31 October

Dear Middle School Parents,

We have several activities taking place in the next couple of weeks. Our students are once again staying very involved and busy, in a very positive way in our school and living the mission of our school.

First of the block is SAISA Swimming, which has started Thursday morning and will run until Saturday. Swimmers has been competing against all the other swimmers in the international schools in our region. We have about 180 athletes here so please come and cheer our swimmers on.

Here is a list of our Middle School Swimmers:

Grade	Swimmers
6	Aaron Kusch
6	Hidetaka Maeda
6	Jaehoon Jeong
6	Kennedy Porter
6	Rhea Pahuja
7	Aravind Sundaram
8	Kailey Porter
8	Manuela Cox
8	Medhya Dwaraknath
8	Riugo Honda
8	Tae Yeon Kim

Then, the Student Activities Club is preparing a frightfully fun Middle School Halloween Party tonight, Friday, October 31st from 6 pm – 8 pm. Tell your children to dress up and come for a fun night.

Next week, the Middle School Musical Production, Once on This Island, poignant story and catchy Caribbean-flavored score, Once On This Island is a highly original theatrical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s popular fairy tale, The Little Mermaid.   

Through almost non-stop song and dance, this full-hearted musical tells the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who rescues and falls in love with Daniel, a wealthy boy from the other side of her island. When Daniel is returned to his people, the fantastical gods who rule the island guide Ti Moune on a quest that will test the strength of her love against the powerful forces of prejudice, hatred, and even death.

The show runs Thursday, 6 November at 5:00 PM and Friday, 7 November 7:00 PM. Tickets are now on sale before school and after school near the main reception.  Tickets are 250 Rupees each. The show is suitable for all ages! Come support the cast and crew of the upcoming Middle School musical!

Musical Cast

Aditya Thota	Alessio Paci	Andreas F Pattichis
Aoi Takagi	Arunveer S Kahlon	Ashira Haime
Bhavni Bharat Joshi	Domenic Wilbur	Enzo Sicaire
Hana Aqila Sivakumar	Ji Eun Park	Jin Young Kim
Kailey Dawn Porter	Luise Charlotte Frittrang	Marie Botonga Bebengo
Mutsumi Furuhashi	Prahalad Varadan Giridhar	Pranav Unni
Prannoy Thakore	Reuben Rehan Nielsen	Rhea Pahuja
Sai Dheeraj Reddy Kudithini	Samara Singh	Siddesh Vijayakumar
Sravya Sri Tanikella	Sriya Venepally	Tanika Naidoo
Vinay M Rao

Three-Way Conferences

You should have received an email with the information on how to sign up for the Three-Way Conferences, which will be held on Thursday, 13 November from 4:00 - 7:00 pm and on Friday, 14 November from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Please note that Mr. Ryan Sager and Ms. Lakshmi Saravanan will be away at a professional workshop. Their conferences will be held on Monday, 24 November from 4:00 - 7:00 pm and on Tuesday, 25 November from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.

In case you did not get the email, here is the link to sign up for the conferences:

http://www.ptcfast.com/schools/American_International_School_Chennai_5

Yearbook Photo Order form 2014-15

Students photographs are now available for purchase.  You may view the photos in the All School Moodle Page  under the heading - Yearbook Photos 2014-15

Moodle user ID: Guest   Password: raptors 14               
                   

To order prints                             

• Go to your child's class folder                                     
• Choose the photo and note the image number                                    
• On the form choose the package you wish to order and write the image number
• Fill out separate forms if you have children in Elementary, Middle or High School             

(if you have 2 children in Elementary you can use the same form, if you have one child in Elementary & another in Middle school or High school , please fill out separate forms)                       

• Complete the form with your name and contact telephone number                                           
• Pay at the cash counter. Get the form stamped by cashier to acknowledge payment
• Submit the form with the paid seal to the ES /MS /HS section office
• Orders will be accepted only till 14th November. Photos will be ready for collection after 5th December

Package details

Package 1 (Rs. 250/-)	Package 2 (Rs.200)	Package 3 (Rs. 150/-)	Group photo print (Rs 50/-)
2 nos. 4x6 in	1 nos. 4x6 in	1 nos. 4x6 in	1 no.  8x12 in
1 no. 6x9in	1 no. 8x12 in	1 no. 6x9in
1 no. 8x12 in	4 passport	4 passport	Group photo CD (Rs. 50/-
4 passport	CD included	CD included

	Student full name	Grade & Section	Package 1	Package 2	Package 3	Group photo - print	Group photo-CD	Total
			(Rs.250)	(Rs.200)	(Rs.150)	(Rs.50)	(Rs.50)
			Image no.	Image no.	Image no.	Image no.	Image no.
1
2
3
							Grand Total

Parent Name:   ______________Contact Telephone no:  _________________        Paid stamp:

Child Protection

One of the most important aspects of our school is keeping children safe. Ms. Trish, MS Counselor, have met with all students in the Middle School to talk about how to keep themselves and their friends safe. Here are some tips in how to talk to your children:

“Keeping Your Child Safe from Harm” Tips for Parents

Providing a safe and open home environment so that children are able to talk about their problems freely and in a non-judgemental way will go a long way in developing a good rapport between parents and child. The early this starts in the home, the easier and more comfortable an older child will feel coming to their parents for advice and help or just to talk.

https://docs.google.com/a/aisch.org/document/d/1vcSe6ZoMcNyGewSrazRyX0rkbP2jwncz1fuRD_7VFJo/edit?usp=sharing

The Collaboration and Inquiry Center (CIC)'s New Saturday Hours are a Huge Success!

Our new hours have seen a great turnout of students, parents, and staff coming through the CIC's doors on Saturdays!  Since September 6th, when Saturday hours first began, the CIC has received 63 visitors on average each Saturday for the last six weeks. During that time visitors have been able to come in and use the CIC for projects, reading, Internet, and book checkout (over 350 books on Saturdays so far). Our new hours are part of AISC's continued commitment to literacy and learning, and is a great way for students, staff, and parents to utilize our print and digital resources even more. This is a space open to all students in grades preschool to twelve, so come on in and enjoy the CIC!  

As a reminder, please note that we will be closed on student 3-day weekends and during school breaks (this includes closing the CIC on Saturday, October 18 and October 25 of Diwali break).  We look forward to welcoming back to on Saturdays beginning November 1st.

Here are a few CIC Saturday Reminders:

• We are open 8:30-12:30.

• 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.
• Please enjoy food and drink outside the CIC.
• 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.
• 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.

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

Have a fun and relaxing fall break and safe travels.

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal

17 October

Dear Middle School Parents,

In honor of Celebrating India Month, Diwali and Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday earlier in the month. Here is a great article: Gandhi's 10 Rules for Changing the World, where it emphasizes change starting with oneself, the need for persistence and that we’re all human. “The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems.” --Mahatma Gandhi

After School Activities

Please note that there are no Saturday ASAs this weekend. The following Saturday ASAs will resume after the Fall break.

• MathCounts and Saturday Soccer classes will resume from November 1, 2014.
• Saturday Swim lessons will resume from November 8, 2014.
• Raptors swim club starts on November 3rd and ends December 19, 2014.

Middle School Coffee

We encourage to you attend the next Middle School Coffee on Wednesday, 29 October in the BBT, we will help parents navigate through the ePortfolios, what to look for in each of the student blogs and how to look at Moodle pages as well. These are two very important aspect of the Middle School where parents should learn to be proficient in.

Vision and Hearing Screening

Upon return from the break, we will be conducting a vision and hearing screening test for students in our Health Office. Middle School students will do this on 27-28 October.

The hearing screening will be  conducted by the Madras ENT Research Foundation (P) Ltd., First Cross Street, II Main Road, R.A. Puram, Chennai.  Dr. Sudha Maheswari and her team will conduct this screening. The vision screening will be done by “Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital”, 19 Cathedral Road, Chennai.  The team will be led by Dr. Sudha.

The Health Office will notify you if a doctor recommends any further assessment.

ASIAC Choir & Band Festival (from Mr. William, Ms. Lee and Mr. Cary)

The first ever ASIAC Band and Choir Festival was held last weekend at the American Embassy School, New Delhi.  The festival started with reflecting on what aspect of their life brought them together in such a wonderful group.  Obviously, it was a passion for music that brought these young musicians from various parts of the world to share a common platform.  They did realize this and made use of every opportunity to cross cultural barriers and make new friends through music.

There were two days of intensive rehearsals that involved learning new techniques, playing and singing together, and adjusting to the requirements of different conductors. The Gala Concert on Saturday started at 6.00 p.m. in the AES gymnasium with the choir singing ‘Amani,’ a song in Swahili about peace. Then followed ‘Primordium,’ played by the band and five more pieces alternating between the ensembles. The final song, ‘Homeward Bound,’ was a combined piece, bringing the concert based on the theme ‘places’ to a poignant close.  An interesting aspect was the inclusion of string players in the band, resulting in a complete symphony orchestra with voices. What a musical spectacle it was!

Good job ASIAC Choir & Band participants!

Heads Up

The Student Activities Club is preparing a frightfully fun Middle School HalloweenParty on Friday, October 31st from 6 pm – 8 pm. Tell your children to dress up and come for a fun night.

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

Who runs these events? At the Middle School, students who have joined the Student 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 grade-level reps 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.

The Collaboration and Inquiry Center (CIC)'s New Saturday Hours are a Huge Success!

Our new hours have seen a great turnout of students, parents, and staff coming through the CIC's doors on Saturdays!  Since September 6th, when Saturday hours first began, the CIC has received 63 visitors on average each Saturday for the last six weeks. During that time visitors have been able to come in and use the CIC for projects, reading, Internet, and book checkout (over 350 books on Saturdays so far). Our new hours are part of AISC's continued commitment to literacy and learning, and is a great way for students, staff, and parents to utilize our print and digital resources even more. This is a space open to all students in grades preschool to twelve, so come on in and enjoy the CIC!  

As a reminder, please note that we will be closed on student 3-day weekends and during school breaks (this includes closing the CIC on Saturday, October 18 and October 25 of Diwali break).  We look forward to welcoming back to on Saturdays beginning November 1st.

Here are a few CIC Saturday Reminders:

• We are open 8:30-12:30.

• 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.
• Please enjoy food and drink outside the CIC.
• 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.
• 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.

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

Food Service Update

We are happy to share that we have had the highest sales ever last week, both in the ES and the MS/HS cafeterias. We had 210 pre-orders in the ES and around 200 in the MS/HS.  Thank you to all those who participated in this success!

We continue to work with TMFK to provide healthier food options for our community. Consistent with our effort to provide the right nutrition, we are now serving vegetables and fruit each day with all food options for our elementary students, thus encouraging them to have a balanced meal.

We are delighted that the recent introduction of beef, Korean and Thai dishes has been highly appreciated by our students. We are happy to introduce Japanese cuisine in our menu next month. In addition to what we currently offer in our Korean selection, we will be including more options like beef/chicken bulgogi. In the near future, we hope to strengthen this initiative further and extend our ethnic options to other cuisines as well.

Should you have any questions with regard to food service, please email Josephine Ronald – directorpersonnel@aisch.org.

Have a fun and relaxing fall break and safe travels. Happy Diwali!

Alan Phan

Middle School Principal