All WAB parents are invited to attend the next PTA meeting, Tuesday March 18, 1:00pm - 3:00pm, MS Library Conference Room.

PTA meetings provide a wonderful opportunity for parents to meet with WAB's Interim Director, Principals and other school leaders, as well as to discuss the life of the school.

Following on from the IB information evenings and the Grade 10 Course Selection evening, the PTA is hosting an IB Question & Answer coffee morning on Wednesday March 19 at 9.00am in the Wild Ginger Cafe. While targeted for Grade 9 - 10 parents , anyone is welcome to attend to ask questions relating to the IB Diploma course of the IB Coordinator, HS Principal/Vice Principal and Counselors and other parents whose children have already been through the process.

Are you interested in getting more involved with the PTA? Positions are opening up soon on the PTA Committee. In addition, PTA shops are looking for designers interested in creating new WAB merchandise and memorabilia. For more information, please contact Lyliane Stewart at ptapresident@wab.edu.

On Wednesday afternoon, over 50 WAB parents joined the PTA for a cooking demonstration and tasting, organized by the Korean Community. The PTA was pleased with the event, which brought together a diverse mosaic of parents from the Phillipines, Singapore, Hong Kong, USA, Europe, and, of course, Korea!

The PTA is currently seeking parent volunteers to lead future 'Food of the World' cooking classes on Italian food and baking. If you'd like to volunteer your culinary skills and lead a workshop, please contact the PTA at ptapresident@wab.edu.

The PTA Hospitality Committee recently launched its first ever ‘WAB-Yosemite Parent Group’ for parents living in the Yosemite compound. Around 20 women gathered on a sunny Friday afternoon for a relaxed opportunity to meet other members of the WAB community living in the same neighborhood. The event was a simple way to turn our community into a friendly place, especially for newcomers to WAB, Yosemite or Beijing. Many thanks to Lorina Swindley for opening her home for the vent.

If you would like to become involved in the WAB-Yosemite Parent Group, please contact one of the following PTA members:

Lorina Swindley: lorinainbeijing@yahoo.com.au

Sandra Fredskov-Christianssen: sfredskov@hotmail.com

Lotte Samuelsberg: lotsamu@yahoo.dk

WAB families living in the following compounds are invited to contact the PTA members below about joining a parent group in their neighborhoods:

Dragon Bay: Carolyn Neill - cneill2109@rogers.com

Lane Bridge: Karin Roos - karin.roos@alignmentsystems.cn

Quan Fa: Trish Smith - tsmith@wab.edu

If your compound or neighborhood isn’t listed above and you’re interested in hosting or joining a parent group, please contact Lyliane Stewart, PTA President, at lylcas@googlemail.com.

PTA Lunch: All Parents Invited - December 11 2007

On Tuesday 11 December all parents are invited to join Lyliane Stewart, PTA President, for a light lunch at the newly opened New Verandah Restaurant, located in the shopping strip between the lake and HS. Please RSVP to Lyliane at ptapresident@wab.edu by Sunday December 9.

BOOK FAIRS - From 13 to 21 November 2007

The annual PTA Book Fair happens this month! Come November, the PTA will hold three separate fairs for ES, MS and HS students, and, in addition, hold a community-wide book fair stocked with children’s classics, new trends in literature, and books for older readers, including adults. Mark your calendars now.

ES - Tue 13 - Wed 14 - Thur 15 Nov.
MS - Thur 15 - Fri 16 Nov. - Sat 16 Nov. open to the public
HS - Tue 20 - Wed 21 Nov.

Also...

All Age Book Fair
Saturday November 17, 9:00am, 12:30pm

Contact Annette Arbenz : aarbenz@wab.edu

Holiday shopping is convenient, fun and charitable at WAB’s annual Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Charity Bazaar. This year’s grand event, scheduled for Saturday November 24, will bring together around 70 local, professional and student/teacher vendors selling everything from ‘artsy’ photographs to Chinese crafts to hard-to find Korean and Finnish treats. Shop here for truly unique gifts and crafts not sold anywhere else in Beijing. Other attractions include a multi-lingual used bookstall, a secondhand toy zoo, live music and entertainment, food, and booths highlighting various charities from around China.

The PTA Charity Bazaar Committee has announced that the main beneficiary of this year's bazaar will be the Jinpa Foundation. Jinpa is a small but well esatblished foundation working with remote, nomadic yak-herding people of the high plateaus of Qinghai. WAB has supported the Jinpa Foundation previously with clothing through the clothing drive, support for the elderly through the 'Angel' project and school fees for the young through the 'Small Change Appeal'.

Proceeds from the 2007 PTA Charity Bazaar will be used by the Jingpa Foundation to buy a herd of yak for a school in Qinghai (a region of western China) to help reduce malnutrition among the school children.

To read the compelling story of the how the Jinpa Foundation reaches out to an at-risk group of people and their culture, and to learn more about the value of the yak in their society, visit http://www.jinpa.org.

Saturday November 24, 10:30am – 3:00pm, ES WAB-Way and ES Gym
Free, open to the community, and lots of free parking!

Raising Global Nomads: Lecture & Author Visit for Parents

Monday November 12, 10:00am - 12:00pm, ES Founders' Theatre. All parents are invited to a presentation on 'Raising Global Nomads' with internationally acclaimed author Robin Pascoe. This discussion is a wonderful opportunity for WAB's diverse community to come together and share ideas and concerns about raising a global family.

Please RSVP to Cindy Bonczyk, PTA Treasurer, at cindybonczyk@yahoo.com or 13522698277.

WAB is grateful for the support of Austen Morris, sponsor of WAB's 2007/2008 Distinguished Speakers Series.

PTA Welcome Back Coffee Morning

WAB is buzzing as teachers and staff get ready for a new school year. We welcome all new families at Orientation Day this Friday August 10th and wish all students a happy first day of school on Monday August 13th.

Moving to China, discovering a new school, learning a new language can be overwhelming as we all know. Participating in PTA activities is a great way to meet new people and to create a new network. It also enables us to learn more about the environment in which our children spend their days.

There are many ways to be involved in our school. Join us at the PTA Welcome Back Coffee on Tuesday 21st August to find out about our various activities.

08:45 - 10:15 Lotus Lounge (Elementary School) for ECC and ES Parents
13:45 - 15:15 Wild Ginger Cafe (High School) for MS and HS Parents

In the mean time if you would like more information or need help in your first days at WAB contact us by email.

Lyliane Stewart, PTA President

Charity Committee

A big thank you to all those who contributed colored pencils and other pretty things to the collection for the Jo Charles orphans.

Your contributions will be definitely brighten up the lives of these children.