Newsletter from QSI International School of Atyrau: October 12, 2018 No Images? Click here October 12, 2018 QSIA NEWSUpcoming Events: Saturday Youth Sports League (Soccer): October 13 Parent Teacher Conferences: October 19 NO SCHOOL Fall Break: October 22 - 26 Coffee with the Director: November 1 Do you see images in this newsletter? Every week we publish many great images and flyers in our newsletter. If you do not see any pictures, please ensure your email is displaying images. You can also click the "No images? Click here" link at the top of this email. Parent-Teacher ConferencesParent teacher conferences will be held on October 19th. There will be no school that day to give families flexibility on when to schedule meeting with teachers. If you can not make an appointment on the 19th, please contact your child's homeroom teacher to schedule a meeting at another time. We want to ensure all parents and teachers are able to meet this fall. Secondary Students: Mr. Mark McDougall will have available the graduation requirement progress forms to share with you. These track completed courses, and current courses to help in planning future years course requirements for the student's likely field of post-secondary education. Teachers will also be able to explain MAP scores and their significance as this testing is now completed. Please call the school or email ainagul-sarshalova@atyrau.qsi.org or lyazzatbazargaliyeva@atyrau.qsi.org to schedule your appointments. Intensive EnglishQSI International School of Atyrau come from all over the world and speak many different languages. If a child needs additional support learning English, they are enrolled in our Intensive English Program (IE). This week our IE students compared and learned about families from different countries. It is always fun to write about how families spend time on the weekend and share about it with my teacher and peers! 8yoc Peer mentoringStudents picked and read stories in groups. They discussed, shared views, generated own questions and answered them. For example, in ‘A Fine, fine, School’ by Sharon Creech; the essential question : How is learning at school different from learning at home? In addition to improving educational attainment we were developing friendship skills in a positive environment. Adult BadmintonAdult Badminton Club: every Wednesday, 7:30 - 9:30. Please contact Mrs. Freeman at +7 705 124 31 31. This is a social game, so all levels including complete beginners are welcome. OPEN GYMEach Saturday during the year, from 1 PM to 3 PM, our gym is open to your family for your use. Non-QSI families will need to sign a release form before using the facilities. Curriculum Online?By Bill Stevenson, secondary English and arts teacher Have you tried to find the QSI curriculum online? My first two attempts ended in failure but having the correct starting point made it a snap! First, you go to http://curriculum.qsi.org/ and click on either “elementary” or “secondary.” You will then get a list of subjects to choose from. Click on the subject you want to see and what is standard to come up is the subject name, followed by three, different letters, like CO (Course Overview), EU (Essential Units), and lastly, SU (Supplementary Units). Select the icon for the file you would like to download and then click the green download arrow. The “Course Overview” will give a condensed version of what is in each unit and its overall direction. “Essential Units” are the required units that need to be done by the end of the year. They may be done out of numerical sequence but for my subject area, I tend to do them exactly as numbered as it is so logical. This is because they start with a short form of writing and get longer, as well as more technical, like research evaluation and writing research papers. “Supplemental Units” are useful units to add to the essential ones, as well as combining with other subjects for some papers, in the case of writing. In the past, we often do one with our science classes as well as cultural studies. There are units that examine poetry deeper than the typical EU which I like to see students turn into songs. Some levels study film as literature, with so many great books getting turned into amazing movies. These units are a teacher’s choice but I usually ask for student input. For students doing Model United Nations, their resolutions can also count for units such as “persuasive essays.” The overall thrust of the curriculum helps direct the school year by giving purpose to every unit, building upon each other in the logical QSI approach of “Mastery Learning.” For myself, it is the major reason I came to QSI. In my opinion, no other curriculum that I’ve seen in over 20 years of teaching can compare. Additionally, it gets re-examined on a regular basis and updated to keep everything current. Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher for further information. Science in PreschoolStudents from our high school visited the 4-year-old class this week to conduct science experiments. They investigated force and gravity. What an amazing collaboration between our oldest and youngest students! The four year old students also visied out school nurse this week to learn about being health and her roll in our school. QSI’s Harvest FestivalFriday, November 9 from 5:30-8pm More information to come next week…………….. |