**Please check the Meeting Schedules (in the sidebar) and the calendar at the bottom for information regarding this week's meetings and events. Laptops are not required unless requested. Thank you for leaving them in your classrooms.
***Please bookmark the Mindset link so you can access it easily.
~from the ES BBE
~from ES SLT
This Tuesday's Faculty conversation is reserved for Report Writing. Please review the Report Guidelines to support the writing process. Once you have completed writing your reports, please have your report reading buddy review your comments before you place them in Veracross. The final due date for comments and indicators is January 25th by 4:00 pm. Please email Krista (gr. MA, K, 5) Leigh (gr. 4), and Tracey (gr. 1,2,3) when you have uploaded your comments so we can begin the final read-through as soon as the comments are posted.
Common Comment Errors
Please consider the following when writing comments or reviewing a buddy's comments. These are the most common errors found in the final read.
Comment focus:
- Comments are written in the present continuous to focus on continued growth.
- Information about what was taught in the unit is not to be included in the comment. This information is in the Overview.
- Grades, levels, and percentages should not be included in comments.
- Progress indicator vocabulary should be used (ie. Johnny is a developing reader, Suzy is meeting the expectations in swimming, Greg is demonstrating a secure knowledge of finger placement on the recorder).
- The comment must align with the progress indicator.
- Comments that do not connect to learning are not included (ie. Well done, Have a great break, See you in 2020)
- Exclamations marks should not be used because a report is a formal document.
- Commas are used in a series of three or more items, following before a coordinating conjunction, after a dependent clause, to offset an appositive, and after introductory adverbs.
~from the ASA Coordinator (Mr. Gareth Lloyd)
Session 2 ASAs and Hosted Clubs start the first Monday we return from Winter Break. Please check the Session 2 ASA and HC Schedule so you know where to escort which students. If you need help using this document, please contact me and I will show you how to create a list containing only your students. Over the break and throughout the first two weeks back, there will be changes to the schedule so please carefully review it each day. You may also receive questions from students and parents as they settle into the new routine. If so, please direct them to me. Thank you for your support.
If you are running an ASA this trimester, please review the facilitator's guide outlining the roles and responsibilities of an ASA Facilitator.
~from The New York Times
One Thing You Can Do: Be Smart About Holiday Lights
January
6- First Day of Learning for 2020 ( And Keegan's 18th Birthday:)
6- ES ASA Session 2 Begins
8- ES PSA Breakfast and Conversation 8:45 MPR
9, 10 & 13- AP Panel Interviews
10- EC Big Sing
10- Curriculum Leads budget reviews finalized and completed
17- EC Big Sing
24- End of Semester 1
24- PD Day
25- Reports Due, completed, on Veracross (already, reviewed and edited for tone and consistency)
31- EC Big Sing 8:45
31- ES Gr. 1-5 Assembly 14:45
31- Semester 1 Reports Go Live 16:00
What are you learning about? What is your team learning about? How are your students growing as a result? Each week one of our teams will share their story or learning with the rest of us. Learning experience may be about a book you/your team read, a TedTalk, a conference attended, an online course, PIC progress, or reflections on a recent learning experience students engaged in. As part of our Culture of Learning, it is important we share our stories of growth and learning with one another. Reflections can take any form you choose (i.e., video, written, image, Sketchnote, etc). Talk to your team lead to find out more and learn when your team will be sharing their story of learning with others.
Grade 2 Shares Their Learning
Inquiry Through Outdoor Learning Experiences, Authentic Audiences, and Playful Designing
Through exploration, Grade 2 students set out to discover what makes a stable community. Our inquirers asked questions and explored how they would find the answers to their questions. The outdoor learning experiences our students had were a powerful way of tuning in to how communities meet their needs. Learning walks to the village and the surrounding area have helped students document their research using iPads. They learned how the community uses the environment to meet its needs. Recognizing community problems and finding solutions is another experience the children gained from their walks.
Access to outside experts and engaged citizens who were interested in exploring questions with our students also helped our learners understand how inquirers explore and learn. Through interviews with Nagykovácsi residents and an urban planner, we gathered evidence to help us answer our questions. The exchange of ideas between local residents and our students helped them make conclusions based on what they learned in conversation with an authentic audience.
Playfulness with ideas helps our students learn new ideas and design solutions. Our Grade 2 urban planners built communities out of blocks to explore the placement of houses and businesses, play areas and work areas. They then collaborated, designed and created a community model in the EPIC room using a variety of tools and recycled materials. When landforms were added to their community, the students created solutions posed by the added landforms.
Engagement with our local community helped Grade 2 inquirers explore what makes a stable community. These elements: outdoor learning experiences, interviews, and playing and designing—the heart of inquiry-based learning—made it possible to put the reins of learning in the hands of the learners in a way that excited, motivated, and enhanced their understanding of communities.
~from the Innovation Team (Nate, Paul, and Vlad)
Digital devices have transformed the travel landscape. They offer quick solutions to what could have been a travel disaster only 5 years ago. Whether finding directions, looking up that booking confirmation number, finding your digital boarding pass, or booking an Uber (or Bolt, of Lyft, or whatever), no one can deny the benefits of a connected device.
That being said, online connection is always a risk but there are some suggestions to decrease your exposure to hacking and data theft:
- Use a VPN when connecting to a public wifi network. What is a VPN?
- Refrain from engaging in sensitive activities (banking, securities trading, etc) on public networks.
- Don't send private information when connected to a public network.
- Don't use public charging stations - only charge from an outlet.
Read this article for tips on ensuring you are making informed decisions as you use your digital devices abroad.
~from the ES Librarian
We made it! Happy Holidays to all of you! One of the hardest parts of my job is weeding the collection. With limited space and an abundance of new books being published, weeding is important and necessary. Most of our weeded books are donated to local schools and to Read to Grow, an organization that distributes books in Africa. Earlier this year, Maribeth came to me and told me about a school that her aunt is running - The Mother Nature Learning Center. The school is located in the Philippines. They put out a request to Maribeth for English language books. AISB did not disappoint, donating many books and magazines to the school which were packed up and shipped by Maribeth. Enjoy the photographs of children reading. This is what the holiday season is all about. Rest, relax, and read my friends.