Week 2 in the Middle!

Dear MS Students and Parents,

We have had an excellent week 2 in the Middle School with students clearly moving into their back to school groove!  Congratulations to all students for excellent behavior both in and out of class - we're off to a great start!

Fall Trip Update:

There is much excitement in the air as students look forward to Fall Trips next week.

** Please note that signed permission forms are required for all students in order to travel on Fall Trips.  These forms must be signed by parents and turned in complete to advisory teachers.

Fall Trip Departure and Arrival times:

6th Grade students will leave on Tuesday, Sept 8th promptly at 8:30 a.m. in front of the AISB school gates.  The 6th grade will return on Thursday, September 10th by 3:30 p.m.

7th Grade students will leave on Wednesday, Sept 9th from the Budapest Congress and World Trade Center (Novotel Hotel past Mom Park), promptly at 7:50 a.m.  The 7th grade will return on Friday, September 11th at 3:30 p.m.

8th Grade students will leave on Tuesday, Sept. 8th from the Budapest Congress and World Trade Center (Novotel Hotel past Mom Park), promptly at 7:30 a.m.  The 8th grade will return to AISB on Friday, September 11th at 5:00 p.m.

MS / HS Parent Meeting: Standards Based Grading
As a follow-up to our Back To School Night, all parents are invited to attend an informational session to learn more about Standards-Based Grading in the Middle and High School for the academic year. 
This session will be led by principals Andy Ball (MS) and Derek Luebbe (HS) on Wednesday, September 9th at 9:00 am adjacent the main lobby. 
There will be ample time for parents to ask questions as well. We look forward to the discussion!

Back to School Night:
Sincere thanks to all parents for joining us on campus for our Back to School Night on Thursday, September 3rd.  We also appreciate the feedback from those of you in attendance - this will help us plan for next year's event.  Please do not hesitate to contact teachers directly should you require additional information about your child's educational program in the Middle School.  If you haven't yet provided us with your feedback, feel free to take a few minutes to fill out the form at the following link: BTSN Feedback Form

Student Photos:
Middle School students will have both individual and advisory group photos taken next week as per the following:
Grade 6 and Grade 8 - Monday Sept 7th
Grade 7 - Tuesday Sept 8th

Rec. Frenzy:
At the time of this week's communication, close to 200 Middle Schoolers were about to enjoy a BBQ dinner leading into the first Rec Frenzy event of the year.  We are so pleased at the number of students involved . . . photos to be published in next week's edition.  

Have a great weekend MS community!

Warm regards,

Andrew Ball
Middle School Principal

Week 1 in the Middle!

Day 1:

We had a great first day in the Middle School - thank you and congratulations to all students and teachers!  On Day 1, students made their way to advisory classes to start the day with a variety of activities taking place across grade levels. Staff and students enjoyed our first assembly of the year at the end of the day which included:

1. Movin’ On Up Ceremony

2. AISB Director's Welcome by Mr. Paul Slocombe.

3. MS Principal's Welcome by Mr. Ball.

4. United Nations activity – Recognizing the diversity of nationalities in the MS. 

5. Housing, Sports and Activities Announcements.

6. Drama & Speech and Debate announcements.

7. New students, Mr. George and Mr. Ball were on stage taking the "Blazer Oath".

8. Blazer Cheer with all staff and students by Dr. Canali!


9. Closing remarks by Mr. Lavoie.

There was such great energy in the air - thank you to Mr. Lavoie and all staff for leading various parts of this first assembly.

Middle School PSA Meeting:

Sincere thanks to all parents who attended the first MS PSA meeting of the year.  I've been told there were record numbers at this meeting and so with this in mind, I would like to encourage all parents to join and if a larger venue is needed for the next meeting, we'll work it out!  I would also like to thank our MS PSA representatives, Annalies Van der Donckt and Clara Bystrand for organizing and chairing the meeting today.  I look forward to a great year ahead working in harmony with the MS PSA!

Freeze Pop Friday:

Middle School students were treated to an ice cold popsicle during lunch on Friday, August 28th in celebration of a successful first week in the Middle School.  Here are a few pictures of the fun!

Have a great weekend Middle School!

Warm regards,

Mr. Ball

Dear Middle School Parents,

My name is Marc Lavoie and I am the Middle School Student Life Coordinator. I would like to welcome you and your family to the 2015-16 academic school year. I would also like to invite you to attend our "Student Life Information Night" on Wednesday, August 26th @ 6:00 p.m. in the AISB theater. The session will last an hour and cover the following topics:

• What is Student Life?
• Who works in Student Life? Who do I get in touch with if I have a question?
• Our Student Life School Philosophy.
• How do you sign-up for an after school sport?
• How do you sign-up for an after school activity?
• What is CEESA, SCIS, DVAC, and ISTA?
• What are some of the travel opportunities for your child?
• What is housing? What are my housing obligations?

We hope to see you there!

Mr. Marc Lavoie

MS Student Life Coordinator

Welcome to 2015-16 in the AISB Middle School!

21/08/2015

Dear Middle School Students and Parents,

On behalf of the incredible and talented Middle School faculty and staff, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all new and returning Middle School students.  This letter marks my first official correspondence to the MS community, and I am honored and excited to join AISB as the new Middle School Principal.  

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of essential information and dates that will be useful to you to get the school year started smoothly.  

Dates and timings:

• Monday, August 24th - first day of school, students should look for their names on advisory lists posted in the main lobby and then proceed to advisory class which begins at 8:30 a.m. Students will be dismissed at 3:30 p.m. following our first MS assembly of the year.  Students will receive their schedules in advisory.
• Wednesday, August 26th - “Student Life” information session.  All parents are encouraged to attend this informative session led by Mr. Matt Fleming (AISB Athletic Director), and Mr. Marc Lavoie (MS Student Life Coordinator), in the AISB theatre from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, September 3rd - “MS Back to School Night” begins at 4:45 p.m. More information will be sent out soon regarding this key event on the MS calendar.

Other essential information for Day 1 / Week 1:

• Snack/Lunch - Students are encouraged to bring a snack for the morning break and are welcome to bring their own lunch or purchase food at the school cafeteria during lunch break.
• Students are also recommended to bring a refillable water bottle that they may carry with them throughout the day.
• In support of our BYOD Laptop Program, 7th and 8th grade students should plan to bring a laptop with them on the first day of school, along with other basic school supplies (pen/pencil, a notebook).  ** Note: 6th grade students should plan to bring their laptop starting on Tuesday, August 25th, (Day 2).  IT support for students and parents will be available at the MS Tech Deck, (MS lobby), from 8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. during the first 2 weeks of school.
• Dress code - Clothing choices must be appropriate for school.
• Physical Education - There is no need to bring P.E. clothing for Day 1.
• We advise students to carefully follow the class/break timings.  Staff will support students in the halls between classes, should direction/assistance be needed.

We certainly hope the information included is helpful and should you require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us in the Middle School office.  It’s going to be a great year in the Middle!!

Warm regards,

Andrew Ball

Middle School Principal

American International School of Budapest

June 7, 2015

Dear Middle School Parents, 

We are getting close to the end of the school year but the pace of events and activities has not slowed down! There are numerous events coming up this week and even more next week. I want to remind all parents that after school activities and sports have stopped and students must go home on the 3:30 buses from now until the last day of school.  Students may only remain after school if they have an appointment with a teacher or are receiving music lessons. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Events coming up this week:

* PE Update
* World Language Assessment, Monday and Tuesday in Grade 6 and 7

* Middle School Assembly, Wednesday at 11:15
* Middle School Field Trip, Aqua World, Friday at 8:30 am

* Grade 8 Boat Trip, Friday at @ 6:30 (Details to be sent to 8th Grade Parents)
* Celebration of Learning, Monday, June 15th, at 8:45 am in the MPR

* More End of The Year Dates: Click on this link
* Check out 7th Grade Blog
* Check out the 6th Grade Blog
* Jane Goodall is coming to AISB! Tuesaday, June 16th @ 9:00 (Main Gym) Parents are welcome.

7th Grade Students: Exploratory Class Selection for Grade 8 (Re-Do) 

We are asking only 7th Graders to re-select their Major and Minor choices for Exploratory classes due to feedback and changes to the courses. We have changed Band from 3 quarters to 2 quarters, and we are offering a Band course in all 4 quarters.

Seventh graders only will receive a link to an online form via email on June 7 by 7:00pm. The course reqests are filled as they are recieved, therefore students need to make a first, second, and third choice to ensure they get into a course they'd like. 

Next year, as eighth graders, students all take Health and Wellness for one quarter, but in the remaining three quarters they choose a Major class which is taken for two quarters, and one Minor class which is taken for one quarter. 

They can pick from: Art, Band, Choir, Design/Tech, Drama, or Music. 

Note: Choir is a new choice for next year, and we have new focus in the Music course next year. 

Special Olympics Event: 6th Grade Students and Teachers

We had an exceptional day on Thursday with our service learning partner the Special Olympics for our sixth grade students. Teachers and students designed a variety of activites for students to do together during the morning (Arts and Crafts, Parachute Activity). In the afternoon students participated in track & field events including softball throw, long jump, triple jump, 4 x100 events.

It was a super day for all particpants. Many thanks to the teachers for organizing and for the role our students played throughout.

Pictures from the day( by Dusan Savic):


MS Social! 

We had our last Social on Friday, June 5th. The event was proposed, planned, and organized by our Blazer Voices! This is our student action group, who have been working with Ms. Herbert throughout the school year on a wide range of topics in the Middle School. For the end of the year, the Blazer Voices planned this Social, which included our own Oscar's Photo Booth, Red Carpet, Prizes and Dance Contests!  An interesting fact about this Social was that it was our largest attended one ever, with 170 coming out of 201 students!

Well Done Blazer Voices!

(Photos from the Social, by Dusan Savic)

May 31, 2015

May 31, 2015 

Dear Middle School Parents, 

What an amazing week in the middle school! We celebrated the Grade 8 Peace One Day with each student delivering a speech about his or her research topic to a panel of experts. The experts included political, community, and non-profit leaders from Budapest as well as eleven ambassadors. Many of our panelists have now made our Peace One Day celebration an annual event on their schedules! 

Congratulations to all Grade 8 students: they did an outstanding job delivering their speeches. We will post pictures soon. 

Events coming up this week:

* World Language Assessment, ongoing throughtout the week 

* Sparking Energy Change at AISB; June 2-3; Grade 6 Science Project 

* MS Band Concert @ 6:00pm AISB Theater, Final one of the year!

* Grade 6 Special Olympic Event on Thursday, June 4th (10:00-3:00)

* MS PSA Meeting Friday at 9:00 in the curriculum room, Final Meeting
* Middle School Social from 7:00-9:00 pm Friday, June 4th

* Prizma Trip, Saturday, June 6th (More details coming out this week) 

7th Grade Students: Course registration for Exploratory Classes 

Students in 7th grade need to select which courses they want to take as an exploratory next year in Grade 8. Here is a pdf version of the online form that will be sent to your child on May 31 st by 8:00pm.

Students all take Health and Wellness for one quarter, but in the remaining three quarters they choose a Major class which is taken for two quarters, and one Minor class which is taken for one quarter. 

Student choices: Art, Band, Choir, Design/Tech, Drama, or Music. Note: Choir is a new choice for next year, and we have new focus in the Music course next year. Students will make their selection by submitting an online google form; the link will be sent to their email on Sunday night by 8:00pm. 

The course reqests are filled as they are recieved, therefore students need to make a first, second, and third choice to ensure they get into a course they'd like. 

Prizma Day Meeting: Monday, June 1st, 12:30 in Mr. Rudnicki's room 

On Saturday, June 6 from 10:00 to 1:00, the Prizma School is preparing a fun day for our students at their school. We would love to take 20-25 Blazers for this experience. If students are interested, they need to come to an informational meeting on Monday at 12:30 in Mr.Rudnicki's room.

Marc Lavoie Middle School Student Life Coordinator 

M.S French Teacher

Counselor's Corner: News from Ms Siebel

Budapest Job Shadowing Day

Our eighth graders enjoyed last Thursday off-campus, visiting 10 different job sites. Groups of students, transported by school vans, had a "hands on" experience at one of the following businesses: Alcoa, Apple Tree Kindergarten, BASF, Enihorn, HBO, Hilton Hotel, K & H Bank, Rozsakert Medical Center, Daddy Roys Upcycling Project, and the US Embassy.

The discussions upon the return to school were enthusiastic, substantive, and reflective!  Thank you to all of our parents who were part of this wonderful event

Photos from the day:

Departing Students and Families

Please contact me if you have just learned about departure plans. I have been conducting Departing Student Lunch Groups for 4 weeks with separate 6th, 7th and 8th grade groups. The 6th graders group ended last week and 7th and 8th graders groups will end next week. I am happy to continue meeting with any departing students or parents.

Grade 7 Scheduling Choices

Students recently reviewed their options for Exploratory classes next year. They will be able to choose one MAJOR (2 quarters) and one MINOR (one quarter), plus Health and Wellness class.

Last Friday students learned what each Exploratory would be next year from the teachers:

Ms. Waller talked about the Art major and minor. 

Ms. Tamas about talked the Drama major and minor.

Mr. Weingarten discussed  Music major and minors and the Band major and minor.

Mr. Farren shared about the Tech Design major and minor. 

I am happy to answer any concerns or questions!

Nancy Seibel

MS Counselor

May 25,2015

Dear Middle School Parents,

This was a special weekend with the high school graduation happening on Sunday. Congratulations to our graduating seniors, some of whom were also here when in middle school. Congratulations to our current middle school parents who have a graduating senior as well. 

This is a busy upcoming week in the Middle school, so hold onto your hats!

• Peace One Day: Grade 8 Students at 9:00 in the AISB theater, Wednesday, May 27th
• MS Co-Curricular Assembly at 4:00 in the Cafeteria Building B Wednesday, May 27th

Grade 8 Peace One Day Celebration

The 8^th grade students have been working throughout the school year in World Geography learning about different regions in the world and looking at geopolitical or social injustice issues in these areas. In Language Arts, students have worked extensively on writing and thinking analytically. This work helped students be ready to formulate their definition of peace and choose a topic about which they were passionate to research. This is our 6^th Peace One Day celebration, a powerful culmination of their work, so please come to learn from our students and celebrate their achievement. This event is open to all parents, but please remain throughout student speeches once they start.

Spring Co-Curriculur Assembly: Wednesday, May 27th at 4:00

We have the Co-curricular Assembly on Wednesday at 4:00pm in the cafeteria. We hope all parents can make it to this final celebration of student achievement in our sports, clubs, and activities.

When: Wednesday, May 27 from 4:00 to 5:30pm

Where: School cafeteria and M.S Classrooms.

Teams or Activities & breakout locations:

M.S Boys Softball- Mr. Fleming and Mr. Murray (Field house)

M.S Girls Softball- Ms. Tarbell and Mr. Tarbell (Tarbell room)

M.S Boys Volleyball A & B- Mr. Rudnicki-Mr. Mahon (Rudnicki room)

M.S Girls Volleyball A& B Ms. Macmichael-Ms. Perzel (Perzel room)

M.S Track- Gibson & Pal ( Fubler room)

M.S Jazz Band- Ms.Davidoff (Davidoff room)

M.S Mural Painting- Ms.Waller (Waller room)

M.S ISTA- Ms.Tamas (Black box)

M.S Cooking- Ms.Manzella (Manzella room)

M.S Dungeons & Dragons- Robinson (Robinson room)

M.S Tech Crew- Mr.Savic (Student Life Office)

Schedule:

4:00 to 4:30: Opening Ceremony +Pizza in the cafeteria. Teams sit together.

4:30 to 5:10 - Breakout session in room

5:10 to 5:25 - Ice cream social in Cafeteria

MS Tech Deck

I also want to highlight the opening of the Tech Deck in the Middle School lobby. This is a place that will be undergoing development throughout the remainer of the school year. Currently we have designed, built and installed three benches and raised tables for students to work at in the MS lobby. We have installed a large screen where students can project their work. It is a very flexible space, meant to provide students with a place to be innovative, creative and collborative. Thank you to Mr. Farren for his efforts on this project and those of the students who assisted him. For those who might be interested, you can find the Tech Deck Creation process here.

Dog Shelter Trip: Saturday May 30^th at 2:00-5:00pm

The MS Blazer Barkers have their last field trip of the year to the dog shelter thus Saturday. The students have worked hard throughout the year raising awareness and money for the shelter. At this visit, students will present the money raised at the Book Sale during our International Festival

Transition Night:

5th Grade to 6th Grade  

8th Grade to 9th Grade

We enjoyed meeting many of the new grade 6 parents coming into the Middle School next year. We saw a lot of familiar faces among the parents who have a student in the middle school already, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone next August.

We will send out the supply lists and the laptop information before the end of the school year.

Photos from the Night:

Counselor’s Corner:

I hope all eighth graders have now submitted their permission form for the Job Shadowing day. Here's the link:

https://docs.google.com/a/aisb.hu/forms/d/1e3yOMiV6j9lSvE2W5SurAGiIJ-T72NXf0nBNtsl8lJg/viewform?usp=send_form

Get together with their parents, students were asked to answer the questions and submit this by last Friday.

Thanks!

Ms. Seibel