Izindaba - 19 September 2013 by AISJ Communications

American International School of Johannesburg

Vol. 4 No. 3

September 19, 2013

Together we dare to imagine, inspire to succeed, and courageously make a dif ference

School Director’s Message

What’s Inside...

To the AISJ Community, Over the next two weeks the school is host to two major events, each of which helps define who we are as an organization. Next Friday, September 27th is International Day, a day when we celebrate our diversity and uniqueness through a community event that brings us together. This event very much represents who we are and is a day not to be missed. It will start at 9:30 am in the morning on the Johannesburg campus with our traditional parade of nations. While we currently own the flags of 120 different nations we anticipate approximately 90 different nations will be represented on the day.

School Director’s Message 1 Board Information Session Reminder 2 Message from the Board of Directors 2 Teaching and Learning News 2 Technology News 3 K-12 Learning Support News 3 Communications @ AISJ 4 The Admissions Office – New Team Member! 4 AISJ Counselors’ Corner 5 School Lunch Menu 6 Elementary School News - Johannesburg Campus 6 Wake up & Learn! Coffee Morning 9 Pretoria Elementary and Middle School News 9 Middle School News - Johannesburg Campus 12 High School University & Career Communicator 13 High School News 14 Activities and Sports 16 Johannesburg Parents Association News 17 AISJ JHB Parents Association Social Co-Chairs 18 Pretoria Parents Association News 19

This will be followed by the International Food Festival from 11:30 am organized by the Johannesburg Parent Association, which will be held in the new Kgoro. The day is also unique because it allows students from both campuses to spend the day together. The following Thursday, October 5th, we welcome delegates and sponsors from around Africa, and our friends from here in South Africa to the staging of the 11th Johannesburg Model United Nations event. Model United Nations is a unique experience where students actively engage in world affairs and gain a more intimate understanding of the complex nature of the United Nations and world issues. This year’s theme of promoting sustainable solutions in Africa will, I am sure, resonate with many of the delegates. The diligent research and effective teamwork leading up to this event will lead to great debates and a truly wonderful learning experience for all those who participate. This totally student run event epitomizes, in so many ways, what the school is all about – presenting leadership opportunities and engaging students in real problem-solving situations. The event held at the Forum Conventions Center in Bryanston is open to the public so please take the opportunity to see what it is all about. For more details please contact Robyn Spicer at rspicer@aisj-jhb.com. Thanking you for your continued support. Andy

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September 19, 2013

Board Information Session Reminder Dear AISJ Community, The AISJ community is invited to an information session on the evening of Thursday, September 26th. You will meet your Board of Directors, hear presentations from the School Director and Board of Directors on strategic goals and objectives, the Annual Report, and the school’s financial health and priorities. You will also have the opportunity to ask any questions you might have. When: Thursday, September 26th, 2013 @ 6.30 pm Where: Teaching and Learning Center - Johannesburg Campus Refreshments will be served outside the Parent Room following the information session, so please confirm your attendance to bwilliams@aisj-jhb.com. Transport will be provided from the Pretoria Campus departing at 5.45 pm. Please email bwilliams@aisj-jhb.com to reserve your seat.

Message from the Board of Directors News from your School Board The School Board met on September 16th and planned the upcoming Board Information Session to be held on September 26th at 6:30 pm in the Johannesburg Teaching and Learning Center. We hope to have an informative discussion about the Board’s monitoring of the implementation/measurement of the school’s new strategic goals and a summary from the Finance Committee. School Director Page-Smith will present the AISJ Annual Report, a useful new publication chock full of information on academics and operations of the school. We hope you will join us for this important session. The Board is currently in the process of concluding the 2012-13 annual evaluation for the School Director. We reviewed and accepted his annual goals for the 2013-14 school year. On the financial side, we heard presentations from the school’s Finance Manager as well as from members of the Finance Committee about the audited Annual Financial Report which has been received from the school’s auditors, Deloitte. The Board voted to approve the audited Financial Report and was pleased the auditors made recommendations on how to further strengthen financial operations and controls. Kate Pongonis AISJ Board Executive Secretary

Teaching and Learning News Professional Learning Last call for parents to attend “Putting Parents into the Equation” with international mathematics consultant Erma Anderson. Please RSVP to Liz Hargreaves lhargreaves@aisj-jhb.com if you are interested in attending EITHER of the following sessions: OPTION 1: Thursday evening at 5:00 pm in T+L Center before Board Community Information Session OR OPTION 2: Friday at 2:00 pm in T+L Center after International Food Festival We will arrange bussing for Pretoria parents if there is sufficient interest.

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September 19, 2013

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Information Session We held informational session for new parents on Monday, 16th September at the Johannesburg campus at 1:45 pm – 2:45 pm and at the Pretoria Campus in the evening at 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm. The sessions were informal and were well attended. The first season of MAP testing for Grades 3 through 9 opens on the 30th September and closes on 1st November. Information about MAP is available on the NWEA website (http://www.nwea.org) or please contact Liz Hargreaves or Fred Biggar if you have any questions. Yours in partnership, Liz Director of Teaching and Learning, lhargreaves@aisj-jhb.com

Technology News The Slate PC program is well underway across Middle and High School and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. We are now able to announce that the Grade 6 computers have arrived and the IT department is busy installing the necessary software, setting up student accounts and just generally preparing them for distribution. We’d like to thank the parents, students for their patience but we’re pretty sure it will have been worth the wait.

A message from Ms Booth in the Middle School There are exciting times ahead: Grade 6, get ready to learn how to use your Slates! The Slate rollout for Grade 6 will take place the first week of October with students being able to take their Slates home on October 4th. More information about the how, where and when of the Slate take home day will be sent to grade six parents this week. After a couple of weeks of having the Slates in the Grade 7 and 8 classes we are really enjoying the benefits of each child having their own device in the classroom. Reports from the teachers are that productivity and student engagement has increased and this has a good impact on student learning. I am looking forward to seeing the students become more comfortable with using the Slates and learn how to ma ximise their potential, but I definitely think the overwhelming feedback is positive and we are certainly cutting down on our paper usage as we begin our one-to-one Slate journey. One of the things that the students are learning how to do is to use OneNote files to keep their class notes together in one place and some teachers have even started sharing files with their students. On the whole the students have been very responsible about looking after their Slates and remembering to bring them to school fully charged each day – Keep it up!

K-12 Learning Support News Dear Families of the AISJ Community, On September 12th, a few faculty from AISJ attended the First Annual Dyslexia Awareness Conference at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg. The conference brought together local and international experts on dyslexia, students and adults with dyslexia (a mother and son team from AISJ were guest panelists), parents, family members and policy makers. The program featured presentations, discussions, and workshops that shared the latest local and global efforts to better understand the complexities of dyslexia in the educational context. The definition of dyslexia varies slightly between countries and among researchers, but essentially, dyslexia is the unexpected ability to read, write and spell. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin and is language based. Dyslexia is associated with a deficit in the phonological component of language. Children typically have difficulty with accurate or fluent word recognition, spelling, and decoding (pronouncing words). Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension, vocabulary grow th and background knowledge. Dyslexia affects people throughout their lives. Dyslexia is not due to lack of intelligence or a desire to learn. With appropriate teaching methods, students with dyslexia can learn successfully. Here are a few suggestions for both teachers and parents to help a child with dyslexia: • Praise whenever possible. Focus on strengths. • Lay out the “big picture” or main idea first; then, fill-in the details. • Encourage and support the child to keep a personal checklist of what is needed each day. • Use planners for day/week/year to organize study time. We are a diverse, international communit y providing a balanced and nur turing learning program that fosters personal growth, provides meaningful oppor tunities for achievement, and promotes positive contributions to societ y. Page 3

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Help break up large work assignments into manageable chunks. Provide technology: laptop computers, text-to-speech options, books on tape. Use mnemonics particularly for rote learning. Pronounce words clearly; explain word meanings (avoid telling the child to look up the word in the dictionary as spelling can be a challenge as well as locating the word in a timely way). • Set realistic goals. • Keep channels of communication open with the child and between teachers and parents/family members. Identify the difficulties before it’s too late. • Keep communication open with the Learning Support teachers. They are here to help! For more information on dyslexia, go to: The International Dyslexia Association www.interdys.org (US) or The British Dyslexia Association www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/

Communications @ AISJ We would like to introduce new parents and remind current parents about a communication tool we use at the school, it is called the d6 Communicator

d6 Communicator What is it?

The communicator uses Push Technology, this technology has been developed so that when a PC is turned on it will automatically pop up on your screen with all the latest news. News and relevant information is added regularly by the school. Your School Communicator will automatically update as new information is added. There’s nothing further you need to do. The School Communicator will pop up once a day when you switch on your computer, so you’re always informed of what’s happening at the school. Getting started In order to use this communication tool, you need to download the software. Follow the below link to download: http://www.school-communicator.com/download.php You can install the School Communicator on as many computers as you like – for example work and home or both and your spouse. The School Communicator is compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, as well as Mac OS 10.5 and 10.6. There is also a mobile version for your phone and tablet. Get only the news you want You can select which news and calendar information you would like to receive. Click on the Personalise tab and select the relevant channels from the list provided. Should you require assistance? Should you experience any problems downloading the Communicator please send an email to aisj-communications@aisjjhb.com

The Admissions Office – New Team Member! Tumi and the students from Bus #32 We are delighted to announce that Tumi Masemola has joined the busy Admissions team. Tumi joined AISJ in 2011 as a member of our transport department. As the new school year opened our beloved Kgomotso was promoted to join the Elementary School office; when we heard that Tumi’s skills extended beyond driving a bus we seized the opportunity to see for ourselves!

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We know that Tumi will be missed by his students, he has a warm and engaging personality and great sense of humour, I am sure he made them all feel important and secure. We have already seen how he interacts with and supports new families visiting AISJ, his sense of determination, initiative and desire to go that extra mile, help to make him a truly wonderful addition to our team. Welcome Tumi!

AISJ Counselors’ Corner The School Counselors in the High School are Ms. Johnson-Schnyder and Ms. Ann Ireland. We are happy to have this opportunity to introduce ourselves to the AISJ community as well as share a bit about the role we play throughout your child’s high school years. Counselors are vital members of AISJ education team, helping students in the areas of academic achievement, personal/social development and career development. We strive to help students succeed to make the high school years be the greatest years of their lives, so far! The counselors have offices in the high school main office and your “go-to” counselor is listed below: Melissa Johnson mjohnson-schnyder@aisj-jhb.com Grade 12 and Grade 10/11 students with last names from J - Z

087 809 1841

Ann Ireland aireland@aisj-jhb.com 087 809 1833 Grade 9 and 10/11 students with last names from A - I (some Grade 12 students) Debra Barltrop dbarltrop@aisj-jhb.com Student Service Coordinator

087 809 1843

We will be communicating via the Izindaba, posting information on the AISJ web-site and sending emails home as needed. Our objective is to get as much important information to you in as many ways as possible. We hope that through regular updating of what is happening in guidance and counseling we are able to provide you with a better and clearer picture of the many things we do. My name is Melissa Johnson-Schnyder and I am happy to find myself in my second year at AISJ. I have been working in schools around the world, mainly in the position of a school counselor, for over ten years. The process of watching a student mature and take ownership of their independence and future is what I enjoy most about counseling. I come from Minnesota and unlike many of our students, I never moved. My own university decisions were based upon receiving an athletic scholarship for distance running. I was fortunate to combine academics with a career as an athlete. My first teaching post was at Centennial High School, a reform program catering to students from the state juvenile detention centers. My motivation to make a difference in the lives of the students led to my enrolling in a Master’s Program at Colorado State University for University and Career Counseling. My first overseas experience began as a K-12 counselor at the International School of Helsinki and followed with a 3-year posting as a University Counselor at Zürich International School. Given the diversity of overseas schools’ students, I have developed a broad range of university options; always striving to help students find their match school. An opportunity to take on an IB Coordinator role led our family to Bangkok, Thailand. Having the experience of a DP coordinator has enhanced my role as a university and career counselor. Aiding students in their DP course selection with further knowledge of individual assessments and course content is a valuable asset for a counselor. Many overseas teachers have a “dream-post”. For me, this posting was Africa and after over 10 years of International School experience I am happy to be at AISJ! In working with students, teachers and parents my experiences have led me to understand the importance of the high school years (Grade 9-12). Students begin to explore the question: “What do I want to do after We are a diverse, international communit y providing a balanced and nur turing learning program that fosters personal growth, provides meaningful oppor tunities for achievement, and promotes positive contributions to societ y. Page 5

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graduation?” It is my position, as a counselor, to help guide your child through the process of answering this question as well as making the most of their high school years. Thanks for all those who have welcomed me so warmly to South Africa and AISJ.

Contact the Counselors’ Please contact the counselors’ if we can help in any way: Johannesburg Elementary School Counselor Dr. Carol Wootton cwootton@aisj-jhb.com 087 809 1842

Johannesburg Middle School Counselor Dr. Justin Walker mscounselor@aisj-jhb.com 087 809 1819

High School Counselor High School Counselor Ms. Ann Ireland Mrs. Melissa Johnson-Schnyder High School Counselor High School Counselor All Grade 9 - Grade 11 Students with the last All Grade 10 and 11 Students with last name J - Z and the Class of 2013 name A – I (Grade 12 Students) aireland@aisj-jhb.com mjohnson-schnyder@aisj-jhb.com 087 809 1833 087 809 1841 Pretoria Campus Counselor Joe Rauschenbach jrauschenbach@aisj-jhb.com 087 803 0455

School Lunch Menu Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

23 September

24 September

25 September

26 September

27 September

School Holiday

Hot Dog Day

Beef Cottage Pie

Deep Fried Calamari

Vienna’s (Pork or Chicken)

Chicken Casserole

Roast BBQ Chicken

Yellow Rice

Roast Potato

French Fries (V) Vegetarian Soya Sausage

Steamed Mixed Vegeta- Mixed Vegetable Bake bles (V) Vegetable Stir Fry (V) Spinach & Feta Pie

30 September Sweet Chili Hake (Mild) Fluffy Mashed Potatoes Chicken & Phyllo Pie Peas & Corn (V) Soya Sausage Casserole

Elementary School News - Johannesburg Campus Dear Parents, As we head into a holiday weekend with Heritage Day celebrations, I can’t help but reflect back on how far our students have come since the beginning days of school. Friendships have formed and routines have been established and we are now in the full swing of school. Our students deserve a much needed break. I hope you manage to find some family time this weekend to explore and laugh with one another. We are a diverse, international communit y providing a balanced and nur turing learning program that fosters personal growth, provides meaningful oppor tunities for achievement, and promotes positive contributions to societ y. Page 6

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Here is a great article that a colleague sent me last week. It has some interesting insights on child development and the highs and lows of being a child. Enjoy! http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/its-not-a-problemits-called-being-a-child/?smid=fb-share&_r=1 Kind regards, Ben Hart, bhart@aisj-jhb.com

September 19, 2013

Upcoming Events September 20 Early Release @ 1:30 pm September 23 - 24 School Holiday September 25 JHB and Pretoria Service Learning: World Rhino Day

Announcement- Dr. Carol Wootton I have some sad news to share. Dr. Carol Wootton has made the difficult decision to leave AISJ at the end of this school year. It has been a dream of Carolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for several years to return to a career in private practice. Carol has been our school counsellor for the past 7 years, and has helped countless students, while touching the lives of so many families, parents and staff. Although she will leave a huge hole in our school, we know that Carol is excited to think about a role in the broader community and we feel lucky to have her services for the remainder of the year.

International Day- September 27th International Day is fast approaching and we are beginning to get our students excited about one of the major highlights in the AISJ calendar and I would like to extend a warm welcome to all parents to attend. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible next Friday. The day is broken into parts; the Parade of Nations and the International Food Festival. Details are as follows:

September 26 Putting Parents into the Equation presentation by Erma Anderson @ Teaching & Learning Center, 5:00 pm Board Community Information Session with Annual School Report @ Teaching & Learning Center, 6:30 pm September 27 JHB and Pretoria International Day Putting Parents into the Equation presentation by Erma Anderson @ Teaching & Learning Center, 2:00 pm October 1 - 4 JHB ES Grade 3 - 4 MAP Testing

Parade of Nations

All students will come to school representing their nationality. They might choose to dress according to a relevant color theme, in traditional clothing October 2 or in a costume of their choice. It is important that as a family you make a JHB ES Assembly @ Gazebo, 8:00 am clear decision as to which country you choose to represent, as students throughout the entire school (Pre-K - 12) will be divided up according to JHB ES Coffee Morning (After Assembly) 8:30 their choice of nationality. If your child has multiple nationalities to choose am - 9:30 am from, it is important that you choose only ONE country for them to represent, otherwise it will be confusing for them and us on the day. Some October 5 families choose alternate countries to represent each year. The Parade of JHB and Pretoria ES Soccer Tournament @ JHB Nations will begin at 9:30 am on the Soccer Field in front of the school. All Soccer Fields, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm parents will be invited to sit at the soccer stand seating between the field and the road. At 9:30 am, students will begin to parade around the field October 7 - 11 according to the country they will be representing. They are encouraged JHB ES Grade 5 MAP Testing to bring their own flag to wave during the parade and these should be clearly named. At the conclusion of the parade, students will return to their homerooms and teachers will have fun International Day games and activities for them to play. We also look forward to welcoming students from the Pretoria Campus within each respective grade level during this time. We ask that parents do not go to homerooms after the parade. Light refreshments will be ser ved for parents in the Parent Room throughout the day so please feel free to make the most of this facilit y.

International Festival of Food

All elementary students will eat their lunch first, from 11:30 am -12:00 pm in the Kgoro area. Our high school students will be escorting ES children through the food tables and helping them find their appropriate eating areas. Teachers will be encouraging students to think about 4 - 5 countries that they might like to sample different foods from prior to International Day. This might be something you want to discuss at home over the next week to get them thinking, as many students are already excited to try new and exciting foods. Due to the high numbers of students to feed, we are asking that parents do not eat food until after 1:00 pm, once ALL AISJ students have eaten. Many parents have volunteered to help out on the day, and I would like to thank all of you for your time, especially the country Ambassadors for helping to organise this event.

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Please remember your child will still need to bring a morning and afternoon snack to school, a water bottle and a hat to wear outside. Thanks in advance for your support of International Day.

MAP Testing Elementary students in Grades 3 - 5 will be involved in MAP testing in October. The dates for MAP testing are as follows: Grades 3/4 Grades 5

– October 1st - 4th – October 7th - 11th

Students will complete subtests in Science, Math, Reading and Language Arts. Please remember there is nothing you can do to prepare your child for the MAP testing other than ensuring a good night’s sleep and making sure your child is healthy coming to school. If students are absent, we will have make up days arranged to take the test again.

Elementary Coffee Morning You are invited to attend our first Elementary Coffee morning on Wednesday, October 2nd at 8:30 am - 9:30 am directly after assembly. Ben Hart and Carol Wootton will be discussing the Elementary Goals for the year, and several new initiatives in the Elementary School. We will also have time to answer any questions you may have about our school. We look forward to seeing you then.

Assistant Principal Search I am pleased to announce that we have recently advertised for a new Elementary Assistant Principal to start in August 2014. The search process is already underway and we look forward to updating you on our progress.

Library News Dear Parents/Guardians of AISJ, The American International School of Johannesburg is helping every child to establish the habits of a reader and lifelong love of books. Your child will leave school everyday with at least one book to be read at home and returned to school the next day. The goal is at least fifteen to thirty minutes (depending on grade level) of home reading every afternoon or evening. Your child may read to or with an adult or sibling, listen to the book read aloud, or read independently. Research shows that the highest achieving students are those who devote leisure time to reading. Recently, the largest ever international study of reading found that the single most important predictor of academic success is the amount of time children spend reading books or being read to, more important even than economic or social status. And one of the few predictors of high achievement in math and science is the amount of time children devote to pleasure reading. Children read in order to become smarter about the world and how it works. They read in order to broaden their vocabularies and to become better readers – faster and more fluent, purposeful, engaged, critical, and satisfied. They read to stretch their imaginations, to escape to other lives, times, and places. And they read to become good people – knowledgeable about and compassionate toward the range of human experience. There is no substitute for regular, sustained time with a book. Please sit down with your child tonight and talk about the best time and place for reading to happen in your home. Is after school and before dinner a good point to catch his or her breath, curl up with a good book, and escape into a great story? Or will your child join the book lovers who like to read themselves to sleep at night? And whenever reading happens, is the environment quiet? Is the TV off? And is there good light? We’ve learned that the choices of books available to kids today are so wonderful that reading makes for joyful homework. We’ve also seen that children whose parents and teachers expect and encourage them to read are likely to grow up as happy, skilled readers. We, at AISJ, make time for: looking at books, listening to books, talking about the ideas and people in books, learning how to read books, and then reading them. We offer students the most generous invitations we can devise to help them fall in love with books, see themselves as readers, spend significant time reading, and grow stamina for reading. We know that the richness of their early experience as readers will serve them well their whole lifetime, and we look forward to partnering with you as grown-ups who nurture readers. With appreciation, Robert Edgar, ES Media Specialist/Literacy Coach

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American International School of Johannesburg

Elementary School Health Screens Dear Elementary School Parent, In October we will be conducting health screenings on all Elementary School students. This involves measuring height and weight, as well as a dental, vision and hearing screen. Grade 4 and 5 students will also undergo a check for scoliosis. If you do not wish your child to undergo the health screening, please send an email to mmyburgh@aisj-jhb.com confirming so. Should you have any queries or concerns, please contact the nurseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office. Nurse Mary and Nurse Sabine

Wake up & Learn! Coffee Morning

Pretoria Parents Association

Come hear Tara Barton talk about Service Learning on the Pretoria Campus and how parents can get involved

Date:

2nd October 2013

Time:

7:30 am - Coffee, Tea and Snacks 8:00 am - Service Learning presentation

Venue:

Lapa (due to MAP testing in Library), Pretoria Campus Pretoria PA Coffee Mornings are the 1st Wednesday of Every Month

Pretoria Elementary and Middle School News News from Pretoria Elementary and Middle School Dear Parents, We continue to enjoy and benefit from our community interactions as our very successful Open House showed. We are happy so many of you could join us and pleased by the very positive feedback received. We would like to thank those of you who made suggestions for further improvements. We shall certainly take note of these and review them together with proposals made by our staff; we look forward to an even better event next year. We also have some exciting events to look forward to. Please enjoy the article entitled SAVE THE DATE! that is included in this edition. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for this special assembly and art exhibition on September 25th at 1:00 pm. International Day is on the horizon and our special planning committee is working hard, together with our Johannesburg colleagues, to make the day as meaningful, purposeful and fun as possible for all of our grades. Please

Upcoming Events September 20 Pretoria MS Intramural Basketball Tournament, 11:15 pm - 12:45 pm Early Release @ 1:30 pm September 23 - 24 School Holiday September 25 JHB and Pretoria Service Learning: World Rhino Day Pretoria Art Exhibition @ Pretoria Campus, 1:00 pm

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join us in this wonderful opportunity to celebrate our diversity. All Pretoria students and staff will attend. Best wishes Rachel Caldwell, Pretoria Principal

September 19, 2013

September 26 Putting Parents into the Equation presentation by Erma Anderson @ Teaching & Learning Center, 5:00 pm Board Community Information Session with

Elementary School Play – “The Ever After – a Musi- Annual School Report @ Teaching & Learning Center, 6:30 pm cal” Is “Happy Ever After” really possible? Time heals all wounds – fact or fable? Sallie Lizzie Jesse DonatelloGriffen, host of a modern day talk show, explores the answers to these questions. She is daring enough to bring wellknown fairytale rivals together on stage. Some of the highlights include Cinderella’s two Learning lines and getting into character “beauty impaired” stepsisters and the active studio audience participation. Add a few upbeat musical numbers with a few comical surprises and you are sure to have a good time.

September 27 JHB and Pretoria International Day Putting Parents into the Equation presentation by Erma Anderson @ Teaching & Learning Center, 2:00 pm September 27 - 29 JHB MS and Pretoria MS Basketball Tournament @ ISSA Mafikeng October 2 Pretoria Big 5 Assembly @ Lapa, 12:30 pm Pretoria Service Learning Presentation for Parents @ Lapa, 7:30 am

The Grades 3 to 5 students who signed up for the play are working hard to learn their lines and we can feel a buzz of excitement. The students of October 5 the Art afterschool activity program have joined the team to create props JHB and Pretoria ES Soccer Tournament @ and stage décor to enhance the theatrical experience. The cast members JHB Soccer Fields, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm and the arts team are actively working together on ideas for the props and stage design. This collaboration will enable students to experience the different aspects of staging a theatre production. They will all be involved every step of the way. Some hard work lies ahead but we are looking forward to a journey of learning, artistic improvement and fun!

Email friends for Pretoria MS Foreign Language students We have exciting news for all Pretoria MS students. This week, we will start our email exchange program with students from around the world. We will have our own email addresses and write periodic emails with people from French and Spanish speaking countries. Not only will this permit us to learn more about other cultures, but will also help us to improve our language skills. Our first communication will be an introductory letter and we shall continue with exchanges all about ourselves. This will be followed by the topic of school! It is going to be so exciting to find new friends!

Middle School Advisory Fun Last week we had the honor of hosting the Pretoria Middle School Rock Paper Scissors ‘world’ championship. Students were nervous as they were pitted against many seasoned veterans. Before the final, Ms. Buzan was heard to say, “I can beat any one of those middle schoolers!” The entire middle school then competed. First round losers had to become their opponent’s biggest fan; get behind them and cheer them on. In the end a snake of middle schoolers and staff wound their way through the band room. The grand final saw Jaime and Ms. Buzan fight it out for the prestigious title. Well, all I can say is that Ms. Buzan vowed “revenge” having failed to handle the speed and cunning of Jaime who was a convincing winner.

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Save the Date! What: WORLD RHINO DAY - A CELEBRATION OF AWARENESS Where: AT PTA - CAMPUS When: Wednesday, 25th September 2013 at 1:00 pm On Wednesday, September 25th, Pretoria campus will be celebrating World Rhino Day for the second time. This year we have decided to broaden our awareness and appreciation of South African animals in general and the endangered species in particular, including all of the Big 5. All grade level art classes and the 5th Grade Spanish class have been engaged in projects these last few weeks in preparation for an assembly on the 25th of September at 1:00 pm. During the assembly, the 5th graders will present a collaborative Spanish/Art shadow puppet show, 3rd grade and the elementary classes will be singing, and the highlight will be our guest speaker, Keith Connelly, a game ranger and wildlife photographer, who will speak about animal awareness and conservation in South Africa. A big variety of different artwork will be on show around campus and in front of the lapa prior to and after the assembly, so come along a little earlier to enjoy this beautiful display. Join us in celebrating the Pretoria campus 2nd Annual World Rhino Day on 25th September 2013! Hope to see you there!

Pretoria Student Council News Hello AISJ, my name is Ramzi Riad and I am the co-leader alongside Annie Pan of the 2013 Middle School Student Council. We organize events and activities for students on the Pretoria campus and our aim is to make this year fun! First off, Spirit Week began on September 17th and will conclude on September 20th. Events started on Tuesday, Sept. 17th, with a Crazy Hair and Dress-up Day. On Wednesday our fun activities included a tasty bake sale to raise money for future events and it was also Nerd Day. Thursday we continued the spirit week celebrations with Pajama Day. We look forward to our Friday Sports Day. Everyone will wear the colors or merchandise of their favorite sports team or come in sporty clothes. Spirit Week will conclude with a fun basketball tournament for the middle school. We’re looking forward to our next event in October! Stay tuned – more details to come!

Pretoria vs. JHB Basketball The Middle School basketball teams from Pretoria travelled to Johannesburg campus on the 12th of September to participate in some cross campus matches. Pretoria has a boys’ team and a mixed boys’ / girls’ team. It was their first official match and emotions were mixed with a healthy dose of both excitement and nervousness. Even though the score lines were not in our favor, our teams did Pretoria extremely proud and our players are eager to get back to the practice courts to prepare for round two vs. Johannesburg in October.

Basketball- A fantastic Sport for Many Reasons Basketball is a great sport as it incorporates many fitness components and skills that students are encouraged to develop such as agility, aerobic endurance, speed, power, and also hand eye coordination and accuracy. We are a diverse, international communit y providing a balanced and nur turing learning program that fosters personal growth, provides meaningful oppor tunities for achievement, and promotes positive contributions to societ y. Page 11

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In our first few lessons we concentrate on the basics of basketball such as catching passing, dribbling and shooting. As the unit progresses students will learn about defense and offense strategies, and game play.

Middle School students refining their dribbling skills

The Middle School will be displaying all their skills and talent at the Intramural Basketball Tournament on the 20th of September from 11:15 pm – 12:45 pm. Grade 5 will also finish the unit with 3 on 3 games in mid-October.

The Sit and Reach Flexibility Test

Middle School students have been learning about different fitness components and this week focused on cardiovascular endurance with the 20 m Pacer Test, and flexibility using the Sit and Reach test.

Middle School News - Johannesburg Campus Middle School Parents Coffee – September 30th All middle school parents are invited to our first coffee morning on 30th Sept. We will be meeting at 12:00 pm in the Parents Room at school to mingle and enjoy some refreshments. At 12:30 pm, we will be joined by Mr. Ciambrello (Grade 6 team leader), Ms. Dissa (Grade 7 team leader) and Ms. Miller (Grade 8 team leader). Dr. Robinson and Dr. Walker will be joining us as well. Hope to see all of you there. Contact Sabeina Taneja if you have any questions at sabbytaneja@ yahoo.co.in

International Day - September 27th Everyone in Middle School is eagerly anticipating the AISJ International Day. We have made some significant changes in the MS program this year that we believe will work well for both JHB and PTA students. We will start the day with advisory and two shortened class periods followed by preparation for the Parade of Nations. After the parade, the Pretoria MS students will join us for a major House Event on the Lower Field. This will take us to the much anticipated lunchtime for all Middle School students. Following lunch, the Pretoria students will be returning to their school while our MS students will finish the day with activities planned by each grade level team.

Parent-Counselor Workshop – September 25th Does anyone remember the world before the internet? Our students sure do not. It is common today for teens to access the cyber world every day, and many of them spend more than 2 hours on the internet daily, more than eating, doing homework, and reading combined! With such a powerful pull towards digital communications and access, how do we fight it? We don’t. But what we must do is learn how teens are using the internet, set appropriate boundaries to protect them, and explore positive ways this technology can be used. Join Dr. Walker on Wednesday, September 25th, 2013 from 8:00 am – 9:00 am in the Middle School office for a presentation workshop on safe internet usage. He will be presenting current statistics, many of which will baffle parents on how often and what content our

Upcoming Events September 20 Early Release @ 1:30 pm September 23 - 24 School Holiday September 25 JHB MS Parent-Counselor Workshop @ MS Computer Lab, 8:00 am - 9:00 am Topic: Safe Internet Usage JHB and Pretoria Service Learning: World Rhino Day September 26 Putting Parents into the Equation presentation by Erma Anderson @ Teaching & Learning Center, 5:00 pm Board Community Information Session with Annual School Report @ Teaching & Learning Center, 6:30 pm September 27 JHB and Pretoria International Day Putting Parents into the Equation presentation by Erma Anderson @ Teaching & Learning Center, 2:00 pm September 27 - 29 JHB MS and Pretoria MS Basketball Tournament @ ISSA Mafikeng September 30 JHB MS Parents Coffee @ Parents Room, 12:00 pm

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teens are accessing. He will discuss strategies for the whole family to establish agreements and contracts for appropriate use while helping establish natural consequences for inappropriate use. This is an excellent opportunity for parents to partner with the school to present a unified front in addressing internet behavior and promoting responsible digital citizens. On the heels of the slate rollout and the 1-to-1 initiative at AISJ, now is the time to fully know how to work with teens in today’s digital world.

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October 3 - 6 HS and Grade 8 JoMUN @ The Forum, Bryanston October 7 - 11 JHB MS Spirit Week

Middle School Blog The Middle School Online communication system, also known as the MS Blog is up and running. This is a very effective way for us to communicate with parents and students. In addition to the current event information on the opening page, there are links to each grade level for general information and each teacher where homework and other important information about classes is available. To access our Middle School Blog go to http://tw.aisj-jhb.com/ms - you do not need a password to visit this site. You may also access our Blog through the AISJ Website in the Middle School section by clicking on Middle School Online. Don’t forget to bookmark or set this page as one of your favorites as we hope you will be visiting it often! All MS teachers now have their blogs up and running and will be updating their blogs regularly. Any questions regarding our blogs can be sent to jbooth@aisj-jhb.com

MS Open House On September 5th the Middle School hosted Open House for parents. We would like to thank the many parents who attended this important event. Teachers presented as teams. Parents started by meeting in Advisory groups and then moved to presentations by grade level core teams. Parents then moved to presentations by the PE and Modern Languages teams and finished the evening with presentations by teachers of elective subjects. Since teaming is at the heart of how we work in our Middle School this format was effective in giving parents a sense of what their children experience in the MS program. This year we were able to utilize our new cafeteria for both the opening session and for the PE presentations. Fortunately the weather was cooperative and the cafeteria was an excellent meeting place both functionally and aesthetically.

First MS House Event The Middle School Advisory groups had a House Rollout celebration on Friday, September 6th. Each of the four houses got to show off their house flags and superhero capes before demonstrating house cheers that were both amusing and spirited. The celebration culminated with a four way tug of war for house points. The celebration was successful in “bonding” the houses and was great fun for everyone.

High School University & Career Communicator Dear High School Parents, This is a new feature of the AISJ Izindaba, where we will share information about universities around the world, standardized testing, careers and other interesting information and updates. I would like to open this feature with information statistics from the Class of 2013. This past year we had 53 graduates applying to colleges around the world. Out of this graduating class 24 of the students will be attending university in North America, 5 will be attending University in Canada, the UK will host 11 students from AISJ and 3 students will be starting university in South Africa in February, 2014. The remainder of students have accepted offers in Korea, Japan, Netherlands and India. There are 5 students who have decided to take a gap year to complete internships and missions. The following highlights some of successes of this talented group of students: • Over 1,000,000 US dollars in combined scholarship was received by the Class of 2013. • A South African student was granted full tuition at Wellesley College via the Master Card Scholars Foundation Program • Members of the Class of 2013 gained acceptance at University of Michigan, New York University, Notre Dame, Rensselaer Polytechnic University and University of Virginia, all mentioned by Newsweek as part of the “New Iv y’s”. We are a diverse, international communit y providing a balanced and nur turing learning program that fosters personal growth, provides meaningful oppor tunities for achievement, and promotes positive contributions to societ y. Page 13

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• Our recipient of the Ed Norman Leadership award will be attending St. Andrews in Scotland to study international relations. • We have had some fantastic acceptances to universities outside of the US. AISJ’s Valedictorian is going to KAIST next year, a Korean university that is often called the ‘Harvard’ of Korea. • 60% of the Class of 2013 obtained their first choice university and 80% are attending their “Match” university. We are excited to host the CIS University Tour on November 7th from 9:00 am – 11:00 am. All parents are encouraged to attend the workshop for parents and students featuring the following topics: • How to Effectively Use the College Fair • The College Search + How Students are Selected • The Liberal Arts, Majors and Careers • Financial Aid for U.S. Citizens & International Students/Parents Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your child and their educational future after AISJ. Ms. Ann Ireland High School Counselor All Grade 9 - Grade 11 Students with the last name A – I aireland@aisj-jhb.com 087 809 1833

Mrs. Melissa Johnson-Schnyder High School Counselor All Grade 10 and 11 Students with last name J - Z and the Class of 2013 (Grade 12 Students) mjohnson-schnyder@aisj-jhb.com 087 809 1841

High School News Dear High School Parents,

Upcoming Events

Last week we were fortunate enough to have a “visiting artist” on campus to work with our drama students as well as give presentations to teachers and students. Jennifer Hartley, a talented and extremely interesting theater practitioner, shared her personal stories, professional experiences and theater knowledge with us. Having worked in very difficult and oppressive environments, her stories were at times difficult to absorb, but she made an impression on all of us and left us with much to consider and think about. Her visit concluded with a high school “Theater of the Oppressed” workshop held at school over the weekend. Since the last Izindaba, much has taken place in the high school. In a matter of a couple of weeks we have hosted a high school IB informational meeting for parents of Grade 11 students, and a workshop for Grade 12 parents and students on the college application process. In addition we have kicked-off the Building Bus Communities program, presented parents with two informational meetings on homework and assessment agreements in the high school, and seen our juniors off to a CAS and Service retreat. On the sports and activities front, track, volleyball and football, (soccer to some) have continued at pace. Over the weekend the boys and girls varsity football teams participated in a wonderful and colorful tournament hosted by Saint Peter’s College. Both teams represented us well and the girls played an exceptional tournament to reach the quarter-finals. Competition was fierce but friendly among the dozens of participating teams. Volleyball and track teams also saw action and competition.

September 20 Early Release @ 1:30 pm September 21 AISJ Running Club @ Joburg Color-Me-Crazy Race September 23 - 24 School Holiday September 25 JHB and Pretoria Service Learning: World Rhino Day September 26 Putting Parents into the Equation presentation by Erma Anderson @ Teaching & Learning Center, 5:00 pm Board Community Information Session with Annual School Report @ Teaching & Learning Center, 6:30 pm September 27 JHB and Pretoria International Day Putting Parents into the Equation presentation by Erma Anderson @ Teaching & Learning Center, 2:00 pm

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Last weekend a courageous group of students took off to gaze at stars. Very cold but clear night time skies greeted our Astronomy Club and provided them with excellent photo opportunities as well as incredible views. Reports suggest that not much sleeping was had, but that the lack was worth it as the nights could not have been better. Rehearsals for “Rent” are keeping many students very busy. It promises to be a memorable and well performed production as we are fortunate to have a good number of very talented and interested drama and music students.

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September 27 - 29 HS Varsity Soccer and Volleyball Tournament @ Maputo, Mozambique October 3 - 6 HS and Grade 8 JoMUN @ The Forum, Bryanston October 5 HS SATs

October 8 While all these activities and sports are valuable learning experiences HS Parents Coffee Morning @ Parents Room, for your children, they must be balanced with academic effort and 7:45 am progress. We support learning at all levels and know very well that learning comes with everything we do, from the playing field to the stage, and into the classroom. Take some time to talk to your kids about what they are doing and learning. Become engaged in their learning experiences. We are looking forward to the first holiday weekend of the academic year. It is important to pause, rela x, and reflect on what we have accomplished and where it is we are aiming to go next. Best wishes for a safe and fun-filled break next week. Tony Mock High School Principal

High School Parents Coffee Morning, October 8th HS coordinators Nancy Nemeth and Jeanine Schutte invite you to join them for the first HS coffee of the year, “Surviving the IB, What You Can Do to Help Your Child”. IB coordinator Will Hurtado will be answering academic questions while Jeanine and Nancy (senior parents from Class of 2013) will be addressing the concerns of living with an IB student. We are also hoping to have a student join us to give an insider’s perspective. We look forward to seeing you, Tuesday, October 8, from 7:45 am in the Parents Room.

AISJ IB Theatre Workshop

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AISJ IB Theatre and principal members of the cast of RENT participated in a three day workshop on September 9th - 11th, 2013 led by Jennifer S. Hartley, who is a Scottish applied theatre practitioner, director and writer based out of the United Kingdom. She is the author of the recently published Applied Theatre in Action: a Journey, as well as various plays, poetry and other writings. Her work focuses on therapy through theatre, working extensively with theories and methodology related to Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Boal’s explorations were based on the assumption that dialogue is the common healthy dynamic between all humans. From his work, Boal evolved various forms of theatre workshops and performances that aimed to meet the needs of all people for interaction, dialogue, critical thinking, action and fun. Through their study and application, Hartley developed her own working practice, one that she now uses to work with minority and oppressed groups internationally. Hartley is the founder and director of the UK registered charity Theatre Versus Oppression (TVO) which “challenges discrimination and injustice at any level and aims to develop communities who help to create a better and more peaceful living environment through intercultural understanding and respect”. She has run projects around the world with TVO including work in Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, the USA and the UK. Hartley is regularly developing new projects in the UK and abroad, working in conjunction with various other non-profit organizations and educational establishments. Students and teachers were able to watch her methods in action during the drama workshops, play rehearsals and key note address to the teaching faculty. Additionally, she worked with the IB Theory of Knowledge and Research Classes and spoke to all students in Grade 9 – 10 about their Service Learning community projects. The AISJ Visiting Artist program through the Teaching and Learning Center fosters new ideas and teaching principles to meet our school mission; together we dare to imagine, inspire to succeed, and courageously make a difference.

Activities and Sports HS Varsity Soccer Tournament (@ St. Peters College) The AISJ Eagles took part, for the second year in a row, in the St. Peter´s sports and cultural festival. AISJ sent our Varsity Boys and Girls Soccer teams. The girls had an incredible Round Robin qualification, winning all 5 games, scoring 24 goals and conceding only one goal. They came first in their pool qualifying for the ¼ finals. On Sunday, we lost 2 – 1 in a very tight game against Allan Ridge. We played just as good as our strong competition and had chances to draw the game but just came up a bit short. The girls never gave up, kept pushing, and exhibited great attitude and sportsmanship until the referee called the end of the game. These girls represented AISJ extremely well and let the Johannesburg soccer world know that they came to play. As last year, the girls´ team had an outstanding tournament finishing in the best 8 teams out of 30 again. I would like to thank the parents who came and supported us during the tournament and the transportation staff, in particular Mrs. Dudu Sigola for her assistance with transport throughout the weekend. Next year we will be back again and we will try to get to the final, but first the ISSEA tournament in Addis is around the corner. - Coach Aitor Rey From the 13th to the 15th of September, the AISJ HS Boys football team participated in St Peter’s annual soccer festival. The boy’s side of the tournament was comprised of 8 pools each with 4 teams in each pool. AISJ’s boys were in pool H, which consisted of Allan Ridge, Lyttleton Manor, and Tersia King. All of these opponents were township schools who played experienced, adaptable and organized football. These teams posed great rivals for the Eagles due to their superior experience playing together. Seeing as these weren’t internationals schools, their student bodies don’t change nearly as much as AISJ’s. As a result, their players have had years to play together and get to know each other on the field. Additionally due to their southern-hemisphere based scholastic calendar, they have had a much longer season to play with each other than the newborn AISJ football team, who have only played together in two games thus far this season. These circumstances promised that the tournament would be a challenging one for the AISJ boys. The tournament did keep its promise that it would be challenging. The team unfortunately lost their first game 3-0, their second 5-0, and their third 3-1. These results affirmed the other teams’ maturity in the sport but did not obscure the great potential that this AISJ team possesses. Even considering the great amount of goals conceded, the defense was organized and played a beautiful offside trap. It is during possession and attacking play where the team has to improve so that the defense doesn’t have to work as much. We really need to understand that attack and possession are the best defense. To accomplish this we We are a diverse, international communit y providing a balanced and nur turing learning program that fosters personal growth, provides meaningful oppor tunities for achievement, and promotes positive contributions to societ y. Page 16

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need to get to know each other’s skills better, and we need to become confident in each other on the field and play a balanced and strategic game. Although we didn’t achieve the results we had hoped for we improved throughout the tournament and are a better team for competing against some challenging competition. As a result of this tournament, we will be in a in a much better position to do well in the upcoming tournaments in Mozambique and Ethiopia. - Angelo Cheli

AISJ’s Running Club The AISJ Running Club will be going COLORFUL this Saturday, September 21st as twenty AISJ students run a 5K through sprays of colored powder in the first Joburg Color-Me-Crazy race. Each kilometer will be marked by the burst of a new color, ultimately bringing the students to the 5K finish fully covered in a rainbow array. The race is the first in a series this year for the AISJ Running Club, the next being the Irene 10K in November.

MS Basketball Tournament (@ ISSA in Mafikeng) On September 27th AISJ is sending one Middle School Boys & one Middle School Girls Basketball team to participate in a U14 basketball tournament held at the International School of South Africa in Mafikeng. This is the second year that our AISJ MS Basketball program will compete in this tournament and we are very excited about growing our MS Sports Program and competing in more tournaments like this one. Good Luck to both teams, we will have a full report on the tournament in the next Izindaba.

HS Varsity Volleyball & Soccer Tournament (@ Maputo Mozambique)

For the first time in many years AISJ will send our Boys Varsity Soccer team & our Varsity Volleyball teams to participate in the American School of Mozambique’s (AISM) annual tournament, hosted by AISM on September 27th – September 29th. This will be an excellent opportunity for our teams to play some touch competition in preparation for this year’s ISSEA tournaments taking place at the end of October. Good Luck to all of our teams in this tournament and we will have a full report on the tournament in the next Izindaba.

Elementary School Soccer Tournament Hosted @ AISJ On Saturday, October 5th AISJ will host its annual U10/U12 Soccer Tournament. The Johannesburg campus will enter four teams and the Pretoria campus will enter one team in the tournament. This is an exciting day for these teams to compete against schools from around the Johannesburg area. We will have more information about this tournament in the next Izindaba. We really hope that our AISJ community members come out and get involved in the above activities. These are great opportunities to get to know each other better, exercise, and have fun. If you have any ideas for additional activities that you would like to see offered, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Kris Jettner K-12 Activities Coordinator Mobile: +27 (0)81 018 3803 aisj-activities@aisj-jhb.com www.aisj-jhb.com

Work: +27 (0)87 809 1813

Fa x:

+27 (0)86 265 7353

Johannesburg Parents Association News Eight days and counting until the International Food Festival. This is such an exciting, spectacular and delicious event! Next Friday, September 27th, the day will begin at 9:30 am with a Parade of Nations, on the soccer field. There are supposed to be more than 100 countries represented this year. The procession will begin at 11:00 am with the lower elementary followed by each of the divisions including students from Pretoria, until we finish with the staff from both campuses. There will be a wonderful feast featuring contributions by our school’s ambassadors and their countrymen. Parents are more than welcome to eat too! Please note, that the school must eat first to stay on their schedules. They are usually finished around 12:30 pm. Once finished, the parents will be allowed to visit the buffet. The Parent Room will be open with coffee, tea, juice and some snacks beginning at 7:30 am. Parents are welcome to rela x there while they are at school. Don’t forget your camera! We are a diverse, international communit y providing a balanced and nur turing learning program that fosters personal growth, provides meaningful oppor tunities for achievement, and promotes positive contributions to societ y. Page 17

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We are still looking for some special moms or dads, to volunteer for Ms. Ronning’s Kindergarten, and Taylor Corley’s fourth grade classes as room moms or dads. If you are interested, please contact one of our elementary coordinators, Paige Doty, or Lara Kilfoil. pdoty5@gmail. com, larakilfoil@yahoo.com. Thank you to Fred Biggar, who attended our last PA meeting to explain the role of the IT Department and the school’s curriculum. He was unfortunately cut short, but did a great job of presenting his information in a short period of time. We will be having him back!

Upcoming Events For more information on all these events click on the Johannesburg Parents Association button on the AISJ website. September 23 - 24 School Holiday

We hope everyone is settling in, now that the school year is in its second month. If there is ever anything the PA can help you with, please don’t hesitate to ask one of the board members!

September 26 Board Community Information Session with Annual School Report @ Teaching and Learning Center, 6:30 pm

Have a great Heritage Day long weekend. See you at the IFF on Friday the 27th!

September 27 JHB & Pretoria International Day @ JHB Campus

Sincerely, Sharla Rittershaus, PA President

October 14 JHB Parents Association Meeting (Open) @ Parents Room, 1:00 pm

The AISJ Johannesburg Parents Association Social Committee aims to present a myriad of activities which will immerse you into your life in South Africa through its arts, handicrafts, history, travels and more importantly meeting and developing a cascade of new friendships for you and your family.

AISJ JHB Parents Association Social Co-Chairs

Save the Dates! Tuesday November 12 SABC Studio Tour and lunch Tuesday December 3 Mistletoe Marketplace!

Debbie Pearce - AISJ PA Social Chair debbiejpearce@btopenworld.com 079 733 3021 Kathy Ustas - AISJ PA Special Events Chair jsustas@yahoo.com 072 350 3428

For tickets and sign ups contact PA Social Chair Debbie Pearce. Day tours meet at the Parent Room and use AISJ transport. Payment is required at sign up and there are NO refunds. SABC Tour Tuesday November 12th

8:00 am - 2:00 pm

Get a glimpse of SABC television production and radio stations on a guided insight into one of South Africa largest broadcasting giants. Lunch to follow. R 400.00 per person includes Studio Tour, Lunch and AISJ Transport.

Mistletoe Marketplace Tuesday December 3rd, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm The AISJ community is invited to the annual Mistletoe Marketplace hosted by the Joburg Parents Association. Come shop til you drop and get all your holiday shopping done with over 50 Vendors. Contact PA Special Event Chair Kathy Ustas (jsustas@yahoo.com) for more info.

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Pretoria Parents Association News Hi Fellow Parents!

Upcoming Events

Hi Fellow Parents! Thanks to everyone who made it to our second annual “Back to School” Picnic. We had a great turn-out and people seemed to have a nice time. Click here to view photos from the event. What’s next? • Come to International Day in Joburg on Fri, 27 Sept. It’s a schoolwide celebration of our school’s diversity. The parade of nations starts at 9:30 am so plan to arrive by 9:00 am. Please also consider sending food for your home country or any country you or your children feel most connected to. Food guidelines: Cut into small portions; expect the food to be served room temperature; deliver in a throwaway container; and label it with the country table it should go on. You can send food in with your children in the morning and it’ll be delivered via a separate bus so the kids don’t have to mess with it. Please also email the country’s “AISJ Ambassador”. View the AISJ Ambassador List here.

For more information on all these events click on the Pretoria Parents Association button on the AISJ website. September 23 - 24 School Holiday September 26 Board Community Information Session with Annual School Report @ Teaching and Learning Center, 6:30 pm September 27 JHB & Pretoria International Day @ JHB Campus October 2 Pretoria Service Learning Presentation for Parents @ Lapa, 7:30 am

• How to find the school? Search “AISJ” in Google Maps or here are GPS coordinates: S25° 56.824 | E28° 2.282. It’s at the end October 16 of Scorpion Trail Road (off Mnandi Road). Do yourself a favor Pretoria Parents Association Meeting @ Band Room, and give yourself an hour to drive, park and find the festivities. 12:30 pm It’s only 30 minutes from Pretoria, but it takes a bit if it’s your first visit. The Joburg PA is providing drinks and appetizers in their Parent Room (near Gym). • Our next monthly “Wake Up and Learn!” Coffee Morning is Wed, 2 Oct, at 7:30 am. Tara Barton, head of Service Learning, will discuss community service at AISJ Pretoria and how parents can get involved. It’ll be in the Lapa this month due to MAP testing at the Library. Please come and meet Dawn (our friendly Welcome Coordinator) and other parents! • We’re organizing Room Parents for each Pre-K to Grade 5 class. Thanks to all the parents who volunteered. Bodil Michelsen, our enthusiastic Elementary School Coordinator, is leading this effort. The Room Parent orientation is next week and you should hear from your children’s Room Parents shortly thereafter. • Help us raise funds just by shopping. We’re a self-funded organization and need funds to put on our events. Sign up for a My School Card either online or in the store. If you shop at Woolies, Toys R Us, Reggies Toys, SupaQuick Tyres, and other shops, when you use your card at checkout, we’ll receive a % of what you spent. You can even associate your My School Card number with your Woolies black “W” shoppers card online, after which you don’t even have to show your My School Card when shopping there. For sign-up instructions, visit our Pretoria PA My School Card page. (Be sure to find our campus; we’re listed as: “American, International School – PTA”.) The fun never stops in Pretoria! (But you surely know that by now.) Glenn Frankel Pretoria Parents Association Pretoria-PA@aisj-jhb.com