What's New At KinStar!

June 2010

• June 29^th The KinStar summer concert. Everyone is invited to attend!

On Wednesday the 26^th of May, Grade Four embarked on a three day adventure camp at the Goose and Duck Ranch. For many it was their first time away from their families but we set off with high spirits and a bus filled with luggage.

The students were welcomed on arrival by a loaded water gun after which they settled quickly into their cabins. Our first night was spent eating an assortment of yummy food and familiarizing ourselves with the foosball table.

In the morning the eager students were up early and looking forward to a day of fun. After a delicious breakfast Grade Four were challenged to a two hour hike up the local mountain. Fighting off tiredness and encouraging each other all throughout, the students made it back to camp just as lunch was served. After a quick break the students started the afternoon’s activities including mini golf, archery and best of all swimming. The day was capped off around the outdoor grill making s’mores and drinking hot chocolate.

The last morning was spent back at the pools and then back on the bus headed for home. We arrived at school triumphant, happy, exhausted and with some great memories of three days spent with friends.

In the morning of May 19^th of 2010, KinStar Grade 7 and 8 students arrived Hangzhou, and then they visited Xihu to feel the mystery and beauty, Xixi National Wetland Park has a famous saying, If you are the one and students used the big wood hammer to make the rice cakes there, Huxueyan’s Mansion, they can study the knowledge about the business man in the last period of Qing Dynasty and how beautiful and sumptuous is the famous mansion. In the evening, they went to the Xizi Lake and watched the performance named Impression of Xihu.
As a part of the Chinese class, on the second day, they visited Zhuozheng Park, Huqiu and Hanshan Temple in Suzhou. The students understood the meaning of the famous sentence in Yeshengtao’s Suzhou Garden, that is “ Wherever a visitor looks in the Suzhou Gardens, there is a perfect view.”

After the recent earthquake in the Qinghai province of China KinStar decided to donate all proceeds from it’s annual family fair to the Red Cross to help rebuild schools that were destroyed by the quake.

On Saturday the 15^th of May the KinStar campus was converted into a spring carnival and the atmosphere was jubilant as students, parents, friends and family came together for a day of fun. Some of the fun activities included archery, balloon darts, lucky dip, digging for treasure, face painting, a beauty salon (students of all ages enjoyed having their hair colored pink or purple or green). We even had mini car racing and Wii tennis to test the skills of computer game fans. One of the big hits was the water war zone where students got soaked by large water guns and even water balloons. The wetter the better!

We were all amazed by the talent of some of our students as they performed in the talent show, great singers, spectacular dancers and brilliant musicians. The first act of the talent show was the kindergarten drumming trio, who played very upbeat and challenging rhythms to popular songs. The talent show ended with KinStar’s Pop band playing a few songs including the all time classis “I’ve been Everywhere Man”. All contestants were given a loud applause and a prize for their participation.

A new event “The Kwai Wars” was the highlight for many students. Over the previous few weeks the students had been voting on which teachers would be selected to have a pie thrown in their face. The students voted by dropping money into jars, and the teachers whose jars has the most money where given the honor of having pies thrown in their faces. This was an initiative of the middle school students leadership team and was a great money raiser. A big thank you goes to the three teachers who were voted to have pies thrown at them while standing locked in the stocks, not an easy task!!

On the 15^th of May kinstar held it’s annual sports day. The sun was shining brightly as the students paraded onto the sports field for the opening ceremony. Each class had prepared their own class cheer and we were impressed… watch out the Grade 4 Hurricanes may blow you away!! We even had a special performance by KinStar’s own Pop band.

On March 31^st , KinStar had a wonderful Chinese Speech Competition. The students who represented different classes gave us some excellent speeches. We heard Lisa and Surya from Grade 1, Cindy and Cici from Grade 2, Himang and Steven from Grade3, Tim and Jordan from Grade 4, JungSoo from Grade 5, Sabrina from Grade 6, Jenny from Grade 7 and Jason from Grade 8. The students gave their speeches about a wide range of topics including appealling to protect animals, to join environmental movements, the importance of reading and the advantages of open-book examination. We appreciate the thought and ideas of the speakers by their excellent presentations. They receive a loud applause.

On March 22^nd , the KinStar community had the enjoyable experience of listening to the class winners give their speeches about a wide range of topics. Each year, KinStar students work hard to write and prepare a speech. They learn important public speaking skills as well as different writing techniques. Each class held their own competition and sent two finalists to represent their grade. From grade 1, we heard Chante and Kelsey, from grade 2, Tazmin and William, representing grade 3 were Chris and Jackie, and from grade four we heard from Tea and YueQi. The second half began with Shannon and Ethan from grade 5, Melody and Sabrina from grade 6, Yuhan and Jocelyn from grade 7 and Jason and Jeffery from grade 8. The audience learned about topics such as the coral reefs, special brothers, loveable dogs, helpfulness, world records, and many more. We are all very proud of our speakers and are already looking forward to next year’s competition!! Congratulations to all of the participants!!!

The words were tough and the competition was even tougher,
when on March 12^th, KinStar students competed in our annual
Spelling Bee Competition!! Students worked hard to prepare for this
year’s competition and impressed the audience with their remarkable
spelling skills! The first competition was between students from grades
1 to 4. The finalists were Chantel & Nuinui from grade 1, Adelle & Juliet from grade 2, Vincent & Evelyn from grade 3, and Jordan and YuQui from grade 4. The winner of this first competition was Adelle Yang from grade 2!!!!

KinStar annual Chinese New Year party was held at 9:00am of February 11th. This party has more new things than the former years’.

The first performance was a parade of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs it began with beautiful salutes and Chinese new year music. From Grade 8 “Big Mouse” to Grade 1 “Sheep”, from “Monkey King” to “Baby Pig” of Kindergarten，they recieved a lot of applause.

The second part, the excellent performance, including Yangge, wishes for new year, Chinese traditional rap and chorus by kindergarten students.

The third part was loved by students, interesting games, studing Chinese culture and many kinds of delicious snacks. KinStar was full of laughter and good wishes.

This was another very successful KinStar event.

What a spectacular show! What lovely singing and what a great story!

On the 17^th of December the KinStar students put on a magnificent musical called “Paint the Town December”. Through songs, dancing and dramatic scenes the students brought to life the holiday season in the small fictional town of Graysville, USA. One of the scenes of the play involves a group of volunteers who are in charge of painting the store front windows to brighten them up (from their dreary grey) for the holidays.

The volunteers have interesting encounters with the different shop keepers, who each tell their story of the celebrations from their cultures. First the painters went to the toy store where Mr. Ladin shared about the miracle of the oil in the lamp that lasted for eight days instead of one. They painted the eight candles of the Menorah on his shop window to represent Hanukkah. Next they visited Ms. Abraham from the World Import Store and she shared with them the story of Kwanzaa. After talking with Ms Abraham they decide to paint Six African words and their meaning that are celebrated during Kwanzaa. The words are; Imani meaning Faith, Kuumba meaning Creativity, Ujamaa meaning Unity, Ujima meaning Responsibility, Nia meaning Purpose and finally Jujichagulia which is Self-determination.

Next the window painting volunteers come to the town bank where Mrs. Scrooge gives them an unfriendly welcome. Mrs. Scrooge is more interested in saving money than any celebrations! On the following shop window they paint a picture of the Nativity scene with an additional shepherd boy. When asked what the shepherd boy is doing the painter explains that he wished he was there as a shepherd boy to see the miracle of the birth of Jesus.

The volunteers finish painting all the windows and during the performance new backdrops that had been painted by the KinStar middle school students are let down to create a whole new colorful backdrop and the town of Graysville is transformed into a bright and colorful place ready to celebrate the festivities of December!

Congratulations to Miss Minnix and all the students who worked hard to put together such a wonderful production!

Who dares enter the haunted house? Who is brave enough to listen to scary stories or feel inside the fear factor boxes? It looks like the KinStar students are brave enough!!

This year the Halloween activities started with a whole school costume parade. There were many amazing and scary costumes that added to the Halloween atmosphere. Some students came as their favorite story book or cartoon character others dressed up as monsters, sorcerers and fairies. What a spectacular sight!!

Let the fun begin! Trick or treat? Grave yard bowling? Mummy wrap? Zombie stomp? Eyeball pick-up? Spooky stories? What do you choose? Let the magic key decide! Students, parents and staff had a wonderful time trying out all the different spooky games and Halloween activities. There was sooo many treats and yummy snacks!! We won’t need to eat candy again for a long long time.

On Tuesday the 29th of September the Grade 8 students performed a short play about the importance of cleanliness for all primary and middle school students. The students wrote the script themselves and through a serious of small acts were able to teach everyone that cleanliness is a great virtue to have. A clean school is a safe school, no rubbish to slip on and it is also a healthy place where students can study in a nice clean environment.

After the performance certificates were handed out for students who have perfumed well during the month of September. So many students received prizes. Well done everyone!

Wow … what an amazing parade with costumes and singing from around the world. This Year’s international day started with a lively and colorful Parade of the Nations. The KinStar student’s chose 12 countries from around the world to represent. The parade started with China, we then had Germany, India, the USA, Korea, Australia, France, Venezuela, Fiji, Vietnam, Madagascar and Peru. The students looked so beautiful in their traditional costumes. What a wonderful spectacle!! The students ended the parade by signing the song “Hello to all the children of the World” that they had learnt during music classes.

The rest of the day was super busy as students traveled from country to country as they made their way around the globe. In each country (classroom) they were first stopped by customs officials who stamped their passports, and then they learnt interesting facts about the country taught to them by other students posing as tour guides. They were then treated to try some local cuisine and snacks before playing a game or listening to a traditional song.

By the end of the day everyone was “jet lagged” we had traveled from Fiji in the pacific to Venezuela in South America, to the Indian sub continent and even to Madagascar off the coast of Africa. What a fun way to learn about different countries, customs, cultures and food. This will be a day that the students will remember forever!

To enjoy the lovely Autum weather and to enjoy nature students from Grade 1 to 8 visited Lianquanxiang Gorge.

The day was bright and sunny and the students enjoyed the gentle breeze as they climbed. We sang and laughed on the way there. When the students arrived, they were facinated by the amazing veiw. We followed a winding spring, the plants were very beautiful. The paths was built up by stones and was steep and narrow. But the students really liked climbing the hill, because it was a challenge for them. None of them said “ I am tired”. While they climbed the hill, they looked at the view and picked up the flowers. They were excited when they saw the different kinds of insects. It was great to see a long line of students wearing the KinStar uniform going up the gorge and laughing while they climbed..

The KinStar Opening Ceremony was held in the new KinStar auditorium at 9:00am on the 26th of August. All of KinStar staff and students came to the auditorium in order. Principal Vivian Gao gave a speech during the ceremony and wished the students a happy and successful year. Principal Gao also shared the good news that we recieved some prizes in the Solar Car Design Contest including three personal gold medals and silver medals and three team medals. Many parents came to the opening ceremony to show their support for KinStar and to celebrate the success of KinStar students. The Opening Ceremony ended with a loud applause.

The 6^th and 7^th graders went to Sichuan.? The 5^th and 4^th graders went to The Goose and Duck Farm.? The 3^rd graders went…no where but had the best time of their lives.? At 3:20pm on a Friday, after school, the bells rang and they gathered their materials for the long awaited 3rd Grade Kinstar Sleepover:? An evening of water fights, capture-the-flag, games and movies, and great food.? It was not only a fun and exciting experience but also a learning experience for all.?

Many students have never experienced the joys and complications of camping.? Even though we slept in rooms inside the school, we used sleeping bags and small mats as our bedding and towels and sheets for our pillows.? Students were able to experience independence for a night: change and gather their clothing before bed, making their beds, taking showers and brushing their teeth all on their own.? The students also made and ate Western camping delicacies.? They made their own peanut butter and banana sandwiches, burgers, and smores (marshmallows with chocolate and graham crackers).?

All of the middle school students went to visit a school in Sichuan that was destroyed by last year's earthquake.

On the 27^th of May, 2009, under the organization of the Red Cross, KinStar middle school students visited Minzhuhongda Middle School in Shifang City of Sichuan Province. The school selected 13 students to take part in an activity with our students. During the ceremony we exchanged gifts including books, art work and calligraphy. The KinStar students also did a performance and had discussions with the Sichuan students. The students of Hongda talked about the earthquake, the help of Beijing citizens and the friendship between the volunteers of Beijing and Shifang. The KinStar students talked about their exciting school life and their thoughts about going around the world. After having lunch, they visited the new site of Hongda Middle School including the teaching building, laboratory and audio-visual floor. We hope the Sichuan students can move into their new school as soon as possible and begin their new lives.

In the afternoon, the students went to the Red Cross Building in Chengdu City. Mr. Liu Qiang told us moving stories from the earthquake. While the students ate special Sichuan snacks, they listened to his introduction. Followed by the Project Coordinator of the International Red Cross, Mr. Frans Lommers, the students visited the representative offices of each country. When the students saw that the Red Cross workers worked so hard, they were impressed.

Through visiting the disaster areas, each? student was deeply moved. We believe that they will cherish life more will try to love more and try to make the world better.

On Saturday the 16th of May over one hundred families came to KinStar’s Family Fair.
Students, parents, visitors and friends all had a wonderful time catching cup, eating the many tasty dishes, enjoying the games and soaking up the carnival atmosphere.

We saw some wonderful talent in the talents show, new skills learnt in archery and darts, the art of slip’n’sliding, finding ones way through the mysterious maze, and digging for buried treasure. These were just some of the days highlights. Face painting was also a big hit as we discovered some new artistic talent amongst out staff.

In the morning of May 7th, the KinStar Grade 1 to 3 students and teachers went to Yuyuantan Park.

After arriving there, children were excited about the different flowers and plants, they tried to guess the flowers’ names, said hello to visitors and played games on the grass. When they saw a singing and dancing performance, they danced and sang together with them. We also took some photos to remember the special time.

The Kindergarten students went to a fruit farm to pick strawberries. It was a large farm and there were many different fruits there. We saw many big beautiful strawberries, the students couldn’t wait to pick! Every student’s picking box was full of beautiful strawberries, they couldn’t wait to share the strawberries and the happiness with their family. They learned a little about planting strawberries and also tried to plant strawberry seeds in the soil. We look forward to see the strawberries grow soon.

On the 29^th of April, with the shining sun and passionate performance we started the KinStar’s annual sports day. Before the sports activities started, every class showed their class costume in front of the parents; Grade 1 to 4 students danced with colored flags; the KinStar staff performed a funny skit. To make the day more exciting we added some interesting and funny games for the students this year. All of the visitors enjoyed themselves. During the sports competition, every student tried their best to win the honor and prize for their class, the spirit deeply influenced the visitors. This year was the best so far, we believe that we can make the sports day even better in the coming years.

On March 27^th , Kindergarten students went to visit the Blue Zoo. They were all excited to see many different kinds of fish, they couldn’t wait to take pictures with the fish. They watched the mermaid dancing with the fish, it was so beautiful; The staff feeding turtles and sharks, looked so friendly, just like old friends. After visiting the Blue Zoo, many students want to learn swimming, just swim like fish.