February 4th

Dear Parents and students,

Today we kicked off Orientation for our STEAM week that will happen during the week of March 7 -11. On Friday, February 4 and Monday, February 7, students will still have connection time with their scheduled classes, but instead of curriculum content, teachers delivered a lesson based around STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) concepts. Students will also be introduced or re-introduced to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The SDGs that students learned about today are:

• 2 - Zero hunger

• 5 - Gender equality

• 6 - Clean water and sanitation

• 7 - Affordable and clean energy

• 10 - Reduced inequalities

During students' independent time, instead of working on their normal class content, they will work through the lessons based on STEAM and UN SDGs. Please ask your children what they learned from their day today. Here are some pictures from peeking over students’ shoulders!

Grade 6	Grade 7	Grade 8

Here is the calendar of upcoming events:

Important Dates

Date	Event		Details
Sunday, February 6	Order the complimentary MS school lunch
Monday, February 7	*Send the used Panbio Test Strip with your child (to be checked and disposed at school) *Complete Parent Locker every morning
Tuesday, February 8	MS Parent Coffee with our Librarian Barbara Bowman. We will learn all about: general overview of library services how parents can find books for themselves how their children can access our digital libraries value of all types of reading		Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 973 3222 7834 Passcode: 788589
Wednesday, February 9	Wednesday Early Release at 2:30pm
Thursday, February 10	*Send the used Panbio Test Strip with your child (to be checked and disposed at school) *Complete Parent Locker every morning

 

Back to campus:

• There are two big changes to Raptor Safety protocols: 

• No cloth masks on campus. Cloth masks will not be allowed to be worn on campus. Only surgical and N95-style masks should be worn on campus. (Put away those Raptor Masks for the time being!)

• Starting on Monday, February 7, we will require two tests during the week to enter campus. Please bring negative test cartridges to school on Monday and Thursday.

• There is no need to upload photos as was expected previously. Please take the tests in the morning before school and bring the negative cartridge with you to school. Complete the ParentLocker questions. If the test is positive, inform us through ParentLocker and call the MS Office.

• There will be no cafeteria use right now and we will go back to serving cold lunches and snacks on the landings. Free snacks will be provided for MS students next week. Students will not be eating in classrooms. We are hoping to have hot meals for students soon!!

• Students will not play in the gyms at lunch time, but rather will be able to play on the grass field or on the Raptor field (artificial turf). 

• Lunchtime activities will be on hold for the moment.

 

Library Use 

The library is once again available to MS students before school, during breaks, and during lunch. Students must sign in when entering in order to assist in contact tracing if need be.

Attendance Survey:

Thanks to the parents who filled out the survey form regarding attendance messages. We were asking about a preference on daily or weekly messages for students.

As you can see in the graphs below, the parents who answered the survey prefer to have daily attendance messages sent to them. We will continue with this practice in the Middle School. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns to bejennifer@aischennai.org

HW club Session 2  will be virtual on Mondays and Fridays from 3.45 pm to 4.30 pm. Students can enroll in the HW club using the sign-up form.  HS tutors volunteer to support our MS students. So, we highly recommend both new and returning students use this opportunity and get guidance from our HS tutors. We appreciate students who have already signed up for the HW club.

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 great weekend and I hope you enjoy the lovely weather!

Take care,

 

Jennifer Bertram

Middle School Principal