monthly newsletterVo

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Check out this week’s notices for PYP &

Secondary School on pages 14-16

WEEKLY NOTICES IN THIS ISSUE

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 2018

Issue 4 | December 2018

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A I S B M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R - V O L U M E 5 I S S U E 4 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8

3 DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Dr. Robert Brindley on cultural diversity & kindness.

12 SCHOOL WIDE NEWS

24 THE BITE Latest news and articles from our snappy student newspaper - December edition.

6 PTO MESSAGE Enjoy pictures from this year’s Festival of Lights!

4 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Abby Rupp writes about how the Strategic Plan is going and holiday wishes for the community.

26 BUCHAREST BUZZ Recommendations for exhibitions, opera and Winter Markets.

28 PARENT ADSA noticeboard for the AISB parents’ ads, recommendations and announcements

29 THE MONTH AHEAD Important dates for your calendars

contents

8 LEGACY OF GIVING Find out what benefits the Gala Sponsors will get and how to become one.

Weekly notices for PYP & Secondary School, Stuff the Bus, PYP Panto Show

10 Read about the World Magazine special edition!ALUMNI NEWS

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director's message

I challenge all of you to give s o m e t h i n g to s o m e o n e who you do n o t k n o w , i n a d i s p l ay of gratuitous c o m p a s s i o n a n d t h a n k s for what we have.

Dear Parents,

There has been a great display of cultural diver-sity at AISB over this past month, with the Harvest

Festival, the Artisan Fair, Music Concerts and the Festival of Lights all teaching us something new about the cultures we

are so lucky to experience every day through our many families at AISB. I am certain that we have all learned several things about our differ-

ent customs and celebrations and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you Happy Holidays in the many special ways we rejoice in the celebrations

of this season.

Over the coming weeks, as this time of goodwill is upon us, our families will be gathering to celebrate their own traditions and beliefs. As many of us travel to different parts of Bucharest, Romania or the world over the winter break to join our families and friends, we need to remind ourselves what all the world’s religions teach us, that service to others is the greatest virtue and at the centre of a happy and successful life. In the words of the Tenzin Gyatso, (2016), the current Dalai Lama, ‘selflessness and joy are intertwined. The more we are one with the rest of humanity, the better we feel’. Many years ago, a foundation was started with the concept of ‘paying it forward’, based on the supposition that, whatever the world’s or an individual’s problems might be, each person can make a difference by an act of selfless kindness. So, as we enter this festive season, I challenge all of you to give something to someone who you do not know, in a display of gratuitous compassion and

thanks for what we have.

I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year and I look forward to welcoming you back to AISB on Monday, January 7, 2019.

Best regards,Robert Brindley

board of trustees

visit the governance page on the aisb website and keep informed about board m e e t i n g dat e s, m e e t i n g minutes and much more.

Best regards,

Abby Rupp

Chair, AISB Board of Trustees

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This month the Board continued working on the new Strategic Plan. One of the ways we ensure we are taking all perspectives into account is by asking for briefings by outside experts in economics, politics, risk management and accountability.

We will continue this work in our Kabiary offsite and then we hope to ask for your input and feedback on the draft plan. This ongoing collaboration continues the dedicated work of a long line of

Boards and Administrators along the years, for the benefit of many generations of students. And we are proud and happy to see them coming back as alumni, with fond memories and giving back to new generations.

As the holiday season is upon us, we, the AISB Board of Trustees, wish you all happy celebrations and a new year filled with peace and growth.

Dear Community Members,

Front line, left to right: Gabriel Zbarcea, Abigail Misciagno Rupp, Kimberly Vranceanu, Brad Page, Peter Schretzmeir

Back line, left to right: Iosif Szavuj, James Stewart, George Mucibabici, Bryan Jardine, Scott Weston

the AISB Board of Trustees wish you all happy celebrations and a new year filled with peace and growth.

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pto message

v i s i t o u r pag e o n t h e a i s b website and check out what w e ’ v e b e e n d o i n g f o r o u r c h i l d r e n a n d c o m m u n i t y

facebook.com/aisbpto

Wishing everyone a relaxing winter break and a happy new year! Looking

forward to seeing you in 2019.

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Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make t h e F e s t i va l o f L i g h t s this year a big success!

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legacy ofgiving

As we start once again to prepare for the AISB Annual Gala, we are reminded of the sponsors who have been there for us in the past, and you are among them. Thank you! The proceeds from last year enabled the PTO to contribute greatly to the AISB Scholarship Fund, as well as the Design & Engineering Center, soon to benefit students of all ages.

April 6, 2019 marks another special night. We hope to once again enlist your support for this event.

Dear AISB parents,

This is not only an opportunity to help AISB students succeed in unprecedented ways, but a perfect showcase for your organization, company, products or name.

Linked here is the media kit for your reference, please let me know if you would like to be involved and support us again.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Catalina GardescuManager of Admissions & External

Relations

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This is not only an opportunity to help AISB students succeed in unprecedented ways but a perfect showcase for your organization, company, products or name.

We aim to celebrate the relationship between Romania and AISB, the value of education and the international impact it has.

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alumni news

The winter edition of WORLD Magazine is a special one. Launched online on the 1st of December 2018, when Romania, a country all our alumni have called home at one time or another, celebrated its centenary. This special edition celebrates the relationship between Romania and AISB, the value of education and the international impact it has. Our cover features the Endless Column (Coloana Infinitului) by world famous Romanian born artist Constantin Brancusi.

Read the entire edition of the WORLD Magazine Special Edition Winter 2018 here.

Visit alumni.aisb.ro to keep up with the alumni association’s latest news & events!

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As the entire AISB community will be enjoying their winter holidays, we are preparing for our San Francisco Reunion on February 3rd, 2019, and hope to see many alumni there. We would like to take this opportunity to wish to all our alumni, their families and all AISB families

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school widenews

PYP Weekly NoticesSecondary School Weekly Notices

Flavours of the week

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school widenews

PYP Panto showSecondary Lunch LoungeStuff the BusWhat’s New at The Bite

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weekly notices

Dear Parents,

We wish you and your families a relaxing, playful, and peaceful holiday! Safe travels to all. May you savor the joy of being with family and friends, and have many opportunities to reconnect with your children.

Thank you always for your presence, partici-pation, and partnership.

Warmly,

Rosella & Ely

Festival Of Lights

Thank you very much to all the countries that participated along with the volunteers. It was a won-derful way to educate our children about traditions and celebrations from around the world. The kids enjoyed the presentations and activities! Well done, AISB community! Enjoy the holiday break! Looking forward to more community activities in the new year!

Kind Regards,Wendy Weston ptomyp@goaisb.ro

Managing Holiday Stress

The holiday season is well and truly upon us. And while our children might be excited about the upcoming Christmas holidays, disrupted schedules and over-excitement often leads to tantrums and emotional meltdowns. Child Psychologist, Laura Markham has some wonderful advice and articles on how to manage the potential pitfalls during holi-day times. The following link will take you to her wonderful Holiday Survival Guide article, with links to more useful information on the site.

Enjoy!

Klara Jaeger PYP Counselor

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weekly notices

Where in the world did our readers go?

Are you going somewhere fun for the holi-days? Are you staying local in Bucharest? It doesn’t matter where you are going, you can still participate in this fun activity! Take a photo of yourself and your child holding a favorite book in whatever location you spend your holiday. Maybe you are posing at the beach, or in the mountains, or at an airport! Take a photo and either send a copy with your child to library when they return from break or send a copy to Ms. K or Ms. Louise on Seesaw. We will post the photos in the library during that first week back so we can see some of the fun locations our readers went over the holidays!

Early departure from school from Elementary School

As of January 7, Elementary students will need to collect a slip from the ES office should they need to leave school before the regular end of classes. It is important for us to know when a child leaves earlier (even if accompanied by a parent); therefore, the guards will insist on this slip to exit the building during class hours.

Fri, Dec 14- Fri, Jan 4 Winter break

Mon, Jan 7 School Resumes; Co-Curricular activities resumeES Musical Production (Grades 2 & 3) starts!

Fri, Jan 11 ELC Principal Coffee with Parents - Upstairs ELCCome hear about the revolutionary work of Dr. Shefali Tsabary, a clinical psychologist, keynote speaker, and author of award-winning books: The Awakened Family and The Conscious Parent

Fri & Sat, Jan 18 & 19 U11 Vampires Basketball Classic @ AISB

Thur, Jan 24 - Fri, Jan 25 No School-Unification Day

Mon, Jan 28 Semester 2 begins

Thur, Jan 31 PYP Workshop for Parents - Focus on concept-driven curriculum and skill development

Upcoming Dates

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weekly notices

Dear Parents,

A note from the Secondary on grades in Managebac and the semester one timeline.

The first semester at AISB ends during the last week of January and Semester 1 Reports will be available on February 12. The grades visible in Managebac are indicators of how your child is per-forming in the 4 criteria in the MYP and overall in the DP. If you have spe-cific questions regarding assessments or grades in classes, please speak with your child about the assessment and feel free to contact teachers or Jon Cain if you have further questions.

We wish you and your family a happy holiday season. We will resume regular classes on January 7.

Kind regards,

Jonathan Cain

DP Program

After a busy term, we hope that it is time for DP students to relax and rejuvenate themselves before the academic activities resume in the new year.Please mark your calendars for two upcoming events in the new year:

Event Date Venue Useful For

Steps to Success in DP Exams

January 17,18.30-9.30

CR300 Grade 12 stu-dents and par-ents

Introduction to the Diplo-ma Programme and Sub-ject Selection

February 7, 18.30-20.00

CR 300 Grade 10 students and parents

More details will follow closer to the event.

Grade 11 Exams

As you may be aware, the students are expected to take final, external exams at the end of the two-year IB programme. With this in mind, we schedule semes-ter exams in order to:

· Provide a ‘real exam’ experience for students (in terms of space, follow-ing instructions, developing appropriate study habits, consolidating learning on extended sections of the syllabus).

· Develop and practice ‘test-taking skills’.

· Research shows that exams are one way of encouraging ‘effortful process-ing’ and learning that can be applied in the long run.

All students enrolled in Grade 11 classes will be taking exams in all their sub-jects (except Theory of Knowledge) from the 4th to the 8th of February. For more details, please refer to the information sent via e-mail by Ms. Simona. The semester exam schedule can be accessed using the link below:

Exam Schedule

Given the importance of the exam experience for IB students, this might be a good opportunity to develop and reflect on appropriate learning and test-taking strategies. Please make sure that while students are preparing for exams, they maintain a healthy lifestyle (including adequate sleep, rest breaks, nutrition and exercise).

Best wishes for the holiday season and the new year,

Arpeetaa Tyagi

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of the Week

The persimmons fruit, com-monly known as the kaki fruit, is a widely unknown fruit in the western world. However, believe it or not, it is considered to be the national fruit of Japan. It will be served as a snack in AISB’s Stradale this week, and it’s ac-tually a very healthy and nutri-tious ailment. It offers 55% of a daily value’s worth of Vitamin A and 22% of vitamin C in just one fruit! The fruit is also an excellent source of fibre, which keeps the diges-tive system in check, and is low on calories. Just make sure to not eat too many at once, the fruit is known to be high in fructose! READ MORE

Persimmons Fruit

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil1 Tsp. salt1 Tsp. cinnamon1⁄4 Tsp. cayenne pepper¼ tsp. garlic powder

Instructions:

• Pre heat the oven to 175C.• Peel and cut the sweet potato into fry sized strips and mix in the oil.• Mix all the seasonings together in a separate small bowl then pour it over

the fries and mix everything well.• Spread the fries out an a baking sheet and put them in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, turning them around after 10 minutes.

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PYP panto show

PYP Students had a great time at the PYP Panto show put together for them by PYP faculty and dr. robert brindley, as the magic violin!

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PYP panto show

On Wednesday, December 12, the story of Jack and the Beanstalk was brought to life hilariously in the AISB theater. What a treat!

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Secondary lunch lounge

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Secondary lunch lounge

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stuff the bus

The M.A.D. Service group thanks you for your wonderful support with this Service activity! How was Stuff the Bus this year, you ask?

Here are some pictures!

Over 530 bags left aisb on the bus to berceni!

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stuff the bus

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what’s new at

TOP 5 MOVIES TO WATCH DURING THE HOLIDAYS

by Niki B. | December 8, 2018

Blankets, pillows, and a cup of hot chocolate. What a great way to spend your winter break! Add in a nice Christmas movie, and you’ve got yourself the perfect night. It was tough, but we managed to come together and narrow down our top 5 recommendations based on genre, to give all our readers the chance to get in the spirit. READ MORE

It’s that time of year again: weeks of sub-zero temperatures, thick snow, and even thicker sweaters. The perfect season to cozy up indoors and read The Bite. Since the last newsletter, students have been working hard to produce a wide variety of articles. Below, you’ll find links to some winter-inspired stories, as well as a recap of the CEESA Middle School Boys tournament. Head over to thebite.aisb.ro for more school news, as well as human interest pieces and even quizzes. Happy Holidays from everyone at The Bite. See you next year!

DON’T KNOW WHERE TO GO THIS WINTER BREAK? HERE ARE OUR TOP 5 DREAMY DESTINATIONS

by Yarina M. | December 9, 2018

Excited to go skiing and feel the frosty flakes hit your face as you fly down the mountain? Ready to relax by the beach and to bathe in the crystal clear waters and sunshine? Want to go shopping in any shopper’s wonderland? Well, regardless of your vacation style, here are our top 5 sugges-tions on where to go this winter break.

READ MORE

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visit our website and if you have a story or a topic you want us to write about, go to the “Contact Us” page and send us a message.

STUFF THE BUS IS BACK AT AISB TO SUPPORT FAMILIES IN BERCENI

by Flora P. | November 29, 2018

The snow is back, and Christmas is approaching. Once again, it’s time for AISB students to bring a little warmth to Berceni. Next Friday, on the 7th of December, all participating students will stuff the bus with bags of food to send to the disadvantaged fami-lies in the village.

Students from EC2 to Grade 6 will be provided with Mega Image bags and lists of food items to buy in their advisories/homerooms. Although not manda-tory, older students can also participate in this event as well, by taking a bag and a list from Ms. Hofman’s office (first floor, next to the secondary office).

READ MORE

2018 CEESA MS BOYS FOOTBALL RECAP

by Mario P. | December 4, 2018

Earlier this month, our Middle School Vampires hosted the annual CEESA Football Tournament for the first time in five years. All AISB’s teams participated (A, B, C and D), along with other CEESA teams from Moscow, Kiev, Prague, Skopje and Sofia.

Some CEESA giants didn’t show up at the tour-nament, like Istanbul and Warsaw. AISB Athletics and Sports Director David Hughes explains that it’s because “there are so many CEESA schools now, we have tournaments running at the same time.” The missing teams participated in the sis-ter tournament in Vienna. READ MORE

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bucharest buzz

Lego: Invasion of the Giants

October 20 - February 24, 2018

Fans of Lego should head for the Grand Arena Shopping Centre in Bucharest, where the largest exhibition of Lego in Europe has opened this month. From Saturday (October 20) until February 24, 2019, kids of all ages can stare awe-struck at more than 100 huge Lego models, Lego cities, racetracks and much more. There are 12 themed areas, and a play zone where you can get down to building.

For more information, visit: https://www.invaziagigantilor.ro/en/

Opera: Aida

January 5, 2018

Alexandru Samoilă directs Mihnea Lamatic as the king in Giuseppe Verdi’s classic, with a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Sung in Italian.

For more information, visit:

https://tickets.operanb.ro/event.

php?id=17156&lang=en_US.utf8

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Cobra et Cie. Graphic Art Exhibition

September 28 - January 27, 2018

The Cobra et Cie exhibition brings together graphic art pieces by well-known Belgian artists who contributed to the formation of the CoBrA avangarde group.

For more information, visit: http://www.mnar.arts.ro/en/discover/temporary-exhibitions/275-cobra-et-cie

Winter Story Market/Fair

December 7, 2018 - January 20, 2019

Location: Carol I Park

The fair is open between 10:00 and 20:00 and it features a skating rink, carousel, creative workshops and much more!

For more information, visit:

https://www.gokid.ro/poveste-de-iarna-targ-de-sarbatori-in-parcul-carol-i/

Celebrate 2019: Classical Arias & Dances

January 7, 2018

Brought to you by the Calea Victoriei Foundation, this con-cert will take the spectators on a musical journey, sampling pieces by Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Brahms, Ceaikovski, Bizet, Strauss, Delibes, Gounod and Puccini.

For more information, visit: https://www.eventim.ro/ro/bilete/concertul-extraordinar-de-anul-nou-bucures-ti-teatrul-national-507053/event.html

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parent ads

we have created a space where members of our community can connect, make recommendations, seek advice and advertise.

send us your 20-70 words ads to acostiniu@aisb.ro before the 20th of every month and they will appear in this section.

“Romania Through The Lenses of Expat Women”

Started in 2010 by a group of expat ladies, all keen amateur photographers from 20 different nationalities, this project is now at its tenth edition. We are looking for participants who want to combine their passion for photography with their desire to give something back to the country they are living in. We do that by printing a photo book with our pictures and organizing an exhibition. All participants cover the cost of book publishing and exhibition photos printing. The money generated through sponsorships, book sales, and the photo exhibition auction go directly to our nominated charities. We are a non-governmental, non-profit organization. Our goal is to support local charities and help people in need throughout Romania. In the past years we raised yearly over 15,000 Euros for our charities. Throught the years we’d helped: Fundatia Princepesa Margareta, Second Chance, Usa deschisa, Casa Ioana, Valentina Romania , Association of Our Lady of Mercy in Romania, Parada, Light into Europe - Romania , Fundatia Inocenti, Touched Romania, Atelier Fara Frontiere, Te Aud Romania, Ana si Copii, and SCUT.For those interested, please contact Carina Teodorov (AISB) carina_teodo@hotmail.comor Edi (BSB)eapi-etrzyk@gmail.com.

Photographs of Bucharest from Motography - 10% discount for the AISB Community

Dentestet Kids and Teens & World Class discount cards available at the admissions & external relations office

Dentestet for Kids and Teens (dentistry services) and World Class Club discount cards are still available at the Admissions & External Relations office. Our gracious sponsors, preoccupied with our good health, have supplied plenty of discount cards for the community. Come and pick up your own! If you would like it sent through your child, please email Catalina at catalina@goaisb.ro .

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Dentestet for Kids and Teens (dentistry services) and World Class Club discount cards are still available at the Admissions & External Relations office. Our gracious sponsors, preoccupied with our good health, have supplied plenty of discount cards for the community. Come and pick up your own! If you would like it sent through your child, please email Catalina at catalina@goaisb.ro .

the month ahead

9-10

15

10

11

17-18

22

24

25

27-29

29

18

30-3

7

11

january 2018

School Resumes

Personal Project Exhibition

schoolwide pyp secondary

Counselor’s Corner

EC Parent Coffee

Language Development in the Early Years

Spoken Word Poetry

18-20

18-20

30-3

31-3

31 University Process Phase II

HS Basketball Boys Team Building

HS Basketball girls Team

Building

U 1 1 B a s k e t b a l l Classic @ AISB

Parent info ses-sion for students

on winter season

Unification Day - No School

Unification Day - No School

THIMUN

MYP New Parent Session

MS Band & Strings - riga

MS Choir - Moscow

M S M at h C o u n t s - Belgrade

31 PYP For Parents Advanced Workshop

(concept and ATLs)

P T O G e n e r a l Meeting

v i s i t o u r w e b s i t e t o f i n d o u t e v e ry t h i n g yo u need to know about aisb!