Dear Parents, February is always such a busy month, but this pressure was eased somewhat for teachers by the Valentine's cards that were sent by many of you. Thanks from the faculty for those kind thoughts. Last week, I was at the hiring fair in Boston, which was successful, and it was good to hear so many positive things about what we are doing here at ISD. Candidates were impressed by the programs we offer, and the things going on here, such as the new school construction. Folks love to come to a school that is doing all the good things that other accredited schools are doing. Other Notes: 1. World Cultural Month Country Booths: On Friday April 27, we will be having the final day of WCM. This is when we will have an afternoon of performances, a fashion show, and most importantly a chance to visit country booths. Please contact Mr. Gaucher if you are interested in manning a booth, which give the children - WCM passports in hand - a chance to see, touch, and taste something of the cultures that make up ISD. 2. Phone Tree: The phone trees that were sent home are another way of contacting the class if we need to, and if the internet is not working. This is not intended to replace the SMS and email system, but to support it. To use the phone tree, the teacher rings the first people in each column, then each of these parents rings the person below them. If the person below you does not answer, ring the next person, and then inform the teacher by phone, to tell them which parent you could not contact. The phone trees should only be activated by your homeroom teacher. 3. Survey Link: The ISD parent survey will continue to run through February 24, and students in Gr 3-12 have already completed theirs in school. If you have yet to complete this 5-minute survey and have a little time, please do so by clicking HERE. 4. Ms. Kinkhabwala's Class Assembly: Please click HERE to see a short video of the assembly 2S presented last week. It is always great to see the children presenting work that they are doing in the class. The assembly also relates to the bulletin board at the bottom of the stairs in the ES building if you wish to take a look. 5. Book Month: Book Month continues apace. Classes are having poetry readings, PJ days (bringing pillows, etc.), random DEAR sessions, decorating doors and more. We also hope you are enjoying discussing the READO sheets with your children. In addition, Stephen Davies came to visit us, and worked with all pre -Gr 5 classes on a variety of topics relating to his work as an author: 6. Drummers' Hands: As part of our Book Month celebrations, Ms. Shelly wrote and presented a story; Drummers' Hands. It involved Guinean dance and drumming, and we loved it!: 7. MAP Testing: The MAP tests continue this week, and the MAP reports will be going home soon. Please do contact me if you would like to discuss what the report means and how we use the data to set our teaching goals. 8. Displays Around the ES Hallways: I would like to encourage you to walk the hallways of the Elementary School building if you get a chance. Each class puts up a bulletin board relating to the current topics, and there are communal boards near the amphitheater and my office. Children often stop and add pieces to these interactive displays: 9. WAISAL Basketball & New Murals: It was great to have the opportunity to see some exciting HS basketball at the WAISAL tournament. ISD were runners' up in both girls' and boys' competitions. We also got a chance to see the new murals Ms. Carpenter's art classes had created on the wall (you can see them in the background of a couple of shots): 10. Drop-off Crossing: Mr. Cisse has received a lot of thanks for his role in helping people cross the road outside school. As always we appreciate feedback about drop-off and pick-up and we continue to work to improve the system. 11. 100th Day Celebrations: Some classes recently celebrated the 100th day of school (it it that already??!!). Below are photos of the activities enjoyed by Ms. Karen's Kindergarten class on that day: 12. 5th grade Musicals: Thanks to Mr. Watters for the hard work he put in to prepare the 5th grade children for his musical The Cave of Mysteries. I especially enjoyed the singing, and the fact that the children were encouraged to project their voices. Here are some shots from the two performances. 13: 3rd Grade Field Trip: I have just returned from the 3rd grade field trip to the beach, where the children were asked to search for igneous and sedimentary geological rocks and formations and for examples of erosion. There was plenty to show them, along with glimpses of the local fishing boats: 14. ASA Updates: Please ensure your children are picked up after ASA's at 4:10. ES students are not permitted to wait on campus alone for siblings in other activities finishing at 5:00. Also, please note the last day for activities is Friday, March 2. Upcoming Events: - Feb. 23 & 24: February Birthday Lunches - Mar. 1: 1B Class Assembly, Board Meeting - Mar. 2: 4H Class Assembly, Trimester 2 ASA Ends - Mar. 3: Soiree Litteraire - Mar. 9: Guitar Group in Concert - Mar. 10-17: Barb Gage Visit to ISD - Mar. 15 & 16: Student Led Conferences (half-day) - Mar. 19: Trimester 3 ASA Begins - Mar. 28: PD Day (half-day) - Mar. 30: ES Sports Day - Mar. 31: Spring Break Begins Regards, Ian Clark Ian Clark Ed.D. Elementary School Principal International School of Dakar |
Elementary News >