Dear Community Members,
As we reach the end of our first week of school, I am happy to report that we have approximately 460 students settled into classrooms and engaged in learning for 2015-2016. Our teachers, administrators and staff members are excited to begin the academic journey with you. Thank you for all you have done to prepare your children.
Edmodo for Parents
We have completed the enrollment of all students into their classes in Edmodo. If you are a returning parent, you will be able to see the activity from your child's classes when you login. New parents will need to create a parent Edmodo account and add their child(ren) to their parent account using each child's parent code.
On Monday, you will receive an email from IT with the name and parent code for each of your children in grades PK3 - Grade 4. The email will contain instructions for creating a parent account and adding children. If you are a returning parent and can see all of your children in Edmodo, you may disregard that pending email.
Teachers will begin posting through Edmodo next week. You will begin receiving notifications from Edmodo about classroom posts only after you sign-up and connect your account to each child's account.
Back to School Afternoon
Take advantage of this opportunity to see the world your child inhabits every day by coming to Back to School Afternoon on Wednesday, August 26th from 4:00 pm to 5:30. This is one of the best ways to begin to build that all-important home-school connection. The purpose of this event is to give you an opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and learn more about the curriculum and classroom routines. Grade level teachers will lead presentations in the following rooms:
Preschool 3: Room1618
Preschool 4: Room 1130
Kindergarten: Room 1606
Grade 1 Grade 2
1A and 1D: Room 1122 2A and 2C: Room 2605
1B and 1C: Room 1120 2D and 2B: Room 2610
Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5
3A and 3B: Room 2132 Middle School CIC Room 3144
3C and 3D: Room 2140
3E: Room 2135
Following is the schedule:
4:00 to 4:20: Grade-level presentations
4:20 to 4:30: Transition time
4:30 to 4:50: Visit your child’s classroom
4:50 to 5:00: Transition time
5:00 to 5:20: Grade-level presentations (this presentation will be a repeat of the 4:00 to 4:20 presentation)
5:20 to 5:30: Families transition to parking lot for pick up
Looking at the above schedule, if you had two children, for example in grades 1 and 4, a parent could attend one presentation at 4:00 and the second presentation at 5:00. You could then drop in to see each child’s classroom from 4:30 to 4:50. If there are three children in your family, mom can attend one session at 4:00 while dad attends the 5:00 pm session. This will allow both parents to attend the second session. Specialist teachers will not be leading presentations, but will be available to meet with parents. Specialist teachers will be located in the following locations:
Indian Studies: Ms. Anu: Room 3610 and Ms. Bindu: Room 3609
Music: Ms. Shireen and Mr. Finny: Room 3146 and Mr. Peter: Room 1128
Art: All art teachers will be in Room 2150
Library: All CIC staff will be located in the Elementary School CIC.
Physical Education: Auxiliary Gym (beside the main gym)
World Languages: Ms. Joanne Room 3607 and Ms. IIona Room 3142
Since this event begins at 4:00 pm, there is not enough time for families to take children home and then return to school. We will provide playground supervision from 3:45 to 5:30. Students have access to the plaza, playground, soccer field and elementary school cafeteria only and will not be allowed in the hallways outside classrooms. Parents are asked to meet their children on the playground immediately following Back to School Afternoon.
You will have an opportunity to ask the teacher questions. However, this is not a time to discuss your child's individual needs or progress. Save such conversations for a little later, when the teacher knows your child better and can talk with you one-on-one.
Meetings with Teachers
We want to encourage communication between parents and teachers. If you would like to meet with one of your child’s teachers, please contact the teacher directly by email to set up a time to meet. Alternatively, you can contact Ms. Hazel (bhazel@aisch.org) or Ms. Cheryl (fcheryl@aisch.org) in the Elementary School Principal’s Office to schedule an appointment. Please keep in mind that our teachers have time set aside before and during the school day for planning and preparing lessons and for assessing student progress. This time is very valuable to them and to the quality of our instructional program. Unscheduled meetings can make it difficult for teachers to be prepared for their classes and hence can have a negative impact on the learning experience for the students. Thank you for your cooperation.
UN Day
One of AISC’s amazing traditions is the celebration of UN Day. This celebration will be held on Friday, September 18, as part of United Nations International Day of Peace. Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. By aligning our UN Day Celebration with the International Day of Peace, we will celebrate our community diversity, the mission of the United Nations, and courageous concept of peace on earth.
This year, we would like to continue tradition of celebrating UN International Day of Peace in our auditorium. In preparation for flag parade, K-12 students will gather in the gymnasium and, once assembled under their respective national flag, will proceed to the auditorium for the beginning of the parade. The PK students will gather in the auditorium lobby and, upon arrival of K-12 students, will lead the school into the parade. PK students will exit the auditorium when they finish their role in the parade.
Once our K-5 students finish their role in the parade, each of them will be seated in the auditorium for this event.
Once our 6-12 students complete the parade, they will proceed downstairs and be seated in the cafeteria with live streaming of the assembly in the auditorium.
Parent Action Needed
Students will be marching under their citizenship of record as listed in Skyward, our student information system. We would like to seek information about your children’s nationality representation interest if different from what is on our records. If you would like to make a change and have your child(ren) march under a flag different from their citizenship, please kindly send this information directly to Sanja Ilić, Director of Admissions, (admissionsdirector@aisch.org).
The Admissions Office will be accommodating the aforementioned requests until September 4, 2015, in order to be able to prepare additional flags in a timely manner.
School Pictures
Each year, a photographer comes to the school to take pictures of every student. We will use one picture for the 2015-16 yearbook. Parents will have the option of buying a picture package. School pictures will be taken over three days: August 31st, September 1st and 2nd. September 9th is the make-up date for any student who was away the day his/her photo was to be taken. Next week, I will publish the three-day photo schedule so that you will know which day you child’s photo will be taken.
Measures of Academic Progress® Tests
Beginning September 1st, 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. Beginner 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 September.
For more information on resources for parents, download the Parent Toolkit at www.nwea.org >> Partner Support.
Emergency Drill
Parents, please note that we will have a fire drill on Thursday, August 20th at 1:45pm. If you are on campus, please follow these guidelines:
1. Parents (and their visitors) are responsible for obeying the instructions from security staff or school administration during an emergency situation.
2. Parents should allow the evacuation process of our students to proceed undisturbed.
3. The soccer field is the safe assembly area that is commonly designated during fire evacuation.
4. The soccer field has designated area indicated by a signboard for parent/visitors to assemble near the northwest corner of the field.
5. Parents/Visitors will not be permitted to move off campus while an emergency situation is in progress.
6. In an emergency situation, parents should not use the elevators.
After-School Activities Information
Below are two additional paid ASA’s that have been recently added to the list of offerings.
ELEMENTARY CHOIR
Semester 1 (August 17 - December 18)
Day: Monday
Grade level: 4-5
Register at the ASA office MC-1B
The students will be learning special and exclusive songs. They will be performing for special occasions and will practice for performances outside the school especially for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at The Hyatt in December. Children who play other instruments (e.g. Violin) are most welcome.
ASA LIBRARY
Semester 1 (August 17 - December 18)
Students may opt to take this ASA on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
There will be no formal sign-up procedure.
Ms. Jyothi Unni will lead this ASA.
This ASA will give students an opportunity to work independently in a quiet area. There will not be any tutoring or homework help by Ms. Jyothi Unni. The students will assemble in the Elementary Cafeteria at the ASA Library Table at 3:30 pm and will be brought back to the Elementary Cafeteria after ASA at 4:45 pm for parent pick-up.
ASA’s WILL NOT BE HELD ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS:
No ASA’s on Wednesdays | US Labor Day: September 7, 2015 | Fall break: September 26 – October 4, 2015 | ES & MS Student-led Conference: October 15 & 16, 2015 | Diwali break: November 7 – November 11, 2015 | Thanksgiving holiday: November 26, 2015
Guidelines for Use of Campus Facilities
AISC has published guidelines for community member recreational use of campus facilities. These guidelines can be found on pages 20-23 in the Elementary School Handbook. Below is a brief overview of the guidelines.
How is facilities use prioritized?
1. The AISC Instructional Day. All AISC facilities, including the soccer field, playground, sandpit and plaza (the green space between the cafeteria and Elementary Reception) are reserved for instructional purposes during the school day from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. While classes start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m., time on either side of the school day is required for preparation and closure. Community members, including faculty and staff, may not use facilities for recreational purposes during the instructional day.
2. Co-Curricular Activities (athletics, ASA, student council, theater, music, etc.). Many of the sports teams and clubs meet either before school between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., after school between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and often on Saturdays. Other groups such as After School Activities also use the facilities, typically after school from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
3. We ask that community members respect the needs of these student groups and not interfere with the practices, games or meetings.
Have a great weekend and don’t forget that next Saturday, we will be hosting our Welcome Back Throwback Picnic from 1 pm to 4 pm. Happy Independence Day, India!
Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal
As we reach the end of our first week of school, I am happy to report that we have approximately 460 students settled into classrooms and engaged in learning for 2015-2016. Our teachers, administrators and staff members are excited to begin the academic journey with you. Thank you for all you have done to prepare your children.
Edmodo for Parents
We have completed the enrollment of all students into their classes in Edmodo. If you are a returning parent, you will be able to see the activity from your child's classes when you login. New parents will need to create a parent Edmodo account and add their child(ren) to their parent account using each child's parent code.
On Monday, you will receive an email from IT with the name and parent code for each of your children in grades PK3 - Grade 4. The email will contain instructions for creating a parent account and adding children. If you are a returning parent and can see all of your children in Edmodo, you may disregard that pending email.
Teachers will begin posting through Edmodo next week. You will begin receiving notifications from Edmodo about classroom posts only after you sign-up and connect your account to each child's account.
Back to School Afternoon
Take advantage of this opportunity to see the world your child inhabits every day by coming to Back to School Afternoon on Wednesday, August 26th from 4:00 pm to 5:30. This is one of the best ways to begin to build that all-important home-school connection. The purpose of this event is to give you an opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and learn more about the curriculum and classroom routines. Grade level teachers will lead presentations in the following rooms:
Preschool 3: Room1618
Preschool 4: Room 1130
Kindergarten: Room 1606
Grade 1 Grade 2
1A and 1D: Room 1122 2A and 2C: Room 2605
1B and 1C: Room 1120 2D and 2B: Room 2610
Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5
3A and 3B: Room 2132 Middle School CIC Room 3144
3C and 3D: Room 2140
3E: Room 2135
Following is the schedule:
4:00 to 4:20: Grade-level presentations
4:20 to 4:30: Transition time
4:30 to 4:50: Visit your child’s classroom
4:50 to 5:00: Transition time
5:00 to 5:20: Grade-level presentations (this presentation will be a repeat of the 4:00 to 4:20 presentation)
5:20 to 5:30: Families transition to parking lot for pick up
Looking at the above schedule, if you had two children, for example in grades 1 and 4, a parent could attend one presentation at 4:00 and the second presentation at 5:00. You could then drop in to see each child’s classroom from 4:30 to 4:50. If there are three children in your family, mom can attend one session at 4:00 while dad attends the 5:00 pm session. This will allow both parents to attend the second session. Specialist teachers will not be leading presentations, but will be available to meet with parents. Specialist teachers will be located in the following locations:
Indian Studies: Ms. Anu: Room 3610 and Ms. Bindu: Room 3609
Music: Ms. Shireen and Mr. Finny: Room 3146 and Mr. Peter: Room 1128
Art: All art teachers will be in Room 2150
Library: All CIC staff will be located in the Elementary School CIC.
Physical Education: Auxiliary Gym (beside the main gym)
World Languages: Ms. Joanne Room 3607 and Ms. IIona Room 3142
Since this event begins at 4:00 pm, there is not enough time for families to take children home and then return to school. We will provide playground supervision from 3:45 to 5:30. Students have access to the plaza, playground, soccer field and elementary school cafeteria only and will not be allowed in the hallways outside classrooms. Parents are asked to meet their children on the playground immediately following Back to School Afternoon.
You will have an opportunity to ask the teacher questions. However, this is not a time to discuss your child's individual needs or progress. Save such conversations for a little later, when the teacher knows your child better and can talk with you one-on-one.
Meetings with Teachers
We want to encourage communication between parents and teachers. If you would like to meet with one of your child’s teachers, please contact the teacher directly by email to set up a time to meet. Alternatively, you can contact Ms. Hazel (bhazel@aisch.org) or Ms. Cheryl (fcheryl@aisch.org) in the Elementary School Principal’s Office to schedule an appointment. Please keep in mind that our teachers have time set aside before and during the school day for planning and preparing lessons and for assessing student progress. This time is very valuable to them and to the quality of our instructional program. Unscheduled meetings can make it difficult for teachers to be prepared for their classes and hence can have a negative impact on the learning experience for the students. Thank you for your cooperation.
UN Day
One of AISC’s amazing traditions is the celebration of UN Day. This celebration will be held on Friday, September 18, as part of United Nations International Day of Peace. Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. By aligning our UN Day Celebration with the International Day of Peace, we will celebrate our community diversity, the mission of the United Nations, and courageous concept of peace on earth.
This year, we would like to continue tradition of celebrating UN International Day of Peace in our auditorium. In preparation for flag parade, K-12 students will gather in the gymnasium and, once assembled under their respective national flag, will proceed to the auditorium for the beginning of the parade. The PK students will gather in the auditorium lobby and, upon arrival of K-12 students, will lead the school into the parade. PK students will exit the auditorium when they finish their role in the parade.
Once our K-5 students finish their role in the parade, each of them will be seated in the auditorium for this event.
Once our 6-12 students complete the parade, they will proceed downstairs and be seated in the cafeteria with live streaming of the assembly in the auditorium.
Parent Action Needed
Students will be marching under their citizenship of record as listed in Skyward, our student information system. We would like to seek information about your children’s nationality representation interest if different from what is on our records. If you would like to make a change and have your child(ren) march under a flag different from their citizenship, please kindly send this information directly to Sanja Ilić, Director of Admissions, (admissionsdirector@aisch.org).
The Admissions Office will be accommodating the aforementioned requests until September 4, 2015, in order to be able to prepare additional flags in a timely manner.
Each year, a photographer comes to the school to take pictures of every student. We will use one picture for the 2015-16 yearbook. Parents will have the option of buying a picture package. School pictures will be taken over three days: August 31st, September 1st and 2nd. September 9th is the make-up date for any student who was away the day his/her photo was to be taken. Next week, I will publish the three-day photo schedule so that you will know which day you child’s photo will be taken.
Measures of Academic Progress® Tests
Beginning September 1st, 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. Beginner 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 September.
For more information on resources for parents, download the Parent Toolkit at www.nwea.org >> Partner Support.
Emergency Drill
Parents, please note that we will have a fire drill on Thursday, August 20th at 1:45pm. If you are on campus, please follow these guidelines:
1. Parents (and their visitors) are responsible for obeying the instructions from security staff or school administration during an emergency situation.
2. Parents should allow the evacuation process of our students to proceed undisturbed.
3. The soccer field is the safe assembly area that is commonly designated during fire evacuation.
4. The soccer field has designated area indicated by a signboard for parent/visitors to assemble near the northwest corner of the field.
5. Parents/Visitors will not be permitted to move off campus while an emergency situation is in progress.
6. In an emergency situation, parents should not use the elevators.
After-School Activities Information
Below are two additional paid ASA’s that have been recently added to the list of offerings.
ELEMENTARY CHOIR
Semester 1 (August 17 - December 18)
Day: Monday
Grade level: 4-5
Register at the ASA office MC-1B
The students will be learning special and exclusive songs. They will be performing for special occasions and will practice for performances outside the school especially for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at The Hyatt in December. Children who play other instruments (e.g. Violin) are most welcome.
ASA LIBRARY
Semester 1 (August 17 - December 18)
Students may opt to take this ASA on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
There will be no formal sign-up procedure.
Ms. Jyothi Unni will lead this ASA.
This ASA will give students an opportunity to work independently in a quiet area. There will not be any tutoring or homework help by Ms. Jyothi Unni. The students will assemble in the Elementary Cafeteria at the ASA Library Table at 3:30 pm and will be brought back to the Elementary Cafeteria after ASA at 4:45 pm for parent pick-up.
ASA’s WILL NOT BE HELD ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS:
No ASA’s on Wednesdays | US Labor Day: September 7, 2015 | Fall break: September 26 – October 4, 2015 | ES & MS Student-led Conference: October 15 & 16, 2015 | Diwali break: November 7 – November 11, 2015 | Thanksgiving holiday: November 26, 2015
Guidelines for Use of Campus Facilities
AISC has published guidelines for community member recreational use of campus facilities. These guidelines can be found on pages 20-23 in the Elementary School Handbook. Below is a brief overview of the guidelines.
How is facilities use prioritized?
1. The AISC Instructional Day. All AISC facilities, including the soccer field, playground, sandpit and plaza (the green space between the cafeteria and Elementary Reception) are reserved for instructional purposes during the school day from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. While classes start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m., time on either side of the school day is required for preparation and closure. Community members, including faculty and staff, may not use facilities for recreational purposes during the instructional day.
2. Co-Curricular Activities (athletics, ASA, student council, theater, music, etc.). Many of the sports teams and clubs meet either before school between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., after school between 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and often on Saturdays. Other groups such as After School Activities also use the facilities, typically after school from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
3. We ask that community members respect the needs of these student groups and not interfere with the practices, games or meetings.
Have a great weekend and don’t forget that next Saturday, we will be hosting our Welcome Back Throwback Picnic from 1 pm to 4 pm. Happy Independence Day, India!
Kevin Hall
Elementary School Principal
