AISM News & Information
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​Have you ever wondered what teachers are doing behind the scenes while also teaching every day? Here are some things that teachers spend time doing:
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  • Collaborative Planning: Throughout the week teachers are planning engaging learning activities for the students.  They work alongside the SSTs, Integrationists, and as a grade level team.  Teachers are working on building a transdisciplinary approach and having students build connections across the disciplines. Teaching teams also have a collaborative planning session with the PYP Coordinator.

  • Retreats: Prior to a new unit beginning, teachers come together with myself to discuss the elements of the upcoming units.  Teachers use feedback collected by previous students and teachers and current student input to guide the new unit.  Within these planning retreats teachers use the AERO standards, PYP scope and Sequence to determine the learning outcomes for the unit.  These learning outcomes are also the ones that will be reflected through our reporting.
 
  • Data informed instruction: Teachers are continuously collecting formative data that is used to create groups and inform instruction.  Teachers use this to reteach instruction, extend instruction, and work towards meeting all the students' needs.

I hope that this gave you a little insight to all that teachers are doing to prepare for each day.  
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We were delighted to welcome back author Paula Yañez Baz, who has written numerous books for children about the adventures of a little girl, Aitana, who travels throughout the world. Paula Yanez Baz met with the grade 11 DP Spanish students. 
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​Her latest book features Aitana in Mozambique! Our library now has a signed copy.
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This was a big week for our Grade 3, 4, and 5 students who all participated in MAP testing. MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) testing is a computer-adaptive assessment that measures students' academic growth and proficiency in areas such as math, reading, and language arts. It helps us track individual student progress over time, identify areas of strength and growth, and tailor instruction to better meet each student's learning needs. This ensures each student receives the support they need to thrive in class. 
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The MAP test is just one of many assessments that we do in Primary School. Teachers look at MAP data together with all the in-class assessments to understand what students need next to continue to grow. 

We congratulate our Grade 3, 4, and 5 students for being thinkers this week, doing their best when being part of MAP testing.
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​The Amazing Race 2024 was a huge success!

The Amazing Race is an event planned by the parents of the graduating class to get them moving and have a little fun while building the relationships they have with one another. 
It was an awesome day, full of laughs and lots of love! Once again thank you, with love and affection - Check out this video of highlights from the event:
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This week is Digital Citizenship Week.  Here are some excellent resources for parents to promote Digital Citizenship Week at home and help to engage your children in discussions around digital citizenship.:
  1. Common Sense Education: Offers a wealth of materials, including lesson plans, videos, and articles focused on digital citizenship topics, such as online safety and responsible tech use.
  2. Digital Citizenship Curriculum from ISTE: Provides resources and guidelines to help parents understand how to support their children in developing digital citizenship skills.
  3. Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI): Offers tips, tools, and resources for parents to help guide their children in safe online practices.
  4. CyberWise: Provides resources aimed at empowering parents to teach their children about safe and responsible internet use.
These resources can help you engage in meaningful conversations with your children about responsible technology use and online behavior.  Today during advisory, students filled out a survey on our cell phone policy implemented at the beginning of this year.  While we still periodically have issues on campus with cell phone use,  generally, students have been compliant with the policy and many have commented on how ‘freeing’ it has been not having to deal with anxiety of their mobile device at school.  Teachers and parents visiting campus have commented recently on how nice it has been seeing kids interacting with each other throughout the day rather than their device.  Thank you for your ongoing support in implementing this important policy in our school.
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On Tuesday afternoon the teaching team had a chance to come together to talk about learning and teaching, plan upcoming events, dive into research and inspire one another. It is always special to see our team connect, laugh, share ideas and stories, and build the strong relationships that are crucial in ensuring collaborative work. ​
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​This Thursday, AISM held another Transition for Parents meeting. This was an opportunity to check in and connect with each other. We discussed how settling in has been going and what strategies parents have been using that worked for them.

If you missed the parenting session then please check out our presentation with a list of external therapists and resources at the end.
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We also want to share a little about communication guidelines and expectations. We are always seeking to streamline communications at the school to ensure that anyone with questions can get them answered quickly and effectively. The best way to do that is to create the habit of communicating first with the person who is closest to your issue or question and is therefore in the best position to assist you. We believe that by following these guidelines, it will help resolve issues and answer questions more quickly. 

In practice, this habit looks like this:
  • If you have a question about a class or course, ask the relevant subject teacher / learning advisor directly.
  • If you have a question about a social or emotional issue, ask your child’s advisor or the appropriate counselor: 
  • If you have a question about some aspect of the International Baccalaureate program, please ask the teacher or one of our IB Coordinators:
  • If you have a question that is more general in nature or have an issue that was not resolved at the previous levels, please contact the relevant division principal: 
  • If you have a question that is more school-wide in nature or the principals were unable to answer your question or resolve an issue you have, then please contact either us, the Communications Team or the Director, Dr. Russ Menard (russell.menard@aism-moz.com) and he’ll be happy to help.

Following these steps will go a long way toward streamlining communications throughout the AISM community. By the way, if you don’t know the email address of the person you are trying to contact, our email system uses the following convention: firstname.surname@aism-moz.com   

As always, if you struggle to locate information about any area of our school community, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We are happy to help!
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​Communication Channels at AISM

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​We are constantly striving to improve communication - especially as some community members feel like we communicate too much while others believe we could communicate more! And although we recognise that it is almost impossible to please everyone, we wanted to share that there are several ways to stay informed about - and celebrate - AISM news, information, reminders and upcoming events. 

This AISM Weekly Bulletin is our main medium to keep our families informed on such things as the day to day happenings on campus, before & after school activities, school events, helpful resources, and important dates and reminders. This is emailed directly to your inbox each Friday (if you hear of people who don’t see it, please remind them to check spam/junk). 

The AISM website is a great place to find information about the school, the faculty and staff, the curriculum documentation and much, much more.

The AISM Whole School Calendar has all the upcoming community events including sports, meetings, holidays etc in one place. This page is password protected (check the top of the Weekly Bulletin for the password).

We also have various social media platforms such as the AISM Facebook page, Instagram, LinkedIn and a YouTube channel for you to ‘follow’, ‘like’ and share with family & friends. Some of the more commonly-used hashtags to follow would include #aismlearns, #aismcelebrates, #aismcommunity - but there’s so much more too!

The PS & SS WhatsApp Communities and Grade Level Groups are created by the Communications Team (Tony & Mishal).
  • The Community Announcement feature is used to remind the community of events shared in the Weekly Bulletin and on the Whole School Calendar.
    • PS: This group is here to share PS events, information and reminders usually following up on information already shared through the bulletin & whole school calendar (password protected). Please note that this group is not the main channel for school announcements - official information will be sent via the AISM Weekly Bulletin (emailed on Fridays) and Grade Level communications (via Seesaw or email). If you have an issue, go to the source: address it privately with the relevant person. This could be the teacher/Learning Advisor, PS Admin Assistant (jessica.maarifo@aism-moz.com), the Communications Team (Mishal & Tony - communications@aism-moz.com), or other key personnel (www.aism.co.mz/useful-contacts)
    • SS: This group is here to share SS events, information and reminders usually following up on information already shared through the bulletin & whole school calendar (password protected). Please note that this group is not the main channel for school announcements - official information will be sent via the AISM Weekly Bulletin (emailed on Fridays) and Grade Level communications (via ManageBac, or email). If you have an issue, go to the source: address it privately with the relevant person. This could be the teacher/Learning Advisor, SS Admin Assistant (yolanda.roberto@aism-moz.com), the Communications Team (Mishal & Tony - communications@aism-moz.com), or other key personnel (www.aism.co.mz/useful-contacts)
  • The Grade Level Groups are used by families to communicate about reminders, activities & events for that particular grade.
    • These groups is here to support AISM families with information, reminders within specific grade levels. It’s a place to ask questions when you’re unsure who to ask. Please note that these group are not the main channel for school announcements - official information will be sent via the AISM Weekly Bulletin (emailed on Fridays) and Grade Level communications (via Seesaw or email). Instead this is a parent/volunteer-run group. This group is for support and information sharing, not for personal opinions or venting. Let’s keep it helpful and respectful.
    • GROUP RULES:
      • Be Respectful: Treat everyone with kindness and politeness.
      • No Complaints: If you have an issue, address it privately with the relevant person, not in the group. This could be the teacher/Learning Advisor, PS Admin Assistant (jessica.maarifo@aism-moz.com), SS Admin Assistant (yolanda.roberto@aism-moz.com), the Communications Team (Mishal & Tony - communications@aism-moz.com), or other key personnel (www.aism.co.mz/useful-contacts)
      • Posting Times: Only post between 07:00-16:00, unless it’s urgent.
      • Reply Properly: Use the "reply" function when responding to specific comments.
      • No Inappropriate/Unnecessary Content: Avoid jokes, sensitive topics, and unverified news.
      • Take Conversations Private: If a discussion is between two people, move it to a private message.
      • Admins’ Decisions: Admins may remove members who don’t follow the rules.
      • Suggestion: Mute the group chat to avoid constant notifications; you’ll still see all posts.
      • By following these guidelines, we can maintain a positive and supportive group. Remember, you are responsible for your posts. When in doubt, refer to Rule 1: Be Respectful.
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We are at the end of a special week at AISM. Students only came to school for two days, but teachers and teaching assistants have been very busy collaborating, learning, creating and sharing amazing ideas. I am excited to celebrate our amazing teaching team in this week’s bulletin, showing how much they do every day, not just in class, but also out of class, after school hours, to continuously help AISM grow. I find their dedication impressive and inspiring and invite you to join me in celebrating them today. 

Here are just a few pictures that captured our amazing team in action:
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Please provide any feedback (Compliments, Complaints, Questions, or Suggestions) by using the 'Feedback Form'.
For website specific stuff, please reach out to the Communications Team with any suggestions, comments or support.