news archive

“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