Dear Students and Parents,
Art Sustains would like to thank everyone who came out to support our local artists at the craft fair. During the 3.5 day event, the group sold $3,615 in merchandise and managed to raise $700, which will enable us to fund numerous service based initiatives throughout the year.
The group will continue to sell Ayyanar horse, elephant, ganesh, and numerous other terracotta sculptures in the IHUB throughout November and December. Baskar, one of the terracotta sculptors who worked with us during the Ayyanar Horse Project, had an accident in his studio two months ago. He could use our support now, more than ever.
Art Sustains is also happy to announce, that our Bollywood/ Signboard painters are back on campus! Make sure you stop by our Art Sustains table, outside the IHUB, on Fridays to place your order for a large Bollywood style family portrait.
In other exciting news, Interact was officially installed by the Rotary Club of Madras for the second time this past Wednesday. Interact has truly taken Rotary's ideologies of leadership, service, and international-mindedness to heart by focussing on the theme of education over the past 2 years. This 'education' ranges from teaching young underprivileged children basic computer skills, to empowering women by conducting seminars on self defense. This group of over 30 passionate students continues to find innovative ways to explore this theme, so here's hoping for another fruitful year!
Discover Day and Discover India Reminders
Please note that the day after Diwali break is a Discovery Day. Participation is mandatory and students should not view this day as an extension of their vacation. Students have already selected their activities and a full list of what is on offer can be found here.
Discover India Trips will depart on beginning on Friday, November 13th. Please note that students should plan to be at the school at least 15 minutes prior to the bus departure times. Staff on each trip may set the gathering time even earlier. The return times are estimated and will depend on the actual arrival time of flights and trains. The full schedule of flights is available here. Please note that all students must travel with the group, including on the return bus to the school.
Departure
|
Bus leaves
|
Return
|
At school
| ||
A
|
Yercaud Camp
|
Nov/13
|
5:00 PM
|
Nov/19
|
5:15 AM
|
B
|
Himalayan Foothills Hiking
|
Nov/13
|
4:15 AM
|
Nov/19
|
7:00 PM
|
C
|
High Himalaya
|
Nov/13
|
3:15 AM
|
Nov/20
|
11:00 PM
|
D
|
Inflatable Kayaking
|
Nov/13
|
4:15 AM
|
Nov/19
|
8:00 PM
|
E
|
Mahakali Rafting Expedition
|
Nov/13
|
3:15 AM
|
Nov/19
|
5:30 PM
|
F
|
Tour de' Himalayas
|
Nov/13
|
3:15 AM
|
Nov/19
|
11:00 PM
|
G
|
Tri Challenge
|
Nov/13
|
7:30 AM
|
Nov/19
|
7:00 PM
|
H
|
Bison Country
|
Nov/13
|
8:00 AM
|
Nov/19
|
7:30 PM
|
I
|
Dilli Champs
|
Nov/13
|
10:00 AM
|
Nov/19
|
5:30 PM
|
J
|
Photographing Varanasi
|
Nov/13
|
4:15 AM
|
Nov/18
|
11:00 PM
|
K
|
Ceramics in the Garhwal Himalaya
|
Nov/13
|
8:00 AM
|
Nov/19
|
7:00 PM
|
L
|
Surfing and Service
|
Nov/14
|
8:30 AM
|
Nov/20
|
4:15 PM
|
M
|
Camel Caravan
|
Nov/13
|
10:00 AM
|
Nov/19
|
10:30 AM
|
N
|
Little Tibet
|
Nov/13
|
3:15 AM
|
Nov/19
|
11:00 PM
|
O
|
Nature Photography & Conservation
|
Nov/13
|
5:00 PM
|
Nov/19
|
10:45 AM
|
P
|
Anaman Natural History
|
Nov/13
|
9:30 AM
|
Nov/20
|
6:00 PM
|
Q
|
Chennai Area
|
Daily
|
Variable
|
Variable
|
Students are only expected to return to class on Monday, November 23rd regardless of their return date/time. The exception to this is Photographing Varanasi. Students on this trip are excused from school on November 19th but are expected on campus from 8:30 am until 3:30 pm on Friday, November 20th, to prepare their photo exhibition.
Save the Date! High School Parent Coffee
The next High School Parent Coffee will take place on Tuesday, November 24th at 8:45 am in the BBT. Susannah McGlamery and I will share with parents some of the work we have been doing with students regarding mindfulness and parents will have the opportunity to participate in some mindfulness practice of their own.
A Message from the Global Issues Network
Global Issue Networks will be organizing the Cancer-Lap- A-Thon on November 27th. This year we have decided that the proceeds of this will be donated to the 30/30 project, an organization that is working to bring healthcare and health checkups to various communities around the world. Recently they have started to build a clinic in India, which we would like to sponsor. Our overall theme for the project is "Healthcare is a Human Right," - which is a key issue that GIN aims to tackle.
To participate, each person must get sponsors to pay them for the number of laps that they will run around the field. Participants can walk, run, jog, crawl, anything they like around the field, as long as they complete as many laps as they please to raise money for 30/30 Project. Anyone interested in participating can pick up the sponsorship form from the High School, Middle School, and Elementary School office to start getting sponsors.
Discovery Program Information and Service Hour Clarification - Repeat Announcement
As was communicated earlier in the year, to make our service and experiential learning expectations in the high school more mission aligned, this year we have initiated the Discovery Program. In the past, students were expected to complete and submit a form to the HS office documenting their service learning activities. We have replaced this system with an e-portfolio expectation for all students. Every high school student has been assigned a discovery advisor who has guided them in creating a discovery blog. Students post their experiential or extracurricular activities on this blog with a reflection based on the 4 Cs of our mission. Students are given time during certain assembly periods when their Discovery groups meet to complete their blog posts. Successfully completing this process along with completion of the Discover India Travel Program will result in a ‘pass’ on student transcripts for the Discovery Program. Be advised that we ARE NOT COUNTING SERVICE HOURS, rather we have replaced this with more meaningful self reflections.
However, if students would still like to submit their community service hours to the office in the case that they will need documented proof of their activities when they leave AISC they can collect a ‘Community Service Student Time Sheet’ form from the HS office at the end of each grading period. Students will need to submit a list of their activities during the semester which will be recorded by the HS office staff. Only activities completed at AISC will be documented. For the majority of our students, this added step is not necessary. The timesheet should ONLY be completed if students need proof of community service hours in a document to submit to universities or transfer institutions.
Semester Exam Schedule Available - Repeat Announcement
As you begin to plan your winter vacation please make note that our semester exams run from the 14th - 17th of December. It is our expectation that students are in attendance for all exams. Please note that our policy is that we do not give exams early. Thus, if your vacation plans require you to leave before exams are finished make-up exams will be scheduled for the first few days of school in the second semester. The semester exam schedule can be found here. All exams will take place in the gym. Please note that only written exams are reflected here. All alternative assessments like papers, practicals or portfolios are due before exam week begins.
The seating chart for each exam can be found by scrolling past the schedule itself. Students should arrive to the covered play area outside the gym 10-15 minutes before exams begin and should stand in front of the letter representing their assigned row. They will then be guided into the exam hall 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time.
Students are only allowed to bring required materials (pens, pencils, etc.) and a water bottle into the exam hall. All electronics and other valuables must be locked in their lockers before reporting to the covered play area. Students leaving valuables unattended during exams do so at their own risk. Further, students may not leave bags in the gym locker rooms during exams as this area is off limits.
Sincerely,
Joelle Basnight
High School Principal
