Dear Families,
We hope you enjoyed your long weekend with family and had some time to relax and spend time making memories together. Prior to the long weekend you received your child’s progress report for the first term of the school year. I hope you were able to access it successfully and took the time to celebrate your child’s achievements thus far. The next step in the process is to attend the Three Way Conferences with your child next week. These are an opportunity for a 15 minute conversation with your child and his/her teacher to review learning, discuss strengths and areas for growth and work together as a team to help achieve success. We are excited to be able to invite parents onto campus for the first time in a long time to have meetings face to face. You will be able to see your child’s learning environment and meet with the teacher(s) in person. All parents must provide proof of vaccination at the gate in order to enter the campus. Thank you for your cooperation with this important protocol. Please note that if you prefer to have the 3 Way meeting online, there is a link at the top of each teacher’s sign up page. Please indicate your preference of face to face or online when you complete the sign up. We look forward to welcoming everyone next week, on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and evenings. ABIS Three Way Conference Sign Up
We are pleased that we are back in the cooler weather season, and next week students will begin eating outside again. While they are welcome to play during their breaks and lunch recess times, we also encourage students to spend some time relaxing, chatting with friends or playing games in the shade during their breaks. Water and sunhats are encouraged for all outdoor play, and without them students must stay in the shade. During outdoor play, students will be allowed to use different playground spaces starting next week. We’re sure you will hear about this positive development! While we maintain strict social distancing and mask protocols inside, while outdoors students will be allowed to play with friends from other grades as well as move more freely around the playgrounds.
Swimming continues to be a big hit, and we’d like to thank all parents for helping their children to come prepared each week for their time in the water. We now see most students wearing goggles, but would like to encourage more students to wear a swim cap during the swim lessons. I was in the water with the students this week and for some students with longer hair it can be a hinder to their learning what is already a challenging skill. Swim caps protect our pool’s filtration system, which in turn protects our students. Some Kindergarten parents have been asking about when their swim program will begin. The PE teachers have decided that Kindergarten swimming will begin in the spring. The students will be ready for it then and there will be more flexibility with the timing around the change rooms and use of the water. For now, kindergarten students are enjoying lots of water play with their classes and in the water playground.
You will have seen that our lunch catering will begin next week. I’m excited to try this new service out and hope that it will be helpful to busy families each week.
Have a lovely weekend. I look forward to greeting all of you next week when you come for the conferences. Please drop by the administration building (LC3) and say hello or introduce yourselves in person. Maeve