Dear Parents and Students,
In February, our students participated in the Challenge Success survey, which helps us collect data on our students’ experience in a number of areas related to engagement in the middle school. We have begun to look closely at this data and will be sharing out about it in the future. Today, I would like to share a piece of this data that reminds of us of who we are as a middle school. In the survey, students were asked which three words best describe our middle school. Here they are:
“Fun” used by 45% of students, is the most common category of words students use to describe American International School Chennai. “High Quality” and “Caring and Welcoming” are the next most common used by 21% and 17% of students.
Our student experience reflects the strong partnership between our families and AISC. We are grateful to have a supportive parent community. Thank you.
Another celebration of our community you will see throughout today’s blog post are selfies from sixth grade families from Portfolio Conferences! We will be highlighting grades seven and eight in the coming weeks.
Eighth Grade Transition to High School
-From High School Counselling Office
To provide information for 8th grade parents about the transition from 8th to 9th grade, the high school counselors host a parent coffee with 9th grade parents as special guests. This year, because of our current situation, we recorded this conversation through Zoom so that you will be able to access the video at your convenience. We included many of the questions that you provided, and we also asked the 9th grade parents questions about classes, support, communication, extracurricular activities, social life, and stress. You can view the Zoom conversation here -- Grade 8 to 9 Transition Parent Coffee - Zoom Recording (spoiler alert: for those of you that watch until the end, you'll notice that we had some internet connectivity issues. Apologies for that, but a sign of the times in our new Zoom age!). You can also access the Google slides here -- Grade 8 to 9 Transition Parent Coffee.
Also, we highly encourage all 8th grade students to attend 8th Grade Orientation hosted by the high school Raptor Agents on Monday, May 11th at 8:30 am. Orientation is a great opportunity for 8th grade students to learn more about high school and connect with current high school students and each other! Here is the Zoom link for the orientation: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85346450517?pwd=MkZVSHY5aUwvZ2ZoakVYL0ZjK212QT09.
MS Online Programming: Parent Meeting
This past week, I met with a group of parents who had written recently with very specific questions about synchronous or live instruction online. In this meeting, I shared with them the synchronous learning opportunities in our online learning model and how we are responding to specific feedback related to live connection time between students and parents.
On Tuesday, May 12, from 11:00am-12:00pm, I will host the same meeting for all middle school parents. The content will be the same that was presented this week. You can find the slides from the meeting that will be shared this coming week here. Dr. Sherriden Masters, Director of Technology and Innovation, will join as well. The meeting link for the Zoom meeting is below. I will share this information again in the daily morning message.
Zoom Meeting Link:
Meeting ID: 819 8990 5647
Password: 9WJuVU
SEVAI Showcase
SEVAI Showcase, our third celebration of learning this year, will open Wednesday, May 13. SEVAI is our service learning program in the middle school. Students spent time during two field days working with community partners of their choice. The activities and interactions with community partners were the result of collaborative planning and research on behalf of our students as they explored how to connect with the community needs fulfilled by each partner. SEVAI Showcase will follow a similar format as STEAM Fest. Students will have an interactive activity to complete as a part of the showcase. The link for SEVAI Showcase will be shared with parents and students on Wednesday.
End of Year Transitions
-from our Counselling Office
Transitions are challenging in the best of times. It’s always hard to say goodbye to friends, teachers, and other community members, and COVID-19 has made the challenging period of transition even more difficult. What are some ways we can support our community through these transitions?
Doug Ota, in his book Safe Passage: How mobility affects people & what international schools should do about it, posits that all students are impacted by transition in different ways and that every member of our community goes through periods of arriving, staying, and leaving:
Arrivers - students that are new to the school community
Stayers - students that have been in the school community for a while and are planning to stay
Stayers - students that have been in the school community for a while and are planning to stay
Leavers - students that are transitioning out of the school community
Ota’s idea is that transition impacts everyone in our community. It is important to acknowledge the grief that accumulates from continuous transitions, whether the individual experiencing this grief is in Grade 1 or Grade 12. Teachers, and administrators throughout the school are here to help students transition during this challenging time. Here are some helpful transition resources whether your family is arriving, leaving, or staying at AISC:
Remember that the counselors are here to support. Please reach out to us!
Withdrawal Forms
If you are certain of your withdrawal from AISC at the conclusion of this school year, please complete the Request to Issue Transfer Certificate/Past Records document linked in the “Quick Links” section of the blog. This will help the middle school office prepare your withdrawal documents in a timely manner.
Have a safe and healthy weekend,
Jessica Pechhold
Middle School Principal
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