October 6, 2011

Week At-A-Glance

No School, Professional Development Day
Friday, October 7

Eighth Grade Outdoor Education
October 10-14

Fifth Grade Outdoor Education
October 10-11

Coffee & Questions with Kevin Chang
Thursday, October 13

Parent Education Opportunities at SpeakSF – Free for CAIS Community

SpeakSF is an organization that brings parent education events on a variety of topics to communities of several independent schools around the city. Because CAIS is a participating school, all CAIS families, faculty and staff are invited to the SpeakSF speaker presentations that will happen throughout the school year.

The first event is happening Tuesday, October 18 and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle will lead a presentation on unlocking the secrets of talent.

Click here for details about the upcoming presentation and to learn more about SpeakSF.

If you have any questions about SpeakSF or upcoming events, please contact CAIS parent organizer, Patricia Martell.

First Professional Development Day of the Year Focuses on First Aid and CPR

Professional development generally refers to ongoing learning opportunities available to faculty and staff, and at CAIS, we encourage all our faculty and staff to participate in professional development throughout the year, beyond the designated professional development days.


Tomorrow, Friday, October 7 is our first group professional development day of the school year and the awareness and importance of school wide “safety comes first” is the subject of the day. With numerous new faculty and teaching associates this year and the need for safety knowledge and procedures to be tested, updated and checked regularly, our Auxiliary Program Director, Kevin Lee – seen here pictured with his new best friend – has arranged for all faculty and those staff members who have regularly scheduled lunch or recess duty with students, to participate in a day of training from the American Red Cross


At the end of the full day session, all participants will be fully certified in both first aid and adult and child CPR, which is valid for two years. Everyone will learn to recognize and care for a variety of first aid emergencies that are typical in a school environment, such as cuts and scrapes, sudden illnesses, head, neck and back injuries and heat and cold emergencies. Additionally, everyone will learn how to perform CPR and care for breathing and cardiac emergencies in children and adults. The first aid and CPR training will be offered in both Chinese and English, to help ensure that all faculty and staff will have a full understanding of the content.


We were told by our Red Cross training coordinator that it is unusual for a school to train and certify the majority of its faculty and staff, but we feel strongly that we need for teachers, teaching associates and staff to be able to enhance and build on their knowledge, and caring for our students is the most important task in a teacher’s day.

Final Session of Five-Week Coffee & Questions Series

The PA is bringing you one more coffee & question event next Thursday, October 13. Join Chinese Program Director, Kevin Chang from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. in room 57B of our Oak Street campus. Kevin will discuss his new role and the impact it will have on the Chinese curriculum at CAIS.

• What: Coffee & Questions Series
• When: Thursday, October 13 - 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
• Where: Room 57B, Oak Street Campus
• October 13 – Kevin Chang, Chinese Program Director

Fifth Grade Overflowing with Chinese “Masters”

We’ve routinely spotted hordes of students with nifty-looking homemade necklaces adorned with Chinese characters and beads throughout school and wondered what it all means. Upon further investigation, we learned the story behind the necklaces is what has been dubbed the Chinese “master” program in Hsu Laoshi’s fifth grade Chinese classes.


As part of the landscape of Hsu Laoshi’s room, a row of necklaces hang at the front of his classroom. Colorful and full of the individual’s personality, students have hand crafted their own necklaces and eagerly grab them at any given time while they’re in class.

Hsu Laoshi explained the simple rules of the program and the rest is up to the students.

• Students are encouraged to wear the necklaces 80-90% of the day.
• While the necklace is on, only Chinese can be spoken, that includes recess, in the halls, bathrooms, etc.
• Once they have worn their Chinese master necklace for their half-day in Chinese class, they will earn a bead. Each bead represents a step to receiving a prize. Once the student has compiled 20 beads – or 20 days of speaking only Chinese – they get to pick a classroom-related gift from Hsu Laoshi’s treasure chest of items such as erasers, stickers, pencils or pencil cases.

Two Weeks Left to Get Your 30th Anniversary Swag

Help commemorate CAIS’s 30th anniversary with 30th anniversary apparel that can be ordered through the CAIS Boutique on the CAIS Community Wiki. The deadline for ordering 30th anniversary apparel is October 24. Order via the CAIS Community Wiki here.


What’s the CAIS Community Wiki, you ask? It’s a community run web page that includes all of the great things that happen at CAIS, but outside of the school classroom, such as family camp, soccer leagues, parent events and more.


If you did not receive your wiki invitation and wish to be part of the conversation, please go to the CAIS Community Wiki here .

The eScrip Corner: Raise Money for CAIS While You Shop!

Missed or forgot about the eScrip email requesting your help to raise store donations to our school community? If so, we encourage you to go to the CAIS eScrip webpage and spend five minutes to sign up for eScrip.

Already signed up? We still need you to spend five minutes to login and update your credit card and grocery club card registrations.

It's fast and easy, so please take the time, and help us earn money for the school while shopping.

If every CAIS family, faculty and staff makes this small effort, the increased revenue will allow the CAIS Parents Association to support classroom needs in addition to the community activities it already supports (e.g. Teacher Appreciation activities, school picnics, parent orientation, coffee and questions).

We appreciate your help!

Participate in Upcoming Event and Raise Money for CAIS

Looking for a great way to get your family out for some fun and fitness? Mark your calendars for a 5k and 1-mile family friendly run/walk event in Golden Gate Park on Sunday, November 20. People Events has graciously allowed CAIS to directly benefit from their Run and Walk for the Hungry event. Our school will receive 100% of the pledges designated to CAIS. More details to follow in the coming weeks.

Contact parent coordinator Shirley Tse with any questions or to get involved.

Volunteering at CAIS

There's a great new resource for Volunteers at CAIS - the Volunteer Center on the Community Wiki.

Whether you are looking for an opportunity to help out, or wondering who manages a particular event or activity, the Volunteer Center will serve as a repository of volunteer information for you to check. We need your help! If you are volunteering and your name is not on the Volunteer Center, please add it. If you have a volunteer opportunity, please post it. And most importantly, if you would like to help out, please check to see where help is needed. There are currently several fun and interesting opportunities available.

Not part of the Community Wiki? Well get to it! The wiki has tons of updates and information about anything and everything happening at CAIS. It’s a community run web page that includes all of the great things that happen at CAIS, but outside of the school classroom, such as family camp, soccer leagues, parent events and more.

If you did not receive your wiki invitation and wish to be part of the conversation, please click here and sign up.

Annual Fund Update

Give Now | Pledge | Match | Transfer Stock

If you see the Advancement staff at Waller Campus this week and next week, please stop and say hello. We’d love to talk to you about the best way you can support your child's school -- contributing a meaningful gift to the Annual Fund.

Thank you to our new supporters to the Annual Fund drive this week: Oliver Demuth and Vanna Shir, Greg Dalton and Lucia Choi-Dalton, Peter Ragone and Janine O'Neill, Tanguy and Karine Serra, Michael Gong and Amy Lui, Alan Khoo and Betty Szeto, Chien Hwa Wang, Patrick and Cristina Frazier, Stoyan Kenderov and Irina Kenderova, Michael and Melissa Patterson, Monte Zweben and Louise Zweben, Jochen Roth and Kati Hopman, Eric Mao and Florence Kong, Gene Lau and Arlene Cosca, Douglas Steedman and Kazumi Matsuyama, Avery Chin.

Click here to see this week's Annual Fund progress.

Before any other opportunity, please consider giving to the Annual Fund First.

Mom's Tea - An Afternoon of Friends, Fun and Fundraising

Pinkies were poised this past Sunday as CAIS moms Mae O’Malley, Jenny Chang and Stacey Ng hosted “A Well-Heeled Tea: CAIS Moms' Tea” at the home of Mae O’Malley. The annual Moms’ Tea, a fundraising party from ShowCAIS 2011, brought 75 CAIS moms together on a perfect Sunday to enjoy a houseful of friends, fine foods and some much-deserved pampering from our generous supporters at Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Laura Mercer and Fruition Day Spa. Dahlia Blu Jewelry and Beespoke girls clothing line offered a little bit of shopping for the ladies.


Everyone enjoyed a wonderful assortment of tea time fare generously donated by our hosts, Mae, Jenny and Stacey. Guest marveled over the handmade scones, cookies and tartlets prepared by CAIS moms Mae Pang and Nisha Krishnaiah. More than $8,000 was raised to support the school through the mom’s tea. The event was so much fun that that some guests are already looking forward to next year’s tea, an ever-popular item that’s quickly becoming a ShowCAIS tradition.


Thank you Mae O’Malley, Stacey Ng and Jenny Chang for giving back so generously as hosts of the 2011 Moms’ Tea.

Jumpstart Read for the Record

Call for an end to America's early education achievement gap by joining over two million people (including teachers at CAIS) in reading Llama, Llama Red Pajama, by Anna Dewdney, to your children today. If you don't have it at home, you can read it online here.


To learn more about Jumpstart Read for the Record, click here.

Fifth Grade Overflowing with Chinese “Masters”

We’ve routinely spotted hordes of students with nifty-looking homemade necklaces adorned with Chinese characters and beads throughout school and wondered what it all means. Upon further investigation, we learned the story behind the necklaces is what has been dubbed the Chinese “master” program in Hsu Laoshi’s fifth grade Chinese classes.


As part of the landscape of Hsu Laoshi’s room, a row of necklaces hang at the front of his classroom. Colorful and full of the individual’s personality, students have hand crafted their own necklaces and eagerly grab them at any given time while they’re in class.

Hsu Laoshi explained the simple rules of the program and the rest is up to the students.

• Students are encouraged to wear the necklaces 80-90% of the day.
• While the necklace is on, only Chinese can be spoken, that includes recess, in the halls, bathrooms, etc.
• Once they have worn their Chinese master necklace for their half-day in Chinese class, they will earn a bead. Each bead represents a step to receiving a prize. Once the student has compiled 20 beads – or 20 days of speaking only Chinese – they get to pick a classroom-related gift from Hsu Laoshi’s treasure chest of items such as erasers, stickers, pencils or pencil cases.

CAIS Invited to FAIS Parent Workshop Series

The FAIS Lower School Parent Board has organized a yearlong parent workshop series for FAIS and CAIS lower school families to attend. The subject matter of the four-part series spans topically from friendships, bullying and gender learning differences. The series dates and times have been included on our school calendar. Because this is a FAIS-sponsored series, we are unable to provide child care to CAIS families.

First event

• Wednesday, October 19
• 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. in the Lower Café
• A Caring Community: How Parents Can Help Children with Friendships

Click here to read about and download the other events in the series.

If you have specific questions about the workshops, please email LSPB@frenchamericansf.org.

Chinese Reading Buddy Program Launches

The second and fifth grade reading buddy program launched this week for all second and fifth grade students. The purpose of this yearlong program is to create opportunities for our children to use their Chinese language in a meaningful, practical and interactive setting, while learning new words and meanings and having fun with their buddies.


Fifth grade Chinese teacher Hsu Laoshi led interactive activities with second graders from Chang Laoshi's and Su Laoshi's classes, with each of the fifth grade buddies paired up reading to their second grade "students."


The reading buddy activities for all fifth and second grade students will take place monthly with fifth grade students serving as "teachers" to lead various reading or storytelling activities with second grade children in one-on-one or small group setting. The students will also have opportunities to interact with each other using questions and discussions ranging from questions about a book's artwork and character to the overall plot of the book.


The reading buddy program will last through the end of the school year. Please continually check your child’s classroom site on Veracross for updates and progress about the reading buddy program.

Final Session of Five-Week Coffee & Questions Series

The PA is bringing you one more coffee & question event next Thursday, October 13. Join Chinese Program Director, Kevin Chang from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. in room 57B of our Oak Street campus. Kevin will discuss his new role and the impact it will have on the Chinese curriculum at CAIS.

• What: Coffee & Questions Series
• When: Thursday, October 13 - 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
• Where: Room 57B, Oak Street Campus
• October 13 – Kevin Chang, Chinese Program Director

Two Weeks Left to Get Your 30th Anniversary Swag

Help commemorate CAIS’s 30th anniversary with 30th anniversary apparel that can be ordered through the CAIS Boutique on the CAIS Community Wiki. The deadline for ordering 30th anniversary apparel is October 24. Order via the CAIS Community Wiki here.


What’s the CAIS Community Wiki, you ask? It’s a community run web page that includes all of the great things that happen at CAIS, but outside of the school classroom, such as family camp, soccer leagues, parent events and more.


If you did not receive your wiki invitation and wish to be part of the conversation, please go to the CAIS Community Wiki here .

The eScrip Corner: Raise Money for CAIS While You Shop!

Missed or forgot about the eScrip email requesting your help to raise store donations to our school community? If so, we encourage you to go to the CAIS eScrip webpage and spend five minutes to sign up for eScrip.

Already signed up? We still need you to spend five minutes to login and update your credit card and grocery club card registrations.

It's fast and easy, so please take the time, and help us earn money for the school while shopping.

If every CAIS family, faculty and staff makes this small effort, the increased revenue will allow the CAIS Parents Association to support classroom needs in addition to the community activities it already supports (e.g. Teacher Appreciation activities, school picnics, parent orientation, coffee and questions).

We appreciate your help!

Volunteering at CAIS

There's a great new resource for Volunteers at CAIS - the Volunteer Center on the Community Wiki.

Whether you are looking for an opportunity to help out, or wondering who manages a particular event or activity, the Volunteer Center will serve as a repository of volunteer information for you to check. We need your help! If you are volunteering and your name is not on the Volunteer Center, please add it. If you have a volunteer opportunity, please post it. And most importantly, if you would like to help out, please check to see where help is needed. There are currently several fun and interesting opportunities available.

Not part of the Community Wiki? Well get to it! The wiki has tons of updates and information about anything and everything happening at CAIS. It’s a community run web page that includes all of the great things that happen at CAIS, but outside of the school classroom, such as family camp, soccer leagues, parent events and more.

If you did not receive your wiki invitation and wish to be part of the conversation, please click here and sign up.