From the Director

What I am excited about this week...
 
Please Complete Two-Minute Survey: Parent Information Sessions for 2021-22! AISL is a large organization with a lot of moving parts. The scale of our programs can be daunting to new – and even returning – parents. To help everyone get a better understanding of what we do, we have traditionally hosted a weekly information session for parents on some aspect of our programs. We are currently planning a slate of sessions for the 2021-22 school year and would like to gather some feedback on how we deliver them. We have only had seven respondents so far, so please take two minutes to fill out this survey.  We will close the survey on Monday, 17 May.
 
The AISL Referral Discount! We are now enrolling new students for the 2021-22 school year. If you know somebody who is looking for a world-class international education delivered by the most highly qualified teachers in the finest facilities in Zambia, please connect them with our admissions team (admissions@aislusaka.org). And don’t forget that you may be eligible for our referral discount of up to $1000 per student that you refer to AISL. We have had several families benefit from this program. You can learn more here.  
 
U.S. Overseas Schools Project University Admissions Presentation! This evening at 19:00, the US State Department Overseas Schools Project will be hosting a special presentation for AISL parents and students to help them to navigate the US college and university admissions process. The presentation is tailored specifically for us, and the only invitees are our cohorts and parents. The presenters are Matthew McGann, the Dean of Admissions and Finacial Aid at Amherst University, and Terry Nelsen from the U.S. State Department. They will cover how colleges and universities evaluate the credentials of IB students and the holistic approach they take in their evaluations.  There will also be time for questions. This presentation is targeted to Grade 10 and 11 parents and students; however, others are welcome to join by clicking here.
 
ASA Music Recitals! We are pleased to announce that we will be returning to our long-standing tradition of holding a recital for our ASA music program students. This is an important celebration and performance opportunity for the many AISL students who take private music lessons. Due to COVID-related group size limitations, we will be holding two smaller recitals on 15 May, rather than one large one. Regrettably, we have to limit these to invitation-only so that we can stay below fifty people. Many thanks to the music teachers for all their hard work and to Susanna Georgiou for planning this fun afternoon of music!
 
Invitational Student Golf and Tennis Tournaments! As part of our gradual phasing in of student activities, we are excited to be offering two small invitational tournaments this weekend. Our golfers will be playing against Martin House and Musikili and our tennis players will play against Musikili. Scheduling and organizing these events during COVID times is hard work.  Many thanks to the Activities Team for making these happen.
 
Security Exercise! As you know, we are committed to offering the healthiest and safest campus in Zambia. Part of that commitment includes regular training of our staff and students. To that end, we will be conducting a large-scale simulation some time during the next week. This exercise has been scheduled around the DP exams; however, it may disrupt some other activities on campus for 15 minutes or so. We regret the disruption but hope that you agree that these kinds of drills are very important. Every drill we do is followed by an after-action review where we debrief what happened and look for ways to hone our procedures and training.