Principal's Pen

ECC & Elementary

Dear Parents,

This month in the library has been a wonderful journey as we’ve explored the works of Robert Munsch, one of my favorite authors! His stories range from heartwarming tales like Love You Forever to laugh-out-loud favorites like Alligator Baby. Our ECC and Elementary students have truly enjoyed discovering his books, learning about his storytelling style, and engaging in fun reading activities. If you’d like to see what your child has been learning, I invite you to stop by the library and explore the world of Robert Munsch for yourself!

As we approach the end of the third quarter, it has been exciting to see how much the students have grown in their learning. With the quarter wrapping up, they are now preparing for their Student-Led Conferences on April 17th and 18th. April 17th will be a half-day for students, followed by an afternoon of Student-Led Conferences. Elementary conferences will follow the same format as in the Fall. ECC conferences will be structured differently, and more details will be shared in a letter next week.

Thank you for your continued support! I look forward to seeing you in the library or at the Student-Led Conferences.

Warmly,

Miss Barsalou

Secondary

Dear Parents,

I hope you, like me, are enjoying the warmer weather and beautiful blue sky. It’s been so uplifting to see the green budding around the city and small flowers pushing up through the dirt. Spring is a wonderful time of transition. Our seniors are able to experience this as well. On Thursday, they all traveled to Wuhan for our LifePlus Senior Departure Seminar. This is a unique opportunity for seniors to meet with other seniors from all of our schools and begin talking about next year. They will attend seminars taught by our teachers and counselors about what transition looks like, how to succeed in college, personal finance after school, and many other relevant topics. We are excited to see our seniors finish well and soar to the next destination after graduation.

As our seniors reflect, it’s also good to reflect on Quarter 3. Quarter 3 always feels a little disjointed since it is broken up by Chun Jie, but it is always an eventful and valuable time. Since January, we have had students compete in the Sichuan Science Fair; hosted an incredible China Day; and hosted the LifePlus High School Basketball Tournament, where both boys and girls performed well. We also hosted a High School VEX Robotics, then sent a Middle and High School team to the national robotics competition where both earned awards. Then, High School MUN students participated in MUNISQ, and Middle School MUN students went to DIMUN.

Lastly, LifePlus Leadership met in Tianjin for our annual conference while we simultaneously hosted the Fine Arts Festival. Whew! What a busy quarter! While it can be hectic, it is a privilege to host these events and show true Tianjin hospitality to all. Thank you parents, for supporting your students to do so much. We believe this is all valuable and part of their holistic education we are so proud to provide. We reflect on the past and look forward to another incredible quarter ahead!

One thing in Quarter 4 that I am looking forward to is the Spring Play! Our actors and actresses, backstage, and crew have been hard at work preparing to put on the show. This year, the play is called The Internet is Distract—Oh Look a Cat! This play tells the story of one boy and his quest to understand his world amongst the craziness of the internet. I can’t spoil it too much, but when the internet is a character in a play, the scene is set for hilarity. I hope to see you there on Friday, April 18 for opening night or on Saturday, April 19 for the Saturday show.

Sincerely,

Mr. Way

School Wide Announcements

English Language Support at Home

Parents, are you looking for tools and knowledge to effectively support your child in learning English as a second language? We invite you to a series of workshops led by Mrs. Bassett focusing on enhancing your understanding of second language learning, highlighting the benefits of additive bilingualism, and offering practical strategies to assist your children.

The final workshop will happen on Wednesday, March 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Library Classroom. Korean and Chinese translation will be provided.

Lost and Found

All items that are not claimed in the lost & found area (near the cafeteria) by the end of the school day on Thursday, March 27, will be donated to a charitable cause. Please have your child check the area for any items they may have lost.

Divisional News

ECC & Elementary

March Madness

Upcoming Events

• Doughnuts with Dads - April 11
• Student-Led Conferences - April 17-18
• Elementary Spring Musical - April 25
• Muffins with Moms - May 7

Chinese

Chinese Reading Month

March is Chinese Reading Month in all our LifePlus schools in China. With this month set in place, the Chinese departments at each school have set united goals to build students' Chinese reading interests and habits, help students learn more about the Chinese language and culture, and improve their reading and speaking abilities.

As we work towards these goals, we’ve set in place several action points. While students are encouraged to read at home, there will be time set aside every Friday for them to read, share, and create posters to showcase their reading reflections and takeaways. Chinese teachers will provide a selection of Chinese books, and students are also welcome to read their own Chinese books. For native Chinese classes, students of the same grade will read a common book this year, selected as an extracurricular recommendation that aligns closely with their current textbooks.

After students have read a book, they’ll write a reading note to acquire points. The three students from both Elementary and Secondary grades with the highest points will receive district awards, and as an incentive for the whole school, each student who participates in Chinese Reading Month will receive a prize. Classes with a participation rate exceeding 80% will be rewarded with a party. Last year, 87 students participated and read around 500 Chinese books! Let's see if we can break that record this year! 加油!

Guidance Counselor

SAT May 3 - Registration

Register here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/dates-deadlines

AP Practice and Tips

https://www.youtube.com/@advancedplacement

Bluebook Download Needed

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/practice

Athletics

• March 22 – ISAC MS Basketball exchanges. Boys play @ THIS Beijing / Girls play @ KWA Academy Beijing

• March 22 – ISCOT HS Soccer Tournament. Boys play @ Wellington / Girls play @ TIS

Go Eagles!

PTO

House Points Total