Project Update (I)

We are pleased to announce that the Flat Stanley Club at Wen-Au Elementary School has launched exchange programmes with Sam Houston Elementary School in Texas, Enterprise Charter School in Buffalo, Public School 279 in Brooklyn, and MHOC School in Toorminia, Australia.

Parcels have been sent to Enterprise Charter School, Public School 279 and MHOC School on Nov. 21, 2008. We look forward to hearing from you!

School Outing with Stanley's!

Stanley travels with Wen-Au students, during a long-anticipated school outing, to the Er-Kan Village of Old Residences and Hsi-Tai Fortress. The Er-Kan residences are famous for their archaic (what does 'archaic' mean?) architecture style and structural/spatial awareness of nature, community and environment. Each mansion is meticulously decorated with colourful shapes, elegant friezes and deliberate Chinese eaves that illustrate the symbolic significance of an abiding place: the desire to stay and prosper, the attempt to make permanent a 'home' that never survived waves of forced exodus, and the resolution to map out both the root and route that had brought thousands of Chinese immigrants from across the strait to Taiwan. Each mansion is connected by a central corridor that allows kids to run from one household to another, benefitting its residents with extra security/care for children and an unobstructed channel for communication and collaboration.

The Hsi-Tai Fortress, on the other hand, witnessed an era of upheavals and wars. Built during the Ching Dynasty, the Fortress was established with an aim to defending the coastline of Penghu against foreign invasions. Now a historical site for tourists to explore, it was once equipped with cannons and other fiery weapons to shield Ching Dynasty's Navy of roughly 5,000 men. Click [here] for more photos of Stanley and his friends at Wen-Au.

Ready for Journey?

During the 3rd meeting of the Flat Stanley Club, each student colours a Stanley template (obtained from flatstanley.com) and personalises it by printing personal information, along with his/her favourite snapshot, on the reverse of the template. Under Ms. Chen's instructions, pupils from the 5th and 6th grades complete some fine-tuning on their worksheets/travel logs and prepare their Stanleys for long excusions that, no doubt, will bring them surprises from across the ocean and sky! Click [here] to view more photos of students' works!

*Our first batch of Stanleys have been posted to Enterprise Charter School, Public School 279 (both in the USA) and MHOC School (Australia) through International Express Mail Service (EMS). Please allow 5-7 days for delivery and, if possible, advise us once you have received our special guests in the envelops!

Penghu: Where, What, and How?

DISCOVERY Channel: All About Penghu (瘋台灣澎湖簡介)!
(English with Chinese Subtitle)
Where is Penghu? And what does it look like? This programme (copyright Discovery Channel, Taiwan) presents a brief overlook of our community and the rich natural resources it has to offer. Enjoy!



[*The sections below contain local dialects without English translations]










Sources: http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=LCojD-UaGmE; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr42mLwn-tM; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4vGEP1ep5w&feature=related; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WeblOSwAYg&feature=related; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvMEi4FU33A&feature=related;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk9e9olj0t8&feature=related

Penghu at a Glance--for Our Partnered School Teachers

Dear Partnered School Teachers:

If you are looking for more information on Penghu, below are two useful websites that contain rich yet succinct overviews to help you prepare teaching materials or share with students in class. They outline local geography, geology, culture and other demographical information for your quick reference.

http://www.phhg.gov.tw/english/tour/tour.htm
http://tour.penghu.gov.tw/petg/

Should you require more information, kindly inform us through e-mails and we will be happy to answer your questions!

Esther and Jeffrey

Stanley is in Penghu - Where is Penghu?

The second meeting of the Flat Stanley Club: Ms. Chen has prepared a worksheet that contains geographical information for students to map out their location within Asia. This activity helps our pupils learn more about their hometown, the relative distance to and from other countries in Asia, and some country names in English. While most students stayed with the template, some students actually managed to make their own introductions to Penghu! Well done!!

Click [here] for more photos.

Introducing the Story to Pupils!

This is the first meeting of the Flat Stanley Club--look at how excited our students are as Ms. Chen introduces the story with powerpoint slides!

Click [here] for more photos.