Friday 26 April

Principal’s Notes 

26 April

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your support of Faculty Appreciation Day. Our teachers enjoyed the variety of delicious food at the luncheon, performance, and your expression of gratitude! From conversations on the day, many consider the Faculty Appreciation Day as one of the highlights of the year. Thank you for your efforts and your time to thank our teachers! When we return from the long weekend, we will be heading into the final month of school. Watch this space weekly for information and updates for ending the school year. Please remember that Monday, April 29 is a school holiday and school will be closed. 

School Closure Wednesday May 1

As May 1 is Labor Day in India, school will be closed on Wednesday, May 1.  Campus will also remain closed. 

Transition from Grade 8 to 9 Parent Coffee

The coffee for Grade Eight parents scheduled for Wednesday ,May 1 will be rescheduled to Wednesday, May 15 at 8:45am. 

Middle School Concerts

Please join us for our final musical performances for the year. Our choir and strings ensemble will perform Friday May 3 at 2:30pm in the FAC theatre. Our band will perform Tuesday, May 7 at 2:30 in the theatre. Band and Choir are AISC Middle School's oldest music programs, dating back approximately 15 years of the school's 21-year history. Guitar is the newest addition to the Middle School, and this month will be the Guitar Ensemble's first-ever Spring Concert. It is an exciting time for music at AISC!

If your child is participating in the strings, band or choir performance, please remind your child that performer attire for all ensembles in all concerts is black semi-formal pants, black semi-formal shoes, black socks, (all available at any store in Chennai) and the AISC Music polo shirt (available in the iHub).

AMIS Honor Program Auditions

Audition etudes for AMIS Honor Band, Honor Choir, and Honor Orchestra are out. AISC students wishing to audition for these prestigious all-star groups should get the sheet music from their music teacher and begin preparing after our Spring Concert. AMIS auditions are in October, and students moving to another international school can start practicing now and finish the audition with their new teacher in their new international school.

Summer Camp

The Athletics and Activities department is offering programs for the first two weeks of summer break.  There is a camp with multiple activities, coaching for students and parents, and open times for drop-in use.  Information and links to register are here.  Registrations close on May 31.

Warm-Cool Feedback  

As mentioned previously, over the next few weeks we will be sharing your feedback from the last parent coffee. This week, we highlight feedback from Portfolio Conferences, Student Parent Teacher Conferences and SEVAI Showcase.  Your warm and cool feedback along with the response from the Middle School can be found on this document. Each week, we will add more of the topics for feedback to this document for your perusal. If you are curious about the process for collecting feedback, her are the slides from the presentation. 

 Have a great weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                  Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal      Middle School Associate Principal 

Friday 19 April

Principal’s Notes

19 April

Dear Parents,

This week our focus turns to our middle school play. We thank Rachel McCallum and Vijay Saravanan and many others for their role in the production and directing, scripting, set design, ticketing and behind the scenes support. We hope to see you at this exciting and unique production! Whether you have been encouraging your child as a cast member through rehearsals or are planning to attend just to enjoy the production, we thank you for your support of our performing arts program. 

MS Play: Please join us!

Transition from Grade 8 to 9 Parent Coffee

Parents of 8th Grade students are invited to attend an interactive informational Parent Coffee hosted by the HS Counselors to learn more about the transition from middle to high school. Please join us on May 1st at 8:45am in the Hall of Light!

Parent Coffee Update

Thank you to the parents that attend our last parent coffee of the year. The purpose of the coffee was to provide feedback on middle school events for whom parents are the primary audience. During the coffee, we gathered warm and cool feedback on Back to School Night, Celebrations of Learning, STEAM Fest, SEVAI Showcase, Student Parent Teacher Conferences, Portfolio Conferences, MS Report Cards, and Learning Habits Reflections. More information about the process for collecting feedback can be found on the slides from the presentation. Over the following weeks, we will be sharing the feedback and responses to them. The feedback will be taken into consideration when planning these events in the future.   

Early Release Day 

April 24 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.

Earth Day Spirit Week

We would like our community to join us in the Earth Day Spirit Week by participating in the daily experiences. Show us your Earth Day spirit using #AISCearthday. Please read more about each day on the Head of School Blog. 

Operation Smile Yard Sale: Extended! 

Operation Smile will be holding a Yard Sale to raise money for cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. The Yard Sale will take placeon Friday, April 26th, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Unity Courtyard.Please put your donations in bins marked 'Operation Smile Yard Sale', which may be found in the HS Office, MS Office, ES Office, ES/MS Library, ES Cafeteria, ES gate, and main gate from April 1st to April 23rd.

Have a great weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                       Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal           Middle School Associate Principal

Friday 12 April

Principal’s Notes

12 April

Dear Parents,

It has been great to see many of you on campus this week as we host the SAISA track and field event! Thank you for supporting our students throughout the competition and opening your homes as host families. Your participation makes events like this possible for our students!  Next week, we look forward to seeing you at the middle school play, “Mystery on the Orient Express.” Show time and ticket details are below. 

Election Day: No School

Thursday, April 18 is a Poll Day for General and Assembly bi-elections in Tamil Nadu and has been declared a public holiday. There will be no classes (or virtual learning), student activities, or scheduled meetings. Campus will remain closed.

Middle School Play

This year’s middle school play has taken a turn towards something that has never been done before at AISC. Come and take a ‘seat’ in the dining car of the Orient Express - Europe’s newest and most luxurious train as it departs from London and takes you through some of the most beautiful places in Europe, all while being entertained by the world’s most prestigious performers! 

MS Play ticket sales begin on Friday the 12th of April, from the front of the school between 8:30 - 9:30am and 2:30 - 4pm daily. Sossity Smith will be coordinating the sales and each ticket will be sold for 250 rupees. Show times are at 4pm and 7:30pm on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th of April. If you are unable to come to school at these times, please contact Sossity on 8939811564 or ssossitypca@aischennai.org to organise your tickets.

Dress Rehearsal preview shows: Audiences are invited to our dress rehearsal previews at 4:30pm and 6pm on Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th of April. If you would like to attend, please register your interest at the following link: https://forms.gle/tFUsb9vJYFjVN4wB6

MAP Testing Make-Up Sessions 

Monday 15 April and Tuesday 16 April are set for MAP make-up testing dates. Students who did not start or finish a MAP test or tests this week should plan to attend a make-up session from 3:45-5:00. If your child did not complete a test or multiple tests in class, he or she will need to be present to complete these testing sessions.  If your child participated in SAISA or is in the MS Play next week, alternatives have been arranged for their special circumstances. Parents and students will be notified by email for make-up test confirmation.

MS Parent Coffee

Please join us on Tuesday April 16 from 8:45-9:45 in the Hall of Light for our last parent coffee for current MS parents. Our meeting will focus on collecting feedback on MS events so that we have an understanding of what is helpful and valuable to you, as well as areas in which we may be able to better meet your needs. You will be able to provide feedback on a variety of MS events such as STEAM Fest, Student Parent Teacher Conferences and our new report cards. 

Transition from Grade 8 to 9 Parent Coffee

Parents of 8th Grade students are invited to attend an interactive informational Parent Coffee hosted by the HS Counselors to learn more about the transition from middle to high school. Please join us on May 1st at 8:45am in the Hall of Light!

 Roots & Shoots and Grade 1 Fundraiser -  April 15th -18th              

Tree Foundation rescues turtles along the Chennai coast. They bring them to their center where they feed and care for them. The turtles need your help!

The Tree Foundation will use your money for many things:

* Feeding the turtles


* Buying more turtle containers where they keep the injured turtles they rescue. 


* Installing an electric water pump to help get the sea water more efficiently into the tanks. 


* Building a turtle pond for their fresh water turtles at the elephant sanctuary.

What can you buy at the fundraiser? Baked goods, cloth bags, clay turtles, bookmarks, notebooks and much more. Prices vary from 50 Rs to 500 Rs.

 Earth Day Spirit Week

We would like our community to join us in the Earth Day Spirit Week by participating in the daily experiences. Show us your Earth Day spirit using #AISCearthday. Please read more about each day on the Head of School Blog. 

  

Operation Smile Yard Sale: Extended! 

Operation Smile will be holding a Yard Sale to raise money for cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. The Yard Sale will take placeon Friday, April 26th, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Unity Courtyard.Please put your donations in bins marked 'Operation Smile Yard Sale', which may be found in the HS Office, MS Office, ES Office, ES/MS Library, ES Cafeteria, ES gate, and main gate from April 1st to April 23rd.

Have a great weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                       Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal           Middle School Associate Principal

Friday April 5

Principal’s Notes

5 April

Dear Parents,

Thank you for taking time out of your week to join us this morning for our annual portfolio conferences and our Celebration of Learning highlight SEVAI.  I hope that your time with your child provided valuable insight to them as a learner in and out of the classroom. There are a few moments from the SEVAI Showcase captured below. For the full gallery of photos from today's SEVAI Showcase, please visit the photo gallery here. Password is raptors18. We will continue to celebrate student learning this year through our middle school art exhibition, play, music concerts and sporting events. Thank you for your support of our students' learning! 

In this week’s message, please note some very important date changes to MSA testing and a school closure on Thursday, April 18. 

 

 

 Election Day: No School

Thursday, April 18 is a Poll Day for General and Assembly bi-elections in Tamil Nadu and has been declared a public holiday. There will be no classes (or virtual learning), student activities, or scheduled meetings. Campus will remain closed.

Course Selection Forms for Grade 6 and Grade 7 Students

It is that time of the year when we are planning for the next school year. Students were given course selection forms this week and will need to identify their choices for elective classes for next year and confirm world language classes with their teacher. Please take time to discuss the elective options with your children and feel free to contact your child's world language teacher should you have questions regarding next year. The form will be due back to Advisors by this Tuesday, 9th April.  This applies to Grade 6 and Grade 7 students only. 

MAP Testing Change

Our MAP schedule for next week has had to be revised in order to accommodate a maintenance window scheduled by NWEA. The implication of this is that Monday is not available for MAP testing, as the platform is under maintenance. Testing will begin Tuesday 10 April and be completed on Wednesday 11 April. This will mean normal lesson blocks will be running on Monday the 8th April.

MAP Testing & SAISA

Students participating in SAISA Track and Field and Soccer will receive an email with times to take the MAP tests missed on Tuesday and/or Wednesday.

MAP Testing, April 9-10

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 9 & 10 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.

Middle School Play

This year’s middle school play has taken a turn towards something that has never been done before at AISC. Come and take a ‘seat’ in the dining car of the Orient Express - Europe’s newest and most luxurious train as it departs from London and takes you through some of the most beautiful places in Europe, all while being entertained by the world’s most prestigious performers! 

We have a limited engagement of four performances only - 4pm and 7:30pm on 19 and 20 April. Tickets will go on sale later next week and will be available at the main entrance. It is a show not to be missed!

Math Program Questions: Follow-up

Responses to questions from our March coffee morning related to our math program can be found here. Questions focused on support for students in math, trends in international school math courses, transitions back to home country math programs, boy-girl ratios in math courses and the progression of math courses in the high school.

Transition from Grade 8 to 9 Parent Coffee

Parents of 8th Grade students are invited to attend an interactive informational Parent Coffee hosted by the HS Counselors to learn more about the transition from middle to high school. Please join us on May 1st at 8:45am in the Hall of Light!

Earth Day Spirit Week

We would like our community to join us in the Earth Day Spirit Week by participating in the daily experiences. Show us your Earth Day spirit using #AISCearthday. Please read more about each day on the Head of School Blog.

Operation Smile Yard Sale

Operation Smile will be holding a Yard Sale to raise money for cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. The Yard Sale will take place on Friday, April 26th, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Unity Courtyard. Please put your donations in bins marked 'Operation Smile Yard Sale', which may be found in the HS Office, MS Office, ES Office, ES/MS Library, ES Cafeteria, ES gate, and main gate from April 1st to April 15th.

Have a great weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                                   Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal                       Middle School Associate Principal