Principal’s Notes
22 March
Dear Parents,
Today at our MS assembly we recognized the accomplishments of our ASIAC volleyball and tennis teams, our students who performed in Cabaret, our collective participation in STEAM Fest, and sent well-wishes to the six middle school students currently at the AMIS honor choir performing in Frankfurt, Germany! When we return from spring break, we will be preparing for our final Celebration of Learning on Friday, April 5. Until then, we wish you a restful spring break!
STEAM Fest Photos & thank you
Photos from STEAM Fest can be found here. Password is raptors18. Thank you to Ms. Rebekah Lopata and Ms. Heather Hall and the STEAM committee for supporting our students in their innovations and organizing this event.
E-Portfolios and MS Conferences
Friday April 5 is our annual E-portfolio day. On Friday April 5, there will be no MS classes.
The purpose of the conference is for students to engage in a meaningful conversation about their learning. The conference is student-led so that students can take an active role in interpreting their learning. During this time, students will present their E-portfolios to parents and explain their strengths and areas of growth.
E-portfolio conferences and our Celebration of Learning will take place from 8:40-10:20am. Optional student parent teacher conferences will follow from 10:50am-4:00pm. Appointments are ten minutes in length. If you would like to schedule a conference with a teacher, please use the link below. The link for scheduling will close on Wednesday, April 3.
Celebration of Learning: SEVAI Showcase
Join us for our final celebration of learning for the year. This trimester, all MS students will be sharing their learning from their SEVAI experience and the contributions they were able to make to the community. Our community partners will be present for you to learn more about the work done by their organizations in Chennai.
The SEVAI Showcase will take place from 8:40-10:20am. Students will rotate between their E-portfolio conference and the SEVAI Showcase. Here is the rotation schedule for the day. Students will preview their schedule the week leading up to SEVAI Showcase & E-portfolio conferences. The schedule will also be posted for your reference at the SEVAI showcase and E-portfolio conferences.
MAP & WrAP Testing
Writing Assessment Program (WRaP) Testing, April 1
During the week of April 1, all students in the middle school language arts classes will be taking the WrAP Test. WrAP stands for Writing Assessment Program, and it is a standardized writing test that is normed against other international schools. The test will take up to 50 minutes of in two separate classes: day one is a prewriting and outlining day, and day two is when the writing is finalized. The long-term purpose of this test is measure the progress of our students in writing over several years. The results of the tests are used for internal writing program evaluation, not to measure student achievement. In the middle school, the test is taken on the students’ laptops.
Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing, April 8-9
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is a computerized adaptive test. Students will take MAP 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.
MAP testing will happen on Monday and Tuesday, April 8 & 9 in students’ core classes. 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. Make up tests are available for students who miss tests due to absence. The dates for make-up tests are after school on April 15-16.
AISC High School Literary Festival
Smita Sahay will writer in residence, supporting workshops and talks throughout the HS the week of April 2-April 5.Friday, April 5 is a public celebration in the I-Hub to culminate Ms. Sahay’s visit to AISC. It will begin with her reading from her own works, followed by magnificent performances by our very own students!! Due to the adult content of some of the work, this performance is only for HS students, mature MS students, faculty, staff and parents. The content will be inappropriate for younger students.
Ms. Sahay is the associate editor of Veils, Halos & Shackles: International Poetry on the Oppression and Empowerment of Women, the founding co-editor of Usawa Literary Review, a semiannual online feminist literary magazine, and the poetry editor of Speak The Magazine, a Seattle based social, literary and arts print magazine. Her writings have appeared in a variety or publications, and she has read at festivals such as the Kalaghoda Arts Festival, Prakriti Poetry Festival, PEN at Prithvi, 100 Thousand Poets for Change among others. Smita teaches creative writing at Whistling Woods International and elsewhere. More information available from Shari Abbott, HS English teacher, ashari@aischennai.org Abhi Desai, (dabhi20@aischennai.org) or Isha Suresh (sisha20@aischennai.org).
Early Release Day
April 3 is 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. 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.
Enjoy the spring break!
Jessica Pechhold Andrew Ranson
Middle School Principal Middle School Associate Principal
Middle School Principal Middle School Associate Principal
