It was great seeing everyone this past week at the hybrid technology training. I’d like to thank Priya for leading all of the sessions.
Live Specialist Classes - Change to Schedule
Starting Monday, March 29th, specialists will be offering an additional live class at 11:00 a.m. There are now three specialist class options for students to attend - 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 1:00 p.m. All of the classes will be the same content. We are hoping this will help even out the number of students attending each session. Please add this to your weekly slide deck and let children know during your morning meetings next week.
Save the Date
We will have an ES virtual social on April 9th. More information to come.
LitWeek 2021
The AISC Libraries are gleefully putting together our first annual, all-school LitWeek to be held April 26th-30th, in celebration of all things booky! One event that we are excited to trot out is our version of The Masked Singer - The Masked Reader! In case you aren't familiar with this Korean show, here is a little teaser. Can you guess who the singer is?
We'd love for each homeroom to sign up to host a masked reader. The reader will share a story and perhaps share a few hints about their identity before the kids can make guesses and the reader can unveil themselves. You can sign up with three possible times and a date here.
I hope this will be as much fun as it sounds! Please let Babs know if you have any questions.
Hybrid Technology Resources
Here is the video on how to set up for ES Hybrid Classroom setup
Here is the slide deck.
Here is a recording of a training session.
TCRWP Summer Institutes
The TCRWP Summer Institutes will be virtual this year. If you are interested in attending one of the virtual PD weeks for either reading or writing, please fill out the PD form on the Raptor Way Blog. Teachers can use their PD funding for next year to attend a summer institute. Let Lynn know if you have questions or need help with the application.
From the Office of Teaching and Learning
A clarification to the March 12th email sent regarding Faculty Camp in the fall... experiences will be offered in-person, virtually or in hybrid mode depending upon quarantine restrictions in July. In other words, while you will need to be in Chennai to attend faculty camp, you need NOT be out of quarantine. We will accommodate people however we can.
As a reminder, the following camps are on offer:
Curriculum Camp (July 23 and 26) - Unit planning for Physical Education, World Language and Performing Arts (participants compensated for their time)
PD Camp (July 26) - Differentiation in primary school and supporting assessment capable learners in secondary school (both free of charge)
Expressing interest (via email to Joelle) is non-binding at this point. Camps will be confirmed after April 9th.
Reminder: TA Evaluations
TA evaluations are due to Dave by April 9th. Prior to sharing the TA evaluations with Dave, please make sure that you have included your digital signature for both teachers and teaching assistants.
Earth Week Projects
The last day for project submissions for the Earth Week website is Wednesday, March 31st. Could you please take a minute in your classes over the next week to do a final call for submissions OR nominate a student/student group yourself? Projects do not have to be completed by March 31; to be included on the website, projects need to be completed by April 16. Completion status can be indicated on the form. We know your students are doing great work on these issues, and we can't wait to share it with the AISC community! Here is the submission form again. Thank you!
Clarification: Teacher Collaboration Meetings Moving to Wednesday (TCM)
This is the TCM meeting for students of concern. Beginning the week of March 29th, Teacher Collaboration Meetings will be held on Wednesdays from 7:55-8:25 a.m.
Coaches Corner
Reader’s Theater
Looking for an engaging activity for your small group sessions? Consider using reader’s theater scripts to spice up your small group sessions. Reader’s theater is an authentic strategy to support reading fluency. Reading A-Z has many scripts available in a range of reading levels, topics and genres. From scripted fairy tales to reenactments of historical events you will likely be able to find a script that is both engaging for your students and connects to other content areas. Want to learn more, but not sure how to get started? Reach out to Reader Man (ralex@aischennai.org) for more information.
Reader's theater is a strategy for developing reading fluency. It involves children in oral reading through reading parts in scripts. In using this strategy, students do not need to memorize their part; they need only to reread it several times, thus developing their fluency skills.
From our Counselors
We have each faced difficulties this year. This 3 minute relaxing video uses the wisdom of rivers around the world and shows us how to be resilient.
Have a great weekend.
Lynn, Dave, and Elliot
