Singapore American School Newsflash, December 2009

Volume 12, Issue 4-09/10 - December 2009

MICA (P) 154/08/2009

A Singapore American School community service publication

NewsFlash

The Synergy At SAS Page 3

Award-winning author to visit in January Page 11

CWW 2009 Page 20

NEWSFLASH

December 2009

Volume 12, Issue 4-09/10

Board of Governors

Bart Broadman Chairman of the Board

Ravi Agarwal Board Member

Margrit Benton

Vice Chairman of the Board Co-Chairman Advancement

Joseph Anderson Chairman Curriculum

12 PTA President’s Letter 26 Booster Club News

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The Synergy at SAS

24 Saving Energy

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National Merit Scholars

28 Tiger Band

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Responsibility: A Core Value

32 IASAS Sports

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PS Workshops

11 Author in Residence 17 IT learning around the world 20 Classrooms Without Walls Shailesh Bettadapur

Kirk Hulse

Board Member

22 Coastal Cleanup

Chairman Trust

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Singapore American School 40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547 Tel: 6360-6303

SAS Website: http://www.sas.edu.sg Devin Kimble

Chairman Facilities

Rudolph Muller Chairman Finance

Editor: Beth Gribbon Staff Editor: Junia Baker Layout Design:Alfi Dino NEWSFLASH is published monthly by the Communications Office of the Singapore American School. It is distributed free of charge to the parents, faculty members and organizations served by the school.

Bon Park

Co-Chairman Advancement

Catherine Poyen Zemans Board Member

We welcome input from the community associated with Singapore American School January NewsFlash Deadline: January 11, 2010 Publication Date: February 1, 2010

Email Community News

Input to bgribbon@sas.edu.sg

Email Trading Post

Sheila Wang

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Board Member

Maria Warner Wong

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

Board Member

Input to trade@sas.edu.sg Trading Post advertising is restricted to non-commercial items only from SAS students, parents and staff

The Synergy at SAS

By Brent Mutsch, Superintendent of Schools

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”

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Cynthia Ozick

t the holiday time of the year, I am particularly mindful of the many things that are blessings in life.

Too often the unique characteristics that combine to make the Singapore American School such a very special place to learn and work are not fully appreciated.

Because “we often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude,” I’m using this opportunity to express my appreciation to so many of you who graciously contribute in such wonderful ways to SAS being a positive place for students, parents, faculty, staff and administrators. SAS represents a learning environment that is difficult to find represented in other settings.

Why is this so true? It’s the result of a number of factors combining to create a school environment and experience that is truly exemplary in nature.

We are first and foremost fortunate to work with a very special group of students.

One of the finest groups of students found anywhere in the world daily makes its way through the front gates and onto campus.

SAS students are actively engaged in their learning. One quickly observes as students move through the corridors, engage in classroom activities, work in the library and enjoy lunch in the cafeteria, the wonderfully energetic and enthusiastic manner in which they approach learning and social interaction with one another. SAS students represent both individually and collectively a special gift to the future. They go about their lives in a manner that is consistent with our Core Values of compassion, fairness, honesty, respect and responsibility.

SAS students extend this sense of respect and responsibility as early as the Primary Division years by reaching out to others in order to make contributions to the global community. Although these early efforts often take the form of fund-raising for a collective donation to a charity or group in need, by the time students reach high school, they are identifying areas for specific attention and designing and implementing courses of action that will result in meaningful and dynamic interventions to improve the lives of others.

The SAS community is further enriched by parents who are well-educated, deeply value and respect the importance of an excellent education and are active partners in the process of developing a child’s full potential. As a child’s first teacher, parents

Save the Date!

Saturday, March 13, 2010 Star Appeal 5th Anniversary dinner to benefit the SAS Foundation Invitations will be mailed in January.

For advance bookings please contact Beth Gribbon, bgribbon@sas.edu.sg or 6360-6303.

graciously share this role with SAS teachers. Many SAS parents willingly contribute their time, effort and energy to participate in and support the Arts Council, Community Library program, High School Boosters and PTA. In each of these arenas, the experiences that are provided to students are further enhanced through the individual and collective efforts of many others.

Finally, the quality and dedication of our faculty and staff enable SAS to remain one of the most well-respected international schools in the world. The faculty and staff represent a dedicated, conscientious and caring group of people who have committed their lives to promoting the learning, cultivating the talents and challenging the thinking of those students with whom they interact.

It’s not surprising that wonderful outcomes occur when motivated students, supported by amazing parents, are in daily interaction with caring educators and support staff.

Although all schools desire to create the level of synergy that is a trademark of SAS, many are unable to do so.

I don’t take the confluence of these factors that serve to create the SAS learning community for granted. As we enter this holiday season, I thank you all for your contributions to creating an environment where each student is provided an exemplary American educational experience with an international perspective.

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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Board of Governors Election Results At the Annual General Meeting of The American School Trust Ltd, held on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, the following individuals were elected to serve on the SAS Board of Governors for a three-year term: Bart Broadman Bon Park Maria Warner Wong Catherine Poyen Zemans At the Annual General Meeting of The American School Trust Ltd, held on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, the following individuals were elected to serve on the SAS Board of Governors for a three-year term: Kirk Hulse, Chairman, Trust Committee, SAS Board of Governors

National Merit Scholar program recognizes SAS seniors

By Dale Ford, HS counselor SAS seniors Yvonne Chen and Kelly Zhang have been named as Semifinalists in the annual National Merit Scholarship Competition. NMSC named 16,000 students as Semifinalists, only 105 of whom live outside the United States.

Approximately 34,000 academically able high school students were honored as “Commended Students.” The following SAS seniors will receive a Letter of Commendation: Christopher Chee, Dennis Chu, Danielle Courtenay, Ying Feng, Anjuli Finch, Sahil Lavingia, Natalie Muller, Cory Robinson, Sidharth Shanker, Michael Szopiak, Claudia Thieme, Kathryn Tinker, Yuvika Tolani, Daryle Utama, John Widjaja and Anne Yeung.

To be a Semifinalist, a student living overseas must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and earn a “selection index” of at least 221. Commended Students must earn scores between 201 and 220. A selection index is determined by totaling the critical reading, math and writing scores of the PSAT. The scores on the PSAT range from 20 to 80, which parallel the SAT scale of 200 to 800. Since this competition is only open to U.S. citizens who sat for the PSAT as a junior, 64% of the SAS seniors were eligible to be considered for these awards.

The Semifinalist cutoff scores vary widely from state to state and range from 203 or lower in Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming to a high of 221 for U.S. citizens living outside the country. According to NMSC, they vary scores by state so that “... able students from all parts of the nation will be included in the Semifinalist talent pool.”

The number of Semifinalists named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of high school graduating seniors. Because of this proportional distribution, it is much easier to be named a Semifinalist if residing in the United States.

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

Lire en fête

(Celebration of Reading)

By Ryan Chan, grade 12

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n Friday, October 23, about 25 SAS students spent an evening at Alliance Francais singing French songs, playing games and reciting poetry with fellow French students from several schools in Singapore. The universal theme for the evening was la ville (the city). Surrounded by native speakers and empowered by their peers, students took risks and spoke French throughout, profiting from the evening’s workshops, which were spearheaded by SAS French teacher Madam Patrick.

Upon arrival students were issued “passports” and received stickers for them after successfully completing each of five interactive activities. Each station offered a different genre of written text (such as poems, songs, comics and excerpts from literary works). Several stations, run by native French speakers, offered students the chance to practice oral and written skills in collaborative environments. Students huddled around tables and worked with trained instructors who presented activities designed to expose participants to cultural and linguistic devices. For example, one instructor asked students to compare New York and Paris through a series of images, while another asked them to fill in the blanks of a French poem. As a fourth-year French student, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt motivated to return, but the environment was conducive to French speakers of all levels.

At the end of the evening, Alliance rewarded students with a mini buffet and a live performance by singer Nathalie Ribette. She sang in French while students munched on snacks and interacted with French speakers from other schools. The conviviality of the entire event was a source of inspiration in that French as an academic subject proved practical. I was reminded that communicating in French inside the classroom is far different from communicating with native speakers in a social setting. This event, sponsored by the French Teacher’s Association of Singapore (APFS), provided students with an invaluable resource to hone their foreign language skills and experience a microcosm of French culture.

Numerous SAS students hung around after the event to bask in the culturally diverse setting. That it drew interest from high school students on a Friday night is testament to the fact that the APFS organized a worthwhile pursuit. I left that night wishing that our school’s language department would provide more resources for similar cultural opportunities. Although interim and summer language exchanges are priceless, natural exposure throughout the school year is invaluable.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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Responsibility: A Core Value

By School Psychologist Jeff Devens, Ph.D.

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AS has adopted core values (honesty, responsibility, fairness, compassion and respect) that it believes form the cornerstones upon which learning occurs. In an effort to better understand the outworking of these character qualities and to offer parents strategies for helping foster their development in their children’s lives, I have been making my way through each of these cornerstones.

This month’s featured cornerstone is responsibility.

Webster defines responsibility as the quality or state of being responsible: as (a) moral, legal or mental accountability and (b) reliability, trustworthiness.

Moral, legal and mental accountability as it pertains to responsibility includes an overriding assumption that kids understand what these terms mean and why they are of importance. This knowledge is imparted first and foremost in the home. The school cultivates the soil into which the seeds of responsibility have been planted.

The reason some children/teens are more responsible than others has nothing to do with genetics, income or ethnicity. Rather, it’s because parents have provided opportunities for kids to demonstrate age appropriate responsible behavior, all the while holding them accountable for the choices they make. This may sound overly simplistic but is essentially how we foster responsibility in children. The challenge parents’ face is providing the guidance and support kids need in order to make responsible choices. This process begins by parents being unified in parenting, then by formulating rules and enforcing consequences.

Unified Parenting

Ultimately, how you parent your children will affect the way they handle rules and consequences, which are essential for cultivating responsibility. Parenting inherently entails conflicts, and these conflicts are exacerbated when parents are at opposite ends of the parenting continuum. Getting parents on the same page is the first step in fostering responsibility, and here’s why. When conflicts arise as a result of rules, and they will, your kids will exploit parenting weaknesses (oh yes, they will). If you and your spouse are not in agreement on how to deal with rules and consequences, your kids will usually accomplish their objective…removal of consequences for their actions. If this occurs frequently, you can pretty much forget about promoting responsible behavior.

Formulating Rules: Four Recommendations

Major on the majors not the minors: Rules should be as few as possible. Focus on two or three BIG TICKET items. Dr. Gary Chapman notes, “The objective of rules is not to regulate every movement of your child’s life, but rather to provide boundaries within which your child can make age appropriate choices, demonstrate responsibility, and gain increasing independence.” Your rules then should point the way toward these objectives.

Make rules as clear as possible: Confusing rules confuse both parents and kids. When a rule is clearly delineated, children are aware when they break it. They may try to cover it up, argue it didn’t happen or rationalize why it happened, but they know they broke the rule. When in doubt clarify your expectations with examples. “Be at home by 8:00 pm according to the clock in the living room” is more clear than “Be home at a reasonable hour.”

Seek common ground: By establishing open dialogue with kids, parents can formulate a set of rules on which both parties, in most cases, can agree. Bringing kids on board provides them with a sense of ownership of the rules that govern their actions. This is really important for kids in middle and high school.

The buck stops with you!: Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, realized that the ultimate responsibility of “parenting” the Executive Branch rested with him. To this end, he made some difficult but needed decisions to direct his large family. On his desk sat a placard that read “The Buck Stops Here” in case anyone wondered who had the final say. “The buck stops” with parents. When kids and parents can’t agree on rules, it’s the parents’ decision that must be followed.

Formulating & Enforcing Consequences: Four Recommendations

Rules without consequences are worthless. If you are not prepared to follow through with cosequences, don’t set rules. When parents don’t stick with agreed consequences, the entire process of fostering responsibility erodes. Kids know that it’s only a matter of manipulation to make mom and dad buckle.

Establish consequences at the time the rules are made: Discussing age developmentally appropriate expectations and consequences with your children is a good way to develop ownership of the choices they make. The value of these predetermined consequences is that when rules are broken (and they will be), the parents and children already know what is going to happen. Parents don’t have to yell, and kids don’t have to cry “not fair.”

Consistency, consistency, consistency: Once rules and consequences have been established, reality happens. Parents, tired at the end of a long day, do not want to contend with potential conflicts; however, this is precisely what is necessary if you want to help

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

your children develop age appropriate responsibility. It is not our emotional state (or our child’s) that dictates whether or not we carry out consequences, but rather a commitment to follow through. As with every facet of life, there should always be room for exceptions to consequences, but parents, not kids, should be the ones who make the exception.

Carry out consequences privately: Your children will need correction and reproof, but these should not be lessons for the other kids involved or done in front of your child’s peers. The purpose of carrying out consequences is not to humiliate or shame but to redirect in a loving fashion. Restore their dignity all the while holding children accountable for their choices.

Administer consequences with love: It’s natural to be angry and frustrated when kids break rules, but this should not be the primary emotion that compels action. Kids will likely experience resentment when parents seem to take pleasure in administering consequences. If your child does not feel loved, if they view rules and consequences as arbitrary and self-serving, they will often rebel against the rule enforcers. Remember, the aim of this process is to foster responsible decision making and greater independence. Staying focused is essential as we parent out children toward adulthood.

Primary School Parent Workshops

By Aleasha Morris, PS counselor

Winning the Homework War “Whose homework is it?” was one of the many topics discussed with parents of primary students in attendance at a September workshop. Parents learned that homework does not have to be a battle if consistent routines and expectations are established at an early age. Following through with a family “work before play” tenet and allowing natural consequences to occur are paramount to creating a healthy homework attitude.

SAS Dads-At-Home Network In October, fathers gathered to meet other men who share similar work and family situations. Their circumstances, roles and backgrounds were an obvious representation of the diversity at SAS. The room was abuzz with conversation, and networking connections happened almost instantly. We think there may even be a newly formed rock band as a result! This group plans to meet again in the second semester. If you are a stay-at-home dad interested in being on the contact list, please send your information to any of the PS counselors.

Book Talk Series Using the bestselling book from Faber and Mazlish, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, as a focal point, over 30 primary parents came together to discuss and practice parenting skills, such as active listening, engaging cooperation, finding alternatives to punishment, encouraging autonomy and redefining children’s roles.

Active Parenting: A Positive Approach Created by renowned American family therapist, Dr. Michael Popkin, Active Parenting seeks to equip parents with the skills to help children survive and thrive in a changing society. The foundational tenets of Active Parenting are mutual respect and participation. A series of three, two-hour sessions will be offered to all parents of children in preschool through grade 2.

Using a multi-media, interactive approach, the highly successful program distills the difficult job of parenting down to the essentials of creating a respectful, democratic family unit. January 22, January 29 and February 5, 8:30-10:30 am, Primary Lounge – P220. For further information or to sign up, please contact your child’s counselor: Aleasha Morris, amorris@sas. edu.sg, Colleen Steigerwald, csteigerwald@sas.edu.sg or Jo McIlroy, jmcilroy@sas.edu.sg .

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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Math assessment at SAS

By Jennifer Sparrow, Director of Assessment and Educational Data Nurturing positive dispositions toward math, helping students learn math meaningfully and helping students prepare for the future are the key elements of the vision of the SAS math program.

From kindergarten through graduation, the math program focuses on six standards that are aligned with the recommendations of the U.S. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Numbers and Operations, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement & Referent Frames, Data Analysis and Probability and Process Standards.

In kindergarten through grade 5, students receive 60 minutes of math instruction per day with the Everyday Math Program by the University of Chicago as the core resource. In grades 6 through 12, courses are streamed, based on ability, using McDougallLittel as the core resource. Even though two credits are required for high school graduation, all students take at least three math courses during high school, with the majority taking four. Math resource support and extension/acceleration are offered in each division.

K-8 External Assessment Results The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) is administered to students in grades 3-8 during the third quarter each year. Compared with all other schools, the SAS average math score is at the 98th percentile, which means that the SAS school score is equal to or better than 98% of all other schools that administer the ITBS. In all three student comparison groups, the average SAS student score is in the “considerably above average” range. This is true even when comparing SAS, which has an open admissions policy, and private schools, which predominately have a selective admissions policy. Overall, students perform better in Math Concepts and Estimation, followed by Problem Solving and Data Interpretation and Math Computation. All cohorts (groups of students) made significant gains in at least one area during the past three years.

9-12 External Assessment Results Three different external assessments are given to students in the high school. In grade 9, students take the PLAN, which is a precursor to the ACT. In grades 10 and 11, students take the PSAT, which is the precursor to the SAT. Students are allowed to take the SAT up to five times, with the highest score being reflected during their senior year. In all of these measures, the average SAS student does significantly better than the average student in the U.S. The average scores are noted in the table below.

PLAN (9 th Grade)

Points possible 32

SAS Average 21.8

U.S. Average 17.9

PSAT (10 th Grade)

80

55

44

PSAT (11 th Grade)

80

58

49

SAT (12 th Grade)

800

646

515

Three Advanced Placement math courses are offered in the high school. In Calculus AB, the number of exams receiving a pass has increased from 95% to 99%, with the number of exams receiving a 5, the highest possible score, increasing from 58% to 80%.

In Calculus BC, the number of exams receiving a pass remains at 100%. In Statistics, the number of exams receiving a pass has increased from 85% to 99%, with the number of exams receiving a 5 increasing from 22% to 39%.

Becoming Even Better Although these external math standardized results are cause for celebration, SAS continues to look at how to further improve mathematical learning. These steps include: • increasing opportunities for staff to analyze and use assessment results to inform instructional decisions; • collecting, analyzing and using internal common assessment data for deeper understanding of student learning and identification of possible implications; • piloting in the middle school the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP), an online adaptive achievement test, which measures growth from the start to end of the year; • continuing to establish common agreements on most supportive approaches for student learning; and • adding a new high school math course for next year – Introduction to Mathematical Logic.

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

Grade 6 parent workshop on math skills and sources

By Michael Hardinge, grade 6 math teacher As Francis Bacon once famously stated, “Knowledge is power.”

With that premise in mind on September 30, Gamma Math teachers Jo Ann Clemens, Jim Haas and Mike Hardinge hosted a workshop to empower parents of grade 6 math students. Math instruction has come a long way from reliance on a single textbook, and SAS students are fortunate to have a wealth of resources to support the math curriculum and help them to develop their skills and deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.

The workshop was designed to familiarize parents with the terrific resources that are available so that they could help, reinforce and extend their children’s learning. The workshop adopted a hands-on approach in which the parents used the resources to work through the same process that their son or daughter would employ when seeking to re-teach, extend or revise specific math skills.

While the workshop highlighted features of the textbooks and supplementary practice books, the parents spent the majority of their time examining online resources. Some of the features of the grading program, Powerschool, and communications program, Blackboard, were highlighted and then parents logged on to computers to access www. classzone.com. This website has been developed by the publishers of the grade 6 textbooks and illustrates the integrated nature of the support material, as each specific math skill has instructional and practice material correlated throughout the textbook, supplementary book and website. Of particular interest are the sections “@Home Tutor” and the practice quizzes and tests.

The scope of the support material is vast and parents came away armed with a far greater understanding of what their children can do in order to help themselves improve their mathematical understanding and eliminate heated math discussions at the dinner table.

Now that’s real power!

Trading Post on the SAS website The Trading Post is a non-commercial courtesy classified ad service for SAS parents, students and teachers published online. The Trading Post will be posted on the second and fourth Friday of each month. Notice of the posting and a link will be included in What’s Happening. Deadlines are the second and fourth Mondays of each month. To find the previous issue of Trading Post, go to “School Publications” on the main menu of the SAS website. Please send notices to trade@sas.edu.sg. If you have any questions, email communications@sas.edu.sg.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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December 2009 * Campus Mosquito Fogging, every Sunday 5:00pm – 7:00pm Alternate Dress Day 7pm College Info Night for parents of Juniors (Drama Theater) HS IPAU Break Gig

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Deadline for University Applications for HS Students 11:30am MS Parent Advisory Committee Meeting (MS Conference Room) 7:00pm MS Choir Concert (Drama Theater)

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Tabitha Sale

10-11 HS Semester Exams Review

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3:15pm HS Asian Film Festival (H301)

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7pm Author Loung Ung, Drama Theater

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HS Junior College Mtg. during free periods (H301)

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Booster Bake Sale 3:30pm HS Art Opening (Atrium/Gallery) 3:00 to 4:15pm 6th Grade Fun Friday

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7pm HS Cabaret Drama Theater

5-10 HS Art Show 5

8am Biathlon (HS pool/Campus)

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8:30am PS/IS Parent Coffee 10:00am MS Parent Coffee (M301) 3:15pm MS 6th Grade Combined Band Performance (S215)

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HS Booster Club Popcorn Day 7pm MS Dance Grade 7 & 8 @MS Cafeteria IS Grade 1 Holiday Concert @Elemetary Theater

14-17 7pm Winter Collage HS Concert HS Semester Exams 15

7:00pm MS Band Concert

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Kindergarten Holiday Concert @Elemtary Theater

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8 - 11pm HS Winter Ball @The Tanglin Club

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Holiday Dress Day HS - No School for students 10:30am December Graduation (Drama Theater) 1:30pm PS/IS PTA Holiday Parties 1:30pm MS Music Assembly (Auditorium)

19 Dec-10 Jan Winter Break

7:00pm MS Strings Concert (Auditorium)

January 2010 11

8am HS/MS New Student / Parent Orientation 10am Late Start Day for PS/IS/MS & HS Students A.M. Preschool cancelled

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9:30am PTA New Parent HS Welcome Coffee

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SIS Math Competition at SAS ACSIS Rugby, Touch, Basketball & Tennis (TBD) HS SAT

18-29 PS Festival of Stories

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10am HS PTA Coffee (H301)

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Alternate Dress Day 4:15pm HS Badminton/ Softball,/Track and Field/ JV Tennis Season Begins 7pm Author Candace Fleming, Drama Theater

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Alternate Dress Day 10:00am MS Parent Coffee

19-21 New Students Photos 19

10am Booster Club Mtg. (H301) 7pm HS Interim Semester Parent Orientation Evening (Singapore & Non-Asia Countries)

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7pm HS Interim Semester Parent Orientation Evening (Asia Countries)

21-23 AMIS HS Strings Convention in Germany

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

28-30 IASAS Basketball in Kuala Lumpur IASAS Swimming in Singapore IASAS Rugby, Touch, Tennis in Jakarta 28-31 MS AMIS Honor Band in Shanghai

Promoting lifelong curiosity and wonder

by Mark Boyer, Assistant Superintendent for Learning

In addition to the numerous fun and engaging events that PTA provides for families and staff throughout the year, it also dedicates profits from its events to enhance educational programs and opportunities at SAS. One exciting new program that is sponsored by the PTA is an author-in-residence with Candace Fleming.

Fleming awarded herself the Newberry Medal in fifth grade after scraping the gold sticker off the class copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond and pasting it onto her first novel – a ten-page, ten-chapter mystery called Who Done It? She’s collected numerous real awards ever since.

In addition to being a popular speaker at conferences, schools and writer’s workshops, Fleming is the versatile and acclaimed author of more than 20 books, including the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award-winning biography, The Lincolns; the bestselling picture book Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! and the beloved Boxes for Katie.

To further generate a passion and expertise for student writing at SAS, Fleming will provide sessions predominately for middle school and high school students in writing nonfiction, as well as a few topical presentations in elementary. Fleming’s author-in-residence at SAS will run from January 11 through February 5.

For Fleming, the goal in writing nonfiction is to think about nonfiction in a different, more creative light interpreting information, analyzing evidence and finding the most engaging way to present it to the reader. When people hear her openhearted observations about her experiences ferreting out the little-known facts about famous historical figures and defining moments in history, they respond enthusiastically.

Fleming’s husband, Caldecott medalist illustrator Eric Rohmann, will join her in a session on the collaborative process between an author and illustrator in the creation of picture books.

Fleming will provide an evening presentation for the SAS community of students, faculty and parents on Wednesday, January 27, from 7–8:30 pm in the SAS Drama Theater. The presentation is entitled “Promoting Lifelong Curiosity and Wonder.” If you intend to attend this evening presentation, please e-mail learning@sas.edu.sg with Candace Fleming in the subject line and indicate the number of participants.

For more information on Fleming and Rohmann, see www.candacefleming.com and www.ericrohmann.com.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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PTA PRESIDENT’S LETTER The PTA has a full agenda this quarter, and our many volunteers have worked hard to successfully organize some of PTA’s most popular annual events. One of the functions of the PTA is to engage in community building. The Pumpkin Sale and Food Fest gave us all the opportunity to come together and enjoy one another’s company while raising funds in support of school programs.

A HOST OF “THANK YOUS”

The enthusiastic volunteers who have put in a lot of time and effort into recent PTA events are too numerous to mention, but I would like to acknowledge and warmly thank a few – for Pumpkin Patch, Kathie Burgess; for Pumpkin Sale, Kim Hamby; for Food Fest, Sue Leiberman; for Scholastic Books, Kim Rowe and Kristi Mabe; for Book Fair, Amy Huber, Holly Hoefling and Monique Hirsh. I would also like to thank the various event committees that supported each committee chair and the wonderful SAS Security and Facilities staff who are invaluable members of PTA’s team at every event.

As I write this, Orchard Road is festooned with holiday decorations, and many of us are neck deep in preparations for the upcoming festivities. It is hard to believe that we are halfway through the school year. While I used to count the days and lament at how slowly time seemed to pass when I was a child, I feel quite the opposite now, as I realize how quickly my daughters are growing up. I am therefore grateful to the small army of PTA volunteers that puts so much time and effort into bringing holiday cheer to each classroom. I will certainly take advantage of being able to join in the class parties and will relish each opportunity to participate in school activities with my children.

Even as we make plans for the holidays, the PTA is abuzz with the next functions on its calendar. Please save the dates for two of our most anticipated events:

Gala Wine Dinner & Auction

Scheduled for Saturday, February 6, the Gala Dinner will be a great way to start the year. Enjoy a sparkling evening of wine, food and friends at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel on Orchard Road. This year’s Gala Wine Dinner will feature an exotic Indochinese theme, a four-course gourmet dinner, a live band and both live and silent auctions. Please contact Shelby Pazos for tickets: shelbypazos@yahoo.com.

County Fair

This annual spring fair on Saturday, February 27 will bring all of SAS together for a day of fun. Fair highlights include the Used Book Sale, which features over 15,000 books for all ages, dozens of game booths and rides and of course a boggling array of food and treats. Look out for lots more information from County Fair Co-Chairs Arathi Nilakantan and Vidya Sambamurthy. Please also consider lending a hand at the fair. To volunteer, e-mail Arathi: arathi.neel@gmail.com or Vidya: vidyakrish@gmail.com.

I look forward to welcoming you to these events in the new year.

On behalf of the PTA Board, I wish everyone at SAS safe and happy holidays.

Mae Anderson PTA President mae.anderson@mac.com

Lots of excitement swirled around the Pumpkin Sale Saturday, October 24, as early as 7:00 in the morning. Prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony, tenth anniversary opening speeches and awards were given and Victor Cheah, APL Volunteer Coordinator, was recognized for generously volunteering his services over the past 10 years.

A great time was had by all at our 10th Anniversary Pumpkin Patch and Sale.

The event began with the unloading of a 40 foot container by high school service club members to the PTA office and the Primary School Pumpkin Patch. The National Junior Art Honor Society along with parent volunteers helped make the Pumpkin Patch special by designing the ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ theme. Preschool thru 2nd graders were treated to a storytelling session and choice of corn, gourds or mini pumpkins.

The celebration continued with the pumpkin painting area provided by the High School Art Club, the Caring for Cambodia bake sale, and the Sophomore Class snow cone sale.

Throngs of family members searched for the perfect pumpkin to celebrate the season and helped this year’s event become the most succesful ever! Sales topped the $30,000 mark with 100% of the proceeds going to the High School Community Service Clubs.

A very special THANK YOU goes to APL for their amazing generosity and support of SAS for the last decade.

Food Fest was a fantastic day this year because of the hard work and effort of many people. Country Booth Coordinators asked fellow parents to prepare food for thousands, and coordinate the decoration and operation of the beautiful country booths. High School Students took time away from study and activities to operate booths, help run audio visual equipment, take pictures, and managed many other tasks essential to the success of Food Fest. Committee Members organized teams of volunteers to sell drinks, sell coupons, buy food and supplies, obtain sponsors, create theme baskets, organize vendors, coordinate entertainment, put together copy and graphic design for publicity, and much,

much more!

Many thanks to these people and their committees.

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Regards Ͳ Susan Lieberman, Food Fest Chair 2009 Susan Lieberman, Food Fest Chair 2009 Susan Lieberman, Food Fest Chair 2009

THE SAS PTA WARMLY THANKS OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS: |American Club |Asian Tigers KC Dat |Café Iguana |F & N Coca Cola Pte Ltd |HaagenͲDazs |Yeap Transport (SAS School Bus Company)

|Bean Bag Mart |Candy Empire |Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf |Diethelm Singapore Pte Ltd |Dunkin’ Donuts |Huber’s Butchery |Jerry’s BBQ |MVO Marketing |Partyworkz |Picotin |Santa Fe Relocation Services |SAS Eagles Booster Club |Small Cooks Big Meals |Vic’s Meat

COUNTRY BOOTH COORDINATORS

Canada Canada Ͳ Debbie Milne, Chinese Booth Chinese Booth Ͳ Leeanne Batachari, Helen Zhu, Chinese Booth England Greece India Ͳ Sumita Ambasta, Richa Goswami, England Ͳ Libby Vine, Greece Greece Ͳ Emily Kazradze, India India Indonesia Indonesia Ͳ Nancy Menayang O’Connor, Bonita Siregar, Japan JapanͲTomoko Lim, Maki Okumura, Eriko Bock, Sumie Nakagawa, Eri Komiya, Korea Korea Ͳ Jane Kwon, Latin Countries Latin Countries Ͳ Gabriela Lantz, Latin Countries Pakistan Pakistan Ͳ Shazia Khawaja, Farah Quazi, Bushra Quinlan, Philippines Singapore/Malaysia Ͳ Karen Ng Teo Philippines Ͳ Annette Del Rosario, Anna Peterson, Singapore/Malaysia Singapore/Malaysia Thailand Thailand Ͳ Laddawan Widdows, Erma Huston

FOOD FEST COMMITTEE

Cindy Reidy, Shelby Pazos, Kim Hamby, Dianne Laurent, Meg Garrison, Erma Huston, Sharmi Banerjee, Mae Anderson, Adeline Norton de Matos, Susan Fay, Tammy Koh.

Students learn in galleries around the world Kelly McFadzen, the elementary school art coordinator, provides students with an engaged learning environment on her website Art Talk, encouraging them to find out more about the world of art beyond the walls of their classroom.

Ms Mac, as the kids call her, refers students to outside art websites, such as the Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery. One such site, Tate Kids, is sponsored by the Tate museum. Students who want to write about art-related topics have the opportunity by taking advantage of the blog on Ms Mac’s site.

When Wu Wanling, grade 5, wrote a story about her adventures with The Little Dancer (an interactive story based on the sculpture by Edgar Degas that is available on the Tate Kids website), McFadzen posted it in Art Talk and sent a link to it to Tate Kids. The Tate Kids Editor was so pleased with the story that she put it on the Tate Kids Blog, calling it The Secret Dancer Speaks!

In Wanling’s words, “Play The Secret Dancer game on http://kids.tate.org.uk because it’s a great game and trust me, you’ll have fun clicking and exploring.” Check out McFadzen’s website and Wanling’s story at http://kmcfadzen.wordpress.com/ about/

7th Grade Sweatshop

By Kurt Johnson, grade 7 teacher

Students in grade 7 social studies were recently welcomed to class by conditions similar to those in developing world sweatshops. With lights dimmed and the air conditioning off, students efficiently “made” shirts and pants under the watchful and demanding eye of their teacher/boss. Once the students’ shift was completed, ensuing discussions and activities centered on both the positive and negative effects of globalization on labor markets in developed and developing countries. In preparation for this activity, students inventoried their closets at home to see where their clothes are made. Overwhelmingly, they found that factories in poorer countries produce clothes for consumers in richer countries, a trend that has intensified due to globalization.

The focus of grade 7 social studies is world geography. It is during our examination of geography and movement that we consider the process of globalization. In addition to learning about fluid labor markets, students also explore international trade, analyze political cartoons, share experiences related to being third culture kids and investigate the Columbian Exchange, which marked the prolific transfer of biological life (animals, plants, diseases) between “new” and “old” worlds during the Age of Exploration.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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Festival of Stories

By Kirk Palmer, PS librarian

The Primary School will be celebrating literacy January 18-29 with a festival theme of “Reading Makes You Feel Good,” which is also the name of a book by Todd Parr.

Activities will include reading Parr’s book, a HopAlong show, high school and middle school performances and favorite-book and poem-in-pocket days.

Books from Down Under Compiled by John Johnson, HS librarian

These books are recent additions to the Khoo Teck Puat High School Library. All are by Australian or New Zealand (Fleur Beale) writiers. Suitable for any secondary school reader, they fall neatly into the “high interest for reluctant readers” category.

After

by Sue Lawson

This book “…depicts an Australian country town in all their glory and idiosyncrasies. Following city boy, Callum’s introduction into the unwelcoming arms of his alien grandparents and townspeople who are generally unreceptive, Callum’s environment matches the turmoil that swirls within him. He’s a conflicted character that welcomes that rejection, feeling he deserves it. His self worth is so damaged that he even turns against those willing to befriend him. Callum’s past, largely unknown to him, slowly unravels propelling him towards the inevitable – coming to terms with who he is and what he’s done.” – from persnicketysnark.blogspot.com.

Krakatoa Lighthouse

by Allan Baillie

“Suddenly there was a trench across the beach, about ten meters away from the fishermen, where before there had been nothing but flat sand. The fishermen moved quickly away as the trench heaved grey ash across the sand. They sprinted when it hurled black rocks at them.

Kerta didn’t want to go to Krakatoa.He knows that a dark spirit, Orang Aljeh, is there and he is terrified he might wake it. But Kerta is there on the volcano, and the Ghost of Krakatoa has woken up.A powerful story of survival and loss based on the real-life events of the Krakatoa eruption in 1883.” – from booktopia.com.au

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

IS Marathon Club

By Lyndel Hardy, Elementary PE teacher

The fifth annual SAS Marathon Club for Intermediate School students was held from September 1 until October 2, 2009.

Two hundred seventyeight students signed up for the endurance challenge: to run at least one mile (1.6 km) per day, including weekends, achieving a total of 26 miles (41.6km), the distance of an actual marathon.

The Marathon Club members met before school and ran from Gym D, around the High School track twice and back to Gym D with the Elementary PE teachers. Students had the option of running at home on their own time, and many parents enjoyed the experience of running with their children. The students were responsible for keeping track of the miles on a calendar, and parents monitored their progress by signing off on the miles at the end of each week.

One hundred thirty-one students completed the challenge. We congratulate them and are proud of their enthusiasm and determination. The photo shows the finishers in their specially-designed Marathon Club T shirts, at the award presentation ceremony on October 23. The T shirts were designed by High School art student Jade Hardy.

Well done, Marathon Clubbers. They promoted both individual and family fitness. Many told us that they are going to continue running almost every day. They will be rewarded with very healthy bodies!

Who says Americans can’t play rugby?

By David Dixon, varsity rugby coach

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n what was a fast and furious three days of 7-a-side rugby at the Singapore Cricket Club’s International 7s competition, SAS was a late entry into the SCC7s U18s and U16 schools’ competitions.

final against Tanglin Trust School.

With just a single game of 7s and almost no preparation, the SAS U18 drew a difficult pool with two of the toughest Singaporean schools – Anglo Chinese JC and St. Andrew’s JC. The Eagles beat both teams easily, giving St Andrew’s, the current Police Cup champions, a rugby clinic when they defeated them in a great example of running rugby.

The final was a physically tough and fast game of 7s rugby with SAS scoring first and leading 5-0. Midway in the second half, when SAS was down to 6 men, TTS took the lead and pushed its score out to 12 points. On full time SAS received a penalty 10 meters from its goal line. Down 5-12 and taking a quick tap, the Eagles passed the ball around and for an additional tension-packed minute forced their way up field. In a wonderful display of 7s rugby, SAS kept the ball alive to reach over the try line and score in the corner. Final score 10-12.

Next was UWC, which had beaten the SAS team a week earlier by 4 tries. In an historic victory, SAS outplayed UWC to advance to the

After the game I was told that it was a great final and received many compliments from friend and foe about the courage and commitment of the SAS

team. A frequent comment was, “we thought Americans couldn’t play rugby!” to which I replied that these young men actually do OK at the game, paused, and then added... “considering that they had only two weeks of training and had never played 7s until last week.” The looks of astonishment were priceless.

So SAS, don’t be surprised if an SAS alumnus is on the U.S. Eagles Olympic team in 2016, and look out Singapore – next year we get serious. Well done Eagles!

U18s: Matt Grgas, Connor Murray, Harry Fischer; Austin Cox(c), Ashan Fernando, Brendon Lay, Max Shaulis. Ed Sperling, Dylan Howell, James Bowers, Cory Robinson, Todd Shell.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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CWW 2009!

By CWW Coordinators: Jackie Hass, Jo Ann Clemens, Phil Meehan, Betsy Hall, Gordon Cyr, Chris Raymaakers, Peter Cuthbert, Jamie McDougald

E

arly in September SAS middle school students traveled to Malaysia and Indonesia to participate in annual Classroom Without Walls grade-level trips. Classroom Without Walls extends student learning beyond experiences they gain at school. In our continuing effort to make a large school feel smaller, students travel in teams of 100 based on their assigned floor or “side” at school. These teams are further divided into homebase groups of 12-14 students and a homebase teacher. The primary goal is for students to build positive relationships, trust and cooperation with their peers and teachers by facing unique challenges and experiences outside the classroom.

Through this shared common experience many new friendships are forged and lessons learned that enhance student learning throughout the rest of the school year.

Grade 6: Reaching Beyond Your Comfort Zone

Sixth-graders headed to Sedili Besar, Malaysia for three days and two nights. Appropriately, the focus was on leaving home and becoming more aware of the environment in which they live. Students explored the seashore, the village and the rain forest. Each homebase was led by a biologist from Eco Field Trips.

Program goals for grade 6 include: • Stretching students beyond their comfort zones • Developing awareness and appreciation of the environment • Gaining new perspectives

Grade 7: Facing New Challenges

Whether it was getting “big air” off the boat while boom-netting, planning and building a raft, climbing an impossibly steep hill or just hanging out at the beach or campfire, there was plenty to do for everyone at Loola Resort in Bintan. In addition, students were involved in a community service mosquito net building project.

Seventh grade students collected over $2,700 for the mosquito nets and built over 60 net frames for local villagers.

Grade 7 program goals include: • Engaging in a variety of physically challenging and fun activities • Learning how to cooperate, encourage, and support • Exploring Southeast Asia

Grade 8: No One Is an Island

Overcoming a fear of heights by tower jumping into the ocean, getting to know new students, eating Indonesian cuisine and acting in one of the student created melodramas were opportunities for growth and personal challenge at Telunas Beach, Riau Islands. In keeping with the trip’s theme “No one is an island,” homebase teachers and students unanimously agreed that team building on the CWW trip brought the students and teachers closer together and helped to create a fabulous start to the school year!

Grade 8 program goals include: • Developing positive social skills, and responsible social behavior • Creating enduring memories and friendships through physical, social and intellectual challenges • Learning how to respect and appreciate the similarities and differences of others

Plastic Debris Plagues the Planet

By Zack Nelson, grade 11

For the past three years, I have dug in the mud and suffered cuts, scrapes and bruises to battle one of the greatest man-made scourges to ever plague the planet: marine trash. Once a year for the past 19 years, a ragtag collection of SAS students, teachers and administrators has marched fearlessly into the forbidding Sungei Buloh mangroves to collect trash. In the past, volunteers had to wade through chest-deep water to reach the clean-up site, but a boardwalk made of recycled plastic has eased the journey. Although we did not have to wade through the murky depths, our trek was not without incident. Reports of finger-sized fire ants and packs of wild dogs roaming the dense undergrowth were commonplace, and I even heard one of our younger members shout, “Look! It’s Godzilla!” It was a Malayan Water Monitor, more afraid of us than we were of it. The group labored on, hauling wheelbarrows, gloves and giant garbage bags. Being the largest group (200) at the Singapore International Coastal Cleanup, we had the “privilege” of clearing the gnarliest, largest and most remote site.

We finally arrived at the edge of a large grassy field, and Ms. Began, Mr. Early and Mrs. Thome sent some of the more adventurous participants to blaze a trail through the tall grass, reminding them to be on the lookout for snakes. The participants broke into small groups and charged into the mangroves. My testosterone-infused mind took over, and I attempted to lead my group right into the thick of it without thinking about the consequences. Soon, I was knee-deep in mud, without a left shoe and surrounded by menacing-looking crabs (not a great spot to be in).

I recovered my shoe, and our group found the perfect spot to clean up: a bowed mangrove tree covered with plastic bags of every size, shape and color that more resembled a plastic-coated tropical Christmas tree than a healthy api api. My group soon developed an efficient system to get the most trash into the garbage bags: one student recorded the number and type of trash, while the rest shouted out what they had found and dumped it into the bags (taking care to remove any hardy organisms that might have mistaken a nutrient-rich used diaper as home).

You may think that there is no way a simple mangrove clean up can stop individuals and corporations from tossing junk into the ocean, but you are wrong. In the 1980s, a group of activists performing beach clean ups throughout the Gulf of Mexico noticed a commonality among the trash items and caught a cruise lines red-handed.

Back drew as it story

in the musty mangroves, as our time to finish close, the trash seemed to be just as prevalent was when we arrived. I was reminded of a that epitomizes our work in the mangroves:

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!” After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference for that one.”

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

APES students take a surreal trip to Tioman

By Ava Mehta, grade 11

Students coming out of the water after having completed a survey of the coral reef

Conducting a survey in the tropical rain forest

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ioman Island, Malaysia, is an Eden for those who are in awe of nature. The island is carpeted by a flourishing tropical rain forest that is home to an uncountable number of species. Beneath the calm surface of the ocean, life is bustling. Here, marine organisms take well to the healthy conditions provided by an extensive network of coral reef.

These beautiful reefs are the primary attraction of Tioman.

When a large group of us traveled to Tioman in the last week of September, we went with the objective of learning about more than just the coral reef. As students in the AP Environmental Science (APES) program, our goal was to be exposed to and absorb as much as we could about all the major ecological systems on the island. Over the course of five days, we conducted ten field study labs concerned with three primary areas: the tropical rain forest, the coral reef and the mangrove system.

The data we collected play a crucial role in enabling us to better understand the conditions of the environment, the trends that occur as a result and the ways in which species and biodiversity are affected by habitat. Moreover, a comprehension of the data and acknowledgment of the variability that exists give us the ability to make choices that should provide for a more favorable environment in the future. Upon returning to Singapore, we have begun to compile the data and information we collected into extensive reports. As such, our concentrated work in Tioman has enabled us to make significant headway in APES.

Melina Beach, where we conducted our lab work and field studies

Our Tioman trip was novel as it was a classroom-based curriculum that extended its learning overseas. Without the care and dedication that Ms. Began took to organize our trip, Tioman would not have been possible. Her knowledge and passion helped us transpose the chapters of our textbooks into this wonderful, but real, environment.

Also on the trip were biology teachers, who were part of the Eco Field Trips group. These biologists had a wealth of information on all things concerning environmental biology. They conducted engrossing and informative daily lectures and were our guides through trekking and snorkeling adventures. Their enthusiasm was crucial in keeping us on task, keeping us excited and keeping us together.

Tioman was an invaluable “learning experience” because both aspects, “learning” and “experience,” were so easily combined. While we were able to cover a lot of important textbook material, we had the opportunity to do so in the perfect environment, no pun intended. To study the environment in the confines of a lab is nearly impossible and hardly representative of true conditions. Our characters as students were thus transformed when we traveled to the natural habitat and shed our roles as manipulators adhering to procedure. In Tioman we were learners, observers and admirers – truly in awe of nature.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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Energy savings at SAS increase

By Anthony Wong, Director of Facilities, and Jamie Alarcon

SAS computers have automatic shutdown systems to conserve electricity.

With the energy that SAS saved in the month of September alone, you could theoretically drive the average gasoline-fueled car about 80 percent of the way around the equator.

Monthly consumption continue its downward trend and showed that the school used 10 percent less electricity last month compared to the same time last year, exceeding even its own expectations of a 7-percent reduction. The decrease of 121,654 kilowatt hours is the equivalent of over 65,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide (kgCO2e) and around 32,500 km traveled in an average gasoline-fueled car. The low consumption also resulted in a savings of approximately $22,000 compared to the September 2008 power bill.

The school is on track to achieving its target of consuming 7 percent less electricity in 2009-2010 (reduction target for this year: 840,000 kW). In 2008-2009, it consumed 11,739,761 kW. Although it is challenging, we aim to return to our 2004-2005 consumption levels, which were 10,583,417 kW. These energy savings resulted from aggressive measures taken by the Facilities and Services Office, which included the measures recommended by the school’s comprehensive Energy Audit Report. They included optimizing the chiller plant and light timers, localized air-conditioners and other equipment that shut off automatically.

It is evident also that the SAS faculty and staff enthusiastically and conscientiously support the “waste not” message.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION FIGURES

September 2008 energy consumption: 1,133,095 kW September 2009 energy consumption: 1,011,441 kW Year-on-year energy savings: 121,654 kW Greenhouse gas emissions per kW in Singapore: 0.535 kgCO2e/kW* Greenhouse gas emission reductions represented by energy savings: 65,084.89 kgCO2e Distance traveled by average gasoline-fueled car: 0.5 km/kgCO2e ** Kilometer equivalent of energy savings: 32,542.445 km Circumference of the Earth at the equator: 40,075 km Unit cost of electricity paid by SAS: $0.18/kW Dollar savings represented by energy savings: $21,897.72 * International Energy Agency (2009) CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion: Highlights. ** Monash University (Australia) Green Office (2007) Energy at Monash: A Guide to Reducing Energy Consumption on Campus

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

Annual water consumption has been halved

By Anthony Wong, Director of Facilities Water consumption at SAS has been slashed by nearly half since 2007, recently released figures show. From 167,533 cubic meters (m3) in 2007-2008, the school went on to consume only 88,508 m3 in 2008-2009 – a 47% decrease.

The water saved would be enough to fill over 30 Olympicsize swimming pools or provide around 1.58 million people a 5-minute shower with a water-efficient showerhead.

The savings continue well into the 2009-2010 school year: Water consumption from July to October 2009 registered a decrease of 17% compared to the same period in 2008.

Putting mulch around plants and watering plants at the base rather than on the leaves are two ways to conserve water.

The water savings have resulted in significantly reduced costs.

From July 2008 to June 2009, and subsequently from July 2009 to October 2009, the school saved $173,856 and $12,806, respectively, in water bills, that is, a total of $186,662 over the last 16 months.

The savings can be attributed to measures such as the dedicated monitoring and review of consumption, timely repair of pipe leaks, particularly underground leaks, the installation of restrictors on taps, the conscientious reduction of water used to wash corridors and the careful monitoring of the weather and the related water used for groundskeeping purposes.

Wash paint brushes in a bucket rather than with running water.

N.B. Olympic-size pool volume calculated based on official height and weight and official minimum depth. Water consumption represented by showering taken from www. savewater.com.au.

Preschoolers join walk for diabetes

by Blythe Nilsson, ECC parent

More than 20 members of the SAS preschool community, including parents, teachers and siblings, completed the 5.5-km Walk with Diabetes on Saturday, November 7. Our achievement reflected some of the best parts of the SAS community in a number of ways. It showed perfectly how parents and teachers can engage even their youngest children in the broader community and work together to foster a sense of compassion and respect for individuals. Mostly though, it was a fun morning.

We walked in support of an SAS preschooler who suffers from the disease, which affects more than 23 million Americans and a number of SAS families.

In spite of the seriousness underlying our purpose, it was a sunlit morning of play and friendship. The adults chatted easily as they took turns pushing the strollers of the youngest members of the group, while the preschool and primary-age walkers tackled the route as if it were a race, running, hopping and even skipping rope.

The annual Walk with Diabetes is held in conjunction with World Diabetes Day (November 14) and organized by Touch Diabetes Support Group, a local organization dedicated to building an educated community of care and support for afflicted families in Singapore. SAS also has a Diabetes Support Group, which meets the second Wednesday of each month in the Community Library. For more information, contact kristenhanifin@yahoo.com.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

From the President

I am often asked what the Booster Club does and where the money we raise goes.

All of the funds raised by the many Booster committees and events goes back to the High School and benefits all of the students in so many ways. Giving back financially is always nice but we also feel building community is important.

The Booster Booth is the most visible part of the Club and a place almost all high school students visit at some point. The volunteers who work the booth especially enjoy the interaction with the students and the students in turn get to know us. It is always a good feeling when one of your friend’s children comes and asks a favor of you because they know we are happy to help.

During Homecoming and SACAC’s Asia Bowl, Booster volunteers organized by Maria Crema and Karen LaBranche were on the track grilling hamburgers and hotdogs. The barbeques have become much anticipated events. We hope to be able to run them at all HS sporting events but we need your help. Please consider coming forward.

Included in this issue, we feature an article on our first “Mentor for a Day” program. This has been a work in progress for over a year and I would like to thank Janice Chumakov for bringing it to life. Please take the time to read the article and see what a huge impact this event has had in one student’s life. We hope to see this program take off and offer all of our students an opportunity to interact with a mentor.

Hopefully you joined us for our annual “Night at the Races.” Thank you to Gail Trgovich for organizing a fun filled evening of horse racing, food and friendship.

As we move on to planning for the holidays, we remind you to stop by the Booster Booth and check out the many gift items our design committee has sourced. Family and friends at home always love to get items that say Singapore American School, and we have many that will please even the hardest to shop for. We will also have Booster Bucks on sale at the booth, which make great teacher and coach gifts.

From the Booster Club we wish you all a safe and happy holiday season.

Free Popcorn Day! Friday, December 11 8 am- 2 pm near the Booster Booth

http://booster.sas.edu.sg susanfay@aol.com Dear 1Q Honor Roll Students and parents,

Thanks, also, to our many committee members — without your many hands this past lunch would not have gone as smoothly.

SAS Boosters Bake Sale

Students, we wish you continued success in 2Q and hope to see you again in February for another delicious lunch.

Booster Booth Monthly Meeting Tuesday, January 19 H301, 10 am Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

featuring Indian foods and baked goods Friday, December 4 in the HS Café 9 am- 12:15 pm

Dianne, Lauren, & Shelley

Booster Club

Students, congratulations again on your academic achievements and we hope you enjoyed the luncheon provided in November by the Booster Club and your parents.

Our appreciation to parents of 9th and 10th grade students for providing the extras that make the luncheon so enjoyable.

Booster Club

Susan Fay Booster President

Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

On October 2 the SAS Eagles Booster Club held its inaugural Mentor for a Day Silent Auction. This pilot program was organized in order to help provide high school students with hands-on experience in a chosen career field. In support of the program more than 45 parents and alumni volunteered to auction a day in their business lives to allow a student to shadow them as they go about their work. Mentorship opportunities included the fields of banking, medicine, architecture, commercial photography and academia.

The evening started with light finger food and music provided by Musicians for Developing Music Abroad, a High School club. Parents were able to mingle and browse through portfolios describing the mentorship opportunities. After an introduction of the program by High School Principal Dave Norcott, a silent auction was held for the various mentorships. The interest in the mentorships was extremely robust with heated competition developing for a few of the offerings.

Superintendent Brent Mutsch the evening by announcing the winners of the raffle and lucky draw prizes, which were donated by corporate sponsors.

At the end of October, SAS sophomore Claire Schollaert experienced the first mentorship of our program. Below are write ups about it by Claire and her mother. Claire’s experience will be followed by many more as the balance of the 40 plus mentorships are scheduled.

The Booster Club would like to again thank the parents and alumni who volunteered to mentor our students as well as the sponsors who helped make this event possible.

Claire Schollaert, Student

Booster Club

Booster Club

Booster Club

I was envious as I strolled through the silent auction reading the numerous biographies of the mentors and the exciting experiences they offered the students. I found myself wanting to place several bids and to spend many days with mentors learning about professions that I had never considered before.

Unfortunately I did not meet the age criteria so I decided to pass this opportunity over to Claire, my 15-year-old daughter. She was most fortunate to spend two half days with Dr. Ralph Stanley an ear, nose, throat and head specialist (aka Otorhinolaryngologist) who runs a practice at Gleneagles Medical Center.

Claire spent her first day side by side with Dr. Stanley while he performed endoscopic surgery on the sphenoid sinus; which, in her words, was an “awesome” experience. The next day she worked with him, seeing patients with an array of issues and medical problems. During both these days she was truly an active participant.

Claire has expressed an interest in pursuing some type of career in health care. Whether or not she will ever be an Otorhinolaryngologist is unknown, but Dr. Stanley provided her with a unique opportunity to experience his fascinating profession and opened her mind to exploring many professional opportunities in the medical field.

Booster Club

A Unique Opportunity, Arlene Schollaert, HS Parent

Booster Club

I walked into Dr. Stanley’s office, up for anything. Little did I know, in a mere 20 minutes I would be three feet away from an anesthetized patient, observing surgery on the sphenoid sinus. The OR receptionists were just as surprised as I was that a student of my age, outfitted in scrubs, was ready to breeze into an operating theater, an experience most medical interns dream about. As Dr. Stanley operated away, I made polite conversation with the anesthesiologist, while taking pictures of the procedure. It wasn’t until later that it hit me that I had witnessed surgery!

Not only did I get to observe Dr. Stanley performing surgery, but I also had the privilege of visiting two other operating rooms to observe tumors being removed in ways that I vaguely recognized, thanks to Grey’s Anatomy. That experience, yet again, made me truly understand how much of an honor it was that someone of my age and understanding was able to be a part of such an incredible experience.

The second morning of my exploration into the world of medicine, I observed Dr. Stanley in his clinic, seeing patients and making diagnoses. Being an Otorhinolaryngologist, he performed more technical tests than the normal temperature taking and saying “ahh.”

My two mornings with Dr. Stanley, introduced me to the many different faces of medicine and made for a truly incredible experience. The time he lent to me helped me realize that the world of medicine is something that I would seriously consider for my future career, and I thank him for giving me such an amazing two days.

By Rebecca Davidson, MS Band

The Middle School Tiger Advanced Band made history this fall when the entire group traveled to the International School Bangkok to participate in the inaugural SAS-ISB Symphonic Band Exchange.

Band Directors Brian White (SAS) and Brent Poling (ISB) began exploring the idea of an exchange a few years ago, and this year their vision became a reality. The motivator for this festival was twofold.

First, many festival opportunities for MS students in Southeast Asia are by audition, which means that only a limited number of students may participate. All members of the SAS Tiger Advanced Band pass a tough audition in order to join the ensemble, and we felt every member of the band had earned the right to a travel performance opportunity.

Second, a very high level of musicianship and music making was built into the festival so that students came away with not only the excitement of travel and making music with new people but with a music experience beyond anything they had previously experienced.

With plans laid and passports in hand, 60 students (and their instruments!) set off for the four-day trip to Thailand, which included two airports, four bus rides, a boat tour of Koh Kret Island, a traditional Thai puppet show, a Halloween social followed by trickor-treating and the better part of three days spent in intense rehearsals.

Thank heavens for our kind-hearted, helpful, organized and efficient parent chaperones: Jacquelyn Bettadapur, Larry Boss, Mary Byrns, Sheila Johnston, Cresta Livingston, Deb Hawthorne and Haresh Siriwardane.

The outcome was stellar! The combined ISB-SAS band played its heart out. The audience soared as the students led the way on an aeronautical adventure with Into the Clouds. They nearly brought the ghouls and goblins of Halloween to life in their rendition of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. Surprising sound effects resulted when the musicians played their instruments in non-traditional ways in Buckvich’s Dinosaurs, which calls for giant PVC pipes and wine glasses to be used in addition to standard band instruments. The band showed its ability to play beautifully in a traditional wind ensemble style with Two British Folk Songs and proved it could rock out with Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. James Sousa, Middle School Principal said “The overall quality of last night’s performance was very impressive. One-hundred-forty talented and focused MS student musicians making music together was wonderful to see and hear. I loved it!

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

High school dance students perform in Kuala Lumpur

By Tracy van der Linden Ten senior SAS dancers were invited to perform with professional dancers from Malaysia and Australia in Kuala Lumpur’s new Actors Theater. The theater is located on top of one of the major shopping centers in the city and is due to officially open next week. Four contemporary choreographers were invited to create a short dance work that would test the venue as a dance performance space.

The SAS piece, Glimpse, was directed

by Tracy van der Linden. The 15 minute piece was an observation on how little time we tend take to find out how the people around us actually feel and how we often find ourselves trying to disguise our emotions just to get through the day.

Karina Lo, Heather Morris, Stephanie Kendall, Brittney Bailey, Lauren Betts, Kartika Marshall, Stephanie Maissen, Rebecca Tay, Katie Lindholm and Mina Zorrilla performed the piece beautifully. You can find a recording of the performance on You Tube if you follow these links: Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=pCloGm-_N48 Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vziDltaRAzE

Students inspired by clarinet professor

By Melissa Cain, elementary music teacher

From October 21– 24, SAS clarinetists were extremely fortunate to work with Dr. Qian Jun, professor of Clarinet Studies at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Dr. Qian met with students in grades 5 to 12, providing invaluable advice on tone production, articulation and general musicianship. Dr. Qian was both inspirational and humorous in his instruction. He gave a recital for students one afternoon, performing four pieces, including the Singapore premier of Ni Yuan’s Fishing Tune. In addition, SAS was fortunate to host Dr. Qian as the woodwind judge for the annual SAS Solo and Ensemble Festival.

The music department would like to thank the Curriculum Office for its kind support of Dr. Qian’s visit.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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Asia Bowl: SAFL Falcons soar in Singapore

Contributors: Jamie Matisin, Philip Morris, AnLee Cox Photos by Andre DiBiagio (football), Susan Studebaker-Rutledge (cheerleaders)

SACAC’s Singapore American Football League (SAFL) hosted the annual Asia Bowl in Singapore on October 10. A 19-year SAFL tradition, Asia Bowl 2009 was played under a bright blue sky and blazing tropical sun, but the hottest part of the day came from the outstanding, rough and tumble football played on the SAS field. The Falcons, a SAFL select team, faced off against the Cougars from Osan High School, a US Department of Defense school in Korea.

The festivities began with the presentation of the American and Singaporean colors by Boy Scout Troop 07. The national anthems of both countries were sung beautifully: the Star Spangled Banner by Julia Abueva and Majulah Singapura by Deepti Varathan.

The crowd was treated to an excellent cheerleader demonstration.

From that point on, it was football at its finest.

The SAFL Falcons have been victorious three times since 1990 when the first Asia Bowl was held at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. This year, in the first quarter, the stage was set for a Falcon victory with a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andrew Roberts to Danny Albanese. The Falcons retained the lead throughout the game resulting in the final score – SAFL Falcons 45, Osan Cougars 20.

In the second quarter, the Falcons struck again on a spectacular 82-yard run into the end zone by Max Shaulis. With 56 seconds left in the half, Austin Cox caught a pass for the third Falcon touchdown. The Falcons continued to build the offensive momentum in the second half with a 32-yard scoring pass from Roberts to Albanese. On the Falcons next offensive series, Roberts completed a pass from the 32-yard line to Richard Vargo, putting the Falcons within striking distance. Shaulis finished the drive with a 10-yard romp into the end zone. With 6:02 left in the game, Hayes Kimball dashed 60 yards for yet another Falcon touchdown. A thrilling interception by Brandon Lay at the 20-yard line and a run along the sideline completed the final touchdown of the game.

Hard work, determination, a fighting spirit and most of all good sportsmanship characterized Asia Bowl 2009. Thanks to all who helped make the event highly successful – SACAC, SAFL leadership, SAS Student Council, SAS Booster Club, event planners, host families, coaches, game day support staff and the many others who contributed to Asia Bowl.

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

SAFL LEAGUE STANDINGS 2009 World League Standings W

L

T

PF

PA

STEELERS

7

0

-

226

42

VIKINGS

4

3

-

176

173

BULLDOGS

1

5

-

62

154

OILERS

1

5

-

62

159

SACAC Spring Sports Registration iS January 18-23.

See www.sacac.com

2009 National League Standings W

L

T

PF

PA

COUGARS

10

0

1

304

150

TROJANS

2

5

3

56

112

RAIDERS

2

8

2

142

240

2009 American League Standings W

L

T

PF

PA

RAMS

9

2

-

204

76

GATORS

6

4

1

162

152

LONGHORNS

-

9

1

64

202

SACAC wrestling – Building tomorrow’s champions On November 3, 27 SAS students became the first elite group of SACAC wrestlers. SACAC’s announcement of this new program was met with an overwhelming response and maximum enrollment levels. The popularity of the program confirmed what two SAS parents, Bill Amelio and Mike DeNoma, have known all along – wrestling holds broad appeal because of its challenging athletic training and because it inspires discipline, drive and perseverance in boys and girls.

Both experienced wrestlers from their school days, Amelio and DeNoma approached SACAC last May, with the thought of establishing a wrestling program.

Amelio, a varsity wrestler at Lehigh University, attributes the sport with teaching him discipline, courage and mental toughness and maintains that it teaches athletes about themselves. A prominent business leader, Amelio adds “I would not have been able to excel in my business career had it not been for wrestling.”

DeNoma has led the introduction of wrestling to Singapore as a national sport. With Jimmy Taenaka (an American actor and former wrestler living in Singapore) and seven other individuals, including Amelio, DeNoma formed the Wrestling Federation of Singapore (WFS) last year. WFS has brought in world-class coaches, had wrestling approved as a core sport in Singapore national schools and opened a dedicated national wrestling facility four months ago. What is the unique opportunity for SAS students? According to DeNoma, “The opportunity is to leverage off what we’ve done and be exposed to wrestling at truly the highest level of the sport with one of the finest coaches in the world – and through a SACAC program no less!”

SACAC wrestling students will be motivated and inspired by WFS professional wrestling coach, Sergei Beleglazov, a twotime Olympic champion and six-time world champion wrestler. He has coached and nurtured many athletes from around the world into becoming world/Olympic champions. Working with Sergei is an enormous opportunity, and the students are fortunate to train with him. The SACAC team won the international school division in the Chinatrust Charity King/Queen of the Mat competition earlier this month. They were presented with a check for $2,000 for a charity of their choice and received an additional $2,000 for the SAS Foundation to support athletic programs. The SAS wrestling students are off to a great start!

Whether you are an aspiring wrestler, football player, martial artist, whatever your passion is, the SACAC wrestling program can teach you to become a champion in life under one of the true pioneers of world sport.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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IASAS Boys’ C ss Country: Six Straight! ro

T

By Paul Terrile, coach

he 14th annual IASAS cross country championships were held on October 17 in Taipei. The site of this year’s race was an area known as Yangmingshan, which is on a hill overlooking the city, about a half hour’s drive from Taipei American School (TAS). Representing the SAS boys team were seniors Thomas Rees and Ted Chritton and sophomores Daniel Bourgeois, Josh Choe, Peter Hunt, Bryce McConville and Matt Rees.

The weekend began with an opening ceremony followed by team pictures. Soon after the photos, the buses took athletes to tour the course. All runners immediately noticed the tough and hilly course, especially the large hill at the finish.

The big race was Saturday morning. At 8 am, 42 runners from Jakarta International School, TAS, International School of Kuala Lumpur, International School of Bangkok, International School of Manila and SAS started the 5 km race.

Thomas took the lead immediately, a lead he would never relinquish. The entire pack of six SAS runners followed shortly behind and began to separate from the field. Following Thomas’ outstanding first place finish were impressive finishes

by Josh, Peter and Ted, who took places fourth and sixth, respectively. Daniel placed twelfth, one spot ahead of Matthew.

Everyone was exhausted, but got a second wind when the boys realized that their team score of 28 points meant that they had successfully defended their title and claimed their sixth consecutive gold medal.

This was accomplished despite the fact that none of the seven boys was on the travelling team last year.

The top seven overall finishers were named to the all-tournament team. This meant that Thomas, Josh, Peter and Ted claimed individual medals as well as their team gold medal. Thomas also finished the season undefeated in every race he ran.

The 2009 boys cross country team had an excellent weekend. On top of their gold medal, they had great camaraderie with the runners from other schools and showed outstanding sportsmanship with everyone – including runners, volleyball players, coaches and TAS staff. Congratulations on another outstanding season!

IASAS cross country girls beat Taipei jinx!

I

By Ian Coppell, varsity coach

t was back in 2003 when the SAS team last ran in Taipei and that was the last time that our girls’ team lost an IASAS championship. The girls also lost back in 1996 when the first IASAS cross country was held there. It is the only IASAS venue at which the SAS girls have never won and the only venue at which they have ever lost. It was time to break the curse!

The girls knew that ISM would prove formidable opposition. It has been our main foe for a couple of years, and it was apparent as soon as we arrived in Taipei that they were determined to beat us.

Some mind games were played the day before the race when we looked at the course and immediately before the start.

Ruby Hohensee, our ACSIS champion, went out very hard up a hill that lasted several hundred meters. We didn’t know at the time, but the ISM girls had been told to stay with Ruby. After a kilometer the top ten were made up exclusively of ISM and SAS runners. Ever so gradually

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

the Manila girls dropped off, the early pace had drained their legs, and SAS utilized the strength they had gained from extra hill workouts. One ISM girl, Prerna Bhargava, a multiple IASAS track medalist last year, stayed with the SAS girls and finished strongly to win the gold.

The next six places were taken by SAS runners. Ruby Hohensee managed to dig in deep and held off Carley Kennedy for the silver, while Linda Kim secured fourth. Our other three runners Radhika Agarwal, Maddie Senior and Becky

Kreutter fiercely fought their way through the pack to secure all-tournament medals.

Unfortunately, one of our top runners, twotime IASAS team gold-medalist and team captain Brooke McManigal wasn’t able to finish the race and was whisked away to hospital. It was an amazing performance.

ISM really thought they could beat us this year, and we were aware of their threat all season, and that spurred the girls on. We only lose two seniors next June, so the future again looks bright!

placing 2nd in their pool and then playing an arguably perfect semi-final game against Taipei American School (TAS) to beat them in three sets and advance to the final against International School of Bangkok (ISB.) Unfortunately ISB started off strong with a points run. The Eagles had to fight hard to keep up and ended up with a heartbreaking loss but a fantastic overall finish of 2nd place and silver medals around the girls’ necks.

Varsity Girls Volleyball

N

By Jill Friend, HS PE/Health

ine weeks of tough physical conditioning, mentally and physically challenging drills and fun volleyball games along with team building activities, such as sweaty mornings doing the Coastal Cleanup and goal-setting during a wall-climbing session, are small snapshots of what it was like to be a member of the 2009 Eagles Varsity Girls Volleyball Team. And what a successful season it was for the girls! At

the Exchange in Jakarta on September 26, the team went absolutely undefeated (not dropping a set) in all of the four matches played. This result showed not only the mental toughness of the team but its readiness to compete in what we train for the entire season, IASAS 2009 in Taipei.

The IASAS tournament in Taipei was a grueling three days of play, where the team fought their way into the final by

All 14 members of the team can be proud of their season and the hard work they put into practice day in and day out so that the 10 girls who travelled to Taipei were prepared to win. It was sad to say good-bye to our seniors, but we’re all looking forward to the strength of the JV and freshman players coming up in the program next year. Special recognition goes to Monica Scieszka and Celeste Marsh, who were named to the All-Tournament team at IASAS, and to Rachel McCabe and Michelle Magsamen, who were received the “Coaches Choice: MVP” award at the end-of-season Awards Night. It was an absolutely fantastic year, and the coaches are so proud of the players’ attitudes, efforts and improvements. GO EAGLES!

Eagles Boys’ Varsity Volleyball

By Kim Criens, Coach

A

n outstanding boy’s volleyball season ended on October 17 in Taipei with the Eagles earning a silver medal at IASAS. The Eagles had a tremendous season from start to finish and though they came just short of a fairytale ending, we are very proud of them.

Going into IASAS the team’s record was 10-9 and expectations were sky high. Unfortunately, the tournament started inauspiciously with inconsistent play that led to a 2-3 round robin record and a quarter-final match-up against the International School of Kuala Lumpur.

Though the Eagles won the first two sets, ISKL continued to play tough and forced them into a fifth and eliminating set, which the Eagles won 16-14.

After a 6 a.m. practice on the third and final day of the tournament, the boys jumped on Taipei American School in the first set.

Being a quality team, TAS bounced back and rolled over SAS in two straight sets.

The Eagles tightened up and beat TAS soundly in the next two sets; forcing yet another fifth and deciding set. The Eagles won it, earning a very hard-fought spot

in the championship over the #1 seeded team in the tournament, which rates as one of the proudest moments I have ever experienced as a volleyball coach.

The championship game started with the Eagles jumping to a two-set lead over the ISB Panthers. The Panthers played with tremendous determination and the fifth set progressed evenly with the two teams sharing the lead every few points. In the end, ISB earned the

final 3 points to win the championship.

Though disappointed with our final result, we cannot and will not reflect on our season as a failure. Two points separated the 1st place team from the 5th place team at IASAS. Putting yourself in a position to succeed is all you can ask for as a coach, as a player, as a competitor. This years’ Eagles Boys Varsity Volleyball season was definitely a memorable one and one we can all be proud of.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

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Girls’ soccer

By Don Adams, Coach

First Day: SAS 2, TAS 0 & SAS 0, JIS 0 The Eagle girls opened their campaign with a comfortable win over the Taipei Tigers. SAS jumped out to an early lead after just eight minutes with Liz Conklin flicking on a long clearance from Brittany Dawe, raceing into the box and coolly sidestepping the keeper. Caitlin Favati and Katie Fink were in firm control of the midfield, and near misses from Jen Alberts, Heather Erdmann and Hannah L’Heureux only prolonged the agony for TAS. Katie’s long range effort finally iced the affair midway through the second half. The final score failed to reflect SAS dominance, as Taipei managed just one long range effort compared to a 25 shot onslaught from the Eagles.

The Jakarta Dragons were formidable opponents in the next match. The Eagle backline of Phoebe Clark, Natalie Muller, Belinda Eg and Amanda Alberts was brilliant in containing the JIS attack and limiting them to a few long range efforts that Brittany handled easily, but the match ended in a stalemate.

Second Day: SAS 0, ISKL 0 & SAS 0, ISB 0 SAS started brightly in the opening minutes of play against ISKL when Liz broke through the defence, only to be stopped by the keeper with a sprawling save. Heather and Jen worked tirelessly upfront but couldn’t manage that all important breakthrough. As the match wore on, the midfield pushed up, Isabella Shaulis saw her shot swing just wide of the post and Caitlin had an effort fly over the bar, but SAS couldn’t break the Panther’s rear guard.

With just a two-hour break, SAS was back on the field in a do or die match with Bangkok. The Eagles needed desperately to notch a win to make the finals. ISB dug in and packed the defence on a narrow pitch. SAS went for broke in the second half, playing with 3 strikers and pushing up sweeper Amanda into midfield. Except for two big saves from Brittany, it was all SAS, but the Eagles could not score that all important winner.

Third Day: SAS 4, ISM 0 & SAS 1, ISM 0 The Eagles entered the final day needing to beat the defending Manila champs and hoping that Jakarta would top ISB. SAS scored in the 3rd minute when Heather touched in Lauren’s cross. Lauren had a brilliant game, running riot on the right flank, and she created the second in the 18th, giving Heather another tap in. Alicia added to ISM’s misery when she caught the defence in a muddle in the closing seconds of the half.

Unfortunately, the second game of the morning didn’t go SAS’s way, and JIS fell to ISB, dashing Eagle hopes of a final.

It’s sometimes difficult to get up for that consolation match when your hopes were set on being in the final, but this matchup had plenty of incentive: SAS vs ISM in a rematch of last year’s final. There was some bitter history here, and the Eagles felt obliged to avenge last year’s defeat, while the Bearcats wanted to please the home crowd. Once again SAS’s backline of Natalie, Phoebe, Belinda and Amanda showed character and guile and was ruthless in defence. Manila struggled at times to cross midfield, and their skilful Airi Ikedo was well contained. With 2 minutes left in OT, Jen sprung Lauren, who raced 30 meters to beat the onrushing keeper and end it all with a sweet and well deserved victory.

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SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

Boys’ soccer enjoys fantastic season and takes home silver at IASAS

By Tim Zitur, Varsity Coach

T

he varsity boys’ soccer team had a tremendous season led by tri-captains Ishaan Misra, Alexis Lauzon and Harry Fischer. In preparation for IASAS, the boys played some tough competition and did very well. Tight matches versus UWC, Republic Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic gave the players strong, physical and fast-paced games, which helped mold the team. From a coach’s perspective, this was one of the best, tight-knit teams that we have had at SAS. At IASAS, SAS clinched a place in the final early by beating ISB, ISM and TAS all by the same 3-0 score, as well as beating JIS 1-0 in a thriller. Highlights were two goals versus ISB by forward Alex Amstrup. He got the team started with a blazing shot from the short right side that blew through the opposing goalkeeper’s hands. Later on in the game, Alex had a cracking header off a corner kick to finish off the score at 3-0.

The game against JIS was one of the most thrilling games in recent IASAS memory. The game was physical, partly because of the small field. It was a true tug of war, although I believe SAS had the upper hand for most of the game. SAS scored in the first half when Nico Daily found himself on a semi-break and shot to the far post. The ball bounced off the post and went all the way to the other post and in! This was Nico’s first SAS goal, and a huge one at that. In the second half, our incredible defense led by Lauzon and Phillip van Zadelhoff shut JIS down. Late in the half, we gave up a penalty kick, which could have changed the game, but goalkeeper Young Won Kim made the most unbelievable save I have ever seen. Overall, an awesome team effort.

On the final day, we played ISKL. ISKL needed a win to put them in the final, while SAS needed to perform well so they didn’t lose their edge. The first half saw a 0-0 score line. In the second half, ISKL scored two goals and SAS pulled one back with a late goal. The whistle blew and ISKL won.

The final game with ISKL was played evenly throughout, although ISKL had a little more energy than SAS. Having said this, we had some good chances to score. The best chance for SAS came on a long free kick that Klevrin Sitohang took down and shot from the short angle. It beat the keeper, but just missed the goal. That one had all of our hearts racing. As the clock wound down and the score remained at 0-0, a very unfortunate own goal occurred. It was one of those freaky occurrences that no one can explain. The ball went off our player and into our goal. Our goalkeeper tried mightily to save, but the ball went over his head and in. ISKl was up 1-0, and the game ended with ISKl as champion.

The coaches would like to congratulate the players on a tremendous season. It has been a rewarding experience to work with these fine young men.

SAS NewsFlash – December 2009

35

SAS Art Exchange with the Japanese School Charlene Chien, grade 1

Dante Garretto, grade 2

Min Ji Kim, grade 5

Mark Yuen, grade 4

Hana Fugita, kindergarten

Jessica Hupp, grade 2

Megan Griffith, grade 3

Nicholas Bruni, grade 3

Jonathan Irvine, grade 1

Spencer Chan, grade 5

Ryan Thomas, grade 4

Taarika Bhargava, kindergarten