Fortnightly Newsletter - Volume 7, Issue 14

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Fortnightly Newsletter - 8th September 2023

Volume 7, Issue 14

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Dear parents, students, friends of Adelaide International School

Message From the Principal

The Transformative Power of Nature: Why Every Student Should Get Outdoors

Dear Students, Parents, and Staff,

As a Geographer and former Geologist I am passionate about nurturing the holistic development of our students. Today, I want to emphasize the importance of getting outdoors and experiencing the wonders of nature. In an age dominated by screens and schedules, the benefits of connecting with the natural world are more vital than ever before and I certainly noticed the immediate enjoyment of our Headstart students who recently went to the Adelaide Hills on excursion. There are several important benefits of the Great Outdoors, these are:

1. Mental Well-being: Spending time in nature has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It offers a sanctuary of tranquillity, allowing our students to escape the pressures of daily life and find solace in the beauty of the outdoors. Fresh air and natural surroundings can do wonders for one's mental health.

2. Physical Health: Getting out in nature encourages physical activity. Whether it's hiking, biking, or simply playing in the park, these activities help promote a healthier lifestyle. In an era of sedentary screen time, nature provides a natural antidote to the health challenges associated with inactivity.

3. Enhanced Learning: Outdoor experiences enhance learning in unique ways. The sights, sounds, and textures of the natural world stimulate the senses and provide hands-on learning opportunities. Environmental education not only fosters a greater appreciation for the world but also reinforces classroom learning.

4. Creativity and Imagination: Nature sparks creativity and imagination. When surrounded by the beauty of the outdoors, students often find inspiration to explore their artistic talents, write poetry, or simply daydream. These moments of creativity are invaluable for personal growth.

5. Social Development: Outdoor activities encourage teamwork and cooperation. When students venture outside together, they learn to collaborate, communicate, and solve problems as a team, skills that are essential for success in life.

6. Environmental Stewardship: By spending time in nature, our students develop a deep respect and love for the environment. This nurtures a sense of responsibility and a commitment to protecting our planet, instilling in them the values of environmental stewardship.

7. Resilience and Adaptability: Nature is unpredictable, teaching our students valuable life skills such as resilience and adaptability. Being exposed to varying weather conditions and unexpected challenges fosters a sense of flexibility and resourcefulness.

At AIS, we believe in the power of education to transform lives, and this extends beyond the classroom. I encourage all students and their families to make time for outdoor experiences. Whether it's a weekend hike, a visit to a local park, or simply spending time in your own backyard, the benefits of connecting with nature are immeasurable.

Let us embrace the incredible gift of the natural world and watch as it enriches our lives.

Best wishes

Shaun Oakey

Principal

Excursion to Cleland, Hahndorf and Mt Lofty

Headstart - Jing Liu

On 25th, August 2023, students from study tour group of Bosa International School and Headstart group went on an excursion to Cleland, Hahndorf and Mt Lofty.

It was a beautiful day for an excursion. The weather was palmy, and the sun was shining, the air was filled with the sweet fragrance from the blossoms of peach trees, plum trees, and almond trees. Buses took students first to Cleland Wildlife Park, Students in groups strolled along the pathways feeding kangaroos, padding Koalas, watching Tasmania devils, emus, dingos, and birds. Students stopped at historical town of Hahndorf to have lunch and explored shops filled with beautiful characterises. Students listened to Mr Oakey, our principal, talking about the history of the town and how it was named. Walking from Mt Lofty Summit to Waterfall Gully sounded a little challenging with 3.5 kilometres in length and steep sections on the way, however, students were determined to take the challenge, and everyone enjoyed the journey.

Thi Ngoc Huyen NGUYEN

On 25th of August, me, and my school, as well as the Indonesian Bosa studying tour students, went on a trip to so many attractions, such as: Cleland Wildlife Park, Hahndorf, and Lofty Mountain. First, we departed at around 9:30AM and arrived at Cleland at 10 O’clock, we were able to see so many wonderful animals that we haven’t seen before, such as kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, snakes, and many other types of reptiles. We were also allowed to hold and touch the cute koala. We bought food to feed the animals, and I even fed the kangaroo and a strange bird. It was very fun to see and meet many animal friends. After that, we went to Hahndorf and had lunch there, I and my friends, we shared our lunches together, with bananas, snacks, oranges, sandwiches, popcorns, … And then we went jogging along the Hahndorf beautiful street and bought some ice creams, we saw many restaurants, opportunity shops, and parks. I could also know about the origin of the name “Hahndorf”. As far as I was told by the principal on that day, “Hahn” was the name of the person who discovered “Hahndorf”, people often called him “Captain Hahn”. And “dorf” means “town” in Germany, that was how the name “Hahndorf” created. The teachers showed us the statue of captain Hahn too. Then we took the bus again to go to Mt Lofty. It was such a tall and unbelievable mountain; we took a quick rest and took so many beautiful photos together. Finally, we went for a walk that last for about one hour with nearly four kilometres to the waterfall, that was very tired, but we were able to see such beautiful mountain and forest, along with the birds, the trail and many kinds of trees and flowers. After long walking, we arrived at the beautiful waterfall, it was big and impressive. And we also took photos with our home class teacher. And we got on the bus and went back to our school. It was such a remarkable and unforgettable trip, I have learnt so many things through that, I can make new friends, see many lovely things, animals, and natures. I feel very happy and excited for going on that wonderful trip, I want to be able to go on more trip like this.

Thi Lam My Tran

On August 25, 2023, I was able to participate in the school field trip. Our class (Headstart) and the friends of Bosa International High School have had many interesting experiences together. We were in class at the usual time, but instead of classes, we were able to do outdoor activities. We started walking to the parking lot to move to the first place. We crossed the streets with pleasure, and at the same time the weather was perfect for a walk. The first place we went to was Cleland wildlife park. We went to buy a bag of animal food; I thought it would be an interesting experience for us because we could touch the animals and feed them. We took turns going from the area: kangaroo, koala, emu, wild dog, …, Finishing the trip there, we started moving to the second place for lunch, which is Hahndorf - German village. My group had lunch on the lawn, and we chatted there, it felt chill. After lunch we took pictures with the commemorative statue, and we started walking the third place on the trip, which is from Mount Lofty Summit to Waterfall Gully. It was an enjoyable day trip.

Kexin Lin

Last Friday we went to the zoo and walked down a mountain. In the Cleland Wildlife Park， we saw koalas, kangaroos, snakes and so on. The koalas are very cute, and they like to sleep, and the kangaroos are very obedient, and they were sunbathing on the grass. The mountain is the highest mountain in Adelaide, and we could see the whole Adelaide from the top. There is also a waterfall at the bottom of the mountain, where it is very cool, and you can see a rainbow if you look at it from a close distance.

English 1 with Miss Huang

Students in SACE Connect and Head-Start SACE are learning their second Media unit. We focused on how to write news articles.

By Thi Ngoc Huyen NGUYEN

13:41 Sep 6, 2023

A groups of AIS students and teachers recently visited Hahndorf, a beautiful German village and settled in the Adelaide Hills on Friday 25^thAugust, to learn about its rich culture and traditions by hiring three mini buses.

This is the third time of Term 3 2023 the AIS students have had the chance to go for extracurricular programs. They had a great trip to go to Cleland, Mt Lofty, and Hahndorf.

During the trip to Hahndorf, the AIS students also visited Cleland Wildlife Park, where they got to see many different Australian animals. They were excited to meet and feed the kangaroos, emus, birds, touch and hold the cute koalas closely, and learn about how to protect the animals as well.

“I felt like it was really beautiful picture in Cleland, and the animals like kangaroos, Tasmania devils, and dingos… they were beautiful animals. We were very fortunate, have this opportunity, to look at, to explore the nature”, said Ms Jing Liu – AIS Maths Teacher.

When arriving at Hahndorf, the students and teachers sat down on the grass and shared a delicious lunch. Then they went for a walk along the Hahndorf main street. The students were learnt about the origins of the name “Hahndorf”.

“It was a wonderful experience, and we called buses in between, we had a little bit of lunch in Hahndorf, so it was just wonderful”, said Mr Vincent Hermann – AIS Humanities and PLP Teacher.

After that, they took the buses to go to Mt Lofty, and had a long 3,4-kilometre walk down to Waterfall Gully, though it was quite tiring, to see how beautiful the wild mountain was.

“Yeh, it was very tiring and it sounded like an achievement to be able to do that, without rest”, said Sean – AIS Headstart Student.

“I loved it, three and half kilometres with subsections, with steps, and stepnous, I think it is enjoyable walk”, said Ms Jing Liu – AIS Maths Teacher, about the long walk.

In conclusion, the excursion to Hahndorf provided the AIS students with an enriching and memorable experience. From exploring the cultural treasures of the German village Hahndorf, to the meeting with the beautiful animals in Cleland Wildlife Park, or Mt Lofty with the 3,4-kilometre walk down to the attractive Walley Waterfall. The students gained a deeper understanding of different cultures and the importance of wildlife conservation. This trip also provided them opportunity to get closer to each other and the teachers.

“Yes, absolutely, I would like to go back to the Hahndorf Park, and also the picnic was a fun experience for us, eating on the grass, and we also joined in the playground”, said Sean – AIS student, when being asked about his feeling after the trip.

Primary Classes

In Science the Primary classes have been learning about animals. They wrote information reports about koalas and their favourite pets. They also visited Cleland Wildlife Park where they enjoyed seeing and learning about our amazing Australian flora and fauna.

The Adelaide International School 5 Pillars Infographic

The School places great emphasis on virtue ethics, this originates from classical Greece and the work of Plato and Aristotle. The idea is that through good habituation and virtue practice, young people can make wise decisions and wise choices, choices that benefit the self but importantly choices that help others. With practice an individual always makes the best choice for any given situation. Since being a global citizen lies at the heart of what we do at AIS, we want all of our students to master the five virtues (or inner strengths) of integrity, gratitude, aspiration, resilience and inclusion.

The AIS infographic

The AIS infographic shows the five pillars (core virtues) in blue. These are the inner strengths that AIS nurtures in every student. Good virtue knowledge and good virtue practice equips our students with the ability to project the external skills of forming positive relationships, making ethical decisions and developing a learning culture. In this way each AIS student can flourish, and they have become the best version of themselves. They are true global citizens and fully embrace what that means.

I would like to thank our staff for working on these infographics and also to our Student Representative Council who also provided feedback and comment.

Best wishes

Shaun

List of our Staff

Name	Role	Email
Oakey, Shaun	Principal	[email protected]
Phillips, Zara	Director of T&L & SACE Coordinator	[email protected]
Rosie, Broderick	AISA Business Development Manager	[email protected]
Huang, Maliza	EAP&EPET Teacher	[email protected]
Liu, Jing	EAP&SACE Teacher	[email protected]
Nayagam, Sarah	EAP Middle Years Teacher	[email protected]
Xu, Sally	SACE Teacher	[email protected]
Yeates, Clare	Primary Teacher	[email protected]
Wu, Mia	Primary Teacher	[email protected]
Chan, Tom	ICT Support (Intern)	[email protected]
Gao, Grace	Education Support officer	[email protected]
Huang, Chris	ICT Support	[email protected]
Karem, Sam	ICT Developer & Analyst	[email protected]
Rhothjirathanin, Grin	Digital Marketing & Communication	[email protected]
Sha, Lola	ICT Support	[email protected]
Shao, Kitty	Student Support Officer-Level 4 – reception; absentees daily; first-aid officer;	[email protected]
Du, Meijia	Student Support Officer-Level 4 – reception; absentees daily	[email protected]
So, Catherine	Student Support Officer-Level 5 – admissions	[email protected]
Sun, Leo	IT and Facility Manager-Level 5	[email protected]
Zhang, Jessica	Student Recruitment Manager	[email protected]

Have the best weekend. Do reach out and contact Shaun Oakey on [email protected] if you need our support.

Yours sincerely

Shaun Oakey, Principal AIS

Adelaide International School
Level 4, 127 Rundle Mall
Adelaide, South Australia, 5000

Mail: P.O. Box 3332
Rundle Mall, SA, 5000
Phone: +61 8 8123 1786
Email: [email protected]

Visit us on the web at www.ais.edu.au
CRICOS Provider Number: 03133G | School Number: 398

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