We want to thank all of you for preparing the bags with last year’s student work. We have already had about 100 bags picked up from school! Parents have expressed their appreciation in being able to get their child’s work. I also want to thank Hazel, Padma, and Peter for organizing the parent pick up. The scope of this task was larger than you’d think. Thank you again to everyone involved in making this process successful.
Important Upcoming Dates:
Running Record window: March 1st - March 26th
Growth Conferences: week of March 29th
Conferences - Prep and Conference Schedule
Preparation:
Please note that there will be no faculty meeting on March 24th. You may use this time to prepare for growth conferences. The afternoon of March 31st can now be used to schedule growth conferences with parents.
Conference Schedule:
Please connect with families this coming week about signing up for conferences in order to give parents enough advanced notice.
FYI: This is what was in the parent blog this week:
Spring growth conferences are just around the corner. The spring conference is a time for students to reflect on their growth as a learner during the year. It’s also a time for parents to recognize their child’s growth and celebrate successes and it is a time for teachers and parents to discuss student progress and next steps. You will have time to celebrate the progress your child has made across all subject areas the week of March 29th. Your child’s teacher will reach out to you to schedule a time to meet and provide details about what to expect before and during the conference.
On Thursday, April 1st, there will be no school for ES students as most conferences will happen on this day. However, teachers can’t schedule all conferences on April 1st so we are using the week of March 29th for teachers to meet with parents.
Posting Videos on Youtube
As part of tightening up our digital security, we’re looking at safer ways for teachers to post videos without using Youtube. We haven't landed on a solution yet but below is one way to make it less distracting for students who are watching your teacher videos on Youtube.
If you use Youtube, share the videos as part of a presentation instead of a direct link to Youtube. You can do this with some simple HTML "magic." Here's how you can make a slight adjustment to your YouTube embed code to stop the video suggestions that appear: add ?rel=0 after the final character of the YouTube embed code. Easy!
This site will give you more details about how to do this.
You can also use Safeshare (https://safeshare.tv). There is a limit to the amount of videos you can upload on Safeshare but it’s an option for you as well. Please reach out to Priya V. if you have any questions or need support.
Another tip adding videos to Youtube safely (thank you Julia):
You can force a youtube video to play in full screen and it will simply restart the video once it has finished instead of showing ads or offering suggestions of what to watch next. You do this by adding a hyphen between the t and u in the address. So instead of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO4XFZmvYOo you embed https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=MO4XFZmvYOo:
Digital Citizenship Lessons
Please contact Priya V. this week to set up a time for her to work with your students on digital citizenship lessons. This is part of our plan to tighten up our digital security and we want to make sure we are educating our students about safe online practices.
Withdrawing Students
If you hear from any of your students that they are not returning to AISC after the spring break, please let Hazel and Padma know.
AISC Earth Day Summit
From April 19 to 23, 2021 AISC will be hosting the first annual AISC Earth Day Summit.
Are your students learning about climate change and environmental sustainability? Are they seeking solutions, taking action, and inspiring change? Showcase the exciting work your students have done or are doing by encouraging them to submit a project or nominating them for the AISC Earth Day Summit.
Project details:
Can be any environmentally-focused, solution-oriented projects from classes, extracurriculars, or co-curricular programs (e.g., SEVAI, Vision Day, STEAM) this school year.
Multimedia projects will be featured on the summit website.
Students will also have the opportunity to present live during the week of April 19 to a school-wide audience.
Students can present individually or as a group.
Example projects include class flipgrid videos on ideas to change the world, a photo collage of a beach clean up day, a website highlighting biodiversity loss due to the fast fashion industry, a poem about climate change.
Submission window: March 1-30
Contact Marion (wmarion@aischennai.org) with any questions.
From the Counselors
Here are some quick activities that might spark the motor and sensory systems in the brain while at the same time help emotional regulation.
Funny Talk: Have students loosely touch the roof of their mouth with their tongue and begin to speak. Create a class chant to say altogether, or the teacher can address the class, modeling what he or she would like students to say.
Hum: There are many ways you can incorporate humming as a break or to begin class. Lead students in Simon Says or Name That Tune, or have them move their arms and legs to someone’s humming. This activity releases stress and blockages in the brain stem.
Name Scribbles: Have students write their favorite word four times with their dominant hand and then again with their other hand. Discuss how it felt, which they found more difficult and why, and what happened in their brains when they used their non-dominant hand.
Free PD Opportunity Saturday, March 20th
Teachers College Reading and Writing Program Saturday Reunion
On Saturday, March 20th, Teachers College is hosting its free Saturday reunion. The conference is being held on Eastern Standard Time but the start time is not too late in the evening here in Chennai. This is a great opportunity for anyone teaching reading and writing workshop. You can find more information here (no registration required - just show up on Zoom).
Coaches Corner
Six Dr. Seuss books pulled over ‘hurtful’ images
Here are some resources to further explore:
Have a great weekend!
Lynn, Dave, and Elliot
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