Dear Parents,
Vanakkam and Welcome to AISC and to the
Elementary section!
On Thursday this week we welcomed over 440 Early
Years and Elementary students to the Elementary School. It was great to see so
many familiar faces as well as get to know so many new families. Welcome
to a wonderful year in ‘team green’.
Elementary handbooks and calendars will be going home with the youngest AISC
child in your family. Please check your child’s bag for this - and read
and return signature pages (more information below) as soon as possible.
Today at our Welcome Back Assembly, we introduced
all our new teachers and teaching assistants as well as welcomed our new
students. Please know that this year any assembly or learning celebration on
the calendar is open to parents too, starting each time just after 2:45 p.m.
Our students love sharing their learning and would appreciate parent support in
the audience. Please check assigned seating when joining us in the theatre, and know that if you have toddlers or babies who may
need a break, you are welcome to slip out into the foyer with them to do so.
If you are a new parent, and missed our New
Parent Orientation, or would like to refer to any information outlined, you can
access the presentation from our session here.
Next Wednesday, August 15th you will note there
is a school holiday for Indian Independence Day. We are looking forward to
seeing children on Monday 14th, and then continuing our week on Thursday 16th.
School will be closed on Wednesday the 15th.
After School Supervision
Following parents feedback, we have tightened our after
school handover to parents. We ask you to please support us in ensuring
close supervision of your Elementary child should you wish to remain on
campus after dismissal. This means being physically with your child. If you
wish to be in the ES Cafeteria, your child should be with you. If your child
wishes to play on the playground, you also must be out on the playground to
supervise. We do not have supervision after school. Our main goal is to keep
every child safe at school and we need your help with this.
Snapshot Conferences - Monday 20 to Friday 24
August
Also
known as ‘Listening In’ conferences - these are designed for teachers to meet
with each family and to get all the vital information regarding your child. You
will be invited to sign up for a 10 minute conference via Edmodo
starting on Monday. Please look out for this sign up post from your child’s
homeroom teacher. This also means it is very important to register for your
child's’ classroom Edmodo account!
Some ideas you may like to share with your child’s teacher include:
- Favourite parts of school in previous years
- Hopes for the year
- Fears
- Special people, places
- Family circumstances
- Languages spoken at home
- Friendships and relationships
Safety on the Soccer Field, Stairs and Around Campus - no flip
flops
Please remind your child, that as per our handbook, flip flop
shoes are only for days when students have swimming. All other days
children should wear athletic shoes if they plan to play soccer on the field,
or sandals or other shoes with a back strap. Students not wearing athletic or
covered shoes will be asked to choose another activity instead of playing
soccer.
Very important forms to
return to school
- Handbook signature pages
Today your child will be bringing home the
Elementary School Handbook 2018-19. It is very important that your family takes
the time to familiarize yourself with its contents. Please take time to look at
page 57 & 58, the “Signature Pages.”
After reading the policies and information in the handbook, parents are asked
to remove these pages, sign them and return to your class teacher or Elementary
offices. The due date for returning this page is Friday 17th August.
2.
Student Health Forms
Student
health records are important sources of information but we are making changes
to our past practices. Please note the following requirements for this year.
- Annual medical updates, signed by a parent, are required every
year.
- On initial
enrollment or at the beginning of grade 3, 6, or 9, a physician-completed form must be provided.
Students with significant allergies or on daily
medication should also submit the annual form completed by a physician.
Please handover the completed
forms to the school nurses - (Health Office - Room 1110) on or before Friday,
17th August. Students that have not returned these forms will not be permitted
to participate in ASAs or participate in classroom field trips.
Edmodo
for Elementary School Parents
AISC uses Edmodo as a communication and learning
tool in the Elementary School. Edmodo is a secure service for schools. It
provides a safe way for teachers, students, and parents to share and receive
class information and promote learning.
New parents will have received an email from
the Technology Team with instructions for registration, and their student
codes. Returning parents will not need to do anything, other than ensure you
can log-in through a web-browser or through the mobile parent app (iOS | Android). If returning parents have children who
are new to AISC you will receive a parent code, and instructions to add your
child to your account. Please carry out these steps as we communicate them, in
order to receive important communications from your children's teachers.
Grade 2 parents will have received an email
regarding the pilot of Seesaw on a trial basis, if you did not receive this,
please let the IT office know at itsupport@aischennai.org
If you encounter any issues with Edmodo, please
drop in to the ES CIC before or after school, and the Tech Team will assist
you.
Returning parents:
1. Go to www.edmodo.com or tap on the parent app on your mobile device.
2. Login using your existing username and password.
3. If you have forgotten your password, click on the forgot password link.
4. Type in the email you used to register for the account.
5. Go to your email and follow the Edmodo instructions for re-setting your
password.
If you are a new parent, you will receive an email tonight with instructions on
how to set up your Edmodo account and link to your student(s).
From our Aquatics Director
The Aquatics Department
would like to welcome you to Season 1 for the 2018-2019 school year. We hope you have had a fantastic break filled
with fun and wonderful memories with your family and friends.
My name is Giovanni Bello
is the new aquatics director of AISC. The coaches, myself included, are excited
to be back in the pool, helping your swimmer become better student-athletes.
The coaching team looks forward to a fun-filled and exciting first season of
swimming ahead!
The SAISA swim tryout
information:
Dates: August 13, 14, 16
and 17
Time: 6:15 - 8:00 am
Eligible Swimmers: Grade 4
(must be 10 years old by October 25th, 2018) and Grade 5, Middle School,
and High School
What to bring: Towel,
goggles, swim cap and swimsuit.
Raptor swim club tryout
information:
Dates: August 13th and
August 14th
Time::3:45-4:45 pm on
Monday 13th, 4:45 - 6 pm on Tuesday 14th
What to bring: Towel,
goggles, swim cap and swimsuit.
The safety of your children
is our top priority and we will always do everything we can to keep your
swimmers safe, healthy, and happy.
Thank you for all that you
do to support our swim program. As always, please feel free to reach out
with questions or concerns.
Art,
Sports & Activities (ASA) Program - ASAs begin Monday 13 August
ASA registration has closed and staff are
preparing the lists for the activities. The lists for Monday's activities will
come out by Sunday and the rest of the week's activities by Monday evening.
Changes can be made for the first two weeks - please stop in to the Athletics
and Activities office or email mryan@aischennai.org or vsripriya@aischennai.org. In two weeks we will send out the billing information based
on the activity students end up in. Thank you for your patience - we are
starting ASAs a week earlier this year and have changed how we do the
registration and payment all in the hope to provide a better experience for
families.
Elementary Choir
Please fill the Sign-up form if your
child would like to register to be part of the elementary choir!
The Choir group led by Ms. Sarah Hassler will meet on Wednesday
mornings at 7.30 till 8.15 am. The class will begin on August 22nd.
The choir is open to children in grades 3-5. Meeting once per
week, the choir will have fun learning choral music from around the world.
Performances will include: a special Winter Holiday Concert, Spring Concert,
Vertical Concert in conjunction with the Middle and High School music programs,
and the final End of Year concert. Attendance is mandatory for performance.
Library Hours
Our library will be open after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays,
and Fridays until 5:00 p.m. This extended library time is meant for parents to
read with their child and/or help with home learning.
On most Wednesdays, the library closes at 3:30 p.m. (exception:
2:00 p.m. on early release days).
Starting Saturday, August 18th, the library will also be open on
most Saturdays during the school year from 8:30-12:30. Please note that it will
be closed on long weekends and vacations.
Per elementary school policy, parents must accompany their
children to the library outside of school hours (before 8:30 a.m. and after
3:30 p.m. during the school week) as well as on Saturdays. Elementary students
should be supervised by their parents during these times.
A lot of information here this week - thank you for reading through
until the end!
Have a
great weekend!
Warmly,
Keryn Dowling, Dave Allen and Calley Connelly
