This is my twenty-seventh in education and I have never seen a year like this before. Has anyone? At my previous school, we called our five-year strategic plan, 2020 Vision. However, now that title has an unintended meaning. Did anyone envision this? Tell me where you will be in five years is still one of my potential new faculty interview questions, I believe people will answer differently this year. However, I remain committed to 2020 being a year for education! Last semester’s Virtual Schooling opened the classroom to almost any room in one’s home. Parents taught alongside teachers and we were all learners. This year at AISC we are more intentional than ever about teaching and learning. Across the school, we are acknowledging our non-negotiable standards and content areas. We are finding professional development opportunities that can exist in uncertain economic times. We are committed to a world-class education no matter the condition of the world. This is the first blog post of the academic year. It is filled with information on flexible learning plans, EAL programming, job-embedded professional development, and your wellbeing. I am ready to get started AISC! Let me know how I can make your year better.
Learning Models Framework
The Learning Models Framework articulates three learning models: on-campus learning, virtual learning, and hybrid learning for the 2020-2021 school year. The Framework demonstrates our continued commitment to a world-class academic and learning experience, student health, and wellbeing that are the cornerstones of our efforts at AISC.
AISC Jumpstart, Virtual!
Did you know, AISC started the fourth year of our summer Jump Start Program? Created to give our new students a greater chance of success in transitioning to an English medium/instruction school, AISC offers a 2-week long EAL summer camp, while it is usually hosted on the school campus, this year Jumpstart continues virtually. The Jumpstart program helps new students Early Years to Grade 8 acclimate to being back in school while learning foundational English words and learning routines of a new school in a new language. There is no cost to parents. Fifteen students were enrolled in the AISC Jump Start program this summer. Thank you to all AISC teachers and qualified teaching assistants for getting Jumpstart off to a great start.
This year our Jumpstart Teachers were:
- Chandini Jude, JumpStart Lead
- Vigneshwari C
- Lakshmi Jayakumar
- Zahida Begum
- Shreya Ghosh
- Kanthimathi Sundaram
- Sagaya Mary
- Velin Prabhu
- Priya Venugopal
- Lakshmi Vijayaraghavan
- Hannah Rajendran
- Kiruba Janani N
AISC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
As we start the beginning of the school year, the AISC Leadership Team recognizes we have a teachable moment before us on the topics of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Topics such as international-mindedness, cultural competencies, and anti-racism are on all of our minds and need to continue to be part of our future planning. Some of our next steps include identifying a diverse and collaborative group of AISC people to focus on bringing awareness and action about equity, diversity, and inclusion to our faculty. We will convene a year-long committee to look at all tools, resources, and awareness-raising at AISC about equity, diversity, and inclusion. The committee will start soon! Thank you for those of you how have expressed interest.
EAL Shout-out!
This year, I will be taking over for the EAL Program Director. Please do reach out to me with questions about EAL Programming at AISC. In the meantime, our Co-Teaching Guidelines outline in depth what a co-teaching partnership looks like. The process is summarized in the Collaborative Teaching Cycle (CTC) bi-fold. The EAL Program is committed to continuing as strong as ever for AISC!
Professional Learning and Development
Thank you to the AISC teacher who participated in the GOA DESIGN BOOTCAMP June 15 - 19, 2020. This one week program will prepare teachers to:
- Design online learning experiences that promote student agency and student-centered learning
- Build community in online spaces, including peer to peer relationships and student and teacher relationships
- Design assessments that allow both students and teachers to know what students are learning with an emphasis on evidence of student work
- Incorporate wayfinding and best practices in the smooth and intuitive design of online learning spaces
- Self-assess and reflect upon their pedagogy and practice in online teaching and learning
- Review and provide meaningful feedback on colleagues' work products as well as receive feedback on their own work
AISC teachers participating in the Design Bootcamp included:
- Lydia Okutoro - Seck
- Rebecca Lopata
- Gregg Phillips
- Jessica Hesprich
- Angie Kacner
- Lakshmi Saravanan
- Jason Kennedy
- Lisa Daniels
- Jayme Gawrych
- Mike Simmons
- Shira Daryn
- Walter Basnight
- Geetha Venugopal
- Shari Abbott
- Gretchen Bade
- J.S.Lakshmi
- Lakshmi V
- Sarah Sahr
- Angela Bohcali
Is there GOA course that works for you? Let me know and I will register you.
Wellness at AISC
Wellness at AISC
All the information on Faculty Wellness from our Wellness Coordinator, Priya Venugopal, click HERE for AISC WELLNESS MATTERS BLOG to stay updated. We have lots of exciting events planned so be sure to check in!
Worthwhile Reading
Always good to remember the facts about COVID-19 as you gain advice for handling the consequences of living in a pandemic era.
General COVID-19 Educational Resources
Resources for Younger Students
Resources for Older Students
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