Friday 21 December

Principal’s Notes

21 December

Dear Parents,

I hope that you and your families have a relaxing winter break! The break is also an important time for students to recharge after months of busy schedules in and out of the classroom. As you head into the new year here is some wisdom from the middle school halls. Thank you Lily, Yash and Anatole for this image:

Yearbook Photo Make Up Session

Students who joined AISC after August 20 or missed their opportunity to take a yearbook photo should plan on stopping by the BBT on 21-23 January. Individual emails will be sent to students and posted in the student daily bulletin. 

Paperwork for Departing Students

Please give the middle school office five working days (school days) to fulfill requests for grade reports or other paperwork needed for student withdraws. 

January Parent Coffee 

Our next parent coffee will be Tuesday January 22 from 8:45-9:45 in the Hall of Light. Jen Gold, our middle school counselor, will lead the session. The topic will be adolescents and wellbeing. 

Student Parent Teacher Conferences

Shortly after we return from the winter break, you will receive an email to sign up for student parent teacher conferences. Conferences will be by appointment only and are made through the online booking system. The link will be sent to you via email. Conferences will be from 4:00-7:00pm on Friday January 31 and from 8:00am-4:00pm Friday February 1. 

Middle School Newspaper

Under the direction of Ms. Lydia Okutoro-Seck, middle school students have created the first edition of the AISC Times. Here is a link for you to read up on middle school news from our students’ perspective!

Raptor’s Clause

The middle school now has a program specifically for writing support. Mr. James Smeltzer is available at times during lunch and after school to help individual students with writing for class assignments and projects. Students are able to sign up for a time slot via link on the student daily bulletin. 

Have a wonderful winter break!

Jessica Pechhold                     Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal         Middle School Associate Principal 

Friday 14 December

Principal’s Notes

14 December 2018

Dear Parents,

Today’s assembly was a true celebration of what our middle school has to offer. Students from ASIAC badminton, table tennis, Model United Nations and our music program were recognized. Students who are departing AISC were able to share their final thoughts on their experience from their time here. On these slides from our assembly, you can catch a glimpse of these highlights from today. The slides and our assemblies are a monthly student production supported by Mr. Jason Kennedy and Ms. Lisa Daniels. Thanks to them and our student assembly crew for making our assemblies an event we look forward to each month! 

Save the date: IB/AP Information Meeting

On Tuesday, January 29th at 10:00 am in the BBT, AP/IB Coordinator, Mike Malone, will offer an information session about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs, two options for advanced coursework in high school. This meeting is appropriate for parents of students in grades 8, 9 and 10 as it will offer an overview of both programs as well as the pre-requisite courses required to gain entry. 

Later in the spring, high school staff will host a more general information session about registration for 8th grade parents. While there will be time for questions regarding IB and AP at that time, parents who want to have a more complete overview of the programs are encouraged to attend the January informational session.

SEVAI Day

We had a successful day working with nine different NGOs around Chennai and the staff at AISC for our first SEVAI day of the year. Students will continue to work on the same projects on 23 January. Here are a few of the activities our students were involved in with the TREE Foundation, Hope Foundation School, and Seva Samajam School. 

 

ASIAC Music Concert Video

If you missed last weekend’s ASIAC music concert, here is a video of the final performance. Enjoy! 

International School Writers Summit (ISWS) @ AISC February 16-17, 2019

AISC has an exciting opportunity for middle school students and teachers to come together from various international schools and share their love of writing. During the summit students work closely in small expert groups with an author for two days and gain skills in writing novels, picture books, or storytelling. In addition, students have the opportunity to gain additional writing skills through a variety of small workshops led by teachers. This year we are bringing three wonderful authors to our summit: Morris Gleitzman, John Coy, and Cat Weatherill.

Price to attend the event is 3,000 rupees. Payment due upon confirmation. 

Express your interest in attending here.
Email Mr. Jet (wjeremy@aischennai.org) or stop by the library if you have any questions. 

Have a great weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                   Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal       Middle School Associate Principal

Friday 7 December

Principal’s Notes 

7 December

Dear Parents,

Our weeks leading up to our winter break are full of activity! This weekend, our middle school ASIAC badminton and table tennis teams are in Mumbai competing in tournaments. At AISC, we are hosting the ASIAC music festival. This evening is our middle school Winter Party, and next week students will participate in our first SEVAI day of the year. These events not only reflect our rich middle school culture and spirit, but remind us of the importance of the learning that takes place outside of the classroom.

ASIAC Music: #LetUsBeHeard

Inspired from recent events from a new generation of young people, we are proud to host the ASIAC music festival December 7-8. Our theme is a recognition and celebration of how social media can be a powerful catalyst for awareness and social change. Band and choir students from AES Delhi, ASB Mumbai, and AISC invite you to join our social movement and free concert December 8th at 2:30-3:30. #LetUsBeHeard

Community Summit: Exploring the Horizons of Wellbeing

Watch some of our community members as they talk about what Wellbeing means to them. This video was part of our kickoff to the Community Summit: Exploring the Horizons of Wellbeingthat began last week. Please join us Wednesday 12 December for the second of three sessions, beginning at 2:30pm in the Gym. If you were not able to attend the first session, you are more than welcome for the second and/or third. Sign up here ASAP(See the Head’s Notes this week for further information).

Class of 2023/Current Grade 8 Students & Parents:

As you approach semester two of your 8th grade year, it is time to start thinking about and planning for high school. The high school counselors are excited to meet with you and begin this process. Please note the following information sessions and timeline:

·      On Tuesday, March 5th, the HS counselors will host information sessions for parents regarding course registration for 8th graders moving into high school at AISC.  The meetings will take place at 8:30 am and at 5;30 pm in the Hall of Light.  

·      On the same day, the HS counselors will meet with all 8th grade students during their Advisory period to share course registration information.

·      The course registration process will be outlined at these meetings. Please see the attached Roadmap for a peek at what to expect. If questions arise, please feel free to reach out to one of the high school counselors for clarification and support:

Josiah Laposky -- ljosiah@aischennai.org

Susannah McGlamery -- msusannah@aischennai.org

We look forward to welcoming the Class of 2023 into the high school in August! 

Ms. McGlamery & Mr. Laposky

Winter Camp and Coaching Classes

 The Athletics and Activities Department is offering great opportunities for students to be engaged during their time off for Winter Break. Follow this link for more information about the Camp & Coaching classes, Registrations & Payment details.

International School Writers Summit (ISWS) @ AISC February 16-17, 2019

AISC has an exciting opportunity for middle school students and teachers to come together from various international schools and share their love of writing. During the summit students work closely in small expert groups with an author for two days and gain skills in writing novels, picture books, or storytelling. In addition, students have the opportunity to gain additional writing skills through a variety of small workshops led by teachers. This year we are bringing three wonderful authors to our summit: Morris Gleitzman, John Coy, and Cat Weatherill. Price to attend the event is 3,000 rupees. Payment due upon confirmation.
Express your interest in attending here. Email Mr. Jet (wjeremy@aischennai.org) or stop by the library if you have any questions. 

SEVAI Day

SEVAI is our middle school service learning program. Our first SEVAI day will be Wednesday 12 December. This year, students have chosen a SEVAI activity to take part in based on a menu of opportunities through local NGOs. This week, students met with their SEVAI group and representatives from their selected activity to learn more about the impact they will make through their participation. On Wednesday, most students and teachers will travel off-campus to participate in their planned service activity. After lunch, all students will be engaged in reflection activities to process and document their learning from the day. If you do not wish for your child to participate in SEVAI off campus, please see the opt-out email sent earlier this week from Ryan McFarland.

Enjoy your weekend!

Jessica Pechhold                 Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal     Middle School Associate Principal 

Friday 30 November

Principal’s Notes

30 November

Dear Parents,

We ended this week with another energizing middle school assembly. This week, each grade level shared videos from their Week Without Walls trips. Sending a little of this energy your way to start the weekend! 

Grade 6

Grade 7 

Grade 8

We ask out of respect and privacy for all of our students, please do not post these videos on social media. These are intended for our middle school community. 

Trimester Reports

On Thursday your child received his/her first trimester report card. I hope that you have received these and have been able to review them. If you have questions about a grade or comment, please contact your child’s teacher. If you have a general question about reports, your child’s advisor is a good starting point to help you find an answer. If you would like more information about reading and interpreting our reports as well as standards-based assessment and reporting, please see the Coffee Morning slides from the blog posts from 26 October and 16 November. 

Learning Habits

Student Learning Habits reflections were distributed along with trimester reports. These reflections are meant to reflect students’ authentic voice. For this reason, they are not edited and should be viewed as any other piece of student work students complete in class. We hope these reflections serve as a as a tool for students to take ownership of their growth in the areas of Preparation, Engagement, Collaboration & Growth Mindset. We welcome you to engage your child in a discussion about his/her Learning Habits and reflection. 

MAP Scores and Online Reports

Instructions for accessing MAP scores and trimester reports online will be available next week. Instructions, MAP results and links will be shared via email. 

ASIAC Music: #LetUsBeHeard

Inspired from recent events from a new generation of young people, we are proud to host the ASIAC music festival December 7-8. Our theme is a recognition and celebration of how social media can be a powerful catalyst for awareness and social change. Band and choir students from AES Delhi, ASB Mumbai, and AISC invite you to join our social movement and free concert December 8th at 2:30-3:30. #LetUsBeHeard

SEVAI Day

SEVAI is our middle school service learning program. Each year, students participate in service learning activities on and off campus. Our first SEVAI day will be Wednesday 12 December. This year, students have chosen a SEVAI activity to take part in based on a menu of opportunities through local NGOs. This coming week, students will be notified of their SEVAI group and will be meeting with teachers and representatives from their selected activity to learn more about the impact they will make through their participation. Students will visit the same organizations with follow up activities on our next SEVAI day in January. 

World Scholar’s Cup Tournament of Champions

Four of our students took part in the World Scholar’s Cup Tournament of Champions at Yale University in the USA November 16-21. The students started their involvement in the World Scholar’s Cup last year and earned places to compete at the Tournament of Champions. Congratulations to the following students: 

Lokeshwar, Sajiv Reddy, Emi: Team Writing, Silver Team; Debate, Silver; Bowl 
AV Quiz, Silver.
Loki: Challenge, 2 Silvers; Writing, Silver
Sajiv: Writing, Silver
Emi: Individual Debate, Gold; Writing, Silver 

Have a great weekend!
Jessica Pechhold                        Andrew Ranson
Middle School Principal            Middle School Associate Principal

Friday 22 November

Principal’s Notes

22 November

Dear Parents,

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope that you and your families have stayed dry and safe through the rains. When we return to school on Monday 26 November, we will resume school as usual on day A2 of our schedule. This week, all middle school students attended the R.I.S.E. (resilience, innovation, service and entertainment). Two of the speakers represent organizations middle school students will be able to contribute to during our SEVAI days in December and January.

Trimester Reports and MAP Scores 

Trimester reports will be distributed on Thursday 29 November. This is a change of date from the published date on the community calendar. Please see 2 November blog post for an explanation for the change in date. This year, we will be sending home paper copies of the trimester report. After the distribution of the paper copy, you will receive an email with directions on how to access your child’s trimester report electronically through PowerSchool. The email will also include directions for accessing your child’s MAP scores on PowerSchool. 

Early Release Wednesday 

On Wednesday 28 November we will have an Early Release day. Students are expected to depart campus in a timely and organized fashion upon dismissal at 2:00 pm. We appreciate your patience with traffic on these days as all three sections are picking up students at the same time. In preparation, please plan on allowing longer time for entry and exit to the school at release time. Lunch will be served as usual in the cafeteria. Please note that the iHub will be open to provide an air conditioned waiting space until 2:40 pm in case drivers are delayed. Food services in the iHub will close at 1:50 pm.

Community Summit: Exploring the Horizons of Wellbeing

Time is running outto sign up for the first session of the Community Summit this upcoming Wednesday. Over the course of three early release days, we will be exploring the horizons of wellbeing at AISC. To make this a truly community-driven endeavour we need parents and students to join all faculty and administrative staff to envision the future of wellbeing at AISC. Together we will:

·Discover what we are doing best to nurture wellbeing at AISC - November 28

·Envision bold new possibilities for the future - December 12

·Design for excellence and construct the future of wellbeing at AISC - January 23

The sessions will run from 2:30-5:00 pm in the Gym. Parents and Students are asked to RSVP for this event here.

Have a great weekend!

Jessica Pechhold                     Andrew Ranson          

Middle School Principal          Middle School Associate Principal

Friday 16 November

Principal’s Notes

16 November

Dear Parents,

As we near the end of the first trimester, I would like to take a moment to thank you for your support for our middle school program. Your participation at school-wide and section events contributes to our sense of community and makes the middle school shine! I would like to thank our PCA parent representatives Nisha Gupta, Anindita Gautam, and Jackie Charpentier for their efforts to support communication through the parent community. On behalf of all of our teachers, we thank you for your gestures of gratitude for our teachers for Week Without Walls trips!

Parent Coffee: Standards Based Assessment and Reporting

Thank you to those of you who attended this week’s parent coffee. The goal of the morning was to provide a brief overview of our approach to assessment and reporting to understand the content of your child’s report card. Here are the slides from the presentation. October’s coffee was focused on interpreting the report card and MAP scores. You can access those slides again here.

Trimester Reports and MAP Scores 

Trimester reports will be distributed on Thursday 29 November. This is a change of date from the published date on the community calendar. Please see last week’s blog post for an explanation for the change in date. This year, we will be sending home paper copies of the trimester report. After the distribution of the paper copy, you will receive an email with directions on how to access your child’s trimester report electronically through PowerSchool. The email will also include directions for accessing your child’s MAP scores on PowerSchool. 

Parent Questions: How can you incorporate an understanding of community service in the middle school?

This year we are moving to a new model for SEVAI, our service learning program in the middle school. Students will be able to select their choice of service learning activity. Our service learning coordinator, Balajee Ginjapalee, has developed a menu of options for students that align with the UN’s Sustainability Goals. Students will select an organization to work with on December 12 and January 23. Reflection sessions at school after the service events will allow students time to evaluate their experience, connect to the Vision for a Learner, and explore the greater context of our community. Students will be able to explore our SEVAI partner organizations at our first Community Connections Fair on the afternoon of Friday November 22. 

Wellbeing Update

Thank you to the many parents who have completed the consent form for the wellbeing survey. We see this as a valuable way to measure our schools growth in wellbeing over the coming years. If you have not yet completed the consent form we will be sending you an email as a reminder. An in-depth description of the survey is included in the consent form and some examples of survey questions include:

·       My life is going well.

·       I feel happy.

·       My teachers care about me.

·       I have friends that I really care about.

Please indicate whether you consent for your child/ren to participate in the survey by responding YES or NO on the digital consent form, accessible here, on or before Tuesday the 20th of November. For more information regarding the survey please don’t hesitate to get in contact with Nigel Holdsworth (School Psychologist).

Reminder! Community Summit: Exploring the Horizons of Wellbeing

Over the course of three early release days, we will be holding this Community Summit to explore the horizons of wellbeing. To make this a truly community driven endeavor we need parents and students to join faculty and administrative staff to envision the future of wellbeing at AISC. Together we will:

·       Discover what we are doing best to nurture wellbeing at AISC - November 28

·       Envision bold new possibilities for the future - December 12

·       Design for excellence and construct the future of wellbeing at AISC - January 23

The sessions will run from 2:30-5:00 pm in the Gym. Parents and Students are asked to RSVP for this event here.

Have a great weekend!

Jessica Pechhold                     Andrew Ranson                                                                                         Middle School Principal         Middle School Associate Principal