The TED Talk for this week is a good reminder of how many of our students are currently being raised. There are some good reminders for us, as teachers to guard against.
Thank you!
- Kat, for bringing in a cake and chocolates this week. It was a sweet surprise that brought a smile to the collective ES division.
- Esther, for offering a parent workshop for our JK/K parents. You are helping our parent community see how they can be positive members of the KISJ community.
- Grade 5 team, for running a parent information session about the new 5th-grade schedule for Q4. You all are stepping outside your comfort zones to help prepare our students for MS.
- Tessa and Dana for welcoming the JK parents for a Korean Day party. You are building a strong community among the KISJ community.
- Mareena for updating the ES Weekly page. The changes you implemented will help streamline our communication channel.
Communication in the ES
This week Mr. Vento asked the ES to highlight some of the successes in the ES during semester one. I took this request to the ES Team Leaders and we ran the Focusing Four Adaptive Schools protocol to engage all members. I also asked several other Specialist Teachers to share their ideas. The result of all our brainstorming is this document. As you can clearly see, the ES team has many successes to celebrate. These successes are a result of hard work, creative problem solving, and grit. We are definitely better now than what we were 6 months ago!
Let’s Chat
This week I will be attending the Child Protection Workshop in Mumbai with Mr. Wilkins and Mr. Vento. I look forward to a week of learning and planning to create positive changes to safeguard our students.
The Months Ahead (March )
March is a busy month. Please take a moment to look over these dates and come see me or Mareena if you have questions. We can also give you some ideas as to how you can spread out the tasks to reduce stress.
Dates to Remember
March 11th - All grades are entered into PS
March 12th - Report card drafts are sent to teachers for a final check
March 13th- Report cards are checked by the Team Leaders for alignment
March 14th - Conference Notes sent to admin
March 15th - PTSC
March 14 & 15 - ES Musical @ 6:30 pm
March 25th - ½ day for students full day for faculty (PD in the afternoon)
Additional Information:
Checkpoint Week
The “checkpoint" (midpoint) for quarter 3 of the school year is next week. This “checkpoint" time is to encourage parents and teachers to communicate regarding any learning issues that may currently exist. Please reflect on how all of your students are doing and request a meeting with parents if there is a need. Now is the time to address concerns, while they are in their infancy.
From ELL
You're invited to the #ELLSAPD Twitter Event!
Where: Smokehouse
When: 1:00-2:30pm this Saturday (Feb. 16)
Join us in person for a discussion about supporting ELLs! Can't make it, but want to join the chat? Find the discussion points here on the ELLSA (ELL Specialists in Asia) website, and tweet your thoughts using the hashtag: #ELLSAPD.
Updates From Mareena
Picture Day
Teachers should line students up in the order of the class list provided to you. TAs have been asked to help ensure every child has a sticky note with his/her name to help identify for the photographer. Make sure your class is on time and ready for photos!
Students should be in formal uniform and change for PE afterwards. Students with PE can stay in PE uniform for the rest of the day. (4B you’re the only exception to this! Your students will be the opposite - arrive in PE uniform and then change.)
Electives
Q4 teacher choices need to be added to the spreadsheet by Friday, February 22nd. The parent letter will be sent Friday, March 1st. Sign up will open on March 5th and close on the 7th. Rosters will be shared on March 12th, and Q4 electives begin Tuesday, March 26th.
Family communication
A weekly family communication will be sent from the ES office to all parents. This information will provide a regular communication of what is happening within the division. The information will also be shared with all staff, so you can review what has been sent to parents.
Updates From Ryk
Book Study: Chapters 1 & 2 Reflection
Thank you for the interesting discussions with the first chapter of our study book, Accessible Mathematics. In Chapter 1 was an introduction and described 10 instructional shifts that will be covered in the book. Some of the instructional shifts stood out to teachers as similar to what they are currently doing. Others saw the instructional shifts as not always compatible with what Eureka is asking of us. If we can pull a few ‘gems’ from the book study and attempt to modify our instruction to better engage the students, then that is a good thing and it will have been a worthwhile exercise.
Chapter 2 spoke of the importance of on-going cumulative review. We discussed the different memory pathways, and ways to make memory retention more efficient. There are many different types of on-going review happening at KIS, but the important thing is - it is happening! Here is the diagram from Brain Based Learning, by Eric Jensen (The Brain Store, 1995) that describes the different memory pathways.
Friday Meeting Time
Friday, Feb 22 will be our first Focus Group meeting. Your Focus Group team leader will contact you about where to meet with your group.
Updates From Mr. Vento
It was great to see everyone this morning for the school-wide meeting and WASC updates. Here are the slides that were used if you would like to refer to them.
Today we were only able to touch on a few of the many successes from this school year. As a follow-up to our Create Space successes in each division, please find prepared presentations for the HS CreateSpace, MS Create Space, and ES Design Tech Achievements. Thank you to Josh Wood, Whitney Little, and John Chin for sharing these. These spaces have truly transformed learning and inspired creativity at KISJ!
During the week of Feb. 18-22, the ES and MS principals and I will be attending workshops offered by the Council of International Schools (CIS). The Child Protection Foundation Workshop and Child Protection Deep Dive Workshop are designed for school leaders and counselors who are building and/or strengthening child protection and safeguarding systems in their schools. KISJ is currently embarking on this important process.
Communication in the ES
Your feedback is appreciated as the ES strives to improve communication. As always, submissions are confidential. I have posted the QR code on my office door for continued feedback as the year progresses.
Here is the ES Suggestion Box. This form is for ideas, solutions or comments about issues that matter to the ES community.
Sunshine Weekly
PD Schedule
2/22 - WASC
Upcoming DRAGON Dialogue
March 19th - Parent Choice
May 8th - Class Placement
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