Dear Parents, Happy New Year! I hope the vacation was as activity-filled or relaxing as you had hoped. Also, thank you to those who managed to have the children back to class on January 3rd. Much appreciated by the faculty. I would like to welcome some new students; Austin Hedrick and Alessandro Fornara have joined Pre-K 4, Josias Tose comes to Kindergarten, and Elias Delienne and Kehinde and Taiwo Dayo-Oliade, enter Grade 1. I also would like to mention that the After School Activities (ASA) program begins Monday January 9. One other reminder, a late change in the WAIST dates means that Monday Jan. 16 IS a holiday, and Monday Feb. 20 IS NOT a holiday, though it was marked as such on earlier calendars. Other Notes: 1. After-school Reminders: Pick-up is so much smoother than last year, but just to mention: - Please be prompt at 3:20pm with pick-up - Elementary School students cannot leave the school on their own - During the ASA's, there may be Gr 3-5 siblings waiting till 4:10pm, they must wait in the library; K-2 siblings waiting must be with their own parent or recognized guardian - Elementary School students are not permitted to play soccer on the field after school - Gr 3-5 students cannot go on the sand playground after school - No students should be playing after school in front of the gym - Pre 3 and Pre 4 children can play on the Pre 3 playground if supervised after school 2. Senegal Elections: As part of our contingency plans for the upcoming presidential elections, the Elementary School faculty will be preparing weekly academic plans from the end of January, so the children will have some work to continue with should the school close. There will also be enough information for students to work should the internet go down. We continue to monitor the situation in Dakar, and should plans alter, we will communicate this to you. 3. Pre-K 4 Changes 2012-13: With the new construction will come new space, and we are excited that we will be able to run two Pre-K morning sessions next year in parallel, both beginning at 8:25am. These will be run by Linda Bockarie and Melinda Watters. Linda you know, Melinda is the wife of Tony Watters our music teacher. 4. Construction News: Here is the view from my window of the construction as it stands:   From August 2012: - All MS and HS classes will move to the new building - Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4 and Kindergarten classes will move to the current Science and High School buildings, with renovations to classes and bathrooms - The playground next to it will be renovated and used by these grades - 5th Grade will move to the current 6th Grade classrooms - Administration will move to their old Pre K4, Kind. Gr 5 building - French, ELL, Art, Music and Computers will move to the new building 5. French Assembly: We were treated today to a short play presented by the 3rd and 4th grade students. Such performances are a great way to bring language alive, and I could hear from the comment of the students in the audience how much this was enjoyed: 6. Marcel Zaragoza Visit: We are fortunate that the PTO has lined up two occasions when we can enjoy the songs and stories of Marcel Zaragoza. Tickets are available at the office for his January 21 performance at ISD starting at 7:00pm. He'll perform for the students on January 25 throughout the day.  7. 2nd Grade Ngor Trip: Ms. Shelly and Ms. Christy recently took the 2nd Grade classes for a trip to Ngor, where they visited the beach, a local school and other areas of town. Here are a few photos: 8. Parent Survey: We will soon be sending an electronic link to the 2011-12 parent survey. This is an opportunity to give feedback, and we appreciate your participation. There will also be a short Gr 3-12 survey, and I will be meeting with all the elementary classes over the next week for 45 minutes in the Pagoda, to hear any questions, comments and concerns the children may have. More to follow. 9. Gr 3 & 4 French Posters: Ms. Dede showed me some seasonal posters she completed back in December with her french class that I would like to share with you:   Upcoming Events: - Jan. 10: 5H Environment Presentations: 6:00pm - Jan. 11: Community Facilites Forum: 8:45am - Jan. 16: School Holiday - Jan. 18: Professional Development Day: 12:00 dismissal - Jan. 19: Board Meeting: 6:00pm - Jan. 21: Marcel Zaragoza for Parents: 7:00pm - Jan. 25: Marcel Zaragoza for ISD Kids: All Day - Feb. 1: Book Month Begins - Feb. 2-5: WAISAL High School Basketball Tournament Regards, Ian Clark Ian Clark Ed.D. Elementary School Principal International School of Dakar |
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