Bill Delbrugge
Director, American International School in Egypt
Dear AIS Community,
Happy May to you all. This will be an exciting month not just for AIS but for Egypt as well. The Presidential Election will be another step to full democracy for the people of Egypt and AIS wishes all Egyptians the best as you work through this process. This month we will also say farewell to the Class of 2012. We wish our Seniors well as they move to the next stage of their educational journey in college. The Class of 2012 has many brilliant students and we will be watching you to see what great changes you will bring to our lives. We know you are capable of leading great change in the world and we are hopeful in our future because we trust you and what you will do to improve the world for us all. President John F. Kennedy once called upon all American's to give to their country with the following words: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." No matter where you call home in the world I encourage all of us to build better communities and a better country to live in for yourself and your neighbors.
MAY CALENDAR ITEMS
Character Education Word of the Month "Inclusion"
May 7 3:15 pm After school tutoring for any student who needs assistance
May 9 5:45 pm Candles of my Country. Come learn about the great accomplishments of Egyptians. Event will be help in the AIS Panther Auditorium.
May 10 11 am Early Childhood Center Grandparents Day
May 13 3:15 pm After school tutoring for any student who needs assistance
May 14 3:15 pm After school tutoring for any student who needs assistance
May 15 9th & 10th Grade Arabic Social Studies & Religion Exams
May 17 Progress Reports Go Home
May 18 Elementary School Sports Day
May 20 3:15 pm After school tutoring for any student who needs assistance
May 21 3:15 pm After school tutoring for any student who needs assistance
May 21 Art Exhibit in the Panther Auditorium. Come and see our students amazing art work for all grade levels.
May 21 Spring Musical - Little House of Horrors 7 pm in the Panther Auditorium
May 22 Spring Musical - Little House of Horrors 4 pm in the Panther Auditorium
May 24 Seniors Last Day
May 26 First Aid Training by Red Cross at 10 am
May 27 3:15 pm After school tutoring for any student who needs assistance
May 28 3:15 pm After school tutoring for any student who needs assistance
May 28 AIS International Day Celebration
May 31 Middle School Sports Day
POINTS OF PANTHER PRIDE
Congratulations to our many Seniors who have received their letters of acceptance from universities around the world. AIS would like to say congratulations an outstanding Senior who was the first graduate in our schools history to be accepted to Harvard. We are very proud of the Class of 2012! A full list of university acceptances will be posted to our web-site soon.
Pre-K: from crying and not being quiet, now the students can understand instructions in English and most speak English. The students can also now trace and recognize their name as well as shapes and colors.
KGI: there are many new students coming from different backgrounds and levels of English. At this point most of them know the letters and their sounds. Students can count to 20 and communicate in English and draw their thoughts, which begins pre-writing skills. Students can also write their name using upper and lower case letters. The students are also starting to experiment with computers with their homeroom teachers.
KGII: Reviewing letters, sounds, working on reading, writing, math counting up to thirty, patterns and starting with a little bit of homework.
The AISE Elementary School students performed a terrific Christmas concert that was put together by our music teacher Karen Courliss.
AISE Elementary Student Government, and as an initial project, led our Reading Marathon. Our students were rewarded both individually and by class for their accomplishments during the Reading Marathon.
Our 5th grade team implemented the mac cart to infuse technology into the classrooms. One example of great work was Mr. Gary Hewgley's class creation of student webpages. Another notable accomplishment was implementation of IXL in one 5th grade class. This is a web-based program that engages students to practice their math skills outside of class.
The AISE Middle School girls’ basketball team won the Cairo International School’s Sports Association basketball tournament in December, 2011. In the history of AIS, this is the first time a Middle School team has won an athletic tournament. The team, coached by Steve Spannring and Adam Piitz, consisted of Tamara Hussein, Yara El Barhamtouchy, Zeina Salama,Lara Kapovic, Tamara Hussein, Sofie Mostafa, Mariam El Karmoty and Nour Fahmy.
The first Key Club on the African continent was formed in the AIS Middle School. Key Club is a service organization sponsored by Middle School teacher Amanda Barrilleaux. Key Club officers for the 2011-2012 school year are: President Ramy Abul Ata, Vice-President Yazeed Abul Ata, Secretary Aly Salem, Treasurers Michael Soliman and Caroline Beshir, Editor Michelle Makarious, and the Liaison Officer Alia El Sabrout.
Ninety-two students were recognized during the middle school Quarter 1 Celebration of Achievement Assembly. Seventy-two students were recognized for achieving the honor roll: (25) grade six, (22) grade 7 and (17) grade 8. Fourteen students were honored for earning high honors, which included (2) grade 6, (4) grade 7 and (8) grade 8. One student from each grade level was recognized for being “On-A-Roll”: Michael Samuel (6), Omar AdbedlDayem (7), and Adham Abdelmegeid (8). Three students earned recognition for best exhibiting the characteristics of a model citizen and earned the Panther Award: Hasan Maamoun (6), Michelle Makarious (7), and Sara El-Messiry.
Amr Mordagy practices football with Ahly Club. He is also a member of the Egyptian National Team.
Hussein Fahim competes in High Jump. He holds the 2nd best jump in Egypt in his age category.
Abdullah Soliman: Equestrian, part of the Egyptian National Team.
Hashim Bahgat: Swimming, member of the Egyptian National Team.
Omar El Kattan: Squash, member of the Egyptian National Team.
Eighty seven high school students made the High Honors List for the first quarter. Thirty of those recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA.
The Early Childhood Center also had guests who spoke to the students about recycling and helped the students create a doll and a plane using recycled materials.
For Valentine’s Day, all Early Childhood Center students will decorate a shoe boxes filled with little presents and give them to children from an orphanage.
The elementary school 3rd and 4th grade classes visited Sitara to experience their drama productions.
We have 42 grade 7 students and 6 AISE Middle School teachers traveling to Jordan from February 5-9. This trip was organized by the Grade 7 Team Leader Sara Mayo.
There are 50 grade 8 students and 8 AISE Middle School teachers traveling to Turkey from February 5-9. This trip was organized by the Grade 8 Team Leader Tonya Paul.
Our Key Club is collecting clothes for both adults and children in the Southwestern Sinai Peninsula.
Over 140 students participated in the AISMUN Selection Conference at school debating various world issues as well as inaugurating a new council this year, the Egyptian Dialogue Forum.
Over 20 students participated in the CACMUN conference in Cairo. AISE students were chosen to chair various councils and several were awarded best delegate in their forums.
Eight students participated in the AMMUN conference in Jordan, debating various issues as well as visiting the ancient Roman ruins at Jarash and the Dead Sea. One student was chosen as a chair and several won superlatives in their forums.
Twenty-Five students participated in The Hague International Model United Nations conference in the Netherlands. As well as debating world issues, they also visited the International Court of Justice, attended a hearing of Radovan Karadzic indicted for genocide at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and visited several museums such as Escher and the NEMO Scientific Center.
The IB History class (grade 11) will be travelling to Berlin for an educational trip during March. The itinerary includes trips to the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag, and a concentration camp.
The World History II classes (grade 10) will be travelling to France for an educational trip during April. The itinerary includes trips to First and Second World War battlefields as well as the major highlights of Paris and Versailles.
The World History I classes (grade 9) will be travelling to Rome and Florence for an educational trip in March. The itinerary includes visits to many monuments and museums relevant to the Roman Empire and the Renaissance.
In August the Student Government organized an orientation program for new students at AIS.
In December the Student Government organized a Christmas Bake Sale that raised 3500 LE for a charity called Stabl Antar.
In February the Student Government will host the Fifth Annual AIS Talent Show.
The AIS JV Boys Football team travelled to Dubai and the Varsity Boys Football team travelled to Doha, Qatar. Both teams participated in International Schools Activities Conference Tournaments hosted by UAS-Dubai and Qatar Academy where the AIS JV team finished 1st place and the varsity team managed to win all games apart from the semi-finals, and they finish 3rd.
Christmas Fun Day Bazaar. Active Citizen students, IB students, and other volunteers presented a day of fun for over 200 orphans, as well as providing the opportunity for NGO’s to sell their wares on site.
Grade 11 IB students went on a retreat to Sinai for 4 days, participating in a range of activities in all CAS categories including hiking to St. Catherine.
Grade 12 IB students went on a retreat to Fayoum for 3 days working with internationally renowned artist Mohamed Abla, cooking and cleaning, camping, horseback riding, trekking through the Valley of the Whales, safari through the white desert, yoga, had running competitions through the desert, did community service with a local public school, participated in team building activities, and had long nights of reflection/discussions.
CAS Tuesdays
All IB diploma students have to regularly plan, participate and reflect on Creative, Action and Service activities. AIS has started a program that allows students to partake in weekly CAS activities. Students meet in groups for 90 minutes each Tuesday and activities are mentored by AIS teachers as well as outside trainers.
Here is a list of some of the activities that students have participated in this semester:
- • Photography
- • Fashion- learning the basics of sewing
- • Ultimate Frisbee
- • Hallway Murals
- • Egyptian Culture- Religious Tolerance
- • Green Committee
- • Teaching English to custodial workers
- • Cooking
- • Multimedia
- • Jewellery making
- • Shoebox charity
- • AIS4Egypt campaigns
- • Teaching Arabic to teachers
- • Baking
Scuba Diving: Ten high school students travelled to Dahab to complete their PADI Open Water certificate over the weekend of 27-29th October. By completing this certificate they are now certified to dive down to 18 meters (60 feet).
Upcoming dives: A series of fun dives in Dahab planned to improve the student's experience of diving so that they can take the next qualification (Planned for the first weekend in March).
CAS Photography: CAS students met to learn some of the fundamental rules of photography and how to use their cameras. The end result was a calendar highlighting some of the best photographs from the walking tour of Islamic Cairo. The calendar will be on sale in February and will raise money for AIS4Egypt.
Upcoming events: Students will participate in a number of photography sessions with Egyptian artisans recording the creative process and helping to create a brochure which can be used for advertising. The brochure will be developed with tourism in mind and so will be in a number of languages.
Egypt in a Hundred Objects: In May 2012 the school will be hosting an exhibition cataloguing the history of the families that go to AIS. Each object will be something owned or used by a family member of an AIS student. Together with a photograph of the object the students will be detailing the provenance of the object and how it is related to Egypt's history. Early entries included an old Quran and a rifle belonging to the body guard Anwar Sadat.
High School Newsletter: A new high school electronic newsletter started this year taking advantage of the internet. Rather than work to a weekly paper schedule the newsletter will be posted online allowing it to stay fresh and up to date. It is intended that the newsletter will be student run and also include areas for advertising. The revenue from this will be made available to the student council with a portion going towards charity.
As you can see from this list our students are doing very well at AIS and we are all embracing change to better our school and our lives.
Be the change we want to see in the world.
HOW PARENTS CAN HELP WITH HOMEWORK
- Research shows that parent involvement can have either a positive or negative impact on the value of homework. Parent involvement can be used to speed up a child’s learning. Homework can involve parents in the school process. It can enhance parents’ appreciation of education. It can give them an opportunity to express positive attitudes about the value of success in school.
- But parent involvement may also interfere with learning. For example, parents can confuse children if the teaching techniques they use differ from those used in the classroom. Parent involvement in homework can turn into parent interference if parents complete tasks that the child is capable of completing alone.
- When mothers and fathers get involved with their children’s homework, communication between the school and family can improve. It can clarify for parents what is expected of students. It can give parents a firsthand idea of what students are learning and how well their child is doing in school.
- Research shows that if a child is having difficulty with homework, parents should become involved by paying close attention. If a child is doing well in school, parents should consider shifting their efforts to providing support for their child’s own choices about how to do homework. Parents should avoid interfering in the independent completion of assignments.
- As this brief introduction suggests homework can be an effective way for students to improve their learning and for parents to communicate their appreciation of schooling.
GENERAL HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS
- Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework. Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going.
- Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils and a dictionary, are available. Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance.
- Help your child with time management. Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Do not let your child leave homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects especially if the project involves getting together with classmates.
- Be positive about homework. Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires.
- When your child does homework, you do homework. Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you do as an adult. If your child is reading, you read too. If your child is doing math, balance your checkbook.
- When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers. Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her.
- When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it. Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.
- If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away. Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills.
- Stay informed. Talk with your child’s teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child’s class rules are.
- Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework. Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in.
- Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration. Let your child take a short break if she or he is having trouble keeping her or his mind on an assignment.
- Reward progress in homework. If your child has been successful in homework completion and is working hard, celebrate that success with a special event (e.g., pizza, a walk, a trip to the park) to reinforce the positive effort.
READING HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS
- Have your child read aloud to you every night.
- Choose a quiet place, free from distractions, for your child to do this nightly reading assignments.
- When your child reads aloud to you and makes a mistake, point out the words they missed and help them read the word correctly.
- After your child has stopped to correct a word they have read, have them go back and reread the entire sentence from the beginning to make sure they understand what the sentence is saying.
- Ask your child to tell you in their own words what happened in a story.
- To check your child’s understanding of what he or she is reading, occasionally pause and ask your child questions about the characters and events in the story.
- Ask your child why they think a character acted in a certain way and ask your child to support their answer with information from the story.
- Before getting to the end of a story, ask your child what he or she thinks will happen next and why.
MATH HOMEWORK
- Follow the progress your child is making in math. Check with your child daily about their homework.
- If your child is experiencing problems in math, contact the teacher to learn what can be done at home to help improve academic progress.
- Request that your child’s teacher schedule after school math tutoring sessions if your child really needs help.
- Use household chores as opportunities for reinforcing math learning such as cooking and repair activities.
- Try to be aware of how your child is being taught math, and don’t teach strategies and shortcuts that conflict with the approach the teacher is using. Check in with the teacher and ask what you can do to help. Ask the teacher about online resources that you can use with your child at home.
- At the beginning of the year, ask your child’s teacher for a list of suggestions that will enable you to help your child with math homework.
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2011
2011 University acceptances
96% of the class of 2011 plan to attend university in the fall of 2011
1 student will enter the military in his home country
USA
Albion College
American University
Amherst College
Babson College
Bates College
Berkeley College
Bethel College
Biola University
Boston University
Chapman University
Colby College
Connecticut College
CUNY Brooklyn College
CUNY Hunter College
Dean College
Design Institute of San Diego
Emmanuel College
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida International University
Fordham University
Grinnell College
International University of Geneva
Johnson State College
Manhattanville College
Marist College
New York Institute of Technology
New York University
Northeastern University
NYSID
Pace University
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Pratt Institute
Saint Mary’s College of California
Savannah College of Art and Design
Southern Methodist University
St. Olaf College
Suffolk University
Syracuse University
Texas Tech.
Trinity University
U. Texas, Austin
UMass, Boston
University of Arizona
University of Central Florida
University of Chicago
University of Denver
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of Houston
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of New Haven
University of Northern Iowa
University of Pennsylvania
University of South Florida
University of Tampa
University of Texas, San Antonio
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
Washington State University
West Virginia University
Williams College
Winthrop University
Egypt/Other
Ain Shams University
American University in Cairo
American University of Beirut
American University of Dubai
British University Egypt
Cairo University
Carnegie Mellon University, Qatar
Georgetown University, Qatar
German University in Cairo
Misr International University
UK/Europe
American Intercontinental University, London
Aston University
Brighton University
Brunel University
City University
Deree, The American College of Greece
Hult International Business School
King’s College
Kingston University
London Metropolitan University
London School of Economics & Political Science
Loughborough University
Marbella Design Academy, Spain
Middlesex University
Newcastle University
Nottingham Trent University
Queen Mary, University of London
Regents Business School
Regents College
Richmond, The American International University in London
Royal Holloway
St. George’s, University of London
University College London
University of Birmingham
Webster University, Geneva, Switzerland
Canada
Algonquin College
Brock University
Carleton University
Concordia University
Seneca College
University of British Columbia
University of Toronto
University of Waterloo
University of Western Ontario
