Graduation (May 30)

The Kaohsiung American School Class of 2008 received their diplomas during graduation ceremonies on Friday, May 30th. Parents, relatives, faculty, staff and friends of our twenty-seven graduates were present to observe their glorious rite of passage from KAS into the future!
____________________________________________________

Spring Concert (April 24)

Over two-thirds of all KAS students participated in our annual Spring Concert which was held on April 24 in the Southern Speech Hall of the National Science and Technology Museum. The program consisted of a variety of instrumental, vocal, and dance performances to the delight of parents, staff, and guests.

As always, it takes a lot of support from teachers, TA's, parents, support staff, and others to produce an event of this magnitude off campus. Thanks to everyone that assisted and congratulations to our student performers!
____________________________________________________

2008 Showcase (March 24)

We were proud to showcase our programs and achievements this past Monday during our annual KAS Showcase event. The program began with Ms. Pearl Ortiga's cheerleaders, followed by music from our Cadenza club under the supervision of Ms. Gloria Kao. After some welcoming comments from Dr. Nanos, Dr. Taylor and the KAS Board of Directors, parents and guests dispersed to classrooms where students showcased their work, and the celebration of teaching and learning at KAS took place throughout the school!

Our 2008 KAS Showcase event ended with a musical ensemble presented by Ms. Julia Chen and her music students. Parents, students and teachers were able to interact after a busy afternoon over light refreshments.
____________________________________________________

EARCOS Weekend Workshop (Feb. 23-24)

On February 23-24, KAS hosted its second EARCOS Weekend Workshop.  Dr. Virginia Rojas, a language specialist from the U.S., presented "Scaffolding Success for ELL".  In addition to KAS teachers, there were guests from seven other schools, both on- and off-island.   Teachers received training on how best to meet the needs of ELL students, whether teaching math, science, social studies or language arts.  The workshop was partly funded by a grant from the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS), of which KAS is a member.
____________________________________________________

Chinese New Year Celebration (Feb. 1)

The KAS Chinese New Year Celebration launched "The Year of the Rat" with participation from every grade level PK-12. The Chinese Department, led by Gloria Kao, provided opportunities for traditional Chinese arts and culture. Students created crafts, listened to traditional Chinese music presented by a local school, and viewed a program of traditional Chinese art forms including a lion dance. The KAS PTA added to the festivities which included decorating the main foyer.
____________________________________________________

Cadenza Club Performance (Jan. 19)

KAS Cadenza Club students extended their talents into the Kaohsiung community via their January 19th performance at the El Roi Cafe at the Kaohsiung Fine Arts Museum. Their show was part of a community service project benefiting pediatric leukemia research at Kaohsiung Medical University, extending hope for a bright future to children diagnosed with this disease. Dr. Chou, head researcher in this speciality, from Kaohsiung Medical University, was present to accept the donation the performance generated.
____________________________________________________

Sports Day (Dec. 21)

The 4th annual school wide KAS Sports Day event was held on the last day of school before winter break. It was a day long fun filled event of spirited competition involving all KAS students as organized by Mr. Sean Sartison, Mr. Mike DeNeef, teachers, staff and PTA.

Students throughout the school were organized into color teams of red, blue, green and yellow as they participated in numerous events. Healthy doses of sportsmanship and fair play prevailed!

Congratulations to the yellow winning team!

____________________________________________________

Art Show / Winter Concert (Dec. 7)

KAS students in grades PK-12 exhibited their creative talents in performing and visual arts in the annual Winter Concert and Art Exhibition on December 7.

Ms. Julia Chen and Ms. Anne Simmie coordinated the events for parents and interested community members. Performances included vocal and instrumental ensembles and solos in addition to exhibitions of the visual artists.

____________________________________________________

2007 Fun Fair (Nov. 17)

As the dust begins to settle from the 2007 KAS Fun Fair, we take this opportunity to thank the countless members of our school community for their contribution to this extraordinary event.

Once again, the level of success has reached the lofty heights consistent with the expectations we held for this 4th annual event at the Kaohsiung American School.

KAS is a school community where everyone feels proud, connected, and committed. The entire KAS community willingly participated and assisted our PTA in this year's Fun Fair!
_______________________________________________

KAS Students to Serve in Model United Nations (MUN) Beijing Leadership Roles

Mr. Alvaro Grana, KAS MUN Advisor informs us that Lotus Chen, gr. 11 will be the new Assistant President of ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) and Arna Van Goch, gr. 12 will be Youth Assembly Committee Chair during BEIMUN XV next March.

Mr. Grana adds: "This is a great recognition for our school and an opportunity to participate at the highest level discussing topics such as the sustainable growth of developing countries, racial discrimination, HIV/AIDS, the eradication of poverty or the promotion of the use of renewable energy sources, among many other issues".

Congratulations Mr. Grana, Lotus Chen, and Arna Van Goch!
____________________________________________________

Halloween (Nov. 2)

Friday, Nov. 2nd was Halloween celebration day at KAS. The elementary students participated in a parade around the track, followed by various Halloween games. There were many smiling faces during this fun-filled event!
____________________________________________________

Volleyball Tournaments

Taipei (Oct. 27)

Six KAS volleyball teams traveled to Taipei last weekend with both the girls C and boys C teams finishing in first place. Congratulations to the teams and coaches Sheri DeNeef, Julia Lu and James Lee, our newest KAS champions!

The girls B team placed 2nd, while the girls A team, boys B team, and boys A team placed 4th, 4th and 5th respectively.

ACAMIS (Oct. 25-27) Shanghai

The first ever ACAMIS tournament for KAS was held in Shanghai as coaches Mike DeNeef and Dr. Keith Herold accompanied their volleyball teams.

The girls volleyball team missed the championship game by one point after beating every other team convincingly earlier in the tournament. The boys team won the boys sportmanship award.

Jenny Lin, Mark Umemura and Alex Nanos were named to the tournament all star team.
____________________________________________________

Spirit Week (Sept.10-14)

Elementary and Secondary students displayed their school spirit during the annual KAS Spirit Week. There were different themes each day that students and teachers took part in such as: Crazy Hair Day, Twin Day, Formal Day, and Color Day. The final day, "KAS Spirit Day" showed everyone wearing red, white and blue!
___________________________________________________

PTA "Welcome Back Dinner "

The annual PTA sponsored "Welcome Back Dinner" was held on Friday, September 7 with a large crowd of parents, staff, and students in attendance.

Organized by the school's Executive PTA members, the evening featured student performances by the elementary Cheerleading Club under the direction of Ms. Pearl Ortiga, and the high school "Cadenza Club" under the sponsorship of Ms. Gloria Kao.

New teachers to our school were special guests of honor as everyone enjoyed a fine Chinese buffett dinner followed by the KAS student performances. A great time was had by all as the various members of our school community gathered in an informal community-wide atmosphere!
___________________________________________________

"Meet the Teachers" Open House

Our school's annual "Meet the Teachers" Open House took place on Friday, August 31. There was a record turnout of parents who came to visit and learn firsthand, about their children's educational program for the year.

Following a brief welcome and some opening comments in the school foyer from the school's director, Dr. Nanos, parents were released to follow their child's schedule of classes according to an abbreviated schedule.

Just as important, the activity allowed for teachers and parents to get to know each other leading to cooperative relationships in the education of our children during the year ahead.
_________________________________________

Student Council BBQ

The Secondary Student Council would like to thank everyone for coming out to the "Welcome Back to School Barbeque" last Friday the 24th. It was great to see the whole school out together!

Ms. Thorne would like to thank the Student Council Executives for all of their hard work getting ready for the event and for doing the cooking!
___________________________________________________

First Day of School

After weeks of preparation, school opened on Tuesday, August 14th as students attended school assemblies and classes during the first day. The many smiling faces were greeted by teachers and staff as they arrived on campus.

Over 80 new students were in attendance as KAS enrollment has grown to over 330 students, the largest ever.

It was a great beginning to the school year!

___________________________________________________