Dear Parents and Students,
Thank you again to all those parents who attended the Parent Back to School Night on August 19th. We would really appreciate your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out this brief Back to School Night Parent Survey which will be open for responses until Friday September 3rd. We are looking forward to hearing from you and I will share the results with you once we have tabulated them.
Upcoming Dates:
August 30: MAP Testing Overview Parent Coffee @ 8:45 - 9:15
Sept. 3: Yearbook Photos due!
Sept. 6th - 9th: MS MAP Testing
Sept. 14th: Parent Coffee: Academics Success = Attendance @ 8:45
Sept. 17th: UN International Peace Day
Advisory:
In Advisory these past two weeks students and Advisors worked on developing their unique identities by creating an Advisory name and Advisory skits for the September 3rd Assembly. Please take a moment to ask your child to share their Advisory names and skits. Also, we have regularly been sharing inclusion activities and practicing wellbeing during Advisory time. A few questions that might encourage your adolescent to share at the dinner table…”Would you rather be a famous actor/actress, or a famous singer?” Another question, “What are you grateful for today?” We also shared a video with students to understand how to find their missing assignments on Schoology. Please review this video and ask your child to show you their Schoology assignment list.
Attendance:
In an attempt to support our students as best we can in the virtual setting, we are going to be recording attendance for students for each block. Therefore, a student who does not attend connection time in his/her blocks will be marked absent. The same will be true for Advisory.
When a student is in class we expect that they have their cameras turned on and that they unmute their microphones when asked to. We also require students to move into breakout rooms when asked. If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent a student from following these guidelines, please encourage your child to communicate with their teachers.
We want to make sure that we are keeping track of students in a way that best supports their learning and engagement in classes. As a result, we are asking you to please inform the msoffice@aischennai.org or sazizunnisa@aischennai.org if your son/daughter will be absent from a class. Absences on the report cards will be listed in terms of missed blocks rather than missed days, as was previously stated.
Teachers will be updating attendance records for all their students every block and we will be collecting information on absences and communicating that to teachers daily. Please ensure that you inform the Middle School office regarding absences.
Community Outreach:
Our grade 8 students have been invited to Lunch Bunch with the MS Principal to share hopes for the year as well as highlights of Middle School. As you can see in the photos below, we have only started, but it has been successful! Community outreach to parents continues to happen as Ms. Gretchen Galaty and I telephone MS parents to welcome them to this new school year.
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 to 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/P8xoAEtZ to sign.
Review and sign the signature page as soon as possible. The Middle School Office will be in contact with families who have not submitted a signature page.
MAP Testing:
Beginning on September 6th, we will commence MAP with Middle School students. As you may know, Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) are a series of computerized adaptive tests that measure general knowledge in reading, mathematics, language usage and science. This is a test intended to measure our students’ growth and is not recorded in a student's report card. On Wednesday Sept. 8th, students will be testing on an early release day, where the blocks are shortened. In order to accommodate these timings, we have arranged an appropriate test for that day.
We will be conducting the testing in the first block of the school day and will be administering the following tests:
Reading
Mathematics
Language Usage
Science
It is important that students are ready to take the tests at 9:00am in the morning, by being well rested and having had a nutritious breakfast. We will be spending time in the coming weeks preparing students for the tests in Advisory to ensure that their technology is up to date to run the MAP test virtually.
On Monday, August 30, from 8:45-9:15 we will be hosting a MAP Testing Information Meeting for parents. In this presentation, we will give an overview of the test itself as well as give a description of the student experience with the test.
Please find the Zoom Meeting here:
Meeting ID: 923 6905 4178
Passcode: 331688
Students will be briefed in their Advisory sessions on MAP testing during the week of August 30th and they will also update their technology to ensure they are ready to take the test on their own devices.
SAVE THE DATE: UN International Day of Peace Virtual Assembly and Parade of Nations (Friday, September 17)
This year’s theme for the UN International Day of Peace is "Recovering Better for a Sustainable and Equitable World." With student speakers and participants from Elementary to High School, we are excited to continue bringing annual traditions to you virtually. Stay tuned for more details on how you can join us on Friday, September 17, 2:45 p.m.
PCA International Community Celebrations: September 17 Onwards
One of the highlights of the AISC annual calendar is the PCA International Day Picnic. In partnership with the PCA and the many Country Coordinators that represent our diverse community, International Day is a true celebration of AISC’s cultural identity.
This year, as we continue to bring you shared virtual experiences, the PCA and Advancement will be launching an International Community Celebration webpage, complete with country-specific activities and pre-recorded content for you to celebrate our internationalism. More details to come!
Yearbook Available for Pick up:
The printed copies of the 2020-21 AISC Yearbook are in. Returning 6-8th graders, may pick up a copy from Security. Please email Ms. Aziz (sazizunnisa@aischennai.org ) the day and time that your driver will be coming to school, so that Security can be prepared to hand over the Yearbook. Emailing ahead is essential!
Yearbook Photos:
IMPORTANT: Submitting Student Yearbook Portraits
Last day to submit: September 3, 2021
The Yearbook Team will be collecting student portraits virtually. You can read the instructions and upload the photo by visiting this website.
At-A-Glance Details
Please read the instructions carefully.
You can use the back camera of a mobile phone to take your child’s photo. Make sure you use a plain background with no pictures or decor.
You can also consider taking your photo professionally at a studio if you have access to one in your area; make sure to request for a grey background.
IMPORTANT! Please rename your child’s photo accordingly. We will not be able to accept submissions if you do not rename the photo.
Grade_First Name_Last Name
e.g. 7_Harry_PotterLast Day to Submit: Friday, September 3, 11:59 p.m. IST
Thank you for your support! Please write to media@aischennai.org if you have any questions.
Have a great weekend,
Jennifer Bertram
Middle School Principal
