From the Preschool/Elementary School Principal

 

Kindness Week

Next week is Kindness Week in the Preschool and Elementary School. The week kicks off with a Monday morning assembly in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Apart from the weekly birthday quiz, the assembly will be led by some Grade 5 students. Over the course of the week, there will be a range of activities (including some to be completed at home with family members) as well as interactive displays around the school. Please talk with your children about kindness. I encourage you to ask them, “What was something kind that you noticed today?” We will emphasise that Kindness Week is just the start of a year-long effort; the seeds of kindness that we plant in the coming week won’t be forgotten just because the week comes to an end. With care and attention, they will grow and spread through the seasons. It is important to remember that the specific focus of the week is kindness, rather than friendship - which is a related, but altogether different concept. For more information, please read the fascinating and informative article written by our Assistant Principal, Paul Bertolotto.

Open House

Our Preschool and Elementary School Open House sessions will take place this Thursday (7 September 2023). The sessions will provide attending parents with a sense of what success looks like in each class, and how we strive for both academic and social achievement in an ambitious manner. We trust that you will also gain a perception of grade level expectations and how you can assist in making this a year of strong personal growth for any child you have at ISA. Hopefully, you will sense the joy and great fun we have every day in our classrooms. For those who are unable to attend, I know that the classroom teachers will be happy to share links to their presentations, so please do get in touch with them if that is the case.

While we are delighted with the enthusiasm of our students, we don’t intend to go easy on them. A successful partnership in education requires mutual agreement and active support, from home and school, for high expectations, especially in regards to the quality of student work and the encouragement of kindness and student responsibility. 

As the year proceeds, the teachers will continue to keep you well informed of student progress. As parents and carers, we encourage you to communicate with appropriate teachers to share questions, concerns and good news in a timely manner. Our intention is to have ‘NO SURPRISES’; it’s important that we always keep each other informed of student progress and potential concerns. After all, if we deal with something proactively, we will prevent a minor issue from becoming a larger, more complex one. At all times, our goal is to know ‘next steps’ in a child’s learning path. By careful observation of student work and behaviour, and through a constant dialogue (feedback) with each other and with the children, we will ambitiously pursue a year’s growth, providing “Every Child. Every Opportunity”. 

PowerSchool

PowerSchool is central to our communication and record keeping about you and your children. Please do all that you can to ensure that our records are up to date and that all forms are completed. If you are having any problems accessing or navigating PowerSchool, please get in contact with the Elementary Assistant (Diane McBain, dmcbain@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk). You can also refer to this helpsheet to remind you about the completion of forms (especially the “MED2” form). 

After School Activities

We have now completed the first week of our After School Activities program. It has been wonderful to see the children’s enthusiasm for the various activities on offer, from Cuban Salsa dancing to chess - and so much more! Please remember that your child’s after school schedule can be found on PowerSchool. If you have any questions or any information to pass on about your child’s attendance at after school activities, please contact Diane McBain, the Elementary Assistant. It is important to note that children in the Elementary School are not allowed to be unsupervised at any time at ISA; this means that they cannot wait by themselves while a sibling completes an activity. We understand that this might be inconvenient for some people, but the rule exists to ensure the safety of all the young people at ISA.