27 September

Dear Middle School Parents,

We had a wonderful singer/songwriter, Kathryn Claire,  who worked with our students last week. The culminating activity was a concert for the AISC community. At the concert, she even involved the audience to sing along with her, had students and a teacher to play instruments and sing with her as well. If you missed the concert, you can still see her on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/AISCEVENTS.

As I mentioned last week, there are many opportunities to get involved at school. One way to get out of the house and out from sitting in front of the computer is to help others and those in need. We have a selfless club being featured this week:

MIDDLE SCHOOL -  Interact Club

Sponsor: Mr. Rob Martin

Room: 3127

Meeting times: Every other Wednesday

Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 12 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting. Our local Rotary club is the Rotary Club of Chennai Infocity.

Club membership varies greatly. Clubs can be single gender or mixed, large or small. They can draw from the student body of a single school or from two or more schools in the same community.

Each year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of:

• Developing leadership skills and personal integrity
• Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others
• Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work
• Advancing international understanding and goodwill

As one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary service, with more than 10,700 clubs in 109 countries and geographical areas, Interact has become a worldwide phenomenon. Almost 200,000 young people are involved in Interact.

For more information, please visit:  http://aiscinteract.org/.

Food Drive

To share the joy of the upcoming Diwali with elders and other underprivileged neighbors, the National Honor Society is initiating a food drive which encourages all students  to submit at least 1kg of rice, dal, or vegetable oil in the containers. The event will start from 30th September to 11th October, so be prepared for it!

Curriculum Coffee Thursday, 3 October at 8:45 in BBT

The Parent Curriculum Coffee on Thursday, October 3rd, will spotlight our EAL programming at AISC.  Please join the EAL Team for an information session on how parents can partner with the school in supporting their children as they learn English, academics, and further develop their cognitive skills.  The coffee will be held in the BBT from 8:45 - 9:45 on Thursday, Oct. 3rd.  We hope you can join us.

Heads up: Progress Reports

Please note that the mid-semester progress report ends on Friday, 4th October. These grades and comments are to give parents an indication of how students are doing after the first two months of school. If there are concerns, parents can always meet with teachers throughout the year; to make an appointment with one of the teachers, please contact Ms. Aziz in the Middle School Office.

iHub Use – A Gentle Reminder

We have mentioned the importance of parents being sensitive to being in and around middle and high school students’ learning and social spaces while in use by students before, during, and after school. During the school day, middle and high school students need a sense of ownership of their spaces. We are a busy campus and we recognize that community members come and go all day long. The iHub, however, is a place for students to gather, socialize, and collaborate. As such, we request that parents be sensitive to its use during school hours 8:30-3:30, especially right before and right after school, and during all breaks, which happen throughout the day. We encourage parents to use the Parent MC Café during these times.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal

20 September

Dear Middle School Parents,

Thank you for all those who attended the Co-Teaching presentation at the last Middle School Coffee. We will continue to have these types of presentations or workshops throughout the year where I will invite experts from our faculty to present with me. The next Middle School Coffee will be held on 15 October.

We are now approaching the second month of school. Everything is set and well on its way. We celebrated Dot Day last week and we also had our first Big Bad Blue Swim Meet last weekend. Congratulations to all of our swimmers for doing a fantastic job at the meet. We are very proud of your performance. If you would like to see some of the photos, please visit this link: Dot Day and Big Bad Blue.

We always have numerous activities going on here at school, of which you might not be aware. Students are involved in many different activities. Here are some examples of what students are doing:

• Rehearsing for Cabaret
• Rehearsing for the Middle School Play in November
• Practicing in their sports: Swimming, Badminton and Table Tennis
• Helping others in the Interact Club: http://aiscinteract.org/
• Helping new students as Student Ambassadors
• Learning about Model United Nations (MUN)

Next month, our SAISA Swim Team will be going to Mumbai for their next competition. Our Badminton and Table Tennis teams be going to New Delhi for their tournament.

There are more activities to come throughout the year, especially for the second semester; please remind your children to pay attention to the daily bulletin for announcements and encourage them to participate. Here is another activity that will be added next month:

MIDDLE SCHOOL -  ART CLUB

October 9 - December 13, 2013

Teacher: Mr. Aneesh K R

Day: Wednesdays

Time: 3.40 pm - 4.40 pm

Sign-up with Mr. Aneesh in room 2720 in the Fine Arts Centre (FAC) next week from 23-27 September.

Who can join:

• Students who are passionate about Art and want extra time to work on creating an art product to be proud of,  is welcome to join this Art Club.
• Students need not be currently enrolled in an art class to join this Art Club
• All artists are welcome, whether you are a beginner or currently taking an 8th grade art class!

Benefits of this club:

• Our goal is to provide an Open Studio where students can explore their own artistic ideas without any constraints on the medium they want to use.
• Art Club will also be a great place for students to be involved throughout the year and share art projects that they have done at home.
• Through this Art Club, students will have extended time that will help them hone their artistic skills.

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing

Next week will be the last week of MAP testing for students. It will only be for make-up exams for students who were absent or had technical issues. Please remind your children to charge the laptops each night, get adequate sleep and have a good breakfast before they come to school for the MAP test.

Week Without Walls (WWW) Grade 8  Parent Meeting

Wednesday, 25 September at 3:45 in BBT

The Grade 8 Team will be meeting with students next week to inform them about the WWW trip in November. They will also hold an informational meeting on Wednesday, 25 September at 3:45pm in the BBT.

Have a great weekend!

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal

13 September

Dear Middle School Parents,

Don’t miss out on our first Swim Meet at AISC this school year. Please come and support our athletes this Friday afternoon and tomorrow all day.

*	BIG BAD BLUE SWIM MEET FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY!!! If you have lots of spirit, come and cheer our hard-working swim team on! September 13, 2013 4:00-6:00 PM September 14, 2013 8:30 AM-5:00 PM

Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD)

We had a wonderful speaker from FCD this week talking to our students about drugs and alcohol and the effects on young people’s health. If your children haven’t talked to you about it, please ask them about what they have learned. Visit their website for more information: www.fcd.org.

Here are some recommendations for parents:

• Have an open conversations about drugs and alcohol with your child. Give them the facts rather than the false perceptions may have.
• If they make mistakes, don’t let your anger push them away. Have a conversation with them when you are no longer angry.
• Get to know the parents of your child’s friends.
• Accompany your child to where they are going.
• Have a code word which means to come and get them.

Parent Coffee: Tuesday 17 September at 8:45 in Hall of Light

Please join us on Tuesday when Ms. Kim Bane, our Director of Teaching and Learning, and I will talk about the Co-teaching Model: What is co-teaching? Why we co-teach? What does the research say about it? We will also provide examples of what it looks like in practice at our school. Please come and bring a friend.

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing

MAP testing continues this coming week. Please remind your children to charge the laptops each night, especially during testing week. There is no preparation required for MAP testing. We do, however,  recommend that students get adequate sleep and a good breakfast before they come to school for the MAP test.

Middle School Model United Nations (MUN)

MUN is a simulation of the real United Nations with students serving as delegates from a variety of different countries. They come together in a formal setting to solve global issues and, in the process, come to understand their role as future leaders. MUN conferences are formal public speaking events. Students participate in lobbying and formal debate while negotiating, collaborating, and solving global problems.

We have extended our long tradition of MUN excellence in the High School to the Middle School by establishing a club and the possibility of conference attendance.  We look forward to bringing this rewarding experience to the middle school.

In order to accommodate all students who are interested, MS MUN will meet on Tuesday and Thursday after school, starting 17 September.  Students must attend one meeting per week to be a member of MS MUN.

Pepper McFarland

Rema Vishwanath

Brooke Johnson

MS MUN Coordinators

Health Alerts from the School Nurse

Associated with the rain, dengue and malaria are rampant now. Please use mosquito nets, close all doors and windows after 5pm, avoid storing open bodies of water inside the house, wear covered clothing as much as possible and use repellents and pest control services to drive the mosquitoes away.

Water and food related problems like typhoid and hepatitis and gastroenteritis are very prevalent so drink clean bottled and boiled water. Avoid eating in roadside joints especially uncooked food like paneer, cream, chat items, salads, chutneys and uncooked eggs, which all can harbour harmful bacteria.

Get yourself (young and old) vaccinated against these illnesses.

Walking in puddles can cause rat urine fever (leptospirosis). Please wash your feet after stepping out in puddles. Some warning signs are any high fever with rash, fever beyond 2 days, fever with a poor general condition and shivering, escalating fevers need to be checked-up with your paediatrician this season as soon as possible.

Colds, cough, flu are also common. Avoid child sending to school and let them recover at home. Avoid usage of antibiotics as these infections are predominantly viral. Please see the nurse if you have any other questions.

Bollywood Dance Club

The Bollywood Dance Club has existed for the past 5 years. The teacher of this club will be Arya Giri, a freshman who has extreme passion and experience for dance. Any member of the PTA is welcome to join. Our first performance will be for the CHEMUN inauguration. We will hold practices Friday of every week  in Mr. Shawn’s room. These practices will be held from 3:45 to 4:15 PM.

TO JOIN CONTACT:

Arya Giri: garya@aisch.org

Vasanthi T: tvasanthi@aisch.org

Have a great weekend!

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal

6 September

Dear Middle School Parents,

Thank you for your continued support and attending school functions. Please remember to continue to be involved in your children’s education. One of the ways is to attend workshops that is offered by the school. We have two coming up very soon, Freedom from Chemical Dependency and the next Parent Coffee with the Middle School Principal. Both events are listed below.

Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD)

FCD is a non-profit organization that provides alcohol, tobacco and other drug education to school and colleges worldwide. They will be visiting our school and doing workshops with students in middle and high school, parents, teachers and administration The 7th and 8th grade students will each be receiving two workshops and one grade level assembly. The FCD will be offering an assembly to 6th grade students on “Healthy Decision Making.” The intensive education program that the FCD will be offering the 7th and 8th grade students will focus on areas of prevention, recognition of early warning signs of substance abuse, encourage and support the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs and empower young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding drug and alcohol use. If you would like additional information of the FCD, please visit their website: http://www.fcd.org/content/index.asp.

REMINDER: There will be FCD presentation for Middle School Parents on Tuesday,  10th September from 8:30-9:20am in Hall of Light.

Parent Coffee: Tuesday 17 September at 8:45 in Hall of Light

As we have new initiatives in the school, many of you would like to have more information about the Co-teaching Model we have implemented this year. On 17th September, we will have a workshop on the model. Please join us to understand it and its benefits.

ASSOCIATION FOR MUSIC IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS (AMIS)

The Asian Middle School Honors’ Band Festival will be held from February 12 - 16, 2014 at Shanghai American School (Puxi).  Students from grades 7 and 8 are eligible to audition for this festival. Coaching sessions for successful auditioning are held in the middle school band room on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 7.45 – 8.15 a.m.  Last year we had three successful students out of ten auditions that we sent to the AMIS headquarters in London!    Please encourage your students to sign up for auditions.

AISC Celebrates International Dot Day Friday, 13 September 2013

Courage, creativity, confidence, and compassion... All components of our AISC Mission that are artfully illustrated in Peter Reynolds’ book, The Dot.  With a simple, witty story and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds entices even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark – and follow where it takes us. In the months since the school’s Strategic Plan was adopted, The Dot has come to symbolize our mission’s goal of making a unique contribution in a diverse and dynamic world.

Join us on Friday, 13 September, as we observe International Dot Day through creative expressions: music, art, poetry, and the spoken word, across the AISC campus.  Community members will be asked to consider how they make their mark in the world... and courageously wear it on a dot badge.

Stations will be set up in the elementary and secondary sections (in the FAC cafeteria, HS library, ES covered area, and main reception) for students, parents, and staff to express themselves, following the lead of Vashti, the unsuspecting heroine of The Dot.

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing: 9 -24 September

MAP testing starts on Monday. Please remind your children to charge the laptops each night, especially during testing week. There is no preparation required for MAP testing. We do, however,  recommend that students get adequate sleep and a good breakfast before they come to school for the MAP test.

Photos of Pool Party on Moodle

After each event we have in the school we will upload pictures on Moodle. Please visit the our Moodle site to see the photo albums.

*	BIG BAD BLUE SWIM MEET If you have lots of spirit, come and cheer our hard-working swim team on! September 13, 2013 4:00-6:00 PM September 14, 2013 8:30 AM-5:00 PM

Have a great weekend!

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal