Dear Secondary Families,
As we enter our second half of the semester, I am delighted to share with you updates, announcements, and accomplishments of our Secondary Division students and staff.
 

On Monday, November 10, THIS was happy to welcome a new addition to our English Language Support (ELS) team, Ms. Georgia Barker. Ms. Barker is working with Grade 6, 9, and 10 students to help develop their proficiency in English and success in all of their English-taught courses.   Ms. Barker is a native of the UK, and has been in China for the past four years, teaching English to students from kindergarten through adult ages, through different programs such as Scholastic Asia and FESCO. Ms. Barker has also worked at the British Embassy Beijing as a temporary Consular Assistant and Visa Writer. She has an MA from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland in Anthropology. She also has a CELTA certification to teach English (administered by the University of Cambridge). Please welcome her to our community!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, November 8 and 9, we welcomed two members of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) to begin our accreditation process. In two short days, both experienced educators met with administrators, teachers, students, support staff, and parents and observed a good number of classes. We will be continuing with the accreditation process for approximately the next 3 years. We will need parents’ support, so please look for updates on how parents can be helpful to us through this process. 
 

The Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Columbia University, Jessica Marinaccio, and the Senior Assistant Director in charge of international strategy visited THIS on Tuesday, November 8. All THIS high school students listened to a lecture by Ms. Marinaccio on college admissions in general and then all Grade 11 students attended a Columbia admissions talk. 
 

Fall semester midterm progress reports were distributed to students on November 8. These grades are not final and are meant to serve as a “snapshot” of where students were as of Monday, November 7, according to their PowerSchool grades. Teachers also worked hard to write specific comments for each student to help each student identify areas of strength and places to apply more effort in the second part of the semester. THIS transcripts only include final semester grades, so please keep encouraging your child to do their best.  
 

On the heels of the distribution of progress reports were Secondary Division Parent-Teacher Conferences. An impressive 60 % of our Secondary Division parents were in attendance. We were encouraged by the amount of parents that attended, and will make improvements for the next conference to accommodate an increased family attendance. 

Teachers are always willing to meet individually with parents about how their child is doing. Appointments are essential. Please contact the teacher via their Tsinghua email address.
 

The THIS Girls High School Basketball team played three head-to-head games against BCIS on Saturday, November 12, winning their first game, though losing the second two. In the words of one of the players, “This win was a great way to start off our match. However, the 2 games that remained, we ended up losing. We put all our hearts into the games, but because they had made very lucky shots in the 30 seconds before the game ended, we had lost. Many of us were upset but we were very proud. The experience we had at this game was unbelievable.”

Also on Saturday, November 12, the THIS High School Boys Basketball team played in a tournament of eight schools at the Canadian International School of Beijing and placed fourth among the teams overall, an impressive finish! Here’s how one player characterized the experience, “A good thing about being a team is that you share everything. A bad thing about being a team is that you share everything. We all felt this loss. We missed our chance at getting a third-place trophy. However, this was only painful for us as a team because we cared. Coach Webb reminded us that there is always a winner and always a loser. Our pain just meant that we were passionate about what we were doing. After all, losing is still experience, and we are still improving as a team.

I suppose at the end of the day, it isn’t so much the win that’s important. It’s what we learn from it. That day, we learned what it meant to be passionate and determined. It doesn’t matter if our legs gave out and our arms couldn’t move. We would fight for every inch, every second of the game. Ultimately, the champion is not made from his victories; rather, he is shaped and tutored by his defeats.”

I am so proud of all our athletes and their sportsmanship. Athletics is also a very important part of the educational experience at THIS. Please encourage your child to participate on a sports team. 
 

We will be using material and curriculum in homerooms during November from www.commonsensemedia.org , run by Common Sense Media, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated "to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology."
 

Cyber bulling; internet security; safe talk online; digital footprints; creating healthy online communities

The site is geared towards educators and parents. Please feel free to use it for yourself:    www.commonsensemedia.org

Ask your child about what they have been discussing about media and technology in homerooms this month!
 

This week, we are conducting an online survey of our Secondary Division students about Media and Technology through Survey Monkey. We are also creating a survey for parents to complete online that will help us to understand the perspectives and needs important to design a high-quality and effective technology program for THIS. I hope you take a few minutes to fill this out, and I thank you in advance for your time and thoughts. We will send out the link to the survey when it is ready. 
 

Our first international Math competition of the six-month season was on Thursday, Nov 17 at 12PM in Room 203. It was a 30 minute, no calculator exam. There are middle school and high school divisions.

Atlantic-Pacific Math League ”contest is a series of six contests given monthly from November to April in three divisions, elementary school, middle school and high school. Each division involves six challenging, non-calculator questions to be completed within 30 minutes. The elementary school content area includes topics up through Pre-Algebra. The middle school content areas include Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Geometry. The high school content areas include Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, and Trigonometry” (http://www.atpacmath.com/).

Students must tell their math teacher or Mrs. Rush if they are interested in competing or if they have questions. Please encourage your child to participate! Parents, please contact Mrs. Rush at srush@tsinghua.edu.cn if you are interested in learning more about this program. 
 

So far this semester, the Outdoor Adventure Club has gone rock climbing and hiking in the hills around Beijing. This Sunday, November 20, they will be going to hike at an unrestored area of the Great Wall. If students want to attend, they should let Mr. Howard or Mr. Shelden know by Friday. 
 

Thanksgiving Holiday (No School): November 24 and 25, Regular Weekend. 

Winter Holiday (No School): December 17-January 3, 2012. School will resume as normal on January 4. 

Semester 1 Finals week: Week of January 9, 2012

Last Day of Semester 1: January 13, 2012

Spring Festival Holiday: January 14-February 5. School will resume on Monday, February 6.
 

THIS Public Speaking Showcase: Wednesday, November 23 from 1:30-3PM. Parents warmly invited. 

THIS 3^rd Annual Holiday Concert: Thursday, December 8, 5:00pm. This year’s theme: “Waiting for the Light and Embracing the Light.” Parents and THIS family members invited. If you are interested in supporting the school by helping out with this event, please email Director of the Arts Department, Ms. Julie Peters Desteract (jpeters@tsinghua.edu.cn). 

Thank you for your continued support and feedback.
 

All my best,
Martha Ortiz
Director of the Secondary Division
Tsinghua International School