In Germany, elementary school begins with the First grade (not kindergarten). To celebrate the first day of school at S.A.I.L., our 5th graders present a Schultüte to the 1st graders. All languages, not just German, take part in this wonderful ceremony. The Schultüte tradition goes back to the early 1800s in Germany. On their first day of school, children traditionally receive a cone-shaped cornucopia filled with treats, sweets, and toys to make starting real school just a little bit sweeter.

Chinese classes celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival today with a mooncake and other treats. The festival is for lunar appreciation and moon watching; moon cakes are offered between friends and family while celebrating the festival. 中秋快乐

Spanish Culture Night is a celebration full performances, food and beautiful traditional costumes. It is a fun night for the whole family!

German classes celebrate Oktoberfest with a class party. They might make traditional German alpine hat and dance to some traditional Oktoberfest music with lots of yodeling. Some enjoy fresh pretzels.

October 3rd 1990, Germany was unified. To celebrate German Unity Day (Tag der deutschen Einheit), some German classes learn about the fall of the Berlin Wall and how that lead to the two German countries being reunited almost a year later.

German Cultural Night is a great family event with student performances including dances, songs and historical presentations. There is traditional German food and arts and crafts for you to enjoy. The night ends with a lantern parade led by St. Martin.

Laternenumzug (lantern parade) is a German tradition for St. Martin’s Day. On November 11th, children walk along the streets holding colorful self-made lanterns. SAIL German students walk through the school hallways, with their homemade lanterns while singing Martinslieder “Ich geh mit meiner Laterne”.

During International Week, each day has a Country of the day. On that day, students may dress in traditional costume, folkwear from that country, or wear the solid colors of the flag of that country. Morning announcements feature stories and facts about each country.

Enjoy an evening winter celebration at SAIL! There are live performances by the chorus, handbells, and band. Delicious food from around the world is served. There is an International Craft Bazaar with handmade gifts, toys, and treasures to be found. You can also bid on one of the many items available at the Silent Auction.

December 6th is a very special day for children all over Germany as it marks the Nikolaustag (Day of St. Nikolaus). On the eve of December 5th, children clean and polish their shoes or boots and put them outside their front door in the hope that St. Nikolaus will pass by and fill them up with sweets and goodies. Seid ihr denn auch brav gewesen? SAIL students are visited by St. Nikolaus. He usually read to them a story, and gives them some little treats.

Japanese Immersion classes celebrate the New Year by making mochi. Students are able to participate in traditional rice pounding and learn more about the culture. Mochi (餠, もち) is Japanese rice cake made of mochigome, a short-grain japonica glutinous rice. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, mochi is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki and is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year.

La galette des rois is traditionally served January 6th to mark the feast of the Epiphany. Hidden in the delicious frangipane filling is a “fève”. Originally it was an actual broad bean, nowadays it is a plastic or porcelain figurine. The lucky child whose piece has the fève gets to be crowned king or queen for the day!

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is China's most important festival. It is time for families to be together. The main Chinese New Year activities include putting up decorations like red Chinese lanterns, eating reunion dinner with family on New Year's Eve, firecrackers and fireworks, and lastly, giving red envelopes and other gifts. 新年快乐

Student performances and food are the highlights of this exciting night that showcases the Chinese culture and celebrates Chinese New Year.

Setsubun signals the beginning of spring in Japan! This day of seasonal renewal has unique traditions said to usher in health and happiness. One of them involves throwing roasted mame beans and shouting, "Oniwasoto👹! Fukuwauchi!"("Out with demons! In with fortune!") to scare away evil spirits and welcome good luck. Students in the Japanese program have a fun time shouting and throwing “beans” at S.A.I.L.’s own Aka-Oni . 鬼は外! 福は内!

In honor of Black History Month, The S.A.I.L. Dance department presents "I Too Am America", celebrating the African American Experience Through Dance. The evening includes performances by our Modern Dance classes, Dance Team, as well as several elementary classes.

February 2nd marks La Chandeleur at South Academy of International Students, also known as Le Jour des Crêpes. There is a French tradition that if a person can hold a gold coin in their left hand while tossing and catching a crêpe in the air in a frying pan held in their right hand then that person will become rich in the coming year.

Donuts are served to every student- it’s the closest thing we can get to a beignet! A Mardi Gras parade features all K-4 classes. Parents are encouraged to line the halls and watch the parade as it laps around the school twice. 5th graders have a special dance on Mardi Gras.

During la Semaine de la Francophonie, French classes take part in a pétanque tournament. Pétanque is similar to bocce and originated in Provence, France. The objective is to throw your ‘boules’ and have yours be the closest to the target, ‘the cochonnet’.

During la Semaine de la Francophonie, French students compete in a French Poetry Slam.

This is a fun family event celebrating everything francophone! There are French student performances including our Poetry Slam winners. There are photo-ops galore and lots of food for you to enjoy!

Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is celebrated on March 3rd (also called Doll's Day or Girls' Day) and is a special day celebrated for a girl in Japan. The family who has a girl(s) will display a set of ornamental dolls (雛人形,) . Students make Origami dolls to learn about this festival. Some classes offer Hina-arare which is a traditional snack during Hinamatsuri.

Hanami, 花見 , which means "flower viewing" in Japanese, is the traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of cherry blossoms. Students may make paper cherry blossom to decorate their bulletin board. When cherry blossoms bloom in Japan, people of every age and occupation gather under the trees for hanami: a time to admire, ponder, and celebrate.

Children's Day (こどもの日, Kodomo no Hi) is a Japanese national holiday. The day celebrates the Japanese culture's wishes for healthy and happy children. . Koinobori (鯉のぼり), "carp streamer" in Japanese, are carp-shaped windsocks traditionally flown in Japan to celebrate Children’s Day, in honor of children for a good future and in the hope that they will grow up healthy and strong.

Come savor Japanese food and take in a bit of the culture of Japan with performances, Taiko drums, and other fun activities for the whole family!