Dear Students and Parents,
Quite a few celebrations to share this week!
Congratulations to our four students being honored for being a THINKER as per the AISC Vision for a Learner. As a reminder, faculty considered the criteria below and, then, nominated students at each grade level for consideration. All of the nominations with a description from the teacher who offered the student’s name was considered by the faculty before, finally, voting for one student per grade level to honor this month.
September is the month of the THINKER as describe in our Vision for an AISC Learner by:
Thinkers are students who examine information critically and creatively to analyze and take considered action to solve problems in the classroom. Thinkers exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical and data-informed decisions. They may demonstrate their thinking by asking clarifying questions that increase understanding, by deeply engaging with the material taught in class, by considering information and ideas from multiple perspectives and by being thoroughly prepared and well informed.
Congratulations to the following recognized students (one per grade level):
Kiana McBride, grade 12. Kiana is being honored not only for fitting the description but, also, for her ability to think about her own thinking. There have been several moments this semester when teachers have heard Kiana evaluate the limitations of her own perspective and how she differs from others. She makes her thinking visible and is willing to shift her thinking given new information and/or a different perspective. She's inquisitive in a way that seeks deeper understanding of the material.
Nate Malone, grade 11. Nate is being honored because of the quality of his questions and comments in class discussions and their demonstration of thorough preparation, deep understanding, and a genuine sense of curiosity. His contributions help generate connections to other topics and areas of study, and elevate the level of engagement within the class.
Minha Park, grade 10. Minha is being honored because while he often knows procedures to solve problems, he's engaged and active in learning the deeper concepts that underlie procedures. He includes classmates into discussions, asks great questions that stimulate inquiry, and takes every task to new heights.
Karun Ram, grade 9. Karun is being honored for demonstrating a strong interest in his studies and a capacity for deep thinking. In class, he is a frequent contributor who raises the level of discussion through insightful comments and many relevant connections. He is quick to apply inquiry skills to critically analyze and interpret materials.
Our Student Performing Arts Committee arranged for a lovely Wednesday morning performance to welcome everyone to school. Well done Jannick, Apoorva and YoonSeo!
Finally, I am so pleased to share that one of our students studying Spanish, Akanksha Ramesh, will be featured in the Out of Eden project for the month of October for her contribution to the exhibition called “Discovering the Everyday Work.” Harvard library has chosen two photos (Omelette and Water Collection) to display! Her caption/explanations are below translated in English. Congratulations Akanksha!
Water Collection: Everyday, there is a group of women who come to my street to fill their empty pots with water. I do not know where they come from, but I know it is from a place far away from here. After seeing them, I am grateful for the fresh, free water I have in my house and that it is mine at simply the push of a lever.
Omelette: This is a combination of an omelette and a sandwich. You can ask for different fillings; the man who owns the kiosk has every kind of ingredient and sells his snacks on my street almost every day. As I was taking the photos he asked me what kind of food I wanted. I told him I had no money. He replied with "the majority of the time I don't receive any money; I cook to sate hunger, not to make profits."
Mark your Calendars - Celebration of Learning
Please join us during Parent Teacher Conferences for our Celebration of Learning (October 14th, 10 am - 12 pm in the Hall of Light and BBT). Students from a variety of classes will host booths highlighting some work from this semester. A few booths included this year are:
- How can you integrate yoga and poi into a flow performance?
- How can you build a manually controlled or a logic controlled robot from scratch?
- How can you understand the differences and similarities of Francophone countries?
- How can you use math to understand the declining bird population of India?
- How do composers set poems to music?
- How do engineers apply Newton’s Laws of Motion to quantify invisible forces acting on objects?
The event is open to all community members. Please come and support our amazing learners!`
Parent Coffee Review and Resources
Many thanks to everyone who attended this week’s parent coffee. It was wonderful to see so many people wanting to learn more about our academic programs. We hope that having a chance to roll up your sleeves and create four year plans was helpful and informative. As promised, here is a link to the presentation made by our counselors.
A few questions surfaced about college applications and readiness along with AP and IB queries. We will hosts focussed coffees in the future on these topics. In the meantime, here is a Washington Post article written to outline the key takeaways of Harvard's Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good through College Admission. The article also provides some ways parents can support students in their admission process. Disclaimer: the article is focussed on US college admission.
A few questions surfaced about college applications and readiness along with AP and IB queries. We will hosts focussed coffees in the future on these topics. In the meantime, here is a Washington Post article written to outline the key takeaways of Harvard's Turning the Tide: Inspiring Concern for Others and the Common Good through College Admission. The article also provides some ways parents can support students in their admission process. Disclaimer: the article is focussed on US college admission.
Here are some pictures from the event:
Mid-Semester Progress Reports and Student Parent Teacher Conferences
Please note that mid-semester progress reports will be issued today. These progress reports will include comments from teachers and will be distributed on paper to students at 3:30 pm (available online by 4:00 pm).
Student/Parent/Teacher conferences will take place on Thursday, October 13th and Friday, October 14th. We strongly encourage students to attend with their parents. The conferences on Thursday will run from 3:45 - 6:00 pm in the gym and will be “drop in” style meaning that parents can meet briefly with teachers as they are available for informal progress discussions. The conferences on Friday will run from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, take place in teacher’s classrooms and are by appointment. This type of conference is more appropriate to confidential conversations.
Introducing Beth Rappe
Beth Rappe is the Department Head for Student Support Services and teaches mathematics. She has worked in both fields since 1992 after leaving her career as a counselor in the United States. Beth is excited about all of the new scientific data that support of mindset and learning in mathematics and finds her job very rewarding as she watches the face of her struggling students change when they meet with success. She approaches each day thinking “this is someone’s child entrusted to me” and strongly believes that students should trust and capitalize on their innate abilities to achieve what they put their minds to. Ms. Rappe is married to Mr. Jan Rappe who you may have seen helping to build the amazing sets used in our theatrical productions. She has two grown children. In her spare time she enjoys exploring new cultures with her husband and snuggling her cat, Marshall. Not surprisingly, if Ms. Rappe could create her own language it would be “catchat” so she could better understand her feline friends.
Upcoming Fun Night Out - a Note from the Organizing Committee
The next HS Fun Night Out will be held Friday, October 14. The event is Bowling and Billiards from 7-9:30pm at the Grand Mall in Velachery. This is a great opportunity for students to enjoy a social night out away from school. Students can participate in bowling and/or games of pool or just come to hang out with friends. Students can sign up to reserve their spot here, via the daily bulletin or during lunch time sign up Tuesday, October 11.
As always, parent assistance is needed to support the event. We are in need of a few parent volunteers to chaperone and provide donations. If you are able to provide assistance, please complete the form linked here.
Next Early Release Wednesday Coming - Repeat Announcement
On October 19th, we will have our next Early Release Wednesday. Students are expected to depart campus in a timely and organized fashion. We appreciate your patience with traffic on these days. In preparation, please plan on allowing longer time for entry and exit to the school at release time. For our Middle and High School students, hot lunch will be served.
Sincerely,
Joelle Basnight
High School Principal