Middle School Update

Volume 7 Number 2

August 14, 2006

CALENDAR:                                                                   

INFORMATION FILLED EVENING: WEDNESDAY. We will begin at 6:15 p.m. with an opportunity for 7th and 8th grade parents to discuss the planned trips to Iquitos in October. For returning 8th grade parents this is a repeat – you met last year and heard about the trip.  There is still concern about the safety of the airport but different sources have different opinions of the level of concern. The final decision to travel will be up to each family. We will give you the information we have and listen to your comments. Early this week there was a segment on La ventana indiscreta  which talked about continued problems with birds at the dump near the airport.

Trip booklets will be distributed to all 7th graders and to new 8th graders on Monday. We will have a few copies for  8th  grade parents who need them again.  The information is also on line at http://www.amersol.edu.pe/ms/7th/cww7th/cww7th.asp .  There are several links to follow in the first two columns.  More information about time to be dropped off on Sunday and picked up on Friday will be available as we get closer to the trip.

At 7:00 p.m. sharp we will begin the program for the evening. This is your opportunity to meet the teachers your child sees every day and hear about the plans for the year. Please be prompt.  NJHS students will be handing out schedules.

Parents of students in the LD program are invited to meet with the LD teachers in Room MS201 at the end of the evening at 9:15 pm.

POWER SCHOOL: Have you tried PowerSchool yet? Last Monday you received a letter with directions and your username and password.  You can see your child’s list of classes and the names of teachers. If you click on the name of the teacher you can send an email.  Many classes already have grades posted.  Early grades are mostly high since they often involved short beginning of the year tasks.  If you want to read the morning bulletin click on “School Bulletin.”  Absences and tardies for last week and this week are included.  The classes are numbered P1 – P7. P11 is a Monday After School Activity, P12 is a Tuesday activity, and so on.  Remember, not all activities start next week, some begin later in the semester.  Enjoy this new form of communication between home and school.

THE NAME GAME:  The first activity in our thematic year of “Raising Tolerance and Embracing Diversity” was for students to do a small flyer about their names and what they mean to them, where they came from, etc.  You will see these posted on student lockers throughout the school.  The IBO Learner Profile defines open-minded as “They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities.“ This activity is a look at personal history which, for many, brings in some understanding and appreciation of their own culture.

MIDDLE SCHOOL REC NIGHT:  August 25th is the first Rec Night of the year.  Students should be dropped off and picked up at the walking gate not the main gate.  Gates open at 7:30 pm and students will be dismissed at 10:30 pm.  The entrance is S/ 5.  We will be selling drinks for S/ 2, hot dogs, chorizos, and hamburgers for S/3 and brownies for S/2.5.  Students will spend the evening dancing, playing 4-square, tetherball, ping pong, soccer or basketball. We are also looking for a movie to offer. It is a great opportunity for students to spend time together in a safe supervised environment.

PERMISSION SLIPS are going home for our upcoming CAS activities. Periodically students will be traveling off campus and to do so we need a signed permission slip from a parent.  Please ask for this and encourage your child to get it turned in.