Middle School Update

Volume 7 Number 18

December 17 , 2007

CALENDAR:

The pool is ready!

Dear Parents:

Finally…we have our own pool! While Swimming will become an integral part of the Physical Education program next semester, we want to give all classes an opportunity to get wet before the summer vacation.

Please read the following schedule carefully, and make sure that your child comes to school prepared with the following:

                        Bathing Suit (girls—please wear t-shirt over bikini)

                        Towel

                        Flip-flops

                        Bathing Cap (you may borrow one from the P.E. dept.)

The Pool Opening Ceremony will be at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Everyone is invited to the celebration!

MOVING TO A NEW COUNTRY/SCHOOL IN DECEMBER?  Please contact Nora Marquez to initiate the withdrawal process.  First semester reports and transcripts will be ready the last day of school, December 21st at noon. Previous records will be copied and ready as long as we have the withdrawal form by the previous Friday, December 14th.

OUTSTANDING OBLIGATIONS: Students who have overdue library books, textbooks not turned in, school musical instruments, or team uniforms will NOT receive report cards on December 21st. They will instead receive a letter saying what the outstanding obligation is.  The Middle School Office will not be open to distribute report cards until January 7th.  Please encourage your child to clear all obligations early.  There will be no access to grades in PowerSchool until the obligation is met.

ACCESS TO POWERSCHOOL will be unavailable for everyone from December 14th 8 a.m. until December 21st at 3 p.m.. It will be available as of the 21st unless there are outstanding obligations.  The reason for this is that teachers will be working on grades at that time and what you see would not necessarily be the final semester grade.

LATE BUSES:  There will not be late buses Dec 17-21.  Students should leave campus at 3:30 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and at 12:30 on Wednesday and Friday. Students should NOT stay around campus after those times.

STUDENTS WHO LEAVE EARLY FOR VACATION: It is the responsibility of the student to empty his/her PE and book lockers before leaving for vacation.  All locks remaining on lockers will be cut off and the items in the lockers will be put in lost and found for retrieval in February. Students will have to buy new locks to replace those we cut off. Books not returned to the Media Center or classroom teacher will result in the student’s report card being held – we will not go through lockers and lost and found looking for these, that is the responsibility of the student long before the last day of school.

CALCULATORS:  All students in grades 8-12 must have a TI83 or TI84 graphing calculator. This is made by Texas Instrument and not available in Peru.  The PTA sells some of these and rents some, but if you are traveling to the US, know someone who is traveling to the US, or have visitors coming from the US it would be wise to arrange to get one this January or February rather than waiting until July.  You can usually find these online and have them shipped to an address in the US.  If you have a question about the models, email tatrille@amersol.edu.pe or go to these sites:

http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/productDetail/us_ti84p.html

http://education.ti.com/educationportal/sites/US/productDetail/us_ti83p.html

EIGHTH GRADE SCIENCE/HUMANITIES PROJECT: The eighth grade students 

will begin an integrated 3 week project on February 27th. They will  be using

class time in both science and humanities to do this; this is not a homework assignment.  ALL WORK MUST BE DONE IN SCHOOL. Therefore, it is very important that students return to school on time for second semester in order to finish the work appropriately.