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From the Superintendent International Festival The school’s annual International Festival is quickly approaching and much work has been going into preparations for this wonderful event. As you have been already informed, this year’s festival will see some changes designed to provide our students an expanded educational opportunity for appreciation of the different countries that are presented. The changes will also assure an even more expanded celebration of this marvelous yearly PASB event. So remember to mark this comingFriday, March 12 and get ready for a great International Festival celebration! Thank you in advance for your participation and collaboration. This kind of event is what demonstrates the special community we all belong to.
Teacher - to - Teacher Conference The school's instructional staff will be involved in a very special professional development opportunity on Friday, March 19. The second annual "PASB Teacher - to - Teacher Conference" will take place on this day and permit teachers to share their professional expertise with one another A series of workshops on instructional best practices and effective methodologies will be shared by the teachers with one another. The school's staff is blessed to have some very strong teachers and this networking day will permit everyone to learn from one another about what is happening in their respective school classrooms. More information will be shared with the PASB community this coming week. Last year's inaugural event was a big success and this year's event promises to be the same. A list of workshop topics will be shared this coming week and any parent who wishes to attend any session is cordially welcomed to come on this day. More information and registration information will be shared this coming week. There will be NO CLASSES for students on this day. 50th Anniversary Commemoration As has been previously announced, our school will celebrate 50 years of existence this coming 2010-2011 school year. A variety of events and activities will take place throughout the upcoming school year, principally in the 1st semester. Our entire student body, faculty and staff, PTA, alumni association, Board of Directors, and general parent and greater outside communities will be given opportunities for involvement in the celebration. A "50th Anniversary Planning Committee" has been formed to assist in the overall preparations and anyone in the community who wishes to serve on this committee is welcomed to join. You need only call the school and give your name to the superintendent's secretary, Ms. Caroline de Melo or the school's Public Relations/Marketing Coordinator, Ms. Paula Oliveira. Several committee meetings will be taking place within the next several weeks. The first of these meetings, which will be a Steering Committee meeting, will take place on Wednesday, March 17 from 2:45 – 4:00 p.m. A special week of activities will take place during the week of December 11 - 15, 2010 with a special Gala Dinner on the evening of Thursday, December 16th. It is hoped that we are able to have in attendance many, many alumni from past graduating classes. More details about this event and the other activities planned will soon be shared with the entire community. Promotional airfares are also being worked on to facilitate attendance of alumni from outside of Brazil. Be sure to mark your calendar now for this special week. We are most fortunate to have the rich history we do as a school. Many, many people have contributed their talents over the past 50 year to make PASB what it is today. We therefore plan to commemorate in the most memorable of ways!!
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL The International Festival is a joyful moment of integration, good music, and typical foods, where students share all they have learned about the selected countries, with the school community. After the evening presentations, families have the chance of visiting food booths from the various countries and sampling their traditional cuisine, history, culture, drawings and art crafts made by the students.
This year, our students will represent the following countries:
Please ask your classroom teacher how you can help! Everyone’s participation is important. We are confident that the International Festival will once again be a great success and we are certain that with your support, your children’s classroom will shine and will conquer great improvements.
When: Friday, March 12th, 7 PM
Summer Programs A summer program can be a great way for students to expand and deepen their education, to pursue an interest or passion, and to explore options for their future. (It also looks good on a college application.) There are tons of programs available in the U.S., and in other countries as well. Some focus on academics, others on sports, music, arts, or service projects. Now is the time to begin looking into programs and applying for this summer. I have information and brochures in my office, and can help you and your child select a program that would be a good fit. Please feel free to see me if you are interested.
Progress Reports Middle and High School students who are earning grades below the 75% - 70% range in any class will be receiving a Progress Report from the respective teacher on Wednesday March 10. Progress Reports are meant to raise the student’s and parents´ awareness that their academic performance has been until now, below expectation. Students have until the end of the Quarter on April 9, to raise their grades to a satisfactory level.
We request parents to ask their children whether they received a Progress Report or not. In any case, students who receive a Progress Report are required to return their Report signed by a parent two days after receiving it. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email your child’s teachers or phone us at 3368-8400. Thank you for your continued support! Research Projects in Science Class The 6th graders have been working on research projects in Science class, and will share their findings with the school community next Friday, March 12th, 2010. Parents, students and teachers are invited to come visit their display booths from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. next Friday. There will be booths near the school´s main entrance with information about Haiti and its recent earthquake. Other displays about volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquake technology, mountain formation, and fossils will be displayed in Ms. Juli´s and Ms. Heather´s classroom in the Middle/High School building. Come support our young scientists and see what they have discovered about the world and its forces!
International Festival A letter was sent home Friday, February 26 and Monday, March 1 that described our new expanded International Festival plans. On Friday, March 12, students will do a rehearsal of their presentations and have a wonderful opportunity to share their own learning and visit the other classrooms. The idea of the morning event is that our students will be both learners and teachers. They will teach the other Elementary students about the country they studied and they will learn about all of the countries studied within the Elementary. Students will “travel” with passports. These passports will also serve as a way to document their learning and the voyage.
The evening of March 12 is a community event. Students will perform their presentations and the community will enjoy food and decorations organized and shared through classroom parents. We encourage all parents to participate in making the evening event a wonderful experience for the entire community.
Dengue – Preventive Measures We would like to inform you that for some years now, our school has been taking the necessary measures to prevent dengue proliferation on a daily basis. Our employees perform daily campus rounds to locate possible sites where the transmitting mosquito can breed, and if necessary they are instructed to apply the indicated products. They also spray the classrooms and a team from the local government periodically inspects the school to detect possible sites as well (the last visit occurred on January 7th, 2010).
Even so, we can take simple measures to further decrease the risk of infection in our community. We recommend that students use pants as part of their uniform and repellent on their exposed body parts.
We would like to remind you that controlling the dengue outbreak does not depend solely on our community (we are doing our part), but on each citizen’s attitudes.
Once again, thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Alessandra Coelho PASB Nurse
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