25 October

Dear Middle School Parents,

We have reached our first break of the year. Students and teachers have been working hard to during this first quarter and deserve this break to decompress and hopefully come back rejuvenated. Of course, we also appreciate the parent support throughout these past few months. We look forward to your continued support for the rest of the year. We truly appreciate your involvement in your child’s education. You will have a great opportunity to do so that the Three-Way Conferences in November.

Progress Reports

Please note that the mid-semester progress report will be given to students today. 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.

Following these reports will be the Three-Way Conference (student, parent and teacher) on 14 and 15 November. Along with the BYOT, we have switched over to an e-portfolio blog format for all students. With guidance from their teachers, students are given time in class to create their portfolios. It is completely student-driven and student-created. We encourage you to ask your children to share their e-portfolios with you. Please remember that it is still early on; therefore, students are at the early stages of building and composing their e-portfolios.

We will be sending directions for sign up for the conferences after the break.

In April, the MS will have student-led conferences, which are a process where students engage in a meaningful dialogue with their family about goals, accomplishments, and learning. The aim of the conference is to encourage students to take responsibility for their learning and share their academic progress with their families.

This format gives students the opportunity to:

o  Reflect on their academic performance,

o  Take accountability for their own work,

o  Improve organizational and communication skills,

o  Include their parents in their learning experiences,

o  Learn to set and achieve realistic goals,

o  Take pride in their achievements.

Week Without Walls

Grade 8 and 7 students will be going on their WWW shortly after the break during the week of 18-22 November and 19-22 November, respectively. If you have any questions regarding the trip, please remember to contact the teachers before departure.

United Nations Day

Prior to the UN Day, the MS and HS  had an assembly in the Fine Arts Centre auditorium on Tuesday in recognition of the United Nations day. We were treated to a mock debate with members for the Model United Nations club.

We had another wonderful UN Day with a whole school flag processional. Thank you all the teachers and staff for their efforts in making this event happen.

Thank you to all of the parent volunteers and to the PTA for their time and effort in providing such wonderful learning opportunities with the international pavilions. I have heard appreciative comments from students and teachers. Thank you for adding to the students United Nations experience.

Withdrawing Students

Any students that are withdrawing will need to contact Ms. Aziz in the middle school office a minimum of two weeks prior to the withdrawal date to ensure all necessary documents can be compiled in a timely manner. Records from AISC are usually required by the next school. However, it takes us some time to prepare these records. Please note that for students leaving school before the winter break, we will be able to provide previous years AISC report cards and this year’s mid-semester 1 progress report.

From our Athletics Director-Mr. Ron Thomson

AISC Athlete of the Month

On Tuesday last week, we started a new tradition at AISC, The Athlete of the Month; we recognized our first recipients of this award. Two HS and two MS athletes will be selected each month from our talented pool of nominees. Athletes of the month will be recognized by having their pictures on the awards board outside the AD's office as well as news of their accomplishment in the morning bulletin and on the athletic web site. In addition, these students will receive a t-shirt, certificate and pizza lunch provided by the athletic department.

So for the month of September, our Athletes of the month are:

Mason Bridges H.S. - Swim Team

Momoko Nishimura H.S. - Girls Volleyball Team

Emilie Hahn M.S. - Swim Team

Amore Tripaathi M.S. - Swim Team

We would like to congratulate these athletes for their dedication to their respective sports.

Soccer Camp

We have a great opportunity for our kids at AISC coming up on November 9-10th. AISC will be hosting the U90 Soccer Camp here. We have convinced the folks at U90 Soccer Camps (which is a U.S. Soccer Group) to provide the camp for our younger kids as well as our high school kids. So with that being said, we have a block of time set up for our younger 10-12 year old students and 13-14 year old students. Please refer to the flyer, which was sent to you, for details and register on-line at the following links:

ID camp:  https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1328887

U14:  https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1328888

U10-12:  https://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1328890

There will be no registering at the door, so please complete the on-line registration if you are interested in sending your son or daughter.

Have a wonderful and restful break and safe travels!

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal

18 October

Dear Middle School Parents,

Again, we have a plethora of events going on in our school right before the break. Please look out for MAP Scores today, the Halloween Dance this evening, UN Day next Wednesday and progress reports next Friday. You will find more information below regarding the items mentioned.

For the Halloween Dance tonight, it will be a long day for the teachers who will be chaperoning the dance; please remember to pick up your children promptly at 8:00pm. With the Friday traffic, please plan your trip accordingly.  We appreciate your cooperation.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Middle School Social Events for Students:

Who runs these events? At the Middle School, students who have joined the Activities Club work with three advisors (Ms. Jaya, Ms. Lakshmi, and Mrs. Hall) on a weekly basis to plan various social events throughout the year.

What are the events this year? Typically there is a Pool Party, a Halloween party, a Winter Party, a Friendship Party, a School Spirit Week, a Movie Night, and an End of Year party.

What do the students do at these parties? A disc jockey plays middle school appropriate music and students socialize together. There is pizza, popcorn, chips, and drinks. Students are supervised by middle school teacher volunteers.

What can parents do to help? For the parties we ask parents to supply some baked goods such as cupcakes, cookies, or easily served sweet or savory snacks. We kindly request that these are finger foods that are easily served and are in small portions. Please do not include nuts in any of the food items and clearly label any item that is non-veg. The Class moms usually send out a request for these and follow up reminders. (No baked goods are needed for the Pool Party)

Is there a cost for these events?  Students in the Club sell tickets the week of the event. The tickets are usually 200Rs in advance, 250Rs at the door. Student must pay with cash- students cannot use the school's smart cards for this. The money is spent on the refreshments, the disc jockey, the decorations, and any additional costs related to the events (movie rental, lighting, etc)

Can my child leave at any time? We are responsible for supervising your child during the event, therefore, please communicate in writing to the Principal before the event if your child needs to leave early for any reason.

Where can I pick up my child after the party? Students are dismissed from the party and are required to leave by the main gate. Please pick up your child there promptly. The timings for the events are published in the Community calendar. (The Pool Party timings are from 4:00 to 6:00)

Can my child bring a friend who is not a student at AISC or a younger/older sibling? As this is a middle school event and because we need to have a complete list of all students attending the event for security/safety reasons, these events are only open to middle school students enrolled at AISC.

Thank you for your understanding.

UN Day Reminder

One of AISC’s amazing traditions is the celebration of UN Day, which this year takes place on October 23. Historically, this has been an assembly for the whole school with parents invited, which included brief speeches, performances, and a Parade of Flags.

The United Nations was originally formed to promote international cooperation and achieve global peace and security, and seeing our students learn and create together, I have the sense that we are continuing that same work right here in our school.  I cannot think of a more symbolic day to celebrate our community composed of so many cultures and backgrounds.

We are a big community now and, despite our very best intentions, it has become increasingly challenging to plan and execute an all-school assembly. Even with our auditorium, we cannot accommodate all students. (We have 945 students and about 805 seats.) In an ES assembly three weeks ago, the auditorium was virtually filled with students and parents.

Last year, we had the UN Day event in the gymnasium and, for the first time, included every student in the Parade of Flags. This year, we want to try to continue this tradition in auditorium. K-12 students will gather in the gymnasium between 8.30 and 8.50 and proceed to the auditorium for the beginning of the parade at 9:05. The PK students will gather in the auditorium lobby and then lead the school, with the UN Flag, when the parade begins. PK students will exit the auditorium when they finish their role in the parade.

Once our K-5 students finish their role in the parade each of them will be seated in the auditorium for this event. We will need parent support as seating will be limited. (Parents can watch the event “live” in the ES cafeteria as well.)

Once our 6-12 students complete the parade, they will proceed downstairs and be seated in the cafeteria with live streaming of the assembly in the auditorium.

Our program for the morning is:

8:30: Auditorium opens

8:50: Welcome, Head of School

8:55: Remarks, Model United Nations Secretary General, Student

9:00: Dona Nobis, Community Choir

9:05: Parade of Flags

9:35: Remarks, High School Student Council President

9:40: Bridge Over Troubled Waters, HS/MS Choirs

9:45: Closing, Head of School

10:30: Parents, Country Pavilions for Students (Gymnasium)

Are you interested in watching the event from work or home?

We will live stream this assembly. Go to our Events page to watch between 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23.

Are you interested in a DVD after the event?

Sometimes filming or getting pictures during an event is too difficult. Too many photographers at an event can be a distraction. We will be giving DVDs of the event to anyone who asks. Stay tuned for ordering directions.

How does the parade work?

Students will be marching under their citizenship of record as listed in Skyward. ES teachers will help students make sure they are with the right group on the morning of the assembly. If students wish to wear national dress, they are welcome to do so. If you have questions about this, please contact your classroom teacher or our Admissions Director, Sanja Ilic ( admissionsdirector@aisch.org ).

MAP Scores

We will be sending out MAP scores home today so please ask your children for their copy. Please remember that this is just one snapshot of a student’s academic performance. If you have any questions regarding the scores, please feel free to contact me.

After School Activities (ASA)

Raptors Swim Club (Monday – Thursday) and Beginners Swim lessons (Mini Session on Fridays) are in progress.  Both sessions end on December 13, 2013.

ARC Swim club (Saturdays) ends on December 7th, just before we go for our Winter break. Parents please make note.

Drama brings you an Americanized Indian Musical filled with Pop, Rock, Bollywood & Indian Folk Music combined with new-age theatre and histrionics. This is an honest attempt of an original production with an original script and cast adapted to instill the creativity of every child involved in the production. The production will premiere on Friday - December 6, 2013. Please save your date with us.

Have a good weekend!

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal

11 October

Dear Middle School Parents,

We love that AISC is an open and welcoming campus for the school community. The school is always buzzing with activities and events. For this reason, safety is one of the utmost important priorities for us. We have recently started seeing unsupervised students on campus. Please be mindful of our facilities policy from the Middle School Handbook: 

All middle school students are encouraged to participate in the wide variety of co-curricular activities that are offered before and after school and on the weekends. In general, AISC assumes responsibility for the safety for all students during school hours and after school and on weekends while participating in teacher-supervised co- curricular activities. 

Middle school students may NOT be at school prior to 8:00 am or after 3:45 pm unless they are in a school organized activity and under the direct supervision of the instructor, or under the direct supervision of their parent. Parents assume full responsibility for their child’s safety at school before 8:00 a.m., after 3:45 p.m. and on weekends and school holidays, except when the student is participating in an teacher-supervised school- sponsored activity. 

Help Desk

Should you ever need help and do not know who to call or where to go, please remember that you can always call the Middle School Office and ask for Aziz and if she is not here, call Margaret. Both of the Administrative Assistants are in the office and can direct you to the right place or person. They are extremely helpful.

Looking Ahead: November Conferences

Three-Way Conferences will be held on 14th November from 4:00 -7:00 pm and on 15th November from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. A three-way conference actively involves parents, teachers AND students, therefore it is important that all parents bring their child to the conferences. Three-way conferences acknowledge the most important participant in the learning process – the student. We will be sending out the link to sign up for these conferences in a couple of weeks. Please reserve the dates. 

Reminder: School Photos 2013-2014

The email with the order was sent out to you earlier in the week. If you misplaced it, please follow the procedures via the AISC Moodle pages. On the All School Page, community members will find the order forms and links to the on-line photo albums.

Here is process by which you can access the photos on the Moodle page and place your order:

1.     Log into the AISC Moodle site (http://virtualschool.aisch.org/).

a.     Parents should log in as a guest with "raptors13" as the password.

b.     Students and staff should log in using their username and password.

2.     Go to the All School page (http://virtualschool.aisch.org/course/view.php?id=187)

3.     Download the School Photo Order Form, found under "Links to Bulletins, Principal's Notes and Head's Notes.”

4.   Click on the School Photos link under "Links to Bulletins, Principal's Notes and Head's Notes.”

5.     Click on the set of photos you wish to see and copy the image numbers of the photo(s) you want onto the order form.

6.     Indicate which print package you want and whether you want the class photo and/or the CD ROM. Please note that the CD ROM is only available if you purchase one of the photo packages.

7.     Take the completed order form and the correct payment to the cashier’s window near the main reception area. Please be sure to keep your receipt to verify that you have paid when the photos are delivered.

Please submit all requests for photos not later than October 25.

We anticipate that the photos will be available for pickup by November 15.

School photos will not be retaken. If your child was not at school when the photos were taken and his or her photo is not posted on the Moodle page, please inform the Administrative Assistant of your child’s section. We will hold another photo session in late January for those students and for students who arrived later in the school year.

If you have any questions about the ordering process, please contact the Administrative Assistant of the student’s section.

UN Day Update:

One of AISC’s amazing traditions is the celebration of UN Day, which this year takes place on October 23. Historically, this has been an assembly for the whole school with parents invited, which included brief speeches, performances, and a Parade of Flags.

The United Nations was originally formed to promote international cooperation and achieve global peace and security, and seeing our students learn and create together, I have the sense that we are continuing that same work right here in our school.  I cannot think of a more symbolic day to celebrate our community composed of so many cultures and backgrounds.

We are a big community now and, despite our very best intentions, it has become increasingly challenging to plan and execute an all-school assembly. Even with our auditorium, we cannot accommodate all students. (We have 945 students and about 805 seats.) In an ES assembly two weeks ago, the auditorium was virtually filled with students and parents.

Last year, we had the UN Day event in the gymnasium and, for the first time, included every student in the parade of Flags. This year, we want to try to continue this tradition in auditorium. We will need to seat every K-5 student in the auditorium for this event, so we will need parent support as seating will be limited. Students in grades 6-12 will be seated in the cafeteria with live streaming of the assembly in the auditorium.

K-12 students will gather in the gymnasium between 8.30 and 8.50 and proceed to the auditorium for the beginning of the parade at 9:05. The PK students will gather in the auditorium lobby and then lead the school, with the UN Flag, when the parade begins.

Our program for the morning is:

8:50: Welcome, Head of School

8:55: Remarks, Model United Nations Secretary General, Student
9:00: Dona Nobis, Community Choir
9:05: Parade of Flags
9:35: Remarks, High School Student Council President
9:40: Bridge Over Troubled Waters, HS/MS Choirs
9:45: Closing, Head of School
10:30: Parents, Country Pavilions for Students (Gymnasium)

Are you interested in watching the event from work or home?

We will live stream this assembly. Go to our Events page to watch between 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23.

 
Are you interested in a DVD after the event?
Sometimes filming or getting pictures during an event is too difficult. Too many photographers at an event can be a distraction. We will be giving DVDs of the event to anyone who asks. Stay tuned for ordering directions.

How does the parade work?

1. Students will be marching under their citizenship of record as listed in Skyward. ES teachers will help students make sure they are with the right group on the morning of the assembly. If students wish to wear national dress, they are welcome to do so. 
2. Students who have dual nationality should inform the Admissions Director, Sanja IIic ( admissionsdirector@aisch.org ) no later than Wednesday, October 16^th if they will represent a country other than their citizenship of record. 

Have a restful weekend!

Alan Phan
Middle School Principal

4 October

Dear Middle School Parents,

We have many events coming up in the next couple of weeks. First off is tomorrow’s Cabaret. Please come and support the talent of our students. They have been working very hard rehearsing and practicing since the auditions.

The Cabaret Design Team (Mr. William, Ms. Lee, Mr. Shawn, Ms. Di, Mr. Stewart) would like to invite you to see the following acts on Saturday, 5  October at 7:00pm.

You Only Live Once Mardy Bum Balloon Starlight Round and Round Holiday Ho Hey Chain of Fools

I Won't Give Up Step Off Memory The Periodic Table Song Itakodejima Shankarabharanam Varnam Valachi Vachi To a Wild Rose

Libertango 3rd Line Maebong Station    Bollywood Medley Crawl Falling in Love/Do you Love Me What's Your Name/Bring it Back Pecori Night Schubert Viola Conzert

Next week, AISC will be hosting a SAISA Girls Volleyball Tournament, from 9-11 October.

                  

COME CHEER ON OUR LADY RAPTORs Volleyball Team!!

Teams play 3 games on Wednesday, 9 October, the 1st day of the tournament.

10:50am AISC VS OSC  (Court 2)           

12:25pm AISC VS KAS  (Court 1)                      

3:20pm AISC VS ASB  (Court 2)

The Raptors’ game schedule on 2nd and 3rd day of the tournament will be posted at the event.

Schools Participating in this Year’s Tournament:

Lahore American School      (LAS)         Lincoln School-Nepal   (LS)

Karachi American School    (KAS)           The American International School of Muscat (TAISM)

Overseas School of Colombo (OSC)          American School of Bombay (ASB)

American International School – Dhaka (AISD)

TO VOLUNTEER  PLEASE CONTACT Tammy Oakes at   ncdeano@yahoo.com or Marcella Castillo at  marcelacge@gmail.com

Emergency Drill

For the everyone’s safety, we hold monthly emergency drills throughout the school year. You might have participated in the past couple of fire drills on campus. We take the drills very seriously and we ask that when you are on campus and there is a drill, please participate in the drill and keep in mind that we need to be role models for our students.

Next Thursday, there is an Emergency Drill on the calendar at 9:30. We will be doing a no-evacuation Earthquake drill. There will be message from the PA announcing the drill. We will indicate that this is an earthquake drill and that all should "duck, cover, and hold" under the nearest table/desk, or, in an area where there is no cover available, move to an interior wall, drop down, and cover your head with your arms. Please execute these directions swiftly and quietly. Mr. Hoover will return to the PA announcing the end of the drill and ask that we not evacuate.

Food Drive Continues

To share the joy of the upcoming Diwali with elders and other underprivileged neighbors, the National Honor Society started a food drive this past week, which encourages all students  to submit at least 1kg of rice, dal, or vegetable oil in the containers. The event will continue until the 11th October.  Have you contributed to the Food Drive yet? Please remember to do so in the next couple weeks.

Progress Reports

Please note that the mid-semester progress report ends today, 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.

Middle School Parent Coffee

Next Tuesday, 15 October will be the next Middle School Parent Coffee. Ms. Paula Peters-Frampton and I will be presenting on “How to help and support your child with their assignments.” Please mark your calendar for next week.

Hope to see you at Cabaret and have a wonderful weekend!

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal