Upper School Newsletter March 6th, 2023

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A NOTE FROM ADMINISTRATION

Mr. Fursey Gotuaco

UPPER-SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

SPRING

"SPRING IS THE TIME OF PLANS AND PROJECTS.                                                                                                         Leo Tolstoy

"IF WE HAD NO WINTER, THE SPRING WOULD NOT BE SO PLEASANT: IF WE DID NOT SOMETIMES TASTE OF ADVERSITY, PROSPERITY WOULD NOT BE SO WELCOME."                                                                                                  Anne Bradstreet

Spring is indeed upon us!  We see it in the trees, we smell it in the flowers, and we feel it in the warm sun.  And it does feel even better after experiencing a cold winter.  It is the feeling of prosperity after adversity.

It is this process of growth that we experience with our students.  They feel it after they have won a hard played athletic match.  They feel it on opening night of the musical after a challenging rehearsal process.  And they feel it when they do well on test after they have studied and committed to the learning process.

Leo Tolstoy must have been thinking of the MYP when he talked about projects in the spring... :)  In the month of March alone, we have rehearsals for musical; we have the DP Visual Arts Exhibition; and we have the Gr 10 Personal Projects Exhibition.  Additionally, we have the Student Led Conferences!  WOW!!

It is March and we find that it is time to 'spring forward'.  Whether it be in academics as we turn in our assessments in Math class or we start a project in GIN Club, our students are springing into action.  Whether you find them in the gym playing badminton or away in Shanghai at an MUN Conference, our students will have a spring in their step.  And just like those beautiful flowers and buds, spring is when your offspring will bloom and bring color to our lives.  (my apologies for the bad puns... i promise not to 'spring' any more of them on you...). :)

Speaking of word play... Starting March 16th, I will be hosting workshops on PUBLIC SPEAKING.  All students are welcome to join me on Thursdays, from 3:15-4:15pm.  This is a great opportunity for any student to improve his/her presentation skills for the upcoming events.  1st session is Thursday, March 16th.

At HIS, we are committed to helping each and every kid to find their moment to bloom.  We will continue to provide opportunities and support for every student to find the best version of themselves.  I hope you continue to enjoy the journey with us.  Please remember to read over the re-enrollment information below.

ITS A GREAT DAY TO BE AN HIS DRAGON!!!

CLICK HERE FOR 2022-2023 CALENDAR

2023-2024 CALENDAR DATES

Semester I: August 23 (Wednesday) - December 15 (Friday), 2023

Semester II: January 09 (Tuesday) - June 21 (Friday), 2024

FINE ARTS CORNER

Fine Arts Head of Department, Brian Vincent Guest Contributor, Ellie Caven MYP Theatre Teacher

H0W CAN I HELP YOU?

Hello,

My name is Iris Zhang, College Counselor at HIS. This past semester, I focused on helping our grade 12 students who are applying to colleges. This month, I am conducting one-on-one counseling sessions with grade 11 students and in March, I will work with our grade 10 students.

For the individual counseling sessions, we will start with general topics like what their interests are, which subjects they are doing well in, what their current grades for each subject are, what their parent’s expectations are, which country they want to travel or reside, etc. Studying in another country is not only about achieving academic excellence, but also finding the environment that best supports their success. Through these individual meetings, I can better understand their lifelong goals and help each student find the school that is the ‘right fit’ for them.

When we think of “good schools,” we may think of the most prestigious, most selective, or even the schools with the most successful alums in the field we wish to study. Finding the right fit goes beyond published rankings. It is also critical to look at school size, teacher to student ratio, available opportunities such as internships or research, and even social settings that offer the best opportunity for students to find the best version of themselves. And much job-hunting, there is no one-size-fits-all college, but instead, a number of potential great picks for every individual student.

Ivy League schools are often the first thing that come to mind when Americans think of “best colleges,” as are a number of small, highly selective, and highly ranked college. However, if a student decides to attend a school for the perceived prestige alone, ignoring their own gut feelings and instincts about the campus culture and how they’d fit into it, they could very well end up unhappy even among the nation’s “best colleges.”

As a college counselor, I understand I have big responsibilities to help students with not only their college applications, but also help them find the ‘right’ schools where they can achieve academic excellence and personal growth.

Analysis: Undergraduate Colleges Have Not Followed Elite Law Schools In Abandoning US News Rankings

Inside Higher Ed (12/5) explores the question: “Will the moves by leading law schools against the rankings of U.S. News & World Report spread to undergraduate institutions?”

         So far, 11 law schools, led by Yale University, announced they will stay out of the rankings. Yet those who were waiting “for a similar push by undergraduate colleges” have so far “been disappointed.” One theory put forward by former Reed College President Colin Diver is that “undergraduate schools view their constituency (mostly 16- to 18-year-old high schoolers) as more naïve, gullible, impressionable (and therefore rankings-bewitched) than law schools view their constituencies (22- to 30-year-old college graduates and often early-careerists).” As a result, “at least many of the top-tier law schools are willing to take the risk that a postboycott drop in their ranking won’t hurt them and might actually help them with their more worldly constituencies.”

        David Hawkins, chief education and policy officer at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, told Inside Higher Ed via email: “The fact that high-profile law schools are walking away from the rankings constitutes a potentially important step toward ‘unilateral disarmament,’ so to speak. Many institutions, whether law schools or undergraduate institutions, have heretofore been hesitant to step away for fear of the negative effects. Such effects include, but are not limited to, actions that U.S. News could take to ‘estimate’ data and blowback from institutional stakeholders, such as boards, state legislators, or alumni if there is a perceived drop in prestige. These law schools may have signaled to all institutions that with enough alignment at the institutional level, colleges can step away if they do not benefit from either the rankings themselves or the methods used to compile the rankings.”

We encourage students to contact one of the university counselors  with any questions about university entrance requirements. 

                          Ms. Iris Zhang     iriszhang@hisdragons.org.cn

                  Mr. Fursey Gotuaco     furseygotuaco@hisdragons.org.cn

                        Dr. Aaron Ayers    aaronayers@hisdragons.org.cn

                      Dr. Monica Prieto    monicaprieto@hisdragons.org.cn

                     Dr. Ryan Beddows    ryanbeddows@hisdragons.org.cn

UPPER SCHOOL ATHLETICS 

2023 ACAMIS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 

HIS hosted the 2023 ACAMIS (Association of China and Mongolia International Schools) Basketball Tournament last week from 16-18th February, bringing together 6 international schools from Tianjin, Nanjing, Shanghai, Dalian and Xiamen. This was the end of a long 3-year wait since our teams were last able to play in a tournament, so the players, coaches, parents and spectators were super excited to finally have Basketball competitions back at HIS.  

Our teams were cheered on by hundreds of students and parents during each of their 7 games over the 3 days and this gave them some extra motivation to push themselves to perform to their potential. Our Lower School students came with posters, pom-poms and some very well-rehearsed cheers thanks to some practice with their teachers in the days leading up to the tournament. Our Dragon Cheer Squad formed by parents and family were also in full voice which contributed to an awesome atmosphere at the games.  

Ultimately, our boys team finished in 3rd place and our girls finished in 4th, with Dalian American International School and International School of Tianjin winning the boys and girls competitions respectively. A special mention to our Boys team who were awarded the Spirit of ACAMIS Award which acknowledges their sportsmanship and positive attitudes towards opponents, officials and each other throughout the tournament. 

Ultimately though, the winners of this tournament were all the students and HIS community members that were involved both on and off- the court. The tournament brought our community together again in a way which had been a little lacking throughout the last few years of restrictions and demonstrated how we can unite and excel through sports at HIS. We move now to our Varsity Soccer, Badminton and Track and Field seasons which will also have their ACAMIS tournaments scheduled for late April-Early May. Go Dragons!!!!  

NEW SEASONS BEGINNING THIS WEEK 

Varsity Soccer Season 

20th February – April 22 

Practices every Monday 3:30-5, Wednesday 3:30-5:30, Friday 3:30-5 

Coaches-  Girls: Mr. Nogueira & Mr. Edwards / Boys: Mr. Hobson & Mr. Majoos 

Varsity Badminton Season 

20th February – April 22 

Practices every Monday 3:30-5, Wednesday 3:30-5:30, Friday 3:30-5 

Coaches-  Mr. Willoughby and Ms. Vivian 

Varsity and Middle School Track and Field Season 

20th Feb – 6th May 

Practices every Monday 3:30-5. Tuesday 3:30-5, Thursday 3:30-5 

Coaches-  Mr. Foster, Mr. Hendricks, Ms. Rojas 

*** NOTE A CHANGE IN SEASON DATES FOR   Middle School Touch Rugby Season 

Originally scheduled to begin 14th February and end 24th April this season will now run from 23rd March – 13th May. 

AQUATICS

Monday, March 6, 2023 - Parent Newsletter

Email swimming@hisdragons.org.cn for inquiries, and visit the Aquatics Swim Meet Calendar webpage for updated events. 

Developing Resilience in Teenagers

Resilience is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties. It is important for teenagers because it helps them build the skills needed to cope with challenging situations, such as bullying, academic pressure, and physical and emotional health issues. It teaches them how to manage stress, recognize and cultivate positive relationships, and develop problem-solving skills that can help them navigate through life's ups and downs. By providing teens with the tools to respond to difficult situations in healthy, productive ways, resilience can help them develop a sense of security and confidence as they make their way through adolescence.

We will be exploring how to foster resilience in teenagers during the Coffee Morning on Thursday 9th March. I am looking forward to seeing some of you there at 10:00am

If you have any questions or worries about your children please contact Dr Ryan Beddows by email ryanbeddows@hisdragons.org.cn.

MEET THE LIBRARIANS

Sara Freeman

Newsletter – Upper School Library

March 9th 2023

Merry March! 

March has a lot of celebrations: March Madness, St. Patrick's Day, International Women's Day, National Craft Month, National Nutrition Month, and so on. We plan to honor them all in the US Library this month with the exception of the Ides of March…for obvious reasons. Beware!

National Women's Day: Students have the chance to win a 50 RMB gift card to the school cafe if they complete one of the following prompts: write an acrostic poem using letters of the name of a woman you admire, create a short comic featuring a girl or woman as a superhero, write a short story about a girl or woman who overcomes challenges, describe five issues you would like to fix for girls and women around the world. Entries will be accepted until March 8th at 3:30 pm. 3 winners will be announced on March 9th. May the best entries win!

National Craft Month: Craft events have been the second most requested activity to have in the library after contests. With that in mind, we’re going to start offering “Crafternoons” once per month. Our first craft will be making “Brain Gardens” using colorful duct tape and plastic flower containers. We’re capping the number at 15 students and hope to have full attendance. Email sarafreeman@hisdragons.org.cn or sign-up at the library desk if you wish to attend.

Monstrous March: This is a fun made-up holiday celebrating monsters, specifically cryptids. We have some monster footprints leading up to a display of monster books and students can also draw a cute Yeti if they feel up to it.

March Madness: We’ve already got the brackets printed and look forward to changing up our weekly “Would you rather…” question to voting on which teams students think will win.

St. Patrick’s Day: The US library plans on hiding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow come March 17th. Stop by during the morning break that day for your chance to find the gold.

UNIFORM EXPECTATIONS

Middle School Uniform Guidelines 6-8

Middle Schoolers should wear tan shorts, trousers, or skirts and a navy blue polo shirt (short or long sleeved) with the HIS book logo. A navy fleece or cardigan sweater with the HIS logo or other approved outerwear such as the HIS hoodie sweatshirt can be worn in the cooler weather. All students must wear laced shoes.

High School Uniform Guidelines 9-12

High Schoolers should wear tan shorts or trousers, or plaid skirts (girls only) and a light blue Oxford cloth button down short or long sleeved short with the HIS book logo. A navy fleece or cardigan sweater with the HIS logo or other approved outerwear such as the HIS hoodie sweatshirt can be worn in the cooler weather. All students must wear laced shoes.

Students will be asked to remove outerwear (coats, hoodies, sweatshirts, etc) in lessons unless they carry the HIS logos. Students who are cold will be invited to go to the Dragon Shop to purchase acceptable HIS items. 

Families can purchase items at the Dragon Shop open 

Mondays to Fridays from 

9:00am - 11:00am and 1:00pm - 3:00pm

For more information, please contact the Dragon Shop: olivexu@hisdragons.org.cn