Friday 31 August

Principal’s Notes

31 August

Dear Parents,

Today we had our monthly assembly during our advisory period. Today student advisory groups performed skits to represent their identity as a group. The skits demonstrated creativity, confidence and sense of humor from each advisory group, as well as a personal level of bonding and teamwork that has developed in the first month of school between students and their advisors. It certainly takes courage to perform in front of the entire middle school student body and faculty this early in the year! This coming Wednesday, September 5 will be our first early release Wednesday of the year. Please see details below for student dismissal information. 

MAP Testing Make-Up Sessions

Make-up sessions for MAP testing will be Monday and Tuesday, September 3 & 4. The make-up tests will take place in the Hall of Light from 3:45-5:00pm. Students who missed one or more of the tests are scheduled to make-up the assessment. The list of student names and tests is linked to the student daily bulletin. 

New Book Viewing

From the Library Team 

Dear Parents,

Please come and view our new books on Monday, September 3 from 8:00-9:30! Our library is usually open to parents only before and after school, but this is a special viewing time so that you can see what is new this year in the library. If you are unable to come Monday morning, please know that you can also come after school that day (3:30-5:00) to view the books as well. There is a PCA meeting beforehand that afternoon and this might make a great opportunity to visit the library after. 

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our parent book ordering teams. Thank you for helping us create a wonderful collection of books for our students!

Kind regards,

The Library Team

First Early Release Wednesday 

On Wednesday 5 September we will have our first Early Release Wednesday. 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. For our Middle and High School students, hot lunch will be served. 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.

Big Bad Blue

Please come cheer on our students next weekend at Big Bad Blue! 

Week Without Walls (WWoW) Parent Meetings

In the following weeks, parent WWoW meetings for each grade level are scheduled. Please mark your calendars for the following dates. Additional information about the meeting and individual trips will be sent out by the grade level team leaders.

·     Grade 6: September 27

·     Grade 7: September 26

·     Grade 8: October 9

If you have questions about your child’s trip before the information meetings, please email your child’s advisor. 

Parent Questions: Week Without Walls

Parents have expressed an interest in where each grade level is going during the Week Without Walls trips. Here is a brief summary of each of the trips:

·     Grade 6 will participate in the Brave Hearts program in Panchgani and participate in adventure and team building activities.

·     Grade 7 will travel to Dandeli, Goa. to experience outdoor activities, a safari and visit sites in Jaipur and Ranthambore. Update 2 September: More information from the Grade 7 team coming. 

·     Grade 8 will experience kayaking, rappelling and cultural activities in Sajan and Dabhosa near Mumbai. 

AISC UN International Peace Day, Parade of Nations

This year's UN International Peace Day celebration will be held on Friday, September 14. The Parade of Nations, in which the entire student body parades in their national dress, will be held in the FAC Theater. Once students finish the parade, students in grades 1- 5 will be seated in the FAC Theater for a short program. Grade 6-12 students will proceed to cafeteria for live streaming of the program. The Parade of Nations will be followed by a normal school day.

How does the parade work?

Students will be marching under their citizenship of record as listed in PowerSchool, our student information system, and as indicated during the admissions process. If you would like to make a change and have your child(ren) march under a flag different from their citizenship, kindly send this information directly to Sanja Ilić, Director of Admissions (admissionsdirector@aischennai.org). Admissions office will be accommodating the aforementioned requests until August 31, 2018.

Enjoy your weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                       Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal           Middle School Associate Principal 

Friday 24 August

Principal’s Notes

24 August

Dear Parents,

I enjoyed meeting many of you on campus this week. It was week full of information with our parent coffees, PowerSchool orientation and Back to School Night. I hope to get to know more you as the year progresses. The slides from the Grade 6 parent coffee can be found here and the Grade 7-8 parent coffee slides are here. We have three grade level parent representatives for this year. They are: Nisha Gupta (Grade 6), Anindita Gautam (Grade 7), Jackie Charpentier (Grade 8). I look forward to working with them to gain insight into your perspective on the middle school. Our Back to School Night was well attended with about two-thirds of our parents in attendance. If you were not able to make it, you can find the introductory presentation here. Teachers will be posting their class presentations here and on PowerSchool. 

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing Monday & Tuesday August 27-28

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is a computerized adaptive test. Students will take tests in Reading, Math, Language and Science. MAP assesses 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 grade level teams use the data to inform instructional decision-making for increased student growth and achievement.

MAP testing will take place on Monday and Tuesday in students’ core classes. Please remind your children to charge their laptops each night, especially during testing week. There is no preparation required for MAP testing. We recommend that students have adequate sleep and a good breakfast before they come to school for the MAP Test. Make up tests are available for students who miss tests due to absence. The dates for make-up tests will be after school on September 3 -4. 

MS Pool Party

The MS student pool party is Friday 31 August. The party is from 4:00-5:30. Students should plan to stay for the duration of the event. For safety reasons, students should not plan to leave the party early. We are looking forward to this fun Friday afternoon event! 

Student Voices Forum 

Student Voices Forum (SVF) is a group of student representatives that meets monthly with the Middle School Principal, Counselor and teacher volunteers to discuss issues, policies and procedures of the Middle School.  SVF members are expected to:

• Attend all meetings (Mondays at lunch, food provided) unless absent from school.
• Two unexcused absences (missed meetings while at school) will result in being replaced on SVF.
• Share the information discussed at the meeting with his/her peers.
• Gather information and data from peers as needed to guide decision making.
• Give honest and unbiased feedback as a representative of the student body.

The application for SVF was published in Monday’s student daily bulletin. It will be republished this week. Students may apply until 3 September. The first SVF meeting will take place on Monday 10 September. 

Yearbook Photos: Ordering Group Photos

From Shannon Zirkle, Communications Director:

We are including a complimentary 5x7 group for any yearbook order. If you would like a different size of the group photo or would like to order a group photo only (without an individual photo purchase or package), please contact Raji Srinivansan at +91 98414 16519. If you haven’t ordered photos yet and would like a different sized group photo, please note “group photo” under the Individual Print section and mark the size on the order envelope. The deadline to place orders is August 30. Please turn in your envelope to the section assistants.

If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Zirkle at zshannon@aischennai.org.

Parent PowerSchool Orientation

From Sherriden Masters, Director of Technologies and Innovation:

On Wednesday we presented to over 40 MS parents on the topic of using PowerSchool. The session outlined both the role, rationale, and progress of our developments in PowerSchool. In addition, we demonstrated the depth of data that is available to parents about attendance, assessment, scheduling, reporting, and classroom materials.If you were unable to attend the session, feel free to review the slides here, and come in and see us in the ES/MS CIC at your convenience, so we can support you. alternatively, mail us on ITsupport@aischennai.org and we will assist you remotely.

If you have any questions or queries about PowerSchool, or the use of data in AISC, please mail Sherriden Masters, our Director of Technologies and Innovation.

Arts, Sports & Activities (ASA) Information

From the Activities & Athletics Office:
Billing for activities can be done through PAYONLINE only. The online link will open on August 29 and will close on September 5. Please pay only for the activities enrolled.

AISC UN International Peace Day, Parade of Nations, September 14                                               

This year's UN International Peace Day celebration will be held on Friday, September 14. The Parade of Nations, in which the entire student body parades in their national dress, will be held in the FAC Theater. Once students finish the parade, students in grades 1- 5 will be seated in the FAC Theater for a short program. Grade 6-12 students will proceed to cafeteria for live streaming of the program. The Parade of Nations will be followed by a normal school day.

How does the parade work?

Students will be marching under their citizenship of record as listed in PowerSchool, our student information system, and as indicated during the admissions process. If you would like to make a change and have your child(ren) march under a flag different from their citizenship, kindly send this information directly to Sanja Ilić, Director of Admissions (admissionsdirector@aischennai.org). Admissions office will be accommodating the aforementioned requests until August 31, 2018.

First Early Release Wednesday 

On Wednesday 5 September we will have our first Early Release Wednesday. 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. For our Middle and High School students, hot lunch will be served. 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.

Parent Questions: Homework

Parents have asked about the amount of homework they can expect for students. Our handbook (p. 43) outlines the following guidelines for homework: Grade 6: 1 hour/night; Grade 7: 1.5 hours/night; Grade 8: 1.5-2 hours/night. Students have each class every other day and two nights to complete  each homework assignment. This should figure into their nightly planning to complete home assignments. While some productive struggle is a part of the learning process, if your child struggles for more than 15 minutes with a homework assignment, contact your child's teacher for guidance. 

Friday 17 August

Principal’s Notes

17 August 

Dear Parents,

We are beginning to settle into our daily routines in the middle school. Students are learning their class schedules, finding their way around campus and expressing interest in involvement in many of our Arts, Sports and Activities (ASAs) and middle school clubs. Our unexpected school closures have delayed us in device configuration and granting PowerSchool access to all students. Please bear with us as we work to reschedule these times. We hope to see you this week at our Middle School Parent Coffees and Back to School Night on Thursday. More information on both of these events can be found below. 

Parent Coffee

Grade 7 & 8 parents are invited to attend the Middle School Parent Coffee on Monday 20 August from 8:45-9:45 am. The Grade 6 parent coffee has been rescheduled for Wednesday 22 August from 8:45-9:45 am. The Middle School Parent PowerSchool Coffee will follow from 10:00-11:00 am. Both parent coffess and the PowerSchool orientation will take place in the Hall of Light.

Weekend Swimming

SAISA swim practice will take place this Saturday. Please see the Pool & Aquatics page of the AISC website for practice schedules. 

Yearbook Photos 

From our Communications Director, Shannon Zirkle: 

Our yearbook photos are coming up next week! Middle school students will have their photos taken on Tuesday and Wednesday 21 & 22 August. Students with a last name beginning with A-K are scheduled for Tuesday. Students with the last names beginning with L-Z are scheduled for Wednesday. Specific times for students to report will be shared in the student daily bulletin and through class teachers. 

Purchasing photos: We have moved to a new company that will process our photos more quickly. Due to this change, our process this year will be slightly different for ordering photos:

1. You will receive an envelope on Monday, August 20, on which you will note which photo package and sizes you would like to order.
2. Please place the exact amount of rupees in the envelope.
3. Middle school students will bring their order envelopes with them when they have their photo taken.

If students forget their order form envelope on the day of their photo, they can hand it over to the photographer while they are on campus through 24 August.  Orders for photos will be accepted through August 30. Students can submit their order form to section assistants. Orders for photos will be delivered within two weeks. 

If you are not ordering photos, you will not need to send the envelope with your child. All student’s photos will be taken and appear in the AISC Yearbook. Information about retake will be forthcoming. These will happen in January and will not incur an additional charge. If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Zirkle, Communications Director, at zshannon@aischennai.org. 

Back to School Night

Thursday evening from 5:00-8:15 we will host Back to School night. This is an opportunity to meet all of your child’s teachers and learn about their classes. Parents will spend ten minutes in each class learning about class content, expectations, school to home communication and how you can support your child’s learning. If you have questions about your child’s progress or placement in a class, please contact the teacher for an appointment at another time as the purpose of Back to School Night is to provide an introduction for all parents to the course. Upon arrival, you will receive a copy of your child’s schedule to follow for the night. A summary of the night’s schedule is below. 

Back to School Night General Schedule

Time	Event
5:00 - 5:10	Greeting by MS Principal in FAC Cafeteria
5:10-5:20	Transition to the FAC Rooms and Gym
5:20 - 7:05	Physical Education, World Languages, electives, and Advisory rotations as per your child’s schedule.  Parents will spend ten minutes learning about each class and meeting teachers.
7:05 - 7:15	Transition to Core Classes
7:15 - 8:10	Parents will rotate through core classes (Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science) as per your child’s schedule. Parents will spend ten minutes learning about each class and meeting teachers.
8:15	All teachers meet in the MS Office.

World Scholar’s Cup Recognition

We would like to congratulate AISC middle school students Lokeshwar, Katherine, Sajiv, Tejas (now grade 9), and Ayush for their participation in the World Scholar’s Cup in Barcelona this summer. At the international academic competition, our students won 25 individual medals, an individual first place recognition in debate and a team first place in debate. The students will compete in the final round of the competition at Yale University in the USA in November. Congratulations on your efforts to shine on a global stage! 

Model United Nations

From Pepper McFarland, Model United Nations Coordinator:

We have a thriving Model United Nations program in the middle school. Below are meeting dates. Meeting dates for new and experienced Model UN participants are listed below. AISC MUN students represent AISC around the world at conferences. 

Beginning MUN

• First Meeting: Aug. 20th from 3:40-4:30 in 2303, Ms. Mac’s new room
• Will meet every MONDAY after school
• Any student who has not been to an MUN meeting before is welcome.  

Advanced MUN

• Aug. 21st from 3:40-4:30 in room 2303, Ms. Mac’s new room
• Will meet every TUESDAY after school
• Any student who attended Beginning MUN class may attend, whether they traveled to a conference or not.

Enjoy your weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                       Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal           Middle School Associate Principal