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:
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!
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