Dear LAS Parents,

Please mark your calendar for the 2^nd Family Winter Week, which will take place February 14 to 19 (including the long weekend). We encourage parents to arrive on Tuesday, February 14. The program will take place Wednesday and Thursday.  Parents can check out their children as of 15:30 on Thursday after class for the long weekend. Students are expected to be back for the Sunday evening study hall on February 19. A detailed program of the event can be downloaded on the link below.

family-winter-week-2012

Dear LAS Parents,

With the first snow covering the top of the mountains and the color of the leaves starting to turn. Fall has arrived and the school year is now well underway. Your sons and daughters are settling into classes, making friends from over 55 nations, joining activities, meeting with their faculty families, and thriving on the beauty of the Swiss Alps.

The Admissions Office sent a survey to all parents about Orientation. If you have not had the time to fill it out, I would very much appreciate if you can do so. Your feedback is very valuable and will be taken into consideration for next year’s orientation. In the event that you did not receive it, here is the link: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22D68Z98NVX/.

We have welcomed a growing number of students enrolling in the IB Diploma Programme. This increase is due to two factors: (1) increasing number of returning students who completed 10^th grade last year who are interested and are able to complete the IB Diploma and (2) growing number of new students enrolling in the program. I am particularly proud of the 10^th grade students from last year who decided to enroll in the IB Diploma, as these students are pushing themselves to achieve high academic standards.

The ATLAS project (Advancing Technology at LAS) is off to a promising start, and all students and faculty have received their laptops. As part of the weekly schedule, we set aside time for faculty to train on how to use technology more effectively. Some students are helping others to use software packages and will soon be sponsoring seminars for students new to the Mac operating system.

Please note the following announcements:

1. SAT Test: To parents of seniors, the first SAT tests of the year will be given Saturday, October 1, November 5 and December 3. Please encourage them to take this important SAT test, especially if you think your child may apply to universities in the United States. For more information, please contact the College Counseling Office at mgalbraith@las.ch.

2. Parent Portal Access: You have access to PowerSchool, which includes all the academic data of your child, and Magic Mountain with data pertaining to student conduct, health services, and personal account information. The school encourages you to access this data regularly so that you can support your child. If you have any questions about accessing the parent portal, please contact Ms. Dixon at registrar@las.ch.

3. Parent-Teacher Conferences: We welcome visiting parents throughout the school year. Please email Ms. Dixon at registrar@las.ch at least one week in advance of your visit so she can set up individual meetings with your child’s teachers and, upon request, dorm staff, and other administrators. Meetings are best held on Monday, Thursday and Friday during the first semester due to our block schedule.

 
4. Student Credit Cards: Please note that all student credit cards need to be handed in to the Travel Office. The school will return your child’s card when he/she travels. The purpose of this policy is to avoid excessive spending.

5. Extended Essay: To parents of seniors enrolled in the IB Diploma Programme, please note that students are in the process of completing their Extended Essays, which are due on November 7. Please support your child to meet this important deadline.

6. Weekend Travel Permissions: Parental overnight travel permissions must be sent to weekends@las.ch by Wednesday at 13:00 for the following weekend.  The name, age, and contact details of the adult chaperone all need to be included in the email permission for students 16 years and above. In order to ensure the safety of your child and avoid any abuse, the school will ask for written confirmation of the travel information of the adult chaperone. Travel permission will only be granted if there are no concerns over permissions and students have no outstanding academic issues or behavioral infractions. Students and families should only make weekend travel and accommodation reservations after the Office of the Dean of Students has granted permission. It is very important that students and parents fully support the school in following the process. Please take time to read the travel section (p. 19-21) in the LAS Student Handbook. If you did not receive a copy of the LAS Student Handbook, you can download it at http://www.las.ch/parents/LAS-Handbook.pdf (Note that the link may change since our new web site will be up and running sometime in October).

7. Elite Travel: In order to better protect students, the school has decided to tighten the “Elite Overnight Weekend Travel Permissions for students 17 years and over.” Elite travel will only be permitted outside of Switzerland. The school requires parents to provide in writing travel and accommodation information. For more information, please contact weekends@las.ch or look over the LAS Student Handbook on page 21.

Please mark your calendar for the 2^nd Family Winter Week, which will take place February 14 to 19 (including the long weekend). We encourage parents to arrive on Tuesday, February 14. The program will take place Wednesday and Thursday.  Parents can check out their children as of 15:30 on Thursday after class for the long weekend. Students are expected to be back for the Sunday evening study hall on February 19. A detailed program will be forthcoming later in the fall.

During Orientation, we felt a close connection between our parents and faculty families and believe it is important to continue to build a strong and supporting relationship between both “families.” The Admissions Directors and other people traveling will be sending you a progress report and the contact information of your child’s LAS Faculty Family parents after the first marking period in early October. If you have questions or concerns, the Admissions people and Faculty Family parents will help address them.

We are excited to welcome Mr. Benjamin Smith, our new Director of Development. Mr. Smith was Associate Director of Major Gifts at the University of New Hampshire so he comes to LAS with a wealth of experience and many fresh ideas. He will continue to working with our alumni and support our efforts to attain the LAS mission of “developing responsible, innovative, compassionate citizens of the world.”

I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the parents who generously donated to the school this past year.  Your children and the entire school community have directly benefited from your generosity!  For instance, we received several donations of CHF 75,000 for our scholarship program since last June’s graduation! Thank you.

Our mission is more relevant than ever in these uncertain times. We need your support to work more closely toward developing your sons and daughters as responsible global citizens and leaders. If you would like to join the dialog about the LAS mission and how you can support its goals, please contact Mr. Benjamin Smith at bsmith@las.ch.

If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can best address the needs of your children.  In closing, I wish you an excellent academic year and look forward to welcoming you to the Leysin American School.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Marc-Frédéric Ott

Head of School

Dear LAS Community,

It is with heavy hearts and sadness that we share the news of the passing of Andres Alarcon, son of Director of Admissions, Paul Dyer. Andres attended LAS for 3 years, graduating in 2006. Andres recently earned his bachelors degree from Northeastern University in Boston and completed his fifth summer as a Summer in Switzerland staff member.

Andres was truly appreciated for enthusiasm, positive outlook, and love of life. He considered Leysin his home and loved LAS. Andres will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and the LAS community.

In recognition of Andres’ contribution and commitment to LAS, the Dyer Family, Paul, Elizabeth, and Mariela, request that memorial contributions be made to the Fausto Andres Alarcon ’06 Scholarship Fund. The Scholarship will provide support to a deserving Summer in Switzerland student. Preference will be given to a Latin American student, especially if from Ecuador, who demonstrates Andres’ love of life and spirit.

Memorial contributions can be made to either the Swiss Foundation or the US Foundation (where donations are tax deductible). Please reference the Fausto Andres Alarcon ’06 Scholarship Fund.

Swiss Foundation for the Advancement of International Education (CHF or US$), UBS, 1870, Monthey 2, Switzerland.

(CHF) IBAN: CH56 0024 3243 3550 9560 E
(US$) IBAN: CH82 0024 3243 3550 9502 B

LAS Educational Fund for the Future (US$), TD Bank, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019.

ACCT#: 4241489784

If you have any questions, please contact Benjamin M. Smith, Director of Development, directly by phone +41 24-493-4860 or email bsmith@las.ch.

LAS is delighted to offer an IELTS Preparation Course for non-native English language students in their Junior and Senior year. IELTS is an external, standardized test of English as an academic language. Graduating LAS seniors need an adequate IELTS score to graduate. A higher score is required by colleges worldwide as an English language entry requirement.

This course will allow your child to achieve their highest optimum level score. Seniors will be in a position to score well on the IELTS test as they are applying for college. Juniors will have the opportunity to secure a high score before they need to apply. They will be in a better position to concentrate on other college exams, such as the SAT.

Students who took this course in the past two years achieved significantly higher results than they gained before the course. Key to their success was the focused study of the course details, key IELTS exam taking strategies and taking a number of IELTS practice tests.

The course is taught throughout the school year and involves 75 hours of direct instruction:

• Students will join us for a 3-day weekend immediately before the new students arrive at the end of August (Arrival on August 19; the course will run between August 20 – 22)
• There will be two further weekends in the fall semester 2011 and two weekends in the spring semester 2012
• The students will receive consistent support through the school year
• The students’ natural linguistic development will run parallel to their preparation for the IELTS exam

On the course the students will receive:

• All course materials
• 75 taught hours by qualified and experienced instructors
• 4 practice tests and in-class review
• Personalized interviews to review progress
• Individual practice of the speaking component of the exam

The LAS IELTS Preparation Course is taught by teachers from our own ESL faculty. Mr. and Mrs. Fryer have both taught English to speakers of other languages, at colleges and high schools, for over ten years. They developed this course for LAS two years ago and have been very successful in preparing LAS students for this rigorous test of English language proficiency. Mr. and Mrs. Fryer attribute the success to tailoring the course to the precise needs of students at LAS.

We would like you to consider the IELTS Preparation Course for your son or daughter. The price of the course is CHF 1,500. If you are interested in your son or daughter participating we ask that you email Mr. Mark Fryer directly (mfryer@las.ch) before June 3, 2011.

Sincerely,

Dr. Marc-Frédéric Ott
Head of School

5 students from Japan, South Korea and China joined LAS on April 4th.

There are a few important points I would like to highlight:

ATLAS Project

We are very excited to announce a new initiative at LAS called the ATLAS project (Advancing Technology at LAS) with the purpose of enhancing the use of technology in teaching and learning. After much deliberation about the hardware, the Steering Committee has made the following decision, which will affect all returning students:

Every student will receive a leased MacBook Pro laptop; computers will be preconfigured with software packages for the classroom and other educational purposes; a standardized laptop will be useful for two reasons: (1) standardized pre-configured computers will make it much easier for classroom work and (2) maintenance and support work can be completed much more rapidly
The school will be purchasing some iPads and software aimed at piloting several projects to test the effectiveness of the this device as a learning tool; at this time, the relative newness of the iPad (and the limited software and education content available) requires further study

As part of the ATLAS project, the school will include training of staff and students as well as modernizing the library and its resources to meet the needs of teaching and learning for the 21st century. The school will also hire an extra person in the IT Department dedicated to support all the needs around the program, from training to maintenance of hardware. Please see the attached document, which includes questions & answers.

Communication

Part of the discussion around technology included communication. As you know, students are required to use an LAS assigned telephone number. It is essential that the school be able to communicate effectively with the students at all time.

As of next school year, students must have a “smart phone” with the capability to run the applications required by the school to ensure effective communication. This includes geo-localization and wireless internet capabilities. Students will receive an iPhone if their smart phones do not fulfill these requirements. LAS will be providing more details about the smart phone requirements in upcoming announcements.

Tuition for 2011/12

The tuition for 2011/12 will increase to CHF 74,500. The MacBook Pro laptop lease, pilot program with the iPads, and other costs related to the ATLAS project as well as iPhones will be fully covered by the tuition increase.

Graduation 2011

Since Graduation is rapidly approaching, a few details have been brought to our attention. I would like to emphasize that graduation is designed for seniors and their families. All underclassmen (8th – 11thgraders) may check out and travel on Tuesday May 31 if all obligations are fulfilled, and dormitories close Wednesday, June 1 at 12:00

Please note that no student may rent or occupy hotels or apartments in Leysin during graduation week. Seniors are expected to stay in the dormitories until Wednesday afternoon when they may be checked out in person by their parents only. All other students are expected to leave Leysin. We trust that you will refer to the dates outlined below, and verify with the travel office travel@las.ch that your child’s transportation/flights are booked on these dates. Only underclassmen with a graduating sibling may stay in Leysin after Wednesday, June 1. Please understand that we are communicating this is in an effort to ensure the safety and proper supervision of your children during this important event.

Seniors (12th,13th & PG) may check out as of Wednesday, June 1 at 13:00. Dormitories close at 13:00 Friday, June 3. If one of your children is graduating, and your second child is an underclassman, the younger child will be relocated to the upperclassman dorm with their brother or sister unless the parents are in Leysin, and have checked them out. Only underclassmen with graduating siblings will be allowed to attend the Graduation Ceremony. Due to space constraints in the graduation venue, each graduate will be given a four-guest (seat) allowance, and additional guests will have standing space in the back of the venue.

Note that 12th graders who will return for a 13th grade in 2011/12 will be invited to participate in the graduation ceremony to receive their diploma only in June 2012. They need to make plans to depart with the underclassmen.

LAS Family Winter Week & Development Effort

The LAS Family Winter Week was a tremendous success. Thank you to all the families for coming. I hope we were able to provide families with valuable information on what is presently happening, and planned for next year, at the Town Hall meeting. I certainly feel parents made many pertinent comments and helpful suggestions as we plan for the future. The LAS Family Winter Week will take place again in February 2012.

I would like to extend sincere thanks to those families who have contributed so far to the Annual Fund. Your contributions to help with the various projects are very much appreciated and make a real difference to what we can offer our students. For those who would like to contribute, please refer to the website, http://www.las.ch/alumni/support-the-foundation.html or contact Dr. Steven Ott, LAS Chairman of the Board, at development@las.ch.

Other

Students are not to leave for Spring Break before Friday, March 18 at 15:30 after class. Airport transportation will be provided on Saturday and Sunday March 19 – 20. Students are expected to be back on campus by Sunday, April 3, 19:00. Airport transportation will be provided on Saturday and Sunday, April 2 – 3. Please avoid early departures and late return as it may affect the grades of your child.

The Health Center is running very well. The new nurses are Mrs. Thabbeth Cotton and Ms. Naomi Davidson. The Health Center has opening hours now at both the Savoy and Belle Époque Campuses. New processes have been put into place so that students who truly need health services receive them on-campus, in Leysin by the local doctors, and off the mountain for specialists and ambulatory care.

Thank you for your continued trust and support. Planning for next school year is well underway, which is particularly exciting with the ATLAS project! While enrollments for the academic year 2011/12 look very promising, please continue to refer LAS academic year (http://www.las.ch) and Summer in Switzerland program (SIS – http://www.las.ch/summer) to family and friends.

As always, please contact us with your concerns and questions.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Marc-Frédéric Ott
Head of School

It is quiet here as we prepare for the return of the students this coming weekend. Please
note that the dormitories will open on Saturday January 8, and that we will have a pickup
schedule at the airport for both Saturday and Sunday. Classes begin Monday January 10.
Please avoid unexcused absences.

I would like to share a few points with you regarding the second semester:

1. Ski Season: The winter schedule, which includes skiing and snowboarding on
Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, will begin shortly after the start of the second
semester and will end before spring break. The avalanche awareness program began
last semester and will continue during the second semester. We are fortunate to live in
a beautiful environment permitting LAS to offer an excellent mountain sports
program. However, there are risks associated with these sports. While the school
works hard to make students aware of these dangers, please also support us by
addressing this topic with your child. We look forward to a safe and memorable ski
season.

2. New attendance policy for Tuesdays and Thursday ski afternoons: Students choosing
not to ski or snowboard on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and who are healthy
enough to attend classes will not receive travel permission for the upcoming
weekend. This policy does not apply to students who have medical excuses not to ski
or snowboard for the entire ski season. The reasons behind this policy are three-fold:

• First, we want students to engage in regular exercise through this program.
• Second, we want to ensure that only students with real health concerns receive
treatment by our health professionals.
• Third, students who can attend classes but are too ill to participate in the ski
program need to stay inside a few more days to ensure proper recovery and
therefore will remain on campus over the following weekend.

3. Health Center Update: Two nurses have been hired and clinic hours will be posted at
the Savoy and Belle Époque campuses. Updated systems have been put into place to
ensure the best possible care for students.

4. Drinking Permission for seniors: Only the seniors with parental permission who have
completed the alcohol awareness program will be granted drinking permission.
However these seniors will only be permitted to drink during certain events at The
Cave, the LAS Student Center at the Belle Époque Campus. Students are not
permitted to consume alcohol at the Leysin Top Pub nor at any restaurant or bar in the
region.

5. Family Winter Week February 15-20 (including the long weekend): The purpose of
this event is the following: (a) reunite parents and their children in the school setting,
(b) learn more about the LAS community (teachers, administrators, dormitory staff),
(c) share information about LAS programs and school development. We encourage
parents to arrive on Tuesday, February 15. The program will take place Wednesday
and Thursday and will include a full tour of the school, reception with faculty and
administrators, entertainment by students, and a formal school banquet. Parents can
checkout their children as of 15:30 on Thursday after class for the long weekend.
Students are expected to be back for the Sunday evening study hall on February 20. A
detailed program will be forthcoming.

6. New Educational Informational Technology Vision: Information technology is ever
changing. As educators, we need to teach the young generation effective use of IT.
Starting the second semester, the school will be working with an experienced
educational consultant who will help guide us in establishing a new educational IT
vision. Committees will be formed with student participation. The purpose of this
new vision is to enhance teaching and learning by more effectively using information
technology.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new students for the second semester, and

trust that our staff will provide them with a smooth transition into the LAS community.
Please mark your calendar for the Family Winter Week February 15 – 20. In closing, I
wish you and your families all the best in the New Year.

Kindest regards,

Marc-Frédéric Ott, Ed.D.
Head of School

This is a momentous year for LAS as we celebrate our 50^th Anniversary (1960-2010).  Originally founded to provide a high quality education to expatriate children primarily from the United States, LAS is now proud to have students from around the world as part of its international family.   LAS recently hosted a Gala Dinner with guests such as Mrs. Sigrid Ott, our co-founder (now 94!), an ex-President of Switzerland and numerous past and present faculty, parents and students.  Many 50^th Anniversary Reunions will also take place around the globe throughout the coming year.

Renovations at our new Belle Epoque campus, home to our growing IB program, are nearing completion.  This impressive facility, once the historic Grand Hotel, features state-of-the-art classrooms, science labs, dormitories and a trendy student café called “the Cave.”  We are also excited to welcome a larger number of 8^th and 9^th graders this year who will one day pursue the full IB Diploma at the Belle Epoque.

Our Summer in Switzerland program for students ages 8-18 continues to offer an attractive mix of academic classes, recreational activities and cultural excursions.  Students also enjoy the option of one week trips to France, Italy, England or Spain.

Helping shape citizens of the world who will be future leaders in our global community is our mission at LAS.  We thank you for sharing our vision.  Please let us know if we can answer any questions or help you in any way.   As always, we welcome you to visit us on the Magic Mountain!

Paul E. Dyer

Director of Admissions

The LAS Fall Culturals mark the exact mid-way point of this semester and everyone, students and teachers alike, could use a change of scenery before the winter sets in.  Early Sunday morning heard the thumping and rolling sounds of suitcases being pulled through the hallways as waves of students started departing the campus this weekend for a week’s worth of cultural excursions.

Our 8th and 9th graders are going to Crans Montana and Lugano, our 10th grade adventurers are joining Outward Bound in Germany, and our 11th graders are on science, arts and music excursions to Zurich and Basel.  The graduating seniors are traveling to either Venice, Florence or Rome to supplement their IB Theory of Knowledge course.  All these excursions form part of the LAS’s varied curriculum and offer students a learning experience that brings them out of the classroom and into the wider world.  They will be tested physically (especially the Outward Bounders!) and mentally.  Each Cultural will have a project which will synthesize the experience and will receive a grade and be recorded on the students’ transcripts.

Good Luck Teams!