Dear Parents,
Thank you to each and every one of you for your positivity, patience and perseverance this week as you studiously followed plans and engagements created by our amazing elementary teachers. Calley, Dave and myself have also been homeschooling our own children, and we understand the commitment you are all undertaking. Thank you! Please join us in sharing your experiences with #AISCAtHome and #AISCVirtual.
Remember, we need to manage our own expectations as well as those of our children. Things will not be the same as if we were at AISC, and we all need to remember to lean on each other for support, advice and sanity!
All Teachers, Counselors and Leadership are merely an email away if you need any help or advice at all.
Due to the uncertainty we currently are facing, our elementary WIDA testing will not be taking place as indicated All Teachers, Counselors and Leadership are merely an email away if you need any help or advice at all.
on the community calendar.
Enhancements to Continuity of Instruction
This week was highly successful with over 95% attendance across our elementary section. We have seen great evidence of learning coming through Seesaw posts, photographs and even videos from home.
- All classes will be offering opportunities for children to connect face to face through video options such as Google Hangouts or Zoom.
- On Monday morning, parents will receive the plan for the whole week. This will allow for greater flexibility in offering families who may already be experiencing challenges in engaging with learning.
- Our expectations for daily attendance will remain similar, with daily engagement and submission of learning in the upper grades counting as attendance. If children appear ‘absent’ from class, your child's teachers will be reaching out to you.
- Specialist schedules will be streamlined with a whole grade level engaging with the same specialist class each day. For example, all Grade 3 will have Art on Monday.
- Dance and Library classes to be offered every second week instead of weekly.
Click here to go to a website AISC Design Challenges, Ms Jen and others have been building to engage with a whole load of fun design and making challenges while you're at home! This site is here to provide ideas for engaging enrichment STEAM opportunities.
Each week, there will be a new choice board of activities related to the AISC Vision of a Learner Attributes. Feel free to try as many as you would like! You can do the challenge on your own or with another person in your family.
Each week, there will be a new choice board of activities related to the AISC Vision of a Learner Attributes. Feel free to try as many as you would like! You can do the challenge on your own or with another person in your family.
Talk to our Counselors
Elementary School Counselors are here and ready to support you and your child(ren) during this uncertain time. We are working to make sure that you receive quality school counseling services in this online environment.
We want to stay connected to you and encourage you to make an appointment by emailing us. We are available 12 - 2 p.m and 4 - 6 p.m Chennai time every day. Appointments are available for routine social/emotional concerns you may be wondering about with your children in this current dynamic situation.
Linda Gerberich (Kindergarten; Grade 1; Grade 4; Grade 5): glinda@aischennai.org
Vanessa Kim (EY3; EY4; Grade 2; Grade 3): kvanessa@aischennai.org
Digital Library Resources
- Digital library resources are always available to our community members. On the AISC website, visit Learning > CICLibrary. In the Elementary/Middle School section, you will find a section for digital resources in the sidebar.
- Students may also be familiar with Sora, a web and app based digital library, featuring mostly fiction e-books, audiobooks, and read alongs for students in Grade 3 - Adult. They can login using full gmail address + password. This resource has current and popular fiction books.
Greetings, AISC! As many of you might be wondering, what does English language development look like in an online classroom environment? For our fourth EAL Coffee, we will dive deep into what you can do at home to support our learners. From creating an academic schedule to taking breaks, there will be something for everyone and plenty of time participants to ask questions and seek clarification.
So, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea and join me by clicking this link for a Zoom invitation to Virtual EAL Coffee, Thursday, 2 April, 8:45-9:45am, for a closer look at language development in a virtual classroom. If you cannot make the coffee but have a question, feel free to email me at any time.
Talking with your Elementary child about CoVid-19 (repeat)
Conversations around COVID-19 can be challenging at home. It is important for us to listen to our children’s feelings and concerns and share factual information. Our Elementary School Counselors have found these resources here to support you with facts and explanations to support your conversations. Please let us know if you found these resources helpful, and remember we are here to support parents, too.
Have a relaxing screen free weekend!
Keryn Dowling, Dave Allen, and Calley Connelly
Elementary School Leadership Team
Elementary School Leadership Team