Friday, December 17, 2021

Dear Parents,

We want to wish all of our departing students all the best in their new school. We hope that you have a restful, relaxing, and enjoyable winter break. Happy Holidays and we will see you in the New Year. 

 

Important Dates

Date	Event		Details
Friday, January 7	Upload Panbio test result
Sunday, January  9	Order the complimentary ES school lunch for next week by noon
Monday, January 10	* Send the used Panbio Test Strip with your child (to be checked and disposed at school) * Complete Parent Locker every morning *School starts at 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday, January 12	Wednesday Early Release  (staggered dismissal starting at 2:30 pm)
Friday, January 14	No School - Pongal Holiday

 

New Drop-off Times Beginning Monday, January 10, 2022

All Elementary School students need to be on campus by 8:30 a.m. starting January 10, 2022. 

 

Arts, Sports & Activities (ASA) - Winter Camp '22

If you are interested in having your child(ren) engage in activities for Winter Camp, please fill out the Registration Form before Friday, December 31. Winter Camp will be a 5-day program that begins on Monday, January 3, and will run through Friday, January 7, 2022. Please note that the camp will be in person. The fee for each activity will be INR 2,000 in total for 5 days. For more information, please email Monicka (dmonicka@aischennai.org).

 

Arts, Sports & Activities Program Season 3

For Season 3 of ASA’s, all offerings are FREE of charge for AISC Grade 1- 8  students. The activities will happen on campus. Registered students will be asked to attend all sessions of the program. Kindly request you to register for the activities that you or your child are committed to attending. Here is the Registration Form.

 

• Please find the ASA schedule attached.

• Season 3 will run from Jan 17 - Mar 11.

• The form will close on Jan 12, 2022.  

 

Regards,

Lynn Schneider and Dave Allen

Elementary School Leadership Team

Friday, December 10, 2021

Dear Parents,

Beginning Monday, January 10, 2022, school will start at 8:30 a.m. The current start time is 8:45 a.m. and we have noticed in all three divisions (ES/MS/HS) a majority of our students are on campus well before that time. Please see the new staggered drop-off schedule below. All Elementary School students need to be on campus by 8:30 a.m. Students arriving between 8:00 - 8:30 a.m. will still be able to play on the playground and/or go to the library. 

 

Important Dates

Date	Event		Details
Friday, December 10	Upload Panbio test result
Sunday, December 12	Order the complimentary ES school lunch for next week by noon
Monday, December 13	* Send the used Panbio Test Strip with your child (to be checked and disposed at school) * Complete Parent Locker every morning
Wednesday, December 15	Wednesday Early Release  (staggered dismissal starting at 2:30 pm)
Friday, December 17	Semester 1 report cards emailed to parents Winter Break Begins
January 3 - 7	ASA Winter Camp		Info below

 

Vision Day Celebration Slides and Survey Results

Vision Day 2021 is in the past and now it's time to CELEBRATE. Please enjoy a few minutes clicking through the Vision Day Celebration Slides with your child at a convenient time. Here are some highlights from our student survey:

 

- 93% of students surveyed reported being happy with their project experience

- 93% of students surveyed gave their project a 4 or 5 score on a scale of 1-5 for working with different teachers and students

- Some words used to describe what students learned included: Resilience, innovation, collaboration, cooperation, and creativity. 

 

 We look forward to continuing our Vision Day projects next semester!

 

Arts, Sports & Activities (ASA) - Winter Camp '22

If you are interested in having your child(ren) engage in activities for Winter Camp, please fill out the Registration Form before Friday, December 31. Winter Camp will be a 5-day program that begins on Monday, January 3, and will run through Friday, January 7, 2022. Please note that the camp will be in person. The fee for each activity will be INR 2,000 in total for 5 days.  For more information, please email Monicka (dmonicka@aischennai.org).

 

Recent Learning Models Survey

Many thanks to those who took some time from busy lives to give us feedback on our learning models and your experience from Semester 1. The results are cause for celebration all around, not only because you, the parent community, have helped us affirm our strengths and successes, but that we have fresh, relevant ideas for growth and improvement. Your feedback matters.

Of the many strengths and successes you pointed out, what rose to the top were the effective support for your child’s learning by teachers and staff, the timeliness of teacher and administration communication, and the quality of synchronous time with classmates during virtual or hybrid learning. These results emphasize what an extraordinary job our teachers and staff are doing to empower AISC students to live the mission, in all modes of learning.

At the same time, you helped us recognize opportunities for growth in the way we provide synchronous learning time for students, as well as how we communicate with our community groups, and your comments were brimming with frank and constructive feedback on these and other topics. Again, thank you for offering your ideas. When many of your suggestions align with our own reflective self-assessments, we know we are thinking together as a community.

 

From the Counselors

Here are some takeaways from this week’s parent portal program with Sean Truman, entitled “Down But Not Out: Coping with COVID”.

• Emotional responses are normal.  We can’t ask ourselves or children not to respond emotionally.  Parents can recognize and address their own emotions and anxiety before helping their children. 

• When we talk with kids, let’s encourage them to focus on what they CAN control: their actions, their words, their behaviors, and their responses. One sentence that can help prompt kids to think about what they can control: How can I make this better?

• Focus on concrete actions to feel better like getting enough sleep, limited screen time, moving our body, and getting outside in nature. 

• Thinking in less catastrophic ways….. Don't exaggerate. Stay specific. 

• Get proper sleep. 

• Don’t assume that whatever’s happening now or in the past will always be that way. 

• Go outside - do something physical. 

• Connect socially - arrange play time with friends. 

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend. 

 

Lynn Schneider and Dave Allen
Elementary School Leadership Team

Friday, December 03, 2021

Dear Parents,

Students in grades 3-5 had a fantastic Vision Project Day this past week. Students were involved in hands-on experiential learning activities such as robotics, drama, cooking, stop motion animation, obstacle course creation, and plastic bottle gardens. I would like to thank all of the teachers who made the projects a success. A special thank you goes to our Vision Day Project Committee members: Elliot Fijman (project coordinator), Alex Ray, and Kay Clarke. We are already starting to think about the Vision Project Days for the second semester. 

 

Date	Event		Details
Friday, December 3	Upload Panbio test result
Sunday, December 5	Order the complimentary ES school lunch for next week by noon
Monday, December 6	* Send the used Panbio Test Strip with your child (to be checked and disposed at school) * Complete Parent Locker every morning
Wednesday, December 8	Wednesday Early Release  (staggered dismissal starting at 2:30 pm)

 

Relocating

If you are relocating and your children are not returning to AISC in January 2022, please inform the Elementary School office and fill out the withdrawal form linked on the side of this blog. 

 

Dismissal/Pick Up

Thank you for your help during dismissal. We appreciate you spreading out to maintain social distancing and waiting near your child’s grade level area which makes it easier for your child to find you. We now have tents and benches on the other side of the driveway. Please feel free to use that space while you wait for your child or wait for your driver to pick you up. 

 

Students Connecting Virtually

If your child will be connecting virtually, please email your child’s teacher by 8:00 a.m. so he/she can be prepared, and we can let the specialists know who will be connecting via Zoom.

 

If your child is unwell and cannot attend school on campus, please let them rest and recover without the pressure of joining the class virtually.

 

Parent Appreciation Video - From a High School student

My name is Esperance de Lattre, and I am a grade 12 student doing the IB diploma. This year as part of my diploma, I had to conduct a project of my choice that demonstrated Service, Activity, and Creativity. My project aimed to demonstrate gratitude to AISC Elementary parents. To do so I met with some of the elementary classes to teach them more about gratitude, and I created this video to show appreciation to all of you. 

 

Learning Models Survey Reminder

On Monday, November 29 you received an email from AISC with a link to a short but important parent survey. (Here is the link.) This is an opportunity to provide us with feedback on you and your child's experience with our various learning models this year, and we hope you have a few minutes to respond. The survey will close on Tuesday, December 7. Thanks to those who have already shared their thoughts and ideas!

 

From the Counselors

This month some AISC families will leave India permanently. Leaving a place well is very important for your child’s well being and also for making new beginnings. When students leave, their friends who stay at AISC are also affected. Children want their experiences and life stories to be noticed. They should have time and space to talk about how they are feeling and to make a plan to say goodbye to friends and teachers and even places. Try to plan goodbyes as much as possible. Here are some things we do in the Elementary School to honor and appreciate our students when they leave:

• Counselors meet with the leaving student to make a leaving plan and wish them well.

• The student’s class writes messages in a book from India for leavers to keep.  

• An AISC bag is given to students to take with them. 

• Goodbye time is made for classmates to share a memory, compliment, or wish with the leaving student and the students share a wish/thankyou with class.  

We so appreciate all of our students and families….those leaving and those staying! 

Library Book Swap

Start collecting your books. 

 

Have a great weekend. 

 

Lynn Schneider and Dave Allen
Elementary School Leadership Team

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Dear Parents,

Important Events:

 

Date	Event		Details
Friday, November 26, 2021	Upload Panbio test result
Sunday, November 28	Order the complimentary ES school lunch for next week by noon
Monday, November 29	* Send the used Panbio Test Strip with your child (to be checked and disposed at school) * Complete Parent Locker every morning
Tuesday, November 30	Early Years Parent Coffee		See below
Wednesday, December 1	Wednesday Early Release  (staggered dismissal starting at 2:30 pm)
Wednesday, December 1	Elementary School Vision Day		See below

EY Parent Coffee - November 30th @ 2:00 p.m.

Children begin communicating and developing language the day they are born. As children grow and develop, they begin listening for different purposes and responding with words instead of sounds and gestures. Oral language skills lay the foundation for future success in reading and writing. These skills develop as children have opportunities to listen to and talk with their parents, relatives, friends, caregivers, etc. Speech and language development is a critical step in nurturing the foundation of communication, self-expression, and literacy. Language development also impacts children's social interactions, behavior, and academic skills. 

Ms. Amritha Thomas, our Speech & Language Pathologist, will be holding a parent coffee on Tuesday, November 30th from 2:00-2:30 p.m. to talk about Speech & Language development in the early years. She will also be providing strategies for parents to use to promote language development. We look forward to seeing you all there. Please kindly use this link to join the meeting.

Meeting ID: 969 3202 8018 Passcode: AISC    

 

Vision Day for Grades 3-5 - December 1st

Vision Day for students in grades 3-5 will be December 1st. If your child is participating virtually, please note what supplies are needed for the project day. Please see the email that was sent to parents of students in grades 3, 4, and 5 about additional COVID testing requirements next week. 

Upcoming Parent Survey, Monday, November 29

On this coming Monday, November 29 you will receive an email with a link to a survey to gather feedback on your experience with the AISC Learning Models so far this year. We welcome your thoughtful participation in this survey so we can understand key areas for celebration and growth.

From the Counselors

Your counselors Ms. Linda and Ms. Michele had a wonderful week working together with your children! This week in all of the Elementary School classrooms, counselors reviewed AISC’s safe touch practices to ensure that all students understand how our AISC community keeps them safe. 

They learned about an important new feature called a safety box that we have on our campus. The safety box is a place where students can make confidential reports or complaints regarding sexual abuse. If you have questions about the safety box please follow the link to view the video, or contact Ms Michele or Ms Linda via email. 

Upcoming Speaker on December 6

Please join us on Monday, December 6th at 7:00 p.m. for a parent focused session with Sean Truman, entitled “Coping with COVID: Down, But Not Out”. COVID has upended the social and emotional lives of people living around the world who have disproportionately experienced high levels of depression, anxiety and social problems. Sean Truman of the Truman Group will address how and why young people have been so affected by the pandemic and ways that parents can provide support to help their children cope more effectively. The full list of sessions can be found here. Registration for the sessions will take place through Eventbrite.

The Portal Project - Parenting Beyond the Pandemic

 

Middle School Winter Production; The 10 Best/Worst Things about Middle School

Thursday, December 9th @ 5pm

Book your tickets here; https://www.aischennai.org/theater/ms/ 

Note: The premiere will be a livestream performance. A recording will be available after the premiere.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Ah, middle school. The best/worst years of your life! The friends, the memories, the life lessons, and of course the...inevitably haunting embarrassments that will leave emotional scars for years to come! Join a group of real life middle school students as they uncover the wonders/perils of their first dance, the marvels/horrors of field trips, the joy/humiliation of gym class, and many more of the numerous fond traumatizing aspects of life as a middle school student.

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. 

Enjoy the long weekend.

Lynn Schneider and Dave Allen
Elementary School Leadership Team