WELCOME TO THE ES EXPRESS!
Weekly ES News
June 16, 2021
ES Express
ES Senior Associate Principal Eric.Burnett@aas.ru
Dear ES Families,
❤️ Thank You
The Elementary School would like to thank our students and families for an unusual but amazing year that pushed us all to learn in new ways, promoted flexibility and creativity and depended on enhanced partnerships.
📊 Report Cards
Report cards will be sent to families electronically via Email.
☀️ Summer Learning
We encourage families to keep their children learning over the summer.
Daily reading is the single biggest factor that predicts school success for students. This includes, reading, being read to, and listening to books. Conversations about what has been read/listened to helps to develop comprehension, understanding and inference skills. As you think about the holiday, we highly encourage you to have enough books on hand so that your child can read on a daily basis over the summer.
A way for students to continue to grow as writers is to promote writing for a purpose. This could include:
- writing shopping lists
- daily diary or journal entries
- connecting with friends or family through letters
- sharing persuasive writing to promote change
🗓 Next Year
For those families that are moving on to a new adventure, we hope all the best for you through that transition. Please keep in touch.
For those families returning to the AAS Community, we look forward to catching up with you in August.
Donna and Jeff Hinton would like to thank you for seven amazing years. The AAS Community is a wonderful and special place and they will very much miss their AAS Family as they move to spend time with their Canadian Family and and take time to pursue their professional goals. They leave you in the competent hands of Julie Villers and Eric Burnett.
Have a safe and enjoyable summer.
The ES Leadership
ES Counselors
Greetings from the ES Counselors,
☀️ Summer Recommendations
READ daily for a few minutes.
Read books to your siblings, read to your parents, grandparents, just read. If you don’t speak English daily at home, make sure you read in English.
WRITE a little each day.
You can write letters, stories, shopping lists, and diaries.
PLAY outdoors daily.
It’s better for you to have a break from screens and get fresh air and sunshine. Gather some friends (COVID safety-permitting) and enjoy free play outdoors.
SLEEP on a regular schedule.
You will want to stay up very late for a few special events. Otherwise keep a fairly regular sleep schedule. In early August, start going to bed a few minutes earlier each night to work back to a school night sleep schedule.
WATCH for communication from AAS.
We will send our schedules and announcements. Just a few days before school starts, we will send our classlists.
😎 7 Kinds of Rest
We posted this a couple of months ago but as we head into summer it is a reminder we can all use and is beneficial for both your children as well as yourself.
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a physician, researcher and the author of the book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity says we all need 7 different kinds of rest:
- Physical rest, both passive (sleeping/napping) or active (yoga, stretching, deep breathing, massage) that help improve the body’s circulation and flexibility
- Mental rest (short brain breaks)
Many teachers incorporate brain break activities into their students' day to ready them for more learning. - Sensory rest (from devices, electronics and screen time)
Your child should be off all devices at least an hour before bedtime - Creative rest (Nature, the Arts, or a good book)
To reawaken the awe and wonder inside each of us. - Emotional rest (The courage to be authentic and talk about how you are really doing to someone who cares)
- Social rest (in person or virtually)
Spending time with a good friend or taking a break from socializing - Spiritual rest
Doing things that give you a sense of purpose or meaning
Sleep alone can’t restore us to the point we feel rested. What type of rest might your kids need that they are not getting enough of? How can you help them incorporate that rest into their week? What type of rest do you need as parents or individuals?
❤️ A Note from Donna
I don’t know how to adequately say thank you to all the ES children and families I have had the pleasure to know and support over these last 7 years. I have known some of our 5th graders since they were in Pre K and we were all new AAS Penguins together. Some students I have just met this year. To all the amazing ES students I have so enjoyed getting to know you. You have put a smile on my face and a spring in my step each and every day. To all the caring parents who I have had the opportunity to partner with in support of your wonderful children, thank you for your trust and your support. I will miss ES and the AAS family immensely. AAS is a unique and special place because of all the fabulous people who put the care and courage into making this a community like no other. I wish AAS and our students the brightest of futures as you embark next year in this next chapter. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of being a Penguin.
Warmest regards,
Donna.
Please have a lovely restful, relaxing and healthy summer! It has been our pleasure to support your children this year!
June 9, 2021
ES Express
ES Senior Associate Principal Eric.Burnett@aas.ru
It is an exciting and reflective time as the 2020 2021 school year comes to a close.
🌼 ES Summer Field Day
June 11
This Friday, the ES will have their Summer Field Day (weather permitting).
Please support your child in coming prepared. All items, as always, need to have the students name and class code on them.
- Athletic clothes (easy to move in)
- Jacket (preferably water resistant)
- Extra pair of socks to change into after
- Athletic shoes
- Water Bottle
- Sunscreen
- Hat or Sunglasses (Optional)
Thank you to the PTO for organizing cool treats. We look forward to a fun day with students on the field.
☝️ Grade Five Moving Up Ceremony
On Monday, the Grade Five classes recorded their Moving Up Ceremony, one class at a time.
All of the Grade Five classes will watch the ceremony on Tuesday, June 15 as they enjoy treats provided by the PTO and as a part of their Year End Class Parties. The link to the ceremony will be shared with parents once the video is edited. Enjoy.
📖 Home Learning/Homework
There are numerous research articles on the appropriateness of homework for Elementary Students.
The guidelines on Home Learning in the ES at AAS are below.
- The intellectual demands placed on students at the Elementary School are great. Educators require students to produce quality work (work created to the best of their ability), and they work with students to ensure their academic potential is met. To support classroom learning, educators will assign a limited amount of home learning during the week. Four times a week, students in Grades 1 - 5 will only receive home learning assignments that include reading, and, if applicable, instrument practice and project completion. Aside from special project completion, home learning will not be assigned on weekends.
- All students are expected to read or be read to on a daily basis.
- When home learning is assigned, educators will ensure that students know exactly what is required. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the work and to inform their parents that it has been done. Teachers will use these home learning opportunities to motivate students into taking responsibility for their own learning, to strengthen links between learning at school and at home, and to enrich classroom learning.
- Home learning will be given when a student misses school due to a long illness and, upon the student’s return, appropriate steps will be taken to support his/her acquisition of key content and skills. Home learning will not be given for holidays taken outside the school calendar. Please read section 3.7 “Extended Absences” for further explanation.
- There are many other ways that students’ home lives can be filled with educational activities in support of those experienced at school. These include writing letters, keeping a diary, crossword/missing word puzzles, playing board games, cooking, talking, and planning trips.
📺 YouTube
Here is an article about the new parental controls on YouTube, a way for parents and guardians to ensure safer age appropriate navigation of YouTube for children.
🗓 Last Day of School
June 16
Please remember that the last day of school is Wednesday, June 16.
This day will not be a late start and students will be dismissed at 12:00. Lunch will not be served this day and students should bring their own snacks from home as usual.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
The ES Leadership Team
ES Counselors
Greetings from the ES Counselors,
👍 Finishing the School Year Well
As we approach the finish line for this school year the teachers, counselors and ES admin are encouraging students to finish well.
For some students it is the importance of finishing well so that they can start well in their next country, city or school. For most it is the value of finishing well in their current grade and class in anticipation of a new year of challenge and growth as they continue their learning journey here at AAS. This is a year that has truly required courage, care and compassion as we have all faced so many challenges and navigated the various learning pathways needed at that time to best meet student needs and provide the safest current scenarios possible in which to provide for our students and community. If ever there was a year to finish well, it is this one.
We value your partnership in supporting your children to end this unprecedented year strong. Please reach out to your child’s counselor if we can be of assistance.
Below are a few articles that you may find of interest in these final days.
4 Ways to Help Your Student Finish the School Year Strong
The Importance of Ending The School Year Well
19 Super Fun Ways to Celebrate the Last Day of School
🤝 Transition Support
At this time of year 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 coordinates 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
Tech Back Up Letter for Leaving Students
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.
Please contact your child’s counselor if you have any questions about wellness, transition or any other issues or concerns that impact your child and family.
June 2, 2021
ES Express
It is hard to believe that this school year is coming to an end in just two weeks. It has been an incredibly interesting year.
🌻 ES Summer Field Day
June 11
We are excited to announce that Summer Field Day for Elementary School is just around the corner!
Students will get to participate in racket games, relay races, throwing tasks, and building challenges. In keeping with the Elementary School Covid mitigations, each grade will have its own summer field day time slot. To help students stay comfortable for the day there are a few things to make sure your child has:
- Athletic clothes (easy to move in)
- Jacket (preferably water resistant)
- Extra pair of socks to change into after
- Athletic shoes
- Water Bottle
- Sunscreen
- Hat or Sunglasses (Optional)
A special thank you to the PTO for organizing cool treats. We look forward to seeing all the students on the field for Field day!
📊 MAP Parent Session and Reports
Wednesday, June 9, 11:00 & 18:00
Next Wednesday there will be two MAP Parent Sessions offered - 11:00-12:00 and 18:00-19:00 at Kirsten Welbes' webex.
At this session, Kirsten will review how parents, teachers and the school use MAP data.
MAP reports will be sent out to parents by end of the day on Friday, June 11.
If you would like a more in-depth report for your child, please email Kirsten at kirsten.welbes@aas.ru and share your child's name, their grade and their homeroom/advisory teacher.
📚 Last Day of School
June 16
Please note that the last day of school is Wednesday, June 16. This day will not be a late start and students will be dismissed at 12:00. Lunch will not be served this day and students should bring their own snacks from home as usual.
🔎 Grade One Unit of Inquiry
Grade One is currently working on their How We Organize Ourselves Unit of Inquiry. This is an integrated unit with Reading and Writing.
- The Central Idea Of This Unit Is:
Events have systems, need organization, and develop a sense of community.
- The Lines of Inquiry Are:
- An inquiry into systems required to organize an event.
- An inquiry into how we cooperate and collaborate to organize events (roles and responsibilities).
- An inquiry into how events can promote a sense of community.
- The Key Concepts Are:
- Function - Students will learn about systems used in our community and the planning needed to coordinate events.
- Responsibility - Students will determine their role within a system and fulfill their responsibilities to help the event happen smoothly.
As a part of this unit, Grade One students are working on solving problems through design thinking.
Grade 1KJ is trying to solve the problem of how to better organize items on or around their desks. Sandra wants to make a box. For this box she needs 1 square piece of cardboard and 4 pieces that are identical for the sides. This is a great project for our laser cutter as it can cut exact shapes with ease. So Sandra gave Ms. Hart her measurements and together they worked with the laser to cut out her cardboard shapes.
Enjoy your Wednesday,
The ES Leadership Team
ES Counselors
Greetings from the ES Counselors,
In our guidance lessons, we are talking with students about upcoming transitions. Your students are talking about their concerns about the next school year. Common themes are:
- What will my teacher be like?
- Which friends will be in my class?
- Will the math be much harder?
- Will I get lost on the first day of school?
- Will I forget a lot over the summer?
- Will COVID-19 be gone from the world?
- Will I grow a lot over the summer?
- How many of my friends will move away?
- What will the new kids be like?
We are listening to each concern and giving age appropriate answers. No questions are silly and each concern is valid. Please ask your child(ren) how they are feeling about next year. Please reach out to us if there are any significant concerns.
🤝 Transition Support
At this time of year 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 coordinates 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
Tech Back Up Letter for Leaving Students
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.
Please contact your child’s counselor if you have any questions about wellness, transition or any other issues or concerns that impact your child and family.
May 26, 2021
ES Express
Dear ES Families,
We hope that you have been able to enjoy some of the amazing weather we have had in Moscow as of late!
🖐 Grade Five
If you missed the Grade 5-6 Transition Parent Meeting yesterday morning, here is the link to the recording of the session and the slide deck presentation.
Watch the Recording See the Slides
If you have any questions about your child’s transition to the Middle School, do not hesitate to contact them.
Karisti Cormier | MS Sr. Associate Principal
karisti.cormier@aas.ru
Alexander Lopez-Barton | MS Associate Principal
alexander.lopez-barton@aas.ru
James Villers | MS Counselor
james.villers@aas.ru
🎉 End of Year Celebrations
June 11 - 16
As we begin the last three weeks of learning, here are some events we have planned to help celebrate and create closure for the 2020-2021 School Year.
Thank you to the PTO for their support.
- PTO Craft Fair June 11
- ES Summer Field Day June 11
- Grade Five Moving Up Ceremony June 15 | virtual
- End of Year Class Parties June 15
- Good-By Popcorn Parties For Students Leaving AAS
- Last Day of School with Early Dismissal Wednesday, June 16, 12:00 | no lunch that day
- Report Cards Sent Electronically
We hope the rest of your week goes well,
The ES Leadership Team
ES Counselors
Greetings from the ES Counselors,
Thank you to students and families for your participation in Wellness week last week. It was great to see all the school spirit and focus on healthy practices. Thankful Thursday and ES students sending messages of gratitude to others in our community inspired others to do the same. Well done to our penguins!
🐧 Finishing the School Year Well
As we near the end of a school year that has been challenging in so many ways students can run out of steam to finish well.
This short article from Scholastic has a few simple tips to finish strong.
Lead by Example.
Demonstrate for your child what it means to finish strong and develop their own grit, determination, perseverance and resilience to see this year through. Involve them in summer planning to hear what they think they will need to return to school in August recharged and ready to continue their learning journey.
Stick to the Routine.
As the Sun stays up later and rises earlier, kids' needs for a good night’s sleep have not changed. Keep bedtime consistent with the rest of the school year. Maintain balance and routines around reading, family and play time.
Set 1-2 Reasonable and Reachable Goals.
Goals are a great tool to help your child to stay motivated, on task and eager to learn. What small challenging but reachable goal can your child work on achieving in our final few weeks of school this year? Support your child in determining what steps they can take to achieve their goals.
Adapted from "4 Ways to Help Your Student Finish the School Year Strong" by Bekki Lindner.
🤝 Transition Support
At this time of year 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 coordinates 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
Tech Back Up Letter for Leaving Students
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.
Please contact your child’s counselor if you have any questions about wellness, transition or any other issues or concerns that impact your child and family.
May 19, 2021
ES Express
It looks like we have moved into some warm summerlike weather. We hope that you and your family have had an opportunity to enjoy both the warmth and the longer days of sunshine.
🍏 Wellness Week
May 17 - 22
This week, from PreK to High School, AAS has been celebrating Wellness Week - taking time in our lives to ensure we take care of the health of ourselves and others.
Each day there have been special dress up day options and activities for students and educators to practice care. Individuals looked comfy in their pajamas on Monday, colourful in flowers no Tuesday and there was some crazy hair and wear today.
Check out the Wellness Week slideshow for ideas for your child(ren) for tomorrow and Friday. Students may wear the alternate dress theme or their uniform to school on these last two days of Wellness week.
🙏 PTO
The AAS PTO is currently looking for a VP ES PTO Representative for the 2021 - 2022 School Year.
If you are interested (which is very much appreciated), please contact Ines Cremers.
🚨 Code Red
We had a successful announced Code Red Drill this morning.
We routinely have emergency drills at school so that children and educators have the opportunity to practice how to respond in emergency situations. These drills also give us the opportunity to reflect and improve on our emergency procedures.
Take care,
The ES Leadership Team
ES Counselors
🌱 Wellness Week
May 17 - 21
Our ES Student Council has been helping plan some Spirit Dress Days and Wellness activities for our ES Students as we celebrate Wellness Week at AAS.
- Thankful Thursday
Rainbow Colors / Positive Slogans - Fitness Friday
Sports Wear / Team Jerseys
Thank you for supporting our Wellness Week!
🐧 Transition
Build a RAFT to help your family navigate the waters of transition.
Adapted from Dave Pollock, Leave Right: Enter Right: Thriving Through Transition, www.tckinteract.net 2003
- Reconciling conflict with others...
Make peace. Fix any broken relationships as much as possible.
- Affirming relationships...
Aside from your family, who in Moscow matters most to you?
Tell them, send them notes, let your children write letters to them.
- Farewell to people, places, pets, & possessions...
Check off your Bucket List before you go.
Exchange contact information.
- Thinking ahead to your destination...
Be honest with yourself about hopes, anxieties, questions you have.
Make an informational contact in your new place.
🤝 Transition Support
At this time of year 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 coordinates 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
Tech Back Up Letter for Leaving Students
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.
🧒 Pause, Reset, Nourish
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has this great resource on practices that promote wellbeing and enhance resilience in just a few short minutes. Use P.R.N. - Pause, Reset, Nourish - when you gauge your distress level could use a little self-care.
Modeling well-being and self care practices is an important component in helping our children develop their own strategies for healthy coping and thriving. The ES counselors are available if you have any questions about mental health or wellness.
Please contact your child’s counselor if you have any questions about wellness, transition or any other issues or concerns that impact your child and family.