Issue #3 November

In This Issue: Elementary News Elementary Grade Level News News from the Nurse Secondary News and Exam Schedule Alumni and Announcements Student Voice Commentary

DECLAMATIONS 2011AOSR’s junior class successfully completed its passage through the time-honored tradition of Declamations this past Tuesday, November 8th, with glorious success. For over forty years, each junior has selected a favorite piece of literature to celebrate with their peers on a path that could lead them to the final competition, which is performed for the entire high school and other special guests. This year, the common thread weaving all of the literature together was the idea of journeys, which inspired a variety a selections ranging from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno to Buddy Wakefield’s “Pretend.” The finalists were:

After much deliberation, the judges, Geoff Miller, Alessandra Telmon, Kip Hendry, and last year’s winner Franziska Neumann, determined that the most inspiring declamations were Ceara L’s presentation of an excerpt from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Hannah S’s performance of Langston Hughes’s prose piece “Salvation.”

The two declaimers were crowned with wreaths, and everyone who participated deserves another round of applause for these joyful journeys we were able to celebrate together!

The AOSR Falcon Flyer

Produced by the High School Desktop Publishing Students with the support of AOSR staff and parents

Gian Marco B (The Divine Comedy, Canto I by Dante Alighieri) Adam B (Dreamland, by Edgar Allan Poe)Nickolas D (The Divine Comedy, Canto III by Dante Alighieri)Alice G (This Love, by Jacques Prevert) Maggie H (Pretend, by Buddy Wakefield) Ceara L (Excerpt from Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley) Lorenzo M (Final Speech from The Great Dictator, by Charlie Chaplin) Lucas M (Excerpt from Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer)Neha Shree P (The Seven Ages of Man from As You Like It, by William Shakespeare)Hannah S (Salvation, by Langston Hughes)

Winners: Hannah & Ceara

A “JUST RIGHT” PODCAST PROJECTNews from the ES Library

Do you know what a “just right” book is? Just ask one of Ms. Wheeler’s third grade class and they can easily explain it to you. Better yet, just click on this link to see a website with their own “just right reviews” and a song they performed themselves on how to pick a book that’s just right you!

Parent volunteer Ayesha Ahmed, college student volunteer, Mari Thomson, 3rd Grade teacher, Ms. Wheeler and AOSR librarian, Maria Falgoust collaborated with the class to create the elementary school’s first podcast about each student’s individual “just right” book. Each child selected their just right book, read it, wrote a script and skillfully illustrated their ideas in a drawing. Next they rehearsed and when it was their turn at the mic, they spoke loudly, clearly and with expression and recorded their podcast. Listen to one here...

And if this wasn’t exciting enough, the very talented Ms. Wheeler helped the class write lyrics to a song about their theme, Just Right Books, rehearsed some more, and then accompanied them on the piano for their big performance. Check out this link to see a video of their toe tapping performance and since we know you won’t be able to get it out of your head, here are the lyrics for you to sing along!

READ A BOOK ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT BUT ARE YOU SURE, THE BOOK’S JUST RIGHT? WHAT IS A JUST RIGHT BOOK FOR YOU? HERE ARE JUST SOME QUICK SMALL RULES TO HELP YOU CHOOSE ONE TOO...

CAN YOU READ FAST AND SMOOTH? DO YOU GROW IDEAS? DOES IT MAKE GOOD SENSE TO YOU...?

I CAN RETELL THE IMPORTANT BITS READ WITH EXPRESSION AND I LI-IKE IT,I CAN RETELL THE IMPORTANT BITS READ WITH EXPRESSION AND I LI-IKE IT!

Mark your calendars for the Scholastic Book Fair!

The AOSR Library is pleased to announce the Scholastic Book Sale will be held on Thursday, December 1st and Friday, the 2nd in the library.

Teachers Ms. Johannesen and Ms. Waite, worked with librarian, Ms. Falgoust to create a spectacular list of incredible books for kids, pre-teens and teens.

The fair will be a great place to buy holiday and birthday gifts! For more information, contact Maria Falgoust at mfalgoust@aosr.org.

"The things I want to know are in books. My best friend is the man who'll get me a book I [haven't] read."— Abraham Lincoln

It has been a very busy month for ES art students. With crayons, watercolor pencils, and mirrors, children completed self-portraits that will be displayed in their classrooms.

The higher grades enjoyed designing and painting flags of different countries for the United Nations Day Program.

Then there was the preparation for Halloween, an event the students all look forward to with great excitement. The lower grades made moveable decorations, masks and paper puppets, and grades 3-5 drew and painted large Halloween designs and characters that were hung up in the gym for the annual Halloween parade. On October 27th all our winners of the United Nations World Food Day Competition, Filippa H., Ember R., Laura R., and Sharon B., received awards and certificates at the UNWG Award Ceremony at the FAO.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain

an artist once we grow up.

~Pablo Picasso

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ART

Students need to be in school every day to stay on track.

Teachers’ lesson plans are carefully constructed to introduce new

concepts, reinforce them with learning activities, and then move

on to new skills and ideas. When children aren’t in school, they

fall behind. And the more days they miss, the harder it is to catch

up. That’s where you come in.

Report In. Schools are required to track attendance of every

child in every classroom every day. It

is essential that you always contact the

school if your child is going to be late

for class, will need an early dismissal,

or will be absent.

Get the Work. When you know ahead

of time your child will be missing class,

give the teachers plenty of notice so

they can provide your child with make-

up work to do. Be sure that your child

follows through—you’ll need to be his

or her “teacher” on those days, so be

available to explain concepts or monitor

the work.

If your child is out unexpectedly, due to

illness or other reasons, in addition to

make arrangements with your child’s

teachers to pick up a packet of work/

readings from the school. If the absence

will be lengthy (e.g., for surgery), alert

the teachers as soon as you know and get updated assignments

and work packets as the days go on.

Religious Absences. It is inevitable that some families’ important

religious observances will fall on school days. Let your children’s

teachers know early in the year precisely which days your chil-

dren will not be attending or will need to leave early.

How Sick Is Too Sick? It’s impossible to say categorically when

a child should go to school or stay home. However, one typical

her fever is under 100° and there is no rash, “pink eye,” nausea,

or diarrhea. The decision to keep a child home from school is best

made between you and your child’s health care provider. If the

exactly how long and on what conditions he or she can return to

class (e.g., after 24 hours of antibiotics).

Faking It? If your child is complaining of a fever, but you’re

suspicious, make sure to stay in the room the entire time the

child’s temperature is being taken. A child complaining of nausea

will probably be paler in color and

slightly sweaty, and will usually need to

vomit more than once. Send your child

to school if you don’t see a real symp-

tom, knowing that the school nurse will

contact you if things change. Also, be

alert if your child seems to be “sick” on

school days but always rebounds for the

weekend.

Vacation Plans. It’s tempting to pull

your kids from school for a family trip,

but it’s a bad idea. Why? First, it gives

your children the impression that their

schooling is not your top priority. And

when they miss classwork, even if you

ask for make-up work to be sent home

ahead of time, they can fall behind

because they’re missing many hours

of instructional time each day. Instead

of thinking of how you can miss the

crowds by taking trips during the

school year, think about what it could

be costing your child in the long run.

Check Those Appointments. Schedule your kids’ doctor and

dental appointments for after-school or weekend hours unless

there’s an emergency. Schedule your children’s twice-yearly

dental appointment during winter and summer breaks, and sched-

ule school physicals, immunizations, and other routine care for

school holidays or summer break.

Finally, remember to show and tell your children that attendance

is important—whether it’s as a child in school or as an adult on

the job. You’ll be helping them succeed, both in school and in

life.

School Attendance

RP 32:1

Report to Parents, written to serve elementary and middle-level principals, may be reproduced by National Association of

Elementary School Principals members without permission. Current year back issues are available to members at

www.naesp.org.

NOVEMBER 15... MATH MAGIC DAY!

The inaugural “Math Magic Day” was an exciting event for the whole AOSR Elementary School. On Tuesday, November 15th, 2011, every class in the elementary school, along with specials, showcased math for all the students.

Tons of great activities were enjoyed by all! In ELL, the children harvested olives from trees on campus. They counted, measured and weighed the olives. The 2nd graders hosted a store where all students could buy and sell using math they had learned following the AERO Math Standards. The 3rd graders multiplied their learning using math songs, place value games and technology to reinforce curriculum concepts. Many other classes added to their math repertoire with learning stations and cross-age activities. The event culminated with Mr. Kunin juggling numbers, Mr. Harroo shooting baskets into place value bins, a math song performance, and a special appearance from “Math Man” at a school-wide assembly.

This Math-tastic day was launched by the ES Math Department as a way to promote mathematics to our young students and to highlight and share the great things happening everyday in the classrooms at AOSR. Studies show that experiencing math through enhanced discovery learning leads to deeper understanding - real-life math in action! This was truly a math-marvelous day of discovery and fun!

Expect more great math to follow, as the plans for another Magical Math Day are in the works!

“Math Man” surprises a grade 2 classroom.

Picking (and counting) olives from our own olive tree

On Math Magic Day I learned:

• a new type of math in Italian class. (Giorgia)

• that fractions are just cutting things up into pieces. (Jack)

• that math is inside nearly everything. (Alice)

• that you can tell math jokes and that math is a lot of fun!!! (Lavinia)

• all about prime numbers from Math Man. He taught us that 13 is a prime number, and we have 13 students in our class! (Noor)

• math might seem hard, but it is easy if you think. (Maddie)

• how difficult it is to guess how many m&ms are in the jar! (Gabriele)

• the math song to sing to Pre-K and 2nd Grade. (Carolina)

• that math is good for your brain! (Pietro)

• about fractions, multiplication, addition and subtraction during math centers in Ms. Mowry’s room. (Alessandro)

• about solving math problems. (Yonatan)

• that math is an important thing to know for all of your life. If you know math, you can be anything: archaeologist, teacher, scientist and lots of other things too! (Alessandra)

Math Magic! Quotes from ES Math Day

A Look At Back Health

Back Problems in children are uncommon, but if occur they are usually related to:

1) Sports related injury or Accidents •Generallytreatedbyrest,physicaltherapyand/ormedication

2) Backpacks •Weightshouldbelimitedto10%-15%ofthewearers’weight •Weightofbackpackshouldnotforcechildtobendforward •Shoulderstrapsshouldbepaddedandwornoverbothshoulders •Hipstrapshouldbewornwithheavierbackpacks •Packheavieritemsclosertothecenteroftheback •Mayconsiderabackpackwithwheels

*Interestingfactregardingbackpacks*Inonestudy77%ofEmergencyRoomvisitsinvolvingbackpackswerefrom: •Trippingoverbackpacks •Beinghitbyabackpack

Scoliosis-An Adolescent Issue

•Asidetosidecurvatureofthespine,itisfoundinabout4%ofthepopulation. •Itfrequentlyoccursduringthegrowthspurt,justbeforepuberty. •Causeunknowninmostcases. •Ifdetectedearlymaybetreatedbybackbrace,surgerymaybenecessaryif curvaturepersistsdespitebracing

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/111/1/163.fullhttp://www.spine-health.com/conditions/back-pain/backpacks-and-back-pain-childrenhttp://www.aap.org/

CPR AND FIRST AID TRAINING AVAILABLE

(American Heart Association)2 yr. certificate

Groups of 6-8 ideal Minimal Cost

Contact: Jan Miller AOSR Health Office Wrk: 06.33438321

Cell: 333-800-2078

1st grade has had a busy month of October. In reading, we have been working hard learning strategies to help us

become better readers and have been enjoying taking home books to read with our families. Ask us about our strategies if we might get stuck on a word. Come by our classrooms and you will be amazed with all our creative writing! We have been busy writing letters, fiction stories and nonfiction writing. We are learning the importance of leaving spaces between words and how to use punctuation in our writing. We loved inventing items that we might buy at The Witches’ Supermarket for Halloween. We also enjoyed participating in the Halloween parade and celebrating with friends and families in our classrooms. In math, we are continuing to explore number sense, addition problems and we are also working on solving story problems. In social studies and science, we have been learning about forest animals. We are working hard on researching many unusual facts about each animal.

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and we have so much to be thankful for in first grade.

Elementary News!

Kindergarteners love to learn and play! We had a great Halloween. We enjoyed dressing up as scary ghouls and pretty princesses and parading through the AOSR gym. We learned about pumpkins and carved our own classroom jack-o-

lanterns.

Currently, we are studying animals and their habitats. Later this month, we will celebrate all of the things that we are thankful for, including our new student teacher, Ms. Shannon! Ms. Shannon McGovern has been a wonderful addition to the Kindergarten family and we are lucky to have her!

Kindergarten

Grade One

For each new morning with its light,For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,For everything Thy goodness sends.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

3rd grade students had a fabulous field trip to Castel Sant’ Angelo on November 4th! Students enjoyed the company of their classmates while taking an educational tour of the castle given by Ms. Prideaux. Students saw bastions, a

mausoleum, a mangonel, cannonballs, cannons, bridges, a drawbridge, sculpted angels, armory, and walked through what used to be the castle’s moat. It was an exciting day for all, and one that will not soon be forgotten! To enhance the third graders’ field trip experience, the students widened their knowledge through an integrated unit of study of castles. Connections were made across subject areas, including Greek Myths, Social Studies, History, Language Arts, Music, Mathematics and Art. Students worked hard to develop, demonstrate and explain their family Coats of Arms, they wrote stories about life in a Medieval castle, built a collaborative castle scene, heard the story about the opera “Tosca” which was set in this amazing Roman castle, and they created acrostic poems about their trip to Castel Sant’ Angelo using illuminated letters and Medieval style borders. This unit really made connections across the curriculum.

Grade 2

Grade 3

2nd graders have been busy this month continuing their study

of early life on earth. They worked diligently to “dig” the chocolate chips from a cookie acting as archeologists in the classroom. A fossil lab followed using actual specimens found deep under ground at AOSR from a summer project in 2010. During the Elementary School Math Magic Day, the 2nd graders hosted a store where they sold snacks using addition/subtraction skills they have been mastering in the classroom. Everything was 1 euro and the students enjoyed putting real life math into action. They also had a pumpkin math center where students estimated, predicted, measured and graphed data.

In science, we are studying states of matter and also recycling. The students sorted and buried various items into 4 pots of soil: glass, wood/paper, metal, and organic material. They are making predictions as to what will happen to the items when we unearth them in the Spring. The class will also be planting bulbs in the pots at a later time.

Grade 4

Grade 5

4th grade days are floating by so fast and so far. We have learned a lot so

far. In Current Events we are continu-ing our article presentations and learn-ing many interesting facts and news.

We have learned a lot of facts in His-tory too, as well as creating our own Gordian knots. We will be studying the death of Alexander and we are looking forward to our first history test.

We have had a fun time in Science, learning about the properties of rocks and minerals. Some of us have even made our home –grown crystals! We are finishing up our fist science unit and preparing for our first science test!

In Math we are looking forward to graphing some edible things with the kindergarten for Math Day.

In Language Arts we are creating unique beaver pelt stories and looking forward to the rest of the year.

By Kaya and Filippa H. Official Fourth Grade Reporters

5th grader, Sofia P really deserves a special mention. She choreographed the

Halloween dance performed by her peers and taught everyone how to do it. Bravissima Sofia.

Two student teachers have joined us, one in Ms. J’s class from Iowa and one in Ms. Rumsby’s class from Pennsylvania. How lucky we are to have 5 teachers working in 5th grade.

We are almost ready to take our Conflict Management skills on the road and demonstrate them to the younger members of ES. The students are doing a great job and nearly all of them want to become actual Conflict Managers.

We learned some really interesting facts from the Human Calculator who came to AOSR. Math can be fun and it’s really important to look for patterns to help you get a better ‘number sense’.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” ~ Dr.

Seuss

Homework, projects, study skills, exam preparation

Do you need help with homework? If yes, Homework Club can help!

WHO: Middle & High School studentsWHEN: Every Tuesday and Wednesday

After school until the 5 o’clock buses departWHERE: High School Room 4

Feel free to bring SNACKS!

HOMEWORK CLUB

The Boutique Congratulations MS STUCO!

Student Council STUCO elections occurred following the October Middle School trips with

candidates speaking to their Middle School class peers to communicate their interest in and plans

for the Student Council.

Congratulations to the following students on the Middle School STUCO:

Executive Committee: Amitay E. and Tebatso M.

Grade Level Representatives for 6th Grade: Lorenzo M, Victoria B, Leah G, Nick D, Camilla R, and Leonardo C

Grade Level Representatives for 7th Grade: Leonardo M, Cristian C, Garbiel K, Ari P, Shae R, Tessa F, and Gaia S.

Grade Level Representatives for 8th Grade: Elena F, Carolina P, Matteo LoS and Riccardo P.

Since that time the group has had their first successful event, the November 4 Spooky Dance,

and are busy planning events to celebrate the holidays with a brunch and activities on December

21st, the last day of school before the winter holiday. Congratulations and thank you to the 2011

– 2012 Middle School STUCO members!

Welcome 2011-2012 Board of Trustees!School Board Elections

The following parents were elected to the Board of Trustees for 3 year terms (2011-2014) at the AOSR Annual Assembly of the Corporation that took place on November 10, 2011:

Mr. John Carwile (Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassy Rome, Italy) Ms. Sarah Hall (Management Officer for the U.S. Embassy Rome, Italy)

Mr. Yehu Ofer (Defense Attaché for Israeli Embassy Rome, Italy)Mr. Paolo Torchetti (Chairman of Flumen Communications)

Congratulations to all the new members!

Announcements

I would like to take this opportunity to thank these great volunteers who have helped me start this year at The Boutique, resulting in

record-breaking sales!! I couldn’t have done it without you!Special thanks to:

Naj Borji, Anna Benson, Malin Hammaren, Wendy Judd, Jane Lafferty,

Giovanna La Versa Mangano, Karol Roberts

- Barb Lents, Boutique Coordinator

From the Boutique for TEACHERS!Did you know that you can purchase items at The Boutique for your class at a 33% discount? There are puzzles, learning

games, rugs, and more!

Stop by Tuesdays between 10:30-1:30 Or Fridays from 14:00-17:00! Every week there is something new!

LONDON

MS Cultural Trips

PARIS

NAPLES

On October 4th, about forty AP Euro-pean History virtuosos set foot on

Florentine streets once walked upon by the great masters of the Renaissance. A perfect sunny day greeted us and our four dedicated and much commended chaperones: Abby Bielski, both stan-dard and AP European History and AP Comparative Government teacher; Ivan Hauck, new high school College Coun-selor who hails from California; Anthony De Nicola, middle and high school math teacher; and Jennie Fabian, new high school Chemistry teacher from Seattle.

We squeezed through narrow and congested streets trying to keep

up with the kind Italian tour guide Silvia, whose knowledge about her hometown spilled from her lips as she pointed at masterpieces of art in every corner of the city. We stood in front of Ghiberti’s bronze baptistery doors, which, according to Michelangelo, were so perfect they could have been the doors of paradise.

Silvia led us through Piazza della Signoria, where the original David

stood, carved by Michelangelo out of a block of Carrera marble. His arm was unfortunately amputated by the thrust of a chair that was hurled from a win-dow of the Palazzo Vecchio during an anti-Medici rebellion.

He now stands in the Academia, shifting his weight onto one leg and holding his slingshot noncha-

lantly on his shoulder. Eyes transfixed upon him, we approached the epitome of anatomic perfec-tion, waiting for him to blink or break out of his mime act. We stood in line to get into the small, high-ceiling rooms where Botticelli, Durer and Giotto anxiously awaited our arrival. Shoving past shoulders and strollers, we stood rapt with awe at the vast array of color, texture and movement in paintings that almost seemed to beg for a moment of quiet so that the full scope of their majesty could be appreciated.

As the day wound down and the sun tinted the Arno with a pastel shade of orange, we reluctantly be-gan our journey back to Rome. In our minds, we replaced twenty-first century Florentines with Renais-

sance artists absorbed in the art of furiously applying brushstrokes on wet plaster before it could dry. We returned to Rome tired but still spellbound by our journey into Florence’s glorious past.

AP Euro goes to Florence!By Carmen P. (grade 12)

AOSR First Semester Exams – December 15-21, 2011 Middle School students are expected to be in school all day during exam week. High school students may be excused after their last exam each day provided a student brings in signed parent permission. Middle School High School Thursday, December 15

09:00 – 10:30 A Block Exam 09:00 – 10:30 A Block Exam 10:30 – 10:50 MS Break 10:30 – 10:50 HS Break 10:50 – 12:20 B Block Exam 10:50 – 12:20 B Block Exam

12:20 – 13:10 MS Lunch 12:20 – 13:10 HS review as needed grades 9-12 13:10 – 14:10 C Block review 13:10 – 14:00 HS Lunch 14:20 – 15:20 D Block review 14:00 – 15:20 HS review as needed grades 9-12 Friday, December 16 09:00 – 10:30 C Block Exam 09:00 – 10:30 C Block Exam 10:30 – 10:50 MS Break 10:30 - 10:50 HS Break 10:50 – 12:20 D Block Exam 10:50 – 12:20 D Block Exam 12:20 – 13:10 MS Lunch 12:20 – 13:10 HS review as needed grades 9-12 13:10 – 14:10 E Block review 13:10 – 14:00 HS Lunch 14:20 – 15:20 F Block review 14:00 – 15:20 HS review as needed grades 9-12 Monday, December 19

09:00 – 10:30 E Block Exam 09:00 – 10:30 E Block Exam 10:30 – 10:50 MS Break 10:30 – 10:50 HS Break 10:50 – 12:20 F Block Exam 10:50 – 12:20 F Block Exam

12:20 – 13:10 MS Lunch 12:20 – 13:10 HS review as needed grades 9-12 13:10 – 14:10 G Block review 13:10 – 14:00 HS Lunch 14:20 – 15:20 H Block review 14:00 – 15:20 HS review as needed grades 9-12 Tuesday, December 20

09:00 – 10:30 G Block Exam 09:00 – 10:30 G Block Exam 10:30 – 10:50 MS Break 10:30 – 10:50 HS Break 10:50 – 12:20 H Block Exam 10:50 – 12:20 H Block Exam

12:20 – 13:10 MS Lunch 12:20 – 13:10 HS dismissed 13:10 – 14:10 MS Make-up exams/activity 13:10 – 14:00 HS Lunch available 14:20 – 15:20 MS activity 14:00 – 15:20 HS dismissed Wednesday, December 21 (Middle School will have a full day of activities)

09:00 – 11:00 MS Brunch 09:00 – 10:30 HS Make-up Exams (#1) 11:00 – 13:00 MS Activities 10:30 - 10:50 HS dismissed if no make-ups 13:15 – 15:20 MS Movies 10:50 – 12:20 HS Make-up Exams (#2) *HS Student Dismissal is allowed with a parent note when the student has no exam. Please note the following: Tuesday, December 20 is the day for make-up exams for MS students Wednesday, December 21 is the day for make-up exams for HS

The cross-country team came back with a 2nd place for the boys and a 6th place for

the girls. The race in Germany was not one of the easiest ones, the course was muddy and a lot of people participated in the race therefore it was hard to pass. Overall the team led by coaches St. Onge and Boyle had a great season, many runners took minutes off of their personal best and m and most importantly everybody had fun. Congratulations to the cross-country team and I hope to see you all join track and field in the spring.

Sports Insight...

The volleyball teams are off to Germany. The boys won the ASIL title by losing only

two games in the whole season. The girls had a great season and lost only a few matches during the year. It will be interesting to see what is going to happen in the finals since both boys and girls have a chance to win. The coaches are putting a tremendous amount of work into the teams and this shows during the games. Good luck to everybody and come back with a trophy!

By Max Squarcia

Tennis

Cross - Country

Volleyball

The Tennis team came back from Germany with a 2nd place title! Both boys and girls fought hard

to maintain the number 2 position gained last year at the European level. Gabriele, B. obtained 4th place in the boys singles tournament, he was able to beat players coming from Division I schools and lost the final for 3rd and 4th place 8-5. Ginevra, D.C. and Ashley, M. obtained the 5th place in the girls doubles tournament, they started the tournament strong giving away only a few games and finished even stronger by winning the final for 5th and 6th place. Congratulations to the team on a tremendous

Tennis

Social Web Safety Tips for Parents from ConnectSafely.org Be reasonable and try to set reasonable expectations. Pulling the plug on your child’s favorite social site is like pulling the plug on his or her social life. Instead of being protective, it can shut down communication and send kids "underground" where they're more at risk. It's too easy for them to set up free blogs and profiles from anywhere, including friends' houses or even a cell phone. Talk with your kids about how they use the services. They, not news reports or even experts, are the ones to consult about their social-Web experience. Help them understand basic safety guidelines, such as protecting their privacy (including passwords), not harassing peers, never talking about sex with people they don't know, avoiding in-person meetings with people they "meet" online, and taking care in what they post - because anything people put online can be grabbed, reworked, and used against them. Support critical thinking and civil behavior because no laws or parental-control software can protect better than a child's developing good sense about safety and relationships. Research shows that kids who are aggressive and mean online toward peers or strangers are at greater risk of becoming victims themselves. So teach them to be good citizens and friends online as much as offline. Consider requiring Internet use in a high-traffic place in your home - not in kids' rooms - to help you stay aware of their online time. This way, you can encourage a balance between online time and their offline academic, sports, and social times. Know that there are also many ways kids can access the Internet away from home, including on many mobile phones and game players. Try to get your kids to share their profiles and blogs with you, but be aware that they can have multiple accounts on multiple services. Use search engines and the search tools on social-networking sites to search for your kids' full names, phone numbers and other identifying information. You're not invading their privacy if they're putting personal info in public "places" online. If their pages ar private, that's a good thing, but it's even better if they share it with you.

© 2009 - 2010 ConnectSafely.org.

Social Web Safety Tips for Parents from ConnectSafely.org Be reasonable and try to set reasonable expectations. Pulling the plug on your child’s favorite social site is like pulling the plug on his or her social life. Instead of being protective, it can shut down communication and send kids "underground" where they're more at risk. It's too easy for them to set up free blogs and profiles from anywhere, including friends' houses or even a cell phone. Talk with your kids about how they use the services. They, not news reports or even experts, are the ones to consult about their social-Web experience. Help them understand basic safety guidelines, such as protecting their privacy (including passwords), not harassing peers, never talking about sex with people they don't know, avoiding in-person meetings with people they "meet" online, and taking care in what they post - because anything people put online can be grabbed, reworked, and used against them. Support critical thinking and civil behavior because no laws or parental-control software can protect better than a child's developing good sense about safety and relationships. Research shows that kids who are aggressive and mean online toward peers or strangers are at greater risk of becoming victims themselves. So teach them to be good citizens and friends online as much as offline. Consider requiring Internet use in a high-traffic place in your home - not in kids' rooms - to help you stay aware of their online time. This way, you can encourage a balance between online time and their offline academic, sports, and social times. Know that there are also many ways kids can access the Internet away from home, including on many mobile phones and game players. Try to get your kids to share their profiles and blogs with you, but be aware that they can have multiple accounts on multiple services. Use search engines and the search tools on social-networking sites to search for your kids' full names, phone numbers and other identifying information. You're not invading their privacy if they're putting personal info in public "places" online. If their pages ar private, that's a good thing, but it's even better if they share it with you.

© 2009 - 2010 ConnectSafely.org.

Declamations Visitors

AOSR Alumni

Maria Grasso: Class of 2002

During the last year of her BA studies at Oxford (2005) she was awarded a “1+3” Studentship Award from the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to fully fund her Masters of Science and Doctor of Philosophy (Oxford PhD) studies in political sociology at the University of Oxford. She achieved a Distinction in her Masters (2006) and completed her doctoral thesis on generational differences in West European political participation (Nuffield College) in 2010.

Since September 2011 she is a full time lecturer at the Department of Politics, University of Sheffield. Previously, she taught politics and sociology at St Hugh’s College, University of Oxford (2008-2011) and worked as Research Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Southampton (2009-2011) on the ESRC-funded collaborative European project, ‘Caught in the Act of Protest: Contextualizing Contestation’, which studies demonstrators and their motives (see website: www.protestsurvey.eu). Maria has written for various publications and has been invited to comment on issues surrounding political engagement and radicalism on UK discussion panels, radio and television.

AOSR was honored to have the presence of Ms. Mary Anne Haas, the wife of former AOSR Head of School, Mr. Stanley Haas (1968-1974), and her daughter Leslie Emmanuel, as special guests at DECLAMATIONS 2011. Ms. Haas, a proud 85 year old who works at the assistant to the president of ISS (International Schools Services) in New Jersey, gave a warm welcome to the entire high school. She remembered as if it were yesterday, when her daughter Leslie and son Phillip declaimed on the same stage and in the same location, almost 40 years ago!

Maria attended AOSR from Preschool to 12th grade and graduated in 2002. She has very fond memories of her time there and of all her fantastic teachers and friends. While at AOSR, she played for the girls Varsity volleyball and tennis teams and completed examinations in both IB and AP programs. During her senior year, she was invited for interview and accepted to read for the BA (Hons) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at the University of Oxford (with a conditional offer of 5 X 5 and 1 X 4 on the 6 APs she still had to sit in 12th grade). She was also accepted to study at a number fo other UK universities and at the University of Columbia, NYC for Journalism.

Ryan Crowder (‘96) 1977-2010a spring shower came pouring down on us. We were all laughing, dancing and hugging in the rain—a true cliché youthful moment. We were full of life and friendship.

That was the way Ryan was, full of life and ready to be there for a friend in need. He would let people like Marcus Ciuffreda who was only a sophomore when Ryan was a senior, crash at his house after a late night downtown. He would give people money if they needed a few extra lira for lunch. He would also give an extra push to a wavering heart to bring two people closer together.

He was a courageous person as well and made a lot of people laugh, even if it sometimes meant laughing at himself. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind or stand up for what he believed in, even if it was an unpopular opinion.

While the news of his passing is very hard for us, it is comforting to know he was so loved by so many around the world. It is also awesome to see that he was so dedicated to helping others while still alive.

The following is an article submitted by Lisa Spinelli (‘96), Marcus Ciuffreda (‘97) and Gwyn Sannia (‘96) commemorating the death of former classmate Ryan Crowder. According to the Cornell University website, he was working on his second master’s degree. “His study included two parts. Crowder first wanted to improve fisheries by increasing the number of fish they caught and ensuring the sustainability of their operations. He also worked with women in the fisheries’ community to create a cooperative that could directly sell the fish to

local markets.” One of his professors said, “This was a guy who took life in great big bites. ... He really was totally charged about committing his life to helping people in less developed parts of the world.” We want to take a moment to honor his tragically short life. - Geoff Miller (‘67) Alumni Coordinator As the one-year anniversary of Ryan Perry Crowder’s death came upon us, many of his former classmates from AOSR are just discovering the news of his passing. Ryan was 32 at the time of his death in Managua, Nicaragua, a victim of homicide on November 14. 2010. The news has deeply touched his former classmates who remember Ryan fondly.

Ryan was a very smart man in and out of AOSR (’96). He was working on his second masters from Cornell University developing sustainable lobster harvests and marketing collectives upon the time of his death. In high school, Ryan also did very well in his studies. He also excelled in extracurricular activities as a member of the wrestling team, Model United Nations and as an actor in some drama productions.

Ryan was full of life and a real gentleman. One of my favorite memories of Ryan is walking with him and Joanna Pensinger in the rain after hanging out at his house late one Saturday night in 1994. He walked us back to my apartment, a good half-mile away, when

He was an adventurer and lived life to the fullest, short though it was. His life probably affected and helped more lives in those short 32 years than many others do in 80.

Rest in peace Ryan. You are loved and missed.

The Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was held hostage in Gaza for 5 years and on October 18th he was released in exchange for more than 1000 Palestinians. The press covered his release more than what happened at the same time in Israel. While the release transaction was discussed, two main opinions about it were told. The Israelis were divided into those who supported it and those who didn’t and tried to stop it. Even though we all, as a nation, wanted his freedom, some people thought that the price that the other side asked for in exchange for one person was too much. No doubt that the Israelis wanted him to get free but some started to ask questions like,” at what price?” Why is he worth more than my son/daughter’s life that was taken by a terrorist that is getting released in this ‘trade’?”.

Some people might not know that at the age of 18 all Israelis have to serve 2-3 years in the army. Those who serve on a combat force know that in case they get kidnapped, the country, the government will do all needed in order to get them free, at any price and consequence. This is easy to say but hard to do. Now, there are two sides, one that said that he should released at any price no matter what because he went and fought for Israel and got kidnapped and was held hostage by the Hamas when he was during his military service. The other side was defended mostly by bereaved families which their dear ones were killed by the prisoners that were going to be released and didn’t serve all their time in prison for what they did.

The statistics are saying that more than half of them are likely to return to terror and will return to Israel in order to kill people. Gilad Shalit said in his interview when he was asked if he as a prisoner was happy for the Palestinian prisoners that were going to be released in the agreement, which were held in Israel, that he was happy for them as long as they wouldn’t go back and fight against Israel.

I believe that every person should be free unless he did something bad, for example a crime, and then it depends on what he did if he should be sent to prison. But people that didn’t commit a crime should not be held as prisoners, and even those who did should get basic rights like seeing daylight, like being physically well treated and not held underground. They should have the

ability to communicate with their family once in a while in one way or another.

So as the title says, as a nation all Israelis wanted him to get free, especially after 5 years which is a really long time; but inside, the nation was divided into those who said at any price and those who said that the price is too high and the consequences will come soon.

For more than 5 years all Israeli people were concerned about him and were looking for any piece of information about him and praying for him to return home healthy and safe. One nation, one kidnapped soldier and two opinions.

One Nation, One Kidnapped Soldier and Two Opinions.... (a student commentary by Shir E - Gr. 10)

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