August 31, 2012

Dear Parents,

A friendly reminder that there is a lot more information at the top of the page, in the tabs which link to communications from the Counselor and the Athletic Director. We have moved the tab that had the Important Dates to this front page, in the right-hand margin so that it is more prominent.

It was a busy week in the middle school.  We had our yearbook photo shoot, our first advisory assembly, a circus performance, our student ambassadors went on a one-day training retreat, we had our first student social event with our pool party, and we had our back to school night. We also started our afterschool activities and continued with our SAISA swimming practices, and our ASIAC table tennis and badminton practices; all of this in addition to providing engaging and challenging academic lessons. We are busy, but it is all good!

It was wonderful to see the parents that came out for our ‘Back to School Night’. We are appreciative of the support that we have from our parents. Our teachers enjoyed meeting you and giving an overview of their course content, expectations, and  talking about the ways in which they can work with you to benefit students. We look forward to other events during the year where we can strengthen the home to school bond. I would like to thank our student ambassadors for being there throughout the evening and helping everyone find the different teaching spaces on campus.

The first advisory assembly is arguably one of the favorite assemblies of the year. Our middle school community gathers together in grade level colored T-shirts. During the assembly each advisory team introduces their advisory name through skits and cheers. It was a great start to our school spirit and sense of middle school community.

American Education Reaches Out (AERO) Math Consultant, Erma Anderson, will be meeting with our math teachers during the week of Sept. 3-7. This will be Ms. Anderson’s third session with our math teachers as we move to a more conceptual model of teaching math and review the depth of knowledge and rigor in our program. Below are some of the quotes from Ms. Anderson’s parent presentation last year:

What is mathematics? It is a way of thinking about, understanding, explaining, and expressing phenomena. Mathematics is about inquiry and insight. Computation is (usually) a means to an end.

Rigor: deep mathematical understanding that allows students to:

• o   See the connections between bits of mathematical knowledge.
• o   Apply mathematical thinking to formulate and execute problem solving strategies
• o   Apply mathematics in novel situations
• o   See and use mathematics in real world situations
• o   Communicate and collaborate mathematically.

Words such as conjecture, show, explain, justify, prove, abstract, and generalize are central components of a rigorous mathematics program.

We are looking forward to the opportunity to continue our important work with Ms. Anderson.

And on the subject of math…..some high school students will be starting a Math Club with the goal to promote math as a subject of logic and fun as opposed to the common notion that it is number crunching and a set of rules. They will be setting up a bulletin board in the middle school with information on a theme of the month. The theme of the month of September is "Math in Nature".

Our grade 7 and 8 theatre students were treated with the experiences of visiting artist Mr. Cohdi Harrell in the areas of circus and physical theatre in relation to drama. The whole middle school was also mesmerized by the Friday afternoon performance that occurred in the gym.

Our first middle school social activity, the Pool Party is underway from 4:00-6:00 pm. Students are enjoying the food, drinks, water activities, and a live DJ!  This is a wonderful way for the students to mark the end of the first month of school.

On Monday our staff will be engaged in professional development pursuits. The morning will be spent continuing with the important work for our CIS self-study accreditation process and working in our vertical curriculum teams to begin to develop our year-long action plans as part of our curriculum development and review process.  In the afternoon staff members have the choice to pursue learning in the areas of technology,

unit development, design, and assessment, strategies for working with EAL students, and looking deeper into our on-line media centre databases. There is no school for students on this day as all teachers will be fully engaged in their professional development.

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) will be starting on Tuesday, September 4^th for our grade 6 students. Please find more information about MAP in the Counselor page in this blog.

Our Big Bad Blue swim meet is happening this coming weekend on September 7^th and 8^th. We wish our Raptors a great swim tournament. Go Raptors! For more information see the Athletics page of this blog.

Have a joyous weekend.

 Ms. Michele

August 24th 2012

Dear Parents,

As we get use to navigating through the blogs, please note that there is a lot more information at the top of the page, in the tabs which link to communications from the Counselor and the Athletic Director.

AISC is pleased to announce to parents the roll-out of our Moodle learning management system.  Moodle is a web-based tool that provides our community with robust digital-age communication and 21st Century teaching and learning opportunities. Our ability to offer this well-known platform is the direct result of our participation in the NESA Virtual School project, a cooperative venture between the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools and the U.S. Department of State - Office of Overseas Schools.  To learn more about Moodle, its application in the classroom, and how to access your child's courses, please plan to attend one of the Parent Tech Connections scheduled for this Tuesday, August 28th from 8:45 - 9:45 am or 2:15 - 3:15 pm.

How To Access Moodle:

1. Go to http://virtualschool.aisch.org
2. On the Login Screen that appears click on "Login as Guest".  No password is required at this step.
3. To access courses or section-related information, click on the appropriate section at the top of the screen (All School, Middle School etc.)
4. Enter the guest-access password. This is the same for all sections: raptors12
5. Locate the course you are searching for (each section is organized slightly differently to suit section needs) and click on that course.

Guest role includes view-only access to the following: Embedded course calendar, course home page with all text and embedded media, all files, folders, or linked pages (no access to Google Docs that are shared only with students), quiz intro pages, any book resources that are posted.

To access your child's work, including contributions to activities, assignments, and quizzes, you and your child may log in with his or her student credentials. 

For any questions or issues related to Moodle please email itsupport@aisch.org and our Moodle administrator will follow-up with you.

After School Activities: ASAs start on Monday, August 27^th.

• Middle school students go directly to the activity locations for their ASA.
• Homework club for will be in room 2202.
• With regard to locations for various middle school activities, the ASA office will send the information on Monday morning to the students through their classroom teachers. 

Back to School night is on August 30^th from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

We will start the evening at 5:30 pm with parents having a grade level gathering with the grade level teaching teams. Grade 6 parents will meet in the elementary cafeteria, grade 7 parents will gather in Black Box Theatre (BBT), and grade 8 parents will gather in the PAC cafeteria. 

Your child will be bringing home your schedule for the evening indicating the courses, teachers, room numbers, and timings for the classes. The schedule allows you to see teachers of both the A-day and B-day classes, but not in a regular sequence of classes.  A bell will ring at the end of each class session to indicate time to move to the next class. Each class period will be 10 minutes long, with 5 minutes for passing between classes.

The purpose of this night is for parents to meet teachers and find out information about the course content, expectations, and set the foundation for school to home communication and discussing ways that teachers and parents can work together to support learning.

There is not enough time in this evening to discuss individual student progress: 3-way conferences are provided mid-semester specifically for this purpose or parents can feel free to set-up an appointment with a teacher either through email or through the Middle School Secretary. Please reserve the evening of August 30 to attend this event.

AISC Theatre Arts Program proudly presents: Circus and Physical Theatre afterschool sessions with visiting artist Mr. Cohdi Harrell. We have the wonderful opportunity to provide any interested middle school students with two afterschool workshop sessions introducing circus and physical theatre in relation to drama and dance studies. The workshop uses acrobatics, object manipulation, static trapeze (not swinging and low to the ground) and character building exercises to encourage students to start thinking and moving with a broader range of thought and motion in theatre performance. The workshop focus includes:

• Acrobatics: balance, coordination, tumbling, pyramid building, creating environment with bodies.
• Rhythm: body percussion
• Object manipulation: working with everyday objects and circus props
• Trapeze: creating imagery above ground
• Clowning: Character development and individualized expression

The After School Workshops for Middle School are offered on August 29^th and 30^th, 4:00-4:45 pm in the Theatre & Dance Studio, Room 2709 in the PAC. Interested students need to sign up through the middle school office with Ms. Aziz by Tuesday, August 28^th by 8:30 am.

Students enrolled in the theatre arts courses will also have Mr. Cohdi Harrell work with them in their theatre classes during the week that he is at AISC, and all middle school students will be treated to an hour-long performance on Friday August 31.

I had the pleasure of being in a grade 6 beginner English as an Alternate Language classroom this week, and witnessed a wonderful co-teaching lesson with Mr. Gregg Phillips and Ms. Lakshmi Saravanan. The teachers had designed an interdisciplinary unit where the topic was explored through science, math, social studies and language arts.  Research shows that interdisciplinary lessons can increase students' motivation for learning and their level of engagement. Also, when students participate in interdisciplinary experiences they see the value of what they are learning and become more actively engaged; from what I observed in the classroom, this was definitely the case. 

The Environmentalist Foundation of India, in their effort to identify student interested in Environment work opened up 12 spots for grade 8-12 students from our school for a special one day training program. We were fortunate to have eight grade 8 students participate in the program. The focus of the day was on student empowerment in the areas of leadership, conservation, communication, and developing our school into the biodiversity hub. We thank the Environmentalist Foundation of India and the US Consulate for providing this opportunity, and Ms. Sebesan for coordinating the trip.

The Middle School Student Activities Club will be hosting a Pool Party on Friday August 31, from 4:00-6:00 pm. Tickets will be sold during lunch time Tuesday-Friday for Rs. 200/-. If tickets are bought at the event, they will be 250/-. There will be food, drinks, water activities, and a live DJ!  Join in the fun and be there with your ‘one piece’ bathing suits. Please ensure that your child is picked up promptly at 6:00 pm.

Our Week Without Walls trips are a key component of our middle school experience. These trips foster a greater sense of belonging and community amongst the students, promote personal independence and responsibility, expose the students to more of our host country India, and have a community service aspect. Being a member of our middle school provides all of our students with this opportunity and full student participation is required, as such, the school covers the cost of Week Without Walls trips. Our trips are scheduled on the following dates, please ensure not to schedule any family trips or appoints for your children during these times. Grade 8: October 8-12, Grade 7: October15-20, Grade 6: February 18-21.

Have a joyous weekend.

Ms. Michele

August 17 2012

Dear Parents,

This is our first post of the Middle School Principal’s Notes in a blog format. Please note that there is a lot more information at the top of the page, in the tabs, are links to communications from the Counselor and the Athletics Director.

Our Middle School Intramurals program will be starting next week. This lunch-time program provides physical activity, fun, and emphasizes sportsmanship. Our two physical education teachers, Mr. Tommy Bohorquez and Mr. Ron Thomson will be organizing various sports activities for students to join throughout the school year. We are starting the intramural program with table tennis on Monday Aug 20 in the auxiliary gym. All middle school students are welcome to come together at first and depending on numbers and skill level we may change it to specific groupings. Please encourage your son or daughter to get involved and have some fun and fitness during the lunch break.

Getting involved in school activities, events, and athletics helps students to widen their circle of friends, explore other interests, and have a richer well-rounded middle school experience. Please encourage your child to get involved in athletics, activities and clubs that are available in the school.

Teacher web pages: Last year teachers were using either TeacherWeb or Sharepoint as the location of their teacher web pages for their courses. This year the whole school has moved to a new Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle. Teachers have created the basics of their pages and are learning about the different features of the system. Information will be coming out in the next few weeks from our new IT Director, Mr. Kevin Crouch, on how parents can access the LMS Moodle and what training is available.

Digital Citizenship at the middle school level: Our grade level team of teachers, supported by our middle school technology coordinator, Ms. Laura Deadman, have been leading students through technology orientation sessions. Ms. Laura has created four modules that will be covered over the course of this month including the Agreement of Use Policy also known as the Responsible Use Policy, Digital Citizenship, Moodle Basics, and the how-to’s of using Google account features.

Honing our skills: Last Thursday teachers were trained in the use of our new (LMS) Moodle system. Teachers learned how to post homework to their course webpage calendar, and learned the various features for creating assignments on line. This Thursday our middle school English as an Alternate Language (EAL) coordinator and the high school EAL coordinator gave a session to teachers on the concepts of language acquisition and understanding of current research to clarify perceptions about language acquisition. The topic areas focused on the affective filter, the role of home language in instruction, the importance of interaction, and alternative assessment. The strategies, while helping EAL students’ access information, are also good instructional strategies for all students.

PTA - Middle school parent team: Parents are a wonderful support to the school.

I would like to welcome our middle school PTA parent grade representatives: Aditi Vasu (grade 8), Rachna Chowdhary (grade 7), and Betsy Elad (grade 6). Our parent team helps in a number of ways in the middle school from arranging for food and decorations at middle school events, supporting the teachers as requested by the grade-level team leaders, helping out with our annual yard sale fundraiser, and helping organize the middle school contribution in school events i.e. UN DAY, Charity fair, among other things. It is important to note that the parent team don’t hold formal meetings with parents, but may arrange social times to get to know each other better. They don’t address parent concerns but should always direct parents to the classroom teacher first and secondly to the principal. It is a great partnership and we are fortunate to have the support of our committed parent team.

Grade 8 Week Without Walls: On Tuesday, August 28 at 3:00 P.M., the grade 8 teacher team will be holding a parent/student information meeting in the Black Box theater. This meeting is to share with you the exciting plans for this year’s proposed Week Without Walls grade 8 trip. For this year’s trip, we are returning to a site used for many years by the American School of Bombay, flying into Mumbai followed by a three hour bus ride to the site. The focus for the Week Without Walls experience will be an outdoor education experience along with a community service “build” task in a village close to the site. We are excited about our planned trip and look forward to sharing the trip details with you. Please come to the presentation on Tuesday at 3:00PM.

The HS Yearbook class announces the photo shoot! All middle school yearbook photos will be taken on August 28. The photographers will be taking individual shots, (head and shoulder shots) and group photos by grade level. Details of timing for each class will be in the student daily bulletin. 

Back to School night is on August 30. The evening begins at 5:30 pm where parents follow a schedule prepared by their child indicating the courses, teachers, and room numbers. The purpose of this night is for parents to meet the teachers and find out information about the course content, expectations of the teacher, and set the foundation for school to home communication and discussing ways that teachers and parents can work together to support learning. There is not enough time in this evening to discuss individual student progress: 3-way conferences are provided mid-semester specifically for this purpose or parents can feel free to set-up an appointment with a teacher either through email or through the Middle School Secretary. Please reserve the evening of August 30 to attend this event.

The Middle School Student Activities Club will be hosting a Pool Party on Friday August 31, from 4:00-6:00 pm. Tickets will be sold during lunch time by the grade 6 lockers near the courtyard Tuesday-Friday for Rs. 200/-. If tickets are bought at the event, they will be 250/-. There will be food, drinks, water activities, and a live DJ!  Join in the fun and be there with your ‘one piece’ bathing suits.

I hope to see you at the back to school picnic on Saturday, have a joyous weekend.

Ms. Michele

Middle School Principal