10 Things to Know About AISB

AISB NEWCOMERS HANDBOOK 2019-2020

AISB was founded in 1962 by the US Embassy to serve the educational needs of the American and international expatriate community. As the school has grown, many local Romanian families have become part of the school community together with expatriate families from government, business, and social welfare organizations.

AISB has a richly diversified population of approximately 1000 students from 64 nationalities attending Early Childhood 2 through Grade 12. Romanians comprise approximately 30% of the student population, North Americans 16%, Turkish 6%,Israeli 5%, and Chinese 3% each. The balance are from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and South & Central America.

For up to date admissions information and tuition & fees, please scan the QR Code. Or visit our website www.aisb.ro

AISB NEWCOMERS HANDBOOK

Credits for this project go to Mrs. Martina Schretzmeir, member of the AISB parent community who had the initiative to create this handbook and put it together.

Thank you to the AISB Parent and Teacher Organization, to the Leadership Team and to the Administrative Assistants, for their help in updating this handbook.

Copyright Š 2019 AISB. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Revised 1.09.2019 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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DATA PROTECTION The American International School of Bucharest (“AISB”) processes personal data on its prospective, current and former students and their parents or legal representatives, as part of its everyday operations of providing educational services.

AISB handles your personal data according to the General Data Protection Regulation no. 679 / 2016 applicable in the European Union (“GDPR”).

For these purposes, AISB acts as controller with regard to your personal data and the personal data of students (“Personal Data”), meaning AISB establishes the purposes and means of processing the Personal Data.

Our detailed Privacy Policy can be read here: https://www.aisb.ro/privacy-notice-personal-data/ To minimize the risk of inappropriate use of photos, faculty and staff will use personal mobile phones only when in office, in the staff room, or in areas away from students while school is in session. Faculty members will use school devices to take photos of students and their learning to document the learning process.

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Where parents or family of students or students take photos or videos of other students on school premises or in the context of various school events or activities, for purely personal, household or recreational purposes, this policy shall not apply and the school shall not bear any responsibility with regard to the use of those photos or videos.

The school hereby, kindly requests that parents use all images and video taken as described above with maximum regard to the rights and liberties of other persons, especially children appearing in those photos or videos.

Where students or parents will take photos or videos for official use of the school, AISB shall take care that these photos will be handled and used according to this Policy.

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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IMPORTANT CONTACTS

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DEPARTMENT

NAME

Manager of Admissions & External Relations

Catalina Gardescu

Assistant to the Admissions Manager

Rucsandra Obretin

Business Manager

Liliana Stefenel

Cashier

Adina Licu

Receptionist

Nicoleta Pastravanu

Director

Peter Welch

Director’s Assistant

Cristina Marinescu

ELC Principal

Rosella Diliberto

ELC Admin Assistant

Tatiana Musteata

Early Years Pedagogical Coordinator (EYPC)

Olivia White

ES Principal

Elyane Ruel

ES Vice Principal

Deborah Gordon

ES Admin Assistant

Elena Ilie

ES PYP Coordinator

Courtney Hughes

ES Counselor (Grades 3-5)

Laurie Kim Reynolds

EC / Grade 2 Counselor

Klara Jaeger

EMAIL

TELEPHONE

catalina@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 33

robretin@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 68

lstefenel@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 50

alicu@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 86

npastravanu@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 00

pwelch@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 11

cmarinescu@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 11

rdiliberto@goaisb.ro

037-248 94 10

tmusteata@goaisb.ro

037-248 94 00

owhite@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 33

eruel@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 01

dgordon@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 00

eilie@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 01

chughes@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 00

lreynolds@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 70

kjaeger@goaisb.ro

037-248 94 20

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DEPARTMENT

NAME

Secondary Principal

Jon Cain

Secondary Vice-Principal

Fiona Moss

Secondary Admin Assistant

Florentina Frunza

Secondary Admin Assistant

Alexandru Relea

Secondary Attendance

Alexandru Relea

Counselor [Gr. 6-7]

Stephanie Finnell

Counselor [Gr. 10-12]

Lindsay Kehl

Counselor [Gr. 8-9]

Michaela Young

Counselor [Gr. 10-12]

Sommer Blohm

MYP Coordinator

Andrew Pontius

Secondary Counseling Admin Assistant

Simona Stan

IB Diploma Program Coordinator

David White

Student Information System Coordinator & Data Protection Officer

Laura Amza

Registrar

Ilias Mustafa

Co-curricular Activities Coordinator

Alex Sota

Co-curricular Coordinator

David Hughes

EMAIL

TELEPHONE

jcain@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 51

fmoss@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 52

ffrunza@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 02

arelea@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 08

secondary.attendance@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 02

sfinnell@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 69

lkehl@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 55

myoung@goaisb.ro sblohm@goaisb.ro

021-204 42 38

apontius@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 50

sstan@goaisb.ro

021-204 42 01

dwhite@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 91

lamza@goaisb.ro

021-204 42 37

imustafa@goaisb.ro

021-204 42 43

asota@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 27

dhughes@goaisb.ro

021-204 42 31

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DEPARTMENT

NAME

Secondary Activities Admin Assistant

Oana Velcu

CAS Coordinator

Quentin Young

K-12 Service Learning Coordinator

Margritha Hofman

Health Office Manager

Dr. Anita Pop

Health Office Assistant

Sandra Ziptzer

Cafeteria Manager

Octavian Stoica

PTO President

Kimberley Wright

EMAIL

TELEPHONE

ovelcu@goaisb.ro

021-204 42 04

qyoung@goaisb.ro

021-204 42 25

mhofman@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 89

apop@goaisb.ro

037-248 94 23

sziptzer@goaisb.ro

021-204 43 04

octavian.stoica@flavours.ro

0767 067 520

pto@goaisb.ro

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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AISB CHILD PROTECTION POLICY CEESA Safeguarding and Child Protection Statement • Safeguarding and Child Protection is a priority for every CEESA School.

• CEESA commits to supporting school environments that safeguard children through both prevention and intervention.

• CEESA works in cooperation with international agencies to ensure standards associated with best practices are regularly reviewed, revised, and applied in all operations, activities, and events.

• CEESA leaders honor and uphold child protection guidelines and procedures, in partnership with all stakeholders in their respective school communities.

All CEESA schools will: 1. Actively uphold the CEESA Safeguarding and Child Protection Statement 2. Implement School based Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies and Procedures that includes regular onsite training 3. Employ Safe Recruitment Practices consistent with Safeguarding and Child Protection Policies 4. Educate students and adults on Safeguarding and Child Protection Child abuse and neglect are of growing concern in schools throughout the world. Child abuse and neglect are violations of a child’s human rights and are obstacles to the child’s education as well as their physical, emotional, and spiritual development.

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Schools fulfill a special institutional role in society as protectors of children. Schools need to ensure that all children in their care are afforded a safe and secure environment in which to grow and develop. Educators, having the opportunity to observe and interact with children over time, are in a unique position to identify children who need help and protection. As such, educators have a professional and ethical obligation to identify children who are in need of help and protection and to take steps to ensure that the child and family avail themselves of the services needed to remedy any situation that constitutes child abuse or neglect.

All contractors and employees working at the American International School of Bucharest must report suspected incidences of child abuse or neglect whenever the staff member has reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse or neglect. Reporting and follow up of all suspected incidences of child abuse or neglect will proceed in accordance with administrative regulations respective to this policy. Furthermore, cases of suspected child abuse or neglect will be reported to the applicable authority.

The American International School of Bucharest adheres to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, of which the host country, Romania, is a signatory. The American International School of Bucharest seeks to be a safe haven for students who may be experiencing abuse or neglect in any aspect of their lives. The American International School of Bucharest will distribute this policy annually to all parents, legal guardians and applicants, will communicate this policy annually to students, will provide annual training for all staff, and will make every effort to implement hiring practices to ensure the safety of children.

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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Dear families, Welcome to the American International School of Bucharest! You are part of a great community that comes together to engage, prepare and inspire not only its students, but also their parents and educators. Parents play a vital role in the education of their children and the Parent & Teacher Organization (PTO) is involved daily in the activities of the school.

This handbook, prepared for you by the PTO and updated by school staff, is a first step in making sure that parents just entering our community, as well as parents with a long history at AISB, are well prepared to support their children’s learning. It is a guide that outlines important AISB events and details. This will be extremely helpful to new parents who have just recently become part of the community but will also provide support to current families who want to stay up to date with changes in procedures or events.

The school evolves continuously together with its constituents and it is crucial that we all keep up to date with these changes. Please provide feedback to us at catalina@goaisb.ro if you think more should be included in this handbook, or that edits are needed. Thank you!

Catalina Gardescu Manager of Admissions & External Relations

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Getting ready for school

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2 Communicating at AISB

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3 Liaising with other parents

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4 Eating at school

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5 Medical assistance

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6 Co-curricular activities

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7 Library & Media

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8 Security on campus

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9 Transportation for students

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10 Miscellaneous

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AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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AISB GUIDE FOR NEWCOMERS Wherever you are coming from in the world, we look forward to welcoming you. We have compiled some information here, so that you have a one-stop shop for all you need to know. In preparation for your first day as part of our amazing community or of your return to a new school year, here are some important details: FIRST WELCOME 1. Orientation Day for New Students and Parents is organized yearly. All parents of new students are informed via email prior to school start by the AISB Admissions Office.

2. If you are joining AISB later in the year, please contact the Manager of Admissions, Mrs. Catalina Gardescu at catalina@goaisb.ro to arrange an individual orientation meeting. This should be planned before the first day of school for any student as it offers an opportunity to look around the school without the pressure of being new in class.

ENTERING THE SCHOOL CAMPUS & THE SCHOOL Security and wellbeing of all students, parents and staff on our campus premises are of utmost importance to us. Please see below, in brief, compulsory security measures you must follow to be able to enter the campus with your car and to be able to enter the building. • A Parking permit is needed to enter the school campus by car. Every family may receive a maximum of 3 permits. Parents can obtain these permits by completing a form at the school Reception.

Contact: Nicoleta Pastravanu (npastravanu@goaisb.ro).

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• Parents must have a school ID badge to enter the campus. Visitors, as well as family aides (nannies, drivers, relatives) will be issued a badge for the day, granted their presence on campus was announced by the parents. Parents may request badges for Family Members. See Security Chapter • AISB is a completely non-smoking campus. If you are a smoker, please exit the campus premises before lighting up a cigarette (even an electronic one).

• AISB is a plastic free campus – plastic cups are therefore not offered for water drinking at school. Please bring a refillable water bottle or purchase one from the school store. Ensure your children have refillable bottles every day.

• Traffic on the road to the school is quite busy in the morning and it is advisable that students be dropped off early so that they are not late for their first class. Students should be dropped off at the latest at 7:45am, Monday-Friday.

SCHOOL ENDING TIMES ARE AS FOLLOWS: • Early Childhood (ELC): 14:50; Elementary: 15:00* • Secondary: 15:10 • On Wednesday school ends at 14:00 for all sections *early childhood students are dismissed at noon for the first week of school.

If you need assistance or need more information, please contact the Reception Office, ELC / ES / SS Offices or Mrs. Catalina Gardescu in the Admissions Office. We will be happy to assist you!

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1 GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL When a student starts school, either for the first time or in a new location, there are many things to include on the list of needed items.

Below are some important ones for the AISB students of different ages: 18

SECTION

NEEDED

Early Childhood

Indoor shoes, a refillable water bottle, a blanket and a pillow; changes of clothing.

Please label all items with your child’s name • Indoor shoes, a refillable water bottle and a backpack. Students’ backpacks should fit into a space of 35 cm wide x 19 cm deep x 50 cm high • Grade 5 Students must bring in their own laptop (see computer specifications on pages 20 & 21)

Elementary

• All ES students need to wear PE uniforms during PE classes. Students have 3 PE lessons a week.

• All ES students must bring ear buds/ head phones in an individual case.

• ES students will also need to purchase an AISB library bag.

• All other school supplies for students in Grades EC2 – Grade 5 are provided by the school.

SUGGESTIONS IKEA; Carrefour; JYSK

Water bottles may be purchased at the AISB School Store

PE uniforms and library bags can be purchased at the AISB School Store

• Refillable water bottle, personal laptop.

• PE shirt and trousers for PE class.

Secondary

• School supplies: A school supplies list for Grade 6 – 12 students will be provided at the Secondary School Office upon school start.

Water bottles, shirts & school supplies may be purchased at the AISB School Store

• Grades 6-12 students must bring their own laptop (see computer specifications on pages 20 & 21)

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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AISB STORE SCHOOL SUPPLIES & PE UNIFORMS All Early Childhood and Elementary School students will receive their school supplies in their classrooms at the beginning of the year.

Middle and High School students are expected to purchase branded school supplies from AISB. Notebooks and folders appropriate for each subject will be sold in the AISB Store.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION UNIFORMS Students from Grade 1 to 5 must wear a uniform and Secondary students must wear the school branded T-shirts during their PE classes. These uniforms / T-shirts are compulsory from the beginning of September and can be purchased from the school store all year round.

During the school year, you can purchase PE uniforms, school supplies, water bottles and other fitness accessories from the school store, located across from the Reception in the Main Campus.

For any questions, please contact: Fabiana Papastefani Store Manager fpapastefani@goaisb.ro Opening Hours: Monday: 7:30-8:30 // 14:30-15:30 Tuesday: 7:30-8:30 // 14:30-15:30 Wednesday: 7:30-8:30 // 13:30-14:30 Thursday: 7:30-8:30 // 14:30-15:30 Friday: 7:30-8:30 // 14:30-15:30

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AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS - GRADE 5 MINIMUM HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS MAC - MacOS*

PC - WINDOWS*

MacOS 10.12.5 or Higher

OS Windows 10

Processor i5 or greater

Processor i5 or greater

Memory 4GB or greater

Memory 4GB or greater

Hard Drive 250GB**

Hard Drive 250GB**

SOFTWARE RECOMMENDED MAC - MacOS

PC - WINDOWS Anti-virus

FREEWARE RECOMMENDED MAC - MacOS

PC - WINDOWS

Adobe: Reader, Air, Shockwave, Flash Player

Adobe: Reader, Air, Shockwave, Flash Player (blocked by default)

Firefox

Firefox

Chrome

Chrome

VLC

VLC

iMovie

WinRar (trial) or 7zip

GarageBand

Java

iWork Tools

[Pages, Keynote, Numbers] * It is important to note that, while the school will provide some technical support, the responsibility for the care, maintenance and repair of the device lies with the student/parent. ** Recommended – Solid State Drive (SSD) instead of Hard Drive (HDD).

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COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS - GRADE 6-12 MINIMUM HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS MAC - MacOS*

PC - WINDOWS*

MacOS 10.12.5 or Higher

OS Windows 10

Processor i5 or greater

Processor i5 or greater

Memory 4GB or greater

Memory 4GB or greater

Hard Drive 250GB**

Hard Drive 250GB**

WIFI-802.11ac

WIFI- 802.11ac

SOFTWARE RECOMMENDED MAC - MacOS

PC - WINDOWS Anti-virus

FREEWARE RECOMMENDED MAC - MacOS

PC - WINDOWS

Adobe: Reader, Air, Shockwave, Flash Player

Adobe: Reader, Air, Shockwave, Flash Player (blocked by default)

Firefox

Firefox

Chrome

Chrome

VLC

VLC

iMovie

WinRar (trial) or 7zip

GarageBand

Java

iWork Tools

[Pages, Keynote, Numbers] * It is important to note that, while the school will provide some technical support, the responsibility for the care, maintenance and repair of the device lies with the student/parent. ** Recommended – Solid State Drive (SSD) instead of Hard Drive (HDD).

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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2 COMMUNICATING AT AISB

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PLATFORM

PURPOSE

FREE / RESTRICTED ACCESS

www.aisb.ro

School website: external & internal info

Unrestricted

Noticeboard

School News

Unrestricted

Social Media

Communication for events, articles & videos

Unrestricted

ManageBac

E-Learning platform: calendar, newsletters, grading, report cards.

Username & password for parents & Secondary students. If you have trouble signing in, please contact lamza@aisb.ro

PYP Grade Level Sites

Class & specialist information for EC and ES

Unrestricted

PYP Seesaw student portfolios

Information for EC and ES

Username & password for parents

Parent teacher conferences link

Setting up conferences for EC and ES

Username & password for parents – invite will be provided when conference times become available

Weekly & monthly newsletters

Informing families about weekly news and happenings

Sent via email to parents

Dismissal platform

Very important: end of the day arrangements

Password protected

CHQ

Signing up for Co-curricular Activities

Password protected

Stay in touch with teachers and administrators: • Attend Coffee Mornings with Principals and Counselors – read the newsletters every Friday to put important dates in your calendars • Email teachers directly: you can find their e-mail addresses on ManageBac STUDENT ABSENCES: If a student is not able to attend school, please inform the offices before 8:00am. Parents may also indicate a child’s absence through the parent portal on ManageBac. DEPARTMENT

NAME

CONTACT

Early Learning Center

Andreea Dragomir

037-248 94 00 / adragomir@goaisb.ro

Elementary

Elena Ilie

021-204 43 01 / eilie@goaisb.ro

Secondary

Alexandru Relea

021-204 43 02 / secondary.attendance@goaisb.ro

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3 LIAISING WITH OTHER PARENTS THE PARENT AND TEACHER ORGANIZATION (PTO): The PTO is an organization of parents and teachers whose goal is to support the education of AISB students by fostering relationships among the school, parents, and teachers, all in the benefit of the students. The PTO strives for continued parental involvement to help build a better educational environment for our children.

Check ManageBac calendars for the monthly PTO meetings. These are important monthly gatherings in which parents come together to support the PTO team at AISB and to hear from the Leadership Team of the school on the most important current issues. Info: pto@aisb.ro

PTO Executive Committee 2019-2020: ELC Vice President Anne Marieke Evers ptoELC@goaisb.ro

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President Kimberley Wright pto@goaisb.ro

ES Vice President TBD ptoES@goaisb.ro

Secretary Chelsi Mickle pto@goaisb.ro

MYP Vice President Aida Carstens ptoMYP@goaisb.ro

PTO Treasurer Despina Szavuj pto@goaisb.ro

DP Vice President TBD ptoDP@goaisb.ro

Make sure you don’t miss the yearly PTO events – their exact dates are included every year on the PTO Board in the school atrium, in the newsletters, in the ManageBac calendar and on the website.

EVENTS September

Terry Fox Run

October Halloween November

Harvest Festival

Winter / Spring Artisan Fair December

Festival of Lights

April

Auction Gala

May

International Festival

LINK FAMILY PROGRAM: If you are a new family and would like to be put in contact with a veteran family at AISB or if you have been at AISB for a while and would like to help new families receive a warm welcome, please contact Ms. Kimberley Wright at pto@goaisb.ro

COUNTRY LIAISONS We encourage you to volunteer as a country liaison for your country. In this capacity you would share all AISB information and news in native languages and support community events. If you would like to act as a country liaison or find out who your country liaison is, please contact the PTO at pto@goaisb.ro AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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4 EATING AT SCHOOL PYP students will receive a morning snack, included in the school tuition fee. Should your child be enrolled in an after-school activity, please send your child to school with a snack to eat in the afternoon.

All AISB parents are welcome to open an account for each child at the school cafeteria for daily lunch or alternatively, send lunch from home.

Each student must eat a healthy and balanced meal for lunch. Parents can also purchase a lunch menu with cash on an ad hoc basis from the Cafeteria.

The school Cafeteria offers two options for lunch: Large meal Small meal

For details about contract and prices please contact Octavian Stoica, Cafeteria Manager at octavian.stoica@flavours.ro

The large meal is generally appropriate for Secondary students, while the small meal is usually sufficient for EC and ES students. After an account is open, the student must also be present so that a fingerprint is associated 28

with that account. The fingerprint will be used to deduct money from the account once a purchase is made. Parents will credit the account as necessary and they will receive a notice from the Cafeteria when funds are low.

While an option for cash payment exists, the school advises against students carrying cash which can be easily lost.

On the last Friday of the month, all ELC and ES students will receive a birthday treat from the school. Hence, there is no need to send in food for any class celebrations.

Students between the ages of 2 and 6 are served their meals in their ELC Cafeteria. In the beginning of the school year, grade 1 students will have pre-served meals served in a designated area. Later in the year, they will join the other students in making their own lunch choices. All students between Grades 2 and 12 are able to make their own lunch choices and select their seating arrangements.

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Students may bring their own lunch from home. Make sure you send a healthy lunch, in appropriate containers. If you deliver the food, please do so via the lateral gate, near the Cafeteria. On Wednesdays, home lunches need to be delivered by 11:00.

The AISB guards will store it appropriately and the Cafeteria crew will pick it up at 11:45. Students will find the delivered food in the Cafeteria, on the first table to the right, as they enter.

Please label the packages which are delivered with: name of student, grade, person who delivered the food. We are not able to receive or store food at the school Reception. Thank you for your cooperation.

AISB is very much a community place. It is a welcoming environment where you can meet other parents with the same interests, who have children in the same class or belong to the same community.

A good meeting place is the Stradale Café next to the Atrium. This Café serves parents and faculty primarily but also Secondary School Students during break and lunch. EC and ES students are not allowed to buy items from the Café.

The Café is open from 8:00 to 17:00 daily except on Wednesdays, when due to the short school day, it closes at 16:00.

Cafeteria Manager: Octavian Stoica octavian.stoica@flavours.ro

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5 MEDICAL ASSISTANCE In order to get our year off to a healthy and productive start, please update your child’s medical record yearly at the Main Campus Medical Office and on the ManageBac platform. It is unsafe for your child to attend school without complete medical information.

THE SCHOOL DOCTOR The medical offices are open from Monday to Friday

Dr. Anita Pop Health Office Manger apop@goaisb.ro

Sandra Ziptzer Health Office Assistant sziptzer@goaisb.ro

MAIN CAMPUS HEALTH OFFICE 08:00 - 17:00 Tel: 021 204-43 04 / 43 17 Ext. 304 or 317

ELC HEALTH OFFICE: 07:15 - 15:00 Tel: 037 248 94 23 Ext. 423

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Students should not attend school if they show: • Fever – temperature above 100.40F (380C) or higher. If your child has a fever, even without any other accompanying symptoms, he/she should not return to school until at least 24 hours without a fever and without the use of fever medication.

• Diarrhea with blood or mucus visible; diarrhea that is causing “accidents” in a child that already is toiled-trained; diarrhea that is unable to be contained by the diaper.

• Vomiting 2 or more times during the previous 24 hours.

• Sores in the mouth or throat, if associated with drooling.

• Any skin rash associated with fever.

• Child feeling unwell, unable to fully participate in activities.

• The child has head lice. In this particular situation, if the child receives an appropriate treatment, he/she could return to school on the next day, provided that there are not viable nits found in the child’s scalp.

EC2 – EC3 additional exclusion criteria Based on the increased number of sick children, the low immunity of children aged 2 and 3, and because of further illnesses’ complications and persistent symptoms, we are increasing the health measures prevention in EC2 and EC3 classes.

In this respect, besides the general exclusion criteria (indicated above), all the EC2 and EC3 students should not attend school if they present the following symptoms: • Constant runny nose (watery, yellowish or greenish secretions) • Persistent, irritative cough • Itchy red eyes Additionally, students in the ELC should not attend classes if they wear a cast.

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Furthermore, we kindly remind you that: • Prolonged absences (more than 3 days) due to medical reasons should be communicated to the Health Office and a medical form that contains the diagnosis should be provided. The information will remain confidential with the doctor/nurse, unless, for your child’s wellbeing, preventative measures must be taken (i.e. severe allergies); in such situation, the information may be shared with key AISB employees.

• If your child is well enough to come to school, then he/she is expected to participate in all school activities (i.e. outdoor recess, PE lessons, etc.). Exceptions will only be made with a medical certificate.

• In the case that your child visits the health office for any reason, you will be notified by email by the end of the school day. If your child needs to go home for a medical reason, you will be notified as soon as the decision is made.

• If your child needs emergency care, life saving measures will be given first and a member of the school staff will notify you through a phone call as promptly as possible. Please make sure that your contact information, including an emergency contact number, is up-to-date.

• If there is a need to exclude the child for the day due to concerns of a contagious illness or other medical reason, we ask you to make arrangements for the child to be picked up by an a authorized adult as soon as possible, within a maximum of 1 hour after notification.

We also would like to inform you that we revised and updated the list for medications available in our health office for this school year, and it now contains: • Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Tylenol (for pain or fever), • Simethicone drops (for intestinal discomfort), • Rennie (calcium and magnesium carbonate, antacids for stomach), • loratadine, Cetirizine (antihistamines for allergies), • Hydrocortisone 1% (for insect bites, allergic rashes), • Cold/hot spray (for minor sprains and injuries),

AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BUCHAREST

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• Voltaren Gel (Diclofenac, local anti-inflammatory for sprains or bruises), • Alcohol wipes and peroxide for wound disinfection, • Baneocin Cream (Neomycin, local antibiotic), Bepanthen Cream.

Your child will only be given medication if this is deemed necessary and you have previously given consent through the child’s health form. If the medical office does not have your permission we will call a parent before administering any medication.

PREVENTION It would be beneficial if we could count on your support in working with us to remind your children to practice good hand hygiene and cough/ sneezing etiquette to prevent the spreading of contagious diseases.

During this school year, we will have stations with hand sanitizers in strategic points distributed throughout the school to help facilitate hand hygiene.

Another great tool is immunization. It helps protect your child and helps prevent the spreading of infection to others at home and at school!

We respectfully request that parents arrange a private medical service provider for their children and themselves for regular health care and illnesses.

We kindly inform you that we are not able to fully provide child check-ups or follow up for chronic medical needs during school hours. Our office is here to help with medical situations that might be impact the child’s ability to fully participate on her daily activities.

We also cannot loan durable medical supplies (wheelchairs, crutches, nebulizers) outside of school hours. Our equipment is for school use only.

We are happy to recommend primary care doctors, urgent care facilities, pharmacies and a durable medical supplier in case you would like us to.

Please feel free to contact the school Health Office with any questions or concerns at apop@goaisb.ro

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6 CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES & AFTER SCHOOL CARE AT AISB Several after school activities are available for students from EC to HS. Early Learning (EL): As the children’s day will be designed to be stimulating and challenging, and will require active engagement on their part, we will not be providing co-curricular activities for 2, 3 and 4 yearolds. This decision is based on doing what is developmentally appropriate for this age group. Extending the day beyond the dismissal bell with structured activities proves tiring, stressful, and beyond the physical and emotional ‘readiness’ levels of very young children. We will, however, continue to offer a meaningful and varied co-curricular program for our KG classes, as part of the school tuition fee.

Elementary: there is a wide variety of after school activities included in the school fee. Please contact: Alex Sota, PYP Co-Curricular Coordinator asota@goaisb.ro, to set up an account to enroll your child.

Secondary: • Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA) activities • Other after school activities (Music club, robotics e.g.)

• For more information please contact: David Hughes, our Athletics & Activities Coordinator at dhughes@goaisb.ro, or Mrs. Oana Velcu, SS Athletics Department Assistant at ovelcu@goaisb.ro.

You can find detailed information on the CHQ platform.

CHQ is our schools’ online platform for signing up to after school activities.

Parents in Elementary School will receive a username and password

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that parents can use to log on and register their child for an activity. In Secondary, only the students can sign up for the activities, whilst parents can see what they have signed up for. We have some video tutorials on the school website that detail how to use a couple of the important features of the software. We encourage you to take a look here - http:// athletics.aisb.ro/ CONCERTS AND PRODUCTIONS • Spring / Winter Concerts • Musical / Theatre Productions

• AISB Talent Show • Music Club

ACADEMIC AFTER SCHOOL Mother tongue program: We have several mother tongue classes at AISB: Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Turkish, Dutch, Hebrew and Urdu.

For more information about the mother tongue program at AISB, please contact the following people, as the program has distinct characteristics across the school: • EC2 – Grade 5: Mrs. Alina Guzganu - aguzganu@goaisb.ro • MYP (Gr. 6-10) & DP (Gr. 11-12): Ms. Kate Sorrell - ksorrell@goaisb.ro AFTER SCHOOL CARE Early Learning Center While we recommend that the best situation for our youngest learners is to go home immediately after school, we do appreciate that there are exceptional situations in which parents or caretakers are unable to pick up their children at the time of dismissal.

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An EC After School Care Program is available for the ELC students in times of need. Here are some of the details: 1.

The program is run by a coordinator in the ELC building between the end of the school day and 16:30 (please note that this ends earlier than the program for ES students) 2.

Fee Structure: â‚Ź 5 / hour for every child - billed by the half hour

3.

The program is unstructured and provides students with a chance to rest or engage in free play. Please note that this is not a cocurricular activity.

Should you require this service, please contact the coordinator, Rodica Piticar at rpiticar@goaisb.ro or 0741 257 099.

Elementary AISB offers a safe space, complete with supervision, games and snacks from 15 minutes after school each day to 6 pm. This is open to students in grades 1 to 5. The rate is 5 Euros per child per hour and billed monthly.

There is a late fee for pick-ups past 6 pm.

This is a fantastic and affordable option for busy parents. It is important to note that any child still at school once classes are over and not involved in an after-school activity or directly supervised by a parent will be brought to our after-school care program.

For further information please contact: Saima Jafri Email: sjafri@goaisb.ro Cell: 0749 079 095

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7

LIBRARY & MEDIA

“Libraries are about Freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information.� Neil Gaiman, The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction

The AISB libraries provide safe spaces for kids to explore ideas, to engage with their peers, and to visit other times and other worlds.

We encourage students, staff and parents to check out books, read, work, relax, collaborate and get assistance with information needs.

Our print books are organized to encourage browsing and discovery and the librarians are here to help patrons find books they love.

With over 16 subscription eResources, 60 print magazines, and 30,000 books, the AISB librarians are here to assist patrons with information, personal learning, and reading enjoyment needs. Links to our online searchable resources can be found on the AISB website. The libraries oversee programs throughout

the year such as the Seesaw Bingo Challenges, Thirsty Vampire Reading Challenge, student library ambassadors and council, Battle of the Books, Banned Books Week, and March Madness. The library also hosts a number of events including the PYP and MYP Exhibitions, Robotics competition, the Living Library, and even a Haunted House!

For more information, check out the school website, the parent newsletters and the Vampire Diaries.

Contact a librarian directly: Louise Phinney ELC Librarian & Head of Libraries lphinney@goaisb.ro Haley Kemper Elementary Librarian hkemper@goaisb.ro Traci Marlowe Secondary Librarian tmarlowe@goaisb.ro ELC Library Hours: 7:30 - 16:00 ES Library Hours: 7:30 - 16:00 Secondary Library Hours: 7:30 - 16:00

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8 SECURITY ON CAMPUS 1. Parking Permits: the current parking permits are valid through August 31st. Only families who are new to AISB must require permits before that date. These rules apply to the main campus parking lot as well as the new Early Learning Center (ELC) parking lot. Our number-plate recognition hardware has been upgraded to include access to the new building’s car park, where an additional 100 spaces will be available.

2. Driving within, and out of the school campus: driving within the grounds of the school should be done with utmost attention towards students and parents who are walking and other vehicles moving at the same time. As we will be opening the ELC, these families will need to drop off their children in two different campuses in the morning – given the traffic at that time, we suggest parking in the ELC campus and your older children walking to other sections of the school.

3. School buildings will remain locked at all times.

4. Electronic campus access will be granted as follows: Parents and designated family members with chip-access cards will be allowed automatic entrance to the school.

All other people will not be allowed access unless by prior arrangement • FA (Family Aides) will not be allowed access to the Main Campus without prior notification but will be allowed access to the ELC for

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short instances (dropping off and picking up our early learners).

The recipients of these badges must be registered by parents at the ELC Reception (tmusteata@goaisb.ro) as well as the Main Campus Reception (npastravanu@goaisb.ro) and must carry a valid ID when entering the school campus. They will need to leave the ID at the Reception / Gate to receive a badge. FA badges are not to be taken home, they are returned in exchange for the ID. It is the parents’ responsibility to inform the school if they no longer work with a certain caretaker.

• V (Visitors) to the campus must have a confirmed appointment. No walk-ins are allowed. All visitors must have the exact name of the person they are visiting and a valid ID. The security guard will make a copy of their ID for security purposes. All visitors will receive and must display the Visitors (V) badge while on campus. These rules apply also to visitors entering with parents in a car which has a parking sticker.

• SC (Subcontractors) to the school will present their ID and receive a SC badge from Reception /Gate. They will also enter the school only upon a prior arrangement / appointment.

• Families residing in the Ibiza Compounds (behind the school) and using the Cafeteria and back gate will be able to access the Main Campus using their photo badge which opens the gate. No entrance is permitted through these gates with only your ID. If you need a parent / family member badge, please contact Admissions Manager, Catalina Gardescu, catalina@goaisb.ro Thank you for partnering with us in making sure that our campus is safe and appropriate for our children’s education. Should you have any questions, please email catalina@goaisb.ro.

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HOT SPOT UPDATE AISB Wireless Networks Access Disclaimer: Welcome to the AISB Wireless Networks. Use of these networks is exclusively for the members of the AISB community (faculty, staff, students, parents and authorized guests), as follows: NETWORK NAME

USER ACCESS

Students

Exclusively for students

AISB-BYOD

Faculty and staff

Visitors

Parents and other guests

All users of the AISB Wireless Networks agree without exception to comply with all the terms and conditions for the use of technology facilities and services as specified

by AISB. Any misuse or inappropriate access will result in immediate termination and loss of access to the AISB Wireless Networks. Furthermore, any inappropriate use of the AISB Wireless Networks as deemed by the system administrators will be reported and could result in action taken in accordance to AISB’s code of conduct and behavior policy.

Please consult the IT department to clarify appropriate use of technology facilities and services at AISB and when in doubt please ask.

CELL PHONE POLICY Early Childhood and Elementary School students are not to bring cell phones to school. Should they need to contact parents, they can do so with the help of the Admin Assistants at the ELC and ES Offices.

Secondary School students may use cell phones and tablets during their classes should they be involved in projects which require this and only with teacher permission.

The use of cell phones and tablets during recess and lunch break is not permitted. If students are using these devices, they will be taken from them and kept at the Secondary office until the end of the day.

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9 TRANSPORTATION FOR STUDENTS While AISB does not employ its own buses, there are 2 companies that parents currently have contracts with. For further details, you can also ask Mrs Catalina Gardescu at catalina@goaisb.ro

TWINS TOUR Anghel Olaru Tel: 0788 294 719 Email: twinstour@gmail.com

CONDOR IMPEX Luis Mihu Tel: 0745 024 543 Email: condorimpexsrl@gmail.com

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10 MISCELLANEOUS • To advertise something in the community you can use the display board on the wall next to the Reception Office. Please give your message or advertisement to Nicoleta Pastravanu; do not post it yourself. Please note that the poster will be valid for only 2 weeks, so all members can be able to post announcements.

• All parents can access the school’s Wi Fi network while they are in the campus by selecting the VISITORS network. No user name or password is required. Wi Fi connection is available only in certain areas, please check the Reception notification board for details.

• For any issues related to enrollment fees please see Ms. Liliana Stefenel, Business Manager, in the Business Office on the Admin Floor above the Atrium. Her office hours are 7:30 to 16:00. You can also email her at lstefenel@goaisb.ro.

• The AISB Cashier’s Office is open from 7:30 to 16:00. There may be instances when our Cashier is off to the bank and is not in the office so please make payments in due time.

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Abbreviations you will see around the school and in our communication:

ELC

Early Learning Center

ES

Elementary School

PYP

Primary Years Program

MYP

Middle Years Program

DP

Diploma Program

SS

Secondary School

WIDA

English test used in ES for nonnative English speakers

SEN

Special Educational Needs

EL

Extended Learning

MAP

Measures of Academic Progress (standardized testing)

EAL

English as Additional Language

EC

Early Childhood

LS

Learning Support

PTO

Parent and Teacher Organization

CCA

Co-Curricular Activities

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Blvd. Pipera #196 Voluntari Jud. Ilfov 077190 Romania www.aisb.ro

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Accredited By: © AISB 2019 All Rights Reserved Graphics: Mario Zamfir / SchoolBrand LLC