Upper School Newsletter May 15th , 2023

Above: The Living Library

Below: Westlake MUN

 UPCOMING EVENTS

May 2-19                 IBDP Exams                 May 24       Fine Arts Curriculum Night        May 26             TOK Exhibition                   May 26             Pilates Day Event              May 29-June 2     China Adventure Trips     May 29-June 2     Grade 11 Exams             June 5,6,8,9     Senior Presentations          June 16            Senior Breakfast                  June 16            Graduation Parade                June 16           Graduation                             June 19-23         Grade 9   Week Of Work Internships                                                  June 20        Grade11 EE Exhibition            June 22     Dragon Boat Festival (no school)      June 24                 Dragon Run                   June 27-28        Group 4 Science Exhibition   June 28               US Music Concert          June 29       Grade 8 Promotion Ceremony          June 30            End of Semester 2/ Semester Reports

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

A NOTE FROM ADMINISTRATION

Mrs. Andrea Stubbs

ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

OPPORTUNITIES

"OPPORTUNITIES DON'T OFTEN COME ALONG.  SO, WHEN THEY DO, YOU HAVE TO GRAB THEM"                                                                                              Audrey Hepburn

"OPPORTUNITY IS MISSED BY MOST PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS DRESSED IN OVERALLS AND LOOKS LIKE WORK"

                                        Thomas Edison

Today's article is brought to you by Ms. Andrea - the hardest working person on campus who doesn't miss any opportunities to make students and families feel welcome and successful!!!

Another busy but successful weekend for all HIS Dragons! It’s good to be a HIS Dragon!
 
-We started as usual on Thursday with our Coffee Morning session for parents sharing tools, experiences, ideas, and strategies to support international-minded, caring, inquiry, knowledgeable, happy, and conscious citizens.
 
-Friday was full of activities for all! Grade 1 parents experienced how Nature inspired their young kids and witnessed confident kids sharing their learning throughout the assembly and exhibition.
 
-Friday evening started with the opening ceremony of the West Lake MUN conference, organized by High School students since 2006, to bring together students from other international schools in China and bilingual schools in Hangzhou to develop research, understanding, and teamwork skills to solve current worldwide issues.  At the same time, the Lower School students and their families were delighted by the Night of Tales stories prepared by students, faculty, and parents.
 
-Saturday started early morning for the Middle School Track and Field team. The team members and coaches traveled to Shanghai to participate in the CISSA Tournament for International Schools. They had a great time returning home with many school and personal records!
 
-While some Middle Schoolers were in Shanghai, others arrived early to school to start the debates and teamwork with other school delegates at the West Lake MUN conference. Saturday and Sunday were busy but productive for the participants, the organizers, and the support team behind this fantastic opportunity.
 
As we are getting closer to the end of another great school year, stay tuned for the activities available and take advantage of all these opportunities! These opportunities will help you develop passions, skills, and good friendships while bringing happiness to the community! Be caring and be kind!

PAFA Parents’ Spring Picnic

A perfect weather day for a fun picnic at Xiang Hu Lake with PAFA (remember all parents of HIS are PAFA!). Sunshine, breeze, good food, refreshing drinks, and team games with lots of enjoyment and a competitive spirit, made a perfect day out for all. You can see photos by scanning the QR code (below left).  Stay tuned for the last lunch on this school year!
 

Talking about opportunities, join us on International Pilates Day, and save the day for our traditional HIS Dragon Run 2023 on June 24 (more information to come).

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

SCAN

Spring Picnic Lunch pictures

SCAN 

Library Project Video Donation

SCAN

for HIS Dragon Run

“It’s Ok” a picture book by grade 10 student Amy Zhiyan Zhang created during her MYP personal project will be on sale!

Many parents and students enquired about the possibility of buying a copy. Please, see the information below.

FINE ARTS CORNER

Fine Arts Head of Department, Brian Vincent

PLEASE JOIN US FOR AN EXCITING EVENING OF ARTS!!!

LEARN HOW THE STUDENT ARTISTS MAKE IT HAPPEN!

As spring keeps rolling along towards summer so do the Arts keep growing and developing! We are excited to invite our HIS community to attend our

Arts Curriculum Night.  

Come and discover how our students develop their curiosity, imagination, and creative process as our faculty and HIS Artists, Actors & Musicians invite you in for a behind the seasons look at how we do, what we do!

JOIN US ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT MAY 24TH

FROM 6:00PM - 8:30PM.

                                    HIS                                          COLLEGE COUNSELING INFORMATION      

OUR COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES THUS FAR

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

CITY UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

EMORY UNIVERSITY

HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

HOUGHTON UNIVERSITY

HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

 KING'S COLLEGE OF LONDON

LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

MCGILL UNIVERSITY

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

PENN STATE BEHREND

PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY

QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY

SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY

STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSIDAD EUROPA

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON

UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - DAVIS

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA -  RIVERSIDE

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LONDON

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAGNE

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

YORK UNIVERSITY

BEST UNIVERSITY YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF!!!

The SAT is now available digitally so students can take practice exams on their laptops before taking the official exam. Find information about how to practice the SAT here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/digital/digital-practice-preparation

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

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.

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

US Newsletter, 5/12/2023

Dear Parents,

Thank you all for helping our HIS staff, and students make it through this chaotic month! We have plays being performed, sports being played, and Westlake MUN happened this weekend---it’s just one fun thing after another until the end of the year. Thank you for supporting our community to make all this magic happen. I can only imagine the number of snacks packed and the car rides involved in taking your child to and from all their activities!

Living Library was a BIG success. I think we had over 300 LS students pass through our libraries to hear stories being told by 8th graders and faculty throughout the day on May 9th. Stories ranged from tales of finding abandoned toilets in the middle of nowhere while picking up trash in the mountains to helping Hangzhou rid itself of invasive species of bullfrogs to stories about beloved pets and family members. I’m very grateful to all the faculty and students who shared their time with us for Living Library.

The poetry contest last month ended with three winners: Amalia Ipland (Borsdorf), Eve Volodarski, and Naomi Xia! Two English teachers and I chose the winning poems. These three students received 50 RMB for the school coffee shop and will have their poems published in the next edition of DragonNews magazine. 

I’ll end this newsletter with their poems. Next newsletter I’ll talk about the Multilingual Musical May-nia and all the collaborative activities we have going on this month.

See you in the library!

kindness exists-amalia ipland

they embrace me

despite my complaining

short texts of appreciation

and words of affirmation

a deep understanding

and willingness to listen

dull lights shining

when my atmosphere is all gloom

my timeless depressive state

and yet they stand by me

a trustworthy soul to lean on

might be ones salvation

those willing to try

and break down these bulletproof walls

in order to heal that scarred heart

are the ones that matter

a mutual trust formed

and some faith restored

kindness exists

Lost one in the storm by Eve Volodarski

Sometimes the biggest storm,

seen between worlds torn,

can be the most beautiful thing,

as one rests under mother’s wing.

When clouds cry out loud,

screaming for their lost love to be found,

that’s when you truly feel grateful.

A play never seen as beautiful,

a war of lightning, thunder,

seeing the wet wings of lost ones fly

as you look at the bleeding sky,

staring in awe, mesmerized,

and not long until you have realized,

that maybe all is not that bad.

Spring by Naomi Xia

Spring is the last icicle to shatter

The first blade of grass breaking through the slush

The taste of mint and crisp green apples

The sound of a brook freed from sleep

A deep green lake

An empty chrysalis

Warm rain in the crook of every tree

The first bird to call at unearthly hours reminds you that

Spring is here.

        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