Dear Students and Parents,
Hope everyone enjoyed Lit Week! As part of the week students and teachers flexed their creative writing skills by writing 6-word stories and entering them into a contest. The winners are:
"Dandelions drill their way through concrete." by Louisa Orye, Grade 11
"The door is tied, hello uninvited." by Sangjun Lee, Grade 11
"Mangos. Sour or sweet. Eternal love." by Ms. Shari
Congratulations Band and Choir students on a wonderful concert!
Congratulations to our April Vision for an AISC Learner honorees. April celebrates Empathy.
Empathetic students appreciate their own cultures and perspectives while respecting the values and background of others, believing each person has equal intrinsic value. Empathetic students show a willingness to consider, include and support the values, beliefs and point of view of others. Empathetic students show understanding of the needs of others and compassion by extending help to those in need and making positive contributions to local and global communities and the environment.
Grade 12: Anya Mall - Anya takes the time to consider others' points of view and cares deeply about the wellbeing of others. An excellent listener, she makes sure that everyone has a voice and feels included. She provides thoughtful and kind feedback and support for her peers. Her empathy extends to the welfare of all humans, animals and the environment and she is committed to raising awareness about sustainable living. She engages opposing viewpoints and is willing to learn how culture contributes to a richer world.
Grade 11: Leo Lefebrve - Leo is a 21st century thinker and innovator for equity, diversity and inclusive education policies. He is an avid and informed researcher for best educational practices to support all students in inclusive ways, speaking up and out even when others may not understand or agree with his views. He is self-reflective and works to understand other's viewpoints, even when they may differ from his own. He is an amazing young person and challenges all of us to be our best, most informed selves in and out of the classroom.
Grader 10: Lokeswar Gopikrishna - Loke demonstrates empathy during every conversation, large and small. He makes sure everyone feels included by acknowledging who has spoken, taking the best of what they've said and developing it even more. When a student struggles to articulate ideas, Loke gently reframes the student's thinking, saving them from any embarrassment. Loke does all of this naturally--it is just a part of him.
Grade 9: Anais Condon Daniels - Anais is very empathetic to her teachers as they adapt and change during this time. Anais is welcoming and understanding when working with new students. She is intentional with her language to make sure everyone is included in her thoughts and perspectives. She has strong and important ideas and is more than happy to help others understand different topics from self awareness and self advocating.
Last Thursday, Senior university experts Woon Ji, E-Shane, Yoon, Anya K., and Tara shared their insights and knowledge about the university application process during Junior Seminar. The information shared was well received by the 11th grade class and the panelists did an amazing job of answering the group's questions. A big thank you to our Senior Panelists!
Wellbeing Check
You may recall that last semester we administered two wellbeing check in surveys with students. This week we completed a follow up survey. Please see the results below:
Question: I am able to manage my school work and activities.
Oct: 81.6% agree or strongly agree
Nov: 83.8% agree or strongly agree
April: 77.6% agree or strongly agree
Question: I am able to manage my stress.
Oct: 64.9% agree or strongly agree
Nov: 70.3% agree or strongly agree
April: 60.6% agree or strongly agree
Question: I feel supported by my teachers and staff at AISC.
Oct: 86% agree or strongly agree
April: 92.1% agree or strongly agree
Question: I have found positive ways to take care of myself.
Oct: 82.2% agree or strongly agree
April: 85.5% agree or strongly agree
Perhaps not surprisingly, the current circumstances and return to 100% virtual learning has increased the stress level of our students. Systemically, to support wellbeing, we are offering the options of credit/no credit scores for this term (please see below). Individually, families should feel free to reach out to counselors or administrators for support as needed.
Returning School Materials
Whether your family decides to depart India before or after the end of the semester, we will be contacting families with a list of school materials which should be returned to the school before departure. Families are welcome to drop these items at security whenever convenient, but before June 3, in a well marked bag with the student’s name and grade level clearly visible.
Requesting School Records
As the end of the school year approaches, many families will need copies of school records. Please contact Ms. Priya to make arrangements. Records pertaining to last semester and before can be made available immediately. Records for this semester will be available for Grade 12 after May 27 and for grades 9 - 11 after June 10.
Important Announcement: Semester Two Report Card/Transcript Option
We recognize that the recent surge in COVID 19 cases across India, coupled with our return to virtual learning through the end of the semester, has been a disruptive and disquieting experience.
Last year we offered the option of shifting to a credit/no credit rating for second semester scores. We will offer that option again this spring. This option is intended to relieve pressure for students not achieving at the level they hoped and should not be viewed as permission to disengage from school in the final weeks of studies.
The credit/no credit option for students will be for semester two only. Families need not take any immediate action at this time. We are sharing this option now simply to raise awareness. We believe that most families will decide to keep the reports as is, with achievement scores in place and we will continue to support individual families as needed.
As your family considers this option, please make note of the following:
Students are expected to meet our attendance criteria and complete all summative assessments. This includes the final assessment for the semester (May 20 - June 3). This can be done from anywhere in the world.
Students will receive report cards in the same format as semester one. These scores will continue to be used for determining eligibility for next year's courses.
Student achievement results will be available on PowerSchool as of the end of day May 24th (for grade 12) and June 3rd (for grades 9 - 11). This can be seen by clicking “quick look-up.”
Families will have then have a few days to decide if they wish to opt for “credit/no credit” and should contact Mr. Malone or Ms.Basnight via email before May 28th (grade 12) or June 9th (grades 9 - 11) 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 “NC” (score of 2 or below).
The option of credit/no credit is only available for all courses this semester, not by individual course. For context, a note will be added to the transcript indicating that students were given the choice to opt for credit/no credit for the semester.
Again, no action is needed at this time. We hope that this shift supports the health and wellbeing of students (and families) as they navigate the last weeks of the school year.
Attention Grade 9 Parents - A Note from Mr. Malone and Mr. Galaty
MAP testing for 9th graders is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12th. Please review this presentation from the Parent Coffee on April 27th explaining what the MAP test is and what you can do to support your child testing from home on May 12th.
Grade 12 Parent Coffee Presentation - A Note from the Counselors
The High School Counselors had a discussion with senior parents on the topic of navigating the transition to college. Counselors and parents discussed the unique circumstances facing graduates this year and how to support them in the next step of their educational journey. The presentation is found here, and if parents have further questions they are encouraged to reach out to their child's counselor.
AP and IB Reminders - A Note from Mr. Malone - Repeat Announcement
AP exams will now be digital only, that is, we will not offer in-person, paper and pen tests in May 2021. The May/June 2021 AP exam schedule is here, with digital exams taking place May 18-28 and/or June 1-11.
As last year, students will take AP digital exams at home. As last year, digital AP exams take place in the evening/at night IST, with exam start times of 9:30 pm IST and 1:30 am IST.
Different from last year, the digital AP exams will be full length (3 hours+). Also different is that the AP Exam App is much more robust. Thus, connectivity issues should not interfere with students’ completion and submission of their exams. Students info sessions on the digital exams are being held next week. The APs exam information page is here.
IB Exams have been cancelled for May 2021. The IBO cancelled all IB exams in India. Students in Y2 of their IB classes will be graded on the non-examination route. Information on the non-examination route grading process is here. IB Y2 classes end today, April 23rd.
Summer Programs - A Note from Counseling - Repeat Announcements
Summer programs can be a way to experience something new and to enrich your learning. If you are interested in diving deeper into a subject that you are passionate about or want to explore, check out the Summer Programs listed here. Many of the programs will be virtual this summer. Please let your counselor know if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Joelle Basnight
High School Principal
