29 August

Dear Middle School Parents,

Thank you for participating in your child’s education and coming to the Back to School Night. It was great so see all the parents last night. We appreciate you working with us to ensure that your children live up to their potential in the school. Previously, I quoted Creating Innovators, “CQ (curiosity) plus PQ (passion) is greater than IQ (intelligence).” Last night, I talked about raising innovators. We have them in our student body.

Below there are links to the work our High School students who are pursuing their passion, a passion with a purpose that serves people beyond themselves. They  need your help and support. Please read on and vote for their worthy project.

About our Cause:

The Education Initiative

We are high school students and are  the Chirag Sherpas - an extension of Chirag, an NGO in Chennai, India. The Education Initiative is a project we are working on, where we provide computers to deprived and economically hindered children in non-profit (government/private) schools in Chennai, India. With these computers, we impart Thulir, a personalised English teaching program that is designed to go at the pace of each student and track their progress. In the long run, not only will this initiative help these students to get into colleges (because in Chennai, medium of instruction in colleges is English), but it will also open many doors of opportunity in their future.

To learn more about what we are doing click this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By8npF5x0mM))

We are raising money for setting computer labs in these schools and our goal is to impact 1000 students by the end of this year. We have successfully (with the help of Chiraj, AISC and other generous donors and patrons) set up our first lab with 30 computers in AHM school in Poonamallee, Chennai and we witnessed great energy, optimism and gratitude from the students and school body.  

Our Appeal:

Your Votes on our Video can potentially help our cause and secure a promising future for the children in non-profit (government/private) schools in Chennai, India.

The Harvard SIC:

As part of their Social Innovation Collaborative (SIC), Harvard established a program 'Village to Raise a Child', where rewarding initiatives are given a platform to present their ideas at the annual Igniting Innovation Summit. We, the Chirag Sherpas, are happy to announce that our 'Education Initiative' which aims in setting up English labs with computers for  children in non-profit (government/private) schools in Chennai, India,  has been eligible for this summit.

How can YOU help us:

In order to gain access to this international platform we require your assistance by clicking on the link below and voting on our video ( note: our Video will appear under the name of "Roshan Raju-Chennai, India" ). To vote, an individual will have to enter his email address and Facebook account details. Everyone may vote once a day. This means that an individual may vote up to 14 times over the 14-day voting period which will end at 11:59PM on September 10, Eastern Standard Time. This means we have exactly two weeks to accumulate votes for our video.

Please "Like" and "Share" and Vote for Roshan Raju-Chennai, India

http://www.ignitinginnovationsummit.com/public-voting-2014/

A few minutes of your time everyday to cast your vote  and share to friends and family on Twitter, Facebook, or anything else !!!

Gratefully,

Chirag Sherpas (HS Students: Roshan, Nikhila, Vishwarth, Samhita)

A Message from Mr. Jet

It gives us great pleasure to announce that we will now be opening the ES and MS Collaboration and Inquiry Center (CIC) on Saturdays for our school community!  Because of our commitment to literacy and learning, we think this will be a fantastic way for students, parents, and staff to utilize our print and digital resources even more.  This will be a great opportunity to come in and exchange books, read, study, use the Internet, and work on collaborative projects. This is a space on Saturdays open to all students in grades preschool to twelve, so come on in and enjoy the CIC!

Here is some further information about our new Saturday hours.   

Hours and Dates:

Hours: 8:30-12:30

Start Date: Saturday, September 6

End Date: Saturday, May 30

Saturday Closures: Please note that we will be closed on student 3-day weekends (January 24, February 22, and May 1) as well as Saturdays taking place during school vacations.

CIC Saturday Policy Reminders:

1. Please sign-in on clipboards when coming to the CIC on Saturdays.  This will help us with supervision as well as collecting data on Saturday usage.
2. Please enjoy food and drink outside the CIC.
3. ES students must be accompanied by a parent on campus during non-school hours (ES school policy).  ES students should come to the CIC on Saturdays with a parent.
4. MS and HS students should only be on campus during non-school hours when they are part of a school-organized activity or sport.  Saturdays in the CIC counts as a school-organized activity.  If students leave the CIC, but are not taking part in another school activity or sport, they should leave the AISC campus.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturdays!

If you have any questions, please email Jeremy Willette at wjeremy@aisch.org

A Message from the Athletics Office

We currently are preparing for our upcoming ASIAC Table Tennis/Badminton Tournament on October 10-11 and our SAISA Swim Meet running from October 29 through November 2.

We need your help in housing all of our visiting athletes. If you can host for both of these events, that would be fantastic. If not, please help us out with at least one of these great events. Here are both forms: ASIAC and SAISA Hosting Form

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Ron Thompson at tronald@aisch.org. Thanks for your help.

Below is a little art project that is asking…

Enjoy the weekend.

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal

22 August

Dear Middle School Parents,

First of all, thank you to all the parents who attended the first Middle School Coffee. We hope you learned something new about the Middle School. We encourage you to continue staying involved and attend these coffees. The next one will take place on 16 September where we will have a guest speaker from Freedom from Chemical Dependency. They will be talking to students about substance abuse and hold two parent meetings during this week.

Back to School Night

Thursday, 28 August, starting at 6:00 pm in FAC Cafeteria

Refreshments will be served at 5:30 pm in the FAC Atrium

The purpose of this night is for parents to meet the teachers and find out information about the course content, expectations of the teacher, and set the foundation for school to home communication and discussing ways that teachers and parents can work together to support learning.  

Because the time is short, this will not be the time for discussions about individual students. Three-Way Conferences (Student-Parent-Teacher) will take place on 13 and 14 November. Before these dates, parents may schedule appointments with teachers at any time during the school year to discuss their child’s academic progress.

When you arrive, please pick up your child’s schedule in the FAC Cafeteria. I look forward to seeing you at this important evening.

PCA - Middle School Parent Team

If you missed the introduction our middle school PCA parent grade representatives at the Middle School Coffee, I would like to introduce them to you now.

Grade 6: Valerie Lecoq

Grade 7: Shanti Giridhar

Grade 8: Lica Kamio

Parents are a wonderful support to the school. Our parent team helps in a number of ways in the middle school from arranging for food and decorations at middle school events, supporting the teachers as requested by the grade-level team leaders, and helping organize the middle school contribution in school events such as UN Day, Charity fair, among other things.

It is important to note that the parent team do not hold formal meetings with parents, but may arrange social times to get to know each other better. They do not address parent concerns and will always direct parents to the classroom teacher first and secondly to the associate principal or principal. It is a great partnership and we are fortunate to have the support of our committed parent team.

Activity Start Date

Please note some of the start dates for the activities. Most of the activities have started and been announced to students in the Student Daily Bulletin. Please encourage your children to explore all the different options.

Activity	Sponsors	Meeting Day and Room
Student Activities Planning activities for the middle school	Ms. Victoria, Ms. Jaya and Ms. Lakshmi	Start Date:  21 August When: Thursdays Time: 12:35-12:55 Room: 3129
Student Ambassador Welcoming new students to AISC	Ms. Trish, Mr. Gregg and Ms. Jaya, Ms. Vinitha, Ms. Rebekah and Mr. Widi	As needed basis Retreat:  12 September
Model United Nations (MUN) Solving global issues as future world leaders	Ms. Mac, Ms. May and Ms. Fer	Start Date:  25 August When: Mondays and Tuesdays Time: 3:45-4:45 Room: 3113
Interact Club Volunteering Club	Mr. Martin	More details to come
Assembly Committee Planning and presenting  MS monthly assemblies	Mr. Ross and Ms. Lindsay	More details to come
NESA Virtual Science Fair “Using Tech to Do Science”	Mr. Thomsen and Ms. Lindsay	Start Date:  18 August When: Mondays Time: 3:30 - 4:30pm
MathCount Math competition	Ms. Kala	Start Date: 13 September When: Saturdays Room: 3309 Grade 6/7: 1:30 - 3:00pm Grade 8: 3:00 - 4:30pm
Homework Club Working on homework with support from teachers	Mr. Brian, Ms. Vinitha and Ms. Kanthi	Start Date:  18 August When: Mon, Tues and Wed Time: 3:30-4:30 Room: 3116

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing: 2-16 September

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is a computerized adaptive test. Students will take tests in Reading, Math, Language and Science. MAP tests students with engaging and age-appropriate content. As a student responds to questions, the test responds to the student, adjusting up or down in difficulty. Our team uses the data to inform instructional decision-making for increased student growth and achievement.

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.

Have a great weekend and see you at the Welcome Back Picnic tomorrow.

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal

14 August

Dear Middle School Parents,

As I walked around on Monday afternoon, I saw many students participating in the two big activities for this semester, the Middle School Musical Production and the SAISA Swim Team. One quote that stuck with me over the summer was from the book, Creating Innovators, “CQ (curiosity) plus PQ (passion) is greater than IQ (intelligence).” It has been great to see so many students pursuing their passion whether it is in the arts or in sports. Please continue to encourage your children to participate in all that we have to offer here at school. Many more events are starting in the near future. Middle School is a perfect time for them to explore their curiosity and passion.

Middle School Coffee

Tuesday, 19 August at 8:45 in the Cafeteria

Please join us at the first Parent Coffee and note the change of location. I will take this opportunity to introduce myself and my background. I will also introduce key people in the school as well. You will also have an opportunity to learn a little more about the Middle School and get to know other parents in your child’s grade level. I look forward to seeing the returning parents and meeting the new ones.

Emergency Drill

Please note that we will have a fire drill next week on Thursday, 21 August at 1:45pm. If you are on campus, please follow these guidelines:

• Parents (and their visitors) are responsible for obeying the instructions from security staff or school administration during an emergency situation.
• Parents should allow the evacuation process of our students to proceed undisturbed.
• The soccer field is the safe assembly area which is commonly designated during fire evacuation.
• The soccer field has a specific area earmarked with a sign board for parent/visitors to assemble near the northwest corner of the field.
• Parents/Visitors will not be permitted to move off campus while an emergency situation is in progress.
• In an emergency situation, parents should not use the elevators.

Class Letters

One area that we are working on as a school is printing less and only printing when it is necessary. Therefore, this year, we are not sending class letters home to parents. They are all posted on Moodle in all of the classes. We are encouraging you to visit Moodle and reading these letters to understand the expectations and curriculum of each class. Visit the Middle School Moodle and get to your child’s classes and teachers.

After School Activities (ASA)

All ASAs  (Paid & Faculty led) start from Monday, August 18 till December 19,2014.

ASA Homework Club for Semester 1

The ASA Homework club will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We request the students to please go to Mr. Brian Hirsch Room 3116 after school between 3.30pm to 4.30pm.

AISC Community Guidelines Membership Application Package

From Ron Thomson, Activities and Athletic Director

Every family should have received the AISC Community Guidelines Membership Application package this past week. Please make sure every family turns in the signed application package by Monday, 18 August. By doing so, this will make all AISC facilities easily accessible to all family members during weekends, holidays and special events. If you did not get one, please see Ms. Sally Victor in room 1304. Once completed, please turn them into her as well.

Looking Ahead

The picture day for the Middle School will be on 29 August in the BBT and the make-up day will be on 3 September. Please make a note of it in your calendar.

Reminder: New ID Badges

We have new ID badges for all returning parents. If you have not done so, please pick them up from the Help Desk in front of BBT.

Have a good weekend.

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal

8 August

Dear Middle School Parents,

We just completed our first week of school and already there are many events coming up in the next few weeks.

We have two important activities starting on Monday:

Middle School Musical Production

Auditions for the middle school musical Once On This Island will be next Monday, 11  August and Wednesday, 13 August from 3:45 - 5:45 in the FAC Theatre.

Students have been sent the audition information. Please encourage your child to audition. If you have any questions regarding the auditions, send an email to Ms. Di at rdiane@aisch.org or Ms. Lee at ldeborah@aisch.org

LOVE SWIMMING???? JOIN THE SAISA SWIM TEAM!!!!

Come to the pool after school on Monday, August 11 and try out for the 2014 SAISA Swim Team!!! Bring your swimsuit, goggles, swim cap and towel and report to Coach Tommy and Coach Lily at 4:30 PM SHARP!!!!

*Here is the practice schedule:

Monday/Wednesday: 4:30-6:00 PM

Tues/Thursday: 6:30-8:00 AM

Saturday: 12-1:30 PM for competition practice – This day is REQUIRED

*You are required to attend 4 practices per week to Letter/Raptor

Middle School Activities

There are a number of activities available to students in the Middle School. Please encourage your child to participate in one or more of these activities and look out for more activities in the future. Most of these activities will start in the next couple of weeks.

Activity	Sponsors
Student Activities	Ms. Victoria, Ms. Jaya and Ms. Lakshmi
Student Ambassador	Ms. Trish, Mr. Gregg and Ms. Jaya
Model United Nations (MUN)	Ms. Pepper McFarland
Interact Club	Mr. Martin
Assembly Committee	Mr. Ross
NESA Virtual Science Fair	Mr. Thomsen and Ms. Lindsay
MathCount	Ms. Kala
SAISA and ASIAC Sports and Activities	Mr. Ron Thompson

ASA Paid Activity Registrations

Dates: August 11 – 12, 2014

Venue & Time: Elementary cafeteria from 9.00 am – 10.30 am.

Raptors Swim Club: for Grades k to 12:

ASA Raptors swim club classes will start mid October. It is an eight-week program. A separate registration form will be sent with try-out dates and time. The registrations will happen after the selections are done by our Aquatics Director Ms.Donna.

Pool Notes

The pool schedule, which changes weekly due to seasonal activities, is posted weekly on the AISC website.  Go to this link http://aiscathletics.weebly.com/ and then open the Aquatics page.  The schedule will be updated every Sunday afternoon.  

Please note that Donna Fava, our Aquatics Director, is on temporary leave. Any questions regarding the the pool or programming, should be directed to Mr. Ron Thomson, the Athletics Director, until her return.

Middle School Coffee

Tuesday, 19 August at 8:45 in the Black Box Theatre (BBT)

Please join us at the first Parent Coffee. I will take this opportunity to introduce myself and my background. I will also introduce key people in the school as well. You will also have an opportunity to learn a little more about the Middle School and get to know other parents in your child’s grade level. I look forward to seeing the returning parents and meeting the new ones.

New ID Badges

We have new ID badges for all returning parents. If you have not done so, please come to the Middle School Office and pick them up from Ms. Aziz.

Have a good weekend.

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal