Friday, May 27, 2022

We are down to our last five days of school which is hard to believe. It feels like the year just started. Dave and I would like to thank you for the time you put into completing your report cards. We know how time consuming it is to write such detailed narratives for your students. Parents will certainly appreciate your insight about their child’s strengths and areas for growth. 

Please enjoy the final week of school with your students. 

Upcoming Week 

Day	Event
Monday, May 30	Dave and Lynn to return comments to teachers by noon, correct any comments
Tuesday, May 31	Correct any comments from D & L by 9:00 a.m. Deadline firm! PDF of reports given to teachers, final corrections made by homeroom teachers - this is the final check
Wednesday, June 1	PDF of reports given to teachers, final corrections made by homeroom teachers by 5:00 p.m. - this is the final check Deadline firm! All Faculty Farewell Ceremony - 3:00 p.m. FAC
Thursday, June 2
Friday, June 3	5th Grade Celebration - 9:00 a.m. FAC ES Farewell Assembly - 2:45 p.m. FAC

ES Assembly

We will have a farewell assembly on the last day of school starting at 2:45 in the FAC theater. It would be great if students and faculty wear their school t-shirt. G5 students and faculty can change as needed. 

Grade 5 Celebration

Our Grade 5 Celebration will take place on Friday, June 3rd at 9:00 a.m. in the FAC Theater. Siblings of G5 students will be allowed to attend this event. I have asked G5 parents to inform their younger child’s homeroom teacher if they plan to take their child to the event. Students should be back in class around 10:15.

Last Week Pool Parties

To bring:

Swimsuit & towel

Optional: Goggles, flip flops, swim cap

Teachers, please walk your students to the pool and assist as needed with getting students to the pool from the locker room. Gio will give a safety briefing before students get in the water. Gio would like a few teachers present on deck. Your team may rotate so you’re not on the pool deck the entire time (of course you are all welcome to stay the entire time). 

**If you have a student who doesn’t want to swim, we can find alternate activities. 

Last Day for Checkout

The first floor of the ES/MS Library is getting new shelving this summer, so we need to pack all the books up on Friday, June 3rd. We will begin packing books away Thursday after school at 3:30 pm and continue throughout the day on Friday. Because of this, we won't be able to check out on Friday, June 3rd. Please be sure to get what you'd like for the summer before then and let Babs know if you have any questions.

 

Yearbook Update

Our 2021–2022 digital yearbook is live and available online now! Relive events from this past year by clicking on the link below. Congratulations to Ms. Lakshmi, Mr. Nick, and the Student Yearbook Team for creating such a great record of this past year!

Click here to view the digital yearbook (password: aischennai@2022ybk).
Please keep this link and password private, and limited to close family members.

Faculty can also click here to use the Online Digital Signing Pages feature! Click on the link and follow the instructions to create your account. A unique link is then generated that you can share with friends and family to sign. Once created, your Digital Signing Pages can be downloaded and printed!

Please note that the printed yearbooks will be distributed in August 2022. Those leaving AISC who are interested in receiving a printed yearbook should leave a forwarding address with their sectional assistant.

ES Resource Sharing

Please use this spreadsheet to list any specific materials that you are looking for or if you have something to give away that another teacher could use. For example, KG has extra sentence strips to share.

Library Feedback

Please help Teena and Babs make adjustments to the ES/MS library by taking some time to give us some feedback on the library's services, resources, and environment. This will be anonymous, so please be honest in letting us know your thoughts. Thanks so much! 

Council Leads

Congratulations to the 2022/23 Council Leads:

• Wellbeing Council - Rebecca Semrick

• Diversity & Equity Council - Kieara Reed

• Intercultural Competence Council - Asta Reiff

• Research & Development Council - Remy Liotard

• Environmental Responsibility Council - Ryan McFarland

In early August, the Senior Leadership Team will circulate the annual “Teams and Councils Survey” to solicit participation in school improvement initiatives. If you are interested in serving on any of the above councils as a team member, please indicate your interest on the survey. 

Professional Learning Update: 

The University of Northern Iowa is now accepting applications for the MA in Teacher Leadership for International Educators for the Fall 2022 cohort. This 2-year online program is designed specifically for international educators with a focus on Teacher Leadership and can lead to a principal's license. In-state tuition is offered for all participants making tuition just over $15,500. If you would like to learn more about this reputable program, please sign up to join one of the upcoming Information Sessions at: https://forms.gle/avkHAGx19Z3hyvzx5, or email Dr. Leigh Martin at Leigh.Martin@uni.edu.  NOTE: at the request of some AISC faculty additional info sessions have been added.

 

A Special Request from Ochan Kusuma- Powell

You may recognize the name of Ochan Kusuma-Powell as a long time friend of AISC - she has taught Cognitive Coaching at our school as well as supported some of our Inclusion work over the years. Further, she is a well known and well respected member of the International Teaching Community!  Ochan is currently working with author and consultant, Kendall Zoller, to complete a study (and likely paper or book) about belonging within an organization. To support them with their research, if you are willing, kindly complete this short survey. The survey asks for your email address to associate your responses with our school; however neither your name, nor your specific responses, will be shared with AISC. 

Wellbeing Blog

From the Counselors

The end of the school year is an emotional time. You have watched children grow and change and cared for them each day both online and in person. There are many things to be thankful for and gratitude this time of year is good for us all. Having students participate in gratitude is a great way to end the school year. Here are some ideas from Mindfulness in the classroom.

Thankful Wall– Each day, give each student a post-it note and have them write one or two things/people/places at AISC that they have been grateful for this year. Watching the wall grow gives a visual link to the importance of gratitude. 

Gratitude/Thankful journal– Each student has their own notebook that they write, draw or glue in things they are thankful for in their lives. They can take this journal with them during summer holiday to continue and also to remind themselves of all the things that make them thankful. 

Thank You cards or letters– Can be written to teachers, leaving students, and classmates.  Leaving students can write for class, too. 

Gratitude Video– Students work in groups to make a video acting or telling others in a creative way the things they have been thankful for this past year as part of a “Welcome to Your New Class” video for the next year’s class.

ABC Gratitude Book– As a class or as small groups, create an ABC Gratitude book with each letter being something they are thankful for. Books can be shared with KG or EY classes. 

#WeekOfGratitude– This is a five day activity to help yourself and your students mindfully focus on the good things in life. It is all explained here.

Have a great weekend.

Lynn and Dave

Friday, May 20, 2022

Reminder that there are no more ASAs this year. Starting Monday, May 23rd, parents may pick up their child(ren) on campus at dismissal. Students may also continue to get picked up at the ES gate as they are now. It may take some time for parents to get checked in at the gate. Parents who come onto campus will gather in the courtyard and will pick up their child as they see them. Please walk your class through the courtyard to have students look for their parent on the way to the gate. If your students don’t see a parent in the ES courtyard then, continue taking them to the ES gate. We appreciate your flexibility and patience as we work out this new dismissal procedure. We will still continue with staggered dismissal times. 

Upcoming Week 

Day	Event
Monday, May 23	Comments given to faculty proofreader by 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 24
Wednesday, May 25	Grad walk 10:00 a.m. ES Faculty End of the Year Celebration 3:00 p.m. Madras Hall Time to proofread buddy comments
Thursday, May 26	Comments returned from faculty proofreader by 9:00 a.m.
Friday, May 27	Comments uploaded to Google Classroom by 4:00 p.m. Feel free to turn them in earlier if they are finished.

Important Dates 

June 3rd 9:00 a.m. - Grade 5 Celebration

June 3rd 2:45 p.m. - End of Year Assembly

Upcoming Wednesdays

June 1st - Farewell ​​

End of the Year Checkout Form

Here is the end of the year check out form. You can also pick up a printed copy at the office.

Update on Andrew and Kay

As you may know, Andrew and Kay had to return to the United States to tend to an urgent family situation. We keep them in our thoughts as they support their ailing and aging parents. With such a short time remaining, it is unlikely they will return before the end of the school year. 

Andrew would want us to enjoy the energy on campus right now - AISC is teeming with engagement and gratitude and, of course, emotions! I invite all of us to “lean in” to the wild ride of these final days together, savoring each moment and cherishing the amazing community of AISC!

 

End of the Year Pool Parties

Please communicate the date of your grade level pool party with your parents. Students will need to bring their bathing suit (KG students wear bathing suit to school) and a towel. Goggles and easy on/off sandals are optional. 

 

New 4 Square Courts

There are two new 4 square courts for students in KG-G2 under the tent in the back corner of the playground. Please let students know they may use those courts during recess.

Grad Walk

The HS is pleased to share that we will have our annual "Grad Walk" on Wednesday, May 25th beginning at 10:00 am. During this parade, graduates in their caps/gowns walk through campus to cheers and salutes from students and staff grades EY-11. The grads appreciate the incredible support this event has had from all sections during years' past (2016-2019) While the quality isn't super, you can get a sense of the event by watching the 2016 video here. We ask for you to have your students step out of class, line the hallway and do a little cheering. The entire walk takes no more than 10 minutes and the route is found below. We bang drums and have noisemakers, so you will certainly hear us coming!

• 10:00 am - depart 3rd floor FAC foyer down stairs to 2nd floor, down 2nd floor main hallway from field side to back, down stairs to 1st floor and across main FAC foyer.

• Depart FAC, walk past gym, iHub, admin, admissions, down ES hall to the amphitheater to ES stairs near the ES gate - stairs to 3rd floor.

• 3rd floor ES grade 5 hallway, grade 4 hallway, grade 6 hallway, HS 3221, 3220 and 3219, HS World Languages, MS 3rd floor to circular ES steps - stairs to 2nd floor.

• Down circular ES steps to 2nd floor, grade 3 hallway, grade 2 hallway to ES stairs near the ES gate - stairs to 1st floor.

• ES PK/KG hallway, covered play area, ES cafeteria to ES circular staircase - up to 2nd floor.

• Down MS SS/LA hallway, past MS office, HS office, HS Eng/SS classrooms to Raptor's Den - stairs to 1st floor.

• Past gym to FAC

Free Summer Seesaw PD - July 25th

Seesaw Connect is a free virtual conference that will give educators simple ideas for engaging students. There will be on-demand and in-person opportunities at the conference.

 

Here is the flyer with the sign up link if you are interested. 

 

Professional Learning Transcript Request Process

Need an official "PD Transcript" from AISC? As indicated on Schoology, here is how you request a transcript:

 

The Office or Teaching and Learning tracks all learning opportunities pursued through personal and programmatic funding. Faculty and staff have the option of sharing self-funded development (including graduate studies) with the office to keep information centralized. Upon request, the Office of Teaching and Learning will create an official "PD Transcript" for individuals to share their development with others and certifying bodies.

 

You can request your transcript by contacting Sonia (dsonia@aischennai.org). Please be sure to share certificates of completion and/or transcripts along with the hours/CEUs for any opportunities not directly funded by AISC. Sonia will share a draft transcript to make sure it is complete and then, will create an official .pdf and/or printed copy for your use. Please allow time for this process, especially at busy times of the year. 

Have a great weekend.

Lynn and Dave

Friday, May 13, 2022

We will allow parents to pick up their child on campus at dismissal time starting May 23rd (ASAs end May 20th). This is what is going out in the parent blog today.

Starting Monday, May 23rd, parents will be able to enter campus through the ES gate to pick up their child at the 3:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. Wednesdays) dismissal time. Parents/Drivers will also be able to continue to pick up their child outside the ES gate as they are now.

 

If you would like to pick up your child inside the gate, here are some details to note:

• You may start to enter the campus through the ES gate beginning at 3:00 p.m. and wait in the elementary cafeteria, the courtyard or at any bench around the courtyard. Please do not enter any classroom hallway or stand at a classroom door. Food will not be available.

• Bring your ID card.

• All students will walk through the ES courtyard at their dismissal time and you may pick up your child as they walk through to the ES gate. 

• The library will be open from 3:30-4:00 p.m. If you choose to go to the library, please supervise your child at all times.

Day	Event
Monday, May 16	MAP Testing Makeups Gr 2-4
Tuesday, May 17	MAP testing Makeups Gr 2-5
Wednesday, May 18	No ES Faculty Meeting - Report Card Writing MAP testing Makeups Gr 2-5
Thursday, May 19
Friday, May 20

Important Dates 

June 3rd 9:00 a.m. - Grade 5 Celebration

June 3rd 2:45 p.m. - End of Year Assembly

Upcoming Wednesdays

May 25th - ES Faculty end of the year celebration

June 1st - Farewell ​​

Report Card Timeline

Wednesday, May 11th	Unit overviews due
Wednesday, May 18th	No faculty meeting, RC prep
Monday, May 23rd	Comments given to faculty proofreader by 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 25th	End of the Year Celebration Faculty Meeting, time to proofread buddy comments
Thursday, May 26th	Comments returned from faculty proofreader by 9:00 a.m.
Friday, May 27th	Comments uploaded to Google Classroom by 4:00 p.m.
Monday, May 30th	Admin to return comments to teachers by noon, correct any comments
Tuesday, May 31st	Correct comments from admin by 9:00 a.m. Deadline firm!
Tuesday/Wednesday May 31st/June 1st	PDF of reports given to teachers, final corrections made by homeroom teachers - this is the final check Deadline firm!
Friday, June 3rd	Report cards go home

Report Card Comments - Google Classroom

All homeroom teachers and specialists have been added to our Report Card Comments Google Classroom. Click here for the link to the report card assignment. 

Then:

1). Click the add or create button.

2). Choose Google Drive and attach your report card comments document.

3). Then click turn in.

4). We will read and make any necessary comments on your document and return it back to you. 

5). You will get an email after we return the document back to you. 

Report Cards - Powerschool Tutorial

Here is the updated Sem 2 PS tutorial for report cards. Thank you, Priya. 

Withdrawing Students

Please see the current withdrawal sheet. If you know of any other students in your classes that are leaving and not listed here, please inform Padma / Hazel so they can follow up with parents. 

Class Placement

Grades 2-4 please look at the classmate wishlist ahead of your class placement time to know which students would like to be kept together. Grades KG and 1, please have a friend in mind for each student. Class placement begins May 16th. 

Discovery Studio

Please sign your students up for a time to celebrate, create, and collaborate in the Discovery Studio the last week of school. Signing up is optional, but we’d like to have all of the classes visit the studio one last time this year. Here is the schedule. And feel free to drop off your students. HRTs do not need to stay. ~Cassidy and Clinton

 

F & Ps

Please remember to update your class BAME chart with current student reading levels. 

Library Materials

Please remember that all library materials are due in either the ES/MS or HS libraries on Monday, May 16th. Please remind your students and/or children to bring them in on time. Thanks so much for your support and if you have any questions, please let Ms. Babs know. 

 

 

From the Counselors

Here are some SEL closing out the year ideas for your classroom or morning meetings: 

 

Create more opportunities for appreciation such as sharing “sparkling” moments (what is working well).  Share 3 things that sparkled today.  Share a sparking moment from recess, or use sparkle for compliments… such as “I give a sparkle to…. because……”

Other ideas are to include gratitude in morning meetings, make gratitude books and students write down several things they are grateful for each day. 

 

GiveOpportunities for short reflections between students- use snowball activity for writing down something they have learned and take turns reading it to class, share feelings with one another about the day, share …Today i was good at…., today i liked…. What went well for me today, What is something I want to do more of tomorrow, what did I notice about myself that pleased me today.

 

Responsive classroom has some great ideas for ending the year such as making connections to incoming class as well as to the next grade level.  

 

And finally here is a google document with end of the year activities. 

-Linda and Michele

 

Wellbeing Blog

 

We hope to see you Saturday evening for the end of the year event. 

 

Lynn and Dave