Dear Middle School Parents,
Grade 6 will be heading out to their Week Without Walls trip to Yelagiri on Tuesday. If there has been any change in allergies or medication, please remember to inform us immediately. They will depart from here and come back to school by Friday afternoon for regular pick up time.
Grade 8 Parents: Hello Class of 2019!
It is that time of year where we start looking ahead to the 2015-2016 school year and need to gather registration information. Please note the following information sessions and timeline. We are excited to start getting to know your students as they move into the high school!
On Tuesday, March 10th, we will have information sessions for parents about 9th grade registration. The meetings will take place twice in hopes of accommodating all families. There will be an 8:45 AM session and a 3:00 PM session, both in the Hall of Light. Please attend one of these sessions as you are able.
On that same day (March 10th), we will be meeting with all 8th grade students during their Advisory period to go over registration information. We will distribute registration forms and students will then select courses and gather teacher and parent signatures, and return them to a basket in the Middle School office no later than Monday, March 16th.
If questions about registration arise, please feel free to reach out to one of the high school counselors for clarification and support.
Correne Larsen lcorrene@aisch.org
Susannah McGlamery msusannah@aisch.org
We look forward to welcoming your student into the high school in the fall!
Regards,
Ms. McGlamery & Ms. Larsen
Lifestyle Survey
Currently, we have many programs in place in our counseling department, from Peer Mediation to Health classes with PE. As we continue to develop and enhance our counseling program, we need more data to help us build it. Therefore, Middle School students will be taking a survey for us to gather data to make informed decisions of how to build a program that will meet their needs. The survey will contain questions such as, but not limited to tobacco and alcohol, eating and sleeping habits, body image, screen time, homework and stress. Grade 7 and 8 students will be taking it next week and Grade 6 students will take it upon return from their WWW trip.
Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing: 12-27 March
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.
Social Justice Educator - Visiting Soon - March 16-20
In a community as diverse as AISC, providing space for young people to engage in structured courageous conversations around issues of identity (in regards to culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, faith, ability, etc.) is a critical need. As we seek to help our students understand themselves and their interactions with others, we invite Muneer Panjwani, a social justice educator, to AISC to work with middle and high school student groups. Muneer has worked with youth around creating accepting and inclusive environments for over ten years. He is a talented and skilled facilitator of empathy based interactive workshops and discussion.
Within the workshops, students will develop a common language around social justice issues, explore concepts of prejudice and identity and learn concrete actions we can all take to build a space where all people feel comfortable and proud to be who they are. We are hopeful that Muneer’s work will be a springboard for an open dialogue at AISC around how we each make our unique contribution to this diverse and dynamic world.
While at AISC, Muneer will meet with parents, faculty and student groups in the middle and high school. In each context, the workshops will be developmentally appropriate for the student groups and will provide students with the space, structure and support to explore, discuss, learn and challenge themselves. This will not be easy work; Muneer’s visit will provide an opportunity for courage, creativity, confidence and compassion to come alive in our community as our students begin to explore issues of identity and social justice in a safe, supportive way.
Please mark your calendar now for Muneer’s parent meeting. We will merge the HS and MS coffees for the month of March on the 17th at 8:45 am in the cafeteria.
Virtual Learning Drill - March 25th
Distance learning for continuity of instruction is a complex process requiring considerable training, alignment, and communication. To be ready in the event of a forced school closure, AISC must help all stakeholders build capacity to support distance learning.
On March 25th, AISC will host a comprehensive virtual learning drill in which all students PK-12 will stay at home and complete one full day of learning consistent with AISC’s Continuity of Instruction Plan. Teachers will be on campus during this exercise. All athletics and after-school activities will be cancelled on this day.
To learn more please read more about the event in our full brochure HERE, or read the frequently-asked-questions in a text-only format HERE.
To help parents with their Internet access at home, AISC will host an Internet provider business fair on March 5th and 6th in the Main Entry.
Nutrition Month Comes to AISC
AISC celebrates the month of March as Nutrition Month. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing healthy eating habits in our students.
Below is a quick list of some activities that are planned:
Guest Chefs: Teachers will have the chance to don a chef coat and join the Taj Madras Flight Kitchen staff in serving meals to students. They will encourage students to make good nutritional choices as they serve up healthy servings of fruits and veggies.
Recipe Contest: Students, parents and staff will have a chance to submit a healthy recipe for the following categories: muffin, pasta, pizza, Asian non-veg, vegetable side dish and quiche/frittata. The Nutrition Committee will be using a rubric to judge the entries in the following categories: Nutritional Content, Creativity, Flavor, Availability of Ingredients and Ease of Preparation.
Parents and students may drop their recipe in the boxes found in both Main Reception and Elementary School Reception. Please note that the contest will close on March 9th; we will announce the winners of this contest on March 13th. Kindly include the students’ name and grade level on the recipe. The winning dishes will be named after the person or family that submitted the recipe; the Taj Madras Flight Kitchen will be preparing the winning dishes in April in the secondary and ES cafeterias.
Fresh Snack Friday: All elementary students will be provided a nutritious snack, courtesy of AISC, on each Friday in March. March 6th and 13th will feature both fruit and vegetable sticks with dip.
Mini-Muffin Monday Morning: The winning muffin recipe will be prepared and served free of charge by the Taj Madras Flight Kitchen. These will be served on Monday, March 16th to all visitors in the iHub on this day.
Look for posters, banners, videos and surprise performances in the cafeterias.
Please join us in celebrating good nutrition during March at AISC!
If you are interested in having your child learn more about nutrition, check out the following websites:
Choose from a variety of games that help you learn about food groups and exercise.
Choose from a variety of games including items for teens and videos
A variety of games, quizzes and even nutrition Sudoku
Build a Meal, Pyramid and Arcade Games
Have a wonderful weekend.
Alan Phan
Middle School Principal
