May 31, 2013

Thank you to the PTA and the parent community for organizing a wonderful international lunch for the annual teacher and staff appreciation. From the entrance of the transformed madras campus, to the delicious food, to the lovely departure sweet, everything was done with warmth, generosity, and hospitality. Thank you.

We had an omission in last week’s Principal’s Notes with regards to the ASIAC Sports Tea ceremony. Congratulations to Kate C. for being awarded the Female athlete of the year. Kate was a valued member of the SAISA Swim Team, ASIAC Soccer, Volleyball and Basketball. Well done Kate!

Over 50 teams throughout our NESA region competed in the Virtual Science Fair this year. We are very pleased to announce that one of our grade 8 teams has won the science fair!   We also had another team place fourth. The students worked incredibly hard on their projects and we are so proud of their hard work and dedication!

1st place:        Anand, Jeewoo,  Jihyun     "Biodegradable Plastics"

4th place:       Sangjun,  Seungyeon          "Breaking Bones"

Top 4th place finishing schools in the NVSF results for 2012-2013 are:

1st Place:     AIS Chennai Team #10

2nd Place:  AIS Kuwait and Dortmund Team #2 (VSF-Deutschland) 

3rd Place:    AIS Kuwait Team #2

4th Place:  AIS Chennai Team #8, ACS Athens Team #54, Dortmund Team #3 and NAIS Team #38

Today we discovered that there are numerous errors and omissions in the middle school section of the Yearbook. The Yearbook Club apologizes for those errors. We have contacted the publisher about this. The plan is to have the pages redone and then republish the yearbooks. If you are a middle school parent and have already received a yearbook, please return it to our office. Your receipt will be returned to you. Once we have received corrected versions we will contact you so you can pick yours up. If you will not be returning to Chennai, we will arrange to have it shipped to you. Again, the Yearbook Club apologies for the errors. We will make every effort to resolve this matter as soon as possible.

The ASA - Chess Tournament was held on 20^th and 27^th May, with participation from 42 students from the Elementary and Middle School. The tournament was on a knock-out basis and the students participated with great zeal and fervor.  The Tournament brought out the chess playing skills of our students.  

Congratulations to Vikram S. (grade 7) for winning the senior category!

Congratulations to Hanbyul (grade 6) for placing 2^nd

Congratulations to Yejin S. (grade 6) for placing 3^rd

The year-end dance party was a success. Over a hundred middle school students attended. Thank you to the parents that provided tasty snacks for the students. Thank you to the Student Activities Club for organizing the event. And to the following teachers for their gift of time in supervising the event: Ms. Mythili, Mr. Joel, Ms. Trish, Ms. Tucky, Ms. Rebekah, Ms. Lakshmi, Ms. Jaya, and Ms.Victoria.

Congratulations to the grade 7 students on the incredible Middle Age Civilization Fair of Africa and the Americas. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the exhibits and seeing all of the hard work and creativity that went into putting them together. I learned so much from the grade 7 experts, and had a lot of fun too. Thank you to Ms Kathy, Ms. Kathryn, and Mr. Ramu for providing this showcase of learning.

Ms. Hope Guajardo will be presenting a performance of dancing around the world on the 3^rd of June from 4-5 pm in the Auditorium. Dances from India, Europe, Africa, Latin America and the U.S.A. will be featured. This event is open to our AISC community.

Grade 8 student transition social will be occurring on June 4^th from 4-6 pm in the Black Box Theatre. This event helps to mark the transition for our grade 8 students leaving middle school and moving on to high school.

End of year Recognition Assemblies:

The 6th grade will be celebrating the important goal that each student feels that they have accomplished and will be given a certificate stating the attainment of their goal. 6th grade I-awards will be on held on June 6 from 11:45-12:45 in the auditorium. All sixth grade parents are invited to celebrate and recognize the emotional, intellectual, and social achievements that sixth grade students have made.

7th grade recognition assembly will be on Thursday, June 6th, at 1:30-2:30 in the Black Box Theatre. The ‘Super Seven’ awards will have certificates recognizing student goals during the more formal part of their assembly. All 7th grade parents are invited to this portion of the assembly. After this the students will go to the Hall of Light for the "Tigger Tiger" fun awards, games and snacks.

The 8th grade celebration is on Thursday, June 6 from 2:30 in the Black Box Theater and is also in two sections. All students will be recognized for their characteristics which are in line with the school's mission statement.  Other presentations will include special awards such as science fair certificates. This first portion of the assembly will take approximately 20 minutes and parents are invited. The second part of the assembly will be a gathering of the students for the presentation of a superlative certificate for each student

Summer at-home loan of music instruments: If you are a returning band student, it is possible to keep your band instrument over the summer months until school resumes in August. A form can be picked up from either Mr. William or Mr. Cary with more details on the process.

Textbook return: all textbooks must be returned by Wednesday, June 5th in order for report cards to be released on June 6th. Lost or damaged textbooks must be paid for through the finance office prior to June 6th.

Report Cards will be given to students on Thursday, June 6^th towards the end of the day. MAP results will be sent home with report cards.

June 7th is the last day of the school year, is a shortened day. Students will need to be picked up from the school at 11:00 am. Students will be having fun water-themed activities and should bring a change of clothes, their bathing suits and a towel with them.

MS Student schedules will be mailed to your local address at the end of July. If you would prefer to have your child’s schedule sent to an alternate address (other than your Chennai address) or would like it sent via email please contact Ms. Aziz (sazizunnisa@aisch.org).

For grade 8 parents, high school class schedules for next year were distributed to students this week.

Departing students are to collect their transfer certificates on Friday, June 7th between 11:00 – 12:30 from the middle school office upon prior submission of the ‘Student Withdraw’ form

Have a joyous last week, enjoy a safe fun-filled summer holiday, and I wish everyone all the best.

Michele Dirksen


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

May 24, 2013

Middle School Art Exhibition: A brilliant display of our middle school student’s art work was on display this week. I was so inspired by the variety of art forms and skills that students have learned during the course of the year. Congratulations to our talented students and to Mr. Joel and Ms. Cailin on a successful art show!

Our spring middle school music concert was a wonderful success. I am always so impressed by the talents of our students. Their hard work and effort over the year definitely showed. They have every reason to be proud of their performances. Thank you to Ms. Diane, Mr. William and Mr. Cary for all that they have done and in providing this showcase for the students. A special thank you to the combined choir for the parting song – it was very special. Please see photos from the event located in the photo album in the right-hand column.

We celebrated all of our middle school sports teams at the ASIAC Sports Tea on Thursday. Thank you to Ms. Elizabeth for organizing this celebration for our student athletes. The following students were honored with overall sports awards:

Male athlete of the year – Sangjun, Most improved male athlete – Daniel B, Most improved female athlete – Catherine, Mun Young Spirit award – Hitomi.

Thank you to the following student ambassadors for their invaluable assistance in the 5th grade student orientation that was held this past Monday: Ramita, Matheo, Tarun, Kaitlyn, Salil, Han Byul, Siddesh, Phoebe, Mala, Ashira, Yoon Jung, Hyun Jin, Aleena, Katrina, Hye Rin, Adrienne, Anand, Nikita, Daniel, Yeri. If your child is interested in being a Student Ambassador for next year, please have them pick up a form from the MS office and fill out and return to Ms. Trish by May 31.

A reminder that the Student Activities club is organizing the year end dance party tonight from 6:00-8:00 pm. Note that there is no school supervision for students that remain at school after 3:45 until the start of the dance – students will need to be under the supervision of their parents during this time. Please ensure that your child is picked up promptly at 8:00pm. Students are not permitted to leave the dance early unless prior permission from the Principal is attained.

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

Yearbooks can be picked up from the main reception starting on May 31 from 3:30 pm. Please note to bring your receipt with you.

End of year Assemblies: Each grade level holds a year-end assembly that celebrates and is tailored to their age level. This approach to end-of-year recognition is in keeping with the middle school philosophy and is a positive and meaningful celebration for all of our students.

The 6th grade will be celebrating the important goal that each student feels that they have accomplished and will be given a certificate stating the attainment of their goal. 6th grade I-awards will be on held on June 6 from 11:45-12:45 in the auditorium. All sixth grade parents are invited to celebrate and recognize the emotional, intellectual, and social achievements that sixth grade students have made.

The 7th grade assembly will be on Thursday, June 6th, at 1:30-2:30 in the Black Box Theatre. The ‘Super Seven’ awards will have certificates recognizing student goals during the more formal part of their assembly. All 7th grade parents are invited to this portion of the assembly. After this the students will go to the Hall of Light for the "Tigger Tiger" fun awards, games and snacks.

The 8th grade celebration is on Thursday, June 6 from 2:30 in the Black Box Theater and is also in two sections. All students will be recognized for their characteristics which are in line with the school's mission statement.  Other presentations will include special awards such as science fair certificates. This first portion of the assembly will take approximately 20 minutes and parents are invited. The second part of the assembly will be a gathering of the students for the presentation of a superlative certificate for each student

From The Health Office: The forms mentioned below were delivered to students today: Returning Students Annual Health form, a physical examination form, immunization records and evidence of TB screening are required to be updated each year:

health details

contact information,

immunization record

evidence of TB screening

authorization for medication

grant emergency permission

doctor’s physical examination form

Please do NOT send back the health forms until August 2013. After the summer break, the fully completed annual health forms will need to be submitted to the Health Office.

BYOT Configuration Workshop: To assist families in configuring student devices ahead of the new school year we are offering a device configuration workshop on May 30-31.  If your child will have a device before this date, please sign up for one of the available times using the form in the Head of School's notes or on the Moodle All School Page (guest password is raptors12).  

Please return all library books by Monday, May 27th. If a book is lost, please collect the bill for it from the library and pay at the Finance office. Please note that report cards will be held until the balance has been paid or the book has been returned.

Departing students 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.

Have a joyous weekend,

Michele Dirksen


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

May 17, 2013

Congratulations to our Raptors for a very successful basketball and swimming tournament last weekend. Fifty three of our middle school athletes competed in the event that we hosted. They represented themselves and AISC proudly and showed great sportsmanship to the other competitors.

Our Raptor boys basketball team placed 1^st (white team) and 4^th (blue team)

Our Raptor girls basketball teams placed 2^nd (blue team) and 4^th (white team)

The Raptor swimmers placed 2^nd and had several top level finishes and many personal bests.

We are very pleased that our boys and girls blue basketball teams, our girls white basketball team and our swim team were awarded the Sportsmanship awards.

Thank you to coaches Mr. Rice/Mr. Luca, Mr. Brian/Ms. Rosario and Mr. Scott/Ms. Marla/Mr. Tommy for all of your work with our young athletes.

Congratulations to Akira, Ben, Daniel E, Eita, Grischa, Henrik, Iniyan, Jonghyun, Jucheol, Jun Wo, Kyungho, Kyusong, Manuel, Sehun, Seongbo, SeungHyeon, Taeung, Vishnu, Vishwaarth, Wombum, Hitomi, Andre, Catherine, Kavya, Kate, Krithika, Adrienne, Sigapi, Nikila, Marie, Moeka, Yoon jung, Min ji, Hyerin, Seungyeon, Anna, JuMee, YooKyeong, YeonHee, Mahra, Aleena, Vittoria, Lizzy, Clara, Kadie, Nairo, Thea, William, Valerio, Udhay, Daniel B, Hong Min, Sang Jun.

Middle School Art Exhibition: A brilliant display of our middle school student’s art work will be on display May 20-24 in the Fine Art building in the Atrium gallery. I encourage you to visit and see the variety of art forms and skills that our students have learned during the course of the year.

The Music Department proudly presents the High School Band/Choir concert on Friday, May 17, 7 pm.   We welcome you to come out and enjoy an evening of music.

Our spring middle school music concert will be occurring on May 23 from 2.00-3:30 p.m. in the auditorium. The concert will feature the choir, beginning bands, intermediate band and advanced band. Please mark your calendar and join us to celebrate the musical accomplishments of your children. Students must have the official AISC Music Shirt for the concert. Students must provide their own long black pants, black shoes, and black socks. Students must wear the music uniform to perform.

We recently had Gini Rojas, an EAL consultant return to our school to work with us on the recommendations that she had made on her first visit here last spring. One of the recommendations that we will be putting in place for the 2013-2014 school year will be offering the choice of French, Spanish, or English for Academic Purposes to our EAL students. A language selection form will be given to all EAL students on Monday, May 20^th and will need to be returned to the middle school office by Thursday, May 23^rd.  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.

A reminder to parents whose children stay after school: supervision by school staff ends at 3:45 pm. Students who remain after this time must be supervised by their parents. We ask that you are in close range to your child. Also, students must follow the school rules they adhere to during the school day - this includes wearing shoes at all times.

ASA Chess Tournament 2013         Entry Free!    

May 20th & 27th from 3.30 pm - 5.00 pm in the Auxiliary gym. Registration is at the door. The tournament will be conducted in four groups and is open for all the students:

Grade I, Grade II, Grade III - V, Grade VI and above. The Tournament will be conducted on a knock-out basis. The maximum number of entries will be 100, and certificates will be given for all participants. Medals will be given for the top three players in each category.

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 Student Activities club will be organizing the year end dance party on May 24^th from 6:00-8:00 pm. The theme will be "Night of Stars" with a Hollywood stars feel. Students will be asked to dress a bit more formal (ie dress nicely while following our dress code). Tickets are 200 Rs in advance (250 Rs at the door).  Note that the event on the community calendar says MS pool party but it will in fact be a dance. There is no school supervision for any students that remain at school after 3:45 until the start of the dance – students will need to be under the supervision of their parents during this time. Please ensure that your child is picked up promptly at 8:00pm. Students are not permitted to leave the dance early unless prior permission from the Principal is attained.

MS ASIAC Sports Tea: Parents and athletes are invited to attend the annual Sports Awards Tea for middle school athletes on May 23th at 4:00pm in the auditorium. Please confirm your attendance with Ms. Sally Victor in the pool office or at vsally@aisch.org

From The Health Office: The forms mentioned below will be delivered to students on 24th May: Returning Students Annual Health form, a physical examination form, immunization records and evidence of TB screening. Please do NOT send back the health forms until August 2013. After the summer break, the fully completed annual health forms will need to be submitted to the Health Office.

BYOT Configuration Workshop: To assist families in configuring student devices ahead of the new school year we are offering a device configuration workshop on May 30-31.  If your child will have a device before this date, please sign up for one of the available times using the form in the Head of School's notes or on the Moodle All School Page (guest password is raptors12).  

Please return all library books by Monday, May 27th. If a book is lost, please collect the bill for it from the library and pay at the Finance office. Please note that report cards will be held until the balance has been paid or the book has been returned.

Departing students 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.

Have a joyous weekend,

Michele Dirksen


Quick Links:

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

May 10, 2013

 The results from round 2 of the NESA Virtual Science Fair are in! Below is the list of teams that finished in the top 5 and therefore are moving forward in the science fair. Our students have done extremely well with two teams placing in the top 5 and one of our teams placing first! Congratulations to Jeewoo, Anand, Jihyun, and Sanjun, Seungyeon.

First place - AIS Chennai (team10)

            Second place - AIS Kuwait  (team 2) 

Third place - ACS Athens  (team 54) 

Fourth place - Dortmund  (team 2)  

Fifth place - Dortmund (team 3)  

Fifth place - AIS Chennai  (team 8)   

Fifty three of our middle school athletes will be competing in the ASIAC basketball and swimming tournaments that we are hosting today and tomorrow. We encourage you to come out and cheer for our Raptor athletes. Go Raptors! Thank you to everyone that is supporting this event either through the gift of time or by hosting members of visiting teams.

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 Grade 7 yard sale was a success again this year!  Thank you to everyone that supported the event by either donating items or purchasing items.  The Grade 7 students and teachers would like to thank everyone who helped to make the yard sale such a success.  They raised an amazing Rs 90792 ($1664.83) which will go to Child Haven, UNICEF and the Blue Cross.  Thank you to the grade seven teachers, students and parents that gave the gift of time to organize and run the event. A special thanks to Mr Desmond and his wonderful team who made sure that everything went smoothly on the day.

The Music Department proudly presents the High School Band/Choir concert on Friday, May 17, 7 pm.   We welcome you to come out and enjoy an evening of music.

Our spring middle school music concert will be occurring on May 23 from 2.00-3:30 p.m. in the auditorium. The concert will feature the choir, beginning bands, intermediate band and advanced band. Please mark your calendar and join us to celebrate the musical accomplishments of your children.

All students must have the official AISC Music Shirt for the spring concert. Students must provide their own long black pants, black shoes, and black socks. Students who already possess an AISC Music shirt may use it again; any student who does not possess an AISC Music logo shirt needs to speak to their music teacher as soon as possible. Students must wear an AISC Music logo shirt to perform.

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 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.

MS ASIAC Sports Tea: Parents and athletes are invited to attend the annual Sports Awards Tea for middle school athletes on May 23th at 4:00pm. Please confirm your attendance with Ms. Sally Victor in the pool office or at vsally@aisch.org

The Student Activities club will be organizing the year end dance party on May 24^th from 6:00-8:00 pm. The theme will be "Night of Stars" with a Hollywood stars feel. Students will be asked to dress a bit more formal (ie dress nicely while following our dress code). Note that the event on the community calendar says MS pool party but it will in fact be a dance. Please note that there is no school supervision of students from 4 pm to 6 pm. Students that remain at school during this time must be under parent supervision.

Please return all library books by Monday, May 27th. If a book is lost, please collect the bill for it from the library and pay at the Finance office. Please note that report cards will be held until the balance has been paid or the book has been returned.

BYOT Configuration Workshop: To assist families in configuring student devices ahead of the new school year we are offering a device configuration workshop on May 30-31.  If your child will have a device before this date, please sign up for one of the available times using the form in the Head of School's notes or on the Moodle All School Page (guest password is raptors12).  

Have a joyous weekend, and Go Raptors!

Ms. Michele


Quick Links:

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