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