Dear Community Members,
Spring Break has arrived! Whether you are traveling or staying in Chennai, I wish everyone a pleasant and restful holiday. This is just a reminder that school resumes on Tuesday, March 29th. Monday, March 28th is a professional learning day for teachers.
Fourth Grade Science: Coding and Collaboration
Fourth grade just finished participating in an integrated unit combining science, design and technology, and physical education. Students were given the scenario of escaping from a prison school. In order to reach freedom, students had to complete a series of physical challenges and be able to send and decode messages that would give them clues as to how to escape.
The first activity had the student groups navigate through a lava field in order to collect a letter and then send it by Morse code to a partner using iPads and computers. Once each group received their letter, they had to put the letters together to unscramble a word.
The second activity had the students work their way through a simulated mine field. When they reached the end they were then given a letter that they sent using a tap code. Again once all the letters were sent, they had to put the letters together to unscramble a word.
Lastly, the students had to work together to cross the pool and dive to reach the final letter. This letter was then sent to teammates at the other end of the pool using flags in a binary code. Once the letters were decoded, they were put together in the final word.
The 3 words were then put together in the final clue. The students then went to their final freedom destination to collect their reward. The students really had a lot of fun as you can see in the pictures above.
Near East South Asia (NESA) Virtual Science Fair
This week, 34 students from 5th grade participated in the Near-East South Asia (NESA) Virtual Science Fair. I would like to thank all of these students for their participation in this voluntary event. I commend you for following your passion! Parents, so much of the science fair work is done outside of school, so thank you for your support.
Only three teams can advance to the next round. Congratulations to the following students:
Team 2
Question: Can we produce our own biofuel at home?
Lokeswar Gopikrishna (5A)
Katherine Emi Kesavardhanan (5B)
Christian Horchler (5B)
Team 5
Question: Can my food waste be a better plant fuel and reduce nitrate footprint in water?
Palani Rajan (5C)
Mahil Venkatesh (5C)
Suman Krishna (5C)
Team 11
Question: What material absorbs the oil most?
Soobin Joh (5B)
Hyewon Choi (5B)
Jinwon Choi (5B)
Team 5 Team 2 Team 11
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What happens next? Between March 15 and April 23 these students will update their Moodle research site and make any necessary modifications. The NESA science fair project manager will create 1 more forum inside each team’s Moodle site. This new forum will contain 4 questions for the students to answer as they compete against other students in the NESA region. Students have until April 27th to answer these four questions. Between April 29 and May 7, judges will enter each team’s research site to read their research and answers to each of the four questions. On May 10, judges will have the difficult task of choosing the top five teams that will compete in the Champion’s League, which is the final round. The winning team will be announced on May 25. Good luck to all three teams!
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing
Beginning April 4th, most children will take tests called Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP). We give students in grades 2-5 MAP tests to determine each child’s instructional level and to measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year in the areas of math, reading, language usage. Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 write an additional test in science. When administered at regular intervals over time, it is possible to find out whether an individual, or an entire grade level, is making satisfactory progress in these basic skill areas. Your child will take the tests on a computer. Level 1 EAL students who been enrolled less than one month will not write these tests.
MAP tests are unique in that they adapt to be appropriate for your child’s level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing. The tests are not time-based but take on average 45 minutes to complete.
New parents often ask how their children can study for these tests. Really, the best ways to prepare for these tests are to make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before a test and has breakfast the morning of the test. These are healthy practices in general. Students cannot study for a MAP test.
MAP test scores are not reported on the elementary school report card. You will receive a MAP Student Progress Report later in in the spring.
For more information about MAP testing, please visit this site.
Homework Survey
The elementary school is currently reviewing its homework policy. The purpose of this survey is to learn about your opinions about homework practices given by the teachers at AISC. Please complete this survey for each child. All surveys are anonymous. This survey is adapted from the book, “Rethinking Homework.” You can access the survey here. The survey will be open until April 11.
Important Information for Parents of Fifth Grade Students about Middle School
Dear Grade 5 Parents,
We are getting near the time of year where we start looking ahead to the 2016-2017 school year and gathering elective course selections from our students. Grade 5 students will receive their Middle School Elective Choice forms from their grade 5 teacher on Friday, April 8th. The forms should be returned to their teacher by Friday, April 15th.
Before the forms go home, grade 5 students will have an opportunity to meet the elective course teachers and hear a little more about each choice. Please take some time to discuss the course options with your child and help them to prioritize their choices. Descriptions of the classes will be included on the form.
To further help your child transition to Middle School, we will have a Student Orientation to Middle School and a Parent Orientation in early May. Details regarding dates, times and location will be announced as we get closer to that time. These sessions will help inform you and your child and answer any questions that may come up about Middle School.
If you have questions about the MS Elective Choice form, please feel free to contact me at gjennifer@aisch.org.
We look forward to welcoming you and your child into the Middle School in August!
Sincerely,
Ms. Jennifer Gold
Middle School Counselor
Important Information for Parents of Fifth Grade Students about Middle School
Dear Grade 5 Parents,
We are getting near the time of year where we start looking ahead to the 2016-2017 school year and gathering elective course selections from our students. Grade 5 students will receive their Middle School Elective Choice forms from their grade 5 teacher on Friday, April 8th. The forms should be returned to their teacher by Friday, April 15th.
Before the forms go home, grade 5 students will have an opportunity to meet the elective course teachers and hear a little more about each choice. Please take some time to discuss the course options with your child and help them to prioritize their choices. Descriptions of the classes will be included on the form.
To further help your child transition to Middle School, we will have a Student Orientation to Middle School and a Parent Orientation in early May. Details regarding dates, times and location will be announced as we get closer to that time. These sessions will help inform you and your child and answer any questions that may come up about Middle School.
If you have questions about the MS Elective Choice form, please feel free to contact me at gjennifer@aisch.org.
We look forward to welcoming you and your child into the Middle School in August!
Sincerely,
Ms. Jennifer Gold
Middle School Counselor
Food Services Update
Beginning April 4th, the iHub and Elementary Cafeteria will be featuring new items for sale after school. Monday through Friday, the Taj Madras Flight Kitchen will be offering a variety of veg and non-veg kebabs and these choices will change daily. Also, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, veg and non-veg steamed or fried wontons will be served. The decision to serve these items came out of feedback from the parent food tasting session. We will be expanding these offerings over time to include an even wider variety of selections.
Food services at AISC are always looking for ways to improve. Should you have questions, suggestions or concerns, please contact Food Service Manager Prakash Shanmugam (sprakash@aisch.org), Elementary Associate Principal Lori Newman (nlori@aisch.org) or Secondary Associate Principal Jason Hicks (hjason@aisch.org). If you have not had the chance to have a meal in the IHub or Main Cafeteria, please join us. We would love to hear your feedback about the food at AISC.
Local Track Meet at AISC
Our SAISA Track and Field Team will be hosting a track meet on campus on March 31 and April 1 from 4 pm to 7 pm. Please note that students will not be able to use the soccer field after school on these two days. Students who want to watch the events from the sidelines may do so if accompanied by a parent.
Grades 3-5 Parents: Come to the Swim Gala on Thursday, March 31
The Upper ES Swim Gala, sponsored by the Elementary PE and Aquatics Departments, will be held at the AISC Pool on Thursday, March 31st from 8:45am to 10:45 am. *Please see the schedule below to see what time your child will be in the pool.
The Swim Gala is an opportunity for parents to join us on deck and witness their child(ren) demonstrating their newly acquired and advancing swimming skills. Students in grades 3-5 will come to the pool for 40 minutes as an entire grade level. The children will be grouped into their swim levels and will demonstrate key skills within that level.
We ask that parents enter the pool at the gate on the field side of the pool to avoid congestion at the normal entrance to the pool. We will have bleachers and shade for your convenience. We ask that you please stay on that side of the pool on the bleachers. Thank you.
When should you be on deck at the pool?
*Schedule
8:45-9:25 - Parents of Grade 3 students
9:25-10:05 – Parents of Grade 4 students
10:05-10:45 - Parents of Grade 5 students
*We request that parents are on deck only when they have a child in the pool. Grandparents, visitors and other family members are welcome! See you there!!!
Yearbook Photo Orders
Your child's individual and class yearbook pictures from the August 2015 & January 2016 photo sessions may be purchased using this form.
Instructions are on the order form. From the Yearbook Photo folder in the Moodle All School page (guest password: raptors16), select the photo you wish to order and insert the image number on the order form. If your child joined school after September 4th, the photo can be found in the folder labeled " SESSION 2 YEARBOOK PHOTOS".
Please complete the form, make payment at the cash counter and submit the form at the respective section office.
Last day for orders is 30th March. Prints will be ready for pick up after 15 April.
If you have any questions about the ordering process, please contact the Elementary office.
April Lunch Orders
If you wish to order a school lunch for your child, you can access the elementary lunch menu here. You may use either the Payonline or the Lunch Pre-order system to order lunch for your child(ren).
The Payonline System
Payonline allows parents to charge their child’s smart cards online, order and pay for lunches, and register and pay for after school activities. Payment is completed online using a credit or debit card. You need a username and password to access this system. Please see the user guide here for help using the system. You may access Payonline here.
Lunch Pre-Order System for Cash Payments
This system allows parents to pre-order lunches for the month and pay with cash at the cash counter. Login using just the email address we have on file at AISC. Please see the user guide here. You may access the Lunch Pre-Order System here.
If you have any difficulties logging in or ordering, please notify itsupport@aisch.org.
Have a wonderful break! See you on March 29th.
Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal
