From the Director

What I am excited about this week…
 
Verbal Jam Session: Supporting Each Other During Distance Learning  is TONIGHT at 18:00! Please join our Verbal Jam session tonight at 18:00. Tonight’s focus will be how parents can support their children during Distance Learning. We will have a panel of staff members and parents who will share some advice and then we will open the floor to questions and discussion with the panelists. I am confident that all participants will walk away with some helpful ideas and inspiration. You can join the session by clicking here.
 
Refer-A-Friend Discount! We have just had our first family earn tuition credit for participating in our Refer-A-Friend Discount Program. By referring two students to AISL, this family will have $2000 credited to their account. If you have friends who are looking for an exceptional school, please encourage them to come see us. You can learn more about our Refer-A-Friend Discount program on the front page of our website.
 
Verbal Jam! Please check out our new Verbal Jam webpage. Verbal Jam is designed to be an exclusive AISL online environment where thoughts, opinions, news, and advice all come together. We invite all AISL students, parents, and staff to take part in an ongoing online conversation focused on sharing, motivating, and, of course, educating! Please take a few moments to explore the site and please post messages on the Thrive Message Board. The Verbal Jam password is the same as the one we use for the Parent Portal.
 
After School Activities (ASA) Program Starting for Grades 7, 9, and 12! I am thrilled to announce that we will be restarting our ASA program for those students who are on campus. Due to distancing and sanitation requirements, ASA’s will be focused on building skills independently rather than playing games. You can learn more about this exciting development later in this newsletter.
 
Requesting Nominations for New Members of the AISL Board of Directors! Having postponed our election in May due to COVID-19, the Board of Directors is planning to hold an annual Election General Meeting (EGM) on 23 September.  We anticipate three vacancies on the board for the 2020-21 school year. According to the school’s Articles of Association, one of these vacancies is for a member who is affiliated with the U.S. government (employee or spouse). The other two vacancies are open to any school parent.  Please consider nominating yourself or someone you know. Nominees must submit an updated CV and a one or two paragraph biographical statement that can be shared in the Leopard’s Tale.  Please also provide the names and contact information for two other Association members who will support your nomination. Nominations should be sent to [email protected] by 7 September.
  
Revised Articles of Association and By-Laws! After a thorough review by the Board of Directors’ Governance Committee, the Board has recommended that we revise the schools Articles of Association and By-Laws. The changes to these documents were discussed in our AISL community meeting on 9 June, and have been posted on the Board of Director’s section of the Parent Portal for community review. The Board will hold an online Extraordinary General Meeting (XGM) on Thursday, 10 September for an additional discussion of the revised drafts and a vote on their ratification. As per the Articles of Association and the By-Laws, ratification will require support from two-thirds of the association members (i.e. parents and legal guardians of AISL students) who are present at the meeting. Feel free to send any comments or questions to the board at [email protected].
 
In summary, the proposed revision includes:

• Improved formatting and clearer language in several areas, including the functions of the board and duties of its officers
• Increased flexibility for the Board in the scheduling of meetings across the year
• Expanded quorum requirement from 4 to 5 board members, for meeting and voting purposes
• Flexibility to use electronic balloting for decisions by the Parent Association
• Clarified authority for the Board to postpone elections/extend board member terms in extenuating circumstances, with the approval of the U.S. Ambassador
• Requirement for board members to declare Conflicts of Interest (this was previously in Board Policy but not the By-Laws)