Director's Message
Rhonda Norris | rhonda.norris@aas.ru
Dear AAS Community,
Thank You!
As we enter the final school days of 2020, I would like to share my sincere appreciation for the ongoing support and partnership with our families in the learning for our students.
Faculty Visas
AAS is pleased to share that the final two limited new visas approved for this school year have now been received and we anticipate having all new overseas hired staff engaged in learning in Moscow as of January 11, 2021.
How Do You Feel Survey
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us on the recent survey. Please note the initial summary of this data. We will be asking our community to complete this survey again in the new year to measure variance and find best ways to support our staff and families.
Greeting for Families!
I would like to share my warm welcome to the new families joining us in January 2021. We look forward to having you join our learning community after the break. For returning families, your resilience and engagement has been unparalleled and we look forward to continuing our partnership in January. For families who are leaving AAS over the holiday break, we wish your families a smooth transition and a warm welcome wherever you may land. Thank you for your ongoing engagement and support of the AAS learning community!
Ongoing Board Feedback Mechanism
AAS has created an ongoing AAS Board feedback digital tool for our community to use in sharing positive as well as constructive feedback related to strategic policies and decisions that are at the Board level. The AAS Board will review and consider feedback to seek trends as well as to inform conversations and decision making. Our Board members are volunteers and have full-time positions outside of AAS, so individual responses are not planned for each submission. You can find more details such as the Board Policies Manual and Board Briefs on our website.
Happy Holidays!
We wish for all members of our community, students, staff, and parents, to have an opportunity to recharge and refocus so that we can best support learning upon our return, so we apologize for any delay in response over the holidays. We look forward to reconnecting as a community on the 11th of January 2021.
Warm regards,
Rhonda Norris
Director
Anglo-American School of Moscow
MAP Results Summary
A video overview on how AAS students performed in this external assessment
Holiday Videos
Holiday messages from AAS students and leadership
Student Initiatives
Student reflections and service-learning initiatives
ES Students Explain - Why support Taganka
- Every year AAS Moscow students organize over 200 holiday gifts for kids from the Taganka Foundation.
- This year we need your help to ensure these kids are not forgotten.
- Cash donations accepted at the Pokrovsky Hills cafe.
- Cash donations accepted at the U.S. Embassy (See Dayra at 29C)
- Or donate online via the button below!
ES Express
ES Principal Jeff.Hinton@aas.ru
ES Associate Principal Julie.Villers@aas.ru
ES Associate Principal Eric.Burnett@aas.ru
Dear ES Families,
Class Parties
Thank you to the PTO for organizing our class Holiday Parties today and tomorrow. The students, and teachers, appreciate all that you do to support these fun traditions.
Happy Holidays!
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you Happy Holidays. We do hope that you and your family will be able to enjoy the upcoming break, spending quality time together. Thank you for all of your flexibility, support and collaboration.
2021
As a reminder, we will begin 2021 in our Distance Learning Pathway on Monday January 11. Teachers will send schedules to students and families.
Taganka
It is still not too late to donate to our annual Taganka children's gift campaign.
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For many years, ES students organized holiday gifts for children from the Taganka Foundation.
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This year we were not able to organize this because of COVID, instead, we are raising funds towards gifts
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If you are inspired to help, you can donate Online below
Reading and Writing Workshop
Finally, it's wonderful to see our faculty connect with parents on how to best support student reading and writing over the break. A big thank you to our coaches and all of the parents that joined this morning.
We hope you stay healthy and safe.
Take care,
The ES Leadership
ES Counselors
What's Up in MS
MS Principal, Christopher Schuster chris.schuster@aas.ru
MS Senior Associate Principal, Karisti Cormier karisti.cormier@aas.ru
MS Associate Principal, Alex Lopez alexander.lopez-barton@aas.ru
Click here to like AAS MS on Facebook!
Dear MS Families,
Spirit Week
Students will have one more opportunity this week to participate in spirit dress up days. Tomorrow is COZY DAY. Students should dress in items that are cozy - such as sweaters, fleece, flannel, etc.
Schedule Ahead
In looking ahead, for an overview of the schedule during the first two weeks of January, please see the school-wide calendar.
Travel Reminder
As a reminder, if your family is traveling outside of Russia over the winter break, the school 14-day quarantine rules still apply. This means that if we return to Hybrid Learning on January 25, students will need to be in Russia by January 10.
Celebrations of Learning
Check out these wonderful celebrations of students learning in MS:
- Grade 7 Art: Advocacy Posters
- Grade 6 Art: History Remix
MS Winter Gift Box Campaign
Some families have asked about our annual Winter Gift Box Campaign that supports both the Vyshegorod Resource School and Noy House. This year we are moving our larger support drive for both of these organizations to later in the winter. We have been able to support them in smaller ways for the holidays through AAS fleeces from the PTO Shop, student designed t-shirts, and New Year fruit purchases. Please look for more information in February and March about how MS families can get involved in support of these organizations.
Thank You and Happy Holidays!
In this school year, students, teachers and families have shown resilience and flexibility in the face of adversity. We appreciate all of the hard work it takes to manage all of these changes. It is our hope that over the break you and your family are able to reflect back on the year and find those times of resilience and areas of growth and are proud of them. Then, take time to rest and relax. Enjoy this special time safely with family and friends. We look forward to everyone returning healthy and refreshed in the New Year!
MS Counselor
James Villers | james.villers@aas.ru | Room 2075
Last week in the MS, students and teachers engaged in a wellness challenge. Participants had to track their activity in a variety of categories, from the physical to the emotional to the mental. In addition to the steps they logged each day, they made sure to get a healthy 8+ hours of sleep, to drink ample water, and to take time to be mindful and kind. Ask your child if they participated, and if so, find out their estimated totals for the week. And moving forward, we hope that all of our participants gained an understanding of and appreciation for the benefits that wellness activities can offer.
On Wednesday, January 20th, we will host a parent coffee on the topic of balanced use of technology. As of now, the tentative time is 10 am, but please check the newsletter during the week of January 11th for further details.
Have a safe and happy holiday.
Percussion Workshops in Jan 2021
New times!
Percussion workshops with Virtual Guest Artist: Matt Savage
All sessions will be held in Mr. Waltho’s Webex room: https://aas.webex.com/meet/mark.waltho
Schedule of sessions(for both dates)
- Wednesday 13th and 20th January 2021
- 12:30pm – 1:30pm – MS Foundations workshop
- 1:30pm – 2:30pm – MS/HS Intermediate Level Workshop
- Drum circle – all welcome (HS & MS) 2:45pm – 3:30pm (Bring along something you can hit!)
Any Musicians in High School or Middle School are welcome to attend the Drum Circle sessions.
HS Flash
HS SENIOR ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL | matthew.groves@aas.ru
Dear High School,
With winter break just around the corner, now is a good time for all of us to step back and reflect on all the things we have accomplished so far this year as well as determine areas for growth. I hope you and your children take some time over the next few weeks to look back on the last four months and find positive areas to celebrate as well as areas to concentrate on as the days become longer.
Reflection is the heart of learning. Without it, we fail to maximize our growth. With it, we intentionally examine who we are and what we can do for the purpose of improving ourselves to the best of our ability. Reflection keeps us centered on who we are, but also gives us the chance to feel good about the growth we have seen in ourselves and around us.
AAS is a place that thrives on achieving Holistic Excellence in our community. We have much to be proud of and much to improve as we begin again in January. Feel free to share your reflections about your family’s journey at AAS with the leadership and let us know how we can partner with you in the future. On behalf of the high school, we wish you safe travels and the happiest of winter breaks!
In looking ahead, for an overview of the schedule during the first two weeks of January, please see the school-wide calendar.
In looking ahead, for an overview of the schedule during the first two weeks of January, please see the school-wide calendar.
Happy Holidays!
IB Office
Sean Sonderman sean.sonderman@aas.ru
Transition Period for Grade 12s
Grade 12 students are in the process of transitioning into a new phase of the IB Program. With the EE over and the TOK course coming to a rapid conclusion two major components of the IB are wrapping up. The TOK Essay is due this Friday, and although some students will have to revise theirs after this date, it is nearing an end. On January 22th the course will officially end. At this same time, some courses will move into full-on revision. Most will do the same in January and February. The heaviest lifting is over, but there is plenty left to do during the revision period. This transition is something to celebrate, however, and our Grade 12s should feel a sense of accomplishment.
Grade 11 Extended Essay Process starting in January
In January, Grade 11s will start on their Extended Essay, a 4000-word research essay on a subject of a student’s choosing. Topics must come from one of the six IBDP subjects that they are taking. Students will work with a subject-area advisor that is assigned to them by the IB Coordinator. After an introductory session, Grade 11s will fill out a survey in which they rank their top three subject area choices. Students are not guaranteed their first choice, as subject-area supervisors are limited. Supervisors are held to a maximum of five students. However, most students get their first choices. Over the break, please talk with your Grade 11 students about possible topics to get the ball rolling. Topics should be very narrow in scope. Mr. Sonderman serves as the EE Coordinator and will kick things off on January 14-15.
HS Counselors
Bryn Will bryn.will@aas.ru supports students with last names beginning with L-Z
Lauren Zimmerman lauren.zimmerman@aas.ru supports students with last names beginning with A-K
Lauren Zimmerman lauren.zimmerman@aas.ru supports students with last names beginning with A-K
We cannot stress enough the importance of BREAKS! It has been a challenging fall, and the long-term stress has gotten to all of us. ALL students should take time this winter break away from schoolwork to enjoy time with family, rest, and engage in activities that they love. Taking this time will allow students to return to school refreshed, energized, and with a positive mindset for the spring semester. Please be sure that your child makes at least part of their break sacred, away from schoolwork.
Enjoy the break and best wishes for the coming year!
Please know that we are here to support your child and you and that we are happy to hear from you.
Percussion Workshops in Jan 2021
New times!
Percussion workshops with Virtual Guest Artist: Matt Savage
All sessions will be held in Mr. Waltho’s Webex room: https://aas.webex.com/meet/mark.waltho
Schedule of sessions(for both dates)
- Wednesday 13th and 20th January 2021
- 12:30pm – 1:30pm – MS Foundations workshop
- 1:30pm – 2:30pm – MS/HS Intermediate Level Workshop
- Drum circle – all welcome (HS & MS) 2:45pm – 3:30pm (Bring along something you can hit!)
Any Musicians in High School or Middle School are welcome to attend the Drum Circle sessions.
Library News
Librarians: kelsey.hedrick@aas.ru & kris.feller@aas.ru
- We had a fabulous Curbside last weekend!
- Many thanks to the 50+ people who requested and picked up books from us. We hope you enjoy them.
- Next Curbside:Saturday, February 6 (Time: 10:30-12:30).
If you want to return books
Feel welcome to leave anything for return with the guards. They will make sure everything comes up to the library.
Feel welcome to leave anything for return with the guards. They will make sure everything comes up to the library.
Quick Links:
Visiting Author!!!
AAS will digitally “welcome” Jarrett J Krosoczka on Saturday, January 23, 2021 from 2 pm - 5pm. He is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, creator of the wildly popular Lunch Lady series, Platypus Police Squad series, and his most recent book, Hey Kiddo, a graphic memoir about growing up in a family struggling with addiction. He’ll be great with readers from Pre-K to High School. Many thanks to the PTO for co-sponsoring this visit.
We are looking forward to his visit with such fervor!
Get to know him before he comes!
He has a complicated last name! Luckily, he can help you pronounce it here! It’s also a funny little story that you might enjoy.
He has a really lovely TedTalk that would be great to listen to - about how he became and artist. But if that 20 minutes is too long, try the 5 minute Ted Talk about lunch ladies.
He did a Draw Every Day with JJK on YouTube! Consider drawing with your child over this break!
Health Office
Important Health and Travel advice from the AAS Health Office!
Email: health.office@aas.ru
Email us if any member of your family is not feeling well.
Protect the health of your family and other members of our community by helping our Health Office professionals keep track of any symptoms, contacts, and timelines associated with any illness, not just Covid-19.
Travel Advice
If you decide to travel during the winter holidays, here are some important questions to ask yourself and your loved ones beforehand. These questions can help you decide what is best for you and your family:
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Are you, someone in your household, or someone you will be visiting at increased risk for getting very sick from COVID-19?
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Are cases high or increasing in your community or at your destination? The more cases in your community or at your destination, the more likely you are to get and spread COVID-19 as a result of your door-to-door travel.
- Are hospitals in your community or at your destination overwhelmed with patients who have COVID-19?
- Does your home or destination have requirements or restrictions for travelers?
- During the 14 days before your travel, have you or those you are visiting had close contact with people they don’t live with?
- Do your plans include traveling by bus, train, or airplane, which might make staying 1.5-2m apart difficult?
- Are you traveling with people who don’t live with you?
If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” you should consider making other plans, such as hosting a virtual gathering or delaying your travel.
If your answers are “no” and you do decide to travel, be sure to take these steps during your trip to protect yourself and others from COVID-19:
- Check travel restrictions before you go.
- Check CDC’s Domestic Travel Guidance and consider testing before and after you travel.
- Get your flu shot before you travel.
- Always wear a mask in public settings, when using public transportation, and when around people who you don’t live with.
- Wear your mask correctly over your nose and mouth, secure it under your chin, and make sure it fits snugly against the sides of your face.
- Stay at least 1.5-2m apart from anyone who does not live with you.
- Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your mask, eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Bring extra supplies, such as masks and hand sanitizer.
- If driving, pack your food and limit stops.
If you decide to accept an invitation, or to host a party yourself, here some Safer Celebration Guidelines:
- Attending a Winter Holiday Celebration
In addition to following the steps that everyone can take to make the holidays safer, take these additional steps if attending a gathering to make your celebration safer:
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Have conversations with the host ahead of time to understand expectations for celebrating together.
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Bring your own food, drinks, plates, cups, utensils, and condiment packets.
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Wear a mask indoors and outdoors.
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Avoid shouting or singing.
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Stay home if you are sick or have been near someone who thinks they may have or have been exposed to COVID-19.
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It’s okay if you decide to stay home and remain apart from others. Do what’s best for you.
- Hosting a Winter Holiday Celebration
If you choose to have guests at your home, make sure that everyone follows the steps to make holiday celebrations safer. Other ways you can make your celebration safer include:
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Have conversations with guests ahead of time to set expectations for celebrating together.
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Limit the number of guests.
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Have a small, outdoor celebration with family and friends who live in your community, weather-permitting.
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Have extra unused masks available for your guests and encourage everyone to wear them inside and outside.
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Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items between use.
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If celebrating indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible. You can use a window fan in one of the open windows to blow air out of the window. This will pull fresh air in through the other open windows.
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Have a separate space for guests to wash their hands or provide hand sanitizer.
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Keep background music volume low so guests don’t need to shout.
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Cancel your gathering if you or someone who lives with you is sick or has been near someone who thinks they have or has COVID-19.
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It’s okay if you decide to postpone or cancel your gathering. Do what’s best for you.
Consider Other Winter Holiday Activities
- The safest way to celebrate winter holidays is to celebrate at home with the people you live with.
Here are some ideas for celebrating the winter holidays safely:
- Host a virtual celebration with friends and family
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Schedule a time to eat a meal together virtually and have people show their main dish, vegetable, or dessert.
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Host a virtual “ugly” holiday sweater contest.
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Gather virtually for a gift exchange or activity
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Schedule a time to meet virtually to open gifts together.
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Build gingerbread houses, decorate cookies, or make holiday crafts and decorations.
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Decorate for the season
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Decorate or create a winter holiday scene and take family photos at home.
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Drive or walk around your community to look at decorations from a safe distance or drive through a local holiday light display.
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Make holiday crafts, cards, or cookies to send or deliver to family, friends, and neighbors in a way that does not involve contact with others, such as leaving them at the door.
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Throw a virtual dance party
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For winter holidays that traditionally include music and dance, set aside time with loved ones to meet online to share music and dance.
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Collaborate with friends and family on a holiday playlist.
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Enjoy the winter weather, if you live somewhere with snow
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Hold a snowman or snow angel contest with neighbors or friends in your community.
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Build a snow fort or other snow structure.
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Volunteer and help others in need
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Reach out to your local community service organizations to get involved and give back. Make sure to ask about their safety precautions in advance.
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Find virtual opportunities to contribute.
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Attend a religious ceremony
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CDC offers considerations to help communities of faith decide how best to practice their beliefs while keeping their staff and congregations safe.
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Attending virtual services is the safest way to worship.
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If your holiday traditions usually involve visiting Santa Claus, check local opportunities and know requirements for visiting safely.
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Schedule a virtual visit to the North Pole.
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Visit Santa Claus outside while a wearing mask and staying 6 feet apart.
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If Santa Claus is staying indoors, he will likely be taking safety measures; you may be able to visit him through a plexiglass safety window.
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Winter fun and activities!
We hope you enjoy winter weather with your families and spend time outside as much as you can!
However, we do want to remind you about a few things:
- please remember about the road conditions and the weather changes outside
- dress nice and warm whenever you are planning on spending lots of time outside
- please don’t forget about all the usual covid safety precautions (masks and social distancing).
As much as we would wish for you to enjoy the winter season, we definitely want to see you all healthy and well!
Penguin Life
Email: plife@aas.ru
Winter Season practices will resume the week of January 11, 2021.
Athletics
- Apparel For Sale: Athletics is organizing a sale of travel team sport gear for all students that registered for the fall and winter season. Just because you are not able to travel to a CEESA tournament does not mean you should not be able to buy Penguin Athletics gear.
- Coming soon - we will be opening the merchandise portal on the PL Registration system.
- Depending on your team, you will be able to order; Backpack, duffle bag, water bottle, practice shirt, wet-top pullover, compression shirt, track pants, ladies leggings and more.
- All HS Students / teams Webinar - Equilibria in Sport January 13 & 20 @ 13:00 - Check your email. All HS students were sent a message from their coach, Mr. Boychuk or the HS office about the upcoming communication & leadership Webinar. https://www.equilibriainsports.com/.
- Contact Mr. Boychuk if you have any questions or missed the email
Upcoming Events ***dates & events may change***
- Swim Meets - AAS has been invited to participate in (actual event at AAS pool may vary +/- posted days)
- January 30 - American School In Japan Swim Virtual Meet
- February 27 - Penguin Winter Classic Virtual Swim Meet
- March 13 - American Community School of Athens Virtual Swim Meet
- AIS Vienna Student Lead Leadership Conference
- February 12 - AAS will be submitting student presentations regarding the Penguin Leadership Programs (CIT, LG, WSI, FC, PEvents)
- American School of Warsaw - Virtual Basketball Event
- January/February - HS teams will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of weekly skill based competitions over a 4-5 week period
Cafeteria
Holiday Dinners from the AAS Cafeteria!
AAS Parent-Teacher Organization
email us at: pto@aas.ru
MESSAGE FROM THE PTO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
PTO COMMUNITY COFFEE
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Thank you for joining yesterday's PTO Community coffee, the last one in 2021!
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Yesterday’s meeting was a great opportunity to reflect on what was going on so far and to wish Happy Holidays to the entire community.
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We were honored to have HS students presenting the Blue Dragon initiative, thank you Maria and Amelie for letting us be proud of our AAS students and their commitment to make our world a better place.
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Community Relation Department has shared an update on their initiatives, we appreciate a lot all the efforts and possibility to preview the videos that are shared with the AAS community only in today’s NL.
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English Book Company, our Book fair supplier, wants to thank the AAS community for participating in our first virtual Book fair by offering a special 25% discount to the entire community. Please visit their website https://english-bookshop.ru/ and use promo code: AAS 2021
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Click here to watch the meeting in case you missed it
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Looking forward seeing you all in January
ES UPDATE by INES CREMERS, VP ES
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December is the month of the Winter Holiday Parties
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The students will enjoy a treat, movie and/or craft, some dancing and time together with their classmates, teacher and TA.
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Teachers, TA, single subject teachers, ES staff and ES leadership will enjoy a token of appreciation, made possible by the "ES voluntary gift contribution". Thank you, parents!
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Big thank you also goes out to all the class parents, ES staff and the maintenance team for organising, supporting and contributing to PTO ES!
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Wishing you all a wonderful break and a good start of 2021!
PTO CALENDAR for JANUARY 2021
19th - PTO Community Coffee
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10 am, click here to join
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New Year Resolution session
26th - PTO Connect
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10am, click here to join
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Mexican Cooking Club
PTO Social Clubs
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PTO Walking club
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Leader: Irina Elizarov
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E-mail: irand10@yahoo.com
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Tuesday 8.30 & Friday 14.00
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PTO Tennis club
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Leader: Michele Kuhlen
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E-mail: michele.kuhlen@gmail.com
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PTO cooking club
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Mexican cuisine
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run by professional chef, life streaming
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26th of January, 10am
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