Vol. 4 No. 10
American International School of Johannesburg
January 30, 2014
Together we dare to imagine, inspire to succeed, and courageously make a dif ference
What’s Inside...
Director of Operations’ Message Greetings, AISJ Community, Andy is out of the country this week, bringing closure to the recruiting process and visiting prestigious colleges and universities in the States. His travels are taking him to London, Boston and Cambridge, looking for more rewarding additions to our faculty, and highlighting the AISJ brand at schools that a number of our graduates wish to attend. In his absence I will be writing to you in this issue. I would like to chat a bit about students … specifically AISJ students. As a long-time teacher and administrator it has been my very great pleasure to work with thousands of students, and to get to know hundreds of them quite well, particularly those I taught. My wife, a career-long educator, and I often reflect on the joys and rewards of being surrounded by young people, young people like those here at AISJ.
Director of Operations’ Message 1 Upcoming Director’s Coffee Mornings 2 Recruitment Update 2 Message from the Board of Directors 3 Construction @ AISJ 4 Service Learning @ AISJ 4 Grade 7 Upcoming Health Screenings 5 AISJ Counselors’ Corner 6 School Lunch Menu 6 Pretoria Summer Carnival 7 Save the Date: Time Warp 7 For the “LOVE of READING” Book Exchange - JHB & PTA 9 Elementary School News - Johannesburg Campus 8 Scouting at AISJ 9 Wake up & Learn! Coffee Morning 9 Pretoria Elementary and Middle School News 10 Middle School News - Johannesburg Campus 14 High School University & Career Communicator 16 High School News 16 Activities and Sports 18 Pretoria Parents Association News 20
Since the start of school in August it’s been highly rewarding to work with the terrific young people here. Every morning brings the reward of watching hundreds of students exit school busses, most with big smiles on their faces, thanking their driver as they depart the bus, and heading into campus with a friend or two to begin their school day. They are often joined by other friends being dropped off by parents. One of the most touching things about the start of the day is watching the MS and HS students interacting with the ES students just off the busses, watching over them and mentoring them, unconsciously modelling true caring. Breaks, passing periods, recesses and lunches find AISJ students taking a bit of time away from the rigor and joy of the classroom to enjoy the companionship of friends and teachers outside in the beautiful surroundings of both the Pretoria campus and the Johannesburg campus. No fighting is witnessed but enough fun and horseplay is seen to prove that these kids are having good clean fun, and revelling in a day at school. The school day’s conclusion finds many students heading back to the busses or to their waiting parents, with quite a number of older students hugging one another as if they’re parting for weeks, and the younger students hollering, “See you tomorrow!” to their close companions. Other students remain on campus doing sports and/or after-school-activities, adding even greater value to the value of their academic work. Some might say that the scenes above can be observed on any school campus, but that would not be true. The students of AISJ bring a special cheer to our two campuses. They interact with each other, their teachers, and school staff in a spirited fashion not seen at many schools. My professional colleagues, my wife, and I are fortunate to get to spend time with such terrific young people. The best to these young people, and to the entire AISJ community, as we enter the month of February. Mike 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 1