January 25, 2013

Dear Parents,

Congratulations to all middle school students on a wonderful performance in Cabaret - 2013! The talent, courage and confidence of our students is so impressive. Pictures from the event are included in a photo album in the right-hand margin of this page.

AMIS International MS Mixed Choir Festival: We have heard from our group in Beijing and there is beautiful music emanating from the corridors there!  There are 200 students participating from 20 schools from all over... from London to Saudi Arabia, to India, through Asia. The students are all engaged and having fun. They are all in good spirits and all is well. The picture below is the joint rehearsal with the orchestra in preparation for the big finale. 

Today, Friday January 25^th, the Athletics department will host a SAISA sports awards ceremony at 6:30pm in the Auditorium to recognize our first semester SAISA sports teams.  During this ceremony, coaches will talk about the highlights of the season and take a moment to recognize the athletes for their performance throughout the season.  As we have continued to grow our ability to host the end of year SAISA sports banquet has been more and more difficult.  Therefore; we've created first & second semester SAISA sports ceremony for these sports teams.  
Middle School ASIAC sports teams will be recognized for both semester 1 and 2 seasons at our annual MS Sports Tea in the late spring. 

Our Middle School Math/Science department has been very busy planning our STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) Festival happening this Monday, January 28. Students will be arranged into multi-grade level groups and will work together on two STEM activities. This is a wonderful whole middle school activity that has students working on their collaborative, critical thinking and problem solving skills.

A reminder of the MS Parent Coffee on February 4^th from 8:45-9:45 am in the Hall of Light. On the agenda we have: Advisory program - general overview as well as a sample activity from our current theme of honesty. This will be a presentation from the MS Advisory committee (8:45-9:15). Followed by Study Skills: part 2. This is a follow-up from the session that was done in the fall and requested by parents (9:15-9:45). We hope that you can make it.

The international teaching recruitment season continues, and as such I am currently schedule to attend the recruitment fair in Boston the week of February 4th for the recruitment of the remaining middle school teacher vacancies  for the 2013-2014 school year.

Grade 8 transition information session on High School credits and classes: Ms. Kendra Callaway, the High School Counselor, will do an information session for parents of 8th grade students to talk

about high school, credits, classes, etc. on Feb. 8 at 8:45 a.m.  in the Hall of Light. Ms. Kendra will also be meeting with grade 8 students the previous day, Feb. 7.

Ms. Kendra Callaway, High School Counselor (http://aischguidance.blogspot.com/)

A friendly reminder regarding the school dress code of MS children: The following are some of our dress standards to be reminded of: All clothing should be clean and in good repair. Cut-off shorts or torn clothing are not permitted. Skirts and shorts must reach below the middle finger length when the arm is extended straight down. Underwear is not to be revealed. Bras and boxer shorts are considered underwear. Girls’ tops should be modest. Cleavage should not be visible. Halter tops or low V-necks are not appropriate. Tops with spaghetti straps should not be worn/ Shoulder straps should be at least 2 fingers wide and cover bra straps. Shoes or sandals must be worn.


Our middle school choir students will be joining the high school choir students for their HS Choir Winter Concert. This event is a SAISA preview for the high school students.  Our middle school choir students will perform a few numbers at this event. We encourage you to come out and enjoy the music on Feb. 14 in the Auditorium from 7 pm.

Math Counts Tournament Hosting: Next month AISC will be hosting the Middle School Math Counts Tournament. We need 25 families to host the participants from the various schools, from February 14 – 17. One of the highlights of the Math Counts experience for the students is the home stay with the hosting school family. This gives the visiting students a warm home while they are participating in the tournament, just the way our students are looked after when they travel to other schools. We have middle school students from Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Delhi, Nepal and Mumbai participating in the tournament. If you are interested in hosting please collect a form from Ms. Aziz in the middle school office, fill in the details and return it to the middle school office by Tuesday, January 29, 2013.

MS Student Activities club would like to announce that the Friendship dance scheduled on the community activity calendar for February 8^th will be cancelled and in lieu of this event we have scheduled a pool party for March 15^th from 4:30-6:30 pm. Please make the change on your AISC community calendar.

We are sometimes asked by parents for information on summer programs for students. The following is some information that was recently sent to us regarding a summer program for current grade 8 students. Throughout the remainder of the year as we receive this type of information we will share it with you. Please note that we are only sharing the information and not endorsing a particular program over others that may exist.

Young Scholars Discovery welcomes academically talented middle school students to an extraordinary learning opportunity at the University of Maryland. http://www.oes.umd.edu

Young Scholars Discovery is open to: Rising eighth and ninth grade middle school students.

Discovery highlights:

Intensive learning through high standards and expectations

Engaging courses and innovative instructors encourage creative problem solving

Field trips and guest speakers emphasize real-world challenges

Interactive seminars encourage collaboration with equally talented peers

Evening and weekend social activities with other Discovery Scholars

Complete Confirmation of Admission

Program starts July 14, 2013: Orientation Day

Program ends July 26, 2013: Program Final Day

Program admission is competitive and contingent upon space availability.

Have a joyous weekend,

Ms. Michele

January 18, 2013

Dear Parents,

Please note that yearbook photos for new students that joined AISC after September will be taken on Monday, January 21, in the afternoon (after lunch) in BBT.

AMIS International MS Mixed Choir Festival: Next week six of our choir students will be travelling to Beijing to participate in the AMIS Choir festival. This workshop involves middle school singers from various international schools around the world. Students will practice and perform music that is challenging, musically educative, diverse in style, and satisfies the flair for singing. Congratulations to Mathilde Vial, Adrienne Hoover, Yasmin Pascall Varma, Hitomi Sonada, Daniel Bacheschi, and Aathaven Tharamarajah for being selected to attend.

The following week we will be sending three middle school band students to the AMIS International MS Honor Band in Myanmar. Congratulations to Theo Beaumont, Hana Suzuki, and DongSeob Lee for being selected to attend this prestigious event.

Jan Jamboree this Saturday, January 19, 2013 from 2 – 5 pm on the AISC Soccer Field. This event is open to AISCH families and guests. There will be an Entry Fee of Rs 200, for ES and MS students as they will have unlimited access to the 21 games and activities organized by the HS students. Adults will be able to enjoy the food and drinks on sale, shop at the NGO counters, get the chance of winning exciting prizes in the Raffle and spend a fun afternoon with family and friends. We hope to see you there.

Sporting opportunities: we have three sports currently on the go this season. Middle school students can try-out for SAISA Track & Field, ASIAC Volleyball, or ASIAC Tennis. For details on practice schedules and tournament dates, please check out the details on the Athletics blog page by clicking on the Athletics tab at the top of this page.

Please see notes from our Middle School Counselor, Ms. Trish by either clicking on the tab at the top of the page or by clicking on this link MS Counselor blog

As our school continues to move towards creating an inclusive school culture and to continue our professional development approach in supporting all learners, we are currently running several co-teaching pilots in the middle school. Co-teaching is two (or more) teachers teaching together and sharing the responsibility for meeting the learning needs of students, and at the same time, learning from each other. We are investigating a number of different approaches to support and promote an inclusive school setting.     

A friendly reminder to parents regarding afterschool supervision of MS children. Teacher supervision occurs from 8:00 am until 3:45 pm. Parents are requested to pick up their child promptly after school hours. Middle School students may not be at school outside of supervised times unless they are in a school organized activity and under the direct supervision of the instructor, or under the direct supervision of their parent. Thank you for your co-operation.

After-school Activities: There are a number of different ASA activities for our middle school students on offer for the upcoming semester which starts on Monday January 28. We encourage students to get involved in extra-curricular activities to add to their school experience and as an opportunity to make new friends and explore other interests.

Our MS Student Activities Club is currently organizing an upcoming Spirit Week (Jan.21-25). The spirit ‘dress-up’ days will be Jan. 21 is Pyjama Day; Jan. 22 is Twin/Multiples Day; Jan. 23 is Hat or Crazy Hair Day; Jan. 24 is Mismatch Day; and Jan. 25 is One Color Day. Please note that the school dress code still applies.

From the Fine Arts department: JAYA - Mythic tales from the Mahabharata. A vast war overtakes the world...  all of life is threatened with destruction. A family is divided: the kings and armies of the world arise— as cousins and uncles turn to slay one another. The survival of the earth depends on 5 brothers.  To restore balance to the world first they must struggle to transcend their very lives through innumerable trials.

AISC's Performing Arts Department proudly announces an Open Call for: Actors, Costume Makers, Dancers, Graphic Designers, Kings, Magical Creatures, Prop Designers, Publicity Hounds, Set Builders, Singers, Sound Mixers, Stage Managers, and the like…we need performers, technical crew, designers, publicists, etc. We will be creating an original interpretation of India's great epic story, the Mahabharata. Our version will borrow freely from the traditions of circus, dance theatre, acrobatics, Bollywood, Balinese shadow puppetry, Bunraku, and Greek tragedy.  Audition Information  January 21st & 22^nd from 3:45-5:50PM

• Auditions can be held in solo or in duo.
• Auditions will be held on the main stage in the PAC theater.
• Everyone should come prepared with one minute of material or more that highlights their talents.
• Rehearsals will be from 3:45-6:45pm 4 days a week.   Not all cast members will be required at each rehearsal.
• Come with 1 minute prepared of dialog and movement for voice & acting, and 1 minute prepared for singing.  
• Singing can be whatever your fancy is, eg. happy birthday, twinkle twinkle- anything you would like.
• Come in clothes you can move in- no skirts, short shorts, or tight jeans, please.
• See Mr. Shawn O’Docharty for the script for dialogue.  
• This is an ensemble production. No one will be turned away. Everyone will be included in the show in some fashion. 

 Looking forward to seeing you there - Mr. Shawn O'Docharty, Theatre Manager/Theatre Arts Instructor

Our grade 6 Week Without Walls trip to Yelagiri is approaching (February 18-21^st). The grade 6 teaching team has arranged a meeting for Parents of Grade 6 students to share information about their upcoming Week Without Walls trip. The meeting will be on January 24th from 2:40-3:20 in the Hall of Light.

Our Middle School Math/Science department has been very busy planning our STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) Festival that will take place on the morning of Monday, January 28. Students will be arranged into multi-grade level groups and will work together on two STEM activities. This is a wonderful whole middle school activity that has students working on their collaborative, critical thinking and problem solving skills.

MS Student Activities club would like to announce that the Friendship dance scheduled on the community activity calendar for February 8^th will be cancelled and in lieu of this event we have scheduled a pool party for March 15^th from 4:30-6:30 pm. Please make the change on your AISC community calendar.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Cabaret and/or the Jan Jamboree.

Ms. Michele

January 11, 2013

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a restful and relaxing winter break and a great start to 2013. I love the hope and promise that every New Year brings.

Please note the change in date for the observance of the Pongal holiday. There will be no school on Monday, January 14^th.  School will resume on Tuesday, January 15^th. Tuesday will be an “A” Day. The remainder of the week will continue as scheduled. We appreciate your understanding of this change and wish you and your family a very Happy Pongal.

This week I have been engaged in the international teacher recruiting fairs and have had the pleasure to share information with educators about the dynamic professional learning environment that is AISC. One thing is clear; AISC has an excellent reputation in the international teaching community. 

We are starting a new sports season. We have ASIAC Volleyball and SAISA track and field. Please read the Athletics page for more information and details.

Extended hours for the HS Library - students now have access to the HS library from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. We will be monitoring the use during the extended hours. Based on how heavily the library is used during this time, the hours may be extended to 6:00 p.m. later in the school year.

Our grade 6 Week Without Walls trip to Yelagiri is approaching (February 18-21^st). The grade 6 teaching team has arranged a meeting for Parents of Grade 6 students to share information about their upcoming Week Without Walls trip. The meeting will be on January 24th from 2:40-3:20 in the Hall of Light. 

Whose got spirit! Our MS Student Activities Club is currently organizing an upcoming Spirit Week (Jan.21-25). The spirit ‘dress-up’ days will be Jan. 21 is Pyjama Day; Jan. 22 is Twin/Multiples Day; Jan. 23 is Hat or Crazy Hair Day; Jan. 24 is Mismatch Day; and Jan. 25 is One Color Day. Please note that the school dress code still applies.

As one of its community building projects, the HS Student Council, with support from HS clubs, is organizing the Jan Jamboree on Saturday, January 19, 2013 from 2 – 5 pm on the AISC Soccer Field. This event is open to AISCH families and guests.

There will be an Entry Fee of Rs 200, for ES and MS students as they enter the Jamboree, they will have unlimited, free of charge access to the 21 games and activities organized by the HS students ex. cookie decorating, t- shirt decorating (extra charge for cost price of t-shirt), obstacle course, face painting, sponge throw, slime booth, Wii tennis, beat the keeper, T1 car racing, bouncy castle, balance beam pillow fight, nail salon etc. High School students will be doing a pre-sale of entry tickets to MS students next week.

Adults and HS students, who will enter free, will be able to enjoy the food and drinks on sale, shop at the NGO counters, get the chance of winning exciting prizes in the Raffle and spend a fun afternoon with family and friends.

Funds raised through this event will be used to support a variety of community service clubs and projects.

We truly hope you will be able to join us as a family for this wonderful event. Ms. Sangeeta Kala McCandless (Jan Jamboree Adviser) and Ms. Kala Ganeshan (Student Council Adviser)

Parent Curriculum Coffee - January 22nd Please note that this month's Parent Curriculum Coffee will be for parents of High School students.  We will be discussing curriculum topics that are specific to our High School program.  The coffee will be held from 8:45 - 9:45 or from 2:15 - 3:15 in the Hall of Light.

P.E. Survey - student feedback wanted! As a part of our continuous improvement efforts and the CIS Accreditation Self-Study process, our P.E. department has set a goal of evaluating the PE program at AISC.  One method they are using to collect data for this evaluation is a STUDENT survey.  Students - please take a few minutes to complete the following survey https://docs.google.com/a/aisch.org/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dC00MXNrbjZCOTRNN3h2U3M2SHVBZEE6MQ

Have a joyous weekend,

Ms. Michele