Dear Middle School Parents,
Please be safe as you travel to your destination for the long weekend or have a great time enjoying Chennai during your staycation.
Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing: 8-18 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.
Art Sustains is proud to present "Chaparral", works by Gurunathan Govindan. This will be the first exhibition of our local artist series that will be displayed in AISC's Art Gallery (FAC atrium).
Art Sustains is a service organization that works towards sustaining Tamil Nadu's cultural and natural assets with an emphasis on the arts.
Our primary goal is to support the sustainability of the arts in Tamil Nadu, through educational programs, promoting international awareness, and by providing financial assistance for artists and art communities in the area.
Beyond supporting the arts, Art Sustains believes in the importance of preserving and celebrating all cultural and natural assets of Tamil Nadu.
Here comes Big Bad Blue!!!
On Friday, September 18th from 4-6pm and Saturday, September 19th from 8:30am-5:30pm, we will be hosting the 12th Annual Big Bad Blue Swim Meet here at AISC. Friday evening there will be 4 events swum by our AISC Team and on Saturday we will welcome 9 local teams to join us in a full day of competitive splendor. We invite the community to join us to cheer on our teams as they prepare for their SAISA competition in Muscat, Oman at the end of October.
What's New at the Pool?
The pool continues to be busy every day of the school week. With the addition of our new Aquatics Teaching Assistant, Velin Prabhu, we have been able to open up American Red Cross swim classes during the week, as well as continue with our Saturday American Red Cross swim classes.
We will be rolling out a new policy at the pool beginning this weekend, Saturday, September 5, 2015. When you come to the pool for Open Swim, we are asking patrons to leave their ID with the Pool Supervisor. This will be in lieu of signing a paper and allows us to know exactly who is in the pool. When you are wet, we cannot always read the writing. It is good to have your correct name in the event of an emergency. I hope that you see the benefit of this new system as we work to keep our aquatic environment as safe as possible.
Please check the school website for the updated pool schedule and feel free to contact Donna Fava if you have any questions.
Swimcerely,
Donna Fava and Staff
Design Saturdays at AISC
Creating, building and making things with your own hands promotes the development of problem solving and creativity skills and builds confidence.
This year AISC is proud to offer our community an amazing opportunity to get creative at our all new Design Saturday events. These will involve students in collaborative challenges using a wide variety of materials with coaching from instructors.
When: The first event will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 19th.
Who: Open to students from grades 1-12. Parents must participate with their children from G1-5.
What: Our first challenges will be "Angry Birds comes to Life" and "Surprising Structures from
Surprising Materials".
Cost: Free
How: Sign-up through a link in the daily bulletin beginning Monday.
Where: FAC Cafeteria and Main Field
No prior technical expertise is necessary and activities will be approachable for boys and girls of all ages. Please direct any questions to Kevin Crouch at itdirector@aisch.org.
Freedom from Chemical Dependency Week - From the Counseling Office
September 21st - 25th is the Freedom from Chemical Dependency Week at AISC. A prevention specialist from FCD Educational Services will join our community to work with Middle and High School students. FCD is a non-profit organization that provides substance abuse prevention education for schools. Since 1976, they have taught over a million students of all ages.
FCD Prevention Specialists are highly trained professionals who have achieved long-term recovery from alcohol or other drug addictions. This unique perspective enhances the credibility of their message and provides students with role models for happy, healthy, drug-free living.
The FCD Prevention Specialist will present a parent workshop at our Parent Coffee (see below) to offer support and guidance in helping your children enjoy a drug-free adolescence. As a parent, you also have the opportunity to meet with the FCD specialist for an individual consultation if you choose. Please contact Margaret Samuel at smargaret@aisch.org to schedule an appointment.
During the week, the specialist will also be meeting with students in groups, as well as provide opportunities for students to drop in and connect on an individual level.
Save the Date - Middle/High School Parent Coffee
*Please Note The Change of Date for this Coffee*
Our next Parent Coffee will take place on Monday, September 21st at 8:45 am in the Cafeteria. This is a combined Middle School/High School coffee featuring the consultant from Freedom from Chemical Dependency. This will follow by an after school Parent Meeting to wrap up the week on Friday, 25 September at 3:45 in Cafeteria.
Food Service Update
AISC continues to work with the Taj Madras Flight Kitchen to improve the food quality and food service on campus. New additions include croissants filled strawberry, dark cherry, custard, blueberry or raspberry. These will be available on separate days in the elementary cafeteria, I-Hub and main cafeterias.
Is your child enjoying the recent addition of fruit and milk, yogurt or juice to the meals at lunch? These items are now included to help students meet the AISC Nutritional Guidelines established last year.
If they have not yet tried these items, please encourage them to do so.
Food services at AISC are always in continual improvement. Should you have questions, suggestions or concerns, please contact Food Service Manager Prakash Shanmugam (sprakash@aisch.org), Elementary Associate Principal Lori Newman (nlori@aisch.org) or Secondary Associate Principal Jason Hicks (hjason@aisch.org). If you have not had the chance to have a meal in the I Hub or Secondary Cafeteria, please join us. We would love to hear your feedback about the food at AISC.
Have a great long weekend.
Alan Phan
Middle School Principal