19 Feb 2024

Superintendent's Office

 Dear ACS Community, 

Last week was a short week, but it was filled with positivity.  On Wednesday afternoon, the first day after the break, ACS hosted an event that we call teachers teaching teachers.  The event consisted of a series of workshops presented by our faculty.  It was attended not only by our teachers but also by teachers from, the German school, Saint Andrews's school, and Highlands school.  It was impressive to see our teachers sharing the great things going on in ACS classrooms.  Professional development is critical for teachers and it takes many forms.  Sending teachers to external workshops, bringing in consultants, and providing internal training are just a few of the modalities.  It is, perhaps, most impressive, however, to see our faculty actively engaged in helping one another to improve learning and teaching.

Last week, I was also able to review recent changes in our provision for learning support and child protection.  In both cases, I'm pleased to say that we are dramatically improving our ability to support children and keep them safe.  

Last week, we also hosted focus groups with participation from all stakeholders.  They focused on potential new themes for our mission, vision, and core values.  This week, our steering committee is analyzing that data along with data from work in 2022 to create a community wide survey that will identify priorities among these themes.  Please be on the lookout for a link to this survey on Friday.  We want your input.

Have a great week ahead.

Yours,

Andrew



Estimada Comunidad de ACS,

La semana pasada fue una semana corta pero llena de positividad.  El miércoles por la tarde, el primer día después del receso, ACS organizó un evento denominado “profesores enseñando a profesores”.  El evento consistió en una serie de talleres presentados por nuestra facultad. Asistieron no sólo nuestros profesores sino también profesores de los Colegios Alemán, Saint Andrew’s y Highlands. Fue impresionante ver a nuestros profesores compartir las grandes cosas que suceden en las aulas de ACS. El desarrollo profesional es fundamental para los docentes y adopta muchas formas. Enviar docentes a talleres externos, contratar consultores y proporcionar capacitación interna son sólo algunas de las modalidades. Sin embargo, quizás lo más impresionante fue ver a nuestros profesores involucrados activamente en ayudarse unos a otros para mejorar el aprendizaje y la enseñanza.

Así mismo, la semana pasada pude revisar los cambios recientes en nuestra provisión de apoyo al aprendizaje y protección infantil. En ambos casos, me complace decir que estamos mejorando drásticamente nuestra capacidad para apoyar a nuestros niños y mantenerlos seguros.

La semana pasada también organizamos grupos focales con la participación de todas las partes interesadas. Se centraron en posibles nuevos temas para nuestra misión, visión y valores fundamentales. Esta semana, nuestro comité directivo está analizando esos datos junto con los datos del trabajo en 2022 para crear una encuesta a nivel comunitario que identificará las prioridades entre estos temas. Estén atentos al enlace de esta encuesta el viernes. Queremos su opinión.

Que tengan una gran semana.

Atentamente,

Andrew

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Urgent Action Items

 

  • 5 Feb., today, tuition was due
  • 23 Feb. @ 8:30 - Parent Coffee, Learning at ACS 
  • 23 Feb. Survey Opens about Themes for a New Mission & Vision
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ACS Calendar

  • Tue – ILT meeting
  • Wed – PD
  • Mon – Board meeting
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Elementary School

Dear Elementary Parents, 

I hope that you had a nice weekend after the beautiful Carnaval celebration and long weekend last week. It was such a joy to see your children dancing and celebrating Bolivian culture and traditions, and to see so many of you enjoying the fun!  I enjoyed my first trip to Tarija and found the Carnaval celebration there to be beautiful, awe-inspiring, and a little wet!

We turn now to the next big events on the horizon. Please see below for all the things to look forward to in the coming weeks and months!

STEAM Family Event: On Friday, March 8th from 3:30-5:30 pm, we will host a STEAM Family event. This is a great opportunity to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math challenges with your children and ACS faculty! The event will have a variety of different events that will be extremely fun and snacks and food for all participants! More details are coming, but please save the date! We hope to see you there!

Student-Led Conferences: On Friday, March 22nd we will host students and parents for celebrations of learning. Sign-ups will be shared starting in early March. If you are unfamiliar with Student-Led Conferences, these are blocks of time when you and your children come to the classroom and your child will lead you through the learning that they have done over the past weeks and months. They will share goals, areas where they struggle, and areas where they are proud of their accomplishments; all through a celebratory lens! This is a special event in the school year, and a favorite of students, teachers, and parents alike! Watch for more information in the coming weeks!

Yearbook Photos are Coming! Next week, the week of February 26, we will have professional photographers on campus to take photographs for the yearbook. These photos will also be available for purchase - some info will be sent out soon with details on how to order. For now, you can see the day and time that your child will have their photograph taken on this schedule.  <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_L3amG2v5xJFAKhWtsjNIRkdKQDuyi5lDKHLFTtTpB8/edit?usp=sharing> 

Thanks so much for reading. I wish you a week of sunshine and smiles.

Sincerely,

Eric Crabtree
Elementary Principal


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Learning & Teaching


 

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