Week of February 16,2015

Dear Middle School Parents,

Thank you to all those who were able to participate in the Middle School Celebration of Learning this past week.  We have had so many students and faculty (including me!) out with colds and flu that we were missing many community members on the day.  For those who were able to attend, the results were spectacular with the focus on the academic achievements and accomplishments of our students.  

In every corner of the Middle School, the classrooms had parents, students and teachers meeting to talk, share and discuss the learning of students. It is a powerful experience to sit and talk with students about their reflections from the first part of the school year and listen to students describe, explain and challenge their thinking, learning and growth. It is equally amazing to stop and think as the adults in the room about where this child or the collective group of children were in their academic growth and learning back in August. 

The students have worked hard and remained focused on their learning, and they have learned a great deal about learning and thinking and how this will assist them in the future.  We look forward to the remainder of the school year and the growth, risks and development that they will experience.

SKI WEEK

Ski Week begins on Friday.  To prepare for this, please help your child remember to clean out his or her locker before Friday. We do not want any additional Science Fair Projects growing in student lockers over the break! We hope the holiday period is a time to rest, relax, read and catch up with your family.

PLANNED SCHOOL ABSENCE

We do not support planned holidays outside of our abundant school vacation time. Extra trips put undue stress and pressure on children since they are missing classroom learning time and will have work to make-up when they return. Classroom-based activities cannot be replicated, so children on extra vacations miss out on essential learning opportunities.  

Please, to the best of your ability, plan your holidays around school holidays.  If you cannot, your child needs to complete a planned absence form well in advance of the trip. We ask that you give teachers multiple days notice for a planned absence. 

Have a great weekend and thank you for your ongoing support of the Middle School.  

Paul Ducharme 
Middle School Principal

Blazer Barkers:

Dear Parents,

This week, the Blazer Barkers are holding their 3rd annual book drive. If you have books, dvd's, games or puzzles that you are willing to donate, we would be very grateful. Adult or children's books in fiction or nonfiction, preferably in English or Hungarian, sell best. We will sell all donations at the Book Sale during the PSA International Fair.

The money from the sale goes to sponsor more dogs! Bins will be set-up in the Middle School lobby so you can drop off your donations in the morning. The Book drive lasts all week: Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20.

Many thanks,

Mr.Lavoie

LIBRARY UPDATE- Author Visit on March 2nd and 3rd

Dear Parents,

Please see here for information about our author visit in March

with LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON!​ If you'd like to order her books, the order form is here. You can also get a form in the library. She will sign books you have bought when she visits on​ March 2 and 3.

Sarah Ducharme

MS/HS Librarian

CEESA MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL-We are hosting!

What an exciting time coming up the first weekend after the the Ski Break!  We are hosting the MS Girls CEESA Basketball tournament, March 5-7!  AISB will have two teams participating from the Middle School!  

I know many of you will be hosting some of our visiting athletes and thank you so much for helping out. We really need your support to house athletes to make these events successful for our students. There is another way that I need your help and that is to come on out and watch some games here at the school!  This is our end of season Basketball tournament!  I need all the Dads and Moms to come on out and watch some of the games.

Games start on the Thursday, continue into Friday and go all day on Saturday!  Please make time in your schedule to come out Saturday and cheer your head off (just like a Middle School Kids!). Cheer so loud, that your head will pop right off your shoulders!  We want to get 50 parents out here on Saturday to cheer on our two teams from AISB and show the visiting teams some support!

A schedule will be sent home later in the week but here's the main point: Basketball games Saturday March 7th starting at 9:00AM!

COUNSELOR’S CORNER:

WELCOME to our newest MS Students!

Petr (GR 6) was absent today and Seo-Bin (GR 8) will be starting on Monday, are both missing from the photo!  We are truly an international group of new students representing:

China / Hungary / Korea / United States / Russia

Congratulations to all of our students for their exceptional efforts in the Celebration of Learning this past week!

Parents:  An enthusiastic group met this past Thursday to begin discussion of HOW CHILDREN SUCCEED by Paul Tough.  Please join us next Thursday at 2:15pm!  Let me know if I can email you a NY Times Book Review to get you started on this thought-provoking book!

Best regards,

Nancy Seibel
nseibel@aisb.hu

MS Counselor

AISB

February 9, 2015

February 9, 2015

Dear Middle School Parents and Students,

Congratulations to all our basketball players and swimmers for their efforts during the Blazer Invitational on Saturday, January 30th.  It was too bad that we had to cancel some of the events on Friday due to the poor weather but Saturday’s swim meet and basketball games were outstanding.  Many thanks to the the parents who were able to come out to the pool and gym to cheer on our Blazers!

This weekend we had loads of students traveling to Moscow and Prague as part of the CEESA Band and Choir Festivals. If you are interested in seeing some updates from the Band Festival, please click on this link. If you would like to see photos from the Choir Festival, click on this link.

You have received a personal invitation from your child this week to attend our Celebration of Learning on Wednesday, February 11th at 10:15 in the building B Theater. During this celebration we will recognize all of the efforts made by students and invite you to join us for this public recognition of student achievement and excellence. Students will share reflections about their learning experiences from this school year.

Purpose:

• To celebrate the academic excellence of all students
• To recognize and celebrate the growth and achievements of all students
• To provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their learning and take greater ownership of the learning process

Schedule:

• Opening address at 10:15 in the theater
• Parents join their child in a classroom to hear key learning experiences
• Celebratory toast and closing remarks from our school Director in the MS lobby

Highlights:

• Hear about obstacles or barriers students have overcome in their pursuit of learning
• Witness the knowledge and confidence students have learned about their character and what it takes to be successful
• Hear student reflections, a key ingredient to lifelong learning and academic excellence
• Witness student self-discovery and understanding of how to be academically successful

Please come and join us in this celebration. We ask that students come “Dressed in their Best” for the day. Thank you for your ongoing support of the Middle School and see on February 11th at 10:15 in the theater.

Kind regards,

Paul Ducharme

Middle School Principal

AISB

Middle School Rec Frenzy- Friday, February 13th 6pm-8pm

Blazers,

We have a new date for the Rec Frenzy. It will be on Friday, February 13 from 6-8pm. If you signed-up for the Rec.Frenzy that got cancelled then you do not need to sign-up again.

We will still have the spaghetti dinner and the bus ride back home for those who had signed-up for that. Please e-mail me only if you can no longer attend and I will take you off the list.

If you wish to sign-up and you hadn't done so last time-then please use the original sign-up link I had sent.

Go Blazers!!!!

Mr.Lavoie

Student Life Coordinator

Counselor’s Corner:

An Exciting Week Ahead!

Middle School has finished a week of dynamic CEESA and MathCounts events. Many students have participated in traveling teams or performing groups or skills competitions.  Additionally, it has been a high absence week for students and faculty (unfortunately including me!) with seasonal illnesses.

We look forward to several exciting programs this week that include parental involvement!  Please join us this week for: PSA Presentation on Teen Health! Dr. Kinga Jokay and Enico Kiss will be presenting and answering parents questions on Tuesday morning before the Celebration of Learning.

Middle School Celebration of Learning!  Come see your child describe his/her learning highlights of the first semester, stay to share lunch together, and relish the MS experience!

A new Book Club starts Thursday at 2:15 meeting in the MS Counselor’s office. We are going to read Paul Tough’s book: HOW CHILDREN SUCCEED.  Here is a link to a review of the book: http://www.nytimes.com/ .

See you at school this week!

Nancy Seibel

MS Counselor

nseibel@aisb.hu

Week of January 26

Dear Middle School Parents,

Happy Semester 2!  We started the second half of the academic year this past week on Friday, January 23^rd. Students have also started new exploratory classes in many cases and are getting ready for the second half of the school year.

The students have been also getting ready most recently for the Celebration of Learning, set for February 11th at 10:15 in the main theater of Building B.  We hope that you will be able to take part in the celebration. Please note that the celebration will end at 11:30 and we invite you to have lunch with your child in the cafeteria. This is a student “Dress Your Best” event (no tee shirts and jeans).

The second quarter report cards will be available to all parents via VeraCross on Tuesday, January 27^th starting at 5:00pm. Please note: you will not be getting a hard copy of the report card.

For the first time, we will provide students feedback on the Habits of Learning in all classes. This new information will shine more light on the learning process including identifying student strengths and areas for growth more clearly than ever before.

Middle School Students who interviewed Principal Candidates

A big thank you to the students who were chosen to take part in the MS Principal search committee. The students did an outstanding job creating their interview questions and in the way they conducted themselves throughout the process. All of the candidates commented on how impressed they were with our students and how much pride they have in their school and their passion for learning! 

Students included on the committee (pictured above): Victor Bardi / Elise Luebbe / Muije Yan / Mohamed Mohsen  / Nicco Rulio /  / Sneh Deshpande / Shaan Bhasin

Mr.Ducharme

Middle School Principal

MS Rec Frenzy and Spaghetti Dinner-Friday, January 30^th 6:00-8:00 pm

Dear M.S Parents,

On Friday, January 30th we will have a RECREATION FRENZY! In order to attend, you must have your child sign-up here(includes dinner option):
https://docs.google.com/a/aisb.hu/forms/d/1NX9tUgptvfE0CRw2cGf7BMw8EfawL77SQIP4RvEire4/viewform?usp=send_form

Bus Transportation Available-Information form(Click on link)

Highlights include: 

•        A visit by professional basketball players
•        A 3 on 3 Street-ball tournament
•        A basketball jumping castle

A performance by HIP HOP International and a HIP HOP workshop given by some of the most talented HIP-HOP artists in Hungary! 

Watch the link! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr_SI-UFScM

Hope to see your child there!!!

Marc Lavoie

Student Life Coordinator

AISB Blazers Basketball Jamboree ~ January 31, 2015

We are hosting the Blazer MS Basketball Jamboree on Friday, January 30th and Saturday January 31^st!  The games will start on Friday after school followed by the Spaghetti dinner the Rec Frenzy from 6pm to 8:00pm (Dinner and Rec Night require sign up ahead of time)! 

The basketball games continue on Saturday morning at 9:00 and the last games finish around 3:30. 

There are going to be three schools taking part with 14 different teams!  If your son or daughter is taking part in MS Basketball, they have games this weekend!  What are you waiting for, put your Blazer colors on and come on out to cheer on the home team!

Here is the schedule of games! (Click on link-Updated 1/26/15)

Big thanks our to the Athletic Department for organizing the event.  Best of luck to our teams and coaches, see you on Saturday.

Counselor’s Corner

Welcome to AISB! We have some new kids on the block!

New students to our community

We are happy to have six new MS Students who have joined us since the winter holiday!  Our newest members of the AISB community have been welcomed by fellow classmates, who are eager to include them and recall themselves what it feel likes to be new. We hope to get our newest community members up and running, included in After School Activities (ASA's) and the full range of Student Life activities that are available as soon as possible.  Hope to see everyone at Friday’s Middle School Recreation Frenzy!

Thank you to the friendly Admissions folks and the helpful PSA parents, our new students and their families have a beginning sense of AISB, Budapest, Hungary, and all they have to offer!

Are you experiencing student and family transition questions, concerns or just want someone to talk with? Many of us experience these issues as they are part of the International School life!  Please consider joining our upcoming Book Club meeting when we will discuss these issues and much.

Listed are the upcoming two books and discussion dates:  

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough

Discussion Dates: February 12, 19th & March 5 & 12th

Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad in an On-Demand World by Robin Pascoe

Discussion Dates: April 16, 23, 20th & May 7

Meetings will happen at 2:15-3:15 in the MS Counselor's Office. We hope you will join us for lively and enlightening discussion in a positive and supportive community atmosphere. Bring a friend; all AISB parents are welcome.

Welcome to Semester Two!

Nancy Seibel

MS Counselor

Week of January 19

Dear Middle School Parents,

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Celebration of Learning on February 11th at 10:15 in the building B theater to celebrate the academic achievements of our students from semester 1. We have made the time so that you can plan to stay and have lunch with your child at school on this day if your schedule allows for this.

Purpose: 

• To celebrate the academic excellence of all students 
• To recognize and celebrate the growth and achievements of all students 
• To provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their learning and take greater ownership of the learning process 

Schedule: 

• Opening address at 10:15 in the theater 
• Parents join their child in a classroom to hear key learning experiences 
• Celebratory toast and closing remarks from our school Director in the MS lobby 

Please come and join us in this celebration. We ask that students come “Dressed in their Best” for the day.

Please note, the second quarter closes on Thursday, January 22nd and the third quarter will start on Friday, January 23rd. Students should be sure to check in with teachers and view assignment notebooks to make sure they are up to date with all their class work.

Mr.Ducharme

PE Update / Drama Update

Middle School Principal Search

It is has been a pleasure and an honor to work at this school over the past nine years. I am forever thankful for the support and feedback the parent community has given to me. I humbly submit that this is one of the best Middle Schools in the world, with the best teachers, and most outstanding students!  Hard as it is to leave, my family and I have decided to accept positions at another school in South America for next school year.  

This week, AISB has invited four outstanding candidates to visit as part of the search process to find a new Middle School Principal for 2015-2016. The school director, Mr. Paul Slocombe, is overseeing this process and has organized interviews with an array of stakeholders on Monday and Tuesday. The groups include students, parents, teachers, PSA members, school administration, student life, school director, MS leadership team, MS school support staff, and the school board.  All groups will share their feedback with Director Slocombe and a decision will be made regarding the appointment of the next Middle School Principal.

There is much work to be done throughout the remainder of the school year. I am eager to getting on with our work and will look forward to welcoming the new principal when the time comes. I will ensure a smooth and complete transition  for the new principal so that he can hit the ground running in August.

Maker Club

Do you know what this is? Click on this link to see what the Maker Club has been up to lately!  If you are interested in helping out, Mr.Farren has loads of projects going on and he is always looking for another set of hands or even more to get dirty. Any parents out there: if you have a hankering for this kind of tinkering, give Mr.Farren an email!

Click on the link and see what is happening in the Maker Club!

Poetry Slam!

On January 9, 2015 the 8th grade students participated in what has become an annual event: the Poetry Slam. This event, organized by Mr.Rudnicki, was truly a spectacular demonstration of our 8th graders' passion for prose and their ability to speak so clearly and concisely in front of many people. 

Outstanding job 8th graders! If you would like to see the video from the event, click on this link.

Report Card Quarter 2

The report card will be visible to parents and students online in VeraCross by the end of January. We will send a notice when they are available. Please note: you will not be getting a hard copy of the report card.

For the first time, we will give students feedback on the Habits of Learning in all classes. This new information will shine more light on the learning process and the strengths and areas for growth.

Report Card Comments

For Quarter 2, students will receive comments only from their advisor. The advisor is the academic, emotional and social mentor for each student. You also may see some comments from other teachers on the Report Card but not necessarily. If you have questions or concerns at any point, contact your child’s advisor and or the individual teacher of that subject.

MS PSA Meeting- Held on January 15,2015

The meeting was well attended and thank you tot he PSA Middle School representatives for organizing refreshments for the meeting. During the meeting we shared some information about brain research and homework suggestions.  If you were not able to attend or did and would like to see the presentation, please click on this link to view.

Book Club:  

The book club will meet to discuss  two remaining books:

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough

Discussion Dates: February 12, 19th & March 5 & 12th

Raising Global Nomads: Parenting Abroad in an On-Demand World by Robin Pascoe

Discussion Dates: April 16, 23, 20th & May 7

Meetings will happen at 2:15-3:15 in the MS Counselor's Office. We hope you will join us for lively and enlightening discussion in a positive and supportive community atmosphere. Bring a friend; all AISB parents are welcome.

Math Specialist Presentation for Parents (from ES Principal)

Are you still trying to figure out what the Common Core State Standards are and how they support your child’s learning and understanding in math?  Do you have trouble supporting your child with math because “It just isn’t the way we used to do it”? 

Then please join us at this special parent workshop scheduled Wednesday,January 21st from 8:45-10:15.   The presentation will focus on the Math Common Core State Standards, how math instruction has changed and how it prepares students for the DP program and beyond.  This workshop is appropriate for parents from Multiage through grade 12.

Those interested should RSVP to Erika Nemes (enemes@aisb.hu) no later than Friday January 16th, so we can secure a room appropriate for numbers.