TAS Newsletter - Mar 2015

Vol. 1 - Issue 04

TAS SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

March 2015

Principal’s Message: Middle-High Dear TAS Families and Friends, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all TAS families a happy and healthy Lunar New Year. I hope that you all have time over the school break to be with your families and to spend some quality time together. Please note that classes will resume on Monday, March 2, 2015.

Soon after our return from the holiday break, The American Mr. Garth O’Donnell School will host a four-member Academic Director, committee appointed by the MSHS Principal Accrediting Commission for Schools of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This Visiting Committee will arrive on campus on the afternoon of Sunday, March 8th and will work with the TAS Leadership Team, school-wide focus groups, teachers, students, and parents during the week to assess the various programs on offer at TAS and to provide feedback with regard to the progress we have made since the inception of the school in 2010. Below is a timeline of TAS milestones on our journey to full accreditation: • June, 2010: TAS opens • August, 2012: TAS submits to WASC its Application for Affiliation • October, 2011: Dr. Marilynn George, WASC Associate Executive Director visits TAS for verification of WASC affiliation status • February, 2012: TAS submits to WASC its Initial Visit Application

• March, 2012: WASC Associate Executive Director and affiliate member conduct a two-day initial visit to TAS • August, 2012: TAS is granted WASC Candidacy Status and receives the WASC Initial Visit Committee Report, complete with areas of commendation and critical areas for follow-up • June, 2013: TAS submits an annual Progress Report to WASC addressing the critical areas for follow up • June, 2014: TAS submits an annual Progress Report to WASC • August, 2014: WASC officially assigns TAS a WASC Chairperson to oversee TAS’ progress and grants a date for the Full Accreditation Visit • August, 2014-present: TAS Academic Director meets weekly with the WASC Chair to prepare for the full visit • March 8-12, 2015: WASC Full Accreditation Visit on site at TAS by 4-member WASC team • May/June, 2015: Announcement of WASC Full Accreditation Please note that members of the PTA are invited to meet with the WASC visiting Committee on Sunday, March 8, 2015 from 4.15pm-5.00pm. If you are interested in attending this meeting in support of the school’s accreditation, please arrange with the main office. All parents, students, and teachers are invited to attend the WASC Visiting Committee Report and Presentation to the entire TAS learning community on Thursday, March 12 from 3pm-4pm in the MSHS Cafeteria. We look forward to seeing you all there! This has been a long journey for TAS so it would be great to see all parents in attendance to hear what the WASC team has to say about TAS.

In this issue

• Principals’ Message • TAS Activities Calendar • TAS Field Trips • Athletics SISAC Tournaments • Tet Assembly & Fair • Creativity Festival 2/12

• Student Feature: Meagan Peoples • WASC First Day Visit • TAS Open Day March 28 • Little Shop of Horrors • TAS Summer Progam • Fairmont USA Summer Exchange

172-180, 177A Nguyen Van Huong St., Thao Dien Ward, District 2 | www.tas.edu.vn

The American School

March 2015 - Page 2

Principal’s Message: Elementary Dear TAS Families!

I hope that you all had a restful and lucky Lunar New Year Holiday! We in the Elementary School Ms. Aubrey Fowler are happy to Elementary Principal be back and ready to learn! In America, the month of March is “National Reading Month,” so I thought I’d take this opportunity to share some TAS Elementary reading snippets with you!

In the ES lobby this year, we have a wonderful new “Reading Corner” located under our stairwell. The books here have all been donated (a big “thank you!” to the donors!) but we could always use some new ones!

The students enjoy having this cozy space to relax and read quietly when

fortable space!

Every student in the ES is assigned reading for homework every day! Why? Because the more words we see, hear, and say the smarter we become! As a school where every student is multi-lingual, it is even more important that the students practice English each day at home as this the language in which they are learning. As a family member of a TAS ES student, you could read a book out loud to your student, or you could listen to them reading to you (kids love this!). You

Elementary students in the library exploring new books and stories.

Luca, grade 4, reading from the class library during Language Arts.

could also simply encourage your student to read more and talk to them about the stories that they are enjoying.

At TAS, we want reading to be fun! Please stop by our ES Library any time to pick out some colorful and interesting books to borrow and share with your family. And don’t forget, reading can happen anytime, anywhere!

TAS Activities Calendar March 3/3 3/4

Giang in grade 5 enjoying the reading corner in the ES lobby.

they need a break from the hectic pace of recess and free time.

Also new in the ES this year is a bean bag for each classroom!

Every grade has a nice reading nook with a small library of “on-level” books and a big comfy bean bag for students to share.

It so much easier to enjoy reading when surrounded by a soft and com-

3/16 3/17 3/18 3/26

U19 Soccer @AmIS, 3 PM Elementary SIASC Swim Meet ES Soccer vs. AIS, HOME, 3 PM Coffee Morning with Principals, 8 AM Elementary SIASC Swim Meet ES Soccer vs. BIS, HOME, 3 PM U19 Soccer @ RISS, 3 PM AEO Spring University Fair, 1:15 PM U19 Soccer vs. TIS, HOME, 3 PM ES Soccer vs. BIS, HOME, 3 PM U19 Soccer vs. CIS, HOME, 3:30 PM

April 4/1 4/2 4/3 4/8 4/9

ES Soccer @ AIS-TT, 3 PM Coffee Morning with Principals, 8 AM Science Fair, all day ES Soccer @ AIS-TD, 3 PM SISAC U19 Soccer Tournament, 10 AM - 3 PM

3/5 3/11

The American School

March 2015 - Page 3

TAS Field Trips

TAS students took learning trips to the chocolate factory and dentist

Left: TAS Grade 4B students enjoyed a sweet visit to the Marou’s chocolate factory, where they learned how cocao beans turn into yummy chocolate bars!

Below: TAS Grade 1 had fun pretending to be dentists at the West Coast Dental Clinic in February!

First ES Soccer Game of the Season Mustangs played their first soccer game on February 11, 2015!

The American School

March 2015 - Page 4

February SISAC Tournaments U14 Boys Soccer and U19 Boys Basketball champs!

The American School (TAS) U19 basketball team led by Coach Crowley, had a great but challenging SISAC City Championship tournament on February 5, 2015. Even though the team were exhausted from previous games, they played very well and kept up their spirits until the very last buzzer. Well done Mustangs!

TAS U14 soccer team participated in the SISAC Soccer City Championship Pool B on February 5, 2015 at the Singaporean International School in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. After an early loss, Coach Buisan gave the team an awesome pep talk as he laid down the strategies that made the team more eective. The games were so intense. Coach Buisan led the determined team to victory after six consecutive matches with top schools in the city. It was a hard victory and congratulations Mustangs!

The American School

March 2015 - Page 5

Tet Assembly and Tet Fair Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebrations for TAS students and staff "Chuc Mung Nam Moi!" can be heard throughout the school as MSHS and ES students got ready for the annual Tet Assembly on Friday, February 6, 2015. The American School (TAS) celebrated the most important and largest holiday in Vietnam with wonderful performances from our early childhood, middle and high school students.

The next day, TAS hosted our annual Tet Fair on February 7, 2015 from 5 PM – 8 PM. In a perfect mix of modern traditions, TAS Tet Fair’s purpose was to celebrate the most important holiday in Vietnam and to maintain its Vietnamese cultural and heritage ties. Tet falls each year between the last ten days of January and the first twenty days of February and is the biggest, most elaborately celebrated holiday in Vietnam. All of the activities surrounding Tet must involve happiness, joy, and good luck.

The American School

March 2015 - Page 6

Creativity Festival & Talent Show A Walking Hope fundraiser for bridges in the Mekong Delta On February 12, 2015, Walking Hope hosted the Creativity Festival at The American School (TAS).

The event served as a combination of two roles: a fundraiser and a talent show.

Students, teachers, and parents, were invited to watch a number of exciting performances

from the performers, who were able to showcase their amazing talents.

Aside from the show, the audience visited the accompanying Walking Hope booths, which sold handmade pencil cases, brownies, and slushies.

There was also an art auction held, with many people bidding on the beautiful artwork from Ms. Sam

Rivera’s art classes.

The Creativity Festival was a great success, fulfilling both of its purposes, and the funds raised will go into Hope Bridge III, a bridge to be built in An Giang province that will benefit more than a thousand students and enable them to access their schools.

The American School

March 2015 - Page 6

Student Feature: Meagan Peoples One Of TAS’ Brightest & Most Ambitious Senior In 2014-2015 Meagan Peoples, Grade 12, has always enjoyed her life abroad and studying at different international schools around the world and before starting at The American School (TAS) this year, Meagan was in Hong Kong with her family anticipating the big move.

“I came to TAS on my second day in Vietnam for the entrance tests and interviews and started school only two weeks later. Then, for almost a month of school, I was still living out of my suitcase as none of our stuff had arrived from Hong Kong yet,” Meagan recalls.

In addition, this is also the first time Meagan is attending an American school since living in the US eight years ago.

“When I got to TAS, I had trouble adjusting to the new environment.

Thankfully everyone, including friends, staff, family, were all very helpful so I was able to deal with my difficulties quickly,” said Meagan.

Despite these challenges, Meagan has excelled at TAS in her short time here by participating in numerous activities and clubs on campus, in additional to excellent grades and study habits.

Mr. Eric Rossi is proud to nominate such an outstanding and wellrounded TAS student, “Even though this is her first year at TAS, she is secretary for the student council, director of the musical, and she has won numerous awards, including first place in a monologue competition. She is always one of the top performing students in class. She has also been actively involved in the community service organization and helped raise money and donations for poor students in the Mekong Delta.”

Community service has always

been a passion for Meagan, to help people less fortunate and experience different life perspectives through service projects.

“I have done a lot of community service, which really helps you put your life in perspective. You see children living lives so different from your own it’s almost scary to realize how lucky I am to have ended up where I am. There are people out there who’s experience I can’t even imagine, and who wouldn’t be able to imagine mine either. While it is humbling, it is also exhilarating because it makes you realize how small your own existence is,” said Meagan.

Meagan is excited about the future as a senior on campus; her dream university is Brown University in Rhode Island, USA because of its prestigious name and reputable English program.

“I want to go to university to study English, which is my favorite subject. My hope is that someday I will be able to become an author,” Meagan said. She adds, “Whenever I think about the future, I can’t help but believe that it is bright, and that’s probably why I am always excited to face it.“

With such an optimistic outlook, Meagan also looks forward to enjoying the rest of her senior year at TAS. As director of this year’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors”, Meagan enjoys the opportunity and cannot wait for opening night in May. “It has been a good experience for me so far, everyone is really funny and nice, and sometimes they even do what they are told. The most difficult part is getting people in engaged in the production and helping them to understand how important their part is even if they are only on for one scene. However, it’s been great, we’ve had a lot of fun during rehearsals this year,” said Meagan.

Hopefully, TAS and Vietnam will hold many special memories for Meagan, as she graduates at the end of this year. One of her favorite things about TAS is its close community and size.

“TAS is a small school, which means that everyone is really close and everyone knows each other. That’s probably not an environment I will experience again in the future, especially not in a huge university. And I will definitely miss Vietnamese food.

Nowhere else in the world do they serve it the same, so I will definitely have to come back to enjoy it!” exclaims Meagan.

Meagan appreciates her free time and enjoys relaxing with the latest TV shows, books and browsing online.

She also has an older brother studying at an American university and younger sister, Mary, in grade 10 at TAS, whom she cites as her inspiration for everything that she does.

“Mary is probably the most fascinating person I have ever met. Our personalities are so opposite so everything she is compensates for all I lack.

Whenever I pause, or balk at a task I can see her right there moving on forward as though nothing in the world could bother her, and that’s definitely inspiring. Especially since our siblinghood is prone to more than a little competition meaning that if she’s mastered something, you can bet that I will not rest till I have as well,” Meagan finished.

The American School

March 2015 - Page 7

Looking for sponsors!

Please contact marketing@tasvietnam.edu.vn.

WASC Accreditation Visit

WASC Committee Members visit on March 8-12, 2015 The American School (TAS) is proud to welcome the WASC committee members on the week of Sunday, March 8, 2015 for our accreditation visit. This year, the WASC committee comes from four different countries with WASCaccreditation international schools.

Sunday's activities included meeting with the leadership team, a school tour, and meeting with more than 20 TAS parents. Thank-you to everyone who came to the first day of the visit to give such a warm welcome to the WASC team. Thank-you again for a wonderful week and accreditation visit.

TAS Launches Healthy Salad Bar Making healthy choices avaliable to all students and staff Hello TAS salad bar! To ensure healthy eating habits at The American School (TAS), the fresh and nutritious salad bar was launched on March 9, 2015. Now, students, faculty and staff can enjoy a variety of salad, vegetables, and fruit everyday in the MSHS cafeteria. Food items will range from different kinds of salad, carrots, celery, spinach, corn, onions, green beans, to dragonfruit, pineapple, mango, watermelon, and more.

TAS continues to work towards our ESLRs goals everyday!

With the new salad bar, we've committed to healthy eating and lifestyles for all students and staff.

LEARN & TRAVEL IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!

AMERICAN CULTURE

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION

NETWORK WITH AMERICAN STUDENTS

INTRODUCTION TO U.S. COLLEGES

EXPOSURE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S LIFESTYLE

FAIRMONT SCHOOLS AND THE AMERICAN SCHOOL (TAS) OFFER SUMMER STUDY IN THE U.S. Fairmont is a proud partner of The American School of Vietnam and we are glad to offer a summer exchange program especially designed for TAS middle and high school students. Fairmont’s American Studies course is designed to help students strengthen their communication skills while enjoying the sights, sounds, and tastes that are unique to Southern California.

Fairmont’s engaging classes are designed to encourage critical thought and inquiry. Students will also learn about American culture, American leaders, innovations and the arts, sports, and they’ll have fun doing it.

For more information, please contact: Ms. Helen Nguyen 08 519 2223 or 0908 412 084 helen.nguyen@tasvietnam.edu.vn

SPACE I S LIMITED! CALL TODAY.

BENEFITS TO STUDENTS: Continue the great education you are getting at The American School of Vietnam while studying in the US Practice giving presentations, engage in debate and discussion, complete community service, and experience American culture first hand Delve into several issues facing the Americas to understand more about what life is like in the US Read famous American literature, debate current events, learn about the geography and peoples of the US Take part in high school activities after school to learn a new skill, meet new friends and network with other US students at Fairmont Visit American colleges and universities and learn about applying to college in the US Tour Southern California hotspots such as Hollywood, Disneyland, UCLA, museums and more!