Written by Roseline Yang, Parent Relations Officer
It’s been two months since the start of school on August 20, 2019 and believe it or not, I am still in the settling-in period of this school year 2019-2020 with the new POP Core Committee and the new team of Parent Class and Year Level Representatives.
While we defined our “wish for the year” in the Newsletter of September To engage everyone and to build a community where everyone finds a place of comfort, regardless of our origins, gender, age, experience, life-style and language, our Class and Year Level Representatives have helped parents navigate through the myriad of information and activities happening at school!
Now that you are settled into your family’s school routine a new wave of exciting events and opportunities are coming your way! First up, Keep Calm and Read with the ECE & Primary Book Week where you will be invited to read and share a story, or where you are encouraged to create a costume for Book Week Parade on Friday, November 1.
At the same time, we will be launching some of our annual POP projects led by our experienced parents:
- Our Indian parent community is kicking off our annual build up to Global Child Day (Saturday May 27, 2020) with the celebration of the Indian festival Diwali…re-adapted to fit this year’s theme: Myths, Legends and Heroes! ECE through Upper Primary Students will learn about the story of Rama during their upcoming assemblies. The promotion will culminate on November 1, with an Indian Food Day prepared by our canteen Eurest for all students from K2 to Year 13! This year, parents will also be able to join in a cultural exchange activity on November 11 to learn more about this Indian festival! If your family wants to share about a Myth, Legend and Hero from your country, please reach out to Parent Event Coordinator Macarena Pedrero.
- The Christmas Tree Lighting is our next big school event taking place on Friday, November 29. It is led by the Performing Art Department with support from the POP Core Committee members who will be organizing the Christmas Market portionof the evening. If you have any ideas for the very popular Santa Shop, feel free to reach out to our new Parent Volunteer Event Coordinator of this event this year: Myriam Moreno and Rita Zhao. Just a heads-up that this event will be followed by the Christmas Class Parties and Primary Christmas Concerts. So, check the calendar for more details!
- Giving Tree is a parent-led project that works closely with ECE & Primary students and parents to collect goods for donation to raise awareness about the meaning of charity to others. Secondary students will also lead a similar project called “Christmas in a Shoebox”. If you want to know more and get involved, please contact Priyanka Chaturvedi, Giving Tree Parent Coordinator and member of the School’s Service Learning Committee.
Some other new and on-going parent initiatives are:
- Bi-weekly health talks at school led by a YCIS mom.
- On-going maintenance and organization of the second-hand school uniform cupboard in the basement of Building A and the coordination with School Ayis of Lost and Found cupboards in the Building B.
- Monthly or bi-weekly Girl Scouts Troop meetings for YCIS students led by parent volunteers. In total, there are 5 troops this year involving Year 2 to Year 8 students. Their annual family campout is taking place during the weekend of October 26-27 at Qian Xiao Ju Farm this year. If you want to know more about Girl Scouts, please reach out to Jutta Petznick and Vivian Wu who are co-leading the Troop leaders this year.
Remember that every small action counts and whatever you contribute to make a difference in our community will have an impact not only on others but also you and your children who will see you involved in their school.
Be part of the learning adventure with your family in the world of YCIS. There are a plethora of opportunities for anyone to learn and grow. YCIS is like an ocean full of wonders so you just need to look, explore and try until you find the right fit for you!
If you are still trying to get your head out of the water, don’t miss our upcoming Parent Coffee Morning at CP on October 30 and at RP on November 20 where you will be able to connect directly with our school leaders face to face. Also, remember that you can always contact any member of our school staff…School Office members who know about what is happening at school, your teachers who know about what is happening in your child’s class, the coordinators who know about the big picture education-wise and the parent relations officer who will be happy to find the people you might want to connect with! Rpcp.parentrelations@sh.ycef.com(Roseline Yang) or poppd@sh.ycef.com(Parent Volunteer Event Coordinators and Community Builders)
