From the Director’s Desk This was a hallmark week at QSI Dushanbe. First, we celebrated International Day on May 1st in between rain storms with our 26 nationalities waving flags and parading in to kick off the celebrations. Seventeen countries were well represented, sharing interesting artifacts and wonderfully delicious food. What a great demonstration of our diversity. A huge thanks to the many hands who made this such a successful day! Then we ended the week with the PSG Charity Fun Run at the Botanical Gardens Saturday, May 5th. Nearly 100 runners made up of adults and children enjoyed a race through the park and raised close to $1000 in support of the Animal Shelter of Dushanbe. The Animal Shelter brought five beautiful dogs for us to see and love. These dogs are available for adoption! The support raised will allow the shelter to continue to grow and operate. Thank you QSI Dushanbe community! During our school week, we wrapped up all of our scheduled MAP tests with only make-up exams remaining. The results will be coming home to parents in a couple of weeks once we have the district data included. This next week we have our Spelling Bee and our Week Without Walls presentations. Please see information in this newsletter about when and where. Also, don’t forget to take advantage of getting your own Eco Friendly Shopping Bag to save on using plastic bags. Check out the Eco School section of the newsletter for more information. Thank you to all the families who have told us whether they are returning next year. You will find the 2018-2019 calendar in this newsletter. School begins on Thursday, August 23rd. Thanks again to all the runners and supporters who came out to support the PSG Charity Fun Run and we hope the rest of your weekend is just as fabulous! Remember that Wednesday, May 9, is a holiday!! No school! Kim Black and QSID Staff As we draw closer to the end of the school year, the minds and hearts of many families are pulled in different directions. Those who are leaving Tajikistan are trying to finish up all that needs to be done here while thinking about settling in to a new environment and all the stress associated with it. Those who remain worry about what the future here will be like without friends they have come to know and enjoy. These transitions are an inevitable part of this international life, but that does not make moving any easier. During the first week of May the school will begin a “Transitions” program for all of our students: those leaving and those remaining. Both groups will meet to talk about what is happening, their feelings and fears about the future, and each group will be given some suggestions for activities that will help them look at this transition time in a more positive light. Those remaining may also come home with a permission slip to be a New Student Buddy. This is an opportunity for our students to meet and become a buddy to an incoming student In August. Please read the information and return to Ms. Horton if your son/daughter would like to part of this program. While acknowledging that the grief that comes with saying good-bye is an unavoidable part of all transitions, we hope to help students happily anticipate new beginnings that transitions signal: times of hellos, of growth and change. THE 8 AND 9 YEAR OLD CLASSAs the year ends, the 8/9 combo class is enjoying some fun units. The 9 year old class is reading a book and writing response to that book. They are reading Mr Popper’s Penguins. Not all the 9s have seen the Jim Carrey movie, but those who have have discovered the book is much different than the Jim Carrey movie. One favorite scene from the book is when the penguin named Captain Cook toboggans down the stairs! “This is a very funny book. It made me feel like reading more.” Oshin “It’s very interesting. I like it.” Lizzy “I am enjoying reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” Rexi “Mr. Popper’s Penguins is exciting and unpredictable.” Alapan
The 8 yo class just finished their Ancient Rome unit, concluding with an ancient Roman feast. This feast included dates, nuts, honey, bread, fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs and olives. This is typical ancient Roman fare. They learned about certain historical Roman generals, made a Roman helmet and a laurel leaf crown and wore togas. Dear QSI Dushanbe, Thank you for welcoming me into your community for these two short years. Colleagues and friends - I so appreciate the genuine, supportive welcome into a new work environment and the generous help getting settled in Dushanbe. I love sharing life with you and could not have asked for more. Parents - thank you for sharing your children! I am filled with gratitude for my time with the students. Current 6s - what a stretching, awesome privilege it was to see you learn and grow! I am intensely curious about who you will choose to be. I am filled with gratitude for my time with the students. Current 6s - what a stretching, awesome privilege it was to see you learn and grow! I am intensely curious about who you will choose to be. Middle grades and secondary - it is my deep desire that you would see yourselves as capable, growth-oriented learners who approach new challenges (in and out of the classroom) with honesty, fortitude, and kindness. I will miss you. You have filled my days with laughter, and I have so enjoyed being your teacher. May you be blessed in abundance. With thanks, Ms. Harmon
The word “Makerspace” has become a buzzword in schools over the past few years, and QSID is jumping on the bandwagon. A makerspace is exactly what it sounds like it should be: a workspace set aside specifically for creating, inventing and exploring tools and ideas. At our school we hope it will be a place for students to solve problems, tinker, and use their imaginations either as part of class challenges or as part of individual or small group activities. These can be high tech, low tech or no tech. As you do your spring cleaning, or just because you might have items that could be recycled, we would be happy to take them off your hands. From cloth to containers, plastic to play doh, wire to wood, we are looking for clean odds and ends that may be used to create a new toy or added to a sculpture or as part of a student invention we haven’t even thought of yet. Send these things in with your student, and it will be added to our supplies. At the moment, besides these miscellaneous items, we are hoping for a donation of a sewing machine or two. Thanks for your support as we continue to help our students become 21st century thinkers and problem-solvers. |