Upper School Newsletter January 22, 2024

UPCOMING EVENTS

Jan 23            Grade 10 DP Fair  2:15-3:00                  Jan 25       Coffee Morning - BRAINS & BODIES    Jan 25-27       ACAMIS BBall SCIS HQ                    Feb 8              Spring Festival Festivities                    Feb 9-18        Spring Festival Holiday                        Feb 22           School Photos - GR 12 Cap & Gown    Feb 24            SSL Round 4                                        Feb 28   Curriculum Night - English Language Arts  Mar 19           Student Led Conferences                    Apr 3-5    Tomb Sweeping/Spring Break (no school)  Apr 26           Professional Inservice (no school)        Apr 26-27      ACAMIS Leadership Conference

CLICK HERE for More Photos

 A NOTE FROM ADMINISTRATION

Mr. Fursey Gotuaco

Upper School Principal

SPORTSMANSHIP

"IT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO WINNING AND LOSING THAT MAKES YOU A WINNER OR A LOSER"                                                                                                        Harry Sheehy

"IT'S BECAUSE YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE SPORT"                                                                                                       Nastia Liukin

ONCE UPON A TIME, 

There was a game....

It started out like any other game.... 5 girls on one team and 5 girls on the other team.

The game was basketball and it was a tournament in Shanghai.  The 2 teams faced each other.  The referee threw the ball into the air for the tip off and the game began.  Just like any other game... But it wasn't just any other game... 2 teams faced each other but there were 3 schools on the court that day...

You see, one of the schools was shorthanded and only had 4 students.  But they came to play anyway - which was the right thing to do for the students.  And this is where the 3rd team steps in and offers the shorthanded team 3 of their own players to give this school a fighting chance.

3 young ladies from the 3rd team stepped forward, put on a jersey over their own school's jersey and played their hearts out.  They ran up and down the court as hard and fast any other player on either side of the ball.  They passed to teammates they did not know and played team defense surrounded by strangers.  They took coaching from a coach they did not know and they played with heart and honor.  These 3 young ladies ran, jumped, dived, set the pick and took a foul as good as any person on any court that day.  And they did it all for a school they did not know.

Irene Pan, Sanyukta Shewakramani, and Elaine Lu are HIS Dragons but on Saturday they played for another school's dragons.  They played for the love of the game.  They played for personal pride.  I believe they played for sportsmanship.  They may have had another school's jersey on for that game but believe me, they stood tall as HIS Dragons. 

I believe that these 3 ladies have what it takes be successful in life, not because they played basketball but because they sacrificed every level of comfort that they knew and did the right thing. 

I believe in these 3 ladies. 

I believe they represent the best of who we are as HIS Dragons.

If you'd like to see more Dragon basketball take a trip up to Shanghai this weekend to cheer them on at the ACAMIS tournament.  

Tuesday from 2:15 - 3:30 is our DP Fair.  Grade 10 parents are invited to learn more about the DP classes that your child will take next year for the Diploma Programme.

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

DRAGON SHOP CATALOGUE

Please see attached the QR code to the new Dragon Shop catalogue. This will take you to a page that allows you to browse it as a digital magazine so it's nice and interactive :) 

CLICK FOR CATALOGUE

                                     HIS                                           COLLEGE COUNSELING INFORMATION    

Carrie Sun

Upper School Counselor

Dear Parents,

We hope that you and your family are back in the swing of the new year. As you may know Grade 10 is an important year and one of the major decisions students will have to make in Grade 10 regards their future course selection moving into Grade 11. So far this school year our University Counseling Department has met with Grade 10 twice as a grade level. During these sessions, we introduced the 16 Personality Test and Holland Codes to help students explore their personality traits and career interests more profoundly. These tools are integral in guiding students towards a path that resonates with their unique characteristics.

Additionally, we discussed the O*Net career assessment, a powerful tool to crystalize students’ career potentials and directions and looked at a resource College majors 101 that gives students a better understanding of what is involved in a variety of university majors. This is part of our broader strategy to quip students with the self-knowledge essential for making informed decisions about their futures.

We also covered the important factors to consider when coming up with their university list and have already had our first one-to one meetings with Grade 10 students. By now, grade 10 students should have a clear idea of the factors that need to be taken into account in this process.

Looking ahead, we are excited to announce the IBDP fair this Tuesday. This event will provide comprehensive information about the DP courses. Our University Counseling Team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have regarding our curriculum in relation to the university application process. We encourage you to reach out to us with any questions you might have.

Starting January 29th, we will begin our second round of one-on-one course counseling meetings for 10th grade students. We warmly welcome parents to participate in these discussions. Stay tuned shortly for the interview schedule.

At the heart of our efforts is the belief that every student is unique, possessing distinct qualities and potential. Our mission is to help them uncover their inner voice and direction. Thanks very much for your continued support as we look forward to collaborating with you on your child's path to their post-secondary future.

UPCOMING SAT ADMINISTRATIONS

TEST DATE                       REGISTRATION

MAY 4                                  APRIL 19

JUNE 1                                   MAY 17

BEST UNIVERSITY YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF

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

                  Mr. Mark Donagher     markdonagher@hisdragons.org.cn

                          Ms. Iris Zhang     iriszhang@hisdragons.org.cn

                          Ms. Carrie Sun    carriesun@hisdragons.org.cn

                     Dr. Ryan Beddows    ryanbeddows@hisdragons.org.cn

                      Dr. Monica Prieto    monicaprieto@hisdragons.org.cn

International Baccalaureate  Diploma Programme

TOK TALK

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

Student Leadership is a priority here at HIS. 

Each week, we spotlight a student leader and give them an opportunity to tell you about their clubs, sports, and activities.  

TEA CLUB

Wendy Zhu

Founder of TEA CLUB

I am Wendy from 10th grade, and my family is a generation tea maker. I have also received training as a tea maker and learned more about tea culture. I started CCA on tea culture with the aim of sharing this traditional intangible cultural heritage with the school community.

On my CCA, I led my classmates to learn about the classification of tea, different methods of brewing tea, and how to taste different kinds of tea. What’s more, recently our CCA also went to Hangzhou to conduct on-site inspections and learning at the Tea Expo. Among them, we had exchanges and communication with multiple tea experts and even tasted some tea varieties that were not seen in daily life, we have really gained a lot.

          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 

8:05am - 2:45pm and 3:15pm - 4:00pm

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

                                                 LUNCH                                             

See the updated lunch menu weekly and monthly as posted on the school website. 

Lunch Menu

HIS Mission Statement

We provide international learners with opportunities to pursue academic and personal excellence within a caring community.

Hangzhou International School
2190 Xiangbin Road, Bin Jiang District, Hangzhou 310052
Phone: +86 571 8669 0045
Email: news@his-china.org Website: www.his-china.org