Friday, December 13, 2013

Dear Parents,

It is so hard to believe that we are have finished the 18th week of school and that the winter break is here. Whether you are traveling out of Chennai, or staying home, have a safe and relaxing holiday. School resumes on Monday, January 6th.

Winter Concerts: Thank you to the many parents and family members joined us on Wednesday and Thursday. To all of the children, do know that your family and teachers are so proud of you! Thank you to music teachers, Ms. Shireen, Mr. Vasanth and Mr. Finny, our lower elementary art teacher Mr. Joseph, and to our stage crew. I hope you enjoy these concert pictures. Please use the password, raptors13.

PTA Giving Tree and Student Council Toy Drive: Thank you so much to everyone who participated in both of these drives. There will be many thankful and happy children in the community this holiday season!

Jan Jamboree: As one of its community building projects, the High School Student Council is organizing the “Jan Jamboree” on Saturday, January 18, 2013 from 2 – 5 pm on the AISC Soccer Field. This event is for AISC families and guests. 

There will be a Rs 200 Entry Fee for ES and MS Students. This is because once they enter the Jamboree, they will have unlimited, free of charge access to the over 20 games and activities organized by HS Students, their “Big brothers and Sisters.” Games and activities include: Cookie Decorating, T-Shirt Decorating (extra charge for cost price of t-shirt), Obstacle Course, Face Painting, Sponge Throw, Splash, Beat the Keeper, T1 Car Racing, Bouncy Castle, Balance Beam Pillow Fight, Lime and Spoon Race, Pin the Tail on the Raptor etc. 

There is no entry fee for Adults and HS age students! Come and enjoy the food and drinks on sale, get the chance of winning exciting prizes in the Raffle, see the kids have a great time and spend a fun afternoon with family and friends.

Funds raised through this event will be used to support a variety of community service clubs and projects.

We truly hope you will be able to join us as a family for this wonderful event. Thank you from the High School Student Council.

Attention All Student Photographers!

We invite all elementary photographers to participate in the first annual AISC Incredible India Photo Gallery.  During India Week in February, we will be displaying ES students' photos of India in the FAC gallery.  

Here is how to join the fun:

* Each ES student may submit one photo, taken in India, no larger than 5x7 size.  Photos must be taken by the student.

* Photos may be submitted to the main office (near Ms. Sonia's desk) beginning January 20th.

* Photos should show something incredible about India :)

* Photos should be labeled with student's name and homeroom on the back. The photos may also be given a title.

All photos will be displayed in Fine Arts Center during India Week.  We look forward to seeing our amazing ES photographers' work displayed for all to admire.  So get out your camera and start taking pictures!

If you have questions, please contact Ms. Megan at mmegan@aisch.org

Have a wonderful holiday. I will see you in January.

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal

December 6, 2013

Dear Community Members,

We had a fantastic turnout Monday night at the Tree Lighting Ceremony at The Hyatt. Thank you to our three choirs and music teachers for putting on a great show. Speaking of shows, it is soon time for our annual winter concerts. The KG to Grade 2 concert will be held on Wednesday, December 11 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. The Grades 3-5 concert is the following day, also from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. Both concerts will be in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium. A videographer will record each concert and parents will be able to purchase a DVD at a later date. 

Clothing for the K-2 concert: We would like the children to wear, if possible, red, green or white clothing. Please send these clothes in a separate bag in the morning. The children will change into their performance clothes after lunch.

Clothing for the 3-5 concert: We would like the boys to wear, if possible, combinations of green and white and girls red and white. Please send these clothes in a separate bag in the morning. The children will change into their performance clothes after lunch.

Elementary Sports Day T-shirt order: The Pre-School to Grade 2 Sports Day will be held on Thursday, January 23. The Grades 3-5 Sports Day will be held on Friday, January 24th. Both events will be held in the morning. Each child is given a special t-shirt to wear, however, we ask that parents order the t-shirt by clicking here. To help you with sizing, we included the approximate dimensions (in centimeters) of each shirt size. You can also look at samples that are available in the Elementary Reception. Colors are assigned to each grade, so you do not have to worry about choosing a color. Please place your orders prior to the winter break.

Counselors' Update: Counselors in the Elementary School are pleased that both the parent community and students have had the opportunity to participate in presentations and discussion on Third Culture Kids (TCKs) through this first semester of school. 

Parents were all invited to a coffee morning back in October that covered the construct of being a TCK, and the discussions that have followed indicate increasing awareness that our overseas kids experience a different upbringing to those of us that grew up in just our home cultures. This was followed in November with a parent discussion and presentation for those families leaving AISC. The impact of multiple changes for kids with an emphasis of how to best future proof kids resilience was thoughtfully discussed. 

Students through grades 1 - 5 have all had a series of counselor lessons that have not only explored being a TCK but given new emphasis to the meaning of maintaining close friendships when kids follow their parents as they move globally. Also, like the parent community, all leaving kids have met with counselors for discussion that if they leave well they will have the confidence to enter the next place well.  

As we move into semester 2 after the winter break, counselors will continue with a new series of class lessons that builds the importance of friendships for our TCKs.

Lunch Pre-Order Form: January 6 to 31:

Lunch menu - January 2014

Lunch order form - January 2014

Please place your online orders before January 3rd, and pay on or before January 10, 2014.

Giving Tree Update: We are so grateful for the generous spirit here at AISC and happy to say that every star has been taken from our Elementary Giving Tree, and that means we will be sharing our blessings with over 180 children in 5 orphanages in the next two weeks.  As December 13 is our first delivery, please remember to return your wrapped gift, with the star attached, to the elementary library by next Wednesday, December 11.  If for some reason you have lost your star, it is ok!  Please contact Parent Margaret Rajan at 9500048550 or Parent Gina Makawana at 9884222246 and be assured that the gift will make it to the right child!

If you did not get a star in time and still wish to offer something to the orphanages, here is a short wish list.  Please do not wrap these items as we will group them together and put in a box to the right place:

Seva Samajam Girls Home:  donations of sanitary pads, bath soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Assisi Ilam Orphanage:  A4 paper, pens, pencils, chart paper

St Joseph Social Service Center:  A4 paper, bath soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and toothbrushes

Home of Hope for Boys by World of Life Church:  Stationary supplies

Mizpah Orphanage:  recreational games like board games and cricket sets

Gina has confirmed gift delivery dates and times with the 5 local orphanages and the time table is as follows for anyone interested in helping drop off the gifts donated by our AISC community.  You may contact Gina at gina_makawana@yahoo.com or call her at 9884222246 to get details about joining her for the gift delivery.  Your child is most welcome to help.

1.  Seva Samajam Girls Home (56 girls)

29 Casa Major Road, Egmore 

Dec 13, 5:00  pm

  

2.  Assisi Ilam Orphanage (24 kids)

15 Nethaji Nagar, St Thomas Mount 

Dec 15, 11 am 

  

3.  St Joseph Social Service Center (40 kids) 

4/92-62 Magazine Road, St Thomas Mount 

Dec 14, 2:30 pm 

  

4.  Home of Hope for Boys by World of Life Church  (49 kids)

Mahibalipuram 

Dec 15, 5 pm 

  

5.  Mizpah Orphanage (19 kids)

Mahibalipuram before Pondicherry 

Dec 16, time unconfirmed as of yet

Thank you to each and every one of you.  This act of kindness will considerably help out the children and the orphanages caring for them.  It is a beautiful thing for our own children to learn to reach out and help others. 

Have a great weekend,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal

Friday, November 22

Dear Parents,

On Wednesday, November 20, twenty-seven students from the Elementary Student Council and ASA Girl Scouts came together with our PTA Elementary Grade Level Reps to decorate AISC’s first Giving Tree in the Elementary Cafeteria.  The Giving Tree will benefit 188 children in 5 local orphanages.  Please come with your child, take a star, purchase a gift for the child on the star, and wrap it. Be sure and attach the star to the wrapped gift.  Gifts should be returned by December 11 to the Elementary Library.  Please see the back of the star for gifts appropriate for the child.

As AISC is a generous community, we may be lucky enough to have more families who want to help than available stars.  So if you do not get a star in time, but still would like to help, consider making the following contributions:

Seva Samajam Girls Home:  donations of sanitary pads, bath soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes.
Assisi Ilam Orphanage:  A4 paper, pens, pencils, chart paper
St Joseph Social Service Center:  A4 paper, bath soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and toothbrushes
Home of Hope for Boys by World of Life Church:  Stationary supplies
Mizpah Orphanage:  recreational games like board games and cricket sets

Parent Gina Makawana has confirmed gift delivery dates and times with the 5 local orphanages and the time table is as follows for anyone interested in helping drop off the gifts donated by our AISC community.  You may contact Gina at gina_makawana@yahoo.com or call her at 9884222246 to get details about joining her for the gift delivery.  Your child is most welcome to help.

1.  Seva Samajam Girls Home (56 girls)
29 Casa Major Road, Egmore
Dec 14, 2:30  pm

2.  Assisi Ilam Orphanage (24 kids)
15 Nethaji Nagar, St Thomas Mount
Dec 15, 11 am

3.  St Joseph Social Service Center (40 kids)
4/92-62 Magazine Road, St Thomas Mount
Dec 18, 4pm

4.  Home of Hope for Boys by World of Life Church  (49 kids)
Mahibalipuram
Dec 15, 5 pm

5.  Mizpah Orphanage (19 kids)
Mahibalipuram before Pondicherry
Dec 16, time unconfirmed as of yet

Thank you to all the helpful students and to Student Council Staff Advisors Pam Thompson, Deanna Doherty and parent and Girl Scout Troop Leader JoAnn Restuccia, for focusing on the Giving Tree project for the last couple of weeks with the kids.  Also, a big thank you to the entire staff of the Elementary School who supported the set-up of our Giving Tree.  Lastly and mostly, a big thanks to you for supporting this project and sharing some simple items with children who need some help and attention. Go see the tree with your child in the Elementary cafeteria and take a star or two!

日本語訳

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony: Please mark Monday, December 2nd on your calendars and join us at The Hyatt for our third annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. The elementary school, community and high school advanced choirs will welcome in the holiday season as they sing festive songs. There will be plenty of food and drinks to go around. This is always a fun event and I guarantee that you and your children will have a fantastic time.

Friday, December 13th: All students will be dismissed at 12:30. Students will eat lunch before heading home. The PK-2 students will eat from 11:45-12:00, and students in grades 3-5, from 12:05-12:20. The playground will be closing at 12:45 so we kindly ask that all students and families leave the campus by this time.

Elementary Sports Days: The Pre-School to Grade 2 Sports Day will be held on Thursday, January 23. The Grades 3-5 Sports Day will be held on Friday, January 24th. Both events will be held in the morning. Each child is given a special t-shirt to wear, however, we ask that parents order the t-shirt by clicking here. To help you with sizing, we included the approximate dimensions (in centimeters) of each shirt size. You can also look at samples that are available in the Elementary Reception. Colors are assigned to each grade, so you do not have to worry about choosing a color. Please place your orders prior to the winter break.

Taking children out of school before dismissal time: The following information serves as a reminder and is taken from page 22 of the Elementary School Handbook:

• Students are required to remain on campus for the entire school day. The school day
begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Students are not to leave campus during the
school day unless they have permission and have signed out at the Elementary School
Office.

• Students who are injured or become ill during school hours should see the school
nurse. If it is necessary for a student to go home, the nurse will phone the parent or
legal guardian to inform them and arrange for transportation. The school nurse will inform
the office that the student is checking out. The student must get a pass to leave campus
from the office.

• Students who become emotionally upset should go to the Guidance Office or to the
school nurse for help.

• If a non-medical emergency develops that requires the student to leave, the parent
is asked to inform the secretaries in the Elementary School Office.

Reminder from the Physical Education Teachers: The Upper Elementary students swim unit will start next week. Lower Elementary students will be on the field.

ASA News:

Have a great weekend,

Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal

Friday, November 15, 2013

Dear Parents,

We had a very good turnout last Saturday night to the Diwali Mela celebration. I would like to thank the PTA Executive for organizing this great evening. Enjoy these pictures!

Also, I would like to thank the parents who were able to join us for our third coffee morning of the year. Thank you to Ms. Karen, Ms. Seema and Ms. Dee for leading the presentation on the English as an Additional Language (EAL) program and The WIDA MODEL test. I would like to follow-up on a question that was posed to our presenters about this test. The WIDA MODEL tests academic language proficiency, and in response to parent questions about the weight of each of the four language domains, here is the answer:

Reading:  35%
Writing:   35%
Listening:  15%
Speaking: 15%

This is how the overall composite score is calculated.

In the life of international schools, this is the time of year when we recognize that some families will be moving on from our school community. For kids, as well as moms and dads, it is a transition that is both exciting, and one of challenges and fears. Please join our elementary counselors, Ms. Geetha and Mr. George, as they share a presentation specifically designed for families on the move. All parents are welcome whether you are leaving this semester or you just want to be aware of issues surrounding moving with your family. Please join us for, Families on the Move, on Monday, November 18th, beginning at 8:45 in the Hall of Light. Our counselors will also be conducting special sessions with children prior to the winter break. If you are leaving AISC next month, please be sure to notify Ms. Hazel or Ms. Cheryl in the Principal's Office.

The PTA Elementary Grade Level Representatives and the Elementary Student Council and ASA Girl Scout Troop are sponsoring a Giving Tree to support 180+ students in 5 area orphanages.  Please support these efforts as we move into the holiday season and bring year 2013 to a successful and helpful finish.

The 5 orphanages our Giving Tree will support are:

Home Of Hope for Boys by the World of Life Church – 49 Kids
Assisi Ilam Orphanage – 24 Kids
St. Joseph Social Service Center – 40 Kids
Seva Samajam Girls Home – 57 Kids
Mizpah orphanage – 18 Kids

Members of the parent community have been hard at work making arrangements for the lists of children we will have the opportunity to help and planning the overall project.  The children from the Elementary Student Council as well as the ASA Girl Scout Troop have spent time creating the stars our kids and parents will take from the tree.

The Giving Tree will be set up on November 20th in the Elementary Cafeteria.  Specific rules which include the below details will be posted by the tree.

1. Children/parents can take a star off the tree and purchase a small item useful to the child listed on the star.  We will include age and gender of recipient on the stars.   We are asking for new, non-perishable items only such as a water bottle, a snack box, or notepads/pencils/erasers.  A nice gift for a child can be arranged for under Rs. 200.

2.  We would like the present to be wrapped, with the star attached to the gift (stars will be color coded to indicate which orphanage gift will go to).  The gift is to be dropped off in a designated box in the Elementary Library.  Thank you to Mr. Jet and the library staff for helping us with this "safe" spot for the gifts.  

3.  The last day to drop off gifts will be December 11 or 12.

4.  Gifts will be dropped off to the orphanages December 15-19, by parent Gina Makawana and any other individuals who would like to help out.  Gina will be happy to share delivery date information as time gets closer with anyone who will not travel outside of Chennai over the holidays and who would like to participate.

For any specific questions related to the Giving Tree, please feel free to contact teacher Pam Thompson, parent Gina Makawana, or parent Margaret Rajan.

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S'il vous plaît cliquer sur ce lien pour accéder à cette information en français.

Thank you to the Girls Scouts and to the Student Council for your contributions!

The Swimming unit for Upper elementary (Grades 3-5) will start on Nov 25th. Please equip your child with goggles, swimming cap, swimming suit, towel, sunscreen and flip flops/sandals. If for any reason your child cannot participate in the pool, please send a note from home or from the doctor. If you have any questions regarding the pool or the upcoming unit, please contact us as soon as possible.


Lastly, please come visit the ES/MS Library and see lots of great upper elementary artwork!  Fun dragon sculptures as well as creative figure study paintings are currently on display.  We like to change the artwork throughout the year, so come back often and see what our AISC artists have made! Here are a few samples of what you will see.

Have a great weekend,

Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal

November 8, 2013

Dear Parents,

Happy Diwali! This past Wednesday, we held our Diwali Assembly and tomorrow night we will come together as a community to celebrate. The fun all begins at 5:45 pm in the FAC Cafeteria. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Indian Studies teachers, Ms. Anu and Ms. Bindu, as well as our Theater Director, Mr. Shawn, for organizing our assembly. I would also like to acknowledge the beautiful posters created by our lower elementary school students: the Kindergarten students for the lamps, the grade 1 students for the fireworks and the grade 2 students for the Diwali lamps. Thank you to Mr. Joseph, our lower elementary school art teacher, for leading this activity. 

You can view pictures taken during the assembly by clicking here. Thank you, Mr. Pradeep, for sharing these beautiful pictures with us. 

Assistant Principal News: Back in September, Ms. Sweet informed Mr. Hoover and me that she was ready to advance her career and would begin to explore administrative opportunities in other schools and may not return to AISC next year. Although she was only on an exploratory path, the school chose to start a global search and listed the position as tentative with an international recruiting agency. We soon began to receive applications and over the past several weeks, we shortlisted and interviewed potential candidates in the event she decided not to return. This week, Ms. Sweet informed Mr. Hoover and me that she would not be returning to AISC for the 2014-15 school year. Mere words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for the work that she has done over the past few years. Ms. Sweet has been an inspirational leader who will long be remembered for her passion and commitment to excellence in education. I know that the AISC community will always hold a special place in her heart. I certainly wish her nothing but the very best. We have six great months left with Anne and I know that we will appreciate every one of them.

I am pleased to inform you that Lori Newman has accepted the position of ES Assistant Principal.  Lori is currently the Assistant Director for Learning at the American School in Japan (Tokyo). She has held this position since 2009, although she has been with ASIJ since 1998, having taught grades 2 and 4 from 1998 to 2009. Lori will be joined by her husband and two sons. You will learn more about Lori later this school year. 

Parent Coffee with the ES Administration: Please join us at 8:45 on Tuesday, November 12th in the FAC Cafeteria. This month, we will be talking about our English as an Additional Language (EAL) program. This session will be an extension of the EAL Parent Curriculum Coffee held before the fall break, and our presenters will focus on the program at the elementary school level.

Guidance Counselor’s Presentation: In the life of international schools, this is the time of year when we recognize that some families will be moving on from our school community. For kids, as well as moms and dads, it is a transition that is both exciting, and one of challenges and fears. Please join our elementary counselors, Ms. Geetha and Mr. George, as they share a presentation specifically designed for families on the move. All parents are welcome whether you are leaving this semester or you just want to be aware of issues surrounding moving with your family. Please join us for, Families on the Move, on Monday, November 18th, beginning at 8:45 in the Hall of Light. Our counselors will also be conducting special sessions with children prior to the winter break. If you are leaving AISC next month, please be sure to notify Ms. Hazel or Ms. Cheryl in the Principal's Office.

Student Council News: The Elementary Student Council is ready for its annual Toy Drive which supports children from orphanages who are in need of holiday cheer.  Students from grades 1-5 are being asked to look into their toy chests, book shelves or other special places for clean and gently used old toys and books that are not being used any longer. Students can bring donations to their classrooms where there will be a donation box. Another donation box will be in the Elementary Reception Office.  The Toy Drive will be held from November 11-22.

NESA Virtual Science Fair for 5th Graders: Last school year, several of our 5th grade students participated in the NESA Virtual Science Fair. The basic rule for the science fair was that the entry must have a problem that could be solved experimentally with measurable results.  The entire activity was conducted after school hours, and the parents were a great inspiration and support to the kids. As it progressed, the children became more involved, focused, motivated, and as many of them said, “We just love science now”. 

This past spring, the winners were announced, and just this week, we received the trophy. Once again, congratulations to 1st place winners, Vinay, Reuben and Domenic for their project on “BIOGAS.” These boys are now in grade 6, but they stopped by earlier this week to have their picture taken with Ms. Shobhana and me, and of course, with the trophy.

SAISA News: The following message is from our Athletic Director, Ron Thomson:

I wanted to update you on a change of venue that recently occurred for our season three sporting events. Due to the major renovation project at the American International School of Dhaka, they will not be able to host the 2014 SAISA Track & Field Meet this coming March 11-15th. We have agreed to switch sporting events with AISD this spring, therefore we will be hosting the 2014 SAISA Track & Field Meet and AISD will host the 2014 SAISA Boys Basketball Tournament.

By helping one of our SAISA member schools in this way we can assure that all the SAISA Track & Field Athletes have a properly run and rewarding meet. We look forward to the excitement and community building that hosting a meet with 300 athletes can do for our school identity and pride.

If you have any questions or concerns about this please feel free to contact me at tronald@aisch.org. Thanks again for your understanding.

AISC’S Middle School Theatre Production: 

The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood

Thursday 14 November & Friday 15 November

5:30

FAC Theatre

It sure is hard to be humble when you're a swashbuckling, egocentric super-hero. But our gallant guy-in-green tries his best as he swaggers through The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood, a frantically funny retelling of the classic story.

The legendary legend, in his never-ending quest to aid the needy, encounters a lovely damsel-in-distress, an ever-scheming sheriff, a greedy bad-guy monarch with a fan club of fawning ladies, a good-natured "Town's Guy" who manages to make his way into every scene, and a band of Merry Men whose collective IQs equal six.

Join us for an irreverent jaunt through Sherwood Forest that you won't soon forget!

Tickets will go on sale Monday 11 November.

Note: The show plot and humor is suitable material for students in upper elementary and older.

Show time is approximately 1.5 hours. Please contact Rachel Griffiths at   8754593507 or at rtgriffiths@btinternet.com for more information.

Have a great weekend. I hope to see you tomorrow at the PTA Diwali Celebration.

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal

October 25, 2013

Dear Parents,

“I had tears in my eyes,” said more than one parent after our UN Day assembly on Wednesday. It was a very special assembly indeed. It is difficult to write a few sentences to describe just how powerful and colorful the assembly was. Students, you represented your country with pride and I know that your parents and teachers were proud to see you on stage. Please take a few moments to look at these fantastic pictures taken by Pradeep Lawrence on UN Day. Are you interested in a DVD of the assembly? Please leave your name, your youngest child’s grade level and mobile phone number with Sonia at Main Reception or Prisca at ES Reception. Ask for the sign-up sheet and we will deliver to your child soon.

This wonderful day for our entire community was only made possible by the most incredible teamwork. Students, faculty, staff, the PTA executive, the community choir and many parent volunteers all made this day possible for several weeks leading up to Wednesday. I would like to thank everyone who worked so tirelessly and patiently to make this day so special for the community.

Halloween Celebrations: For the second time this week, students had the opportunity to dress up. Today we held our annual Halloween Parade. We saw many children dressed up as princesses, community helpers, action heroes, fictional characters, animals, and so much more. Once again, thank you, parents, for organizing costumes and for decorating classrooms.

Report Cards: The first trimester report card was sent home this afternoon with your child. If your child was absent from school today, the report card will be given to your child on Monday, November 4th. In the past, we have inserted this document into the report card envelopes. To save some paper, I have posted it electronically, and will send this link each time we send home report cards. 

Coffee with the ES Administration: Please join us on Tuesday, November 12th for our third parent coffee morning of the year. Our elementary school English as an Additional Language Coordinator, Ms. Karen, and members of her team, will talk about the program and the model of instruction we use in the elementary school. 

Departing Students: Each year, some of our students leave AISC in December. Records from AISC are usually required by the next school. However, it takes us some time to prepare these records. If you will be leaving the school, please contact Ms. Cheryl or Ms. Hazel in the Elementary School Principal’s Office at least two weeks prior to your departure so we can prepare the necessary documents to make your transition as smooth as possible.

Whether you are traveling or staying in Chennai, have a wonder break. School reopens on Monday, November 4th.

Yours truly,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal

October 18, 2013

Dear Parents,

One of AISC’s amazing traditions is the celebration of UN Day, which this year takes place on October 23. Historically, this has been an assembly for the whole school with parents invited, which included brief speeches, performances, and a Parade of Flags.

The United Nations was originally formed to promote international cooperation and achieve global peace and security, and seeing our students learn and create together, I have the sense that we are continuing that same work right here in our school.  I cannot think of a more symbolic day to celebrate our community composed of so many cultures and backgrounds.

We are a big community now and, despite our very best intentions, it has become increasingly challenging to plan and execute an all-school assembly. Even with our auditorium, we cannot accommodate all students. (We have 945 students and about 805 seats.) In an elementary school assembly three weeks ago, the auditorium was virtually filled with students and parents.

Last year, we had the UN Day event in the gymnasium and, for the first time, included every student in the Parade of Flags. This year, we want to try to continue this tradition in auditorium. K-12 students will gather in the gymnasium between 8.30 and 8.50 and proceed to the auditorium for the beginning of the parade at 9:05. The PK students will gather in the auditorium lobby and then lead the school, with the UN Flag, when the parade begins. PK students will exit the auditorium when they finish their role in the parade.

Once our K-5 students finish their role in the parade each of them will be seated in the auditorium for this event. We will need parent support as seating will be limited. (Parents can watch the event “live” in the ES cafeteria as well.) Once our 6-12 students complete the parade, they will proceed downstairs and be seated in the cafeteria with live streaming of the assembly in the auditorium. 

Our program for the morning is:

8:30: Auditorium opens

8:50: Welcome, Head of School

8:55: Remarks, Model United Nations Secretary General, Student

9:00: Dona Nobis, Community Choir

9:05: Parade of Flags

9:35: Remarks, High School Student Council President

9:40: Bridge Over Troubled Waters, HS/MS Choirs

9:45: Closing, Head of School

10:30: Parents, Country Pavilions for Students (Gymnasium)

Are you interested in watching the event from work or home?

We will live stream this assembly. Go to our Events page to watch between 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23.

 Are you interested in a DVD after the event?

Sometimes filming or getting pictures during an event is too difficult. Too many photographers at an event can be a distraction. We will be giving DVDs of the event to anyone who asks. Stay tuned for ordering directions.

How does the parade work?

Students will be marching under their citizenship of record as listed in Skyward. ES teachers will help students make sure they are with the right group on the morning of the assembly. If students wish to wear national dress, they are welcome to do so. If you have questions about this, please contact your classroom teacher or our Admissions Director, Sanja Ilic ( admissionsdirector@aisch.org ). 

Lunch Order Form
Please click on this link, Lunch Order form Nov-Dec & Lunch Menu - Nov & Dec 2013 to access the Lunch menu and order form for the period November 4th to December 13th.

Use of Playground

This is just a reminder that during recess, the playground and playground equipment is for the use of enrolled students only. In the interest of safety, parents with non-school aged children are kindly asked to take a break from playing and move off the playground while enrolled students are playing.  Also, the tricycles that are located in the covered play area are reserved for our pre-school children, who use them throughout the morning. Thank you for your cooperation. 

Celebrating Literacy!

Celebrations! They are an important part of any unit of study. A celebration is not just about celebrating one final product but rather celebrating the learning that occurred throughout the writing process. Below are some pictures taken at a recent celebration in Ms. T’s class. Check out this video, “A Celebration of Learning: October 2013,” featuring students from Ms. Becky and Ms. Megha’s class, 5D. In this video, students explain the many components of literacy instruction.

Physical Education News

These pasts two weeks in Elementary PE have been filled with great individual and collective achievements. To start, the children exceeded very high expectations in the swimming unit. The students practiced their freestyle and back strokes with many students demonstrating full competence of both strokes!  Currently, in Physical Education, upper elementary children are working on their basketball related skills: dribbling, passing, and shooting. Lower elementary students are testing their grit with the wall climb and jump rope activities!

The Jogging Club continues to be popular.  We have an average of 40 students showing up every Wednesday, and we even have some students who have already ran over 7 miles! Wow! A special shout out to Ryota, Kimberly, Benjamin, and Oz for their Jogging Club achievements! Also, we are very proud of the students, especially since the average child is running 7 laps per performance, which is one mile! 

ASA News

ASA – Raptors Swim Club (Monday – Thursday) and Beginners Swim lessons (Mini Session on Fridays) are in progress.  Both sessions end on December 13, 2013.

ARC Swim club (Saturdays) ends on December 7^th, just before we go for our Winter break. Parents please make note.

Have a great weekend,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal

October 11, 2013

Dear Parents,

I would like to thank all of the parents who came to the parent coffee morning on Tuesday. Our elementary school counselors, Ms. Geetha and Mr. George, led a very informative session on raising third-culture kids (global nomads). Please click here if you would like a copy of their presentation notes. 

School Photos 2013-2014

AISC is pleased to announce the sale of photos from the AISC Moodle pages. On the All School Page, community members will find the order forms and links to the on-line photo albums. 

Here is process by which you can access the photos on the Moodle page and place your order: 

1. Log into the AISC Moodle site here: http://virtualschool.aisch.org/. Parents, log in as a guest with "raptors13" as the password.

2. Go to the All School page (http://virtualschool.aisch.org/course/view.php?id=187)

3. Download the Student Photo Order Form , found under "Links to Bulletins, Principal's Notes and Head's Notes.”

4. Click on the School Photos link under "Links to Bulletins, Principal's Notes and Head's Notes.”

5. Click on the set of photos you wish to see and copy the image numbers of the photo(s) you want onto the order form.

6. Indicate which print package you want and whether you want the class photo and/or the CD ROM. Please note that the CD ROM is only available if you purchase one of the photo packages.

7. Take the completed order form and the correct payment to the cashier’s window near the main reception area. Please be sure to keep your receipt to verify that you have paid when the photos are delivered.

Please submit all requests for photos not later than October 25. We anticipate that the photos will be available for pickup by November 15.

School photos will not be retaken. If your child was not at school when the photos were taken and his or her photo is not posted on the Moodle page, please inform Ms. Cheryl or Ms. Hazel . We will hold another photo session in late January for those students and for students who arrived later in the school year.

Vision and Hearing Screening

Each year, all children undergo a vision and hearing screening test at school. Doctors will conduct this screening on November 12th, 14th and 15th. The doctors conducting the screening are from Madras ENT Research Foundation (P) Ltd. and Dr. Agarwal's  Eye Hospital.

UN Day Update

One of AISC’s amazing traditions is the celebration of UN Day, which this year takes place on October 23. Historically, this has been an assembly for the whole school with parents invited, which included brief speeches, performances, and a Parade of Flags.

The United Nations was originally formed to promote international cooperation and achieve global peace and security, and seeing our students learn and create together, I have the sense that we are continuing that same work right here in our school.  I cannot think of a more symbolic day to celebrate our community composed of so many cultures and backgrounds.

We are a big community now and, despite our very best intentions, it has become increasingly challenging to plan and execute an all-school assembly. Even with our auditorium, we cannot accommodate all students. (We have 945 students and about 805 seats.) In an ES assembly two weeks ago, the auditorium was virtually filled with students and parents.

Last year, we had the UN Day event in the gymnasium and, for the first time, included every student in the parade of Flags. This year, we want to try to continue this tradition in auditorium. We will need to seat every K-5 student in the auditorium for this event, so we will need parent support as seating will be limited. Students in grades 6-12 will be seated in the cafeteria with live streaming of the assembly in the auditorium.

K-12 students will gather in the gymnasium between 8.30 and 8.50 and proceed to the auditorium for the beginning of the parade at 9:05. The PK students will gather in the auditorium lobby and then lead the school, with the UN Flag, when the parade begins.

Our program for the morning is:

8:50: Welcome, Head of School

8:55: Remarks, Model United Nations Secretary General, Student

9:00: Dona Nobis, Community Choir

9:05: Parade of Flags

9:35: Remarks, High School Student Council President

9:40: Bridge Over Troubled Waters, HS/MS Choirs

9:45: Closing, Head of School

10:30: Parents, Country Pavilions for Students (Gymnasium)

Are you interested in watching the event from work or home?

We will live stream this assembly. Go to our Events page to watch between 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23.

Are you interested in a DVD after the event?

Sometimes filming or getting pictures during an event is too difficult. Too many photographers at an event can be a distraction. We will be giving DVDs of the event to anyone who asks. Stay tuned for ordering directions.

How does the parade work?

1. Students will be marching under their citizenship of record as listed in Skyward. ES teachers will help students make sure they are with the right group on the morning of the assembly. If students wish to wear national dress, they are welcome to do so. 
2. Students who have dual nationality should inform the Admissions Director, Sanja IIic ( admissionsdirector@aisch.org ) no later than Wednesday, October 16^th if they will represent a country other than their citizenship of record. 

Yours truly,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal