We hit a record...4 consecutive days on campus!
Upcoming Week at a Glance:
Welcome Vinita!
Please welcome Ms. Vinita to the ES. Vinita is our in-house substitute and she also works with students in the classroom. Please let me or Dave know if you need Vinita for a project and/or have students who would benefit from small group or individual support.
Report Cards Tutorial for Powerschool
Report Card Tutorial for Homeroom Teachers
Report Card Tutorial for Specialists
COVID Testing and Vision Day Project Leaders
Since we are mixing students from different grade levels and homerooms next week, any teacher involved in a Vision Day Project needs to do a COVID test Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before school. Please upload your photo and bring your cartridge to school. COVID test kits are available in the ES office and ES reception area.
Vision Day 2021 - G3-G5
The day is almost here! Thank you, everyone, for your efforts preparing for this big day including planning schedules, preparing materials, and collaborating during a busy time of year. Additionally, thank you for sending out your project schedule to students so that they have an idea of how the day will progress. Dismissal/arrival resources sheets will go out by Monday EOD so that you will have all materials ready in time to prepare your students to go off to their projects on Tuesday, Nov 30th at 3:10.
Quick Reminder: Antigen tests are required for all students and teachers involved in projects on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings before arrival at school. Please reach out with any concerns, questions, or wonderings.
- The Vision Planning Team
ES Student Support Process
When a concern arises regarding a student, please first contact the student’s parents to share your concerns and gain any insight about a change in the student’s behavior or academic performance.
Contact your grade level counselor, Linda (EY-G4) or Michele (G5), to hold a Student Discussion Meeting regarding your concerns and interventions you have tried.
Following the Student Discussion Meeting and before referring a student to a Teacher Collaboration Meeting (TCM) for academic or behavior support, please ensure you have implemented at least one specific intervention and gathered data regarding the effectiveness of that intervention. If a student is continuing to not make progress, please fill out the TCM Referral Form.
Attend a Teacher Collaboration Meeting which is held on Thursdays from 7:55-8:25 a.m. Once the TCM Referral form has been shared with Linda or Michele then you will receive a calendar invite to the meeting.
Professional Development Updates!
Looking for some free PD? Dragonfly is offering three free webinars in December to support inclusive learning. Click here to learn more.
Chapters International have released their spring calendar of events. From writing to inquiry, differentiation to neuroscience and learning, Chapters has much to offer in a virtual setting at an affordable price.
The Joy of Giving (15th Dec 2021)
Christmas is just around the corner and we'd like to bring back an old AISC tradition. We're calling it "The Joy of Giving". This survey is to gauge interest in this change of protocol. Kindly fill out this form to show your interest. People interested would be given the name of support staff, their job, whether they are married, and/or have children. With this information, we are asking faculty and staff to give a small token of appreciation to the family. Now, here's the catch... to make this work, we need close to 100% faculty and staff participation. Please complete this survey by Friday, 27th November, by 4:00 PM.
From the Counselors
There will soon be members of the AISC community leaving. We have learned from experience and the research of experts that you have to say a clear goodbye in order to say a clear hello. Those who have been in international schools for a while know that it may seem easier to “look away” and ignore goodbyes.This “looking away” takes away from the community’s sense of security and belonging. If goodbyes aren't recognized and honored we all start to feel like we don’t matter. Here is what we are doing at AISC for departing students:
Counselors meet with the student leavers to talk about leaving well.
Journals are given to HRTs and students, specialists, etc. write messages inside these for leavers.
AISC bag is given to HRT to give to students (handy for belongings and can also be signed by students).
Goodbye circles scheduled with the counselor during which time students share a memory, compliment or wish with the student who is leaving. The leaver shares a wish/thankyou with the class.
Grade level or specialist teams meet to say goodbye to leaving teachers giving kudo boards and/or cards.
Gratitude is in order for the leaver and also for the leaver to give to those staying. Giving and receiving thank you’s give us peace of mind and happiness.
OTHER IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Help Students Learn - Book donation sponsored by a MS student
Please share this with your students next week.
Did you know that, According to the UN SDG goal number 4, 101 million (9% of) children “fell below the minimum reading proficiency levels” in the last year, due to the Coronavirus. That’s excluding the group of children who already had below-minimum reading levels.
Some of us are privileged enough to have a good education in a good school, but we often disregard it.
HOPE foundation is a place where students with less facilities can learn and grow. They help over 250,000 students, most of whom come from families with little to no economic stability or advantage, with non-formal education programs as well as tutors. Their aim is to make learning fun, and they use certain digital platforms to do so.
They give students the opportunity to learn and strive.
However, the HOPE Foundation doesn’t have many books or resources, and they could use some help.
YOU could be the one helping them!
On the outside of the ES/MS library, there’s a donation box, where you can donate books of any genre. It should be in good condition, as well as be books for elementary school students.
They could be books you used to read when you were in ES, or ones you used to read to your siblings.
You may contact @pyashvi27@aischennai.org, or @gbalajee@aischennai.org if you have any questions.
Yashvi Parekh.
More PD Information for OTL:
Did you know that a handful of colleagues attended the NESA Educators Learning Event recently? They are FIRED UP about their learning. Check out these takeaways...
Students learn better, when they feel better!!
According to Joy Marchese try to include the following in your lessons:
1. Movement
2. Connection
3. Humour/Fun/Laughter
What to learn more, talk to Shezinator (shez) who has some ready to go easy/fun strategies to share out.
This mini-lesson (From Joy Marchese) is about honoring different approaches in a collaborative environment. Can be offered in person with printed material, or virtually.
Lesson plan and resources found here. Caveat: I created the lesson plan from a short 3-minute discussion of the activity at the end of a session; there are definitely some holes, but I think I have got the gist of the activity. Happy to sit down with anyone who would like to talk through the process - reach out to Ben to talk more.
Joshua has much to share related to:
Calm and Flow can look very different depending on the educator, division, or classroom.
"Behavior is a form of communication."
We should look to adopt an Acorn (long-term) vs Marshmallow (short-term) mindset in regards to major decisions and actions.
End of unit assessment tasks should be introduced to students at the outset to guide, and inspire, their inquiry throughout the unit of study.
Change in Schools...What future do we want to create in education? Want more? Contact Gretchen!
Linda especially liked the Joy Marchese session about engagement and belonging and the Kristen Lowe session about strength building in the classroom. She taught us a simple non threatening exercise called ' positive gossip" which was very engaging and excellent for realizing strengths in one another. I'm sure it would work well for HS students and could probably be adapted for MS students. Also would be good for teams. Contact me for more information.
Tweeting - From Gautami
Here are just a few highlights from the #AISChennai Twitterverse. Click here to see the full list of #RaptorMoments from the week gone by.
MS Winter Production; The 10 Best/Worst Things about Middle School
Thursday, December 9th @ 5pm
Book your tickets here; https://www.aischennai.org/theater/ms/
Note: The premiere will be a livestream performance. A recording will be available after the premiere.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Ah, middle school. The best/worst years of your life! The friends, the memories, the life lessons, and of course the...inevitably haunting embarrassments that will leave emotional scars for years to come! Join a group of real life middle school students as they uncover the wonders/perils of their first dance, the marvels/horrors of field trips, the joy/humiliation of gym class, and many more of the numerous fond traumatizing aspects of life as a middle school student.
The wellbeing Blog is linked each week on the right sidebar of this page.
Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate.
Enjoy the long weekend.
Lynn and Dave
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