Our Principal Writes

“The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have.” Woody Allen

Whilst on one of my usual walks around the school the other day to see what is happening, I came across a young man from the Primary school who was heading off to see his teacher. And he was not happy. “Whatever is the matter?” I asked and after telling me the reason, he added: “When you are unhappy, what’s the best way to feel happy again?” The quotation above is my answer and I am glad to say it gave him pause for thought. Either it was that or the terrible joke I told him which he seemed to enjoy! In the mad rush to Christmas when we are all focused on spending money and the acquisition of things, I am sure Woody Allen is probably right and we could all do with reflecting a little more on what we do have families, friends, health, jobs, houses, security and a million and one other things - rather than on those that we do not. I for one will try and bear in mind this useful and quiet little thought just before consumerism begins its annual raid through our collective bank balances… Thank you for your support as always.

Stephen

Learning letters in Nursery In week 11 the children in Nursery have been familiarising themselves with the letters of the alphabet, particularly with the letter sounds. The children demonstrated a good level of understanding and knowledge of the letters of the alphabet and the purpose of the learning within our whole class discussion. They shared their knowledge of the letter sounds in their friends’ names with enthusiasm. The children have been introduced to their ‘Literacy’ books and the first letter sound that they explored was the letter ‘s’. The children used their writing experiences with a great level of concentration when forming the letter ‘s’. I was amazed to see the children exploring the letters with excitement through a variety of activities such as letter puzzles, playdough, black boards and chalks or the interactive white board, within their initiated play. I was really impressed and delighted to watch the children learn with such enthusiasm and ease. I think we should take them as an example.

Miss Flaková

Visit to a ceramic studio This week the children visited the ceramic studio in Nusle as part of our topic “Materials”. We learnt about how heating the clay changes its properties and had a go on the pottery wheel. The children were then let loose to get their hands and uniforms dirty by making their own Christmas bell! The children also decorated a Christmas bauble which will be brought home soon for them to hang on their Christmas tree. Before heading back to school for lunch, we were treated to a homemade chocolate cake and lots of treats. We had a wonderful time and the children enjoyed the opportunity to be creative.

Ms Daniels

Berlin Trip Last week Ms. Aldridge and Mr. Hampshire and I took twenty four students from Year 11 and Year 13 to Berlin. We were incredibly lucky with the weather and were able to run around Berlin seeing many sights. Upon arrival we had a three-hour guided walking tour where we saw the Brandenburger Tor, the Holocaust memorial, Checkpoint Charlie and many other things. We ended the evening listening to a rock band on the Museuminsel and then headed to the youth hostel. On Friday we first visited two art galleries, the Alte Nationalgalerie and the modern museum, Museum der Gegenwart. We then walked to the Berlin Wall Memorial where students could see remnants of the Berlin Wall. On Saturday morning we saw a former Stasi prison before heading across town to get to our bus. The students were great, Berlin was wonderful and I hope that everyone enjoyed the experience.

Ms Karafotas

Tanzania Charity Concert- 27th November 5pm in the Theatre Dear Parents, I would personally like to invite you to a very special music concert to raise money for one of our charities ‘Seeway Tanzania’. In January 2016, fifteen students from years 10 and 12 will travel to Tanzania to participate in community work with ‘Seeway Tanzania’. The work will range from engaging with students in an orphanage, building goat sheds for the local community and renovating a local school. The concert will be held on Friday 27th November from 5pm – 6pm in the theatre. The line-up will include the amazing mothers’ choir, the talented Mr. Ferguson on guitar, the wonderful Miss Tingey on flute, our fabulous piano teacher and of course our fantastic students to mention but a few. We will be asking for a donation of 100CZK to attend but if you feel more generous, we will definitely not say no! I am sure you will agree that this is a very exciting event and it has been completely organised by our students. Please come along and support the students as well as enjoying the wonderful music on offer. Thank you in advance for your kind support. Have a lovely, relaxing weekend.

Caroline Troughton Head of Secondary

Christmas Card Competition This year we are again running the Christmas Card Competition for EY, KS1 and KS2 students (Y1 – Y6). Children can submit their artwork and we will then pick 3 winning ones which will appear on the EISP Christmas cards. This has been sent as an optional homework by the class teachers. Children should be using A4 papers or cards for their designs. Thank you for your support with this competition.

Open Day For Wednesday 25th November we have organized an Open Day at our school. Although aimed mainly at new Czech families this time, we won´t turn away visitors of any nationality so if your friends are looking for a school for their children please pass our invite on to them.

Mikuláš Bake Sale on Friday 4th December/Saturday 5th December to support Tanzania Charity We are excited to have been chosen to host the next Nord Anglia Sports weekend featuring Under 18’s Volleyall and Basketball on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th December. We want to support our Tanzania Trip at the same time by having a bake stall over the two days for the 200+ visitors as well as the school community to purchase snacks. The 2016 Tanzania group would like to ask you for donations to sell on the Friday and Saturday so if you can spare something to go on our table it would be greatly appreciated. There will be a table in reception from 8am on the Friday morning for you to drop off your donations – please clearly name plates/ plastic pots so we can return them to you.

Also if any parents can spare an hour during the Friday or Saturday to help with the sale table it would also be really appreciated. We will put a sign-up sheet in Reception on the notice board for you to add your name. For more information and to offer your help please email one of our students Anna on [email protected] Thank you!

Advent Market at Malá Strana Visit the Advent Market at Malá Strana on the 27 – 29th November and support our performing students and staff! The opening times: Friday 27th 6:00pm - 10:00pm including jazz night, food and drinks Saturday 28th 11:00am - 8:00pm Sunday 29th 11:00am - 5:00pm Mr Ferguson will be performing with Jeremy Chapman on Friday evening from 8:00pm. Our school choirs will be singing from 5:30pm on Saturday followed by Brendan and Šarka Coleman's International Choir of Prague. To find out more and for updates join their Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/familydeco.adventmarket

Christmas gifts for shelter homes We would like to ask for your help to fulfill the Christmas wishes of women and their children who live in shelter homes. Last year, with your kind help, we were able to provide gifts for two shelters and this year we are aiming to do the same but this time, for five shelters. We would like to invite you to a coffee morning at Sokolovna (restaurant on the first floor) in Pruhonice on Friday 27th November from 10.00 – 11.30. While you are having coffee, you will get more information about the shelters and hopefully ‘adopt’ a wish. Each wish should not cost more than 500 CZK. We hope to see many of you at Sokolovna to make sure everyone living in these shelters will get a present for Christmas this year. Thank you in advance,

Carolien Vos & Patricia van het Bolscher

Parent Forum next week The next Parent Forum has been scheduled for 24th November. If you don’t have a forum representative and there is an item you would like to add to the agenda, please see the list of representatives below and contact one of them. Or if you are not sure what sort of things are discussed at the forum and would like to know more, please email one of them or Katka on [email protected]. Parent Forum members meet once or twice per term to discuss the agenda items with Mr Rogers, Mr Hicks and Miss Markova. PF Members: Karina Arzumanova [email protected] Slavěna Podloucká [email protected] Lenka Morgan [email protected] Dora Tovisi [email protected] Bev Hulme [email protected] Patricia van het Bolscher [email protected] Judith Drakopoulos [email protected] Jindra Staňková [email protected] Claudine Santrain [email protected] Dilya Oripova [email protected] Younju Eum [email protected] Ela Szelerska [email protected]

Coffee Morning next week Next Coffee Morning will be hosted by our British families and it has been scheduled for Wed 25th November at 8:45 in main reception. So skip your breakfast at home and join us here for some great food and a friendly chat! You will also have a chance to speak to a representative of BAYARD which is a publisher of children‘s educational magazines. For more information see the Library News below.

PSP Christmas Event The PSP are now busy preparing the Christmas Event which will take place on the 11th December! This time you will be invited to the primary atrium and theatre where your children will be able to play games, do Arts & Crafts and also (hopefully!!) visit Santa!! We will again be asking for your kind help before and during the event. We will send you out more information with further details soon so keep a careful eye in your inbox.

Whole school choral concert Well done to all our fantastic students who performed yesterday from reception to seniors. It was great to see so many parents supporting the students and for all our students to perform with such confidence.

Upcoming concerts Please do refer to the attached winter programme which details the upcoming concerts and times. There are some changes in times to the original calendar so please do make a note of these. In particular, the ks2 performance is in the afternoon on 17th December.

Advent Market KS2 choir will be performing on Saturday evening at 17h30 at this fantastic Advent Market. I recommend a visit to this market and it would be great to see some of you during our performance. For ks2 choir members, please return the slip to Mr Coleman next week by Thursday at the latest. Thank you.

Friday after school concert Please be aware of the changes in concert times for our next Friday after school concert which is dedicated to the Tanzania trip and will start at 17h00.

NAE Juilliard Arts Programme Visit Along with the integration of this programme in every student’s music education at EISP, we are privileged to have Juilliard alumni visiting the school. On the 9th December, we have a cellist and violist visiting the school and they will be performing and working with our ks2-4 students throughout the day. These two artists are experienced in interactive performances and this will be a unique opportunity for our students. Juilliard-trained Cellist Avery Waite is an active performer, teacher, composer and arts advocate. Excited by the transformative impact of music education and cultural exchange, he is involved in a wide range of education programs, social justice initiatives, and cultural diplomacy projects. Avery has lived and taught overseas at music programs in the Middle East, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean and is very involved with the El Sistema movement both abroad and in the USA He will be joined by the violist Kim Mai Nguyen, whose dream was to become a musician in order to travel and discover the world. Recently hailed by the New York Times, Kim Mai Nguyen “gave colorful, committed readings that illuminated the variety of styles offered” at the MoMa Summergarden Series with the New Juilliard Ensemble. Kim Mai believes in music’s power to heal and make a better life for people. Through her involvement in several community programs, Kim Mai has become an enthusiastic advocate of music education. Together, they are part of the ensemble, Drifting East which has released its debut CD entitled "Songs and Melodies from Afghanistan". Drifting East is inspired by the fascinating musical tradition of Afghanistan. With a fusion of unlikely instruments, we combine central Asian folk and Info-Afghan traditional melodies with Western harmonies and influences.

Upcoming creative and performing arts event

Christmas Short Story Competition

National Poetry Day Competition Dear Parents, I’m happy to announce the winners of our National Poetry Day 2015 Competition. National Poetry Day was on 8 October 2015 and the theme this year was Light. Below is the 1st place winner. Congratulations to everyone, and I am looking forward to announce the Christmas short story competition. So watch this space… Have a great weekend. Lucia The Light Poem There is light in the day, There is light in the night, But in the night only the stars are shining bright, But the light in your heart is the brightest of all

For it even outshines the sun. For the light in your heart is kindness and love, And has beauty and grace like a dove. So beware the dark is rising, But the light is still So use your heart, so we don’t break apart, And be friends forever… By Ela, Mila, Hana and Elsa

Christmas Book Fair

Primary Library News Here are some of our new arrivals in the Primary Library:

- Roman army / Brocklehurst, Ruth - Roman Britain / Hepplewhite Peter - Roman Britain / Brocklehurst Ruth - Antz DVD - Sammy’s great escape DVD Would you like to check your child's loans? Access your child's account online via http://library.eisp.cz/oliver. To obtain your password, please email us at [email protected]  If you would like to see more of our new books, Library updates and Library activities, please visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/EISPprimaryLibrary/?ref=hl

Senior Library News Here are some of the new books & DVDs in your Senior Library

 Eleanor & Park / Rowell Rainbow  Girl Online / Zoe Sugg  Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe / Benjamin Alire Sáenz  I am Malala : the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban / Yousafzai, Malala; Lamb, Christina  20th century History for Cambridge IGCSE : revision guide / Ennion, Ray  The Theory Of Everything DVD …..and many more. To display all the new books please go to our online catalogue http://library.eisp.cz/oliver ‘Like’ our Facebook page to receive updates about new books and events https://www.facebook.com/seniorEISPlibrary

EISP STARS Gael 1D Julie 4B Misa 3D Zaffar 3D Maty 1F Madha 4J Arman 4J Sofia 3D Elizabeth 3D Irina 1D Jana 4J Isabelle N 4J Amelie 1F

EISP CERTIFICATES Pre Nursery Aidan - for being so smiley and a keen singer Nursery Viktor – for making a beautiful Elmer picture and being really proud of it. Reception Arkadia – For always trying really hard to sit nicely, listen carefully and complete her work as best as she can Antoni – For trying hard to complete his learning activities with a teacher 1F Volkan Acicbe-for giving 100% in everything he does. Marianna Raevskaya-excellent behaviour and being principled. 1D Frantisek Mech-outstanding artwork, and for staying focused on the task until he achieved the desired result. Marek F-amazing artwork, and for working incredibly hard on achieving your best work. Year 2 Yaroslav - for super work in science about Life Cycles. Samuel - for continued improvement with reading.