Dear Students and Parents,
Three cheers for National
History Day - thank you to everyone who attended. Here are some photos from the
event:
Congratulations to the following students who are chosen to represent AISC at the upcoming regional NHD competition:
Dhivya Sasha Joseph, Sofia Mistakos, Suin Choi, Chaeyoung Kim, Seunghyun Lee, Daeun Jung, Beyongchan Kang, Abhinand Satish, Seojin Kim, Seongwon Kim, Gus Love, Owen Gold, Shanmugam Ganeshan, Ava Tikekar, Yejin Choi, Nicole Ahn, Sangjun Lee, Emi Kesavardhanan , Shandaneh Penker, Manya Velu and Tulasi A
Dhivya Sasha Joseph, Sofia Mistakos, Suin Choi, Chaeyoung Kim, Seunghyun Lee, Daeun Jung, Beyongchan Kang, Abhinand Satish, Seojin Kim, Seongwon Kim, Gus Love, Owen Gold, Shanmugam Ganeshan, Ava Tikekar, Yejin Choi, Nicole Ahn, Sangjun Lee, Emi Kesavardhanan , Shandaneh Penker, Manya Velu and Tulasi A
Report Cards - Available Today
Please note that first-semester report cards were sent home
with students this afternoon and will be available for download from
PowerSchool within the next week.
Early Release Wednesday
The next Early Release
Wednesday will be on January 29th. 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 these days as all three sections are picking up
students at the same time.
Please join the High School Counselors for Junior Class College Night on Tuesday, February 4th at 6:00 pm in the Madras Hall. This is an important event for Juniors to officially kick-off the college application process.
The presentation will not be country-specific. Counselors will outline steps that students should take to be prepared for college applications regardless of their destination. There will be a focus on the best ways to build a college list and the next steps in the application process as well as how parents can support students.
The HS Counselors hope to see all members of the Class of 2021 and their parents on this important evening!
AP/IB Student Panel for 9th and 10th graders
Our gratitude and appreciation to 12th graders Ananya Atluri, Trevor Bridgeland, Nithya Gogineni, Miles Gold, Aafia Sait, Harish Srinivasan and Vinay Sriram and 11th graders Roman Guerin, Yoonjong Kang, Woonji Lee and Min Wook (Eric) Seo for sharing their experiences as AISC advanced course students. Approximately fifty 9th and 10th grade students heard from 11th and 12th graders about their AP and IB experiences, in response to these prompts:
Our 11th and 12th graders’ excellence as reflective, collaborative and empathetic leaders was apparent to all.
Grade 11 University Admission Information Evening - A Message from the Counselors
Please join the High School Counselors for Junior Class College Night on Tuesday, February 4th at 6:00 pm in the Madras Hall. This is an important event for Juniors to officially kick-off the college application process.
The presentation will not be country-specific. Counselors will outline steps that students should take to be prepared for college applications regardless of their destination. There will be a focus on the best ways to build a college list and the next steps in the application process as well as how parents can support students.
The HS Counselors hope to see all members of the Class of 2021 and their parents on this important evening!
AISC Libraries Book Swap - A Message from the
Librarian
The AISC Libraries want to celebrate Earth Week with the
community by organizing a way to reuse your previously loved books! If you have
any gently used books at home (in any language and/or genre) that you'd like to
donate, please bring them to the ES/MS or HS Library. We will accept books for
babies, toddlers, children, teens, or adults, as long as they are in good
condition. For every two books that are donated, you will receive a ticket for
one free book at the Book Swap! Please contact Barbara Bowman at
bbarbara@aischennai.org if you have any questions.
Important Message for Seniors and their Parents
- A Note from the Counselors
On WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29th there will be a mandatory FCD
session just for Seniors AFTER SCHOOL from 2:15-4:15pm (early release
day).
In this workshop, your child will have a chance to engage in
candid dialogue with our FCD (Freedom from Chemical Dependency) specialist.
They will be addressing topics relevant for students to think about as they
begin the transition from life at AISC to a college/university campus where
they will likely encounter a different culture of alcohol and substance
use.
After the student session, we will host a session just for
parents of seniors (that's you!) to chat with the FCD specialist. The session
will be interactive and relevant with lots of good stuff to think about as you
prepare for this transition with your child. Please join us on WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 29th at 4:30pm in the Hall of Light. We hope to see you there!
Upcoming WIDA Testing - A Note from the EAL
Office
Each year, AISC assesses student's English language
proficiency with the online WIDA MODEL (Measure of Developing English Language)
test. This year, testing will take place from 3-5 February. The EAL Department
works tirelessly with all faculty and staff to minimize disruption during
instructional time, (the complete test takes roughly 2 hours). If you have any
questions regarding WIDA, please reach out to Sarah Sahr, ssarah@aischennai.org
Challenge Success Survey Coming Soon
Every other year we administer the anonymous Challenge
Success Survey as a means to collect perceptual data on a variety of health and
wellbeing related items. Categories include
homework, extracurricular activities and free time, sleep, physical health,
school-related stress, parent expectations, academic engagement, academic
integrity, and support & belonging at school.
Families
can opt-out of the survey if they prefer. To do so, parents should download,
sign and return this form to the
high school office no later than February 1st.
Survey
results will be shared in the April parent coffee.
Freedom from Chemical Dependency Visit (January
27-31) - a Note from the Counselors - Repeat Announcement
As part of our health education program and ongoing
commitment to prevention and wellbeing, each year we invite a trained
prevention specialist from FCD Prevention Works to join our community. FCD
Prevention Works is a non-profit organization that provides substance abuse
prevention education for schools. Their mission is to:
· Encourage and support the non-use of alcohol
and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years
· Empower young people to make healthy,
responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug use
· Teach students and adults how to recognize the
early warning signs of substance abuse and to intervene appropriately
· Educate students, parents, teachers, and
administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and
other drugs
The prevention specialist will be meeting with middle and
high school students during the week of January 27th - 31st. Their aim is to
provide students with the knowledge, understanding, and skills they need to
make intelligent, healthy choices about alcohol and other drug use.
The FCD prevention specialist will also present a parent
workshop on Monday, January 27th at 2:30 pm in the Hall of Light. Please note
that this is a change from what is currently on our school calendar (it will no
longer be on Jan 28th). Some of the topics the facilitator will discuss with
parents include:
· Effective ways to communicate with your child about
alcohol/drug use
· Up-to-date facts about current alcohol/drug use
and trends
· What to say about your own experiences with
alcohol and/or drug experimentation
· How to spot early warning signs of trouble and
effective ways to respond
· The importance of communication among community
members
This program presents a perfect opportunity for discussing
alcohol and other drug-related issues with your children. Parent involvement is
crucial to efforts to reduce the risks that teenagers face and in the
commitment to keeping children safe. We hope to see you on January 27th.
Elementary School parents are also welcome to attend, if interested. If you
would like further information, go to www.fcd.org.
January Counseling Newsletter - Repeat
Announcement
Summer Programs
The counseling office maintains a list of summer offerings that may be of interest. This link will remain
in my notes throughout the semester and the list will be added to as
opportunities arise.
Sincerely,
Joelle Basnight
High School Principal
