Director News
Thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration. I value your partnership in support of learning at AAS.
Thank you to those who attended our second Director's Community Connection of this academic year. If you were not able to join us yesterday evening, the presentation slides are available online. Please plan to join us at the next Director's Community Connections, which will take place on March 24 and May 20.
As shared earlier in the school year, we have faced and continue to face challenges related to supporting the aquatics experiences for our community. The limited visas received this past summer has prevented us from ensuring the level of trained individuals for lifeguarding and water safety needed at times. Safety for those who participate in aquatics is a top priority, so we appreciate your patience when we are not able to meet expectations because of limited qualified staff.
Thank you to all who participated in Saturday night's PTO Fall Social – Quiz Night. It was a great community event, congratulations and thank you to the PTO, particularly the team who organized this great event and all in the community who provided support!
The HS Extended Essay Gallery Walk opened yesterday in the Hall of Flags and will continue until Thursday. Stop by to see what seniors researched and written and help them celebrate this significant accomplishment. Our students appreciate the community support as they engage daily in their learning inside and outside of the classroom!
Congratulations to those students who participated in the MS Play, "The Phantom Tollbooth," it was outstanding. The HS Play, "The 39 Steps," opens today, at 16:00, and has additional performances this Friday at 16:00 and Saturday at 13:00, all in the Malyy Theatre. We look forward to seeing you on campus supporting our actors and actresses!
Thank you in advance for your time and engagement in the Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, November 28. These conferences provide an excellent opportunity to celebrate your children's' learning, as well as to strengthen the learning partnership with teachers.
I have many things in my life to be grateful for, and being a member of this amazing community is one of them! Have a great week!
Rhonda
ES Express
Dear Elementary School Families,
- ES Drama 2020 for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade
- The ES Drama team will be holding auditions this year on Thursday, December 5 and Friday, December 6.
- There are only 30 spaces available for the 2020 ES Drama Musical and, therefore, there will be only 30 spaces available for auditions.
- Parents: We hope that only students seriously interested in performing in a musical will sign up for an audition. Please do not sign up your child for an audition without speaking to him/her first and ensuring this is something she/he wants to commit to doing for 12 weeks.
- The ES Drama team will assign a role to each of the 30 students who audition based on the consideration that everybody who signs up for an audition is someone who is serious about making the commitment to being a part of our show. Audition sign-ups will be coming out through Time Center, the same method used for signing up for Parent-Student-Teacher conferences. Look for this information sent to you on Friday, November 29, at 10:00, when the sign-ups will begin.
- VERY IMPORTANT: If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent a student from attending an audition on December 5 or 6, then please sign-up for one of these audition days/times anyway and contact Ms. Cevallos (kristina.cevallos@aas.ru). We will not open auditions up to those who have not signed up (we can only take 30 students), but we will work on rescheduling with those who have signed up for an audition who are unable to make it on one of those days.
- We are looking forward to creating a wonderful musical production with our 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade thespians!
- It has been a big part of the AAS holiday tradition to support the children of Taganka every holiday season.
- As a CARING community, we would like to continue to donate Christmas gifts to the Taganka Foundation which is an organization that supports children with special needs, troubled teenagers and families who need social and emotional support. We have been supporting the foundation since 1991.
- Gift-giving bags were distributed to classes this week. We would like students to decorate the bags (draw, paint, and make a card to include in the bags to give it a personal touch/connection). Students are asked to bring their filled bags back to school by December 17th. The ES Student Council representatives will collect the bags from classes each day. We encourage students to bring these new items:
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Winter Hat
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Scarf
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Gloves or mittens
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Toys
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Books in Russian
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Christmas Candy
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Art supplies
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Personalized cards made by students
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These items should represent the age or grade level of your student.
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Student Council thanks you in advance for your support!
ES Counselors
Donna Hinton for 3-5 | donna.hinton@aas.ru | Room 2130
- We are approaching the time of year when many parents ask for teacher reference letters to be sent to new schools. We understand that this can be a challenging time for families and that placement in the next school is of utmost importance to families on the move. If your family is approaching a possible transition please keep the following in mind:
- Children can often sense the additional stress in the family that the idea of a move can bring so being as open and honest with your children as possible can help them move through this time more successfully.
- Please let your child’s counselor and teacher know of any potential move as soon as possible, and how your child is coping with the news, so we can be of support.
- Please contact your student’s counselor first for: reference letters, online teacher evaluation, requests for report cards, MAP reports and new school assessments.
- Please note that all teacher/counselor or principal references are confidential. Our procedure is that the confidential teacher reference forms or letters are sent directly to the new school by the school counselors or counseling department.
- The counseling department will arrange for all documentation requested by parents to be sent to the application school(s). References and records usually take 1-2 weeks to complete. Transition letter from Counselors | Transition Information for Parents
- We best support our students moving on successfully when the potential new school receives all the information they need to allow them to meet a child’s needs. We want to help students end their time as AAS as positively as possible to prepare them to start well in their next school.
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Love and Logic Parenting Workshop We invite parents of all ages to join us for Love and Logic Parenting Classes. This is a great workshop that includes reading material, videos, discussions and the opportunity to learn and practice effective parenting skills. It’s a fun time to get with other parents, share the joys, challenges and humor of raising children. We will be running Love and Logic for 6 weeks on Thursday mornings and we encourage that you commit for all 6 sessions if possible as the sessions build upon one another and are most effective when taken as a whole. If you can’t make all 6 you are still welcome to attend and learn some new effective parenting tools. Some parents who have participated in Love and Logic may also be interested in attending some of the sessions as a refresher. All are welcome but please let us know you are coming so we have resources for you.
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Dates: January 16, 23, 30, February 13, 27, March 12
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Day and Time: Thursdays 8:45 - 10:15
- Location: Community Room
- Cost: Workbooks 600 Rubles
- Register by emailing donna.hinton@aas.ru or sharon.ronan@aas.ru.
- Please contact Donna or Sharon if you have any further questions.
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Teacher Blogs
ES Calendar
Calendar & Category Legend:
- Elementary School
- PTO
- Schoolwide
What's Up in MS
Noah Bohnen noah.bohnen@aas.ru
Congratulations to our MS Speech and Debate students who competed in Warsaw this weekend. They did a fantastic job and represented AAS very well. In Debate, the team of Helena T. and Davit H. earned 2nd place; in Impromptu, Davit H. earned 3rd place, and Helena T. earned 1st place. Nicky B. (Original Oratory) and Soheun L. (Oral Interpretation of Lit) each earned a spot in the finals, which put them in the top 5 of their category. Well done, Penguins!
Tomorrow, November 28, 8:00-16:00, we will hold MS Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences in the North Gym. This day is an opportunity for parents and students to meet with teachers and discuss student progress. Teachers will be in the North Gym. A reminder to Ms. Johnson, Ms. Risdon, and Mrs. Cushman’s 6th-grade parents that three-way conferences with Humanities teachers will be in those teacher’s rooms. If you are not able to attend conferences but would like to speak to one of the teachers, please contact that teacher directly, and they will set up a time soon to discuss your child’s progress.
The Family Portal for JumpRope might look a bit different from the last time you logged on. We have now activated the Current Grades feature of the application. This will allow you to see more information regarding your student’s progress. To further understand the new view capabilities, Mr. Carpenter has provided this helpful slideshow to guide you through the changes.
Next week we will start the Holiday Concert season in the MS. On Tuesday, December 3 we will have the Choir concert in the Bolshoi Theatre at 18:00 and Thursday, December 5 at 18:00 we will have our Band concert. The following week, December 10, will be the Strings concert, also at 18:00. Please come out and support our musicians!
Another exciting MS Social will be on December 6, 16:30-19:30. The theme is Shrek the Halls. Entry fee is 100 Rubles.
A gentle reminder to students and parents of our late/tardy policy. The AAS MS Handbook states: “Students are expected to be prepared and on time for classes. In the event of tardiness, the following procedure is used: If a student is late three times in a quarter, his/her parents are notified. The student will earn detention in the event of subsequent tardiness during this time period. Tardiness is tracked on a weekly basis.” Lateness due to speaking with a teacher, counselor, or visit to the health office does not count - but students should have a pass from those locations to excuse their tardiness.
After School Hours - We welcome students making use of our facilities for quiet study and involvement in after-school activities and athletics. However, because we don’t offer supervision, MS students are not allowed to simply hang out after school. Students should be on the bus immediately following the end of their activities, and the arrival of family drivers should be arranged appropriately. Students who are awaiting the arrival of a driver who is late are expected to sit quietly at the front door near security or in the student lounge. If students are not following these expectations, they may lose the privilege of staying after school.
Finally, it is the last week of Movember. If you see some MS teachers during Student-Parent-Teacher conferences sporting mustaches, they are participating in Movember, which raises awareness for men’s health. If you would like to know more, stop and ask how you can support this great cause.
MS Counselor
James Villers| james.villers@aas.ru | Room 2075
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MS Parent-Student-Teacher conferences are Thursday. The conferences are an excellent opportunity to strengthen the vital partnership between school and home. I will be available for meetings. You can email me to set up a time, or simply come speak to me in the North Gym.
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Feeling the impact of those late sunrises and early sunsets? Here are a few recommended strategies that might help: getting outside during the day whenever possible; regular exercise, sleep, and eating patterns; and light therapy. Socializing with others, listening to upbeat music, and maintaining regular routines can be helpful, too. Research in positive psychology says that we can train ourselves to be happier. If that idea interests you, you might enjoy this engaging TED Talk, “The happy secret to better work.”
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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a more serious concern, however, and might require treatment from a doctor. If you find that the above-mentioned strategies aren’t helping your child combat his or her problematic feelings, please let us know, and contact your physician. More information can be found in this short article.
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Love and Logic Parenting Workshop We invite parents of all ages to join us for Love and Logic Parenting Classes. This is a great workshop that includes reading material, videos, discussions and the opportunity to learn and practice effective parenting skills. It’s a fun time to get with other parents, share the joys, challenges and humor of raising children. We will be running Love and Logic for 6 weeks on Thursday mornings and we encourage that you commit for all 6 sessions if possible as the sessions build upon one another and are most effective when taken as a whole. If you can’t make all 6 you are still welcome to attend and learn some new effective parenting tools. Some parents who have participated in Love and Logic may also be interested in attending some of the sessions as a refresher. All are welcome but please let us know you are coming so we have resources for you.
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Dates: January 16, 23, 30, February 13, 27, March 12
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Day and Time: Thursdays 8:45 - 10:15
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Location: Community Room | Cost: Workbooks 600 Rubles
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Register by emailing donna.hinton@aas.ru or sharon.ronan@aas.ru.
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MS Calendar
Calendar & Category Legend:
- Middle School
- PTO
- Schoolwide
IB Office
Sean Sonderman sean.sonderman@aas.ru
HS Flash
HS Associate Principal, Matthew Groves matthew.groves@aas.ru
Congratulations to our Speech and Debate Team - they represented AAS Moscow with honor and brought home the most medals in school history!
The Extended Essay Gallery Walk is taking place this week in the Hall of Flags. These research projects are a significant part of the IB Diploma experience. Please stop and have a look at the variety of topics investigated by this year’s seniors.
The high school theatre department proudly presents “39 Steps”. Please come and support the production; performance times are Wed, November 27 @ 16:00, Friday, November 29 @ 16:00 and Saturday, November 30 @ 13:00.
Next week our concerts begin, with Choir on Tuesday Dec. 3 and Band on Thurs. Dec. 5. Come enjoy the soothing and artistic sounds of our student musicians.
Have a great week!
HS Counselors
Bryn Will bryn.will@aas.ru
Lauren Zimmerman lauren.zimmerman@aas.ru
This week the National Honor Society presented to the grade 10 students about options for summer activities. These activities ranged from academic programs on university campuses to adventure camps to summer jobs. The NHS students encouraged their peers to make the most of their summers to grow as scholars, athletes and individuals. If you or your child are interested in learning more about options for the summer, please reach out to the counselors for ideas. Here are some examples from NHS:
- Yale Young Global Scholars
- Sail Caribbean
- MICA Art and Design Residency
- Discovery Internships
- Moscow State University Language Program
College Coffees: The last College Coffees will take place on December 5 and 12 at 8:45 in the Cafeteria. Please join to explore university-related questions at this time. No appointment necessary – just stop by for a chat.
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Dates: January 16, 23, 30, February 13, 27, March 12
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Day and Time: Thursdays 8:45 - 10:15
- Location: Community Room
- Cost: Workbooks 600 Rubles
- Register by emailing donna.hinton@aas.ru or sharon.ronan@aas.ru.
- Please contact Donna or Sharon if you have any further questions.
HS Calendar
Calendar & Category Legend:
- High School
- PTO
- Schoolwide
HS Discovery Week
HS Discovery Week: Participants lists and Late registration
- Thanks to everyone who completed registration for HS Discovery Week 2020.
- Lists of participants by travel group are available at https://www.aas.ru/student-life/penguin-life/hs/discovery-week
- Password in the newsletter email.
- Scroll down to see all of the destinations.
- If you missed registration window or didn’t complete the registration process, you may still apply for limited spaces available. Please request for the trip choice HERE and pay the deposit with AAS cashier before December 2.
MS/HS Activities & Athletics
Aquatics
Athletics/Aquatics: Kirby Boychuk | kirby.boychuk@aas.ru
- 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 1.
- UPDATE! Individual Swimming Lessons
- Read ALL INFORMATION in the Individual Swimming Lesson Section of the website
- Registration for Individual Swimming Instruction is now available.
Library News
Open 10:00 – 13:00 on the following Saturdays:
Jan. 18, Feb. 1, Mar. 14, Apr.18, May 30, Jun. 13
- Thursday Conferences Day is an excellent time to clear up any library business! If you’ve had any questions about emails for you and your children, or would like to learn about any of our services, it is an excellent opportunity. The library will be open all day on the fourth floor, and there will be a librarian in the North Gym with the MS/HS teachers. We are ready to assist you with anything you might need.
- The library will be pulling out the winter holiday books and putting up sticker art on that day just for you!
- Get ready for Laurie Halse Anderson in December, who writes mostly for grades 5 and up. Check out her website here and stop up in the library to buy a book for her to sign. It would make a great present for the winter holidays.
- Check out our Overdrive here and email library@aas.ru if you need an account set up.
- Upcoming Library Events:
- November 28 (Thursday): We are open on Conferences Day. Come talk library business, grab a new book, or pick up a Laurie Halse Anderson book.
- December 9-12 (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).
Eco-Green Committee News
Email Us | ecogreen@aas.ru
Eco-Green Blog | http://blogs.aas.ru/green/
Facebook | Click here
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Earth Charter is organising an online course for educators to integrate education about sustainable development into classrooms and curricula. This online course runs from 15 January - 24 June 2020.
Student Organized News and Events
NHS PEER TUTORING
Scouts
Cub Scouts
- Our next meeting is Saturday, 30 Nov 2019, in the South Cafeteria
- We will be doing our Raingutter Regatta – the kids build boats and race them.
- Sign up your child K-5th grade and don’t miss out on the next fun adventure.
- Our Girls group is growing. Girls in grades 2-4 are encouraged to come and see what the scouts have to offer.
- For more information, you can email us at cubscoutsofmoscow@gmail.com
Health Office News
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 231-4488 ext. 3911, or e-mail us at health.office@aas.ru
From the PTO President
PTO Quiz Night - Thank you
- A huge thank you to Chantal and Renee for organizing a brilliant Quiz night event on Saturday.
- A special thank you to Kelsey Hedrick Quiz Master and her team of judges for making the event possible.
- A big round of applause for Noah Bohnen - the MC of the evening.
- A Special Thank You to the Teachers' Band for an extra ordinary evening of music.
- Another Special Thank You to Asya Grigoryan for creating all the beautiful flower arrangements.
- A Heartfelt Thank You to VSG for sponsoring all the audio-visual equipments and tech support for the entire event. It had a major positive impact on the event.
- Big Thank You to our sponsors - Pepsico, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Campari, and Bacardi for sponsoring all the beverages for the evening.
- Thank You to all the donors who supported the event by donating the fabulous raffle prizes for the Quiz night.
- Another Special Thank You goes out to Vitali, Anastasia and Alexander from the AAS Communications team.
- We are very grateful for all the support from Alexander and Dima from our IT and our team from Facilities and 4SQ teams.
- Thank You to Kari and his team from D&D Catering.
- Finally, and most importantly THANK YOU to our vibrant AAS community for joining in with the spirit of the event and supporting us.
- Event Photos
PTO Enhancement Grants
- PTO Enhancement Grants e-vote has ended on Monday, 25.11. The proposal for ES Makerspace has been approved by a majority of 91.8% and will be funded by the PTO.
PTO New Book Fair
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Usbourne books will be selling English language books for all ages Tuesday to Thursday, December 10-12, in the Malyy.
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We have extended the range of books for teenagers and adults.
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There will be an excellent selection of newly published and best-selling books to choose from.
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Parents are welcome to attend anytime during the three-day event.
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If you have any questions, please contact the event coordinators at pto.newbooks@aas.ru.
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We need your help to host this event, please volunteer
PTO Community Coffee
- Our next PTO Community Coffee - The Holiday Coffee will be on Tuesday, December 17, at 8:45, in the South Cafeteria.
Movember
- If you see faculty members sporting a mustache this month, ask them about Movember - Men's Health awareness month and how you can support raising awareness.
- Among many, MS Principal Noah Bohnen, and HS Economics teacher, Mr. Andrew Wiese have been raising funds and building awareness for many years.
- You can support them via their respective Movember fundraising pages. Mr. Bohnen (in Canadian dollars) | Mr. Weise (in USD)
Divisional Updates
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MS - The next MS Social is scheduled for December 6. We are looking for parents to send in desserts in Holiday spirit. Please drop off the baked desserts before 5.00pm at MS office Please Email Marjo Vaessen (PTO MS VP) at pto.ms@aas.ru with any questions.
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HS - Grade 12 Holiday lunch is on Wednesday December 4th at 12 noon. Grade 12 parents will receive mails from HS office with details. Please email Dayra at PTO.HS@aas.ru, if you have any questions.
Volunteer Here
- Being a volunteer is a great way to meet people, have fun and give back to the AAS community.
- If you are interested in volunteering for the PTO, please contact Ines Cremers (PTO Secretary) at pto.secretary@aas.ru
New Book Fair
On the Go with PTO
- Join us in exploring Moscow!
- Every month we offer new activities, new tours - we will visit the unique attractions of our host city together, we will have lunch together, we will go and visit theaters together, we will join in sports together, every month something new! Everyone is welcome! Please send an email to pto.internal@aas.ru
- Upcoming Cultural trip in December - Russian Women and Stories of Love
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Date: December 5 | Time: 10.30 am
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Tour duration: 1,5-2 hours
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Tour cost: 1900 RUB (including admission)
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Sign up until December 3 at Pto.internal@aas.ru
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PTO Exchange and Shop
PTO EXCHANGE:
- New! Get your children and yourself ready for the skating season! SKATES are available at the PTO Exchange for 6 SwapTickets (or 600rub), as well as a limited number of skate bags. Open air skating rinks are opening in Moscow this week!
- AAS Winter Concerts are approaching, and FORMAL SHOES are on sale at the PTO Exchange starting today (27.11) and until December 13th - now for 4 Swap Tickets (or 400rub).
- A place to swap gently-used ES, MS, and PE uniforms, books, skates, and shoes.
- Click here to view the full information, including opening hours.
PTO SHOP:
- New! Holiday items are already on display at PTO Shop. Please drop in and have a look.
- Click here to view the full information, including opening hours.