December 19, 2014

Dear Friends,

Thank you

to all families who participated in the ES Giving Tree or HS National Honor Society Food Drive. Your generosity is appreciated!

Calendar reminders:

• The January PCA meeting will be held after the New Parent Coffee on Monday, January 19 from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. at the FAC Cafeteria
• The January KPA Meeting  is also moved to Monday, January 19 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the BBT
• PCA City Trip - Wednesday, 14 January
• PCA Introductory Tech Training - Wednesday, 21 January, 9am
• The PCA Ball will be held on Saturday, April 18

Country baskets for the Ball

As you travel, think about bringing back something for your country's basket for the PCA ball - or something to add to the international tea, coffee, or wines baskets.  

Mother Tongue book collection

Cleaning out your book shelves or shifting house?  Donate children's books, especially books in languages other than English. Bring them to either of the school libraries.

Head Librarian Jet says:  "Nothing brings a smile to new students' faces more than finding a book in their home language! We also want to make sure that students develop literacy and content knowledge in their home language so that they will be caught up with their classmates when they return to their countries."

A wonderful, relaxing holiday to you.  Travel safely.  If you are moving to another location, we wish you the best.  If you are returning to Chennai, come back refreshed and ready for the second half of the year.  

Yours sincerely,

The PCA Executive Team

Enjoy this video wishing you a Happy Christmas:

December 12, 2014

Dear Community friends,

Christmas atmosphere definitely made its big entrance in our lives last Monday at the Hyatt Regency: it was an amazing evening of caroling, and the lightening of the very big decorated Christmas Tree made dreams of a white Christmas.

We thank so much the Administration of the School for organizing a big and fun Event like this, where amazing food and drinks, together with the effort of our Community Choir and Student Choir gave us all a good feeling of coming festivities!

Here we share now some very important info regarding our school: 

Dates for your Diary

Raptorthon - Sunday, 14 December, 6:56am - 10am
PCA City Trip - Wednesday, 14 January, time to be announced later

Next PCA Monthly Meeting - Monday, 19 December, 9:45 FAC cafeteria

PCA Tech Connection - Wednesday, 21 January, 9am

Continue having an eye on the PCA Boards, in the Main Entrance and in the Elementary Section opposite to the cash machine - this one will be soon moved closer to the exit to be more visible.

from the AISC Head Librarian

Dear Parents,

We would like to expand our mother tongue library collection in the CIC and are seeking books from different countries and in different languages.

Why do we do this?

We want to promote a love for learning and reading, be it in any language, because we work hard to make sure that all students feel welcome in the CIC. We would like our book collection to represent students' various interests, backgrounds, and who they are as individuals. Nothing brings a smile to new students' faces more than finding a book in their home language! We also want to make sure that students develop literacy and content knowledge in their home language so that they will be caught up with their classmates when they return to their countries.

How can parents take part?

We have a drop box in the ES CIC for any language books that you may have (you can drop off any books in preschool to grade twelve and we distribute them to the appropriate CIC). If you are sadly moving away from Chennai or your kids have outgrown the books you have at home, please consider donating them to the CIC!  ALL LANGUAGES are welcome! Even if you are the only family in school who speaks your language, we still welcome any books that you would like to donate. These will be put to good use for families moving to AISC.

If you have any questions, please stop by the CIC or contact me via email (wjeremy@aisch.org).

As part of this project: The ES/MS CIC is hosting its first ever Italian read aloud for students on Tuesday, December 16 from 3:45-4:15 (aimed at students in preschool to grade two). 

This will be a fun event for children to hear stories in Italian. This is an optional activity. Please note that if a child comes, it is also necessary for a parent to come for supervision.  If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Jet (wjeremy@aisch.org).

Thank you,

Mr. Jet

AISC Head Librarian

Giving Thanks

Thank you for your donations for the Giving Tree and the food drive for Little Sisters of the Poor.

Evacuation Drill

We participated in an evacuation drill on Thursday morning.  If you have not been part of an emergency drill, please do find where the parent safe spots are located.  For an evacuation drill, there's a sign in the gym where parents should congregate, and also a sign on the field, depending on where we are told to gather.  
Please see the link to the  Head of School Presentation – November 13  at the end of Head of School's notes for more information.

Have a lovely week end and for the ones who are leaving the School this week to begin the Winter Vacation...have a safe, restful and peaceful time with Family and Friends.

For the ones who are leaving the School to go back to their lives in home Countries or changing destination, we all wish you to bring the your Courage, Confidence, Creativity and Compassion for the next step of your life. Thank you for everything you did to support our mission.

Your PCA Team

December 5, 2014

Dear Friends,

Thank you to all of you who attended our Monthly Meeting in the BBT on Tuesday. It was good to talk about so many things that are happening in school!
If you were unable to attend the meeting, please click on the link below of Kim Bane Distinguished Authors' Visit Program sponsored by the PCA:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/186mLJkk7TxQ_2NJJiC_qpu625GZTzN2yDd4efws-9vU/pub?start=true&loop=false&delayms=3000

Please note that the next PCA Meeting will take place on Monday 19th January in the FAC Cafeteria at 9.45am. This meeting will take place after the NEW Parent Orientation at 8.45am.

Please remember to keep updated with our PCA Boards located at the Main Entrance and Elementary entrance in front of cash machine to know what's going on! 

December has now begun and Charity seems to be the word this month: we would like to share with you a lot of beautiful information about great initiatives around the School and Chennai.

From the Head of School, Andrew Hoover: 

Charles Dickens once said, “No one is useless in the world who lightens the burdens of others.” In the nature of the giving season, the National Honor Society is hoping that we can embody Dickens’ words by hosting our second annual Food Drive. The donations will go to a local non-profit organization called Little Sisters of the Poor. As an organization, the Little Sisters receives elderly people of all, aged 65 and above, regardless of religious or caste background. Those who live with the Sisters usually have been abandoned or have families that can no longer care for them. Therefore the organization relies on donations to feed and keep its inhabitants healthy and happy.

You may show your support by sending in food donations (rice, flour, curry powder, dhal, oil) and sanitary items (ex. soap, shampoo) from December 8th- 12th. There will be collection tables next to the Main Office on the first floor after the security gate and at the security gate of the Elementary School where NHS members will be at tables collecting donations from 8:00 / 8:20 am every morning that week. 

Through this Food Drive, we hope to “lighten the burden” of the elderly living with the Sisters and ensure that they have the essential to care for those in need. We also hope to involve as many members of the community as possible to make a greater impact and support for the Little Sisters of the Poor.  

For any further questions, please contact Chaitra Subramaniam (schaitra@aisch.org) or Sofia Nicholas (nsofia@aisch.org).

Giving Tree

Did You already take a star from the trees in the Elementary Cafeteria? 

There ares till some left: if you think that making a child in an Orphanage happy for Christmas is a simple but important sign, please pick up a tag. 

Bring the finished wrapped present with the tag on it to the Elementary School Library, before the 10th of December.

All presents will be delivered by parents in charge of this charity from December 14th.
You will contribute bringing Love and Smiles in these kids' life...but also in our kids who will learn to donate! Thank you for your support!

Green Bazaar

After a very successful first outing in the city, the Chennai Green Bazaar is back! Themed around the ideas of conservation, the weekend carnival will take place on Sunday 7th December, from 9 am to 7 pm, at SPACES, Elliot's Beach, Besant Nagar.

Can we inspire the next generation to preserve over 2,467 heritage buildings that dot the city? Can we do something to entice the sparrows back to our windowsills? Could we revive recipes that have stayed in our families for generations but are undocumented? A quick look around shows us that there is a need to protect, conserve, and hold on to what we know, and rediscover it, all over again. The Chennai Green Bazaar - II - Renew, Restore, Repeat edition, hopes to spark just such conversations, actions and projects around conservation in the city.

Venue: SPACES, # 1 Elliots Beach Road (off 5th Avenue Besant Nagar. Landmark is Dindigul Thalapakatti)

Date: Decembre 7th, 2014 - Sunday. Time: 9 am to 7 pm9 AM to 7 PM

What the Bazaar has in store

Find a range of sustainable, natural, hand-made products, from farm fresh produce to heirloom seeds, millets, rice and other essential food, preservative-free jams and sauces, coir based garden products, handspun garments, waste and water management solutions, upcycled accessories, products for sustainable menstruation and Indian children's books -  there is something for everyone.

Workshops, Demos and Talks

Dig Right In: A starter workshop on kitchen gardening by Magic Bean (above 15)

Black Gold: A 101 session on composting by Magic Bean (above 15)

Healing with Herbs: Talk on traditional food and plant based medicine by Dr. Thirunarayanan (above 15)

Turtle Nesting: An awareness session by the The Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network to save the endangered Olive Ridley Turtle (all ages)

We ♥ Trees: A nature walk and talk inside campus by 15-year-old Vikas Madhav, Sanctuary Magazine’s Young Naturalist of the year 2014 (all ages)

Surviving Chennai Streets! A theatre-based interactive session for teenagers and adults on street harassment by Schools of Equality. (above 15)

All day fun activities for all ages!

Kreative Kreeda: A gaming corner with traditional games organized by Kreeda Games

Tales Everywhere: World Storytelling Institute organizes a daylong story telling marathon for children of all ages to come tell their stories, listen to stories, discover conservation and more!

Art and Conservation: A special competition and drawing session by Pencils RockEntry fee for the Bazaar only:
Adults - Rs. 50/-
Children - FREE

Entry fee for the Bazaaar + Day pass for workshops:

Adults - Rs. 100/-

Children - Rs. 50/-

Register HERE for the workshops. Click here for more details and a schedule for each workshop. For regular updates about this edition of The Green Bazaar Chennai, Join our Facebook event page here.

Check out our entire, updated list of events here on Facebook or on The Alternative.

See you there!

The Lighting of the School Christmas Tree

Monday 8th December at 6pm AISC welcome both children and parents to join them at the Hyatt Regency for carol singing and the lighting of the Christmas tree. We look forward to seeing you there.

PCA Introductory Tech Training

This will be held on Wednesday 10th December at 9am in the Hall of Light.

Raptorthon 2

Looking for a GREAT family activity? Raptorthon 2 Is Coming!!! 
Ready to participate in a fun community event? Need a reason to get in shape? 

AISC's SECOND ANNUAL RAPTORTHON - Swim 150m/Run 1600m/Swim 150m - will take place on Sunday 14th December in the early morning. Great for the whole family! Participate as an individual or as a team (one swimmer, one runner).  The event will be followed by a potluck breakfast and the awarding of certificates. See the poster for more details.  

Click this link to sign up online: lly Raptorthon 2 Contact Donna Fava at: fdonna@aisch.org if you have any questions! 

Many thanks for your support,

Please click here to register and for more detailed information. 

Hour of Code

Dear Friends,

You are invited to an unique experience at AISC - An "Hour of Code." This is a global movement to interest all ages to enjoy learning about programming.  The mission of the movement is:

"The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. Anyone, anywhere can organize an Hour of Code event. One-hour tutorials are available in over 30 languages. No experience needed. Ages 4 to 104."

As a group of educators and parents who have been past educators, we find that igniting young minds with the support of their parents, is the best way for a child to gain and retain knowledge. In this changing world, technology is a key driver. In the Hour of Code, you and your child will learn some basics of programming and try it out yourselves.  The aim for the Hour of Code, is to create awareness for both parents and their kids about how simple programming and the in the end the arena of computers is really. We do not fantom that children will become programmers, but they should be aware of the changing technological tides.  This experience gives them some awareness, that is needed for them. 

We have brought the movement to our school on:

Tuesday 9th December at 3:45 to 4:45 in the HS Library
Wednesday 10th December at 3:45 to 4:45 in the MS Library - CIC

We look forward to our parents and kids attending the sessions.  Let us ignite minds for awareness as well as interest in this arena.  

Click on the following link to sign up:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Vh6a15-AnPbbK-4jptFBsRbbCX-AROi0DFtGJYdexaU/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

We look forward to seeing you there!

From http://hourofcode.com/in/en

No Prior Experience Necessary! Come and Have some Fun!

Hope you will enjoy your weekend,

Your PCA Team

PCA Monthly Meeting - December 2, 2014