Friday, August 11, 2017

Dear all,

Setting up your classrooms √

First two full days of school √

Welcome back Assembly √

Having a beverage of your choice to celebrate the week…..up to you!  

We think you deserve it! Our section looks amazing, and so many children already told Lori and I how “fun” and “happy” they have been these last two days.

We are still a work in progress, particularly with changes to some of our systems over the summer so we ask you to please…..

Thank you’s (anyone you’d like to celebrate?  Let Lori or I know and we can add it here)

• Many teachers have noticed the confidence and comfort of some of newest students to English who participated in the Jumpstart Program over the summer. Bravo! Well done, teachers in the program: Sweety, Daphne, Lakshmi, and Shirene!
• Thank you Rachael and Hilary who were super efficient data entry assistants yesterday in getting all the WIDA and running record data to homeroom and EAL teachers
• Specialist teachers and TAs who welcomed new students and acted as tour guides in showing each family to the right room
• Karen for helping present about inclusive classrooms

Presentations for your reference

NSO - so you can refer to any logistical information families received

Welcome back ES faculty session & Nuts and bolts - all in same presentation

IT office hours

Someone will be in the IT office before 8am every morning if you have tech issues to solve.  (Thanks Tiffany for the suggestion!)

Outdoor Learning Centre - Official Opening - Friday 18th August, 9:50am
Our newly designed Early Years Outdoor Learning Centre will have the official opening celebration next Friday 18th August. Coincidentally it is also the birthday of AISC, so cake and coffee will be served - all faculty welcome to join us!

Snapshot conferences

Also known as ‘Listening In’ conferences - these are designed for you to get all of that vital information from parents about the students in your class.  You are welcome to send home a questionnaire to parents in advance to help them think about some of the information you may like to know.  You set the scene, and the parents do all the talking.  Some areas you may want to know include

• Favourite parts of school in previous years
• Hopes for the year
• Fears
• Special people, places
• Family circumstances
• Languages spoken at home
• Friendships and relationships

These are scheduled for anytime within the week of Monday 21st - Friday 25th August.  There is no section meeting that week.  Each homeroom teacher can devise a schedule to invite parents in during your preferred time slots; this can be before or after school, during a prep block or even lunch.  Please ensure you have enough time blocks offered for all your students, plus around 5-6  extra slots per class.

Example.  If you have 12 students, create 18-20 x 10 min slots throughout the week.  
EAL teachers should please join with the HR teachers as much as possible, and if there is a child with special needs, HR teachers could also invite specialists to join where possible.

Homeroom teachers need to make a COPY of this document, and then personalise the time slots to suit your schedule.   This needs to be posted on Edmodo by each homeroom teacher on Monday 14th August.  

Report card committee

We will be reconvening the report card committee next Wednesday 23 August at 7:30am.  The purpose is to finalise the overarching conceptual standards we will be reporting out on each trimester, as well as define the indicator/levels of learning to potentially replace our existing Beginning, Developing, Applying and Exceeding.  
Those interested in being on this committee should let Keryn know by next Monday 21 August.

Edmodo - from Hilary and the IT office

Your Edmodo accounts should be up and running, with your first introductory post already made.  Please remember this is the only way we communicate to whole class or grade - we do not send bulk emails nor do we send home paper newsletters.

If you are experiencing any type of problem, please email itsupport@aischennai.org. On Monday, you may get parents that are having trouble with their Edmodo accounts. Please send them to the CIC and one of the IT staff will provide them support. I received my first Edmodo note yesterday from my teacher, Mrs. Amy. Remember that Priya is available to support you and provide you with training on anything Edmodo.

Duties

This year’s duty schedule includes not only new timings for recess and lunch, but some new locations as well.

Here’s a brief guide to the locations - please read.

Message from Carl in the Discovery Studios

Our primary goal is to add value to what you are teaching in the classroom. Over the last couple of years we have worked closely with the classroom teachers developing projects for the different engineering standards at each grade level. Last year we expanded our role and worked in many different subject areas doing everything from short little provocations for upcoming units to weeks-long projects. We are happy to meet with teams or individual teachers to plan out different activities. No idea is too crazy to be developed into something for the students.

Some nuts and bolts.

• To book the room(s) just use the FIND A TIME feature on google calendar under my name kcarl@aischennai.org.
• The Discovery Studio has space for 2 classes at a time; 3 if they are small. Classes can come in together with others or individually. If a class is coming by itself to use the room please mark on my calendar which side of the room you want DS-1 or DS-2 along with your class name. That way other classes can use the other side.
• If you have booked the room(s) but not planned something in advance with me, please give me a heads up as what you want to use the room(s) for so I can get tools and materials ready for you in advance and help out with your activity.
• Small groups of students are welcome, but please do not send them to the Studios without putting it on my calendar first.
• I am happy to lend out materials and equipment. Just ask and make sure it finds its way back.
• Grades 4-5 Lunch recess will be open studio time for the students unless the room is already booked by lower school classes.

As of Monday, Aug 14th you are free to book the Discovery Studios. We will also be offering 2 activities for your kids: an hour long Intro/Tool and Materials Hunt and an hour and 15 minute Make a Toy challenge for grades 2 to 5 and an hour for EY5 and grade 1. We would really like it if every class can sign up for the Intro so I can meet every class. The second one is optional.

Drop by for a visit if you have not been here yet or send me any questions you may have! Lastly, We are always on the hunt for junk the can be used to make stuff.

BYOT device configuration

Grade 5: 14th August

Grade 4: 16th August

Grade 3: 17th August

The tech team will install the following technology - MAP, WRAP testing, EASY MP3 and Chrome

All the students will be given a form that requires the parents to sign and give us the basic information that will help the tech team to configure their devices. The forms have been given to each and every teacher. If they do not have them for some reason you may share the google doc and they can print.

The homeroom teachers need to have their students drop of their devices first thing in the morning at the ES CIC. The devices need to have the form attached.

The devices can be picked up at the end of the day. If there are any issues with any of the devices the teach team will send home a note.

Operation Appreciation

Operation Appreciation is designed to celebrate those who help us everyday at AISC!!

The basic idea is this:

~ On a certain predetermined day, a predetermined group of about 20 teachers bake or make about 20 - 25 'treats' each (cookies/ brownies/snacks... hopefully with a home-cooked feeling to them.)

~ These are then delivered in specific predetermined quantities to certain offices such that everyone in that 'sector' gets one.

For example: It is coordinated that 100 treats (or whatever the right number is) are delivered to Mr. Ilangovan's office. He makes sure that each cleaning lady and maintenance gentleman gets one and knows that these are shared a a small token of a great deal of thanks and appreciation from the faculty/staff.

The same is happening on the same day to the transportation office, the security office, the business / finance office, the tech office, the administrative assistants and so on....  

The OpApp team will send out an invitation for anyone to join in making and delivering treats. You can respond to the mail and participate - and there will be at least 4 opportunities to show our gratitude throughout the year. It is easy and, of course, fun!

Have a great weekend!

Warmly,

Keryn & Lori

Friday, August 04, 2017

Dear all,

What a start! There definitely is something special about ‘firsts’ and having 17 of you joining our Elementary AISC community this year is no different. Lori and I are genuinely excited to be working with each and every one of you all this year (returning or new) and know that we will have a successful and fun year together - full of consolidating our teaching and learning programs.  Oh and fun too!

Thank you for welcoming all of our newbies; don’t they look spectacular here!

Weekly Notes

Our weekly notes will be sent out via this blog every week. We will aim to get these out to you Friday afternoon before the upcoming week. Please take the time to read these as they contain important information items and reminders.

If any of you have items you would like included, please let me know by Friday a.m at the latest, and send me the blurb or information via email.

Thank you’s (Anyone you’d like to thank?  Pass on a note to Keryn & Lori for next week.)

• A big thank you to our ES Coaches; Rachael, Hilary, Alex and Karen for running different informative and helpful AFO sessions this week.  
• Priya for getting us started with powerschool
• LORI for the hours of dedication to the schedule
• Grade team leaders for coordinating a lot of logistics with your team
• Hazel and Cheryl for amazing behind the scenes organization
• Daphne, Shereen, Lakshmi and Sweety for hosting our first EAL Jumpstart Summer Camp
• Early years team and Grade 1 for being super flexible and all the effort unpacking this week

Section Meeting

The upcoming Wednesday meeting schedule can be found here.  You will see that next Wednesday, 16 August is vertical departments.
Specialists, including EAL and LSS teachers, you are obviously already in a department.  Homeroom teachers - you will decide as a team who out of the 4 of you will be LA, Math, Science and Social Studies.

TGIF

The wonderful tradition of these WILL continue this year - watch this space for more info & dates.

New Student Orientation: Wednesday, August 9th

All our new students from EY-Grade 5 will be attending NSO from 9:00am - 10:30am.
All TAs, Specialist teachers and counselors, please place yourselves near the entrances from 8:45am to guide new families to classrooms upon arrival.  Please personally escort a family, no matter which class/grade they are going to.  Once all new families are in classes, you can join your own class/grade again.  
Homeroom teachers please station yourselves in your class from 8:45 for any early birds.

Elementary school Orientation  (Early Years 3 - Grade 5)
Time	Venue	What is happening?
9:00 - 9:15	Grade level classrooms	Parents drop students off in classroom
9:15 - 10:30	Grade level classrooms	Students in classrooms School tour
9:15 - 9:50	FAC	Elementary School Principal with parents – information session
All  School  Orientation ( Early Years 3 - Grade 12)
Time	Venue	What is happening?
10:00 -10:30	FAC	Head of School and EY5-12 staff with parents and MS/HS students - introductory session
10:30 - 10:45	Gym	Collect Elementary students from Gym

**Please can homeroom and EAL teachers each walk their students to meet and handover the new students to their parents at 10:30am.

For easy reference, here are some links and further information from Thursday's "Nuts and Bolts" sectional meeting:

ES Master Schedule 2017-18

So far, only minor changes have been made. Early next week, we'll communicate which specialist teacher will be assigned to each class. Be aware, too, that with 3 music and art teachers sharing two spaces each, some classes will need to be held in homerooms. Please remember that the schedule will not be 100% finalized until it has successfully run through five teaching days.

Duty Schedule

Will be confirmed and communicated prior to the first day with students.

Food Service Changes

Please confirm your new lunch time, remembering that fourth and fifth grade students will no longer pre-order and will need to carry their charged cards to lunch. This will be new to them!

Remember that the 2/3 and 4/5 lunch recesses will overlap by about 10 minutes. Two soccer pitches will be designated (one for 2/3 nearest the playground and the other for 4/5 in the middle of the field. The first bell will signal the end of the 2/3 recess. This will be new to them!

Substitutes

Our pool of substitute teachers is limited this year, so we will continue to rely heavily on internal coverage. Regardless of who is covering your absence, please be sure to leave clear lesson plans. If you know anyone in the community who is eligible to work in India and has experience with elementary aged students, feel free to have them send their CV directly to Lori.

End of Day Handover

We want to be tight about our end of day handover, being intentional to pass each child over to:

• a parent
• a sibling in 6th grade or older
• the ASA program
• the bus monitor
• the Japanese school teacher

We will designate one TA per grade level to accompany students to the gate; they will wait with the children until the driver has arrived.

Any children not picked up by 3:40 can be escorted to the ES Reception; Padma Priya will contact the parent/driver. She also monitors students who are chronically late being picked up.

Thanks for your help with this, especially during the first couple of weeks.

First Day of School

Early Years and Grade 1 - continue to receive children in the classroom when the bell rings.

Grade 3 - children line up  at the base of the stairs

Grade 2 and 4  - children line up in the covered area.

Grade 5 - children line up  in the old KG playground (structure 1 area)

Please can all Grade 2-5 teachers, including specialists,  come to the pick-up area a few minutes prior to the 8:25 bell on Thursday and assist with students lining up in class lines.

Hazel and Cheryl will give you a sign with your name so that new students can identify you. Everyone please also wear the ID badges which was given to you during the AFO.

Personal Leave

Please be reminded that personal leave can be granted for up to 3 days, and can be used for

1. Required religious holidays
2. Immigration and customs department appointments
3. Personal business that cannot be scheduled after school hours
4. Legal court appointments
5. For other reasons at the Head of School’s discretion.

A reminder, if you need to leave campus for up to 90 mins (prep block) you do not have to apply for ½ day leave, although you must inform Keryn and the office. This is very important in case of an emergency drill.  If you cannot find me in person, please ensure you send an email and cc Hazel/Cheryl too.  As with last year, if you regularly leave campus during the day, you may be called upon to do an extra recess duties as needed.
Anything longer than 90 mins needs to be applied for, and will count as ½ day leave.

Welcome Back Assembly: Friday, August 11th

This coming Friday morning in the theater.  All students should be seated by 8:45 - no water bottles, coffee cups or food please. We will introduce new teachers and TAs, and ask new students to stand to be acknowledged.

Morning Attendance

Please enter your attendance into Power School no later than 8.45 am each morning. You will mark students as Present (P) Excused Absence (EA) or Unexplained Absence (UA).
Hazel and Cheryl will begin calling each unexplained absent student’s parents beginning at 9.
Any student arriving into your class after 8:37 will be considered Tardy (T). These students all must have gone to the office to collect a Late Pass. If a student arrives late without this, please send to the office.
Hazel and Cheryl will then change their UA status to tardy.

Edmodo Expectations
Next Friday 11th, all teachers, Homeroom, EAL and specialists need to post a welcome message to their classes.  This should include a class photo and the homeroom schedule with specialist classes clearly identified.  

Every time you make a future post - please organize your posts under one of the following headings:
* Action
* Important
* Update (weekly update, unit update, curricular update etc)
* Reminder
* Celebration

Homeroom Edmodo Expectations

• A weekly update; what has happened this week, main events, big learning ideas (include photos)
• Grade level posts (can be copied onto all class accounts) before each new curricular unit begins - this should be the same for each class.

Specialist Edmodo Expectations
* Post each time a new unit begins (copied onto all classes within grade level) with key information
* Monthly celebration update for each class; photos with a few sentences only personalized to that particular class

From your instructional Coaches:
Please head up to 3612 if you do not have your Bridges and Number Corner binders in your classroom and/or if you do not have a Fountas and Pinnell Reading Record Benchmark Kit for your room. Each classroom should have one kit.  Thank you!  

Phew - thank you for staying with me to the end of this, I know there was a lot of information to digest.  As always, any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Here’s to a great year together.  

Warmly,

Keryn & Lori