Dear parents,

Marathon Kids : The grand final run  is on Sat Feb 25th at 11:00 am . Each participant who has accomplished both goals (26 mile run and nutrition) will run a last distance and receive a T-shirt and a medal that morning.

see details :

Thanks to Maarit for coordinating the event at the stadium as I will not be able to attend.

I am sure that you heard about the field trip downtown.

click here to see some pictures

I think their favorite part was the visit of the Austinion, the highest tower in the city.

We really had a very rich instructional moment at the Capitol, were active learners during the interview of Food vendors and observed different aspect of the city through the bus and metro windows.

Now back in class, we are working on report different aspect of our trip, one goal bieng to send a documentary about the city to our Angers correspondants in France.

The field trip is also an incentive to do some math problem solving since we have collected various data during the trip.

We are using the website to compile the informations that we want to convey.

What else did we do this week was mostly evaluations beside :

French :

language mechanics :

review future tense  verbs  – different natures of words in a simple sentence (nouns, determinants, adjectives, verbs and now subject and verbal groups) and their fonctions (subject verb and complement) -  review adjective and nouns accordance – use of synonyms to avoid repetition in a text.

Reading : continue with “contes des Indiens d’Amérique”

writing :- what I have preferred during the field trip

- collaborative report on one aspect of the trip (general, the capitol, the interviews, the tower, the transports)

- report on the interview (from English keywords answers to English sentences to general report in French)

Math  :

Geometry : perpendicular line ( identify ad trace )

Algebra : one digit multiplication – approach to division – fraction identify, compare, represent

Problem solving : multiplication and division problem -

Measurement : time

Geography :different aspects of the city ( population, landscape, human activities, transportation) – review plans

Sciences :  body movement and nutrition

Sport : team games with balls

Thursday, January 19, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

4001 Adelphi Lane, Austin, TX 78727

Childcare provided on site

You are invited to our annual State of the School meeting led by Head of School Christophe Bonnet and members of our Board of Directors. It’s a time to reflect on where we’ve been, where we are and what’s in store for the future. Please join us in the main foyer of the new campus for this important meeting. On-site childcare is provided for your convenience.

Austin International School Family Volunteering Opportunity

Location: Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District Park, 7000 Ardath Street

We are partnering with Little Helping Hands to organize a family volunteering event for AIS families. Little Helping Hands is a 501c3 Austin-based nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and organizing volunteer opportunities for young children.

Join us for part of your morning helping to maintain the beauty of Northwest Park, a popular destination spot for many families and children in northwest Austin. You and your child/children will join other AIS families to help clean up and beautify the park. Tasks may include picking-up trash/litter around the grounds and picnic areas, wiping down the playscape, and planting flowers in front of the pool entrance. All supplies/materials provided. This is not only a fun volunteer activity for children of all, but also an opportunity to learn about how keeping our parks clean and beautiful is important for our community and environment.

Registration is limited and required.

Please view the full details and easy sign up on our website.

Nicolas Poupon is a French author and illustrator who already worked with the previous CE1 class last year on another project involving children’s book Fleur de Géant.

This year, the two CE1 classes are going to create a comic book in the three langages. They have started to read one of Nicolas Poupon’s book called Kirouek, a comic which has just been re-published in a new version. The project is to create the follow up of Kirouek, and they are going to meet Nicolas first on Skype so he can help imagine the story. In the last week of November he will come to their classes and help them to work on the drawings and pages of the book. He will sign his books for the book fair.

You can preorder the book ($20) at the front desk and Nicolas will do a personalized drawing for your child.

Nicolas Poupon is also part of the author panel during our International Book Fair.

(Read about last year’s project with the author.)

Registration for AIS students opens tomorrow, November 1, and registration for non-AIS students opens Thursday, December 1. All registration closes on Wednesday, December 21.

On your mark...get set...go!

Saturday’s first-ever Halloween Fund Run had a huge turnout and the fundraising runners impressed us all! Our top runners, Callie and David in CM2, ran 7 miles! Next on the agenda is to turn in the pledges you guys raised for the playground, so let’s get those turned in by next Wednesday, November 9. Make sure to collect your funds so that we can give the smoothie party to the class which raised the most funds! And don’t forget, students get raffle tickets based on the funds they collect – the three raffle prizes are gift certificates to Toys-R-Us! It’s easy to turn in your money, just drop off cash or check (with student’s name and donor information) to the drop box in reception, or fulfill your pledge online! Thank you.

Please plan to attend our first curriculum night of this year this Thursday, November 3, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The evening will start with a half hour presentation by the head of school, followed by presentations and discussions on the school’s curriculum across three topics: math, led by Christophe Bonnet; reading, led by Christine Christy; and language, led by Teresa Gisbert-Pomata. Presentations in the topic area occur concurrently, so you will attend one of your choice. Childcare provided.

We are encouraging you to help us reach 50 percent participation and $30,000 by Friday. We have 47 percent now.

Everyone who donates makes an incredible difference in the life of the school. If you have not yet donated or pledged, please do so now. The earlier we receive our support from you as parents and families the sooner we will receive support from outside organizations and corporations who, once they see how committed the AIS community is, will want to join in to make AIS an even more amazing place for our students.

Please show your support today and encourage your friends and family to visit our website or sign up for the weekly newsletter.

PS to GS will be on Wednesday, September 7, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

CP to CM2 will be on Thursday, September 8, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

We will start in the multipurpose room at 6:30 p.m. with a short introduction from Christophe and some information from the pedagogical coordinators. At 6:50 p.m., parents and teachers will proceed to their child’s classroom so that the teachers may present an outline of the curriculum and organization of their class.

We look forward to seeing you there!

I would to like personally welcome you and your children to a new and very exciting year at AIS.

After several years looking for a new home, we finally found one and what a place it is! This is a major achievement for our school community. Because of your constant support and the leadership and tenacity of our board, the school will have a beautiful place to call home. This is a game changer for AIS. This will allow us to plan for the future in a serene way, to develop a solid relationship with the Austin community at large while developing an international community open to the world. This new campus allows us to dream big and gives us the energy to work even harder to make AIS one of the very best schools in town.

The AIS community has many reasons to be proud of its accomplishments. Last year, many of you volunteered to make our school a better place. Whether you came to spread mulch on the playground on a Saturday morning, came and read a story to your child’s class or gave some of your time to help during the Kermesse, it is your time and energy that makes our school such a vibrant community. I want to sincerely thank you for dedication.

This year we will build on our successes and continue our pursuit of excellence. You will notice that we hired additional playground supervisors and additional teachers, all of whom will work as an international team to better serve the students and to communicate with you. We will collaboratively work on language in pre-k through kindergarten, on reading in kindergarten through 2nd grade, and on mathematics in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, streamlining the curriculum and delivering it in an international manner. We will focus – even more than before – on meeting every student’s needs by developing systematic assessments and reporting the information in a more precise and consistent manner.

A school is, first and foremost, a community: a learning community that shares the same values and the same vision of the world. Your time and energy is the bond that keeps us together. To develop this sense of belonging you will be invited to attend Curriculum Nights, our annual State of the School meeting, and other, less formal, social events. I hope you join us.

We need to continue to work together to develop the school and I will invite you to demonstrate your support by contributing to our annual fund and by participating in the different events that will raise funds for our new playground.

Based on my experience, I can assure you that with your support and dedication AIS will become one of the most desirable schools in the Austin area.