December 2020
Dear Parents and Members of the SAIS Community,
As we get ready for a break, for the end of 2020 (thankfully!) and head into a new year, I』d like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2021!
Thank you so much for coming to our Exhibition of Learning last night. I was so incredibly proud of our students』 work and presentations, as well as the amazing efforts of the teachers in preparing for the evening!
Although our semester officially ends after we return in January, I have some reflections I』d like to share about the school year so far at SAIS, including some ways that you can engage with your children about their learning.
We began our planning in the summer with a renewed focus and a more in-depth look at standards, and what it means for students to truly demonstrate their learning and understanding. Our fabulous team of teachers has worked hard to provide powerful learning experiences this semester. At our Exhibition of Learning, you should have seen evidence of higher levels of understanding and student learning. Several of our parents have asked that we explain more about PBL and how our program prepares students for success in high school and college. This is something that we hope to get better at in the months ahead, including helping all of our students become more aware and reflective about their own learning, too.
This week, I presented about building a 「growth culture」 in schools at the Deeper Learning China Conference, where I highlighted some of what we do at SAIS. One definition of the term 「Deeper Learning」 that I particularly like comes from one of my professors at Harvard, Jal Mehta, and his colleague, Sarah Fine, who wrote a book called 「In Search of Deeper Learning.」 They define deeper learning as education that includes 「purpose, mastery, identity, and creativity.」 This is at the heart of what we are trying to do at SAIS.
Purpose: Students should know why they are doing what they are doing
Mastery: Students should be developing a set of skills and expertise in a particular area
Identity: Students should see themselves as artists rather than people who do art, or scientists rather than people who do science
Creativity: Students should be creating and building things with the knowledge and skills they are gaining
As you speak with your children about their experience at SAIS, ask them questions about what they have learned and mastered and why, how they have become storytellers, writers, and more, and what they have created.
While we are apart over the break, please encourage students of all ages to read books, graphic novels, magazines—anything that they like—and/or read to them in English and/or Chinese. We have had a policy of assigning independent reading as homework (and in the early grades only reading) as a way of inculcating a love of reading, which is a gateway to academic success. Reading to children from birth is invaluable for their development and language skills.
Upcoming Events
January 4th is a professional development day for our teachers. See you back at school on Tuesday, January 5th!
On January 7th from 6:00-7:30 pm, we will have a college admission information night, geared towards the American college and university system and including a presentation from an admissions officer from Wesleyan University, one of the 「Little 3 Ivy League」 colleges and my undergraduate alma mater.
On January 18th, we will begin our six-day J-Term (short for January Term), a one week experience for grades K and above where students will work with different teachers and study a theme of their choice.
Thank you for all of your support for your children, their learning journeys, and our school. Wishing you all a happy holiday season and a restful couple of weeks before we see each other again in 2021, hopefully a better year for all of us worldwide! Go SAIS!
Warmly,
Laura
Dr. Laura Flaxman, EdLD
Principal