October 29th

 Dear Parents and Students,

This week was a wonderful time to come together as a faculty and celebrate our India week. We had a special lunch on Thursday and took our MS Faculty photo. We hope to be able to repeat some of these traditions with your children. We have compiled an interactive and fun orientation back to campus that will engage students and emphasize our health and safety protocols. As we get ready to welcome your children back to campus, here is some important health and safety readiness information for you.

Here is a list of information you need to prepare for Middle School student Return to Campus:

• MS students will be in person 5 days a week.

• Please commit to one modality of learning, either on-campus or virtual. 

• Reach out to the MS Principal as soon as possible if you decide to change modalities. We will work with you on the transition day for your child. 

• Parent coffee slides and recordings (both are the same presentation)

• Slides from the presentation

• Recording Tuesday, October 19th (with Korean translation)

• Other helpful videos/information

• Entry Procedures

• Outdoor Protocols

• How to complete home COVID test

• FAQs from parent coffees

• What do I need to do to get ready for November 1st?

• Complete all return to campus documents

• Pick up student IDs and COVID test kit on campus at any time

• Download and set up ParentLocker app

• Administer COVID test to your child October 29th, upload test results, keep individual test strip in baggie and bring to school every Monday

• Complete ParentLocker app questions before school Monday, November 1st

• What should my child bring to school?

• Two or three extra masks 

• Water bottle

• Snack and lunch (lunch refrigeration is not available, no microwaves)

• Students may pre-order lunch here

• Devices and chargers

• Headphones if you have them

• Negative COVID test on Mondays

• Individual school supplies

• Drop off and pick up times

• Staggered drop off times (see below)

• Oldest in family enters at the same time as youngest in family

• Students will hand sanitize, have temperature check, scan ID, and enter

• No parents allowed on campus at this time

• Pick up

• Staggered dismissal time

• Oldest student will dismiss with youngest family

• Cars pull up to MS gate and look for the grade level sign

Here is the calendar of upcoming events:

Date	Event		Details
October 22nd	Return to Campus Forms are due
October 29th	MS Halloween Event		Details to Follow
October 29th	Upload your child’s PanBio test
November 1st	ES/MS students are back on campus

 

School Bus Transportation

As AISC is getting ready to welcome Elementary and Middle School students on campus, we are also ready to roll out the Bus Program from Monday, November 1, for both pick-up and drop-off services.

 

AISC has protocols in place for school-operated buses in order to ensure the health and safety of students taking our buses.

 

If you are interested in this service for your child(ren), please send an email to our Transport Supervisor (transportsupervisor@aischennai.org), to learn about the cost, routes, timing and the health-safety protocols. 

 

Attendance

As you can see from the graph below, the number of total absences in Middle School has decreased as we have implemented our new recording system for attendance. With your help we hope to continue to see these numbers fall as students come back to campus.

 

SAVE THE DATE: PCA Diwali Virtual Mela

Diwali and all its promised festivities are upon us! And the PCA, in partnership with the Advancement Office is excited to bring you a virtual Diwali experience! This web-based community festival includes pre-recorded community performances, cooking tutorials, and an activity book. Head to the PCA Blog for more details!

 

When: Thursday, November 11, 3:00 p.m. IST onwards

Where: Bookmark this page!

 

Have a wonderful weekend and we look forward to seeing your children on Monday!

 

Jennifer Bertram

Middle School Principal

October 22nd

 Dear Parents and Students,

We have had a very busy week and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your participation in the Parent Coffees and the Student Parent Teacher Conferences.

As we get ready to welcome students back on campus on November 1st, we would ask that you ensure your children bring the devices they will use at school for the rest of the year. Be sure to include the device charger. Please make sure that your child(ren) know(s) the Admin password for their device or have it removed for the AISC configuration aspects.

Today is the deadline to submit the Return to Campus documents. So far we have received the following:

• 100% of families have signed the Middle School Student Handbook

• 104 MS families or 84% of our students have submitted all the forms

Here is a list of information you need to prepare for Middle School student Return to Campus:

• Parent coffee slides and recordings (both are the same presentation)

• Slides from the presentation

• Recording Tuesday, October 19th (with Korean translation)

• Other helpful videos/information

• Entry Procedures

• Outdoor Protocols

• How to complete home COVID test

• FAQs from parent coffees

• What do I need to do to get ready for November 1st?

• Complete all return to campus documents

• Pick up student IDs and COVID test kit on campus at any time

• Download and set up ParentLocker app

• Administer COVID test to your child October 29th, upload test results, keep individual test strip in baggie and bring to school every Monday

• Complete ParentLocker app questions before school Monday, November 1st

• What should my child bring to school?

• Two or three extra masks 

• Water bottle

• Snack and lunch (lunch refrigeration is available, no microwaves)

• Devices and chargers

• Headphones if you have them

• Negative COVID test on Mondays

• Individual school supplies

• Drop off and pick up times

• Staggered drop off times (see below)

• Oldest in family enters at the same time as youngest in family

• Students will hand sanitize, have temperature check, scan ID, and enter

• No parents allowed on campus at this time

• Pick up

• Staggered dismissal time

• Oldest student will dismiss with youngest family

• Cars pull up to MS gate and look for the grade level sign

Here is the calendar of upcoming events:

Date	Event		Details
October 22nd	Return to Campus Forms are due
October 29th	MS Halloween Event		Details to Follow
October 29th	Upload your child’s PanBio test
November 1st	ES/MS students are back on campus

 

School Bus Transportation

As AISC is getting ready to welcome Elementary and Middle School students on campus, we are also ready to roll out the Bus Program from Monday, November 1, for both pick-up and drop-off services.

 

AISC has protocols in place for school-operated buses in order to ensure the health and safety of students taking our buses.

 

If you are interested in this service for your child(ren), please send an email to our Transport Supervisor (transportsupervisor@aischennai.org), to learn about the cost, routes, timing and the health-safety protocols. 

 

Attendance

As you can see from the graph below, the number of total absences in Middle School has decreased as we have implemented our new recording system for attendance. With your help we hope to continue to see these numbers fall as students come back to campus.

 

AISC Celebrates India!

With festival season upon us and Diwali just around the corner, AISC is all set to celebrate India Month. And we want to see you in your finest festive wear! So upload your Diwali photos here or tag us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (@aischennai). 

India Week Virtual Book Fair

To celebrate India Week, the AISC Libraries are proud to present our Virtual Book Fair featuring Tulika Publishers, Tara Books, Blaft Publications, and Karadi Tales! 

Members of the AISC community are welcome to browse and shop for stories by and about Indian authors and characters, set in Indian locations, and published locally. Readers will find various genres, formats, and topics that interest them and middle school students should pay particular attention to the selections available from Blaft, a new addition to our book fair that we are very excited about! 

If you have any questions, please let Ms. Babs know. Happy reading! 

Tulika Publishers: 15% discount by using code INDIATHROUGHTULIKA!

Tara Books:

Karadi Tales:

Blaft Publications (catalogue attached):

 

Parent Teacher Conferences

We would like to thank all the parents and students who attended the Student Parent Teacher Conferences on October 22nd.

Save the Date! Portal Project AISC Dialogue - What is Learning?

This month the Portal Project is focussed on "What is Learning?" and we invite all parents, faculty and students to help us craft a definition of learning and identify conditions that support it. The session will take place on Thursday, October 28th from 4:30 - 5:15 pm. Portal Project dialogues are not only engaging but generate data that is shared with the Community Planning Team and Leadership Councils to help guide our Futures Planning process. As such, participants have a voice in helping to shape the AISC of tomorrow. Interested? Please click here to add the event directly to a google calendar or here for the direct meeting link.

 

Have a wonderful weekend,

 

Jennifer Bertram

Middle School Principal

October 15th

Dear Parents and Students,

We are very busy in the Middle School getting everything set up for students to return to campus. Our meetings are focused on creating the most ideal learning environments for our students.

This week you will be receiving your child’s mid-semester report. Please have a look at the report with your child prior to the The Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 21st and 22nd. Here are some questions you can ask your child before the PTC:

• Where are you as a learner?

• In what areas would you like to focus during this academic year?

• How do your Learning Habits and the impact academic achievement? 

You might also dig a little further and ask:

• Where are your skills now? 

• What are some of your Learning Habit goals for the year?

Here is the calendar of upcoming events:

Date	Event		Details
October 18	MS Parent Coffee re: Return to Campus @ 2:00 p.m.		Zoom link here
October 19	MS Parent Coffee re: Return to Campus with Korean Translation @ 8:45 a.m.		Zoom link here
October 20, 21	Student Parent Teacher Conferences		See PTCFast Emails
November 1	ES/MS students are back on campus

 

Parent Teacher Conferences

We will have Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 21st and 22nd. You will be able to meet with teachers from 4:00-7:00pm IST on Thursday, October 21st and from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm on Friday, October 22nd. The Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held virtually via zoom links. Appointments with each teacher will be 10 minutes in length. You can sign up for conferences with your child’s teachers by using the following link:

https://ptcfast.com/schools/American_International_School_Chennai_5

 

MS Parent Coffee

At the last MS Parent Coffee we heard from six students regarding the Vision for a Learner Day as well as tips to prepare for the Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 21st and 22nd. The recording from the last Parent Coffee is here and if you would like to see the presentation, it is here.

Thank you to the following students and Ms. Gemma, who spoke to MS students about their VFL Day experiences:

• Grade 6 - Maya Krishnan - (Books & Cooks) and Irok Jin (Lego Stop Motion)

• Grade 7 - Kiran Sovak - (Pizza) and Rakesh Rajmohan (Ted Talk)

• Grade 8 - Junyoung Koo (Tony) - Mock Government and Jiyun Yang (Frida Kahlo)

Thanks also to Mr. Greg Clinton for the Schoology Tips and ideas for Student Parent Conferences preparation.

 

Please join us on Monday, October 18th at 2:00pm and on Tuesday, October 19th at 8:45am for information about MS students returning to campus. We will be joined by Mr. Hoover and Mr. McFarland. Tuesday’s session will be simultaneously translated to Korean. Plan to join us. These sessions will also be recorded.

 

Return to Campus Readiness Reminder

By now you  should have received a message from Ryan McFarland regarding return to campus for MS students. The forms that need to be filled out are listed here.

The deadline for completing return to campus tasks is October 22.

For “return to campus” questions, please choose the appropriate contact:

• Ryan McFarland, Director of Student Life, at mryan@aischennai.org

• Lynn Schneider, Elementary School Principal, at slynn@aischennai.org

• Jennifer Bertram, Middle School Principal, at bejennifer@aischennai.org

For questions about technology or communications, please contact Greg Clinton, Director of Technologies and Research & Development, at cgreg@aischennai.org.

If you aren’t sure what kind of question you are asking, we are happy to hear from you, no matter what!

Your Child Online: An All-School Learning Dialogue on Cyber Safety

Thursday, October 21 at 8:45-9:45am, Zoom Link (please do not share this link outside our school community)

We communicate, make friends, learn, and play online. The proliferation of activities that happen digitally has increased dramatically. With that comes some justified concern for how we and our children stay safe and secure, and what we can do as parents and educators to give young people the tools they need to thrive. Please join me, along with AISC administrators and teachers, for a presentation of new research, to hear about how we are addressing these needs in our own community, and a discussion of the tools and techniques parents might use to navigate these new situations.

New Library Books

Our new books have all arrived, so please browse the collections below and feel free to request these titles this weekend using the forms below. Happy reading! 

Family Book Request

Teacher Book Request

• New Picture Books 1

• New Picture Books 2

• New Nonfiction 1

• New Nonfiction 2

• New Biographies

• New Novels 1

• New Novels 2

• New Graphic Novels 1

• New Graphic Novels 2

Save the Date! Portal Project AISC Dialogue - What is Learning?

This month the Portal Project is focussed on "What is Learning?" and we invite all parents, faculty and students to help us craft a definition of learning and identify conditions that support it. The session will take place on Thursday, October 28th from 4:30 - 5:15 pm. Portal Project dialogues are not only engaging but generate data that is shared with the Community Planning Team and Leadership Councils to help guide our Futures Planning process. As such, participants have a voice in helping to shape the AISC of tomorrow. Interested? Please click here to add the event directly to a google calendar or here for the direct meeting link.

 

Have a wonderful weekend,

 

Jennifer Bertram

Middle School Principal