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Dear parents, Week two of being back on campus is almost finished! So far so good, and a big kudos go out to the kids for their compliance and their attitudes. Looking back on this past year, it has been SUCH a grind. I know that the pressures of this current situation have made us all just a little crazy, and that goes extra for the kids. So, when you consider that coping with worldwide pandemics is not necessarily developmentally appropriate for secondary-aged kids, that makes our students’ responses to this even more impressive. A couple of things to point out. Please remember to remind your kids to bring a couple of bottles of water to school everyday. While it seems to be cooling off a bit, we still have had a few issues with students running out of water and crowding around the refill stations. Also, while we are doing a great job overall with masks and keeping distance, we need to make sure we are staying safe even while we are eating. So, if you could, please remind your kids to keep an adequate distance and to concentrate on wearing the mask as much as is possible. It is exceedingly important that we do not get lax on our procedures. The last thing I wanted to mention is the importance of gratitude. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in Zambia, to work with these kids, and to be a part of the AISL community. So far this year, we have been open 19 weeks. Considering that many schools around the world have never opened in person for 2020-2021, that’s an unqualified win in my book. So, I am grateful to work at a place where that achievement is possible, and I wanted to thank all of you for your part in making that happen. Have a great weekend! Dr. Rick Odum MYP - Personal Project ExpoIn grade 10, all students complete the Personal Project which gives students a chance to explore a topic they are passionate about. Students are expected to spend a minimum of 25 hours on their personal project. This time includes meeting with supervisors, independent learning through research, planning, development and completion of the project, and reporting of the project. Students have gained a great deal of knowledge and developed their approaches to learning skills, and on Wednesday 3 March they will be showcasing their projects virtually between 17.00 and 18.00. Important information: The PP instagram can be found here. The PP webpage can be found here. There are 5 groups. Please see the google meet links and names of the students in each group below. Each student will be presenting for about 3 minutes and then be open to questions. Each student has been allocated 10 minutes in each breakout group. Parents, students and teachers can join and leave any group at any time. The google meet groups will be as follows: Group 1: Dr. Odum Mehdi - Intro and premier speaker McKenzie, Leo, Clara, Lola Group 2: Dr. Seiler Sonji - Intro and premier speaker Josh, Emma, Jordan, Gulsher Group 3: Ms. Turner Jeanne - Intro and premier speaker Chris, Payton, Rohan, Andrea, Cross Group 4: Ms. Maguire Deborah - Intro and premier speaker Rachael, Ashu, Florence, Braam, Joy Group 5: Miss. Chevannes Lovis - Intro and premier speaker Thelma, Neelay, Thandi, Merle, Vivian   Reduced assessments and DP Assessment Calendar DP Coordinator Monica Murphy has informed the Class of 2022 that their IB assessments have been reduced, in an attempt to mitigate the effects COVID-19 has had on instructional time. Also, the Class of 2022 DP Assessment Calendar is available, with dates valid up till June. Please see the email sent earlier this week and the Calendar itself for more details. Image Source: Journals are Fun  FAQ’s for the Class of 2021 The IB has informed us that AISL will be writing exams in May, as there is currently no government-mandated school closure. Please note that AISL has no decision-making authority as to whether or not we will write exams. However, if the COVID situation changes and the campus is closed in May - even in the middle of exams - we can request to be moved to the non-examination route. Our DP Coordinator Monica Murphy hosted an information session last week on the two routes to results for May 2021. Her slideshow is available here. Ms. Murphy also met with the head of IB World Schools Africa last Friday to gain clarity on some unresolved questions. We will send out an email to families with further details on this. We have a Frequently Asked Questions page to provide guidance for students and families around the May 2021 examination session. It will be updated as the IB provides more information. You can submit questions through this form. Image Source: Yellow Pencil Class Graduation Notebooks Grade 12 Personal & Social Education As teachers and students begin a new semester in an academic year full of many uncertainties, we can all reflect on our experiences of 2020 and realise that academics are certainly not the most important part of our lives. The relationships we form with others, our physical and mental health, our beliefs and our values - all of these contribute to our well-being and sense of self. AISL's Personal and Social Education (PSE) curriculum aims to complement our academic program with lessons on a variety of important topics, including, for our older students, sessions on sexual education. These sessions are led by Advisors, Counselors, or subject teachers, as appropriate. Honoring the diversity of our community, we provide parents with the dates and topics in advance. While the following lessons will be postponed if we are in Distance Learning, the current schedule for upcoming lessons is as follows: Sexuality, Media, and the Arts (Florence Bouillot/Monica Murphy)
If any parents would prefer that their child not attend a PSE lesson, they are welcome to email attendance@aislusaka.org, to exempt their child from attending. Whether or not your child is attending a PSE lesson, we do encourage all families to discuss these important issues with your children at home. Parent Information Sessions We host three to six Parent Information Sessions each month to support our parents in understanding what their children are learning and how to support them at home. This week on Tuesday 23 February from 18.00 - 19.00, there was an MYP information session for parents new to the MYP. (Recording link here). This was a slightly modified session from the MYP teaching and learning information session held at the start of the year and is in response to so many new families joining us from other school systems. If you would like to meet with Ingrid Turner our MYP coordinator with further questions, please email her at iturner@aislusaka.org. If you have ideas about Parent Information Sessions that you or others would like to attend, please let our Assistant Principal, Dr. Sheila Seiler, know by writing to her at sseiler@aislusaka.org. CommunicationsWe know that this can be a time filled with uncertainties, so please understand that our highest priority is the health and well-being of your children. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at rodum@aislusaka.org and sseiler@aislusaka.org. Kind regards, Dr. Rick Odum, Secondary Principal Dr. Sheila Seiler, Secondary Assistant Principal College News Elijah has received another acceptance recently. This is to study at New York University’s Shanghai Campus. NYU Shanghai is China’s first Sino-US research university and the third degree-granting campus of the NYU Global Network. It was founded in 2012 by New York University and East China Normal University with the support of the city of Shanghai and the district of Pudong. NYU Shanghai seeks to cultivate globally-minded graduates through innovative teaching, world-class research, and a commitment to public service. NYU Shanghai’s student body currently consists of nearly 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students, half of whom are from China. Students from the United States and some 70 other countries represent the other half. Our faculty of renowned scholars, innovators, and educators are recruited from the world’s best research universities. All undergraduate students pursue a course of study that will equip them with the broad knowledge base and tools to become creative thinkers and active learners throughout their lives. English is the language of instruction on campus, though international students are required to study and achieve proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. The university regularly fosters opportunities for cross-cultural communication and cooperation in the classroom and through diverse extracurricular activities. NYU Shanghai expects undergraduate students to spend the first two years on core courses and to select an academic specialization for deeper study and research in their third and fourth years. Students may pursue 19 different majors in the arts and sciences, business and finance, engineering, data and computer science. Over the course of their undergraduate studies, NYU Shanghai students are encouraged to spend up to two semesters studying in New York, Abu Dhabi or at one of NYU’s eleven study away centers in cities around the world. This is an integral part of the university’s mission to foster truly global citizens.  Upon graduation, students will have earned two diplomas: An NYU degree (the same degree granted at the New York and Abu Dhabi campuses) and a Chinese-accredited NYU Shanghai diploma. www.shanghai.nyu.edu
New York University Shanghai Scholarship In recognition of Elijah’s performance through the American High School Diploma and the International Baccalaureate Diploma, Elijah has been offered a generous scholarship to attend NYU Shanghai. This is worth 74% of the total cost of attendance, including room and board. Comments are closed.
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