Phoenix Flyer

Korea International School

In This Issue:• KIS Transitions Committee• Ellis Island Immigration at SC• Twinvasion in the ES• The MS Greenhouse• Project-Based Learning in HS Math• KIS Soccer• KIS MUN in Beijing• Meet KIS Pride

March 21, 20162015/16 Issue 11

KIS Spotlight

KIS Transitions Committee

The Korea International School (KIS) Transitions Committee desires to support our students through times of change. Our cross-divisional team includes school counselors, teachers, parents and administrators. We work together to ease the amount of stress on new students, departing students, and their families, in order to minimize the impact of change on learning.

The very thing that makes an international school so wonderful is also the most challenging part. In an in-ternational community, our lives are enriched by friendships, experiences and classroom instruction from individuals born in different countries and world travelers. However, this lifestyle also means extensive mo-bility, and we are all shaped by it. In Safe Passage, Douglas W. Ota says, “moving is one of life’s greatest challenges,” and he asserts that it can impact learning. Ota identifies three groups that are affected: the Arrivers, the Stayers, and the Leavers.

(Arrivers) From learning where classes are located to making friends, attending a new school can be stress-ful. At KIS, each school division hosts an orientation for new enrollees, and pairs them with a current student to help them adjust. All new parents are invited to an open house where they are able to ask questions, pro-vide feedback about their child’s experience, connect with the Parent Teacher Organization, and meet other new families. In addition, our counselors keep in contact with new students and parents regularly.

(Stayers) David C. Pollack says that students who live internationally, “build relationships to all of the cul-tures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into [their] life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background.” (Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds). Even the students who are staying are affected by mobility. Current students need time to connect with new classmates, and say goodbye to their departing friends in a meaningful way.

(Leavers) As the end of the school year approaches, many KIS families are making plans for next year. For some students, that means going to a different school in a new country, or returning home. This realization is often met with mixed emotions: excitement over the new adventures, and sadness over leaving their com-fort zone and friends. With time to process these emotions, students can say goodbye and celebrate their time at KIS while looking forward to their next global stop.

Parents and students!Not returning to KIS next school year? Let us know so we can honor your time at KIS, and help you say goodbye. Please scan the QR code on this page.

KIS Transitions Committee: Helping Students and Families Navigate Change

Seoul CampusElementary School Highlights

The Third Graders at Seoul Campus experienced what it was like to travel back in time to Ellis Island (Seoul Campus, floors four and five) on February 19th, 2016. The year was actually 1895, and all the Third Graders were given passports and ID cards with brand new identities.

The students were prepped and prepared for the experience, and dressed up to display their cul-ture or homeland identity. Suitcases were packed with items and clothes reflecting their profession as they went through a grueling process of inter-rogation from various staff members and parents, who were at stations acting the part of officials at Ellis Island.

Many immigrants did not speak English when coming to America, so all of the stations had adults speak-ing Spanish, Chinese, French, and Korean instead of English, to provide that same uneasy feeling. The quarantine room was filled frequently as the means of communication, or not being able to assimilate to the experience, caused some setbacks. One in six immigrants were sent back to their homeland due to illness or other unimaginable reasons. To be as realistic as possible, two students were randomly chosen to start the process over again, halfway through the morning and were given completely new identities, throwing yet another wrench into the mix on this already confusing day. At times, there was frustration and occasion-ally a range of emotions, but ALL of the Third Graders made it through the immigration simulation process.

Mothers from Third Grade came to show their support by observing from afar this reenactment experience for their child, later celebrating with them as they completed the process and entered America (the school’s Multi-Purpose Room) for an American feast.

The students were very nervous before and during this experience, but displayed enthusiasm and joy when they succeeded and were passed through into Ellis Island. It was a great hands-on experience to wrap up a unit on the immigration process. Josh Greene

SC Grades 3-5 Social Studies Teacher

Second Annual Ellis Island Immigration Simulation Day at SC for Grade 3

Job World: Kindergarten TripLast week, the Kindergarten classes went on an adven-ture at Job World! We have been learning about what different professionals can do, what tools they may use, and how they contribute to their communities. The Job World experience allows children to explore a variety of jobs from experts, and gives them the opportunity to ac-tually apply skills that they learn to those jobs in a real-istic environment.

One of the jobs that students got to explore was being a firefighter. The students first learned about fire safety and what the responsibilities of a firefighter are. They learned about the importance of listening to each other and teamwork when putting out fires and helping escape buildings on fire. Then, they learned about the important gear and tools that firefighters use to help people and to put out fires. After a short lesson, the students got to apply what they learned in real time! The fire alarm went off, the students quickly put on their safety gear, and they rode a firetruck to a (pretend) building on fire. They used real hoses with real water to take out the fire as a team, then they all took turns rescuing a trapped animal in the building.

This is just one of several jobs that the students got to explore! Other jobs that they were able to explore included: robotics scientist, astronaut, veterinarian, paleontologist, florist, baker, and so many others! We had a great experience of applying skills that we learned in different jobs.

Mark Yu SC Kindergarten Teacher

The Joys of MusicSix Seoul Campus students had the opportunity to share their musical talents with senior citizens at a wel-fare center near Seolleung station. Each student performed one song of their choice while the audience members clapped, hummed, and even sang along. After the individual performances, the group sang one combined piece together, and the students taught part of the Bruno Mars song, “Count On Me.” It was a treat to see the students speaking to the audience in Korean as well as translating the meaning of the lyrics.

The residents were so happy for the performance and the chance to learn a new song!

Since KIS is embarking on new challenges to help our students be present in the community outside of school, this is one area of outreach we plan to do once or twice each month. These op-portunities will allow our students to meet and communicate with new people, share their musical abilities with others, and practice the art of performing. During the music program at the welfare center, the residents have asked for us to teach one song in Eng-lish for the audience to learn during each visit. The students look forward to building relationships outside of school, performing together, and building their musical repertoire.

Laura SternerSC Music Teacher

Pangyo CampusElementary School Highlights

KIMEA ES Chorus Festival Hits a High Note!Students from all over Korea came together on Satur-day, March 12th for a busy day of singing and making music with new friends. KIS-Pangyo had the privilege to host 213 students ranging from Third to Fifth Grade. The students, from ten different international schools, spent the day singing, playing, and learning together. It was a wonderful experience to be a part of something so big!

The concert began with most schools singing a song alone. The individual school songs ranged from folk songs and pop songs to traditional, percussion-laden, African melodies. Once each school had their chance to

shine, it was time for all 213 students to join forces and blend voices for the second half of the concert. This was the most powerful part of the day! Students spent months preparing the music with their own teachers, and a full day working with many new faces, to be able to present a strong and musical concert. Seeing so many young students singing their hearts out to a Performing Arts Center (PAC) packed with loving and supportive friends and family truly made all of the hard work worth it! The smiles on the students’ faces emulated their well-deserved pride in themselves and their fellow musicians. KIS was well represented on stage, with 46 Phoenix Chorus members from Pangyo Campus and 20 Seoul Singers from Seoul Campus. The students also had great things to say about the experience:

“The KIMEA festival was a lot of work but also a lot of fun. I liked learning how different chorus teachers make the songs sound different. I loved meeting students from other schools, plus we had the youngest and the most students of all the schools.” Sydney (Grade Four)

“It was such a fun event because all the kids came together to sing. I want to do it again next year because I made new friends through music.” Isaiah (Grade Three)

“Singing for the first time with 213 other kids felt amazing. Also, the PAC—full of a cheerful audience—made it even more fun to sing. I truly loved the festival!” Nishika (Grade Five)

“It was my first time singing with all different schools and I was kind of shy… but I did it. It turned out to be very fun! I liked meeting new friends and singing together.” Joshua (Grade Three)

Overall, it was a great event for students, teachers, and audience members. I know that we all made many memories that won’t soon be forgotten! We are so lucky to have such incredible music experiences at KIS, even for our Elementary School students. Lindsey Cayer

ES Music Teacher

Josh HasslerES Grade 4 Science Teacher

KoLAB: KornerScratch is a coding software program developed and implement-ed through the MIT website. Scratch allows students to gain ex-perience in Computer Engineering by coding a game, slideshow, movie, or message. Scratch is an amazing software program that gives each student a basic introduction to the world of coding. Students realize that coding can make you Scratch your head because of its complex nature. During the introductory course, students at KIS were diving into this complex coding software by allowing their Sprite (any character in Scratch) to dance, run, talk, spin, play sports, play hide-and-seek, and even allow interaction from the viewer.

The students in Grade Four were able to make a Scratch presentation in KoLAB which displays their knowl-edge that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. Students were given the independence to express their creativity by designing a Scratch presentation of their choosing. Some students did a game, while others danced the knowledge right into your brain. It was truly amazing to see the students’ knowledge, creativity and coding that was expressed through their Scratch presentations. The students are already asking what other, future projects will include the wonderful world of coding with Scratch.

Beth MallonES Librarian

Morning Calm Meets March MadnessMorning Calm Meets March Madness is the ES Library Reading Incentive for Spring 2016! Students have been busy watching these amazing stories being read by KIS staff members. Votes are calculated and the winning books move on to the next bracket. The champion book will be read at the ES Lower Grades Talent Show on March 25th, 2016.

This “Madness” began in December, when the Reading Committee met and decided to try something differ-ent for the spring reading incentive. Our goals for the reading incentive are always to increase reading and build community. Ms. Mallon took the last four years of Morning Calm books and seeded them. An all-call was put out to staff, asking for reading volunteers, and we had more readers than books. The EdTech De-partment stepped up to do all of the recording and editing of the videos. After over six weeks of prepping, Morning Calm Meets March Madness began on March 15th, 2016.

The ES students have been very excited. They watch the Morning Calm Meets March Madness board daily to see which books are winning; and they are checking the Morning Calm books out and reading them to themselves, and talking about why they like which books. No matter what book wins, KIS ES students are the winners!

Travis PetersonES Associate Principal

Twinvasion in the Elementary School!If you’ve walked down the halls of the Elementary School in recent weeks, you may have wondered if you needed to get your eyes checked. Well, you may have been seeing double, but your eyes did not deceive you. KIS Elementary School has had a major twin invasion!

There are nine sets of twins in the Elementary School, accounting for about six percent of the school’s popu-lation. We’ve really doubled down on the double kid fun, as that is twice the world average!

Kindergarten is where things really get crazy. While that is generally a true statement, it is especially true when it comes to twins. One out of three Kindergarteners is a

twin. What’s more, they are all female, which means that the majority of the girls in Kindergarten have a twin!

Being a twin is full of interesting dichotomies, as some of our Kindergarten friends helped to explain.

“I like being a twin,” said Jasmine, “because we get to share clothes. It is fun to wear the same stuff.”

“I like that too,” agreed her sister Anouk, “but we have to share toys too. Sometimes, I just want my own things.”

Liberty said the best part of being a twin was always having someone to play with. “If I didn’t have Maya, I’d be so bored,” she exclaimed.

But then, in the next breath, she and her sister also said that it can be hard not having time to yourself.

Always having support, but wanting to stand on your own. Being a distinct individual, while being half of a greater whole. Enjoying being special and different, while not always liking all the attention you receive. This is what it means to be a twin.

For us at KIS, having all these twins simply adds to the diverse tapestry of our school. We do our best to honor them as individuals while still recognizing the special gift they bring to our community.

Pangyo CampusMiddle School Highlights

Discovery in Grade Seven Social StudiesGrade Seven students have been doing some cre-ative work in Social Studies classes all year and this quarter has been especially noteworthy. Our current unit is about discovery of the many amaz-ing things people create to make our lives better, easier, or just plain more interesting. After learn-ing about discoveries in areas such as homes, transportation, and things with a focus on water or food, students were able to demonstrate their understanding through a variety of assignments. Students were able to construct their own home from the past, present, or future, using a variety of materials. When learning about transportation, stu-dents engaged in small-group presentations where they were teaching their fellow classmates about some of their discoveries related to transporta-tion. While learning how water plays a significant role in our everyday lives, students researched a number of inventions that involve water; they also discovered some interesting and alarming facts about water use in our world, both past and pre-sent. Then, there was discovery about themselves while studying the Middle Ages. Sure, they learned about siege engines, medical discoveries, and knights from this time period, but students also were given the opportunity to create a coat of arms to discover what is important to them and their fu-ture. Many students realized how much they value certain things in their lives. Discovery proved to be one of the most engaging units of the year.

Javier HernandezGrade 7 Social Studies Teacher

The 2016 KIS Middle School March Madness Reading Tournament had a great kickoff during Advisory Class on Friday, February 26th. Students and teachers earned points as individuals, as Advisory teams, and as Grade levels, based on the number of points accumulated (minutes read daily) during March Madness. Each student logged his or her minutes by entering the MINUTES READ into an online Google form found here on the LibGuide at http://kis.libguides.com/marchmadness. Students were asked to record minutes on a daily basis, to protect the integrity of the contest. Reading in school, at home, or on the go was eligible for points.

This week, an individual student will be the MVR (Most Valuable Reader), an Advisory team will be the MVA (Most Valuable Advisory,) and a Grade level will be the KIS MS March Madness Reading Tournament Cham-pions! Winners will be announced and some fabulous prizes distributed before Spring Break!

Kristi GreenMS/HS Librarian

What’s New In The Greenhouse?The Seventh Graders continue to see how much food they can grow in a 45-square-centimeter area. They have been using the Design Thinking process to create hydroponic systems and are currently testing their designs. During the process of testing these designs, they have had to overcome obstacles such as water leakage. Using the design process, they will re-examine and brainstorm new ideas and find solutions that will fix current problems and allow their hydroponic plants to grow successfully. Several groups of Seventh Graders are already successfully growing vegetables such as bok choy, soy beans, and cucumbers.

The Green Team class is concurrently embarking on a similar path as the Seventh Graders. They are learn-ing about food production as well as where the food they eat comes from. The Green Team class is starting to conduct experiments to see how they can maximize food growth and production. The goal is to see if they can grow enough food here at KIS to use in our own cafeteria on a long-term, sustainable basis. These experiments will range from testing how sound affects the growth of a plant, to determining whether hydro-ponics or aquaponics is more effective for food production. The Green Team is also working on getting other systems in the Greenhouse up and running. The floating raft system required new rafts which the Green Team has successfully constructed.

Hannah HopkinMS Science Teacher

March Madness Reading Tournament

Sixth Grade Theater ProjectThe Sixth Grade Social Studies theater project went off without any problems! All students just completed a thematic unit, called Celebrations, on polytheistic religions or religions with many Gods, and a brief study of Buddhism. The summative for this fascinating unit was a scripted performance put on by all Sixth Grade students in groups of four to five, in short, five- to ten-minute skits.

The rules for the performances were as follows: each skit had to contain seven characters from both mod-ern and ancient religions, and at least one character from each religion or philosophy studied. The class explored three ancient, religious regions: Mesopotamian, Greek/Roman, and Egyptian. In addition, the class studied two modern religions: Hinduism, and the teachings of the Buddha. First, all groups agreed on their characters; then, students conducted research using primary and secondary sources on their potential characters before writing scripts. All scripts were then vetted before groups performed in front of their classes and guests.

Some groups went the extra mile and included costuming, props, makeup, and the uses of technology to create sound effects or projected backgrounds to help sell their concept to the audience. Big shout outs to the Sixth Grade guests: Dr. Bowie, Dr. Rhoden, Mrs. Odell, and Mrs. Parry. The students appreciated your feedback, and I hope to have more guest judges for next year’s presentations.

Josef GerbaseMS Social Studies Teacher

MS Orchestra Success in ShanghaiFebruary was an exciting month for KIS’s Middle School orchestra students. Competing against some of the finest players from across the world, six female KIS students, Sabine (Grade 8), Sanghee (Grade 8), Joann (Grade 7), Anna (Grade 8), Ally (Grade 8), and Stacey (Grade 7) traveled to Shanghai American School from February 25th to 27th as a part of the AMIS Middle School Honor Orchestra, one of the most competitive music festivals in the world. (AMIS stands for the Association of Music in International Schools.) Our stu-dents were particularly exceptional as all instrumental sections’ first chair rotations were held by KIS stu-dents: Sabine: Violin I, Anna: Viola, and Stacey: Cello. First chair players are the best in their section, play challenging solos, and are responsible for leading other students. Each of the girls lead their sections and played their respective solos with maturity and sophistication. Beyond leading in the rehearsal hall, the la-dies forged solid friendships that span continents, learning from peers and directors from the finest schools in Asia. Many great memories and music were made, and we look forward to next year’s MS AMIS Honor Festivals! Audrey Duncan

MS/HS Orchestra Director

MS Athletics in Season Three!This season, Middle School Athletics was once again a great experience for our students as we had over 100 students involved in volleyball, table tennis, and badminton. We had three new coaches this year for volleyball, Mrs. McKelvie, Ms. Paulson, and Mrs. McCullough, who introduced new training practices and renewed students’ excitement while playing competitive volleyball. Our teams played in jamborees at Seoul International School, Taejeon Christian International School, KIS, and Seoul Foreign School where they were able to develop their skills and teamwork. This year, we also played two mid-week games against Dulwich College Seoul in a home-and-away series where KIS demonstrated their improved play. Addition-ally, KIS also hosted the Middle School Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference (KAIAC) vol-leyball tournaments where our teams played well in a very exciting environment. Our girls’ team made it to the quarterfinals, while our boys’ team made it to the semifinals, both losing to the eventual champions. Two students, Vicky in Grade Seven and Jacob in Grade Eight, were recognized for their outstanding play throughout the day as part of the All-Tournament team. Well done to these two students and all of our stu-dents that participated! Next year promises to be an even better year!

Our table tennis team was once again led by Mr. Plamondon. The team displayed their superior skills at the jamborees. They swept first and second place for both singles and doubles at the Middle School KAIAC tournaments hosted at KIS. Finishing second in doubles were Kevin in Grade Eight and Sophia in Grade Six; and winning the doubles championship was the team of Jun in Grade Eight and Yoon-Sung in Grade Seven. In singles, DH in Grade Six finished second to singles champion Andy in Grade Six. Congratulations on a great day for our table tennis team!

This year was the first year we had a badminton team, with 22 dedicated students showing off their range of skills. As evidence, Christine and Peter from Grade Seven were immediately promoted to the Varsity Team and are among that team’s best players. Both have been doing extremely well by going undefeated in a friendly game against Gyeonggi Suwon International School (hosted by KIS), and winning two matches at Seoul Foreign School. Our Middle School team is looking forward to their culminating event, which is a singles and doubles tournament for only KIS players on March 23rd. The top three singles players for both girls and boys, as well as the top three teams, will receive medals for their play that day. They are ready and looking forward to coming out on top in our tournaments after a fun-filled season.

Basketball is up next for Middle School Athletics in our final season of the year. Based on the results so far in this 2015-2016 school year, all signs point to it being another successful season.

Javier HernandezMS Athletics Coordinator

Pangyo CampusHigh School Highlights

Pangyo CampusHigh School Highlights

Pangyo CampusHigh School Highlights

After winter break, the Grade Nine students and their Humanities teachers began a new project that ex-plored the genre of historical fiction and the history of East Asia during World War Two. Students were asked to connect the history they were learning in East Asian Studies with the styles of the novels they were read-ing in English.

After a week of reading literature within the historical fiction genre, students were given a photocopy of old, black and white pictures that were taken during World War Two in East Asia. Their unique images inspired students and pushed them into planning an entire, original historical fiction novel. In East Asian Studies, they spent time in the library and classrooms doing research and developing a story structure that was plausible and compelling. Exposure to our library databases and first person accounts of life in China, Japan, Korea, and other Pacific locales helped students change basic story ideas into unique narratives with specific his-torical perspectives. Students created a visual representation of their proposed plot structure, demonstrat-ing their novel’s main events, setting, characters, and conflict. Then, each student met with their “publish-ers” (East Asian or English teacher) to pitch their novel before moving forward and drafting an excerpt (or small chapter) from their novel.

Meanwhile, in English class, students used the novels being studied in literature circles as mentor texts, so they could better understand the unique features of this genre. Novels like Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, All The Light We Cannot See, Girl At War, and The Kite Runner helped students notice how professional authors weave historical and cultural details into their plot-driven, engaging stories. In our stu-dents’ writing, vague characters and settings became more specific and historically accurate. Writing work-shops allowed students to get a chance to read their peers’ drafts and offer feedback. Students revised and added sensory details and vivid description to their writing. Throughout the entire writing process, research continued as students needed to find new sources, or change elements of their original story to be more realistic.

East Asian Studies teachers collected annotated bibliographies that documented a student’s research and writing process, while English teachers collected the narrative historical fiction excerpts. Both pieces were combined with presentation and marketing skills when students displayed their work for peers at our Histori-cal Fiction Convention on March 2nd and 3rd.

At the convention, students acted as authors, displaying their novels for potential investors and publishers; but they also were visitors, reviewing and listening to students sell their potential book before getting the chance to invest in their peers. Many faculty members attended the convention, offering an even more au-thentic, fresh audience who listened and asked students great questions about their research and creative work.

Jane Clarke & Laressa ManningGrade 9 English Teachers

Charlie Brondel, Rob Larson, & Ryan PersaudGrade 9 East Asia Studies Teachers

Grade Nine Historical Fiction Convention: Imagined Stories of World War Two in East Asia

The Historical Fiction Convention offered students a chance to earn hypothetical investments, given by both peers and faculty attending the event. Ini earned the most among Ms. Manning’s Grade Nine students, while Sarah and Hope tied for the most earnings among Ms. Clarke’s Grade Nine students. Below, you can read a few sentences from each story, and you can follow the links to the full novel excerpts. Their presentation boards from the convention are also shown.

Ini’s novel takes place in Hashima Island, Japan. It fol-lows a young Korean boy, Jong-Soo, as he dreams of a way to escape the brutal coal mines run by Japanese Soldiers. Ini’s Novel- “A Hopeless Escape”

Excerpt from Ini’s novel: “It’s still dark outside, and I catch my reflection in the window. Heavy bags hang from my bloodshot eyes, my skin is darkened from exposure to dust and dirt in the mines. I’m only fourteen, but wrinkles are already etched into my face.”

Sarah’s story was inspired by her image of the firebomb-ing of Tokyo. Using a parallel story structure, her novel traces two protagonists who eventually intersect and af-fect one another, learning of the cruelty of war.Sarah’s Novel- “Expressions From War”

Excerpt from Sarah’s novel: “It is the sound of fear, the cause of panic, and the signal of attacks. Air raids: they are strikingly intimidating and yet utterly beautiful. I can see the hues of colours intertwine with one another—the blue sky mixing with the black. Out from the distance, the aircraft drops petals, and each petal seems to alter as it gravitates toward the land.”

Hope’s narrative used a photo of young Japanese chil-dren as a point of inspiration, after which she created a novel that captured the life of a young girl, Miyuki, grow-ing up within an internment camp, struggling with her conflicted identity as she grows up in World War Two era America.Hope’s Novel- “The Day We Were Unborn“

Excerpt from Hope’s novel: “Games were played with hands and legs instead of yo-yos, and drawings were graced on dirt instead of paper. The same clapping games behind barbed wire, the same gossip in ration lines. Mi-yuki had not experienced any fewer rising dawns than her American counterpart living miles away. Now she and Kaia would brave a whole new set of beauties, one of minds growing-swinging, bodies moving-dancing, days stretching-snapping. Broken rules and fire.”

Most Funded Historical Fiction Authors And Their Stories

Students in Trigonometry and Functional Analysis were challenged to create an evacuation plan for the G-building in case of a fire that would block both staircases. Following the PBL format (Project Based Learning), groups of students developed a variety of methods that would allow people on any floor to safely escape the building. The first conversations led us to consider the current procedures for evacua-tion that KIS uses, and research other evacuation systems that ex-ist. We then met with KIS Assistant Director, Mr. Patrick Rich, who explained to us some of the rules and regulations that KIS has. Later in the project, Mr. Bobby Park, engineer at KIS, and Mr. Kenny Park, responsible for the Facilities Team at KIS, joined the class to answer the more technical questions and give feedback to students. Other guests included Mrs. Verenna, Mrs. Quirin, and Mr. McCullough.

The emphasis of this project was on Math. As a result, students stud-ied or reviewed a large number of concepts pertaining to geometry, algebra and statistics, including slopes, units of measure, ratios, three-dimensional graphs, pie charts, mean, correlation, equations of lines, and so on. Some collateral issues that were addressed were the cost of construction, the management of disabled people, time con-straints, and the aesthetics of the project.

Project-Based Learning in Math!

Vivian RobertHS Math Teacher

During the first week of March, KIS Juniors participated in Part One of the new 11th Grade College Coun-seling Workshops held during their Autonomous Block. The first session focused on how to select the individual “best fit” colleges and universities to which they will apply next fall when they are Seniors. They were also asked to complete the Part One of a Rising Senior Survey in Naviance Family Connection, which captures the specific college selection factors which are most important to them individually.

During the second week of March, KIS Juniors participated in Part Two, which covered much more specific information about a number of college-related topics. Parents and guardians of 11th Grade students were invited to attend both sessions in order to learn how to navigate the college admissions process. Students and parents learned about many topics, including :

• application submission options in the US• letters of recommendation• application essays (also known as personal statements)• standardized testing• SuperMatch in Naviance Family Connection• the Common Application• the cost of attendance (COA)

Students also participated in “The GPA Game” which revealed the ultimate truth about US College admis-sions: there is no secret formula. In fact, there are many factors which can tip the scales in your favor during the admissions process, and sometimes they are quite unpredictable. Are you a saxophone player from Seoul? You might get accepted over a tuba player from Texas, depending on which instrument the college needs to fill in its band. Is there a significant discrepancy between between your cumulative GPA and your SAT score? For example, if your GPA is lower than average, and your SAT score higher than average, this may result in an admissions denial. In the US, there isn’t one single factor which guarantees an acceptance. Most colleges to which KIS students apply use a holistic admissions review. As a result of our two work-shops, Juniors are well on their way toward beginning the college admissions process.

KIS Juniors Begin The College Selection Process

Sandra TomsHS College Counselor

Three years ago, after several faculty members had visited the Deak Kum Pa orphanage in Luang Prabang, Laos, the High School English Department thought it would be a good idea to begin a fundraising activity in support of the orphanage. It was decided to fund university scholarships for two students, Pon and Pongsavun, who had attended the orphanage’s secondary school. The Won War was begun at that time as a means for raising both awareness and funds. Since then, we have received multiple letters from Pon and Pongsavun, updating us on their progress and thanking us for our contributions. It is clear that this is truly a life-changing difference for these two young women and their families.

The focus of this year’s Won War was, from the beginning, on the service component, and in making a difference in our world. Following the highly successful “Human Rights Week”, Speech And Debate Team students went to each Advisory class at the beginning of the Won War week to talk about the Deak Kum Pa orphanage and about Pon and Pongsavun. Sophomore Tae-woong, a student in Mr. McCullough’s Computer Graphics class, designed an excellent poster to help advertise the event and re-mind students of the purpose behind it.

The Won War rules had students contributing coins to their own class bins to score points while at the same time “bombing” the other classes with bills, which resulted in negative points for the other classes. Senior Clara was in charge of the activity, and re-cruited additional students to help in the arduous task of count-ing coins after school each day, with daily updates of the pro-gress reported to the High School community.

It was truly remarkable to see the response of the High School students. All week long, teachers were commenting on the “buzz” that was taking place amongst the students, as they strategized and calculated on how to ensure that their class would end up on top. The Sophomores and Freshmen took a quick lead, which led to their being “bombed” by the Seniors. Little did they know that the Juniors had been secretly hoarding their coins all week long, only to add them at the last minute. The Juniors’ strategy worked, and they will be rewarded with their first-place prize on March 21st and 22nd, with a party in their 11th Grade English classes .

The KIS High School community easily met and surpassed its goal of $1,500.00 USD, raising a total of $1,768.00 USD. Most of the money was raised through the “emptying of piggy banks,” with a large number of students and faculty making relatively small contributions to make a big difference. There were, how-ever, more than a few significant contributions made by individu-als as well. For example, over the course of the week, there were ten 50,000 Won bills placed in the bins, and on the final day two 100,000 Won notes. Truly, in big ways and small, there are some extremely caring people in our KIS community!

Jim BurwellHS English Teacher

The HS Steps Up in Support of Laos Orphanage

KIS was well-represented at the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) High School Honor Choir held at the International School of Luxembourg March 2nd to 6th, with a performance at the National Conservatoire the night of March 6th. Ten KIS High School students were selected to participate from among 200 students worldwide. Students passed a rigorous and competitive audition to earn a place in the choir. Only two schools worldwide had more students participate than KIS had.

The AMIS festival featured: a 40-voice men’s choir, directed by Dr. Axel Theimer of St. John’s University in Minnesota; a 60-voice women’s choir, directed by Dr. Lynn Gackle of Baylor University in Texas; and a 100-voice men’s and women’s choir, directed by Doreen Rao, Artistic Director of the Chicago Chamber Choir and Music Director of the Buffalo (NY) Chorale. All ten KIS students were in the 100-voice choir.

Students rehearsed on their own at home and during lunch in the weeks leading up to the festival, so they could arrive at the festival already knowing the notes in their music. They received a surprise at the first re-hearsal when it was learned that, due to a clerical error, they and their teachers had not been provided with one of the pieces of music to learn in advance. So, the students and Dr. Rao had to work even harder than expected to learn the music they had never seen, as well as the other seven songs they had prepared, in time for Saturday night’s concert. Through their hard work in rehearsal, and even more extra rehearsals on their own during their free time, students were able to learn the new song, improve the other seven songs, and perform wonderfully at the concert.

KIS students also spent two days before the event recovering from jet lag and enjoying tourism in Brussels, Belgium. The unanimous favourite activity of the students was the Music Instruments Museum in Brussels, although the Chocolate Museum was also greatly enjoyed. The weather was rainy in Belgium, and rainy and snowy in Luxembourg, but the students did not allow the gloomy weather to dampen their spirits. They maintained a positive attitude toward rehearsal and performance for the entire weekend, and they also en-joyed getting to know students from other schools all over the world.

Mr. Brown, KIS Choir Director, led the students on the trip. Mr. Brown was also honoured by being one of only two teachers asked to present a talk to music teachers.

AMIS regularly sponsors events worldwide for music students in international schools. Next week, KIS band and orchestra students will participate in the honor band and orchestra event in Doha, Qatar.

Jack BrownMS/HS Choir Director

KIS High School Choir Participates in AMIS International Choir

Phoenix AthleticsAnother great season of Varsity Girls Soccer has be-gun once again. There was a large turnout this year, with around 30 girls wanting a spot on this amazing and dedicated team. Tryouts were tough, with ex-treme talent exerted from each individual. Sadly, a few were cut from the team, but we have managed to build a very strong team. Coach Yanu says, “This was the largest turnout this year, and we saw a lot of raw talent on the field.”

The girls work hard every Tuesday through Friday, for two hours each day, training for the upcoming games. The girls have improved immensely since the begin-ning of tryouts. The girls started off the year with a friendly game against SIS (Seoul International School), and sadly lost; but we soon gained motivation after losing this game. Since then, we have won every sin-gle non-friendly game thus far this season.

Communication is a key factor in the team’s suc-cess, which is something to work on throughout this season. We hope to win the upcoming games, and continue our winning streak thus far. Please come out and support the team on Wednesday, March 23rd and Wednesday, April 20th, both at KIS! We thank you for all of your support so far.

KIS Soccer

Sydney & IreneGrade 10 Students

Phoenix ActivitiesTwenty-four members of KIS Model United Nations travelled to Beijing for the 23rd annual Beijing Model UN conference (BEIMUN). Hosted by the International School of Beijing, the conference was held at the Crowne Plaza Sun Palace Hotel. KIS students had the opportunity to debate and form reso-lutions addressing world problems, alongside students from East Asia, the United States, the Middle East, and Europe. Their performance at the conference was exceptional. With several students serving in leadership positions and as judges in the International Court of Justice, there were 18 stu-dents who were delegates eligible to be chosen as best del-egate in their committee. Of those delegates, 12 were main submitters and six were selected as best delegate. This is a remarkable number, considering that there are only 15 com-mittees and our students earned best delegate recognition in six of them. This was our best performance at any confer-ence, and no other school came close to receiving the same honors as KIS. In addition to the conference events, we were able to do some sightseeing around Beijing. The first day was spent touring, visiting the Great Wall of China at Mu Tian Yu and the Sum-mer Palace. Later in the trip, we went out to a large dinner followed by an acrobat show. The conference, and the visit to Beijing as a whole, was a rewarding and memorable experi-ence for all participants.

KIS MUN: Beijing

Jim FarleyHS Social Studies Teacher

Korea International School is home to diverse interactions and different people from all around the world. KIS often, and significantly, focuses both light and attention on the outstanding, hard-working students. However, all of the students’ academic work (as well as their club and sports activities) would not have been possible without the help of our wonderful staff and faculty. In fact, the school as a whole would not be able to run as beautifully as it does, on a day-to-day basis, without the help of each and every member of the staff and faculty of KIS.

“Meet KISpride” is a new interview page in the Phoenix Flyer where we are able to get a highlight of what really happens behind the scenes at KIS. From the cafeteria ladies, to the ah-juh-sshi’s (older gentleman), to the business office… the list could go on and on. This new interview section is a great opportunity to in-troduce—and get to know—the wonderful staff of our school. Their dedication to the academic lives of KIS students cannot be taken for granted. Therefore, through these interviews, we will be able to see the depths of KlS that many people may only see from the surface everyday.

Meet KIS Pride#kispride Interviews

Interview with Admissions Director: Patrick Cox

Interview with KIS Nurse: Silvia Chung

“What’s the best part of being the Admission Director at KIS?”

“The best part of being an Admission Director is that I get to meet every stu-dent that comes to KIS from Pre-Kindergarten to 12th Grade. I get to see them from that excitement, that beginning process, that nervousness. Delivering the acceptance is the best part, especially if I get the chance to see the student afterwards.

“What is one difference between KIS and another school?”

“I am amazed at the variety of real-world learning experiences that KIS of-fers to students. It makes learning more tangible and more exciting. I am also amazed at how students take their own initiative outside of the classroom to get involved in the community. A visit from U.S. Ambassador, Mr. Mark Lippert, was a direct result of a KIS student thinking outside of the box, which actually seems like the norm here.”

“What’s the best part of being a nurse at KIS?”

“Being a nurse, I get to meet various students within KIS because the students’ ages range from Elementary School to High School, so it’s really interesting to see the different aspects of students as they grow. Since the students are so friendly, it makes the job as a nurse more fun and exciting.”

ElizabethGrade 10 Student

Upcoming EventsIn our final few months of the 2015-2016 school year, KIS will be hosting seven more music events, including the Middle School / High School musical. Parents and other family members, as well as other students, are very welcome to attend, enjoy, and support our players.

In addition—but not at KIS—there will be a KIMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival on Saturday, April 30th, at Asia Pacific International School. (KIMEA stands for Korea International Music Educators Association.)

As listed below, the Drama Department will be presenting the fantastical musical, Peter Pan, on: Thursday, April 28th; Friday, April 29th; and Saturday, April 30th. The drama productions in the past few years have been very popular, so make sure to get your tickets early. More information on ticket sales will be sent in the future to all parents, students, and teachers.

Here is our Spring schedule. Note: PAC means the Performing Arts Hall.

March 24 (Thursday: 1 - 2:00 PM) 5th Grade Chamber Ensembles (Conf. Hall)April 20 (Wednesday: 9:00 AM) ECE Concert For Parents (Conference Hall)April 28 - 30 (Thurs - Sat: 6:00 PM) MS / HS Musical: Peter Pan (PAC)May 12 (Thursday: 5:30 PM) May Choir Concert (PAC)May 17 (Tuesday: 5:30 PM) May Orchestra Concert (PAC)May 19 (Thursday: 5:30 PM) May Band Concert (PAC)May 26 (Thursday: 1:00 PM) 5th Grade Music Concert For Parents (PAC)

The Performing Arts Department

Friday, March 25th

Please join us to celebrate the learning taking place at KIS, Seoul Campus. During the showcase event, students will be sharing their work from Trimester 2!

Session 1

KG presents to grades 1 and 4 from 9:00am - 9:25am. MPR

Grade 3 presents to grades 2 and 5 from 9:00am - 9:25am. LOWER GYM

Session 2

Grade 1 presents to grades 2 and 5 from 9:40am - 10:05am. MPR

Grade 4 presents to KG and grade 3 from 9:40am - 10:05am. LOWER GYM

Session 3

Grade 2 presents to KG and grade 3 from 10:20am - 10:45am. MPR

Grade 5 presents to grades 1 and 4 from 10:20am - 10:45am. LOWER GYM

*Families and PK & JK students are welcome to visit for any session!

Korea International School

Korea International School27 Daewangpangyo-ro, 385 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu

Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-doKorea, 463-420

www.kis.kr