Category: Weekly News

Dear ES Team, I hope everyone was able to settle into a remote teaching work routine this past week. I know I have been working closely with some of you to support students who are not fully participating in virtual school right now. If you need help communicating with a family or need any type of support for a student, please see this link for information about the system we are trying to implement.   I  miss walking through our hallways and having casual check-ins with everyone– please feel free to touch base with me anytime.  Please add me to your...

Dear ES Team, People, programs, and places are often what we think about when we visualize schools.  As a school we focus on serving the needs of our people, developing and delivering our program, and constructing student centered learning places.   SSIS has always been committed to continuous improvement, which is why we recognize and invest in each of these areas as part of our school’s strategic plan. We know that a well articulated curriculum is an asset– and we should be proud of the alignment work that we have been doing in this area,  but I believe that the...

Dear ES Team, As you know According to directive 708, the HCMC’s People’s Committee is allowing Grade 12 students to return to campus on Monday, March 9.  At this time, no other grades will be allowed to return to campus until Monday, March 16.  Please be aware of these points related to the above decision:   We will all be operating during our normal hours of 7:30am to 3:30pm (faculty) and 7:30am-4:00pm (teaching assistants/staff) As a condition of opening school on Monday, the Ministry of Health requires the school to open windows and use fans in all student areas. The...

  Dear colleagues, We want to first thank you for the great work you have done providing Virtual School to the youngest learners in our school.  Thank you for all of your efforts to deliver high quality learning experiences in a virtual setting! As we move into a mode of extended virtual school, we have started to receive some feedback from parents through a variety of channels.  As parents become partners in the delivery of curriculum, we need to consider strategies that set up our parents for success, such as:  -Simplify: Simplify activities and directions to activities -Video: Videos from...

Dear ES Team, Today our Elementary Leadership team met to organize some professional learning opportunities and other projects.  Our faculty is required to be available to our students and parents each morning from 9:00-11:00am– this practice will remain in place.   If TA’s are available, I’d like to continue working on organizing the Dragon’s Belly– which will include discarding/donating some items.  Ideally, I’d like to work with a small group each morning from 9-11:00am– tackling one section at a time.   There are two PD opportunities for TA’s this week– one session on conferring with Evelyn and one on math problem solving...

Dear ES Team, As most of us have witnessed throughout our careers, school cultures either  thrive or fail based on the quality of teamwork that occurs within the structure.   We are grateful for the teamwork that is embedded in our daily lives at SSIS. The incredible Tết Fair that our TA’s planned is a great example of a well-functioning team’s ability to plan, execute, and support a rich and exceptional learning experience for our students by utilizing the power of the collective capacity.  Our TA team demonstrated creativity, flexibility, passion, and joy– and our entire ES team supported, appreciated, and...

Dear ES Team, A short but busy week is on the horizon.  Tuesday we will begin our Tet celebration immersing ourselves in cultural experiences. The day will be filled with opportunities to learn about and embrace the beautiful culture, country, and people that have graciously welcomed us.  Our TA team has done an amazing job organizing a Tet Fair– here are the plans: Tet Fair 2020   The fair will be most successful if we all energetically and enthusiastically  supervise our students as they participate in the planned activities– all hands will need to be on deck in order for...

Dear ES Team, Traditionally, SSIS has provided Lì xì (Lucky Money) to ALL staff during Tet.  Teachers usually give lucky money and/or a more personal gift (plant, gift card, chocolate, etc) to their TA’s.   In the past teachers also contributed money (50-200 vnd) for the cleaning, gardening, and maintenance staff. Ms. Thuy and Ms. Minh have envelopes for contributions.  On January 21 after school we will gather in the staff room and present “Lucky Money” red envelopes to our valued support group!  Next Wednesday is a Professional Growth Afternoon.  The purpose of this day is to provide space and...

Dear ES Team, Happy New Year!  Whether you’ve just walked through the greatest year of your life, or you experienced a year peppered with personal challenges, the new calendar year is a good time to reflect on warm memories, heal from hard times, and look forward to a year filled with joy, hope, and love and peace!  Donna  Useful Information: Our yearbook theme this year is Building our Future– framed in a construction site theme.  As we think about grade level photos, we’d like to collect (borrow) some costumes and props.  Please bring any items to Minh. Please remember to...