Staff and students have had a very successful week following their return from Fall Trips. We enjoyed getting together for assembly on Wednesday, Sept. 16th to learn more about After School Activities and Walk the Wish (Csodolampa). We were honored to have a special guest with us to educate our students about Walk the Wish, Ms. Eva Patzauer, Managing Director of Csodalampa. She spoke about the goals of the organization and the children that we will be sponsoring this year. We were also very proud of our students for getting up on stage to speak about their personal experiences with Walk the Wish. The Middle School is honored to support the official mission of Csodalampa as follows: To fulfill a wish of any child aged between 3 to 18, one who may suffer from a life-threatening illness and one whose family cannot afford to fulfill this wish.
Upcoming Events:
Monday, Sept 21: Beginning
of after school activities
MS Girls Tennis
15:30-17:30
MS Boys Soccer
A&B teams 15:30 - 17:30
MS Girls Soccer
15:30-17:30
X-country 15:30 -
17:30
Open swim 16:30 -
17:30
Tuesday, Sept 22: FCD
sessions for Middle School
Dr.Orsolya Gudor’s
presentation on MS Wish Kids 12:30 Theater
Faculty mtg
15:45-17:00
FCD
parents night at 18:00
CEESA Speech and
Debate 15:40 - 16:30
Drama Club- Mulan Jr
15:30 - 17:30
MS Boys Tennis
15:30-17:30
Open swim 15:30 -
17:30
Wednesday, Sept 23: FCD sessions for Middle School
MS assembly/Advisory
11:15 - 12:05
FCD for MS PSA
12:05-13:05
Open swim 16:30 -
17:30
Thursday, Sept 24: FCD sessions for Middle School
ALC mtg 15:45-17:00
CEESA Speech and
Debate 15:40 - 16:30
Drama
Club- Mulan Jr 15:30 - 17:30
MS Boys Tennis
15:30-17:30
Open swim 15:30 -
17:30
Friday, Sept 25: FCD sessions for Middle
School
International
Day - dress in your country’s colors international desserts sponsored by the PSA at lunchtime.
No after school
activities, sports.
Walk the wish start
in the main gym 16:00-18:00
PSA News:
- Our next PSA meeting will be on Wednesday September 23rd from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. in the curriculum room. We invited a speaker from FCD (Freedom from Chemical Dependency). He will be at school all week and the MS children have the opportunity during daytime to meet with him for an informational session on this topic. During our meeting we can find out what our children learned and what we as parents need to know. After the presentation we will have an open discussion with Mr. Andy Ball (MS Principal) and Ms. Nancy Seibel (MS Counselor). We will serve sandwiches.
- The MS will be participating in the "International Day" celebration. International Day will be on Friday September 25th (same day as Walk the Wish). PSA wants to help celebrate all cultures around the world by offering the MS students and teachers an International dessert buffet. We need your help. If you would like to bring a dessert from your home country (circa 10 servings) please send us an email. Children can drop the dessert off at the reception in the morning or you can bring it before 11:30 a.m. and help us serve all the delicious dessert!
Fall Trips
Teachers and students had an opportunity to reflect on their fall trip experiences via class discussions and online feedback surveys. Trip leaders led thorough reflection sessions with their teams in order to discuss all details from the experience including but not limited to: the overall philosophy and goals of the trip, curricular links, safety/security, accommodations, transportation, and of course the "enjoyment" factor! Our collective goal is to take all reflections into account as the planning for next year begins. Please feel free to contact us if you have any suggestions for future planning.
Grade 6 Group Picture from Sopron:
Grade 7 Group Picture from Lake Balaton:
Grade 8 Group Picture from Koszeg:
Standards Based Grading: Progress Reports live on Oct. 16th
With our move to Standards Based Grading, we have outlined a series of dates throughout the year when teachers will update each student's grade in each course based on the most recent, relevant, and consistent evidence of progress. As a staff, we are currently reviewing these reporting dates for the remainder of the year and will communicate out to parents should there be a revision.
For now, we are approaching our first date which will be October 16th. On this date, we will send out an email to all parents with a message that the MS Progress Report is live on Veracross. The October 16th date is a revised date from what is printed in the handbook (Oct. 9th).
Student Life Update:
It's a busy time in the Middle School Student Life Office! Final Fall Activities Rosters will be posted on the Middle School Portal by the end of the day on Monday, September 21st.
Walk The Wish will take place on Friday, September 25th. We are asking all walkers to meet at 4:00 p.m. in the building B main gym. Pledge forms will be available during lunches on Monday, Sept. 21st and Wednesday, Sept 23rd.
On Tuesday, Sept. 22nd Dr. Orsolya Gudor will be presenting at 12:30 p.m. in the theater. She will be speaking about the medical conditions every child faces. The "Walk" will be followed by a PSA Sponsored spaghetti dinner. There will be a 5:30 p.m. bus on this day but for students not on the bus, please make arrangements for your own ride home.
Next week, we will be also advertising our first hosted activity. Hosted activities are provided by vetted outside providers and usually have a participation cost. Our first Hosted Activity will be Etiquette Class which will be sponsored by one of our parents (Mrs. Katalin Kibédi Varga). Sign-up information on this activity will be shared next week.
Marc Lavoie
FCD / Freedom from Chemical Dependancy
As part of our health and wellness program at AISB, we have invited a prevention specialist from Freedom from Chemical Dependency Educational Services to join our community next week September 21-25 . During this time they will be holding workshops and information sessions by grade level with students in Grades 6-11. Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD) is a non-profit organization that provides substance abuse prevention education for schools. Since 1976, they have taught over a million students of all ages throughout the United States and at many international schools.
FCD's mission is to:
- Encourage and support the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years.
- Empower young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug use
- Teach students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance abuse and to intervene appropriately
- Educate students, parents, teachers, and administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs
- Promote awareness of drug addiction, including alcoholism, as a progressive, chronic, and often fatal disease
- Provide educational communities with the guidance and training necessary to implement comprehensive, effective approaches to substance abuse prevention
FCD prevention specialists are highly trained professionals who have achieved long-term recovery from alcohol or other drug addictions. This unique perspective enhances the credibility of their message and provides students with role models for happy, healthy, drug-free living. The FCD prevention specialist will present a parent workshop for parents of to offer support and guidance in helping your children enjoy a drug-free adolescence.
Some of the topics to be addressed during the workshop include:
· Effective ways to communicate with your child about drugs and drug use
· Up-to-date facts about current drug use and trends
· What to say about your own experiences with alcohol and/or drug experimentation
· How to spot early warning signs of trouble and effective ways to respond.
This program presents a perfect opportunity for discussing alcohol and other drug-related issues with your children. Parental involvement is crucial to our collective efforts to reduce the risks teenagers face. We want our students to hear from both school and home that we are concerned about alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by adolescents, and that we are committed to keeping our children safe.
Have a great week ahead Middle School!
Warm regards,
Andrew Ball
Middle School Principal
Middle School students enjoyed an amazing international dessert buffet on Friday, September 25th following their lunch. Sincere thanks to our parent volunteers for your contributions and for helping hand out the treats - it was a great way to celebrate our cultural diversity here at AISB.
This week you and your child had the opportunity to meet Ms. Stephanie Kootsikas, our visiting presenter for Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD). Our MS Students met with Ms. Stephanie to learn about healthy choices and habits. Parents were able to meet Ms. Kootsikas at an evening presentation, as well as at a noontime PSA meeting. Ms. Kootsikas will be contributing an article to next weeks edition of NEWS from the MIDDLE.
