CDS Middle School
Director's Newsletter
January 26th, 2018
From the Director
I hope all of you are staying warm and healthy during this cold time of year! I wanted to remind you that we begin our Winter MAP Testing next week. Please try your best to ensure your child is in attendance and on time during testing days.
We've had another great week at CDS Middle School with the Spelling Bee wrapping up, round one of Mr. Harris's Geography Bee, and the KIMEA Honor Choir Festival at GSIS yesterday. The KIMEA Honor Choir Festival was particularly meaningful for those students who participated. If you have time, I hope you can listen to their beautiful voices by clicking on the video recordings within the newsletter.
The MS KAIAC Volleyball and Table Tennis season has officially begun. You can find a complete list of team members below. If your child is on a team, please make sure they complete their signed Athletic Participation form and return it to their coach.
Today (Saturday) several of our 5th graders are competing in a Futsal Tournament at Chadwick. Wish them luck!
Have a great weekend!
MAP Growth Testing
We want students to do their very best on these exams so that results are accurate representations of their current level of achievement. Teachers use the data from these exams to modify their instruction and better serve your children. If the data isn't reliable, it is more difficult for teachers to target the specific skills your child needs to develop.
Having a conversation with your child about the MAP test will go a long way in ensuring they are motivated to do their best.
If you have any questions or concerns about MAP testing, please feel free to make an appointment with me (Mr. Scoville)... or your child's English or Math teacher.
KIMEA Honor Choir Festival
This past Thursday, 150 students from 10 international schools came together at GSIS to participate in the annual KIMEA MS Honor Choir Festival. Though it was quite chilly outside, inside the auditorium hearts were warmed and touched by the beauty of singing voices.
This year, we had 13 students from CDS participate in the festival, which allowed us to be part of both choirs. Students who participated in the Treble Choir included: Ashley Shimada, Lisa Lee, Han Na Shin, Nayon Lee, and Jieun Koo. Students who participated in the Mixed Choir were: JiAh Choi, Lucy Seong, Mina Kim, Sophia Seo, Joohyuk Lee, Daniel Hong, Joshua Lee, and Russell Choi.
The students were able to work with choir directors from other international schools and were surrounded by other students who are passionate about singing. Together, they sang chorale repertoire with richness, joy, and musicality.
After the festival, we loaded the bus and the singing did not end there! The students sang on the ride home and enjoyed each other's company!
For me personally (Ms. Van Liew), I am really glad that our students could experience this event. Each year, they work diligently to learn the music and then perform with other enthusiastic singers. The honor festivals are truly enriching their musical experiences. I find a lot of joy seeing our students sing alongside other students. I also get moments of goosebumps when the music is sung with beautiful adolescent voices.
- Ms. Van Liew
Reflections from the students:
Han Na:
"I had a great time singing with other school students! I could compare how other choir directors taught and since the teaching style was different for each director, I didn’t find it boring at all while rehearsing. I liked the songs and I was really surprised because everyone was so good at singing."Daniel:
"I had a fantastic time at GSIS in this year's KIMEA Honor Choir Festival! We got an amazing opportunity to join our voices with great singers all around Korea and result in fabulous music. As a whole group, we sounded full and big-scaled and it felt like a great achievement to me and I feel overwhelmed by it."
JiAh:
"I had such a wonderful time! The songs we sang really beautiful and fun especially because everyone gave in so much effort when they sang the songs. I think the festival was a great chance to get to know many people. I made friends from other schools and I also got to know about different choir teachers/directors from other schools."
Russell:
"The piece Hold Fast your Dreams was kind of hard. My favorite song was When I Close my Eyes. I enjoyed singing with other schools."
Girls Volleyball Team
5th Grade
Yuchien Chang
Yejin Bu
Ivonne Jin
Ivette Jin
Shine Lee
Lena Soojung Chang
Esther Lee
6th Grade
Maria Montilla
8th Grade
Jueun Lee
Ashley Shimada
Nayon Lee
Jiah Choi
Siena Lee
Boys Volleyball Team
5th Grade
Jayden Kim
SH Choi
7th Grade
Dongmin Seo
Joohyuk Lee
Woojin Kim
Taehun Kim
Daniel Hong
8th Grade
Brian Jin
Ethan Hong
Billy Yang
Sam Seo
Table Tennis Team
5th Grade
Sanghyeon Kim
6th Grade
Luis Ming-Lun Chang
Youngjun Cho
Minji Lee
Alex Taewan Noh
Drake Doheon Lee
Joon Hwang
Hayden Lee
Ian Sukhyun Kim
Aiden Minseo Son
Henna Hyunah Jeong
Woojin Lim
Yuna Kang
Jisoo Hong
Jisoo Choi
8th Grade
Jae Jaehong Park
Andy Zhicheng Piao
Yoon Hwang
Hyungmin Song
Jeongmin Lee
Alex Doohyun Kim
Spelling Bee Winners!
On Monday during CC time, high school students Jenny Choi and Hyewon Hong hosted the final round of the spelling bee. It was a tough competition that required quick reflexes as well as sharp spelling skills. The winners for each grade are listed below.
Each of these students earned Dalton Cup points for their teams and a certificate. 1st place winners will receive the additional prize of a crown and a bumblebee onesie. Awards will be presented by Jenny Choi and Hyewon Hong during the Student Council News livestream on Wednesday morning. Congratulations!
Grades 5 & 6
1st Place
Hyunah Jeong (Henna)
2nd Place
Sieun Lee (Shine)
3rd Place
Kim, Hyein (Liz)
Grades 7 & 8
1st Place
Ethan Joon-Gee Hong
Tied for 2nd Place
Hyungmin Song
Seo Hyun (Sophia)
Geography Bee Update
Each of these students will compete in round two and get to take to spotlight to compete for the final 3 places. There are no limits on Dalton Cup points for each team so the same team can take 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The questions will again be on random geography trivia so those with an existing healthy knowledge of world features will win.
Good luck!
Long House Collaboration Activity
G7 Science
Making music with ukulele
Enjoying lunch at KIMEA Honor Choir Festival
G7 PBL Brainstorming Session
Measuring the Earth's Circumference
Ms. Van Liew with Students at KIMEA
Upcoming Events
1/27 - Grade 5 Futsal Tournament @Chadwick
1/30 - 2/1 -Winter MAP Testing
1/31 - Geography Bee Round 2 - C.C. Time
2/1 - KIMEA Honor Band Festival (@ SFS)
2/5 - Korean Writing competition
Cheongna Dalton School
Email: bscoville@daltonschool.kr
Website: http://cdsmiddleschool.weebly.com/
Location: Cheongna Dalton Foreign School, Incheon, South Korea
Phone: 82 32-563-0523 (302)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDSMiddle/community/