Friday February 26

Dear Parents and Students, 

Our January/February edition of the ASIC times is available! Read about the past two months from our students’ perspective! Next week we will celebrate STEAM Fest and will launch our STEAM Fest website. You will receive the link to website and information for the even this coming week. STEAM Fest is one of our Celebrations of Learning where students can publicly share what they have learned. 
 

Incoming MS Principal Conversations
Incoming Middle School Principal, Ms. Jennifer Bertram, will host conversations for middle school parents on Thursday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m. and Friday, March 5 at 12:00 p.m. These sessions are intended to give interested 2021-2022 middle school parents and Ms. Bertram the opportunity to begin to get to know one another. Please see a letter from Ms. Bertram and the zoom links below: 

 

 Dear Middle School AISC Parents,
I am excited about the possibility of getting to know you and the AISC community over the next few months.  My family and I are looking forward to moving from Bangladesh to Chennai and learning all about a new culture.  We’ve enjoyed our time in Dhaka and my children have even visited AISC as part of the SAISA Sports League.  It is wonderful to have these connections already with Track & Field and Volleyball.  I feel very fortunate to have visited AISC back in February 2016 as part of the Middle School NESA Conference.  There have been many changes made to the AISC campus since then, but I was struck by the lovely green and tropical feel of the campus.  I was also inspired by the keynote presentation of Mr. Sugata Mitra and his hopeful vision for education as he described it in the “Hole in the Wall experiment.”  I came away from the visit to Chennai recharged, and thankful to be working with such a talented group of people both in Dhaka and in the NESA region. 

Throughout my five years in Dhaka, I have remained connected to both the SAISA organization through my childrens’ and students’ activities, and also the NESA network.  It is through this organization that I was able to meet Jessica Pechhold and learn about the Middle School at AISC further.  I am impressed by the Middle School initiatives like those in the areas of STEAM and Service Learning and it will be wonderful to experience these firsthand.  In our time together in the upcoming weeks, we will have a chance to meet and get to know each other over Zoom.  I am very interested in hearing about your perspective on the AISC community and what impresses you and makes AISC special.  I am eager to learn about what you and your children value and how that relates to the school community.  By sharing our ideas, we can begin to envisage what our partnership and time together will entail. 
 

I look forward to embarking on this journey with you.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Bertram

 

The two sessions will be identical giving MS parents the opportunity to choose either one that works best for their schedule. 

Thursday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m. 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88559376233?pwd=ODlCZTlMcm94eXBnRm5PUmV2eVpXZz09 

Meeting ID: 885 5937 6233
Passcode: AISCMS

 

Friday, March 5 at 12:00 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84847067541?pwd=cGNDUURIVFoxbE4yWEpIWGhrc1Z5QT09

Meeting ID: 848 4706 7541
Passcode: AISCMS

 

2019-20 Yearbook & Learning Materials Distribution
This week students in seventh and eighth grades completed forms to request a yearbook. Students have received an email with the form. If students have not completed the form and want a yearbook from last school year, please contact the middle school office: msoffice@aischennai.org. Sixth grade year books are being distributed by the Elementary School Office, and information has been sent via email. Please contact them if you have questions about yearbooks for sixth graders. 

In our next round of supply distribution you can expect: 

• 2019-20 yearbooks for seventh and eighth grade students upon request
• Eighth graders: geometry workbooks and supplies
• T shirts for students who participated in CHEMUN, ASIAC E-Sports and ASIAC Academic Games

 Look for an email this coming week about the pick-up procedure for these supplies.

 

Class of 2025/Current Grade 8 Students & Parents
-From the HS Counselling Office

It is time to start thinking about and planning for high school! The high school counselors are excited to meet with you and begin this process. Please note the following information sessions and timeline. On Tuesday, March 2nd, the HS counselors will host an information session for parents regarding course registration for 8th graders moving into high school at AISC.  The meeting will take place at 8:45 am via Zoom.  
 

Here is the Zoom information for the parent meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82772021137?pwd=SlB3ZEhxKzRMSFU1Zm43U1g4TzV1dz09

Meeting ID: 827 7202 1137
Passcode: cXpiV0fPJa 

The course registration process will be outlined at these meetings. Please check the following document for a peek at what to expect -- Course Registration for HS - Current Grade 8 Students.  If questions arise, please feel free to reach out to one of the high school counselors for clarification and support. 

On the same day, the HS counselors will meet with all 8th grade students during their Advisory period to share course registration information.  

Tracey Grimm -- gtracey@aischennai.org
Josiah Laposky -- ljosiah@aischennai.org 

 

 

Real-World Career Experiences for Grade 8!
The Advancement Office, in partnership with the Middle School, is pleased to launch CareerX opportunities for Grade 8 during Spring Break! 

At-a-Glance Details

• See all the opportunities here.
• When is CareerX: March 15–19 (Spring Break)
• Organizations are categorized as: Sustainability, Photography, Healthcare
• LAST DAY TO SIGN UP: FRIDAY, MARCH 5
• Sign Up Here!
• Watch a super-short video about CareerX and what students have to say about it here!

 

What is Career X?
CareerX provides students exposure to real-world career experiences by matching their interests to partner organizations. These are offered throughout the school year, during Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer Breaks. The Spring Break edition is from March 15–19, 2021.

 

What experiences are on offer?
Students can choose from three experiences for Spring Break. Learn more here.

 

What happens after my child signs up?
The Advancement Office will arrange an introductory Zoom meeting between your child and the partner organization before March 15. Representatives from Advancement will be present to facilitate this meeting. The introductory meeting will help partners tailor the experience to student interests and strengths. Once the CareerX begins, students will communicate directly with their supervisor at the partner organization over email and Zoom.

 

If you'd like to know more, please write to  advancementdirector@aischennai.org.

 

Have a great weekend,

 

Jessica Pechhold
Middle School Principal

 

Thursday February 18

Dear Parents and Students, 

Students ended this week participating in a wellbeing day. Today’s wellbeing day took on a different format than past days. See below for more information and examples of what students and teachers have posted about wellbeing related to today’s themes. More information about our wellbeing day can also be found in last week’s notes under the Parent Coffee section. This coming week, we look forward to immersing ourselves in STEAM. Students will be participating in a STEAM module in their core classes (Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math) to compete their projects, prepare presentations and reflect on their experience.  You will be able to view students’ STEAM projects during STEAM Fest on Wednesday, March 3. Stay tuned for more details!

Wellbeing Day
Today, middle school students stepped away from their regularly scheduled classes to focus on their connectivity and wellbeing. The four themes of focus in connection time were: Positive Emotions, Relationships, Accomplishments, and Meaning and Purpose. During their independent work time students were encouraged to put down their technology and set an intention to build these areas of wellbeing.  Please take a moment to enjoy the postings on this wellbeing padlet demonstrating some of the activities our students and teachers engaged in.

Attendance Notifications
Starting Monday, February 22, the MS office will send home attendance notifications to parents one time per week. Currently, the office sends daily notification to parents and students when students do not complete the daily check-in form to register their attendance. Starting Monday, only students will be contacted daily when they do not complete the daily check-in form. Parents will receive an email at the end of the week to confirm absences if students have not responded to the email reminders from the MS office to register their attendance.  

Incoming MS Principal Conversations

Incoming Middle School Principal, Ms. Jennifer Bertram, will host conversations for middle school parents on Thursday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m. and Friday, March 5 at 12:00 p.m. These sessions are intended to give interested 2021-2022 middle school parents and Ms. Bertram the opportunity to begin to get to know one another. Please see a letter from Ms. Bertram and the zoom links below: 

 Dear Middle School AISC Parents,

I am excited about the possibility of getting to know you and the AISC community over the next few months.  My family and I are looking forward to moving from Bangladesh to Chennai and learning all about a new culture.  We’ve enjoyed our time in Dhaka and my children have even visited AISC as part of the SAISA Sports League.  It is wonderful to have these connections already with Track & Field and Volleyball.  I feel very fortunate to have visited AISC back in February 2016 as part of the Middle School NESA Conference.  There have been many changes made to the AISC campus since then, but I was struck by the lovely green and tropical feel of the campus.  I was also inspired by the keynote presentation of Mr. Sugata Mitra and his hopeful vision for education as he described it in the “Hole in the Wall experiment.”  I came away from the visit to Chennai recharged, and thankful to be working with such a talented group of people both in Dhaka and in the NESA region.

Throughout my five years in Dhaka, I have remained connected to both the SAISA organization through my childrens’ and students’ activities, and also the NESA network.  It is through this organization that I was able to meet Jessica Pechhold and learn about the Middle School at AISC further.  I am impressed by the Middle School initiatives like those in the areas of STEAM and Service Learning and it will be wonderful to experience these firsthand.  In our time together in the upcoming weeks, we will have a chance to meet and get to know each other over Zoom.  I am very interested in hearing about your perspective on the AISC community and what impresses you and makes AISC special.  I am eager to learn about what you and your children value and how that relates to the school community.  By sharing our ideas, we can begin to envisage what our partnership and time together will entail.  

I look forward to embarking on this journey with you.

 Sincerely,

 Jennifer Bertram

The two sessions will be identical giving MS parents the opportunity to choose either one that works best for their schedule. 

Thursday, March 4 at 5:30 p.m. 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88559376233?pwd=ODlCZTlMcm94eXBnRm5PUmV2eVpXZz09 

Meeting ID: 885 5937 6233

Passcode: AISCMS

Friday, March 5 at 12:00 p.m.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84847067541?pwd=cGNDUURIVFoxbE4yWEpIWGhrc1Z5QT09

Meeting ID: 848 4706 7541

Passcode: AISCMS

Supply Pick Up: Reminder
Geometry kits for all MS students as well as art (grades 6-8) and robotics (grade 7) kits for students enrolled in these classes are available for pick up. If you did not pick up your supplies last week, stop by AISC’s campus any time to pick up your materials. Your materials are in a bag labelled with your Last Name, First Name and Grade Level. A driver may pick up your supplies. Please make sure he has your  Last Name, First Name and Grade Level to pick up the correct package. Pull into the main gate and you will be directed to the pick up area outside of the main entry. An ASIC staff member will keep a record of your pick up. 

Real-World Career Experiences for Grade 8!
The Advancement Office, in partnership with the Middle School, is pleased to launch CareerX opportunities for Grade 8 during Spring Break!
 

At-a-Glance Details

· See all the opportunities here.

· When is CareerX: March 15–19 (Spring Break)

· Organizations are categorized as: Sustainability, Photography, Healthcare

· LAST DAY TO SIGN UP: FRIDAY, MARCH 5

· Sign Up Here!

· Watch a super-short video about CareerX and what students have to say about it here!

                                                                                             

What is CareerX?   
CareerX provides students exposure to real-world career experiences by matching their interests to partner organizations. These are offered throughout the school year, during Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer Breaks. The Spring Break edition is from March 15–19, 2021.

What experiences are on offer?
Students can choose from three experiences for Spring Break. Learn more here.

What happens after my child signs up? 
The Advancement Office will arrange an introductory Zoom meeting between your child and the partner organization before March 15. Representatives from Advancement will be present to facilitate this meeting. The introductory meeting will help partners tailor the experience to student interests and strengths. Once the CareerX begins, students will communicate directly with their supervisor at the partner organization over email and Zoom.

If you'd like to know more, please write to advancementdirector@aischennai.org.

MS Reopening Plan Summary
WHEN we are able to reopen, here are broad points that describe what our return to campus will look like for middle school students. Please note that there is no reopening date as of now for middle school students. It is a choice for students to return to campus. We will offer a virtual learning option for the remainder of the school year.

• Middle school students will be divided in two groups:
              Mango: Students with last names A-K will come to school Monday & Tuesday                                Blue: Students with last names L-Z will come to school Thursday & Friday

• Grades 6, 7, and 8 will be phased in over two weeks. Students will be cohorted in advisory groups until all middle school students in all cohorts are reoriented to campus.
• The goal of these two weeks is to acclimate students to classrooms and the campus, practice new routines and attend to students’ wellbeing during this transition.
• When arriving on campus, students will report to advisory each day so that we can maintain social distancing before classes begin.
• Each day, students on campus will have additional contact time with their advisor from 8:45-9:00am for clarifications on procedures and information.· 

Family Use of the AISC Libraries
AISC families are able to request books every week from our libraries using this Google form. Books can be ordered through the form from today until Monday at 9:00am and can be picked up curbside at the ES entrance on Wednesdays between 10:00am -1:00pm. Bags with the child's name clearly marked on the front will be located inside the white cubbies. Patrons are invited to take the bag that belongs to them without touching any other materials. In addition, a book drop is positioned curbside at the ES entrance, as well as the main entrance, for returned books. We encourage families to return the books after two weeks, although if a specific title is needed for a longer period, please contact Babs to implement an extension. 

 

All School Spirit Week 
All School Spirit week is February 22-26! Show how you live the AISC mission by demonstrating the 4 C’s throughout the week. Here are the details for each day and suggestions for how you can choose to participate. 

Monday - Compassion: Random acts of kindness. Examples include:

• make a snack for a family member
• make a thank you card or drawing for a friend or family member
• help complete a chore/task at home

Tuesday - AISC Spirit : Wear an AISC shirt, school colors or zoom background with Raptor pride!

Wednesday - Courage & Confidence Day: Share a quote or story/read a quote or story that inspires or demonstrates courage or confidence

Thursday - Compassion: Be kind to the environment. Examples include:

·  Don’t buy one time use plastic items

·  Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

·  Throw your trash in bins. 

·  See litter on the floor? Pick it up!

 

Friday- Creative Friday: Show your own creativity: fun hair, DIY mask, your own original background, creative clothing, or wacky make-up

Have a great weekend,

 
Jessica Pechhold
Middle School Principal

 

 

Friday February 12

Dear Parents and Students,

As we work through February, we are looking forward to events coming up this month. Next Thursday, we will have a day-long MS Wellbeing Day focused on Positive Emotions. More information on the focus for the day can be found in the parent coffee slides linked below. In Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math classes, students are focused on their topics and projects for STEAM and our STEAM module that will culminate in STEAM Fest on Wednesday, March 3. Details about STEAM can also be found in the parent coffee slides.

 Parent Coffee Slides and Recording
Thank you to those of you who attended our parent coffee this Tuesday. If you were not able to make the meeting, you can view the slides and a recording of the coffee.

Resources sited in the meeting are available for you below:  

·      Psychology Today:  Car Talk:  Innovative Ways to Connect with Teens 

·      Psychology Today:  Rock On:  Getting Your Teen To Talk

·      Family Education: A Parents Guide to the Latest Teen Slang

If you are interested in visualizing  what STEAM projects and STEAM Fest looks like, last year’s virtual STEAM Fest is available for you to browse.

Supply Pick Up
Geometry kits for all MS students as well as art (grades 6-8) and robotics (grade 7) kits for students enrolled in these classes are available for pick up. Please stop by AISC’s campus any time on Friday, Saturday or Sunday to pick up your materials. Your materials are in a bag labelled with your Last Name, First Name and Grade Level. A driver may pick up your supplies. Please make sure he has your  Last Name, First Name and Grade Level to pick up the correct package. Pull into the main gate and you will be directed to the pick up area outside of the main entry. An ASIC staff member will keep a record of your pick up. Students enrolled in art should have their kits picked up before their art class on Monday, February 15. 

Family Use of the AISC Libraries
AISC families are able to request books every week from our libraries using this Google form. Books can be ordered through the form from today until Monday at 9:00am and can be picked up curbside at the ES entrance on Wednesdays between 10:00am -1:00pm. Bags with the child's name clearly marked on the front will be located inside the white cubbies. Patrons are invited to take the bag that belongs to them without touching any other materials. In addition, a book drop is positioned curbside at the ES entrance, as well as the main entrance, for returned books. We encourage families to return the books after two weeks, although if a specific title is needed for a longer period, please contact Babs to implement an extension. 

 

Library staff will practice all health and safety protocols while gathering your books. Upon return, books and the canvas bags that are distributed will be sanitized.  

We encourage families to check the library catalog before requesting specific titles to ensure that they are available. Please let Babs know on bbarbara@aischennai.org know if you have any questions.

All School Spirit Week
All School Spirit week is February 22-26! Show how you live the AISC mission by demonstrating the 4 C’s throughout the week. Here are the details for each day and suggestions for how you can choose to participate. 

Monday - Compassion: Random acts of kindness. Examples include:

• make a snack for a family member
• make a thank you card or drawing for a friend or family member
• help complete a chore/task at home

Tuesday - AISC Spirit : Wear an AISC shirt, school colors or zoom background with Raptor pride!

Wednesday - Courage & Confidence Day: Share a quote or story/read a quote or story that inspires or demonstrates courage or confidence

Thursday - Compassion: Be kind to the environment. Examples include:

· Don’t buy one time use plastic items

· Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

· Throw your trash in bins. 

· See litter on the floor? Pick it up!

Friday- Creative Friday: Show your own creativity: fun hair, DIY mask, your own original background, creative clothing, or wacky make-up

Returning/Departing Chennai
If your family is returning to Chennai or leaving Chennai, please contact the middle school office msoffice@aischennai.org for changes in your time zone.  

Paper Document Request
We are now able to print documents. If you need past reports or this semester's report card in paper copy, please contact the middle school office with your request. Documents will be available for pick up at the security gate. Only one copy of the report or document will be printed by the office.

 

Have a great weekend,

 

Jessica Pechhold

Middle School Principal

 

 

Friday February 5

Dear Parents and Students,

 

Today at our assembly we celebrated student participation in our activities offered during the first semester. One of our commitments this year was to continue to offer a robust menu of co-curricular offerings in our virtual setting. While these activities look a bit different than the past, we have continued to offer students ways to collaborate with classmates, meet students from other American schools in India, and explore areas of interests. Take some time to view our slides from assembly to see how students have thrived in co-curricular MS clubs and ASIAC activities! 

 

February Parent Coffee

Our February Parent Coffee is scheduled for Tuesday, February 9. The zoom link for the event is below. Topics for the meeting will be: strategies for keeping open parent-child communication, an overview of MS Wellbeing Day lessons, and an overview of STEAM. Looking forward to seeing you then!

Topic: Parent Coffee

Time: Feb 9, 2021 09:00

AM India

Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 823 4627

9403

Passcode: 661892

Family Use of the AISC Libraries

Beginning today, AISC families will be able to request books every week from our libraries using this Google form. Books can be ordered through the form until Mondays at 9:00am and can be picked up curbside at the ES entrance on Wednesdays between 10:00am -1:00pm. In addition, a book drop is positioned curbside at the ES entrance, as well as the main entrance, for returned books. We encourage families to return the books after two weeks, although if a specific title is needed for a longer period, please contact Babs to implement an extension. 

 

Library staff will practice all health and safety protocols while gathering your books. Upon return, books and the canvas bags that are distributed will be sanitized. 

 

We encourage families to check the library catalog before requesting specific titles to ensure that they are available. Please let Babs know at bbarbara@aischennai.org if you have any questions.

All School Spirit Week                                                                                                     

All School Spirit week is February 22-26! Show how you live the AISC mission by demonstrating the 4 C’s throughout the week. Here are the details for each day and suggestions for how you can choose to participate. 

Monday - Compassion: Random acts of kindness. Examples include:

• make a snack for a family member
• make a thank you card or drawing for a friend or family member
• help complete a chore/task at home

Tuesday - AISC Spirit : Wear an AISC shirt, school colors or zoom background with Raptor pride!

Wednesday - Courage & Confidence Day: Share a quote or story/read a quote or story that inspires or demonstrates courage or confidence

Thursday - Compassion: Be kind to the environment. Examples include:

· Don’t buy one time use plastic items

· Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

· Throw your trash in bins. 

· See litter on the floor? Pick it up!

 

Friday- Creative Friday: Show your own creativity: fun hair, DIY mask, your own original background, creative clothing, or wacky make-up

Returning/Departing Chennai

If your family is returning to Chennai or leaving Chennai, please contact the middle school office msoffice@aischennai.org for changes in your time zone. 

 

Paper Document Request

We are now able to print documents. If you need past reports or this semester's report card in paper copy, please contact the middle school office with your request. Documents will be available for pick up at the security gate. Only one copy of the report or document will be printed by the office.

 

Have a great weekend,

 

Jessica Pechhold

Middle School Principal