March 2012 Volume 2, Issue 2

The world’s most trusted source for K&H News

Ho there scallywags! The theme for March and April be Pirates! So keep a close eye on your booty and get some practice talking with a pirate yarr! The sea of phonics be ripe with plunder, but beware not to

fall into Davie Jones’ trap or look into the eye of the Kraken.

This be a good time to brush up on your nautical skills. “Poopdeck” may not be the only term that will get a laugh from the kiddies.

As you know, this is my first month as the editor of the K&H Teachers’ Newsletter.

The K&H Teachers’ Newsletter relies on the contributions of our own staff (that’s you!). This is your newsletter, so the help you give is greatly appreciated. I hope you find that the opportunity to write is an opportunity that you will enjoy.

Articles this month range from teacher introductions to articles of interest for your reading pleasure. The K & H newsletter has something for everyone.

If you have something interesting to write about, do it. Interesting writing is interesting reading!

A note from the Editor

In This issue

Staff

Writings

2

3

4

5

K & H Staff Profiles: Susan Yue

Game/ Drill Follow the Flash Cards

The Dirt on Mud

Reflections of Chinese New Year

Take a journey to Newsletter Island

Captain Dave schools two K&H buccaneers on the new Teacher site Where to Get Entertained

New Teachers/ Staff

6 Pool Team Report

7

Staff Photo/Calendar

9

12

K&H International School Volume 2, Issue 2

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Focus on K&H Staff: Susan Yue, Teacher Supervisor at People’s Square/ Laoximen

Campus Profile: People’s Square

Laoximen

Susan Yue is the teacher supervisor at the Laoximen campus. She spoke with the TNL about herself, her campus, and her philosophy of teaching.

About herself – Susan is from Heilongjiang Province in the north. She is easy going, fast-talking, and kind. She loves her job and working with children. She also loves communicating with parents.

About the recent move - Susan said that everyone seems to be happy. The parents are happy because they have a place to rest now, while waiting for their children to finish class.

Susan takes this opportunity to help parents by listening to them and giving them advice on interacting with children, based on her years of teaching young learners. She also shows the parents activities and videos that the students learn.

About the staff: Susan thinks of her staff as a happy family. She says that the staff works hard together, sharing their teaching experience. She tries hard to help her teachers.

She endeavors to give new teachers a warm welcome because she wants every one to get along well. If the staff gets along, they will have a happy work environment, something that Susan believes is vital.

On K&H: She likes working for K&H and likes the system of the books. She likes the idea of DVD’s integrated with the curriculum and the spelling taught to the students.

On Management: Susan loves Fionn and her ability to analyze a situation and find a workable solution right away. She also said that Celine has brought a clear system to K&H, encouraging teachers to have fantastic classes.

- - Campus profile - -

Classrooms: 15

Students: 190

Chinese teachers: 10

Foreign teachers: 4

Moved to current location on Feb. 27th

Principal: Niko

Address: 767 Xizangnan Lu (Xizan South Road)

Directions: From Laoximen station, take exit 8 and walk straight towards Yolo, one or two blocks.

Teacher’s Newsletter March 2012

3

Follow the Flash Cards by Randy Hedges

All Points bulletin

Wanted

The above picture is based on a witness description of a student who allegedly hit a teacher in the groin. The teacher is quoted as saying, “Arrgghhh!” and then going back to teach his class. The student is considered sugared-up and dangerous.

The Pen Thief

This notorious villain has been on the loose since the invention of the pen. Yes, even those fancy schmancy quills were the object of many a mysterious disappearance in a time not too long ago. The thief is said to be bipedal and has two quick hands. Be on the lookout, and keep your pens under close watch.

I have one very popular drill, game, whatever you want to call it. The kids love it because it gets them excited, and it gets them running. I call it "Follow the Flashcards".

Usually, I pick two kids to stand up and tell me what the flashcard is. After hearing both of them say it (and if need be, correcting whoever is having trouble with the pronunciation), I take a big step to the side and twist, changing the flashcard as I do it. They come running around to see what the next FC is and call it out. Make sure you change the FC after you arrive or they will be calling it out before they come around to you.

Keep shifting directions quickly making them guess where you are going next. They will run their hearts out and love every moment of it.

Two things you should be cautious of:

First is that some kids will try to grab onto you and/or your clothing so I have to clear their hands away before turning. I had one kid grab the back of my pants once just as I went to turn, he went flying and that was the end of that game for the day.

The other thing to watch out for is the other kids that are still seated get so excited that it becomes difficult to get them to sit down until their turn, or the ones who have completed their turns don't want to sit down.

I hope this helps those who are looking for new games.

K&H International School Volume 2, Issue 2

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Bon Bon de Terres

a mixture of mud and other ingredients

Photo from synnove.net

Everyone knows they have probably eaten a little dirt in their lives, likely to the dismay of their mothers. Today as adults we look back and wonder what we could have been thinking. Dirt is, well… dirty; the stuff that we walk on and avoid getting on anything we want to keep clean. Try as hard as we might, the stuff is unavoidable. Eating dirt is and has been a part of human behavior for centuries not only for its nutritional value but also for its aid in defending against disease. Only in recent centuries has western culture shunned the concept of consuming soil, yet the practice carries on in many places in the world.

Continued on page 10

The Dirt on Mud by Dalyce

Davey Jones’ Locker – the locker at the bottom of the sea where pirates go when they die at sea.

Booty – meaning treasure, not the other thing

Pillage – to rob, ransack, and otherwise loot

Aye – meaning ‘yes’ or ‘I agree’

Lad, las, lassie – terms for kids

Bucaneer, Bucko – a pirate

Head – a pirate bathroom

Poopdeck – far rear part of the deck, not the ‘head’.

Savvy – as in “do you understand?” or “OK?”

The colors – the pirate flag

Shipshape – orderly and clean, under control

PIRATE LINGO

Ahoy there, mateys! Scallywags and Seadogs

alike should raise the colors upon hearing ‘land ho!’ For these buccaneers mean to pillage and gain booty before goin’ down to Davey Jones’ Locker.

With the pirate theme comes the lingo of the pirates. Here is a reminder of some of the lingo you may want to integrate into your pirate persona:

Yarr! – The popular pirate cry and call for attention.

Ahoy! – the pirate version of ‘hello’

Avast ye! – pay attention

Matey – pirate talk for friend

Scallywag – a friendly pirate insult, usually spoken from captain to subordinate

Sea dog – a seasoned seafarer. This can have negative and positive connotations.

Land Ho! – “Hey, look! There’s the land!”

Shiver me timbers! – OMG!

Teacher’s Newsletter March 2012

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Chinese New Year Celebration Did you have enough fireworks?

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian (Chinese: 年; pinyin: Nián). Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk, eventually captured the Nian. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's Mount. The Myth

Hongjun Laozu was the monk who is told about in the myth of Chinese New Year. He was the person who captured Nian, the great beast that terrorized the people of China every Chinese New Year.

Every Chinese New Year was a time of suffering and fear for the people of China because of Nian, the great beast. One Chinese New Year's Eve, a monk named HongJun LaoZu came to a village in China. He saw how everyone looked sad and frightened, so he went to a young man and said "Why are you so sad? It is Chinese New Year, a time for celebration." The man replied, "Do you not know? Have you not heard about Nian? He comes every New Year and terrorizes us, even eats us." The monk said, "I will go and reason with Nian." So off he went, to find Nian.

Reflection on Chinese New Year By Hugo

When HongJun LaoZu came to Nian, he said, "Nian, I have come to reason with you. Stop eating and terrorizing the people of China." But Nina Said "HoHo. You have delivered yourself to me old man now I will eat you." "Oh, but what will that prove? Eating me isn't great! Would you dare to eat the poisonous snakes on the mountains?" "Bah! What's so difficult about that?" So Nian went to the poisonous snakes and ate them up. "How is this? Am I not great?" "At the back of the mountain there are many great beasts. Can you subdue them?" So Nian went and scared all of the dangerous beasts out of the back of the mountain.

"Old man, now its time for me to eat you!" "OK just wait while I take my clothes off, I will taste much better then". So the old man took his clothes off to reveal his undergarments, which were red. "OK you can eat me now." But Nina said "Ah! A red undergarment! I dearly hate red, get out of my sight quickly." "Ha-Ha! I knew you were afraid of red!" so the old man went into the town on top of Nian and said "Dear villagers, do not be afraid. Nian is most terrified of red. From now on each house must paste red on each of their doors to prevent Nian creating havoc."

After that, the people started to paste red paper on their front doors before new years day.

March 2012 Volume 2, Issue 2

Tell you a little bit about myself, I don’t get asked this question too often, so…

My name is Brett Findlay, I’m from Melbourne, Australia, I’ve just turned 32. You could say I got bitten by the travel bug a little later than others, but have been making up for lost time.

I spent the previous 10 years in various fields of construction and agriculture. Growing up in Melbourne has given me a lot of exposure to social aspects of society like arts, sports, music, different cultures and food.

Being from that part of the world and country, you could say I’m a bit sports MAD, watching and participating. Aussie rules is the sport at the top of my list and Essendon Bombers is the team I follow. I’ve spent the last 2 or so years teaching and traveling through Asia with my better half, Kirsten Whitford, also a teacher at K&H. Meeting and making lifelong friends along the way.

If you told me 3 years ago that this would be my life, I’d tell you to get your head checked. It’s funny where life takes you, as long as you let it. On a last note,

Focus on: New K & H Staff!

Brett and Kirsten in the distant land of Osaka

I do also enjoy a good scotch, in good company, at the end of the day. Cheers!

Brett Findlay – Juiting Campus

HI everybody! I’m Kirsten, from Canada.

I’ve noticed that there are many Canadians here in China. I began traveling at the age of 24. I'm now 29. I love experiencing all that the world has to offer and am very much a kinesthetic learner. I was born in Toronto, Canada and am the eldest of 3 girls. I am a jack of all trades but have always been drawn to teaching. My parents have video footage of me as a child stating that "I want to be a teacher when I grow up" and conducting

Kirsten Whitford– Jinqiao (Pudong) Teacher

lessons with the local neighbourhood kids. After a lot of exploration, I’ve finally found my calling.

I was fortunate to meet the man of my dreams along the way and kidnap him along for the adventure. We met in Australia and then again in the U.S and have been traveling together in Asia ever since. His name is Brett Findlay and we’re both very lucky to work for the same company, but at different campuses.

I love to dance and be creative. After living in Vietnam, it’s been refreshing to see the creativity that emerges from Shanghai. I love learning as well and am in the process of earning a Masters degree. I look forward to learning Chinese as well. That’s the short of it. I look forward to meeting those of you who might be reading this now.

New Principals and Supervisors at K & H

Tracy – Baoshan Principal

Dora – Pudong Principal

Ada – Pudong Principal

Lisa – Jingan Principal

Peter – Yangpu Principal

Sofia – Channing Supervisor

Be sure to give a warm welcome to all the new K&H Staffers.

Ahoy there Matey! Welcome to K&H! We be on a voyage of phonics,

vocabulary, and grammar!

Teacher’s Newsletter March 2012

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Pool League: K&H Staffers Behind the 8-Ball

A Note from JP Teacher at Tianlin Campus

Hello everyone! As most of you already know,

I’m the captain of one of the two teams (competitive and “for fun”) our company is supplying in a pool league. I’ve decided to use the FNL to remind you the basics of the 8-ball game.

8-ball (also called “Hi-Low” or “Stripes and Solids”) is the most popular pool game. The rules are simple and the game is colorful. Bust the rack using your stick and the white ball, choose solids or stripes, and fire away, pocketing the 8-ball last for the win.

The 8-ball game seems simple at first but performing requires strategy. Top 8-ball demands more creative thinking plus cleverer shot sequencing with precise control of the cue ball, too.

Your objective as expanded upon in the 8-ball rules, is to pocket your set of object balls

Be patient! That your time between each shot! This way, you get more focus and your aim should be better ;)

Practice! Next time you go to a bar, use this opportunity to practice your play. Practice makes perfect ;)

Even if the league has already

started, I’m always looking for new players to join our nice crew!

League Information:

Team Name: City Bull

Location: Varies week to week

Home Location: City Bull on Hongmei Pedestrian Street (Laowaijie)

Benefits: Each bar has a special for the pool league the night of the match. Sometimes it’s extended happy hour or a deal on food. You also get to have fun playing pool with good people.

League Fee: None (It’s free to play)

For more information, e-mail me at: jpgarand@hotmail.com

Pictured Above: K&H Teachers (From Left to Right): Osman, Cece, JP, Randy (sitting), Dalyce, and Steven

K&H International School Volume 2, Issue 2

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puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com onestopenglish.com eslcafe.com/idea infoplease.com

esl.about.com/cs/grammar skyline-english.com manythings.org

Know of more? Let us know so we can add to next month’s newsletter.

TeachersPrintables.net PrintablePaper.net

PrintableFlashCards.net Eslpartyland.com

teachingenglish.org.uk puzzlemaker.com

Resource Websites for Teachers

The apostrophe can be problematic for English learners. It is sometimes even problematic for native English speakers. Follow this simple flow chart to see if you need an apostrophe.

Remember this piece of advice: When in doubt, leave it out!

YES

NO

NO

YES

NO

Is the word a name?

YES

YES YES Is the word a pluralized name? e.g. The Joneses

APOSTROPHE THEN S

Does the word end in the letter s?

Is the base word ‘it’? Is the word possessive?

NO

NO APOSTROPHE

YES

NO

NO

START HERE: Is the word a contraction? e.g. can not = can’t

YES

USE APOSTROPHE

Is the word an omission abbreviation? e.g. gov’t for government or hangin’ for hanging

BOTH ‘S AND ’ ARE ACCEPTABLE Just say the word out loud and determine what you think sounds better. There is no set in stone rule.

APOSTROPHE AT END OF WORD

NO

Gram m ar Corner : The Apostrophe

Teacher’s Newsletter March 2012

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Where to Get Entertained by Bobby De Haast

After being a big fan of cartoons in my younger years, I never watched much TV back home and figured I wouldn't miss it out here either. Sorta wrong. Unless you have a satellite feed hooked up in your home I assume your TV options in Shanghai are limited to ICS. In my opinion this channel is as one sided as the Shanghai Daily newspaper. Not worth it. The demand for entertainment from back home grew steadily. Besides the series I already watch, I found myself looking for more on demand fluff series.

I need some light entertainment, the kind you could stumble upon by flipping through TV channels back west. The shows you don't go out of your way to watch but are secretly very entertaining. Especially on a slow “Sunday”.

This was my

motivation to find alternatives to TV. Whatever your angle though, here are some options you have to get your entertainment on.

A solid site that does require downloading (torrents) is http://eztv.it/. This site posts downloadable torrents of episodes of TV series that came out that day. If you just read “torrents” and heard a record scratch and stop in your head, there are alternatives.

A site I recently got turned onto is http://yourtvseries.eu/ . It also updates TV series everyday, although slightly less extensive as eztv. An advantage of yourtvseries.eu however, is that you can stream the episodes directly from the site. The loading time is, especially for China, great and the video quality is generally perfect. Another extra is that you can load these videos while connected to internet and watch the episode later when you are not, as long as you don't shut the browser.

These are the international sites I use

because they are up to date and have the shows I like.

There are also local alternatives like http://www.pps.tv/ and http://video.baidu.com/ . These sites also stream video, probably quicker as well, but don't deliver the same ease of use and range of choice. Whatever you might choose to use, I hope these links provide some of you with some well missed entertainment!

We may have found this chest of gold, but I still can’t stream the last episode of Game of Thrones season 1 on this lost island!

K&H International School Volume 2, Issue 2

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Photo from guerillascience.co.uk

continued from page 4 handle a lot. For that tyke that can’t keep his hands out of the garden, he is getting ready for a lifelong onslaught of bacteria.

Geophagy is very common in warmer climates where food born pathogens are prevalent. Through eating dirt people can prepare their stomachs for bacteria that hides in their food. In poorer nations where food quality is low and there is an unavailability of medicines, dirt can be a supply of nutrients and a way to stem hunger and stomach issues.

Have a stomach ache? I’d suggest going to a doctor. But if you are feeling brave, hungry, or it’s a long time until payday, get yourself a shovel. As for myself, I think I will stick to rice.

such as shortening, salt, or sugar. I don’t believe you will be seeing mud pies or mud cookies on grocery shelves anytime soon though, so don’t get too excited.

The most common occurrences of geophagy are found in young children and pregnant women. The reason for consumption lies in the multitude of life that lives in just a little bit of dirt. The nearly harmless bacteria challenge the bodies’ immunity, strengthening natural defenses. In today’s society cleanliness is highly valued and the body is rarely challenged by disease. This leads to a weakened immune system that is prone to infection and sickness. Through intake in pregnancy a mother is arming her child with an immune system that can

The practice of eating dirt, also known as geophagy, is a part of human nature. Commonly geophagy is found in rural-based societies, where it is found in impoverished nations and even in the American South. To many cultures, the earth is sustenance. Eating dirt is just another way to gain nutrients or defenses directly from the source. Furthermore, the practice is passed down through generations, from one mother to the next. Though modern science and ideas would try and change this, many cultures maintain their traditions.

I do not recommend walking outside, grabbing a handful and scarfing it down, though. That’s just gross. An important factor in the consumption of dirt is the type and where it is found. Cultures that practice geophagy ensure that the soil is not contaminated, digging far from places with pesticides, toilets, or rot. Consumers dig deep in special areas where known nutrients lie. Soil is even available for purchase, boiled and packaged for those that are a bit more squeamish. In Haiti there is a dish known as “bon bon de terres”, cookies made from clay that have had other ingredients mixed in

Teacher’s Newsletter March 2012

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C a p t i o n T h i s ! A c o n t e s t o f w i t

This month, The K&H Teachers’ Newsletter brings you a contest. Here’s a little photo I took of the head of the Willy costume donned by a K&H staffer.

Your objective: write the caption for this photo.

The prize: Issue’s prize is a bottle of wine. And fame. Don’t forget fame.

Send in your captions to sdfielerjr@yahoo.com. The winner will be announced in the next newsletter.

N D J C A N P E Y C X K Y R N K X W O A E O X A T L A L R J E N R E T W E N G F H Y L R U A L G P Z O R U J A H W R T N I A K N D I A M C N N V P C O O O B N E L O D E W B P E O V W E O S B M N Y R O K E U Y O L D P J B D E O C N Y D A O O R D P T M B O A A F Q O L I C E S W J N Z O D L B N E H V L J P A J P U S A C K F A W K C K O S U W C T J P A C O M D C P Q E J S C A W B Q P S S N A J A K J A C K S P A R R O W A P O H E Y B N A M Y M M U G D E G S C T A X Z E A Y U N B U N T F A A E T T L A I A P I L L A G E Y L L I S T O F P K R P X E Z G C K E E Y A Y I C I W S D H V L C Z H L C J P R H I L F N C T Y L T H G I N K A R E I K U U S X J

T h e P i r a t e s o f K & H W o r d F i n d

Twenty words are hidden above. They are words relating to K&H or to pirates. Enjoy finding them. The answers will be printed in the next newsletter.

K&H International School Volume 2, Issue 2

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K and H Foreign Teachers.

Back Left to Right - Robert (CN), John (PD), Eric (XZ), Guy (TL), Phillip (TL), JP (TL), Dave (CN), Brett (JT), Ellen (HK), Mark (HK), Jorge (HK), Sacha – looking through Willy (CN), Daniel (TL), Nathan (PD), Randy (PD), Matt (LXM), Kristan (PD), Isaac (LXM), Cece (XZ), Steven (TL), Bill (HK), Bob (XZ), Anthony (BS), Dalyce (XZ) Front Left to Right - Robert (HO), Dave (XZ), Willy & Silly, Cristian (BS), Hugo (JT), Peter (PD), Arthur (PD)

K and H Foreign Teacher Staff Training Photo

Coming up:

March 29th – FT training at Laoximen Campus 12:00 noon to 2:00

April 4th – Tomb Sweeping Holiday

April 6th – All Teacher Training (Location TBD)

April 10th – Payday/ Social

April 27th – All Teacher Training (Location TBD)

May 1st – Labor Day

May 2nd – All Teacher Training (Location TBD)