Dear Students and Parents,
Lots of honors to celebrate this week!
On Wednesday we had our second semester Vision for an AISC Learner Departmental Honor assembly. Each department recognized a student from grade 9, 10, 11 and 12 that best exemplified the entire Vision profile within the academic discipline.
Congratulations to:
English: Ritwik Balaji, Shanmugam Ganeshan, Arjan Chakravarthy, E-Shane Chew
Health/PE : Anya Reddy, Dhivya Sasha Vijay, Noa Daryn, Johaan Mittra
Mathematics: Jeonghyeon Ha, Seunghyoun Oh, Arnav Guha, Seoyoung Ryu
Performing Arts:Erin Sullivan, Krishna Narembally, Louisa Orye, Frida Jungloev
Science: Yunwoo Ra, Byeongchan Kang,Subeen Song, Yoobin Yoon
Social Studies: Anjali Seshadri, Manya Velu,Lekhana Gogineni, Anya Kumar
Technology/Design Tech: Doyeon Kim, Ayush Mammen, Yejune Chang, Leah Tak
Visual Arts: Anais Daniels-Condon, Moe Suzuki, Sangjun Lee, Juyang Kim
World Languages: Sinji Kim, Daeun Jung, Noor Cuvilleris,Yu-Jin Jeung
(Note: Not all students are pictured due to absence from the assembly.)
Second, our final two monthly Vision for an AISC Learner honors.
May celebrations Reflection:
Reflective students take the time to think about their goals, their learning and their growth in order to develop and sustain their lifelong learning. Reflective students wonder why and consider how, plan self- and community improvement, seek feedback and apply it. Reflective students seek to understand the connections between goals, efforts and results in their and others' experiences. Reflective students examine and review their own ideas and actions in relation to the world and consider their interdependence and impact on others.
Congratulations to:
12 - Leah Tak - Leah often has a contemplative look on her face throughout the lesson and whenever she feels like sharing (or is called upon) her response is rich with reflection and deep thinking. She takes the initiative to stay back after classes to refine her thinking and actively asks for feedback. Leah is a reflective learner and considers many different perspectives before taking action.
11 - Aditya Rangarajan - Aditya asks a plethora of questions as he seeks to truly understand the content. He reflects on his learning and seeks to understand all facets of an issue in order to fully comprehend the material. He also reflects on his performance and makes goals to improve.
10 - Seunghyoun Oh - SH has high expectations and plans accordingly. He seeks feedback and applies feedback. When he doesn't meet his high expectations he is forever thoughtful about it, never laying blame elsewhere. He strives to understand and implement. His high expectations are aspirational and not for the sake of a 7. He wants to learn and his reflective nature is the mode to get him there.
9- Ireoluwatomide A - Ire has demonstrated reflection in her voice thread and module written reflections. Ire engages and listens carefully to students responses in class discussion as observed in her witty body language. She is an informed reflector and can justify her claims with appropriate language and terms.She is mature beyond her years due to spending time reflecting on her growth and where she wants to go in her future.
June celebrations Innovation:
Innovators approach challenges with confidence, and design novel solutions in the face of uncertainty and change. Innovators are creative, resourceful, open-minded and courageous, seeking new perspectives through inquiry, trial, error and feedback. Innovators demonstrate a willingness to try new things, take risks and share unique and original ideas. Innovators ask, "Why not...?" and challenge and change the status quo through their ideas and actions.
Congratulations to:
12 - Anya Kumar: Anya had an innovative and captivating GOA Catalyst Conference Submission, "How can we preserve the plant and animal biodiversity of the forest ecosystems in Meghalaya through decreased deforestation over the next 10 years?" Anya's project not only brought awareness to less well known region of India, but offered clear and concrete action steps, for both government and individuals, to reduce deforestation and maintain the incredible biodiversity that Meghalaya is known for. One student wrote, "the shift from background knowledge identifying the issues to the alternatives to what individuals can do was smooth and thought-out"
11 - Donovan Carl Smith - When faced with a problem, Donovan finds multiple ways to engage with the issue. He builds upon current structures and makes them better and more reflective of his creative spirit. He introduces us to new websites and tech tools that make life easier. Donovan is an innovator and tinkerer and we all benefit from his curious spirit.
10 - Shanmugam - Shanmugam is an incredibly creative and resourceful thinker. On those rare occasions that he might not know something, he seeks out answers with thoughtful and open questions. Not knowing something isn't a source of embarrassment, but an opportunity for Shanmugam. He can quickly shift gears and help others by offering incredibly insightful comments and questions to support others' thought process. Many times I feel like I should just hand the class over to Shanmugam.
9 - Jasmine Lahmadi - Jasmine has shown that she can holistically innovate in different subject areas and in extra curricular activities. This was demonstrated in her ability to create a composting video for earth week and a super unique logo for Health and Wellbeing. Part of being an innovator is listening to feedback with an open mind and seeking new ways to find solutions and this is what Jasmine does so well. Finally, Jasmine is a great innovator independently and in a group setting.
From the School Wide Counseling Team
As many community members currently have limited mobility due to lockdowns and quarantines, I am reminded of an article from UC Berkeley’s The Greater Good that we shared with students and families at the beginning of the pandemic in the Spring of 2020.
According to the article, these six questions can help provide structure and serve as a self-awareness check-in to make sure we are doing okay.
Here are the six daily questions:
What am I grateful for today?
Who am I checking in on or connecting with today?
What expectations of ‘normal’ am I letting go of today?
How am I getting outside today?
How am I moving my body today?
What beauty am I either creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?
Or maybe you have other questions that you ask yourself that promote reflection and self-awareness. The author of the article stresses one final point -- it is good to ask the questions, but don’t stress the answers. This is not an assignment! Finally, whether you are in lockdown or not, asking yourself daily reflection questions can serve as a way to gauge your wellbeing for that day.
Read the full article here -- Greater Good Berkeley - Six Daily Questions to ask Yourself.
Enjoy the Senior Supplement - A Note from the Yearbook Staff
Once the Yearbook is sent for printing the class shift their focus to working with grade 12 students to publish a senior supplement. We are thrilled to share the Class of 2021 Senior Supplement with you here.
The Digital Yearbook is Ready - a Note from the Yearbook Staff - Repeat Announcement
This year's yearbook is out in digital form! Physical copies of the yearbook will eventually be sent to AISC. Meanwhile, given the situation we are in, this might be useful for the end of year to view and sign each other's copies.
To view the yearbook, use this link and password:
Link: https://panel.flipbuilder.com/accessdenied?bookUrl=xqxb/ovwb/
Authorization ID: AISC@yearbook2021
Note: when you login, ignore the message (ACCESS DENIED). Add the password in the box and login. This will take you to the digital version of the yearbook.
Additionally, Jostens has created a digital signing option this year too (same as last year).
Jostens says, "The Yearbook Digital Signing Pages solution provides students with a fun, free and interactive web-based experience that results in a printable permanent keepsake. It is now live and available to all students. As with many websites, the signing website requires users to be 13 years of age or older. This requirement is included in the terms and conditions when a new user registers. As such, for middle or junior high and elementary schools the marketing materials encourage a parent to set up and administer the site for their students. It’s been a year like no other. Lots of special traditions have been cancelled — but not this one. Yearbook signing lives on. Funny messages. Sweet scribbles. Heartfelt notes. All of the typical yearbook signing customs get to live on for the rest of time. And they’re all just a click away. Get signing today."
If you wish to have friends or teachers sign your yearbook, you can set up an account following the steps below. In the end, you are able to print or save to pdf everything that is written to you. Your signature pages will only be accessible to those with whom you share the link.
To create your account, go to: yearbook signing.jostens.com. Check out this video for an overview of how to get started. Happy signing!
Grade 9 - 11 Semester Exam Schedules - Repeat Announcement
Here is the updated Exam Week schedule for this semester. You will see that the India/East Asia time table is unchanged while a second time table has been added for students in Europe, North America and South America.
Mr. Malone will be sending zoom invitations to students shortly. Students will receive invites for the IST schedule unless they have indicated on this quick form that they may be traveling. Again, the travel form is not binding but it will allow us to make sure the invite for the alternative time is sent.
All exams for students in India and East Asia will begin at 9:00 am and 1:00 pm IST. Students are asked to be in the Zoom exam room 15 minutes early.
For students in Europe, North America and South America we will run one exam session a day (see schedule below). The start time is as follows:
US Pacific Time - 8:00 am
US Easter Time - 11:00 am
UK and Tunisia - 4:00 pm
Europe - 5:00 pm
Turkey - 6:00 pm
Students are asked to be in the Zoom exam room 15 minutes early.
Exam.net will be used for all traditional semester exams. Students have used this software in the past for summative assessments. Exam.net provides a lockdown browser to support academic honesty. Any students who have questions about this interface should contact Mr. Malone before May 21st.
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
