Winter 2014

A piece of Europe in Taiwan

OPEN HOUSE EVENT想讓孩子在快樂的氣氛下成長嗎？

想讓孩子自然地學會多國語言嗎？

想讓孩子更有多元文化的包容力嗎？

想讓孩子更具有國際觀並有國際社交能力嗎？

幫孩子準備好未來

不如讓孩子為自己打造一把開啟未來的鑰匙

想要親身體驗台北歐洲學校德國部的獨特之處

感受我們為孩子打造的快樂且國際化的學習環境

歡迎參加「台北歐洲學校德國部說明會」

除了深度的台北歐洲學校德國部介紹

現場還限量提供德國美食、精采音樂演出與親子遊戲

誠摯邀請您與孩子來參加

共享音樂、美食、嘉年華，愉快而獨特的德國體驗

台北歐洲學校德國部說明會時間：2015年1月31日(星期六)下午二時

地點：台北歐洲學校德國部

台北市士林區文林路727號

報名方式：02-8145-9007 分機：1301／2301 Email：chihchin.huang@tes.tp.edu.tw

Taipei European School German SectionOpen House EventDate：2:00 pm Saturday 31st January 2015

Venue：Taipei European School German Section No.727 WenLin Road, ShiLin, Taipei

Registration：02-8145-9007 ext.1301/2301 chinchin.huang@tes.tp.edu.tw

Would you like to have your child study in a happy learning environment with other international students?

Would you like your child to be able to be naturally fluent in several languages?

Would you like your child to gain confidence in an international and multicultural atmosphere?

Would you like your child to be a global citizen with worldwide networking and social skills?

Let your child develop their own international success story in a European setting.

If you would like to experience the uniqueness of the Taipei European School German Section and better understand how a happy international learning environment operates, please join us at our “Taipei European School German Section Open House Event”.

In addition to a comprehensive introduction about the German School Section, we also offer delicious German food, live music, games and activities.

OPEN HOUSE EVENT

IndexLanguages at TES P04 – P05Happy Birthday French Section P06 – P07A Tasty Week P08Let’s Try Opera P09Educational Services P10 – P12Terry Fox Run P13 – P15Classic Chinese Six Arts Reborn at TES P16 – P17Interactive Learning Diary P18 – P19TES Pupils Play Chess Morning, Noon and Knight P20 – P21Christmas Bazaar 2014 P22 – P23Learning beyond the Classroom:Terrific Trips P24 – P26

www.taipeieuropeanschool.com

Over the past 12 months I have had the opportunity to talk with many parents, staff and students about their experiences with Chinese Language at TES. It is clear that our CLC (Chinese Language and Culture) programme holds an important place in our academic and cultural provisions and it’s fair to say that it is one of the major strategies in helping us achieve the mission of our school which is to provide “European Culture and Values within a Taiwanese Context”.

Interestingly there are some common themes coming through in these conversations and these are backed up by our own internal observations. The most important of these are that; Chinese is the most popular language option at both primary and secondary, the expectations of parents change as students move from primary to secondary and students’ ability to be truly bilingual in conversational and academic Chinese drop off dramatically as they progress through the years. Students in the French and German Sections study multiple languages at primary and secondary with a high degree of success and a growing number of parents in the British Section are interested in this option.

As parents and students begin to make choices for their

children’s programme in secondary the place of Chinese becomes an extremely important decision in creating a balanced subject selection. I have outlined some of the factors which many students face entering into IGCSE and IB.

University Destinations In my experience many TES parents are already focusing on their child’s University destination as early as primary school. In fact the vast majority of parents choose TES because we provide a gateway to the world’s universities and not just those in Taiwan and Mainland China. Almost by default then, we assume that young people aiming for the very best universities in China and Taiwan are drawn towards those local schools who have Chinese as their medium of instruction and those heading to Europe, North America or Australia/ New Zealand for example will be drawn to TES because we have English, French and German as our languages of instruction. It is rare for students to graduate from TES and be able to study in local universities particularly if those degree courses are taught in Chinese.

Chinese as a subject The IB Diploma requires students to study six subjects, including two languages. It is important that students’ subject selections are geared towards their personal strengths as well as their tertiary aspirations. The majority of TES students opt to study English as their first language and either Chinese, Spanish, German or French as their second language. However, students can choose any language offered at TES to study as their first language (so long as they are appropriately proficient), and for the small number of students who join our High School directly from a local Taiwanese school, the first language Chinese courses are excellent options. All IB subjects are of equal importance and are marked against the same 7 point scale. So regardless of what languages a student chooses to take, they will be opting for a rigorous and

chal lenging learning experience - there are no easy subject choices!

Conversational and Academic Language We often find children who come to us with English as an Additional Language are fluent in conversational but struggle with academic language. This is also true for children who have French or German as additional rather than native language. For us at school, academic language is the technical terms or phrases we use in particular subjects and often represents the most difficult part of that subject. Students, therefore, who choose a language to study need to understand the literature requirements as well as the conversational elements of the language. Most importantly they need to determine if that language is required for their university of choice or particular course of study. Our staff are well equipped to help students with these choices.

Languages in Primary To assist students make good language choices in secondary school our primary leadership teams have begun looking at ways to enhance the exposure students get to a range of languages. Our French and German Sections have well developed multiple language programmes but at this stage our British primary only has opportunities for Chinese. We are currently looking into offering other European languages alongside of Chinese as an option. This will also have the added advantage of greater collaboration across sections.

Chinese Language ReviewIn 2010 the Chinese programme at TES was reviewed in consultation with Dr Xiaoping Wang, one of the world’s leading authorities in teaching Chinese in International schools. As a result, provision time increased to daily lessons for primary students and a four-pathway structure was implemented to cater for non-native, second language and near native speakers as well as for students who value the experience of linguistic and cultural exposure in the Taiwanese community. As the new Chinese programme runs into its fourth year and

the demand for Chinese as a subject continues to be strong, we feel it is time to conduct a second review to look at the programme itself and the quality of teaching and learning occurring at both primary and secondary.

The second Chinese review is a single subject review, in which the review team members serve as critical friends to help identify success, challenges and ways forward. Student learning experiences will be an important focus. The following areas may also be explored: progress made so far, curriculum and pathway structure, assessment strategies, articulation between key stages, pedagogy and resources, with a particular emphasis on the use of textbooks.

A key feature of the review will be to look at parental expectations of the programme. The Heads of Sections recently agreed that they would like to run a survey of parents of all four sections to gauge parental opinions on languages across the school and in particular parental opinions around our Chinese language provision. TES parents will receive information from their respective Head of Section after the Christmas break on how they can participate in the online survey. I am very happy to announce that Dr. Xiaoping Wang, from the English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong, will again lead the review to be conducted in March 2015; and he will be joined by Prof. J Y Chen from National Taiwan University, and Michael Conway who is the IB coordinator of the International School of Tianjin, China.

I know you will join me in welcoming the review team in March, and also thank our Chinese Language and Culture teachers for their continued hard work in serving the needs of our learners in Chinese language and culture.

LANGUAGES AT TESChinese Language Review and Foreign Language Programme Developments

Dr. Allan WestonChief Executive Officer

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This year TES’s French Section is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The original école française de Taipei welcomed its first students to the premises in Yanmingshan in August 1989. The school was founded to meet the needs of expatriate French families looking for a quality French education for their children. It has grown from a handful of French pupils receiving lessons in a residential home to its current record high of close to 220 students from a variety of countries learning as part of the TES community.

The French Sect ion kicked off i ts anniversary celebrations in September with the first of its Cultural Thursday events - a concert of French songs performed by Anne Dewees and Klaus Bluetner. October ’s Cultural Thursday was a storytelling evening with Derek Boixiere, while November’s event is a wine-tasting evening, hosted by Mark Pygott.

October also saw the French Section’s second annual Semaine du Goût (Week of Taste) celebrations, with

children from the Section participating in food and taste-related workshops all week long, from sushi making to the art of the sandwich, tea-tasting to Madeleine baking. Some of the classes were also lucky enough to have visits to and from some of Taipei’s best French restaurants: Aux champs sur Marne, La Creperie and L’atelier Robuchon! To finish up the Semaine du Goût and tie it back to the 25th anniversary of the Section, Stephanie Froissart, one of the Section’s mums, made a magnificent cake for TES staff at the primary campus,

while Dr. Allan Weston, CEO of TES, unveiled the first of the pupil posters to commemorate the anniversary.

Keep your eyes open for other events lined up during the year to celebrate this important anniversary – the entire TES community is welcome!

25Happy Birthday French Section!

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In September the French Section primary classes celebrated their second annual ‘Semaine du Goût’ – an entire week dedicated to the most French of concepts – taste!

From PS to CM2 every class had a week of wonderful culinary and tasting experiences, with plenty of parents coming in and showing off their cooking skills! PSMS did daily ‘ateliers cuisines’; different parents came in to help each morning. They finished the week with a picnic on the lawn outside their classroom. The MS bilingual and GS classes also spent the week doing flavoursome workshops with plenty of parent input: tea-tasting, dumpling and sandwich making being just a few of the activities they took part in. The CPi class baked bread, had food-tasting workshops in class and a joint petit déjeuner français with the CPj class to close the end of the week.

The entire Junior building was overwhelmed by the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen as it was taken over by CPj to bake madeleines and chocolate cake, by CE1 to bake muffins, and by CE2 and CM2 to make pizza.

This year, the French Section was delighted to see so many restaurants get involved in the Week of Taste. Mr. Tran from Aux Champs sur Marne returned to the junior kitchen to work with the CE1, CM1 and CM2 classes. CPj had a sushi masterclass with Anthony’s dad from Ton 28. CE2 visited La Creperie in Zhongxiao Dunhua and learnt how to make crepes, while the CM1 class was invited into the kitchen at L’atelier Robuchon!

Merci beaucoup to everyone who took part for making the week such a huge success again this year.

This school year the French Section quatrieme class have embarked on an exciting new project in partnership with the CM1 class from the primary campus called ‘Osons l’opera!’ It translates roughly as ‘Let’s try opera,’ and that’s pretty much what they intend to do during the year- try out different styles of Opera and see what they make of it. They have started their operatic journey close to home, by exploring traditional Chinese opera. It’s not exactly something your average 10-15 year old listen to, but their appreciation for this style of music is growing as they learn more about it.

The first part of their project took them to the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts in Neihu to watch a performance by the JingJu Opera Comapny and tour the college museum, building on their knowledge of Beijing opera. Their second outing was a backstage visit to the National Gonguan Opera Company. The students were able to watch the performers’ elaborate make-up and costume preparations from up close, before taking their seats at the front of the house to watch the first part of a traditional opera.

Later that same week, the Gonguan company came to TES and led dance, martial arts, costume and make-up workshops with the two classes. They even transformed two of the students- Josh from CM1 and Anissa from 4eme into Chinese opera characters with full make-up and costume.

Their operatic calendar is full for the rest of the year with visits and performances by other Chinese opera groups and an introduction to classical, European opera all lined up. And, well, you never know, maybe by the end of the year we’ll have a few opera fans on our hands!

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A Tasty Week!

Let’s Try Opera

The start of the new academic year always brings a lot of change and new opportunities for students across both Primary and Secondary campuses. This year has also seen a big change in the administration too, with the introduction of the ‘Educational Services Department’. Whilst this department manages cafeteria, transportation and nursing services, one of the other key roles is supporting the Extra-curricular Activities (ECA) progamme.

The ECA team:The management of the ECA programme is a very large undertaking and has been managed by a very experienced and dedicated team of coordinators. It is important to recognise them and the work they have

done making such an interesting, varied and high quality ECA programme.

The ECA coordinating team consists of; Mr. Steven Milner (EPC Sports Coordinator), Ms. Edith Kao (EPC Music Coordinator), Ms. Isabelle Rajnfeld (EPC Paid ECA Coordinator), Mr. Kwok Chow (Head of ESC Sports), Mr. Chris Papps (ESC Music Coordinator), and last but not least Mr. Paul Lee (ESC ECA Coordinator).

In order to offer the ECA programme there is also a huge team of faculty and external coaches and teachers that actually conduct the ECAs, so a big thanks to them too.

Supporting Extra-Curricular Activities for Students in 2014-15: Educational Services

The two new additions to this group are Mr. Kerry Nockolds, Director of Educational Services, and Miss Charlotte Liu, Assistant Secretary for Educational Services. Given the huge number of activities and students participating in them, the necessity to provide full administration support to the programme was seen as an important development by the school.

ECAs at the Primary Campus (EPC):

The list of ECAs is both long and varied and to provide a small taste of the ECA programme’s reach, see the story by numbers: •2 Choirs, and 1 Orchestra•121 students taking peripatetic music lessons •234 students taking sports, with another 84 students trying out for FOBISIA•100 students taking arts and crafts•203 students taking various styles of dance; ballet, jazz or street dances•320 students taking other hobby / game activities like: Lego construction science, Magic club, Kidchen club, etc…•47 students taking additional language classes

This represents 1,184 students participating in ECAs every week, which is a pretty fantastic result. In addition, the ECAs give all the children across all sections the chance to work and play together in activities that they share a common interest.

ECAs at the Secondary Campus (ESC):

This year saw the start of a new system of engaging and motivating students to enrol on ECAs, some new and some well-established.

An “ECA Fair” was organised by the staff, which basically entailed; the staff and students, who run the huge variety of activities, setting up stalls and promoting the clubs to the rest of the student body. On the day of the fair, there was a huge turnout by the students who went from stall to stall trying to find out what each ECA was about and whether it was something they would be interested in committing their afterschool time too.

Kerry NockoldsDirector of Educational Services

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With in excess of 40 clubs this year, across a diverse range of sports, music, dance, hobbies, community service, academics and other general interest areas, the student sign up was very good, with increased enrolment in nearly every club compared to the previous year. With some very popular clubs including:

•Model UN – KS3 / IGCSE / IB levels each with 20 students enrolled•Maths Problem Solving: 19 students•Roots and Shoots: 25 students•2 Choirs: 26 students, 2 Orchestras: 40 students, and other music groups like Jazz Band, Rock Band, Flute ensemble, etc… •Peripatetic Music: 33 students•Chinese Drumming: 33 students•Survival Cooking: 15 students•Varsity boys / girls volleyball and football teams: averaging over 20 students per age level•Programming: 26 students

ECA students on display

Across the two campuses, the impressive participation numbers don ’ t adequa te ly show the e f fo r t s , development and enjoyment of the children in their activities. However, some parents have been able to watch their children through their participation in events like the Christmas Bazaar, where the children’s talents were on showcase. We hope you were able to enjoy; the musical talents on show with the choirs and orchestras, the dance moves of the dance teams and a demonstration from the Yoseikan Budo class.

The list of achievements, like our dance team winning the Taipei regional dance competition and representing Taipei in the Taiwan National Dance Competition, barely scratches the surface and you will learn much more as you speak to the children and instructors across the campuses.

Your support at these events is much appreciated by the children and also the team that work behind the scenes!

Terry Fox Terry Fox was a Canadian university student who was diagnosed with bone cancer in his right leg in 1987 and had to have his leg amputated just one week after the diagnosis. Lying in his hospital bed, the night before the life-changing operation, he decided that when he recovered he would run a marathon on his new prosthetic leg. But, in the end, instead of just running one marathon, he decided that he would run a marathon everyday and run across Canada to raise money for cancer awareness and cancer research. Whilst Terry did not reach his goal of running across the entire country, his courageous endeavor that year has never been forgotten. Today, many schools around the world participate in the annual Terry Fox Run to raise money for cancer research.

Taipei European School Terry Fox RunOn November 13th 2014, the Taipei European School had the privilege to continue carrying Terry Fox’s torch so that hopefully one day “the hurting will stop” as Terry once said. The TES held their Terry Fox Run at both campuses, Primary and Secondary, and were fortunate enough to have Terry’s younger brother Darrell fly in from Vancouver, Canada, to kick off both charity runs. Darrell moved all of us when he spoke from the heart about how the pain of losing a sibling (33 years ago) is something that never goes away. Darrell stressed to the students the importance of never quitting, and how hard work will pay off in the end.

Actually, even before Darrell spoke to the students on

Taipei European School Terry Fox Run“Even if I don’t finish, we need others to continue. It’s got to keep going without me,”

Raymond Imbleau, Head of Year 7Cristie Woodall, Year 2 Teacher

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the day of the run, many of our students had had the opportunity of hearing Terry Fox’s younger sister, Judith Fox; speak last year, so they had an idea of who and what the Terry Fox organisation is, and the legendary story behind it. For many of our younger students, hearing about Terry’s courageous dream to run across Canada in the name of cancer research was a first. In the early morning of November 13th before both runs began, Judith Fox sent an email which read:

You are carrying the torch he passed on to all of us collectively when he could no longer continue on his selfless quest – you are the keeper of his promise and the guardian of his legacy. We are so very proud of the incredible effort and positive energy you expend in ensuring that hope lives on in the hearts and minds of cancer patients and their families. Their gratitude for your compassionate action is shared by everyone here at The Terry Fox Foundation.

The Primary School RunChildren from all three sections came together for a Terry Fox Run assembly in October and from that day on, students were encouraged to bring in any amount of money and teachers emphasized that no donation

was too small. It was touching to see children bringing in pocket money and sponsorship forms with the names of family members and friends living here and abroad. Even the youngest students (aged 5) learned what it is to be a small part of something much greater.

On the day of the event, we were joined by Su Yun Geithner (Director, General Relations, Canadian Trade Office, Taipei), and a special representative from the Terry Fox Foundation and family, Darrell Fox. Su

Yun commenced by telling the students how proud Canadians are of Terry Fox, and how we can all uphold his values of perseverance and determination.

The run itself was a huge success with the younger children enjoying the spirit of the day and many of the older students finishing the 5 km run! The students were encouraged to make like Terry and just keep going! Some of them were forced to walk at times, but the smiles on their faces proved it was indeed a success. Well done to all for a concerted, group effort in the name of finding a cure for cancer.

The Secondary School RunThe Secondary students had their Terry Fox 3/7 km walk or run up in Yangmingshan National Park with all three sections also participating in this charitable run.

Our students walked or ran the mountainous route with their heads held high knowing they were making a difference. After all the donations were counted, the amount of money raised by both TES campuses brought the total to approximately 856,073NT, an amount that

all of the TES students and their sponsors should be extremely proud of.

The mission of the Terry Fox Foundation is to raise money for cancer research worldwide, however all the money raised from both TES Terry Fox Runs will remain in Taiwan to sponsor Terry Fox Foundation cancer research projects which are currently ongoing in conjunction with the National Taiwan Science Council.

Aerin Choy - Year 1

“On Thursday we had a Terry Fox run. We were very tired we had to run and run and run but we kept going and not give up because we have to raise money for cancer because Terry Fox did never give up too.I was tired but I was a hero.”

Faris Wienrich – Year 7

Dear Judith and Darrell Fox, I am writing to you from Taipei European School to tell you my experience doing the 3km Terry Fox Run last week. I really appreciate the fact that you came to Taiwan all the way from Canada.

First and foremost, I felt touched by Darrell’s speech and from the excerpts that he read from Terry’s biography. It was very emotional. However, when I heard the next day that we raised over 800,000 NTD in total, it was one of the happiest moments in my life. I didn’t feel at all nervous to ask my parents for money, quite the opposite! Now I know that the saying “Giving is better than receiving,” is true!

Secondly, running up Yangmingshan was an exhilarating experience, with the scenery and the views. I was one of the two students who ran right at the front behind Mr. Darrell Fox. It really was a privilege.

Lastly, I am amazed about Terry’s determination and how much he ran compared to us. Terry was the one who wanted to make a difference, and that the legacy he started has carried on.

Thank you so much for coming to TES from Canada.

Best regards,

Faris Wienrich

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Chinese Six Arts( 六 藝 )is an overarching umbrella of Confucianism, originating thousands of years ago during the Zhou Dynasty, which has become a classic model of whole-person education in Chinese noble societies. The Asia Pacific Six Arts Academy proudly had its début at Taipei European School from October 1st to 3rd this year. Organised by the Chinese Language and Culture Department of the Secondary School and supported by the National Taiwan Normal University, National Taipei University of Education, Ming Chuan University and Asia Pacific Chinese Language Teacher Association, the event featured six types of learning activity in the framework of traditional Chinese scholarship of Six Arts: Relationship (禮 ), Music (樂 ), Martial Arts (射 ), Chariot ( 御 ), Literacy ( 書 ) and Cosmology ( 數 ). We attempted to align the event with modern educational concepts like inter-disciplinary learning, inquiry and open-mindedness. The aesthetic use of language is another feature valued by CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) to highlight the event.

There were 126 participants from International College Hong Kong, Brit ish School Manila, Ruamrudee International School Thailand, Tanglin Trust School

Singapore, International School Beijing, RDFZ XISHAN School Beijing. The participation of three local aboriginal schools, Xin-Yi, Shue-Li and Jeh-Shou, has broadened and deepened the relationship with local communities. Students were mixed according to their choice of arts, with the aim of sharing and learning from each other through their diversity and collaboration.

The event was conducted through workshops in the morning and was enriched by various cultural trips scheduled in the afternoon for the first two days. A total of 36 workshop sessions were carefully designed and delivered by the experienced Chinese professionals from Taipei European School and the supporting universities. Project-based learning and backward-designing were widely incorporated throughout the event to facilitate learning. A plenary session was conducted on the third day for students to showcase their learning outcomes. Students participated fully and appreciated the rich experiences of language learning in an authentic cultural context. They also enjoyed the opportunity of working collaboratively with new friends from diverse learning backgrounds.

Classic Chinese Six Arts Reborn at Taipei European School

Flora SungHead of Chinese Language and Culture - ESC

Francesca Vincenzi from Tanglin Trust School Singapore (Year 11)From the 1st to 3rd of October, I took part in the Asia Pacific Six Arts Academy, where we spent three days immersed in Chinese culture and art, through practical lessons and field trips. The workshop was an excellent way to, not only learn and extend my knowledge of the Chinese language, but to also to connect with other students from around the world who share the same interests. Coming from a very contrasting Italian background and having studied Chinese for the majority of my life, being in Taipei meant that I was able to utilise the language I had learned and hear it being spoken in a natural way, in comparison to in the classroom. 這次的旅行提高了我的語言能力，並讓我體驗到豐富多彩的台灣文化

Kai Clark from International College Hong Kong (Year12)I very much enjoyed the Six Arts workshop, as it helped me understand more about the culture and history behind the Chinese language. During my stay in Taipei, I found my Chinese also improved, as I was surrounded by Chinese, forcing me to focus on speaking and listening Chinese instead of using English.Jade Tsui from Taipei European School (Year 12) On the first day of the Six Arts Academy, the CEO of our school, Dr Weston, said that: “Language is nothing without culture.” I was able to relate to that in the three days of activities. Even though I can speak Chinese fluently, I have never had the chance to learn about the Chinese culture. Throughout school, we’ve always been taught to memorise Chinese characters, but never learned about why they mean certain things. We’ve been told about certain customs during festivals, but never knew where they came from. Being in the Literacy group especially helped me explore certain Chinese legends and how they influenced traditions, which is very valuable and fascinating. Pornpitra (Poupee) Laosirihongthong from Ruamrudee International School Thailand (Grade 7)The workshop I had signed up for was Archery and I learned about many physical activities in Chinese history. I learned how to play the Chinese drum based on the story where the characters were on a journey to find a book. I also had the privilege to learn about dancing and martial arts too. During the three days, I made many new friends from other schools and other countries. I experienced Mandarin in a different way and I hope that I will be able to have an opportunity like this again.Pisa Leelapatana from Ruamrudee International School Thailand (Grade7)I went to Taiwan to attend the Six Arts Academy and I got to visit some museums to learn more about the olden days and the culture of Taiwan. I joined the Cosmology workshop, where we learned about the daily lives and Chinese characters. I really enjoyed the trip very much, because we got to experience the Taiwanese culture ourselves, which is way cooler than doing research. I learned more Chinese characters and how the words were formed. Because Taiwan and Bangkok are different in many ways, I experienced things that I have not before. I made a lot of friends who helped me improve my Mandarin skills. I also got to know other students from Ruamrudee a lot better too. I would really like to go there again next year.Pichayapha (Amy) Sabpisal from Ruamrudee International School Thailand (Grade 8)I had chosen to learn Mandarin of my own free will, but found myself struggling. To be honest, I don’t really know what drove me to go on a trip related to the Chinese language. Maybe I wanted to experience a whole new level of learning Chinese and hopefully find some motivation. The activities encouraged me to learn Chinese through singing and I found myself really enjoying the trip from the very first day I got there. I would definitely go to the Six Arts Academy again if I get the chance to do so.Navin (Int) Nakwek from Ruamrudee International School Thailand (Grade 8)I thought that the trip was very eventful and exciting. The places that we went were really engaging to the students and even to the teachers as well. The “Dance in the sunshine” activity really helped me get my nerves together and get ready for the morning. In our groups I made new friends from other schools and countries and exchanged information about each other’s lives. All in all, I would say that the trip was engaging and worth it.Nattapat (Palm) Harnkumnedpong from Ruamrudee International School Thailand (Grade 8)On September 29, I travelled overseas without my parents, for the first time in my life, to Taipei, Taiwan. I attended the Six Arts Academy. I chose the Chariot Riding, one of the Six Arts. During the program, we learned many things that use a sense of direction, critical thinking, and lots of Chinese. The whole time that I was there, I was constantly trying to use Chinese to communicate with the people and I managed to pick up the culture there too. I also made lots of new friends from other countries. With these new friends I enjoyed the trip even more. Overall, the activities were very good and it was very interesting. It helped me learn more Chinese that I will remember with this awesome experience and I hope that I will have an opportunity like this again someday in the future.

Voices from Participants

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By David Treston, Reception Teacher and Karen M Rowe, Nursery Teacher & Assistant Head of British Primary Section (Foundation)

There’s a digital revolution in the British Sec-tion Foundation Stage …. and this time it’s for the parents and teachers!

What’s the buzz about? The ILD!

The ILD is an acronym for the Interactive Learning Diary. We Brits love acronyms and yes, the ILD is a British creation, used in thousands of schools in the UK and a growing number of British schools abroad.

Accessed as a website or app, this is a portal into each child’s experiences & learn-ing through text, photo, audio and video posts. What does this mean in real terms? That each and every Nursery or Reception child has his or her own mini-blog!

He also notes: The ILD is used by the teachers to make on going observations that they can link to the child’s development. There are stand out features: the teacher can add unlimited photos, audio/video observations that they make of a child.

The parents enjoy looking at the photos, hearing the audios, and seeing the videos posted on the portal. As a teacher I can take a picture/video and instantly upload with an observation. This saves a lot of time with pasting and cutting pictures into a learning journal. I have used the portal during parent teacher meetings to show the progress a child has made. We are hoping this school year to even have more interaction between parents and teachers. And provide more links between home and school in this coming year. It’s an exciting future with the use of the ILD.

Parent’s post on the experience of carving a Jack-o-lantern

Mt Treston comments: “Last school year we started using the online Inter-active Learning Diary and I have found a lot of positive feedback from our parents. They can see very quickly what their child is doing in school. They also feel that they can discuss with their child more about their school life. Parent’s concerns or wor-ries are quickly relieved when they see the interactive learning diary. They can also as parents add their own post, from home and share with the teacher.

Without a doubt, the ILD is a revolutionary way to develop our TES communication platforms. The 24/7 access to support and information, giving a comprehensive pic-ture of a child’s school and home life is invaluable. Additionally, add the pleasure and interest shown by a child when he or she sees their self at play and the reason for going digital is clear. In Foundation Stage, the 21st century is finally here!

For teachers, the offers and innovative way to ILD collect, collate and represent data … our observations are linked to learning steps. These steps create graphs showing pro-gress for each child. The steps also generate reports.

Currently trialling these fea-tures, the ILD for TES may just be (as we Brits say) the best thing since sliced bread!

“This is a great session and it’s a way to see how kids are doing at home and school”.

Parents coming along to our open workshop were given a step-by-step practical session on using the ILD on their own device.

With the ILD company security is paramount. Along with a fully encrypted server (based in the UK) , parents have an activity key and an initial password—both used one time only so that each parent may choose something more memorable.

After completing these re-quirements there was time to explore the various fea-tures of the ILD.

Picking up the pace we cre-ate text and photo posts.

“Hello ILD” and a photo of the presenters turned out to be the clear favourite!

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Chess is one of the most popular activities for children at the TES primary school. In this article, I will discuss some ways in which chess is promoted at TES and I will also explain how you or your child can join one of the many weekend chess competitions around Taipei.

One important way in which chess is promoted at the primary school is through after school clubs. In addition to the free chess ECA, which has around forty regular participants, there are two chess clubs for beginners and another two for more advanced players. The chess club for beginners teaches children who are in the infant school the basics of chess, whilst the advanced chess club prepares stronger players for competition play. One highlight of the chess calendar at TES is the annual primary school chess competition. Over one hundred children took part in this year’s competition and the final, which took place in a packed amphitheatre, was between Ethan Liang from Year 3 and Brendon Chen from Year 4. The audience were able to follow the match on the big screen as the two finalists tried their best to become the primary school champion. After an epic game, which lasted for around two hours, Ethan triumphed and was crowned the primary school’s chess champion.

The biggest competition that TES is involved with is the National Taiwan School and Team Chess Championships. Our Wenlin Road campus hosted this competition for the third successive year on Sunday, 2nd November, when 280 of the best players from around the country came to participate in this prestigious event.

There were six different age ranges for this competition, which meant that all of the members of some TES families were able to participate. The competition for children who are under six-years-old was won by TES in 2013; this year, our team did nearly as well, coming third and carrying home a trophy which was nearly

TES pupils play chess morning, noon and knight!

as big as some of the members of the team who had won it! Altogether, forty-two children and four parents represented TES at the competition and they all did well against some very strong opposition.

If you or your child would like to play in a local chess competition, one way to find about where and when they are being held is to look on the Chase Chess website (http://taipeichess.com). As well as organising regular weekend competitions around Taipei, Chase Chess also has chess lessons in English and Chinese for players of all abilities.

There has been plenty of research done regarding the benefits for children who play chess. Here are ten reasons why you might like to encourage your child to start playing chess:

1.Playing chess improves a child’s concentration span.

2.Chess is an excellent way of developing a child’s memory.3.There is a strong correlation between children who play chess and their maths ability.4.Chess develops children’s capacity to solve problems.5.Playing chess in a club can lead to friendships being formed.6.Children’s reading levels have been shown to improve after learning how to play chess.7.Children who play chess use higher-order thinking skills.8.Some studies have demonstrated that playing chess can boost a child’s IQ.9.Playing chess is fun.10.People who play chess are less likely to go to prison than those who don’t. Not a commonly quoted fact, but true nevertheless!

If you have any questions regarding chess in Taipei, feel free to email me and I may be able to help you!

By Matthew FaggYear 4 Class TeacherYear 3 and 4 Core Curriculum Coordinatormatthew.fagg@tes.tp.edu.tw

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Christmas Bazaar 2014

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At TES we are proud to be able to offer our children a broad and balanced curriculum. In this modern age, where most things are available at the touch of a button, we must also remember to provide ‘real’ learning opportunities for our students and this includes learning beyond the classroom. We are all very fortunate to live in Taipei, a diverse city which offers a wonderful range of places to visit. These interesting and fun educational experiences add great value to our curriculum for our children.

Educational excursions or ‘Field Trips’ as they are known play a huge role in the valuable learning opportunities that we can offer our children. It is through seeing and experiencing, that a child can make ‘real’ sense of the world around them. Not all children can visualize what a book or picture may aim to share so by providing these real hands-on experiences, we can expand children’s learning. Utilizing the rich resources of the local community can help children link their understanding to their experiences which in turn enhance their thinking and arouse their enquiry skills.

The whole experience of going on a trip spreads excitement throughout the children as they engage with their learning more. Children have the chance to travel somewhere with their classmates and sometimes on a mode of transport that they may seldom use. Lasting memories can be built as children experience their learning in a new atmosphere which offers more freedom than the regular classroom.

Learning beyond the Classroom: Terrific Trips By Jeni Wong, Year 3 Teacher Our trips also enhance home-school links, as parents often generously offer their time and accompany us on our

trips. Children can see that their parents value their learning by being active participants and learning then becomes a real shared experience which can be continued at home.

The world outside is full of learning experiences and as learning does not start and end in the classroom, remember to venture out there and enjoy, experience and appreciate the knowledge ‘Terrific Trips’ have to offer!

Year 3’s Terrific Trips Autumn Term 2014.Tuesday 16th September 2014

Insectarium

http://www.taiwan.insectweb.org/No 43, Lane 244, Rei An Street, Dah An District, Taipei 台北市大安區瑞安街 244巷 43號

Topic Learning Objectives:*To extend our knowledge and understanding about minibeasts.*To be able to use alternative learning sources.*Cross curricular Literacy Link- To write a recount of our trip.

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OPEN HOUSE EVENT想讓孩子在快樂的氣氛下成長嗎？

想讓孩子自然地學會多國語言嗎？

想讓孩子更有多元文化的包容力嗎？

想讓孩子更具有國際觀並有國際社交能力嗎？

幫孩子準備好未來

不如讓孩子為自己打造一把開啟未來的鑰匙

想要親身體驗台北歐洲學校德國部的獨特之處

感受我們為孩子打造的快樂且國際化的學習環境

歡迎參加「台北歐洲學校德國部說明會」

除了深度的台北歐洲學校德國部介紹

現場還限量提供德國美食、精采音樂演出與親子遊戲

誠摯邀請您與孩子來參加

共享音樂、美食、嘉年華，愉快而獨特的德國體驗

台北歐洲學校德國部說明會時間：2015年1月31日(星期六)下午二時

地點：台北歐洲學校德國部

台北市士林區文林路727號

報名方式：02-8145-9007 分機：1301／2301 Email：chihchin.huang@tes.tp.edu.tw

Taipei European School German SectionOpen House EventDate：2:00 pm Saturday 31st January 2015

Venue：Taipei European School German Section No.727 WenLin Road, ShiLin, Taipei

Registration：02-8145-9007 ext.1301/2301 chinchin.huang@tes.tp.edu.tw

Would you like to have your child study in a happy learning environment with other international students?

Would you like your child to be able to be naturally fluent in several languages?

Would you like your child to gain confidence in an international and multicultural atmosphere?

Would you like your child to be a global citizen with worldwide networking and social skills?

Let your child develop their own international success story in a European setting.

If you would like to experience the uniqueness of the Taipei European School German Section and better understand how a happy international learning environment operates, please join us at our “Taipei European School German Section Open House Event”.

In addition to a comprehensive introduction about the German School Section, we also offer delicious German food, live music, games and activities.

OPEN HOUSE EVENTWednesday 24th September 2014

Taipei Zoo- Insectarium and Butterfly Greenhouse.http://english.zoo.taipei.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=988627&ctNode=23655&mp=104032 Topic Learning Objectives:*To learn about insects and butterflies found in Taiwan.*To be able to use alternative learning sources.

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