December 17th

 

Dear Parents and students,

Today we had a quick assembly where we said farewell to our students who are leaving AISC. We said farewell to the following students: Hayeon Park, Seojun Jung, Hayoung Yang, Jeongyeon Choi, Seunghyun Ryu, Yashvi Parekh, Jihye Park and Alyn Kim. We wish the students and their families the very best in their next adventure. Remember: once a raptor, always a raptor.

We also said farewell (for now!) to our teachers Mr. Nick Pollman and Mr. Remy Liotard who will become fathers (for the first and second time respectively) in January. They will be on paternity leave when we come back. We included Mr. Cristian Luca in this group too as he will also be a dad for the third time in January! Best of luck to our MS fathers!

Here is the photo from our assembly lead by the Student Voices Forum members today: Daeun Jung, Gio Namkoong, Keshav Menon, Valentina Phillip and Severa Bickel. You can see them in the photo holding our banner. It was wonderful to see them lead the entire Middle School in a game of “Just Like Me”.

Here is the calendar of upcoming events:

Important Dates

Date	Event		Details
Friday, December 17	Winter Break Begins
Week of January 3 - 7	ASA Winter Camp		Registration Form before Friday, Dec 31
Friday, January 7	Upload Panbio test result
Sunday, January 9	Winter Break Ends! Order the complimentary MS school lunch
Monday, January 10	*Send the used Panbio Test Strip with your child (to be checked and disposed at school) *Complete Parent Locker every morning
Weds, January 12	Wednesday Early Release at 2:30pm
Friday, January 14	Pongal Holiday Weekend
Week of January 17	FCD Prevention Specialists On Campus		Parent sessions will be offered Jan 18 5 to 6 pm and Jan 20 9-10 am (Zoom links TBD)

 

Key points of Project GET BACK:

1. We will go back to an 8:30 start on January 10th.

2. MS complimentary hot lunches will be served to students in the cafeteria starting January 10th.

3. MS snacks will be available for purchase from FAC for MS students at the morning break.

MAJOR Schedule Changes:

As we move into the Second Semester, we are making major changes to our student schedule. We are moving away from the 9:00am start. Therefore, our schedule starting January 10th, is as follows:

MS ERD			This is the Early Release Day schedule for January 2022. As you can see, the lunchtime for Middle School students will have them play/hangout first and eat lunch second (play/hangout 11:10am - 11:30am).
Class 1	8:30 - 9:40	70
Break	9:40 - 10:00	20
Class 2	10:00 - 11:10	70
Lunch	11:10-11:55	45
Class 3	12:00 - 1:10	70
Break	1:10-1:20	10
Class 4	1:20 - 2:30	70

 

Morning Drop-Off:

Beginning Monday, January 10, 2022, school will start at 8:30 a.m. The current start time is 8:45 a.m. and we have noticed in all three divisions (ES/MS/HS) a majority of our students are on campus well before that time. Please see the new staggered drop-off schedule below. All Middle School students need to be on campus by 8:30 a.m. Students arriving between 8:00 - 8:30 a.m. will wait at their grade level landing areas.

 

Arts, Sports & Activities Program Season 3

For Season 3 of ASA’s, all offerings are FREE of charge for AISC Grade 1- 8  students. The activities will happen on campus.  Registered students will be asked to attend all sessions of the program.  Kindly request you to register for the activities that you or your child are committed to attending. Here is the Registration Form.

• Please find the ASA schedule attached.

• Season 3 will run from Jan 17 - Mar 11.

• The form will close on Jan 12, 2022.  

For any queries, please email Monicka (dmonicka@aischennai.org

 

Arts, Sports & Activities (ASA) - Winter Camp '22

If you are interested in having your child(ren) engage in activities for Winter Camp, please fill out the Registration Form before Friday, December 31. Winter Camp will be a 5-day program that begins on Monday, January 3, and will run through Friday, January 7, 2022. Please note that the camp will be in person. The fee for each activity will be INR 2,000 in total for 5 days.  For more information, please email Monicka (dmonicka@aischennai.org).

Return to Campus Reminders: 

• We have noticed an increase in the number of MS students who arrive on campus in the morning without the Parent Locker App updated. Please ensure that you are updating the Parent Locker App for each day that your child(ren) are on campus.

• At this time MS students are not permitted on campus past their pick-up times in the afternoon. If you have a child/children in High School, please ensure that you have a way to take your Middle School student(s) home after school.

• Administer COVID test to your child January 7th, upload test results, keep individual test strip in baggie and bring to school every Monday

• Complete ParentLocker app questions before school Monday, January 10th

• Here is the link to order the complimentary MS school lunch for next week.  It should be completed by noon on Sunday.

 

The link to the sign-up form is here!

 

Repeat information: Prevention Specialists at AISC January 2022
As part of our ongoing commitment to prevention and wellness, we have invited a prevention specialist from Prevention Solutions within the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation to join our community during the week of January 17, 2022.  This program will take place online while the students attend school in person.  Some of the key topics that the specialist will address with our students are:

• encouraging and supporting the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years. 

• empowering young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug use

• teaching  students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance misuse and to intervene appropriately

• educating students, parents, teachers, and administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs

There will be an opportunity for parents of middle school students to meet with the specialist on Thursday January 20, 2022 from 9:00 to 10:00 AM.  Please watch this space for further information regarding the Prevention Solutions program.

Repeat information: Mark your calendars: Portal Project - Parent Sessions

We are excited to introduce a speaker series for parents starting in November called Parenting Beyond the Pandemic. These virtual sessions will bring experts and practitioners directly to our parent community to address a variety of relevant topics. The full list of sessions can be found here and the titles below. Registration for the sessions will take place through Eventbrite. 

We hope that you and your family are able to get some much needed rest and relaxation over the break. Enjoy time with family and friends. We look forward to seeing everyone back in the New Year.

Take care,

 

Jennifer Bertram

Middle School Principal

December 10th

Dear Parents and students,

This was a great week for Middle School students as we had our first full week of classes! It was wonderful to see MS students in the Winter Production, finishing up SEVAI presentations and also doing activities such as the egg drop in 8th grade science. It was a fulfilling and busy week for us and we look forward to one more before we break for Winter holidays.

Here is the calendar of upcoming events:

Important Dates

Date	Event		Details
Friday, December 10	Upload Panbio test result
Sunday, December 12	Order the complimentary MS school lunch for next week by noon
Monday, December 13	* Send the used Panbio Test Strip with your child (to be checked and disposed at school) * Complete Parent Locker every morning
Wednesday, December 15	Wednesday Early Release  (staggered dismissal starting at 2:30 pm)
Friday, December 17	Winter Break Begins
January 3 - 7	ASA Winter Camp		Info below

 

Beginning Monday, January 10, 2022, school will start at 8:30 a.m. The current start time is 8:45 a.m. and we have noticed in all three divisions (ES/MS/HS) a majority of our students are on campus well before that time. Please see the new staggered drop-off schedule below. All Middle School students need to be on campus by 8:30 a.m. Students arriving between 8:00 - 8:30 a.m. will wait at their grade level landing areas.

 

 

Arts, Sports & Activities (ASA) - Winter Camp '22

If you are interested in having your child(ren) engage in activities for Winter Camp, please fill out the Registration Form before Friday, December 31. Winter Camp will be a 5-day program that begins on Monday, January 3, and will run through Friday, January 7, 2022. Please note that the camp will be in person. The fee for each activity will be INR 2,000 in total for 5 days.  For more information, please email Monicka (dmonicka@aischennai.org).

 

End of Year Withdrawals:

If your child will not be continuing at AISC for Semester 2, please complete the “Request to Issue Transfer Certificate/Past Records” form linked in the Quick Links section of the blog in the sidebar. Please complete this form and submit it to the MS office msoffice@aicschennai.org

Withdrawal Process Explanation:

To initiate the withdrawal process, the Request to Issue Transfer Certificate/Reports form must be submitted. The certificate is available on the Principal’s Notes blog and from the MS Office. Once the Request to Issue Transfer Certificates/Reports form is submitted to the MS office with a confirmed date of withdrawal, it may take up to five school days to process your request. This is standard operating procedure for each withdrawal.  

1. Documents will be issued only on the last day the student is enrolled.

2. We provide only these documents: cover letter, transfer certificate and past school reports

3. We provide only ONE copy of the documents. Copies are the responsibility of the family. 

4. Documents cannot be issued till the student has returned all the school property i.e. library books, musical instruments.

5. The student needs to be cleared by the finance department in terms of fees and other payments.

Please note that emailing the MS office to inform us of your withdrawal date does not initiate the process. The process begins when the completed Request to Issue Transfer Certificates/Reports form is submitted to the MS office.

Recent Learning Models Survey:

Many thanks to those who took some time from busy lives to give us feedback on our learning models and your experience from Semester 1. The results are cause for celebration all around, not only because you, the parent community, have helped us affirm our strengths and successes, but that we have fresh, relevant ideas for growth and improvement. Your feedback matters.

 

Of the many strengths and successes you pointed out, what rose to the top were the effective support for your child’s learning by teachers and staff, the timeliness of teacher and administration communication, and the quality of synchronous time with classmates during virtual or hybrid learning. These results emphasize what an extraordinary job our teachers and staff are doing to empower AISC students to live the mission, in all modes of learning.

 

At the same time, you helped us recognize opportunities for growth in the way we provide synchronous learning time for students, as well as how we communicate with our community groups, and your comments were brimming with frank and constructive feedback on these and other topics. Again, thank you for offering your ideas. When many of your suggestions align with our own reflective self-assessments, we know we’re thinking together as a community.

MS Winter Production; The 10 Best/Worst Things about Middle School
Congratulations to the cast, crew and directors of the MS Winter Show. It was an absolute delight! Our students were immersed in a very engaging, collaborative experience. Everyone was so professional and well-prepared, it really gave us some valuable insight into the Middle School experience. BRAVO!!!

If you missed our premiere, the link to the video is https://youtu.be/kapxLC_A7bU

Return to Campus Reminders: 

• We have noticed an increase in the number of MS students who arrive on campus in the morning without the Parent Locker App updated. Please ensure that you are updating the Parent Locker App for each day that your child(ren) are on campus.

• At this time MS students are not permitted on campus past their pick-up times in the afternoon. If you have a child/children in High School, please ensure that you have a way to take your Middle School student(s) home after school.

• Administer COVID test to your child December 3rd, upload test results, keep individual test strip in baggie and bring to school every Monday

• Complete ParentLocker app questions before school Monday, December 6th

• Here is the link to order the complimentary MS school lunch for next week.  It should be completed by noon on Sunday.

Repeat Information: Attendance

As we work through this season of weather changes and seasonal illnesses, and continue to manage through the pandemic, please review our expectations about attendance when your child is unexpectedly unwell or has symptoms that require them to stay at home. Your child should be able to attend fully from home, or should take the full day to rest and recover. Please let Ms. Aziz know if your child is sick for the day, but still joining classes virtually. This is helpful for teachers in class planning.

 

Repeat information: From the Library

 

 

Repeat information: Prevention Specialists at AISC January 2022
As part of our ongoing commitment to prevention and wellness, we have invited a prevention specialist from Prevention Solutions within the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation to join our community during the week of January 17, 2022.  This program will take place online while the students attend school in person.  Some of the key topics that the specialist will address with our students are:

• encouraging and supporting the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years. 

• empowering young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug use

• teaching  students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance misuse and to intervene appropriately

• educating students, parents, teachers, and administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs

There will be an opportunity for parents of middle school students to meet with the specialist on Thursday January 20, 2022 from 9:00 to 10:00 AM.  Please watch this space for further information regarding the Prevention Solutions program.

Repeat information: Mark your calendars: Portal Project - Parent Sessions

We are excited to introduce a speaker series for parents starting in November called Parenting Beyond the Pandemic. These virtual sessions will bring experts and practitioners directly to our parent community to address a variety of relevant topics. The full list of sessions can be found here and the titles below. Registration for the sessions will take place through Eventbrite. 

Have a wonderful weekend and reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Take care,

 

Jennifer Bertram

Middle School Principal