Dear Middle School Parents,
It is that time of the year when we are planning for next year already. Students will begin to select their elective classes for next year. Students will get their elective form in their advisory classes on Monday, 7 March. The form will be due back to the Counseling Office by Monday, 14 March. Please take the time to discuss these important options with your children. There are three new courses of Design Technology next year. Please note that classes will only open when there are enough students sign up for the course.
Introduction to Design Technology
The course is an introductory course which is open for 6th and 7th grade students. In this class, students will learn the work of product designers and develop an understanding of the design cycle. They will combine the practical workshop and technological skills with creative thinking to designing, creating and evaluating their own products. Several challenging design projects using a range of different materials, tools and manufacturing processes will be undertaken during the course of this semester.
Introduction to Electronics and Robotics
This course is an introductory course which is open for 7th and 8th grade students. In this class, students will learn and develop skills in basic electronics circuitry, designing and creating their own simple electronic products. They will also delve into the world of robotics, learning simple coding and programing language which will lead them into designing, creating and programing their own robot from a Lego Mindstorm EV3 kit for a design and programing challenge to navigate and function through an obstacle course.
Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Graphics
The course is an introductory course which is open for 8th grade students. In this class, students will learn and develop 3D hand drawing skills such as sketching isometric and oblique renderings as well as technical/mechanical drawing skills in designing their own products. They will then convert those hand drawn designs into a digital design using CAD program to be manufactured in the workshop using CAM, hand and power tool equipment. They will also learn graphic design principles and skills using digital applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign to design and print their own company brochure, logo and packaging for their products to be marketed.
Hello Class of 2020! Grade 8 students! Important reminder for Grade 8 Parents.
It is that time of year where we start looking ahead to the 2016-2017 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 Thursday, March 3rd, we will have information sessions for parents about 9th grade registration. The meeting will take place twice in hopes of accommodating all families. There will be an 8:30 AM session and a 5:30 PM session, both in the Hall of Light. Please attend one of these sessions as you are able.
On Monday, March 7th, 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, returning them to a basket in the Middle School office no later than Friday, March 11th.
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!
RISE, March 4 at 4:00pm in the Auditorium
On behalf of RISE at American International School Chennai (AISC), we would like to invite you to a special event on the AISC campus. RISE (resilience, innovation, service, and entertainment) is a committee that brings innovative thinkers and performers to our school to enrich the discourse and exposure around big ideas and global issues related to our mission and core values.
On Friday, March 4th at 4:00 p.m., we will welcome a series of speakers:
Sugata Mitra is widely known for his innovative educational ideas. His 2013 TED Talk “Build a School in the Cloud” has been viewed 2.5 million times. As a guest at AISC, he will share his profound experiences and clear understanding on the power of self-directed learning. Sugata’s wish is to build a place where children can explore and learn on their own -- and teach one another -- using resources from the worldwide cloud.
Rachel Kessler, a former AISC teacher, has followed her passion and desire for social justice and created 20 BAHT, a short documentary about invisible slavery in plain sight. The film is set on Bangkok’s Khaosan Road, a world-renowned strip of bars, clubs, and hostels known as the “center of the backpacking universe.” Western tourists flock to Khaosan for its famous nightlife. But at what cost? 20 BAHT tells the heartbreaking story of child trafficking that lies beneath the fun. 20 BAHT will be shown in its entirety at this event.
Kenton Lee started The Shoe That Grows while he was living and working in Nairobi, Kenya in 2007. One day while walking to church, he noticed a little girl in a white dress next to him who had shoes that were way too small for her feet. He had an idea: “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a shoe that could adjust and expand – so that kids always had a pair of shoes that fit?” Kenton’s talk will be taped at his home in Idaho and shown here at AISC.
This RISE event will also feature AISC students sharing their insights into how creativity and compassion can work together to make a unique contribution in a diverse and dynamic world.
Tickets go on sale on February 29, but please mark your calendars now!
STEM Fest Website
Mr. Justin Carlson created great STEM Fest website in the link above. The website contains all the details of the each project, including the planning document, and rubric. There is also a link where students can ask questions to the teachers for the project. Please visit it to find out more information about it.
Come one, come all to the Celebration of Learning
The High School is proud to invite all community members to our second Celebration of Learning! What is a celebration of learning? It is a learning fair in which students host booths highlighting what they have been learning in their classes.
This semester will feature a wide range of disciplines including but not limited to:
- learning how to tie knots and lashings (Adventure Activities)
- understanding recursive algorithms (AP Computer Science)
- exploring why societies wage war (World History 2)
- applying trigonometry to a search and rescue scenario (IB Math SL Year 1)
- exploring how words change over time (Critical Reading and Writing 2)
- considering theme and variation composition (Band)
- observing felt paintings in progress (Painting and Drawing)
Please join us anytime between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm in the Hall of Light and BBT on Friday, March 11th to explore the Celebration!
Have a good weekend.
Alan Phan
Middle School Principal
