AOSR Falcon Flyer - American Overseas School of Rome

 AOSR Fall/Winter 2012 AOSR Falcon Flyer Happy 65th Birthday AOSR! AOSR! Contents Page 1-­‐3 AOSR Celebrates 65 Years Page 4-­‐7 Elementary News Page 8 Int’l Day of Languages Page 9 Sports News Page 11-­‐12 The Arts Page 13-­‐14 Habitat for Humanity Trip Page 15 Congratulations to our young artists who performed in the elementary winter concert on Thursday, December 13th. Their enthusiasm and talent set the tone for a very merry holiday season! Alumni News AOSR’s 65th Birthday Read How the Different Classes in Elementary School Celebrated Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 Elementary Enjoying our Birthday Celebration Pre-­‐school students painted a Happy Birthday AOSR banner in learning centers, which w as displayed during the school wide assembly! Kindergarten students "made" a cake for the school's birthday. Every child decorated a few candles and then the classes w orked together to put all 65 candles on the cake. While counting to 65, students stopped at each set of ten to remember the importance of this mathematical concept. First graders created a special snack to celebrate AOSR's birthday. Each center had a different treat that was added to the snack bag. Students learned that six groups o f ten equals 60 and then added on five more to equal 65. Mathematics and delicious snacks were a great way to say "Happy Birthday, AOSR"! Second grade students celebrated w ith word problems: Ms. Vallerga's class has 20 children, 30 books, 4 students named Lorenzo, 6 white boards and 5 class rules. How many is it in all? 65! Happy Birthday AOSR! Once there w as a school called AOSR. Today is AOSR's 65th birthday! Good morning class family! 32 kids in the class are going to celebrate the 65th birthday of AOSR. 33 kids join too. The children
equal 65 in all. Now it is time for eating the cake!
2 3
2
1
Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 Elementary Enjoying our Birthday Celebration These third graders celebrated AOSR's birthday by creating cut paper portraits of themselves at 65 years old. Very few saw themselves as wrinkled and gray-­‐
haired. These kids have plans of aging well! Fourth graders created 65 ways to mathematically represent the number 6 5 and created 65 flags to represent the variety of nationalities in our world and at AOSR. Happy Birthday! Fifth graders found 65 different reasons why they love AOSR and also mathematically represented the number 65 in different ways for AOSR's special birthday! 3 1
2
3
Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 Using Art to Fight Hunger! The theme of this year’s FAO poster contest was “Agricultural Cooperatives: Key to Feeding the World” By: Ms. Yuki Hirao, Elementary School Art Teacher
In my first article for the AOSR newsletter, I have some w onderful news to share. As some of you may know, each year AOSR has participated in the FAO and UN Women’s Guild poster contest and this year is just the same. Except this year's competition was not just the same, because this year the applications w ere open to all children w orld wide with only 3 winners per age group (ages 5 to 8, ages 9 to 12 and ages 13 to 17). This year's theme was: “Agricultural Cooperatives – Key to Feeding the World.” Ultimately over 3600 entries from 72 countries were submitted and I am proud to say that one of o ur students was selected as a winner in the 9-­‐12 category. Photo c
redit: ©
FAO/Giu
lio Napo
ages 9-­‐12) is our o wn, Samuel Cook (4th grade). Sam's work was striking because of its color contrast, big bold shapes, overlapping elements and a strong overall composition-­‐-­‐ and of course he did all this w hile communicating the theme of the competition. The winners were officially honored in October at the FAO’s headquarters in Rome in a formal award ceremony, attended by Sam, his parents, Dr. Pfannl and myself. Additionally, the winning entries can be seen on the the official website of World Food litano. E
dito
rial use only. Co
pyright F
AO. Day and shared on both the FAO and the movement EndingHunger Facebook pages. I hope that this recognition of Sam's work w ill persuade him to believe in his abilities as a visual person. It is also my hope that all my other students will be encouraged by the success of one of their o wn and feel confident in the great artwork that they themselves have created-­‐-­‐ as can be seen on the cafeteria walls! Before I reveal the w inner, however, I would first like to compliment all the w orks made by my students for this competition! They put a lot of creativity and energy into their posters and as a result there were many original and beautiful images made all coming from one theme. Some of these works are currently displayed on the green walls in the cafeteria. Please take a look! It is now my pleasure to announce that this year's first world-­‐wide FAO poster contest winner (for 4 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 AOSR Celebrates International Dot Day By: Maria Falgoust, ES Librarian & Ms. Miriam O’ Brien, Reading Specialist This year, during the days around September 15, students from third and fifth grades joined another 600,000 students across seven continents, to celebrate International Dot Day. This day, the brainchild of IT teacher, Terry Shay from our partner school, North Tama, Traer, Iowa, takes its inspiration from Peter H. Reynolds’ story for all ages, The Dot. Students at AOSR read the story and then allowed their creativity to flow. They made their mark with painted dots, sculpted dots and produced psychedelic dots. Displays in 5th grade were enjoyed by all. Dots are still to be seen in the ES library and on the third grade windows! The Dot's message, to celebrate creativity and individuality, is a beautiful reminder for people of all ages! Read the animated e-­‐book version online through AOSR's subscription to Tumblebooks. Author Mike Thaler Dines with AOSR Staff By: Ms. Maria Falgoust, ES Librarian
Last spring, Patty Thaler, the wife of the famous childrens' book author, Mike Thaler (of the Black Lagoon fame) wrote to Ms.
Falgoust, AOSR's elementary school librarian, to potentially schedule an author visit. Unfortunately, the timing did not work because
it was our first week of school. Therefore, we respectfully declined the offer. Instead, Ms. Falgoust, Ms. Waite (2nd grade) and Ms.
Johannesen (3rd grade) met Mr. Thaler and his wife for dinner to discuss his books, life, Italy and his inspirations. Additionally, he
generously autographed over a dozen AOSR library copies of the Black Lagoon series! Over 20 million copies have been sold and the
series has been translated into a variety of languages. Read more about Mr. Thaler
at http://www.mikethaler.com/blacklagoonseries.htm
Q. What is has your favorite thing about Italy been so far?
A. The sound of the language and just walking down the street and finding
something amazing around every corner.
Q. What were your favorite books when you were a child?
A. The Little Engine That Could and Ferdinand
Q. How did you start writing books for kids?
A. The rent was due. I was living in New York, writing a comic strip for
adults and was noticed by a publisher.
Q. What was the name of your first book?
A. Magic Boy (1969)
Mr. Thaler simply stated, "I've been very blessed to make a living doing what I love." Happily, the AOSR teachers agreed that they
are lucky to be able to do what they love too!
5 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 Fifth Grade Community Building Trip We were so lucky to be able to exchange our brick and mortar classroom for probably one of the most beautiful classrooms in the world for a few days. Fifth Grade Trip to the National Park of Abruzzo The Gnome’s rainbow; Can you find these colors in nature? Here we are in Val Fondillo experiencing a bear’s eye view. Did you ever really ‘smell’ your environment, like bears do? We tried and found a whole new series of perfumes. We let the sun kiss our faces and the breezes lift our hair. Laura – “We pretended to be bear cubs. We saw like bears, we sniffed like bears and we felt the ground like bears.” Tasso Barbasso, natural toilet tissue with built in skin-­‐
softener. We weren’t the only creatures in the classroom either. We learned about transhumance and how all the things that the shepherd needed on those long treks from winter pastures to summer pastures and back again could be found in nature. Tommaso A. – “The beekeeper picked up two bees by their legs because the worker bee could have stung him and the drone was just walking on his hands because drones don’t sting, because drones do not have the stinger.” Daniel – “While we were on the bus, we saw two deer crossing the road. We arrived at Val Fondillo. We saw many trees with mistletoe.” Little Charlies, w hich are from the artichoke family. Berries galore, rich in vitamin C and good for soothing coughs. 6 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 More Comments From Students Michael – “At the wolf museum, Ms Rumsby talked to us about wolves because the real guide had just had a baby so she couldn’t talk to us. W e learned about wolves and how people thought they were m ean and so they killed them.” Doga – “There are thirty kinds of h oney in Italy. They made us taste three kinds of honey, my favorite.” Simone – “We went to eat breakfast, and then in the rain we walked to see the wolves. We went to buy things in the many shops and then back to the hotel. At recess I learned a new game from Itay, but I don't know its name in English.” Edoardo – “We saw dog rose hips and we found out that they make you not go to the bathroom, and they h ave vitamin C. Fun fact: Only if a bird eats the haws from the Hawthorn tree and then poops it out will the seed grow.” Stephane – “The deer were in the street; however, they sat on the road. The road was bumpy and we soon arrived at the park. We met our tour guides. The dog rose is red and bear poop does not smell bad.” Nabil – “When you put a special smoke in the hives they calm down. My class and I had a taste of honey from the h ive. It was fabulous.” Arnaud – “The m ountains were the best sight I’ve ever seen! We went hiking and drank mountain water, best water ever!” Raffi – the Marsican Bear Award His speech: “I was really happy here in Abruzzo. I would like to first thank the teachers for bringing us here. Please give them a round of applause. I wouldn’t enjoy coming here by m yself. It is more fun to be with friends, that’s why they brought us here. Look at what we did. W e acted like a bear. We saw magnificent things. Thank you for your time.” Grade 3 Trip to Castel Sant’Angelo Elementary School Coordinator, Ms. Prideaux, gave o ur third grade students a tour of this historic structure. The students learned that the mausoleum was completed in 139 AD by Emperor Hadrian and has been a castle, a prison, a residence for popes and army barracks before being turned into a museum. Additional field trips included a trip to the Explora Children’s Museum, for second graders and a theatrical performance of Oliver Twist for fourth and fifth graders. First graders celebrated their writing skills with parents and kindergarteners paraded around the quad to show off their knowledge of the alphabet this month. 7 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 International Day of Languages 2012 Celebrates its 11th Anniversary at AOSR Quotes from grade 8…. “I think that the International Day of
Languages was great because it united
the school and made us learn a variety
of languages and cultures from other
nations. It was even fantastic how, not
on purpose but in every class, we had a
student from the country of which we
were learning the language.”
By: Ms. Chiara Concas, Italian Teacher
“I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be
stuffed. I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as
freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any of them.”
M. K. Gandhi
Martina B. On September 28th, 2012 AOSR held its first celebration of the
International Day of Languages. This event showed how much we can
learn one from each other, and highlighted the concept that difference
equals richness. Nine workshops were offered to middle school students
by volunteer instructors who shared their knowledge of different
languages. Our students had the unique opportunity to listen to and
learn new words, anecdotes, and traditions from China, Korea, Japan,
Romania, Israel, Germany, Portugal, and Spain.
Over six thousand languages are spoken in the world with each
representing a rich and diverse culture. The International Day of
Languages aims to celebrate multiculturalism by showing people across
the world how important languages are and what fun it is to learn them.
“I think the International Day of
Languages was a very nice day. I
learned some words like: sa rang hae
that means “I love you” in Korean. I also
found Japanese writing very interesting.”
Eleven years ago the Council of Europe declared that a European Day of
Languages would take place each year on the 26th of September. This
Europe-wide celebration of all languages and cultures, not just European,
involves 47 countries. The first European Day of Languages was held in
during the European Year of Languages in 2001, coordinated in the UK
by the National Centre for Languages (CLIT). We are proud that AOSR
joined the celebration this year and plan to expand our efforts in years
to come.
(website -­‐ http://edl.ecml.at/)
Leonardo M.
“I loved the idea of the paper-hands and
I liked stapling them next to each other
because it made me feel part of a big
and beautiful world. All of the languages
were fascinating to learn and I hope I
can put them to use one day.”
Sofia C.
“I attended classes in Japanese, Korean and
Romanian. Arigatò! is my favorite word I
learned and it comes from Japanese that
was my favorite language. I I also enjoyed
decorating with highlighters my paper-hand
in which I put many different words. I really
enjoyed this sharing of cultures.”
“I consider that the
time spent in the
International Day of
Languages was very
educational. I discovered
many things from the
Korean, Romanian and
Japanese cultures that I
found extremely
intriguing and very
diverse from my
culture.”
“I really enjoyed
learning about
Romanian and
Korean, but the one I
preferred the most
was Japanese. It was
thrilling to see how
many different
alphabets they have,
and discover their
educated way of
greeting people.”
Nicola D.
Lavinia G.
Claudia F.
8 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 AOSR Falcons European Championships By: Mr. Daniel Zacaroli, Athletic Director Girls Volleyball After being placed as the third seed (out of 13 teams) leading into group play, the Falcons won 5 out of 6 games. Our semi-­‐final match was a tough draw against defending champions and undefeated Naples and they proved to be just too much! The girls went on to play Saturday and breezed through their match against Bitburg to close the season as 2nd in ASIL league play and 3rd in the DoDDS Division II European Championships! Domiziana M. represented AOSR by taking All Region and All European awards. Boys Volleyball AOSR Boys took the Mediterranean Volleyball Championships in Aviano this past weekend, finishing in 1st place in ASIL league play and 1st place in the championships! They finished a perfect season with a perfect tournament, not dropping one match! The Girl’s Volleyball team had a team building pumpkin carving dinner. Honorable Mention: Aram H., Santiago M., All Region: Alessandro E., Andrea M., All Tournament: Alessandro E., Santiago M., and Aram H., Alessandro E. was awarded MVP (most valuable player) of the championship games! Cross Country Cross Country boys and girls represented us strong in Baumholder, Germany for the European Championship Meet! Despite snow, a fast blowing wind, and frigid temperatures, the Falcons went out and ran a great race. Both the Boys and Girls finished 4th place in team rankings, an excellent result for a young team! Tennis Our AOSR Tennis team brought home the 3rd place team award from the DoDDS European Tennis Championships! We saw excellent play from our singles and doubles players, willing their way through matches against high seeded teams. Their valiant individual efforts produced a great team victory, which was a focus of theirs throughout the season! 9 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 News from the AOSR Libraries By: Ms. Maria Falgoust, Elementary Librarian
Our libraries are popping with activity this fall!
Author Workshop: This November, young adult author,
Margaret Stohl held writing workshops with 6th, 7th and 8th
grades! Not only has she co-authored the popular “Beautiful
Creatures” series (which is being turned into a big Hollywood
movie!) but she has a new series coming out next year called
ICONS. A graduate of Amherst College, where she won the
Knox Prize for English Literature, Margaret earned a MA in
English from Stanford University, and completed class work
for a Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University.
Margaret was a teaching assistant in Romantic Poetry at
Stanford and in Film Studies at Yale. She attended the
Creative Writing Program of the University of East Anglia,
Norwich, where she was mentored by the Scottish poet,
George MacBeth. Not only does she love writing but she is an
award-winning video game programmer and co-founded her own video game studio! Read about her at www.margaret-stohl.com.
We loved working with her!
Storyteller Visit: On September 19th and 20th, the incredibly talented, traditional Irish storyteller Niall de Burca visited various
classes throughout the school community, entertaining everyone and inducing much laughter! Read more about Mr. de Burca at
www.storyteller.ie. Storytelling isn’t only entertaining: it’s educational! It enhances comprehension skills, employs literary
conventions, such as point of view, theme, plot, characterization, and setting, and stimulates literacy skills! Start the tradition of
storytelling in your home.
Fundraiser for our friends in Tunis: This autumn, school librarians collaborated with our wonderful PTO to raise funds to
rebuild the elementary library at the American Cooperative School of Tunis. If you would like to contribute to their fund, please go
to www.acst.net. There is an opportunity to contribute by PayPal and Children's Plus as well as the option to select a book from
their wish list on TitleWish!
In the Elementary Library....
Accelerated Reader: Students have been having a blast using the Accelerated Reader program (AR for short), quizzing
themselves on books they have read. AR uses multiple-choice questions to test students on their comprehension and vocabulary
skills. It encourages kids to compete against themselves as opposed to classmates. They can see their progress throughout the year
and keep a log of all of the titles they have tested themselves on.
Scholastic Book Fair! The Scholastic Book Fair was held on December 12th and 13th! With the generous help of parent
volunteers, the elementary library hosted a fabulous book sale that featured English picture books, chapter books, fiction and nonfiction books. This was a great way for families to stock up on books for the children, as well as for the upcoming holidays.
Video Project: Both 4th grade classes are busy scripting and performing library videos! These instructional videos will
demonstrate how to use the library catalog and benefit from our awesome, useful membership databases. Be on the lookout for
them soon.
New Books in the Library: Thanks to a grant provided by our spectacular PTO, the Elementary Library was able to purchase 58
new books; an assortment of picture books, graphic novels, and chapter books in Chinese, German, Hebrew, Russian, Arabic,
Spanish, French, and Korean! Also, we threw in a few origami books that are wildly popular at AOSR! Read new titles such as
Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree” in Chinese, Russian, Hebrew, or English! Or try a bilingual, Hebrew/English copy of Martin
Waddell’s “Farmer Duck,” Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” in Spanish, or maybe Dawn Casey’s “Yeh-Hsien: A
Chinese Cinderella” in Chinese/English as well as Russian/English.
New DVDs in the collection: Major thanks to the Kindergartners, 2nd and 4th grades, Susan Prideaux, our Elementary School
Coordinator, parent volunteers, and all of the people who participated in the Snack Attack Bake Sale on September 18th. A
whopping 655 euros was raised to purchase a selection of quality DVDs for the library collection.
10 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 English Department Partners With “Italy Reads -The Great Gatsby”
By Brian Sheehan, Secondary English/Drama Teacher
“What foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams” these words can be heard echoing throughout the halls of
AOSR and on stage at John Cabot University. The English Theatre of Rome has partnered with John Cabot
University to commemorate “The Big Read Rome.” Students from nearly 20 Italian public and international
high school have been reading the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic novel “The Great Gatsby.” AOSR has joined
the read with a variety of book discussions and workshops.
Secondary Teacher (English/Drama) Brian Sheehan landed the coveted role of the narrator Nick Carraway in
the English Theatre of Rome’s World Premiere Adaptation entitled “Five Parties and a Funeral.” The world
premiere adaptation invites the audience to take a ride on the reckless road of empty opulence and grand
dreams. Immerse yourself into an era of desire filled with the morals, manners and mishaps of the roaring
1920s.
Playing the role has been incredible! The majority of my work as an actor has been in Los Angeles and in
television. I have not performed on stage in many years and it is great to be back on the boards. The play has
been an amazing experience and the greatest part is sharing it with the AOSR students and community. I am
most thrilled that the students can read the novel and see it come to life. The play is beautifully staged and
it is my hope that the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald will linger through the ears of our youth, hopefully
reminding them that tomorrow one can run faster and stretch out their arms further, and one fine morning....
11 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 Fall Arts 2012 Above: UN Elementary School Concert: September 2012
Right: Winter Concert: Secondary Choirs & Ensemble
Below: HS Play: The Real Inspector Hound
12 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 Thanksgiving in Romania with Habitat for Humanity By Chaperones: Ms. Tracy Arnold, Ms. Jackie Gallo, and Mr. Ivan Hauck For the first time a group of AOSR students participated in a
Habitat for Humanity project. They worked in Romania from
the 17th-24th of November. We shared details of the trip on a
daily basis through our “Dear Parent” emails. Below are
excerpts from these emails sharing the experience of our
students.
11/18/2012 Dear Parents,
As we are finishing up day 2 of our adventure, we would like to assure
you that your children are all safe and sound. We arrived at the airport
on Saturday expecting to pay to check in extra bags full of clothes for
donation to needy children in Romania. The airline representative
who checked us in was impressed by the service effort being made by
our AOSR students and allowed us to check the bags in for free!
The train ride to Craiova gave the students a real first glimpse of the
social differences in Romania compared to Italy. As they left the
modern city of Bucharest they saw scenes of farmers working the
fields with horses and carts, a mix of middle class and many very poor
homes, and a clear image of the need Romania has to manage its
garbage in a more efficient manner. They arrived to the university
town of Craiova to eat a late lunch and then visit a lovely, historical
park near the city center. ..
11/19/2012 Our students worked hard and it was amazing at the end
of the day to see that the two homes we are working on really had
undergone change moving them closer to completion. One of the
groups was working to insulate and plasterboard a home while the
other group was adding some plasterboard details but mostly
plastering the seams throughout the house. In a third home, a few
students pitched in to help the local workers sand the walls and
prepare them for painting. The students struggled (in a positive way)
to master new skills. They had to mix plaster and manage the
technique of creating smooth plaster seams. They had to measure
(harder than you would imagine) spaces and cut plasterboard to fit
spaces in their homes. Some were dressed in protective suits with
goggles and masks as they insulated or sanded. Climbing up and
down, screws, mixers and staple guns were our day. At the end of day
they were all covered in dust and plaster, but had smiles on their faces
because they realized that they had truly done something amazing. At
one point, while one of the groups was working on their insulation we
heard a student say, "can you believe that this very work that we are
doing right now is going to keep a family warm next winter?!!"
11/20/2012 After the day on the site we were able to visit with one of
the families who will benefit from this project. The father is an
ambulance driver with a typical Romanian salary probably in the
range of 300 -350 euros a month. The mother in the family suffers
from a serious kidney disease, which limits her ability to work, and
obligates her to receive regular dialysis treatments. In addition they
have a teenage daughter who hopes to study medicine in the future.
This family will receive their home and then begin to pay accessible
monthly payments over a 20-year period of time, which will help
habitat to pay off the money they spent on buying the land for this
particular project.
After returning to the hotel this afternoon, our students received a
special invitation. In Craiova there is a school for deaf/mute children.
These students put on a special presentation of dance and music every
year at Christmas time. They were invited to watch the dance
performance this afternoon at their rehearsal.... The children not only
shared their artistic presentation but their hopes for the future and the
difficult reality of living with a disability in Romania. Our students
were deeply touched and walked away with an understanding of how
blessed their day-to-day lives are.
When choosing amongst applicants, Habitat for
Humanity looks at three criteria: the particular need
of the family, the economic stability of the family
(particularly tied to a job), and the willingness of the
family to work on the site whether in their own house
or that of others. Although most of the recipients of
homes through Habitat do have at least one adult in the
home working, there are frequently other
circumstances that limit the financial ability of the
family to own their own home or be able to finance one
through a bank.
13 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 11/21/2012 This morning we began the day by visiting a local rural HS where
nearly 200 students, half teens and half adults prepare to become veterinary
technicians. Our students were held up there to be role models by the director
who is trying to encourage an attitude of community awareness and service
among the local Romanian students. After leaving a donation of clothes for the
students and used laptops for the school (where, by the way, the only computer
is the one in the director's office), our students went to work for the rest of the
day on the site. They are making progress even though the work is sometimes
tedious, and each day we can see that the homes are closer to completion.
During our time of evening reflection it was touching to see how much many of
the students have matured during this trip. They shared the experience that
meant the most to them so far, and what they thought it might mean for them in
the future. Students have found their stereotypes of others to be challenged,
their understanding of work and cooperation is more mature after only three
days on the worksite, and over and over we hear how appreciative they are of
you, their homes, their education, and many things which they simply have
taken for granted as part of their daily routines.
11/22/2012
In first place we would like to say Happy Thanksgiving! Today at lunch our
students took a few minutes to reflect on the many things they are thankful
for. However, today, overall, has been a roller coaster day of ups and
downs. Before starting work, we had the opportunity to visit a kindergarten and
historical church near the work site. The children, between the ages of 3-5 were
adorable and sang songs for us. Several of them have parents who are currently
working in Italy to support their families back here in Romania. To return the
musical favor, we taught them to sing "head and shoulders, knees and toes" in
English. In was a fun activity and a good way to start the day with a tired group
of teens. After this high point in the roller coaster ride, the low point came. Our
students have been working in three houses. Last night, a heating unit which
was left on in one house by a local worker, short circuited and generated a fire
and major smoke damage. All the windows and doors have to be replaced. The
house is black and smells of smoke and soot and has been stripped down to the
brick. All of the insulation, dry wall, plaster and electrical work will have to be
redone. The damage will cost nearly 5000 euros to repair and the students were
devastated to see that their work had been lost and even more concerned that this
would set the family back on the date of being able to move into the house.
As the morning carried on, the students were reassigned tasks in the other two
homes and they watched the workmen at the site carry on with the cleaning of
the house. They saw that rather than complaining about the bad luck and the
extra work it was going to cost them, they were redoubling their efforts, even
offering to work through the night without pay, to begin the repairs and make up
time to be able to hand over the house on the expected date. It was an adult
lesson for them in how to go forward in times of difficulty. As one student
mentioned from last night's reflection activity: "We have learned that just
because you were unfortunate once, doesn't mean that you must forever be
unfortunate."
14 Falcon Flyer Fall/Winter 2012 Fall Alumni Visits Assaf Lipa ('89) was a student at AOSR from 1976-1980. Pictured below with his wife Tali,
Assaf couldn't help saying how "small everything looks!!" As with many alumni, although
he had been to other international schools, our
campus remains Assaf’s fondest memories. He
has been to Rome on many other occasions, but
this is the first time he has been able to visit.
Jim Littlejohn (right) ('81) visited us this month with his son Tre. Jim attended
AOSR from 1969 to 1979. He also chose to be photographed in the Hillside
Theater, which he remembers well! He also participated in the special
fundraiser Booster Bar that we were having the day he was on campus to help raise
funds for the reconstruction of ES Library at the American Cooperative School of
Tunis, which was severely damaged during recent riots. He hopes to visit us every
five years, a goal that he promises to keep.
Katherine Russell ('71) has been back to AOSR more than once in the last few
years. Kathy has also participated in some of the "Alumni & Friends Gatherings" in the
U.S. She was excited to see so much technology, especially the new iMacs, on campus and
would like to one day be involved in sharing her expertise in video production with our
students.
Paulette Cardinaux ('68) is always
excited when she can come to Rome and
visit her "beloved OSR". She is often
involved in alumni events, both large and
small. Paulette is one of four siblings that
attended "OSR" and has remained
passionate about all things related to the
school. She is pictured below with her
husband Bob in the newly remodeled
Hillside Theater, the scene of many
alumni memories since it was inaugurated
in 1972. 15 AOSR hosts the RISA Early Childhood Workshop on Saturday the 10th of November. Over 50 educators attended. Ms. Chiara Costa poses after winning both individually and with her teammates at the Ladies International Grand Prix Skeet -­‐ Amsterdam 2012 Contact Information
Villa Reception and Staff
Secretary: Ms. Manuela Ciocca 06-33438-300
Head of School: Dr. Beth Pfannl 06-33438-331
Villa Secretary: Ms. Domenica Losani 06-33438-331
Director of Finance & Human Resources:
Dr. Elisa Bruno 06-33438-338
Faculty & Coordinators
PreK Coordinator: Ms. Amy Magazzu 06-33438-330
ES Coordinator: Ms. Susan Prideaux 06-33438-350
MS Coordinator: Ms. Sarah Ellyson 06-33438-336
AP/IB Coordinator: Ms. Belinda Fiochi 06-33438-337
HS College Counselor: Mr. Ivan Hauck 06-33438-327
Busing: Mr. Kieran Canter 06-33438-372
Secondary School
Principal: Mr. Ken Kunin 06-33438-326
Secretary: Ms. Anna Chiara Troisi 06-33438-326
Elementary School
Principal: Ms. Melissa Kay 06-33438-395
Dr. Simona Reichmann 06-33438-373
After School Activities: Ms. Christine Hogan
Resource Room: Ms. Rene Ostapuk (ES) 06-33438-302
Ms. Jacqueline Gallo (MS/HS) 06-33438-390
Athletics: Mr. Daniel Zacaroli 06-33438-313
American Overseas School of Rome
811 Via Cassia 00189 Rome, Italy
http://www.aosr.org
Phone: (+39) 06.33438.300 Fax: (+39) 06.3326.2608