- American Overseas School of Rome

AOSR - VIA CASSIA 811
Phone: 06-334-381
Web:WWW.AOSR.ORG
December 2005/January 2006
Cherokee Elementary School in
Alexandria, Louisiana, victims of Hurricane Katrina,
thanks AOSR for the donation of $ 2,465.30.
AOSR Middle School travels to
Prague, Amsterdam and Rome.
See page 8 for details.
“We received your school's check in the mail yesterday, November 28th. What a wonderful demonstration of our core
virtues! Our students will be thrilled. Many, many thanks to
all who participated in this project. A huge "thank you" to
you for your kindness and compassion. Many of the displaced
students have moved around throughout the parish (we took in
over 2,000!) some have gone back to New Orleans-only one
elementary public school has reopened in N. O. We were also
hit by Hurricane Rita a couple of weeks after Katrina-so some
of the children from Texas, Cameron Parish in Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish (Lake Charles area) also relocated here in Alexandria. As a gesture of "giving" and an act of reciprocation,
our school dedicated a portion of the funds we would be receiving from you (we went ahead and acted on faith!), and
donated money to Evansville School District in Indianawhich was hit by a devastating tornado a few weeks ago.
They have already received our donation and sent us a thank
you note. That particular school district (in Indiana) donated
much needed supplies to Rapides parish after Hurricane
Katrina. Your contribution will help us replenish school supplies, buy school materials, workbooks, textbooks, even
teacher manuals (since we have had to hire additional teachers), copy paper and copy supplies. Please convey to your students, staff, and parents how much we appreciate their kindness and generosity. THANK YOU from our Cherokee family. Bonnie Lord Principal Cherokee Elementary School Alexandria, Louisiana USA.”
AOSR Middle School travelers in Prague.
Next PTO MEETING
Monday, January. 16, 9:15am
in the Boutique
-Edited letter received by Dr. Pfannl
Contents
AOSR Front Page News
1
Pre-K News
7
Elementary News
7-9
Music/Il Foro
16
Book & Library Resources in
Rome
17
Honor Roll/All-School News
2-5
Falcon Flyer Distribution Policy
3
Middle School News
10-11
School Information/Rome
n’About
18
Library News
3
News from the Counselor
12-13
December Calendar
19
PTO Corner
6
Sports Briefs
14-15
January Calendar
20
1
HONOR ROLL
First Quarter 2005-2006
______GRADE 6
Headmaster's Honor
Roll
(4.00)
Elisabetta Di Lauro
Shafiza Johari
GRADE 10____________
Garen Der-Khachadourian
Dana Or
Principal's Honor Roll
(3.99-3.50)
GRADE 6
GRADE 8
Gal Ben Israel
Aaron Berton
Mohammed Hi Bin
Rossly
Filippo Ciceri
Margherita Cornaglia
Beatrice Del Tosto
Lori Der-khachadourian
Riccardo Di Gregorio
Oliviero Figus
Emma Johnstone
Elizabeth Leavitt
Priscilla Mazzoni
Dominic Muenzel
Franziska Neumann
Julia Pitterman
Valeria Scuto
Eva Ellergaard Pedersen
Flaminia Marrucci
Jasmine Mohsin
Maya Or
Hugo Portugal
Alexander Temme
Luciano Wu Hanyon
Massimo Zheng
GRADE 7
Claudia Argomenti
Fernando Balseiro Lago
Natascha Begusch
Rocco Cavadini
Flavia Ceci Ginistrelli
Benedetta Gambioli
Kathryn Isbell
Martina Mannozzi
Yorai Nadler
Pier Giorgio Russo
Liel Schori Raviv
Jie San Jenny Tcheng
GRADE 8
Alice Mia Addis
Katherine Berton
Sunniva Bloem
Elena De Giovanni
GRADE 9
Lisa Begusch
Neta Ben Israel
Andrew Ceen
Dario Corsetti
Jillian Kneeland
Morea Mahmuti
Lorenzo Masserini
Federico Merlo
Seth Moore
Daniela Muenzel
David Prosperi
Sage Rahm
Victor Siegel
GRADE 10
Anna Battaglia
Adriano Casale
Talya Kahan
Giulia Lais
Daphne Maglie
Silvia Maglione
Mohamed Mattar
Christian Melhado
Tom Lea Meyer
Alexandros Mitsialis
Vittoria Nicolis Di
Robilant
Crishan Perera
Edoardo Quadri
Honor Roll
(3.49-3.00)
GRADE 10 cont’d
Yael Refaeli
Matthew Smith
Rachel Taylor
Caroline Van der Does de
Willebois
Leilei Xu
Karim Zelenka
Serena Zhang
Jin Kai Zhou
GRADE 11
Ishan Chellaney
Sara Gainey
Chiara Gambioli
Christopher Haight
Jacob Kopf
Michela Lombardi
Konstantina Passadis
Giorgia Quadri
Maikel Tosti
GRADE 12
Syeda Zinnat Akhter
Ana Almour
Stephanie Andreucci
Florencia Balseiro Lago
Alexander Buckley
Jonathan Csapo
Alessia Fiochi
Kim Gallimore
Gongjie Li
Edoardo Linari
Christina Mitsialis
Maria Anna Murmura
Raya Mustafa
Daniele Schiavo
Sabrina Triglia
2
Yoong Jun Zeon
GRADE 6
Claire Abbadi
Aisha Aliyu
Maria Lucrezia Danieli
Nicole Dibley
Eugenio Foco
Alessandro Guani
Lorela Hoxha
Theofan Mahmuti
Lorenzo Mannozzi
Ran Manzur
Darius Raineri
Carlo Santini Guarienti
Tair Shachar
Rebecca Siegel
Lindsay Smith
Caroline Spogli
Stefano Zheng
GRADE 7
Danyal Al-Awami
Angelica Assirelli
Omri Bar
Noa Bittmann
Megan Ferguson
Petra Franic'
Kenshi Fujiwara
Tommaso Gandelli
Frederik Jonsson
Katharine Kadenacy
Sidak Kaur
Niccolo' Lais
Anna Lin
Jacopo Lorenzi
Alice Malentacca
Hana Mattar
Michael May
Alexandra McCourt
Ilai Meyer
Peter Neumann
Lisa Smits
Daniel Voight-Lask
Nicholas Woolcott
Danny Zelenka
All School News continued
Principal's Honor Roll
(3.49-3.00)
continued
GRADE 8
Elnur Alibayli
Ludovica Batazzi
Romy Ben-Hur
Jacob Blume
Nur Synhada Bte Rossly
Leila Founes
Paolo Liel Karpel
Todd Kopf
Miranda Mancini
Shahar Nof-Agam
Cindy Pratesi
Benny Raccah
Michael Refaeli
Paul Daryll Sandoval
David Tappan
GRADE 9
GRADE 10 continued
Ludovico Linari
Nicholas Melhado
David Meshvinski
Giovanni Mucciolo
Gioia Raccah
Elena Toscano
Majid Al-Awami
Lorenzo Bassetti
Jonathan Farache
Melanie Ferguson
Shira Gazit
Pierre Jabban
Sophia Matthews
Luka Mestrovic
Alyssa Newberg
Martin Oberle
Adi Shachar
Jiayi Wang
GRADE 11
Roisin Agnew
Ido Bittmann
Darcy Borg
Dennis Buckley
Alexandra Di Caprio
David Grosso
Silje Hanssen
Tajnim Imami
Nuwanthika Jayatilake
Nathan Miller
Annika Neumann
Irma Orlandi
Vadim Sinyukov
Elena Testi
Nina Van der Does De Willebois
Muriel Wolodarsky
GRADE 10
Mhd Raqib Abd Latiff
Alessio Daswani
Sarah Datin
Aaron Dungca
Benjamin Founes
Alexa Goldhammer-Blanc
Matteo Gonzalez-Bisbardis
Liya Kahan
Stella Laurenzi
GRADE 12
Raffaello Amorosi
Ludovica Bassetti
Rebecca Blume
Joanna Casco
Brian Culley
Nadine Fentsch
Marin Finerty
Roy Forberg
Daryn Goldhammer-Blanc
Sean Hooker
Joshua Kneeland
Ranieri Maglione
Flavio Massari
Giulia Merlo
Claire Pillsbury
Roma Rispoli
Claire Sensi
Mandi Shenedjela
Great Job Students!
PPAC Notes
The following topics were discussed at the PPAC meeting on Monday, November 28, 2005.
• Middle States Re-accreditation Self Study: Sub-committees turned in their committee reports last week. The visiting team will be at our school in mid-March 2006.
• Teacher Evaluation: Both formal and informal observations are made by the headmaster and the principal.
• End-of-year-events: There are a number of concerts that will be taking place at school during next few weeks.
Please be sure to check the calendar that is updated regularly on the school webpage: www.aosr.org
• Missing items: Students are reminded not to bring valuable items to school. Cell phones, MP3 players, etc. are to
be locked in lockers during the school day.
• Security: The administration discusses security issues on a regular basis and will provide updates to the school community regarding measures taken, action plans, drills, etc.
• Parking lots: Everyone is asked to drive slowly and cautiously in the school parking lots.
• Concerts: A small sub-committee was formed to help with suggestions for the organization of school concerts.
• MS and HS ski trip will be offered for students during Ski Week (Settimana Bianca) in February.
• Boarders: A wider variety of weekend activities will be offered to the students.
The next meeting in Monday, January 23, 2006 at 9:30 am in the PTO Boutique.
PPAC members are:
Ruth Ben Israel, Mirella Csapo, Grazia Deulus, Donna Ferguson, Carolyn Grosso, Laurenne Hemily-Figus, Millie
Kneeland, Marilena Leavitt, Leticia Lozano, Deborah McCourt, Jan Miller, Ginny Newberg, Lora Shapiro, Astrid Van
Der Does and Dr. Beth Pfannl, PrincipalPPAC members are:
AOSR community members who would like issues, comments, and/or concerns added to the agenda for these meetings,
are invited to contact one of the committee members or the principal directly at [email protected].
3
All School News continued
FALCON FLYER DISTRIBUTION
Library News
by Molly Bianchini, High School Librarian
The Falcon Flyer is a project of the Parent
Teacher Organization (PTO). It’s purpose is to provide
AOSR information, news and events. More detailed information will be provided to you from the individual
classroom teacher or area coordinator.
The hardcopy version of each Falcon Flyer is
distributed to the YOUNGEST child in your family.
Look for it in the bottom of the littlest one’s backpack.
Pull it out! Read it and share the biggest part of your
child’s life these next 10 months! The Falcon Flyer is all
about YOUR children, YOUR school and YOUR community. If you don’t receive it, please call Joanne Hoberg
in the office so we can correct our list.
The current copy of the Falcon Flyer can always
be accessed on the www.aosr.org webpage.
It
downloads as a PDF file, so you can send pages, articles,
or photos from the web version as an attachment to an
email to family and friends.
The High School Library is looking forward to
more new books in the new year, thanks to the PTO donation. The order, which is largely new fiction and science
books, has been sent and is expected to arrive in January.
Ms. Bianchini and Ms. Rahm are gathering statistics on
our collection as part of the re-accreditation process for
Middle States. We will share some of the more interesting ones with you in a future newsletter, and explain how
they will be used to strengthen our holdings in future
book and video orders.
Ms. Rahm attended a professional training workshop and technology session, among other presentations,
at the recent ECIS conference in The Hague . It is imperative that librarians keep pace with the ever-changing
learning media world, and the Middle States Association
considers this essential to maintaining our accreditation.
Our thanks to Dr. Dougherty for his constant support and encouragement of professional development.
Our very best wishes for the holiday season!
AOSR Website
Parent Book Club!
The AOSR web site is available to all. The site
was created by Geoff Miller, the school’s IT Manager,
Mr. Lars Rahm, MS and HS computer teacher, and Michael Gorelick, AOSR alumnus. All school computers
run the intra-net version (or “beta) of the website. Students, Teachers, and the Administration are able to access information on a daily basis, download forms necessary for student trips, set-up their own web pages with
classroom syllabi and homework assignments. Parents
can access the current issue of the Falcon Flyer in its entirety with the click of the mouse. Go to the URL
www.aosr.org.
If you weren’t in the "club" last year, join us this
time around. Copies of the selected books will be available. We want to get it started again in January. If you are
interested in participating please contact Ms. Escobar either via email [email protected], ext. 389, or stop by her
office. She will determine a date/time/location that is most
convenient, choose our list of books and get this group up
and running.
The next Falcon Flyer will be published by February 7, 2006
Next Deadline is Friday, January 27th, 5:00pm,
To make comments, suggestions, or volunteer to help on the Falcon Flyer, please send an email
to [email protected].
4
All School News continued
Talking with AOSR faculty
by Claudia Sobral, parent
We are fortunate to have an amazing and dedicated
group of people working daily with our children. Every
other month this column highlights one of them. This
month, we interviewed the new School Counselor for the
ES/MS/HS. Ms. Elizabeth Escobar.
How do you work/interact with parents/
students/teachers?
I meet with students, parents and teachers at their
request. Anyone is welcome to stop by my office and use
me as a sounding board if they have a concern that they
would like to discuss.
What kind of situations require counseling?
When did you join AOSR?
I joined the AOSR staff on October 3rd, 2005 and
at present, I work on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from
9am-3:30 pm, though I usually stay until 5pm.
What inspired you to become a School Counselor?
Almost any situation can "require" counseling, depending on how the individual is feeling about it. Most of
the issues that have been brought to my attention are around
relationship issues such as students not getting along on the
playground to anxiety issues around moving to a new
school and leaving friends.
I was inspired to become a counselor because I
loved my first psychology course in HS, so I knew early on
it was what I wanted to do. I enjoy working with students of
all ages because I think that they face interesting and difficult issues and helping them learn the necessary coping
skills to transition into the next development phase is very
important to their overall emotional well-being.
What is a healthy school environment?
What is your background?
What are signs and symptoms of when it might be wise
to utilize counseling?
I completed my Masters Degree in Psychology
from Columbia University in NYC in the early 90's. Much
of my work has been with teens and their families and in
particular, around substance abuse issues. Many students
presented with depressive and anxiety symptoms or family
discord, so they turned to the use of mind altering chemicals to cope. The family work is very rewarding because the
whole family benefits from the counseling session. My
work has only been in the US except for some volunteer
work I did at the American Embassy in Moscow with teens
and I also worked at The World Federation for Mental
Health in Washington, DC in an administrative capacity.
What are the most important traits in a school counselor?
I think it is most important for a school counselor
to have empathy, a listening ear and the ability to relate to
many different types of situations. At this point in my career, there isn't much I haven't seen or heard.
What does a Counselor at AOSR do?
At AOSR, I see students and sometimes their family members, in all age groups. I also help develop policies
and facilitate groups, as well as serve on a few committees.
I think a healthy school environment is one where
all members of the community can have a healthy exchange
of ideas, an ability to problem solve and a common goal
that the student's academic and social skills development is
of the utmost importance.
That can be a very long list. But here are some key
things to watch for:
Poor Grades●Sullen or withdrawn behavior ●Bullying or
any type of Violence, even verbal threats ●Lying repeatedly
●Substance Abuse●If a family member is going through a
crisis, as this will affect the child too, even if they don't act
like it ●Talk of wanting to die or not be here anymore ●
Chronic opposition to parental requests●Perfectionism
(wanting to get all A's and becoming really upset if this is
not achieved)●Cutting, burning or hurting oneself in anyway.●Banging of the head when upset ●Weight or Body
Image Issues ●Discord in the family (parent frequently
away, divorce, death, moving, having a baby...any change
or stress for the family)
If any person exhibits these behaviors, it is best to have
them see a counselor because often, people feel like they
"should be able to handle their problems on their own" and
actually, quite often, things become worse because their
thinking is skewed. So, if they don't see a counselor, they
may continue with their unhealthy pattern of thinking
and/or behaving and the situation will escalate. Others feel
like they don't want a stranger to know about their life, but
counselors must keep information confidential unless the
client authorizes them to share it with another person, so it
is safe for people to talk about their thoughts/feelings here.
The best way for parents and students to contact Ms. Escobar
5 is to call her at 06 33438.389 or email her at [email protected]
PTO Corner
A.O.S.R. APPRECIATION
HOLIDAY BRUNCH
GRAZIA DEULUS - PARENT
THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NEW TO AOSR MAY NOT KNOW IT, BUT TWICE A YEAR THE PTO ORGANIZES
AN APPRECIATION EVENT. THE FIRST IS IN DECEMBER, AND THE SECOND IN APRIL.
The Holiday Brunch for our teachers, administrators and staff will take place on Tuesday, December 20th, 2005, from 09:30 to 12:00.
Please start marking your calendars. We are counting on a lot of contributions and a big participation from
all the parents this year.
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to call or e-mail me at 06 3630 4287 or [email protected]
Your efforts, like the entire faculty’s, are greatly appreciated. Thank you!
AOSR PTO
If your group wants to sign up for a Booster
Bar, a representative can call Susan Haight at
06 30310876,e-mail her at [email protected]
or see her at the Boutique on any Tuesday!
The Booster Bar is always looking for new
volunteers: people who work with Sponsor
groups and grill. It’s a fun way to serve our school and meet
people. You can sign up by calling Donna Ferguson at: 06
3313652 or Astrid Van Der Does at 06 30361550.
by Cathy Garbinsky, PTO Secretary
With approximately four weeks to go until the holidays,
we still have so much to accomplish.
The Booster Bar continues doing a brisk business. A new list of dates for the Spring semester will be
available in early January. Check with Susan Haight at
[email protected] to find out when your group can sponsor a Booster Bar.
Holiday Gift Opportunities
at the Boutique!
The Boutique has been open for about 8 week
sand is doing very well. Don’t forget to include the Boutique on your list for holiday shopping. It’s open Tuesdays from 9:30 to 2:30.
By Susan Haight
CHANGE IN DECEMBER SALE DATE!!!
The Boutique will be open for your holiday shopping on Tuesdays, December 6, and 20 and THURSDAY,
DECEMBER 15 to finish out the year 2005. We will be
closed Tuesday, December 13. Come in to find stocking
stuffers or a special gift!
We have a great choice of children's ski wear and
warm waterproof boots. We also have many pairs of
rollerblades to choose from.
Our Elementary School collecting canned goods
for the homeless and perhaps a visit from Santa Claus.
Look for more information in your children’s backpacks!
Coming up on December 20 is the Teacher Appreciation Day. Our teachers are treated to a scrumptious
brunch. Everyone should be sure to contribute a dish to
help us make this a special day.
PTO meetings are held in the Boutique at 9:15
and we look forward to your participation. Join us at our
next meeting on December 5th or at one of the meetings
for 2006 which are scheduled as follows:
Our first Half Price Sale will take place on Thursday, December 15 when all items with WHITE tags will be
Half Price. Please note this one time change on your calendars. Vendors, please note that if you wish to pick up any
unsold items with white tags, you need to come the week
before on December 6. Money for sold items may be collected any day we are open through June 2006. We will
continue to take in winter items until the end of February.
Happy Holidays to all and a Happy New Year in
2006.
January 16
February 13
March 13
April 10
May 8
May 30 – luncheon
Happy Holidays!
6
Pre-K and Elementary School News
PRE-K READING BUDDIES
by Kimberly Murphy, Pre-K Coordinator
What do 4 year olds and the 4th graders in Mrs. DePaolis’ class have in
common? A love of reading. Since September our classes have met
every Monday of each week for 20 minutes to share our mutual love
of books. Each 4th grader has a Pre-K4 buddy (or two.) The buddies
choose from a variety of books to read and discuss during this
time. The 4 year olds love having an older friend in the school and are
excited whenever they see them on campus. Both classes look forward
to this time together each week.
Reading Buddies
News from the Computer Lab
by Mr. Tebo
Elementary computer class is
really getting exciting. In Kindergarten
and first grade, students have been using
Kidspiration to increase literacy. Kindergarteners are constructing word charts
and first grade is making rhyming webs.
Third grade has been working with graphics.
Students have made hilarious wanted posters that required the use of Paint and Microsoft Word.
Fourth and Fifth graders are finishing up their
“absurd world” letters to me. In these short writing
pieces, they must describe their favorite things with
clip art and fancy fonts. Soon, fourth grade will be
starting a holiday poetry project and fifth grade will be
exploring animals with the Internet and Microsoft
Word.
Also, grades 2 through 5 will begin to use the
Internet for research.
Reading Buddies
Kindergarten Corner
by Ms. Burton and Ms. Natale
November in Kindergarten was kicked off with
a great field trip to the theatre to see Brooms, Wizards
and Magic Potions! Wow, what a fun time we had!
Red, yellow, orange and brown...leaves are falling all over town! Our kindergarten classroom became
colored with autumn leaves! We looked at fall leaves
and talked about why green leaves change color in the
fall.
We have been busy continuing in Everyday
Math and Read Well and also been learning about the
letter “Ss” like in spider and scarecrow. We read scarecrow stories and made scarecrow crafts. We also learned
about the story of the first THANKSGIVING. The children looked adorable in their Native American feathered
headbands and bead necklaces. Turkey, stuffing, potatoes and pumpkin pie...we ate soooo much at our
Thanksgiving feast! Thank you to all the parents who
helped make it a tasty experience! One more thank you
to all parents for coming in for parent/teacher conferences, we really enjoyed talking with all of you.☺
WINTER SCHOOL CONCERT
All the families of the Elementary school students are invited to the Winter Concert that will
take place at 9:30 am on Friday, December 16th
in the cafeteria. Mark your calendars now.
7
Elementary School News - continued
GRADE ONE - Ms.Tebo & Ms.Tausend
GRADE THREE - Ms. Rumsby & Ms. Chiaramonti
continued from previous column.
Leaves are falling, scarecrows are scaring, and Thanksgiving is for giving thanks! This is what we have been learning
about in first grade. We wrote leaf poems about the 5
senses, made colorful scarecrows, and learned about the
first Thanksgiving. Reading groups learned about Rainforest animals, crocodiles and bears, and dinosaurs. Ask your
child what they studied. In math we learned about pennies,
nickels, and number models. Next we will begin to look at
patterns in our world and in numbers and counting. In writing we wrote descriptive stories about our scarecrows and
worked on journal writing. We look forward to another exciting month ahead as we begin to study holiday celebrations around the world.
GRADE TWO - Ms. Prisco & Ms. Ciuffreda
The secondgraders pretended to be archaeologists
and made plaster of Paris casts of fossil prints in clay. These
apprentice archaeologists were assisted by a squad of hard
working mothers who tipped, pressed and poured plaster.
Thank you to all our helpers, especially for not minding
about getting dirty!
We all celebrated Thanksgiving together in our
classrooms. The children set and decorated the long table
and the room with turkeys and Native Americans, and
brought in cakes, pies, fruit and nuts to complete the delicious turkey luncheon.
Our recycling center is a huge success. The students
are very responsible and put each waste material in the appropriate bin. Please help these environmentally aware
young people by recycling at home.
GRADE THREE - Ms. Rumsby &
Ms. Chiaramonti
THIRD GRADERS WILL BE AT
THE EXPLORA MUSEUM
LEARNING ABOUT SPORT AND
SCIENCE ON DECEMBER 6TH.
Check out the fantastic machines invented by third grade
scientists. The coke dispensing machine, the keep your
baby quiet machine, catapults galore, an overhead projector
and …..we were amazed at the ingenuity, the precision and
the fantasy.
8
Continued in next column.
Great big thanks to Fabiana Mobili for
managing to get a 15kg turkey in her oven
and all the other parents who gave a hand
and supplied us with items for our Thanksgiving lunch.
We will be studying the Water Cycle soon and
continuing on with Greek history and mythology. The kids are becoming real experts.
Have a great winter vacation!
GRADE FOUR - Ms. DePaolis & Ms. Piccinilli
Fourthgraders are busy selecting one of the
stories they have written to be published by the Falcon
Press Publishing Project. Their books will have a dedication, a paragraph about the author, and illustrations.
A special thank you to Mrs. Miller and all her industrious assistants who type and compile the books. On December 1st both classes went on a field trip to the Time
Elevator and experienced a 3D adventure in ancient
GRADE FIVE - Ms. Hogan & Mr. Waters &
Ms. Wheeler
(Editors’ note: “Sorry, we accidentally omitted Ms. Wheeler’s
name from Grade Five in previous Falcon Flyer issues.”)
Our Writer’s Workshop program has been focusing on Thanksgiving. Ms. Hogan and Mr.Waters brought
the story alive by dressing up as the Pilgrims, Patience
and John Whimple. Ms. Wheeler put together booklets
about the journey to the New World and we wrote stories
to match. Our last lesson was about the first Thanksgiving Feast, which we then simulated with our own feast
on Wednesday, 23rd November. We all contributed to the
feast by bringing food and drink. We also helped to
make butter ( by shaking cream until it became butter ),
egg salad and apple sauce. The fifth grade is famous for
its Thanksgiving Feast. We had many guests join us for
lunch. Many of them commented on the festive atmosphere, and they admired our decorations, hand-woven
placemats and colorful headdresses. This year Thanksgiving was special and memorable for all!
Elementary School News - continued
‘Tis the Season for Giving
Dear Parents,
We are sponsoring a GIVING project in the Elementary
School. Our two aims are to help the AOSR students realize there are fami
lies who are less fortunate, and to fill up the collection boxes to GIVE to
these people.
Students are being asked to bring the items listed below to their
class for collection. The project runs until Monday, December 12th. These
items will be donated to two organizations for “those in need” in Rome.
PREKINDERGARTEN :
Used plastic toys
Used baby clothes
Used baby equipment even if old
KINDERGARTEN :
Baby food in jars
Pasta “Pastina” for infants
FIRST GRADE :
Baby food in jars
Pasta “Pastina” for infants
SECOND GRADE :
PASTA
THIRD GRADE :
Long life MILK
FOURTH GRADE :
CANNED FOOD – including tomatoes,
pull-top tuna, sardines
FIFTH GRADE :
Men’s socks (NEW), used sweaters,
scarves, hats, gloves and men’s jackets
The elementary teachers know that we can count on your generous participation.
Thank you,
The Elementary School Faculty
9
Middle School News
By Ms. Santangelo, Middle School Coordinator
Middle School Cultural Trips
Amsterdam
by Mr. Sheumack, English Teacher
Amsterdam has now been officially sanctioned as “a really cool city”. With its canals, ships, diamonds, windmills, famous mad artists, cow clogs it has plenty, in fact too much, to amuse us all for a week.
We started with a canal cruise that winded its way all around the old city and showed us how beautiful Amsterdam was by night. We saw that many people live on house boats, and practically everyone else gets around by bike.
The following morning we saw a diamond factory. The Van Gogh museum had most of his amazing paintings
and stories of his bizarre antics like cutting off his own ear, and we all still love pronouncing his name. The Anne Frank
house was a touching and tragic story of life during the Nazi occupation and a reminder of a horrific era that must never
return.
Then we discovered that windmills had functions beyond looking pretty in the countryside and clogs too were
made for working purposes. We confirmed that Dutch cheese actually is good after buying tons of it to test the theory.
We learned also about the voyaging history of Holland in its ‘Golden Age’ and why the canals and ships were so important. We even saw the Maritime Museum and walked through an old ship.
We also learned that XXX on the Amsterdam flag actually stood for the three great dangers that could bring the
city down; flood, fire and plague. In this truly liberal society we could have added many more! Then we got freaked out
in the wax museum and saw replicas of famous people who we took heaps of photos with.
We found the real people in Holland were all friendly and hospitable. We especially enjoyed taking photographs
with a world famous model.
Other highlights included the late night parties in our beautiful, modern hotel, riotous laughter in the Chinese
Restaurant, and Luca and Marco launching their future careers behind the microphone. And now we go away with warm
feelings of the lovely Dutch people and culture.
Rome
by Ms. Chartier, History Teacher
The Rome Cultural Trip was an utterly fantastic experience for the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who
participated. Focusing upon “Medieval Churches of Rome,” we were able to study in-depth some of
the most gorgeous and awe-inspiring examples of religious architecture in the world. Before embarking on their journey,
students researched various churches in the area, such as Santa Maria in Trastevere, so that they would be as knowledgeable about the churches as possible before feasting their eyes upon them in person. One church that was a huge hit with
everyone involved was San Clemente—not only were we able to explore the inside of the church, but then we went
down below and explored the underground catacombs. No one was scared and everyone (teachers included) loved this
opportunity. The journals are sure to include this highlight! We’re already looking forward to next year…
10
Middle School News continued
By Ms. Santangelo, Middle School Coordinator
Middle School Cultural Trips...
Prague
by Ms. Boyce, Student Teacher
The Middle School trip to Prague was a great cultural experience for everyone. Despite the fact that the
weather was very cold, it was an AMAZING adventures! Luckily, we came prepared with winter coats, hats, and plenty
of room in our stomachs for hot chocolate.
Everyone had a great time for the entire five day trip. We went to a black light theater, visited castles and
churches, and even had time to shop. Of course, no trip is complete without sampling some new foods and the daily
breakfast buffet was definitely a highlight. Many of us are already excited for next year’s trip!
Middle School Students in Prague.
Middle School Holiday Brunch
Wednesday, December 21st
Holiday Dance
Friday, December 16th
The traditional Holiday Brunch is scheduled for Wednesday December 21.The middle
school students and their teachers will be celebrating the Festive Season together. The cafeteria will
be transformed into a winter wonderland for this
awesome celebration. Eggs, sausage, toast, pancakes and breakfast sweets will be served by our
supportive PTO mothers. Mr. Mancini, the official
BINGO caller, is already preparing the winning
cards and the BINGO number chips for an exciting
game. -And what about our surprise visit???
The annual MS Holiday Dance is scheduled for
Friday, December 16th from 7:00pm to 10:30pm.
Our junior Falcons are anxiously anticipating this
hip event and are already burning their favorite
CD's for our DJ to play. A variety of beverages
and snacks will be served throughout the night
by our highly organized STUCO officers and
representatives. Our last dance boasted 132 participants. This time we are expecting……….?
11
News from the Counselor
by Ms. Kate McKenna
11TH GRADE NEWS:
Many 11th grade parents are asking, “What should my child be doing right now for college?” At this
point in the college process, grades are the most important piece of the puzzle. As many selective institutions
will tell you, admission officers look first and foremost at work done and recorded on the transcript beginning in grade 9 and ending in grade 12. Junior year, colleges hope to see students focusing academically and
beginning to perform at university level.
At the close of the first semester (January 20th), Ms. McKenna will begin formally meeting with 11th graders
to discuss the college process. In addition, students will be given information next semester on course scheduling and testing. 11th grade students should plan on taking the MAY 6th and JUNE 3rd SAT I and SAT II
tests. Many schools in the US, Canada, and UK require such tests as an admission tool—particularly for students graduating from American secondary schools. For more information on these tests, please visit
www.collegeboard.com
12TH GRADE NEWS:
Seniors should continue to update their student page on NAVIANCE, our new in-house application managing
software. All application requests should be made through Naviance. Each senior was given a password by Ms.
McKenna. Please check to make sure that your son or daughter has registered TODAY!
http://connection.naviance.com/aosr
WAIT THERE’S MORE! Parents of seniors ALSO have the opportunity to use this software. Once your son or
daughter logs-in, he/she can then update his/her information. When the parents are entered, the system automatically
generates a PASSWORD for parents to then register. Ask your son or daughter for your NAVIANCE password today!
DEADLINES:
Most seniors have applications due to MS. McKenna THIS MONTH!
December 1st is the deadline for all January Applications
December 9th is the deadline for all UCAS Applications
January 10th is the deadline for all February Applications
January 25th is the FINAL deadline for Applications
NOTE: If a student is completing an on-line application, it is his/her responsibility to “SEND” the application ontime. The other pieces of the application are DUE at the deadlines listed above. These items include:
•
Fees/Payment that cannot be mailed online (In the form of a MONEY ORDER/CHECK in US Dollars and payable
to the college/university)
•
All teacher recommendations (students should confirm with teachers that they were submitted to the college office
by the deadline)
•
Supplemental forms that cannot be mailed online
•
Previous transcripts from work completed (grades 9-12) at schools outside AOSR (this includes summer programs)
•
Recommendations from outside sources (including teachers from other schools, coaches, etc.)
•
Financial Aid forms (if ready)
•
Anything else requested by the college: picture, graded-paper,
additional essay, etc.
12
•
Application Forms that cannot be submitted online
TESTING INFORMATION:
AOSR will serve as a Testing Center for the upcoming SAT
I, SAT II and PSAT Tests.
SAT I and SAT II tests will be administered at AOSR on
January 28th for students who have registered online
through The College Board (www.collegeboard.com). The
test given in January is recommended for 12th grade students as the LAST
testing opportunity (unless schools will accept May/June 2006 tests). If
students have NOT yet registered and have missed the deadlines, they can
come to the testing center as “walk-ins.” These students should arrive at 7 AM
to stand in line for an extra test. “Walk-ins” need to have a credit card number
ready. There is no guarantee that a “walk-in” will gain admission; we serve
“walk-in” students on a first come, first served basis.
TIPS FOR TESTERS
I am taking the SAT on Saturday…
What do I need to bring?
TWO # 2 pencils with erasers
Calculator
A PHOTO ID (AOSR ID will work).
Registration Ticket
(PRINT from Website).
What time do I need to be here?
7: 45 AM (SHARP!)
Where do I go for the test?
Form a line outside of the High School Door. Registered students will
enter first.
What else can I do?
Get a good night’s sleep.
Eat something beforehand.
Listen carefully.
Relax!!!!
13
Note to Parents:
The test will conclude between 12:30 and 1:30 PM.
Sports Briefs
by Doug Kneeland
Cross Country
Falcons Finish Third in Europe
Both AOSR high school cross country teams finished third
in the European Division III championship at Heidelberg,
Germany October 29th.
Senior Stephanie Andreucci placed 5th in the individual
race to lead the Falcon girls to third place, the highest team
finish in recent memory. Darcy Borg placed 13th,
Rebecca Blume was 20th, Sophie Matthews placed 25th, and
Jillian Kneeland placed 32nd. Eight teams and 43 individual runners competed in the girls race.
Senior Josh Kneeland ran 18.39 for the 5 km course to lead
the Falcon boys to a third place finish. Josh finished 6th
overall running almost exactly the same time that he ran
last year when he placed 2nd and AOSR won the team
championship. Freshman Seth Moore ran a strong race to
finish 11th overall, followed by Ides Van der Does in 30th,
and Garen der Kachadourian who finished 41st. A total of
69 boys and 8 full teams completed the 5 km race.
Teams from Italy dominated the small school division,
winning 5 out of the top 6 team places in the two races,
with Milan placing 2nd in both girls and boys races. Erika
Anderson led Sigonella to the girls team championship.
Marymount placed 6th in the boys race but did not field a
girls team. Keegan Trott from Marymount placed third in
the boys division.
Greg Billington from Lakenheath, England, set a course
record of 15:52 to win the large school boys division.
Landon Kemp from Alconbury, also in England, won the
boys small school race in 17:16, his second win in a row.
Forberg Places Third in Europe
Roy Forberg traveled to Germany in late October
to compete in the European high school tennis championships. He returned with a third place medal.
Parents of Falcon Athletes
Following in the footsteps of several other talented
student athletes in recent years, Roy transferred to AOSR
from Marymount to compete for the Falcons in his senior
year. The individual European tennis tournament is played
in the Fall, and Forberg is poised to lead AOSR in the team
competition in the Spring.
14
Do you have a son or daughter who is competing in
high school sports at AOSR, or who is in middle
school and would like to compete in sports when they
enter high school? Join the Parents of Falcon Athletes
and help to support our teams. Contact Carolyn
Grosso at - 06-3036-1525
Sports Briefs continued
Volleyball
Basketball
Volleyballers Finish Fourth
Basketball Home Dates
The AOSR boys’ volleyball team finished the
2005 season with a strong fourth-place finish at the
Mediterranean Championships in Naples.
Nine teams competed. Naples and Aviano finished first and second. AOSR fought hard to make it to
the semi-finals before losing the last game in a thrilling
5-set finish. This was an excellent result for a young
team.
The AOSR girls’ team traveled to Germany for
European championships. They won one game but did
not advance to the semi-finals.
While neither team brought home a trophy this
year, the Falcon student athletes who competed in volleyball never gave up. Both teams continued to improve
throughout the year. Congratulations to the players and
coaches.
Wrestling
Mark your calendars for home basketball games – let’s
raise the roof!
Friday evening, December 16: AOSR boys vs AOSR
Alumni & faculty
January 13 & 14: Aviano at AOSR
January 27 & 28: Milan at AOSR
February 3 & 4: Livorno at AOSR
Basketball parents: Let’s hit the road to support the team
at Naples, February 10 & 11, and at the European championships, February 22 – 25 in Germany.
Coach: Andrew Isbell, 2 time European Champion
Brings intense first hand experience to this Olympic discipline.
Team: Sarah Datin, David Torregrossa, Giancarlo Greager,
Edwardo Matteo Infante.
ARTS at AOSR
Theatre Review
by Kip Hendry, Director for MS and HS Theatre
If there is one thing the middle school actors and actresses
really know, it is how to make fantastic fools of themselves!
I am speaking, of course, of the fall production of the comedic play Fools! by Neil Simon. These fine young actors weren’t just foolin’
around up there on stage! Well, uh, I guess they were… but they were great
at it! It’s a huge pleasure to get to direct this group who supported one another all throughout rehearsals and had an excellent gift to give their audience
when it came show time. It’s a special bond that a cast builds during the process of a play that is hard to leave behind, so if you see any of us still acting
foolishly after school, just chalk it up to nostalgia. I’d also like to recognize
the high school students who worked back stage, during rehearsals, and at the
sound and light boards, putting in long hours to make sure that the creative
machine glided along smoothly. (Although I don’t know why they acted like
such fools, it’s not like they had to.) Bravi to all! Photos of the production (as
well as all school productions) are available for viewing and download at my
page on the Falcon Intranet. Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming
high
15
school Improv Show (December 12) and One Act Plays (March 2006).
Scene from “Fools”
Cast of “Fools”.
Music at AOSR
Here are a few photos from the October 25th, UN Concert.
Happy Holidays from the Falcon Flyer Team
Il Foro
Exhibition of hand-made glass jewelry at Anguillara.
Dentists
Dott.ssa C. Lorincz & Dott. D. D. Karpel
Via Cassia, 515—Pal. B (2° P. int. 4)
Tel. 06.3350522
Cell: 335.814077
www.lorincz-karpel.it
December 4-23, via Umberto 1, 38 Centro
Storico Anguillara Sabazia. TEL 069968450 CELL
3473106263. Anne is delighted to welcome parents
and friends from AOSR. She uses Venetian glass to
create her unique jewelry and she has a broad price
range. Her atelier is situated at the top of via Umberto 1, on the corner of Piazza della Collegiata. Enjoy a day out at beautiful Lake Bracciano while doing
your holiday season shopping.
E-mail: [email protected]
16
BOOKS & LIBRARY RESOURCES IN ROME
The AOSR High School and Elementary School libraries will lend books to all
families as well as students in the community, The HS library has approximately 5,000 reference volumes, and , with the ES library, there are 25,000 books on the lending stacks, in addition to the monthly magazine subscriptions, and with the recent contributions from parents,
embassies and donations from the PTO, the library has grown both in volumes and technologically (with internet access and color scanners).
The Elementary School library has age-appropriate literature for the Pre-K to Grade 5
set. These are available for loan --- just bring in your Parent ID card. Parents must register to check out books from the
High School library. Registration number is available from the HS librarian.
The largest lending library in Rome is at the Santa Susanna Catholic Church on Via XX Settembre. This library
has approx 12,000 volumes and, while the books are all in English, the library is open to people of all nationalities and
religions. You must obtain a library membership. Books are loaned for a period of 2 weeks. They have a wonderful literature collection, including the entire fiction collection of the British Council . In addition to ten shelves of British literature, the Santa Susanna collection includes six shelves of American literature, two of French, one each of Italian, Russian, Asian and German. It has much non-fiction as well: four shelves of American history, two European, one of World
War II, 1 1/2 of Italian history, and one each of Vatican and Roman history, as well as a half shelf each of Latin American, Austrian, Asian, Irish, and Middle East history. There is a whole shelf devoted to Vatican mystery series done by
Ellis Peters. The hours, terms, and directions can be found on the website: www.santasusanna.org/library.
The British Council, at Via Quattro Fontane ("Four Fountains") #20, has a large collection of videos and some
DVD's. Videos and DVD's can be rented for one (new releases) or two weeks (classical or older films). They have an
extensive Shakespeare collection, including those produced for the BBC. They have rooms of linguistic study material.
These resources are mainly for teachers of English rather than the general public. This, too, is a subscription library, and
costs E80 for full annual borrowing privileges. Their phone is 06-478141 or email at [email protected]. More
info is available at: <http://www.britishcouncil.org/it/italy-english-rome-sac.htm>
There are two other libraries with large collections that encourage library use but do not allow borrowing. The
American Academy on the Gianicolum Hill (phone 06-58461) has a 130,000 volume collection of classical studies, art
and architecture. They do not allow borrowing but do have two beautiful reading rooms, one of which was designed by
acclaimed architect and alumnus, Michael Graves. The Centro per Studi Americani (National Center for American
Studies) on Via Caetana near Largo Argentina (which is also a beautiful building) doesn't seem to have a working website but it is a wonderful tourist destination.
Also, the British Council Library and the American Academy often have cultural evenings including "meet the
author" usually in English or Bilingual English/Italian. The American Studies Center also hosts seminars and "meet the
author" evenings, but they tend to be in Italian. People who join these libraries can get onto mailing lists for invitations.
In addition, for little readers, the Bibli Bookstore, at (www.bibli.it, in Italian only) in Trastevere hosts a story
hour every Sunday afternoon, sometimes in English. It has a cinema, a live music venue, and a tea room.
Lion Bookstore, at Via dei Greci 33 (near the Spanish Steps), is run by AOSR alumni. They have a wonderful
collection of new English language titles and a wonderful painting gallery and exhibition space. They can be reached by
phone at 06-3265-4007.
In addition, Feltrinelli International, on Via V.E. Orlando (at Piazza Republica) and The Almost Corner Bookshop (06-5836-942), (Via dal Moro, Trastevere) have good non-fiction and fiction collections, also in English.
Happy reading!
17
School Information
Headmaster: Larry Dougherty
06-33438-331
Headmaster’s Secretary : Domenica Losani
06-33438-331
Principal: Beth Pfannl
06-33438-326
Principal’s Secretary: Alessandra Cozzi
06-33438-326
Admissions: Don Levine
06-33438-300
Reception/Secretary: Joanne Hoberg
06-33438-300
Financial Consultant: Elisa Bruno
06-33438-338
Boarding/Finance: Estelle Dougherty
06-33438-339
Guidance Counselor: Kate McKenna
06-33438-327
Nurse: Diane Cullen-Moore
06-33438-321
AOSR
After School Activities:
Via Cassia 811
00189 Rome, Italy
Christine Hogan, Margaret Ciuffreda
06-33438-320
Internet: www.aosr.org
ES Coordinator: Susan Prideaux
06-33438-350
School
Number: 06-334-381
MS Coordinator: Angela Santangelo
06-33438-336
Fax: 06-3326-2608
Resource Room: Ellen Buckley
06-33438-302
Jessica DiCori
06-33438-390
All telephone and internet address corrections should be emailed to [email protected].
Rome n’ About
Helpful Resources:
Wanted in Rome—www.WantedInRome.com -- a biweekly print and free web publication which lists news,
features, and events of interest to the English-speaking community in Rome. It also sponsors a free classified service including housing.
Roma C'E —www.Romace.it — A great resource for movies playing in and around Rome for those who can
handle a little bit of Italian. The "Cinema" reference on the homepage sends you to a screen where you can choose
to see where a movie is showing and when, by selecting either title ("titolo"), type ("genere"), director ("regia"), actor ("attori"), or nationality ("nazionalita"). You can also select movies that are in their original language ("versione
originale").
English Yellow Pages – www.englishyellowpages.it — A terrific, free print and web directory of all Englishspeaking businesses in Rome, Florence, Milan and Naples. More than just a phone book, EYP sponsors a free classified service, great reference information (weights and measure conversions, national holidays, basic vocabulary,
and maps) as well as a photo gallery of people and events in the English/US community here in Rome, which are
able to be downloaded from the website!
On-line Public Bus and Train info in Rome—www.atac.roma.it—The Rome's public transportation agency
offers an on-line directory, in choice of either Italian or English, giving address-to-address directions, using public
bus, metro, and tram lines, AND plotting it out on a map!
On-line Train information and reservation service for Italy -- www.trenitalia.it -- Italy's vast national train
service is available on-line, in English. Times, train types, trip duration, cost, and purchase is easily accessible.
For daily Italian newspaper and radio news in English, see www.AGI.it/english, a special service by Agenzia
Giornalistica Italia on behalf of the Italian Prime Minister’s office.
The American —www.theamericanmag.com — is a new monthly magazine for Italy’s English-speaking
community, including a huge list of restaurants.
American citizens may want to register with the US Embassy and ask to be included on the e-Embassy Rome
email list to be notified about security alerts and other important information for Americans living in Italy. Call 0646741 or send an email to [email protected].
Rome Airport Information (Fiumicino or Ciampino airports) including flight arrivals and departures can be
found at www.adr.it.
18
19
26
25
Winter Vacation
19
18
12
27
Boutique Open
Teacher Appreciation Brunch 11-2
Santa Visits
20
MS/HS Holiday
Concert
Boutique CLOSED
13
Boutique Open
PTO Mtg. 9:15am
11
6
5
4
Tue
Mon
Sun
28
Winter Vacation
begins @ 12:30
21
MS Holiday Brunch
@ 9:30
14
7
Wed
2
1
29
22
Boutique OPEN
9:30-2:30
White Tag Sale
1/2 Price
15
No School
Italian National
Holiday
8
30
23
16
ES Holiday Concert
for parents 9:30am
No After School
Activities &
No late buses
MS Holiday Dance
7pm
9
Qtr 2 Progress
Reports
Fri
10
3
Sat
31
24
17
Wrestling at Naples
Basketball @
Vicenza
www.aosr.org
06-334-381
Thu
HIV/AIDS Day
HS Assembly
AOSR December 2005
20
2
1
29
22
16
15
Boutique Open
9:30-2:30
31
Boutique Open
9:30-2:30
Semester 2 begins
PPAC Meeting
9:15am
30
24
17
Semester Exams
Boutique Open
9:30-2:30
Boutique Open
9:30-2:30
10
3
Tue
23
PTO Meeting
9:15am
9
School reconvenes
8
Boarder arrive at
the residence
after 15:00
Happy New Year!
Mon
Sun
25
18
11
4
Wed
26
19
12
5
Thu
AOSR January 2005
27
20
Semester 1 ends
13
6
Fri
14
7
Sat
Wrestling @ Naples
28
Basketball, Milan at
AOSR
Wrestling @ Vicenza
Basketball @
Sigonella
21
Basketball & Wrestling @ Aviano
www.aosr.org
06-334-381