From the Director

What I am excited about this week…
 

• The Arts! This has been a wonderful month for the arts at AISL. Here is a review of SOME of what has been going on:
  • From 15-17 November, we had the wonderful Secondary School production of Fame, Jr. Congratulations to the Director, Ms. Tolino, the Music Director, Ms. Hausman, the Choreographer, Ms. Coombs, and the more than forty student actors, technicians, and backstage crew who came together to make this happen!
  • On 27 November, we were treated to a brilliant night of music at our “Say it with Song” All Choirs Concert. Kudos to the singers in the MS and HS Honor Choirs, MS Combined Choir, 6th Grade Choir, 7th & 8th Grade Choir, Community (adult) Choir, and That Sing Thing primary choir, all led by the talented Ms. Hausman. Better still, the singers used the event to connect with others beyond the school. These connections happened globally by becoming an official World Choral Day event and locally by supporting literacy through donations of money and/or books. It served as a great example of the power of song to unite and inspire. Many thanks to all who were involved.
  • Concertgoers were also treated to the MYP Art Exhibition that is currently hanging in the gallery at the Tiyende Pamodzi Theater. The gallery is open during the day so please feel free to stop in and take a look and celebrate our young scholar-artists.
  • We are also proud to be hosting the Umoya International Band Festival this week. Two visiting bands from AISJ are here – one from their Johannesburg campus and one from their Pretoria campus. They will spend two days working with our own music teachers as well as three guest musicians. This will all culminate in a combined band concert on Friday, 30 November at 18:30 in the Theater.
  • On Saturday, 1 December, we are proud to be hosting the Tiyende Experience concert featuring some of Zambia’s most talented musicians. See the poster later in this newsletter for ticket information.
• The PTA! The PTA is as busy as ever with several events on the horizon.
  • On 1 December, the PTA will host a Community Boot Sale from 07:30-11:00 in the Primary Car Park.
  • They will also be hosting a Holiday Fair on 7 December from 12:00-14:30 at the Pavilion. This will be a great opportunity for children and parents to shop from local vendors, participate in craft activities and, of course, meet Santa Claus.
  • Finally, don’t forget that the PTA has created “PTA Liaisons” at each grade level to help keep you abreast of school events. If you want to be on their WhatsApp broadcast lists, please contact the PTA at PTA@aislusaka.org.
• Holiday Hampers! Our annual Holiday Hamper drive is underway. This is a fun AISL tradition where students bring in a few small food items to help create a gift hamper for each member of the school’s support staff, including gardeners, bus drivers, security guards, maintenance workers, and cleaners. This serves as a recognition and thank you from the students and parents for all the hard work that these people do on a daily basis to keep the school running smoothly.  The creation of these hampers is guided by the teachers in the lower grades and becomes a student-led project in advisories for our older students. Please send in a few small food items to support this fun project. I promise that if you could see all the joy and fun we have on the day the hampers are distributed, you would appreciate what a lovely tradition this has become. Please see your child’s teacher (Primary) or advisor (Secondary) if you need more information.