Dear Middle School Parents,
We appreciate the participation of all the parents at this week’s Middle School Coffee to learn about the Service Learning Program. Thank you for giving us feedback on the draft purpose statement. We will continue to solicit feedback from parents. There will be two more sessions this school year in a World Cafe format where you can give us your feedback on April 16 and 29 at 3:45-4:45 in the Cafeteria.
Peer Mediation Program: “Students helping students”
Students, who have been nominated by their peers and have decided to take part in the program, are currently off campus for a two day training on March 21st and 22nd. After their training, students will be speaking to their peers more about it during advisory and once the word is out, the new Peer Mediation program will be launched the week of April 22nd. Encourage your children to seek out one of the Peer Mentors should they have a conflict and would like to resolve it through a third party.
6th grade
Arunveer Kahlon Natsumi Shindo
Reuben Neilsen Bhavni Joshi
Manav Chakrvarthy Min Jeong Park
7th grade
Tarun Krishna Shridula Harinath
Siddesh Vijayakumar Hana Sivakumar
Minha Park Medhya Dwaraknath
Grade 6 Celebration of Reading
Next week on Wednesday, 26 March between 11:50 to 12:50, you will see the 6th graders and teachers all around campus reading for enjoyment.
Grade 8 Science Fair
Students have been working on the NESA Virtual Science Fair for the past couple of months. They have written their hypothesis, created procedure and listed the materials. Most of the work has done at home with their teammates, but some of the testing has been done under the guidance of the teachers. In addition to working with the teachers here in school, they have been collaborating with professors at universities who has been guiding them through this process virtually.
They are putting on the final touches and finishing up their projects this week and next week. This project will culminate in the Science Fair, which will take place on Thursday and Friday, 27-28 March. Parents can visit on Thursday, 27 March between 8:30 - 10:15 and 1:35-3:30 in the BBT.
FRIDAYS@5 Presents the documentary film “Blood Brother,” Friday, April 11 (at 5:00 p.m. in the AISC Auditorium)
Winner of two Sundance Film Festival awards in 2013, this documentary was filmed on location just outside of Chennai in an orphanage for children living with HIV and AIDS.
Blood Brother tells the story of Rocky Bratt, a young man traveling in India who comes to volunteer at the orphanage. What happens next is a chronicle of the pain and the struggle of the children to survive both the stigma of HIV/AIDS and the disease itself, how strangers can become family, and how dedication to service comes to transform both Rocky and the children’s lives. Rocky will join us for the screening at AISC and afterward he will engage attending community members in a dialogue about the film, the children, and his life with them.
This film deals with mature subject matter, and while each family must decide what is suitable for their children, we feel this film is most appropriate for students in, or above, 8th grade. Middle school students will not be admitted alone without express consent of parents given to MS Principal, Alan Phan.
We would like to invite parents and older students to see this film together as a family. While the issues the film raises of disease, loss, and grief are hard hitting, the film itself is incredibly well made and a story about lives being lived just next to ours, is a testament to the power of love, perseverance and hope. When we consider our core values and the aspirations of our Mission -- courage, confidence, compassion, and creativity -- we see this film as a vital work of art.
As our community continues our conversation on the significance of service learning and the meaningful relationships we are creating beyond our school, we feel this film speaks to that theme as well.
We look forward to seeing you there!
As school is closed for the Spring Break, please note that the pool will be closed from Saturday March 29 thru Friday, April 4. It will reopen on Saturday, April 5.
Have a good weekend.
Alan Phan
Middle School PrincipalPlease click here for this week's menu.