Dear Parents,
Important Dates
AISC LitWeek
The AISC Libraries are excited to announce that LitWeek 2021 begins Monday! All students will be invited to participate in a variety of literary themed events to celebrate reading! Please have a look at our LitWeek website to find out what is happening each day and let Ms. Babs know if you have any questions. Happy reading!
Visiting Author Padma Venkatraman
Parents are invited to attend our Elementary School virtual author visit with the author of The Bridge Home, Padma Venkatraman, on Thursday, April 29th at 1:40 pm. Please use the Zoom link provided below and let Ms. Babs know if you have any questions. We hope to see you there!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/9776089545pwd=ME1aV2Rya2RkTFFRb3M2SDB0d0FTdz09
Meeting ID: 977 608 9545
Passcode: library
Class Placement for 2021-2022
It is time to begin the class placement process for the 2021-2022 school year. A significant amount of time and energy is invested into the class placement process. This process is collaborative and involves the following stakeholders:
Elementary School leadership team
Counselors
Current grade level teachers
English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers and learning support teachers
When placing students, the Early Years and Elementary School faculty thoughtfully considers a variety of factors. The list below summarizes the main factors that we consider in the placement process:
Cultures within each class
Gender balance
English proficiency levels
Students who need extra support with their learning as well as students who benefit from having their learning extended or enriched
Students who need additional behavioral or emotional support
Constructive interpersonal dynamics
Instructional groupings for students who need support from the EAL or learning support teachers
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. It simply summarizes the factors that are most frequently applied in order to create balanced classes.Our goal is to create classroom groupings that enable the teacher to meet the needs of the students as well as create a constructive and productive classroom community.
The school recognizes that the class placement process is highly complex and therefore we allocate a significant amount of time to it. The placement process for the 2021-2022 school year will begin in early May and run through the end of July. Please note that due to the complexity of the process and the large number of variables that are considered in placement decisions, we do not honor specific teacher requests.
If there is information about your child that you believe we don't already know and may impact placement, please complete this form by Monday, May 3rd. Do not contact a counselor or teacher directly.
From the Art Sustains HS Club
Here is the Art Sustains website with more information.
From the Counselors
You ARE “Good Enough”! From Psychology Today, February 2020.
D.W. Winnicott, a British pediatrician and psychoanalyst, was instrumental in shaping how contemporary psychotherapists think about human relationships, child development, and parenting. One of his most pivotal contributions is the notion of the “good enough mother”—the kind of caregiver that a child needs in order to feel safe, develop an authentic sense of self, form healthy relationships, and tolerate life’s commonplace disappointments.
We can reclaim “good enough” and give ourselves permission to be a little more human: to show up exactly as we are and let that be enough. At this point, you may be thinking something along the lines of, "Easier said than done," or "Okay, but what does that actually look like?" It means setting boundaries and saying no. It means letting yourself take that nap, or that mental health day—blanket permission to rest while viewing rest as wholly valid in and of itself, as opposed to as time stolen away from all of the shoulds and have-tos.
Over the past year during COVID-19, so many of us, both parents and caregivers, have doubted ourselves and whether we are being the best parents we can be. Instead of asking this question, trust that you are “Good Enough”. You ARE a “Good Enough” parent, and doing the best that you can, right now, in these times. Be kind to yourself and remember, your child’s view of you may be very different than how you perceive your own self.
Have a safe weekend.
Regards,
Lynn Schneider, Dave Allen, and Elliot Fijman
Elementary School Leadership Team