Dear Students and Parents,
Congratulations to Tulasi who performed her Bharatanatyam Arangetram last week!
Student Advisory Council
Congratulations to the students chosen to serve on the Student Advisory Council this year. With 43 applications and only 22 positions, it was not an easy choice for the selection committee. Well done to all applicants for their willingness to step forward to serve the school!
Grade 12: Anusha Madhusudanan, Hyoeun Kang, Karun Ram, Prahalad Giridhar, Pranav Unni
Grade 11: Anand Nicolai, Anya Mall, Srivats Ramaswamy, Nish Guha, WoonJi Lee
Grade 10: Hera Kwak, Madhulika Kaushik, Sangjun Lee, Tejas Narayan, Yewon Nam
Grade 9: Byeongchan Kang, Nicole Ahn, Owen Gold, Seojin Kim, Seunghyoun Oh
SAF Mentors: Reuben Nielsen, Sanjana Kumar
Ex Officio Student Council Representatives: Joon Hyuk Song, Vinay Sriram
Back to School Night Schedule
Back to School Night is next week! See you on Thursday, August 29th. The schedule is as follows:
3:45 - 4:00 Schedules available for pick up in main breezeway entrance
4:05 - 4:15 Welcome in the Madras Hall
4:15 - 4:20 Passing time to the block one
4:20 - 4:32 Block One
4:40 - 4:52 Block Two
5:00 - 5:12 Block Three
5:20 - 5:32 Block Four
5:40 - 5:52 Block Five
6:00 - 6:12 Block Six
6:20 - 6:32 Block Seven
6:40 - 6:52 Block Eight
Reminder - Monday, September 2nd Holiday
A reminder that classes will not be in session on Monday, September 2nd, in observance of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration. An updated annual school calendar reflecting this change was circulated in the Head of School Notes last week. The updated calendar is also available on our website.
High School Parent Coffee - Tuesday!
Are you new to AISC or to the High School? If so, this coffee is for you! Please join us for a presentation walking through our Standards Based Assessment and Reporting system. There will be time at the end for questions too.
In the News - Vaping
While vaping (the use of e-cigarettes) is widespread in the US and Europe, it is on the increase in India. As of September 13th, 2018, Tamil Nadu banned the import, sale and possession of all e-cigarette materials. Nonetheless, products are readily available online and in shops across India. Don’t know much about vaping? Here are two resources for parents to learn more: Quick facts from the Center for Disease Control and CNN Health: Health Problem of the Decade.
As more and more teens refill their own vapes with liquids containing ingredients they may not fully understand, the health concerns are growing. If you read the New York Times you may have come across a recent article about teens being hospitalized due to lung damage tied to “vaping.”
Mr. Malone and I will begin working with interested students to determine how best to educate our community about the potential dangers of e-cigarette use. Your comments and ideas are welcome. Further, Freedom from Chemical Dependency will be visiting later this year and their consultant will work with our students to raise awareness about vaping, tobacco, drinking and other drugs. Our health classes also address such issues.
Announcing Math Lab!
Starting September 3rd, Mr. Mano along with student tutors will be hosting a “math lab” every Tuesday after school from 3:30 - 4:30 pm in room 3307. Math lab is open to any student who needs some additional help or support in mathematics. Help will be available for content from all AISC classes (IM 1, 2 and 3 as well as all AP and IB subjects).
Next Early Release Wednesday
The next Early Release Wednesday will be on September 11th. Students are expected to depart campus in a timely and organized fashion upon dismissal at 2:00 pm. For our Middle and High School students, a hot lunch will be served. Food services in the iHub will close at 1:50 pm. Please note that the iHub will be open to provide an air-conditioned waiting area until 2:40 pm in case drivers are delayed. We appreciate your patience with traffic on these days as all three sections are picking up students at the same time.
Discover India update
Students depart for Discover India trips in just 4 weeks. DI groups and their subgroups called “crews” have met a few times already. Here is a document that provides the times for all DI trips to meet at the school as well as their estimated return time to campus. With DI trips returning just prior to the fall break it is important to be aware of the return times, which were approximated when the trips were out for selection. Please note that all students must meet at the school and return to the school.
AISC UN International Peace Day, Parade of Nations - A Note from Admissions
This year's UN International Peace Day celebration will be held on Friday, September 13! The Parade of Nations will be held in the FAC Theater and students are encouraged to dress in their national attire.
Upon arrival, class teachers will bring Grade 1 through Grade 12 students to gather in the gymnasium. Once assembled by their respective national flag, students will proceed to the FAC Theater stage for the beginning of the parade.
Teachers will gather Early Years and Kindergarten in the FAC Theater lobby. Upon arrival of Grade 1 to Grade 12 students, Early Years and Kindergarten students will lead the school into the parade. Early Years and Kindergarten students will exit the auditorium upon parading across the FAC Theater stage.
Once they finish the parade, Grade 1 to Grade 5 students will be seated in the FAC Theater for a short program. Grade 6 to Grade 12 students will proceed to the cafeteria for live streaming of the program.
The Parade of Nations will be followed by a regular school day.
How does the school determine what country students represent?
Students are grouped by their passport of record. If you would like to have your child(ren) parade with a country different from their citizenship of record, kindly send an email to Deborah Allen, Director of Admissions and Parent/Alumni Relations at admissionsdirector@aischennai.org [Please specify Subject Header: Parade Flag Change]. Please let us know no later than August 30, 2019.
Yearbook Photos - a Note from Ms. Sunita - Repeat Announcement
The all-school Yearbook photoshoot is scheduled for the week of 26 August.
The HS portrait pictures and class photos will be taken as per the following schedule:
Aug 26 - Grade 9 (Portrait and class photo)
Aug 27 - Grade 10 (Portrait and class photo)
Aug 28 - Grade 11 (Portrait and class photo)
Aug 30 - Grade12 ( Portrait and class photo)
The detailed schedule will be published in the Daily Bulletin.
Grade 12 students are asked to wear black and white. Boys are not required to wear suits but may choose to. Black or dark nice pants with a white shirt is perfectly fine. Girls can wear dresses, skirts or pants with a top in any combination of black and white. Both girls and boys are asked to wear dress shoes (not tennis shoes) as their shoes will show in the photo.
MAP Testing Beginning Monday, August 26 - A Note from Mr. Malone - Repeat Announcement
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing for all 9th and 10th graders will be from Monday, August 26 through Thursday, August 29th, with makeup tests on Friday, August 3oth. Students will be assessed on English Language Usage, Life Sciences in 9th grade and NGSS Science in 10th grade, English Reading and Mathematics for approximately 75 minutes each day. Subject teachers will be present to support each student's best effort.
MAP tests, which all students from 3rd through 10th grade take in the beginning and end of each school year, help us understand the growth in our students and the success of our programs in comparison to US and international schools. Teachers can use MAP results to differentiate instruction and understand growth over time.
Please support your 9th or 10th grader to get good sleep and nutrition August 25-30th so that they can show what they know, and give us the most useful information to understand and respond to their learning profile.
Sincerely,
Joelle Basnight
High School Principal
