Weekly Update from the Secondary School

Dear parents,
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We have had a big week continuing to meet the needs of our Secondary students.  We are continuing to support our students through engaging lessons, three learning paths, educational programs for parents, and continuing with special programs like student government and ASAs.

Parent Survey

Please let us know what is working well for your child and how we can continue to improve our school so that your child thrives by filling out this survey.  We are asking parents to take a few minutes to fill out the survey for each of their children who attend our school.  We will share general trends from the surveys, as well as what we are doing to make any improvements, via the Leopard’s Tale.

Screen Time and Learning Paths

We want to encourage families to consider switching their children to Path 3, Flexible Distance Learning, if they are concerned about their child’s screen time.  As Path 3 is more flexible than Path 2 (Real-Time Distance Learning), it may be a better fit for families that are concerned about screen time.
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Unlike Path 2 students, Path 3 students are not required to attend online lessons, although they may opt to do so.  This freedom to select which classes they attend helps families to monitor and manage screen time.  Path 3 students can complete assignments via the Landing Pages, watching the class videos if they need support.
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If your child needs a break from the screen, you can email us at attendance@aislusaka.org to switch your child from Path 2 (where attendance in all classes is required) to Path 3 (where families can decide about attendance or using the Landing Pages) and, as always, please encourage your child to stay in communication with their teachers if they need to be absent from class/check ins for any reason.

Save the Date!

We host three to six Parent Information Sessions each month to support our parents in learning about what their children are learning and how to support them at home.  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.

Upcoming Parent Information Sessions:

Tuesday 8 September 18:00-19:00 - Managing Anxiety and Building Mental Wellness
Our counselor, Driekie Smith, will share information about how parents can support children who may feel anxious during this turbulent time.  She will support parents in learning different strategies to develop mental wellness in their children.  Parents will also have the chance to share with each other what has been working and what has been challenging so that we can all support each other.  Parents can join by clicking this link.

Tuesday 15 September 18:00-19:00 - Executive Function and Distance Learning
Our Director of Student Support Services, Chantra Reinman, will share information about executive functioning and working memory, including how they affect learning, attention and self-esteem.  She will also share strategies for parents to support their children during distance learning.  This workshop is targeted towards both Primary and Secondary families.  Parents can join by clicking this link.

In case you missed it:

Introduction to the Middle Years Programme (MYP)
If you missed this session this past Tuesday 1 September, but would still like to learn more about the Middle Years Programme at our school, you can view the slideshow here.  If you have further questions or if you would like the video recording from the presentation, you can reach out to our MYP Coordinator, Ingrid Turner, at iturner@aislusaka.org.
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Student Council

We are continuing to keep the school year as normal as possible by meeting our students’ needs holistically.  One of the ways we are working with the “new normal” is by having Student Council elections in the past week.

We hosted our High School and Middle School Student Council elections through special online assemblies, with online ballots and announcements of the winners.  The high schoolers voted on Elijah as President, Harry as Vice President, Adhiambo as Treasurer, and Joy as Secretary.  The middle schoolers elected August as President and Noa as Vice President.  

Our Student Councils organize student social events, lead parts of assemblies, and support their fellow students by listening to their requests, then creating action plans to address those requests.  The Principal, Dr. Rick Odum, oversees the High School Student Council and the Assistant Principal, Dr. Sheila Seiler, oversees the Middle School Student Council.  All students are welcome to participate in Student Council, regardless of whether or not they are officers.

Communication

As always, please keep the communication coming so that we can continue to meet your child’s needs.  Please reach out to us with any comments or feedback you have.
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Kind regards,
Dr. Rick Odum, Secondary Principal
Dr. Sheila Seiler, Secondary Assistant Principal