Dear Students and Parents,
Please come and enjoy the UN International Day of Peace assembly on Monday, September 21st from 3:00 - 3:30 pm. Two high school students, Yoon and Srivats, will be speaking. The link to the event can be found in the Head of School newsletter.
Thanks for the Feedback!
75 parents completed the feedback survey regarding virtual schooling. Thank you for your input! Overall parents express a high level of satisfaction with our virtual learning program and we are happy that the model is working well!
Here are the broad strokes results:
87% are satisfied or very satisfied with our virtual learning program.
85% feel expectations for engagement are very clear or clear.
86% express that they were very engaged or engaged with information and materials circulated to facilitate understanding of the virtual learning model.
81% feel it is easy or very easy for students to locate instructions and materials.
88% feel that learning activities facilitate engagement and connection.
83% strongly agree or agree that the amount of time their children are engaged with learning is developmentally appropriate.
84% find it easy or very easy for their child to access additional help, support and clarification from school personnel when needed.
69% find that dedicated wellbeing activities are beneficial or very beneficial to their children’s personal wellbeing.
Some themes that emerged from comments about aspects that are working very well include:
Teachers are highly engaged
Two-week modules are more effective than the one-week modules from the spring
Two-week modules are providing a more manageable pace and better structure
The Google platform is helpful for organization (calendar, contacts, chats, etc.)
The balance between synchronous and asynchronous learning is good (and better than last spring).
Students have the opportunity to be independent and take responsibility for their own learning.
Some themes that emerged from comments about aspects that are not working very well include:
Students miss the in-person connections and relationships they had at school (we do too!)
Some students are struggling with poor internet connection, time management and/or organization.
Some parents want more synchronous classes while others believe their children are spending too much time online.
Students out of India Standard Time are having difficulty connecting and/or engaging with learning activities.
Some teachers are inconsistent with documentation, placement, and timeliness of posting modules on PowerSchool.
Please note that the Student Advisory Forum also spent time sharing feedback about Virtual Learning and this, along with the parent feedback, has been shared with the faculty. The Student Advisory Forum will be discussing wellbeing and the dedicated wellbeing block at their next meeting to share that feedback with our wellbeing planning team.
In terms of next steps, you can count on the following:
Continued high-quality learning modules fueled by enthusiastic and dedicated teachers, counselors, and administrators.
A continued conversation regarding student wellbeing and enhancing our dedicated wellbeing block to meet the needs of our students.
A continued dedication to teacher clarity and timeliness. Teachers have a clear checklist of expectations and the school administration audits modules regularly to give feedback. We believe the consistency and clarity of modules have improved over the past six weeks and will continue to improve in the next six weeks.
A continued dedication to our help labs, case management system, and other learning facilitation efforts to help students stay organized, on track, and connected.
An exploration of what additional support might be made available to facilitate connection for students outside of India, especially those in time zones that inhibit direct engagement.
Module Four and Fall Break
As you know, Module Four will begin the week before Fall Break and end the week after.
Students are encouraged to meet their “on track” engagement expectations for Week One by Friday, September 25th, rather than allowing them to spill into vacation time.
Teachers who have synchronous classes scheduled for Monday, October 5th, will assign only light assignments in preparation for class in order to support students in taking time off to rest during Fall Break.
AP and IB courses may assign independent reading during the vacation in order to keep pace in preparation for these external exams.
Module Three Attendance Progress Posted on Monday
Module Three attendance will be posted on Powerschool on Monday by 4:00 pm. If there is nothing listed, the student was counted as present. If a student is absent, you will see “AB” as the code for Thursday, September 17th or Friday, September 18th.
Students marked absent should review Module 3 engagement expectations for the course(s) and submit any missing assignments by Friday, September 25th.
Please find the SAT test dates and registration deadlines here.
NOTE from College Board: College Board is removing the waitlist option for the International test administrations (and possibly for other fall administrations) to relieve the need to manage groups of last-minute registrants on test day.
AISC x UN75 Discussion on ‘Inequality in the time of COVID-19’
(3:45-4:30pm IST on Monday, September 21) - Repeat Announcement
‘In January, the start of the UN’s 75th anniversary, Secretary-General António Guterres launched the world’s biggest conversation on building a better future for all. The vision was to spark conversations (“UN75 dialogues”) in all settings on priorities for the future, obstacles to achieving them, and the role of international cooperation in making progress. Over 330 dialogues in 87 countries were held in the first three months of year – physically and virtually. It is vital that peoples’ voices are heard at this crucial time for the world.’
The UN has created a global survey to help guide them on global priorities. Please take a moment to share your opinion: https://un75.online/
AISC’s MUN Impact Chennai club thoroughly believes in the vision of the UN and the message of the Secretary-General. We believe that international cooperation is pertinent in the times of COVID, and that starts with greater global engagement, through discussions like these. Please join us. Here is the Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88568496425
Meeting ID: 885 6849 6425
Sincerely,
Joelle Basnight
High School Principal
