Friday, 27 May 2016

27 May

Dear Middle School Parents,

Our wonderful librarian, Mr. Jet, has updated the list Summer Reading List 2016 and here is the Summer Reading List 2015 as well. The link will bring you to the most popular young adult books, with a small description and genre. Additionally, here is a another Levelled Book List, sorted by the reading level of each book. If you don’t have time to pick up a book now, please do so while you are travelling.

We encourage all students to read, both in English and in their native tongue. If you’re not convinced, here is a great article about What Reading Does to Your Brain is Truly Fascinating. In the article it refers to a study done by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University who observed the structure of children's brains before and after 100 hours of intensive reading training. The study shows that “intensive instruction to improve reading skills in young children causes the brain to physically rewire itself, creating new white matter that improves communication within the brain.”

From The MS Science Team
Science is EVERYWHERE!!!! Summer is coming and, though you are not in school, you can easily keep learning about science!  Here are some ways to keep in touch with science ideas and topics over the summer. You don't have to focus on topics from a particular class or branch of science - Pick one you like!!

Science Museums - Almost every major city in the world has a science museum (or more than one!). These are great to visit, particularly on a rainy day! Here are some examples - Paris, Washington, Seoul, Mumbai, Singapore, London.

Online News - All the major news sites in the world have a Science and Technology section. Check these out each day and see what is going on in the world or find a story that you like and follow it as it develops. From Blue Lobsters to tsunamis on Mars, there is ALWAYS something happening in SCIENCE! Here are some examples of websites to explore! - BBC, New York Times, CNN, Al Jazeera

Read! - Our CIC has MANY books and publications that feature science and technology! Check with them before you leave for the summer!

Science Camps - Find a camp that has a science component. It might only be a week, or it might one 'activity' you can sign up for while you are there. Enjoy!

ES/MS Library/CIC Opening Hours
Because we believe it is important to encourage a love of reading all year, we are proud to announce summer hours for the first time ever in the CIC! The ES/MS CIC will be open from 9:00-2:00 on the following dates:

Tuesday, July 5th
Thursday, July 7th
Tuesday, July 12th
Thursday, July 14th
Tuesday, July 19th
Thursday, July 21st

This is open to all preschool-grade 12 students, parents, and staff. Come on in and enjoy the air conditioning, the Internet, and some of your favorite books to read! Regular CIC hours will then resume on Thursday, August 4. For more information, please contact Mr. Jet at wjeremy@aischennai.org

MS Photo Gallery
With the end of the school year coming around the corner and if you are leaving the school, please take a look at our photo galleries: AISC Photo Gallery. Password: raptors16 or raptors15 for some other albums. You might want to take some with you to remember your experience here.

Service Learning (SEVAI) Bicycle Project
Thank you to all the faculty members who supported and students who participated in this project. Take a look at the Photo Gallery of the project. Of course, the Bike-a-Thon could not have happened without the support of the staff to set up the course around the school and for all the students who participated in the event.
Faculty Members
AISC Students
Ryan Sager
Heidi Sager
Walter Basnight
Ilona Horchler
Calley Connelly
Aneesh K R
Widi Sumaryono
Balajee Ginjapalee
Kirsten Welbes
Cristian Luca
Karthik Narayanan
MinJae Kim
Antoine Curbilie
Bhargav Kanan
Manav Chakravath
MinJun Shin
Miyu Li
Luis Antonio Zink
Meghana Rachamadugu
Subin Choi
Yumi Unoki
Yeji Han
Reuben Nielson

End of Year Recognition Assemblies
As we are coming close to the end of the school year, there will be some celebration done for each grade level at the End of year Recognition Assemblies on Thursday, June 2nd. Each grade level holds a year-end assembly that celebrates and is tailored to their age level. This approach to end-of-year recognition is in keeping with the middle school philosophy and is a positive and meaningful celebration for all of our students.

The 6th graders will be celebrating the important goal that each student feels that they have accomplished and will be given a certificate stating the attainment of their goal. The 6th grade I-awards will be held in the BBT. All sixth grade parents are invited from 10:00 - 11:00 on Thursday, June 2nd to celebrate and recognize the emotional, intellectual, and social achievements that sixth grade students have made.

The 7th grade recognition assembly will also be in the BBT. The 7th grade will  present certificates recognizing student  with the 4 C’s Awards during this formal part of their assembly. All seventh grade parents are invited to this portion of the assembly from 8:30 - 9:30 on Thursday, June 2nd  Afterwards, the ‘fun’ awards will be presented for only grade 7 students.

The 8th grade will have a day of celebration on campus on June 1st. Parents are invited to join in the celebration from 3:00 to 3:30 in the FAC Atrium. During this time, we will have a slide show with the 4 C’s and celebratory moment for the 8th grade as they move on to High School.

Food Service Update
Did you know that we are now serving cold-pressed juices in the iHub and ES cafeteria?  Cold pressed juices retain all of their essential vitamins, enzymes, proteins and minerals; they are pure juices served without preservatives, water or added sugar.  During this hot season, our cold pressed juice are a perfect sources of hydration and are now available @ rs 70.

  • Sun Shine - Orange, pineapple, sweet lime, tender coconut water, and Himalayan salt
  • Pink Panther - Watermelon and pineapple
  • Green Mile - Cucumber, bottle gourd, spinach, coriander, ginger, mint, lemon, pepper, Himalayan salt
  • Ginger Hail - Tender coconut water, lemon, ginger, basil, and Himalayan salt

Food services at AISC are always looking for ways to improve. Should you have questions, suggestions or concerns, please contact Catering Manager (antony.rex@tajhotels.com), 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 Main Cafeteria, please join us. We would love to hear your feedback about the food at AISC.

Sneak Preview of MS After School Activities (ASA)
Please go to this link to see all the activities offered for the 2016-17 school year.

Alan Phan
Middle School Principal

Friday, 20 May 2016

20 May

Dear Middle School Parents,

As we are approaching the end of the school year, which means that you will have received three trimester standards-based reports, I thought that you might find this interesting article from the NY Times, “Putting Grit in Its Place.” While it does not talk about standards-based grading, it talks about what we have moved away from, which are letter and number grades that goes into the grade point average (GPA). It’s a great article that connects grit and GPA, but also hits on many other areas that both parents and students are thinking about today’s schooling.

If you are leaving straight away after school is out, you may want to stop by a bookstore or order some Summer Reading books for your children online. The link will bring you to the most popular young adult books, with a small description and genre. Additionally, here is a another Levelled Book List, sorted by the reading level of each book.

MS Band Spring Concert
The MS Band classes will be putting on their end of the year concert for us on Thursday, 26 May at 2:30pm in the FAC Theater. Please join us to listen to some beautiful music as the students show off their musical skills that they have been practicing on all year.
End of Year Recognition Assemblies
As we are coming close to the end of the school year, there will be some celebration done for each grade level at the End of year Recognition Assemblies on Thursday, June 2nd. Each grade level holds a year-end assembly that celebrates and is tailored to their age level. This approach to end-of-year recognition is in keeping with the middle school philosophy and is a positive and meaningful celebration for all of our students.

The 6th graders will be celebrating the important goal that each student feels that they have accomplished and will be given a certificate stating the attainment of their goal. The 6th grade I-awards will be held in the BBT. All sixth grade parents are invited from 10:00 - 11:00 on Thursday, June 2nd to celebrate and recognize the emotional, intellectual, and social achievements that sixth grade students have made.

The 7th grade recognition assembly will also be in the BBT. The 7th grade will  present certificates recognizing student  with the 4 C’s Awards during this formal part of their assembly. All seventh grade parents are invited to this portion of the assembly from 8:30 - 9:30 on Thursday, June 2nd  Afterwards, the ‘fun’ awards will be presented for only grade 7 students.

The 8th grade will have a day of celebration on campus on June 1st. Invitations will be sent to parents by Wednesday, May 25th with further details about the event.

National Robotic Competition
On Saturday, May 28, from 9:30-4:00, students from AISC, Chellammal, and a Corporate school in Tiruvallur will participate in AISC's Robotics Competition. AISC students are coming from the elementary, middle and high school. Chellammal is a local school that is generously supported by Caterpillar, and the Corporate school in Tiruvallur is supported by Ford.

This is the final step in a journey that began in November, when these students came together to create and compete with robotics.

The three teams that won the November competition were originally slated to compete at IIT Madras in March; however, due to the floods, IIT Madras could not host the competition, and it was moved to Mumbai.

This new location proved a challenge, so AISC decided to host its own final competition with the support of Lema Labs of IIT Madras. The competition component of the activity will take place from 1-4:00pm in the ES Cafeteria on Saturday, May 28, and spectators are welcome.

What: National Robotic Competition (For the winners of November Competition)
When: May 28th Saturday  10 am  to 5 pm (3 hours of refresher + 1 hour of lunch break + 3 hours of competition )
Organizers: American International School Chennai and IIT Madras - Lema Labs
Participants: AISC winners + Chellammal School (Caterpillar Sponsored) + Corporation School, Tiruvallur (Ford Sponsored)
From AISC: 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners
  1. Karthik Narayan - Grade 8
  2. Harish Srinivasan - Grade 8
  3. Arjun Sherwal -  Grade 8
  4. Jared Sager  -   Grade 11
  5. Vishal Sriram  -  Grade 10
  6. Anand K. Suresh - Grade 11
  7. Hakin Sivakumar - Grade 5
  8. Jules Soria - Grade 10
  9. Jordan Archer - Grade 10
  10. Efflam Joseph Rol - Grade 6
  11. Cyril Drexler  -  Grade 6
  12. Ahsir Haime - Grade 4
  13. Ashira Haime - Grade 9

Message from Chirag Sherpas
Chirag Sherpas club is working with Danirasa Foundation for Rehabilitation Centre to help school kids who were affected  during the floods. They are initiating a free sports camp in the flooded areas for the kids in Thirunindravur area. They have 70 kids in the age group of 6yrs to 16 yrs. They have a coach who has volunteered to train these kids. AISC students from the Chirag Sherpas club request request the following items as donation:
1. Volleyballs
2. Footballs
3. Volleyball net
4. Chess boards
5. Carom boards
6. Shoes
7. Bandages
8. Old sports clothes
9. Socks
10. Sports medicines ( neo sprin, violin,
11. Board games
12. Cereal
13. Any fiber rich foods.

There will collection bins outside the main reception for people to drop off the items.

Reminders...
End of School Year Notice
As we are approaching the end of the school year, there are a few things parents need to keep in mind. Students will need to return all textbooks, library books, sports uniform and any other items issued by the school. Everything needs to be settled before we can release the documents and before students get their yearbook.

Please note that we will only issue the report cards to students who are leaving AISC on the last day of school, Thursday, 2 June. All other report cards will be on Skyward the following week.

Lost and Found
Lost and Found items are stored near the MC rooms. Sonia David in the main reception holds the valuable items such as mobile phones and watches. Kindly visit these areas if your child has lost something. These items that have been found will also be displayed on tables in the main entrance starting Thursday, 26 May. Please stop by to see if any of these belong to your family. Those items not claimed by Thursday, June 2nd will be donated to local orphanages.

Have a good weekend!

Alan Phan
Middle School Principal

Friday, 13 May 2016

13 May

Dear Middle School Parents,


Virtual Learning Reminder
School will officially begin at 8:30 on Monday, 16 May. Students will find all instructions for the lessons on the teacher’s Moodle page.  The lesson is labelled "Virtual Learning Lesson." Parents, you may log in with guest access using the raptors16 password.


On this day, we expect all students to be up and ready for a virtual school day by 8:30 where they will follow the classes scheduled for this day. It is Day 2H, blocks and times are below:
8:30 - 9:50      Block H
10:45 - 12:05      Block E
12:50 - 2:05        Block F
2:15 - 3:30         Block G

Parent Coffee on Tuesday, May 17 @8:45 in Hall of Light
This coffee is not on the calendar. Please join us at our upcoming parent coffee where the topic will be resilience. Resilience is that ability to recover readily from adversity. At this coffee we'll look at questions such as: What are qualities that help families through difficult or stressful times? What are some of the factors that help people to be more resilient in the face of challenges and how can we help our children to tap into those qualities when needed? We look forward to seeing you there!


End of School Year Notice
As we are approaching the end of the school year, there are a few things parents need to keep in mind. Students will need to return all textbooks, library books, sports uniform and any other items issued by the school. Everything needs to be settled before we can release the documents and before students get their yearbook.


Please note that we will only issue the report cards to students who are leaving AISC on the last day of school, Thursday, 2 June. All other report cards will be on Skyward the following week.


Parent Book Groups

mindful-parenting-kristen-race-book.jpg


We had a successful kickoff to our Parent Book Group series with The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults. It was great to have a diverse group of parents come together to discuss the ideas that were presented in the book and how they might impact our understanding of our children and our parenting.


Our second book group choice, made by parents, is Mindful Parenting: Simple and Powerful Solutions for Raising Creative, Engaged, Happy Kids in Today's Hectic World by Kristen Race. It is available on kindle or on Amazon.in if you would like to purchase a hard copy for yourself. We will have just one meeting to discuss this book and it will be on Friday, May 20th from 2-3:30. We will meet in the MS CIC book room on the first floor. Again, all levels of English speakers are welcome - you can be involved in the discussion at whatever level you are comfortable with.


MS Strings and Choir Concert
The MS Strings and Choir classes will be putting on their end of the year concert for us on Friday, 20 May at 2:30pm in the FAC Auditorium. Please join us to listen to some beautiful music as the students show off their musical skills that they have been practicing on all year.


MS End of Year Party
There will be one last social event for Middle School students. The End of the Year Middle School Party will take place on Friday, 20 May from 4:30-6:00pm in the Cafeteria.


Our Middle School students are involved in the second yearly edition of the Orphan Bicycle Project with the  “Children’s Home India” Orphanage. Please click here, if you would like to see a quick video of last year’s first edition. This year,  AISC students along with the local children will have spent three Saturdays refurbishing bicycles together. The culminating event of the entire project is the Bike-a-thon, a fundraiser, that is scheduled for May 21st at AISC Campus from 8.30 am to 10.30 am. The proceedings will go towards the education of the local students. Parents have the opportunity to sponsor the event either through a flat (set amount) or per-lap donation. We estimate that no more than 250 laps will be done during the event. In-between May 11th and May 20th from 8.00am to 8.30am and from 3.45 pm to 4.15 pm (school days only) we will be available to answer any of your questions at the main campus entrances (ES and MS/HS). Come talk to us! Also, we would like to have a few parent volunteers for running the event on May 21st. If you are interested in helping out, please sign-up here.  Thank you and we are looking forward to seeing you!


Lost and Found
Lost and Found items are stored near the MC rooms. Sonia David in the main reception holds the valuable items such as mobile phones and watches. Kindly visit these areas if your child has lost something.


These items that have been found will also be displayed on tables in the main entrance starting Thursday, 26 May. Please stop by to see if any of these belong to your family. Those items not claimed by Thursday, June 2nd will be donated to local orphanages.


Have a good weekend!


Alan Phan
Middle School Principal