Dear Parents,
With only two more school weeks to go before the October break, routines and learning systems in the Elementary School are well established and we hope your children are bringing home new ideas and stories of this every day.
UN Peace Day begins with a parade of nations on Friday morning. All children are encouraged to come to school dressed in national dress or in colors matching the country they will be representing. A reminder, as with all dressing up days, that fake weapons, even if part of a costume, should not come to school. Thank you for your support in this. We look forward to welcoming parents at this wonderful ceremony!
UN Peace Day begins with a parade of nations on Friday morning. All children are encouraged to come to school dressed in national dress or in colors matching the country they will be representing. A reminder, as with all dressing up days, that fake weapons, even if part of a costume, should not come to school. Thank you for your support in this. We look forward to welcoming parents at this wonderful ceremony!
Goal Setting Conferences - Thursday 29 and Friday 30 September
Goal Setting Conferences are Thursday, September 29th from 3:45 pm - 6:30 pm, and all day on Friday, September 30th from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm. These are around 20 minutes in length and are a valuable opportunity for you to learn more about your child’s learning and the goals they and their teacher have set. We look forward to welcoming all families at these conferences.
Feedback from previous years showed that many parents and teachers alike found conferences this early in the year with our younger students to be more successful if it was between parent and teacher. Therefore, it is only expected that children from Grades 2-5 will attend. If you do decide to have your younger child (KG-1) present, then the teacher will still guide the conference.
Feedback from previous years showed that many parents and teachers alike found conferences this early in the year with our younger students to be more successful if it was between parent and teacher. Therefore, it is only expected that children from Grades 2-5 will attend. If you do decide to have your younger child (KG-1) present, then the teacher will still guide the conference.
What to Expect During the Conference
- main focus will be on goal setting with the child. Baseline learning and assessments will be shared, to show the “starting point” for the child and so growth can be documented by the second conference.
- PreKindergarten (3 and 4+) students do not attend these conferences, the meeting is between parent and teacher only.
- For KG-1, it is optional for the student to be present.
- In grades 2-5, students will take on more of the conference leadership, and this will vary from child to child.
- Music, Art, PE, World Language and Indian Studies can be visited on a drop in basis.
We do request that all families make an appointment to attend on either one of the two days. Conferences are scheduled online, and please sign up before Tuesday 27th by clicking on this link.
Childcare will be available for AISC students only (no babies or toddlers) while their parents are conferencing. Locations will be confirmed in next week’s notes.
13th Annual Big Bad Blue
Friday, Sept. 23 - 3pm-6pm
Saturday, Sept. 24 - 8am-6pm
We will host 6 local schools and teams and the Stonehill School from Bangalore.
Come support the SAISA Swim Team and join in the fun!
Supervision At School
Our elementary school does not provide supervision before 8:00 a.m. From 8:00 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. there is supervision provided by school on the play yard. Should students need to visit another area of the campus, they need to do so with their parents.
No supervision is provided after 3:30 p.m. except when children are enrolled in an official school activity. After school, parents must pick up their children from the designated location on the ground level and supervise their children should they wish to stay after school and are not enrolled in an after-school activity. Nannies, drivers, and older siblings cannot perform this role. Parents are asked to be within close range of their child. What this means is that you must not only be able to see your child play, but to be able to hear your child as well.
Please note that this applies to all students in elementary school and to all areas of the campus, including: the library, play areas, cafeterias, sports facilities, and classrooms. Any child on campus not being supervised by their parents will be taken to the ES Reception to await collection.
Home Learning
We have a group of teachers currently reviewing the Home Learning Guidelines for the Elementary School. These teachers have been reviewing current research as well as looking into the practices of other International Schools both within India and the rest of the world.
Here is one article that examines many sides of the argument of the impact homework can have on Elementary School students.
Our Elementary School handbook currently has some basic guidelines for homework, and as the committee finalizes the draft of new guidelines these will be shared with parents.
In practice, all teachers are moving towards a more personalized learning approach and although children are expected to engage in some form of reading every night, all other home learning tasks will be assigned when and as it is specifically needed to support, extend or reinforce concepts understood. This means that just as in reading where not all children are reading the same book, not all children will be practicing the same math or science tasks at home. A ‘one size fits all’ sheet no longer serves a purpose of meeting our diverse population and their home learning needs.
Elementary School Parent Coffee, Tuesday morning, September 20, 8:45 - 9:45 a.m.
Our English as an Additional Language (EAL) Coordinator Karen Sumaryono and several EAL teachers will provide an overview of the EAL Programme next Tuesday during our ES coffee morning, along with four small group learning stations:
- How to Help Your Grade 3-5 Child at Home
- How to Help Your Grade K-2 Child at Home
- Understanding Reading Levels
- Understanding Tiered Vocabulary
This is a great opportunity for any parents of EAL students to learn more about the programme we offer here and we will wrap up with time for your questions and get your suggestions for topics to talk about next time.
Meet and Greet Coffee
As we are still trying to meet as many of you as possible, directly before the EAL Parent Coffee, both Ms Lori Newman and myself will be out in the ES Plaza under the large tree. We will have tea and coffee available and would love as many of you to stop by and introduce yourselves if you have not already done so!
As we are still trying to meet as many of you as possible, directly before the EAL Parent Coffee, both Ms Lori Newman and myself will be out in the ES Plaza under the large tree. We will have tea and coffee available and would love as many of you to stop by and introduce yourselves if you have not already done so!
As always, if there is anything specific you would like to chat to us about, you can make an appointment through Ms. Hazel and Ms. Cheryl in the Elementary Principal’s Office.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Warmly,
Keryn Dowling