Dear Parents,
Semester
exams are done and we just finished our last assembly of 2013. It is a
bittersweet time at schools like AISC. While we are celebrating the end of the
first academic term and the upcoming holidays, we are bidding farewell to some
members of our community. We said goodbye to students and faculty who are leaving us at the assembly this morning. We wish
all of our departing families well in their next location.
Faculty
departures
Regrettably, two of our faculty members
will not be returning to school in January. Due to health concerns our beloved
Economics teacher, Ms. Indrani Verma, has informed us that she will not be able
to continue teaching. Mrs. Verma has been teaching at AISC for many years and
has developed one of our most popular and successful academic programs. She has
left a lasting impact on the lives of many of our students and on the school,
and we will miss her dearly.
Our 9th and 11th
grade counselor, Ms. Mercy Jesudass, has also informed us that she will not be
able to continue in January, again for health reasons. We have engaged an
experienced international school counselor, Mr. Steve Summerfield, for the
balance of the school year. Mr. Summerfield will counsel our 9th and
10th grade students while Ms. McGlamery works with our 11th
and 12th grade students. We will be recruiting a new counselor for the
2014-2015 school year.
This year the Student Council will be
taking an active role in the annual Charity Fair by organizing activities for
elementary and middle school students. So far, plans are being made for over 25
different activities. Most, if not all of the high school students will be
involved in some way or another. In addition to giving the high school students
the opportunity to serve the school community, it provides many students with
leadership opportunities.
Last year the Student Council restructured
the way that the proceeds from the Jan Jamboree will be used. In the past, the
various service clubs would raise funds, often by requesting donations, holding
raffles or selling baked goods. In order to free the clubs of the need to raise
funds and allow them to concentrate on providing direct services to those they
serve, the Student Council will make the proceeds of the Jan Jamboree available
to the service clubs. The clubs will be asked to submit grant proposals to the
Student Council, who will then allocate a portion of the Jan Jamboree funds to
them. This approach will help our students learn how to apply for grants and
will give our Student Council members valuable experience in evaluating the
proposals and managing the funds.
I hope that we will see everyone at the
Jan Jamboree on Saturday, January 18 from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.!
Swimming Pool closed
Please
note that the AISC Swimming Pool will be closed from Friday, December 13, 2013
through Friday, January 3, 2014. We will reopen on Saturday, January 4, 2014 from
9am-3pm and Sunday, January 5, 2014 from 9am-3pm. Wishing you a joyful and
loving holiday! - Your friends at the pool....Donna, Lawrance, Kodimalar and
Srinivasan
The
Winter Break has arrived. It is a good time to rest, be with family and
‘recharge the batteries’ before the next semester. Encourage your child to
read. This is one of the best ways to learn spelling, grammar and especially
vocabulary, as the child encounters words in their context and thus can learn
their often multiple meanings. Reading novels is thus an excellent way to
develop language skills that will help in school and on exams such as the SAT.
However
you spend the holidays, I hope the time is restful and rewarding. I will look
forward to seeing you in the new year.
John
McCandless
High
School Principal
