March Forward

      This is the first month of a new year, and an opportunity to start get into a good habit (or a bad habit if you’re not careful!). With that in mind, I’d like to start my own monthly habit of publishing a dean’s letter. Our program is doing so many exciting things this year, and I don’t want to miss this opportunity to share that with all of you.

      迎来新学年的第一个月，年初是培养好习惯的绝佳机会(当然一不小心，也有可能是坏习惯)。考虑到这点，我开始了教务长月报的习惯。今年国际部举行了各种丰富多彩的活动，我实在不想错失这个分享给大家的机会。

      This month marks not only the start of the year of the ox, but the start of a new quarter. Student grades start fresh each quarter, and this is a great chance for any students that fell behind in semester one to make their comeback.

      这个月不仅标志着牛年学习的开始，也是新季度的开始。国际部学生的成绩每季度都会重新计算，这对第一学期稍稍落后的学生来说是一个东山再起的机会。

An Eventful Month

    We’re busier than ever here at the Zhengzhou No. 11 International Department. Last week we traveled to a nearby farm to plant trees for Arbor Day. At first, some of the students were a little timid, but it only took a few minutes before they were trudging through the mud in an effort to plant as many trees as possible. This generation will inherit climate change challenges more profound than any that has come before, and it’s inspirational to watch them tackle the problem head on.

      这个月，郑州十一中国际部比以往任何时候都要忙。上周植树节我们全体师生去市郊苗圃基地进行了种树活动。刚开始的时候，有些同学还有点放不开，但几分钟后，他们就忙碌在田地里，挖坑，植树，填土，浇水，尽可能多栽下一些树。这一代人将面临比以往任何一代人都更严峻的气候变化挑战，看到他们能够尽自己所能，种下绿色，正面解决这一问题是相当令人欣慰的。

     On March 14^th we celebrated Pi-Day. It was a small celebration, but fun nonetheless. Students brought food in from home and learned how you could calculate pi by throwing chopsticks on the ground. We also had my favorite Pi-Day snack: pi-egg-tarts.

      3月14日，大家一起庆祝了数学日π day。虽然只是一个小型的庆祝活动，但仍然趣味十足。学生们从家里带来了自制的美食共同分享，学习了如何通过把筷子扔在地上来计算出来圆周率，还吃了我最喜欢的π day小点心: 独家定制版π蛋挞。

    Every month we have a birthday party for all the students (and teachers!) born that month, but March is extra special because we got to celebrate two months! Happy birthday to all of our students and teachers!

      每个月我们都会为当月出生的学生(和老师)举行生日会，但是三月格外特别，因为我们要二三月一起庆祝!学生和老师们生日快乐!

Looking Ahead

     Here at the International Department, we are never content with the status quo, and so there is always more to do on the horizon.

      在国际部，我们从不满足于现状，所以接下来我们会筹备更多的校园活动。

     On April 1^st we’ll have an English speech competition. Students need to write and deliver a short speech answer the question: how has China changed in the last 30 years? The competition is being arranged by the multitalented Mr.L and the brilliant Mrs. Meng, and it’s an excellent opportunity for students to stretch their English skills and express themselves creatively.

      4月1日我们将举行英语演讲比赛。学生们需要准备一个精炼的演讲来回答这个问题:中国在过去30年里发生了怎样的变化?本次比赛由才华横溢的Mr. L和优秀的孟老师共同主办，为同学们提供了一个拓展英语能力和创造性表达自我的绝佳机会。

      While academics is our top priority, we also find time to get some exercise. With that in mind, Juniors Avery Li and Harris Zhu, along with our Science Teacher Mrs. Adams, are organizing a department wide badminton competition. The students have already had their competition, and the winners (10.1 Harry and 10.2 Kevin) will be going head to head with the the winners of next week's teacher competition.

      学习固然是头等大事，但我们也会抽出时间来锻炼身体。考虑到这一点，高二学生李怡鑫和祝明浩，协同科学老师Mrs. Adams，正在组织一场羽毛球比赛。学生组已经于周一活动课比赛完毕，获胜者(2324马子轩，2325陈君尚)将与下周教师组比赛的获胜者正面交锋，冠军花落谁家，敬请期待。

      Finally, next month we will start a monthly competition between the classes. With some help from the student union, we will be ranking classes on the cleanliness of their classrooms, whether they are in uniform, and how punctual they are. The winning class will have a lunchtime party with me, and the losing classes will have an incentive to try harder next time!

      最后，下个月国际部将开始班级间月度评比。在学生会的协助下，我们将根据班级教室的卫生、校服着装以及按时进班情况，来对班级进行考核。月度最优秀班级将有内部中午聚餐奖励，而失利的班级下次要更加努力!