inside - International School of the Peninsula

Cohn Campus
151 Laura Lane
Palo Alto, CA 94303-3221
650 251 8500 www.istp.org
The International School of the Peninsula educates children through a
rigorous, bilingual curriculum that promotes critical thinking, international
awareness and responsible global citizenship.
L’école internationale de la Péninsule offre
une éducation bilingue rigoureuse qui permet
à ses élèves de forger leur esprit critique tout
en développant la conscience internationale
nécessaire à l’épanouissement et à la réussite
dans le monde global d’aujourd’hui.
inside
A newsletter for families, faculty and
friends of the International School of
the Peninsula.
Celebrating Chinese New Year
SPRING 2010

Contents
aRTIcLeS
Harmonization Project ................6
Helping Haiti (Cowper) ..............11
ISTP Aims for “No Waste” ........12
Interview with “Yellow Face”
Stage Actor, Pun Bandhu .........13
Alumna Pleads for Haiti ...........22
ISTPnet Tips ...........................24
eveNTS
Chinese New Year ......................2
Board of Trustees Reunion ..........4
Cowper’s Celebrates ISTP’s
“30th Birthday Party” ..............11
Music Week ............................10
Upcoming Events ....................19
30th Anniversary
Gala & Auction ........................25
NewS
Letter from the Head of School ....1
ISTP Indoor Soccer Teams Shine
at Bay Area Tournament ..............7
ISTP Community Pride ................9
PTA Corner ..............................14
Annual Fund Thank You ............16
Advancement News ..................18
Au Revoir, Chantal! ...................20
Alumni News ...........................22
I just returned from China where twenty-
eight of our Elementary and Middle
School students are spending one week
in a Chinese school living the daily life of
Chinese students, and enhancing not only
their language abilities, but also deepening
their knowledge and understanding of
Chinese culture. During this trip, I was
once again reminded of the beauty of the
difference of values, traditions, and way of
life. Our students will return from their trip
with a deeper appreciation of the gift of the
bilingual education that their parents have
given them, and will be better equipped
to travel the complex roads of the 21st
century.
I am tremendously proud, not only of our
school’s history, but also of the way that
we have paved the way for our current
and alumni students. We have prepared
them to ask hard questions, take us
on unexpected routes, and show the
connections between them. This is the
kind of thinking students need to be able
to do in the 21st century.
As we strive for educational excellence,
we must teach our students in ways that
will help them to develop and use their
brains to maximum effect. Our students
need to think, not just critically, but also
creatively; moreover, we must provide a
BoaRd of TRuSTeeS
Chair Peter Lee
Vice-Chair Janet Hart
Vice-Chair Paru Yusuf
Treasurer Jim Bean
Secretary Wendy Wright
Trustees Cappie Alverson-Fay
Eric Buatois
Patrick Consorti
Bill Friedman
Sabrina Hodgett
Crystal Lin
Maggie Parkinson
Lynette Philippe
Sriram Ramachandran
Chrystell Santa Cruz
Honorary Trustees Pierre-François Mourier
Charlotte de Géry
Ex-Officio Trustee Philippe Dietz
PTA President Mimi Park
reinforcing environment in which they can
risk thinking differently. It is evident that
the more we can stimulate our brains, the
greater the likelihood that we will amplify
our ability to think, to function, and to
enjoy life.
Our special school continues to celebrate
its 30th anniversary this year, and we have
planned numerous activities to recognize
this milestone. In this newsletter, you will
read that we invited our former and current
trustees to a special reunion. It was a
tremendous honor to welcome all of them
and to have had the opportunity to show
them how their hard work and leadership
has brought us to where we are today.
We also celebrated with a wonderful 30th
Anniversary Annual Gala & Auction. During
this incredible fundraiser, the community
banded together to assist the school with
its technological transition to the 21st
century with gifts to our “Fund-a-Need
for Network Infrastructure”. You will also
read about what and how we teach our
students, and about the various activities
that we have implemented to stimulate
their creativity, bilingualism, learning skills,
and brain.
Equally as important, I hope you will join
me in wishing chantal declève, a longtime
admINISTRaToRS
Head of School Philippe Dietz
Assistant Head of School
& Lower Elementary Principal Kate Lussen
Chinese Program Director
& Upper Elementary Principal Terry Qian
Director of Advancement
Director of
Patricia Colin
Finance & Operations
Director of Admissions
François Guèdenet
& Financial Aid
Director of
Maile Uohara
After-School Programs Béatrice Bergemont
Director of Technology Mathieu Farrugia
Middle School Principal Barbara Greiner
Early Years Principal Patricia Majorel
Letter from the
Head of School
teacher, colleague, and friend, farewell, as
she embarks upon a new journey in her
life.
As we near the end of the school year,
these last few weeks will be filled with
numerous events and activities for our
current parents and students.
For our alumni families, I hope you will
take advantage of the two reunions we
have coming up in the summer. I look
forward to seeing you there.
Philippe dietz
Head of School
INTeRNaTIoNaL ScHooL
of THe PeNINSuLa
Cowper Campus Cohn Campus
3233 Cowper Street 151 Laura Lane
Palo Alto, CA 94306-3005 Palo Alto, CA 94303-3221
650 852 0264 650 251 8500
www.istp.org
edIToR
Communications Manager Jovi Craig
SPRING 2010
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inside ISTP SPRING 2010 YEAR OF THE TIGER
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Chinese New Year
ISTP ceLeBRaTeS THe YeaR of THe TIGeR
ISTP takes great pride in celebrating one of the largest
Chinese cultural events of the year: Chinese New
Year. 2010 (otherwise known as Chinese Lunar New
Year 4708) is the Year of the Tiger. Although Chinese
New Year was on Sunday, February 14, 2010, ISTP
celebrated throughout the month of February with
classroom activities, a performance, and participation
in the Southwest Airlines San Francisco Chinese New
Year Parade.
ISTP’s Chinese New Year “kickoff” started with the
annual Chinese New Year Performance on Sunday,
February 7, 2010. Lively and fun, the performance
was organized with the help of Co-Chairs andrea
chan and mimi Park, the Chinese Program teachers,
and of course, the stars of the performance: the
students. The room was beautifully decorated with the
creative vision of parent Rebecca Geraldi, the CNY
Performance Decoration Chair.
The Performance opened with the ceremonial entrance
of the Dragon, Gongfu, dancers and drummers.
Highlights of class performances include a Taiwanese
ethnic dance from Yi-Kuang Ho’s 2nd grade class, a
poetry recitation from Stephanie Puk’s 3rd grade class,
a fan dance from chu Hsi Tseng’s Kindergarten class,
and a martial arts demonstration from an after school
kung-fu class.
After the Performance, parents, teachers,
administrators, and students gathered at Chef Chu’s
Restaurant in Los Altos to share a post-performance
lunch.
The next few weeks after the Performance were spent
concentrating on our participation in the Southwest
Airlines Chinese New Year Parade. This particular
year was special for the school, as it marked our 10th
appearance in the parade. In previous years, we have
been honored and delighted to receive several awards
in the amateur self-built float category: 2nd place
in 2001; 2nd place in 2002; 2nd place in 2003; 1st
place in 2004; 2nd place in 2005; 1st place in 2006;
1st place in 2007; 1st place in 2008; and 1st place in
2009. This year, ISTP placed 2nd in our category.
The numerous volunteers and participants in the
Chinese New Year Parade contingent work diligently
for weeks, constructing the float and preparing for their
march through downtown San Francisco.
The Parade Committee, led by Co-Chairs Kathy chi,
felix Lin, Gary meeker, and Gladys Lim, gathered a
hardworking group of volunteers to work on the float
each weekend (and some late weeknights!). During
the construction phase, the float’s temporary home
was at Kathy and Felix’s residence in Los Altos.
The Parade team also took on another special
challenge for the year: the building of new Chinese
drums. The effort was a fun, community-building
experience. The golden drums on their bright red
platforms literally gleamed during the Parade.
In terms of weather, the evening of the Parade could
not have been more perfect. In previous years, severe
weather and winds challenged Parade participants, but
this year, the air was cool and the skies were clear.
This was Chinese Program Director, Terry Qian’s first
year at ISTP, and he was amazed by the quality and
passion behind the celebrations.
Terry said that the events were “the first time I was
able to experience Chinese New Year with such grand
festivity, outside of China. It once again reaffirms my
great affection for ISTP, a place that actually embraces
cultures not only by speech, but also by action.”
SPRING 2010 YEAR OF THE TIGER
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inside ISTP SPRING 2010 BOARD OF TRUSTEES REUNION
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Board of Trustees Reunion
TRuSTeeS fRom THe PaST THIRTY YeaRS ReuNITe foR
THe fIRST TIme
International School of the Peninsula’s Board of Trustees (former and present) at Straits Cafe.
For the first time in the school’s history, trustees from
the past 30 years were invited to a special reunion.
In honor of the school’s 30th anniversary, the Board
of Trustees Reunion brought together multiple
generations of school leadership from the early days
in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, all the way to the
present.
The Trustees met at Cohn Campus, where they were
welcomed by Head of School Philippe dietz and
Director of Advancement Patricia colin. First, Philippe
took the trustees on a tour of the campus, detailing
out the school’s progress over the years, and the
vision for the future. Afterwards, the trustees gathered
in a classroom to hear a lovely speech from founder,
charlotte de Géry.
Charlotte talked about what drove her to start the
school, and the numerous influential people who
helped her make it a reality.
Charlotte praised the trustees for their support and
passion for the school by saying, “without you, my
dear friends, the school would not be what it is
today: a strong institution providing its students with
a rigorous bilingual curriculum that promotes critical
thinking, international awareness and responsible
global citizenship... a school where the students
learn not only academic matters, but also to respect
every person and to show compassion – the school of
my dreams of long ago, an institution that has even
surpassed my vision.”
Later, the Trustees were given a presentation by
Philippe Dietz, showing them the journey that PFAS/
ISTP has taken since its inception, all the way to the
successes of today. The presentation demonstrated that
without the input and leadership of each Board Member,
the school would not be where it is today.
The event culminated with a group dinner at Straits Cafe
in Palo Alto. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves,
and had this to say about the reunion and how ISTP has
impacted the lives of their children:
“Both of our daughters have really benefited from their
time at ISTP – Chloé is at Sciences Po getting a Masters
and Sophie is continuing on in French at Stanford. And
Jack, even though he left the school early, has been
getting A’s in French in high school.” - david mark,
Trustee (2000-2003)
“It was thoughtful of [the school] to include all the former
trustees in an event – everyone in that group cared
a lot about ISTP and it’s gratifying to see how much
better the school gets every year. ISTP is a wonderful
gift to the community and, thanks to Charlotte’s vision
and the hard work of a lot of trustees, parents and the
school staff, this is one of the pre-eminent educational
institutions in the area. Many thanks!” - Bob cohn,
Trustee (2005-2009)
“It was a lovely evening, informative as well as fun, and
a special treat for me to see what wonders you all have
achieved since I left the Board in 1998. You have
much to be proud of! And it is great to know that you
aren’t content to rest on your laurels, but continue to
seek ways to make a splendid ‘product’ even better.
Congratulations!” - Nancy forster, Trustee
(1995-1999)
“The trustee reunion brought back wonderful memories
of helping to build the new site and work our way
through some tough times. Thanks for bringing together
the ‘old gang’ to enjoy a fabulous meal and reminisce
about the great decisions we made.”
- martin carnoy, Trustee (1999-2005)
“I was impressed to see the progress made by the
school’s management in a decade: it is now a proven,
outstanding and repeatable education process, widely
recognized for the superior track record of its alumni. It
is wonderful, as a former trustee, to see dreams become
reality.” - dominique Trempont, Trustee (1994-1997)
“I was tremendously gratified to see the progress
that ISTP has made over the years. The school has
outstanding facilities, dedicated and capable teachers
and staff, and a clear vision of and commitment to its
mission. Congratulations!” - daniel Seubert, Trustee
(1996-1998)
“I really enjoyed the evening. It was heartwarming
and inspiring to meet Charlotte and other founding
members and hear their stories of the school’s
beginning, how the first few put everything they had
ISTP’s Trustees listen to Philippe Dietz present about the school’s history. They also took part in a
special trivia game on the SMARTBoard.
to make their dreams a reality, even cooking for the
children and sharing clean-up duties. It makes me proud
to take part in helping the school thrive today and in the
future.” - crystal Lin, Trustee (2005-Present)
“The reunion Sunday night was a moment of pride and
joy. One can see that the flame is alive and brighter, well
beyond expectations.” - fernande Inan, Trustee
(1979-1983)
SPRING 2010 BOARD OF TRUSTEES REUNION
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inside ISTP SPRING 2010 HARMONIZATION PROGRAM
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Harmonization Program
wHaT IS IT? wHY IS IT ImPoRTaNT?
“educators working collaboratively for effective teaching,
planning and revising for common objectives in order to deliver a
seamless bilingual program for students, teachers, and parents.”
by donna wood, N-2nd Grade english
curriculum coordinator & 1st Grade english
Teacher
If you are a parent of an ISTP 1st grader
in the French section, you may have
heard your child come home talking about
“harmonization time” and asked yourself
“what subject is this?”
The short answer is, it is a pilot lesson
at ISTP where the English and French
teachers co-teach common curriculum
objectives using both the languages within
the same lesson.
Harmonization time at ISTP is the result
of two French & English teaching teams
attending a ground breaking workshop in
January 2009 with seven other French-
American schools in the US. Most
recently, in January 2010, ISTP 1st grade
teachers Corinne Buttle, Hayat Saba, and
I continued this work when we attended
a follow up Harmonization Workshop with
colleagues from other French-American
schools. While this workshop was
specifically for French-American schools,
what was discussed can be applied to the
Chinese/English teams within ISTP.
The working definition of “Harmonization”,
according to those attending the
workshops, became “educators working
collaboratively for effective teaching,
planning and revising for common
objectives in order to deliver a seamless
bilingual program for students, teachers
and parents.”
As a school, ISTP is committed to building
stronger bilingual programs for our
students, while maximizing the time each
teacher works with the children. As a result
of the workshop, the 1st grade French/
English teachers examined our curriculum
objectives and determined areas of content
overlap between the two languages. Once
areas of overlap were identified, we began
to develop ways in which some of these
common objectives could be taught at
once, the end resulting in “harmonization
time” in 1st grade. This becomes a time
for building bridges between the skills and
concepts being taught in both languages.
Now for one 30-minute lesson, on
Wednesday mornings, you can come
into a 1st grade French classroom and
experience “harmonization time”, both
teachers teaching the children at the
same time using both languages. The
themes taught during the year include:
“School & Classroom Expectations”,
“Environmental Awareness”, “Tom Thumb”,
“The Three Little Pigs”, “Verbs in Action”,
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”,
“Non- Fiction Research” and “Keremesse”. As each theme is
taught, both the English and French teacher will meet overlapping
curriculum objectives including; school and classroom rules,
respect for our environment, knowledge of verbs and adjectives,
comparing stories, identifying similarities and differences between
books, character development, research using non-fiction texts,
history and changes over time, and vocabulary development, just
to name a few.
The benefits for the children and teaching teams have been
amazing. The children are excited and comfortable switching
between languages, they are able to confidently demonstrate their
knowledge in the language of choice, they are processing in both
languages at the same time, they see both their teachers working
together as a team for a common objective and they create links
between what is taught in one language and its application to the
other language. As teachers, we meet academic objectives at the
same time as our colleague, reducing the overlap of content. We
also gain both a greater respect for our colleagues teaching in
action, as well as empathy for them. We show the children that we
are also students by learning new words in our partner’s language.
We see how the children behave for different teachers, we create
common behavioral expectations, we can see the academic skills
of each children on their first language and lastly, gain time for
when we teach other objectives.
While this pilot program is happening weekly in the 1st grade
French program, it has been promoted to all the elementary
teachers and as a result “harmonization time” has begun to
happen in other grades. Above is the approach the 1st grade
teachers in the French section have taken with harmonization, yet
it can and does look different in different grade levels/classrooms.
However, the goal remains the same, building bridges between the
languages and concepts to maximize the learning of the students.
Ask your child if they have had any joint lessons with both their
teachers together. Do their teachers read the same book in both
languages, does their teacher discuss with them what the other
teacher has taught about or do they have information posters in
the classroom in both languages? These are all examples of how
harmonization is taking place within ISTP.
As stated earlier, one of the goals at ISTP is to build stronger
bilingual programs for our students, while maximizing the time
each teacher works with the children. It’s becoming more evident
that Harmonization will be one of the ways ISTP goes about
achieving this goal in the future for all elementary classes.
ISTP TeamS SHINe aT BaY aRea
INTeRNaTIoNaL ScHooLS SocceR
TouRNameNT
On Saturday, March 13, 2010, the French American
International School in San Francisco hosted the
annual Junior Indoor Soccer Tournament for Bay
area International Schools. Participation included the
International School of the Peninsula, Lycée Français La
Pérouse, French American International School, German
American International School, and École Bilingue
Berkeley.
Students in grades 3 to 5 played in the tournament,
combining to create approximately 14 teams in the 4th
grade boys category, 14 teams in the 4th/5th grade girls
category, and 6 teams in the 5th grade boys category.
Competition was fierce, and ISTP students rallied during
the all-day round robin tournament (where each team
plays each other once), going on to place 1st or 2nd in
their respective categories.
ISTP’s 4th grade boys won 1st place, the 4th/5th grade
girls’ combo team won 2nd place, and the 5th grade boys
won 2nd place. Congratulations to all the participants in
the tournament for their intense competition and excellent
sportsmanship!
A big thanks to the team coaches/organizers, parent Linda
Hinton, and faculty members Jean-Baptiste charlot,
Benjamin Gayraud, and olivier monteil.
SPRING 2010 HARMONIZATION PROGRAM
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inside ISTP SPRING 2010 CELEBRATING 30 YEARS
8
Happy Birthday, ISTP!
cowPeR ceLeBRaTeS
ISTP’S 30 TH BIRTHdaY
on Thursday, march 11, 2010, early Years Program students celebrated ISTP’s “30th Birthday” on cowper campus. each
student received a personal birthday party invitation, and on the day of the celebration, were treated to cupcakes, dancing,
party favors, and more. The students sang “Happy Birhtday” to ISTP in three languages (english, chinese, and french). The
afternoon was filled with dancing, singing, playing, and celebration. afterwards, the students returned to class with many
wonderful memories of ISTP’s “30th Birthday.” The celebration on cohn campus is on april 23, 2010.
ISTP Community Pride
wHaT we’ve BeeN uP To, aRouNd THe woRLd aNd aT Home
ISTP muSIc TeacHeR
JeaN-BaPTISTe cHaRLoT
vISITS ecoLe PuBLIQue de
THuRaGeau IN fRaNce
Jean-Baptiste charlot, french music teacher at ISTP, traveled
back to france to visit Ecole Publique de Thurageau, a small
village near Poitiers. The school, with about 40 students from
Pre-K to Grade 1 were treated to a sing-along with Jean-
Baptiste, who has written and recorded many French children’s
songs.
coNGRaTuLaTIoNS, aSHLeY!
Third grade Chinese program student ashley vielma continues
to climb to the top with her excellent performance at the
Thanksgiving Fremont Junior Tennis Challenger Tournament on
November 26, 2009.
Ashley won the tournament in the “10 years old” category,
moving up to 40th place in her category for the entire Bay
Area!
Congratulations to Ashley, and we can’t wait to see her smash
the competition in future tournaments!
Jean-Baptiste remarked, “some of the students knew the lyrics
to the songs better than me! It was such a great experience
to visit a school as a music artist, and I hope I will have the
chance to do it more often.”
SPRING 2010 ISTP PRIDE
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inside ISTP SPRING 2010 MUSIC WEEK
10
Music Week
ISTP’S eLemeNTaRY STudeNTS TeLL a coLoRfuL SToRY
THRouGH THe THeme of “RaINBowS”
For our second annual Music Week, the elementary
school French and Chinese programs worked with
music teachers Su Yang and Jean-Baptiste charlot to
stage “Rainbows”, a themed musical performance.
In addition to the elementary school performances,
middle school music teachers clémentine Bonneville
and willis Lin worked with their students to perfom a
lovely morning concert on Monday, March 22nd.
The rest of the week was dedicated to each elementary
school grade taking the stage and singing songs written
by Jean-Baptiste Charlot or coordinated by Su Yang.
The overarching theme of “Rainbows” colored the
students’ performances. Each grade’s concert had a
different story to tell, and students had the opportunity
to show off their talents in singing, acting, and stage
presence.
ISTP’s 1st grade, led by music teachers Jean-Baptiste Charlot and Su Yang, sing the finale, “Over the Rainbow.”
For example, in Roselyn’s French 3rd grade class,
students sang/acted out a Greek mythology story in their
performance. In Shinwhea’s 4th grade class, students
sang of rainbows revealing themselves after the storm,
reminding everyone of the journey from darkness to
light. Each class’ performance was distinct in their
incorporation of analogies, mythology, creativity, and
moral storytelling.
To add to the overall experience of music week, parent
volunteers and ISTP’s own art teachers collaborated with
the music teachers to provide costumes, props, and
backdrops for the concerts.
Each performance culminated in all the grade’s
classes combining together to sing the finale, “Over the
Rainbow.”
Helping Haiti
IN THe afTeRmaTH of THe
eaRTHQuaKe, eaRLY YeaRS
PRoGRam STudeNTS PuT
THeIR feeLINGS INTo woRdS
by Shannon Bermudez, early Years Program english Teacher
In the article, “Cultivating Empathy in Children and
Youth” by Arundhati Ray, she states that, “if emotional
literacy skills are honed at the same time one learns the
traditional mathematical and literacy skills, there is a good
chance people will turn out to be caring and compassionate
adults who are good at managing relationships. Since they
are in tune with their emotions and can be appropriately
responsive to others’, they will be good at creative problem
solving and great team-workers.”
One of the most important things we can do as early
childhood educators it is to provide a creative outlet for
compassionate curriculum and empathetic learning.
Realizing that we live in a world where children listen and
are curious as to what happens in a global perspective
speaks to the environment we educate our students in.
We became aware of the impact the Haiti earthquake had
had upon the children as we listened to their everyday
conversations. For weeks, children began commenting on
houses falling down, children being hurt, people not being
able to have water to drink and how there were lots of
people wanting to help the devastated country. Whether this
had been reinforced by watching television or spoken to in
the family home, it was a conversation we could not ignore.
We felt compelled to come up with a plan that embraced
their emotions and at the same time integrated their learning
level in English. At this particular time in our curriculum, we
had just introduced writers’ workshop a week before, that
spoke to the concept that a symbol (letter) makes a sound,
and putting sounds together make words. At this point, they
were ready to combine those words to make sentences.
Due to the conversations about Haiti, we developed a
continuous lesson plan surrounding the event and its
aftermath. We recreated what an earthquake would look like
with toy people, animals and small huts made by the French
Program. We showed the students a child-friendly version
of what an earthquake is, to help those who did not know
and to challenge those whom had some concept of what this
encompasses; all along knowing that even if this was not fully
comprehended, their future educators would have a foundation
built at a young age to scaffold these students from what they
already knew and enhance their learning at a later stage.
As teachers, we also spoke about what we would want to do to
help the earthquake victims of Haiti. This helped to model to the
children, how to put their feelings of helping others into words.
Each teacher gave an example of their inventive spelling and
how they would illustrate their pictures.
Simply looking at the final outcome for any teacher would be
reason enough to be proud of the career paths we have chosen.
The children’s ability to empathize with people across the
world and be able to articulate what they felt was an amazing
process to watch. The time they spent coloring, sounding out
each word and the work this entailed for them at times seemed
overwhelming. Yet, in the end, the pride they took in their work
was gratification enough to each one of them. In addition,
their work reinforced the concept of global awareness and the
empathetic nature that is innate within all children.
SPRING 2010 HELPING HAITI
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inside ISTP SPRING 2010 ISTP AIMS FOR “NO WASTE”
12
ISTP Aims for
“No Waste”
mIddLe ScHooL STudeNTS
eXamINe THe ReaLITY of
RecYcLING
by Paul Bienaimé, Paul Nauleau, and Gabriel Rossmann, middle School Students
environmental issues have become a rising
concern worldwide. we produce 220 million
tons of garbage each year, and plastic products
since their existence have not yet biodegraded.
Science suggests that it may take
hundreds of years to biodegrade a plastic
bag. We only recycle 22.5 percent of
recyclable waste, and if we were able to
compost all our food waste, it would be the
equivalent of taking 200 million cars off the
road.
Three years ago, our middle school started
an Eco School Project to reduce students’
waste by recycling. This year, Palo Alto has
decided to become a Zero Waste city. As
a result, we decided to participate in this
effort by introducing composting to our Eco
School project. This takes what we have
already achieved a step further.
In order to be able to compost at school,
we had to teach students about our new
project. We taught responsibility and
maximum reduction with the help of a
keynote presentation that was adapted to
our audience. We explained the distinction
between recycling, compost, and trash,
and what happens to the waste in these
categories. Presenting to all grades, even
the youngest of students, could increase
participation in our Zero Waste program
and make the correct decisions on their
own. Communicating this responsibility of
waste management to very young children
is important, so it becomes a lasting
habit to them. Through the presentation,
we engaged students in recycling and
composting, and we showed students how
to compost in our community, and the
importance of reducing our waste.
As we were working on the presentation,
we were also learning about composting
and recycling. Everything we taught to
others, we also were learning ourselves.
First, we were astonished at how much
of our food was being trashed instead of
being composted. This experience taught
us the importance of communicating
ecological awareness to young children.
After discussing this finding with them,
all the very young students understood.
After our presentation, when we looked
in the bins after their lunch, we saw that
they had correctly sorted their waste on
their own. Now we know that it is never too
Middle School students present to ISTP’s
younger grades at a “Zero Waste” assembly.
early to introduce ecological responsibility
to children. Regardless of their age, they
can actively participate in our Zero Waste
program.
We also learned that it is important for our
school to do what we’ve done, because it
can change the world. Every action counts
and we can only change one step at a
time. To help lower our school’s waste, it
is mandatory that we have strict rules on
recycling and composting.
We know that all of us can have an
impact on the world, and thanks to our
presentation, we hope our school can be
a Zero-Waste school, and we are grateful
that we contributed to a school that is
helping our environment.
Student Interviews
“Yellow Face” Stage Actor
mIddLe ScHooL STudeNT maRc RoBeRT woNG GoeS oNe oN
oNe wITH acToR PuN BaNdHu
Pun Bandhu, stage actor who played
the main character “DHH” in the
TheatreWorks production of David Henry
Hwang’s “Yellow Face”, visited ISTP to
discuss the play at a student workshop.
Seventh grade student marc Robert wong
did an exclusive interview with the actor.
An excerpt is below.
mRw: why do you choose to do
community outreach with Theatreworks?
PB: I believe art is the means by which
we understand ourselves and our
relationship to the world and others. At
its very essence, art is and should be a
communal experience. To perform in a
vacuum would be meaningless to me.
That is why I love theatre above TV or film:
in Theatre, the audience is a vital part of
the experience. There is a tangible and
immediate connection between performer
and audience. As such, I feel it is my
responsibility as a performer to help
cultivate new audiences and to engage
directly with the community on the issues
being addressed in the play. I particularly
wanted to come to ISTP, because I
too went to an International School, in
Indonesia.
mRw: was the response at ISTP different
or the same from responses from other
area schools? How?
PB: Well, ISTP was the only school on the
list that wasn’t a high school. One of the
great benefits of attending an international
school is that the students are trained to
be accepting of other perspectives and to
be open minded. I was struck by the ability
of the students to engage in debate about
the issues raised in the play. Thinking
about things on a philosophical and
ideological level seemed to come naturally
to them. Often, the consensus seemed
to be that though something might be
considered racist, it was wrong to censor it.
The students seemed not to cling to black
and white dichotomies, but to embrace
the messiness of the gray, which made
me think silently to myself, “these are
the future leaders of the world.” At ISTP,
I found myself talking about leadership –
something that I’ve never done before in
the other workshops, and how embracing
diversity was so important to the leadership
skills required in our interconnected world.
On the other hand, while intellectual
debate seemed to come easily, there were
far fewer personal stories being told than
at other schools. To be fair, the workshop
coordinator, DJ, and I never asked
explicitly for personal stories. But I had
noticed in the 10 plus other classrooms I
visited that the exercises DJ did with the
Pun Bandhu (left) in a scene with his “father” from “Yellow Face.”
students usually encouraged students
to talk about their own relationship with
racism. That didn’t happen here. It made
me think back to my experience in 6th
grade at the Jakarta International School.
We had to write an essay on our prejudices
which I found impossible to write. I
remember staring at that paper thinking,
“I’m not prejudiced against anyone!
Prejudice is wrong!”
I finally turned in the blank piece of paper
and was willing to get a zero on it. If I had
been honest with myself, however, I would
have realized that I actually had/have a
whole host of biases and assumptions. It
was hard to be aware of them when you
haven’t had to think much about diversity,
being in such a diverse environment.
I think perhaps the same thing was
happening here. It seemed easier to talk
about racism in theoretical terms rather
than personal ones. I hope that after
seeing the play, the students will realize
that the political is always personal.
SPRING 2010 INTERVIEW WITH “YELLOW FACE” ACTOR
inside ISTP
13

inside ISTP SPRING 2010 PTA CORNER
14
PTA Corner
a meSSaGe fRom JeNNIfeR PIeRceY, PTa vIce PReSIdeNT
Jennifer Piercey, PTa vice President
What a busy year it has been already! The school year
always seems to take off so quickly. Before we know it,
we have the PTA picnic, Moon Festival, then Halloween
festivities and then the Holidays are upon us. The
calendar year is kicked off in style by all the intense
preparations for the Chinese New Year performance
and parade. Somewhere in there, we squeeze in the
Galettes de Rois and a couple of Skate Nights.
This year’s Chinese New Year’s performance was
fantastic thanks to the efforts of many. The drummers,
dancers, wushu group, and the Chinese program
classes all did so well. The CNY parade went very well
because so many dedicated and enthusiastic people
contributed. The drum team headed by Bernadette
clavier, the dancers led by Su Yang and Wushu artists
led by andrea chan – all worked hard. In addition,
we had a team of float builders, logistical organizers
(monica Bottimer and Jennifer Hom) and more
working behind the scenes. As if that wasn’t enough,
the CNY co-chairs (Kathy chi, felix Lin, Gary meeker
and Gladys Lim) decided to build 5 new drums! The
Chi/Lin family dedicated their garage, driveway, and
curbside to the creation of 5 new drums from scratch,
new drum carts and the tiger float. Some of the middle
school drum team members dedicated their Sunday
afternoons to sanding, gluing, painting and stretching
and fitting cowhides.
We were lucky this year to have fantastic weather so
the ponchos and boots were not needed. The ISTP
families sitting in the bleachers had so much fun
watching the parade and then cheering for our ISTP
parade performers as they went by. The evening was
capped off by a nice post-parade dinner. We all went
home exhausted and happy.
Preparations have already begun for La Kermesse
which will take place on June 5th. In keeping with the
30th anniversary celebrations this year, the theme for
Kermesse is “30 ans de Succès.” It will be a great way
to cap off a year honoring the founding of our school
and also kick off summer fun. La Kermesse is a “can’t
miss!” opportunity to watch your children perform, eat
some incredible food and play fun games. No doubt,
your children will soon be telling you all about their
upcoming class performances.
This year’s Kermesse co-chairs, Petrice espinosa
and cee Bird-farlie are hard at work organizing the
event. La Kermesse is the single largest fundraiser for
the ISTP PTA. Its proceeds provide funds for many
important PTA activities/needs during the school year
such as class budgets for each room parent, funds
for supporting cultural events throughout the year,
underwriting Skate Night, the Chinese New Year
activities and more.
As I have learned first hand, La Kermesse is a large
undertaking that would not be possible without your
volunteer support. Your involvement can take various
forms. We need people to help with the following:
staff various food and activity booths, cook food to be
served that day, serve and sell food in the booths, set
up and take down the booths and tents. It’s a fun way
to contribute and meet people. Please contact Petrice
at petrice1@jacksonbay.com or Cee at cee@farlie.com
if you are interested. A Qlubb sign-up page will be
available soon as well. I look forward to seeing you all
there.
Upcoming PTA Events
TeacHeR aPPRecIaTIoN
LuNcHeoN
fRIdaY, maY 7
12:00 P.m.
cowPeR camPuS
How To acceSS THe
PTa weB PaGeS
Here’s how to access the password-protected
PTA webpages (just for ISTP parents):
1. Go to the homepage at www.istp.org
2. On the top navigation bar, under “Community”,
click on “PTA.”
3. Click on the button on the upper right-hand
side, “PTA PAGES for Current Parents.”
4. You will need to log in with your username and
password.
Once logged in, you can find information on:
• Hot Lunch
• Carpool
• Events and Volunteering Opportunities
• Room Parent Information
• Outside Community Resources
The PTA pages are separate from the portal, so
please make sure to check them frequently!
PTa GeNeRaL aSSemBLY
THuRSdaY, maY 20
7:00 P.m.
coHN camPuS
adamS LIBRaRY
La KeRmeSSe
SaTuRdaY, JuNe 5
10:00 a.m.
cowPeR camPuS
Need To oRdeR
HoT LuNcH?
The PTA is in charge of coordinating the Hot Lunch
program.
You can access information about Hot Lunch by
visiting www.istp.org/HotLunch or contacting
HotLunch@istp.org
Taste Nutrition Services provides the hot lunch.
To order directly and to view menus, please visit
www.tastenutrition.com
SPRING 2010 PTA CORNER
inside ISTP
15

inside ISTP SPRING 2010 ANNUAL FUND THANK YOU
16
Thank You to our Generous Annual Fund Donors!
Anonymous (20)
Carrie Abbott
Chantal Aboulhouda
John & Raya Abraham
Rimma Alexeeva
Arto Anttila & Vivienne Fong
Danièle Arsac
Alexei & Olga Avanesov
Yacin & Anne-Lorraine Bahi
José Barron
David & Anna Barry
Walter & Cécile Barry
James Bean & Christine O’Sullivan
Adam & Loan Beguelin
Jacques & Jennifer Belissent
Frédéric & Antonia Benqué
Jeff & Genni Benrey
Frank & Caterina Benson
Albert & Béatrice Bergemont
Shannon Bermudez
Olivier Berton
Béatrice Bienaimé
Jean-Jacques & Jennifer Bienaimé
Robert & Simone Bishop
Stephen & Mei-Yee Bisset
Clementine Bonneville
Philippe & Kelly Bossut
Theodore & Monica Botimer
Sherif Botros
Daniel & Sophie Bromberg
Susan Brooks
William & Francoise Brougher
Nicholas Brown
James Brug & Sarah Elson Brug
Eric & Florence Buatois
Edouard Bugnion &
Marie Christine Champain
Robert Burns & Carol Ozawa
Corinne Butel
Arnaud Cabanel
Christina Campbell
Ludovic & Vannina Champenois
Peter & Jin Chan
Paul Chang & Angela Chung
Portia Chang-Yang
Terry Chapman
Jean-Baptiste Charlot
Dana Chee
Jessica Chen
Jian Chen & Angela Lee
Yihui Chen
Andrew Cheng &
Abigail Karlin-Resnick
Edward & Lisa Cheng
Joseph Chernesky & Mona Sabet
Clifton Chew & Debbie Yee
Hanley Chew & Paula Gani
Peggy Chi
Scott Chiang & Jing Wang Chiang
David & Christina Chua
Justin Chueh & Pauline Shuen
Benjamin Chun & Jung Eun Lee
Flora Chung
Frederick Chung & Kimberly Chun
Brian & Amie Clarke
Jeff & Bernadette Clavier
Pascal & Louise Clément
Brendan Cocks & Jovi Craig
Katherine Condon
Patrick & Evelyne Consorti
Christine Consunji
Andrea Cook Fleming
Juan & Caesarine Cordon
Dante Corricello & Helen Tieh
Beth Cox
Brian & Iris Croll
Zeina Daoud
Leslie Davis
Peter & Kelly Dayton
Luca De Alfaro & Françoise Beaufays
Ashley Deacon & Hsiu-Ju Chiu
Chantal Declève
Marc & Lauren Delvaux
Eric & Angelina Demers
Philippe Dietz & Corine Meyer
Jamie DoBel
Paul & Elsa Dulac
Benoît Dumoulin & Geneviève Poulin
Brian & Clara Dye
Varouzhan & Carole Ebrahimian
Charles & Elizabeth Eischen
Erin Eisele
XinXin Elam
Abdelhakim & Laurence Erhili
Edward & Linda Ericson
Antonio & Petrice Espinosa
Jing Fang
Andrew Farlie & Celia Bird-Farlie
Mathieu Farrugia
Timothy Fay & Cappie Alverson-Fay
David Fernandez & Pia Bresnan
Bert Fingerhut & Caroline Hicks
Benjamin & Allyson Fisch
Frederick Fisher & Karen Melchior
Pierre & Amy Fontarensky
Christopher & Yao Ford
Cheryl Franke
Bill & Susan Friedman
Derek Fung & Mia Iuchi
Dietmar Gabby & Julia Kaplan
Min Gao
Olivier Garbe
Benjamin & Jennifer Gayraud
Kevin Gibson & Yixin Pan
Martin Gifford & Dale Miller
Daniel & Lucile Glessner
Dominique Grau & Julene Jones
Jon & Barbara Greiner
Paul & Gowri Grewal
Nicolas Groleau & Patricia Colin
Bruno & Hélène Gsell
Nicolas Guedenet
François Guèdenet
Yannick Guillerm & Guillemette Petit
Andrew Gurthet & Kathleen Kavanaugh
Kyle Guse & Jennifer Hodges
Janine Hakim
Sami & Maya Hamadé
Ridha Hamidi & Najoua Jeddi
Ross & Lara Hangebrauck
Richard & Janet Hart
Jeffrey Hausch & Deborah Chen
Thomas Herbst & Juliet Kral
Doug & Kristin Higgins
Johnny Ho & I-Hsien Lee
Quang & Quynh-Huong Ho
Yi-Kuang Ho
Martin & Sabrina Hodgett
Manuel & Shohreh Hoffmann
Michael Hollett & Ann Leung
Gary & Agnès Holmes
Janine How-Galliano
Shinwhea Hsu
John & Nancy Hua
Dehua Huang & Wei Zheng
Hui & Jing Huang
Kai Huang & Samantha Chien
Robert Huang & Grace Guo
Eric & Nathalie Huynh
Gerald & Erin Hwasta
Aïcha Idelcadi
Sarah Ingber
Frankie Ip & Lauren Gao
Thornton Jacobs & Anne Vanhove
Sylvie Jannon-Shields
Charles Jaunatre
Michael & Tricia Jennett
Jessica Johnson
Thomas & Holly Joseph
Guido & Nadege Jouret
Thierry Jurado & Isabelle Le Gall-Jurado
Rajeev Kelkar & Seema Varma
Susan Kerby
Cyrus & Karen Kianpour
Warren & Rochelle King
Takao & Xiao Kitamura
Karl Kneip & Elisa Kung
Valérie Kohler
Matthew & Amy Kohrman
Pavlos Konas & Hélène Varsamidou
Diana Kong
Sherry Kowtko
Andrey Kunov & Victoria Menshchikova
Lloyd & Lillian Kurtz
Junien & Sandra Labrousse
Sidi Lahlou & Leila Bennani
Titus Lai & Jennifer Hom
Mélanie Laporte
Yves Laurent & An Scharlaken
Olivier Lauzeral & Trudy Vanhove
Guillaume Le Droumaguet
Alvin Lee & Tammi Ng
Andy Lee & Winnie Tsou
Danny & Patti Lee
Kristen Leep
Ludovic & Fatema Legrand
Patrick & Corinne Leland
Ben Lenail & Laurie Yoler
Philip & Karolina Lewer
Demed & Angelic L’Her
Arthur Li & Patty Chi
Michael Lim & Cindy Leong
Felix Lin & Katherine Chi
Timothy Lin & Lisa Miles
May Ling
Steven Lipman & Jill Sagner
Dmitri & Lynette Lissin
Chien & Judy Liu
Katherine Liu
Xinqiao Liu & Min Xu
Fred & Mildred Loo
Karen Loo
Steven Louie & Margaret Reid
Kate Lussen
Matthew Lutzker & Soninder Pelia
Michael & Sheila Lyzwa
Benjamin Ma & Anita Sit
John Ma & Annette Lee-Ma
Fadi Maamari & Deborah Garvey
Eric Steppling & Patricia Majorel
François & Janice Mandeville
Sophie Marchand
Denis Martin & Madeleine DeCorwin
Monica Martin
Elise Masiée
Arnaud Mauvais & Margaret Foley-Mauvais
Gary Meeker & Gladys Lim
Roger & Véronique Merckling
Alex Meyer & Heather Wakelee
Boris & Véronique Micha
Lori Miley
Tricia Miller
Edward & Sumaya Miner
Claus & Patricia Moldt
Olivier Monteil
Anthony Moreland & Ana Corrales
Didier Moretti & Katrina Philip
Justin Morgan
Daryoush Mortazavi & Caroline Razavi
John & Nancy Murao
Michael & Rhonda Murray
David & Amy Nader
NDeye N’Diaye
Harley & Judy Negin
Thanh & Thu-Tam Nguyen
Randy Nichols & Esther Shih
Sarah Nicolas
Thierry Nivaggioli & Belinda Tsao-Nivaggioli
Paul Novaes & Maria Nichols
Eric & Suzanne O’Brien
Erin Paige
Yannick & Nathalie Paillard
Jeffrey Paine & Margaret Parkinson
Julie Pan
Katherine Papp
James & Mimi Park
Jean-Marc Patenaude & Diane Hagglund
Christine Paulen
John & Kim Pauly
Daniel & Daniella Perlroth
Raja Petrakian & Phyllis Oreskovic
Marc & Katie Pfenninger
Kenneth Pianin & Ninva Simono-Pianin
Christopher Pickett & Rebecca Geraldi
Richard Prest & Heather Sutherland
Valerie Publicover
Stephanie Puk
Jingyao Qi
Terry Qian
Richard & Phoebe Quach
Rami & Houda Rahim
Dawn Ramsay
Yann Renault & Angélique Cucaro-Renault
John Reppas & Solange Brown
Vincent & Anne Rérolle
Adeo & Cindy Ressi di Cervia
Jérôme & Valérie Ribo
Deborah Risi
Ramiro Rodriguez
Neal Rojas & Lisa Lee
Eric Rosenblum & Titi Liu
Roger & Daphne Royse
Olivier Rozay & Haiying Yang
Jan & Malu Rydfors
Alex & Hayat Saba
Stephanie Saba
Amr Salahieh & Laila Munif-Salahieh
Frédéric Salles & Sara Espinozatoro-Salles
Theodore Sana & Bouwien Smits-Sana
Chrystell Santa Cruz
Rebecca Schall
Khalid & Claire Sebti
Reza Seddigh & Mitra Chams-Seddigh
Cédric & Michal Sellin
Didier & Aude Serra
Maryam Shabani
Hwang-Chi Shih & Lin-Lan Chen
Matthew Shore & Alexia Mullis
Omar Siddiqui & Zeenat Khan
Allen & Julia Simon
Curtis Smith & Jamie Chung
Robert Soroka & Lina Arseneault
Stewart & Tara Speed
Donald & Debra St. Claire
Helena Suen
Shu-Chun Tai
Gifts received as of 3/9/10 and does not include pledges.
If you believe you have given to the Annual Fund this
year and you do not see your name, please contact
PatriciaColin@istp.org or (650) 251-8521.
Tsvi & Naama Tal
Nicole Taliaferro
Tang Tan & Celine Teoh
Mika Tanimoto
George & Marilee Taylor
Ray Tenenbaum & Jennifer Buechel
Rolf & Kumiko Toft
Phoenix Tong & Faye Lee
Brent Townshend & Michèle Lamarre
Daniel Trépanier & Florencia Arduino
Lief Tsai & Katherine Ho Tsai
Nicolas Tsingos & Agata Opalach
Sandra Tung
Michael & Maile Uohara
Roman Urfer & Anne Urfer-Buchwalder
Giselle Vallejos
Anatoly Varfolomeev & Natalia Drokova
James Vera & Jennifer Ochs
James & Tara Verner
Raul Vielma & Elina Kuo
Jean-Frédéric Viret & Hong Yao
Anne Wang
Hai Yang Wang
Jing Wang & Hongjun Zhu
Michael & Barbara Wang
Roger Wang & Susan Lun-Wang
Tracy Warner
Richard & Christine Washington
Peter & Mindy Weck
Derek Wells & Rebecca Wais
Stanley & Jean Wong
Donna Wood
Joseph Wu & Jade Chao
Yang & Claire Wu
Jinyu Yang & Vivian Luu
Katie Yang
Paul Yang & Stephanie Than-Trong
Phillip Yang & Mariko Yoshihara Yang
Suhan Yang
Bertrand & Jessica Yansouni
Zia & Paru Yusuf
Christopher & Patricia Zaharias
Eugene Zambetti & Thi Tran Zambetti
Randy Zechman
Jiezhao Zhao & Yan Tian
Beini Zhou & Yenny Widjaja
Michael Zisman & Andrea Chan
Richard Zobel
Dianna Zupp
Please visit
http://www.istp.org/donate
SPRING 2010 ANNUAL FUND THANK YOU
inside ISTP
17

ADVANCEMENT NEWS
inside ISTP SPRING 2010
18
Advancement News
Patricia Colin, Director of Advancement
as we continue to celebrate the International School of
the Peninsula’s 30th anniversary (1979-2009), I am
reminded of stories about the early days of the school’s
history. one story in particular has always stayed with
me. This small anecdote is actually an analogy for what
is happening in our community today.
The story I remember quite vividly is about one of our founders,
Gabrielle Kohne. She literally would do anything for the school –
make the lunches, scrub the toilets and floors, clean up after the
students. To her, and to the rest of the founders, there was no task
too small or too great to ensure that these nine children received
the very best bilingual education.
Over the past three decades, the school has seen both its ups and
its downs. While people continue to struggle with the economic
downturn, my thoughts turn to what the founders of our school had
to go through, just to keep the school open. It took great courage,
a lot of elbow grease, and a tremendous amount of support to be
able to keep Charlotte’s dream alive. At that time, the school was
not financially stable; it was new, and it was difficult to garner
support for a type of education that had yet to be established in
the Peninsula area.
As you all know, fundraising has been quite difficult this year. The
Annual Fund has been slow, and for many weeks, I was nervous
about how the Gala would fare. I wondered if the struggle we were
facing was similar to the one Charlotte and her friends had in the
early days. In all honesty, there have been moments during our
campaigns or events where I silently question if we are going to
reach our goal, or if this is going to be the year where we just can’t
ask any more of our community.
Then, just at the moment where I am feeling truly discouraged,
something wonderful happens. I receive an email, a phone call, a
visit – asking, “Patricia, what can I do to help?”
If you came to Gala, you were witness to the palpable energy
and support in the room. We were able to raise approximately
$160,000 for our school, and the feeling of seeing the bidding
numbers raised in support was incredible. For some, I know that
raising your bidding number was a stretch; but you did it anyway.
For that, I can’t thank you enough.
Yes, it’s true that fundraising has been difficult, but you’ve shown
that you care deeply about the students at ISTP. You’ve rolled
up your sleeves, and even though some of you have taken big
hits over the past sixteen months, you want to do what you can
to ensure that today’s generation of ISTP students receive the
very best bilingual immersion education. Each and every gift is
important. If you have yet to give to the Annual Fund, I hope you
will join the rest of your peers and give whatever support you can
to the school. In very simple terms, your participation matters.
The ISTP of today is very different than the school that Charlotte
first started with a small group of friends and parents, and nine
students. That’s why our 30th anniversary is so special. This year
isn’t just a number to us; it’s a story. It shows us that if we work
together, we can succeed.
It’s important for us to celebrate this milestone year, and we’ve
been doing so with different “30th anniversary” events, including
celebrating ISTP’s “30th birthday” with the students. Early Years
Program students celebrated ISTP’s birthday in March with a fun
afternoon of singing, dancing, playing, cupcakes, and more. Cohn
students will celebrate with a masquerade-themed party. While
both fun activities, the parties are not only a celebration of the
school’s programs, but also a celebration of you, our community.
Without you, we would not be where we are today.
Remember that our 30 years of history includes you. What you do
to help today not only has an immediate impact, but also helps to
shape our school for the future.
News and Upcoming Events
KeeP YouR eYeS oPeN foR maTcHING/coRPoRaTe doNaTIoNS!
Imagine making a purchase for your home, and turning that purchase into a $250 donation for the school. That’s what ISTP parent Tom
Herbst did! Tom, parent to kindergartener Christine, had solar products installed in his home. The company he purchased the products
from donated $250 to the school. Please make sure to keep your eyes open for matching/corporate donation opportunities. To date, over
$30,000 has been raised from matching donations. Please make sure to inquire within your company about how you can increase your gift
to ISTP.
GeT YouR ISTP meRcH!
Available by popular demand, you can now visit ISTP’s Cafe
Press store to purchase school merchandise! You’ll find
everything from zip hoodies, t-shirts, aprons, mugs, tank tops,
and even dog t-shirts!
To purchase merchandise, please visit:
http://www.cafepress.com/ISTPstore
uPcomING eveNTS
May Fête Parade
Saturday, May 1 @ 10 a.m.
Downtown Palo Alto
Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon
Thursday, May 6 @ 11:30 a.m.
Chef Chu’s in Los Altos
Chinese Program Follow-Up Meeting
Thursday, May 20 @ 5:30 - 6 p.m.
Cohn Campus
Open House/Middle School Science Fair
Thursday, May 20 @ 6 p.m.
Cowper (OH) & Cohn (OH & Fair)
Memorial Day - No School - No Day Care
Monday, May 31
Board Meeting for Parents (Rescheduled)
Tuesday, June 1 @ 7 p.m.
Cohn Campus
Promotion/Graduation Week
Monday, June 7 - Wednesday, June 9
Last Day of School
Thursday, June 10
Log in to ISTPnet for your personalized calendar
ADVANCEMENT NEWS
SPRING 2010
inside ISTP
19

CHANTAL DECLèVE
inside ISTP SPRING 2010
20
Au Revoir,
Chantal!
PfaS/ISTP’S fIRST TeacHeR
ReTIReS, BuT wILL NeveR Be
foRGoTTeN
Art Teacher chantal decèlve first became a part of the school’s life
by answering an ad placed in the newspaper by school founder
Charlotte de Géry. Since then, her life, and the lives of generations
of ISTP students, have been shaped and changed for the better.
Chantal still vividly remembers the first day of school. “A handful
of little children, and I was their new teacher! We did so many
creative things, teaching them French through art, song, play, and
lessons. Since then, there have been many changes, and every
day after that has always been a new class, a new challenge, a
new surprise, and a chance to share a love of art.”
PFAS/ISTP French Program alumni have always remembered
Chantal, and think of her as a much beloved part of their
childhood. She shared her love of art and creativity with her
students, encouraging them to express themselves in different
mediums.
Chantal always believed that, “there are no mistakes in art, so
the children can always transform and appreciate their own work,
gaining self-esteem and confidence. I want them to use their
minds, their imaginations, and their hands to create. Creativity is
number one to me because when your mind is open, your world
becomes larger.”
Although Chantal is retiring from teaching, Head of School
Philippe dietz stated at the 30th Anniversary Gala and Auction
that Chantal will come back to school for our annual Arts Night.
He also credited Chantal with helping to fuel our outstanding arts
curriculum with her dedicaiton, enthusiasm, and passion for the
school and its mission.
Everyone at ISTP considers Chantal to be a cornerstone of the
school, and she will be dearly missed – as a teacher, a colleague,
and a friend.
For her endless contributions to the PFAS/ISTP community,
Chantal will remain in our hearts and thoughts forever.
CHANTAL DECLèVE
SPRING 2010
inside ISTP
21

inside ISTP SPRING 2010 ALUMNI NEWS
22
Alumni News
aLumNI PLeadS foR HaITI
ISTP alumna and Stanford University graduate, marie Josée
mont-Reynaud, stopped by ISTP to talk to students about relief
for Haiti and her organization, If Pigs Could Fly.
Marie-Jo explained the conditions of Haiti, and how it is one of
the poorest countries in the world. Haiti was colonized, exploited
for its resources, and also used as a slave colony. Modern Haiti
has not recovered from the distress of its past, and as a poor
country, cannot commit to the same building codes and
standards as other, more affluent nations. Therefore, when the
earthquake hit, the destruction was wide-spread and massive in
the larger cities such as Haiti’s capital, Port au Prince.
For years, Marie-Jo and her organization, If Pigs Could Fly, have
spent their time helping Haitians in the mountains of Latournelle,
to improve their educational, medical, and agricultural projects.
No basic infastructure exists in this poor, hillside community in
rural Haiti. People have no access to roads, potable water,
health care, telephones, electricity or public schools.
If Pigs Could Fly has created an emergency relief fund as a
result of the earthquake on January 12. All monies collected for
this fund will go directly to disaster relief efforts. The
organization has no overhead and no administration, so all
funds go directly to the mountain people of Latournelle, Haiti.
When asked why she got involved with Haiti, Marie-Jo clearly
stated that it was due to her French-immersion background at
ISTP. “We had to do a paper in high school, and I picked Haiti
because I went to school here [at ISTP] and can read and speak
French. I thought, I could read all the French documents and
understand.”
The assembly ended with Middle School Student Council
Representatives presenting Marie-Jo with a donation of
approximately $400 for her organization. Students Samuel St.
claire, amit Tal, camille Bourbonnais, Luma Hamade, Raphael
Serrano, Lauriane Glessner, mimi Tram Le, amély Joly, and
vienna Hoffmann had been fundraising in anticipation of
Marie-Jo’s arrival.
If Pigs Could Fly, also seeks to create long-term connections
between Americans and Haitians, as well as uses funds to
purchase livestock for Haitian children to breed and later sell, to
offset the costs of going to school. The program also supports a
sustainable agriculture and school feeding program by funding
the planting and harvesting of peanuts. Women in Latournelle
use the peanuts to make peanut butter which is served on
crackers to school children. This is sometimes the only food the
children will have during the day. All projects focus on providing
work, not charity, which empowers the Haitian people instead of
creating dependency on outside support.
aLumNI ReuNIoNS
ISTP’s Alumni program has been increasing
in both size and scope! This summer, we’re
proud to announce our 2nd International
Alumni Reunion in the heart of Paris, France!
We will also have our popular Annual Alumni
BBQ in June on the Cowper Campus, and
we’ll hope you join us!
You can always check out updated alumni
news and events on our webpage, located at
http://www.istp.org/alumni.
aLumNI ReuNIoN eveNTS
5th annual alumni BBQ
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Cowper Campus @ 6:00 p.m.
RSVP to alumni@istp.org
2nd International alumni Reunion
Saturday, June 26, 2010 @ 7-10 p.m.
Les Salons de l’Aéro-Club de France
6, rue Galilée - 75116 PARIS
RSVP to alumni@istp.org
Alumni News
NoaH BeRmaN, feNcING comPeTIToR
ISTP alumnus Noah Berman became actively involved in fencing when one of his
friends told him about the famed sport. Soon after, he was hooked. After his first
year, Noah’s coach said it would be a good idea for Noah to start competing so
he could get practice and experience. In 2009, Noah won 3rd Place Division II in
the North American Cup E in Atlanta, Georgia. He has also competed at the Bay
Cup Tournament at Stanford University and the USFA Summer Nationals in San
Jose, in addition to numerous other competitions. Today, Noah, a junior in high
school at PALY, travels internationally to compete and has made friends both
across the country, and from around the world. Congratulations to Noah for his
fencing accomplishments, and we wish him all the luck in his fencing career!
aLumNI PaReNT
GaTHeRINGS
The scheduled alumni parent gatherings
for the year have been a blast! The alumni
parents have been to Hidden Villa, the
King Tut exhibit at the DeYoung in San
Francisco, Filoli House, and enjoyed a
lovely movie night (“Babbette’s Feast”) and
dinner at the Cohn Residence. If you’re an
alumni parent, why not join us for future
outings? Stay tuned for more info coming
in our Fall 2010 newsletter, and our
website!
ALUMNI NEWS
SPRING 2010
inside ISTP
23

inside ISTP SPRING 2010 ISTPNET TIPS & TRICKS
24
ISTPnet Tips
ISTPnet is the password-protected, online main communications hub for ISTP’s current parents, faculty and staff. Below are a
few tips and how-to’s on how to utilize the different features of ISTPnet.
fINdING cLaSS LISTS
1. After logging in to ISTPnet, click on “Directory” on the
left-hand navigation menu.
2. In the main window, in the “Search” drop-down list,
select “Student.”
3. Click on the “Advanced Search” drop-down menu to the
right.
4. Under “Other Information”, select the class and click
“Find.”
5. All the profiles of the students in that class will populate.
Click “View Profile” for each individual student to see their
parents’ contact information.
THe PoRTaL
1. As of April 19, 2010, the portal has been redesigned for
easier viewing. Instead of multiple announcement areas, you
will now only see two:
• My Personalized Announcements
• All-School Announcements
2. all-School announcements are announcements that
pertain to everyone at school: messages from the Head of
School, PTA, and school administration.
3. my Personalized announcements are pulled from your
child’s class announcements, your division (Early Years,
Elementary, or Middle School) announcements, and groups
created for certain committees.
4. How do I see older or archived announcements? To see
archived messages, click on “more announcements.”
5. what are those colored boxes next to the announcements?
Clicking on the colored box will tell you where the
announcement is pulling from (example: Elementary School,
Patrick’s 5th Grade Class, etc.)
6. all-School downloads and Links. Looking for archives of
the weekly e-newsletter (pushpage)? How about the School
Handbook, a link to hot lunch information, day care, or our
merchandise store? It’s all in this box!
7. Personalized calendar. This is available both on your main
portal page (it will show the next 7 days), or by clicking
“Calendar” on the left-hand navigation menu. Look at your
Personalized Calendar often for events and deadlines.
ISTP.ORG’s Top 10
Frou Frou
30th Anniversary Gala & Auction
Thank you to our generous community
for your incredible support of our 30th
anniversary Gala & auction, “frou
frou.” The event raised approximately
$160,000 for the school. This includes
funds raised for our “fund-a-Need for
Network Infrastructure”. Thank you to
all the volunteers, sponsors, donors and
bidders who made the Gala a success!