Week Ahead: Aug. 19-23

I have really been enjoying watching this year begin.  Taking a cue from our mindfulness lesson, I hope we all take a few moments to just watch how things are unfolding, to really see how the hard work of preparation has lead to students being joyful, curious, and inquisitive.  Then pat yourself on the back for your role in making that happen!

Here is what’s up this week:

Monday, August 19
Day 8, HEFG (Adv )
*Happy Birthday Alis Gorcea
*Deadline for StuCo Rep elections sign up
1:30-3  Admin mtg (Molly attends)
3:15-4:30 MS Leadership Team (agenda)

Tuesday, August 20
Day 1, ABCD (Adv)

Wednesday, August 21
Day 2, EFGH (Special Schedule)
*Deadline for HL t-shirt designs
3:15-4:30 Full Faculty meeting (auditorium)

Thursday, August 22
Day 3, BCDA (Adv)
*Happy Birthday Catriona Moran
9:30-11 Admin mtg (Molly attends)
6-8:30 MS Curriculum Night (be ready and in place by 5:45)

Friday, August 23
Day 4, FGHE (Adv)
*Happy Birthday Lisa Swiercinsky
– Molly not on campus (attending Wellness Convention in Singapore)

Upcoming (on the radar)

• Aug. 24   6-8pm Saigon International Teacher Social (@Saigon Outcast, D2)
• Aug. 26   Molly at Wellness Conference, Singapore
• Sept. 2  Vietnamese National Day, no school

Physical Wellness in Dragon Days:  To support Physical Wellness activities, we will be running a special schedule.

• 8-9:10 Block 1 (70 min)
• 9:10-9:25 Break (15 min)
• 9:30-10:40 Block 2 (70 min)
• 10:45-12  Block 3 (75 min)
• 12:00-12:40  Lunch (40 min)
• 12:45-1:45 Physical Wellness
• 1:50-3:00  Block 4 (70 min)

Curriculum Night:  This is such an important night for parents and students.  It is an opportunity to really start off with a positive connection.  Please read through the MS Curriculum Night overview.   The document has been updated, and new information is in italics.  Quick notes:  You will have 10 minutes with each class.  Remember there are no bells, so if it is tough for you to attend to time, I suggest you set a timer to go off 1 minute before the end of each session so that you have parents moving at the correct times.  If you have questions about presentation style, please see your grade level team leads, or if you are not on a grade level team, please check in with Ryan Butz, your leadership team representative.

Curriculum Liasons:  From David Chadwell’s email: To support clearer and consistent communication between the Curriculum Office and Divisional Subject Areas/Departments as SSIS grows, we are prototyping Curriculum Liaisons.   Indication of Interest Form

Purpose:

• Clarity of communication to and from Curriculum Office and subject areas (ES) and departments (MS/HS);
• To facilitate conversations with others in divisional subject area/department about curricular topics, get their input, communicate back to Curriculum Office;
• Be the spokesperson for the divisional department;
• Bring subject area/department ideas, suggestions or needs about curricular topics to the Curriculum Office;
• Facilitate EC-12 Vertical Discussion meetings

Wellness presentation materials:  A huge thank you to Alison Leathwood.  It was insightful and inspirational.  Here is the information she shared with us:

• HERE is the link to my slides. All the resources are on the last one. 
• HERE is a direct link to the google folder I put together. 
• Download the Stop, Breathe & Think App to use – FREE for educators 
• Download the Calm App – Free subscription for educators

Saigon International Teacher’s Social, August 24– Come out and meet your international school teaching colleagues from around HCMC.  We connected D2 and D7 faculty last spring and now we are connecting you all.  This takes place at Saigon Outcast in D2 on Saturday, August 24 from 3-6pm.  Please RSVP here so we can get an idea for numbers and transportation.

Get published!  Follow in the footsteps of Brian Benck.  Get published in the EARCOS journal.  From Natalie’s email:  Monday, September 2 is the deadline for submitting articles and press releases for inclusion in the fall ET Journal.  This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight some of the innovative programs going on at your school.  We publish articles on creative curriculum efforts, service learning, community service projects, green and sustainable initiatives, and new campus construction.

Do you want your students to use an app? or have an app added to the iPads?  There is an updated whole-school procedure for requesting new iPad apps or the adoption of a new online learning platform. Check in with David Rynne if you have questions about this.

Want to know more about Hapara?  From my email from Hapara:  Check out our Getting Started with Hapara course to learn about what Hapara is and the best way to use it in the classroom. The course is self-serve and a-la-carte so you can do it at your own pace. Best of all, it’s free to all Hapara teacher-users!   Now is an excellent time of year to join the Hapara Community if you haven’t already. It’s a great way to connect and collaborate with other teachers from all over the world.

Forms?  We got forms!  From business office email:  We would like to inform that Business Office has updated new forms (version 2019) in our SSIS Link. Please start using these forms when requesting purchase or payment from Business Office. The forms are needed to comply with our internal control procedure and prevailing tax laws.

Sunshine Committee Dues– The Sunshine committee organizes a number of great events and celebrates and supports those staff members in need over the course of the year.   In addition to monthly birthday celebrations and organization of departmental breakfasts, Sunshine shows random acts of kindness, flowers and other items to celebrate milestone events in our lives.  Sunshine will organize a whole staff event each quarter.    We will be asking for a 500,000 VND contribution to be paid in the first weeks of school.