Thursday October 24

Dear Parents,

Thank you for joining us this week at our coffee morning. Our topic was Learning Habits, and through an interactive session, we made meaning of Preparation, Collaboration, and Engagement & Initiative. We took time to develop questions to engage in conversations with our children about how they understand and apply the Learning Habits. If you were not able to attend, you can view the presentation here and even work through the activities and develop questions on your own. Thank you to Ms. Jen Gold and Ms. Kathryn Ahuja for leading the session!

Please note that there is no school Monday, October 28.

 

Celebration of Learning

On Wednesday, October 30 we will host our first Celebration of Learning for the year. Details for the event are as follows:

·      Who: All MS students, Parents and Teachers

·      What: Sharing learning related to Vision for a Learner on WWW 

·      When: 2:15-3:30pm

·      Where: Gym

·      Why: Making student learning public 

Students will be making a 1-2 minute presentation about their experience on WWW and the connections they made to the Vision for a Learner. We invite you to attend to not only attend your child’s presentation but also to listen and  learn about the experience of other students. As you rotate around student presentations, please ask students the following questions to encourage reflection on their learning. A few sample questions are:

·      What surprised you most about what you learned?

·  What are some parts of the trip that you want to be sure to remember?

·     How is your thinking different now as a result of the WWW experience?

Each grade level will take turns presenting. Here is the schedule for the presentations:

Halloween Party

We have a frightfully fun event lined up for middle school students at the end of this month! Please have your son or daughter join us Friday, November 1st, at 5:00 p.m., for our Middle School Halloween Party. This is a chance to dress up in a scary (or just plain fun!) costume, play a carnival game or two, and dance to some classic Halloween tunes like "The Monster Mash." The spooky fun will continue at 6:15 p.m. with the MS Play.  Your child can reserve their entry to the Halloween Party by picking up an invitation at lunchtime during the week of October 28th. Students who choose to attend the Halloween Party are expected to stay for the duration of the party from 5:00-6:00. 

Thank You!

A special thank you to our grade level PCA representatives: Louisa Rogers, Dorte Anderson, Sanne Albertson, Eda Dernier and Anindita Gautum for organizing thank you gifts for the MS teachers for their participation in our Week Without Walls trips. Thank you to all parents who contributed to the gifts. Your gratitude and support is deeply appreciated.

 

Have a great weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                      Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal           Middle School Associate Principal 

Friday October 18

Dear Parents,

Thank you for joining us on campus this week for student-parent-teacher conferences. Our goal is that student-parent-teacher conferences provide insights into your child’s learning beyond the progress report and promote reflection and conversations around learning. In the coming weeks, we will have opportunities at our parent coffee and Celebration of Learning for you to learn about our program and engage with your child in meaningful conversations about their learning learning

India Week

The week of October 21is India Week. During this week, students will be creating kolams in advisory and displaying them around the ground floor and MS office. We encourage students to dress in traditional Indian outfits throughout the week to celebrate our host country. 

Parent Coffee

Our next parent coffee will be Tuesday, October 22 from 8:45-9:45am in the Hall of Light. It will focus on the Middle School Learning Habits and offer information about the Celebration of Learning on October 30. Ms. Kathryn Ahuja, Grade Six EAL teacher, and Jen Gold, Middle School Counselor will lead the coffee. They will also demonstrate learning activities that students engage in regularly in their school. By attending, you will increase your understanding about how your child learns daily in their classes. Before the coffee, check out Kathryn and Jen’s introductions under “Teacher Introductions” in the sidebar. 

MUN Impact World Food Day Food Drive

When: Wednesday Oct. 16- 23rd     (1 week)

What : Non-perishable items

• Canned/Bottled goods   Ex. Oil
• Dried goods   Ex. Grains, beans

What: Put in boxes- near ES, MS, HS offices, Reception, and ES library.

For Whom: All goods will be donated to Seva Samajam Children’s Home- Guild of Service

MS Play: Coming Soon!

Shivers takes one of the lesser known tales from the Brothers Grimm and turns it on its head. A young woman named Roberta is strangely different from everyone else in that she was born without the ability to feel afraid. So, she sets out on a journey to discover the meaning of fear. On the way she encounters all kinds of zany, spooky characters and, in typical happily-ever-after fashion, ends up freeing the world’s most haunted castle from its curse.

Halloween Party

We have a frightfully fun event lined up for middle school students at the end of this month! Please have your son or daughter join us Friday, November 1st, at 5:00 p.m., for our Middle School Halloween Party. This is a chance to dress up in a scary (or just plain fun!) costume, play a carnival game or two, and dance to some classic Halloween tunes like "The Monster Mash." The spooky fun will continue at 6:15 p.m. with the MS Play.  Your child can reserve their entry to the Halloween Party by picking up an invitation at lunchtime during the week of October 28th. The party will be held in the FAC cafeteria. 

Early Release Day

On Wednesday October 23 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. 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.

Celebration of Learning

The Middle School Celebration of Learning is Wednesday, October 30. More details coming at Tuesday’s parent coffee and in next week’s post. The celebration will take place from 2:15-3:30pm. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Middle School ASAs Season 2

Have a great weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                      Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal          Middle School Associate Principal 

Friday October 11

Dear Parents,

Greetings from Delhi where I am joining our middle school soccer teams for the annual ASIAC soccer tournament. Today, I joined middle school principals from our ASIAC partners (American Embassy School and American School Bombay) to open the tournament and speak to the values this partnership supports: collaboration, being a good sport, and fair and ethical competition. These values live on and off the field and speak to the importance of what our co-curricular programs offer our students to further develop the attributes from our Vision for a Learner. As this ASA season comes to an end, a special thank you to our ASIAC soccer coaches: Mr. Cristian Luca, Mr. Nigel Holdsworth, Mr. John Sandman, Mr. Suresh, and Mr. Brian Mikkelsen. 

Student Parent Teacher Conferences

Student parent teacher conferences will be this Thursday and Friday, October 17 and 18. Conferences are by appointment from 4:00-7:00pm Thursday and from 8:00am-4:00pm Friday. There are no classes for students on Friday. Students should be on campus only for conferences with a parent. Please see the email from earlier in the week for the link and instructions to sign up for conferences. Bring your child’s mid-semester progress report with you to the conferences as it will be a point for discussion with each teacher. 

Mid-Semester Progress Reports

Mid-semester progress reports will be distributed on Wednesday, October 16. This report is new this year as the MS has shifted from trimester to semester grade reporting periods. On the report, you will notice that all standards in each class are not graded at this time. This will appear as “In Process.” You can expect to see progress grades for at least half of the standards in each course. A full report with comments and grades for the semester will be distributed in January. Discussions between students, parents and teachers will lend explanation to the grades on the mid-semester report. 

MS ASA Season Two

It is time to sign-up for Season 2 of Middle School Arts, Sports and Activities.  Many of the activities will be starting the week of October 14th, while others will be starting the week of November 11th.  Please fill out the following form to sign up for these activities and the Athletics & Activities Office will contact you with further information.  

MS ASA Season 2 Sign-Up Form

If you have any questions, you can come by the Athletics & Activities Office or contact any of the following people: 

bjack@aischennai.org

dmonicka@aischennai.org

mryan@aischennai.org

EAL Parent Coffee

The first of four English as an Additional Language (EAL) Coffees will be next Thursday, 17 October from 8:45-9:45am in the BBT. We will be focusing on AISC's Language Philosophy and what it means for all students, not just our English language learners.  We will examine what current research says about language development and how it shapes our EAL Program. There will be plenty of time for participants to ask questions and seek clarification. Mark your calendar for next Thursday, BBT, 8:45-9:45pm. If you can't make the coffee but have a question, feel free to email Sarah Sahr, EAL Program Director, ssarah@aischennai.org, at any time.

Soda Bottles Needed 

Grade 8 Science is in need of empty soda bottles that are 1.75 - 2.25 liters. We would like to recycle them into bottle rockets. You can drop them off at 2110 or at the MS office. 

Indian Book Fair

From Monday, October 14th - Wednesday, October 16th, Scholastic, Tulika Books, and Tara Books will present the Indian Book Fair 2019! The location will be the Unity Courtyard and the times are as follows:

Monday: 8:00-5:00

Tuesday: 8:00-5:00

Wednesday: 8:00-3:30

Homework Club

Homework club will begin October 14. Homework club is a safe, supportive, positive space where students can seriously attend to schoolwork or quiet reading, and receive

support from school faculty. Homework club sponsors will provide support in:

● Language Support

● Organization

● PowerSchool

● Clarifications

● Feedback

● Learning Habits

More information about homework club can be found hereand on the agreement. Please complete the agreement and return it to Ms. Margaret in the MS Counselling Office if your child would like to participate in the club. 

Have a great weekend,

Jessica Pechhold                      Andrew Ranson

Middle School Principal           Middle School Associate Principal