AIAN will be a widely respected school providing a model US based educational program with an internationally minded community. February 3 rd , 2012, Dear Community, Week nineteen of school was significant for the students, parents and teachers because of the start of quarter three on Monday, the second quarter report cards being issued on Wednesday and the ASA program starting on Thursday. Please can all parents ensure that you sign the report card envelope and return it to school asap. This so that we know the report cards got home. A busy week comes to an end with everyone looking forwards to the weekend! Other items for you attention are, REPORT CARDS AND PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES (PTC's) The report cards for the second quarter were issued on Wednesday, February 1. The PTC's are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday, February 6 and 8 respectively. Please put these dates in you diary. You may call the school office on 86869999 to arrange PTC's with the teachers concerned. AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITES (ASA) The ASA program started again yesterday. Some adjustments, due to student choices, may be made to the offerings next Tuesday. This is because of student interests. SCHOOL ASSESSMENT (ISA) As you know, the school will use the ISA tests with grades 3 to 10 students on Thursday and Friday, February 9 and 10 respectively. Monday, February 11 will be used for students who were absent during the testing period as an opportunity to make up the tests. The ISA assessment program is designed especially for students in international schools in grades 3 to 10. It is based on the internationally endorsed reading and mathematical literacy frameworks of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) . The tests assess student abilities in Math literacy, Reading and Writing. The tests are used by international schools and schools with an international focus, whose language of instruction is English. The tests provide
The tests are none threatening as much as possible and the students need not be concerned. The teachers will explain to the children what is going on in the days leading up to the tests. Simply, the children will take the tests on the mornings of February 9 and 10 as part of their normal classes. The class teacher will explain carefully what needs to be done. A small part of the time allocated is for the students to be able to practice the test format before engaging in the tests themselves. Please understand that there is no special preparation required by the students for these tests. The best way for you to support your children in regard to these tests is to follow your normal routines at home, ensure the children get a good night's sleep and maintain a balanced diet. Some students may not be involved in the tests for various reasons and the teachers will explain why to the children concerned. The usual reason is that the level of English comprehension of certain students may not allow them to be successful on the tests. Please do not be concerned if your child is exempted from the test. Such students will be looked after during the testing times. THE NEW AIAN MISSION STATEMENT AND LEARNING OUTCOMES The school has been working for several months to revise and strengthen the school's Mission Statement and Learning Outcomes (formerly know as ESLR's). We are pleased and proud to present to you the results of this work as indicated below. AIAN is an accredited college preparatory institution committed to providing research based educational practices to the multicultural community we serve. Students are encouraged and empowered to become global citizens, life long learners, collaborative workers, and effective communicators enabling them to contribute toward the betterment of the world. Students Demonstrate Global Citizenship by • Prioritizing the environment and its preservation • Preparing for citizenship in a democratic society • Exhibiting an awareness and understanding of cultures, especially their host culture • Improving the quality of life in our school, community, nation and world Students Demonstrate Lifelong Learning Skills by • Gathering information effectively in order to solve problems and acquir ing new knowledge and skills • Managing time to complete tasks effectively and on time • Reflecting on learning strengths and weaknesses and setting goals for improvement • Making connections between prior and new knowledge and modifying skills accordingly Students Demonstrate Collaborative Skills by • Working with others to set and achieve objectives • Exhibiting a positive attitude, enthusiasm and initiative when working with group members • Learning to accept and appreciate different points of view • Organizing tasks that encourage all members of the group to contribute Students Demonstrate Effective Communication by • Ensuring clarity and purpose within a chosen medium • Understanding and respecting the audience • Practicing ethical use of all media • Developing and applying information technology skills Naturally, the information above will need further explanation and clarification regarding the meaning and implications for the community. This process will start in the second semester with the teachers taking time to discuss the information with the students in classes. Parents will be invited to come to school and talk about the ideas and concepts as well. It is important everyone appreciates the new Mission Statement and Learner Outcomes. These, along with the Vision Statement of the school, set the direction of the school. They are the basis for the decisions made by the school in terms of the best interests of the students. EDLINE (A Single Communication Platform for the Entire Learning Community) AIAN has a parental portal called Edline that provides an easy way for you to keep up to date with your child(ren's) academic progress online. An introduction letter, quick start guide and activation code were sent home on Monday November 21. For those families with more than one child you only need the one code you were provided. Once you activate the code, you will be able to: • Check your child's latest grades (MS/HS Progress Report Nov 25th 3:00 P.M.) • Receive email alerts when new grades are posted • Receive emails with school or class information • Verify attendance • View your ˇ®Combined Calendar' to see all the events from the school calendar and your child's own classes and activities automatically collected and personalized Ms. Silva will be available from 4.30 p.m. ¨C 5.00 p.m. on the two PTC evenings next week to help parents register for Edline. Please go to the computer lab if you need help with this. You should have received an email from the Digital Journalism class with a survey related to the AIAN newspaper. Every month the Digital Journalism class will create a newspaper edition for the school. Please contribute with your ideas and be part of AIAN by helping us selecting a name! If you were unable to receive the email, please check your Junk folder or use the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=pVK4RfikDiVuD7CtaD6QeA_3d_3d Daniela Silva MCP, M.Ed. EARLY FINISH, SHORT SCHEDULE. Please be reminded that Wednesday, February 15 and February 29 are early finish days. Please expect your children home early. DATES IN FEBRUARY FOR YOUR DIARIES February 6 th &8 th Parent Teacher Conference February 14 th Valentines' Day February 15 th Short Day, early finish at 2:30pm February 17 th No School Day, Teachers' PD February 24 th Progress Report Cards February 29 th Short Day, early finish at 2:30pm Thank you. Regards, Mark Bretherton , Head of School. |