30- ASA/HC Session 1 : First day
31- ES Faculty Conversation
September
7- ES Faculty Conversation
8- Parent Education Session - Grade 5 (8:45-10:45)
9- Parent Education Session - Grade 4 (8:45-10:45)
10- Big Sing
10- Parent Education Session- Grade 3 (13:30-15:30)
14- Parent Education Session - Grade 2 (8:45-10:45)
14- ES Faculty Conversation
16- Parent Education Session - Grade 1 (8:45-10:45)
17- EC Big Sing
17- ES Assembly- Hosted by Grade 2
Welcome Assembly
We hosted our first assembly of the school year today, twice. Thank you all for your flexibility in scheduling so we could allow all students to attend in the theatre and build community. Thank you to Shawn and the Respect Ninjas for reminding us about the 3R's, Respect Yourself, Respect Others, and Respect the Environment. Thank you Conway and our risk taking faculty for participating in a resounding rendition of Funga Alafia.
The livestream is available in the Parent Update for those of you who want to relive the experience.
Parents on Campus for PSA Breakfast and Conversation
We will have parents on campus this coming Wednesday for the first PSA Breakfast and Conversation hosted onsite since 2019-2020. Parent will have to RSVP to attend. Breakfast will be outside in the tent. The Child Safeguarding presentation led by Shawn will begin in the MPR at 9:00 am. We will do our best to limit contact between the students and parents while they are in the building.
As we start a new school year, we need to give students time to settle into their new classrooms. Please wait 6-8 weeks before recommending tutoring (just like we do before making an LSS referral). Furthermore, at this point, please refrain from accepting any onsite tutoring requests by families and please do not put requests on the Messageboard. In the meantime, the school will be reviewing our policy and procedures around tutoring.
After-school Bus
Please remind students that once they are on the bus, they need to stay on it. If they have a snack, they are allowed to eat it right outside the bus door. They are not allowed to play on the field or playground during dismissal. Buses leave at 3:45, so be mindful of how much time they need to spend waiting.
Student Safeguarding
If you need to clear a student bathroom due to an emergency drill, please knock and announce yourself before entering. This is best practice anytime you need to enter a student bathroom.
Here are some tips for the first few weeks of the ASA program:
- If you do not see a student's name on your ASA list but the child insists that she has signed up for it, please seek confirmation from their parents that they received the confirmation email from Gareth Lloyd regarding the activity.
- If a student leaves school after morning attendance has been taken, please update Veracross with the child's absence. This ensures that the information I provide to the Hosted club is correct.
- If a parent contacts you with a change to the students after school schedule, please inform Gareth of this information via email [email protected] or via telephone, +36 302 516 277, if after 3 pm.
- If you are a facilitator, please make sure you update me before 3.45 regarding any student that is showing in Veracross as a present but is absent from your class. His phone number is the following +36 302 516 277.
- Hand sanitizing
- Masks indoors and when students are transitioning
- Social distancing
- Equipment to be sanitized if your activity is sport-related.
During the first weeks of a new session, we know students can become confused with their new after-school routine. Thank you for taking the time to support them to get where they need to be. Additionally, during these first few weeks, I also receive parent requests to alter their child's schedule which means I am updating the schedule every day. I will let you know if I have made a change affecting one of your students. Please contact Gareth if there is any confusion with the schedule and if you receive any information from parents regarding a daily adjustment to their child's schedule that will affect their participation in ASAs and HCs.
Writing Assessments
- Please administer on-demand writing assessment by Friday September 10.
- Grades 1-5 will give the writing prompt twice a year (September and May)
- Writing assessment prompts and rubrics can be found on the Literacy tab (under “Assessment”) on the ES Curriculum site.
- One 80 minute SLC session should be used to discuss a small sample of the students’ writing before using the rubric to assess the writing from the rest of the students. Discussing a couple of examples of “emerging”, “developing”, “meeting” and “secure” as a grade-level team will help to ensure consistency between individual teachers (standardisation) as well as consistency in the way the standards within the rubric are interpreted (moderation). Writing exemplars can help with this, and it would be great to update and add to this collection. Please invite Nikki to the SLC meeting when this discussion will take place.
Fountas and Pinnell Reading Inventory
- We will be using the new/updated F&P boxes to assess students. We are looking into the possibility of going paperless for the F&P by the end of this semester, but for now we will need to copy the paper recording forms. They can all be found in this folder (thank you Eszter O).
- Kindergarten will assess reading with F&P twice a year (January and May)
- Grades 1 & 2 will assess reading with F&P 3 times a year (September, January, May)
- Grades 3-5 will assess with F&P twice a year (September and May) with the option of assessing in January if necessary.
- Grade 3-5 EAL/LSS students who may be reading below an Instructional Level J, should be tested before Friday September 10 to inform our MAP testing roster.
- Assistants will receive substitute pay for 6 periods in grades K-5, but there will not be any additional substitutes.
- ALL teachers in a grade level should record their hours on ONE leave form, and give it to Erika, to ensure that the assistant is paid for the hours.
- If you would like a refresher on how to administer F&P or writing prompts, please see your Instructional Lead or Nikki.
Math Benchmark Assessment
- Kindergarten will give the assessment in January.
- Grades 1 - 5 will collect the data in September. This will help to establish where students are in relation to the critical areas that are taught at AISB in the previous school year. Benchmark assessments and rubrics can be found here.
- During Math Workshop within the first one to two weeks of school, review the previous grade’s Critical Area mathematics concepts as your mini-lessons. Allow time for students to practice the concept before assessing. Only one to two questions should be administered to students each day.
- These Critical Areas should be revisited in the first few weeks of school to ensure most students have a general understanding of the critical areas.
Thank you for investing the extra time that these assessments require. Our increased understanding of the learners’ strengths and needs will help us to meet their needs more effectively during the rest of the year.
1. Parent Education Preparation: Core teams use this time for their practice for the upcoming parent education sessions. Instructional Leads, please refer to the notes Nikki will share with you at your upcoming IL Conversation regarding the presentations and parents on campus. Everyone's support in implementing the process and procedures will ensure a successful learning experience for parents and the continued health and safety or our community.
2. New Faculty will also have a session with Nate Ruhter to set up their Zoom accounts, so please plan your practice sessions accordingly. They will meet in 1B (A106).