Written by Debbie Shih (POP Core Committee Co-Chair person)

 As mentioned many times, charity and service are an important part of what we do at YCIS Shanghai, as referenced in our motto commitment to “Love and Charity”.

 

The Spring Charity Brunch was a new endeavor this year, replacing the Gala.  This was a family oriented event filled with activities and food.  Children played with balloons, got their face painted and even had a clown performance!  Young and older kids enjoyed the bouncy castle, mechanical bull and activities provided by Multi-Sport.  There were great games and table auctions that made the whole event fun for everyone.  Parkyard provided a wonderful array of food, along with a tasty BBQ and a chocolate fountain to boot! However, we know, as any first time event, there are many things already in the works for an even better Charity Brunch next year! Should you have any suggestions or feedback, please send to poppd@sh.ycef.com.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Spring Charity Brunch, whether it was donating your time and talent to make this special event happen or giving generously to Heart 2 Heart.  This special event on 23 April, along with our Valentine Bake Sales, Used Book Sale, Valentine Card Sales and Spirit Week by the Secondary Students, raised a total of 255,183 RMB, which enabled us to support a total of 8 heart surgeries.

Once again, we could not have accomplished this without the support of family and friends of YCIS and its donors! Thank you from the POP Spring Charity Brunch Committee.

Heart 2 Heart is a 100% volunteer run organization that started in 2003, supporting extremely poor families whose child is undergoing heart surgery.  This organization supports 2 hospital playrooms and has donated clothes and libraries to rural areas (http://www.heart2heartshanghai.net).  On May 9, the POP Core Committee sent a YCIS school bus filled with clothes, books left over from book sales, and some toiletries, to Yodak hospital which houses the Heart 2 Heart organization.

If you have not had an opportunity to visit Heart 2 Heart or any of the YCIS sponsored children for surgery, it is quite an experience. Making a connection with how your donations have impacted a community in need is simply amazing.  The children and families we’ve visited after surgery have been so welcoming and we invite you to consider this wonderful experience.  Contact poppd@sh.ycef.com if you are interested to make a visit!

 

Written by Renae Livermore (Year 5 Teacher)

With the whole family on busy schedules it can be very difficult to maintain those small routines which are fundamental to our children’s overall wellness. The following are our top 3 tips for ensuring the health and vitality of your child, each and every day.

• Enforce a regular bedtime

Ensuring that your child gets enough sleep should be the highest priority in supporting their overall health and vitality. The amount and quality of sleep children get has a direct impact on their mental and physical development. The National Sleep Foundation recommends school aged children between the ages of 6-13 years get 9-11 hours of sleep per night. Studies indicate that academic, extra-curricular and social demands increase for children at this stage and this can result in children beginning to develop bedtime resistance, anxiety around bed time and difficulty falling asleep. The following are some practical tips for helping your child get to sleep and stay asleep:

• Minimize screen time by having children put their devices away at least 30 minutes before bed time and keep TV’s and other screened devices out of the bedroom.
• Teach children about the effects of sugar and caffeine and ensure that foods and drinks high in these elements are avoided in the afternoons and evenings.
• Enforce a bedtime and maintain a routine even during school vacation when possible.
• Create a bedroom for your child that is conducive to sleep.Climate controlled, appropriate lighting and quiet.

For more information about the importance of sleep visit:
National Sleep Foundation: Children and Sleep
Kids Health: All About Sleep

• Eat Clean

We are acutely aware of the importance of a healthy balanced diet for our children. When it comes to diet and eating, parents can be faced with a complex challenge juggling what is optimum to health and development along with factors such as: allergies and intolerances; fussy eaters; and mixed information. Sometimes, the more research we do the more confused we become. So, while it is true that there are no perfect answers for our children in terms of diet, there are some fundamental guiding principles that we can follow in order to ensure our children are eating a clean, balanced diet which supports a consistent level of focus and energy throughout the day.

• Plan for a diet high in vegetables and fruits, particularly dark leafy greens such as kale, broccoli and spinach. When buying fruits and vegetables do your best to stick to certified organic products in order to avoid harmful pesticides and chemicals.
• Incorporate Omega 3 & 6 along with healthy fats to support brain development. Wild salmon, avocado, coconut, flaxseed and almonds (if not allergic).
• Stick to complex carbohydrates and avoid hidden sugars. Essentially carbohydrates are just sugars in disguise. Of the carbohydrate that we consume what is not burned off in energy is simply stored as fat and this fat is a byproduct of sugar. In order to avoid those dizzying sugar spikes and harrowing lows throughout the day it is important to consume foods with a low glycemic index (Low GI). Some great options include; quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, oatmeal, beans and lentils.
• Discuss food with your children and involve them in healthy meal planning and preparation. Children are motivated by things that they feel a part of. When your child feels a sense of ownership over what they are eating and the benefit to them, it will be a lot easier to get them on board, making some small dietary adjustments a little more digestible for the whole family.

For more information about clean eating visit:
Food for the Brain
Kids Health: Healthy Eating
BBC Good Food, Heathy Eating: What young children need

• Make time for conversation

A large part of our physical wellbeing is influenced by our emotional state. Children need to feel that they are supported and valued in order to become healthy risk takers. YCIS has been focusing on mindfulness and in particular the importance of having a Growth Mindset. Carol Dweck, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, asserts that, how children perceive their abilities plays a key role in motivation and achievement. Children need to be resilient, academically and socially in order to cope with their busy academic and extra-curricular schedules and thrive in such an environment. Simply making time each day to converse with your child about the things that are on their mind, learning about both their victories and set-backs can help foster a growth mindset. Try some of these strategies for opening a routine of dialogue with your children:

• Take time at the dinner table to talk about a good and/or bad thing that happened that day.
• Model sharing about your own day at work.
• Take a cue from a school project, new topic or homework as a conversation starter.
• Try to ask open ended questions.

For more on making time for conversation and growth mindsets visit:

Tips to get your child to talk about their school day
The Power of Believing that you can Improve (Carol Dweck on TED.com)
Class Dojo: The big ideas

Written by Veronica Martin (ECE Coordinator)

We are coming to the end of another school year and our minds begin to shift towards the coming year level. We often ask questions such as:  Will my child be OK? Will they be with friends?

The answer to both of these questions is YES! Your child will be ready to move on and the teachers will support them along the way.

• K2s and K3s – The teachers have arranged visits to the next year level.  In the coming weeks on the class blogs you will see the children visiting either a K3 class or a K4 class.

The children will begin to have morning snack and lunch like the following school year does. Most routines are very similar to what is occurring this school year for K2 and K3s, they will still have the same PE Teacher, the same Music Teachers and the same ECE Librarian. The class teachers also make sure that they spend time with the children in different settings, if they are outside they will go and play with the lower year group. This helps all children to get to know all ECE Teachers and begin making relationships with others.

• Our K4 children have began the transitioning process for Year 1 by joining in Primary activities such as Sports Day, Violin Lessons, attending assemblies and other class activities.

Every year level is now participating in the Class Community Learning (CCL) sessions. These classes are designed so that all the year level children spend time with each other and get to make friends from other classes in their year level. When teachers group children together they will also take into account the friendships within the CCL groups.

Our aim for all transitions is to make the process smooth for families and the children. All the children are ready to move on and they are proud of what they have achieved so far. The children are confident in their abilities and we know they will do well wherever they are in their academic journey. For more information, keep updated on the ECE Class Blogs!

Written by Kathleen Wu (EAL Teacher)

On Thursday May 4, Primary teachers organized a workshop in order to help parents understand what is growth mindset and how it can help children reach their capabilities and beyond. Teachers shared information and resources with parents and engaged parents in some growth mindset building activities. Presentation and material are available on the POP Blog and this article is a quick summary of what was shared at the workshop.

What is Growth Mindset?
Growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and achievement is not “fixed” or innate but rather higher achievement and performance is determined by increased effort.

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset

• Fixed mindset
• Intelligence is a fixed trait. You can’t change it.
• Growth mindset
• You can grow your intelligence through effort.

Why does it matter?

• Decades of research show a powerful relationship between mindset and achievement.
• Students’ beliefs about intelligence and learning impact:
•  Motivation
• Academic behaviors (e.g., studying and seeking help)
• Responses to challenges and setbacks
• Academic achievement

How can parents cultivate a growth mindset?

• Monitor your self-talk
  • Pay attention to your own internal dialogue about abilities.
• Be deliberate about the messages you want to send
• Role Model by:
  • • Have daily learning discussions with your child
    • Give feedback on process only
    • Pose the question: Did you know brains can grow?
    • Encourage risk, failing and learning from mistakes.
    • Encourage and model positive self-talk

The power of yet!

Add yet to negative statements and change their meanings!
I can’t do it …. YET.
I don’t understand this math problem … YET.
I can’t make this goal … YET.

For more information visit:
https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/
http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/
https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/carol-dweck-mindset/