Friday, August 27, 2021

Dear Parents,

 

We would like to thank all of the parents who were able to attend the Back to School events this week. If you were not able to attend and would like more information, please contact your child’s teacher. 

 

Important Dates: 

Date	Event		Details
September 7	ES Parent Coffee 3:00-3:45 p.m.		Mark your calendar. More details to follow
September 10	No School
September 13	MAP Testing begins Grades 3 - 5

 

MAP Testing Grades 3-5

Students in grades 3-5 will be taking the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test virtually from September 13 - September 24. The make-up testing days will be September 17th & 24th. We will offer an overview of the MAP test for parents in the second part of our parent coffee on September 7th. 

 

Back to School - Meet the Specialists - REPEAT ANNOUNCEMENT

The specialist teachers have each recorded a short introduction and course overview for parents. You can find the videos by clicking the link below and adding the guest password when prompted. 

1). https://flipgrid.com/cd5d45e0

2). Guest Password: Bts2021!

 

Welcome Back to School Supply Bags - REPEAT ANNOUNCEMENT

We have welcome back to school supply bags ready for on campus pick up. You may come to campus between 8:30 - 4:00 to pick up your child’s bag Monday - Saturday. The bags will include a welcome back to school gift for each student, some school supplies, and a yearbook for returning students. Bags can be picked up outside the Elementary School gate. If you are sending your driver, please make sure your driver knows your child’s first and last name and grade level. 

 

Yearbook Photos - REPEAT ANNOUNCEMENT

IMPORTANT: Submitting Student Yearbook Portraits
Last day to submit: Friday, September 3, 2021

The Yearbook Team will be collecting student portraits virtually. You can read the instructions and upload the photo by visiting this website.

 

At-A-Glance Details

• Please read the instructions carefully.

• You can use the back camera of a mobile phone to take your child’s photo. Make sure you use a plain background with no pictures or decor. 

• You can also consider taking your photo professionally at a studio if you have access to one in your area; make sure to request for a grey background.

• IMPORTANT! Please rename your child’s photo accordingly. We will not be able to accept submissions if you do not rename the photo.

• Homeroom_First Name_Last Name
  E.g.  2DJ_Harry_Potter

• Last Day to Submit: Friday, September 3, 11:59 p.m. IST

 

Thank you for your support! Please write to media@aischennai.org if you have any questions.

 

SAVE THE DATE: UN International Day of Peace Virtual Assembly and Parade of Nations (Friday, September 17)

 

This year’s theme for the UN International Day of Peace is "Recovering Better for a Sustainable and Equitable World." With student speakers and participants from Elementary to High School, we are excited to continue bringing annual traditions to you virtually. Stay tuned for more details on how you can join us on Friday, September 17, 2:45 p.m. 

PCA International Community Celebrations: September 17 Onwards

One of the highlights of the AISC annual calendar is the PCA International Day Picnic. In partnership with the PCA and the many Country Coordinators that represent our diverse community, International Day is a true celebration of AISC’s cultural identity.

This year, as we continue to bring you shared virtual experiences, the PCA and Advancement will be launching an International Community Celebration webpage, complete with country-specific activities and pre-recorded content for you to celebrate our internationalism. More details to come!

From the Counselors

Here are some tips on how to help your child stay organized during the day:

1. Post a written schedule on the wall. Use sticky notes to add any changes. 

2. Have your child bookmark their virtual classroom on their device so they can find links and schedule easily. 

3. Check Seesaw messages regularly for any changes.

4. If your child is in grades 3-5 have them check their AISC Gmail account for messages regularly.

5. To Do lists - help your child keep a running list of tasks to do. You can also help them learn what tasks can be done during a short break and what tasks can be done during a longer break.

6. Put alarms on your child’s laptop or iPad to help them remember when classes start. 

 

Stay safe and be well. 

Lynn Schneider and Dave Allen
Elementary School Leadership Team

Friday, August 20, 2021

 Dear Parents, 

Date	Event		Details
Aug 23 & 24	Back to School Events for Parents Monday, Aug 23rd (EY - Grade 2) EY: 11:00 - 11:30 KG: 3:00 - 3:30 G1: 3:30 - 4:00 G2: 2:00 - 2:30 Tues, Aug 24th (Grades 3-5) G3: 1:15 - 1:45 G4: 2:45 -3:15 G5: 3:00 - 3:30		Specific Zoom links to each event will be sent out by homeroom teachers

 

Specialist Zoom Links

We appreciate your patience as we worked out the issues with the specialist Zoom links. Everything was fixed last weekend. If your child is still having trouble accessing a specialist class, please have him/her refresh their virtual classroom page. If you still have trouble, please let the specialist teacher know and we will work with you to make sure your child can connect.  

 

Back to School Events

Please join your child’s teacher for the Back to School event this week to learn more about the grade level curriculum, grade level expectations, and how you can support your child at home. Your child’s teacher will be sending you the Zoom meeting link before the event. 

 

Back to School - Meet the Specialists

The specialist teachers have each recorded a short introduction and course overview for parents. You can find the videos by clicking the link below and adding the guest password when prompted. 

1). https://flipgrid.com/cd5d45e0

2). Guest Password: Bts2021!

 

Welcome Back to School Supply Bags

On Wednesday, August 25th, we will have welcome back to school supply bags ready for on campus pick up. You may come to campus between 8:30 - 4:00 to pick up your child’s bag Monday - Saturday. The bags will include a welcome back to school gift for each student, some school supplies, and a yearbook for returning students. Bags can be picked up outside the Elementary School gate.

 

Yearbook Photos

IMPORTANT: Submitting Student Yearbook Portraits
Last day to submit: Friday, September 3, 2021

The Yearbook Team will be collecting student portraits virtually. You can read the instructions and upload the photo by visiting this website.

 

At-A-Glance Details

• Please read the instructions carefully.

• You can use the back camera of a mobile phone to take your child’s photo. Make sure you use a plain background with no pictures or decor. 

• You can also consider taking your photo professionally at a studio if you have access to one in your area; make sure to request for a grey background.

• IMPORTANT! Please rename your child’s photo accordingly. We will not be able to accept submissions if you do not rename the photo.

• Homeroom_First Name_Last Name
  E.g.  2DJ_Harry_Potter

• Last Day to Submit: Friday, September 3, 11:59 p.m. IST

 

Thank you for your support! Please write to media@aischennai.org if you have any questions.

 

From the Counselors

We have weekly or bi-weekly lessons with each class during morning meeting times or designated counselor times. These lessons are focused on social and emotional learning (SEL) designed to help students better understand their thoughts and emotions, become more self-aware and confident, and develop empathy for others. Counselors will lead interactive, fun activities during these times.  

 

Social and emotional learning (SEL) helps students work through challenges - which is so important because of the pandemic and students not being able to share and build relationships in a physical classroom space. Our lessons will help students continue to grow as confident, caring, and successful learners.

Linda glinda@aischennai.org

Michele nmichele@aischennai.org

 

Stay safe and be well. 

Lynn Schneider and Dave Allen
Elementary School Leadership Team

Friday, August 13, 2021

Dear Parents,

It has been great seeing students reconnect with each other and get to know their teachers. Here are some pictures from art, Indian Studies, and Spanish during the first two weeks of school. 

 

 

Important Dates:

Date	Event		Details
Aug 23 & 24	Back to School Events for Parents Monday, Aug 23rd (EY - Grade 2) EY: 11:00 - 11:30 KG: 3:00 - 3:30 G1: 3:30 - 4:00 G2: 2:00 - 2:30 Tues, Aug 24th (Grades 3-5) G3: 1:15 - 1:45 G4: 2:45 -3:15 G5: 3:00 - 3:30		Specific Zoom links to each event will be sent out by homeroom teachers

Back to School Events

Please join the back to school events the week of August 23rd.The Back to School events are a time for you to hear from your child’s teachers about the curriculum, grade level expectations, and how you can support your child’s learning this year. Please note the dates and times above. Zoom links will be sent from your child’s homeroom teacher. 

 

Elementary Handbook

The Elementary Handbook is published virtually this year and available for your reference linked here. You can also find this link on the school website, and in the links tab on the right corner of this blog. It is very important that your family takes the time to familiarize yourself with its contents. After reading the policies and information in the handbook, please click on the links below to digitally sign and submit these online forms by August 21st. 

Parents must sign the forms and students in grades 3-5 need to sign the form as well.

If you have more than one child at AISC, you must complete a form for each child. 

Early Years - Grade 2 - https://signnow.com/s/Bycb54wC

Grade 3 - 5 - https://signnow.com/s/ucXwrKCm - parents and students need to sign

Elementary School Handbook link: ES Handbook

 

Welcome Back to School Supply Bags

We are working on getting a few school supplies along with last year’s yearbook (for returning students) distributed. We are hoping to have the bags ready for pick up on campus the week of August 23rd. More details will follow in next week’s Principal’s Notes. 

 

Sora Use for Families

AISC families are invited to browse our digital library Sora. Your child can access Sora using their AISC email and families can follow these instructions. Please note that the password for all families is Chennai21 and your children will use their email password. Please let Ms. Babs know if you have any questions regarding access to Sora. 

 

Family Use of the AISC Libraries 

Starting today, AISC families are now able to request books every week from our libraries using this Google form. Books can be ordered through the form from Friday until Monday at 3:30pm and can be picked up curbside at the Elementary School entrance on Wednesdays between 8:30am - 4:00pm. Bags with the child's name clearly marked on the front will be located inside the white cubbies. Patrons are invited to take the bag that belongs to them without touching any other materials. 

In addition, a book drop is positioned curbside at the Elementary School entrance, as well as the main entrance, for returned books. We encourage families to return the books after two weeks, although if a specific title is needed for a longer period, please contact Babs to implement an extension. 

Library staff will practice all health and safety protocols while gathering your books. Upon return, books and the canvas bags that are distributed will be sanitized. 

We encourage families to check the ES library catalog or the HS library catalog before requesting specific titles to ensure that they are available. Please let Babs know on bbarbara@aischennai.org know if you have any questions.

From our Counselors

Here are some tips for helping your children thrive during virtual learning:

1. Have a dedicated space for learning. Creating a separate, quiet workstation can help eliminate distractions and conflicts. Not every learning environment works for every child and now is a good time to evaluate what works for your child. Children can decorate and personalize as much as possible.  

2. Create routines and include breaks between live classes. Have some equipment and ideas ready for your child when it is break time… jump ropes, mini trampoline, hula hoop, soccer ball for dribbling, basketball for bouncing, stairs for walking, yoga mat for yoga exercises, poster with deep breathing picture, etc. Some breaks are short and some longer and students will need ideas for what to do during breaks. Regular physical movement is a cornerstone of schooling, so building movement into their breaks can actually help stimulate learning. Longer breaks might include a walk outside when possible.

3. Stay in contact with teachers via Seesaw and email. These conversations can be about more than just assignments. If you are seeing new behavior patterns at home, you can let teachers know about it. Also the counselors are here and ready to help with challenging behaviors. 

Stay safe and be well. 

Lynn Schneider and Dave Allen
Elementary School Leadership Team

Friday, August 06, 2021

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe the first week is over. We heard from teachers about how eager, enthusiastic, motivated, and fun the students were on Zoom this week. That speaks volumes about how much the students enjoy attending school. I would like to thank the teachers for all of their work planning engaging live sessions to welcome students and start building the classroom community. 

Home Tutors

Some parents have asked us for help finding home tutors. The school will do what we can to help identify potential home tutor candidates and provide you with other home tutor resources. If you would like more information, please contact Lynn Schneider, the Elementary School Principal (slynn@aischennai.org). 

 

Email for Students in Grades 3-5

Please note that for safety and security reasons, students in grades 3-5 can only receive emails on their school Gmail account from within the AISC domain. You will not be able to email your child’s AISC Gmail account from your personal email.

Welcome Videos from the Specialists

Please share the appropriate welcome video from the specialists with your child.

EY-Grade 2

Grades 3-5

Student Learning Facilitator

Kay Clarke is our European Student Learning Facilitator. She will offer office hours to support students in Europe as needed. If your child is currently in Europe, you will receive an email from Ms. Kay early next week introducing herself. 

From our Counselors

Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year!  We are the Elementary School counselors:

 

Linda Gerberich glinda@aischennai.org.  Linda is working with grades Early Years-grade 4.  

Michele Ness nmichele@aischennai.org.  Michele is working with grade 5 students. 

We are here to support your child’s wellbeing by helping students feel a sense of belonging and cared for and by helping all students be their best selves. We look forward to a great year and please contact us at any time.    

 

Stay safe and be well. 

Lynn Schneider and Dave Allen

Elementary School Leadership Team