Principal ENotes- December 7, 2015

Dear Parents, 

Thanks to many of you who attended the ES PAC meeting on Thursday. In case you missed it, here is an introductory video about the PYP (Primary Years Program). 
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As we shift our focus to working toward developing this school-wide framework (PYP, MYP, DP) my parent meetings will also shift to provide you with information about what you can expect and how you can support us on that journey. In January I hope to send out a list of PYP Parent Meetings dates. I will also be working with the PTO to find ways to help all parents participate in those events, regardless of their level of English. 

A preview comes with the photo above. On Friday, elementary students visited the 12th Grade Extended Essay fair to learn about their work. These Kindergarteners learned from the "big kids" at our school. The big kids realized how far they have come as learners. 

I look forward to seeing you at the ASW Holiday Bazaar on Friday.

Have a wonderful week.

Warmly,
Jen

Parent Partnership:
Lost and Found
The lost and found is full of coats, hats, gloves, water bottles and other items. When you are up at school, please take a moment to look through the lost and found items. (Or ask your child to do so before or after school.)

To assist, we will be going through and organizing the items in an easier-to-sort system early this week. Please note, we will be donating unclaimed items over the break. 

Important Dates:
December 7-11: Hour of Code "week" (students across the school will participate in coding activities with our Tech Coaches)
December 11: ASW Holiday Bazaar
December 15: Elementary Choirs and Orff Ensemble Holiday Concert- 18:00 in the Theatre
December 16: Pre-Kindergarten Holiday Singing- 9:00am, ES Tower
December 17: Elementary Holiday Assembly (organized by the Student Council) - 2:00pm in the Theatre
December 18: 
- Kindergarten Holiday Singing- 9:00am, MPR
- All School Holiday Assembly in the New Gym - 2:40pm 
- ES Report Cards sent home
Winter Break begins!

ES Tech News
ASW Hour of Code is HERE!
We live in a world surrounded by technology. And we know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly hinge on understanding how technology works. But only a tiny fraction of us are learning computer science, and less students are studying it than a decade ago.

That’s why our entire school is joining in on the largest learning event in history: The Hour of Code, during Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 7-13). More than 100 million students worldwide have already tried an Hour of Code.

At the ES, our Hour of Code will take place in the classrooms and at home between December 7th and 16th.  We are hoping your child will be excited to continue coding when they return home. We will provide a form for you to document your child’s time spent coding so we can add it to our goal. Our goal is for our grade 1 - 5 students to complete 700 hours of coding before December 17th.

Click on our Hour of Code Challenge page on the ES Tech Blog for more information and for some ideas on how to get your kids coding at home.

Citation: http://hourofcode.com/us

ES/MS/HS Parent-Technology Partnership Meeting 
Experience an "Hour of Code" . . . for parents!
Thursday December 10th 10:15-11:30 in the MPR
Do you like solving puzzles?  Do you know what all the talk about "coding" and "computational thinking" is all about?  The week of December 7th is Computer Science Education Week, and ASW will be helping to raise awareness of the “coding movement” through providing students of all ages opportunities to engage with the third annual Hour of Code.

Come and experience an "Hour of Code" . . . for parents!  Give yourself a mental workout, get a better understanding of the attraction of the gaming/making/programming worlds, and join the worldwide movement to expose our students to coding.  You do not need to be a computer expert or technically inclined to participate.  The computational thinking movement is aimed at introducing coding as early as the lower elementary grades.  Come with your laptop, tablet or even an iPad to the MPR on Thursday December 10th from 10:15-11:30 and get your first taste of coding!  If you don’t have a device, we will have a limited number of devices for you to use.  If you are already planning on attending the PTO meeting, then plan to stay and do some coding right afterwards.

ES After School Activities
The process of organising the new season of elementary school-sponsored activities has been finalized! Some popular activities will be repeated and some new ones added. The information about the new offer will be sent home to parents via e-mail from the elementary office this Monday, December 7, and the electronic sign-ups will be taken via Moodle during the week December 7-14. Application results will be sent to parents as we return from the holiday break in January. Winter Season will run January 18-March 11.

PLEASE NOTE: E-mail applications WILL NOT be accepted! Please follow the directions how to sign up using Moodle and fill out all the required fields carefully. Application steps are described in the letter that contains the Winter Season activities information. You do not need a password to sign up on Moodle, just proceed as guest. 

Yearlong activities continue as usual.

If you have other questions regarding ES school-sponsored after-school activities program please contact Ms. Kusanovic at: [email protected] 

Community News
Holiday Bazaar
The annual ASW Holiday Bazaar will be held on December 11th. There will be vendors selling “Boleslawiec” Polish pottery, Polish crafts, jewellery, small gifts, and holiday ornaments. Several students groups will present various charity sales. All proceeds from table fees (vendors) will be donated to the Warsaw Hospice for Children. The ES students will have an opportunity to visit the tables during the school day and to shop for gifts. We hope you will enjoy the variety of products and start this holiday season in a cheerful and friendly atmosphere of the ASW Holiday Bazaar.

Middle School Student Council Announcement
Next week, the MS Student Council will be holding three different fundraising events in front of the cafeteria to benefit an organization that assists Syrian refugees. Here is the date and time schedule:
Monday, December 7 Hot Cocoa 11:30-1:30
Tuesday, December 8 Cookies 11:30-1:30
Thursday, December 10 Brownies 11:30-1:30

Prices range from 3 to 5 PLN. So make sure to bring lots of zloty next week to support this worthy cause.

1st Annual Jingle Bell Fun Run!
Students, Staff, Parents . . .  The first annual ASW Jingle Bell Fun Run is happening on Dec. 16 at 2:45, right after school.  All runners / walkers should meet in the new gym immediately after school for warm up.  Distances will be 1 KM, 2 KM, and 3 KM.  Cookies and hot chocolate, courtesy of the ASW PTO will be served in the cafeteria following the event.  There will also be prizes for the best holiday costumes!  Sign up today on the Athletics / Activities Moodle page!  
Link to form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ktymkmo8iS1o2UGuu-XKo7glaxpAFgkwVXKNX79wZxU/viewform?usp=send_form


PTO Weekly News
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) ENotes LINK
http://www.aswarsaw.org/community/parents/pto-enotes/index.aspx
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