Dear Students and Parents,
Have you ever wondered what students do in their performance-based classes during virtual learning? Well, they make magic happen!
Please enjoy some “mixtape” performances from our amazing choir students and some entertaining original radio shows from our talented theater students! Enjoy and please be sure to fill out the feedback form for the radio shows.
Speaking of talent, our Grade 10 photographer extraordinaire, Sangjun Lee, has been recognized by The Guardian as one of the 2020 Food Photographers of the Year! SJ received the category win for photographers aged 15-17. His photo “Believers Sharing a Meal” can be seen below. Congratulations SJ!
Check out this video recently released by the international non-profit organization MUN Impact - see anyone you know? Congrats Sanjana!
Congratulations and best of luck to our AP students. Today marks their final day of regular AP class as they move into optional review modules on Monday until they sit their AP exams over the next two weeks. Best of luck on exams!
Important Announcement: Semester Two Report Card/Transcript Option
Our high school team has been monitoring the narrative online about university admissions in the face of COVID-19. We have attended webinars, read countless new stories, done considerable research, and made direct contacts with university representatives across the globe.
Like many of you, we have watched high schools across the United States adopt a credit/no credit system for this semester as more and more universities have publicly announced that such a system would not disadvantage prospective applicants. Yet, other publications have expressed concern that a forced credit/no credit system penalizes high achieving students, especially in the face of canceled IB exams and modified AP exams. Outside of the U.S., universities have been less forthcoming about the potential impact of credit/no credit for this semester.
To remind universities of the potential impact of COVID-19 on student performance, we will add a note to all transcripts indicating the lockdown conditions faced by students and the timing of our shift to virtual learning. The same will be reflected in the school profile for the next four years.
Upon considering the information we have to date, we will extend a “credit/no credit” option to families as follows:
- Students must meet our attendance criteria (no less than 85% attendance) and complete all summative assessments. This includes the final assessment of the semester, alternative or traditional, scheduled between May 18 - 28.
- Students will receive report cards in the same format as semester one. This will include learning habits ratings, scores in the three achievement strands, and personalized comments.
- Student achievement results will be available on PowerSchool as of 4:00 pm, June 3rd. This can be seen by clicking “quick look-up.”
- Upon reviewing student performance, families will have five days to decide if they wish to opt for “credit/no credit” for the semester. If this option is desired, parents must email Ms. Basnight (cc: to Ms. Sunita, Ms. Priya, the student’s counselor, and the student) anytime between 8:00 am June 4th and 8:00 am on June 9th to make the request.
- For students opting for credit/no credit, the achievement scores on the report card and transcript will be replaced with “CR” (score of 3 or above) or “NCR” (score of 2 or below).
- The option of credit/no credit is only available for all courses this semester, not by individual course and a note will be added to the transcript indicating that the student opted for credit/no credit for the term.
- Please note that the scores earned for all courses will be used as a guide for internal pre-requisites regardless of the choice made by families to opt for CR/NCR.
Families need not take any immediate action. We are sharing this option now simply to raise awareness. We believe that many families will decide to keep the reports as is, with achievement scores in place. Students are expected to remain engaged in their learning and complete all final assessments regardless of the choice they will make in early June. Students who either (a) fall below our attendance requirements or (b) do not complete all summative assessments will receive no credit in the corresponding course. In other words, while this option may relieve some pressure for students not achieving at the level they hoped, it should not be viewed as permission to disengage from school in the final month of studies.
Next week our counselors will share some things to consider when thinking about this option vis-a-vie university admission. Nearer to the end of the semester we will share reflective questions families can use to determine if the credit/no credit option is right for them.
Grade 9 - 12 End of Semester Celebrations - Update
Given the extended lockdown and existing uncertainty of movement post-May 18th, the High School Team has had to make some difficult decisions regarding our usual end of semester celebrations. We apologize for the disappointment these decisions may cause and ask for your understanding given the extraordinary circumstances.
The Prom, scheduled for May 23rd, has been canceled. We are soliciting student groups who may want to host an abridged virtual dance online. More details to follow.
The Farewell Assembly, scheduled for May 22nd, has been postponed to May 29th and will be a virtual event.
The Recognition Ceremony will remain on May 28th and will also be a virtual event.
There are also many events planned for grade 12 students during "Senior Week" that have been affected. Changes to those events will be outlined in a memo directly to seniors and their families.
Final Assessments Grades 9 - 12 - Semester Two - Repeat Announcement
As you know, we have experimented with many different ways to assess in a virtual space. We have had portfolio assessments, papers, projects, and presentations to name a few. We have also had a number of more traditional paper/pen assessments that were invigilated and monitored online. With the success of all of these modalities, we feel confident that we can move forward with final assessments in all courses. The type of assessment will vary from course to course and all may be shorter in duration/expectation than in other semesters.
These assessments represent the final summative of the semester and all will conclude by May 28th. Please remember that students must complete all summatives in order to receive credit in a course. As such, these final assessments are required, not optional.
Here is what to expect in the last few weeks of the school regarding final assessments:
AP Exams begin May 11th. The virtual modules in AP courses for the weeks of May 11th and May 18th will cover review materials and are optional. No attendance will be taken for AP classes during these two weeks. Once the AP exam has concluded, the AP courses are over. Students opting out of AP exams will take an AISC AP exam on the same day. Mr. Malone is making these arrangements individually with students. The AP will send the test papers to teachers on May 26th and this (or the AISC AP exam) will be used as the final assessment for the semester.
All other regular and IB Year 1 classes will remain in session until May 22nd. The Week of May 18-22 will be used for review for traditional paper/pen assessments and for the submission of alternative assessments.
May 25-28 will be an alternative schedule of paper/pen assessments. The majority of subjects listed here have already hosted paper/pen assessments, so the format will be familiar. Students need only participate when their assessment is scheduled. There will be no modules posted for students this week.
Please note that our final assessment schedule for this week uses a timetable that is mutually beneficial to students regardless of time zone. We appreciate the flexibility of students in Chennai to take afternoon exams slightly later in the day to accommodate their peers who are abroad.
Should students have any assessment conflicts, they should reach out to Mr. Malone immediately.
The final day of term, May 29th will follow a special schedule so that all students will have a chance to see each other online and say their goodbyes.
News from the Counseling Department
Please click on the link to view some good transition tips from our counselors
Sincerely,
Joelle Basnight
High School Principal
