August 2023 Newsletter: Dalian American International School
DAIS NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2023
Dear DAIS community,
We are delighted to present the August issue of our school newsletter. Welcome back to school! We hope everyone is refreshed and renewed and had an amazing time with family and friends this summer.
Whole School News
Faculty Orientation
DAIS Elementary and Secondary teachers have been on campus from August 7 preparing to start the new school year. During the several days of professional learning, they went through all the details and expectations they needed to refresh before the students return to school.
Back to School Event
The Back-to-School event on Wednesday, August 16 afternoon was a blast! First, boarding students settled down in the dorm. Then, after receiving all necessary materials and a short welcome speech by the school administration, all families headed to the classrooms to meet the teachers.
First Day of School
Returning to campus after summer is always super exciting! The first official day of school for DAIS Elementary and Secondary on Thursday, August 17 was a special celebration for both students and teachers. Greetings from the Head of School and the friendly Sea Dragon, ice breakers in the classrooms, assemblies, locker distributions, and the first nutritious lunch of the long school year made the day!
Elementary School
Sea Dragon Summer Camp
Sea Dragon Summer Camp 2023 on Dalian American International School campus has been a blast! We set off with a bang in week one. Learners participated in sports classes, they read stories, and learned about, and created a wildlife habitat for their favorite animal. During week two, learners went through Superhero training. The younger learners engaged in Super Cutting, Super Tracing, and creating Super Masks. The older learners imagined and designed a superhero. The learners flew out of week two in their customized superhero capes. Week three was filled with action and creative thinking. The older learners put on a show, reciting beloved fairy tales. The younger learners sang songs, played collaborative games, and decorated their own frisbee.
We all had a ROARING Sea Dragon Summer Camp. We look forward to seeing you again next year!
Back to School
Dalian American International School students, teachers, staff and administration were happy to reunite on campus after the summer break. On August 17, DAIS-E teachers introduced students to new classrooms and friends through various team-building activities.
MAP Tests
From August 28th, DAIS Elementary students began Fall MAP testing. Students in grades K - 5 are being assessed using the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), created by Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™). MAP is a computer-adaptive test, which means every student gets a unique set of test questions based on their responses to previous questions. There are MAP tests in reading, language usage, science, and mathematics for students in Grades 3-5; Grade 2 reading, language usage, and mathematics; in Grades K and 1 there are only reading and mathematics MAP tests.
Secondary School
2023 NAE-UNICEF Summit
In mid-July, over 100 students from different Nord Anglia schools arrived in New York City to join the 2023 NAE-UNICEF Summit. The student delegates worked together to develop their leadership and advocacy skills; cultivate their social purpose through the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); tackle major issues using creative solutions; and connect with NAE students from across the globe. We will interview DAIS delegates Suah and Serena very soon to hear what they learned during this insightful event.
New Advisory Plan
On Friday, August 18 students began the first lesson of our new comprehensive advisory plan. This new advisory style will teach students important life skills to contribute to their future success as well as incorporating Service Learning and explicit instruction in our Schoolwide Learner Outcomes (SWLOs). Students began by exploring the first SWLO and breaking down what the key words in it mean to them, and how they can demonstrate those values. After discussing these students were tasked with making a poster either about the SWLO as a whole or about what part of SWLO 1, which is Character, means to them. So, we saw a wide variety of students demonstrating different aspects of good character on their posters. Students were collaborating with each other and their advisors to get the project done and we had some great posters created!
2023 WSC Tournament of Championships
Congratulations to DAIS Grade 7 students Musi and Alex who have been invited to participate in the World Scholar's Cup Tournament of Champions as the qualifiers from the 2023 WSC Global Round. The 2023 World Scholar's Cup Tournament of Champions (ToC) will be held in Yale University in November. Scholars from all over the world will compete in the Yale Championship and enjoy this grand academic feast.
