvious and the ridiculous hung against the backcloth of the real and the scarier parts of the play.  The juxtaposition was masterful indeed!  What superb acting from the two Brewster maiden aunts! (Kate and Jyona)  They made us all feel as if they were really to be trusted, and acted way beyond their years!  Even their movements were a study in kinetic perfection!  Years piled onto their teenage beings. This, contrasted starkly with the youthful puppy-like enthusiasm of the theater critic, their nephew, Mortimer Brewster, (Stephen) who played right up to the part of being a young man about town about to be married to the delightfully innocent Elaine Harper (Bethany).  The two of them added just the right comic touches as first one, then two bodies appeared in the window seat and things were not exactly as they seemed.  The delightful Elaine (Bethany) threw in just the right dose of realism as she kept stepping in and out from the “real” world with which one could associate her father, the Rev. Dr. Harper (Byron). The Reverend Dr. (Byron) had the most convincing “Southern accent” this side of the “pond”, and  acted brilliantly, and way beyond his years. 

All went swimmingly in the play, until the dastardly brother Jonathan Brewster (Alexander G.) showed up with his friend, Dr. Einstein ( Alexander C.). Their joint and intense malevolence showed a stark contrast to the innocent ardor demonstrated by the younger brother Mortimer (Stephen) and their constant references to the “Melbourne Method” left us in no doubt as to the chicanery of their operation to blend the evil Mortimer back into society as a “reformed” wolf in sheep’s clothing. The two Alexanders added just the right mix of comic relief and malevolence to the whole event.  Their acting was sufficiently polished to make it look as if they were “hamming “ up their parts.  The escalation of the Brewster madness was extremely well brought out by these two seasoned AISR actors (Alexander G. and Alexander C.) The pauses in the some of the speeches of Jonathan (Alexander G.) and the consistently convincing, yet comical, German accent of Dr. Einstein (Alexander C.) brought a quality to the production not unlike certain scenes in the well known 1944 film production.  

Other parts of the play were also extremely well “choreographed”. A last ditch attempt to draw in a respectable young man by the two Brewster maiden aunts (Kate and Jyona) led to Mr. Gibbs (Carsten) beating a hasty retreat, but not before he had most convincingly raised a glass of the dreaded elderberry wine to his lips several times, but not drunk it, and had done a dance with the floor mat as if it were part of a comedy routine! This could probably never again be reproduced, and it caused us to think that there might be some serious doubt as to whether or not he would become the next victim! The fact that the audience was now privy to the fact that all was not well in the Brewster household, made the constant interludes with the New York Police all the more funny.  Their ham-fisted attempts to “sort things out”, together with their consistent banter about the charities they supported and the desire of one of their number to become a playwright, added just another piece of additional humor along the way, turning the ending of the play into a complete farce.  What a wonderful choice of actresses in the officer class! Nadine, Natalia, Daniela and Stefanie played the roles of the Officers Brophy, Klein, Krupke and O’Hara as if they were a natural comedy team.  Their gestures, the looks on their faces and their throw away lines added incredibly much depth to the farcical nature of the play.  Without them and the seemingly more serious Lieutenant Rooney (Sophie) who played so well into the naïvité of the situation, the play may not have gained as much depth with the continuously growing farce as it did.  This was added to even further by the appearance of Mr. Witherspoon (Brian), whose outfit was simply type cast and whose expressly chosen wooden acting brought out the appeal to remove a major part of the madness to the “Happy Dale Sanitarium”.

In the meantime, the cops (Nadine, Natalia, Daniela and Stefanie) and their fearless leader (Sophie) have continuously failed to see, understand or acknowledge the fact that the aunts had 12 bodies in the basement, dug into graves by Teddy, who feared that they had “yellow fever” and needed a quick burial.  In his mind, the basement was “actually” Panama and he was “actually “ President Roosevelt.  The nuance that Mr. Spinalzo, Jonathan’s latest victim, was simply “not good enough” for burial in the basement, simply tells us that there is even “honor among thieves” so to speak, and that even murderers have their standards! The slimy Dr. Einstein, melted away just at the right moment, but Jonathan failed to make the break, despite his having had “a Melbourne job” on his face. Justice would have appeared to be done, since Jonathan was a cold-blooded murderer, who enjoyed it, whereas his maiden aunts were quite particular about who they disposed of in the basement!

The discovery at the very end of the play that Mortimer was not really a Brewster at all, put the world back on its feet, and still laughing our heads off, we could clap as if we would never stop, to applaud the wonderful efforts of the whole cast and their back up. Let us not forget the wonderful support the excellent cast got from set constructors, painters and decorators Rick, Ruud, David, Kelly, Jennifer Liduine and Sue. Jennifer also managed the properties, a tall order with so many characters in the play!  Ruud and Paul once again did an expert job with the sound and lighting. Everything was right ion cue! The costumes were expertly selected and arranged by Amber.  They were stunning and really made a difference to the feel of the play.  The stage hands, Gabi and Buse must also not be forgotten, because the most important part of a play which is so dependent on timing, is to have everything in the right place at the right time.  Their actions were right on target.

Once again, kudos must go to the play’s director, Graham Gamble and his Assistant Director, Glen Badyna, for bringing a school production to such lofty heights, and for producing such a wonderful piece of theater. I will certainly miss Graham when it comes to the next play production time, but his legacy of setting up a strong theater tradition in the school is guaranteed to live on because so many people have become involved in the AISR productions and could not miss doing it again.

Don’t forget to come and see the Elementary Production of, “The Little Prince” on Thursday evening, December 15 at 7 p.m.  This is Aleksandra Golder’s first production at AISR, and it looks like it is going to be really great if we hear the enthusiasm of the cast and helpers.

Boys U14 first game of year success!

08-12-2011

In our first game of year, with 6 guys, Boys U14 basketball defeated Dusseldorf, 30-26.
Next up to beat Antwerp! Go Sharks!

The Sint visit success!

06-12-2011

The school was very pleased to welcome Sinterklass and the Zwarte Piets. The student performances to him and the visiting parents were excellent. He has promised to return next year and will keep a check on those boys and girls who are naughty or nice...

Sinterklaas is coming!

05-12-2011

Sinterklaas has been around since the 4th century and his helpers joined him on his journey through the ages. He has become a t.v. celebrity during the last 5 decades and of course the tradition has changed as we have. The essence of the tradition, how ever, still stands: In wintertime it is nice to share good moments around the fireplace. It is nice to give presents, as well as to receive them. And the chocolate and gingerbread delicacies, who doesn’t like them?

Schoenzetten is a tradition that may confuse our children here. Lots of Dutch children start setting their shoe by the heater, or by the door as soon as Sinterklaas has arrived in Holland. They put their shoe, sing a Sinterklaas song and leave a carrot, or something else for the horse with it. The next day they hope to find a candy or small present in it. They may also find a note telling them they didn’t clean up their toys! Any way, some kids will come to school showing off their present, while other kids didn’t get anything. Please be aware of this.

For the 5th of December we will put on a show for Sinterklaas.
We will start as soon as everyone is sitting comfortably in the gym around 1:15
And will end the show at 2:15.

PreK 1 and 2 will perform the Dutch song In Holland staat een huis.
KG will perform the standard of Kleine Zwarte Piet, a story about a little helper who got lost.
1st (AISR/JSR) grade will recite some poems Sint moet naar de Kapper and Zou ik een Pietje mogen zijn? and Kijk ik heb vijf Pietjes op mijn hand.
2nd(AISR/JSR)  grade will do the dance Linker been Rechter been.
3rd(AISR/JSR)  Schimmel is ziek van Annie M.G. Schmidt
4th(AISR/JSR)  grade will sing Sint maakt zich zorgen!
5th(AISR/JSR)  grade and 6th (JSR) grade will do a song and dance De Zwarte Pieten Beat.

Sinterklaas will say a few words to us and after the show we will sing goodbye song Dag Sinterklaasje.

Hopefully he will see we have all been good and reward us with Chocolate letters?

Sesame Street celebrated in van Gogh Museum

14-11-2011

A special artwork was unveiled in Amsterdam's van Gogh museum to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Sesame Street on Dutch television.

A new version of Vincent van Gogh's The Bedroom has been created with several Sesame Street characters in the painting.

Sesame Street actor Frank Groothof and Axel Rüger of the van Gogh Museum unveiled the painting under the watchful eye of dozens of school kids as well as Elmo, Tommie, Bert and Ernie. The work will be on display for about a month.
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide

http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl

Stop the Press! NECIS Victories

11-11-2011

At NECIS the AISR JV Boys defeated Bonn 4-2 and the Girls team defeated Copenhagen 3-0!
Go Sharks!

PTSA, CAS and the Giving Season

10-11-2011

A Date For Your Diary Around the Thanksgiving Time:

CAS and the spirit of giving is alive and well at AISR!  The CAS/PTSA joint venture for the homeless of Rotterdam goes back into the history of AISR, and is a time honored custom of giving to others at a time when most people within our own community have the good fortune to be grateful for wonderful family lives and a roof over their heads!  At the very least, they will have spent a wonderful time at school on Wednesday, November 23 enjoying AISR’s Thanksgiving luncheon together with many of the parents, their teachers, and our Japanese friends and neighbors from JSR!  Many thanks, to our wonderful PTSA, and to Tjeerd in the cafeteria for this. It is great to see such a school-wide moment of caring and sharing.

Right now, at school, we are starting the:

CAS/PTSA Collaborative Thanksgiving Drive for hats, scarves, gloves and toiletries.  There are already boxes for these items in the front lobby. We are inviting people in our community to contribute to the Havenzicht Homeless shelter in Rotterdam by placing new or nearly new, (but clean) hats, scarves and gloves, and small sized toiletries into these boxes. Toiletries from hotels and plane trips are very acceptable.  You may also buy small sizes yourselves at any of the local drug stores.  Our collection will last from now until Tuesday, November 29 in the front lobby. The boxes will be emptied every day. The goods collected will be delivered to the Havenzicht Homeless Shelter on the early afternoon of Wednesday, November 30. Help from parents will be gratefully accepted with this. Please contact Mrs. Boot at school to find out more. These presents will be used to make attractive and useful Sinterklaas gifts for the homeless, and will be very much appreciated.
On the evening of Wednesday, November 30, CAS students from AISR will take and serve vegetable soup to the homeless at the Havenzicht Shelter.  They will have prepared and made this themselves on Tuesday, November 29, at school. Any parent who feels like helping to make this soup, please turn up to the Cooking Room on the third floor of AISR with a chopping knife and a willing pair of hands, at 10 a.m. on November 29, and we will teach you the secret of making 40 liters of soup in a little over an hour! Any parent, who would like to join us at the Homeless shelter on Wednesday evening, is welcome and arrangements can be made with Mrs. Boot about the time of departure and the address.

As with every organization, the Havenzicht Homeless Shelter is also starting to feel the pinch of the recession, so it would not be a bad idea at all for us to increase our efforts in this area if it is at all possible. Another four dates for making soup will be put out in a separate CAS report, and we will again be requesting parent volunteers to help. 

Let’s all have a great start to the seasonal time of the year by thinking of others first, especially in these times of economic recession. It is always good to reflect on all of the good things we enjoy in our own lives, and being a part of the spirit of giving is certainly an excellent way of doing this. I invite you to look at a short film about the services offered to the homeless in Rotterdam, and even though it is in Dutch and some of you may not be able to follow it completely, you can see what is done in Rotterdam to give the homeless as much support as possible to get back on their feet and retrieve their independence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcadfEwWjoY

By Lynda Boot (CAS Coordinator) and Shelly Moseley (PTSA President)

A New English language magazine - The Underground

07-11-2011

Around Holland...

A new printed and online magazine for English speakers has been published in the Hague (Den Haag). It has many interesting articles about life in the Netherlands as an Expat or dual-national and is seeking more.  Please follow the link to find the online version:

The Underground - http://www.theunderground.nl/

Netherlands No 3!

06-11-2011

The Netherlands has ranked third on a United Nations list of the best countries to live in. Hup Holland Hup! http://www.expatica.com

From the curriculum office... Map Testing

03-11-2011

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As you know, we have recently completed our first session of MAP testing at AISR for the 2011-2012 academic year.  This is our first year of full implementation and teachers are already learning how to interpret the results and apply this learning to their classrooms.  This training for teachers will continue throughout the year.

We would also like to involve parents in this learning process so that you too can access and understand this useful information about your child.  In order to understand how it works and what it means for your child, you are invited to join a parent MAP group to help us move forward and "launch" this process with parents.

If this is something that interests you, please contact me directly at a.lipp@aisr.nl or by calling extension 316 at the school.  Once I have a list of people who will comprise our MAP Parent Group, we will schedule our first meeting.

For more information on resources for parents, please refer to the attached “parent toolkit” or visit the following website. http://www.nwea.org/why-choose-nwea

I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Alison Lipp
Curriculum Coordinator
American International School of Rotterdam

AISR CanSat Mission Go! A big deal for AISR Flying Dutchcan Team!!!

02-11-2011

The AISR IB science team, The Flying Dutchcan, has entered the 2nd European CanSat competition organized by the European Space Agency (ESA) in collaboration with the Norwegian Center for Space-related Education (NAROM).  They submitted a project proposal for the preliminary phase of designing and building a can-size satellite which was accepted “out of many excellent proposals”  (www.cansat.eu ) along with thirteen other European teams. 

Following acceptance of their proposal, participants have six months to complete the design, building, and testing of their CanSat.  The AISR students have decided to complete, in addition to the required primary mission of collecting temperature and pressure readings, the secondary mission of simultaneously measuring light intensity and altitude.  By analyzing their data the students plan to determine optimal altitude ranges for urban rooftop gardening and for solar power collection.  See the abstract they submitted with their proposal for more detailed information. 

In April 2012 The Flying Dutchcan team will travel to Norway to launch their CanSat to a height of 1 km in an Intruder rocket.  They will compete against numerous other European high school student teams for a first place spot in the competition as determined by their team work, community outreach efforts, and ability to complete their missions.  Check out the ESA CanSat website and click on “Teams selected for the 2012 competition” to see our team listed amongst the winners: www.cansat.eu

THE ABSTRACT

We will design a CanSat that, on descent, will measure temperature, pressure, light intensity, and altitude.  As society becomes more and more urbanized there is the need to continue to build not only out but also up.  With the continued loss of agricultural and ground space, innovative ways of using the rooftops of our buildings will be employed.  As societies move their gardening and perhaps solar power sources up to the roof tops, the question will arise what the optimal altitude will be.  Since the CanSats are launched to an altitude of 1 km (currently the height of the world’s tallest building), it will be beneficial to use the CanSat to determine optimal heights for agriculture and solar power collection devices based on their need for light intensity.  An additional benefit of such data could be assessing UV light irregularities at different global locations, indicating breaches of the ozone later.  

Please look on the AISR Science Department webpage for more information and videos!

Math Corner - The Best Way to Teach Article...

02-11-2011

Please find linked below an interesting article on math education, although it could relate to education in general.  Jeff Holcomb

http://launchings.blogspot.com/2011/08/best-way-to-learn.html

AISR Book fair - For all the family!

25-10-2011

The AISR book fair (Wed & Thurs)  has GREAT DISCOUNTS for everyone!

Wednesday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, Thursday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm in the AISR Library.

Parents, Middle Schoolers and High Schoolers are welcome anytime... Kindergarten to G5 students will come with their classes.

Grade 2 Go Greek.

21-10-2011

Ms. Sherritt and her Grade 2 students ended off the first quarter with quite a show! “Our class was able to step back in time to learn a little more about some very famous myths that the Ancient Greeks wrote. Each member of our class became a god or goddess from the lofty peak of Mount Olympus, and through acting out some different myths, we learned that the Ancient Greeks were quite clever to be able to explain the mysteries of life through such dramatic stories!

In addition to reading many different kinds of stories, the Grade 2 students also became writers and they wrote special legends about a family member, and they also wrote their very own version of an Ancient Greek myth.
 All of our hard work was showcased to the parents during a fun filled afternoon at our Greek Festival.  The parents had the opportunity to see some of the writing that their child completed and they were also treated a special performance about the Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus.  We also enjoyed sampling some tasty treats that the parents prepared. The event was a huge success and I would like to thank all of the parents for their support.

Our class also enjoyed our first fieldtrip to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden.  We were given a tour of the ancient Greek exhibit and we were very excited to identify some of the gods and goddesses that we had been learning about on the many vases and statues in the museum.  It is quite thrilling when students can make connections between what has been learned in the classroom and what we can visit in the community”.

The Girl Scouts need you!

21-10-2011

We're excited to announce a new year of Girl Scouts in Rotterdam!  We have a lot of girl interest and at least one parent to lead each Girl Scout grade level!  But our leaders can't do it alone - they need assistants.  If you're willing to help them plan and/or run meetings, please let us know.  With your help we can bring the Girl Scout program to Rotterdam!  

Email Mary at GSHagueandRotterdamNL@gmail.com for more information or to be an assistant. 

Berlin Reloaded!

02-10-2011

Wednesday, 5 October, 1.50-2.50 p.m. in the Media Lab on the second floor:

Please feel welcome to come to the Media Lab on the second floor to see the wonderful presentations made by the 9/10 History class about their Berlin Trip.  Each of the students has made an individual presentation about some of the places they have seen and their connections to the Interwar years, the Second World War and the Cold War.  They will be set up at various stations and will give individual presentations as you pass around the room.  We hope that you enjoy it and manage to get a small glimpse of exactly how much they have learned from the trip with the help  of their trusty chaperones, Mr. Temminck, Mrs. Rizor and Dr. Nina Markham.

5th Grade Trip to Arnhem

28-09-2011

During trip week, 5th Grade made a wonderful trip to Arnhem.  The sun shone on us, as we biked round The Hoge Veluwe National Park and visited the Kroller Muller Museum to see many fabulous paintings, by really famous artists.  Luckily no-one fell off their bikes, and we stopped and played at many of the outdoor sculptures.  After a night of highly skillful bowling, we travelled the next day to the Open Air Museum.  There we enjoyed many different activities, which helped us find out more of the history of the Netherlands and what it would have been like to live at that time.  Altogether, it was a fantastic couple of days and everyone had a great time!

   

Trip Week: AISR Seniors have a nice time in Nice!

27-09-2011

This year, the seniors ventured to Nice, France, Province Alpes-Cote D’azur, or rather, the nearby town Villefranche sur Mer. There, the senior endured the ineffable torture of sitting, relaxed, on the beaches of the Mediterranean: France, Monaco, and Italy. All the while, the Seniors also were brought a plethora of learning activities, from observation of ancient Roman cisterns and ruins to the augmentation of marine knowledge in the Monaco Oceanarium Museum to the contemplation of art in the Picasso museum of Antibes. From perspective expansion to cultural immersion, the trip was both relaxing and beneficial.

 

Grade 6 in Terschelling

27-09-2011

The 6th grade class had a great time during their trip to the island of Terschelling.  They biked, went bowling, swam, had a mudflat lesson out in the middle of the sea, went seal watching (just to name a few of the activities), but most of all, they had some great fun! It was a great and memorable experience for all.

 

Elementary Mother Tongue program launched

27-09-2011

AISR has launched our Elementary Mother Tongue program. One of the goals of our ‘Entry Point’ was to see how many languages were spoken at our school. Students worked in six groups of mixed grade levels to decipher sentences which had a variety of words from other languages.

To make it challenging they were not allowed to ask questions, but had to strategize with team members about who would walk around and find someone who could translate the word. Students discovered that there are 24 languages spoken in grades 1-6. alone!  Our ending activity was ‘Musical Heads or Tails’. Students listened to songs sung in different languages and had to guess which language they were listening to " heads if it's Spanish or tails if it's Portuguese".

It was a very successful beginning to our new Mother Tongue program which will take place every Monday in the elementary classrooms from 10:30 - 11:30, as part of our literacy block.

Some of the project themes we will be working on  this semester are: All about me, Recipes and Cooking and winter holidays. Next week the students will begin working with their language groups where they will have an opportunity to talk, read, write and do projects in their Mother Tongues!

Sara Moroney

9th and 10th Grade in Berlin!

26-09-2011

It is Friday evening September 16. I am sitting with a 'grande latte macchiato' on the terrace of a café under Rotterdam Alexander Railway Station. The sun paints a group of clouds in orange and pink. We did it: All kids home safely, full of good memories. Well, not all of them, the seniors still have to fly in from Nice, but an sms had already told me of their well being.

Traveling with students always brings risks. For a week teachers have become parents of a large family, the family we are so proud of at AISR.Most kids are having a great time, do things they have never done before. They discover new limits as well as new challenges. They see their teachers in a different light, see them fall in the water, see them improvising in unforeseen situations. Teachers take care of kids who are not feeling well and make sure everyone is safe.

So sitting here with my coffee after Trip Week feels good! The intense awareness of being the 'responsible one' slides off my shoulders. The 5th graders had a great time in Arnhem. The 6th graders biked all over Terschelling. Despite the stormy weather the 7th and 8th grade found interesting ways to sail through and around Noord Holland. The 9th and 10th graders had a wonderful trip to Berlin. The 11th graders learned so much about Shakespeare and saw London from different perspectives. The seniors found summer at The Cote d'Azur!
Yes, what a variety! What a great way to get to know each other and share unforgettable experiences.

Berlin.

The two grades form a nice group of 18 kids. The three teachers form a strong team. Together they have to find their way, switching trains, looking for connections. In former East Berlin we stay at the very friendly Juncker's Garni hotel. A five minute walk brings us to a couple of streets full of restaurants, where people are still sitting outside to have their very affordable meals. The students roam the streets in small groups and find some tasty dishes. They practice lots of social skills. During the week, students take turns navigating our way through this big city. They learn to read the signs and how to use the maps of the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn. We visit Sachsenhausen, the prison camp from WWII. We see the Reichstag, the symbol of transparent democracy. We see the writing on the walls, we feel the tension of the Euro crisis, and we enjoy the Starbucks coffee. We bike through the green parks of Potsdam, we freewheel through the best history class ever. We see the struggle of mankind; we see contrasting powers; we see love and care. The Blueman Group on Thursday stresses the message that we need to talk to each other in this digital age. In their show, hi-tech tools are used next to slapstick puddings - a group of excellent clowns and superb musicians is inspiring us to keep expressing ourselves.

The train ride back to Rotterdam is a bit rough. The train is full, and we have to make tight connections. That doesn't stop us, however, from looking back at great moments. New friendships have been made. The group has definitely grown in spirit. The three teachers have gotten to know each other better and all of this will add meaning to what we are trying to do at AISR: creating family.

Here are some student quotes and pictures!

It is much easier to look at the Berlin wall, and think of the history behind it than just read a text about it from a book. Another example is the Sachenhausen Concentration Camp. By looking at the way the people were treated there, and seeing replicas of important buildings within the camp, you can remember the facts easier because you were there looking at it.[...]You also learn lessons during the trip. If you need to take public transportation often, then it is good to know mapping skills and how to use a metro. If you had no idea how to use these types of transportation, then on your first time it is good to learn from mistakes. Therefore, when you go on another trip to a big city, you will be more comfortable with the transportation. Bethany Balentine

...we learn a lot during trip week because, when you're there and see it with your own eyes you learn more and pay more attention to small things that you would not pay attention to if you read it out of a book.[... Another reason] trip week is important to students is that we get a experience of a life time and that we will talk about this when we are older; Trip week is more than just going to another place and learning something about a certain category; it is an experience that makes us stronger and students and people in the outside world. Guillermo Klijnoot

The greatest thing [about] trip week is that you get to know each other better. You play games with each other and basically you stay together with other people all the time in trip week. You'll get to know people who haven't really talked with you, or know someone more than before. It's a great chance to get along with people and make friends. Also in trip week, we [care more for] each other and also respect more because we understand each other more. In trip week to Berlin, I played fun games with my friends and teachers and I felt more comfortable [about] the better relationship between us. Yebin Kim

In short, it helps us in school to go to places we are studying. This is particularly effective in history, as this school is near many countries in which recent wars were engaged. This causes a wealth of information around us that we can use for our work. ...Trip week is a useful tool that should remain in schools. Cultural immersion, increase in academic knowledge, and interpersonal relationships are too valuable a tool to sacrifice. Micah Moseley


 

Grade 7 and 8 Trip Week -Sailing the IJsselmeer and Waddenzee.

22-09-2011

Sailing with 7th and 8th Grade was fantastic. Despite some weather difficulties we managed to entertain ourselves nicely with waterballoon fights, barbecues, singing and just chilling out on the deck. We got to know each other better, had some great games of chess, and managed to stay out of the water most of the time... and yes, Mr Fitzpatrick may have been thrown into the water by the skipper... and yes, he may have cussed.... ;-).

Trip Week News...

14-09-2011

Updates from the various Middle and High School trips out this week: the bicyclists are bicycling in Terschelling while the sailors didn't get out on the water first of all but are now happily making light of the wind and the waves! Meanwhile, the Berliners have learnt the difference between the word for a citizen of that great metropolis and a sweet confection (remember JFK?)! In London, it's been Shakespeare's globe and shopping while in the South of France, it's hot on the trip to Monaco today! Graham Gamble

PTSA Picnic

02-09-2011

AISR would like to thank all those who came and helped at the PTSA Welcome Back Picnic. It was a great success and all had a fun day! Despite the very Dutch Summer Weather...

PTSA Welcome Back Picnic 2011

22-08-2011

The PTSA is pleased to announce the 2011 Welcome Back Picnic. This is the perfect opportunity to mingle and meet the new and “old” families of AISR. Come for a Fun-Filled Afternoon, including; hot dogs, hamburgers, sides and salads, Desserts and Pop-Corn.
Not forgetting the Bouncy Castle and Face Painting!

Sunday, August 28th, 2011 at AISR - €5.00 per person or €15.00 per family
12:30 – 15:30p.m.

PTSA Welcome Coffee - Wednesday.

22-08-2011

The PTSA is pleased to announce the welcome coffee morning will be held at AISR this Wednesday 24th in the School Cafeteria in the School Cafeteria.Join us as we kick off the new school year with the PTSA!

Welcome back

18-08-2011

Dear Members of the AISR Community,

Welcome back!  We hope you all had a great summer vacation and are looking forward to the new school year as much as we are.

We begin the new school year by welcoming many new families from all over the world and many new teachers and other staff.  Ms. Welch is the new School Counselor, Ms. Modic is the new Learning Support Coordinator, Dr. N. Markham will teach Middle and High School Science, Dr. S. Markham will teach Mathematics and Health.  Ms. Stewart is the new Grade 5 teacher, Ms. Godfrey joins us to teach Elementary Music, Mr. Badyna will teach Grade 6 English and Early Childhood Music whilst Mr. Brown returns to teach Elementary Physical Education and coach football.

The Welcome Picnic is on Sunday, August 28th.  The first open meeting of the Board of Trustees is at 7pm on Tuesday, August 30th.  "Open House" for Middle and High School is on the evening of September 1st and for Elementary School on the evening of September 8th.

The school plays this semester are "Arsenic and Old Lace" for the High School and "The Little Prince" for Elementary School.

Have a great year!

Graham Gamble

Wednesday 17th AISR Students Back!

14-08-2011

AISR will welcome students back Wednesday 17th August for the beginning of a new school year.

International Middle Years Curriculum @ AISR

21-06-2011

AISR's implementation of the International Middle Years Curriculum is mentioned in the soon to be published 'ECIS' international school press. To view the article please download the .pdf by clicking here.

Graduation 2011 Photography.

07-06-2011

AISR is pleased to announce that photos from the 2011 Graduation Ceremony are now available online if you click on the image on the right.

*Photos by 'Roy Borghouts Photography'.
http://www.royborghouts.com/

Update on Charity Collections

30-05-2011

Read to Grow Collection
The Read to grow Collection will be in position until tomorrow at 10 a.m.  That is the last time you can contribute books to this charity in the boxes in the hallway and outside the library. Please have one last extra push to find some books in either English, Spanish or French.  They will help literacy programs for both adults and children in many countries of the world.  What better gift than the gift of knowledge through reading!

Bag2School Collection
This will now be collected next week.  Your last day to put bags under the stairs is Monday June 7 at 3 p.m.  Please make sure that all bags are put neatly under the stairs.  If you no longer have the blue bag, then any strong garbage bag will do.  It needs to be securely fastened. Thank you in advance for your support.

More moving and spring cleaning? We can help you out!

27-05-2011

We are pleased to announce that the school has organized a textile collection with Bag2School in order to raise funds for book boxes for READ TO GROW. By getting involved in our Bag2School collection, you have an opportunity to sort through your cupboards and wardrobes and donate unwanted textiles in the bag provided – this can include adults’ and children’s clothes, shoes (tied together please), hats, belts, bags, soft toys, curtains and bedding (not duvets or pillows). We will receive money back according to the weight of goods we send into Bag2School. This will be a great boost for our fundraising for READ TO GROW.  In addition it will also raise awareness amongst the children of the benefits of recycling and re-use. If you fill the donation bag and still have more then you can use any other bag to donate your items and don’t forget to ask grandparents, friends and neighbors to have a sort out as well!Bag2School will be collecting from our school on (JUNE 2). Please bring your bag (or bags!) to (the lobby, under the stairs) and help us have a really good collection.

 Many thanks indeed for helping us with these unique fundraising opportunities of Bag2School AND READ TO GROW

One weekend left to sort out your books!

27-05-2011

Read to Grow Donations

Moving or spring-cleaning? Not a problem!

 Books in English, French or Spanish are welcome in the READ TO GROW boxes in the hallway and outside the library.  You have to get to work this weekend, however! They will be taken to READ TO GROW, in a school van on Tuesday, May 31.  

After 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, please save up your books for the next collection in the fall.  The books can be for children or adults, fact or fiction, just as long as they do not proselytize religion or contain material with unsuitable content. They will be used for teaching purposes and for the setting up of libraries in places where books are scarce.

Please look at the website http://www.readtogrow.eu/ for further information.

If you have books in Dutch, please bring them, but don't put them in the READ TO GROW boxes.  Ms. Akerboom has a contact who sends them to Suriname for her, and where they are of great use.

Please note that this is not a book swap.  Book in the box have been donated by, other people, for the charity.Please don’t take any of the books out

So Young wins 2nd prize for “Save the Children” Photo Competition

25-05-2011

So Young, from Grade 9 has had the great honor of winning 2nd prize in the “Save the Children” Photo Competition. She, Nick and Anna got photos selected into the semi-finals as part of the top 7 entrants! In the finals, Nick got an honorable mention and So Young got 2nd place. All of these students are therefore winners in their own right. Kudos goes to them and also to Ms. Marsh, Ms. Lipp and Ms. Van Leijden for entering them into the contest.

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need around the world.  Save the Children’s work ensures that children get proper healthcare, food education and protection.  Our school’s participation in the contest also means that we support Save the Children’s goal of helping children around the world.  It is great to feel that AISR is a giving school.

University presentation tonight.

24-05-2011

The School Counselor and School Director will give a short presentation tonight, 24.5.11, at 5.00pm on Application to UK and US universities.

Necis Softball Champions 2011

24-05-2011

By Brad Gooding - Softball Coach

This past weekend, on the sun-drenched fields of Rotterdam, the AISR JV softball team pulled off the improbable.  They captured the NECIS championship.  It was an extraordinary achievement by the entire team, for becoming a champion in any sport requires talents far beyond the mere skills of the game.

Being a champion requires sacrifice.  Certainly, there’s the obvious sacrifice of time and energy for practices, games, and long road trips.  But that’s the easy part.  Being a member of a real, functioning team means that each member must be willing to sacrifice their own ego and pride for the good of the team.  In other words, champions must be able to think of the others on the team before thinking of themselves.  And indeed, on countless occasions this past weekend, every member of the Sharks softball team proved up to this task.

Being a champion requires perseverance.  It means being able to stare adversity in the face, fighting to the bitter end, and never quitting.  It would have been easy for the Sharks to quit on themselves this past weekend, but none of them allowed each other to do so.  Needing a win in Friday’s final game to qualify for the round robin the next day, the Sharks found themselves down 9-2 with two innings to play against Amsterdam.  But they proceeded to plate 4 runs in the penultimate inning and in the final frame, they found a way to scrape together another 5 runs.  Then, the next day, in the semi-final game against Dusseldorf, the Sharks again found themselves down early.  But the defense tightened up behind some stellar pitching, and the offense found a way to prevail 7-4.  And then, in the championship match against Amsterdam, the Sharks again fell behind, this time by 10 runs.  And again, the Sharks dug deep and kept competing.  It was a furious rally, with timely hits, strategic walks, and intelligent baserunning.  By the time the dust had settled, the Sharks were the victors by the tune of 14-12.

Being a champion requires the ability to put events into perspective and move onto the next challenge.  As with all things, in softball, there are bound to be highs and lows.  And individuals are bound to make mistakes every now and again.   Every member of the team knows how true this is -- especially in softball.  In those moments, the key is to re-focus and prepare for the next pitch instead of wallowing in self-pity.  Because the fact is, no one can compete successfully in the present if they are busy worrying about something that happened in the past.  Time and time again, the Sharks demonstrated this kind of resiliency, and this ability helped lead them to a championship.

What the Sharks softball team accomplished, and the fashion in which they did it, was remarkable.  I have been around sports a long time, and I don’t think I have experienced anything quite like it.  At the same time, the events of the weekend reminded me of the powerful influence that sports and learning how to compete can have on one’s life.  Because if this team was able to display all the traits of champions over the course of two days – sacrifice, resiliency, perseverance, in addition to others like trust, faith, and confidence -- doesn’t that also mean they have it within them to carry those traits over to other walks of life and become champions there?  It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.

Congratulations to the most promising JV player - Sophie L.

Interview with victorious Softball Team Captain, Niko

23-05-2011

Lynda Boot interviews with Niko, Team Captain of the Sharks Softball Team.

AISR had to play a total of 6 games. Out of these games, 4 were won by a close margin, and two were lost by an even closer margin. AISR was up to the mark this year at the NECIS Tournament, which took place in Rotterdam.

Niko, Team Captain says that the team was so good because everybody knew what they were doing and they all gave their best efforts. The training from Coach Gooding was spectacular in the area of preparation. None of the other teams even expected Rotterdam to be a contender for winning the tournament.

Little did they know was that the Sharks were on a mission to rip through and capture 1st place! Even when they were down, they never gave up hope, as shown in their final game against Amsterdam; they were down 12 to 2, with two innings left and ended up winning 16 to 12. What a fantastic result!

Library News

23-05-2011

Summer Reading Inspiration:
Check out this awesome Scholastic Kid's website for book trailors, author read-alouds & interviews and more! It is guarenteed to inspire your reader!

http://www.scholastic.com/kids/stacks/?lnkid=stacks/nav/home/main

We have just recently subscribed to Bookflix! Bookflix is an incredible online reading resource for elementary students grade Pre K1 to Grade 3 and all EAL students.  This online resource has a huge variety of fiction & non fiction books that are read aloud to you.
You will need a password to access this resource from home.  You will receive the username & password in a note home this week or you may contact the library.

To access bookflix please go to: AISR's website>Academics>Library>online resources>bookflix (or google it)

If you are having trouble viewing the site, you will need to click CHECK REQUIREMENTS to make sure your computer has the correct settings enabled.

Apps!
There are a ton of great apps to check out this summer...here are a list of sites to get you started!
http://www.brainpop.com/apps/about/
http://www.funeducationalapps.com/  (kids 5-8, 9-12 & book apps)
http://momswithapps.com/  (moms blog about apps)
http://onlineultrasoundschool.com/2009/50-fun-iphone-apps-to-get-kids-reading-and-learning/
http://www.onlineclasses.org/2010/06/16/40-amazingly-educational-ipad-apps-for-kids/

International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) http://en.childrenslibrary.org/
Please do not forget about this international digital book site! Your child can search for loads of digital books to read (or be read to) based on age, language, book length, genre, award winner books etc...It is perfect while traveling or staying at home!


Please make sure all library books have been returned to the library. If you are returning to AISR for the 2011-12 school year and would like your elementary child/ren to take out books for the summer, please make sure you have signed the yellow sheet that was sent home last week. There are more copies in the library if you need them.  Students in prek1-grade 1 will need a parent or guardian to assist them in their book choice.  Books may be selected for summer reading from May 30-June 7th. They will not be issued out on the last day of school. Books are due back at the start of the new school year.

Have a great summer reading holiday!
Maria Lara & Melissa van Ringelesteijn

Non-English Language books needed!

23-05-2011

Next year the EAL department will be starting a Mother Tongue program at AISR. If you have any childrens books in your own language (non-English please) that you would like to donate please contact Ms. Moroney. We need books in all the languages that are found at our school.  They will be greatly valued!

AISR are Necis Softball Champions 2011!

23-05-2011

AISR are NECIS SOFTBALL CHAMPS. In an exciting last game vs ISA, the Sharks came from 4 runs behind in last inning to win the championship! Photos and the full story to follow...

NECIS Update

20-05-2011

An Interview with a member of the Softball Team.

Lynda Boot interviews Nadine

It’s Friday, May 20, and a member of the JV Softball Team just passed by my classroom to report to her classmates the state of play of the games.Right now, this lady Shark and her 13 teammates have just lost by only one point to Dusseldorf. Since Dusseldorf went on to lose their second game, there is still a chance for AISR, and it seems like the two teams are evenly matched! At 13.30, the game against Antwerp starts, and coach Gooding thinks the Sharks are up to a victory against this team.The History class was let go 10 minutes early to watch the game, as they were straining at the bit to offer support.Such is the intensity of the school spirit at AISR.

Keep looking at Twitter and Facebook for updates!Go Sharks!

Unsung Heroines of CAS

19-05-2011

Doing a good turn for others while enjoying yourself!

While organizing this year’s prom, Nadine and Stefanie started to think, “Seeing that our school, has the possibility of even having a Prom, and that there are other kids living close to us, who don’t even have the possibility of celebrating their own birthdays, we should try to raise money with our Prom.”

We decided to charge a little extra for each Prom ticket and promised that at least 20% of each ticket would go to charity. After having organized the Prom, which was a great success, we raised a total profit of €286 that would go to charity. The charity chosen is called “ Hiep Hiep Hoera” www.hiephoera.bekijknu.nl, and it gives the possibility for less fortunate kids to have a birthday party.

At the charity venue, each parent can get a little present for their kids and everything that is needed to throw a birthday party. This includes, cake, lemonade, lollipops, wrapping paper and tooters.  This last week, we both went to a wholesale store, and bought everything the charity asked for. In total we bought supplies that organized parties for about 38 kids. Once again, thanks to everyone that helped us make this possible! The High School Student Council, who granted us €300 towards the Prom costs, and the PTSA, who provided us with a lovely Prom cake.

Grade 5 trip to Duinrell. Physics in action!

19-05-2011

Grade 5 took a trip to Duinrell Amusement Park to test out their knowledge as part of their IPC Physics unit. A great day was had by all! See the pictures now on the AISR facebook page.

AISR Social Networking

18-05-2011

AISR would like to announce it can now be followed in both Twitter and Facebook social networks. We hope parents, students and staff, past and present can join us!

AIScaRs Night - Award winners!

17-05-2011

The AIScaRs

Our Media and Publications students showcased their best films at our Night at the AIScaRs on Friday, May 13. Best performances, best screenplays, and best cinematography are among the awards that students received for their original film work.

Best Actor in a Music Video- Superman- Micah
Best Actress in a Music Video- Emma for “Every Time We Touch”
Best Actor in a Comedy Short- “Surviving the First Day”- Niko
Best Actress in a Comedy Short- “Surviving the First Day”- Mrs. Farrell
Best Actor in a Drama Short- “Da Boy with Da Gun”- Brian
Best Actress in a Drama Short- “Who’s Next?”- Natalia
Best Cinematography in a Music Video- “Superman”- Erik
Best Cinematography in a Documentary- “Creation of a Song” Anna
Best Cinematography in a Film Short- “Da Boy with the Gun”- Nick
Best Screenplay in a Drama Short- “Enemy”- Emma
Best Screenplay in a Comedy Short- “Surviving the First Day”- Niko
Best Visual Effects in a Film- “Da Boy with the Gun”- Nick
Best Editing in a Film- “I Follow Rivers Behind the Scenes”- Maylin
Best Research in a Documentary- “The Rise of the Blue Dragon”- Glara
Best Thematic Support in a Documentary – “Is Poverty Linked to Obesity?” Emma

PTSA FUN RUN!

11-05-2011

Don't forget the PTSA organised Annual AISR Fun Run and Spring Fair this Saturday, 14 May 2011, from 10:00 - 15:00 @ AISR!

$2,000 to Great Ormond Street Hospital

06-05-2011

$2,000 sent to Great Ormond Street Hospital

Now that all the stress and excitement of the play is over we have some exciting news. We have been working since the beginning of the year to put on the play Peter Pan, while at the same time, trying to raise money for The Great Ormond Street Hospital.

J.M. Barrie the author, left the rights of the play to the hospital when he died and it seemed only fair to respect his wishes while putting on a production of Peter Pan, so we decided to do all we could to raise money for the hospital. After putting on a school concert, selling Peter Pan T-shirts and last but not least, putting on the final performance of Peter Pan, we managed to raise around $2000 for the hospital! The last funds came from having donation boxes out during the evening, and the 3^rd grade helped us by organizing a bake sale during the interval. The timely purchase of a popcorn machine by the PTSA was also put to good use during the evening and proved to be very popular among the younger members of the audience!Thanks to everyone who participated in all of these events.We had a very successful fundraiser and this money will go to medical research, which will help children from all over the world!

Peter Pan Revisited

05-05-2011

Now that the play is over

...all those involved have found that there is life beyond this point!  However, such a tight knit community, bound together in the spirit of giving, has maintained bonds of friendship which could only have their foundations in have been part of a team at one with their common goals.

Why would a group of Middle School teenagers want to get together to put on a play and to support such a cause as the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Charity, commonly known by the acronym, GOSH.

“They need help too!” says Emma, who played a concerned Mrs. Darling, as well as Twin 1.Bethany, who played Wendy, reckoned that playing a motherly role made her become true to her character.

For others, like Byron, who played Mr. Darling as if he were already 40 years older, as well as the much younger Twin 2, it was a case of really wanting to be in a play, but it being a super, added bonus that it would help other children.

Totally not true to character was Sophie, who gave a frighteningly realistic performance as the evil Captain Hook.“We are so fortunate, that we should take time out to care about others.”

For Chloe, who double up as Tootles and Mullins, the mainly important feature was that it was fun.  In Chloe’s own words, “If it hadn’t been fun, then we would not have been so excited about raising the money”($2,000 to be precise!)

Quite rightly seeing themselves as bridging the gap between elementary and high school, this section of the cast, at least, found that there was an increased level of interest in the play, with such huge attendance numbers, because it was a short classic, more child friendly, parents could bring their younger children, and it appeared to both young and old alike.

Media and Publications Class in Finals of Photos Competition

20-04-2011

Anna Tobin, SoYoung Lee, and Nick Sozonovin the Publishing and Media Class have been selected in the top 7 for the Save the Children photo contest. They have been invited to an event to hear the announcement of the winners.

Save the Children received about 30 entries for this competition from several International Schools in the greater Rijnmond area, and after careful consideration, a team of four skilled judges selected seven photos to go into the final event. AISR students have three of these photos represented, and kudos should be given to them for this already fine achievement.These talented young people are invited to attend the final ceremony at the headquarters of “Save the Children” in the Hague with their families to hear the outcome on the afternoon of May 19.

Congratulations to our talented semi-final winners!We await further news from the ceremonies on May 19!

Peter Pan Tickets - Going Fast!

20-04-2011

For those of you who are planning to see Peter Pan please remember that you have to get your tickets from the front office - hurry we only have a limited supply left. 

The play begins at 6:00 p.m. don't be late as you will not get a seat!

Under 15 Girls v Mums and Staff Soccer Match!

18-04-2011

The girls under 15 soccer team will take on Mums and Teachers tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

All female teachers are welcome to come and play.  It's just a bit of fun, and a nice warm up game for the girls.

Kick-off 3:30 p.m., if your not playing come and watch, it can be very entertaining!

Peter Pan Tickets

16-04-2011

The date for the middle school play Peter Pan is rapidly approaching, tickets are now available for pickup from the front office.

Tickets are free, although a donation to the charity of the evening, GOSH, would be greatly appreciated. Donations can be made on the night of the performance.

More information about this charity will be available on the night, but for your own reading, their website is http://www.gosh.org/gen/

The play will be on Wednesday the 20th of April at 6:00pm in the AISR Gym. We hope to see you all there!

The AISR Drama Team

Your help is needed!

15-04-2011

Dear parents,
We need your help. A couple of our High School students are working incredibly hard to raise money for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. The highlight of their fund raising effort will be the production of the Middle School play “Peter Pan” on the 20th of April at 6:00pm.

Their creative idea was to ask for donations at the play and have a bake sale during intermission. We will need baked goods and maybe some drink donations. If you can help us out and provide cookies, cake, cup cakes and/or any type of drinks, anything that might be tempting for the audience to snack on please let us know.

Grade three has volunteered to manage the bake sale since they have just studied marketing and trade. With your help this could be a huge success and an incredibly rewarding experience for our students!

If you would like to contribute, please let Mr. Gooding or Bianca Rimbach know by Saturday the 16th of April.

Media and Publications Class for Save the Children

14-04-2011

On April 15, seventeen students from the Media and Publications course submitted their entries to the Save the Children Photography contest. The contest was developed to raise awareness to New Born and Child Survival rates. An estimated 8.8 million children die before the age of five each year. Save the Children has a goal of increasing the number of kids who DO survive to the age of 5 by 5 million by 2015. This contest links to photography skills we have been developing in our course over the year, while providing an opportunity to promote a meaningful cause.

M&P for Save the Children

CAS Graduates of AISR

12-04-2011

All of the senior class has successfully completed their CAS requirements.Well done!CAS is necessary as a graduation requirement of our school and it is also necessary to pass CAS to gain an IB Diploma.The seniors gave a really interesting presentation at CAS Night to show how they had satisfied the eight requirements of the CAS Program by choosing to engage in:

·Real and purposeful activities, with significant outcomes 

·Challenges and tasks which extend the student and are achievable in scope

·Thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress and reporting 

·Reflection on outcomes and personal learning

Congratulations to Won Taek, Ralph, Drew, Nela, Manuel, Alan, Kalli, Nicholas and Wadi.

Swim Meet in Sweden

11-04-2011

The Sharks’ Swim team returned from Sweden late on Saturday night.  The team returned with a haul of 6 medals, 13 top 6 finishes, and all swimmers gaining personal best times. All the swimmers did a fantastic job, not only in the pool, but outside of it also. The team was a model for other schools to follow in their spirit and behavior. Results are as follows:

• Felix:100m free 1:17.24 (4th place), 50m Fly 41.08 (3rd place), 50m free 15.68 (3rd place), 100 IM 1:30.06 (3rd place), 25m Fly 17.51 (2nd place), 50m free 34.62 (3rd place)

• Charlotte:100m free 1:53.21 (4th place), 50m Breast 1:09.10 (12th place), 25m free 21.83 (3rd place), 25m Fly 28.93 (4th place), 50m free 50.96 (4th place)

• Kelly: 50m Breast 59.02 (12th place), 25m back 24.77 (12th place), 25m free 19.36 (9th place), 25 breast 17.22 (13th place), 50 free 46.46 (14th place)

• Kait:200m free 3:03.63 (11th place), 50m back 41.86 (9th place), 50m free 35.66 (9th place) 200 IM 3:18.55 (8th place), 50 fly 39.71 (8th place)

• Madeline: 50m free 51.07 (23rd place), 100m back 2:08.41 (24th place)

• Anna:100m breast 1:46.68 (11th place), 50m back 50.76 (12th place), 50m free 37.61 (15th place), 50m breast 46.91 (9th place), 100m back 1:48.08 (6th place)

• Brian: 200m free 3:08 (8th place), 100m breast 1:45.32 (11th place), 50m free 33.89 (12th place), 50 breast 44.16 (11th place), 100m free 1:17.17 (8th place)

• Nick: 200m free 3:10.97 (4th place), 100m breast 1:40.63 (13th place), 50m free 34.06 (12th place), 50 breast 43.66 (12th place), 100m free 1:23.37 (10th place)

IB Art Exhibition

07-04-2011

An IB art exhibition at AISR! Everyone is welcome to the IB Art Show at AISR, which takes place in the High School Student Lounge on the third floor on Thursday, April 14th.  The exhibition opens at 2 p.m. and the artists will be present until 3 p.m. Please feel free to ask the young IB artists  questions about what has motivated their stunning creativity.

Community Action Service Night!

06-04-2011

C.A.S. Showcase Night will take place on Thursday, April 7th, between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.  Come and support the CAS students and learn about the CAS program in our school and as a part of the IB Program if you are in Middle School, 9th or 10th grade. Parents are encouraged to attend this informative evening.

The Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital

05-04-2011

Everyone enjoyed the great concert in aid of the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital last night.  The Middle School band were highlight of evening, with a cover of Coldplay's"Viva La Vida".  Over €400 was raised for the hospital that some of you will remember is forever linked to J.M.Barrie's 'Peter Pan'. If you would like to help further, please click here.

Children's Hospital Charity Bash!

04-04-2011

Tonight AISR hosts a charity event, in aid of the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital Charity (GOSH), in the UK. There will be performances from PK1 students up to 12th Grade.

Guest of Honor will be Dr. Elaine Fitzpatrick, who is a clinical obstetrician at the Sophia Kinderziekenhuis. It will be a fast and furious event, lasting only 1 hour and 15 minutes.  It starts at 6.30 p.m. All are welcome.

If you would like to give direct to Great Ormond Street, please click on their logo image above to go to their website.

Elementary Reads Month and other library days...

01-04-2011

We recently had a very successful Book Exchange and 'Dress Up as Your Favorite Book Character Day' as part of 'Elementary Reads Month'. As you can see from the images, some of the students really got into the swing of things! Can you find 'Where's Waldo?' ('Wally' if you are British!).










 

Skype an author...

31-03-2011

Elementary students will have an opportunity on April 14th to chat via Skype with the children's picture book author and  illustrator Todd Parr. Click on the image or go to www.toddparr.com.

April 14th - 2pm - In the Library

New Shark Online

28-03-2011

The March Shark is now online.
Please click on the image to go to the flipable version:

Japan - Your help is needed.

24-03-2011

Tragedy Strikes Japan - Your help is needed

By now, everyone is familiar with the massive scale of the disaster in Japan.

Mr. Gamble was the first to contact our colleagues and friends in the Japanese School to express his concern and to offer words of kindness and comfort to all concerned.Please know that some actions have already been taken by members of our school body to try to help in some small way.

The High School Student Council is planning to buy a special tree to plant within our shared school grounds in memory of the people who died and who have suffered as a result of the tragedy. Mr. Wah, our Japanese Liaison Officer, will speak to the Director and staff of JSR to arrange a suitable time at which many of us could be present to take part in this ceremony, as and when it is arranged.Please look out for an email about when this will take place.

Further, on a more practical note, a Big Box is being made for donations. This will be in the hallway from the afternoon of Monday, March 21 onwards, at school arrival and leaving time, for people to give donations of their choice.No matter how small you may think your donation is, every little will help.At other times, the Big Box will be situated within the school office, where you may also give donations.Furthermore, there is a Japanese basket in the PTSA raffle for the dinner-dance on March 26, from which the proceeds raised, will be donated to the Japanese Tragedy Fund collected by AISR.At the time of writing, it is not yet known to which organization, if at all, we will be donating the money.Mr. Wah will be consulting the Director and staff of JSR to discuss what the best course of action will be.

It is planned for the big box to be at every school event until the Easter break, and that the money will then be given to help those trying to rebuild their lives in Japan. Please follow the news bulletins for the latest information.

Last but not least, volunteers from the Japanese community living in the Netherlands will be hosting a charity bazaar on March 26 (Saturday).  It will be held at the Japanese School of Rotterdam (JSR) from 11:00-14:00.  Everyone is welcome!

Spring Sports Sign-up

24-03-2011

The Winter season is closing soon and we will need to prepare for the Spring Sports.
If your son/daughter would like to join Track and Field, Girls' Soccer or Softball Teams, the forms need to be returned before Friday March 25.
Forms have been passed out already but you can collect another one from the office.

The Mayor's visit...

18-03-2011

Mayor visits A.I.S.R 14.3.11.

We were honored today by a visit from Mr. Ahmed Aboutaleb, Burgemeester (Mayor) of the city of Rotterdam.  The office of the Mayor of Rotterdam has always given great support to our school and Mr. Aboutaleb is continuing and developing this traditional relationship between the school and the city.  Mr. Aboutaleb explained to us how importantly he sees this school as part of the infrastructure of services and amenities that Rotterdam provides to its expatriate community.   He told us that new investment from Brazil had recently established itself in the city, in the shape of a new office of the petrochemical giant, Petrobras and that further moves from the Middle East were also anticipated. 

Mr. Aboutaleb very much enjoyed touring the whole school and even found time to drop in on a Dutch language lesson.  The Mayor told the students that he himself learned Dutch for the first time at the age of fifteen and that that was very difficult!  

Mr. Aboutaleb also made a particular point of seeking out the staff of the Japanese School of Rotterdam in order to convey the city’s heartfelt condolences to the Japanese community here on the occasion of the devastating tsunami. 

At the end of his visit, Mr. Aboutaleb had lunch with some of our High School students and a representative selection of parents from some of the school’s thirty nationalities.  The Mayor asked the parents about what had brought them to Rotterdam and questioned the students about their higher education plans.  In turn, the students enjoyed questioning Mr. Aboutaleb about a range of issues including flood defenses, the challenges of working with a government of a different political color and what the Mayor considered to be his proudest achievements in office (“The Tour de France” was the prompt reply to the last question!).   The Mayor cordially invited the students back to his office in City Hall in order that they might learn something about the world of municipal government.  He also wished the students every success as they looked forward to graduation.  As Mr. Aboutaleb bade farewell to us, he mischievously reminded the Seniors that they all needed to obtain the Burgemeester’s permission before they could be allowed to leave the city! 

AISR on Twitter!

15-03-2011

The AISR is now on Twitter - for updates about school events, sports and social activities.
Please follow us on http://twitter.com/theaisrshark

ART NEWS!

08-02-2011

AISR Art department News:

Google have released the "Google Art Project" where galleries from around the world have allowed the 'Streetview' technology to enter their art collections. Giga-pixel images are available of selected artworks, enabling 'never-before' views of artworks on a microscopic scale... a must see!

Please click on the image to go to the website...

Peter Pan Blog: No. 2 - by Alex, Grade 11

03-02-2011

Peter Pan now on April 20 - adjust your calendars!

In the last two weeks, the students have grown enormously into their respective roles. All of them have come together, and are unbelievably enthusiastic about participating in the play. In many cases, they have already gone through and read the script several times, and in one case, have already memorized their lines for the first act! We began last week working on various dramatic exercises, to improve their improvisational skills and become more comfortable in the ensemble. We have worked on blocking the first act, and have nearly finalized the set design! Costume is the next thing that will become important, and will be decided within the coming days. Unfortunately, due to logistics, the play has been rescheduled from Thursday April 14 to Wednesday April 20. (Re)mark your calendars!

What is 'LIP-DUB'?

02-02-2011

Please click on the image to see the Media and Publications class 'Lip-Dub' video!

The Media and Publications class at the American School of Rotterdam created this LipDub video as a great way to kick-start their film unit... Look for more great projects to come!

GO CHINA! - Summer Schools in China...

31-01-2011

Monday - 31st January - Student meeting on Summer Schools in China....

January Shark Now Out!

28-01-2011

Please click on the magazine image to take you to the January edition of the Shark.

Help Grade 3 Raise Funds

28-01-2011

The AISR Circus - Jan 27th.

17-01-2011

AISR are proud to present...

Bag2School 2011

17-01-2011

Dear Parents / Guardians and Teachers,

I am pleased to announce that the school has organised another textile collection with Bag2School, this time, in order to raise funds for the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London. J.M Barrie, the author of the book, “Peter Pan” gave the rights to his play after his death, in order to raise money for the care of sick children, and research into childhood illnesses.  Such research benefits the understanding and treatment of childhood illnesses all over the world, and it is fitting that we focus our efforts on such a  charity at this time, since rehearsals have already started for the Middle School Production of Peter Pan.  This play is being produced by Alexander, Grade 11, and Drew, Grade 12, as a part of their Creativity, Action and Service Program for IB, in order to raise both awareness, and as large a sum of money as possible, for research and treatment of children’s illnesses.

As well as raising vitally needed funds for the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Bag2School also helps the environment by helping to divert unwanted textiles away from landfill or harmful burning of trash.

By getting involved in our Bag2School collection, you have an opportunity to sort through your cupboards and wardrobes and donate unwanted textiles in the bag provided – this can include adults’ and children’s clothes, shoes (tied together please), hats, belts, bags, soft toys, curtains and bedding (not duvets or pillows). We will receive payment per kilogram, which will be a great boost for our fundraising. In addition it will also raise awareness amongst the children of the benefits of recycling and reuse.

If you fill regular garbage bags to donate your items it should be great, and don’t forget to ask family, friends and neighbours to have a sort out as well!

Bag2School will be collecting from our school on FRIDAY, JANUARY 21 at 10.30 a.m.. Please bring your bag (or preferably, bags!) to the front hallway, under the stairs, and make sure that they are sealed shut. Please help us have a really good collection. I have challenged Alexander and Drew to beat the collection of €3,000 for AMREF Flying Doctors by Vincent, Grade 10, from 2005-2006.  There will be various chances to do this even before the play, Peter Pan will be staged at school on April 14.  Keep looking at the AISR website news section for an update on the rehearsals.

Many thanks indeed for helping us with this marvellous fundraising opportunity.

Sincerely yours,

Lynda Boot (IB CAS Coordinator)

Peter Pan Blog: Number 1

17-01-2011

Student Directors to Produce Middle School Play: A Creativity, Action and Service FIRST at AISR!
by Alexander, Grade 11

On Thursday January 14, auditions were held for the Middle School Production of Peter Pan. As part of our CAS program, Drew and I are directing this escapade and already it is turning into an exciting adventure. For a beginning, it went excellently. The kids were extraordinarily enthused, resulting in a turnout that was eleven times what was previously expected! To begin, we talked about the play, giving details of how Drew and I felt it should play out based on the tone and finer details of Barrie’s work. Even though the script is out of copyright in the Netherlands, Drew and I have sought the permission from Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital who were given the rights to Peter Pan at the end of Barrie’s life. They have since sent a packet to help us fundraise for this worthy cause. You can access information about this charity on http://www.gosh.org/

Ms. Rimbach (Grade 5) has very generously agreed to assist us in the design and logistics of this show and numerous people have already stepped up to offer their assistance. Thank you! Anything and everything is appreciated!  Please note that during the week of January 17-22, there will be a Bag2School Collection devoted solely to raising money for the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital Charity. Watch this space for upcoming details of how to support our drive to raise money and awareness for research into and treatment of sick children.  Let's follow the great gift of J.M. Barrie, who not only left the world richer in the realms of literature and imagination, but also in the possibility of raising money for this great cause!

All in all, even with the hours of work that both of us have already put in behind the scenes, it couldn’t be a more exhilarating experience.
Alexander, Grade 11.

Students return Wednesday 12th 2011

10-01-2011

AISR welcomes back students and parents on Wednesday 12th 2011.

December Shark Now Online!

17-12-2010

The December Edition of the Shark is now available online.
Please 'click' on the image below to go to the magazine.

SCHOOL CLOSES 17.12.2010 @ 11:30

12-12-2010

IMPORTANT: Can parents please remember that AISR will close at 11:30 on Friday 17th December. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The November Shark is online!

19-11-2010

Please click on the image below to take you to the November edition of the Shark.

Dracula - Tuesday 23rd November @ 7:00 p.m.

11-11-2010

The AISR Players are proud to present the story of Dracula.



The performance will be on Tuesday 23rd November at 7:00 p.m. in the Gymnasium.
All blood-types are welcome

The Sharks Win @ Antwerp

09-11-2010

The Sharks took on and beat Antwerp at soccer. To read about this please click on the link below which will take you to the Fall Sports section;
http://www.aisr.nl/athletics/fall_sports/varsity_boys_soccer.php

October Shark is out now!

29-10-2010

Please click on the Shark button on the Home page, or click on the image below to see the October Shark:

The Shark Now 'Flippable'!

07-10-2010

AISR is pleased to be able to display the Shark online in a 'Page-turn' or 'Flippable' format.
Please click on the following image to go to the page:

The Sharks Battle On!

29-09-2010

The Volley ball teams have had great success in recent games!
For more on this please click below to go to the Sports News section of the AISR website:

SPORTS NEWS

THE SHARK OUT NOW!

24-09-2010

The September Shark is now avaiable.
Please click on the image to link to the September edition of the Shark:

ROOKIE DAY!

14-09-2010

The new team rookies have been inducted into their various Shark teams. Please click on the photo below to go to the sports news section to see more photos!

GOOD LUCK!

10-09-2010

AISR would like to wish all those students and staff going on school trips next week good luck and safe travels!

Elementary Open House

09-09-2010

Thursday 9th - 7:00 p.m.
Parents of Elementary students were invited to the school to meet with AISR staff and develop a better understanding of how their children are taught. Whilst individual parent and tutor meetings are to take place on another evening, this event hopefully gave a greater understanding of the Elementary School at AISR.

The Shark August Edition.

27-08-2010

The latest edition of the Shark is available.
Please follow the link below to the new edition:

The New School Year 2010 - 2011

06-08-2010

AISR welcomes the student community back next week.
New AISR students will be able to visit on Tuesday 10th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and should have received information about this.
All other returning AISR students should return on Wednesday 11th at the regular start time of the school day.

The Shark June Edition.

10-06-2010

The latest edition of the Shark is available.
Please follow the link below to the new edition:

A.I.S.R. in the local press.

07-05-2010

An article on the AISR has been published in a local paper, De Heraut. The article welcomes Mr Gamble as our new Director and explains about the school, its past, present and future,  building links within our wider community. (Written in Nederlands).

Please click on link below to download the .pdf file:

http://www.aisr.nl/news/news_images/2010_Press_Local/De_Heraut.pdf

“Two households…”

23-04-2010

Just before the Easter break, our community was thrilled to watch Elementary students present an adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless story of the star-crossed lovers, “Romeo and Juliet”, complete with catchy sing-along tunes!

 

The performance was a huge success.  The young actors delighted their audience with a fast-moving play which captured all the romance and comedy of Shakespeare’s original story.  Kelly and Daniel charmingly carried off the roles of the young lovers whose relationship is doomed by their families fighting.



Special thanks go to the Middle School band for providing musical accompaniment, to the backstage crew of Emma and Byron (with Julian making a special guest appearance!).  We would also like to thank Dr. Engelen and the PTSA for producing a beautiful backdrop and scenery, Mr. Fitzpatrick and Ms. Godfrey for helping with musical direction and, above all, Mr. Dailly and Ms. Rimbach for directing the whole piece and pulling it all together.  

                                  

PTSA Wishlist Meeting

21-04-2010

Please feel free to join the PTSA at 08:30 a.m. on Thursday April 22nd to discuss the Staff wish-list. The meeting will be in the school cafe. Hope to see you there.

The Prom 2010

20-04-2010

So used to seeing our students behind desks, or doing sports, it was a pleasant surprise to the chaperones of the annual Prom on Saturday, April 17th, to spend some time in very pleasant surroundings with a group of  “young adults”, whose elegance and charm was a delight to behold.



The venue was the dock outside Hotel New York.  The time was 6.30 p.m. and the sun was shining.  Before our eyes arrived “the young and the beautiful”, each student having made a supreme effort to dress in his or her finest for this glittering occasion aboard the party ship “Jorena”.

 

Mr. Zeilstra, our photographer, took splendid shots on the dock before we all embarked, and carried on weaving his magic throughout the evening, as the boat glided its way imperviously through the impressive Rotterdam harbors. There was a lot going on.  As well as a fine buffet and a magnificent Prom Cake, there were elections for the Prom King and Queen (Stephen and Joyce), the Prom Lord and Lady (Alexander and Nela) and the Best Dressed Male and Female (Alan and Kalli). The King and Queen performed the cake cutting ceremony and then the dancing set in, both inside and on the upper deck.



Last, but not least, the seniors were honored by the High School Student Council with small tokens of appreciation for all that they have done in school. Further, without the support of the PTSA and Mrs. Overbeeke, the Prom certainly would not have been of this high caliber. I do suspect that chaperones Mr. Gamble, Mrs. Boot, Ms. Martin and Mrs. Mooring had the best time of all! What a wonderful testament to the family atmosphere of AISR.

Happy 50th Birthday AISR

30-03-2010

Staff and students celebrated the 50th birthday of the school today in the most delicious way!

PTSA Annual Dinner Dance 2010 - Fundraiser

27-03-2010

AISR celebrated it's 50th anniversary in style at  Brasserie Zalmhuis on Saturday the 27th March, 2010. Parents, friends and guests gathered for an evening of good food, fundraising and dancing as they toasted AISR's birthday and wished it well for the forthcoming years.

Guests gathered for a cocktail and were welcomed by Director, Graham Gamble who introduced the new school DVD to a warm reception. The Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) then hosted a wonderful annual dinner dance. 



  

We would like to extend a warm thank you to all of you who supported this event.  It was a very successful evening and, although we do not have the exact count as of yet, we feel confident to tell you that we have raised a total of approximately EUR 9,000.  This is the most money ever raised during an AISR dinner dance.  Once again, we would like to say a big thank you to all of the volunteers who made the event possible.  We are very fortunate to have a great group of parents and staff at our school that makes all of this possible.

Creativity, Action and Service Night - A milestone at AISR

25-03-2010

  


The CAS and TOK (Theory Of Knowledge) Showcase Night was well received this by its' audience, which consisted of fellow students, teachers and parents.  The 11th graders gave a run through first of all about what they have been doing for the year. Then we were treated to two TOK talks.  The first was from Zhiyu, who talked about the Theory of Knowledge aspects of bullying in school and let us see how simply marvelous his English is after only four years of learning it and now doing a full IB Diploma.  Kuba, gave us the Theory of Knowledge close up on the links between globalization and terrorism.  His talk was most interesting, and funnily enough, his Skpye account became active during the talk and he quickly had to disarm it.  This was quite ironical, since he was already talking about globalization and its effects.

After a short break, the official part of the ceremonies took place, in which the seniors told, with pride, of their many achievements within the CAS Program. This year's seniors have been particularly active both inside and outside of school and have made inroads into integrating into the community in such activities as dance and guitar lessons, cleaning up the Kraligsebos Park and to serving soup at the local homeless shelter. It was with pride that I can say that CAS Diplomas of Achievement have now been awarded to the following senior students:




WonYoung, Hayden, Stephen, Elliot, Annelieke,, Veronica,, Kuba, Yu Jin, Zhiyu, Bilal and Joyce.

Congratulations, senior class on a job well done and good luck with the rest of your exams now.

Welcome Reception for Accreditation Visitors

03-03-2010

Dear AISR parents, students & colleagues,

We would like to invite you to join us in welcoming the Accreditation Team Visitors to our school during a welcome reception on Sunday, March 21st from 4:00-5:00 in the cafeteria.  We look forward to seeing you all there and to sharing an interesting and productive week with our guests.

President of Read to Grow presents AISR with award

15-02-2010

15th February 2010


Mr Robert Romme, President of the Read to Grow Foundation visited AISR to present the World Book award for 2009 to the school. AISR has a long history fo working with the Read to Grow Foundation, collecting books, used and new, to send on to countries who can put these to great use.

AISR received this honored award in 2005 when it was presented to the school by the Minister of Overseas Development of the Netherlands. The 2009 Award for the collection of the most books will be received by the President of High School Student Council along with the IB CAS Coordinator, Mrs Lynda Boot.

AISR was delighted to welcome Read to Grow back to the school and to continuing our excellent relationship.

Learn more about Read to Grow.

Online Safety for Children

11-02-2010

Please join us for a presentation addressing online safety for children. This information evening is a must for all parents who are concerned about what is available on the internet for children, regardless of how careful you try to be.

Date: Thursday 11th February, 2010
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: AISR School Library
Presented by: Ms. Pauline Maas

The evening is appropriate for all parents of students in Elementary and Secondary School.

Open Day Early Childhood Program 4th & 11th February 2010

04-02-2010

Welcome to the Early Childhood Department of the American International School of Rotterdam. On Thursday the 4th and the 11th February we will be holding two Open Day's for parents of children aged 3 to 5. We would be delighted to introduce you and your child/children to the the school, the program and the other students.

Open Day's

Thursday 4th February, 2010 from 10:30-11:45am

Thursday 11th February, 2010 from 10:30-11:45am


 


We welcome you to a place where we make learning visible, meaningful and fun. Why not come and see for yourself?  We would be delighted to greet you in Dutch or English.  We staan u graag in het Engels of Nederlands te woord.

Early Childhood Poster - Open Day 2010

Early Childhood Department- Welcome Booklet & Program

AISR Action for Haiti

01-02-2010

The AISR Community has once again rallied to offer help in a global emergency. Our students have become used to thinking about others less fortunate than themselves through programs such as the IB CAS Program and the Global Issues Network Curriculum.  The COR Program has also had a marvelous effect on the way that all the students perceive each other and a framework is well in place within AISR to promote respect and caring for others, both nearby and far away.

Fundraising activities to date:

Buy a Smoothie for Haiti and stay healthy

January 26th & 28th, 2010

Mr. Zeilstra’s health class were the first to take up the baton in school to raise money for Haiti. After two mornings of hard work, good sales skills and indeed cleaning up, the Grade 9 and 10 health classes raised  €869 with their smoothie action. They also created a video showing information regarding the Haiti disaster and placed a donation box in the lobby. The donations brought their total fundraising to €1001.


Concert for Haiti

February 3rd,  2010

An early evening concert featuring musical acts such as Anit,  poetry reading, an art and a writing display, and a robot demonstration by Ms. LeMieux’s triumphant robotics team. This was an example of the whole school working together to join in a common, humanitarian cause.

Up-coming Actions for Haiti


Walkathon for Haiti

Tuesday February 9th 2010 from 3.30-5.00p.m. at the school gym

Everyone is welcome, come and join us. Sponsor Forms available in the classrooms or in the office.  Each lap will be the perimeter of the whole gym.
(Possibility of the bus leaving at 5:30, if enough participants sign up in advance.)

Middle School Soccer Tournament, organized by the High School Student Council

Tuesday, February 16th 2010, 3.30-5.00 p.m.

The winners will go onto battle against the High School students and some of the teachers, at the High School Soccer Tournament, otherwise known as “blue murder day”.
(There is the possibility of the bus leaving at 5:30, if enough participants sign up in advance.)

Feyenoord Shirt for Auction (signed by the Team)

Mr Roy Makaay has very kindly donated and organized the signing of a Feyenoord Shirt. You will be able to bid online but watch out, so will everyone else so get in with your bid and keep watching. The shirt is on auction and the bidding has begun.

Place your bid for this sought after item.

Visit a Feyenoord Game this Season

Buy your raffle tickets for €5 each at any of the events and you may be the lucky person to win 2 tickets to any of the Feyenoord  games this season. Our local Rotterdam footballers have been more than generous, let's put their generosity to good use and raise some serious funds for Haiti.

 Please do come and join us for the remaining activities and show your support for Haiti.

Winter Wonderland

17-12-2009

 



This morning saw the first snow of the year in Rotterdam and indeed the first real winter that some of our new students will experience in The Netherlands. As we head into the holidays, what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than making snowmen or throwing snowballs?


  

UN Day at AISR

15-12-2009

UN Day was celebrated a bit later at AISR this year. The message, however, was no less poignant.  We were privileged this year to have a wonderful guest speaker from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.  Mr. Christian Chartier gave a talk entitled, “2,000 eyes; One Vision”, in which he told about Integration and Cooperation at this International Tribunal, which is essentially on our back doorstep, in the Hague.  Mr. Chartier brought brochures and postcards for every child in the school, but the most important message was in his words.  He stressed the need for international cooperation in bringing the wrong-doers of the recent past to justice, and to bring about peace in the area of the former Yugoslavia.


 


As a wonderful backdrop to the international nature of the assembly, the elementary students and their teachers and parents did AISR proud by coming in many elements of their national costumes.  They marched in at various moments during the assembly with music chosen by Ralph, who took care of the sound part of the proceedings. Kalli and Manuel looked after the production of the informative programs, and Sahil and Nela organized the UN flag display at the end, as we walked out to, “Playing for Change - Sung Around the World”, again, organized by Ralph.  Nico made sure that the microphones were always in the right place and Drew, Won-Young and Alan excelled themselves yet again, as the wonderful public speakers they are.  Two choirs, that of the Elementary Singers, and the AISR Community Choir, sang at the assembly and this really added to the special nature of the event.

The 11th grade CAS students organized the whole event, with a little help from Mrs. Blitz, and they certainly did every bit as good a job as has been done in the past.  Not a detail as missed, as we felt well taken care of as the rest of the CAS students ushered us to our places, wearing suits and suddenly looking very adult.  A special thanks goes out to the group of 8th graders who helped set up and clear away beamers and Mrs. Boot’s computer at the last minute. This assembly was a great success and it can be greatly attributed to the hard work and attention to detail of our wonderful CAS students.

   

Seventh Graders Win in Robot Competition

14-12-2009

 


Friday December 11th saw nine of the seventh graders, lead by Ms. LeMieux, taking part in the Rijnmond FIRST LEGO League competition in Rotterdam. In preparation for the competition the children built a robot, wrote programs for several missions on the competition field and researched a problem in the transportation industry.  They had a exciting day. Their robot performed 25th out of 34 teams on the field. They placed sixth in teamwork and to top off their day the team received a first place trophy for the structural design of their robot. Great work everyone. 

Craft Fair Sunday 6th December

06-12-2009

A fun-filled weekend of shopping was to be had at AISR last Sunday.

Sunday, December 6th saw a variety of international vendors and craftsmen participating in the AISR annual craft fair. Staff, students and families were treated to a broad range of shopping including : Polish pottery, Handmade cards, Tupperware, Murano jewelry, Dutch wooden furniture, Canadian Products, Indian Products, Indian Food and several other vendors.

The AISR Players bring Victorian London to your doorstep...

24-11-2009

Lynda Boot reports on the recent High School play.

      


The daytime awkwardness of adolescence stepped swiftly aside on Tuesday the 24th November to allow the AISR Players to do some real acting, with excellent costumes, correct accents, words learned as if they were coming from the heart and perfectly clear diction.  As an audience, we were literally on top of every piece of action, but we could also hear and understand what was going on.

As the Pinheads (Yinka and Elif) expertly danced, we relived the colonial days and understood how anything not familiar must have been a feature of great interest to our predecessors. We were taken away from our transient world of knowledge through Wikipedia, and given real steam, and an authentic British accent shouting, “Liverpool Street Station”.  The smog enveloped us as if we were there.  The hard lives of Ross, the sideshow entrepreneur (Jyona), the hospital porters (Drew and Hayden) and the poor and lonely figure of the Elephant Man (Klaus) were brilliantly contrasted against the privilege and esoteric wisdom of Dr. Frederic Treves (Alexander), Dr. F.C Carr Gomm (Alan), The Princess of Wales (Yinka), the Duchess (Veronica) and Bishop Howe (Drew).

The all too realistic face of economic exploitation (Mr. Wah) is unfortunately a timeless vision, but it was made all the more plausible by the very good acting of the cast members who were in his thrall. The situation of the Elephant Man himself (Klaus) was made to seem every bit as grotesque as our minds could imagine, without utilizing insensitive props and horrific make-up.  It was in the actions he took and the way in which he spoke that the real pathos came out of the lines, and drew the hearts of the audience, and those of some of the other characters, towards an understanding of his plight.  Having said that, however, his make-up was so skillfully done that we could all feel a general sense of unease about his condition.  In contrast, Dr. Treves (Alexander), Dr. Carr Gomm (Alan) and Bishop Howe (Drew) exhibited such a great deal of wealth and learning that it was almost impossible to imagine that they still attend school and were on the stage. If all this had been achieved in 10 weeks, together with school work, homework, tests and a week of vacation, then I think that drama is alive and well at AISR. I should also mention the wonderful music, as represented in the delightful scene setting rendition of, “The Streets of London” by Alexander C. and the use of incidental music composed by Klaus. 


 

Drama is not only alive and well among the students, let us not forget the unstinting and talented contributions of Mr. Blackburn (Publicity and stage sets), Mrs. van Leijden (props), Mrs. Scott (wardrobe and make up), Mr. Temminck (sound and lighting) and Mr. Faling and Mr. De Nies (stage building).  Finally, it goes without saying, that someone was needed to pull all of this talent together. Congratulations to Ms. Martin (director) and to Mr. Gamble (producer) for being able to have the patience, talent and wherewithal to execute such a coup at AISR. Imagination is the springboard of the mind, and we were certainly catapulted to great heights on the night that  “The Elephant Man” by Bernard Pomerance was performed at AISR.


 


The long days of practice after school certainly paid off for the AISR Players

  

Parent Teacher Conferences 28th & 29th October

23-10-2009

           


We are looking forward to welcoming parents and guardians in to school in order to discuss their children's progress with their teachers on a choice of two dates, Wednesday the 28th or Thursday the 29th October at 3:30pm. Please feel free to choose the day that suits your planning best.

In the case of Middle and High School students, we should like to invite the students themselves to join their parents and teachers at these important discussions about academic progress.   

We look forward to seeing you.

 

MS & HS Adventure Day 2009

11-06-2009

Maya and Skyler present JUMP with a cheque

09-06-2009

Student artwork to travel the seas on Stolt Tanker

08-06-2009

Stolt came up with the idea to decorate its new ships with art designed by school children as a way of both introducing young people to the marine industry and providing a pleasant change from the maritime art traditionally displayed on board the ships.                     

  

In advance of setting sail, the artwork will be displayed in Het Havenmuseum in rotterdam until June 14th. The students visited the exhibition on Monday the 9th June and were excited to see their own work exhibited.  Knowing that it will travel the world on the M/T Stolt Norland was certainly an inspiration for the young artists. 

Our sincere thanks to Mr Murray Fulton for creating this unique opportunity for AISR students, we hope the crew of the M/T Stolt Norland will enjoy the brightly colored artwork and we wish them safe voyages onboard.

Coincidentally, both Stolt and the American International School of Rotterdam are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year, making the collaborative effort even more significant.

   

Chemical Reactions in Seventh Grade Biology

10-02-2009

On Friday, February 6th the 7th grade science class joined the JSR science class for a fun filled lesson on chemical reactions.  The students from the Japanese school helped us to understand what a chemical reaction was.  We created a liquid that began with a blue color but after about 10 minutes turned clear.  When we shook the bottle it turned blue again and then went clear again.  Some of us thought it was magic, other students thought it was because of magnets and few already knew the correct answer that we were witnessing a chemical reaction.  We had a lot of fun and got to keep the bottles to show to our families. 
 
After our special lesson with JSR we went back to learning about electricity and learning how to build circuits and the characteristics of circuits in series and parallel.  We will be going to the NEMO science center in Amsterdam on February 19th to see their exhibit titled, "You, Me and Electricity". 

  

The Smoothies Project

09-12-2008

The Smoothies Project was conducted by Mr. Zeilstra's  Health Class, Nutrition Unit.
It turned into a cross-curricular project in which planning, co-operating, experimenting, selection and purchasing of items, advertising, selling and making a profit were all needed. In addition, the students researched fruit and vegetable health benefits from its nutrients. The ratio of fruit and drink in each serving and vitamins and minerals were all figured out so the consumer knew what they were getting, a great, healthy drink. The smoothies were successfully sold at 3 lunch periods and we hope that healthy snacks such as smoothies will be part of everyones lives.

   
 

Science Fair

09-12-2008

The 7th grade science fair was a culmination project for our unit on the Scientific Method.  The students were allowed to research and perform experiments on any scientific topic.  The five entries included: Can baking powder be substituted with baking soda? What is the effect of running before long jump?  How do sight and smell effect taste? Does temperature effect the rate of a reaction? and What is the best angle and tilt for throwing a frisbee.  The students presented their findings in a report and with a display board. 

 

 
Students learned how to test variables, how to analyze data and con and knowledge the 7th grade class had on their topics.  The 7th graders themselves felt like they learned a lot and would like another opportunity to do another science fair at AISR.  A special thanks to Christine Sudzina, Alison Lipp and Brian Atkins for judging the fair.  And an extra special thanks to all parents who supported their children in various ways from surrendering the kitchen to arranging meeting times - your help was appreciated.  Great job, class!


 

PTSA Outreach and CAS work together to help Havenzicht

09-12-2008

The PTSA Outreach Committee would like to extend our very sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to our Thanksgiving Drive in support of the Havenzicht Shelter.  In total, 55 pairs of gloves, 50 hats, 38 scarves, and many toiletries were

 


collected and delivered to the shelter. However, a great deal more than just material goods were generated with this action. Over and above the collection was the understanding that was generated about the plight of the homeless.  The work of the CAS students in reading stories to the younger grades about being thankful for what we have generated a lot of understanding in both areas.  Further, the wonderful PR work done every day on the morning announcements by the mighty, mighty 5th grade to advertise what was going on and to encourage the whole school to contribute by their raps, was exceptional.

  


In their turn, the 10th grade chopped up vegetables to make enough soup for 60 people on the day of the actual soup making.  Mrs. Pramanik had the opportunity to exercise her abilities as a master chef by having the ingredients already chopped by this more than enthusiastic group.



On Tuesday, Nov 18th, PTSA Outreach, officers Hofi, Saroj and Tricia and CAS Coordinator Lynda Boot with the help of high school students Brenna. Veronica, Yu Bin, Nela and Julie, were able to serve delicious soup.  It was received very well and the residents of Havenzicht are looking forward to our next trip there. It has become quite a tradition at Havenzicht at this time of year and we were very pleased to go back and see faces we knew and to receive a warm welcome.  Chatting with the residents of the night, it was obvious that what they value about AISR's intervention is the high level of respect our students and outreach department show for the homeless people who frequent Havenzicht. Thanks again to all of the students that helped with cutting the vegetable and serving the soup at Havenzicht.  A big thank you to Karabi for making the soup.  Thanks to Lynda Boot for her guidance.  Thanks to my fellow Outreach team members Hofi, and Trisha for all your help in making this a great success.  We made enough soup for 60 people!




Last Wednesday, the goods were delivered to Havenzicht, and shortly afterwards, the pictures, drawn by elementary students, were sent there by mail.  These goods will be handed out for Sinterklaas, which will be held at the shelter on December 5.  In a period of economic recession there is not a lot to look forward to if you are homeless.  These small gifts will give a lot of people a lift in spirits and the will to carry on.  This has become a proud tradition that AISR should keep, because it makes a lot of people very happy and engenders humility and empathy within the AISR family. It also shows that the AISR family is not exclusive, but can easily include others less fortunate than ourselves.

Field Trip to Klein Profijt near Rhoon

29-10-2008

Written by: Autumn, Elliott and Brenna.

On October 9^th, Ms Vanderlaan’s Environmental Science class visited a wildlife reserve with Mr. Zielstra’s 10^th grade Physical Education class.  It was a rare, beautiful, sunny afternoon.  We were given a guided kayak tour of a freshwater tidal area off of the Oude Maas river.  The instructor was very nice and well informed and guided us through the narrow canals of the reserve.  Only guided tours of this area are allow to help preserve this nature area.  The tides bring in a lot of silt that nourishes plants, like water cress, growing by the banks. We saw water fowl waiting for the low tide to feed on stranded crustaceans and invertebrates.  The guide informed us that parts of the area were manmade and used for the cultivation of softwood willows for houses and firewood in the Middle Ages.  Today the cultivated willow is used to feed elephants in the Blijdorp zoo.  The other side of the river the vegetation was allowed to grow wild.  A lone beaver used to live in the area but recently died of old age.   The guide then found a recent log that had been gnawed at by a new beaver, hopefully this beaver will stay.  We also had to be careful so that on the way back we would not get our kayaks stuck in the mud due to lowering tide levels.  Both classes thoroughly enjoyed this trip and thankfully no one fell into the water.  

HS PE Class takes to the water in Rotterdam

29-09-2008

  

   

AISR Rookie Day2008

12-09-2008

AISR Rookie Day is a tradition at AISR. Each year the "rookies" of the HS Varsity teams in fall must pledge an allegiance to the Shark before they are actually official members. The day starts with veterans face painting the rookies and at lunch the rookies are ceremoniously inducted to the Shark High School Athletic Teams. The veterans have the rookies place their hand on the mascot and pledge the oath.
   

It was even more a special occasion because Benjamin (Shark mascot for 5 years) ceremonially, turned the Shark suit over to Alan, who will surely continue the tradition of entertaining and encouraging hard work and school spirit among the fans and athletes of AISR.

   

IB Grads at AISR to receive their Diploma's

04-09-2008

    

     

Community Of Respect at AISR

25-08-2008

AISR has recently established a new initiative to develop and stimulate some of the key goals for the school, its’ staff, families and students. This new initiative aims to create a Community Of Respect throughout the school and to teach and encourage the development of healthy interpersonal relationships.

The Community Of Respect initiative is school-wide and is supported by the Elementary School Counselor, Ms. Alison Lipp.

Statement of Intent

The American International of Rotterdam is committed to providing a caring, secure, positive and respectful environment in which students can learn and develop as individuals and where adults can help them to do so. AISR's Community of Respect actively supports all behaviors which enhance learning and support the development of healthy interpersonal relationships.

AISR’s Golden Rules

Show RESPECT for others

Be CARING towards others

Show RESPONSIBILITY with all of your actions

COOPERATE with others at all times

Show TOLERANCE in your actions towards others

Be HONEST, tell the truth at all times

Show APPRECIATION for AISR

BELIEVE in yourself

High School Prom 2008

02-06-2008

The High School Prom took place this year on April 28, at the Lommerijk Party Center.  Since a room with a terrace and dock had been booked, it was wonderful that the weather was so good.  The students arrived at 7.30 p.m. and photos were taken.  The food was plentiful and sumptuous, and there was a Prom cake for afterwards.  The seniors got the special surprise of being invited to go for a half hour journey on the lake with their respective dates.  The traditional roles of Prom King and prom Queen went to Itja and Janissa, and in this role, they opened the dancing part of the evening.  The roles of Prom Lord and Prom Lady went to Yu Bin and Brooke.  It was a great night.

      

Biome Celebration

20-05-2008

For our Social Studies and Science curriculum, the 4th grade students spent the past few months looking closely at seven of the world's many biomes.  We began with the biome the students themselves inhabit-the temperate deciduous forest.  As a class, we examined the location, climate, and characteristics of the plants and animals that live in this biome.  Our study of the temperate deciduous forest was a model for what students were expected to do when they partnered up to study their assigned biome.   

Students then became experts on one biome.  The biomes we studied were the ocean, rainforest, savannah, desert, tundra, and grassland.  The 4th graders spent much time learning about their biomes through small group guided reading, Internet searches, and by using books to find research about their biome.   Students were also asked to make a diorama of their biome as a homework project.  The 4th grade students then became travel agents for their biome.  In class, they made posters with information describing activities you could do when visiting, and specific items you would need to pack.  The 4th graders also used computer classes to design an eye-catching travel brochure that would persuade others to visit their biome.  

For a celebration, parents and many staff members were then asked to come to the 4th grade classroom to talk with the 4th grade travel agents about these biomes.  We also invited the 3rd and 5th graders to stop in for a tour of our biomes.  During this time, different foods from each biome were represented and the 4th grade students were able to reward themselves with some tasty treats for all of their hard work.  As a culminating activity, the 4th grade class headed to Burger's Zoo in Arnhem, where we were able to experience what animal and plant life actually looks like!   This zoo specializes in providing the animals with homes similar to their natural habitat.  Therefore we were able to get a firsthand glimpse at many characteristics of biomes that we have been studying!

Math Carnival

20-05-2008

For this year's Spring Fair, our 6th and 7th grade students organized the Math Carnival. There were four games to play in total and all games were designed using chance or probability. The students had a lot of fun designing, making and running the games and I am sure everyone learned something about probability - including all the customers!

Our most popular game was the Spin & Win game - this game was easy and quick to play, every player won a prize and the chance of winning the opportunity to give a 6th grader a 'pie-in-the-face' was irresistible! The Match Maniac game also attracted many players with its combination of throwing dice and playing cards. We have discovered a few talented students in the school - only the poker face may still need a bit of work! The Sparbles game (combination of spinner and marbles) attracted many people due to the many different prizes to choose from and the colorful spinner made from scratch by the 7th grade team. The Shark Attack game took a little time for most to understand what it was about, but proved popular nonetheless. The game's design was based on the number of stitches survivors of shark attacks have needed. Some of the winners went home with a computer game or some delicious cheese cake kindly made and donated by our own Sarah Lee!

Pre-CAS Integration Afternoon with 10th grade in Vlaardingen

19-05-2008

At a local Dutch School in Vlaardingen a couple of weeks ago,  10th grade showed they have what it takes to work with younger children whose English is much more in the beginner stages than theirs. Introductions about themselves were given by our students and the Dutch students really looked up to them as mentors and teachers to help them with their English.  As the time went on, there was more and more going on, especially with some of the more physical games, such as twister.All of the 10th grade students, without exception, were marvelous with the kids, showing them great empathy and understanding when they couldn't always say everything they wanted to explain.  A lot of good language assistance and training went on and both groups of students really got a lot out of the experience. 

Havenzicht Soupcooking

13-05-2008

A great big thank you to all of you for making the Soup Making and Serving a big success, again!  About 35 liters of soup was made and in one evening about 60 people were fed.  We made so much soup that the residents of Havenzicht will receive another serving today or tomorrow.
 
                    
The people that come to Havenzicht pay 2 euro for a bed and "10 points".  These 10 points can be used for slices of bread and/or coffee.  On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, a cook comes in who serves a hot meal which they can buy for also 2 euro.  When we go to Havenzicht to serve the soup, it is a hot,free meal for them.           

             
 
The soup is really appreciated and several residents came back for seconds, even thirds. 
 

AISR Student picked as a finalist at the BBC Writing awards

16-04-2008

I'd just like to share with you that Kim and her family and I spent the whole day in Utrecht last Saturday at the BBC Awards. As stated in the last Shark ( April 4th, 2008), Kim's essay on, "History is like a light bulb" was picked as one of the six finalists out of 80 to go to the finals.  She had already given a speech, at another session, but did not get further with that, even though, to my mind, she made a really good job of it.  This is an example of a student who can really put herself out to represent AISR, and even though she did not get selected as a winner or a runner up this time, her essay was read out and AISR was put on the map for the entire day.  The commentator for the day was famous Dutch TV news reader,  Aldith Hunkar, who stated quite rightly, that every one of the students picked to speak and to be essay finalists for the day were actually winners already.  A former student of our school, Heidi Aho, gave an introductory speech as last year's runner up and stated that her involvement in the competition had helped her to get into Cambridge.
All finalists got a book token and a poetry maker.

Way to go Kim!  When you have a moment, stop by and have a look at the impressive program for the day. Don't forget to congratulate her when you see her!

These are the moments that make a teacher happy and proud!

CAS Showcase Night

16-04-2008

   

All of this work in upper elementary school and middle school just goes to show that by the time it comes to being on high school helping others is just second nature to students of AISR!  The group power point presentations by 11th grade and the individual talks given by 12th graders really gave an insight into what CAS means to these students.

 

This was really "Creativity, Action and Service" at its best.  The evening was also heavily attended by parents and other high school students, keen to find out more about how the CAS program works.  They certainly did not have a wasted evening.  A talk by Andrew, a student of Political Science from the Cameroon, just added to our continuing desire to commit to sending books to READ TO GROW, as he explained just what good the books could do to the aspiring students there. CAS Night just keeps on getting better and better every year.

  

AISR staff and students supporting the Rotterdam Challengers

18-02-2008

So, what does your average student or teacher at AISR do on a thursday evening? Over the last couple of weeks, the AISR students, staff and parents have been heading off to the Topsport Centrum in Rotterdam to support their favorite basketball team - the Rotterdam
Challengers. We've had great fun watching this team climb up the league table and getting to see the pro's in action.

   

  

Hoops for Hope

18-02-2008

The Global Issues Network Club would like to extend a BIG thank you to all of the AISR community for their support of our first annual Hoops of Hope shoot-a-thon.  Students, parents, AISR staff and members of the Dutch community were on the free throw line for three hours and we were able to reach our target of 2057 baskets only minutes before the time ran out.  Coincidentally, the total amount raised was 2057 euros, which was our target for the day.

You might be wondering the significance of the number 2057.Well, 2057 represents the number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Africa during a normal school day.

Thank you to the Rotterdam Challengers for their support, hard work and great attitude on the day.

And one more thank you to our amazing MC, Justin Wah and our music maestro, Ruud Temminck.

Your support made our Hoops of Hope a success and we are very grateful for the spirit of community that is alive and well at AISR.The time and energy you contributed will make a difference to those orphans in Africa.Thank you for making a difference!

Global Issue Network – Hunger Banquet

07-11-2007

Have you ever wondered how many people are starving in the world? Did you ever think about how lucky you are to be able to eat what you like, when you like?

Today at AISR, the students of the Global Issues Network (GIN) ran a Hunger Banquet at lunchtime to raise funds and awareness for the majority of the world’s population – those who have to eat for 1 Euro a day or less.The students provided lunch for 100 people who were randomly given tickets to join a group for lunch – each group represented a section of the world’s population based on their income level and what they, therefore, can afford to eat.For those lucky enough to join the smallest group (15% of the world’s population), they ate pizza, juice and ice cream. The students and teachers who joined the lower income group had soup and bread whilst the majority of the group ate rice and drank water.

The GlN students served all the food, sold the tickets, placed information posters around the school and spoke to the other students to get their reaction to the way in which the food was divided. The Hunger Banquet was definitely a success as students were heard to say that “it was so unfair” – yes, just the point!

Global Issues Students Present at International Conference

22-10-2007

On October 12th and 13th, four members of the Global Issues Network Club attended the GIN European Conference in Dusseldorf. This year the theme of the conference was Infectious Diseases and the two-day conference consisted of presentations, speakers, videos, group activities and a trip to Bayer. AISR students, Louisa, Michael O'D. , Shannon and Michael gave a presentation on Polio.

The conference is an opportunity for students to network amongst their peers who share similar interests, gain knowledge about topics that they might have little exposure to and to present their ideas as to how they can make a difference at the local, regional and international level.

    

Rookie Day at AISR

13-09-2007

    

Welcome Picnic

26-08-2007

Our thanks to Kolpa Letting Agents & Relocaters for joining us and for their gift for all of the new families. They hope you enjoy the book.  

      

Schoolwide collection for AMREF Medical Books

01-06-2007

A year ago, a wonderful reconstructive surgeon who works in the field for African Flying Doctors in Kenya, came to the school to provide the students with some first hand knowledge of her work. The impact of that presentation by Sister Doctor Marlene Long, had a lasting effect on the students and teachers at AISR who learned about the conditions under which herself and her colleagues work and indeed what can be achieved with limited resources in remote locations.
Sister Doctor Long explained how she operates in these remote areas and more importantly, how she passes her skills on, teaching local people to perform simple operations that may save a life when she is no longer there.

Resources are always an issue for aid agencies and so one of the CAS students undertook to raise funds to buy medical books. He started by giving music lessons at the beginning of the year and he contributed the money to a fund set up to buy textbooks for The African Flying Doctors. The PTSA, together with many students, teachers and parents, donated funds towards the purchase of the books. 

Community, Action & Service night

19-04-2007

CAS Presentation Night takes place in April every year, and is the method used for assessing what the Junior and Senior students have done in their Creativity, Action and Service Program at AISR.  For some students, this forms a vital part of their International Baccalaureate Program, while for others; it is a part of their graduation requirements for the American High School Diploma, which AISR also offers. The students’ presentations were excellent and the families and guests realized just how much some of these students have done to help others both at AISR and in their communities.  One student had voluntarily spent a day at a juvenile jail to talk to the inmates and get a better understanding of what has gone wrong in their lives.  Another student worked as a teacher’s aid at a local Dutch school, while one young man worked with stroke patients and those with Alzheimer’s disease at a nearby convalescent home.  These hours are put in over and above the homework that the students get to complete their courses.  They also need to do the equivalent amount of hours in the field of creativity and action.  The program is certainly demanding, but AISR students proved that they were up to it.  Of particular interest this year, was the addition of a volunteer market for representatives of local and national organizations.  This gave future CAS students a much better idea about what kinds of activities to seek out for themselves next year.

CAS Raise Funds for Turkish Earthquake Orphans

10-04-2007

In May 2007, three CAS students were interviewed on Dutch nationwide Turkish TV about their involvement in the collection of €1550 for the Bülent Türker schools in Vize, Turkey.These schools were opened a few years ago by their namesake, Bülent Türker, who sought to provide schooling for children whose lives had been dramatically changed forever by the Turkish earthquakes of 1998 and 1999.Orphaned children attend these schools, and they are cared for by relatives, or by the local community.

In November 2006, some AISR, CAS students decided to collect money for this worthy cause, and held a concert and photographic exhibition to do just this. Members of the local Dutch and Turkish community, as well as the AISR international community were invited. Fellow students from the High School Student Council collected money and entertained the guests during the interval with wine and snacks prepared by the AISR Cafeteria Manager.It was a gala event, and the students and their CAS coordinator were pleased to be interviewed by the Turkish TV station to tell about the planning that had been done for the concert and photo exhibition and how they felt after they had raised the money.

Lunchtime Jazz at AISR

15-03-2007

Thursday, March 15th saw the Cafeteria at AISR transformed into a wonderful lunchtime concert. Four of Mr Dailly’s students treated the staff and pupils to a jazz performanced; Rosa and Jenny were on Alto Saxes, Matthew on the flute, Keanan on drums and Mr Dailly himself provided the piano accompaniment. The Jazz band played three numbers by Stevie Wonder and three jazz classics Moondance, Cantelope Island and Take 5.

Mr Dailly provided an overview of the work that these students have been doing: “This year we've worked on improvisation skills mainly, and the jazz numbers all contain spontaneous solos, so anything might happen! The whole band is slightly amplified to balance with the drum kit, so the wind players have the new experience of playing with pick-ups and microphones.” 

The staff and students thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful jazz performance, commenting on the abilities of the talented and hard working young musicians. Out thanks to Rosa, Jenny, Matthew, Keanan and indeed Mr Dailly fo their hard work, hours of practise and for a very enjoyable performance. We hope to see you again soon.                                                

Global Issues Network

07-11-2006

European Annual Conference – Rotterdam – 20th – 21st October 2006

“Alternative Energy Sources & Energy Conservation”

The Global Issues Network (GIN) – Europe held its annual regional conference on 20th-21st October. While the Rotterdam Energy Bureau was presenting their Energy Programme, the students of The American International School of Rotterdam (AISR) were hosting the GIN conference on Alternative Energy Sources & Energy Conservation right next door in the World Port Centre. Students from international schools in Zurich, Düsseldorf, Milan, Luxembourg and The Netherlands hope that they can contribute significantly to creating solutions for global issues, through their co-operation in the Global Issues Network.


The conference attracted key speakers such as the senior advisor for sustainable energy of ENECO, Mr. Bernard Verheijen and Mr. Severino Simeone a representative from Shell Exploration and Production. During the course of the conference, the students and guests visited the Rotterdam Drydockland Building (RDM), viewed a demonstration of the Hydrogen Car from Formula Zero (targeted for commercial development, this Zero emissions race car is our eco friendly future car) and enjoyed a private viewing of Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”.

Students from each school presented how their own schools addressed energy issues, as well as the public policies of their host countries. On the first evening, they attended a private showing of Al Gore’s film, “An Inconvenient Truth,’ which by all account was extremely informative and worrying. On the final afternoon, students explored the use of the GIN Town Meeting and they developed actions to be taken upon their return to their respective schools. These actions are presented on the GIN-Europe page of the Town Meeting. Most importantly, the GIN schools reviewed their common project in support of the Aderak School in Ethiopia.


The Global Issues Network has as its mission: to help students realise they can make a difference by empowering them to work internationally with their peers to develop solutions for global issues. Initiated by teachers and students from five international schools in Europe, the programme is based upon “High Noon: Twenty Global Problems, Twenty Years to Solve Them” by Jean-François Rischard, former World Bank Vice-President for Europe. Rischard describes imminent issues that can only be solved through global cooperation. Among these are water shortages, poverty and global warming.

Read more about the Global Issues Network

AISR launches a new Early Learning Program for 3 year-old’s

13-10-2006

This addition compliments the Early Childhood Curriculum at AISR, which now encompasses students from the ages of three until five.  The Rotterdam Alderman for Education, Mr Leonard Geluk, officially opened the program and was treated to a charming song prepared by this new class of three-year-old students. The Alderman spoke about the importance of education and the key role that AISR plays in providing education for the international and local communities here in Rotterdam. Mr Geluk believes that “ this program will be good for the children, the school, the parents and for Rotterdam” and that “ when the children look back on their memories of the school, they will become the best ambassadors for Rotterdam”. Alderman Geluk joined the parents, teachers and three-year-olds for the celebration cake.

The new Pre-K One Program commenced in August 2006 and has been a great success with classes at full capacity for the full-day program and only a few spaces for the half-day program. If you would like additional information regarding this program, please contact the elementary Principal, Anne-Marie Blitz