Dear Parents and Students,
We have completed our first week of online classes. Students and teachers are learning new routines and new schedules as we connect daily during our rotating block schedule. If students have questions about your following your schedule for next week, please contact your advisor. This upcoming week we have two events for parents to learn more about our program. Grade 7 & 8 parents will have a parent coffee on Tuesday and Back to School Night for all grade levels will be held on Thursday. Details for both events are below. Our teachers and I are looking forward to seeing you at these events.
Grade 6 Parent Coffee
Thank you to parents who joined us for our sixth grade parent coffee this morning! If you were unable to join us, you can watch the video here. The slides are also here for your viewing.
MS Parent PowerSchool Coffee
Today parents also had the opportunity to join Dr. Sherriden Masters our Director of Technologies and Innovation and Kiruba Janani, our secondary technology integrator, for a PowerSchool briefing. Here are the slides from the session for your review to familiarize yourself with PowerSchool as a parent user.
Grade 7 & 8 Parent Coffee
On Tuesday, August 18, we will have a parent coffee for seventh and eighth grade parents. Whether you are a new or returning parent, you are invited to attend to learn about our program, updates for this year, and our online program. Here are the details for the meeting:
Zoom Link: Grade 7&8 Parent Coffee
Meeting ID: 826 8215 0108
Passcode: VmF3LQ
Back to School Night
On Thursday, August 20, we will host our virtual Back to School Night. The program and all zoom links can be found on the Back To School Night Program. The afternoon will consist of live and recorded sessions. Here is a brief outline of the event:
3:30pm IST: LIVE Principal’s Welcome & Introductions
4:05pm: LIVE Grade 6 Overview. Parents will “meet” all of the sixth grade teachers and will be provided with an overview of the advisory program and what to expect this school year.
4:30pm: LIVE Individual advisory meetings. Attend your child’s advisor’s meeting (links on the program) to get to know him/her and understand how they will be supporting your child this year.
4:55pm: LIVE Grade 7 Overview Parents will “meet” all of the seventh grade teachers and will be provided with an overview of the advisory program and what to expect this school year.
5:20pm: LIVE Grade 8 Overview Parents will “meet” all of the eighth grade teachers and will be provided with an overview of the advisory program and what to expect this school year.
Student Engagement & Wellbeing
As we monitor student attendance and completion of individual course assignments, we are also monitoring students' overall engagement and wellbeing. We are coordinating information shared by teachers, advisors and students related to student engagement. If you receive an email from a teacher or your child's advisor, we welcome your response and support to address the concern.
We understand that each student and family has unique circumstances in our virtual learning environment. In addition to providing instruction, we are committed to ensuring that each student is engaged, remains connected to teachers and classmates, and has positive online learning experiences. If you have concerns about your child's engagement, please contact your child's advisor or Ms.Galaty, MS Counselor. If you have questions about your child's progress in a course, contact class teachers directly.
Handbook Links & Digital Signature
Each year it is a requirement that all students and parents read and sign the Middle School Student Handbook.
1. Please review this year’s handbook here. It is linked the MS page of the AISC website.
2. After reviewing the handbook, parents and students will need to sign the signature page of the handbook together. Follow this link to the signature page of the handbook: https://signnow.com/s/lsn4kvwO to sign.
Review and sign the signature page by Friday, August 14. The Middle School Office will be in contact with families who have not submitted signatures by Friday, August 14.
Attendance
Please note that while we take attendance during connection points and advisory, attendance does not count towards a student’s grade. This is in line with our standards based assessment and reporting system. Student grades are based on their progress towards our reporting standards; not on non-academic behaviors. Attendance is kept as a separate record. Advisors and our counselor will follow up with students and families if attendance issues seem to be hindering a students’ academic growth.
Office Hours
Office hours are time outside of connect time that students can meet with their teachers for support or clarification. Students will be able to access links to office hours on the student daily bulletin starting next week. Teachers will be available on an A/B day rotating schedule:
A Day: Math, Sci, WL, PE, EAP, DT,
Yearbook + ELD Teachers in Math, Sci
B Day: LA,SS, Art, Music, Theatre
+ ELD Teachers in LA, SS
Our #AISC25 Virtual Mela
The Advancement Office has launched a Digital Program ahead of the 25th Anniversary Virtual Mela on Friday, August 21, 2020 (1:00–4:00 p.m. IST). With activity descriptions and trailers, community partner information and other details, the Digital Program will help you plan your Mela Day so you can experience a birthday like no other at our largest virtual celebration!
With something for everyone across five categories (Cultural Experiences, Social Impact, AISC History, Art & Photography, & Upskilling Activities), our Virtual Mela is an intentionally planned celebration that invites community partners new and old to help us commemorate our 25-year legacy here in Chennai, India, and the world. For a quick video primer on what to expect on Mela Day, watch this video.
So mark your calendars, watch partner trailers on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and see you on August 21!
Have a great weekend,
Jessica Pechhold
Middle School Principal