Dear AISC,
Good afternoon, everyone!
On Friday, June 3, Joelle Basnight will assume control of these weekly communications to prepare for her role as Interim Head of School in 2022-2023.
As many of you know, I am completing 11 years as Head of School at AISC. It has been an extraordinary decade for my family and for me. I am frequently asked about the one thing of which I proudest during my tenure at AISC. The answer, of course, has arrived through the portal of the pandemic: Together we CAN LIVE our mission. We have not merely survived the past two years, we have thrived. We are a beacon of hope and inspiration for every community across the globe.
The question does beg, however – how did we get here? With an 11-year track record, I have some perspective.
When the first Community Planning Team drafted our current Mission Statement in the fall of 2012, each one of the 28 words was chosen with care and intention. Two words were added just when the team felt they had a beautiful and aspirational statement. These two words, in particular, were discussed at length. Together we.
Several members of the Community Planning Team felt strongly that the mission could not be activated – lived, if you will – unless the entire community got behind it. They argued passionately for the inclusion of this qualification. Other members did not disagree, but felt that community engagement – the together we-ness of living the mission, if you will – was necessarily implied by the other 26 words of the statement. In the end, the Team came to consensus on including those two words.
Since its approval by our Board of Directors in May 2012, those 28 words have been far less a simple Statement than a committed promise. AISC’s trajectory since the drafting of the Mission (and the plans to live into that promise) has been every bit about the conversations, the insights, the good ideas, and the actions to make our 28-word pledge more real and more lived. It takes a community to educate students. Together we has been every bit the needle on our compass.
When I look back on my 11 years at AISC, our story has been about locating and directing our community, indeed each other, in the direction of our true north. Inspiring a love of learning. Empowering students with courage, confidence, creativity, and compassion. Making unique contributions in a diverse and dynamic world.
We have transformed what we learn, how we learn, how we apply ourselves, how we talk and work together, and how we think about the past, present, and future.
Over the past two years, we have learned just how rugged and durable our Mission is. We have been challenged to inspire each other through adversity; to empower ourselves with courage, confidence, creativity, and compassion through disruption and fear; and to find ways to contribute in dynamic, ambiguous, and unfamiliar circumstances. We have learned that to thrive we must also endure.
We have successfully met those challenges with hope, patience, and grace. So, how did we really get here?
We got here through years of practice, living with and through our Mission. There is no journey as fulfilling or meaningful as that true north journey, where, inevitably, we encounter success, joy, failure, and hardship – the stuff of learning and growth.
Thank you students, past and present, for showing up every day ready to experience our true north journey. Thank you faculty and staff for practicing excellence and for being the engine of success in everything we do. Thank you parents for your engagement, patience, support, and appreciation.
The AISC journey has shaped me and humbled me. I am forever grateful. And, in the next phase of AISC’s journey, I will be here in spirit with hope and grace.
Trust that AISC will thrive next year with Joelle Basnight at the helm. My partnership with Joelle over the past eight years has been a most extraordinarily fulfilling and gratifying one. I know that Joelle is the most qualified and capable interim Head of School that the AISC community could ask or hope for! And following Joelle, AISC will continue to thrive with Leigh Fitzgerald who, over the past couple of months, I have come know and respect very much.
So, in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead stay connected and take life one day at a time. And, for the moment, let’s have an amazing finish to this school year!
Before
the updates below, here are a few captures of student experiences this week.
Reminder
- Mask Wearing Optional Outdoors
We’re continuing to watch the COVID-19 cases in Chennai and among the AISC community. Things are very stable still across the board. We’re keenly aware of the heat and humidity. We know that COVID-19 is very difficult to transmit with ample fresh air. In attempting to balance all aspects of student and staff health-safety, mask-wearing is optional while outdoors starting on Monday. For the time being, mask-wearing will remain compulsory while in the entry/exit area of campus, and at all times while indoors. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Updated! Project Get Back Update
In
the coming weeks, we are phasing-in the following routines/activities while
maintaining our RaptorSafe Protocols: 
We will continue to welcome your questions, ideas and input as we continue to work on Project Get Back. Email Ryan McFarland or Andrew Hoover directly at mryan@aischennai.org or headofschool@aischennai.org.
Next Week At-A-Glance
|
Date |
Event |
Details |
|
May 2-20 |
AP/IB Exams |
|
|
May 16 |
Volunteer Appreciation Brunch 10:00-11:30 a.m. |
FAC Cafeteria |
|
May 16-27 |
MS Art Exhibition |
FAC Atrium |
|
May 17 |
HS Vision Of a Learner Awards |
FAC Theater 1:25 pm |
|
May 17 |
ES to MS Parent Coffee (only Grade 5 parents) |
Information will be communicated to the parent group |
|
May 18 |
Early Release 2:30 p.m. Faculty Meetings 3:00-5:00 p.m. |
|
|
May 19 |
MS Theatre Production |
FAC Theater 6:00 pm |
|
May 20 |
ASA Season 4 ends |
|
|
May 21 |
MS Theatre Production |
FAC Theater 2:00 pm |
|
May 21 |
PROM |
Health Office Update
Reminder
- Vaccinations in Chennai for 15-18 Year-olds and 12-14 Year-olds
If anyone would like assistance coordinating vaccinations for your child 12 or older, please email healthoffice@aischennai.org.
Advancement Office – Gautami Ramachandhran, Advancement Director
CareerX
Summer Edition: In-Person Experiences Available! (June 6–17)
We have five in-person and hybrid Summer Break opportunities for CareerX and high schoolers!
At-a-Glance
Information
- When
is CareerX: June 6-17, 2022 (weekends excluded)
- Organizations
are categorized as: Service, Photography, Nature Science, Art Education and
Architecture
- Read
more about the experiences here. Please note there is
a signup link for each experience.
- Experiences
are virtual, in-person, and hybrid.
- Spaces are limited!
- Last day to sign up: Friday, May 20
If you or your organization would like to offer a career experience during the Fall or Winter Breaks in the 2022–2023 year, please write to advancement@aischennai.org.
Parent Relations – Deborah Allen, Director of Admissions and Parent/Alumni
Relations
PCA 2022-2023 Executive Committee Election Results
We are pleased to announce the results of the election for the 2022-2023 PCA Executive Committee. A big congratulations to the in-coming team: Liliam Mariana Boti Llanes, Salima Velasco, and Kayoung Kim. We look forward to their leadership in the 2022-2023 school year.
From the HS Art Department
The High SchoolVisual Art Exhibition will close Friday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. If you did not get a chance to see the show you can access the online exhibition gallery at https://www.aiscvisualart.com/
Stay connected.
Have a good weekend and a delightful week ahead!
Andrew A. Hoover
Head of School
headofschool@aischennai.org
COMMUNITY NOTES
Reminder – Student Protection – Michele Ness, School Psychologist/ES
Counselor
If any
members of the school community have concerns about a student’s safety, please
contact one of AISC's counselors (ES, MS & HS), principals or the School Psychologist.
FOR REFERENCE
We thank you for your cooperation in helping us keep our community safe. With collective and personal responsibility, we can all do our part to ensure the health of our community members and to help keep the COVID-19 curve flat.
2021-2022 Data Center
We have reduced the data share in our Data Center to the four most relevant items right now: daily new cases, hospitalization data, community illness data, and local vaccines rates.
Use this information to compliment external sources of information to understand our local context, inform decisions, and as opportunities to ask more questions.
1. Below, we are sharing daily new case graphs in Chennai comparing the
Omicron Surge to the two previous surges -- Alpha and Delta. (The x-axis is the
number of days and the y-axis is number of new cases/day.)
2. Below, we summarize the availability of emergency COVID Care in 9
major private hospitals in Chennai, and
of more 13,000 beds across Chennai in Community Health Centers (CHC) and
Communicable Disease Hospitals (CDH). COVID
Care infrastructure and resources are steadily returning to normal.
Percent of Chennai COVID-19 CHC
and CDH Beds Available Since January 1, 2022
3. Below we have 323 confirmed COVID-19 cases in
our community since January 2022, with 2 active cases currently, including
staff, students and family members. Active case individuals who expect to be on
campus observe a 10-day quarantine at home and require two negative tests
before returning to campus. Confidentiality is strictly observed.
4. Vaccination efforts
continue in Chennai. More than 99% of the adult eligible population Chennai has
been vaccinated and more than 80% of the adult eligible population of Chennai
has been FULLY vaccinated. 76% of eligible children in Chennai between the ages
of 15-17 have been vaccinated.
Commitments in 2021-2022
Our Commitments for the 2021-2022 school year are here!
Staying RaptorSafe
Our RaptorSafe information is here!
Information and Reminders:
AGM Head of School Presentation – April 13, 2022 | Head of School Coffee Presentation – March 10, 2022 | Head of School Coffee Q&A – March 10, 2022 | #MeetAISC Survey | AISC Community Directory – 2021-2022 | AISC Annual Calendar – 2022-2023 | Head of School Coffee Presentation – November 11, 2021 | Head of School Coffee Q&A – November 11, 2021 | AGM Head of School Presentation – September 8, 2021 | Head of School Coffee Presentation – August 12, 2021 | Head of School Coffee Q&A - August 12, 2021 | Senior Leadership Team Town Hall Presentation – July 27, 2021 | Senior Leadership Team Town Hall Meeting – Q&A – July 27, 2021 | Learning Models Framework | Student Protection Manual 2021-2022