April 26, 2013

Dear Parents,

A huge thank you to all of the PTA Ball Committee members for all of their time and effort in making the event such a success. It was a wonderful evening from the decorations, to the performances, to the silent auction, the great food, and so much more.  Thank you for providing this event for our community.

Thank you to Mr. Derek Rice, our MS EAL Coordinator, for his presentation on English as an Additional Language in the middle school. Thank you to all of the parents that came out to listen to the presentation. Your questions were welcomed and appreciated.

AISC’s new theatre department is proud to announce the spring production, “Jaya: Mythic Images from the Mahabharata.” The show will be tonight and Saturday April 27^th at 7:00 p.m. in the PAC theatre. We hope that you join us for the first full production of our theatre department!

Student-Led Portfolio Presentations: Thank you to everyone for the support of this initiative. When reading through the student reflection sheets afterwards, we get a glimpse of the impact that this learning opportunity has on the students.

Some of the comments from students included:

The best part of my conference was:

Boasting about myself and showing what I learned.

Telling mom what I’ve done/improved. Since she doesn’t get much chance to see my work, we had nice time showing her my eportfolio.

Showing and sharing my persuasive essay. The reason is that it is the best and the best! Work/writing I’ve done this year. I am proud of myself getting use to writing.

During my conference, I think my parents learned:

My hidden spectacular skills in each subject. I think my parents learned how I work in AISC. My success and failure but improving it.

How far I’ve come in my writing mostly but in all just through the year.

What I am capable of doing, and learning the growth of my knowledge.

I was surprised during this conference that:

            My mom was interested in my work.

            My mom really understood my presentation, and that I really explained well.

            My dad asked me a lot of questions.

Some of the comments from parents included:

            In my opinion, it was SUPERB! Proud mum! Well done AISC!

This should be done more often so we can get more involved in our kid’s work. Loved to get inside of all the things they are learning.

           Excellent idea indeed!! Provides a great platform to talk to your kid in detail about studies and listen to them. Wonderful tool to bring parents closer to their kids!!!

Additionally, we appreciate and value the constructive feedback on the process that we received.

Thank you to our world language consultant, Ms. Tami Canale for joining me in presenting to our grade 7 parents the changes that are scheduled to take place next year in grade 8. Thank to all of the parents that attended. Your questions and feedback are very much appreciated.

Students currently in grade 7 will need to state their Fine Arts choices for the 2013-2014 school year.  A Fine Arts course selection form will go home with students on April 30^th and will need to be returned to the MS office by May8th. It is important to note that while every effort will be made to give students their preference, scheduling may in some instances prevent this from being possible.

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

The MS Student Activities Club has planned a Movie Night for May 3^rd from 4:00-6:00 pm in the Auditorium. The movie choice is Brave which is rated PG (parental guidance suggested).

Tickets are 100 Rs (150 Rs if you buy at the event), and will be sold this Tuesday-Friday at break and lunch near the Grade 6 lockers. There will be an intermission with popcorn, drinks, and cookies. On behalf of MS Student Activities Club

We encourage you to come and listen to our EAL consultant Ms. Gini Rojas at the EAL parent presentation that she will be giving on May 7^th from 10:00-11:00 in the Black Box Theatre.

The Grade 7 yard sale is coming!   Thursday May 9^th from 8.30am – 4.00pm in the Main Courtyard

Please bring items to donate to Ms Sonia at the main reception. Proceeds will go to community service projects decided upon by Grade 7 students.  Any parents who would be willing to help on the day of the sale, please contact Ms Naomi: snaomi@aisch.org  Thank you, Grade 7 students and teachers

We will be having a transition session for grade 5 students on May 20^th. Students will receive information on our middle school procedures, middle school activities, athletics, Week Without Walls, lockers and much more, delivered by the experts – our middle school student ambassadors.

Middle School transition meeting for grade 5 parents: Any parents of grade 5 students that will be returning for the next school-year are invited to attend this informational meeting on May 22^nd from 9:00-9:45 am in the Black Box Theatre.

Departing students Each year some of our families repatriate or relocate. AISC records are usually required by the next school. It does take us time to prepare these records for you. Please contact Ms. Aziz in the middle school office as soon as possible if you will be leaving the school so that we can prepare the necessary documents in a timely manner. Final report cards will be available on June 6^th. Transfer certificates and any other needed documentation will be available on Friday, June 7^th at 11:00 a.m. from the office.

MAP Assessment: Our spring session testing window has just closed. MAP results will go home with the final report card on June 6th.

The 2012-13 Yearbook is now on sale. There are two ways that you can purchase your copy:

Method 1: Buy at the finance office window in Rupees (2800 Rs). Cash or cheque can be used. Yearbook orders will also be taken by members of the Yearbook staff in the main entry before and after school.

Method 2: Buy on-line by going to our school webpage (you can find the link on the AISC web page (www.aisch.org) under "Quick Links") or clicking on this link. Click Here for the on-line yearbook orders. The price is 50 US dollars. Please note that credit card fees may apply. The online ordering system allows you to choose additional options such as "Hear the Year", a news summary of the year in photos, a plastic cover or photo pockets.

Regardless of the method of payment, please keep your receipt to claim your yearbook. We are not able to offer refunds. We expect delivery of the yearbook by the end of May.

Have a joyous weekend,

Ms. Michele

Quick Links:

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HoSNewsletter  |  ES Principal's Notes  |  HS Principal's Notes  

April 19, 2013

Dear Parents,

 "A Look Back in Time" the 2012-13 Yearbook is now on sale. There are two ways that you can purchase your copy:

Method 1: Buy at the finance office window in Rupees (2800 Rs). Cash or cheque can be used. Yearbook orders will also be taken by members of the Yearbook staff in the main entry before and after school.

Method 2: Buy on-line by going to our school webpage or clicking on this link. Click Here for the on-line yearbook orders. The price is 50 US dollars. Please note that credit card fees may apply. The online ordering system allows you to choose additional options such as "Hear the Year", a news summary of the year in photos, a plastic cover or photo pockets.

Notes for the on-line payment option:

You will need to give a location but it doesn't matter as the books will NOT be delivered to classrooms.

You can print your confirmation and get it sent to your email.

You can also pay by other means such as Paypal. 

Regardless of the method of payment, please keep your receipt to claim your yearbook. We are not able to offer refunds. We expect delivery of the yearbook by the end of May.

Departing students Each year some of our families repatriate or relocate. AISC records are usually required by the next school. It does take us time to prepare these records for you. Please contact Ms. Aziz in the middle school office as soon as possible if you will be leaving the school so that we can prepare the necessary documents in a timely manner. Final report cards will be available on June 6^th. Transfer certificates and any other needed documentation will be available on Friday, June 7^th at 11:00 a.m. from the office.

A reminder to parents; your child must be under your direct supervision if they are on campus after 3:45 pm. The only exception is if they are involved in a supervised extracurricular activity.

A Middle School Parent Session on English as an Additional Language by Mr. Derek Rice, our MS EAL Coordinator will be held next Monday morning, April 22nd, from 8:45-9:45 in the PAC cafeteria.

Information will be provided on our new assessment tool (WIDA), an update on some proposed program changes for next year, upcoming professional development that our teachers will be receiving, and some suggestions on what students can do in the summer to support their English language learning.  

AISC’s new theatre department is proud to announce the spring production, “Jaya: Mythic Images from the Mahabharata.” The show will be on Friday April 26^th and Saturday April 27^th at 7:00 p.m. in the PAC theatre. Tickets can be purchased in the main office.  The production is an ensemble piece which tells the story of the Mahabharata, the worlds’ longest epic and one of India’s oldest stories.  It is a collaboration between student actors and technicians, the music and art departments, local sculptors, painters, and classical musicians, parents, a guest director from the United States, the AISC Community Choir, and the AISC Bollywood Dance Troupe. Join us for the first full production of the theatre department!

We recently had a World Language consultant come in and work with our language teachers to do a review of our program, both from an elementary through high school perspective as well as from a middle school perspective. A priority recommendation for the middle school is to increase the amount of time that is designated to World Languages in order to deepen the level to which our students can learn the language at each grade level and to fully articulate in a seamless way with the academic rigor of the high school program. We want to address this priority in a timely manner and are looking at our grade 8 students receiving an additional period of World Language for the 2013-14 school-year. The following year there will be changes in the middle school schedule which will allow for increased time in grade 6 and 7 in the 2014-15 school year. The increase in time for grade 8 next year, without a change in the middle school schedule, will have some impact on the Fine Arts course selection. As a result, we would like to invite our current grade 7 parents that will be returning to AISC next year, to an information meeting on April 25 from 8:45-9:45 am in the Hall of Light.

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

Student-led portfolio presentations: The parent’s role in the portfolio presentation is to provide encouragement and feedback as your child proceeds. Ask questions to clarify, and let them direct the conference. Your child may suggest areas for improvement. Some questions you may want to ask about their learning could be:

 Which part are you most proud of?

 How do you know you have been successful in your learning?

 What did you/ do you find challenging?

 What is the next step for you?

 What can I do to help you with this?

We look forward to seeing you at the portfolio presentations April 25.

Following the portfolio presentations on April 25, from 4–7 pm (for grade six), and 5-7 pm (for grade seven and eight) we will be having parent-teacher conferences for any parents that would like to meet with a teacher regarding the progress report. Also, we will be having parent–teacher conferences on April 26 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. We will again be using the on-line appointment scheduling program to facilitate booking appointment times with teachers. Click here  to access the online conference sign-up. Please contact Ms. Aziz in the MS office if you have any questions. You may begin to schedule conferences immediately. The online scheduler closes the afternoon of April 24^th.

The Grade 7 yard sale is coming!   Thursday May 9^th from 8.30am – 4.00pm in the Main Courtyard

Donations can include books, clothes, games, household items, and anything usable that is clean and in good condition.  Bring the donations to Ms Sonia at the main reception.

You can buy a table for Rs1000 to sell your own items and keep the profits.  To reserve a table you can pay Rs1000 to the Yard Sale Fund in the finance office.

Proceeds will go to community service projects decided upon by Grade 7 students.

Any parents who would be willing to help on the day of the sale, please contact Ms Naomi: snaomi@aisch.org

Thank you, Grade 7 students and teachers

Have a joyous weekend,

Ms. Michele

Quick Links:

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HoSNewsletter  |  ES Principal's Notes  |  HS Principal's Notes  

April 12, 2013

Dear Parents,

Congratulations to our grade 8 students for all of their hard work on their Near East South Asia (NESA) Virtual Science Fair science fair projects – it paid off in excellent presentations and display boards. The first round of judging, the school-level, is now complete. We are pleased to announce the winners of this years’ 8th grade science fair! These four teams will continue on to Round 2 and compete virtually against teams from around the world.

1^st place:          Sangjun & Seungyeon            ‘Breaking Bones’

2^nd place:         Daniel, Jared, Hitomi             ‘Earthquake-Proof Buildings’

3^rd place:          Jeewoo, Anand, Jihyun           ‘Biodegradable Plastics’

4^th place:          Kyungho, Kahyun, Yulhoe     ‘Water Purification with Charcoal’

We are very proud of the wonderful work that these students have done and all the hard work and scientific inquiry demonstrated with all of the projects. 

Progress Reports were issued this afternoon. This is not a fixed or static mark as it will change as tasks are added through the remainder of the semester. If you have any questions or concerns we encourage you to make an appointment with the teachers for the upcoming parent-teacher conferences.

3 vs 3 Intramural Basketball: Our 3 vs 3 basketball tournament during lunch break will start April 15th. We will have a separate girls and boys competition. For more information or to sign up contact Mr. Thomson or Mr. Tommy.  Please encourage your child to participate.

Students currently in grade 6 need to state their Fine Arts choices for the 2013-2014 school year.  Current grade 6 students have the option of choosing 2 Fine Arts courses from the 3 Fine arts areas of Visual Arts, Music (Band or Choir), and Theatre. The Fine Arts course selection form needs to be returned to the MS office by April 15. It is important to note that while every effort will be made to give students their preference of fine arts courses, scheduling may in some instances prevent this from being possible.

The next Middle School Parent Coffee will be on April 15^th in room MC E & F from 8:45-9:45 am. The focus of this coffee is a presentation on our MS English as an Alternative Language program presented by Mr. Derek Rice, our MS EAL Coordinator. Information will be provided on our new assessment tool (WIDA), an update on some proposed program changes for next year, upcoming professional development that our teachers will be receiving, and some suggestions on what your child can do in the summer to support their English language learning.

AISC’s new theatre department is proud to announce the spring production, “Jaya: Mythic Images from the Mahabharata.” The show will be on Friday April 26^th and Saturday April 27^th

at 7:00 p.m. in the PAC theatre. Tickets may be purchased in the main office beginning Wednesday April 17^th.  The production is an ensemble piece which tells the story of the Mahabharata, the worlds’ longest epic and one of India’s oldest stories.  It is a collaboration between student actors and technicians, the music and art departments, local sculptors, painters, and classical musicians, parents, a guest director from the United States, the AISC Community Choir, and the AISC Bollywood Dance Troupe. Join us for the first full production of the theatre department!

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

Our movie night organized by our MS Student Activities Club scheduled for April 19^th has been changed to May 3^rd. More information as we approach the new date.

Mums and dads please keep the afternoon/evening of April 25 available to participate in your child’s student-led portfolio presentation. The presentation should take approximately 45 minutes and will be conducted in the language most comfortable for students and parents. The purpose of the portfolio presentation is not to talk about the progress report; instead it is to provide students with an active and meaningful role in interpreting their own learning, and to provide parents with a more vivid picture of what students know and are able to do. Sessions for grade 6 students will occur from 1:35-2:30 and 2:35- 3:30, and for grade 7 and 8 students from 2:30-3:25 and 3:30-4:30.

Following the portfolio presentations on April 25, from 4–7 pm (for grade six), and 5-7 pm (for grade seven and eight) we will be having parent-teacher conferences for any parents that would like to meet with a teacher regarding the progress report. Also, we will be having parent–teacher conferences on April 26 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

We will again be using the on-line appointment scheduling program to facilitate booking appointment times with teachers. Specific information on accessing the appointment scheduling program is found below. You may want to consider leaving a gap between appointments to allow time to get to the next appointment if the classrooms are far apart. Please bring your child’s progress report with you to the conferences. Please respect the needs of other parents and do not continue your discussion beyond the allotted time. If you feel you need additional time to speak with any of your child’s teachers you can schedule an appointment at a later date.

Once you are logged in, you will see a list of teachers with a button next to each name.

o   Click on the button for your child’s teacher.

o   You will be asked to enter your child’s and your name, as well as your email address.

o   You will see a list of available conference times to pick from for each teacher.

o   You may note that the 

o   Repeat the process for the rest of your child’s teachers using the link on the left sidebar.

o   A confirmation will be sent to you via email. Room numbers will be given on the list.

The link to the online conference sign-up is:

http://www.ptcfast.com/schools/American_International_School_Chennai_2

Please contact Ms. Aziz in the MS office if you have any questions.

You may begin to schedule conferences immediately. The online scheduler closes the afternoon of April 24^th.

The Grade 7 yard sale is coming!   Thursday May 9^th from 8.30am – 4.00pm in the Main Courtyard

Donations can include books, clothes, games, household items, and anything usable that is clean and in good condition.  Bring the donations to Ms Sonia at the main reception.

You can buy a table for Rs1000 to sell your own items and keep the profits.  To reserve a table you can pay Rs1000 to the Yard Sale Fund in the finance office.

Proceeds will go to community service projects decided upon by Grade 7 students.

Thank you, Grade 7 students and teachers

Have a joyous weekend,

Ms. Michele