Dear Parents,
Please join Ms.
Sweet and me on Tuesday, September 10 for our first coffee morning of the year. We will be meeting in the Fine Arts Center (FAC) Cafeteria, not the ES Cafeteria. Our topic will be student-led conferences, which the elementary school is introducing this year. Please note that this is a repeat of a session we held last spring.
The student-led conferences will take place on Thursday, September 26th and Friday, September 27th. Parents sign up for conferences online. Next week in my Principal's Notes, I will include sign-up instructions. Please remember, there are no classes on these two days.
Image Source: blogs.yis.ac.jp
Our elementary
school counselors have finalized a series of three "newcomer meetings"
with our new elementary students, and enjoyed welcoming kids from around the
globe into our school community. We recognize them as Third Culture Kids
(TCKs), and that their single most significant challenge right now is making a
successful transition into our school and Chennai. We invite parents to join us
at the October 8th Parent
Coffee with the ES Administration where will talk more about transitioning
into a new country and school.
Image source: davetgc.com
On Friday, September 13th, we will observe International Dot Day through creative expressions: music, art, poetry, and the spoken word, across the AISC campus. Everyone on campus, including parents, will be asked that day to consider how they make their mark in the world... and courageously wear it on a dot badge.
Go to the following address on the Internet:
This has been an
exciting week of learning for teachers, teacher assistants and administrators
as we have had the privilege of working with and learning from two writing
workshop trainers from Columbia University in New York. During the week, teachers
engaged in activities that focused on:
· The
central role of curriculum development and planning in the teaching of writing
· Units
of Study across the year in the writing workshop
· Methods
of holding students accountable for doing their best work
· Assessing
and planning for work with individuals and small groups
· Using
literature to help students craft their writing
· Classroom
structures that support inquiry and collaboration
Parent Coffee with the ES Administration
The student-led conferences will take place on Thursday, September 26th and Friday, September 27th. Parents sign up for conferences online. Next week in my Principal's Notes, I will include sign-up instructions. Please remember, there are no classes on these two days.
Image Source: blogs.yis.ac.jp
News from our Counselors
Image source: davetgc.com
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Tests
Beginning next week, 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 and language usage. 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. This year, we are introducing the MAP science test. Your child will take the tests on a computer. Beginner EAL students who are new to the school this year will not write these tests.
Image Source: teachers.saschina.org
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. Rather, the school will send you a MAP Student Progress Report in
October.
For more information on resources for parents,
download the Parent Toolkit at www.nwea.org
>> Partner Support.
International Dot Day
Courage,
creativity, confidence, and compassion are components of the AISC Mission and they
are artfully illustrated in Peter Reynolds’ book, The Dot. With a simple, witty story
and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds entices even the stubbornly
uncreative among us to make a mark – and follow where it takes us. In the months since the school Strategic
Plan was adopted, The Dot has come to symbolize our mission’s goal of
making a unique contribution in a diverse and dynamic world.
On Friday, September 13th, we will observe International Dot Day through creative expressions: music, art, poetry, and the spoken word, across the AISC campus. Everyone on campus, including parents, will be asked that day to consider how they make their mark in the world... and courageously wear it on a dot badge.
Stations will
be set up in the elementary and secondary sections (in the FAC cafeteria,
libraries, ES covered area, and main reception) for students,
parents, and staff to express themselves, following the lead of Vashti, the
unsuspecting heroine of The Dot.
There will also
be artwork, writing, and photos inspired by the day around campus and on the school
website as a visual representation of our courageous, confident, creative, and
compassionate community.
To view and
listen to The Dot at home, please visit our wonderful online
subscription to TumbleBooks! Here are steps on how to access the book:
Go to the following address on the Internet:
2. Enter the
following information: Username:
aischennai Password: books
3. In the
search box in the top left hand corner, type The Dot and click the blue
arrow.
4. Scroll down
until you find The Dot on the left side of the page.
5. Click “Read
Online”
Celebrating Music!
Celebrating Music!
Have a great weekend,
Kevin Hall
Elementary
School Principal