Kirsten Welbes | kirsten.welbes@aas.ru
Secondary Learning Coordinator

This week Grade 2-10 parents will be receiving their child(ren)'s Measure of Academic Progess (MAP) scores. MAP tests are an externally-created and measured standardized test. It is important to remember that MAP is just one of many tools used to help teachers assess student progress and guide their instructional planning. MAP scores are not factored into student grades, nor are they linked to any decision-making regarding student advancement.

If you wish to learn more about how to read, interpret and/or understand your child’s results, please join me on Thursday, October 31 in the Community Room at 9:30AM.

If you did not receive your child's scores, please email me at kirsten.welbes@aas.ru. 

We appreciate the opportunity to be partners in your child’s education.

Kirsten

Dear Elementary School Families,

Nathan, Abby, and Areg’s Fundraising Project: To be agentic means to have control over your actions. Three Grade 3 students had the opportunity to have agency in their learning this week. It started with a paper airplane during recess. Children from Grade 2 and 3 wanted to learn how to make them, and Nathan started teaching them. The idea then emerged to have a flying competition to see which design would fly the farthest. Nathan, Abby, and Areg came up with a proposal to host a competition during recess, which they presented to their teacher. They decided to make it a fundraiser for the charity their grade will be working with this year. After using their technology and writing skills to draft a permission slip for parents, the three students went to ask the permission of the ES Leadership. They suggested the time and the place. The Hall of Flag was booked for the occasion.

In the morning of the competition, the students showed responsibility by marking the floor with tape every 5 meters to record the distance of the planes, putting cones to delimit a safe perimeter, coming up with the rules of the contest. Then it was recess time, and over 20 students lined up in rows of 5 to start flying airplanes. After a few rounds, the championship was down to 5 students. Jack was the winner! He even got a homemade trophy! These students showed initiative, responsibility, compassion, and organizational skills. 

Way to go Penguins!  

Recess: Now that some cooler temperatures are arriving, along with snow, it is important that families are reminded of our recess process. Recess is spent outside, under the supervision of the school faculty members, and the Student Supervision Assistant. Warm and appropriate outdoor clothing and boots are imperative. With the limited winter daylight hours and long commutes for many students, the school feels it is important for students to be outside as much as possible. Unless below -18C (or windy between -15C and -18C) or consistent rain, students are sent outside. If the student is well enough to attend school, it is the school policy that he/she should go out for his/her outdoor recesses. Exceptions are made only under extreme circumstances.

October Break: Please be reminded that next week is a school holiday. This might be a good time for you and your child to decide on and source a Halloween costume. We hope that you all have a safe and wonderful week.

Halloween: On Thursday, October 31, Halloween will be celebrated in the Elementary School.  Students may wear their costumes as Alternate Dress during the day and for the classroom parties at the end of the day. Masks and other parts of costumes that may get in the way of learning should only be worn during the parties. Please leave weapons at home. Thank you in advance to the parents that have volunteered in the classrooms to make these parties memorable for our children. 

Enjoy the rest of your week and October Break,

Julie, Jeff, and Eric

• Thank you to those parents who responded to the Parent Coffee interest survey. Our first counselor coffee will focus on the topic of effective communication strategies to use with children and teens. The date and time for this conversation is Friday, October 18 at 9:30 a.m. The location is the Community Room. All are welcome.

Read Our Elementary School Blogs

James Villers| james.villers@aas.ru | Room 2075

• Our first counselor coffee is this week and will focus on the topic of effective communication strategies to use with children and teens. Please join us in the Community Room this Friday, October 18 at 9:30 a.m. All are welcome.
• For those of you looking for a little light reading during the vacation, here’s a short article about the importance of sleep for teenagers. Have a restful holiday.

As the first big push of the school year comes to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on the beginning of the school year. As a new member of the community, I would like to thank the students, parents and teachers for all they do on a daily basis to make AAS high school the amazing place that it is. We are extremely fortunate to have the privilege to educate the students of AAS who are full of passions that range from the Arts to the Sciences. Our students are the future of our global society and they create and innovate to such an extent that I am confident the future is in good hands. I wish everyone a well-deserved and restful break and look forward to our PTO Halloween celebration when we return. 

In the meantime, progress reports will come out on Friday. These will provide you with information on your child’s Approaches to Learning - those skills and dispositions that support their learning. 

If you are traveling we wish you a safe journey!

• Whole School Calendar: www.aas.ru/calendar 
• HS Calendar:  www.aas.ru/learning/hs/high-school-calendar
• Penguin Life Calendar:  www.aas.ru/student-life/penguin-life/penguin-life-calendar 

Bryn Will bryn.will@aas.ru
Lauren Zimmerman lauren.zimmerman@aas.ru

Many university admissions offices now use “big data” to track student behavior and make predictions about which applicants to their school will most likely enroll and become productive members of the student body.  Take a look at this article from the Washington Post about what universities track and how they use it to make these predictions.

University Visit: Oct. 17^th @ 10AM on the 5^th floor | Glion and Les Roches Universities

College Coffees: The College Coffees take place on Thursdays at 8:45 in the Cafeteria. Please join us to ask questions about university at this time. No appointment necessary – just stop by for a chat.

• Registration for Term 2 Penguin Clubs opens on October 16 and continues until October 29. 
• Participation guidelines and the list of available clubs can be found at https://www.aas.ru/student-life/penguin-life/es
• Term 1 of Penguin Clubs continues until October 17

Registration reminder:
Registration for ES Penguin Clubs is complete only after parents receive an automatic email confirmation from the ACTIVE registration system. If no confirmation arrived, please go back to the registration page and continue the process.

Athletics/Aquatics: Kirby Boychuk | kirby.boychuk@aas.ru

• We Want YOU... TO BE A LIFEGUARD!!!
  • Join our team of American Red Cross (ARC) Certified Lifeguards
  • Penguin Life will be providing training for any students and adults age 15+ 
  • Mr. David Ismailov and Mr. Dmitry Demin will be AAS's new Certified Lifeguard Instructors and will provide all the training for ARC certification
    • Prerequisite Assessment being on October 30
    • Lifeguard courses begin on November 23
    • CLICK HEREfor registration and additional Lifeguard information 
• UPDATE! Saturday Swim Program (SSP)
  • In order to provide AAS Moscow Aquatics Programs' with our continued safe environments, we are delaying the start of the SSP.
  • Our SSP instructors will be involved in instructing and assisting with the Lifeguard certification courses during the month of November and December. 
  • AAS will have a full squad of Lifeguards ready to GUARD over the Saturday Swim Program starting on January 18
    • Watch this space, for registration information over the next few weeks
• UPDATE! Individual Swimming Lessons
  • Read ALL INFORMATION in the Individual Swimming Lesson Section of the website 
  • Registration for Individual Swimming Instruction is now available. 

Athletics/Aquatics: Kirby Boychuk | kirby.boychuk@aas.ru

Reminder! Global Squad Basketball Camp

• GS basketball camp is a training camp for basketball players at the next level. Students that register for this camp should have above average basketball skills and should have played for one of the Penguin competitive teams. This camp is not developmental and not for students that would like to learn-how-to-play basketball. Focus will be on advanced strategies and skill development. REGISTER HERE
  • November 14-17, 2019 for HS
  • November 16-17, 2019 for MS 
• CEESA D2 Varsity Girls Volleyball Tournament
  • AAS Moscow will be hosting this tournament on November 1-2
  • COME OUT AND CHEER ON OUR PENGUINS!!!
  • Check out the Itinerary and Tournament Draw CLICK HERE

Librarians:  kelsey.hedrick@aas.ru & kris.feller@aas.ru 

Open Hours: Mon – Fri: 07:30 – 17:00
Open 10:00 – 13:00 on the following Saturdays:
Nov. 2, Nov.23, Jan. 18, Feb. 1, Mar. 14, Apr.18, May 30, Jun. 13

• This week, we will host our Breakfast and Browse! That’s a Thursday and Friday morning where we put all the newest books out with some snacks to encourage your new book for break!
• We’ve done a bit of a fall clean out of the library, and there are a stash of things available for you to take home.  We have many DVDs that are looking for a new home that will be just outside the library in our readcycle zone.
• It’s easy to clear up your library business!  If you get an email about an overdue for you or your child, take a minute to put it aside, or consider stopping up to the library to pay the fine if it is lost.  
• We will welcome Laurie Halse Anderson in December, who writes mostly for grades 5 and up.  We will begin selling her books this week in case you want to read them before her visit and over the break.  Drop by the library to view the offerings!
• Sign up for the NY Times here while on campus.
• Check out our Overdrive here and email library@aas.ru if you need an account set up. 
• Check out these databases that may be useful to your children.
• Upcoming Library Events:
  • October 17 and 18 Mornings (Thurs and Fri): Breakfast and Browse (A pre-break event to enjoy new books over coffee, all readers welcome)
  • October 31/November 1 (Thurs and Fri): Make sure you check out the Halloween Displays and Bulletin Board!
  • November 2 (Saturday): Library Open
  • November 23 (Saturday): Library Open + Quiz Night
  • December 9-13 (Mon-Thurs): Visiting Artist Laurie Halse Anderson for Grades 5 and up.
  • December 18 and 19 (Weds and Thurs): Breakfast and Browse (A pre-break event to enjoy new books over coffee, all readers welcome)

Email Us |  ecogreen@aas.ru       
Eco-Green Blog |   http://blogs.aas.ru/green/  
Facebook   |  Click here

• We support student led eco-green initiatives! Is your child passionate about an eco-green cause? Send us an email or get your child to speak with their teacher and connect to the Eco-Green committee for support towards their project. 
• Take advantage of the Halloween costume swap program at the PTO Exchange! 

• Library has several cartloads full of discarded DVDs and books for grabs. Please help yourself to TV series, movies and documentaries outside of the library on the 4th floor. They will be donated during the October break. 

Registration for MYBL is open until November 2. 

• Thank you for your interest in the Moscow Youth Basketball League (MYBL). Moscow Youth Sports welcomes girls and boys with all experience and skill levels.
• All games & practices will be on the weekends at the Anglo-American School. The sessions are mainly held on Saturdays with a couple of Sundays needed due to facilities scheduling conflicts.
• Evaluations will be held on November 9th 2019 and games will continue into March 2020.
• Registration will not be complete until payment is received. Fees are the same as the prior year, 6000 rubles for grades K and 1st and 10,000 rubles for grades 2 and up.
• Payments can be made on Assessment Day, at the AAS cashier in a labelled envelope or dropped by VV16 in Pokrovsky Hills. Please include “MYBL 2019/2020 Season”, “player(s)” and “parent/guardian” name and “amount paid” on the face of the envelope.
• The MYBL relies on parents and volunteers to run the program. The biggest need we have is coaches for all the leagues. If you would be willing to coach a team, please mark the appropriate box on the Registration Form. Questions can be directed to moscowyouthbasketball@gmail.com.

• The AAS National Honors Society (NHS) is offering peer tutoring for students in grades 8-11. 
• Grade 8-11 students interested in tutoring should fill out THIS FORM. 

Girls Scouts

• Buy your pumpkins in the Hall of Flags this week! Support the Girl Scouts! 

Cub Scouts

• Our next meeting is Saturday, 2 Nov 2019, in the South Cafeteria
• Sign up your child K-5^th grade and don’t miss out on the next fun adventure.
• Our Girls group is growing and we encourage girls in grades 2-4 to come and see what the scouts have to offer.
• For more information, you can email us at cubscoutsofmoscow@gmail.com

Common symptoms reported this week at the Health Office included headache, coughing, sore throat, temperature, stomachache and nausea.

PTO Quiz Night  

• Saturday, November 23, 18:00, AAS South Gym
• NEW! The theme was revealed at yesterday's PTO Community Coffee. 
• We are going Back to the Future!  Dress up to Travel in Time ...the possibilities are endless!
• Tickets (3000 rub each) will be available for sale November 4 - 8 in the Hall of Flags.
  • Hurry! Seating is limited and tickets sell out fast! 
  • Parents voted Quiz Night to be the most exciting and fun event of the year. 
• The event includes the entire community with entertainment, raffles, refreshments and a variety of trivia questions. You can invite guests from outside AAS. 
• Please get your friends together and form your teams now.
  • 1 team = 1 table = 10 people 
  • Newcomers who do not yet know enough people to fill a table can join one of our two newcomer tables.....a great way to make new friends.
• Appetizers, Beer, Soft Drinks and Cocktails included in the ticket price! 
• Keeping with tradition, bring your own wine and snacks to share with your table.
• Please don’t forget to bring some cash (rub) for all the ‘must have’ extras!!!
• Do you want to know more?...send us an email to PTO.Fallsocial@aas.ru 

PTO Craft Fair 

• Huge Thank You to Susanne for organizing an awesome Craft Fair on the weekend. 
• A special thank you to Ines, Naree and Holly from the Exec Team and all the parent, teacher and student volunteers for an amazing craft fair! The kids had a wonderful time making over 25 different types of craft projects during the fair. Take a look at the photos! 

Final call! PTO Enhancement Grants

• The PTO Enhancement Grant Program will close on October 18.
• Example Proposal | Grant Application Form
• Any community member (student, teacher, parent, or staff) is invited to submit ideas for projects that will enhance the learning experience at AAS. 
• Enhancement Grants can fund innovations or existing programs, purchase equipment for classrooms or activities, or sponsor visits by expert guests who bring a new dimension to learning.
• Learn more at www.aas.ru/about-us/pto.

PTO Vacancies

• Get involved! Please speak to any of the PTO Team or email us at pto@aas.ru. We need YOUR leadership and support! 
• The following AAS events cannot proceed without coordinators: Winter Social, International Fair, and Used Book Fair. 
• We have structured how-to guides and other resources to support you! 
• You should also email us if you would like to be on the organizing team for any of the above events or on our Social Events team. 

• Collection of voluntary donations for teacher gifts ends this Thursday, October 17.  
  • Please contact your class parent or email pto.es@aas.ru with any questions.   
• ES will celebrate Halloween on Thursday, October 31. Class Parents will be in touch to let you know what is being planned for your child’s classroom.  ES children are invited to wear costumes to school on party day.

• Join us in exploring Moscow!  Every month we offer new activities, new tours -  we will visit main attractions together, we will lunch together, we will go to the theatre together, we will do sports together, every month something new! Everyone is welcome!
• On the go with PTO in October and November.
  • Please email pto.internal@aas.ru if you want to join any of the following trips: 
  • Cultural trip and lunch on October 17 (tomorrow) to VDNKh, a soviet-era Exhibition of Economic Achievements: 
    • Date: 17th of October ( Tomorrow) 
    • Time: 10am
    • Meeting point: Central entrance ( VDNKh)
    • Price: 1400 rub pp
    • Duration: about 2,5 hours
  • Cultural trip in November - Life in “KOMUNALKA” – Communal flat visit
    • Date: 7th of November 
    • Time: 10.30 am
    • Meeting point: TBC
    • Price: 2600 rub pp
    • Duration: about 2 hours
    • Sign up by 1st of November, max 10

PTO EXCHANGE:

• HALLOWEEN: Starting tomorrow, parents can purchase the costumes with special costume swap tickets or for cash, and still bring their old costumes! 
• Click here to view the full information, including opening hours.  

PTO SHOP:

• Be on the look out for Movember shirts - they are coming to the shop soon!
• New! Special Sale Events on November 5 and November 7. 
• Stop by and shop in the Shop for PE uniforms, hoodies, polos, sweatshirts, bags, recorders, lunch bags, swim bags, etc…and lots of gift items!
• We have new AAS t-shirt designs for all ages! 
• Click here to view full information, including opening hours.
• The PTO Shop is looking for volunteers! Stop by and sign up for a shift!