Volume 6, Number 37 - May 26, 2010
A NOTE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
American International School/Dhaka, United Nations Road, Baridhara, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Phones: 880-2-881-7462, 882-2452. Fax: 880-2-882-3175.
E-mail: info@ais-dhaka.net or admissions@ais-dhaka.net. Website: www.ais-dhaka.net.
No. of Pages - 11
Accredited by
New England Association
of Schools and Colleges
and The Council of
International Schools
Dear AIS/D Family,
I hope and trust that everything’s ducky with you. I used that expression earlier today (don’t ask me why) and then thought, “ I wonder where that expression came from.” As in other instances when I find myself informationally
challenged I turn to the Internet for some answers. About a five-minute search (during lunch, for those of you wondering how I’m spending your/someone else’s hard earned money) revealed that the expression has its origins in Regency Era England (late 18th and early 19th century). The meaning, which has lasted almost two centuries, is things are excellent, though it is usually said sarcastically. In all seriousness, I would like to believe that you’re enjoying the embers of year 2009-10.
I’ve refrained from writing about farewells and yearend issues thus far, and will attempt to restrain myself until next week (that will either give you something to look forward to, or advanced notice to skip to page two of the newsletter). However, there are a few events that are noteworthy for this edition. The first has to do with the High School Senior Class. They are, as I write, on their way to Indonesia for their class trip. Unlike years past, the seniors delayed their trip until after final examinations this year, which concluded on Monday. Accompanied by several high school staff members, they will be spending several days together as a group for one of the last times this year. They will return in time to participate in the Senior Walk-Through, a time honored tradition that sees the seniors, dressed in caps and gowns, parade through the school to the applause and admiration of staff and students. I cordially invite you to witness it for yourself on Wednesday, June 2nd from approximately 10:20-11:00 a.m. That will be followed by the graduation ceremony on the evening of Friday, June 4th. I know that you will join the rest of the school community in thanking the seniors for their contributions to the school, and wishing
them well in all future endeavors.
Yesterday, the 2009-10 PTA held their last meeting of the year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing PTA Executive Committee: Jo Cowell, Farha Qaiser, Karin Austin and Shalini Fernando for enhancing
all of our lives this past school year. They have been a delight to work with and stand for me as examples of what we should model for our children. Their dedication to service and community building play a major role in why people appreciate being part of the AISD family.
One final note that the administration, with the help of school parent, Jyoti Dhingra, are analyzing the responses and comments from the Parent Survey. I will attempt to briefly identify next week some of the areas that will be further explored next year, based on your feedback.
As always, please let me know if there is something that I can do to assist you or your family.
Getting my ducks in a row,
- Walter Plotkin, wplotkin@ais-dhaka.net
Superintendent
Page 2
News fFrom tThe eElementary School
Swim Meet
I look forward to seeing many of you at the swim meet at ISD this Friday morning. This is a wonderful opportunity for many of our students to compete against students from other schools in Dhaka.
Two Weeks To Go!
While many of us are counting down the days until the long summer break, we still have two weeks of school left. Teachers
and students continue to work hard finishing up their final units and assessments. Class parties and farewells are restricted to the last week of school to make the most of teaching time. However we do understand that many families are packing up to move on to new posts. If you have shippers coming before the end of the school year, please let your child’s teacher know before your packing day and they will try to send home as much of your child’s work as possible.
If I can be of any assistance to you or your family, please contact me.
Best regards,
- Caroline Jacoby, cjacoby@ais-dhaka.net
Elementary School Principal
ELEMENTARY SWIM MEET
Hosted by International School Dhaka
MAY 28, 2010
On Friday, May 28, ISD will host the Interschool Elementary Swim Meet for students 11 years of age and younger (on the day of the meet) and currently in Elementary School. Past Swim Meets have been very successful and lots of fun for everyone.
This year's Meet has eight local schools participating: AISD, Grace, EFID, ISD, Red Brick, Canadian Int’l School, Turkish
Hope, Australian Int’l School.
The meet will start at 8:00am and finish at about 12 noon. The pool will be open for warm up laps at 7:30am that morning and there will be a small shop that will sell cold drinks, tea, coffee and snacks.
Competitors must be able to swim at least 25 meters.
This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to have fun and to show their swimming ability. Please enter through the front gate.
Don’t forget your entry pass!
Sincerely,
Jim Cook, jcook@ais-dhaka.net
ES Physical Education Teacher
Page 3
Thursday May 27 at 7:55 a.m. in the AIS/D Theater
Elementary Assembly hosted by Mrs. Bezzerides' Grade 1 class, featuring a Kindergarten Performance, Elementary School Choir Performance, Sam Gerardi and Parker Goldman on piano, an announcement about the summer reading program "Dare to Bear" by Carol Prewitt, and more!
Parents and Friends, Check out all the Informances and Rotunda Concert dates and times
below! Hope to see you there!
Thursday June 3 8:30 - 9:10 Ms. May's Grade 3 Informance in the PA Room
Thursday June 3 10:45 - 11:25 Mrs. Gresback's Grade 2 "Dancing in the Rotunda"
Sunday June 6 1:15 - 1:55 Ms. Bloemarts' Grade 3 Informance in the PA Room
Sunday June 6 2:00 - 2:40 Mrs. Cooper's Grade 3 Informance in the PA Room
Monday June 7 12:15 - 12:55 Ms. Chip's Grade 2 "Dancing in the Rotunda"
Tuesday June 8 10:00 - 10:40 Ms. Jakin's Grade 2 "Dancing in the Rotunda"
Tuesday June 8 10:45 - 11:25 Mrs. Karim's Grade 4 Informance in the PA Room
Tuesday June 8 12:30 - 1:10 Mrs. Luby's Grade 4 Informance in the PA Room
Wednesday June 9 12:35 - 1:15 Ms. Bravo's Grade 4 Informance in the PA Room
- Kelly McKay
Elementary Performing Arts Teacher
Elementary Performing Arts News
News fFrom tThe Middle School
Grade 6 students spent their Flex Day on Thursday, May 24th in Old Dhaka visiting three religious sites as a culminating activity for their fourth quarter Humanities unit. The students toured three famous landmarks in Dhaka City; the Star Mosque, Dhaka Swarhi
Hindu Temple, and the Armenian Christian Church. Students were shown around the various places by 'Guide Tour' guides. They gathered information on worksheets to help them when they returned to school as they created games for each other to play or reflected on what they had learned. After the visits, the students had a set lunch at Casa Greek restaurant in recognition of their work while learning about Greek mythology. This trip wouldn't have been possible without the support of the administration,
Ben Marsh, Lutfur Rahman and the drivers, and Akbar Hossain, who organized security for the event. A special thank you to Shajadul Khan, the manager of Casa Greek Restaurant, who made sure the field trip ended on a positive note with a smoothly prepared and served lunch of taztziki, spanokopita, calamari, chicken souvlaki, and rice.
- Susan Cover, Middle School Teacher
Old Dhaka Field Trip
Page 4
Announcing AIS/Dhaka’s Summer Reading Program
The DARE TO B.E.A.R. (Be Eager Avid Readers) summer reading program, sponsored by our PTA, will begin again on June 10 the day school ends for summer vacation. Students who complete 45 units of reading earn an award of their choice; either a stuffed bear dressed in an Artistic Bear outfit or a gift certificate of 350 taka for the PTA book fair. Research says that maintaining reading during the longer summer vacation helps to keep up skills learned during the school year. Students also get a great start the following year in school as an additional benefit of the extra reading! Thanks in advance to parents for supporting students who will participate. Above all, thanks to our PTA for sponsoring the program! We look forward to good participation
this year!
- Carol Prewitt, cprewitt@ais-dhaka.net
Dare to B.E.A.R.
AIS/D Summer Reading Program
Summer, 2010
As our school year draws to a close it is time to think of summer and along with that comes our Dare to Be Eager Avid Readers program, better known as DARE TO BEAR. Children keep track of their reading in minutes beginning the first day of summer vacation until school resumes in August. Time is built in to allow for some non-reading days. If you register, a booklet detailing the goals and other guidelines will be sent home the last week of school. Please note that even Pre-School and Kindergarten children can participate as you as parents, or older siblings can read to them and that time is counted. Books or any reading material in any language is acceptable.
Please fill out the form completely and choose the award that your child would like to receive if the reading goal is achieved. Please print your child's name and homeroom below.
Please check one below:
____ YES, I would like to participate in the Dare to B.E.A.R. program
____ NO, I would not like to participate in the program this year
Please check one below:
____ If I reach my reading goal, I choose the Artistic Bear
____ If I reach my reading goal, I choose the 350 Taka PTA Book Fair Certificate
I support my child ________________________in Homeroom________in her/his participation
F
irst Name Last Name
in the summer reading program.
PARENT’S SIGNATURE ___________________________________________
If you have any questions regarding your child’s participation please contact Carol Prewitt at cprewittt@ais-dhaka.net
Page 5
News fFrom tThe High School
HS Prom
Thanks to the Junior council and class, the 2010 Prom was a huge success. Not many people realize the huge amount of planning and work that goes into an event like this. The Prom team decorated all night the night before with the help of several parent volunteer. The theme was “Greek Paradise” and the Radisson was decorated accordingly. The best dressed male and female from each grade were awarded certificates and Regine Endtz and Sanjiv Fernando were chosen this year’s prom king and queen (God and Goddess). Music was provided by our very own high school band in combination with a local DJ.
Student Owned Laptops
A reminder that May 27th is the last day to indicate interest in the self owned laptop program. Any interested current grade 10 or 11 student needs to get the necessary forms from the HS office and return them by Thursday.
HS Final Exams
Exams for grades 9-11 start on June 3rd. June 1 and 2 will be review days for each class. Please encourage/help your student
to create a schedule to begin reviewing now so as to avoid late nights during exam week.
Service Learning
Now that all the hours are being tabulated, our students had a very successful year with the various projects the high school took on. Most students earned well over the required 10 hours and there were many innovative ways that AISD contributed to the organizations that we partnered with. For those of you that check Powerschool, you will notice that Service Learning is on the “Quick Lookup” as a Pass/Incomplete course. Students need a “P” for each year to satisfy AISD’s graduation requirements.
The high school has been doing a comprehensive review of our Service Learning initiative as it finishes it’s first year. The faculty did a feedback session in early April. The student body had a feedback session in late April, which was facilitated by our GIN student leaders. All this information has been compiled into a list of recommendations as to how we can improve our initiative next year. This will be shared with the staff and student body next Sunday at our assembly.
- Shaundele Leatherberry, sleatherberry@ais-dhaka.net
High School Principal
Bearer and Support Staff Gift PpresSentation
Each year the PTA purchases gifts for the bearers, security staff and others
at the school as a note of appreciation from the school, the parents and the students for all their hard work throughout the year. Without their commitment to the school, the school would not run as smoothly as it does.
The presentation is open to all parents and staff. We will present the gifts this year on Wednesday June 2nd at 11am in the Cafeteria.
Thanks
Jo Cowell – PTA President
Page 6
SAISA Awards Night Approaching
Invitations were sent out this past week for our “16th Annual SAISA Awards Night,” which will be Monday, May 31st. A banquet for athletes and their immediate family members (parents and siblings) will be served in the canteen beginning at 6:00 p.m., followed by the awards presentations in the Theater beginning at 6:45 p.m. First Semester groups participated
in an Awards Night in November, so this evening will be devoted to JUST 2nd Semester groups: Girls Basketball, Boys Soccer, Tennis, Music, Cricket, Track & Field and Badminton. If a student participated in 1st Semester SAISA only and still wants to attend, they are very welcomed to come—just stop by Mr. Galligan’s office for an invitation.
Elementary Swim Meet May 28th at ISD
ISD is hosting the annual Invitational Elementary Swim Meet on May 28th at ISD. Elementary P.E. teacher Mr. Cook has already coordinated the signing up of our swimmers and sign-ups are now closed. Warm-ups are at 7:30 a.m. and the meet starts at 8:00 a.m. The event is a great way for elementary kids to show off what they’ve learned in P.E. class. Parents and classmates are encouraged to come cheer on our swimmers.
Huge Thanks from the Activities Office
The Activities Office has been involved in several areas this year:
• Elementary After-School Activities
• Middle School After-School Activities
• High School Clubs and Sports Intramurals
• SAISA Sports Teams and Academic Groups
• Discovery Week Class Trips
• Community Education Courses
• Facilities Booking and Coordination, among other things…
All this would not be possible without the support of some very important people; namely YOU, the AIS/D Community
of Families, for making our community a very special one indeed. Whether it’s coming to the games and supporting our athletes or leading a community education activity—I assure you, your support goes a long way to help make the AIS/D community special. Without you, it wouldn’t be possible.
Thank you AIS/D Support Staff for your help in hosting all the events we host this year, from the Talent Show and After-School Activities to tournaments and festivals—thank you. Thank you to all the teacher and student volunteers who assisted at the tournaments and other local events this past year. Your efforts are nothing short of tremendous!
All the activity leaders, club leaders, trip leaders and coaches—thanks for being so special and for supporting AIS/D. I would like to also thank two special people who assist me each day in my job: Mr. Bob Goldman and Mr. Hazrat Ali. Thank you for your continued support.
The AIS/D Board of Directors and Administration, Walter Plotkin, Shaundele Leatherberry, Ben Marsh and Caroline Jacoby—thank you for your support of our extracurricular programs during the year.
If have questions, concerns or ideas about any of our activities, please feel free to contact us in the Activities Office, ext. 125 or 182.
- Michael Galligan, Activities & Athletic Director
- Bob Goldman, Activities Coordinator
fFrom tThe Activities Office
Page 7
fFrom tThe LlibraryCarla Magenheimer AIS/D Library: “Where boredom never Judyth LesseeES Librarian starts and learning never ends. MS/HSLibrarian
Look who was caught reading!
More fun in the library.
Come on over and put your own captions to these very funny cartoons.
See how close your caption is to the real one!
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
The American International School/Dhaka will offer a four week summer school program for students from the ages of 4-12, with a remedial mathematics and language program for ages 10-14. This program will run from Tuesday, June 15th through Monday, July 12th with weekly holidays on Friday and Saturday.
Learning experiences will include math, language arts, ESL, library sciences, french, science, music, drama, cooking, arts and crafts, swimming, soccer, basketball, a weekly clubhouse. There will also be a Design Technology course, offered for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.
Sessions offered:
Option 1 - Full Day Program: 9:00am - 2:30pm
The program includes three hours of academics delivering learning opportunities in language arts, ESL, library sciences, french, math, science, music & drama, computer studies, arts and crafts and Design Technology. The academics are followed
by a 30 minute lunch break and will continue with a two hour sports camp that will include swimming, soccer and basketball. The cost of the full day program for a minimum one week period is $ 250, two week period is $400 or $700 for the entire four week session.
Option 2 - Full Day Remedial Academic Program (Teacher recommendation): 9:00am - 2:30pm
The program is three hours of remedial academic tutorials aimed at individualizing instruction to meet student needs in mathematics and language. The academics are followed by a 30 minute lunch break and will continue with a two hour sports camp that will include swimming, soccer and basketball. The cost of the full day program for a minimum one week period is $ 250, two week period is $400 or $700 for the entire four week session.
Option 3 - Academics: 9:00am - 12:00pm
The program will deliver learning opportunities in language arts, ESL, library sciences, french, math, science, music & drama, computer studies, arts and crafts and Design Technology. The cost of the program for a minimum one week period
is $225, two week period is $350 or $600 for the entire four week session.
Option 4 - Remedial Program -Academics (Teacher recommendation): 9:00am - 12:00pm
The program will provide three hours of remedial academic tutorials aimed at individualizing instruction to meet student
needs in mathematics and language. The cost of the remedial academics program for a minimum one week period is $225, two week period is $350 or $600 for the entire four week session.
Option 5 - Sports: 12:30pm - 2:30pm
This session offers sports activities aimed at developing a sound mind and body. Swimming, soccer and basketball are the three sports in which students will be involved. The cost of the sports program for a minimum one week period is $125, two week period is $175 or $325 for the entire four week session.
Detailed course descriptions are available at the Reception desk at school and at the website:
http://www.ais-dhaka.net/summer_school
Transportation: Bus transportation will be only be provided for students living in the Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara areas.
Registration: Registration forms are available from the Registrar’s
office or visit the school web site, http://www.ais-dhaka.net/summer_school. A non-refundable $50 deposit is required with your registration form to secure a place as class sizes will be limited. Last date of registration: June 7th, 2010. After June 7th, we will accept registration only on the basis of available
space.
Registration forms will be available at the AIS/D registrar’s office
beginning May 2nd, 2010. If you have any questions regarding
the program please contact the registrar at 8822452 or Asif Haque at ahaque@ais-dhaka.net.
Summer School Scholarship Program
The American International School Dhaka is pleased to announce the availability of a limited number of scholarships for their Summer School Program 2010. The recipients of these scholarships will be AIS/D students who have proven financial need and have been recommended by their teacher(s) as students
who would particularly benefit from the academic
and/or social aspects of the Summer School program.
Completed scholarship applications, with a Summer School registration form attached, can be obtained from and should be submitted to, the Elementary Office by May 28th, 2010. Students selected to receive
a scholarship will be notified by May 31st.
Page 11
swimmiSWIMMIng pooPOOl hoHOursS
Open Swim
Wednesday, May 26th - Wednesday, June 2nd
Please note that these hours may change in the future
depending on the actual pool use
Wednesday 26th: 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m., 2:45 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.,
5:10 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Thursday 27th: 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m., 2:45 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday 28th: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Saturday 29th: 8:00 a.m. - 3:50 p.m
Sunday 30th: 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m., 2:45 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.,
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Monday 31st: 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m., 2:45 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday 1st: 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m., 4:10 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.,
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday 2nd: 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m., 2:45 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.,
5:10 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
LUNCH MENU
Please note that A la Carte meal will be served only to Middle/High School Students
CALENDar
DATE
WESTERN MEAL
ASIAN MEAL
Thursday
May. 27th
Vegetarian: Spaghetti Vegetable Balls, Mixed Salad, French Bread, Fruit
A La Carte: Tom Yam Soup, Dinner Rolls, Fried Chicken, Salami & Salad Submarine, Fruit with Yoghurt, Apple, Orange, Banana
Spaghetti Meat Balls
Mixed Salad
Fruit
Sweet & Sour Chicken
Vegetable Fried Noodles
Mixed Vegetables
Fruit
Sunday
May. 30th
Vegetarian: Alu Mattar, Vegetable Fried Rice, Salad, Fruit
A La Carte: Corn Soup, Hot Dog, Chicken Nuggets, Mashed Potato & Mushroom Gravy, Dinner Roll, Salad, Yoghurt, Fruit - Apple, Malta, Banana
Oven Barbeque Chicken
Dinner Roll
Coleslaw
Fruit
Thai Chicken with Ginger
Egg Fried Rice
Salad
Fruit
Monday
May. 31st
Vegetarian: Vegetable Fried Rice, Mixed Vegetable, Mixed Salad, Fruit
A La Carte: Vegetable Soup, Salami Sandwich, Hot Chips, Bread Stick, Plain Yoghurt, Apple, Malta, Banana
Beef with Vegetable & Tomato Gravy
Mexican Rice
Green Salad
Fruit
Chicken Himalaya
Naan Roti
Mixed Salad
Fruit
Tuesday
June 1st
Vegetarian: Oyster Vegetable, Fried Rice, Salad, Fruit
A La Carte: Pumpkin Soup, Garlic Bread, Grilled Chicken Sandwich, French Fries, Hot Dog, Fruit Salad, Apple, Malta, Banana
Macaroni with Cheese Sauce
Steamed Vegetable
Fruit
Chicken with Capsicum
Vegetable Fried Rice
Fruit
Wednesday
June 2nd
Vegetarian: Alu Mattar Paneer, Plain Rice, Green Salad, Fruit
A La Carte: Tomato Soup, Tuna Fish Sandwich, Dinner Roll, Dosa with Sambhar & Coconut Chutney, Fruit in Yoghurt, Apple, Malta, Banana
Swiss Beef Steak
Mashed Potato
Mixed Salad
Fruit
Chicken Dopiaza
Naan Roti
Green Salaad
Fruit
Sunday To Thursday : 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Friday and Saturday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
fitnessFITNESS roomROOM hoursHOURS
Thursday, May 27th
MS Shesh, 7:30 - 11:00 p.m.
Friday, May 28th
ES Swim Meet, 8:00 a.m. at ISD
Monday, May 31st
SAISA Awards Night, 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 1st
Early Release Day: Kg - grade 5, 1:40 pm
Grade 6 - 12, 2:30 pm
Library HoursS
ES Library MS/HS LiBRARYbrary
Sun. through Thursday: Sun., Mon., Tues., & Thursday:
7:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 7:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: Wednesday:
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 7:15 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday:
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
