Dear Parents,
It was great to
have the students back on campus this week. There is a very positive feeling in
the air, with friends meeting friends and teachers meeting students after the
summer break, and there was lots of excitement at our opening day assembly. The
new teachers have been received well and the iHub is getting a big
thumbs-up.
Since it is the
beginning of the year, there are a lot of things to mention. Please read
through to the end.
Back to
School Night - Each year, the High School at AISC hosts Back
to School Night near the beginning of the school year. This year the event will be
held on Tuesday, August 13, starting at
6:00 p.m.
The purpose of this
event is to give you an opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and learn more about the curriculum for
each class. Students are welcome to attend to help with translation needs. The
schedule for the evening will be a modified version of the daily schedule at
the school. A copy of
your child’s schedule will be available in the Cafeteria. After a brief
introduction in the Cafeteria
at 6:00 p.m. you will follow your child’s schedule and
listen to short presentations by the teachers in their classrooms. Each class
period will be 10 minutes long, with 5 minutes for passing between classes. The full schedule for the evening is
below.
5:30
Refreshments
Pick up schedules - Cafeteria
6:00
Principal’s Welcome – Cafeteria
6:15 – 6:25
Period 1
6:30 – 6:40
Period 2
6:50 –
7:00
Period 3
7:00 – 7:10
Break
7:10 – 7:20
Period 4
7:25 –
7:35
Period 5
7:40 – 7:50
Period 6
7:50 – 8:00
Break
8:00 –
8:10
Period 7
8:15 – 8:25
Period 8
Because the time is short, this will not be the time for discussions
about individual students. Student-Parent-Teacher conferences will take place
in November. However, parents may schedule appointments with teachers at any
time during the school year to discuss their child’s academic progress.
Student
Handbook Acknowledgement forms–
If you have not signed and returned yours, please help us by doing so as soon
as possible. It can be found at the end of the Student Handbook. The form must
have the signatures of the student and a parent or legal guardian. We will be
opening access to online grades very shortly. These forms must be submitted
before families will be allowed access to their online grades.
Meetings with
teachers – It has
come to my attention that some parents have been making unscheduled visits with
teachers in their classrooms. Please keep in mind that our teachers have time
set aside during the school day for planning and preparing lessons and for
assessing student progress in their classes. This time is very valuable to them
and to the quality of our instructional program. Unplanned meetings can make it
difficult for teachers to be prepared for their classes and hence can have a
negative impact on the learning experience for the students.
At the same
time, we want to encourage communication between parents and teachers. If you
would like to meet with one of your child’s teachers, please contact him or her
by email to set up a time to meet. Alternatively, you can contact Mrs. Sunita
in the high school office to schedule an appointment. Thank you for your
cooperation.
New lost
& found area –
Please report lost and found items to Ms. Sonia at the Main Reception Desk.
Found items will be stored near the parent café in the Madras Cottages area.
Are you ready to Moodle?
This year we have introduced a new learning management system, formally known
as the NESA virtual School but more popularly known as Moodle pages. Each
teacher has a separate Moodle page for each course he or she teaches. Learning
resources and assessments are posted on these sites. See the sidebar for a link
to instructions for logging in, and please note that
the Moodle password has changed to raptors 13.
BYOT Update – This past week our IT staff
configured over 100 HS student devices for bring-your-own-technology, setting
us off on a confident 1-to-1 heading. We owe a big thanks to all of you
through your efforts to outfit your child with these powerful learning tools.
Now we get to set off on the task of inspiring our students with a love
of learning in a dynamic, technology-rich environment.
BYOT Parent
Workshops - Hall of Light
· Aug
12 8:45-10:45
· Aug
13 10:00-12:00
· Aug
14 8:45-10:45 - Korean Language
These workshops
will address the following questions about the BYOT launch and program.
· What
did the IT department do during configuration and what more needs to be done at
home?
· Where
do I go to find all the information I need to support my child with his/her
laptop or tablet?
· How
do I balance safety and the ability for my child to install educational
applications?
· How
will the tech support process for student device issues work and what is my
role as a parent?
These workshops
are part of a broader parent-tech learning program that addresses the enduring
understanding that as parents we must learn from and lead our children
confidently in the digital age by helping them use technology safely, securely,
and appropriately.
Schedule
changes - Our new
Counselors, Ms. Jesudass and Ms. McGlamery, have been busy all week helping new
students make necessary schedule changes. These changes may require that we do
some further adjusting of student schedules in order to ensure that the class
sizes are reasonable and balanced. Please bear with us as we work to optimize
the learning environment for each child.
As always, it is
a pleasure and an honor to serve the AISC community. Have a wonderful weekend.
John
McCandless
High School
Principal
