VolXIVNo2511Mar11 - QSI International School Skopje Macedonia

Q u a l i t y S c h o o l s I n t e r n a t i o n a l - S k o p j e , M a c e d o n i a
Weekly Newsletter
Email: Skopje@qsi.org
Pone: 389-2-306-7678
Website: http://www.qsi.org
Ilindenska BB
Reon 39A
1000 Skopje, Macedonia
Volume XIV, No. 25
11 March 2011
International Women's Day Celebrated
On March 8th, in celebration of International Women's Day,
all the female staff were treated to lunch at the restaurant next
to the school. They were served various salads, meats, cheeses,
bread, cake, and other traditional Macedonian fare. It was
greatly enjoyed by all as you can see from the pictures. This
special day began one hundred years ago in Europe. Many
thanks go to all the men at the school for stepping forward and
helping to take care all of the children while the women were at
the restaurant.
What's Making News
Friday, March 25 will be really a spirit day. Bring your stuffed
animal but also do not forget your costume of your favorite book
character!
Important Dates
12-20 March - Spring
Break
23-26 March - QSI
Brindisi Students
Visit
25 March - Commuity
Time; Stuffed
Animal Spirit Day
(Bring food for
Animal Shelter)
29 March - Advisory
Board Meeting
(6:30 PM)
1 April - End of Term
2
4-8 April - A week to
celebrate our
Macedonia!!!
8 April - Community
Time
12 April - PTO
Meeting
13-16 April - Quiz
Bowl at QSI
Sarajevo
18-21 April -
Conceptually
Speaking Tony Papa
to re-do our school
video
21 April - International
Food Festival
22-25 April - Easter
Break
27 April - End of 4th
Quintile

Reading Buddies A Hit At QSI
Upper School students enjoy story time with the little ones. Every morning they visit Preschool to Level 7 and read
to their younger friends. The stories are followed with discussions and activities.
As very well known we have great readers in
school. No doubt that the fish are moving so fast to
the bottom of the ocean where the chest with golden
coins is hidden.

Classroom Doors Decorated As Part of Reading Month At QSI
Preschool Level 5 Level 6
Level 7 Level 8 Level 9
Level 10/11 Level 12/13

You Are What You Read
Here are more results from Ms. Stojana's Litarcy Month
question to teachers: Which 5 books have shaped your
life?
Miss Natalija
▪ Eat Pray Love Elizabeth Gilbert
▪ Father Goriot Onore De Balzac
▪ The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
▪ Ana Karenina Leo Tolstoy
▪ Da Vinci Code Dan Brown
James Pilton
▪ The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
▪ A Separate Reality Carlos Castaneda
▪ A cookbook
▪ Textbooks and/or school related books
Miss Natasha (Music Teacher)
▪ Ana Karenina Leo Tolstoy
▪ Kales Anga Stole Popov
▪ The Four Agreements Don Miguel Ruiz
▪ This is your Brain on Music Daniel J. Levitin
▪ Musicophilia Oliver Sacks
▪
Miss Teeter
▪ Bible
▪ Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles
▪ Diagnostic Reading
▪ The Contest of Cowlick
▪ Man of Vision, Woman of Prayer Marilee Pierce
Dunker
Mr. Lerch
▪ War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
▪ Islandia Austin Tappan Wright
▪ Brothers Karamazov Fyodor Dostoevsky
▪ Siddartha Herman Hesse
▪ Bible
Miss Kristina
▪ Idiot Fyodor Dostoevsky
▪ Slaughterhouse 5 Kurt Vonnegut
▪ Spiritual in Art Wassily Kandinsky
▪ Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
▪ Poetry – Denicia Petre M. Andreevski
Mr. Vlatko
▪ Bible
▪ Also sprach Zarathustra Friedrich Nietzshe
▪ Pirej P.M. Andreevski
▪ Douglas Adams Complete Biography
▪ The Alchemist Paolo Coelho
Miss Natasha PE:
▪ Gone With The Win by Margaret Michel
▪ The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
▪ Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
▪ The Greatest Salesman In The World by Og
Mandino
▪ The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by
Joseph Murphy
Mr. Vadah:
▪ The Chronicles of Narnia by C.W.Lewis
▪ The City of God by St. Augustine
▪ Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
▪ Miramar by Nagib Manfuz
▪ The Life of Mahatma Ganhi by Louis Fischer
▪ The Book of Job
Miss Iva
▪ Short Stories Anton Chekhov
▪ Frankenstein Mary Shelley
▪ Cyrano De Bergerac Edmond Rostand
▪ The Unbearable Lightness of Being Milan Kundera
▪ Father Sergey Leo Tolstoy
Miss Daniela (Art Teacher)
▪ Eat, Love and Pray Elizabeth Gilbert
▪ The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown
▪ Confessions of a Shopaholic Sophie Kinsella
▪ Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
▪ Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
Mr. Tower
▪ Trinity Leon Uris
▪ Thomas Jefferson R.B. Bernstein
▪ The Godfather Mario Puzo
▪ The Giving Tree Shel Silverstein
▪ The Giver Lois Lowry
▪ Deathwatch Robb White
Miss Stojana:
▪ The Count of Monte Cristo Alexander Dumas
▪ The Four Agreements Miguel Ruiz
▪ The Giving Tree Shel Silverstein
▪ Pope Joan Donna W. Cross
▪ The Secret Rhonda Burne

Level 12/13 Class Learning to Write Document-Based Question Essays
In the Level 12/13 Cultural Studies class, we have been studying Ancient China after first studying the
civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt and India. In this Chinese unit, we focused extensively on the
Chinese philosophies that developed during this critical time in Chinese history, including the
philosophies of Confucianism, Legalism and Daoism. One interesting development that occurred in
China was the importation of Buddhism from India. The Chinese reaction to this was mixed.
As part of our summative assessment for this unit, I asked students to write a document-based question:
Explain how Ashurbanipal (an Assyrian ruler known generally for being cruel) would be evaluated under each of the
Chinese belief systems. Writing these essays requires students to learn many new skills, such as evaluating
primary sources, incorporating these documents into their arguments, developing a thesis, and
structuring supporting paragraphs in an effective way. It also requires them to remember what they
learned in a previous unit. Students were given approximately 90 minutes to write this essay.
Aubree's essay is reprinted below. She did an excellent job of incorporating all six documents, while at
the same time developing an effective thesis and solid supporting paragraphs. It is a pleasure to teach
this class as they learn both new content and new skills.
China DBQ by Aubree
Although Ashurbanipal came across as a great leader to some, under the Chinese philosophies, I believe
only Legalism would fully agree, while Buddhism and Confucianism would definitely not agree, and
Daoism would agree to some extent.
Legalism would believe that the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal was a wonderful fella. Legalists like a
strong, punishing hand (Doc. 3) with their rulers, and that's what Ashurbanipal did. I feel that I can
trust Doc 3 because it was from the Tang Legal Code. I also trust Doc 3 because using my knowledge
of Legalism, Legalist leaders were expected to be harsh, cruel, and rude. Ashurbanipal was very cruel to
his subjects and enjoyed torturing them if they did wrong. As you can see, Ashurbanipal would've been
top notch according to Legalism.
Buddhism and Confucianism would be against what Legalism thought of Ashurbanipal. Confucianism
and Buddhism would agree that a ruler should rule with a kind hand (Doc 1), reach out with kindness
and joy (Doc 4) and protect his people with kindness (Doc 6). I trust Doc 1 because it is the words of
Confucius himself, and I believe I can rely on him. I believe Docs 1 and 4 are more trustworthy than
Doc 6 because Docs 1 and 4 are from the mouths of Buddha and Confucius, and not just some random
emperor I don't know that much about. I think that you'll be able to agree with me though, that
Ashurbanipal would be considered a very poor leader in the eyes of Confucianism and Buddhism.
From Daoism's point of view, Ashurbanipal was an OK ruler, but not the best in all of history. Daoism
believes that rulers should be loved, feared, and despised (Doc 2), which Ashurbanipal was. Some
looked up to him, while others feared and despised him. I trust Doc 2 because Laozi wrote it, and he is
the founder of Daoism. It would be nice if I had another document written by Ashurbanipal about
why he punished people and whether he enjoyed it and what punishment they received, sort of like a
record or log book. Maybe even a journal kept by Ashurbanipal telling what it was like punishing people
and such, like Doc 5, but personal and written by Ashurbanipal. Although Daoism mostly agrees with
Ashurbanipal, it only agrees to some extent. Daoism doesn't believe in leaders that abuse their power
and issue lots of orders. The point is, Daoism mostly agrees with the way Ashurbanipal ruled his
subjects, but only to some extent.
As you can tell, although Ashurbanipal came across as a great leader to some, under the Chinese
philosophies, I believe only Legalism would fully agree, while Buddhism and Confucianism would
definitely not agree, and Daoism would agree to some extent.

Level 7 Involved in Creative Weather Predictions
The Month of Reading has started, and Level 7 is taking it as seriously as children can who also erupt into giggles during fun “read alouds”!
Check out our door if you don’t believe it. Our door features Halibut Jackson, a character who is not soon forgotten and some of the suits
we think he might custom make for us. Fun and best work combined, we think you’ll like it. Our first reader from the Upper School, Kris,
read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett. Our good-natured Level 7 group understood the humor of the text
and delighted in the story. At the end of the book, imaginations were running wild and students had a chance to write and share their
weather forecasts based on the book. Watch out!
▪ “Today it is going to storm apples, bananas, and chocolate chip cookies. On Monday it will be cloudy with a chance of chocolate.”
Caroline
▪ “Today was a sunny day and sun was made by stinky cheese. Pieces of cheese fell from the sun.” Emma
▪ “Today there will be a banana flood with apples that have polka dots on them.” Kristel
▪ “Today there was a storm of chocolate cream on bread and it fell on my head.” Tasa
▪ “Today it will rain with red ice cream.” Anastasia
▪ “Today the weather will be cloudy with a chance of flying saucers.” Jason
▪ “The weather in Skopje will be rainy with a chance of rainbow ice cream.” Rron
▪ “Today it will be sunny with a cooked egg.” Kristina
▪ “It will rain paint and paintbrushes. It will snow paper and tables.” Kayla
▪ “On Monday it will be foggy with mustard and tomato sauce. Tomorrow we will have sun and a hamburger with apples.” Marilie
▪ “I went outside I saw a book on the floor. I opened the book it said that today it will rain chocolate and meatballs, but of course it
was only a story. I wish that would have happened for real.” Elisabeth
▪ “Today it will rain big, red apple slices.” Jay-Ani
▪ “Today there will be an ice cream hurricane with a chance of chocolate fog.” Elise
We hope that the weather you encounter during your spring break is a bit more predictable! Just in case, you might want to have your
umbrella, plate, and utensils ready!

Fencing Offered at QSI
On Fridays the upper school students have the privilege of having professional fencers
come to our school to teach students how to fence during PE class. Many different skills
are involved in fencing, and the instructors are teaching students many of these
important skills.
For example, students are taught how to lunge, which is the basic way to attack an
opponent. Surprisingly, walking is one of the most important parts in fencing because
one has to be agile on the feet or else get hit and lose the match. So walking is taught as
well.
The swords have a blunt point at the end, plus we have to wear masks when we fence, so
we couldn’t hurt each other even if we wanted to. The fencing coach partnered us up and
had us fence with each other. Some of us had the chance to fence the instructor. Fencing
is a lot of fun and a very exciting sport.

PTO News Corner - News and Information
• We will soon be on the QSI Skopje Moodle site! Information and
direction on how to log on to Moodle will be sent to all parents. You will
be able to view the PTO page to find the latest and greatest news about the
PTO. Find meeting agendas, minutes and more! There are also discussion
threads to participate in, suggestion forums for PTO activities, and a
calendar with all PTO activities. We encourage all parents to browse our
site. Look for an informational email coming soon.
• Positions open for the PTO Executive Committee! We are looking for a
volunteer to fill the Secretary position on the Executive Committee. If you
are interested, please contact Jaya Lessard at 070-364-331. We currently
have individuals nominated for two positions: Chris Volciak for Vice
President and Sharon Yett for Treasurer. Elections will be held at the next
PTO general meeting on April 12 th .
• Pancake Breakfast and Yard Sale: We are still seeking volunteers to help
organize this event! If there are no volunteers who have stepped forward
by March 25 th , please be informed that the event WILL BE
CANCELLED. So make sure to tell your friends and neighbors to come
help out!
• Dance Party: Save the date! The QSI school will be having its First
Annual Dance Party on the evening of June 10 th . Come one and all for a
rockin’ good time! Details to follow.
• PTO Coffee morning: There will be a PTO coffee morning after
Community time on March 25 th . Come enjoy a cup o’ joe and learn about

1. GOALS Goals are based upon minutes read and
include at-home and in-school reading.
• YELLOW FISH = 400 minutes
• RED FISH = 800 minutes
• GREEN FISH = 1600 minutes
• PURPLE FISH = 2500 minutes
• BLUE FISH = 3500 minutes
• OCTOPUS = 6000 minutes
•
2. REWARDS Every time a class reaches a new level,
the fish will change color. When you
get a gold coin, you can dive into the
treasure chest for a prize! Everyone
will receive an award for reading.
3. REQUIRED To “Dive into Reading” you must…
• return your reading log to
library class signed by a grownup
every Thursday
• READ! READ! READ!
*The last day to turn in reading logs is every Thursday!!!
!
=7000 minutes
!

QSI Skopje Presents:
Aladdin
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice
Book Adapted and Additional Lyrics by Jim Luigs
Music Adapted and Arranged by Bryan Louiselle
Based on the Screenplay by Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio
Performance Date
Thursday, June 9 th , 2011
at the Dramski Theatre
Synopsis
“Welcome to Agrabah, City of Enchantment, where every beggar has a story and every
camel has a tail!” Imagine if you had three wishes, three hopes, three dreams and
they could all come true. This stage adaptation of the popular Disney hit is filled with
magic and adventure. All of your favorite characters are here, including Aladdin,
Jasmine, and of course, the Genie. This is a spectacular story filled with magic,
mayhem, and flying carpet rides!
Pre-School – Secondary classes will be performing together in this ensemble
presentation. Scripts, music, and rehearsal CDs will be sent home shortly as we
begin rehearsals for the performance. Stay tuned for additional information regarding
the production!