April 26, 2013

Dear Parents,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents from coming to the Parent-Teacher Conferences. When parents and teachers work together to try and provide the best environment for learning, the child stands to benefit the most. You may meet with your child's teacher whenever a question or concern arises. In order for the teacher to be prepared, it is advisable that contact the teacher to schedule a time. 

Soon, our grade 5 students will be moving down the hallway to grade 6. As part of the transition to Middle School, all grade 5 students will participate in an orientation session on May 20th from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm. On May 22, there will be an orientation for parents from 9:00 to 9:45 in the BBT.

The end-of-the school year is soon approaching. Sadly, it is the time of the year when some of our families leave. If your child will not return to AISC next year, please complete the Withdrawal Notification Form and return it to the Elementary School Principal's Office.

Lunch Order Form and Menu for the Final Month of School:

Lunch Menu


Lunch Order Form





This week, we welcomed Dr. Tami Canale back to AISC. Dr. Canale first came to AISC a couple of months ago to conduct an audit of our World Language Program. During this visit, Cr. Canale is working with us to follow-up on the recommendations she made in the audit. She is also leading professional development sessions for our World Language teachers. 

Next week, we welcome the return of Dr. Gini Rojas. It was around this time last year that Dr. Rojas first visited AISC and conducted an audit of the school-wide English as an Additional Language (EAL) Program. Dr. Rojas will be once again working with teachers with particular emphasis on co-teaching. Dr. Rojas will lead a parent information session on Tuesday, May 7th from 10:00 to 11:00 in the BBT. I will send more information about this section next week.

There is still time to purchase the AISC 2012-13 Yearbook. Below are two screenshots which show you how to order your yearbook online.

Have a great weekend,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal

Quick Links:

---

 HoS Newsletter  |  MS Principal's Notes  |  HS Principal's Notes 

April 19, 2013

Dear Parents,

Next week, we will hold our final Parent-Teacher Conferences for this school year. Conferences will be held  on Thursday from 3:50 to 7:00 pm and on Friday from 8:15 to 3:45. We encourage you to bring your child to the conference. If you have not signed up for a conference, it is not too late. You have until 12 pm on Wednesday to register for a conference. Please click on the link below to access the online conference website:

Link to online scheduler

This past Wednesday marked the final Parent Coffee with the ES Administration. Nineteen parents attended the meeting which focused on Standards-Based Report Cards. The goal of the elementary school is to introduce the new standards based report call in the fall of 2014. While this may seem like a long time from now,  the process from moving from our current report card to the new report card will take a minimum of 18 months.  The Standards-Based Report Card Committee felt is was very important to share their vision with parents early, and to listen to questions and concerns that parents may have. During one activity, parents previewed a traditional report card (letter grades) and a standard-based report card. Parents commented that the latter report card was more informative.

What are standards? Simply put, standards are statements about what children should be able to know and do. At AISC, we use the  AERO Standards (American Education Reaches Out). A standards-based report card lists the most important skills students will learn in each particular subject at each grade level. Instead of letter grades, students receive marks that show how well they have mastered the skill. Parents know exactly how their child is doing based on the standards, and they will understand which big ideas and concepts their children have studied. 

Special thanks to Ms. Megan, Ms. Kristina and Ms. Kristie for leading the meeting. 

Besides the these three teachers, the following teachers serve on the Elementary School Standards Based Report Card Committee: Ms. Becky, Ms. Dorcy, Mr. Luca, Ms. Chris, Ms. Brenna and Ms. Andrea.

The Middle School will be hosting a parent information session on Monday, April 22nd from 8:45-9:45 am in the PAC cafeteria. This session may be of particular interest to our Grade 5 parents who have a child in the Elementary School EAL Program. Information will be provided on our new assessment tool (WIDA), an update on some proposed program changes for next year, upcoming professional development that our teachers will be receiving, and some suggestions on what your child can do in the summer to support their English language learning. The session will be led by Mr. Derek Rice, Middle School EAL Coordinator.

Elementary Physical Education News: This is the fifth week of swimming for elementary students (Kindergarten through Grade Five); the unit will end on May 10^th.  As students have a different swimming background, the skills taught vary from basic to complex. Students are introduced to the following concepts: safety in the pool area, flotation, propulsion, streamlining and drag. These concepts will be applied in drills and game activities. After the initial pre-assessment, students will be placed in different groups depending on their individual needs. Freestyle, backstroke, breast stroke and butterfly styles will be taught, depending on the student’s rate of progression.    

Lastly......

Yearbooks are now on sale. Please see the advertisement below for more information.

After-School Activities:  Please click on the "After-School Activities" link in the upper right hand section of this page for information about our summer camps.

Roots and Shoots Sari and Shoe Drive: Please click here to learn more about how you may be able to support this wonderful cause. 

Have a great weekend,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal

Quick Links:

---

 HoS Newsletter  |  MS Principal's Notes  |  HS Principal's Notes 

April 12, 2013

Dear Parents,

Welcome back! I hope that you had a wonderful Spring Break! It is so hard to believe that there are only 8 weeks left until the summer break.

Please join Ms. Sweet and I as we host our final Coffee with the ES Administration. Our topic will be on standards-based report cards. The elementary school is aiming to introduce this new report card in the fall of 2014. We encourage you to join us so that you can learn more about standards-based reporting. We will meet in the ES Cafeteria beginning at 8:45.

Parent-Teacher conferences will take place on Thursday, April 25th from 3:50 pm to 7:00 pm and on Friday, April 26th from 8:15 am to 4:00 pm. You can schedule each conference online. Before you begin the process, I encourage you to watch this online tutorial.

How to Schedule a Conference:

1. Once you have opened the website, you will come to a page called, "AISC  Elementary Conference Scheduler."

2.  Grades 1 through 5 teachers are listed first, followed by teachers from: Art, ESL, French, Indian Studies, Kindergarten, Music, Physical Education and Spanish.

3.   Check the box that is beside the name of the teacher you want to see.

4.   You will then be directed to a page where you have to complete the following details:   your child's name, your name and email address. Press submit. You will soon receive an email.

5.  Open the email. You will see a list of available conference times. Please choose a conference time.

6.   If you need to schedule another conference, click on the tab, "Yes, I need to schedule another conference for this student" or "Yes, I need to register another student."

7.   When you are done scheduling appointments, click on the tab, "I am finished making appointments."

8.   Finally, you will receive an email confirming the time of your appointments.

A step-by-step guide with visuals can be found here.

Link to online scheduler

Please contact Ms. Hazel or Ms.Cheryl in the Elementary Principal's Office if you have any further questions; we are here to help.

You may begin to schedule conferences immediately. The online scheduler closes the afternoon of April 24th.

Roots and Shoots would like to tell you about an exciting project that we will be starting next week.  We are going to have a "Saree and Shoe Drive" to collect sarees and shoes (sandals) for older Indian women who live at Vishranti  House, the center for the destitute and abandoned elderly women.  These older women don't have anyone to care for them so we want to help!  Please consider bringing in slightly used cotton or polyester sarees and sandals/slippers/flip flops to donate for this cause.  The Saree and Shoe drive will begin on Monday, April 15th and we will be collecting until May 3rd.  We hope to collect 175 sarees from the Elementary School to bring to Vishranti house. Click here for further information.

The new multi-purpose field by the PAC is now open! Below are some pictures of elementary school students enjoying the new space during their after-school activity.

The Grade 7 yard sale is coming!  Time to clear out your stuff!

Date: Thursday May 9^th

Time: 8.30am – 4.00pm

Location: Main Courtyard

Donations:  Books, clothes, games, household items, and anything usable that is clean and in good condition.  Bring the donations to Ms Sonia at the main reception.

Tables:  You can buy a table for Rs1000 to sell your own items and keep the profits.  To reserve a table you can pay Rs1000 to the Yard Sale Fund in the finance office.

Proceeds will go to community service projects decided upon by Grade 7 students.

AISC’s new theatre department is proud to announce the spring production, “Jaya: Mythic Images from the Mahabharata.” The show will be on Friday April 26th and Saturday April 27th at 7:00 p.m. in the PAC theatre. Tickets may be purchased in the office beginning Wednesday April 17th.  The production is an ensemble piece which tells the story of the Mahabharata, the world’s longest epic and one of India’s oldest stories.  It is a collaboration between student actors and technicians, the music and art departments, local sculptors, painters, and classical musicians, parents, a guest director from the United States, the AISC Community Choir, and the AISC Bollywood Dance Troupe. Join us for the first full production of the theatre department.

On a final  note, be sure to click on the ASA page for information about our summer Funshine Camps.

Have a great weekend,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal