Month: January 2019

Overdrive/Sora is now working again!

Whoo-hoo! You can checkout and read ebooks from Overdrive/Sora once again, thanks to our wonderful IT department. Your username AND password are your ID number found on your ID card. Parents, if you are unable to login using your ID number, please send me an email at angelaromero@nanjing-school.com letting me know so I can create an account for you. Stop by the library with any questions!

IMPORTANT FROM MICROSOFT: OneDrive no longer supported on MacOS 10.10 and 10.11

FROM MICROSOFT:
The OneDrive engineering team is committed to bringing you the best, most secure, end user experience possible. To support that commitment, the OneDrive Desktop application (sync client) will look to phase out support for Mac OS X Yosemite 10.10 and 10.11. These changes will go into effect February 1st, 2019. Note: Mac OS X Yosemite 10.10 has been out of mainline support since August 2017.
How does this affect me?
  • Existing OneDrive sync client installations on unsupported operating systems will stop updating. These clients will continue to run, but functionality will no longer be tested. It is not advised to continue to run on these unsupported operating systems.
  • New installations on unsupported operating systems will be blocked.
  • Bugs and issues found on or specific to unsupported operating systems will no longer be investigated or fixed.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
To ensure a smooth transition we recommend that you upgrade machines to Mac OS X 10.12 or above before February 1st, 2019. We do recommend updating to macOS Mojave 10.14 for the best experience.

Largestorage and Fileserver update reminder!

Happy (Western) New Year and Welcome Back!

We recently upgraded the access protocols to our Largestorage and Fileservers at NIS, so if you’ve been experiencing problems connecting to them, that is why. But don’t worry! Here are the instructions for updating the settings on your computer if you access from school:

  1. CMD+K keyboard shortcut will open the Connect to Server window below:
  2. For LargeStorage  access: smb://192.168.30.10/    OR  smb://largestorage.nanjing-school.com/
  3. For FileServer access: smb://192.168.30.12/     OR  smb://fileserver.nanjing-school.com/

Note that the SMB part is quite important and the main difference.

If you are trying to connect via the links on the school website from home, come and see us in IT for help, or, if you are so inclined, follow the (slightly) more complicated directions below:

  • While at school you need to download the new SSL VPN Client Software by doing the following:
    1. Connect to  https://218.94.153.195:4433 with a web browser

    2. Type your username and password (i.e. your Veracross login information)

    3. Choose the correct installer for your operating system (MacOS version)

    4. Save the file to your computer

    5. Click install.

  • Once installed:
    1. Select the WatchGuard Mobile VPN with SSL from your Applications
    2. When asked for server, type 218.94.153.195:4433
    3. Enter your username and password (same as before)
    4. Click the Connect button, and the VPN connection should be established.

Congratulations, you should now be able to securely connect to the Fileserver and Largestorage servers from home using the SMB protocol.

Once again, if you have any problems, please don’t hesitate to contact us in IT!

Thanks,

The NIS IT Department

What’s the NIS procedure/policy/guidelines on…?

Happy New Year and Welcome back!

Have you ever wondered about who your budget head was? Or what the Code of Conduct is for visitors to NIS? Trying to figure out if the photo you took of your students building with lego is appropriate to Tweet out? Well, all of these things and more can be found within our O365 Sharepoint server located, living and continuously updated online.  Some further dissemination of these important tidbits of information are outlined below:

  • The Staff Folder is where the majority of policy documents, procedures and forms live
  • Want a car loan? A soft copy of the yellow form? NIS Letterhead or branded Powerpoint slides? -> Check out the Resources folder
  • Forgotten where to find that Curriculum Mapping Template? Or curious about what ATLs look like in the MYP? Check out the Curriculum Development folder
  • Missed the Monday Morning Briefing? You’re in luck because you will also find a link to the OneNote document on the left-hand side (as seen below) – or click here and bookmark the page!

While you’re visiting, your friendly IT Coaches and Staff remind you to bookmark this page! (That’s the Command + D keys or find it under Bookmarks in the menu). Happy surfing!

Next batch of leaving students on 23rd January + updated list of leavers

Dear All,

The next batch of leaving students will be on Wednesday 23rd January. There will be a few stragglers too – see the report below.

The list may still alter….hopefully not!

Below you will find a reminder on our Clearance Forms and leaving procedures  in case you are asked questions, or are new to the process.

Each leaving student in every grade must complete a Clearance Form. The parent needs to complete the whole form for PS, and for MS/US the front page is for parents and the other two sheets for the students to complete. (Non native speaking parents may need some assistance in PS)
· Forms can be obtained from Main Reception, Admissions or downloaded off the website on the Parent Portal or FAQ’s
· On the student’s last day – in exchange for their completed form we will hand over the studentship letter in PS and transcripts in MS/US. This is done by the ladies on Main Reception with support from Admissions. Please encourage all concerned to get these forms completed in their final week – not the final hour!
· Julia Zhang, Financial Controller on the 2nd floor of the Centre opposite the lift is always the last person to sign off on the form. She checks that there is no money owing to school by the student and the family.
· It is important that all MacBooks are handed into IT for them to clear off all school settings and software. Before this is done EVERYTHING must be backed up as it will be wiped clean and they will not be able to retrieve anything. I would encourage all leaving students in Grade 5 and MS to ask IT if they have any questions about this – especially in terms of the best time to get this done.
· The S2 reports will be out on Tuesday 22nd January, 2019, and not before.
· All leaving families must download and print them off, as once they have left NIS they will no longer have access to Veracross.
· If any student has a special request or needs help, send them to Admissions or to see Weiwei who will arrange an appointment with Kasson.
· Our Korean leavers often have complicated procedures for the papers needed for their return home. If they need help – pass them onto Weiwei and Kasson.

Any questions – come and see us in Admissions Office, call Sue on 13809022693 or email us at admissions@nanjing-school.com

Thanks for your help and cooperation.

Grace, Jane, Lucy and Sue
The A Team

Personal Project Clothes Collection – Two Days to Go!

Do you have any old t-shirts or other clothes you’re no longer using?

If so, please donate them to my Personal Project. I will be re-purposing the clothes and creating bags for people to use instead of plastic ones. These bags can then be used for shopping, taking to the beach or any other purpose!

There is a labelled box in the Centre foyer ready for you to donate your (clean) t-shirts or other clothes.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Thanks very much!

Hyemin Han (Grade 10)

hyeminhan@nanjing-school.com

Accidental Theatre returns!

Was your May miserable last year? Did your spring not sparkle? Was it because you missed the chance to witness a small-scale, intimate, unpredictable, comically outrageous theatre show? Fear not! Accidental Theatre is back!

Well, it’s only back if you want to take part. A theatre company needs actors, and we are looking for actors right now. Are you in Grade 8 to 11? Are you an actor? Have you already performed in school productions or elsewhere? Or are you in the habit of watching theatre shows thinking ‘I could do that’? Are you able to commit to Monday and Thursday after-school rehearsal times, and a performance in mid-May? Would you show up faithfully with lines learned and energy to spare? 
 
If so, see Mr.Brown in the Black Box or Mr.Hammond in D214 to find out what it’s all about. Auditions will be held week beginning 21st January.

Grade 10 subject choice meeting

Good morning, Grade 10.

Please leave Advisory promptly this morning and head to the MSUS LGR.

You will need a pen and paper to take notes. Please leave your bags at the back of the LGR.

See you momentarily,

Ms Ham

PP in the Library

Would you like help in takin your PP to the next level?

Come to the library today after school for some high-quality, focused work time. We’ll help you construct your PP so that it meets all the building codes needed for a successful product.

Volunteers for Swim Meet

We need 120 volunteers to help run the Swim Meet on January 20th-21st.

Sign up on Veracross now.

Times:

Saturday 8.30am – 12.30pm

Saturday 1pm – 5pm

Sunday 8.30am – 12.30pm

Possible Learning Outcomes:

ethics

collaboration

challenge & skill

strength & growth

perseverance & commitment

You can count this volunteer experience toward Semester 1 or 2.

Anna Yuen

Service as Action/CAS updates on ManageBac

Another reminder to all students from Grades 6-12 to have their Service as Action or CAS experiences updated on ManageBac (MB) by Friday, Jan 11 at 9pm (Beijing Time!). After this time, MB will be LOCKED until further notice.

For experiences that last:

less than 3 weeks: 1 reflection is acceptable

1 months – 4 months: minimum 3 reflections

year-long – minimum 6 reflections

ManageBac entries are fully completed ONLY when you have included these things:

-Description (answer who, what, where, when, why)

-Smart Goal (this is your PERSONAL goal)

-Outcome (grade 6-10 can only focus on ONE outcome.)

-Reflection (explain facts, feelings, findings, future, smart goal, outcome – write it bold face) can be written, audio or video

-Evidence (this can be a photo/video of you doing the experience, an email from supervisor, a photo of a trophy or certificate, etc.)

Please see the emails from Nov 15/Jan 3 for more details. If you need help, first please ask your advisory teacher. I can also support you if you need more help, please email me.

Anna Yuen