Newsletter ON THIS NEWSLETTER - American School of Kosova

7
November
2012
th
the Student
Newsletter
ARDIAN ADDRESSES PARENTS
SMALL GROUPS ARE GREAT FOR LEARNING
NEW LUNCHROOM OPENS
9th STUDENT CONFERENCE
ON THIS NEWSLETTER
Parents, teachers meet at open house
What is the best improvement at ASK this year?
What are you looking forward to the most this year at ASK?
What is the best improvement at ASK this year?
What are you looking forward to the most this year at ASK?
What is the best improvement at ASK this year?
What are you looking forward to the most this year at ASK?
Parents, teachers meet at open house
New lunchroom opens
Top students kick off year's honors
Boga opens new world to freshmen
The ASK Story
Small groups are great for learning
The ASK Story
Mature play means planning
The ASK Story
Future scientists are their own creations
AMERICAN SCHOOL OF KOSOVA
Pallati i Rinisë, Luan Haradinaj Str, n.n.,
Prishtina, Republic of KOSOVA.
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School leaders discuss improvements
After two months, ASK is in the swing of things. But we wanted to find out from the men in
charge what to expect this year. So we asked Superintendent Mr. Ardian Hoxha, Principal Dr.
Charlie Launder and Vice Principal Mr. Emin Osmani what the biggest improvement is at ASK
this year and what they are most excited about in the coming months at school.
Mr. Ardian
What is the best improvement at ASK this year?
The biggest improvement in ASK is communication. We believe that with better communication,
results for everyone are much higher
because collaboration is much higher. We
have put to use a number of communication
tools. PowerSchool is the main tool
that we have put into use.
Students, parents and the school will be
able to communicate much better than
before, because we put all kinds of student
information in PowerSchool: grades,
homework, assignments, discipline, and
more. And parents are able to see all this
information from anywhere in the world
with an Internet connection.
With our new SMS System, we communicate
much faster with parents, whether individually or in groups. Information spreads very
efficiently with a click. We also use Facebook to communicate everything that is relevant to the
school and students.
We use MailChimp for sending letters and newsletters to larger groups of people — directly to
their email accounts. We know that people sometimes lose the letters they receive from school,
and they are not brought home. With MailChimp, nothing is lost.
This year, we will have more information for students, parents, the school, and the community.
Because information is more organized, students and parents can work together to
achieve higher success. With more cooperation, we are all successful: students, parents
and school. I say “parent success,” because they will have raised a successful student and
“school success” because we will have educated our students well.
What are you looking forward to the most this year at ASK?
To even higher levels of success for the students, as there are no limits to success.

Mr. Charlie
What is the best improvement at ASK this
year?
The best improvement is the tone of our
students. Student movement is much
more orderly now. Students and teachers
are polite and aware of other peoples time.
The other thing is that students are taking
their studies much more seriously. They’re
working harder, listening more carefully.
There is a sense that all students want to
be successful.
Students are better at recycling; the school
and the lunchroom are always clean now.
We are truly becoming a “green” school or a “green” community.
Our students are more excited and eager to participate in school and community events. One
example would be the number of students signed up in charity groups and agencies.
Lastly, the communication to our students and to their parents has improved through our website,
newsletters and message chain system. We have set up messages to be sent to parents’
phones. We’re also about to launch Power School.
What are you looking forward to the most this year at ASK?
As principal of ASK, student learning and success is the most important task I have. When we
have great teachers and hard-working students, we can all be very successful. We want our
graduates to be proud of their accomplishments, and successful in finding graduate degree
schools both in Kosova and abroad.
Mr. Emin
What is the best improvement at ASK this year?
By far, the smooth start of the school year. Students got their schedules on the first day of
school, the textbooks have arrived, and the new school cafeteria is already being used.
What are you looking forward to the most this year at ASK?
I’m looking forward to the variety of events and activities that will be organized by the school,
including the ASK Film Festival, the Social Issues Conference and the Knowledge Olympics.
Mr. Emin also said that he expects ASK seniors to get accepted into great universities, and win
even more scholarships than the seniors from last year.
Interviews conducted and written by Monika Rodiqi, Aulona Kukaj and Liza Kutllovci
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Parents, teachers meet at open house
In September, ASK continued its tradition
of holding an open house in the first weeks
of school. This event was a very good opportunity
for parents to meet the teachers
of their children, as well as all ASK staff.
But unlike last year, this Open House
happened inside the school, instead of
outdoors. In the amphitheater, Superintendent
Mr. Ardian Hoxha and Ms.
Shpresa Hana introduced the new tools
that will be used, including Power School.
With this, parents will have access,
and they will be trained how to use it.
After their presentation, parents
were invited to the hall to eat snacks and have drinks, accompanied by music.
At the same time, parents met teachers, especially the new ones. It was a
chance for parents to ask anything they were interested to know about their children.
From the reactions of teachers and parents, it was clear that this Open House continued a
tradition of success. By Arberesha Arifi
New lunchroom opens
Students have a bright, clean place
to eat and study during lunch in the
school’s new cafeteria. The dining hall
has 18 tables and seats for more than
120. It has an attached kitchen and
consists of one large, open, space.
That means the room can be used for
other purposes, like parent gatherings
or presentations to several classes,
said Principal Dr. Charles Launder.
For the first part of this year, students
ate in the former Duplex nightclub.
“It’s a much better situation,” Mr. Charlie
said. “We’re doing this to make things better for students.”
The new cafeteria means students will have to work to adapt to new habits and new
ways of having lunch, he noted. The new lunchroom is closer to most classrooms and
washrooms, but that also means it is closer to classes that are in session, he said.
He urged students to come up with ways to make lunchtime better.
“Everything works best when everyone tries to do their part,” he said.
Mr. Charlie thanked the maintenance and building crew that worked to complete the new room
quickly. Journalism teacher Ben Timberlake writes about the good news at the American School
of Kosova. Send story ideas and questions to bent@askosova.org.

Top students kick off year’s honors
Last year, ASK had two great semesters where motivation and rewards for students were never
missing, so here we go again this year! Competition grows, dreams continue, and traditions
are formed. Student of the Month is one of those traditions.
What does Student of the Month mean, and how are winners chosen?
Every month, one member of each class is named Student of the Month. Competition is tighter
than last year when two students won in each grade. The Student Recognition Committee
is made up of students and teachers with Miss Natalie Kainz as the head of the committee.
Teachers nominate the best student (who hasn’t been chosen yet) from each grade they teach.
All the nominations are tallied up, and the top-scoring nominee from each grade is chosen. To
be the next Student of the Month, students must make sure to work on their grades, behavior,
leadership, and cooperation. These are the key criteria to be named Student of the Month.
Meet September’s Students of the Month:
Freshman: Ilir Henci
Did you expect to be chosen as Student of the Month?
No, I didn’t because I never did anything special to achieve it.
How did you feel?
I felt really excited but I was also sleepy.
Was it your first time being chosen Student of the Month?
No, I was chosen Student of the Month once every year.
What message or advice would you give to others?
My advice would be to learn and study if you want a better future.
Sophomore: Nol Jashari
Did you expect to be chosen as Student of the Month?
No, I honestly didn’t expect it at all.
How did you feel?
I felt good of course, because my hard work was paying off.
Was it your first time being chosen Student of the Month?
Yes, it was my first time.
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What message or advice would you give to others?
Work hard, and be respectful.
Junior: Viona Zharku
Did you expect to be chosen as Student of the Month?
Well, to tell you the truth, yes, I did expect to be chosen Student of the Month because I believe
in myself and hard work. Though I have to admit that my friends are high-honored students as
well, so it was either me or, without a doubt, one of them.
How did you feel?
Of course happy and proud of myself.
Was it your first time being chosen Student of the Month?
No, because this is my third year at ASK, this is also the third year in which I have been chosen
Student of the Month.
What message or advice would you give to others?
Firstly, I would like to wish luck to everyone. I know ASK has many great students who should
be rewarded, so I would just say to them: Keep up the hard work; studying is never enough.
Senior: Brikena Daku
Did you expect to be chosen as Student of the Month?
No, I didn’t expect it, because there are so many good students at ASK.
How did you feel?
I felt really good. It was a great feeling, and I was very surprised.
Was it your first time being chosen Student of the Month?
No, it was my third time being chosen Student of the Month.
What message or advice would you give to others?
Work hard, because hard work is rewarded
By Driola Sfishta

Boga opens new world to freshmen
It was Friday and everyone seemed happy
because after a loaded week, finally it was
the weekend. Still, there were some students
more enthusiastic this Friday morning:
freshmen. It was the day for their trip
to Boga. Listening to their conversations
made this reporter curious, so I decided to
interview some of the students after they
came back to see what this trip was like.
They left on Friday at 8 in the morning and
came back on Sunday afternoon. Based
on their answers, I’m sure it was fun.
Ilir Zeqiri valued the time he got to spend
with classmates.
“It was my first time to Boga with my friends. We did a lot of team activities: a lot of activities and
games, and it was really fun,” Ilir said. “We also had to hike a lot. What I liked the most about
the trip was that I had time to hang out with my friends. It was a new and amazing experience.’’
Getting better acquainted with school procedures made an impression on Altina Mehmeti.
“In Boga we had a lot of fun,” she said. “Our teachers prepared a lot of activities for us, we
played a lot of games, and we also did a lot of learning about the handbook and school rules.’’
Benjamin Lohaj also appreciated how much fun the students had.
“In Boga we had amazing time. The activities were awesome. We played a lot of games. The
teachers were very good to us. It was really fun,” he said.
“Amazing” is how many freshmen described the trip. Boga showed much of what the new high
school students could expect, said Diona Fona.
“We did lots of different activities that entertained us and kept us busy. We played lots of fun
games and learned a lot about life in the future,” she said.
By Vlera Vërbovci
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The ASK Story
Small groups are great for learning
Students in Ms. Florie Bina’s eighth grade
ESL class meet each afternoon in the
school library to discuss books and to work
on language.
Krenare Shaqiri, 13, Zanina Fejza, 14, Dodona
Bajgora, 14, Engjulla Hasani, 12, and
Adea Fejza, 15, say that discussing books
has improved their reading. The small
group is an effective way to improve students’
English language, Bina says.
“You can concentrate on each student.
You spend more time with them,” she said.
At a recent meeting, students discuss the
novel “Liar” by Winifred Morris, which tells the story of a boy who lies and is a criminal, Zanina
explained.
He’s 14 and moved to his grandfather’s home and starts at a new school, Engjulla added.
He claims to be from Los Angeles and to know celebrities, but it’s not true, Krenare went on.
Though all five students are from Kosova, they have also lived variously in Belgium, Switzerland,
Bulgaria and Germany.
The ASK Story
Mature play means planning
When “Centers” time comes along in Miss Amanda Kellenbarger’s junior Kindergarten class,
the 4-year-old students make a plan and follow it, Miss Amanda explained.
In one recent unit, they had to draw a picture in their playplan book of the type of community
helper they wanted to be, then act out the role, be it a firefighter a policeman or a doctor.
“When you’re 4 years old, that’s actually pretty challenging,” Miss Amanda said.
This type of planned fun is called “mature play,” she said.
As a trio of firefighters pretended to spray a burning building with water, Kellenbarger reminded
others to be grateful.
“What do you tell someone who helped you?” She asked their classmates. “ ‘Thanks! You
saved the city!’ “
As the busy young students came to the end of Centers time, they followed Kellenbarger’s
example and put away their costumes and materials, while their teacher encouraged them with
a song.
“Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere,” she sang as students joined in.
“Clean up, clean up, everybody, do your share!”
In the photo, Miss Amanda helps Juri Mikulic, Slovenia, at right, with his firefighter badge while
Dardan Pilana, Kosovo, in front, and Leon Ruhani, Kosovo, also ask for help.

The ASK Story
Future scientists are their own creations
Junior Driola Sfishta, 16, poured water into a graduated cylinder as chemistry teacher Arieta
Camaj-Ibrahimi watched her technique in the first laboratory exercise of chemistry class.
The point was to teach students how to use lab equipment, how to record data and how to follow
safety techniques, Ms. Arieta explained.
Driola’s classmates, juniors Fjolla Qorri, Erdoenita Berisha, Luljeta Krasniqi, and Katja Basinkevich
took notes.
Before starting, Ms. Arieta reminded students where eyewash stations are located and demonstrated
how to use Bunsen burners, ensuring that gas could be shut off in three separate
locations.
Students also precisely measured NaCl — better known as table salt — using electronic balances.
The processes were easy to follow, Driola said. But going through the procedures made it
easier to understand how the lab stations work, she said
ASK alumnus Sabin Selimi has written an article on the EU’s policies in Kosovo for the online
journal TransConflict.
Kosovo’s independence and relations with Serbia are exposing weaknesses and problems in
the EU, he says in the article.
Selimi’s piece was published Oct. 5 in the journal, which examines challenges in ethnic relations
in the western Balkans. Selimi attended ASK for two years before continuing his studies
in the United States. He is now an economics and international studies major at American University
in Washington, D.C.
The European Union is not unified on Kosovo, Selimi asserts, so it has given up influence in
Kosovo to the United States. And Selimi does not expect the situation to change, he writes.
Even following the symbolic end of international supervision in September,
Selimi goes on to analyze Kosovo’s legal status since declaring independence in 2008, outlining
the roles of EULEX and the International Civilian Office.
The EU won’t allow Serbia to join until it at least normalizes relations with Kosovo, even if that
is short of recognizing its statehood, Selimi writes. But the EU and Kosovo have to walk a tight
line in getting to that point, he says.
“Asking too much from Belgrade too soon is disadvantageous for Kosovo due to Serbia’s blockade.
Asking too little from Belgrade, however, leads to a piling up of problems between Serbia
and Kosovo,” he wrote.
That makes the EU even less influential in Kosovo and the region, Selimi says.
To read the full article, visit http://bit.ly/ASKtransconflict.
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PowerSchool status:
teachers, parents, students connected
More than 30 parents
of high school
students learned
how to use a powerful
new communications
tool at ASK at
the end of October,
and administrators
are urging all others
to get on Power-
School.
Teachers taught the
ways of the grading,
progress and
assignment system
that makes it easier
for parents be involved
in studies.
About 16 parents
came to training
sessions in the middle
school.
Yet organizers had hoped that more parents of the school’s 400 students would come to the
training. Those who did come received their logins and passwords that give access to
PowerSchool.
“Although the turnout was disappointing, we still believe the parents want to be able to access
this kind of information,” said principal Dr. Charlie Launder.
Now, parents can come to the school to collect their passwords as well as an instruction booklet.
They can also get the information at parent-teacher conferences, scheduled for Nov. 15
and 16.
PowerSchool is especially helpful for parents in an institution like ASK because so many travel
and work outside the area, Mr. Charlie acknowledged. And those who are rarely in Prishtina
can make special arrangements by phone, he said.
“Most of our parents are close enough that they can come in,” he said.
Administrators are reluctant to send this sensitive information home with students, he noted.
Once the PowerSchool connection is made, however, the bond between school and home will
be much stronger, Mr. Charlie said.
The school has been ramping up the project for three years, a timeline demanded because
of difficulties connecting with U.S.-based servers. But the investment was worth it, Mr. Charlie
says. And all staff members have been trained in the system and are now using it, he noted.

For Every
Science Lover!
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9thKOSOVAR
AND REGIONAL
STUDENT
CONFERENCE
QUESTIONS?: conference@askosova.org
Submit final reports by November 9, 2012
at the conference@askosova.org
ABOUT SOCIAL
ISSUES
High school students should:
conduct a study about a social issue in their community
and submit a final report High school students from
Kosova, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro,
Macedonia will participate.
December 7 - 8, 2012
10AM - ASK Amphitheater, Prishtina