October 26, 2012

Dear Parents,

On Tuesday afternoon, students, staff members and parents from over 30 nations, came together for our UN Day Assembly, the first assembly held in the school’s new auditorium. Our Grades 2 and 3 students, along with the AISC Community Choir sang songs about peace while Roots and Shoots presented a video that featured several students describing what peace meant to them. The assembly and the new auditorium received rave reviews! Click here to view pictures taken during the assembly.

On Wednesday, students participated in the Parade of Flags. This year, every child walked in the parade. The students represented their country with great pride! Soon after the parade, the gym became a cultural showcase, as pavilions were set up representing several of the countries represented at school. Thank you to the PTA Executive for organizing the pavilions and to all of the parents who set up a pavilion.

IT in the Elementary School

In grade 3, students are preparing to write a realistic fiction story.  Students have created a realistic main character, setting, problem and solution.  One of the components of the writing workshop involves rehearsing a story verbally before the writing begins.  This strategy helps students to plan out what they will include in their story. This week, while I was walking around the playground, I saw students in 3B using iPads. Mr Scott explained to me that students were, “using an iPad application called, Puppet Pals, to record ourselves telling our stories.  By listening to our recordings, students attain a much clearer sense of the ingredients of their tales. This process also helps students to sharpen their listening and speaking skills.”  

This past Monday, we rolled out the Grade 5 1:1 netbook pilot program. The students in 5D enjoyed using their netbooks in class to create a wonderful fusion of math and art. Each student has an individual netbook in class. They used these netbooks to design tessellations. These incredible pieces will be displayed outside the classroom. Great work, 5D and Ms Becky!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held after-school on November 1^st and all day November 2^nd. Last spring, we launched online parent sign-ups and I am pleased to announce that parents will have the opportunity to sign-up online effective immediately. To sign-up, please follow the steps below. I have also included a You-Tube video which will walk you through the process. Please click here to access this video.

Step 1: Log on to the link below:

Logon to conference scheduler

Step 2:

Click on your child's teacher's name.

A page will open that looks like below – Fill in the details required.

Step 3:

You will receive an email to your registered email address within a few minutes which looks like the one below:

From: admin@ptcfast.com [mailto:admin@ptcfast.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 9:50 AM
To: bhazel@aisch.org
Subject: Select Date/Time for Teacher Conference Now

Dear Hazel, Thank you for using our automated signup system to pick a date and time for 5A Mrs. Shobhana Radhakrishnan for Rahul Bangera.  Please click on the link below to pick your conference date. The deadline for registering is end of day before first conference day .     Click here to select conference time. If for any reason you have a problem with this link, you may login at http://www.ptcfast.com/parentlogin.php, and enter code as follows:     Entry Code: U2N0305932 Thank you, on behalf of Mr. Kevin Hall, Elementary Principal

Step 4:

Please click on the line highlighted line on your email.

It will open up the conference page and you can choose the time. Once you finish selecting the time for 1 teacher a prompt will appear to ask you if you would like to schedule another conference. Follow the same procedure for all the teachers you wish to sign up for. If you need use a computer in our library, please feel free to do.

Dengue: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

The rise in cases of dengue across cities in the country has become an increasing cause of worry. It is now more important than ever to be aware of the risk factors, and protect yourself.

What is dengue? Dengue is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. Dengue cannot be spread directly from person to person, i.e., is not contagious. A person can only become infected by the bite of a mosquito that is infected with the dengue virus. It is important to note that these mosquitoes bite during the daytime as well as night time.

Symptoms

Dengue usually begins with chills, headache, pain while moving the eyes, and backache. Persistent high fever is characteristic of dengue. Other symptoms to watch out for are exhaustion, backache, joint pains, nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure and rash.

Treatment

As Dengue is caused by a virus, there is no specific treatment for it; treatment of dengue is typically concerned only with the relief of symptoms. People who show the symptoms mentioned above should immediately consult a physician. It is important to drink plenty of fluids, stay hydrated, and get as much rest as possible.

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF)

DHF is a more severe form of dengue and can be fatal if untreated. It tends to affect children under the age of ten, and causes abdominal pain, haemorrhage (bleeding), and circulatory collapse (shock).

Prevention

There is no vaccine to prevent dengue. Prevention of dengue requires eradication of the mosquitoes that carry this virus. This means high standards of hygiene and sanitation. Avoid areas littered with garbage. All containers of stationary water (like drums or buckets) should be covered or discarded, including flower vases and pets' feeding bowls. If your area is infested with mosquitoes, wear long sleeves, use mosquito repellents and fumigate if necessary.

Until next week,

Kevin Hall

Elementary School Principal