Dear Parents and Students,
We had a wonderful week in Middle School! Our teachers are starting to build very nice connections with students and have commented that our students are becoming experts in Schoology! At Parent Back to School Night on August 19th, you will have a chance to sit with your children to learn more about their classes in Schoology. You will also have a chance to meet their grade level team’s teachers and their Advisor. More information with links will be coming in the next week.
While on the subject of connection, we had an all Middle School Assembly today (slides here) where we introduced our new students, looked at the Back to School Night requirements for students, and launched a new program called “Lunch Bunch”. As I mentioned last week, Lunch Bunch is a 20 minute meet-up with three middle school students and the principal. This will take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12:20 to 12:40 PM. During this time students and the principal will first make connections to support the community, and then will share feedback. The goal of this program is to establish connections in the online environment and students are free to eat their lunch at this time. We focused today on Hopes and Highlights for MS students and they will reflect on these when they meet with me. In tandem with Lunch Bunch, Ms. Gretchen Galaty and I will be reaching out to Middle School parents by telephone call over the next few weeks. Expect a call from one of us to welcome you to Middle School. We look forward to speaking with you.
Thank you so much to all the 7th and 8th grade parents who came to the 7th and 8th grade Coffee on Tuesday August 10th. Once again we were joined by our Counselor Ms. Gretchen Galaty and our Student Life Coordinator Mr. Ryan McFarland. A copy of that presentation can be found here, in case you missed it.
Back to School Night:
Our Back to School Night is Thursday, August 19th from 3:30 - 5:40pm. As mentioned above, we are asking your children to sit with you to go through the teacher videos from Schoology. We will be sharing the Back to School Night menu with parents on Wednesday August 18th. Ensure that you have pencilled in the Back to School Night on your calendars so that you will be able to get a grade level overview from your child(ren)’s grade level teachers, as well as participate in an Advisory session with your child(ren)’s. We look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night on August 19th. Please contact bejennifer@aischennai.org if you have any questions. We will record the sessions for any parents who are out of IST and/or will be unable to join us.
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 by Friday, August 20. The Middle School Office will be in contact with families who have not submitted signatures by Friday, August 20.
MAP Testing
We have changed our dates for MAP testing from September 21 - 24th as was originally on the calendar, to September 6th - 9th. We will be conducting the testing in the first block of the school day and will be administering the following tests:
Reading
Language Usage
Mathematics
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. More information on MAP testing will be available in the coming weeks.
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!
Early Release Day:
Here is the schedule we will be using for Early Release days. On these days Middle School students do not have an Advisory session and their day ends at 2:30pm. Please contact the msoffice@aischennai.org if you have any questions.
Family Use of the AISC Libraries
AISC families are now able to request books every week from our libraries using this Google form. Books can be ordered through the form from Friday until Monday at 3:30pm and can be picked up curbside at the ES entrance on Wednesdays between 8:30am - 4:00pm. Bags with the child's name clearly marked on the front will be located inside the white cubbies. Patrons are invited to take the bag that belongs to them without touching any other materials.
In addition, a book drop is positioned curbside at the ES entrance, as well as the main entrance, for returned books. We encourage families to return the books after two weeks, although if a specific title is needed for a longer period, please contact Babs to implement an extension.
Library staff will practice all health and safety protocols while gathering your books. Upon return, books and the canvas bags that are distributed will be sanitized.
We encourage families to check the ES library catalog or the HS library catalog before requesting specific titles to ensure that they are available. Please let Babs know on bbarbara@aischennai.org know if you have any questions.
Sora Use for Families
AISC families are invited to browse our digital library, Sora, and be aware that parents/families have access, as well! Your child can access Sora using their AISC email and families can follow these instructions. Please note that the password for all families to use is Chennai21, while your children will use their email password. Please let Ms. Babs know if you have any questions regarding access to Sora.
I look forward to seeing parents and students at Back to School Night on August 19th! Have a great weekend,
Jennifer Bertram
Middle School Principal