Weekly Update from the Secondary School

Dear Parents, 

Welcome back from the break. I hope everyone had a restful, or adventurous, break, and that it wasn’t too hard to remember that we came back on Tuesday rather than Monday. I am still operating as if it is Wednesday. A lot of the following is carried over from the last Secondary Update, but that is ok, it is still relevant. 

I want to take this opportunity though to recognize the work of the Experience Zambia team, and particularly Ms. Fiona Moss. Fiona has been a huge addition to the AISL team, and has worked tirelessly on this initiative. If you see her, let her know how appreciated she truly is in this community. Today we hosted both a parent and student information session (SLIDE DECK) on this initiative and look forward to having our Gr 5 - 10 students out Experiencing Zambia at the end of May. 

Conferences: 

Conferences are coming up March 22-23, please see the section in this week’s LT for more detailed information. In brief, these conferences are an opportunity for the students to demonstrate agency and ownership of their education by leading the conversation about their learning. Please note that these conferences are meant to be:

1. Student-led
2. Informed by the Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills
3. Growth-oriented

Conversations centered on marks, or specific issues are best left to more dedicated conversations, and our teachers are more than happy to make appointments to have discussions at a later date. 

New Rest:

This past Monday I had a meeting with representatives from New Rest to discuss some of the issues that have been brought to my attention in the past few weeks. 

In terms of some of the ordering issues, they asked me to remind parents that they need to: order before 10 PM the day before the delivery date, 2. Make sure that the selected date is the date the food is delivered, and 3. Make sure that, after you order, you receive a confirmation email. This last point is, I understand, extremely important as the confirmation emails confirm that the order has been received. 

Additionally, we spoke about account information. New Rest informs me that presently accounts are calculated manually, and that account statements go out every 15 days. They assured me however, that they are working on software that will allow parents to access their accounts in real time with automatic updates. 

Lastly, they agreed to fully open the Secondary tuck shop by the gym to both food deliveries and sales and to properly staff and stock it for the kids. They let me know that they will not be selling to Secondary kids in the Primary tuck shop. So, if Secondary kids want snacks or food, starting Monday, they will be fully stocked in the Tuck shop next to the gym. 

Lastly, New Rest has appointed a liaison to work with the school gathering feedback from Parents, Students and Staff. So, if you have any questions or issues, please reach out to the New Rest Retail Manager, Francis at 0973259785.

The rains seem done, the cooler weather is rolling in, Baseball Spring Training is back. It’s a great time of the year, and we anticipate great things for the rest of Semester 2. 

Have a great holiday, 
Rick Odum