Dear
Parents,
We are in the season of fine arts at AISC. It got started at the end of January
with visiting author John Coy, followed by our current visiting artist and
acrobat, Cohdi Harrell. Our high school band gave us a wonderful Winter Concert
and the headed off to the SAISA Band Festival in Dhaka. Next week we will
welcome traditional Tamil sculptors to our campus to show us how the giant
horses of Ayyanar are made. Toward the
end of February we will be treated to a concert by the middle and high school
choirs before they leave for Muscat and the SAISA Choir Festival. And through
it all we have had a marvelous exhibition of student at in the foyer of the
Fine Arts Center. And rehearsals are well under way for “Into the Woods,” our
high school play to be performed in March. It is inspiring to see the range of
talent that our students display and the commitment of our teachers to
providing such incredibly rich learning experiences for them.
Community Service update
While the
Jan Jamboree was a load of fun for students of all ages, it also had the goal
of raising funds to support the community service activities of our various
service organizations. This year the Jan Jamboree, organized by the Student Council who were ably guided by advisors Mrs.
Sangeeta McCandless and Ms. Lisa Levi, raised close to one lakh rupees. These funds will be
distributed by the Student Council to student organizations when requested for
service activities.
And our
students are busy serving their community in other ways. A few weeks ago six members of Operation Smile,
along with their advisor Mrs. Vasanthi Thandlam, travelled to Nagercoil in
southern Tamil Nadu to participate in a Medicam Mission there to repair cleft
palates and lips in children. They took with them supplies to suppor the
mission. They are planning to participate in another mission near Kolkata in
March.
Our
Interact Club, along with advisors Mrs. Geetha Venugopal and Mr. Rob Martin,
has organized a trip to take books and teach English and arts to students in
the nearby village of Lattur tomorrow. 45 students will be participating.
Students from the Interact Club are also helping to organize the participation of the AISC community in a march to raise awareness about violence against girls. The campaign will kick off with a radio broadcast, followed by a rally on March 1 organized by Rotary Interact and UNICEF, and then workshops and lectures to continue spreading the information.
Students from the Interact Club are also helping to organize the participation of the AISC community in a march to raise awareness about violence against girls. The campaign will kick off with a radio broadcast, followed by a rally on March 1 organized by Rotary Interact and UNICEF, and then workshops and lectures to continue spreading the information.
Guest Artist - Cohdi Harrell
We have
thoroughly enjoyed having Cohdi Harrell on campus for the past two weeks. He
has been working with our middle and high school theater students and has, by
all accounts, had a huge impact on their awareness of their physical and
emotional selves through the medium of theater and dance.
On Friday, February 7th at 5:00 pm, the FAC Main Stage Theatre will
present an original performance piece by Cohdi Harrell as part of our ongoing Fridays@5
series. We hope that you will join us for the show.
The Horses are Coming!
On Monday,
February 10th, the AISC Visual Arts Department will welcome a group of local
artists with expertise in constructing large clay Ayyanar horses to our
campus. Over the course of two weeks, these Tamil artists will
demonstrate the ceramic process of building large terra cotta horses. There
will be workshops for our art students across the K-12 curriculum On
Monday morning there will be an opening ceremony on the main field to kick off
the experience. It should be an exciting two weeks as our students explore the
construction of the statues.
Course registration for 2014-2015
Even though August still seems a long
way away, we have begun the process of selecting courses for next year. This is
an important process for all of us. Ms. McGlamery and Mr. Summerfield will be
helping students and parents make decisions that will help our students realize
their academic and career aspirations. Once the course requests have been
received, we will begin to build the schedule of classes for next year.
The first step in this process is
sharing information on our academic program and on the many options that are
available. At the High School
Parent Coffee on Tuesday, February 11 at 8:45 a.m. in the Theater, Ms.
McGlamery and Mr. Summerfield will share information with parents regarding the
course registration process.
They will present the same information
to students at an assembly on the same day. On that day we will be sending home
copies of the 2013-2014 edition of the High School Curriculum Guide. This has
information about our overall academic program as well as individual course
descriptions. It will be made available on the high school Moodle page as well.
From February 5 through March 7 Ms.
McGlamery and Mr. Summerfield will be meeting individually with students and
their parents to plan their courses for next year and beyond. The course
selection forms will be due in the office by March 15. For more information,
see the Guidance Counseling website link in the sidebar.
Celebrate AISC!
On Friday,
Feb. 14th, we will celebrate our first ever All-School Spirit Day! We ask
everyone to celebrate our school by wearing AISC colors - blue and white.
All staff, parents and students are invited to meet on the soccer field
at 8:20 for a school-wide photo! Remember, to wear BLUE and WHITE and to be on
the field promptly at 8:20.
Raptorthon
The High
School PE teachers, Coach Donna and Mr. Thomson would like to invite you to
take part in AISC's first ever Raptorthon. A Raptorthon is a
fun event that combines swimming and running. Participants will be
required to swim 150m, run 1600m and jump back in the pool and swim
another 150m. You can enter the race as an individual or as a partnership
where one person swims and the other runs.
The event will
take place on Sunday February 23rd from 7-10am. The event fee is
300 rupees per individual and 600 rupees for a partnership. The money raised
will be used to cover the cost of the event. Any remaining money will go
towards a charity. After the race is complete there will be a potluck
breakfast. Sign ups for the potluck are included on the entry form. You
can find more information by clicking the Raptorthon Information link in the sidebar.
Please sign
up! It promises to be a fun morning. Bring your families along to join in as
participants or to just cheer you on! This is an AISC Community Event.
Anyone grade 4 and older may join in!
Other
news
Be sure to check the sidebar for
news from our counselors, our IB and AP Coordinator and our Athletics Director
for important updates.
Enjoy
your weekend.
John
McCandless
High
School Principal
