Today was the first day of classes at East-West! There were many new faces, both teachers and students, on our busy floor. It was amazing to see the wave of new bright blue East-West polo shirts flooding the hallways between classes. Check the blog tomorrow to see photos from our first day!
Last week, we held a special orientation just for the new incoming students. Over 100 students attended.
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| New students learned about the resources at our school library. From Summer Bridge 2011 |
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| Two of our volunteer tour guides. From Summer Bridge 2011 |
Teachers hosted workshops including a reflection on the four pillars of East-West, a science lab, and website and technology tutorial.
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| Ms. Braverman asked students to reflect on East-West's four pillars: Honor, Excellence, Curiosity, and Celebration. From Summer Bridge 2011 |
One new 6th grader, Jonathan Liao, explained an example of honor as "when you have nice behavior, the teacher will honor you with something like a certificate." We do have a special Four Pillars award that honors students who demonstrate the best of our school's values, such as speaking up against bullies.
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| Students learned about the school website through an online scavenger hunt. From Summer Bridge 2011 |
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| Students conducted a science experiment and learned about lab safety rules. From Summer Bridge 2011 |
We closed by hosting a Question & Answer panel comprised of East-West teachers, support staff, and students. One new parent asked Darwin Pringle '13 to reflect on what he thought he gained the most from East-West and where he sees himself in the future. Darwin shared the insight he gained on his future role as a professional in an increasingly international world:
I learned how to speak in Japanese, and in the future, it will be even more important to be able to speak in not only fluent English, but fluent Japanese. I see myself pursuing a career in Political Translation or using my language skills to work for major businesses. I will definitely continue to use the skills I learned at East-West.
Welcome to East-West, new students!