November 30, 2012

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe that November has come and gone and that the winter holidays will soon be upon us. Our students and teachers are busy preparing for the upcoming winter concerts, which will be held on December 12^th (K-2) and December 13^th (3-5). Speaking of concerts, I hope to see you at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Monday evening at 6:00 pm. The Elementary School and Community Choirs will be singing festive songs and I have heard that there may even be a special visitor whom the children will love!

In keeping with the spirit of giving during this holiday season, the Elementary School Student Council is sponsoring a Toy Drive beginning next week. We are seeking gently used and unwanted toys for all ages. We do ask that the toys/games are in good condition, not broken, not missing any pieces and not violent in nature. Students in PK-2 can leave their donation in the Elementary Reception while students in Grades 3-5 can drop off their donations in their classroom. Thank you to the Student Council for initiating the toy drive and many thanks to those who can make a donation. Your act of kindness will bring joy to a local boy or girl who is in need.

This year our students in Grade 5 will once again have the opportunity to participate in the NESA Virtual Science Fair Project. Ms Shobhana will coordinate this event and she encourages all the fifth graders to participate. Ms Shobhana will guide the students, who will work in groups of three. Students who choose to participate need to understand that most of the work is completed outside the regular school day. Children, therefore, will require the support of their parents, to facilitate meeting times. Throughout the science fair, students will receive support from an e-mentor. The science fair starts in December and concludes in May. Students will be expected to formulate a question, a hypothesis and conduct an experiment to support the hypothesis. During this event, three interim reports need to be submitted and the school-based judges will decide which projects will be entered into the NESA-wide finals. A number of schools all over the NESA region will be taking part.  Ms Shobhana and I would like to thank the parents who were present for the introductory parent presentation. If you were unable to attend, please contact MS Shobhana for further information and permission forms. Please return permission forms to Ms Shobhana by December 7^th.   

Have a great weekend. I hope to see you Monday evening at the Hyatt Regency Hotel!

Mr Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal

November 16, 2012

Dear Parents,

Welcome back from your Diwali break! I do hope that everyone enjoyed the break. Please join us for the PTA Diwali celebration beginning at 5:30 tomorrow afternoon here at school.  

Speaking of celebrations, our Elementary School and Community choirs will be performing at the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Hyatt Hotel on December 3^rd.  We are so excited for our elementary school children for this will be their first performance outside school. There will be plenty of finger food and beverages on hand, so do not worry about eating dinner before the ceremony. Today, Ms Shireen sent home a letter to parents who have children participating in the choir. This letter contains detailed information about the evening. If you did not receive this letter, please email Ms Shireen. Children who were not in school today will receive the letter on Monday.

Our very popular winter concerts are just a few weeks away. This year, we will host two separate concerts in the new auditorium. The Kindergarten-Grade 2 concert will be held on Wednesday, December 12^th from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm and the Grade 3-5 concert will be held the next day at the same time.

Looking ahead to January, the Kindergarten-Grade 2 Sports Day will be held on Thursday, January 17^th while the Grade 3-5 Sports Day will be the following day. Each student will be assigned to a team and will wear a team shirt provided by the school. We do ask that parents complete an order form indicating their child's shirt size. Size samples and order forms will be on display in the Elementary Reception beginning Monday. If you cannot come into the school, click here to download the form, fill it out and have your child return it to Ms Prisca in the Elementary Reception Office. Alternatively, scan your completed form to Ms Prisca.

The new lunch menu for the period November 27th to February 1^st can be viewed by clicking on the "Lunch Menu" tab to the right.  To access the order form, please click here .

Due to the visits from our Middle School Principal candidates, the Curriculum Coffees scheduled for Tuesday, November 20th, have been postponed. A new date for the coffees will be announced in the near future. Also, since there is no school next Friday, my next Principal’s Notes will be published on Friday, November 30^th. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your long weekend.

Yours truly,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal

November 9, 2012

Dear Parents,

This week, Ms Sweet and I hosted our fourth, “Parent Coffee with the ES Administration.” Thank you to the parents who came and to Ms Megan for leading the session on, “An Introduction to Reading Workshop and Reading Levels.” Click here to view Ms Megan’s PowerPoint presentation. 

As December approaches, we know that we will be saying, "so-long" to some of our families. If your family is not returning to AISC after the Winter Break, please collect and fill in a Student Withdrawal Form. You may pick up this form in either the Elementary School Principal’s Office or Elementary School Reception.  We are also happy to email this form to you. If you prefer this option, please contact either Ms Prisca in the Elementary Reception or Ms Cheryl in the Principal’s Office.

A few parents have asked about retaking photos for the Yearbook. The High School Yearbook staff is well on its way to formatting the pages and uploading the photos, and have deadlines that are nearing for submitting these pages to the publisher. If they were to retake student photos, they would have to be included with the new students on a page at the back of the Yearbook and not with their classmates' photos. The Yearbook staff does not think this is advisable. As a result, there will be no retakes. Thank you for your understanding.

Each spring, several of our Grade 5 students participate in the NESA Virtual Science Fair. Over 100 teams from across the NESA region entered the science fair. We are very proud of three of our students whose project, "Which of the Seven Fruits Contains the Largest Amount of Vitamin C?" won second place. Congratulations to Salil, Tarun and Vivek! I recently received their certificates and this morning Ms Shobhana and I presented them to Salil and Tarun. The third member of the team, Vivek, has moved to the United States, but we will make sure he receives his certificate. 

This weekend marks the beginning of Diwali. Diwali, or "the festival of lights," is a symbol of the victory of good over evil, brightness over darkness and truth over falsity. Please celebrate Diwali with us, next Saturday, November 17th, beginning at 5:30 pm.

MS Sweet and I enjoyed a pre-Diwali celebration this week. We would like to thank Ms Sharon, Ms Lubna and the students of PS 4+A for inviting us to their Diwali celebration!

Today, members of the High School National Honor Society visited two Grade 3 art classes to help students  paint diyas. A  diya is a small earthen lamp primarily lit during Diwali. During Diwali, the earthen lamps are used for illuminating the entire home and premises. The diya is filled with ghee or oil, which acts as fuel. A wick, usually made of cotton, is inserted into the diya.  We thank our "big friends" for sharing their time with us and for being such positive role models.

Happy Diwali!

Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal

November 2, 2012

Dear Parents,

This week, we were reminded once again how powerful Mother Nature is as Hurricane Sandy caused widespread destruction in the Caribbean and North America and Cyclone Nilam unleashed a fury of high wind along the south east coast of India. Here at school, we did not escape the wrath of Nilam as we did have some minor structural damage on the playground and some trees were uprooted. The affected areas were cordoned off Thursday morning to allow workers to clear away the fallen trees and to conduct the necessary repairs. Thank you to the clean-up crew for your efficient work and for making the playground safe for our students.  I would also like to thank the students for respecting our request to stay clear of the affected areas.  

The Halloween parade is always a highlight for our students but as the wind intensified in the afternoon, the decision was made to cancel the parade.   Although children were looking forward to the parade, their disappointment soon turned to happiness once classroom Halloween parties began.  I had an opportunity to visit some of the parties. Wow, our teachers and parents sure can throw great parties for the children. Give yourselves a pat on the back! 

We held our first parent-teacher conferences of the year Thursday after-school and today. While it is too early for me to know the percentage of families who attended, it is always very high. Thank you so much for coming!  When discussing the conference with your child afterward, review the positive aspects that were covered and be forthright when sharing any concerns that were identified. If an action plan was agreed upon, review with your child what was arranged. Please continue to keep in touch with the teacher, even if everything is going well. When a child knows parents and teachers are regularly working together, the child will see that education is a high priority requiring commitment and effort. Please know that we encourage you to contact your child’s teacher whenever you have a question or concern about your child. This year, we encouraged parents to bring their child to the conference. Beginning in the fall of 2013, we will introduce student-led conferences.

On a final note, please join Ms Sweet and me on November 7th for our third “Parent Coffee with the ES Administration.” Ms Megan McCrindle, Literacy Coordinator, will give an overview of the reading workshop model and she will explain what is meant by reading levels. This session will be held in the ES Cafeteria from 8:45 to 9:45.

Have a great weekend,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal