Friday, 22 February 2013

February 22, 2013


Dear Parents,

Congratulations to our Mathletes!  In the team competition last weekend, our AISC teams won the 2nd and 3rd place out of the 9 teams competing; placing only 0.25 points behind the first place team from Mumbai. In the individual competition we had 6 out of the 8 students place in the top 10 of the 36 competitors. Well done Mathletes!

We welcomed home our grade 6 students and teachers from their fantastic Week Without Walls experience in Yelligiri. Some of the highlights included: the ropes activities (especially the zip-line), the visit to the local school which included a talent show with singing and dancing and playing outdoor games, a nature walk, learning yoga, some team building games, and a visit to a nearby Mulberry farm. They also did some journalling and wrote reflections on their days.  Our Week Without Walls trips are a great opportunity for our young adolescents to build on their independence and personal responsibility, in addition to forging stronger relationships with their peers, and appreciating more of our incredible host country. 

Please remind your child to lock any valuables in their locker for safekeeping. Students are also encouraged to purchase a second lock from the Finance Office for the PE lockers to keep valuables safe during PE class or sports activities.

Lost and Found procedure: If middle school students lose items on the school campus, we have the following procedure in place:
- Check in the lost and found bins: Security at the main entrance has items such as lost lunch boxes, balls, etc; Reception has electronic lost items; Middle School Office has lost textbooks.
- Report the lost article to the middle school office as soon as possible. The shorter the time between when the item was lost and when it is reported the more likely we can find the item.
- Fill in a lost item report with as much detail as possible. This report is then given to our Security department which then initiates a search.

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

Today, February 26th found our teachers engaged in a number of professional development activities. In the morning teachers attended either a session Tim Rylands on digital tools with a focus on writing or a session with Tim Walters on developing ways to help our students understand the connections between the subject areas and nurturing a solid understanding of the connections between subjects and exploring the limits of our current knowledge. Our grade 6 math teachers worked with Erma Anderson to further explore how they can use techniques of inquiry-based learning to extend the depth of knowledge of their students. In the afternoon, our World Language teachers worked with Tamela Canale on a review of our current French and Spanish curriculum and identified ways to ensure a rigorous continuum of learning. The afternoon also found teachers working on the different CIS Accreditation teams finishing up the draft of the self-study report and working on their annual professional goals.

Congratulations to the following middle school students for being selected to the SAISA Track and Field team: Vishwaarth, Akiro, Giona, Will, Subin, Katrina, Maria, Kadambari, Mirabel, Kaitlyn, Shahnaaz.  Our athletes have been practicing diligently the past weeks in preparation for their SAISA Tournament in early March.

Please note that March 1 will be an “A” day. This day was not marked on the Community Calendar. It is however, correctly marked in the student handbook/planner.

World Language Week: “Foreign Languages: they nourish the brain” is the official theme for this year’s National Foreign Language Week (NFLW), March 4 to 10, 2013. The week is celebrated nationwide in the United States during the first full week of March. The NFLW was first endorsed by President Eisenhower in 1957 after Sister Eloise Therese, the National President of Alpha Mu Gamma from 1956 to 1960, identified the need to raise awareness of the importance of foreign language learning. Since then, NFLW has been endorsed by each President of the United States. Our middle school will take this opportunity to raise awareness of the benefits of learning a foreign language; to showcase our students’ work; and to celebrate the diversity of languages spoken by the members of our community. We will be celebrating NFLW with the following activities:
o   Display student created posters highlighting the benefits of learning additional languages.
o   Students will lead language mini-lessons during lunchtime (Tamil, Korean, Japanese, German, etc.) to give students the opportunity to either teach someone their native language or try learning a new language. 
·         We are looking into the possibility to offer students French and Spanish food options for lunchtime for the week of March 4-8. On M/W/F students could buy Spanish lunch options: chicken or vegetable enchiladas, refried beans; gazpacho, cheese quesadillas. On Tu/Th students could buy French lunch options: croissants and omelets with herbs; vegetable quiche; baguette sandwiches. (Note that these options would replace the advertised March 4-8 TMFC menu items for this week).
o   Dress up a famous Spanish/French speaking person day
o   Middle School assembly

AISC and NuVU Studios have a unique partnership whereby middle school students can have a project-based learning opportunity in Bangalore during the spring term.  Program Dates: April 15 to May 24, 2013 (Students may register for one, two or three Sessions).
Session 1: Apr 15-26, 2013; Session 2: Apr 29-May 10, 2013; Session 3: May 13-24, 2013
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Pricing: 1 Session: 29,500 INR, 2 Sessions: 57,000 INR (2,000 INR discount), 3 Sessions: 83,500 INR
Housing: Options will be shared with families upon registration.
NuVu’s Spring Program is open to AISC middle school students through an application process with criteria set by AISC. If you are interested in this program for your child, please visit the websites given above for more information, and then contact Ms. Michele for further information prior to March 11th.


Have a joyous weekend,

Ms. Michele

Friday, 15 February 2013

February 15, 2013


Dear Parents,

What a wonderful celebration we had of our host nation during India Week. The Bharatanatyam dance performance on Monday was both educational and entertaining. 
Today was a day filled with exposure to Indian food, conservation, and culture. In the morning the students viewed the movie ‘The Truth About Tigers’ followed by a Q & A with the documentary’s film producer Shekar Dattatri. He is one of India’s renowned wildlife filmmakers and conservationists. For lunch students enjoyed an Indian lunch catered by the TMFK. In the afternoon, students learned how to create a Kollam and how to play Karrom. In Tamil Nadu, it is a tradition to decorate the entrance to the home with a geometric figure called "Kolam". Kolam figures are highly symmetric and regular, and precise procedures for drawing them are passed down from mother to daughter.  Kolams are thought to bestow prosperity to homes. Every morning in India millions of women draw them on the ground with white rice powder. Whereas, Carron (also known as Karrom) is a "strike and pocket" table game of Eastern origin similar to billiards and shuffleboard. In the Indian sub-continent, many clubs and cafes have regular tournaments. Carrom is very commonly played within families and at functions.”  Source Wikipedia.
Our Celebrate India photo contest had submission in 4 categories: Wildlife and Nature, Culture, People, and Places. Here are some of the pictures that have been entered into the competition.


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



Please note the Parent Survey link below. We hope that you provide us with your feedback as a part of our on-going school improvement process. The survey will be open until Monday, February 25. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AISCParentSurvey2012-2013 

We are so pleased to be hosting our first MathCounts regional competition at AISC. We have 5 visiting teams competing in the tournament from Cairo, Abu Dhabi, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kathmandu. We wish the best of luck to our Raptor mathletes: Shreyas, Ui Hyun, Seungyeon, Sangjun, Kyusong, Vishwaarth, Dongseob, and Hongmin. Thank you to all of the host families for extending your hospitality to our guests. Thank you to Ms. Kala, Ms. Elizabeth, and our middle school math teachers for their time in making this tournament a success for the students.



Congratulations to the following students for being selected to the following ASIAC athletic teams. Our athletes have been practicing diligently the past weeks in preparation for their ASIAC Tournament at the end of the month.
Girls Volleyball: Kate, Kvya, Lizzy, Adrienne, Kaori, Chaeyeon, Sejin, Seungyeon, Sigapi, Moeka, Anna, Hitomi.
Boys Volleyball: Daniel B, Hongmin, Ilari, Iniyan, Jonghyun, Junwoo, Kaviyan, Matthis, Rahuul, Sangjun, Seongho, Taein.
Tennis: Shail, Murat, Tim, Min Seok, Valerio, Ben, Mridula, Shridula.

Please remind your child to lock any valuables in their locker for safekeeping. Students are also encouraged to purchase a second lock from the Finance Office for the PE lockers to keep valuables safe during PE class or sports activities.

MS Parent Coffee: One item that came up following last week's coffee was a discussion on our model of extracurricular programs, particularly the duration and time commitment for sports teams or theater productions. Some parents had some suggestions and ideas and I would like for any parents that might be interested to further continue this discussion to email me so that we can find a date/time to continue the dialogue.  

Math Consultant, Erma Anderson will be offering a Parent Curriculum Coffee on February 19th. The focus of this session will be AERO Math and the alignment to the Common Core. Curriculum Coffees are held from 8:45-9:45 am and 2:15-3:15 in the Hall of Light.

AISC will be hosting guest presenter Mr. Timothy Walters on the 21st and 22nd of February. Mr. Walter’s will give an informative and interactive Parent Session scheduled in the Hall of Light between 10am and 11:30am on Thursday the 21st of February. The aims of the session will to provide an overview of the advantages of inquiry-based learning, consider approaches that explore our current knowledge base and better understand how such exploration can help us better understand the connections between subject areas. Warm regards, Mark Robertson-Jones. IB Coordinator

Notice from the Yearbook team: The Yearbook Moodle page is open again with the January pictures of new students and also the ones from first semester. Please note that the Yearbook team regrets that some students did not manage to make it to the sessions and that there will not be any more sessions this year. Yearbook does not accept photos from individuals. 

The American International School - Chennai and NuVu Studio have developed a unique partnership whereby middle school students can take advantage of a project-based learning opportunity in Bangalore during the spring term. NuVu-Bangalore Studio 2013 NuVu in collaboration with Idiom Design and Consulting is organizing the first edition of the NuVu-Bangalore Studio 2013 for young students. The NuVu-Bangalore Studio aims to develop young students’ creativity, innovation skills, and problem solving abilities, while learning new technology skills. Based around the theme of “Flying,” the program runs from April 15 to May 24, 2013 and is divided into 3 independent Sessions. Each Session includes two-week Studios that are hands-on, project-based and multi-disciplinary. The Studios allow students to explore and invent in collaborative teams, and are inspired by cutting-edge research and inventions from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as well as the vibrant technology and design industries across India and the United States.
Program Dates: April 15 to May 24, 2013 (Students may register for one, two or three Sessions).
Session 1: Apr 15-26, 2013
Session 2: Apr 29-May 10, 2013
Session 3: May 13-24, 2013
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Pricing: One Session: 29,500 INR*, Two Sessions: 57,000 INR (2,000 INR discount), Three Sessions: 83,500 INR (5,000 INR discount) *Tuition for each two-week Studio includes daily lunch, equipment, and all supplies needed for students’ projects.
Location: Hosted at Idiom Design, India's top design firm, located in Indiranagar, Bangalore.
Housing: For families living outside the Bangalore area or outside Karnataka, residency options in close proximity to Idiom Design in Bangalore will be shared with families upon Registration.
NuVu’s Spring Program is open to AISC middle school students through an application process with criteria set by AISC. If you are interested in this program for your child, please visit the websites given above for more information, and then contact Ms. Michele for further information prior to March 11th.

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Have a joyous weekend,

Ms. Michele

Friday, 8 February 2013

February 8, 2013


Dear Parents,

The members of the Roots & Shoots Club are very excited to announce that AISC is getting greener every day! AISC is removing paper cups on February 11th. That means you need to bring a water bottle to school.
Why? Here are some good reasons:
* A person that drinks a gallon of water uses 12-30 paper cups, so if you bring a water bottle you will save up to 30 paper cups for each gallon you consume.
* Our calculations are that the school uses more than 5,500 paper cups per day. That is about 1,000,000 paper cups per year!
* We know paper cups come from trees, so think of all the trees being cut down for something we only use one time then throw away.
* Paper cups are not recyclable, so they just create more garbage. 
* So bring a water bottle, just bring it!
If you do not have a water bottle, you can purchase one from the Poolside Store for Rs. 100 using your SmartCard. 
 
This weekend AISC will host 50 visiting musicians from four countries, plus 37 from our own AISC high school Symphonic Band, as part of the 2013 SAISA Music Festival.  The first public performance of the festival will be the Honors and Jazz Concert at 4:00 pm on Saturday, February 9th. The final performance of the festival will be the Gala Concert, featuring 85 high school musicians on stage, at 4:00 pm on Sunday, February 10th. Parents and students can check out the action at both concerts without a ticket. Family back home can watch both SAISA concerts at http://www.aisch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=182&Itemid=435 or anyone can go to the school website www.aisch.org->Quick links->Events.

Thank you to all of the parents that came out to the MS Parent Coffee this week.  Brian Hirsh will be including information from his study-skills presentation on Trish’s Counselor blog. One item that came up following the presentations was a discussion on our model of extracurricular programs, particularly the duration and time commitment for sports teams or theater productions. Some parents had some suggestions and ideas and I would like for any parents that might be interested to further continue this discussion to email me so that we can find a date/time to continue the dialogue.  A parent also made a comment about how long it can take students to do internet research - please note some Google search tips included at the end of this post.

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

Celebrate Valentine's Day listening to choral music and viewing art created by AISC students in the PAC lobby. 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.  We encourage you to come out and enjoy the music on Feb. 14 in the Auditorium from 6:30 pm. Note the earlier start time then posted last week, this was done to give the students an earlier night.   

Next week we celebrate our host nation during India Week. During this week we encourage everyone to wear Indian outfits. On February 11th students will be treated to a performance of Bharatanatyam dance.
On February 15th, in the morning the students will have a viewing of the movie ‘The Truth About Tigers’ followed by a Q & A with the documentary’s film producer Shekar Dattatri. He is one of India’s renowned wildlife filmmakers and conservationists and has produced documentaries for BBC and National Geographic. T lunch time, students and staff will enjoy an Indian lunch catered by the TMFK. Students will also partake in learning how to create a Kollam and how to play Karrom. Our Celebrate India photo contest submission deadline has been extended to Monday. There are 4 categories: Wildlife and Nature, Culture, People, and Places. Each student can submit up to 3 photos in each category (maximum of 12 photos). Make sure the file is of good quality. Poor quality photos will be disqualified. * All photos submitted should have been taken by the student submitting them!* Since the submission date has changed to Monday, new links have been sent out to students through their school Gmail accounts to upload their photos.  

Math Consultant, Erma Anderson will be offering a Parent Curriculum Coffee on February 19th will be a session with renowned math consultant Erma Anderson. The focus of this session will be AERO Math and the alignment to the Common Core. Curriculum Coffees are held from 8:45-9:45 am and 2:15-3:15 in the Hall of Light.

AISC Guest Presenter in February 2013: AISC will be hosting guest presenter Mr. Timothy Walters on the 21st and 22nd of February. Mr. Walters will be assisting us in our ongoing endeavor to deliver the very best in education and will be facilitating the exploration of connections between subject areas across the Middle and High School. Nurturing a solid understanding of the connections between subjects and exploring the limits of our current knowledge are vital in fostering intellectual curiosity and inquiry. Inquiry-based learning lies at the foundation of our teaching at AISC. In order to provide an opportunity for our entire community benefit from Mr. Walter’s expertise, there will be an informative and interactive parent session scheduled in the Hall of Light between 10am and 11:30am on Thursday the 21st of February. The aims of the session will to provide an overview of the advantages of inquiry-based learning, consider approaches that explore our current knowledge base and better understand how such exploration can help us better understand the connections between subject areas. I am positive that after such an experience, you will be fully equipped to assist your children increase their understanding of this approach by continuing these conversations at home.  Some of our Middle School teachers will be attending a session with Mr. Walters on the February 22nd professional development day.
Warm regards, Mark Robertson-Jones. IB Coordinator

Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS). The Asian Middle School Honor Band was held last week in the beautiful campus of the International School of Yangon, Myanmar.  Three of our middle school students Hana, Dongseob and Theo had the prestigious opportunity to participate in this festival through a systematic audition process. The festival began with the morning assembly and a traditional puppet show.  The students had vigorous practice sessions in the mornings and afternoons to polish the music as an ensemble. They also had the opportunity to visit Shwedagon Pagoda which is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of Buddha enshrined. The Saturday evening concert was held in the ballroom of a Hotel to a tightly packed audience. Guest Conductor Kevin Harris-Lowe brought out the best from these young musicians and made the concert another milestone in the history of AMIS.  The students played band favorites like American river songs, a shaker gift song, a dixieland jazz funeral song and a Yorkshire ballad along with a line of other numbers.  A special piece of music ‘Door in my Heart’ was composed by Mr.Scott Rogal, and commissioned by AMIS. Sincerely Mr.William Kumar



Google Search tips: taken from http://support.google.com/websearch
If you're not finding what you're searching for after using our basic search tips, try a search operator. Add one of these symbols to your search terms in the Google search box to gain more control over the results that you see. Don’t worry about memorizing the operators - you can use the Advanced Search page to generate many of these searches.

Search for an exact word or phrase    "search query"       
Use quotes to search for an exact word or set of words. This option is handy when searching for song lyrics or a line from literature.   [ "imagine all the people" ]
Tip: Only use this if you're looking for a very precise word or phrase, because otherwise you could be excluding helpful results by mistake.

Exclude a word    -query
Add a dash (-) before a word or site to exclude all results that include that word. This is especially useful for synonyms like Jaguar the car brand and jaguar the animal.
[ jaguar speed -car ] or [ pandas -site:wikipedia.org ]
Tip: You can also exclude results based on other operators, like excluding all results from a specific site.

Include similar words    ~query       
Normally, synonyms might replace some words in your original query. Add a tilde sign (~) immediately in front of a word to search for that word as well as even more synonyms.
[ ~food facts ] includes results for "nutrition facts"

Search within a site or domain   site: query
Include "site:" to search for information within a single website like all mentions of "Olympics" on the New York Times website.  [ Olympics site:nytimes.com ]
Tip: Also search within a specific top-level domain like .org or .edu or country top-level domain like .de or .jp.  [ Olympics site:.gov ]

Include a "fill in the blank"    query * query
Use an asterisk (*) within a query as a placeholder for any unknown or "wildcard" terms. Use with quotation marks to find variations of that exact phrase or to remember words in the middle of a phrase.
[ "a * saved is a * earned" ]

Search for either word   query OR query 
If you want to search for pages that may have just one of several words, include OR (capitalized) between the words. Without the OR, your results would typically show only pages that match both terms. [ olympics location 2014 OR 2018 ]
Tip: Enclose phrases in quotes to search for either one of several phrases.
[ "world cup 2014" OR "olympics 2014" ]

Search for a number range    number..number      
Separate numbers by two periods (with no spaces) to see results that contain numbers in a given range of things like dates, prices, and measurements.
[ camera $50..$100]
Tip: Use only one number with the two periods to indicate an upper maximum or a lower minimum.
[ world cup winners ..2000 ]

Reading level Sometimes you may want to limit your search results to a specific reading level. For instance, a junior high school teacher looking for content for her students or a second-language learner might want web pages written at a basic reading level. A scientist searching for the latest findings from the experts may want to limit results to those at advanced reading levels.
To limit your search results to a specific reading level, follow these steps:
Click More at the top of the search results page.
Click Reading level. You'll now see results annotated with reading levels as well as a percentage breakdown of results by reading level.
To filter your results by a specific reading level, select your desired level (Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced).
At any time, you can click the X in the right corner of the blue bar beneath the search box to go back to seeing all results.
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Have a joyous weekend,

Ms. Michele