ASA Showcases and Winter Camp

Our season 2 ASAs have wrapped up.  If you missed the showcases, just click on links here.

To sign up for winter camp go to this link.

For season 3 ASAs go here.

ASIAC Music wrapped up the production of the work students did.  Combining dozens of audio files to produce this performance compiling work form students that were never in the same space together!

ASA Season 3

Arts, Sports & Activities Program Season 3

For Season 3 of virtual ASA’s, all offerings are FREE of charge for AISC ES, MS, & HS students.  Registered students will be asked to attend all sessions of the program.  Please do not register for programs that you or your child are not committed to attending as space is limited in some. Here is the Registration Form.

• ASA programs will be offered at 7:00 - 8:00 am (IST),  4:00 - 5:00 pm (IST), or 5:00 - 6:00 pm

• Season 3 will run Jan. 11th - March 6th

• Season 3 ASA’s will run virtually for the entirety of the season

• If your child’s section of the school returns to campus, her or his ASA’s might be canceled or suspended for the transition to hybrid learning.

• ASA’s might need limited materials & equipment for participation

• KG-G2 ASA’s may require some parental support

Winter camp and ASIAC events

The Athletics & Activities Department is inquiring into the interests for timings and activities for the Virtual Winter Break Jump-Off Camp (January 4th- January 8th).  Please fill out this form to help inform our department of your interest so that we can structure a program that meets your needs:

That form's closed.

If you'd like to sign up for the Winter Break Camp, use this link!

Saturday, December 5th will be the ASIAC Academic Games competition.  Six AISC students form our middle school will compete on two teams against teams from ASB Mumbai and AES Delhi.  Go Raptors!

ULead, SAISA Conference and ASIAC Leadership

Just on Saturday the 21st, we have the ULead conference, a SAISA Conference and an ASIAC Leadership event going on.

ULead is an annual conference hosted by our Operation Smile Club that is attended by local students to help them learn how to create their own program to support the mission of Operation Smile.

The SAISA Conference is offering sessions and Q&A for students.

CHEMUN XIV, and SAISA Challenges

SAISA Virtual Challenge

We're running a one week challenge!  If you're into basketball, volleyball and/or soccer, check out this document with the rules for submitting a video clip of you performing one or more of the challenges.  Entries are due by 8 AM on Tuesday morning, so you've got just a few days to get your entry in.  Open to grades 6-12!

CHEMUN XIV

This weekend we're hosting the Chennai MUN conference virtually.  It's a huge event with hundreds of participants from around the world.  More than 100 AISC students form the HS and MS participate and put the event on.  This year, since it's virtual, we're excited to have past CHEMUN participants joining us from around the world!

HS fall play

 HS Fall Production

Give your Hotstar and Netflix a break and come enjoy some LIVE theatre performances. Each night, two comical plays written for a virtual platform will be performed by our talented HS students! Register below; 

Thursday, October 29th @ 6pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RKoCWsiSQcKQqib4F57x3w

Friday, October 30th @ 6pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2edrtNHwT6Sx95Y9mGXspA

Fortunes Told Virtually $1

Working from home won't stop the spirit world. The Psychic Promoter promises that Virtual Fortunes has the answers to all your questions, online psychic, palm reading, and fortune telling needs! A steady stream of customers has the psychic offering visions of the future for just a buck apiece and testimonials from several past customers, all who look surprisingly similar!

A Mystery Murdered

The butler, holding a gun, standing over the body of Steve Walters.  The butler, John, assures us that things are not what they seem and that this is not a simple case of “the butler did it.”  John introduces us to the other suspects. But that’s when the play falls apart, for the actors are as jealous, petty, and conceited as the characters they play. Who is the true victim of this murder?

*Both shows will play on both nights with a brief stretch break in between. A virtual playbill will be shared on the evening of the show.

Season 2 ASAs

 Arts, Sports & Activities Program

Student testimonial video for ASAs.

For Season 2 of virtual ASA’s, all offerings are FREE of charge for AISC ES, MS, & HS students.  Registered students will be asked to attend all sessions of the program.  Please do not register for programs that you or your child are not committed to attending as space is limited in some. Here is the Registration Form.

• ASA programs will be offered at 7:00 - 8:00 am (IST) or 4:00 - 5:00 pm (IST)

• Season 2 will run October 19th - December 11th

• Season 2 ASA’s will run virtually for the entirety of the season

• ASA’s might need limited materials & equipment for participation

• KG-G2 ASA’s may require some parental support

Check out the Virtual ASA Handbook for more details about the program.

One quarter

On the cusp of fall break it brings us to the end of nearly one quarter of the school year.  ASAs have been virtual for the full season and will continue to be so during next season.  HS Clubs and MS activities continue to operate with some even thriving.

ASA Showcase

The ASA Showcase will be happening the week we return from Fall break!  ASA instructors will be communicating out how we will be celebrating student growth and learning.  This celebrations might include live interactions with parents, Flipgrid links for student learning, or even sharing video links of projects the students have created.  

Virtual ASA Parent Feedback

Click here to provide feedback about the Virtual ASA Program by filling out a parent feedback survey.

ASIAC Activities

AISC, ASB in Mumbai and AES in Delhi have been developing middle school activities to join the students from our schools. While we may be unable to conduct sports matches, we've got other exciting activities coming up. E-Sports, leadership corps, and academic games are all beginning in the coming weeks. Details about them have been in the MS student daily bulletin.

Week 1

ASAs

With one full week of school completed we also have completed our first week of ASAs.  It isn't too late to sign up as some still have space.  See the full information in last week's post to register.

Medical forms

A question during the grade 6 parent coffee this morning was about the health forms that we ask of grade 3, 6, and 9 students. If you have one completed, you can submit it electronically to the School Nurse - djessy@aischennai.org.  If you do not have it yet that's okay.  We won't be seeking them until we're on campus.  Given the existing burden on the medical system in some places we do not want these forms to limit students in any way.

School year launch with activities

The past two days have had students very busy with the start of the year.  During these times of virtual learning it is essential for us to support the social interactions of students, many of which happen through extracurricular activities.  So these past few days have been busy with opportunities for students to learn about and sign up for some of the things we'll offer this year.

First, our ASA program this year is open to Grades 1-12 for the first season.  These virtual activities will be entirely conducted virtually and will be free.  For more information, check out this document and register here.  Note that these start next week!

For high school students, the first day of classes also included the Club & Activity Mela.  This document has some of the information that was available to students, though they also were able to participate in live sessions to learn about each of the club offerings.  See the slides I shared with the HS to know a little more of the background.

One last thing, just a reminder that keeping track of a student's ID number is going to very helpful in ensuring that registrations for activities and other files are done accurately.  Have a wonderful weekend and good week next week!

Just before school begins...

For Season 1 of virtual ASAs, all offerings are FREE of charge for AISC ES, MS, & HS students. Registered students will be asked to attend all sessions of the program. Please do not register for programs that you or your child are not committed to attending as space is limited in some. Here is the Registration Form.

• The ASA Fair, on Aug. 6th, will provide video descriptions from the instructors about the content and details of their offerings
• ASA programs will be offered at 7:00 - 8:00 am (IST) or 4:00 - 5:00 pm (IST)
• Season 1 will run August 10th - October 9th
• Season 1 ASA’s will run virtually for the entirety of the season
• ASA’s might need limited materials & equipment for participation
• KG-G2 ASA’s may require some parental support

Check out the Virtual ASA Handbook for more details about the program.

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The first day of school High School students will have the Club and Activity Mela which will feature information about a range of activities open to students.  There will be 5 minute sessions that students can opt to visit to learn more about everything from a club to the high school play.

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In addition to the ASAs, Middle School students will have a few new ASIAC opportunities this year.  We're working with ASB and AES to start the year off with Esports, a student leadership group, a quiz tournament team, and Destination Imagination as well as our robust MUN program.

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Some activities have adapted quickly to the need to shift to a virtual event.  Model United Nations has been able to turn these conditions into a win.  Normally, AISC students can only participate in two MUN conferences a year.  The CHEMUN conference that we host, and one that they travel to.  But last weekend we had students participate in the Online-MUN conference.  And this weekend more than 20 additional students are participating in GLOMUN.  In the middle of September we've also got more than 20 students participating in NBMUN.  The opportunities for development of research, debate, negotiation, and leadership skills for our students have greatly expanded in this new normal. 

         

The last week of classes

Summer Updates

Students and parents have been asking about campus use over the summer. The short answer that we have right now is that campus is closed to everyone. In fact, teachers can not even access the campus to retrieve things that they may have left in their classrooms. As government restrictions are lifted we will keep in mind the users that want to get on campus for recreational use. That said, we currently do not expect conditions to permit community use of facilities. If that changes it will be in communication sent out by the school and posted here.

MUN Impact student leadership

Two AISC students that are members of the AISC MUN Impact group - a club dedicated to taking actions around the UN's Sustainable Development Goals - have been selected for leadership roles in the global MUN Impact organization. Noa is the South Asia Diplomat and Sanjana is the Co-Deputy Secretary General of South Asia. Awesome job!

Arts, Sports & Activities (ASA) - Virtual Summer Jump-Off

We look forward to providing your child(ren) the opportunity to stay active, engaged, and connected with others while at home over summer break! After a successful Virtual ASA Season, we are offering a 2-week Virtual Summer Jump-Off program for June 8th - 19th (Monday - Friday). You may register your child(ren) for the Full Camp (15,000 INR) or for Individual Activities (4,000 INR per selection). Here is the Registration Form. Registration will close Wednesday, June 3rd.

Week 38

Arts, Sports & Activities (ASA) - Virtual Summer Jump-Off

We look forward to providing your child(ren) the opportunity to stay active, engaged, and connected with others while at home over summer break! After a successful Virtual ASA Season, we are offering a 2-week Virtual Summer Jump-Off program for June 8th - 19th (Monday - Friday). You may register your child(ren) for the Full Camp (15,000 INR) or for Individual Activities (4,000 INR per selection). Here is the Registration Form. Registration will close Wednesday, June 3rd.

Week 37

The Normal Campus

Two things have come to the top of my thoughts over the past few weeks as it relates to student activities. First, I need to stop thinking of a "return to normal" and embrace these times of change. Transitioning between where we are now and moving forward to whatever becomes "normal" in the future is going to be necessary - being present in the now is the normal. And second, I need to detach activities and athletics from the facilities that we usually use. That our school is not a campus -- it is a community. I'm a facilities guy. I like planning facility development. I like facility scheduling. I like finding new ways to use spaces. And recognizing that our clubs, activities, and even athletics are not tied to the theater, the gym, the Madras Hall or any other specific space -- that it is the people that makes these things happen is a critical mindset shift. Our campus, as it is, reaches into every home right now. And our normal, as it is, is not likely to settle back to the way things were in December of 2019.

Evergreen Club Service

Evergreen Club members Nish and Arnav reached out to their NGO partner Aathmalayam Elderly Home to help them during the lockdown. They learned that the elderly care home was running out of resources such as rice and oil. They bought the groceries on behalf of Evergreen club and donated the same to Aathmalayam. They also interacted with a few elders over there who were happy to see AISC students.

Summer Program

After successfully piloting a Virtual ASA Season for the last 4 weeks of school, the ASA department is ready to offer a Virtual Jump-Off Summer Camp! Are you interested in having your child(ren) participate in activities like: Funk & Jazz Dance, Building & Design, Soccer, Keyboard, Coding, Cooking, Fitness Training, Guitar, and even Swimming for the first 2 weeks of June? Look out for more information and the registration form next week!

Week 36

Students serving the community

This video by the worldwide organization MUN Impact features an AISC student and showcases what students of the world are thinking and feeling right now.

Week 35

We would love to learn more about your perspectives on our Arts, Sports and Activities (ASA) program.  If your child(ren) participated in any ASA programs during the 2019-20 school year, please fill out the ASA Parent Feedback Survey and let us know if you have any questions.

Week 34

Virtual ASAs

A Virtual Arts, Sports & Activities program is being offered to the AISC MS & ES students for the last four full weeks of school. These programs will be free. Registration will be closed Friday, May 1st and activities will begin Monday, May 4th. There will not be an ASA Showcase week for the Virtual ASA Program. Classes may require specific materials and/or parental supervision. You will find this information on the descriptions within the Registration Form. After registration is complete, we will send a confirmation email and will send out the links for the Google Meet. Please reach out to bjack@aischennai.org or dmonicka@aischennai.org with any questions. 

Online Learning

No, not the online learning that our children are doing, but online learning for adults. We have researched online courses for coach and instructor development, and along the way found some great resources for parents too. These are all free online sessions to help you as a parent of students involved in activities.

Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers by American Red Cross focuses on developing an awareness of the risks of drowning and how to minimize those risks, especially for young children. This course teaches parents and caregivers about the concepts of the circle of drowning prevention, water competency and the chain of drowning survival. It also provides guidance for applying water safety to common environments and situations where children are most at risk for drowning.

Positive Sport Parenting by NFHS provides information and resources to help educate you on the importance of proper behavior by parents in school sports and the role you must play to ensure your child has a positive sport experience.

Mental Health First Aid for COVID-19 by American Red Cross will help you to build resilience and support yourself and others through this crisis by reviewing basic principles of providing psychological first aid, including how to recognize and manage stress in yourself and in others and how to lend support to family members, friends and coworkers during and following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Sportsmanship by NFHS is designed to give you a better understanding of sportsmanship, how it impacts the educational process and identifies your specific role in modeling it at all interscholastic athletic events. Insight is shared throughout the course from fans, players, parents, teacher-coaches and officials.

Covid-19 and Service Opportunities

During this lockdown, we have many students who are looking for opportunities to help the community. For example, we have students who are stitching masks at home and students who are collecting masks on behalf of NGOs. Different students may have similar plans to help the community, so in order to avoid duplication of efforts, we are encouraging our service clubs to coordinate such activities. Here's the process.

If the student is from a service club and wants to plan an activity, their club leadership will help plan the activity.

If a student is NOT a member of a service club and wants to plan an activity, then we encourage them to get in touch with a service club of their choice (or take the help of service learning coordinator.) While we want to encourage all students in their noble efforts, there are some points to consider while planning community service activities.

1. Stay away from fund-raising as an activity. We have created a list of NGOs looking for donations here. You can simply add your NGOs to this list. If anyone in AISC wishes to donate money, they have access to this document. They can choose whom to donate. Remember: Donating funds directly to the NGO is the fastest way to help them. So let us avoid playing the intermediary.

2. Students can think of activities that they can do to help the community. For e.g. can they engage online with the kids of a local school or orphanage? What can they be taught? Can they make DIY videos? What else can our students do for our partner NGO using the resources they have?

3. Students can think of what they can do with the local schools and NGOs once we are back in school next year. Contact the service learning coordinator if you need resources in planning for next year.

4. Keep the service learning coordinator and the school informed of all service activities so that the students get credit and recognition for their work. If you any questions or thoughts, contact the service learning coordinator Balajee Ginjapalle - gbalajee@aischennai.org

Week 33

GYFT

In case you missed it and are interested, the GYFT Challenge is a way to get your family together and offline for activities to promote togetherness and wellbeing.  Last week's post has information on it.  You can do this any time!

HS Production - Wendy & Peter Pan

This year, the HS were working on the production; Wendy & Peter Pan. Wendy & Peter Pan was written and adapted by Ella Hickson from J.M. Barrie’s classic play Peter and Wendy. She was commissioned to write it as a Christmas family show for the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK. The play shifts the focus on Wendy as the protagonist and makes the story contemporary without losing meaning.

The production featured moments of music, dance and movement to tell this incredible story of Wendy, John, and Michael Darling flying off to Neverland with Peter Pan and his spunky fairy Tink to search for their missing brother; Tom Darling. There, with the help of the Lost Boys and the fearsome Tiger Lily, they battle Captain Hook and his band of pirates of the Jolly Roger. Meanwhile, Mrs. Darling looks for meaning in her life in the midst of the suffragette movement, putting her at odds with her husband, Mr. Darling.

We hope you all will watch the video, help celebrate the actors who worked hard over the semester to prepare this piece. The video showcases candid rehearsal moments, moments from the show as well interviews with some of the actors.  

Model United Nations

This year our students involved in Model United Nations were only able to participate in the CHEMUN conference which was here.  All of the spring conferences were cancelled.  But that hasn't stopped the MUN leadership from continuing to meet and plan for next year's conference.  They even have tried out having a virtual conference.

It made it worth it enough to go ahead and trial a middle school virtual debate on Monday, April 20th from 4-5 PM.

Masks

Masks are a necessity for those in the medical field, but also for all people in Chennai now.  Two HS students have been taking the lead in helping fill the need for masks.  Sitara writes:

COVID-19 has forced all of us to stay indoors. This period has made us realize how fortunate we are compared to many others in our country. My sister Tulasi and I have therefore decided to see how we could help the underprivileged. About a week ago we started making preventive masks using household materials. We have so far made and distributed 1000 masks to the Cancer Institute, The Hope foundation, etc. Our goal is to help spread awareness on the usage of preventive masks while continuing to supply masks to individuals and organizations who need them. Additionally, we have shared our mask-making process with an institution that employs orthopedically challenged women at the JRehab center. May we request you to help us spread awareness amongst our community?

If you're able to help produce masks, reach out to Mr. Balajee so he can help coordinate to those that may be most in need.  gbalajee@aischennai.org

Week 32

GYFT

Starting on Monday the 13th, the Athletics and Activities office is challenging families to participate in a game that you can do from your home.  Called the GYFT (Get Your Family Together) Challenge, there are 15 different activities that you can earn points doing.  Most are mainly offline and intended for you to spend intentional time together.  If you're interested, read about the GYFT Challenge here.  We'll run it from Monday morning through Sunday night - the 13th through the 19th.  Complete this form with your team or family name and be sure to make a copy of this sheet or write down the points that will be earned for each activity.  If you want to share your progress on social media, just use the hashtags #GYFTchallenge and #AISCwellbeing.

Below are the activities.

ID	GYFT Activity
1	Practice Gratitude for 5 Days
2	Prepare and Eat Dinner Together
3	Game Night
4	Use Creative Toys or Your Imagination
5	Organize Together
6	Read Together
7	Call or Video Chat with Family or Friends
8	Movie Night
9	Make Art or Get Crafty
10	Make Music
11	Write a Story or Poetry
12	Gardening
13	Be Active Together
14	Declutter & Prepare to Donate
15	Practice Mindfulness

And you rank them using this scale.

We already do this	Easy	Medium	Difficult
0	1	2	3

For those that sign up we will follow up with a way for you to share the points that you earn.

Student Activities

Just like the rest of the school year, students value activities that are not directly associated with their classwork.  During the lockdown this has just become more difficult.  But some groups are finding ways.  

Model United Nations had planned to do a Chennai conference this spring to make up for the trips that were cancelled.  With a normal return to campus unlikely, the leaders of MUN tried conducting a committee through video conference.  While not ideal, the students are embracing the opportunity to try something new.