Parent Corner – 28.10.16

Returning from the half term break, Tu Xuong parents have got back into action right away.  We continued our journey into the “community world”, just follow us for the latest news and don’t forget to sign up for the next community service partner visits which will start next week.

The last post on Parent’s Corner before the break was all about how we live and breathe as a community. This week, we have the final schedule for the next community service partner visits, parents delivered books to Anh Minh school, we received news from ARC, rehearsals for the song will be starting soon and more!

Community Visit

With two visits already done, we have three more to go.  This time the link is updated with dates and times.  Please sign up and help us to deliver the books to our community partners and/or give a bit of your time to help at Thien Phuoc Orphanage.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d4dafaa29a4ff2-community

Community Visit Feedback: Anh Minh

On Wednesday Minori, Van and Adeline went to Anh Minh to delivery another box of books from the book swap.  Please read what they thought about their time with the children.

"Most of the kids in Anh Minh are hearing impaired.  About 200 kids study here with 9 sisters & 20 teachers.  They have children from 2 years old to 20 years old. The school day runs from 7am until 4pm.  They were very cute and friendly.  We met with the 3 year olds.  Now they have a well-stocked library thanks to parents' donations." 

Community Singing: Are you ready?

The rehearsal dates are October 28th, November 4th, and November 11th.  Don’t forget the “big day” for the Parent choir debut is Monday 14th November, during the International parade.  If you can’t attend all dates, you can also practice at home;

Community “Our TX dog”

After the TX fête, TX parents sponsored two old dogs from ARC who had little hope to get adopted.  Ms Clover, BIS community service project manager, received sad news from Koto at ARC.

“Jojo had passed away before the half term break.  It was peaceful and was due to old age.  He spent the last couple of months at a very loving foster home and the foster dad was at his side when he passed away.”

But she also received some very nice news, please read the story of Bi, the “world traveller dog”:

“Another old dog Bi, which we thought would have no chance to be adopted, was adopted by Canadian tourists.  He was shipped to Victoria, BC by a flight volunteer and he is now enjoying a happy life with his feline housemate named Myles.”

Community: International day at AP2 (Part 2)

“They are coming!” said one of the Mothers who was watching at the classroom door.  It was 9am when the first wave hit us.  According to the “veteran” of International day, we had to be ready and prepared for the first enthusiastic batch composed of Y7, Y8 and Y9.  Indeed when they rushed into our room, suddenly it was buzzing around us.  It was nice to see the students exploring the room, asking questions about the food, the youngest being shy and waiting for us to invite them to try cheese, saucisson or quiche.  The game had a lot of success and we could hear them cheering when a team was finally recognising the smells. Some students even stayed with the parents to help serve the drinks and offer “macarons” and “madeleines”.  They were happy to share about their country.

To get the stamp from the country visited on their passport, the student had to answer a question regarding the country.  For France, they had to guess how many visitors the country received each year (almost 84 million).  Once their passport was completed with all stamps from all countries represented, they would leave it in a drop box and after the half term break, two lucky students will be picked and receive a one week elevator pass!  For who knows APS, yes the school has many, many stairs and floors and elevators are only for teachers and staff.  So we’ve seen highly motivated children hoping for the prize :).

After 1h30 on duty, I got a chance to go around our floor.  My trip took me to Ukraine, Singapore, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Thailand, Australia, India…unfortunately I had no time to visit all the countries on the three floors because each time I stopped in a room I was welcomed by friendly parents and I ended up having a nice chat about their country, their culture and getting to know them.  I also tried many traditional dishes.  It’s not a day to be on diet.  I met former TX parents and I witnessed over-excited students with the piñata.  Well that’s totally normal being over-excited when you hit the piñata and when you wait for it to give its treasure.  You also have to be super-fast!  Somehow during my tour, I felt emotional.  South Korea, India, Mexico, UK, where home at some point in my family’s expat life.  It just brought back memories, good ones for sure, but for an instant I just wished I could go back.

After my tour, I went back to my team so another person could enjoy the celebration.  Before the “second wave” with all the older students arriving, we had a few minutes break to “reload” our stall.  Brie cheese, crêpes, madeleines, baguettes, quiche all were a huge success.  They arrived at 11am and again what an impressive crowd!  They were quite imaginative regarding their outfits.  I loved the Korean girl who was dressed as Pororo (famous South Korean cartoon character).  I found the “French Vietnamese suit” from two sisters very creative; one side was the French flag, the other one was the Vietnamese flag!  What a nice way to claim your double culture.

At 12.30pm it was time to clean up and give back the room.  Some parents went to see the fashion show and the cultural show, but for me it was time to head back home.

No matter why this day is a favorite among students over the 3 campuses.  I would have loved TX students to visit APS on that day.  It was a true journey around the world.  My favorite country was Ukraine, and the Aussies deserve a special mention for their outfit; they were dressed as life guards…but off duty ones ;).

Have a nice weekend, for sure it will be “spooky” with many Halloween related activities around the city, and come back fresh and ready for the next week!

Anne on behalf of the Parent Group.