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LAHORE AMERICAN SCHOOL
FRIDAY
FRIDAY FLASH
FLASH
VOLUME 22
3RD FEB
2017
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
CONTENTS
MISSION STATEMENT
Important Announcements
1
• Igniting Passion For Learning
Superintendent’s Message
2
• Connecting To The World
Secondary News
3-4
• Building Our Community
Elementary News
5-6
• Preparing For The Future
Guidance News
7-8
• Realizing Our Potential
SAISA News
9 - 10
Service Learning
11 12
Elementary Showcase
13 - 15
Secondary Spotlight
16 - 18
Cafeteria Menu
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IMPORTANT AnnOUNCEMENTS
• All-Elementary Morning Meeting (hosted by Grade 4)-Friday, February
10 at 8:00 am (TAB)
• LAS Annual Winter Carnival - Saturday, February 11 from 3:00-5:00 pm
• February Board Meeting - Wednesday, February 15 at 3:00 pm (TAB)
• Senior Photos - Saturday, February 18 from 12:00-4:00 pm (TAB)
• LAS Society Meeting - Wednesday, February 22 at 7:00 pm (TAB)
• Last day of Elementary Season 2 Clubs - Thursday, February 23
• Elementary Trimester 2 ends - Tuesday, February 28
• ES Class Teas - Week of September 5-9
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
Superintendent’s message
It is already February!
does include random drug testing. We will
require parent permission, so we will be
developing a form for parents to sign as
well. I will keep you posted on the progress and next steps for parents and students. The Board Policy Committee has
worked long and hard at developing a
policy that reflects the needs of the LAS
community while keeping in mind the expectations of our students developing the
skills to become global citizens.
The overseas hiring is coming along
very well. Please welcome these new
OHPS teachers for the 2017-18 school
year:
Learning Support - Irene Vaou (Canada)
HS Math - Jonathan Lind (USA)
Grade 5 - Raneve West-Singh (USA)
MS Math/Science - Frank Shaffer (USA)
MS English/SS - Melissa Shaffer (USA)
Music - Sara Quigley (USA)
Tech Director - Corey Boling (USA)
High School Science - Voula Anson
(Canada)
Parents and students, don’t forget to
come out for the Annual Winter Carnival
to be held Saturday, February 11 from
3:00-5:00pm. There will be fun and
games and lots of food. Please come out
and support our local organizations, class
projects and charities. This helps us in
Building our Community.
The Board Policy Committee has finalized the updated Drug Policy for students. The Board and Administration will
be sharing this shortly. Obviously, this
means all students must be informed of
the new policy as well as parents. Every
LAS Secondary parent and student are
responsible for understanding the new
policy. Please be aware, the new policy
Kathy Khan
Superintendent
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
SECONDARY NEWS
Greetings from Secondary,
second semester. I see many students
have adjusted their morning routines in
order to arrive at school on time. The
impact of this is that classes are starting on time because our students are
properly settled on campus at the start
of the school day. I thank everyone for
the respect and courtesy you show our
dedicated teaching staff by making these
positive adjustments.
All the best to our boys’ and girls’ badminton team in Sri Lanka. Initial reports
indicate that our team of athletes and
coaches are enjoying the tournament
and doing well. Please also join me in
sending a message of support to our
boys’ soccer team who are in Islamabad
for a tournament today and tomorrow.
Refer to Dr. Peyron’s message in the
“Friday Flash” for further details.
Safety and security remain at the top of
our list of priorities. In support of our security endeavors we ask that all school
communication that relates to trips, excursions, sports events and the like are
treated with the strictest of confidentiality. This information should not be disseminated to anyone outside of the LAS community. Parents and guardians, please
also be reminded of the importance of always knowing who your child is spending
time with and where, particularly in the
evenings and over the weekend.
As we settle into the second month of
2017 it is timely for us all to ensure we
are clear and familiar with the academic calendar for the remainder of this
school year. Please stay abreast of upcoming events by reading the “Friday
Flash”. Kindly always keep school dates
in mind when planning trips and always
consider the impact and possible consequences that unnecessary absences
will have on your child’s attendance.
On this matter, I am pleased to report
that we have had a positive start to the
The Winter Carnival will be held on
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
Saturday, February 11, from 3:00-5:00 pm. We look forward to seeing you all there.
Have a safe and relaxing weekend.
Tim Musgrove
Secondary Prinicpal
Our SAISA badmantion team
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
ELEMENTARY news
Elementary celebrated 100 Days of School this week. The counting was contagious!
Fingers were counted, hearts were counted, Fruit Loops were counted (and eaten!)
wish lists for hundreds of items were made, cups and blocks were stacked and counted. It was a wonderful week of counting.
Elementary students also brought in books and funds for the Book Drive. Over 140
books were donated and will be sent off to Liberia to join a library built from books
sent from around the world. LAS should be proud to be part of the learning that will
be taking place because of our donations and caring. Well done, elementary! Soon we
will be able to see Pakistan on this map.
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
Upcoming Dates:
February 10 - All Elementary Morning Meeting: Grade 4G will be sharing at 8
am in the TAB
February 23 - Trimester two after school clubs end
February 28 - Trimester Two ends
March 9 - Student-led conferences
Bonnie Snowdon
Elementary Principal
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
guidance NEWS
from Advice From a Dean of Admissions
on Selecting High School Courses
Following is an excerpt from Tanya
Abrams’ Q & A with Jeff Rickey, Vice
President and Dean of Admissions at
St. Lawrence University, published in
The New York Times, May 13, 2013.
years, but also each year separately. That
allows us to see performance over time
and determine any trends. A downward
trend is troubling when the evaluation is
conducted. An upward trend tells another
story.
Finally, we will look for electives, which
give us other hints about the student’s
interests and may validate other parts of
the student’s application.
Q: What do admissions officers evaluate when they review a student’s
transcript?
A: Selective institutions that perform
a holistic review will first compare the
courses the student has taken with the
courses offered at the school. If A.P.
courses are offered, we would expect
to see A.P. courses on the transcript. If
honors courses are the highest level,
then we would expect to see them.
Next, we will consider grades in the
academic courses over the arc of the
Q: Should an academically capable student take the most challenging classes
available if he or she is not interested in
the subject?
A: Absolutely. The teacher of the class is
likely to be passionate about the subject,
so the student’s interest may grow.
Academically capable students are usually
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
the most curious, so taking a course in which they might not initially be interested is
a good indicator of both. Students should let their curiosity overcome their hesitation.
Q: How should a student strike a balance between taking rigorous classes and having
meaningful involvement in extracurricular activities?
A: Strong time-management skills allow the two to coexist. A long-term commitment
and deep involvement in a few extracurricular activities results in those activities becoming a regular part of daily planning — just like the course schedule — making it
easier for the student to manage.
We admissions officers are fans of students with deep involvement in a few activities.
We are not fans of students who pad their list of activities in their junior and senior
years to look more engaged.
For more information, go to:
https://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/13/selecting-high-school-courses/?_
php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1
Mirrell DesJardins
Secondary Guidance Counselor
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
saisa news
SAISA Badminton is underway in Sri Lanka is underway! Captains Ghanim and Manoor
represented LAS at the opening ceremony, ready to lead our Buffs to victory.
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
Our boys’ soccer team will be competing in a tournament in Islamabad this weekend,
too.
For a full report on all of our tournaments and friendly games this week, see next
week’s “Friday Flash”.
Dr. Gilles Peyron
Athletic Director
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
community & SERVICE
LEARNING news
Do not limit yourself, be creative, there are
many ways to share your experience with
others!
LAS NISS Tutoring Club
By Natalia & Celina , Grade 9
In NISS tutoring club we help teach basic English and computers to the custodians of our school. We dedicate an hour of our after school every Monday to teach
them.
So far, the staff have learned their basic grammar, translations, antonyms, synonyms, re-writing nouns, verbs, compound words. In computers they have learned
to create,save, edit a document in a folder, typing their resume and how to create
an email signup account. Now they have their own email address to communicate
with each other. Then we told them to email the teachers. This was a good learning experience and exposure for the custodial staff.
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NISS tutoring club
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elementary showcase
LAS book drive
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We are 100 days smarter!
Pre K’s 100th Day wishlist
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Pre K celebrates 100th day of school
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
Secondary Spotlight
The Environmental Science class recently finished watching Before the Flood (2016) with
Leonardo DiCaprio and were then asked to compare it to another global warming documentary reaching its 10-year anniversary, Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth (2006). There was
some disagreement among the class about whose film was more effective in its mission.
ZARA:
An “An Inconvenient Truth” by former United States presidential candidate Al Gore and “Before the Flood” by Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio are both documentaries that focus on
pressing environmental issues such as climate change. The two narrators have a long history of involvement with world crises such as global warming. While Gore’s film has a wide
focus on scientific facts holding the capability to convince his audience that climate change
is real, DiCaprio’s documentary is highly hypocritical, contradictory, and, lacks the potential
to prove his claims on global warming.
Perhaps the most prominent difference between Gore and DiCaprio’s films is their disagreement on climate change being a political issue. Throughout the movie, Al Gore states that
most environmental crises have nothing to do with politics. Instead, they are complex moral
issues that could be solved if people opened their eyes to the negative effects they have on
the world. On the contrary, Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as environmentalists who make appearances in his film, repeatedly pinpoint governments and their ignorance of these crises
as the main problem. Their general belief is that if leaders around the world pass laws that
address climate change, it could be prevented. An additional distinction between the two
documentaries is the use of scientific facts. Gore makes use of detailed graphs, flow-charts,
and images in his slideshow on global warming to get his message across. He discusses
how sea levels may rise up to twenty feet in the future, consequently flooding coastal areas and endangering the lives of over a hundred million people. Contrarily, DiCaprio’s film
focuses less on the science, and more on the politics behind global warming. However,
DiCaprio does acknowledge the disappearance of half the coral in the world. “Before the
Flood” depicts Leonardo DiCaprio traveling to underdeveloped countries and examining the
environmental damage that has been done to them. This aspect of the film alone is quite
contradictory. DiCaprio flies thousands of miles in a private jet, further harming the environment on his journey to these nations, and then persuades the audience to change their
lifestyles. Overall, Gore is more effective in communicating his ideas through the use of
scientific facts and emotional appeal. Towards the end of his documentary, he argues that
global warming could be reversed if people actively participate in making a difference.
While both Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore hope to convince their audience to join the fight
against climate change, Gore has more knowledge and experience in the area, therefore
delivering a better argument. DiCaprio views the situation as political, whereas Gore views
it as moral. “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Before the Flood” have the same message, but
focus on different ways of conveying it. However, both films are moving at times and do a
great job at addressing the issue at hand. The overall moral of the documentaries is that
with combined and consistent effort, climate change can be reversed, or at the very least
stopped in its tracks.
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AANYA:
Climate change is a very real problem which is almost being ignored completely by the
world. By creating the movies “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Before the Flood”, Al Gore
and Leonardo DiCaprio are taking initiatives to change the planet. Both convey different ideas and propositions to helping the earth but after watching both movies, DiCaprio
proves to be more effective by showing how much damage we have already caused and
the many issues that come along with trying to fix our previous mistakes.
Both DiCaprio and Al Gore produced these movies on climate change after already being
quite well known, DiCaprio for his acting and Al Gore for his presidential election. Because
of this previous fame, both were criticized for producing these movies only to gain fame
and positive political views. Because of Al Gore showing certain disturbing images and DiCaprio explaining how the triptych that hung above his crib portrays the real world, they
both used pathos to show viewers the magnitude of this problem. To strongly convince
viewers, scientific facts were placed throughout both movies. Al Gore shows many before
and after photos and graphs such as the Keeling Curve. DiCaprio shows many statistics
for instance, 50% of the world’s coral reefs have already disappeared. The main problem
for no change occurring is something that both Al Gore and DiCaprio agree on. They both
express how challenging it is to create a political will to change. The force that motivates
action is absent in most people’s minds because they haven’t realized how much of a
major problem this is. Both describe that the willingness to change is not present which
leads to no change being made.
A major difference between these two movies is the time that they were produced. DiCaprio’s was made ten years after Al Gore’s and shows how much worse the situation
has gotten. DiCaprio was portrayed as pessimistic while explaining the consequences and
effects that have already occurred. Unlike Leo, Al Gore spent his movie describing the
causes and ways of prevention and seemed more optimistic. He also provided new ideas
that he found from his studies while
DiCaprio seemed to be learning along with his viewers. By focusing on the denial of climate change, DiCaprio tries harder to convince his viewers that this is a real problem.
Since the movie follows his journey of learning about climate change, it is more interesting to the watchers especially the younger generation. Instead of Al Gore just lecturing,
DiCaprio shows us some of the real issues he runs into on his journey. Al Gore used live
seminars to show his facts and information. On the other hand, DiCaprio convinced people through selling DVD’s.
Both movies are made to raise awareness and get crucial information out to the world.
Although Al Gore and DiCaprio had different ways to convince people to change, DiCaprio
seemed to be more effective. His audience learned the same ideas he was learning along
with him which made it more personal and easier to connect to. Hopefully, both movies
were able to motivate people to change their habits.
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017
CAFETERIA MENU
MONDAY
Mughlai Chicken - Achari
Aaloo – Naan – Fruit –
Salad
TUESDAY
Korean Beaf – Garlic
Rice – Fruit – Salad
WEDNESDAY
Baked Chicken Casserole –
Tempura Vegetables – Fruit
- Salad
THURSDAY
Chicken Haleem - Naan –
Fruit - Salads
contact information
Address:
The Lahore American
School,
15 Upper Mall, Canal Bank,
Lahore, Pakistan 54000
Telephone:
92 423 576 2406 / 7 / 8
Website:
www.las.edu.pk
Fax:
92 423 571 1901
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.
com/LahoreAmericanSchool
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Volume 22: 3rd February 2017