Where in the World is Sumatra?
I often get that question when I tell people back home where we live for 10 months of the year. Well, that, or the smile and nod of the head that shows they have no clue where I am talking about but don’t want to sound uninformed. I know from these experiences that often times our grasp of geography is not what it should be. I, myself, have become much more aware of where places are located since we have been abroad. Getting to travel to lots of cool places and having students from all over the world in my class has really helped my grasp of where things are in the world.
Our children here at ISR have a much more extensive background in Geography than the average student who studies in their home country. With that said, I have still found in my classroom discussions that while we may know more names of places than we did before we came here, a lot of the students still need help locating those
places on a map or globe.
In the school we are working on Geography using Latitude and Longitude. Having to do activities where they locate countries using coordinates has a lot of them saying things like, “Wow, I never knew _____________ was there.” They enjoy finding out where new places are located and hearing about what goes on there.
With that in mind I have an adapted list of things you can do at home with your child to help increase their awareness of geography. The list comes from the “National Geographic” website.
http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/parents_welcome.html
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Our children here at ISR have a much more extensive background in Geography than the average student who studies in their home country. With that said, I have still found in my classroom discussions that while we may know more names of places than we did before we came here, a lot of the students still need help locating those
places on a map or globe.
In the school we are working on Geography using Latitude and Longitude. Having to do activities where they locate countries using coordinates has a lot of them saying things like, “Wow, I never knew _____________ was there.” They enjoy finding out where new places are located and hearing about what goes on there.
With that in mind I have an adapted list of things you can do at home with your child to help increase their awareness of geography. The list comes from the “National Geographic” website.
http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/parents_welcome.html
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Transitions: Those Left Behind
by: Mr. Murphy
Those of us who have lived overseas for several years understand that change is part of the game and it is always difficult when we leave one place for a new adventure in another. All of the emotions that go with a move are magnified when you live overseas, especially in a small community like Rumbai.
David Pollack has written a few books on the subject, most notably, Third Culture Kids. Often what gets left out or marginalized in the literature deals with those who are left behind. Our community is experiencing this process right now with the move of a family mid-way through the school year. Both students and parents will feel a void in their lives, especially those who had developed close friendships. These things are supposed to happen in June, not January.
Philosopher, Jim Gould, says that loss always produces grief, conscious and unconscious, and it will come out one way or another, whether a person intends it to or not. It is important that we recognize and validate those feelings because they are part of the grieving process when we lose someone special to us. Some things to keep in mind as we are checking in with our children and ourselves:
a. A healthy grieving process requires permission. We must understand that our feelings of loss are not immature, unspiritual,
or childish.
b. A healthy grieving process requires support. We must be able to express feelings without being judged. It is ok for
parents to let their children see them feeling sad. Talk about it.
c. A healthy grieving process requires time. Different people process grief at different rates and that is just fine. Rushing
the process only transforms normal grief into unresolved grief.
d. A healthy grieving process requires looking to the future. Planning ahead helps us move through the grieving process by
reminding us and our children that life goes on.
David Pollack has written a few books on the subject, most notably, Third Culture Kids. Often what gets left out or marginalized in the literature deals with those who are left behind. Our community is experiencing this process right now with the move of a family mid-way through the school year. Both students and parents will feel a void in their lives, especially those who had developed close friendships. These things are supposed to happen in June, not January.
Philosopher, Jim Gould, says that loss always produces grief, conscious and unconscious, and it will come out one way or another, whether a person intends it to or not. It is important that we recognize and validate those feelings because they are part of the grieving process when we lose someone special to us. Some things to keep in mind as we are checking in with our children and ourselves:
a. A healthy grieving process requires permission. We must understand that our feelings of loss are not immature, unspiritual,
or childish.
b. A healthy grieving process requires support. We must be able to express feelings without being judged. It is ok for
parents to let their children see them feeling sad. Talk about it.
c. A healthy grieving process requires time. Different people process grief at different rates and that is just fine. Rushing
the process only transforms normal grief into unresolved grief.
d. A healthy grieving process requires looking to the future. Planning ahead helps us move through the grieving process by
reminding us and our children that life goes on.
Who is not interested in playing in the mud when you were a kid! every once a year we traveled through the forest by 4x4 Jeep runs very strong in the field of heavy tropical forest. With our experienced drivers show they skills on driving in dense forest. The trip took approximately 2 hours and stopped at one location that has been provided by our parents. There is we're having fun playing in mud, with the locals looking at us in the distance. "MUD PARTY..!!".
Fire Drill
The personal safety of your children is our primary concern. This week we had our first emergency evacuation drill. We started the year with a fire drill having prepared the students in advance with information about the procedures.
Fire Chief Lavery and his team responded immediately and they were impressed that we evacuated the school and gathered at the mustering point in three minutes.
Fire Chief Lavery and his team responded immediately and they were impressed that we evacuated the school and gathered at the mustering point in three minutes.
Snapshot
-picture taken 2010-2011 admin-
WE ARE CELEBRATING
Why World Peace Day?
The approach of personal transformation is the idea of the future for ending war. It depends on the only advantage that people of peace have over war-makers: sheer numbers. If enough people in the world transformed themselves into peacemakers, war could end. The leading idea here is critical mass. When the time is right and enough people participate, critical mass can change the world. Can it end war? There is precedent to believe that it might.
The ancient Indian ideal of Ahimsa, or non-violence, gave Gandhi his guiding principle of reverence for life. In every spiritual tradition it is believed that peace
must exist in one's heart before it can exist in the outer world. Personal transformation deserves a chance. When a person is established in non-violence, those in his vicinity cease to feel hostility.
Seven Practices for Peacemaking:
1.Thinking for Peace
2.Being for Peace
3.Feeling for Peace
4.Acting for Peace
5.Creating for Peace
6.Sharing/Celebrating for Peace
7.Speaking for Peace
Article provided by Mr. Murphy
The ancient Indian ideal of Ahimsa, or non-violence, gave Gandhi his guiding principle of reverence for life. In every spiritual tradition it is believed that peace
must exist in one's heart before it can exist in the outer world. Personal transformation deserves a chance. When a person is established in non-violence, those in his vicinity cease to feel hostility.
Seven Practices for Peacemaking:
1.Thinking for Peace
2.Being for Peace
3.Feeling for Peace
4.Acting for Peace
5.Creating for Peace
6.Sharing/Celebrating for Peace
7.Speaking for Peace
Article provided by Mr. Murphy
Kindergarten Cendana Exchange
The ISR Kindergarten class visited the Riau Provincial Library in Pekanbaru as guests of the Cendana Kindergarten. The new building opened in 2008.
When we visit to Pekanbaru, Our eyes can't turn away from the building, it look magnificent with towering masts in the middle of town. That Balai Pustaka Soeman Hasibuan (HS), dubbed the grandest library in Indonesia.
HS Soeman library is located on Jl Sudirman, Pekanbaru which was once the former parliament building of Riau. This library is opposite between two other magnificent buildings, Bank Indonesia (BI) and the building of Riau Governor Office at the other side of this library.
HS Soeman library building has a unique and exotic design of building. From a distance, the shape of the building like a table on which to read the Koran (Moslem Bible), the roof of the building mutually crossed half-circle. This form of Islam as a philosophy will close with the Malay traditional culture.
HS Soeman library is located on Jl Sudirman, Pekanbaru which was once the former parliament building of Riau. This library is opposite between two other magnificent buildings, Bank Indonesia (BI) and the building of Riau Governor Office at the other side of this library.
HS Soeman library building has a unique and exotic design of building. From a distance, the shape of the building like a table on which to read the Koran (Moslem Bible), the roof of the building mutually crossed half-circle. This form of Islam as a philosophy will close with the Malay traditional culture.
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During the celebration of Halloween party this year many families are very portray characters perfectly. As in previous years children went from house to house for trick-or-treating at night. parents came to help them up when we gathered at one of my friend's residence in Nenas.
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Celebrating Mardi Gras
The history of a Mardi Gras celebration existed many years before Europeans came to the New World. Some time in the Second Century, during mid-February (usually February 15 according to the Julian calendar), Ancient Romans would observe what they called the Lupercalia, a circus-type festival which was, in many respects, quite similar to the present day Mardi Gras. This festival honored the Roman deity, Lupercus, a pastoral God associated with Faunus or the Satyr. Although Lupercus is derived from the Latin Lupus (meaning "wolf"), the original meaning of the word as it applies to Roman religion has become obscured over the passage of time.
http://www.novareinna.com/festive/mardi.html
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Wild Life Invasion
The Science Guy warns students about snakes. This is a pit viper, which was found dead on the campus. Students who see a snake of any kind are to:
1. Walk away.
2. Tell the adult.
The adult who is informed must call Pest Control to come and take away the snake.
Not only snakes but gibbons and monkeys had their own party down at the gym.
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1. Walk away.
2. Tell the adult.
The adult who is informed must call Pest Control to come and take away the snake.
Not only snakes but gibbons and monkeys had their own party down at the gym.
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Technology...why it so interesting?
a clip of "A Day Made of Glass 2" ©youtube.com
A very successful Pinewood Derby 2013.
The new format, holding everything on the school campus set a new standard for future events.
The new format, holding everything on the school campus set a new standard for future events.
Well Done...See you next year!
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Library On Going Renovation (Start on May 20th 2013)
2014 the Mardi Gras Parade
This year’s Mardi Gras Parade was the most successful ever in terms of drawing a large enthusiastic crowd of spectators.