From the Director

What I am excited about this week…
 

• Umoya International Band Festival! We were so proud to host the second annual Umoya International Band Festival last week.  Two visiting bands from AISJ were here – one from their Johannesburg campus and one from their Pretoria campus. They spent two days working with our own music teachers as well as three guest musicians, which culminated in a wonderful band concert on Friday. Many thanks to everyone who rolled out the red carpet for our guests. As usual, AISL’s reputation for hospitality was front and center when I spoke with them.  Each one of them gushed about our warm welcome and the strong sense of teamwork that they saw during their entire time at AISL. In a thank you note to the school, one of the AISJ teachers wrote, "As I said to you yesterday, we loved every minute at AISL. You can be incredibly proud of the welcoming atmosphere and stimulating environment you have nurtured." Many thanks to Chel and his team and to all the host families who made this happen.
• Pamodzi Experience Concert! On Saturday, 1 December, we were honored to host what is hopefully the first of a series of Pamodzi Experience concerts. Featuring some of Zambia’s most talented musicians playing alongside some of our high school musicians, this was truly a night to remember. I highly recommend you drop everything and be sure to attend the next one. Many thanks to Janke, Chel, Zamba, and their team for bringing this brilliant musical experience to AISL
• The PTA Holiday Fair! Don’t miss this year’s PTA 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.
• 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 sign up for and 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.