Tirana International School 24 October 2018 Important Dates October 15-26 - Food Drive for Food Bank Albania 17 - PSG Meeting 18-25 - Digital Citizenship Week 23-24 - Picture Day 26 - Fall Festival 31 - Traditional Parent/Teacher Conference - No School for Students November 1-4 - CEESA MS Boys Football/Belgrade 15-18 - CEESA MS Robotics/Warsaw 15-18 - CEESA MS/HS x-country/Sofia 19-23 Fall Into Reading Director's Desk Dear Parents, Students, and Friends of TIS, We are so excited about the upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences that are happening next Wednesday, October 31. This day is set aside for us to get together as adults to exchange information about the young people that mean so much to all of us. Parents will help us as educators to learn about how their children learn best and in what ways we can provide support. Teachers are ready to share about academic successes and growth areas that we can face together. I am often reminded during these events that each adult in the life of a child has the same goal - we all want that child to be happy, healthy and successful. We long for the smile of accomplishment and to know that we are doing whatever it takes to make it happen. One other HUGE event coming up is this Friday at our Fall Festival. As of today, there are 50 cars signed up for the Trunk or Treat and students are bringing in food in record numbers for the Food Drive. Be sure to be on time Friday to the big event. Looking Forward, Robert S. Jackson, Director Fall Festival Notes After school activities for this Friday (26 October) haven been canceled so we can prepare for the Fall Festival. All students will be dismissed at 3:15. From 18:00 to 19:00, the parking lot is a "no-drive" area. This is to ensure the safety of all of our Trunk-or-Treaters. If you arrive after 18:00, you can still park along the road and walk in. Food donations (one white bag and one brown bag) are the entry fee to the fall festival. Don't worry, if you have already donated, your child's name is on the event list. Food donations will be accepted until 3:30 in the main office or at the gate upon event arrival. If you would like to host a trunk for the Trunk-or-Treat, please sign up by Friday morning so we can finalize the event's parking plan. Sign up by clicking here. It is not required to decorate your car, just bring some small treats (candies, fruit, pencils, stickers, etc.) to give out to students that come by your vehicle. Many thanks to those that have already signed up! Parent/Teacher Conferences On Wednesday, October 31, TIS will have parent/teacher conferences. You may sign up for a slot to visit your child's teacher by clicking on the link below. In addition, several other teachers (foreign language, specialists, counselor and administration) will be available on a drop in basis in the cafeteria. For middle school and secondary parents, you may book slots with all core subject teachers through the booking site. We look forward to seeing you on the 31st. As a reminder, there is no school for children that day. Status Reports for Quintile 1 You should have received an email at your family@tismail.org account to notify you about your child's status report. If you did not receive an email, please contact it@alb.qsi.org Why does TIS use family@tismail.org accounts? Your digital data is important to us. To keep information safe about your child, we send all report cards, narratives, and MAP reports to you at your family@tismail.org account. By sending all important documents to one secure account within our school domain, we are trying to honor your privacy as we move toward compliance with GDPR regulations for schools. If you would prefer that all reports be presented to you only in hard copy, please notify the front office (email egla-lila@alb.qsi.org). If you are having trouble logging into your family@tiamail.org account, please contact it@alb.qsi.org. Fall MAP test results During parent teacher conferences on 31 October you will receive your child's MAP report. Middle School and High School student reports will be available from Mrs. Grossman in the cafeteria; all other reports (students 6-years-old and up) will be distributed by homeroom teachers. Fall MAP tests help us identify the starting point for academic growth for the school year. As well, the scores help teachers pinpoint specific skills a student needs to work on. If you have questions, please see Mrs. Grossman in the cafeteria during parent-teacher conferences or send her an email (carla-grossman@qsi.org). What is MAP testing? Science Survey As a part of our accreditation, TIS is conducting a survey on our science curriculum. Your input is appreciated and will be quite valuable as we make improvements to the school. Little Steps, Big Achievements! IE Elementary students have been busy learning basic words and sound and letter recognition. They have also completed their All About Me poster and it looks GREAT! WAY TO GO LITTLE ONES! Singing Games "Hands-on" The six-year-old class is learning about "making groups of 10" to learn addition facts. They worked in partners to solve addition problems using an egg carton (a "tens" frame) to make groups of ten plus another addend. This challenging essential learning outcome was made more exciting and accessible by using "hands-on" experience. Photosynthesis The 10 Year Old Classes have been investigating how energy moves throughout ecosystems and what living things are made of in our Science class. Recently, we've been focusing on how plants make their own food through photosynthesis and have even had a chance to check out some plant cells through microscopes. As we enjoy the changing colors of autumn, ask a 10 YO Student why the leaves are changing colors! Mindfulness In the middle school elective, Mind/Body, students cultivate mindfulness. Through mindfulness techniques, such as yoga and meditation, students develop present moment awareness and acceptance of their emotions, thoughts and feelings. Research suggests that mindfulness is an effective strategy to reduce stress and anxiety, in addition to improving social interactions, executive function skills, attention and academic achievement. Learning New Things Russian intro students were learning the days of a week and numbers till 100. Non-profit Organizations In French III class the students learned about non-profit organizations in France. Many world-renowned foundations and charitable organizations are based in France or have offices there. They selected an organization and learned how it operates, how it raises funds, what the funds are used for, and what activities the organization sponsors. Population Students in AP Human Geography recently finished studying a unit about population. A population pyramid reveals information about the birth and death rates of a country along with showing the age and gender of the population. By studying population pyramids, students are able to compare and contrast the development of various countries. |