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We all know about the wonderful work Roundabout does; the organization will be attending several community events over the coming months, so go along to support them or consider volunteering. If you’d like to get involved, join their upcoming training morning. If you love classical music, book your tickets now for the International Festival Chorus concert with performances of works by Mozart and Gershwin. As the holidays approach, it’s time for summer fairs. The British School of Beijing will be hosting theirs towards the end of May, a fun-packed day of fabulous food, activities, and prizes. If you have a budding musician in your household who loves nothing more than making a noise, channel their energy into O’le Music’s Trash Bash sessions.

Roundabout Events and Volunteering
Roundabout will be taking part in several community events that are coming up across Shunyi. Be sure to come along and look for their booths and the pink apron folks at the following fun-filled events:

•    May 10: International School of Beijing‘s Spring Fair (Roundabout will be running the Book Nook)
•    May 11: Spring Bazaar at Beijing Riviera
•    May 17: Family Day at BIBA

Thinking about volunteering? Put on a pink apron at Roundabout! The organization will host training mornings for new volunteers in a friendly environment. The next training morning will be on Thursday May 22 from 10am to noon at the Roundabout warehouse in Shunyi. The session will be capped at six volunteers; all ages and abilities are welcome to join. To sign up, email amyroundabout@gmail.com.

IFC Spring Concert: Mozart’s Requiem and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
This Saturday, May 10 from 7pm to 9:30pm, The International Festival Chorus celebrates spring with a concert at the International School of Beijing. Acclaimed Canadian pianist David Braid will perform a specially-composed piece that explores the links between the two composers. Tickets cost RMB 200 for stalls and RMB 150 for the balcony. Click here to purchase them online, call 185 1178 6680, or email hcmowbray@gmail.com.

The British School of Beijing Summer Fayre
On Sunday, May 25 from 10.30am to 3pm at The British School of Beijing (BSB) Shunyi, there will be more than 100 stalls of food, drinks, games, arts and crafts and souvenirs. The Summer Fayre will be held on the sports field and inside the main foyer of the school. The Grand Raffle and Tombola will raise money for charity, with hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and other companies sponsoring and providing prizes. Food and drink stalls will include barbecue, Indian food, pizza making, fresh salads, sandwiches, English afternoon tea, popcorn, candy floss, and ice cream. There will also be musical performances, martial arts demonstrations, circus performers, bouncy castles, face painting and games. Entrance is free. To find out more, click here.

O’le Trash Bash
Have fun making music with objects with O’le Music. For ages 7-16, the sessions are open to both residents and non-residents of Beijing Riviera. Every Tuesday 4.30pm-5.30pm, RMB 150 per session. Sign up at the Beijing Riviera Clubhouse or email bookings@ole-music.com.

TLC Summer Camps
The Learning Center (TLC) is running academic summer camps for both native and non-native English speakers. For Grades 1-10; choose from half days or full days, for one or two weeks. Monday July 14-Friday August 25 (every weekday) 9am-4pm. Prices start from RMB 2,250 (half-day for one-week). Sibling and group discounts available. For more information, call 8046 3886/8036 7085. Email registration@hyde-education.com.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photo courtesy of BSB Shunyi

December is tomorrow! The holiday season is really upon us, and with it are bazaars in and around the neighborhood, along with many events and performances and other newsy news. Before packing up for break, check out the following:

Special events and performances
*Learn about Individual Education Plans (IEPs) by Care for Children Principal Dennis McKibben. On Thursday, December 1 from 6-7:30pm, get a better understanding of assessments, goal setting and supporting your child during this special presentation. Contact Jenni Young at 8046 3306 or admin@careforchildrenservices.com.cn for more information.
*Beijing Playhouse presents a funny fractured fairy tale – Cinderella, from December 2-18. The December 2 7:30pm show is held at BSB in Shunyi (the remainder of the schedule is in the city). Tickets are RMB 280 in advance for adults and RMB 300 at the door; students and children are half price; contact performance@beijingplayhouse.com for more information.
*The International Festival Chorus and players from the Peking Sinfonietta will perform Handel’s Messiah under guest conductor David Mackay from Australia. The performance is on Sunday, December 4 at 7:30pm at ISB in Shunyi. Free round-trip bus transport is available from the Lufthansa Center in Liangmaqiao. Ticket prices are RMB 180 and 280, on sale now by e-mailing tickets@beijingifc.org, or by going to Tai Tai inside Chen Hao furniture (contact brownmarykate@yahoo.co.uk).
*The Charity CD, “Music to Warm the Heart (fingers & toes)" is now available for sale, and to celebrate the efforts there will be a Charity Concert! On Saturday, December 10 from 4-6pm at Euro Plaza, come enjoy festive holiday music sung by the participants of the charity CD. Tickets are RMB 50, available at Claire’s Music Studio. The two-disc CDs are RMB 100, with all proceeds going towards purchasing coal for LiMing Orphanage in Hebei Province.

Classes and camps
*Kids winter theater camp auditions and enrollment at Beijing Playhouse will be held on Sunday, December 4 at 10am (all children will be cast).  Kids from ages 6-14 will perform The Grinch. The two week camp is Monday-Saturday, December 26-January 7 from 9am-4pm, ending with a family performance. Location is Dulwich College, Legend Garden campus. Tuition is RMB 5,500. Contact performance@beijingplayhouse.com for more information.
*A reminder that The Learning Center (TLC) will hold special programs during the winter break for kids ranging from grades 3-6. Session one is from December 19-22; session two is from January 2-5. Programs include the joy of reading, science experiments, news writing and editing and more. Tuition ranges from RMB 880-3160. E-mail learningcenterbeijing@gmail.com or call 8046 3886 to reserve space.
*Dulwich Community Programmes winter camps begin on December 19. From theater and sports to arts and fun, there’s something to keep all kids happily entertained. E-mail dcp@dulwich-beijing.cn for more information.
*A Pilates class is open for participants at Dragon Bay clubhouse on Thursdays at 10:15am and Sundays at 9am. Walk-ins welcome — check it out!

Other News
*Roundabout will have a special holiday sale at BSB all week long from 9:30am-4:30pm, selling Christmas goodies of all kinds – trees, decorations, lights, advent calendars, angels and more. Their charity CDs and Christmas cards are also available at BSB, as well as: Mrs. Shanen’s, Tai Tai, Dulwich College Legend Garden, Jenny Wang’s at Pinnacle and Claire’s Music Studio on the 5th floor of Euro Plaza. If you are able to help sell the cards or CDs, please contact Leslie at 137 1877 7761.
*Do you have your Christmas photos yet? Small World on the 5th floor of Euro Plaza has packages for Christmas cards, calendars and holiday portraits ranging from RMB 399-999. Visit www.smallworldkidsland.com or call 8046 1603 for more information.
*Last week I wrote that Lets Burger was coming to Pinnacle Avenue, but it didn’t look like it was going to be soon. Wrong! It’s open now, so be sure to go check it out!