Director's Message

A year of new beginnings

  We are already off to a great start!! It*s been great hearing all the fascinating stories students have been telling us about their holidays. And yes we*ve had countless confessions from students who broke promises of reading everyday. So needless to say, we have a lot of catching up to do. We do look forward to getting back on track and moving full speed ahead.

  In June we sadly said good bye to a few families who had been with us for a number of years. We wish them all the best as they settle into their new homes and schools. We are on the other hand welcoming a host of new families to AISF this year. We are happy to welcome 15 new students to AISF from the Mugisa, Paul, Daniel, De Cataldo, Honkoop, Musokwa, Rogers, Bramble, Turay and Bessman famillies. It will definitely be a year of new beginnings for these families and we are very happy have you join the AISF family.

  This year we welcome a few new staff members that have joined our teaching team. Ms. Sue Palmer joins us from Atlanta, Georgia to lead our Kindergarten/First grade class. We also welcome Mrs. Doris Baimba in Preschool and Mrs. Gwendolyn Jarret who will work with our 4th grade through eighth grade team. They are a great addition to our staff and we look forward to all the contributions they will make to the school.

  Thank you to all parents for your patience with the drop off and pick up traffic. Student safety is top priority, so we appreciate everyone following directions from our security and office staff at the top of the hill. We are closely monitoring the situation and developing ways to ease the flow of traffic in a way that is safe for all students.

  To help us keep your child safe please update authorization forms regularly to include any adult you will send to pick up your child. Also any private arrangements made by parents for a student to go home with another student should be cleared through the office.

  After school clubs are back in action. This quarter we offer for Kg -8 French, Karate, Yoga, Sewing, Tye Dying, African Dance and Ping Pong. For our Preschoolers we have computer fun, art, minor games and popcorn/movie Friday. We are planning a greater selection of activities for the next quarter. Congratulations to Ms. Mills and the AISF after school quilting club for their extraordinary creations and participation in the International Quilting festival in London this past summer. We look forward to seeing their new creations this year.

  We appreciate the assistance of the US Embassy Health Unit this month. The Unit is providing continuous briefing and information posters about the H1N1 virus as well as testing our water supply and providing CPR/First Aid training to our full time staff. We appreciate and look forward to the usual support we receive from the ambassador throughout the school year.

First term fees for 2009-2010 are now due. Thanks to all parents who have made payments or furnished us with wire transfer details from your bank. Please see the office this week if alternative arrangements need to be made.

  October will be a very busy month for us. School will be closed for a week (October 21 *28) to provide time for our teachers to take part in professional development activities. An annual grant from the US State department allows us the opportunity to regularly participate in regional conferences. Three teachers will be attending the Annual AISA (Association of International Schools in Africa) Teachers* conference in Senegal during this time. I will also attend the AISA Administrator*s conference in Lusaka one week earlier. We look forward to this time of collaboration as we are committed to provide the highest quality professional development for our staff. The overall goals of the AISA Conference are noted below.

* Give participants the opportunity to share their expertise.

* Provide participants the opportunity to make collegial connections.

* Provide participants some relaxing and social time.

* Promote a feeling of pride and professionalism among participants.

* Provide participants time apart from their daily routine to reflect on their career and daily teaching practice. All other teaching staff will work on development goals that will directly impact student learning throughout the school year.

  Our first set of round table discussions will be held October 12-16. These class discussions are held every quarter for an hour during the day in your child*s classroom. This is a time for parents to learn about what is happening in the classroom, voice any issues or concerns you may have, discuss ways class parents and teachers can all work together to make your child*s experience at AISF a successful one. Please continue to visit the school*s website (www.aisfreetown.org) for up to date information and reminders about school events.

  We look forward to the start of another exciting year for the PTO. We are calling on all the class parent representatives from last year to please assist with coordinating the first meeting of the year. We would also like to plan some kind of mixer for our new and returning families. The teachers will work on nominating new class parents for this school year as we put together a new PTO leadership team. We are urging all parents to get involved as this provides us the opportunity to plan some memorable experiences for the students and parents during the school year.

  As we come to the end of our first month of school we encourage all parents who could not make it to Open House to please drop in during the week to see your child*s teacher. As usual you are always welcome. Your voice is very important to us so please let us hear it.

Ndye Njie

Director

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